RYLANThe fist comes out of nowhere. I grunt when Callister lands a blow on my jaw, snapping my head to the side."Focus!" Kalen, Malkar's trainer, snaps from outside the ring. "When fighting, you need all your wits--or they'll be knocked out of you!"Scowling, I wipe blood from the corner of my mouth, falling into stance. Cal smirks on the other end of the ring. "P*ssy."I launch at him with a series of blows. He evades them all, landing away from me fluidly. "Speaking of p*ssies, you must not be getting any to be in such a foul mood." Light on his feet, he leaps behind me nimbly to dig an elbow into my side. When I stumble, he hooks large arms around my neck in a cruel headlock. With a burst of adrenaline, I dislodge his hold, sending a blow to the side of his face."Maybe I'll feel better when I crack your skull open," I grunt."Bloodthirsty. No wonder all the females flock around you.""We're not doing this.""Doing what?" He evades another blow."Fight-talking," I grit.When I sw
Sofia spread her arms wide in a behold! gesture. "And this is the Ver-bar!"I look around with interest. So far we'd gone through the largest school library I've ever seen, a medieval-style dining hall, an auditorium, art studios, courtyards--and practice rooms... Each of these rooms were fortified with rare metals--I'd asked Sofia why the walls of one were lined with tungsten and she'd said, 'It repels heat. We've had elementals shoot fireballs through the walls. Almost burned down the whole school.'Just how dangerous are the students at Elmore?Now we're in our tower. Veloria. The lamps below the cabinet of the well stocked bar shine green, illuminating the lacquered table surface and huge show glass behind."Two bottles of whiskey for I and the lady!"I snap to attention. "No--"The bartender disappears into thin air. I blink."Don't worry, it's on me," Soph says with a bright smile. Like that's the problem."I don't drink," I tell her.Her brows rise. "Why?"Because being an addic
"Whatever you say, darlin'," she says.Her voice sounds the same. It's freaky, hearing a femine voice out of that wide, towering male.When she morphs back, she turns to me, book in hand. "Now you know what I am. But I still don't know what you are."I worry my bottom lip. With a sigh, I decide to drop it. "I don't know, okay? Headmistress Alba said I should be tested any time this week."Her expression shifts to shock. "Really? You don't know what you are? Well, what are your abilities?"I kill things.When I blackout, I wake up in strange places."Don't know either," I lie. "I can only do this." My claws shoot out.Her eyes widen instantly. "Woah." She draws level, examining the curling black claws. "Sweet. You must be an animal shifter.""I guess."When evening rolls in, Sophie invites me to the canteen downstairs for dinner. I decline, opting to munch over leftover airport food. After a shower, I lay on my bed, finally going through my phone. After replying to my mum asking if I'v
Irritation lodges into the back of my throat. "So when is this going to end?" I ask.Sniggers follow me as I walk through the common room. Someone silently convulses, reenacting my unceremonious electrocution yesterday."Just give it a few weeks, or months," Soph says breezily.When she continues out the door, I pause. "Aren't we supposed to eat here?""No. We have breakfast in the dinning hall in mornings and evenings. Afternoons we eat at the canteen.""Okay."We make it out the huge double doors. I tense on instinct when gazes slide towards us and stay as we walk by the halls. It doesn't help that in the sea of uniform grey and white, I stand out like a sore thumb in my yellow button-down and jeans. It's the most modest I've ever looked."Why the hell do they stare so much?" I ask.Soph chuckles. "You're a walking question mark. No one knows who or what you are. And no one knows why you're here.""What I am?" A scoff. "I'm a girl, is what I am."An almost somber expression falls on
How had he been able to speak into my mind?I wind up in the common room again. Guess my point A to point B are the dinning hall and Veloria's lounge, since it's the only two places I know how to get to in the hulking architecture that is Elmore. The common room is mostly empty.The matron, a towering woman with a wart on her chin hollers from the bar, "It's class hours! Out."Muttering an apology, I see myself out.The hallways stretch out before me. A spike of anxiety suddenly coils in my stomach. How do I get to class? I can't be late on my first day of school.The noose around my neck tightens when I spot something weaving its way through the halls. A portion of its head is hacked off, rags hang off a bony chest, and the grey, washed off skin colour announces him as another one of my friends.I need to calm the f*ck down, before more burst out of the woodwork."Hey."I turn around, seeing a short boy with a head of curly brown hair. His large eyes make him appear almost cherubic.
