Chapter Fifteen
“I think this is yours?” I say raising my eyebrow, “If I throw it back are you going to be able to catch it?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
I wouldn’t really throw it back to her since it could very well kill her and I don’t want to stoop to her level.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to make her think I will though.
After all this scene would be incredibly different if I wasn’t as powerful as I apparently am.
“Maybe that’s what you wanted to do?” I throw the energy ball in the air and catch it a couple of times whilst I pretend to think, “Start a game of catch?” I snicker and Erin snorts behind me.
Rebecca shakes her head rapidly, a panicked look crossing her features.
“No you weren’t playing catch or no you won’t be able to catch it if I give it back to you?”
“No, I-I-I can’t catch that. It’s not even my magic,” she stammers and I raise my eyebrow.
Following my instincts I absorb the magic into myself and distribute it down my bond lines with guys.
“Whoa!” Kai hisses.
“Listen, I don’t know why you have a problem with me but I am done playing whatever game it is that you think we’re playing. If you come for me again I will end it!” I say before I dismiss them entirely and sit back down.
The guys follow my lead all of us reluctantly putting our glamours back on and feeling shitty about it. The dining hall stays silent, everyone now watching us warily and no one brave enough to sit at the tables that surround ours.
“Well we couldn’t even last one day doing what Nicole asked and laying low.” Jax chuckles.
“That’s because certain people here are assholes!” Kai says bluntly making me laugh as I lean back.
I watch curiously as Levi gets up and makes his way back over to the line. Everyone moves out of his way like he’s going to smite them where they stand but there are a few people who eye him with envy and something a lot more darker.
Shit.
He picks something up at the counter and then walks back our way. Either completely unaware of all the stares he’s getting or being incredibly successful in ignoring them. He places the cup of coffee in front of me and kisses my forehead before takes his seat again.
My poor little heart soars as I sip my coffee. Honestly the thoughtfulness and care that my guys show me always shocks me but only because I’m not used to it, not because I question what sort of men they are.
“Thank you Levi.” I smile softly at him and he grins in response.
“Everyone done?” Kyle asks looking tense, “I’m about done of being stared at now and I want to get this meeting over and done with so I can drop the glamour. I’m exhausted.”
“Me too.” Maverick sighs heavily.
Personally my glamour is feeling like it’s pulling me down now, like a ten ton weight pressed upon my shoulders, especially since we let our glamours drop partially when I caught that energy ball.
It’s getting harder to hold in place and I can’t wait to get back to our room and drop it.
We all get up and make our way out to the corridor.
I’ve gotten fairly used to the stares by this point even though it’s only the second day.
The stares now though are far more cautious and wary.
“Some of the looks we are getting are slightly worrying, guys.” Erin mutters as we leave the dining room, “More angry and envious than just curious or worried.”
“I noticed that too. I think it might be a good idea to remain even more on guard. No one goes anywhere alone.” Dash says firmly and the rest of us nod in agreement.
“How far away are Nicole’s rooms?” I ask.
“Not too far. At least I don’t think so.” Erin reply’s frowning slightly as she leads us down another corridor and further into the castle than we’ve been so far.
“All the instructors rooms are in the same wing of the castle.” Jett says.
After a few more turns we end up in a giant hall that is cavernous in its size with fireplaces big enough that I could easily stand inside of them sided by side with Erin and there would still be room.
Carved wood and intricate mouldings decorate the walls and ceiling with polished marble floors that instantly make me want to take off my shoes and see how far I can slide on socked feet. I barely manage to repress the urge.
“They use this for the all Hallows Eve masked ball. It’s mandatory for all the students to attend and they invite important people from the supernatural world and the other realms and academies too.
Each year it changes location, this year I think it’s in the Demon world.
We’ll all get to go.” Dash says as we cross the cavernous room and I’m not the only one whose surprised.
Noticing our looks he adds, “What? I told you I got into the restricted section of the library.” He shrugs and Maverick’s face lights up.
“I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that reading.
I can already tell that the classes here are going to be slow.
I get that it’s important for us to learn how to fight and whilst I agree that we shouldn’t dwell in the past I do think that we should learn from it otherwise we just end up repeating the mistakes of our ancestors.
