Dragon Fire Academy 1: First Term: an RH academy romance Read online

  Oh my gosh. Did I just imagine him covered in icing? None of them were worthy of being ogled in that way, thought of as hot. Not with those sucky attitudes.

  His firm scowl stayed trained on me a moment longer. “Just make sure you don’t get any bright ideas, Princess,” Paulo asserted in that cocky way of his, taunting me with that word again.

  Princess.

  His eyes danced with satisfaction and I rolled mine. Apparently, knowing he’d gotten to me brought the sick bastard joy.

  “Whatever. I have a class to get to.” As I passed between two of the brutes—Paulo and Kai—I made sure to let my shoulders slam into both. Of course, they didn’t move even an inch, but it still made me feel better.

  Toni rushed to catch up and I wished it wouldn’t have been super flashy to do a quick invisibility spell. I could’ve used it to cloak us both, and to ditch the Shade Brigade who’d shown up uninvited.

  Halfway across campus, I realized they intended to escort me the entire way. Ignoring them was practically impossible, seeing as how every so many yards, random natives to the island would call out to the four. Mostly they wanted photos, but several only stopped to show their gratitude. They were all vague, just like Nora and Sienna had been, so it was still unclear what, exactly, they were thankful for.

  As if all that unnecessary attention hadn’t been bad enough, the guys posted right outside on the front steps of the building. When they plopped down and got comfortable, I guessed they’d be waiting in this very spot after dismissal.

  Lucky me.

  Inside the classroom, tables similar to those from our high school Chem lab were arranged in neat rows, each with seating for two. The space was filling quickly, so I found a good seat near the window. Something about being in the middle of the room freaked me out.

  Toni was somewhere on the third floor, getting settled for her first session of the academy’s English Literature course, which I wouldn’t have until midday. We’d be together at lunch, and then again after that for our final course at the end of the day. So, I was on my own for now.

  My eyes shifted to the front of the classroom when the instructor wrote her name across the whiteboard in perfect penmanship. Lowering her marker to the ledge, she turned to face us as she clasped both hands as stragglers tiptoed to whatever seats were left near the front.

  A foul smell wafted through the air, and I knew before lifting my gaze who had entered. To those with supernatural abilities, the odor of a witch who practiced the dark arts was unmatched, and Blythe’s stench was particularly potent. She’d gone dark around the time our friendship ended, early junior year.

  I peered up just as she sauntered past, staring blankly. She dropped down into a chair a couple tables ahead of mine without saying a word to the girl seated beside her. With the shutters open, a warm breeze swept through the window, lifting Blythe’s long, dark hair with it. The movement sent more of the offending odor rushing through the room.

  Reminding myself of the new rule I’d set to ignore her, I focused on the instructor again.

  A sweet smile brightened the teacher’s face.

  “Good morning, class.” The small woman greeted us as she peered over red-framed glasses. She spoke with a heavy southern drawl that reminded me of my grandfather, Dallas.

  “Good morning,” we echoed collectively.

  “Welcome! I’m Ms. Audrina, your Intro to Sorcery instructor,” she beamed. “If you would please—”

  Her statement cut short when the door flew open.

  “Excuse me. Sorry. Pardon me, ladies.”

  Every eye in the classroom was drawn to the one who’d just interrupted, and our sudden interest had nothing to do with the noisy entrance. There was something far more peculiar to focus on than that.

  For starters, the intruder was a dude. And it was common knowledge that all witches were female.

  “Uhh … Hello, young man,” our instructor said sweetly. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “No. I’m so sorry for interrupting. I went to the wrong building before finding this one, but I hauled a—” He paused, seeming to remember his manners. “I mean, I ran as fast as I could to get here.”

  “You didn’t interrupt, because I hadn’t quite gotten started, but you’ve missed the point.”

  Not taking Ms. Audrina’s cue, the guy plopped down in the seat beside me, accidentally knocking my bag to the floor with his elbow.

  “Sorry,” he said to me in a frazzled whisper, reaching down to retrieve my belongings.

