Page 98 of Love Bites

“Some of the upper year girls think the witches who get chosen are inferior,” Anya explained. “Like they’re only good for mating and having babies - breeders.”

“Sounds about right,” I said.

I’d been here less than twenty-four hours and I was already being given up as a sacrifice in the name of the school. How fantastic that the other students would mock me for it while they were the ones who got to stay and reap the benefits.

“Not everyone feels that way,” Cori said quickly. “And some of us think the upper girls are only saying it because they’re jealous.”

“Why would they be jealous?” I asked, repressing a shudder.

Anya giggled and Cori grinned at her.

“What?” I demanded.

“Well, I mean, obviously you have a lot on your mind,” Cori whispered. “But did youseehow gorgeous he was?”

I blushed in spite of myself.

I would have to have been blind not to see how sexy he was. Every inch of him was solid muscle, and those eyes…

“She saw,” Anya teased. “Come on, let’s not be late for your first day of class.”

I tried not to think about how it might also be one of my last as I crawled out of bed and grabbed my stuff.

“Bathroom’s through there,” Cori said, pointing to a door in the corner. “And here’s your uniform.”

“We have our own bathroom?” I asked. “I thought this was a dorm.”

At least I wouldn’t have to repeat the very un-private process of the communal shower.

“It’s also a castle,” she said, shrugging.

I didn’t waste any time, speeding through a shower and quickly getting into the green dress Cori had given me without taking the time to fully dry my hair.

It didn’t look like a school uniform. It was modest and comfortable, with large hidden pockets. I decided I liked it.

Don’t get used to it. You’re only wearing it for three days.

I tried to quiet the voice in my head and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. When I got out of the bathroom, the other two were still waiting for me. We headed out of the bedroom and down the corridor in relative silence.

The halls were empty enough that I realized we must be late.

“Are you guys going to be in trouble for waiting for me?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Cori replied. “But we won’t have much time for breakfast.”

We headed down the stairs and turned left, as if we were going back to the group showers. But just after the kitchen, I could see the double doors were propped open.

Dozens of women sat at tables in identical green dresses, chatting and eating.

“Grab a tray,” Cori said, as she snagged one for herself.

We didn’t have to wait in line, since the rest of the school seemed to have started already. A beaming woman stood behind the counter, wearing an apron that matched the green of our dresses.

“What’ll it be today, girls?” she asked.

It was an incredible spread with pancakes, waffles, muffins, bacon, sausage, and mountains of fruit and yogurt.

If this was part of the free-for-me package at the school, I was even more devastated than before about having to leave after three days.

---