Page 58 of Magical Academy for Delinquents
“Shield spells can be one of two things, strong or long-lasting. The stronger you make a shield, the shorter its lifespan.”
Ho’s eyes narrowed at me until they were slits. “Correct.” He whipped around and walked back toward his desk. He filled out the detention slip, and I sighed but went to retrieve it. As I walked up the aisle, I had to pass Laura. I scooted toward the far side of the aisle, avoiding her because I saw her scratching away on a strip of parchment underneath her desk with her wand. I didn’t know if that spell was for me but—
My foot fell like a block of lead. I couldn’t lift it. It felt like a brick was attached to my leg. I glanced down to see my leg was encased in a giant wooden club.
I tried to lift it. Almost threw my back out. But the best I could do was drag it across the ground with a horrid, low screech.
Professor Ho turned around, impatience in his eyes as he held out the slip. When he saw my leg, his eyes glanced sharply around the room. “Who did this?”
Not one mouth moved. Not one eye blinked. Not even mine. I wasn’t going to let Ho have the satisfaction of punishing Laura. Not when I was going to do so myself.
Ho trudged down the aisle and stared up at me. “You did this to yourself, Dunemark?”
I just stonewalled, mentally preparing for a second or third detention.
Ho shook his head. “You’re a fool.” Then he turned and marched back to the front of the class. “Everyone gets detention Sunday, since you all like to cover for one another.” His eyes flicked dismissively over my leg. “Get to the nurse so she can unravel that.”
I tried to walk out. Tried but couldn’t. I ended up hunched and dragging my heavy club foot like some Igor in a horror flick.
A chair scraped behind me and footsteps sounded. Suddenly, I was scooped off the floor like I weighed nothing and held bridal style. I glanced at Malcolm, surprise lighting me up. He had both our backpacks over his shoulder. He trudged past Ho without a word, and the professor didn’t say boo, which made me slightly resentful even through my gratitude.
When we turned the corner in the hallway and I finally felt like I wasn’t about to get yet another detention slip from Ho for talking, I said, “Thanks.”
Malcolm just shook his head. “Why do you mess with these idiots?”
“Just one of them. I’m messing with Grayson. That fucktard Laura just can’t help inserting herself in our feud.”
“But why?” Malcolm’s gaze traveled over me and I could feel his curiosity the way I could feel shadows, like soft feathers against my skin.
I swallowed hard as I looked him over, liking the way my arms looked linked behind his neck far too much. I fought against the urge to stroke the back of his neck, where his hair tapered off. I couldn’t lie to him. I knew Malcolm wouldn’t let me lie to him. That it would piss him off. But at the same time, the truth felt sudden. I didn’t know if he trusted me yet. I needed him to trust me. And that meant I was caught in a never-ending loop of do I or don’t I. I blew out a breath.
“Just tell me the truth,” Malcolm said. “Why are you so obsessed with this war with Grayson?”
“The same reason I’m obsessed with having you as my tutor.”
Malcolm’s eyes narrowed and his head tilted as he tried to interpret what that might mean.
“I chose the two of you,” I said, slowly, each word weighing as much as the stupid trunk on my leg.
“For what?”
But we’d reached the nurse’s office for this building. (Building A and B each had their own nurse; at Metamorphose they needed two, maybe even four for all the fights that went down.)
The nurse saw us through the window in her door and popped her head out of the door and sighed when she saw the molting tree bark. “Well, come on then.” She waved us inside.
Malcolm carried me in like a gentleman and set me on the exam table. He put my backpack on the floor next to me and then leaned in. “We will be discussing this more later.” And then, in a move that left me frozen, his lips brushed over mine. His lips were as soft as flower petals, just barely grazing over mine, a hint of his minty breath fogging up my thoughts. As soon as the kiss began, it was over, and he was out the door, leaving me spellbound, wondering what had just happened.
The next hour flew by as the nurse puttered around and clicked onto her computer and did research before writing an unraveling spell. I didn’t even notice the weight of my leg or the fact that my foot fell asleep.
All I could think about was the fact that Malcolm Bier had just kissed me.
Chapter 24
The kiss complicationspurred me into a distracted frenzy, meaning I sought ought any and every distraction I could think of in order to stop myself from thinking aboutit. Shit, romantic complications had been the last thing I wanted. And yet, here I was, dealing with them. I shook my head and focused on other things, like the fact that Grayson was letting his little bitch do his dirty work. I hadn’t even retaliated for the twerking yet and she’d attacked me.
I let my ire fill me up and spur me on so that I was working into the wee hours of the night. But finally, I came up with a brilliant plan. One that punished both him and her. I wrote out a spell that was so long and complicated that I had to grab a brand-new roll of parchment out of my closet before I could even start.
And then I fell asleep, a naughty, nasty grin lighting up my face. Of course, when my alarm went off on Sunday morning, I deeply regretted the late night. Running was gonna be such an awful pain as I struggled to keep my eyes open and not kiss a tree. Kissing trees made me think of Malcolm, which made my hands wander south during my shower. I leaned against the black and white tiles as my hand circled my clit. I thought of Malcolm’s face whenever he’d called Bullshit on me. That intense, dark stare. I thought again of how soft he’d kissed me, and I felt sure, that if the nurse hadn’t been watching, that his kiss would have been just as hot and intense as his stare. Malcolm’s kisses would be brutal. On the other hand, Zavier’s kisses would be light and teasing—flipping between pecks all over my body and a very playful battle of the tongues. Evan’s face floated through my mind too. And I didn’t even freak out about it. I thought about kissing him just as warmth surged up my spine. Evan’s kisses would feel as light and magical as a rainbow. That’s what I’d always believed. The thought of him pushing back my hair, caressing my cheek, his eyes full of adoration—my finger worked faster and faster, flipping between the images of each guy like magazine pages. I came hard on my hand, leaning my cheek against the wall and moaning as my nipples touched the cold tile and an orgasm lit me up.