  “I believe you’re in the wrong room. This class is for witches only,” Ms. Audrina smiled.

  “Yes, ma’am. I understand,” he explained. “The thing is, I’m scheduled to be here. My name’s Tristan Montgomery. I should be on your roster.”

  Out of sorts from running across campus, and sweating profusely, he pushed a hand through his scattered, sand-colored curls while waiting for the instructor to confirm. Several of the girls stared, and a few whispered with telling smiles set on their lips as they looked the guy over.

  I quickly categorized him as handsome in the traditional sense. Meaning, with his hooded gaze, he reminded me of the actors who starred in the fifties classics Aunt Hilda loved to watch. Thinking of it, I imagined him with a t-shirt with its sleeves rolled to his shoulders, a cigarette hanging off his lip while he leaned against a Chevy Bel Air Convertible.

  “Tristan,” Ms. Audrina said to herself. “I do believe I saw your name, but—”

  “You assumed someone named Tristan would be a girl,” he interjected with a confident smile. “Yeah, I get that a lot before people meet me.”

  There was a brief moment of silence while a very confused Ms. Audrina double-checked the attendance sheet.

  “Forgive me. I still don’t understand. The Registrar must have made a mistake.”

  Tristan shook his head as he continued to grin, slipping out of his blazer to cool down. “It’s not a mistake,” he confirmed. “I know it’s confusing, but I assure you I’m in the right place.”

  Before Ms. Audrina could speak, Tristan’s left hand lifted into the air and, with it, the marker that had just been set on the ledge of the whiteboard hovered. Having made his point, he lowered his palm to the table and let the marker rest in place again.

  “Vanishing Twin Syndrome,” he blurted. “My sister was the one with powers, but when she died in utero, I absorbed her … and her magic,” he explained. “So, here I am.”

  You could have heard a pen drop. I, for one, couldn’t wait to write home and tell Aunt Hilda about this. If I had to guess, Tristan was the only warlock walking the Earth.

  “Yes, here you are indeed,” Ms. Audrina smiled. “In that case, allow me to welcome you to Intro to Sorcery.” There was no missing the intrigue in her expression as she tore her gaze away from Tristan and addressed the entire class again. “As I was saying before Mr. Montgomery joined us, please reach inside the drawers on your workstation. There, you’ll find two wooden boxes, one for each of you.”

  I intended to wait until Tristan retrieved his before getting my own, but he’d gotten both, handing one to me.

  “Thanks,” I said quietly.

  “No problem.” A crooked smile flashed my way when he spoke.

  The boxes were small, smooth and darkly stained. On top of the hinged lid, an emblem had been etched into the wood. As soon as I placed my fingers on the sides to see what was in it, Ms. Audrina cautioned us against being too curious.

  “Before you start investigating,” she said with a smile, “place your hands over the carvings.”

  There was a brief pause while we all did like we were asked.

  “Now, close your eyes and repeat after me,” she instructed. “Vinctum Infinitum.”

  The room echoed with the phrase, and when I spoke them myself, a strange energy pulsed from my fingertips.

  “Open your eyes.”

  My lids lifted with Ms. Audrina’s words, and when my gaze landed on my box again, the markings had changed. Not much, but the emblem that had been there all along, was now enclosed in a dark circle.

  “Now, this piece is yours forever, bound to you for life,” Ms. Audrina explained. “It only contains basic ingredients at the moment, but we will add to it weekly, as you’re taught new incantations, and as you become more skilled.”

  “May we look inside now?” The eager question had come from Tristan, and once again, a large portion of the girls in class turned to look at him.

  “Of course,” Ms. Audrina nodded. “Get familiar with your box’s contents.”

  The room was filled with the clatter of our boxes shuffling across the tabletops, and then quiet chatter followed. I peered inside, eyeing the small navy-blue satchel, several colorful stones, two vials of clear liquid, and four tiny packets with strange powders inside.

