Chapter 10
Knock.Knock.
Ugh. Mom and Dad know better than to wake me up on the weekend.
Knock. Knock.
Good lord. Nothing can be so damn important that they need to take me away from my beauty sleep. Shouldn’t they know by now that it takes at least eight hours for me to look halfway presentable?
Knock. Knock.
“I’m not opposed to passing out black eyes,” I grumble, snuggling further into the cushion beneath me.
A smooth chuckle—that is definitely not my dad’s—answers my proclamation, making me shoot up from the bed. Bleary-eyed, I look around, my heart pounding harder in my chest at the sight of the unfamiliar surroundings. And shit. I’m not even in bed. I’m on the freaking couch. Why the hell did I sleep here?
“Time to wake up, Bailey,” that smooth voice murmurs from the door, making my brows hit my hairline. “I brought coffee.”
“Is that the line for kidnapping adults now, like the one about candy and kids?” I question aloud, my mind whirling as memories of yesterday thrust to the surface of my consciousness.
The lagoon. The hot guy. My parents who aren’t really my parents. My new status. Dracula, the overgrown rock bird, and the Smurf.
It’s no wonder I’ve woken up clueless today. Yesterday was a fucking disaster of epic proportions.
“Looks like I’ll just be standing out here in the hallway, enjoying this delicious, piping hot coffee and Faeberry muffin I picked up.”
“Oh, hell no. Do you want to die?” Nothing gets me up faster than someone threatening to take what’s mine. And while Thaddy may have bought it, he did so for me. So ergo. Mine.
Throwing the door open, I pin the pointed-ear Smurf with the scariest glare I can muster while still only half awake. Thaddeus smothers a chuckle behind the steaming coffee cup in his hand, drawing my eyes straight to it.
“Gimme, gimme.” My hands shoot out, making grabby fingers and trying to butter him up with the best puppy dog eyes I can attempt so damn early in the morning. He relents after only a second and I mentally fist pump that I’ve still got it. It worked all the time on Dad, so I’ll tuck that little nugget of information in my back pocket to use at a later date.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” I murmur, taking a sip of the steaming deliciousness in a cup.
“Uhhh…” Thaddeus trails off, making me glance back at him. His icy blue cheeks have taken on a pinkish hue, and his eyes dart around everywhere, refusing to make contact with me. “While I’m flattered, Bailey,” he murmurs awkwardly, “I have a girlfriend.”
“Huh?”
What the fuck is he talking about?
“You,” he points at me, “just uhh… declared your love for me.”
I snort at his ridiculousness. Silly man. Doesn’t he know coffee is my true love? If he doesn’t, he’s about to learn that lesson right now.
“Totally wasn’t talking to you, Thaddy,” I giggle.
“But,” he peeks his head into my dorm, then back out into the hallway, “I’m the only one here.”
I hold up my coffee, shaking it in his face for good measure. “Obviously, you missed Mr. Tall, Dark, and Steamy’s entrance.” I raise a brow, just waiting for that moment my words click in his brain.
“Oh fuck.” If I thought his cheeks were pink before, it’s nothing compared to how bright they are now. “I thought… I mean…”
“It’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again. Between us,” I make a come hither motion, and he steps in closer as I rise on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “He tends to get jealous.”
A loud guffaw bellows from between Thaddeus’ lips, echoing down the expanse of the hallway. His laughter makes me giggle as I step back, opening the door wider to let him in.
Kicking the door closed, I head back over to the couch, placing my coffee on the small black table in front of it. “Can you give me a few minutes to shower? I didn’t get a chance to last night, and I’m not normally up this early anyway.”
He raises a white brow at me. “One in the afternoon is early?”
“What?” I squeak. “One?”
“Yeah, I figured you were tired, so I decided to wait an extra hour. I just didn’t think you’d still be sleeping.”
“Fuck. I’m so sorry. I know you have better things to be doing than waiting around for me all damn day. I promise I’ll be quick.”
