Chapter Six
All rational thought disappeared from Ava’s mind as she stared at the face looking back at her through the screen of her phone.
When the Arcane Assist app had sent her a notification telling her that a tutor had been assigned to her, she never imagined Castiel Stormborn would end up being the most gorgeous male she had ever seen.
His face looked like it had been carved by a generous god blessed with a talent for creating perfection.
He had strong, masculine features with sharp cheekbones, a strong protruding Adam’s apple, and a hard, chiseled jawline dusted with faint shadow.
His dark hair was cut short, with a few strands falling across his forehead in an effortlessly elegant style.
Dark brows curved over impossibly blue eyes that reminded her of a violent storm trapped in ice.
At first, she thought his eyes were simply reflecting the strong sunlight shining down on wherever he was currently located.
But the longer she stared, it became clear the blue orbs were glowing with inner light and formidable magic.
Only the most powerful supernaturals had glowing eyes.
The intensity of his gaze felt like he was peering straight into her soul. It was as if he could see all of her, even the parts she wanted to hide. It made her insides quiver with excitement and nerves. When his lips curved into a lazy smile, it didn’t make him seem more amiable.
Instead, it felt like a warning.
Like he could unleash something devastating if he chose to, and the only reason he hadn’t was because he didn’t feel like it.
Her breath caught, and her pulse tripped like it had forgotten how to keep a steady rhythm.
She wanted to shake some sense into herself, but she couldn’t seem to move.
She had never reacted to anyone like this before.
It was as if the primal part of her was sensing something rare and extremely dangerous.
The predator within her responded to the potential threat he represented, but his lethal allure drew her to him even as it repelled her.
It was difficult to believe someone as extraordinarily handsome as he was could be real.
Perhaps he was using a filter that could change someone’s image into the ultimate fantasy.
Now, that kind of app would be worth millions.
The very thought of that made her want to laugh and panic at the same time.
It took several seconds, then the truth hit her like a lightning strike.
She’d seen him before. Not like this, but in the vision that had nearly gotten her killed earlier.
The battlefield. The chaos. The bright flash of sunlight on metal.
Those magnificent white wings unfurled as he fought, and that single, glowing blue eye she’d caught through the sweep of dark hair.
In her vision, he’d been a mythical figure. A warrior carved out of violence and light. Someone far out of reach. But now, that same presence was staring back at her through her phone, real and in full living splendor.
The dichotomy was enough to make her head spin.
She really should say something, but her brain still wasn’t working properly. She couldn’t just keep staring at him, though. He was her magical tutor, which meant she should be treating him with respect, not drooling over him like some lovesick fool.
“Ava.”
By the gods, she wanted to moan at the way he said her name. His voice was deep and rough-edged, carrying a faint accent she couldn’t place. The sound echoed through her, heating her from within like a slow sip of potent whiskey.
“Umm, hi. My name is…”
Her words stuttered to a halt. Obviously, he already knew her name since he had just said it. Now, she couldn’t think of anything else to say without sounding like a complete idiot.
“Ava Fortier,” he said, confirming he already knew. “And I am Castiel Stormborn.”
“Thanks for agreeing to speak with me. I’m not sure how much this app actually told you, but I’ve been having some problems using my new magic.
I mean, all my magic is pretty new since I’m a wolf shifter.
I can usually manage to do some basic spells.
But during the attack today, nothing I tried seemed to work. ”
His expression darkened. “You were attacked?”
“It was during Magical Combat class. My team was fighting a bunch of monster spiders. It’s one of the obstacles in the maze.”
“What is this maze?”
She spent the next few minutes giving him a rambling explanation of how the Magical Combat class worked, and all the training exercises the students participated in.
She probably should have held back a bit when speaking about her current professor, but the loathing she felt for him was too strong to mask.
“I am just trying to figure out why my magic works sometimes, and at other times, nothing happens.”
“Is it usually when you are involved in some sort of physical activity?”
“I don’t…” She paused as she thought it over. “Actually, yes. I guess it is. Do you know why it keeps happening? Please, tell me there is an easy fix.”
When he smiled, her stupid heart started pounding again.
“I don’t know if I would call it an easy fix, but it is a problem that can be fixed. Right now, you are separating what you consider your shifter abilities from your other magic. That division is making one fail while the other is dominant.”
She groaned. “So, it’s my brain that’s the real problem.”
When he laughed, it felt like she had won the freaking lottery.
“You might want to try doing something physical while practicing your spells. Try to stop thinking of your magic as separate techniques. Your shifter abilities and your other magic come from the same place inside of you, so you should be able to use it together. If that doesn’t work, I should be able to help you resolve it another way soon. ”
She wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded promising.
“I saw you in a vision today,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.
He cocked his head to the side slightly as he studied her. “Did you? Now, that is interesting.”
“It was just a flash, really. You were on a battlefield, wearing golden armor, and you had a sword in your hand. Your hair was a lot longer, and you had white wings.”