  “Sweet,” Tristan beamed. “Can’t wait to find out what all this stuff does.”

  When he turned to me, I returned the smile he offered. “I just hope I don’t start any fires.”

  He laughed at that, but had no idea I was one hundred percent serious. Before being given my ring and learning to harness my magic, I was the queen of miscalculating my own abilities.

  Glancing up, Tristan made sure the instructor wasn’t paying attention, and then removed the packet that contained a fine, purple powder. Checking one last time to make sure he was in the clear, he opened it and leaned in to sniff it.

  “Whoa!” He reared back quickly, and it was hard to hold in a laugh as I watched him rub his nose profusely. “That certainly wasn’t what I expected. Here, smell.”

  Still laughing, I frowned and leaned away when he held it close. “Absolutely not. I’ll take your word for it.”

  With a shrug, he replaced the powder
and reached for one of the vials next. As soon as he popped the cork that sealed it, a shadow darkened our area.

  “I see you’re not shy about getting acquainted with your box, Tristan,” Ms. Audrina observed. When Tristan just about leapt from his skin, she softened her expression. “It’s perfectly fine to poke around. Just don’t get ahead of yourself and start mixing substances. Deal?”

  “Deal,” Tristan echoed with a nervous smile.

  He and I both watched as Ms. Audrina reached for the vial Tristan had just removed.

  “Here, I’ll show you something cool,” she said quietly as she removed an eyedropper from the pocket of her long skirt.

  Tristan and I kept our eyes trained on her as she let a small dot drip onto her fingertip. At first, it was only clear liquid on her skin, but when she breathed on it, streaks of color began to move through it.

  “Give it a try,” she encouraged, holding the dropper over Tristan’s hand. Squeezing a tiny bit out, she then instructed him to blow on the solution, and it spiked with color just like before.

  “Your turn, sweetheart,” Ms. Audrina said pleasantly, motioning for me to extend my arm toward her. Realizing there wasn’t much I could mess up with the simple trick, I didn’t even think twice.

  My hand was warm in hers when she held it, placing the dropper over my open palm. She squeezed the rubber end gently, and a tiny drop of the liquid fell to my skin. Only, there were no bright, vibrant colors swirling around. There was only smoke.

  “Ow!” I cried out when the pain shocked my system. It stung so badly I recoiled right away, accidentally knocking my box to the ground with a loud crash.

  Every eye in the room was suddenly on me.

  My entire body ached for several seconds, and then only the ugly burn I now had on my hand. It was the size of a quarter, and as the edges of it sizzled, I panted. It was all I could do to keep from crying.

  What was that? Why had what seemed like a simple trick just about blinded me with pain?

  Ms. Audrina had initially been frozen in place by the reaction, but when her eyes locked with mine, and she saw how tears had begun to well in the corners, she rushed to my side.

  “Whoops!” she said with a casual smile that lightened the tense moment. The next second, I was taken by my shoulders. “We’ll just go to the sink and rinse that. Tristan, would you be a dear and pick up the items that fell?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he answered, springing into action right away.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whispered as we walked toward the front of the room.

  “Oh, stop it,” Ms. Audrina smiled. “Things happen.”

  Cool water ran over my hand and I winced. I appreciated her for not making a big deal out of this, but I think we both knew something wasn’t quite right. When dropped onto my skin, the otherwise harmless solution was suddenly weaponized.

  The faucet turned off and she towel-dried my hand. The pain had begun to fade, but it would have been gone altogether if I’d been allowed to heal myself. However, as a young witch with burgeoning powers, I wasn’t supposed to be able to do that yet. So, I downplayed my abilities, and continued to play the helpless roll for fear of drawing more unwanted attention to myself.

  Ms. Audrina placed her hand over mine and did the healing spell I could have done on my own.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  Luckily, the class had mostly refocused on their boxes, but we certainly had Tristan’s attention.

  “Can I ask you something?” I finally forced the words from my mouth.

  “Of course. Anything.”

  I glanced right, noting again how Tristan stared, although he couldn’t have heard the conversation.

