39

IVY

THE rest of the week passed by in a blur. I went to my scheduled classes like a good student, spent my free hours with Vanya either in the huge library or in our student common room, and at night, I fell asleep wrapped in the arms of either Elias or Rowan depending on who had to complete guard rounds for Headmistress Sylvia. It felt like I had no time to do anything but study. Maybe it was a good thing. It meant not thinking about Ry, who I knew walked the halls but could never find. I couldn’t worry about the people hunting me—not when I already had a five-page essay about the uneasy political ties between Avalon and Faerie to think about.

And despite the need to be close with my mates, after my defence classes with Hawk, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and rot. Not even Elias could coax me out after a two-hour training session with my mentor. I’d give the asshole one thing—he never made me run. It was useless, he claimed, and his job wasn’t to get me into a habit of running away—it was to make me confident enough to fight back.

The promise of a weekend with everyone I loved was the only thing that got me out of bed Friday morning. I had two of my political relations classes to start the day, both of which thankfully weren’t terrible, but they had heavy content that clearly made sense to a lot of other people. These classes also included all the species, particularly demons and Fae.

Vanya and I waited outside one of the lecture halls, early because we were still—mostly—avoiding the dining hall. “What are your plans for the weekend?” she asked, cocking her head in my direction. “I was thinking some window shopping might be in order.”

I shifted on sore feet and shook my head. “I’m going to see my sisters. I don’t like leaving them for too long.”

Sympathy filled her eyes, and she offered me a smile. “I forgot. Sorry.”

Vanya knew the bare basics of what’d happened, only because it was one of the few things that didn’t need to be hidden from her.

Shrugging, I met her stare before looking away. “It’s fine. I’m hoping for a quiet couple of days with them. They aren’t...used to it all yet.”

“If you need any ideas for things to do with them, I can—”

A hard gust of wind pushed Vanya, and before she could catch herself, she crashed into me. I huffed as my magic rose within me sharply at the attack; my skin pricked, telling me the threat was close. That we weren’t alone.

We hit the wall hard, and a sharp, protruding rock cut into my side from the impact. I bit my tongue as Vanya stumbled away from me, her eyes wide with anger, cheeks flushed.

Gripping my side, I turned towards the group of mages who had attacked us. There were three in total; one with dark hair, brown eyes, and a pale complexion, another with a shaved head, silver-eyes, and dark skin; and a third, who had light brown hair, blue eyes, and olive skin. They were perhaps three of the plainest looking men I’d seen so far during my time here.

“Oops. Did the little witches get hurt?” dark hair goaded, cocking his head to the side as his eyes scraped over me. A sneer curled his lip, and his hands fisted.

I gritted my teeth as silver-eyes took a step towards us. Fire ignited along the tips of his fingers. “You think you’re powerful enough to take me?” he growled.

Oh, the strength it took me not to roll my eyes at him. I thought mean girls were bad enough. Now I had to deal with the fragile egos of men, too? Gag me.

“I think if you’re here, cornering two women on their own with your friends, and threatening them without an audience like in the dining hall, that you must be a coward.” Well, he didn ’t know he didn’t have an audience. Elias was still shadowing me, and his anger flooded the bond now. “And I never said I would take you. You just assumed.”

Silver-eyes grinned like I’d made some kind of joke. But I wasn’t laughing. Not like I could with the shooting pain in my side. So much for magical healing. It would be nice if it kicked in.

“You challenged me when you suffocated my flames,” he growled. “Now, it’s time to pay it back. What are you going to do with charms, little witch? You won’t be able to stifle these.”

As he raised his arms, fire ignited along his skin, over the sleeves of his uniform. Part of me expected his clothes to burn off, but they didn’t. A bonus, I supposed. I stepped in front of Vanya, who had her arms crossed. If he thought charms were useless, then he’d think her illusions might be, too. But at least if he hit me with the fire, then the charms still built into the ring from my first magic lesson would protect us.

Silver-eyes brought his hands together and the fire grew into a ball between his palms. The heat of the flames radiated throughout the hall. Uncomfortable warmth rolled over me, and the light of his fire burned almost blue as it danced across his flesh.

“Ivy,” Vanya hissed, gripping my arm. “Usually, I would say we should stand our ground, but he kind of has a point. Charms and Illusions can’t really beat fire. ”

I didn’t look at her as I replied, “Only if you aren’t creative. Come on, use your imagination.”

She snorted, but her grip on my arm loosened.

If silver-eyes thought he’d get to do this without an audience, he was sorely mistaken. The hallway filled with students, and that familiar warning tingle ran over my skin, alerting me to him . The weight of stares almost overshadowed the burn of the mage’s flames. I had to force myself to keep my gaze on silver-eyes and not seek out the one I truly wanted to see.

Despite planning to rely on the ring and my charms, I couldn’t ignore the electricity building underneath my skin. My magic wanted out. Wanted to play.