” Mav says passionately and I wrap my arm through his, leaning my head on his bicep.
“Well said Mav.” Levi comments.
We finally reach the other side of the room and push our way out through heavy and solid cherry wood doors.
“Damn, there’s so many freaking corridors in this place!” I groan and Jax chuckles from behind me.
“Well it is a seriously old castle Little Star!” He says from behind me.
“Well there’s too damn many.” I joke back, smirking.
“I think the instructors rooms are just around the corner.” Damon chuckles as he interrupts Jax and I’s quickly devolving argument.
We turn the corner and all come screeching to a halt.
Coiled in the middle of the corridor is something with a similar shape to a giant snake but its body circumference is large enough that even Levi couldn’t get his arms wrapped around it.
Not that he’d want to since it’s covered in oozing lava filled boils that drip down its black as night body.
The smell of burning flesh and ozone is overwhelming and starts to make my eyes water as it burns my nostrils, lovely.
Four serpent split eyes blink in our direction on its massive table sized head as it opens its jaw to reveal arm length teeth dripping with some sort of black ichor.
It hisses flinging the ichor in our direction and singeing the floor as we jump backwards.
Behind it, where the rest of the wide, high ceilinged hallway should be is just inky darkness.
No sign of the doors that should line the hallway behind it or hell, even walls.
There’s just an abyss of nothingness. It creates a fearsome backdrop.
“Fuck!” I curse loudly making the serpent’s head snap in my direction and I freeze instantly.
For some reason though, it doesn’t strike out.
“What the fuck is that and why is it in the fucking school?” Kyle says, being smarter than me and saying it quietly.
“We’ll research it. Just back up really slowly.” Dash says equally as quiet.
We slowly start to step back, none of us taking our eyes off of the beast and all of us dropping our glamour one by one.
I don’t give a shit about anyone seeing us with our glamour completely dropped.
It takes far too much energy to keep it up for any length of time and if this ugly fucker decides to come for us then we’re going to need all the energy we can get.
A high pitched whistle sounds throughout the hallway echoing around as if it’s coming from everywhere at once making it impossible to pin point it’s origin. The serpent’s head rises as it hones in on us and hisses its acidic venom in our direction.
“Why do I feel like it just got ordered to do something?” Kai whispers, not really expecting an answer.
The hallway is silent for a beat before it suddenly lunges in our direction, heading straight towards Kai.
Kai manages to launch himself in the air as the wings from my vision when we had our gifts unlocked, suddenly sprout from his back.
They keep him suspended and move him closer to the high ceilings.
“What the fuck!” Kai exclaims.
The serpent seems as shocked as Kai himself and the look on Kai’s face is pretty damn comical as he keeps glancing behind himself at his wings in disbelief.
We don’t get a chance to enjoy it though before the snake is lunging for us again.
Fortunately all of us are still armed thanks to none of us feeling safe here and wanting to stay on guard.
Erin and Jett come at it from opposite sides as the rest of us try to surround it so we can attack all at once.
As soon as their swords make contact with the snakes skin they start to bend and melt from the heat of the lava boils.
All our attacks seem to do is piss it off.
Suddenly Erin shoots strong Jet’s of water towards it sending it crashing into the exposed brick of the castle wall and making its skin hiss angrily as it screeches in pain.
Water and lava are not a good mix.
“Holy fuck!” She exclaims wide eyed as she stares at her hands in disbelief.
The creature does this weird roar hiss and the boils start to spurt lava scorching the floor and setting the already ruined ornate floor runner, alight. Clearly our weapons aren’t going to do fuck all to help us defeat it, so we abandon them.
“Don’t bite it!” I call out urgently to Hunter who was about to take a giant chunk out of it in his wolf form.
He veers at the last second jumping over the tail of the serpent and raking his claws down it, making it screech in pain. Erin immediately shoots water towards Hunter paws just in case there’s anything damaging on them.
Good to know, shape shifter claws can damage it.
The serpent flings its tail smashing into Hunter and Kyle, sending them both crashing into the wall and Maverick behind them, making them all slump to the floor.