  “What was in the vial?” There was a small part of me that didn’t really want to know.

  Without meaning to, Ms. Audrina gawked at me like a science experiment. I knew the look well, because I’d gotten it a lot in high school once Blythe started spreading the word about me. She treated humiliating me like a full-time job with benefits, making it her business to tell our peers how different I was. How unstable I was. But that’s the downside of a friend becoming your worst enemy; they know all your secrets.

  “Well, it’s a combination serum,” Ms. Audrina explained, “but because I mixed it myself, I know it’s base is pretty simple.”

  My heart raced, but I needed to know so I could research why I’d had such an adverse reaction to it. “Okay, well if it’s not a secret, do you mind sharing?”

  She gave a nod, and after breathing deeply, her gaze met mine. “There’s a little wildroot sap, and various natural extracts, but the main ingredient is pretty straightforward,” she informed me. “It’s wolfsbane.”

  Well, I suppose there was no need for an investigation after all.

  Even without peering into a mirror, I could imagine my face was red with embarrassment. This was not how I hoped my first ever class at the academy would go—and in front of Blythe, no less.

  This was, unfortunately, a snippet of what my entire life had been like.

  A witch susceptible to wolfsbane, and all-around walking contradiction of magic.

  Welcome to the freakshow.

  Chapter Six

  Noelle

  A month on the island was long enough to settle into a routine. I’d gotten to know my teachers pretty well—which ones loved the work they did here, which ones would be sticklers when it came time for midterms. Ms. Audrina was definitely my favorite, but a couple others had grown on me as well.

  Among other things, Toni and I had gotten used to being stalked in the morning on our way to class, and again to our dorm at the end of the day. Then, on Fridays, after my babysitters had gone, I’d sometimes meet with friends in the courtyard—Toni, of course, Marcella and Manuel. Even Tristan had stuck around.

  Apparently, seeing me nearly melt like the Wicked Witch on our first day in Sorcery hadn’t scared him off. He’d even gotten so comfortable being a part of our group that he volunteered to stakeout our spot early today, ensuring that we could snag our usual seat—the benches facing the fountain.

  Leftover pizzas were being given away in the dining hall, so Toni grabbed one to share, keeping with our new Friday night tradition. We pigged out while I listened to them discuss the cool things they were learning about the island from their mentors. Meanwhile, mine hardly spoke to me unless they had to. Not that I was complaining about that, but it made it a bit awkward when I had nothing to add to the conversation.

  “Oh! Did you guys hear that the dragons here claim they aren’t descendants of the original from Ars-en-Ré?” Toni asked excitedly, popping a piece of pepperoni into her mouth.

  That comment had my attention, seeing as how my grandmother, Elise, was the original dragon from Ars-en-Ré, France. There was a miraculous story that accounted for the large gap between her generation and mine, but it was true.

  “Doesn’t make any sense,” Marcela weighed in, muffling the words with the pizza slice she shoved into her mouth. “Heck, Manny and I are lycans, and even we know where the dragons came from.”

  “Exactly,” Manny cut in. “I dare someone to argue that the original wolves weren’t Sebastian and Noah.”

  Again, I felt a sense of pride hearing another relative’s name uttered. This time, it was Noah, my grandfather who hailed from the beautiful settlement of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. He passed centuries before my time, but his legacy lived on through my loved ones. Through me, his namesake.

  “Seriously,” Toni replied. “I didn’t get the full story, but they consider themselves completely independent from us ‘mainlanders’ as they say.”

  Manny only shrugged, deciding his lunch was more interesting.

  “I’ll admit, though, it is kind of strange that they don’t have their own wolves, their own witches. Only us imports,” Toni joked, bringing a laugh out of us all.

  I honestly hadn’t thought much about that before now. It was somewhat unheard of to find a territory where only one species dwelled. Especially in such high concentration. An estimated thirty percent of the island’s entire native population were supernaturals, and one hundred percent of them were dragons. At least those were the figures I found while researching.