“Go ahead, sunshine.” He nods toward the hallway. “I cleared my day so we can go over the runes, and I can take you on a tour so you’re not lost come Monday.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. Thaddeus holds out the bag in passing, and I grab it with a quick murmured, “Thank you.”
Something that smells awfully delicious wafts from the bag when I pop it open, making my mouth water. The wrapper is easy to peel, and as I’m about to take a bite, what Thaddeus called it earlier registers.
“Hey, Thaddy?”
“Yeah, sunshine?”
“What’s a Faeberry?”
My question makes him chuckle. “It’s one of the berries from the Fae realm.” I hit him with a droll look, barely containing the duh that wants to slip out of my mouth. “Think of it as a cross between a strawberry, raspberry, and a blueberry.”
“Is it safe? It’s not going to, like, ya know, make me hallucinate?”
Thaddy shakes his head. “Perfectly safe, sunshine. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
With a shrug, I stuff the whole muffin in my mouth and then quickly snatch my bags from the floor before beelining in the direction of the hallway, tossing my bags on the floor of the bathroom, and starting the shower. The bathroom is definitely something you’d see in any apartment—supernatural and human alike. A glassed-in shower with white tiles across the floor and up the wall, a toilet with a hanging cabinet above it, and a counter with drawers and a sink resting on top. Simple and basic. Not that I need anything more than that. But damn, a girl would commit murder for a bathtub. Okay, not murder. Maybe a light maiming.
My toiletries are still on top in my purse, making it easy for me to pull them out and set them up around the bathroom. I’ll have to officially “move in” later, but this will do for now. After relieving myself, I toss my hair up in a bun, then jump into the scalding hot water, give myself a quick scrub, and shave my pits.
A quick glance at my legs, and I know I don’t need to shave them yet. I just did that two nights ago before I had to stand around at the lagoon in nothing but a bikini. So they should be good for another few days. Maybe now that I’m not confined to the human sectors and have access to money, I can use my savings stash to get that laser hair removal I’ve been wanting.
When I feel sufficiently cleansed, I shut off the water and climb out, using one of the fluffy towels on the rack to dry myself off. After wrapping it around my body, I rummage through my bags looking for something to wear.
Shit. I should have asked Thaddeus what he wanted me to dress in so we could do this.
Cracking the door open, I peek my head out. “Umm… Thaddy.”
“Yeah, Bailey?” His mop of white hair pops over the back of the couch, looking in my direction.
“What did you want me to wear?”
“Uh,” he clears his throat, “something that I can see all of your runes in, so I can get pictures of them, but otherwise, just something comfortable that allows me access.” I snicker at his unintended sexual innuendo. “Mind out of the gutter, Bailey.”
“Fine. Be boring.” I roll my eyes as I close the door, debating what I can wear. The best bet seems like a sports bra and a pair of boy short panties. Oh God. This is going to be awkward as hell. He’s my freaking teacher. Yeah, we seem to have a different relationship than student-slash-teacher because he’s helping me. But still.
Ugh. Might as well get this over with. After slipping into a pair of black cotton boyshort panties and a red sports bra, I snag a black zip-up hoodie to throw on over it. I quickly dig out a pair of black leggings to put on once we’re done to combat this tricky situation.
My cheeks puff as I blow out a breath before opening the bathroom door and making my way back into the living room. Thaddeus is still sitting on the couch and jumps at my arrival. His eyes trail over the bun on my head and down to my now-exposed legs. Then they make another sweep before meeting my pink gaze. He clears his throat and then adopts an almost clinical air as he pulls his cell phone from his pocket.
“Alright, Bailey. Come stand over here and hold out your arms and part your legs a little bit so I can get pictures of them all. I apologize now, as this isn’t very professional on my part. But in order to help you, I need to do this.”
