I tried to yank myself away from him, which only tightened the connection and sent a piercing whistle through the air.
Cringing, I ducked into my desk and nearly
dropped my wand.
Then felt Shade’s subtle tug back. A taunt. And it shoved me right over the cliff into a puddle of fury.
Angling my wand at him, I snapped, “Let me go.”
Which did absolutely nothing other than amuse him.
So I sent a blast of blue fire down the rope, directly to his wrist.
He jumped out of his chair, dropped his wand, and wrapped his hand around the flaming line. This time I fell out of my chair when he yanked.
I screamed and sent another blast of my cerulean magic at him, until the link severed.
And a raging professor stood before me. “Have you lost your damn mind, girl?!”
Yes, I thought at him, wiping my hands against my black skirt and fixing my white blouse. “He lassoed me,” I explained dumbly. Because he had to have seen that, right?
“Because that’s the purpose of the spell!” the professor roared. “Pair magic.” He gestured around the class, indicating the ropes tying other students together. “Your magic chose his magic. Then you tried to burn him up with your power, which is not acceptable behavior for my class.”
My jaw hit the floor. “My magic chose his?” That was impossible. I would never in a million years choose that willow stump!
Another realization struck me just as quickly. My spell worked. Oh, this can’t be a good sign. It’s supposed to stop, not start working.
Pixie sticks, this was bad. Very bad.
Shade stood a few feet away, his entertainment over our situation clear in his icy gaze. “Perhaps we should try again, Headmaster Irwin? It seems Aflora isn’t interested in being my partner for the year.”
The robust male spun on his heel. “The spell cannot just be undone, Shadow. She’s your partner, and you will learn to work together. Starting in detention after we’re done here today.”
“Detention,” I repeated, familiar with the term but never having experienced it.
“Yes. Where you will work on pair-bonding exercises until I’m satisfied you understand the purpose of teamwork.”
He uttered a spell and waved his thick branch of a wand, and the world righted around me as he sent me back to my chair with some sort of floating spell. I tried to bat it away, uncomfortable with the inky presence coating my being, but it disappeared as soon as my butt hit the seat.
Shade was not provided the same treatment.
He merely collapsed beside his desk into a lazy sprawl befitting a king.
I hated him.
Loathed him.
Could not stand the mere sight of him.
And now I was stuck with him as a mate and as a class partner.
This year could not get any worse.
Chapter Fifteen
Aflora
I lied.