“Ah, that was before the fall. My wings are black now.”
“The fall?” Realizing what he meant, she gasped. “You are a dark angel? Were you one of the angels in Lucifer’s army?”
He nodded. “I just had lunch with him earlier. Perhaps it’s a day of reminiscing of days past.”
“You know how weird it sounds to hear you say you just had lunch with Lucifer?” She let out a nervous chuckle, then sobered quickly. “I’m sorry. That was rude.”
“Don’t worry,” he assured. “I’ve been friends with Lucifer for a long time, and I am well aware of his reputation. Most of it is deserved, though he does like to embellish things a bit.” He paused before saying, “I haven’t heard of many shifters having soothsayer abilities.”
“I still don’t even understand how I can be a soothsayer if I’m a shifter.”
His lips curved in a smile again. “Who says you can’t? Every race has them. They just call them something different. Soothsayer. Prophet. Seer. Oracle. Diviner. Take your pick. They are all relatively the same, yet the abilities can be different for each individual.”
“I haven’t been able to find much information about this subject in general,” she admitted.
“I guess that’s one of the reasons why I’m having so many problems figuring out how to deal with it.
At first, I thought they were just impressions.
You know, like when you remember a fraction of a dream you had while you were sleeping?
Then, I realized they were flashes of real events.
I keep thinking about them until I draw or sculpt them to get them out of my head. ”
“Soothsayer abilities are rare, no matter the race. They are highly respected and coveted. It can give you a great advantage, or it can make you a target. You have to be very careful either way. Do you see the past or the future?”
“Both. Nothing I see is very helpful, though. I spoke to a girl who attends Aegis Academy who has a similar gift, though her abilities are much stronger than mine. She’s pretty clueless about how it all works, as well.
All I really see are small flashes with little to no context.
Sometimes it’s annoying, while other times, it has given me inspiration for my art. ”
“You’re an artist?”
She nodded. “I’m a sculptor.”
“Then, you would love it here in Italy. I’m currently in Amalfi.”
“Oh,” she breathed out reverently. “I’ve always wanted to go there. I thought about doing an art program in Italy this summer, but I didn’t want to sign up yet in case my magic issues were still—”
“You should,” he said, cutting her off. “You should sign up and see all of the art this country is famous for.”
She smiled. “It really would be amazing to see it all in person.”
“Then, I shall show it to you,” he promised solemnly. “I think we should—fuck!”
That offer made her brain short-circuit.
“I’m sorry, what?”
He glanced away from the screen to scowl at something, then he looked back and said, “Forgive me. I just noticed there is a dragon flying around overhead.”
She blinked in surprise. “A dragon? Like, a real one?”
“It’s either a real one, or one of the newly freed reapers staying here is just having a little fun at the expense of my neighbors. Let me go take care of this…issue, then I shall contact you again tonight.”
“Okay, great.”
Her mind raced for something else to say. She knew he had to go, but she wanted to stall. She didn’t want to stop talking to him or stop looking at him.
“I will try to practice what you said. Doing some magic while doing something physical.”
“And I shall think about you doing that.”
Holy fuck, was the hot dark angel actually flirting with her?
“Hey, Castiel?” a voice called out to him. “Rayne just set a building on fire. Since she used devil fire, the locals can’t put it out.”
Castiel sighed. “I really have to go.”
“Go, and be careful,” she added before he nodded and ended the call.
Setting her phone down, Ava simply sat on her bed and stared off into space for several long minutes.
Had that really just happened?
Not only was her new magical tutor hot as hellfire, he was one of the fallen angels from Lucifer’s army. A powerful, ancient being who spoke her name as if it belonged in his mouth. That thought should have terrified her. Instead, it made her stomach flip and her heart race.
He’d flirted with her like it was the most natural thing in the world to promise to show her Amalfi. Then, he had casually mentioned devil fire and dragons like they were inconvenient, everyday common occurrences. She knew he was out of her league, but she couldn’t stop the way she was feeling.
For the first time in her entire life, she had a crush on someone.
Unlike a lot of her friends, she had never really been interested in dating or relationships.
She had always used waiting for her mate as an excuse, but a small part of her wondered if she was just built differently.
She could appreciate male and female beauty, but that was mostly from an artistic standpoint.
But with Castiel, he made her feel things she’d never felt before.
The worst part was the way it had felt when he looked at her. It had felt like her heart was being squeezed by an invisible thread that hadn’t existed this morning. It wasn’t rational. It wasn’t safe. It was something deeper than mere curiosity.
It was recognition, and it scared the hell out of her.
A laugh threatened to bubble up, half hysteria and half disbelief. She’d wanted a tutor. Someone who could give her answers. Instead, the magical app had handed her a dark angel with impossibly beautiful eyes and a voice that made her want to forget her own name.
And now, she couldn’t wait until she got to see him again.