I move to stand where he indicated, and heat fills my cheeks as I unzip my hoodie and toss it on the back of the couch. There’s no denying that what I’m wearing now covers more than the bikini I was wearing yesterday at the lagoon, but something about this feels more intimate. Especially since he’s going to be getting up close and personal with my naughty bits to get all the pictures.
“This is amazing,” he murmurs to himself. His fingers brush softly over a design on my shoulder, trailing down my arm to my elbow. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a curiomancer with as many runes as you have.”
“Is that… bad?” It has to be. If there hasn’t been one with this many runes, that means I’m what? More powerful than any that came before me? That’s bad bad. Like, super duper bad.
“It’s not bad, per se. But it means you’re a very powerful woman, sunshine.”
“I don’t want to be powerful, Thaddy.” I sniffle, trying to keep my composure at this revelation.
“Hey.” Thaddeus pockets his phone before pinching my chin between his thumb and forefinger, and tilting my gaze to his. “This is why you have the glamour. Everyone will see you as a normal person—as a witch-shifter hybrid. We may not be able to specify what type of shifter yet, but we will. And until you have a handle on your powers, that’s the story we will stick with.”
“I don’t know.” I shake my head as much as his hold would allow. “How long can we possibly keep this ruse going before the truth gets out?”
“For as long as we can, sunshine. And you basically have a whole team to protect you. Let us worry about that. You just worry about learning your runes and how to harness your power. Okay?”
“I guess I can do that,” I murmur, a little hope lightening the edges of my worry.
With deft fingers, Thaddeus’ hold moves to the back of my neck, removing my glamoured necklace and setting it on the couch next to my hoodie and leggings. His phone reappears in his hands once more, and I assume the position, ready to get this seemingly awkward part of my day over with.
The entire time, Thaddeus mumbles himself with every picture he takes. At times, his fingers trace the outline of one of them, then he goes back to snapping away. It’s all very clinical. Almost like I’m a lab rat waiting to be tested on. Definitely not something I’m enjoying one bit. And even if I wanted to enjoy it, I wouldn’t. The man has a girlfriend, and I’m not a homewrecker.
Finally, after what feels like freaking hours, Thaddeus steps back, his eyes glued to the photos he just took. He looks deep in concentration as he flicks through them, almost like he’s forgotten I’m even here.
Not wanting to interrupt him, I slip into my leggings and throw my hoodie and my necklace back on. It’s something I’m going to have to make a conscious effort to remember, especially since I can’t see the difference myself.
When I can’t take the silence any longer, I clear my throat, hoping to get his attention again. He startles, his phone almost slipping through his fingers as his gaze connects with mine.
“Shit. Sorry, Bailey. These are all just so fascinating. While I knew a few curiomancers in my time, I never got a chance to ask them about their runes. A lot of what they did was very closely guarded. But there are some that I recognize that I can help you with.”
“Well, thank fuck for that,” I quip sarcastically. “So which ones are you thinking?”
“Let’s have a seat, and I’ll show you.”
Thaddeus and I get situated side-by-side on the couch, and he brandishes his phone once again, this time with one of the pictures he’s taken blown up on the screen. It’s hard to tell what it is, and by sight alone, there’s no telling what it can do, but that’s where I’m hoping he’ll come in.
“This one here,” he traces the circular shape, then continues to the outer circle around it and the almost wave-like lines coming from it, “this is a portal rune. Most witches and fae, if they want to open a portal, they need a certain spell, the right words, or the right hand movements—and sometimes the combination of all three—in order to bring a portal into being. For you, it should be as easy as pushing power into that rune with the intent of where you want to go.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound so hard,” I murmur, staring at the design. “Where is this one located?”
“Ahh, well,” Thaddeus mumbles, his cheeks turning pink. “That one is on your left hip, more back toward your gluteus maximus.”
I snort a laugh at his description of the location. “So you’re saying it looks like I have a target on my ass, and I have to push power into my booty cheek if I want to go anywhere?”
