Chapter 5

The bad thing about being a human in a school full of supernaturals was that one would be considered a ‘Unique.’ As Syanna had gathered from Juliet, the Uniques were the rare supernaturals in the academy. 

In this particular class, the supernaturals who weren’t common studied together. It was a cool group, with an actual banshee and gargoyle. Syanna didn’t even know those things existed. 

The class consisted of about twenty people, with two or three creatures alike, and of course, the human, Syanna. 

The good thing was Juliet was also in this class. The bad thing was, so was Cole. 

And right now, he was perched on a girl’s desk, and Syanna’s chest had been squeezing since the second he started talking to her. 

The girl seemed utterly annoyed by his presence, but the way he smirked at her proved that they knew each other quite well, even if that wasn’t in a good way.

The girl's eyes were blue and diamond-like—like most of the high witches in the school—and her hair was jet black, falling to her waist without a curl. Her skin was pale, but her cheeks were blood red—either with blush or anger. Syanna couldn’t tell.

She watched as Cole spoke to her, touching her head ever so often, at which she’d slap his hand away. The sharp pain squeezed Syanna’s heart even more as she watched their interaction. They seemed like lovers…those lovers who didn’t know it yet, but they’d fall in love pretty soon after their odd love-hate relationship. And strangely, it made Syanna upset. 

Why? She had no clue. But Syanna knew that Cole was very much aware of her presence and her eyes watching him, and she shamelessly stared at him as he spoke to the black-haired girl. 

“You are embarrassing,” Juliet said, finally breaking Syanna’s gaze from Cole. 

Syanna didn’t even flinch at Juliet’s insult as she asked, “Who is that girl?” 

“Talk softly,” Juliet scolded. “Almost everyone in this school has supernatural hearing, and the uniques are no different.” 

“Right.” Syanna made a mental note to remember to keep her gossiping to below whisper average. 

“Anyway, that’s Genevieve. She—”

“Wait, Genevieve?” That was the name Cole mentioned yesterday when he ‘confronted’ her. 

“Keep it down,” Juliet scolded in a harsh whisper. “Anyways, yeah, that’s her. She’s a witch and—” 

“If she’s a witch, what is she doing in a class for the uniques?” Syanna heard the malice in her voice, and it was all because of jealousy. She had no idea why she was even jealous. Cole practically hated her, and he didn’t know who she was. So, why did she want more? 

She felt pathetic. 

“If you would allow me to finish,” Juliet said with an eye roll. “She’s a witch, werewolf, oracle and something else. It’s none of my business. But they are perfect for each other.” 

It came like a blow to Syanna’s chest. “Genevieve and Cole? Why?”

Juliet narrowed her eyes as she stared at Syanna. “Oh my gosh, you’re jealous.”

“Well—”

“You do like they bastard? Don’t you?” 

“I—”

“Wait, don’t tell me.” Juliet cut her off, looking terrified. “Because if you do, then I’ll have no choice but to do everything I can to set you up.” 

“No, you don’t,” Syanna laughed. “You don’t even like him.” 

“I’m a cupid, Syanna. It’s sort of in my job description. My point is, if I know there is some affection, I wouldn’t be able to help it.” 

“Is that the reason they dampen your powers?” Syanna asked, and Juliet’s face instantly fell with hurt. 

Syanna thought it was unfair that the cupids’ powers were dampened when literal freaking vampires and dragons roamed the halls free. But apparently, there was an incident with a cupid a few years ago, and someone died.

They claim that love is the strongest power of all, and too much of it could be detrimental. 

So, the three cupids here at Unici Academy, including Juliet, had their powers dampened upon admission. Juliet acted as if she didn’t mind, but unlike Syanna, who had just come to Unici, Juliet had been here for three years. Surely, she missed her powers. 

“That’s not the point, anyway,” Juliet said, putting on her best smile. “Genevieve and Cole have history, but not like you think.”

“What do you mean then?” Syanna asked, trying desperately to hide her relief. 

Juliet glanced around, although they were at the back of the lecture hall and leaned closer to Syanna. 

“Genevieve was the one who brought him here. But the headmistress had no idea that Cole was being taken to the academy.” 

Syanna frowned. “I thought the headmistress sought out all students here. How could she not have known?” 

Juliet shrugged. “It’s still a mystery. Some say Genevieve was given the order by a higher being, since she’s an oracle and all. Some said she was under a spell. But all I know is Cole had hated her guts since the night she brought him here, and he had made her life a living hell since.” 

“She hadn’t told him why she brought him here?”

Juliet shrugged. “She claims it was an order, but she wouldn’t say anything more.” 

Syanna nodded, seeing how it all came together. “So he does this all the time?” 

She watched as he said something to Genevieve that evidently pissed her off more—if that was even possible. It was in moments like these that Syanna wished she had supernatural hearing too. 

“Well, come to think of it, he hadn’t bothered her in quite a while, actually.” Juliet pursed her lips as she thought about it. “Perhaps a full year if I remember correctly. But anyway, Cole never changes, and he will continue teasing Genevieve until one of them either dies or leaves. And as it stands, none seem logical right now.”

Syanna nodded but decided not to reply. She had no idea why she was happy that Cole hated Genevieve. But one thing she knew, was that she definitely wasn’t going to entertain this feeling. 

Yet, she still wanted to know more about him. She wanted to understand why it felt like her entire body was going up in flames when he touched her. She wanted to know why she dreamt of him every single night since their first encounter, and couldn’t quite find the will to date anyone else after they met that night at the diner. She wanted to know why her dreams stopped as soon as she came to Unici, and she wanted—no needed to know what the hell his deal was. 