"This is f*cking crazy.""I know.""I can't believe I let you talk me into this.""I'm sorry."At present, we stand in the alcove a few feet away from the administrative wing. Night had rolled in and the sound of doors slamming shut tells me people are closing up for the day."A lot could go wrong," Sophie whispers harshly."And a lot could go right.""What do I get out of it anyway?"I lock gazes with her. "Justice."I step out of the shadowy area, calling to her, "Come on."A muffled curse from within. Slowly she steps out. Not as Sophie, but Headmistress Alba."You do realize this plan could go to shit the moment I open my mouth," she says. "I've skipped enough practice room periods to not be able to shift my vocal chords.""Don't worry, I'll think of something.""You sure?""Yeah... I'm good at lying.""Okay, thank God. I would lie, but you know." She waves a hand around her mouth--which is Headmistress Alba's mouth."Yeah, I know," I say. "Now, come on."The moment the clack of h
"I didn't know what else to say.""Maybe that I had an allergy reaction--a f*cking throat rash maybe--and I left my medication inside the office?""I'm sorry, okay? I still managed to get us in, didn't I?"She grunts. I go over to her desk, pulling drawers open. "Hey, do you have any idea what he meant by 'The Operation'?""No, and I don't care. Let's just grab the stuff and get out of here.""We're not grabbing anything, Soph.""Oh, that's right, I don't even know the details of this plan. Care to finally enlighten me?"I pause long enough to sigh. "We just need to check the folders of the tragic three and see if there's a pattern somewhere. Maybe they're all the same species."Maybe I could finally know what I am.She plops down and kicks her feet up, the movement clunky next to the clean cut look of the Headmistress. "How about you just asked me what species they were?"I still. I hadn't thought of that. "Well, what species were they?"Beats me.""Then why did you-- Never mind." Th
She knows.The realization simply comes to me. What she is also registers, as does her fear. My claws shoot out on instinct, but I don't move, can't move. I hear my dragon's distant roar, his distaste at my dream-state palpable."Where are the humans?"I know that voice, have been here countless times. It's King Arhuk.The Necculean king."Here they come, sire."I turn just as the king does.The mouth of the dark cavern sees two guards dragging in three humans. Their screams are muffled behind the cloths over their mouth, but it's the raw fear in their eyes that sends chills skating down my spine. What's going on?"We found three just as you ordered, sire," a guard says when he's near enough.King Arhuk comes into view. Lines weather his face, the countless centuries he's lived through starting to take their toll. "Good." His voice is cool. "The Eld aren't completely useless."The Eld?They are in league with the Telks?"Bring the priestess."Another guard drags a woman forth. "Releas
RYLANShe takes wild jabs at me, stabbing the air each time I leap away. Now I land behind her and she spins around, face red from exertion and just the littlest bit of irritation. Falling into stance again, we start a slow dance around each other. My lips twitch."You won't be laughing for much longer," she says. She lunges, focused ruthlessly on my shoulder. Last minute, I block, knocking her wrist with the heel of my palm. The dagger falls to the ground and when she makes a dash for it, I grab her, pinning her to me with just the slightest pressure on her neck.I lean down. "Always," I say against her ear, breathing hard, "have your full attention on your opponent, not on only where you aim to attack."Her elbows come down on my arms and she wrenches out of my grasp. I grin. "Impressive."She picks her blade off the ground, coming at me again. This time I attack, feinting a right just to place the tip of my dagger against the smooth line of her throat.Time suspends.When my eyes s
RYLANWhen the sound of crushed leaves sound, I look down from my high vantage point. Emmaline.Through the darkness, I watch her advance forward. Her head snaps around, looking for sign of me. Unnoticed, I use the time to look at her. She's dressed in all black, but had forgotten to hide the most important thing. Her blonde beacon of a hair. I stifle an eye roll. She really did choose the right colour.When I jump down. I hear her gasp. But she turns around and releases a loaded breath on realizing it's just me."You sacred me," she breathes."I'm sorry."I notice there are bags under her eyes and there's an air of sadness around her that I can't explain. "Are you okay?" I find myself asking."Yes. Of course."I shrug. Fine then."Come on."We walk for what seems like an eternity. The pen is located at a really remote part of the school. The gatekeeper really took his privacy serious.We walk by moss covered plants, the scent of fresh water and evergreens strong in the air. I look ba
Once I enter the dinning hall the next morning, I wish I didn't.Sophie is sitting with a group of girls. Among them is Sharlene.I grip the strap of my bag on reflex and start to walk past them, hoping I looked indifferent. But soon that is all I become consumed with. How do I make them realize that I don't give a f*ck? Do I wave at her? Act like I don't see her?Am I waking too straight?My anxiety vanishes. It's replaced with something acidic, and painful. I see Rylan.He's with Sabrina.The wall I'd erected around myself threatens to crack. When I slide into an empty table, I feel irritation at myself well. Why did I think anything between us had changed?He's only helping me out of some misguided responsibility and not because, heaven forbid, he likes me. A hysterical laugh bubbles to the surface but it morphs into a lump and lodges at the back of my throat when Sophie's table breaks out in laughter.What are they talking about?Is it me?My stomach clenches. Did she tell them wh
