Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Iwake from my nap feeling better. I’m still a wreck, but a considerably more functional wreck. My skin tingles as if I’ve been wrapped in static electricity, and there’s a weird shimmer around the edges of my vision.
Still, I’ll take it over the nosebleed and passing out.
Cautiously, I push myself up to sit. The room stays steady. No spinning, no lurching. I count that as a win.
My stomach growls loudly, reminding me I haven’t eaten since before my magical torture session. I stand, pleased when my legs don’t wobble, and listen at the door before peeking out into the common room.
Empty. Perfect.
I hurry across the space toward the bathroom, relieved not to face any of my fellow roommates.
The bathroom is quiet and, mercifully, empty. I turn on the faucet and splash cool water on my face, trying to wash away the remaining remnants of dried blood. The cold water feels amazing against my overheated skin.
Behind me, a shower stall door opens with a squeak, and I use the reflection of the mirror to see who’s coming out.
I let out a relieved breath when it’s Orion. “Hey, how was your morning? Did you kick ass and take names?”
Orion has a towel in hand, rubbing it over his wet black hair. He’s wearing only loose gray lounge pants, his muscular chest bare and— “Holy six-pack, dude.”
Orion chuckles and waggles his brow. “One of the perks of my Carmichael genes. Shifters be beautiful, yo.”
I laugh, and as if his abs weren’t distracting enough, he also has faint silvery lines tracing across his shoulders and down his arms like some kind of tribal tattoo.
But no, they aren’t inked on him. They shift and move with his breathing and almost look like tiger stripes?
He catches me staring.
“Sorry,” I blurt out. “I’m just… wow. I’m still processing that vampires, werewolves, and stuff are real. I’m not sure of the etiquette in any situation, but holy hell, your stripes are freaking amazing.”
He grins and tosses one end of his towel over his shoulder to lie against his back while the other end falls down his bare chest. “It’s fine. It’s nothing you haven’t seen a hundred times before during summer water fights and us swimming in the creek.”
I wish I could remember that, but even without the memories, I know we had a blast growing up.
“Not all species of shifters carry traits over to their human forms. I think I mentioned before that our family is rare in the shifter gene pool. Tigers break a lot of the rules.”
“Forgive me if this is totally inappropriate, but I promised Asher if I ran into any hot shifter guys, I’d make sure he got a solid intro. So, if you aren’t currently seeing anyone, I whole-heartedly think he’s the best person on the planet.”
Orion’s brow arches higher. “He’s gay?”
“Why do you sound so surprised? I thought I caught the two of you checking each other out when you came to pick me up last night.”
He shrugs. “Honestly, I figured he was bi and the two of you were an item. There is so much love and affection wafting between the two of you, I would’ve sworn you were a committed couple.”
I shake my head. “Committed family bound by the cruelties of life. He’s my soul but not my boyfriend.”
“Well, that is good to know.”
The way he says that makes me feel like he might be happy to hear that Asher and I aren’t attached.
Excellent. With my bestie duty complete, I get back to our Arcana reality. “How was your morning session?”
He leads the way out of the bathroom and through the common area toward our rooms. “Good. In truth, Eliza sent me here more for you than for me. Yeah, my animal side gets away from me at times when there’s blood in the air and my adrenaline is high, but that’s not uncommon at my age.
Mostly, Eliza and Declan agreed it would be a good idea for me to be here for you. ”
My cheeks heat. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
He scoffs as he steps into his room and swaps the towel flung over his shoulder with a black muscle shirt he grabs off the end of his bed. “Don’t be. I’d rather be here with you and Wylder instead of being persona non grata to the Emberwood Coven any day of the week.”
I wrinkle my nose. “So, it’s not just me?”
He chuckles. “No. I’m definitely in the pariah club with you. Apparently, my mixed race is an affront to the pure-magic witches and even more so with the Elites.”
“I can’t believe my mother would’ve put up with that. I don’t remember her, but from what I’ve heard and learned, she didn’t seem to be a woman to suffer such behavior.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t like this in the days of your mom. It was after she died and the accident took down three other coven leaders that Laurel stepped up as high priestess and closed ranks.”
“And disposed of me and my sisters.”
He nods. “Nobody knew that. Again, I’m sorry. We were told you three were placed with a distant aunt in Europe. Everyone was still in shock and reeling from the loss to the coven, and nobody questioned it.”
