Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
~ Shade ~
“What’s up with you?” Kenzie asks through a mouthful of buttered toast.
I push my bowl of oatmeal away, forcing my mind back to the present. “Huh?”
“You have a weird look on your face,” she prods.
“Well, the girl picked overcooked oats for breakfast, what do you expect?” Elgen says in my mind like she’s responding to Kenzie, though of course, Kenzie can’t hear her.
“I like oatmeal,” I mumble back to the shadow defensively. “It’s warm and comforting.”
“It’s gruel,” Elgen replies with an indignant sniff.
Ignoring her, I turn to where Kenzie is still eyeing me. “Girl, this is just what my face looks like.”
She gives me a skeptical expression. “You know what I mean. You’re distracted.”
A small smile lifts my lips as I contemplate how to answer her.
Somehow, it doesn’t seem like a great idea to be telling my friend about the strange nemin creatures who tickled tortured me, or the fact that I finally banged one of my professors.
And then there’s the part where I feel…different.
Yep, that’s been happening. I didn’t dream again last night, my mind like a blank void, but from the moment I woke up, I’ve felt…
strange. My magic has felt a little less chaotic.
Like when I changed outfits this morning and there was hardly any pain at all.
I eye the academy ring on my finger, wondering what’s different now.
So sure, I’m still wearing a weird outfit that consists of black feathers and tight material, but no agonizing pain is a big plus.
“See, that’s what I’m talking about,” Kenzie says, waving her toast in the air in front of my face. “There’s that look again.”
“It’s nothing,” I murmur, pretty unconvincingly.
“Uh huh. Well, if you’re not going to share, whatever it is you may want to forget about it for now, because we have Offensive and Defensive Maneuvers this morning with your favorite professor.”
I groan, propping my head on my hands. “I thought we had Shadow basics?”
“Yeah, there’s been a change to our timetable,” Kenzie replies, grimacing because she knows just how much I dread my classes with Knox. “There was a letter under our door this morning with an updated schedule. It didn’t say why.”
Laughter from across the room has me lifting my head, and I look at where Izzy and Paiton are watching Ian use his shadows to mess with another student’s food. His shadow grabs the plate of jam toast, tipping the breakfast onto the student’s head.
“Well, this is going to be interesting,” I say to the shadows.
“It will indeed,” Elgen comments, sounding way too eager as usual.
“All right, you ready to do this?” Jensen asks me some time later when Knox finishes barking orders at us. Students start breaking off for hand-to-hand combat, and Kenzie squeezes my shoulder before pairing up with a petite girl named Reni.
Before I can answer Jensen, Ian slides close. Ed lingers behind him, and the man gives me a sinister smile as he cracks his knuckles. Great.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of the Token this time,” Ian says as a cruel smile plays on his lips. He goes to rest a hand on my shoulder, but before he can touch me, I duck down, spinning away from him.
My lips curve as I give him a smile of my own.
“Thanks for the offer, but trust me when I say, you don’t want that.
” I doubt Knox would care if Ian tried to kill me during his class, but I’m pretty sure Galen, Raith, and Thane wouldn’t be too happy about it.
If anything, I’m doing both Ian and me a favor by refusing, but Ian obviously doesn’t see it that way.
Jensen’s smirk probably doesn’t help matters. “You heard her,” he tells Ian. “Run along and go torture someone else.”
Ian’s expression hardens, but he ignores Jensen, keeping his focus on me. Of course, he does.
“You’re such a fucking bitch, new girl,” he spits. “I can’t wait for the games. You’ll be the first one we’ll hunt down, and your boy toy won’t be able to do anything to save you then.”
Boy toy? I’m tempted to point out that Jensen is only a friend, but I decide not to bother. You just can’t argue with some people.
“You should kill that one before the games,” Elgen advises me, like the idea of murdering Ian is the only thing that makes any logical sense.
“She’s right,” Tarlaz adds, moving along the wall like he’s trying to examine Ian more closely. “Make an example of him. It’ll show the others you’re not weak after all, and that you’re not to be messed with.”
I grimace. “But I am weak.”
“Say it and it will make it so,” Elgen replies dryly.
I appreciate that she’s trying to help me, but Ian’s become one of the strongest students in the academy. I don’t think I could kill him even if I wanted to. Besides, the idea of simply snuffing out someone’s life makes me uneasy.
