I pushed the image of the mage who fell to his death last week out of my head. There was so much blood. So much screaming. It wasn’t really a surprise, though. He’d spent a night in confinement the week before.
Some speculated that it drained your magic, making it harder for you to complete the tasks at the academy. Others said you emerged cursed. Either way, I didn’t want to find out.
Without a word to Remi, I headed to my first period class. I’d have to deal with Raven later. Somehow, I had to get her alone. I had to get her out of that uniform and under me. I needed to feel my cock inside of her. I had to claim her. It was the only way to satisfy my wolf and the only way to keep myself from making another mistake.
My family pulled strings to get me in here and I owed them. I couldn’t afford to end up in confinement.
Someone rolled a table out of the way and I glanced behind me to see the cleaning crew already clearing away the remains of breakfast. I bolted out of the cafeteria and hooked a right to dive into the nearest classroom, which just happened to be my first period class and took my seat with a minute to spare.
As soon as I settled in, I caught the unmistakable scent of Raven. She smelled like honeydew and rain. It was intoxicating. I didn’t even need to turn around to know she was sitting behind me but I risked a glance anyway.
There she was, in the back row, three chairs behind me. Her gaze was fixed on the front of the room. She looked nervous. And sexy. Oh, so sexy. I gripped the edge of my desk. It was going to take a lot more willpower than I anticipated to stay away from her.
Professor Hurd, an aging mage with long silver hair walked into the room. He was carrying a stack of books in his arms, huffing with effort. One of the mages seated at the front jumped up and relieved him of his burden. I watched with narrowed eyes. This particular professor had never been kind to shifters and had made it clear he didn’t think we belonged in this class. I should be pissed about it, but I had to agree.
Studying the theory of magic wasn’t something that helped us as our magic came from the animal inside each of us. It wasn’t like I was going to cast a spell or something. Shifter magic was internal and unintentional. The only thing we could do was learn to control our inner animal so we could control when we shifted.
And when we fucked.
Because right now, my inner wolf was battling with me and if he had his way, Raven would be dragged out of this room into the woods behind campus and claimed.
The human part of me wasn’t going to allow that but that didn’t mean it was easy. The mating bond was a magic of its own. Something else we couldn’t control. Maybe they should cover that in class.
“Thank you, Deanna,” Professor Hurd said. He removed his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt.
Without them, his eyes were tiny, nearly hidden in the wrinkles on his face. He slid them back on which magnified them to the same size as the lenses. It was unnerving but so were the tiny eyes. There was no winning with this guy. Either way, he made you feel uncomfortable.
“Will you pass the books out to the class, Deanna?” Professor Hurd asked.
The mage, Deanna, nodded brightly and began to pass books. She paused in front of me and dropped one on my desk. I turned to see how she’d react to Raven. It wasn’t often a new student was added to the Academy after the term was in session.
Deanna paused in front of Raven’s desk. “You’re new.”
“Yes, I am. My name’s Raven.”
Deanna eyed her up and down. “You smell like a wet dog. Are you a shifter?”
I let out a low growl deep in my throat.
“You smell like a thirteen-year-old who just discovered Bath and Body Works. Do your parents know you’re here?” Raven asked.
Deanna scoffed, then dropped the book on Raven’s desk before turning on her heels and heading to the next seat.
I leaned back in my chair, a grin on my face. Maybe Raven can take care of herself. That’s my girl.