Chapter 20
Archer
“Alright everyone,” Professor Blackwood announced as class began.
“Today we’re going to head back down to the summoning circle and see what we can accomplish.
” She paused for a moment, looking over each and every one of us.
“Last week’s class was… less than ideal.
I personally don’t think it’s fair that any one of you should be suddenly subjected to a test or observation you didn’t expect or have time to prepare for. ”
Her gaze, conveniently, skipped over me and continued on.
“So, today I’ve made sure that we won’t be disturbed. That way you all can learn in an educational and safe environment.”
As much as I appreciated what she was trying to do, I felt myself shrink a couple of inches down in my seat.
She was attempting to make me look like less of an idiot in front of my fellow classmates.
However, the whispers sprang up only immediately, and I didn’t need to hear the words to know what they were saying.
“Alright everyone,” Blackwood clapped, getting their attention again. “Let’s head out to the circle and summon up some air elementals!”
I gathered my things with hands that weren’t quite steady, the whispers following me as our class filed out of the room toward the outdoor practice area. My face burned with embarrassment, but I tried to keep my expression neutral. The last thing I needed was to give my classmates more ammunition.
The walk to the summoning circle felt like a death march. I could feel eyes on me, could practically hear the conversations happening just out of earshot. There goes Archer Quinn, the one who lost control like a freshman. What would his father think?
Well, that was probably just my own anxiety speaking. However, I knew exactly what my father thought. He’d made that abundantly clear in front of everyone.
Professor Blackwood arranged us in the same formation as the previous week, but this time she positioned herself between the practice area and the main campus walkways. A subtle barrier against unwanted observers. I appreciated the gesture, even if it made my humiliation feel more obvious.
“Mr. Quinn,” she called, and my stomach dropped. “Would you like to go first today? Get it out of the way?”
Every fiber of my being wanted to say no, to hide in the back of the group and hope she’d forget about me. But I could feel the weight of my classmates’ expectations, could practically hear my father’s voice in my head telling me that Quinns didn’t cower.
“Of course, Professor,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
I stepped into the summoning circle, trying to block out everything except the familiar weight of magic in my veins. The carved patterns beneath my feet seemed to pulse with potential, and I took a deep breath, centering myself the way I’d been taught since childhood.
Don’t think about Father. Don’t think about his disappointment. Don’t think about Valen.
Especially don’t think about Valen.
Except now that I’d told myself not to, images from our last encounter flooded my mind unbidden. The way he’d looked at me in the candlelight, the reverent touches, the connection I could still feel thrumming beneath my skin like an echo of shared pleasure.
I shook my head sharply, forcing myself to focus on the spell. The incantation came easier this time, my voice steady as I spoke the ancient words. The magical energy flowed through me, controlled and purposeful, and I felt the familiar tingle as the summoning began to take hold.
The air elemental materialized with a gentle swirl of wind, nothing like the chaotic fury from last week. This spirit was calm, almost curious as it hovered above the circle in a graceful spiral of condensed air and light. I could feel its attention on me, waiting for direction.
“Excellent control, Mr. Quinn,” Professor Blackwood said, and I caught the note of relief in her voice. “Now, can you direct it through the basic movements we practiced?”
I nodded, my confidence growing as the elemental responded smoothly to my commands. It flowed through the air like liquid silk, following my gestures with perfect precision. This was what I was capable of when I wasn’t panicking, when my father wasn’t standing there watching my every move.
When I finally dismissed the elemental, the whispers from my classmates had a different quality. Impressed rather than mocking. I stepped out of the circle feeling lighter than I had in days, like I’d proven something to myself as much as to them.
“Well done,” Professor Blackwood said quietly as the next student took their turn. “That’s the level of work I’m accustomed to seeing from you.”
I managed a grateful smile, but my mind was already elsewhere.
The successful summoning had restored some of my confidence, but it had also reminded me of something important.
I wasn’t just some rebellious student acting out against his family.
I was powerful in my own right, skilled and capable when I wasn’t second-guessing myself.
And with Valen at his cottage... that hadn’t been about rebellion either. It had been about connection, about finding someone who saw me as more than just a Quinn heir. Someone who wanted me for myself, not for what I represented.
“Professor?” I said, before I stepped away from the circle. “Can I try the next set?”
Her eyes lit up. “An earth elemental? Are you sure? They can be very stubborn and a little… well, if you’ll excuse the pun, hard-headed.”
“I can do it,” I replied confidently.