Fuck . That would negate everything I’d done this week to blend in.

Silver-eyes released the fire, and it hit the dome of protective energy surrounding Vanya and me before fizzling out. The ring burned from the impact, and I knew the chances of it working again were slim to none.

The mage growled and took a threatening step forward as students snickered at his attack. “You bitch.”

“Aw, did poor little mage get performance anxiety?” Vanya teased. She stepped out from behind me. “You really set yourself up for that one.”

I snorted. “Are you done now? Because I’d actually rather be listening to Professor Ira talk about how we can communicate through mirrors right now.”

His gaze darkened, features contorting into anger. We’d pissed this one off. Were we not all in our twenties? Why was he acting like a ten-year-old out in the school yard throwing a temper tantrum because he wasn’t allowed on the swing-set? Were all the students like him? It didn’t sit well with me knowing that these were the supposed future leaders of our world. There was a hell of a lot of pressure on me to be Queen, but these guys were supposed to make up the council?

We were doomed.

A trickle of amusement came down the bond at that thought from Adrian, but he neither agreed nor disagreed. I’d have to ask if his peers were like this.

“Orion,” someone hissed, their sharp, nasally voice cutting through the hum of whispers coming from the students. “What in Mab’s name are you—?”

Another figure entered the make-shift arena we were in. He was tall, over six-feet, with silver-white hair and sharp features, a frown branded across his face. He was handsome in a wicked, ethereal kind of way. Like it was clear he wasn’t human. And based on the point of his ears, he was Fae.

For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He—Orion, the other girl had called him—didn’t bother looking at Vanya and I as he turned to the three mages.

“Your show of power is embarrassing,” he said, voice dripping with disdain and boredom. Something about the way he spoke sent a shiver down my spine. “Not only for you, but your families.”

Silver-eyes sneered at Orion, but the other two looked a little more hesitant. Who was this guy? Even the other students looked uncomfortable as he chastised the mages.

“You have a boner for the witch-bitch?” silver-eyes asked, and the silence that followed was so heavy and thick, you’d hear a pin drop. “Or can’t she fight for herself?”

I gritted my teeth, but felt Vanya take my hand. As soon as our eyes met, I realised just how worked up I was. My magic was a simmering pot ready to boil over, and the longer we stood here listening to the misogynistic asshole, the more likely I was going to blow up. And though I liked how Rowan and Elias had stayed back, I needed them now more than ever.

I was one step away from blowing his ass through the doors behind him. And based on the damaged threads of my magic and bonds, that could mean total catastrophe.

At least it would teach him not to fuck around again.

God, I’m not cut out for this.

Orion sighed, the sound cutting through the silence. “Are you done with your tantrum, or do you need a few more minutes before you rejoin the rest of us? Because this—” He waved a hand, motioning to silver-eyes and his body, “—just makes you look weak and pathetic. You’re picking a fight with a new charm witch for no other reason than because it makes you feel big. But you’re a coward, Lain. You know that, and now, so do we. And that doesn’t bode well for you.”

Another shiver ran down my spine, one of awareness and maybe even...fear.

Something about what he was saying must have finally connected with silver-eyes, because the mage dropped his flames and took a step back. Those hateful, angry eyes fell on me. “He won’t always be here to protect you.”

I snorted. “Funny that. It sounds like he was protecting you more than me.”

Whatever power Orion had over the crowd dissipated, and snickers followed silver-eye’s retreating form. So, maybe I was still a target, but for now, he was gone.

I still wanted to take the win.

My shoulders slumped, and I spared Vanya a look. Her lips were twisted in a smirk, eyes bright. There was a slight flush to her cheeks as she grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the door to our lecture hall. I glanced over my shoulder to get one last glimpse of Orion, but he’d already disappeared, re-entering the crowd of students, probably joining the people he’d been with earlier.

Turning back to Vanya, I asked, “Who was that?”

“Only the most powerful and eligible male in this Goddess forsaken academy,” she gushed. “Ever since he arrived, he’s been at the top of this place power wise. And since he’s also a Fae prince, everyone wants to be near him. He ’s slated to take his father’s position on the Council. Ugh, and he’s just so...”

“Handsome?” I finished.

She grinned. “Yes. But more than that. And he doesn’t let anyone touch him. Like, at all. The last time someone tried to, they were found in the marshes behind the academy three days later. ” Vanya visibly shuddered as she claimed a seat towards the back of the hall. “So, not only is he powerful and hot, he’s also terrifying. The fact that he stepped in...” She shook her head. “Maybe he does have a boner for you, Ivy.”

My stomach twisted, and although her words were teasing, there was something about them that had me worried. I couldn’t find a reason for the anxiety building within me. But there was definitely something about the Fae Prince that had me uneasy. I just wasn ’t sure what.