Fated for Starfall (Arcanum Academy #2)

1. Evelyn

1

Evelyn

I turned towards the grand mirror, seeking the flicker of movement that had caught my eye and why Rafe seemed so shocked.

I felt fine until he arrived. In fact, I was more than fine. Alister’s venom had made the weight of the world, the pain, and the sorrow feel light and unimportant. For a few hours, I forgot about my dreaded future, my friend’s death, and how helpless I was when confronted with the true power of black magic.

I should have known better. Running away from one’s problems is never the solution.

It took me a moment to process what I was seeing.

Then, a panicked scream erupted from me, echoing off the walls. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat as I clamped my mouth shut and stared in horror at the orange mist enveloping my body. My hair shifted violently from black to red, then icy blue, purple, and back to black.

But the changing colors weren’t the only thing that filled me with dread. My skin shimmered under the lights from the hallway, and as I raised my hands, I felt my fingertips tingle. My nails turned black and grew into claws.

I swallowed another scream as I waved my hands around, trying to revert them to their normal shape. “What’s happening?” I asked, out of breath.

Leaning closer, I could see that my eyes looked huge, casting an eerie light that made me think I wasn’t human but a creature of fairytales—or nightmares.

I touched my face and rubbed my eyes. “Is this a side effect of being bitten by a vampire?”

My attention shifted to Lucien storming into the lobby and slamming the door shut. “You could have waited for me,” he snapped at Rafe, his eyes widening as they landed on me. “What’s happening to her?”

“She was like that when I arrived,” Rafe said, his voice tight with concern.

Panic set in, and I struggled to make sense of what was happening. “Your abilities are awakening, Evelyn,” Alister explained, his voice steady amid the chaos. “My venom has released the power that was bound.”

I turned to face all three of them, trying to process his words.

Rafe marched up to Alister, shoving him back before grabbing him by the collar. “You had no right to do this to her. To trick her like this!”

Before I could worry about Rafe hurting Alister, or vice versa, the vampire calmly moved the angel away and straightened his clothes. “I did what needed to be done.”

“What needed to be done?” Rafe’s voice echoed inside the hall. His flushed cheeks and blazing eyes were a stark contrast to his usual calm demeanor.

It was frightening—or breathtaking.

I had yet to decide.

Either way, his outburst stemmed from anger about what had been done to me, and I was grateful to have him in my corner.

“I’m not expecting you to understand,” Alister declared. “Still, that doesn’t change the fact I did this upon her parents’ request. They were desperate and afraid. I was their last option.”

“Their last option…And you tricked them into forcing me into an arranged marriage?” I shouted as betrayal and anger bubbled up.

Tears threatened to escape as I walked to Alister and jabbed my finger into his chest. “You tricked them and you tricked me!”

Is this how all vampires propose, or am I the lucky one who gets the bite-sized surprise wedding special?

Alister grabbed my finger and then closed his hands around mine, stopping me from recoiling. “Hear me out, Evelyn. Please, let me explain.”

I yanked my hand from his grasp.

How could my parents do this to me? The people I trusted the most had conspired behind my back. They had decided about my life without ever giving me a say.

I balled my hands. “You were someone I trusted, Alister. I thought you were my friend. But this whole time, you were just waiting for the right moment to claim me as your own. W-why?” My voice cracked as I struggled to hold back my tears.

“Evelyn…” Alister reached for me, but I pulled away.

“Don’t touch me!” I yelled as tears escaped and streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable.

“You need to calm down before your powers get out of hand,” Alister advised.

“Really? You should have thought of that before you tricked me!” I shouted, watching as tiny sparks of electricity sizzled and circled my wrists.

“Let me just take a deep breath and center myself. While I’m at it, why don’t I make us all some chamomile tea with my newfound magical barista skills with the new arm that will be sprouting out of my ass any minute now!” I raged, my words coming out in a frantic rant.

“Evelyn,” Rafe said gently, his voice laced with sweetness and concern. “I know you’re mad. I’m mad, too. But you need to calm down. Your powers are unstable.”

“Evelyn,” Lucien added. “Whatever happened, we are here now.”

Their worried gazes made me feel even more vulnerable. Tears kept flowing uncontrollably as I stared at Lucien and Rafe, fear gripping me that I might hurt them if I didn’t regain control.

“Don’t cry,” Lucien whispered with a sad expression. “We can fix this. I can fix this.”

“There’s nothing to fix,” Alister claimed as he rubbed his forehead. “This is what Evelyn is, a powerful witch with almost unlimited power.”

“And you know this, how?” Lucien asked, his voice dripping with contempt as he glared at the vampire.

“When she came into her powers, she was too young. Now, she’s the right age to understand her legacy,” Alister declared matter-of-factly. “Her parents aren’t here to guide her. But I am.”

“You’re not a warlock,” Lucien snapped. “And you’re not going near her again!”

Alister sneered at him. “I want to see you try to prevent me from being with my wife.”

“What wife?” I spat. “A promise by my parents doesn’t make me yours.”

“Free will,” Rafe reminded Alister. “It’s Evelyn’s choice to accept this or not.”

“You are in my house. Evelyn and I will decide what’s best for us. You have no say in the matter,” Alister warned them.

“We are…” Lucien paused as if he was searching for the right word to define our relationship. “Her friends. You will not go near her if she chooses otherwise,” he threatened.

“Breathe in, breathe out,” Rafe instructed as I followed his lead. My tears began to subside, and I felt a bit more in control.

“Evelyn now might be a good time for us to discuss what this means,” Alister suggested.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to.”

“You can’t ignore this.”

Narrowing my eyes at him, I snarled, “My parents, you, everyone has lied to me my entire life. Do you really think excuses for tricking me will be enough to stop me from…”

“From what?” Alister asked with a raised eyebrow. “You won’t hurt me.”

The arrogance of his statement made my blood boil. I marched to him, only to stop in my tracks and double over in pain.

What now?