“Then by all means,” she said, taking a step back. She turned to the rest of the class, beaming. “That is the kind of initiative and confidence I like to see in my advanced students.”
I stepped back into the summoning circle, this time with genuine excitement rather than dread.
The earth elemental would be more challenging than air, requiring a different type of focus and control.
But after successfully managing the previous summoning, I felt ready for it.
And that energy still thrumming through me from Valen…
it made me feel like I could do anything.
This time, instead of ignoring my thoughts about him, I leaned into it.
I let the images flood through my mind of our night at his cottage.
I remembered how he took care of me, made me feel wanted and seen.
I could still feel the touch of his skin against mine, the way he thought of my pleasure before his own, and the way he fucked me so good that I knew I’d never be satisfied by anyone else again.
I let it all wash over me. And then I began to chant.
The carved patterns beneath my feet seemed to shift subtly as I recited the earth summoning incantation.
The words were heavier somehow, more grounded, requiring me to draw on a deeper well of magical energy.
I could feel the power building in my chest, steady and solid like the element I was calling.
The elemental that materialized was nothing like the graceful air spirit.
This one rose from the ground itself, a humanoid figure composed of packed earth and stone that stood nearly as tall as me.
Its eyes were chips of quartz that caught the afternoon sunlight, and when it moved, I could hear the soft grinding of stone against stone.
“Impressive,” Professor Blackwood murmured. “Earth elementals are notoriously difficult to summon cleanly. Most students end up with something that looks like a mud puddle with an attitude.”
I grinned, feeling the elemental’s presence like a weight in my mind.
It was stubborn, just as she’d warned, but not hostile.
More like a patient teacher waiting to see if I was worth its time.
I guided it through a series of movements, watching as it flowed from solid form to loose earth and back again.
The connection I felt with the elemental reminded me strangely of the bond with Valen. Not the same, obviously, but there was that sense of two separate consciousnesses touching, sharing energy and intent. The thought made my cheeks warm. I definitely wouldn’t be fucking the earth elemental though.
When I dismissed the elemental, my classmates actually applauded. The sound surprised me so much I nearly stumbled stepping out of the circle.
“That was amazing, Archer,” one said. “I’ve never seen anyone make an earth elemental move that smoothly.”
“Thanks,” I managed, still a bit stunned by the positive reception.
Professor Blackwood was practically glowing with pride. “Mr. Quinn, I think your father would be very pleased to see that level of magical control. Perhaps I should write him a letter about today’s performance.”
My heart skipped at her words. A letter to my father about my not one, but two successful summonings would go a long way toward making up for last week’s disaster. Maybe it would even get him off my back about making me quit the fencing team.
“That would be wonderful, Professor,” I said, and meant it.
As the next student took their turn in the circle, I found myself thinking about how different this felt from last week. It was the same classroom, and the same spell, but I was a completely different person. More confident, more centered. More myself.
And I knew exactly why that was. Valen had shown me what it felt like to be wanted for who I really was, not for what others expected me to be. That knowledge, that connection, had given me a strength I hadn’t known I possessed.
I was still lost in thought when class ended and we began filing back toward the main building. Professor Blackwood caught my arm as I passed.
“Archer,” she said quietly. “I hope you know that what happened last week wasn’t a reflection of your abilities. Sometimes external pressures can affect our magic in unexpected ways.”
I nodded, grateful for her understanding. “Thank you, Professor. For today, I mean. For giving me another chance. And… for letting me show off a little.”
“Everyone deserves a chance to show their true potential,” she replied with a warm smile. “And I’m very much looking forward to writing that letter to your father. Between us, he irritated the shit out of me by showing up.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “He irritates the shit out of me too,” I replied.
As I walked back across campus, I felt lighter than I had in weeks. The successful summoning had restored my confidence, yes, but it was more than that. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was becoming the person I was meant to be rather than the person everyone else wanted me to be.
And that person was brave enough to fight for what he wanted, even if it was complicated and dangerous and might not have a happy ending.
I thought about Valen’s words from the night before, about how hard it would be to break the feeding bond between us.
Maybe he was right about the complications, about the risks we were both taking.
But as I felt the lingering warmth of his energy still humming beneath my skin, I realized I didn’t care about any of that.
I was going to fight for this. For him. For us.
Whatever that meant.
But first, I had to get to fencing practice. If there was one thing Valen didn’t tolerate, it was late captains. And the last thing I wanted to do was get on his bad side. Then again, if I was late, maybe I could talk him into punishing me for it later in more creative ways.