Page 6 of Blood of a Huntsman

"Thank you, sir. That's exactly what women need to hear on these dreary days."

Cat shifted in her seat, feeling rather uncomfortable now that she knew the glorious male was, for all intents and purposes, naked.

"Now, if you're quite satisfied, we can start where we left off last week. It is impossible to spell, hex, or even influence those who carry the blood of the gods, and thus, only one thing can affect them. What is that, Mr. Venari?"

Cat winced and discreetly turned to the back of the room. That was hardly fair.

Sebastian Venari was the newest student in the Advanced Spells class, and Cat suspected he’d picked it only because of the time and attendance. The class ran from ten-thirty to midnight, and mostly consisted of vampires. Greer was the sole student with mortal blood in her veins, and she smelled different than most. Older. Somehow more enticing and less appealing all at once.

To a new vampire, mortals smelled like food. Like prey. Cat had been turned thirteen months ago, and she was still uncomfortable in a room full of regular humans. But strong witches, huntsmen, and shifters were different. A little less like a steak dinner. They had powers of their own, and even the monster buried under a vampire’s conscious mind recognized it.

Sebastian—Bash, his friends called him—had just turned, first into a feral, then back into a regular vampire. He was now subjected to the worst kind of desire. A thirst he couldn’t control.

And he was dealing with it badly.

Asking him any academic questions right now wasn't nice. The guy had bigger concerns.

To her surprise, he grumbled, "Elements."

Correct. Cat’s eyebrows hiked up an inch.

Any magic user knew that, but she hadn’t expected an ex-hunter to be versed in spells. She wondered whether the huntsmen also had classes on craft.Know thy enemy and all that. Maybe they needed to understand how magic worked so they could kill witches and mages more efficiently.

The huntsmen were part of an ancient, elite order of mortal-ish men and women who hunted rogue vampires, immortals, witches, shifters. Anything paranormal that represented a threat to humanity.

She had little love for them and their tendency to kill first, ask questions later. But for all that, Cat had to admit, she felt sorry for the man. A little. No one deserved to be turned against their will. Without preparation.

Until he’d joined the class this week, she'd only seen him a handful of times since it had happened.

And he looked so miserable.

The other part of her didn’t feel sorry at all. To be honest, she was pissed at him for wallowing instead of acting. He was such a waste.

"Indeed, elements,” Fin said. “When you cannot touch the mind or body of your opponent directly, elements are your one defense. Make the ground underneath their feet shake. Make the air blow them ten feet back so they stumble upon their sword. Command the waters to flood their lungs until they drown."

His voice caressed each word, making torture sound far too enticing. Which was so very typical of a fae, come to think of it. Flooding lungs might be Fin Varra’s kink.

“Well, that's the theory,” Fin added. “In practice, in the entire history of time, only a handful of magic users have ever learned to master more than one element. Names? Catherine, it’s been a while since you showed off.”

She immediately named the six recorded multi-elemental mages. Half the class chuckled and the others groaned. She ignored them all.

“Correct, as usual. Now, assuming that you’re no Tatiana, Queen of Fae, you will have one affinity. Each individual, even the most mundane of regular humans, has a link to one specific element. This week, we're going to determine your affinity. Some of you already know your power. Very well. Shut up about it and take notes."

Another dig at her. Cat’s power was air, and storms in particular; it was in her blood, a trait shared by her entire family. But in this class, she was the only one with a clear familial affinity.

"Elemental magic is as volatile as it is powerful, but control it, and no force in this world can stop you. Let it control you, and it will swallow you whole.”

Fin's eyes fell on her, lingering for a moment before he added, “Of course, that’s assuming you wield a decent amount of magic to start with.”

Ouch.

Shot fired.

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