Page 98 of The Powers of Nyx

I glanced up carefully to see her pick at the roasted vegetables and sighed through my nose. Their conversation turned hush after that, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make out their words.

But it wasn’t like it mattered as a loud, piercing voice cut through the hall. A vampire fell to the ground as their screams echoed through the air. Some hesitantly rose to get a better look. My flower jumped up, her magic awake, alive, and clearly powerful—though different to how it should have felt.

It was like instinct, the way she cut through the flames. A tingle of desire and excitement ran over me as her magic erupted out of her. It was barely an ounce of what she was capable of, but it was enough to silence the room. All she’d done was douse the flames of a mage.

She started for the vampire, her desire to see if he was okay clear on her face, but her friend grabbed her by the arm and whispered something in her ear. Ivy then looked off towards where her shadows watched, and after a beat, she stepped back until she was at her seat again. Anguish lined her face as she watched the few on-sight guards collect the vampire and place him onto a gurney to be taken to the infirmary.

There was total silence as they carted vampire off, and thentheypounced.

The power hungry, ass-kissing, station-grabbing creatures descended upon her. They wanted to know which bloodlines she belonged to. Was she related to any powerful witch? And whowasthis new girl who’d been seen cowering in pain from a mind-witch attack?

But Ivy didn’t cower. She eyed the leeches and shook her head, disappointment filling her eyes as she turned and stalked out of the dining hall.

Perhaps that was the best show of power she could have given.

Turning her back on those she deemed unworthy.

At that, I ducked my head and smiled to myself.

Thorns. She’d certainly grown them.

36

IVY

I HADN’Tbeen able to sleep, despite the comfort of Elias and Rowan, and the quick release of magic in the shower at the skilful hands of my shifter. Not even an orgasm could knock me out. So, I was exhausted by the time morning classes began.

There was a split between morning classes, evening classes, and night classes, and I had a mix of all three that really fucked with me. I supposed it was like college. But instead of work and babysitting, it wasMagical Defences: PracticalandA History of Vampires: From Born to Changed.

I braided my hair back from my face with a yawn. From the corner of the bedroom, Rowan watched, a freaking tie in his hand.

I wanted to moan about the uniforms again, but I held back. Instead, I finished my hair and looked myself over in the mirror. The blouse fit, but stretched a little tightly over my chest. The tie would hide the worst of it. The skirt, thankfully fell right above my knee with no chance of riding up, but just in case, I decided to wear stockings. The black ankle boots were a little more me, though I wasn’t excited for the possible blisters I’d have later.

“Are you done with that?” I asked, motioning towards the tie.

Rowan glanced up at me with an easy smile that made my stomach flutter. With the tie in hand, he stalked towards me and quickly wrapped it around my neck before planting a chaste kiss on my lips. “There.”

I blinked up at him and shook my head. “You are going to make this so hard,” I muttered.

That easy smile turned to something else, and heat filled his eyes. “You already do.”

I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing, but I wasn’t sure if I was amused or exasperated. “Rowan...” I warned.

He shrugged. “I said nothing bad.”

Elias, freshly showered and dressed in gear, exited the bathroom. He rolled his eyes as he came over and kissed the top of my head. “We both know that’s a lie, right?” he asked me.

Well, at least there’s no fighting, I thought. Elias was acting as security, my shadow for the day. Meanwhile, Rowan had to be a professor’s aid, which made me snort with laughter. I had no doubt he’d be kicked out before the day ended.

The one thing I hated was the sneaking around. Both had to leave after me, so I kissed them goodbye and entered the witch’s corridor, which went quiet with my appearance. Last night was a blur, and nothing about it felt right. But it either made me a target, or less of one. That worried Elias the most, and after explaining it to Maeve and Adrian over a video-call, they’d been equally worried.

Not Rowan, though. If push came to shove, he believed I’d be able to kick their asses.

Although I appreciated his vote of confidence, I still couldn’t shake how bad it had been.

I spared the door to my room a longing glance before squaring my shoulders. Vanya said we’d meet in the common room, so I veered towards the communal space. I thought the dorms would have been laid out in separate buildings, but because of the weather, the entire academy was basically connected by corridors and hallways. Apparently, not even magic could save the campus from turning into a bog.

Vanya was already waiting inside, her back to me, though today she wore her hair in a similar fashion to Thea. My heart clenched. I had a standing date with my best friend that included uncovering what she was, and this weekend we would start our search. I just had to get through the next four days, first.

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