Why did he threaten her? How could he have forgotten her so easily? 

It killed her to know.

As if feeling her eyes on him, Cole inclined his head in Syanna’s direction, meeting her gaze with his golden eyes. The logical thing to do would’ve been to look away. But Syanna found herself staring at him with a sharp intensity that made her skin tingle. 

He didn’t break eye contact either until Genevieve followed his gaze towards Syanna, where she stared at them in slight confusion. Genevieve took this as her chance to escape and slid from her chair and towards the door before Cole could notice. 

It then became clear to Syanna. If she wanted to know the truth about Cole, who else to go to but the person who probably knew him best? Even if they did hate each other. And if Genevieve is indeed a witch, perhaps she could explain the dreams and odd connection that Syanna had with Cole. 

But just as Syanna was about to move from her seat to go after Genevieve, their professor entered with a book big enough to document the history of the entire world, and Syanna knew she wasn’t getting out of there anytime soon. 

***

As soon as the class was over, Syanna bid Juliet goodbye and dashed towards the door. She had no idea where Genevieve had gone in this massive academy, but hell, she was determined to find her. 

How hard could it be to find a witch-werewolf-oracle? 

“Genevieve doesn’t like to be found.” This came from a voice behind her. Syanna yelped and swerved around, being met with Cole and a stupid smirk on his perfectly stupid face. 

“How did you...”

“You were talking to yourself out loud,” Cole said, causing Syanna to burn bright red. “And like I said, if Genevieve isn't in the open, you won’t be able to find her. Besides, she’s not going to tell you anything, anyway. She’s not a people person.” 

Syanna squinted her eyes. She tried desperately not to allow his presence to affect her, but she couldn’t help it. He still towered over her by at least seven inches, and his bright, golden eyes gave nothing away to how he felt. The black shirt he wore hugged his lean biceps like a glove, and his lips... 

Gosh, his lips. 

Syanna caught herself staring and composed herself as she replied. “You seem to know a lot about her.” 

This, of course, only caused Cole’s smirk to widen. “Is that why you were asking about us?” 

If it was even possible, she burned even brighter. “How... I wasn’t... You’re annoying.” 

Stupid supernatural hearing. 

“Am I? Or do you just hate being called out?” 

“Whatever. It’s not important, anyway.”

The hallway was getting empty as the students went along their way. Syanna tried to think of a quick way to escape, but nothing made sense in her head. 

“If it isn’t important,” Cole said, “Then why are you seeking out Genevieve.” Then, his smirk fell out of nowhere, and his eyes grew dark as he pinned her against the wall. 

Syanna gasped at the sudden heat that swamped her body and the tingles she felt as he grabbed her hands and lifted them above her head. Her chest heaved as his breathing grew shallow. She could see that Cole was affected, too, though it was far from his intention. But he composed himself as he growled at her. 

“I hope you know I will still make good on my promise,” he said as his breath fanned her nose. “You did something to me and cost me something really important yesterday.”

“I did nothing to you,” Syanna managed through a short breath. “You don’t even know me.” 

Cole’s lips curled with a smirk, but it wasn’t teasing like before. “But you know me, don’t you?” he asked. “I can see it in the way you look at me. You can’t deny it now. Why else would you be so interested in me to the point of seeking out Genevieve?” 

Syanna felt her own anger and annoyance growing as she tried to wiggle from his grip. The cropped sweater she wore today had ridden up to the base of her breasts when Cole lifted her hands over her head. And the cold air fanning her bare skin, along with the heat she felt between them, was doing something strange to her. 

“You’re a narcissistic psychopath,” she spat. “I have done nothing to you. I’m a human girl from a small town, and I want nothing to do with you.”

He finally released her hands but didn’t move away from her. In fact, he stepped even closer to her, now allowing their bodies to touch. 

“So what do you think Genevieve will tell you?” 

“Oh my gosh!” She threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh. “I’ve been here for one day, Cole. One! What could I have possibly done that makes you so damn paranoid and crazy! You do realise you’re acting like a crazy person, right?” 

“Says the human at a school full of supernaturals. Who looks crazier?” 

“This isn’t a damn competition, Cole,” she said, pushing against his chest. But he didn’t even budge. “My point is, I have no reason to be messing with you. And the sooner you learn that, the better it will be for both of us.”

This time, Cole didn’t reply. He simply stared at her with a blank expression. But Syanna couldn’t ignore his ragged breathing and clenched fists. He put on a good show, but she could see that she affected him just as much as he affected her. 

“But you know something,” Cole said as he caged her in with his arms. “And I will find out what it—”

He didn’t finish his statement. The brick he had braced on sank into the wall like a button, and in a second, they were in another room—a completely different room than the hallway they had just been in. 

“What the hell just happened?” Syanna demanded as she peered around. The walls were stacked with books from the floor to the ceiling, with a single couch in the centre of the room. 

“Fucking witches,” Cole cursed, seeming utterly annoyed. 

“What do you mean? How did we get in here?” Syanna asked. She could already feel her chest getting tight from the tiny room. She hated small spaces. 

“The witches make secret rooms all over the campus,” Cole explained. “Once in a while, someone gets trapped in them because nobody knows they even fucking exist.” 

Syanna’s heartbeat grew faster as she focused on one word he said. “Trapped? What do you mean trapped?” 

Cole met her eyes with his teasing smirk back in place. “It means you’re stuck with me, Syanna...” 

He crossed the room towards her, wrapped her ponytail around his hand and inclined her head, so she was staring him right in the eyes. 

“All alone.”