Chapter One #2
While he wasn’t allowed to actually participate in the Magical Combat class with Starla, Remy felt better being close by in case something happened.
At least being stuck with a useless replacement instead of a capable professor allowed them to bend certain rules.
Otherwise, Remy wouldn’t have been able to observe the class.
Unfortunately, having an indifferent professor wasn’t exactly helping Ava learn how to use her new magic.
She had to admit that she was a little bitter that her twin wasn’t having problems with his new magic, but he had always been more interested in spellcasting and other types of magic than she was.
Truthfully, she would have been content to simply be a shifter, but that wasn’t possible anymore.
She’d also developed a touch of premonition magic that she had no idea how to control, which meant she had no choice but to learn.
“I bet the asshole buried the damn lights in the swamp,” Jessica Klien huffed out, her breathing labored from trying to keep up with the others. “That seems like something he would do.”
Ava lips twitched in amusement as she slowed her pace a bit to give the young witch a chance to catch her breath.
She always forgot that Jessica was a witch and didn’t have the same stamina as the other supernaturals.
Jessica was usually rather softspoken, but she had an extreme dislike for their professor that always riled her temper.
There was a rumor going around that Craig Blevins was in the running for a cushy new job at the Supernatural Council Headquarters.
One of his cousins was a councilmember, so there really was a possibility it could happen.
Since Jessica dreamed of working for the council one day, it was a personal affront to her that he might be getting an influential job he clearly wasn’t qualified for.
“That would be better than climbing trees in the forest level to find them like last week,” Lana retorted. “I broke a bloody nail, and Jess, you almost got smashed to pieces by that swinging log.”
“Don’t remind me,” Jessica groaned. “But I really don’t feel like digging in the mud either.”
Lana shuddered. “That’s a good point.”
Starla delicately cleared her throat. “Umm, Remy is telling us to pay attention. He asked me to remind everyone how dangerous the maze is and how we should focus on learning from this exercise instead of just going through the motions.”
Ava’s new fairy sister-in-law was as graceful as a dancer as she effortlessly made her way through the rainforest. Even without using her wings, it was more like she was floating rather than walking over the treacherous terrain.
Unlike the shifters, Starla had powerful fairy magic but lacked experience in physical fighting and other survival skills.
She had been far too dependent on using magic for most of her life, but she was trying to correct that.
While she was still a novice, Starla had a natural athleticism that helped her adapt and learn physical skills quickly.
Ava rolled her eyes. “I doubt my brother did anything as tame as ask.”
Caught, Starla smiled sheepishly. “Actually, what he really said was that we should stop fucking around and move our asses. He’s still a little upset Professor Blevins wouldn’t let him join our team.
” She winced, then added, “He said at the rate we’re going, we are going to miss out on finding any of the lights.
If we fail this training session, we are going to be at a disadvantage for the midterm next week. ”
Her twin brother was a bossy pain in the ass most of the time, but luckily, Ava had a natural immunity to his alpha-hole antics.
Not only did they have equal status within their pack, she knew he was a softie at heart.
Especially when it came to dealing with females.
And then there was the fact that she had proudly been present for most of the embarrassing moments of his life.
That alone had the power to keep him in check from being too overbearing.
Unfortunately, the same could be said in reverse.
“Tell him to shut up,” Ava shot back.
Okay, that was pretty lame for a comeback, but she couldn’t manage anything better when she was still half asleep.
That was actually one of the worst things about switching classes.
The advanced Magical Combat class she’d been in had been scheduled late in the afternoon, while the beginner’s course was held first thing in the morning.
As an art major in her third year at Trifecta University, the majority of her college courses were structured as independent studies.
That arrangement allowed her the freedom to organize her own schedule.
She preferred to work at night, although she had been known to sculpt anytime inspiration struck.
As long as she completed her assignments by the designated deadlines, she could work at her own pace.
She chose to rent a small house close to campus rather than living in the apartment complex where her brother and most of their friends lived in.
The house gave her privacy to sculpt without distractions, and the extra space allowed her to set up her own studio where she could work on several projects at once.
When it came to her magical coursework, things were far less flexible.
The rigid scheduling of those classes left her with little room to maneuver, forcing her to adapt to a routine that didn’t always align with her natural creative tendencies.
Thankfully, she only had to deal with those classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, leaving the rest of the week for her to focus on her art.
A prickle of awareness snapped Ava’s attention back to the present. She instantly recognized it as her internal warning system. She wasn’t sure what had made her go on alert, but she trusted her instincts enough to know some sort of potential danger lay ahead.
That meant it was time to get to work.