~Bethany~It’s just as unexpected for me as it is for her when I find myself rounding a kick to the back of her knees so she’d fall flat on her face.She wasn’t prepared for my speed, but she shouts in anger when I straddle her back. She tries to reach back for me, but I grip her forearm, plant my foot on her upper back, and yank.Her shoulder dislocates with an audible pop. It’s a beautiful sound.“I hate it when people don’t know when to stop,” I tell her. “Also, you're very wrong. Don’t worry, I'll tell you where you're wrong.”I break the ulna bone in her forearm, and her scream splits through the forest.Sweet symphony“Firstly, I can defend myself. I'm neither waiting for the princes nor anyone else to rescue me. Never.”She struggles underneath me, twisting her other arm back frantically, but I snag that one, too, breaking her wrist and pinning it behind her in one smooth movement.She chokes on pain and fights harder beneath me, but it’s futile.“Secondly, Humans are not weak,
~Bethany~Smoothening my clothes out after the separation spell cast by Professor Fishbone, which managed to separate me from my mates, I glance around to take in my surroundings.Tall canopy trees, towering above me, large tree trunks marred with long scratches from some of the creatures the university council permits to live in this godforsaken forest.Even with the tall canopy trees, there are still thick shrubs scattered throughout the forest, hiding the possible dangers of other Nobles lurking nearby.With each rush of air in the forest, I can hear spine-chilling whispers, like dozens of ghosts hissing and warning us to beware.A few dozen yards away, Crestbane’s icy river rushes down its rocky pathway.So beautiful.I don’t sense Olyon’s dark, chilling presence nearby, so I assume the separation spell affected him. If not, he would have appeared by now.Which means I’m really on my own as I wait for danger to find me.Just how I like it.Walking forward, I climb up onto one of t
~Bethany~Asad’s gaze brushes over every inch of me before hardening into a sharp, warning glare as he glances over my shoulder at the others.“If they’re bothering you, tell me. I’ll cast a restraining spell to force them to keep their distance.” He says to me.“Please try,” Olyon says in a challenging voice. I don’t bother glancing over my shoulder to see his expression since I’m sure he’ll have that same dark smirk that seems to get under everyone's skin.I walk right past Asad, too.Trailed by three Nobles who couldn’t define rejection if they had a dictionary shoved up their asses, I make my way to the back of a large cluster of Nobles in the open training ground.I try to settle my mind just in time to hear our instructor for today, Professor Fishbon, announce that we’ll be training in the woods.“Today, you will be finding hidden orbs in the woods. There are several orbs, which should be enough for half of the Nobles present, in the woods. Your task might sound simple, but it'
~Bethany~Just like always, I'm awoken by terrifying nightmares.I go through my usual brutal morning workout routine to get my day started, followed by a quick shower right before Zuri or Hellion wakes.Last night, after making sure that the smart ass Fae, Asad Mort, wasn’t following me, I snuck out to a disreputable bar in Torah to track down the contact of a demon black market dealer.I need to obtain Foxglove shrub, a very rare and scarce spell ingredient that is highly monitored by the Noble Council due to its being a potent ingredient used in so many outlawed dark magic spells.All my digging and careful listening last night got me an encrypted number to call.I’m just glad Olyon wasn’t following me around in Velthra last night, as I didn’t sense him the entire time. He must have been busy
~Asad~“I was going through Bethany’s file.” I sigh. “She is a purebred Proselyte,” I explain, “she manifested magic about a month ago.”Mosley’s pale gaze flickers to me. “You’re saying Bethany comes from a fully human bloodline, none of her parents are Nobles?”“Yes. Why?”He shuffles uncomfortably. “It’s nothing.”“Just spit it out, Frosty,” Jayan huffs.“Fuck off, dragon,” Mosley mutters, just as irritated by the nickname as he was when we were children.“Fine. There’s a rumor going around the faculty that a human-led political movement advocating for war with our kind has been gaining momentum. They say Nobles are monsters and should be eradicated or sent back to Tophet. They seem to think that’s exactly what the entity in Tophet wants.”“There’s always some tension between
~ASAD ~She lied to us.I’m sure of it. That scent of blood was all over her back at the pastry house. It was lingering in her hair. Still, she brushed off any concern about her safety.Something happened to make her bleed.I could perceive the magic in her blood. Blood Fae are not vampires; we only possess the ability to scent magic in one’s blood.Blood powers our magic, whether we drink it or infuse it into our spells. I’ve never actively craved the scent of someone’s blood before.But Bethany’s…My mouth waters, and I suddenly feel feverish. My damn erection won’t go down.Pushing the tracking spell I prepare for Bethany, I straighten and make my way to my mate’s dorm. All four of us have refused to move into our mate-pack apartment just be