“What’s done is done. Once I’m in control of my affinity, and can track down my sisters, we’ll decide what to do about all that. For now, I have to get ready for an afternoon of disdain with my judgy jailer.”
Orion heads over to the kitchen, and I follow. He leans against the counter and points to the fridge. “We’ve got a ton of sandwich stuff. Do you like turkey or ham?”
I wave away his concern. “I’m good.”
He arches an ebony brow. “I have heightened senses and can hear your stomach growling.”
I laugh. “Well, that’s a little embarrassing, but I suppose on the list of awkward moments lately, it doesn’t even rank.”
He pulls out bread, turkey, ham, and Havarti slices, sliding everything onto the counter. “And just so you know, aside from the Elites and a few bitch witches that ride their cloaktails, there are some members of the coven who are pretty cool.”
I slather mayo on my bread, hoping that’s true.
“That’s good to hear but hard to believe.
So far, my welcome has been Wylder attacking me with killer strangleweeds and then kidnapping me to be tortured and threatened.
I’m under no illusions that I’m safe here, but I do appreciate you being here to keep me from being disappeared again. ”
Orion frowns. “I don’t think you’re in any immediate danger, especially not from Wylder.”
I laugh and then take a huge bite of my sandwich, almost moaning at how good food tastes.
“Trust me, even without magical insight, I know when someone wants me to keel over and die. Wylder is no fan of mine. I’m just waiting for him to push me in front of a bus.
No, they likely don’t have buses here, so then it’ll be in front of a feral Guardian. ”
Orion takes a long moment to focus on building his sandwich, and when he looks up at me, he seems conflicted. “Wylder isn’t a bad guy. It’s just this situation. He’s stressed. Give him time. Right now, your presence is stirring up a lot of dust. Eventually, it’ll settle.”
Before I can ask what he means by that, the door swings open and Wylder walks in, his eyes immediately locking onto Orion’s shirtless state before shifting to me. His expression tightens. “What’s going on here?”
Orion grins and takes another bite of his sandwich. “Just being a good host to the latest Emberwood disgrace. I’m thinking Poppy here might actually knock me out of the top spot.”
I take another bite and laugh. “Thanks a lot.”
Orion presses a hand over his chest. “It’ll be tough to lose the title, but I’m willing to share.”
“You’re a peach. Thanks.”
The two of us chuckle about our situation a bit more and then Wylder frowns. “Get the iPad you were assigned. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
I shove the last bite of my lunch into my mouth and nod, wondering what new torture awaits me this afternoon.
Wylder waits impatiently as I grab my iPad from the bedroom, and when I return, Orion has retreated into his room and Wylder’s expression is tense. I hope Orion didn’t say anything that will make the situation worse.
“All set.” I tuck the device into my backpack and slide my arm through the shoulder strap.
He holds the door open, and I catch a whiff of pine and earth as I pass. It’s becoming a familiar scent.
The late afternoon sun warms my face as we cross the academy grounds. Where the November weather was taking hold in Emberwood, it’s as warm as a perfect summer’s day here. I’m not sure if that’s seasonal or if it’s always perfect weather in the Arcana magical pocket.
Students mill about, some sitting in clusters under trees, others walking purposefully between buildings. A few glance our way, their expressions ranging from curious to outright hostile.
“Where are we going?” I lengthen my stride to keep up.
“Somewhere quiet.” He doesn’t elaborate, just leads me along a winding, crystal-lined path toward a cluster of trees.
The farther we go, the more secluded it feels. “I’m kind of thankful you’re not carrying a shovel. It feels like you’re luring me off into the woods to bury my body.”
He scowls at me, obviously irritated. “If that were my plan, I wouldn’t need a shovel. I’d just use magic to open up a hole in the earth and have it swallow you.”
“Comforting. Thanks.”
As we arrive at the trees, I notice the branches aren’t random but carefully woven together, creating a natural enclosure. A burst of colorful flowers is scattered along the living walls, creating a magical alcove cut off from view from the rest of campus.
Wylder gestures for me to enter through a gap in the branches. Inside is a private garden nook with two upholstered benches facing each other across a small table. The table holds items I’d expect to find in a garden shed: a couple of clay pots, seeds, a container of soil, and a small jar of water.
“Sit.” He slides onto the bench opposite me.
I perch on the edge of my seat. “What is this place?”
“A teaching space.” He arranges the items on the table. “Welcome to Basic Magic 101.”
“Wait. You’re teaching me?”
His green gaze meets mine, one eyebrow raised. “Is that a problem?”