Chapter 9 Raven
Raven
I’d looked after the compound’s livestock since I was old enough to walk.
Every morning, without fail, I rolled out of bed to feed the chickens, horses, and goats.
A quick glance around the gymnasium where we assembled for my first PT class told me I wasn’t the weakest magical in the room.
Some, like Demelza and her friends, looked like they’d never lifted a sack of grain in their lives.
Others, like Alar-dick and his friend, who’d shot me a cheeky grin when we walked in, probably worked out on the regular.
But fitness wasn’t the only factor at play here, as Glynda had warned me ten minutes earlier. All the students in this academy had more control over their magic than I did, which gave them a significant advantage. I suspected most were more powerful than me too, despite what the headmaster thought.
A mix of students stood around chatting while we waited for the coach to appear. I recognized a few witches and mages, but the rest were strangers. Some looked like shifters; they seemed to be bigger than average, with more muscles. But others were a mystery to me.
One guy’s blue-tinted skin shimmered in the light, and his companion seemed suspiciously hairy and squat-looking, with short legs and a barrel chest.
“A merman and a troll,” Glynda whispered under the breath. “They come from the islands.”
Oh, the mysterious islands. The place Demelza referred to with such derision.
I resolved to make friends with the island magicals.
They could be my tribe. We outsiders needed to stick together in this cutthroat school.
Demelza might have a superiority complex, but I’d bet my last sprig of sage that she’d lose a swimming competition with a merman.
That dude had powerful shoulders. And possibly fins.
Did mermen have fins? It seemed like something I needed to know.
Was there even a swimming pool here?
I resolved to add these questions to my list of things to ask Glynda.
“I wonder who’s taking over for Coach Woods,” a mage to my left murmured to his friend.
“No idea, but it’s shit what happened to him.”
“Yeah. Imagine being torn apart by a feral wolf. Jeez, that must have been painful. I heard it took the healers hours to sew his limbs back on.”
The second mage retched loudly. “Shut the fuck up, Horace. I just ate my fucking breakfast!”
Eww, that sounded… painful. But as I was about to question Glynda about it, a door at the back of the room opened and a mountain of a man walked in wearing nothing but a pair of blue shorts and some sneakers.
Nearly all the females in the room, along with a few males, swooned at the sight of so much golden muscle. Stars, the man had muscles on top of his muscles. Was that normal? I didn’t have enough experience to be sure.
“Oh my goddess, I think I’m in love,” a witch whispered in front of me. “I don’t even care that he’s a hairy shifter.”
“Your bitch of a mother will care, so don’t even think about it, you ho,” her friend laughed.
“Eh, what happens at Starfall stays at Starfall,” the first witch giggled.
My chest squeezed so tightly at her words I wondered if maybe I needed a healer. Surely it wasn’t normal to feel this way in the presence of a male?
Our coach scanned the room, his brawny arms folded across his chest and a blank expression on his face as every student in there stared up at him in silence. A legion of demons could have attacked and not one person would have reacted.
When he spotted me at the back of the room, magic flared in my veins. Smoke drifted up, and I realized too late that I’d set the surrounding floor on fire. People yelped as everyone near me jumped away.
The room’s magical defenses kicked in, setting off a sprinkler over my head. Students dove for cover, leaving me standing in a puddle of water, my hair and white tee soaked. Once again, I became an object of ridicule.
Mages, witches, and shifters all started laughing as water dripped down my face. I heard Demelza cackling loudly and Alar-dick saying something about unstable witches, but I ignored them all.
The scent of scorched timber made my nose wrinkle and left an acrid taste in my mouth. I swallowed my shame and fixed a smile on my face.
“Oops!” Fake it until you make it, right?
Aside from Glynda, the troll and merman were the only two magicals in this cursed gym who weren’t howling with laughter at my expense, which made me like them all the more. The merman threw me a sympathetic look before focusing on the floor.
A deep, threatening growl rattled the walls, sending a rack of weights tumbling down. Everyone went quiet and turned to face our new coach, who’d finally dragged his eyes away from my red face.
I gulped. Was he angry with me? Stars, I really needed to get a handle on my stupid magic. It had been unstable ever since the market incident. And also way stronger than ever before, which seemed odd given how sluggish it had been until I burned a tent down.