“Basically,” he chuckles, flicking to the next picture. “This one here is your transmutation rune, and it’s on your right thigh. There’s no telling if you’ll only shift into one thing, or if it’ll be limitless.” The rune looks like something you’d see in ancient hieroglyphics of a person from back in that time. Around it are three separate lines, almost tracing the design and getting bigger with each one.
“So how do we find out?” As nervous as I am at what all I can do, anticipation is bubbling inside me like a witch’s cauldron set over an open flame. Maybe I can turn myself into a dragon and give that overgrown rock bird a run for his money in the skies.
“Practice. That’s the only way you’ll master any of these.”
“Well, what the hell are we waiting for?”
“I love your enthusiasm, sunshine. But it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I have us booked into a magical containment room in case something goes awry.”
Tomorrow. I can wait that long. Hopefully.
“So I’ll leave you to it tonight. I’m going to go study these and figure out a game plan for tomorrow. And I’ll be here around the same time. We are booked into the magical containment room at one-fifteen.”
“Okay, sounds good. Thank you, Thaddy. For taking time during your weekend to help me. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem, Bailey. If you need me, my room is across the hall. The door directly in front of yours is Jasper’s, and the one just to the left of it is mine.”
Thaddeus leaves after that, and I finally give myself a chance to get acclimated to my new apartment. I’ve been here for twenty-four hours now, and I still have yet to step foot into the bedroom. Tonight, I’ll make sure to actually sleep in my bed.
After grabbing my bags from the bedroom floor, I head right across the small hall. My bags slip through my fingers, and a gasp falls from my lips at the sight. It’s not like any bedroom I’ve ever seen before.
It’s round. Almost like it’s part of one of the turrets that make up the expanse of the castle. A king-sized bed is dead center with deep purple sheets, a black comforter, and more pillows than I’d ever need in this lifetime. Around the curvature of the walls, floor-to-ceiling windows give me a view of the forest surrounding the castle and the grounds below. Those same curtains from out in the living area hang in intervals, ready to shut out the world.
Close to the main door of the room is a chest of drawers with another door right next to it. My first guess is that it would be the closet, which works for me. There’s also a small desk and chair pushed up against one of the windows with a wrapped package sitting on top.
I all but abandon my bags next to the dresser and skip over to the desk, wondering what’s inside the box. It almost feels like Christmas. Which is, what? Two days away? Three? It’s almost like my days are blending together, and I have no clue what date it is anymore. Plus, I haven’t seen any signs of the supes celebrating the holiday. Guess that’s just another facet of being human I’ll have to give up.
The paper tears apart easily with my fingers, and the box pops open, revealing a sticky note attached to the screen of a tablet, a brand new black leather backpack, a multitude of pens and pencils, and a couple of notebooks. Everything I need to start my first day of classes on Monday.
Whoever went to all this trouble is super sweet.
Let’s just hope I don’t make an ass out of myself on my first day of class.
After finally getting around to putting all of my stuff away—which only took me about an hour—I check out what they provided in my kitchen. A few of the white cabinets are jam-packed with different snack foods: chips, muffins, crackers, basically anything I want to snack on. Hence the name. Another cabinet has plates, bowls, glass cups, pots and pans, and coffee cups. I squeal in excitement when I see a travel mug tucked away in the corner. Now, I’ll be able to take Mr. Tall, Dark, and Steamy with me on the go. Never again will he have to be left behind or thrown out. That’s definitely going in the win category.
The refrigerator is stacked to the gills with water, soda, coffee creamer, all the condiments I could need, lunch meat, and some vegetables in the crisper drawer. Up in the freezer are quick meal options, something simple to throw into the microwave or oven. Those will be gone pretty quickly if I want to avoid the dining hall. Next to the fridge is another long cabinet, the height matching that of the appliance. Popping it open, I immediately know it’s the pantry. Breads, baking goods, a few different types of coffee grounds. Everything I could need and more.
At this rate, I’ll never have to show my face to the other students here besides in the class. Maybe them setting me up in the faculty wing wasn’t such a bad idea.