Without wasting any more time, I turn on my heels and rush in. The empty room stops me short. Reaching up, I absently start to untangle my hair, drawing out stubborn leaves. My hand freezes mid air when the murmur of a crowd down below becomes audible.I rake my fingers through my hair frantically, desperately hoping I've managed to remove any evidence of being in the woods. Throwing the door open, I rush down the cold halls. The stairwell is suddenly too long, every step I take sending a rush of dread snaking through me.Finally I get to the common room. Following the voices, I make my way to the dinning hall.Up to a hundred pairs of eyes turn to laser on me. I fight the urge to shrink away.The girls wear varying looks of irritation, still in their night wear. Veloria's matron is the last to notice me. The dread in her eyes gives way to shock and then concern before her eyes turn cold. I notice someone shoot up. "Emmaline!"Sophie.She pushes away from her crowded table, heading in
EMMAShit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.Shit!We leap across another tree, legs pounding down on hard gravel. Rylan still hasn't left my hand, his strong grip steering me relentlessly."Don't let them get away!" A guard yells.When I stumble over the uneven ground, Rylan catches me, wrapping a large hand around my bicep. He hauls me to my feet easily, pushing me in front of him. My breaths tear out of me and the wind whips my face punishingly, sending hair and the scent of evergreens into my nose. Gnarled branches lie low, preventing our desperate escape."Wha--" My gasp is torn when Rylan nudges me in a different direction. The sound of water slapping against boulders become evident.When we get to the raging stream, he shrugs off his bag, throwing it into the river. The practice dummy follows soon after. He spins on me, motioning for my bag. My eyes widen. "My pho--"His voice is unyielding. "Emma. Now."A stab of frustration. When figs crack in the distance, I thrust the bag into his w
RYLANUsing my boot, I kick off excess gravel and sit. "Our professor says the first step to welding is getting pretty f*cking pissed."She blinks. "Pissed, as in drunk? Or, like, angry?""Furious. Foaming at the mouth."She lifts a brow. "Well, since I don't have rabies, do I still qualify?""Tough, but we'll see."I cross my legs, putting my palms face down on either of my knee in what is known as a thinking pose. Trees sway to the chilly night air, the sound of crickets and crinkling leaves breaking the silence from time to time. Emma mirrors my actions. "So what now?""Take a deep breath."Wrong idea. When she inhales, her breasts jut forward and I feel my mouth dry. "I didn't say suck in all the air," I snap.She trains a glare on me. "I was just following your instructions.""Well, follow them without trying to be a vacuum. Watch."She watches snidely as I inhale. "There," I say quietly. "One small breath in, another one out."She copies my actions for a few minutes then just sto
RYLAN_"Quiet," I say when Emma starts to speak behind me.Absently, my brows rise in surprise when she does. I fit a key into the lock, opening the door to my room.We both walk in and I catch my gaze flitting around, wondering what she'll think about my space. I hear the quiet thud of her bag hitting the floor. She is dressed in black, her blonde hair standing out like a beacon. Her heavily-lined eyes look around and her footfalls sound as she goes to my bookcase. A finger trails along the spines of my books.When she chuckles, I scowl, feeling an odd emotion slither through me. What's so funny?She starts, "You know, I'd kind of thought that you were some kind of control freak. But seeing this..."An unfamiliar feeling whips through me. I discover it's self consciousness."Seeing what?" I ask, my skin knotting.She starts to point. "Your skate boards have the same amount of space between them, so do the trophies on your desk. I can't find even a speck of dust on your shelf, your bo
RYLANThe mock tournaments mark the wrap of another semester. It's a series of playoffs done by opposing Houses in preparation for the main sports competitions. In mock tournaments or 'mocks', each team gets to weigh the skills of the counter House by undergoing challenges--in the hopes of mapping out a way to use it to their advantage. So it goes without saying that no one goes all out during mocks.Which is why Malkar's coach wanted to rip my head off when I went at Ezra with everything I had, giving him a black eye in the process.I don't want to look into what it is about the amber-eyed fiend that gets my blood boiling. But I know that with each moment I see him and Emma engaged in unending discussions, or laughing together at something either of them said: it f*cking grew. Each time he spoke to her, I wanted to tear his tongue from his skull."Rylan, are you listening?"I bring my attention back to Cal. "What?"He laughs. "You have a thing for Elmloch boys now?"I lift an unimpr
"Okay, I can't keep quiet anymore," Soph says.She sits cross-legged on the plush cream rug, burning candles on either side of her. Sunlight spills in through the wide windows, adding a gleam to her jet-black hair. "What happened to the 'I Eat Dick For Breakfast' type gal I saw on the first day."I blow out a long-suffering breath, pulling on a pair of tailored slacks. I slip a checkered vest over my head. "The 'type gal' is right here." I cringe into the mirror once the words leave my mouth."I liked that Emma better," she says. "Now you're like some domesticated poodle."I whirl around. "You did not just call me a dog."She laughs. "Technically, you are. You're an animal shifter."A nervous laugh. "Yeah. Got me there." I go back to arranging my hair. I'd dyed it platinum blonde. I'm just in the process of sleeking the pale strands into a bun when she lets out a frustrated noise."Stupid f*cking wind!"I turn, seeing the drapes billowing. My eyes shift to her. Her candles are snuffed