“Perhaps, when he’s sleeping?” Tarlaz suggests. “Even if you don’t make an example of him, you’ll have more of a chance at surviving the games if he’s gone.”
I shudder just thinking about it.
“Forget him,” Jensen tells me as Ian and Ed finally walk away. “He’s all talk.”
I’m not so sure that’s true, but I shrug off Ian’s comment as we move to an unoccupied mat in the training room.
Turning, we face each other, both of us dropping into a fighting stance.
Around us, the other students are already sparring, and their grunts and the sound of smacking limbs fills the large space.
Knox strolls between the mats, his shadows curling around him as he gives instructions and critiques the students’ forms.
I’m not as hopeless as when I first started these classes, but it still doesn’t take long before Jensen wins the first match, and I’m landing on my ass on the mat.
“Would you look at that, six seconds this time,” I comment with a grin, brushing the hair out of my eyes.
Jensen returns my smile. “All right. How ’bout we make it eight this time?” Stepping forward, he offers me his hand and helps me up.
“The main objective of today’s lesson is to learn how to gain control of your situation,” Knox calls out across the training room.
“You need to learn how to keep focused, even when on the defensive, and to turn the situation in your favor. While you’re sparring, one partner should go on the offensive, attacking, while the other must counterattack until they are able to flip the situation. ”
“The Xalgrith would come at us with weapons,” Ian comments from where he’s on a mat across from Ed. “We should be focusing on that. Not hand-to-hand combat.”
Knox stops pacing in the middle of the room, and his dark gaze cuts to Ian.
“While in most cases you will likely have weapons at your disposal, knowing how to fight without your blades is essential. Your body, your mind, and your power are your most valuable weapons. When it comes to the Xalgrith, your shadows are your strength.”
Hold on, did he just say shadows?
“Professor, are you saying we can use our shadow magic for this lesson?” another student asks, voicing the same question I have.
“No physical weapons are allowed for this sparring session, but yes, magic use is permitted,” Knox clarifies. “Just like if you were on a battlefield and you found yourself without your sword.”
“All right!” Ian jeers, though Ed looks less enthused, probably because he knows Ian’s shadow powers are stronger than his.
Around the room the mood shifts, as those who are excellent at hand-to-hand combat, but less confident with their powers, realize their sudden disadvantage.
Kenzie gives me a worried look from across the space. She can command a few shadows now, and will likely be fine against her partner, but Jensen is much more powerful than I am. Still, I have faith he’ll take it easy on me.
I drop into a fighting stance. “Okay, come at me like I’m a cum monster.”
“What the fuck?” He makes a disgusted face.
“Oh, I mean a Xalgrith,” I correct. “Show me what you’ve got.”
“Maybe you should be the one on the offensive?” he suggests, unsurprisingly not intimidated by me in the least.
Either way we both know I’m getting my ass handed to me, so I stay where I am, waiting for him to attack. He gets the hint, and I can feel Knox’s gaze on me as Jensen advances.
I end up on my ass more times than I can count. Even when we swap positions and I’m the one on the offensive, Jensen doesn’t have to do much before he’s defeated me again. I’ve probably fallen for the tenth time when Knox stalks over to us, his face filled with fury.
Oh great, it looks like my poor performance has angered the asshole. I would be upset about that, except I’m not. I told the guys from the start. I’m not made to be a warrior.
“Move,” Knox barks at Jensen, and Jensen reluctantly obeys, shooting me a concerned look before he moves to the side of the mat.
I stare up at my shadow daddy mate who has made it obvious he wants nothing to do with me. Ever since the incident with Satine during his class, Knox hasn’t said a word when Jensen has paired with me. In fact, he’s ignored me completely. This is the first time he’s intervened.
Knox stands across from me, glaring down at where I’m sprawled. “Get up,” he orders impatiently.
“Oh crap. Is he going to spar with me?” I’d assumed he was planning to make me fight someone else, like he did with Satine, but I gape as he lifts his muscular arms, clearly intent on making this lesson even more painful than it normally is.
“It appears so,” Elgen replies with interest. “Oh, goodie.” She and Tarlaz seem to settle in, creating shadow snacks as they watch intently.
“You know for someone who tells me she wants me to win the games, you don’t sound nearly concerned enough that I’m about to die.”
“Oh pssh. We see the way he looks at you, girl. He won’t kill you, and you might actually learn something for a change. The dark prince is a much better teacher than that orange-haired soft one.”
I frown. “You mean, Jensen?”