My hand reached for the amulet around my neck, and the magic fighting for release settled, no longer fizzing so much in my veins.
“Welcome to Combat Training. My name is Maverick Wilder, your new PT and physical combat instructor.” He sneered while taking us all in.
“Let me be very clear. I do not tolerate magic supremacy bullshit or campus bullies. Everyone in this room has power and deserves to be at Starfall Academy. Anyone who thinks otherwise is welcome to discuss it with me.” His lip curled up to reveal sharp white teeth.
Several students shuffled on the spot as the atmosphere changed from excited to apprehensive.
“Those of you who laughed at the witch’s expense, hit the running track.
You will do laps for the next hour.” Several students groaned out loud before our coach roared his displeasure.
“Anyone who feels this exercise is beneath them can come to my office and explain why they feel that way once the class ends.” A feral grin told me and everyone else in the room that daring to question the coach would be a seriously bad idea.
I watched as all the students except for Glynda, the merman, and the troll trudged outside where rain fell in sheets. A half-smile lit up my face as I realized they’d soon all be as wet as, if not wetter than, me.
“You three get a pass for today’s class. Go read a book or something,” the bear said to the others in a gruff voice while his eyes took in my soaking wet tee. Glynda looked at me with concern, but I grinned to let her know everything was fine.
The merman seemed surprised at being let off from the punishment but didn’t hang around for long. He shot off, dragging his troll friend with him.
“I’ll be in the library,” Glynda said before hesitating. “But I can wait if you need me?”
“Leave us,” Coach Wilder growled. Fur rippled down his arms, and his biceps popped. “I’ll protect her.”
Glynda choked on a surprised laugh, apparently baffled by his insanely protective attitude.
“Come find me after,” she mouthed before walking away.
The minute the door closed after my witch friend, the bear yanked me into his arms. I squeaked in surprise, not expecting him to behave in such an unprofessional way. Surely there were rules about fraternizing with the faculty? If not, there should be. It was a blatant abuse of power!
“My little mate,” the male grumbled. “You’re safe now.” Was this the bear talking or the male?
“Um, I should probably go get changed,” I said, my voice muffled against his chest. Soft hair tickled my cheeks. Stars, he felt good. Smelled divine too. Of pine and rain. All the scents I loved.
“No,” the male growled.
“No?” This was nuts. If anyone saw a teacher holding me like this, I’d be in trouble and he’d be fired.
“Mine.” Okay, so the male had mental issues. Relatable. Given how unstable my magic was, I had issues too.
“Look, as much as I appreciate not having to run laps in the rain, I feel I ought to point out the fact you’re my teacher and I’m a student, so…”
The male huffed in annoyance. When he stepped back and I could finally breathe without combusting, his eyes had cleared and he seemed calmer.
“I’m sorry, I…” He half smiled and raked his fingers through his messy hair. “My bear’s been going crazy ever since they stole you from him.”
I still didn’t understand what was going on here, but I nodded anyway. The male seemed volatile, so it was best to keep him happy. I didn’t need an angry bear to contend with.
“Um, why?” I blinked as he loomed over me. Stars, how tall was he anyway? Seven feet? I knew bear shifters were big, but he seemed bigger than most. My mind drifted down a cursed pathway to the demon realm when I remembered seeing him naked after he shifted back from a bear at the market.
He grabbed my hand just as a small fire burst into life at my feet. Holy smoke, I needed to get a grip. This was insanity. If I carried on, I’d burn down the whole freaking school!
“You’re my soul-bonded mate. Until my bear properly claims you, we’ll both have issues keeping ourselves under control. How that affects your magic, I don’t know, as cross-species soul-bonds are rare.” He smiled at me apologetically while I had a mini-meltdown.
My mind skipped right over soul-bonds and went straight to the being claimed by a bear shifter bit.
Sign me up!
A crack of thunder rattled the building as rain slammed against the window.
When I peered through the streaky glass, students continued to slog around the track.
I couldn’t hear anything over the storm now raging, but I imagined more than a few were cursing me to the demon realm and back.
No doubt my popularity rating had slumped to an all-time low thanks to our coach’s cruel punishment.
Oh well. I could hardly blame him. Laughing at me had been a dick move. They all deserved it.
“So how does this claiming bit work?” I asked in a husky voice.
My bear gifted me a feral smile, and I shivered.