Page 62 of Brimstone Academy: Semester One

I blink, surprised. “Oh?”

“Like I said, I wanted to understand before I told you,” he says.

“Understand what?” I ask.

He stares at me, his lips pressed together. I can tell he’s holding back and it’s making my heart ache. I don’t know why I feel so strongly about him whenever we’re around each other. It must be because he spared my friends or because he’s the only one who knows what I’ve been through or why I’m here.

“What is it?” I ask gently. Without even meaning to, I feel myself reaching for his magic. It binds with mine, connecting us in a way I haven’t felt before. It’s different, but good. There’s a comfort in feeling his magic coursing through me.

Harper, I can’t.

His thoughts echo inside me and I can feel his anguish. Whatever he’s discovered is making him miserable and it’s breaking my heart.Tell me what I can do.

I came here looking for answers about my magic, but none of that matters anymore. All I can think about is helping him fix whatever is causing this pain.

No.

The connection severs suddenly and I gasp.

“Not yet,” he says. “For now, what you need to know is that the spell you did can only be cast by a full angel. No other combination. You can’t be half demon or half human or half anything. Your father had to be an angel. And my guess is that he never fell. He was probably visiting the human realm when he met your mom.”

“Okay, so my mom had a one night stand with some visiting angel?” I’m still reeling from being kicked out of his head. “That’s not what’s bothering you, though.”

“It doesn’t matter what is bothering me. It’s important that you learn how to channel magic and how to control your own. I thought angels could only channel the magic of others, but that’s not how it works for full angels. They can pull from within. And when they do that, it’s far more powerful than anything else in this realm. If you use your heaven’s light, it’s instant death. You have to be sure you want to use it.”

I take a deep breath. “I don’t know how I made it happen. What if I accidentally unleash it?”

“Well, as you saw, there’s no consequences for killing another student here,” he says. “But I get the impression that you’re not handling that well.”

“Of course I’m not handling that well!” I blurt out. “Carlos was my friend. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

“I know,” he says. “I’m still trying to learn more but for now, make sure you’re not using internal magic.”

I run a hand through my hair and let it drop to my lap. “Just when I thought I was getting the hang of this place.”

“I’m serious, Harper,” he says. “It’s going to get very dangerous for you.”

“You keep saying that,” I say. “As if you actually give a shit. But you aren’t helping. You just warn me then run away.”

“I don’t have a choice,” he says. “I can’t get involved. You have to do this on your own.”

“Why?” I ask. “I need help.”

“You should go,” he says. “I’ll let you know when I find anything else out.”

“Fuck you,” I say. “What kind of teacher are you, anyway? I’m desperate for help with this and you can’t be bothered to work with me. I don’t want to hurt anyone and I don’t want to be thrown from the top of the stairs. I need help if I’m going to survive this place.”

“Harper, you don’t understand,” he says. His brow furrows and I can’t read his expression. Desperate, maybe? Why the hell is he so hard to read.

“Make me understand,” I say.

I stare into his violet eyes, daring him to kick me out. Daring him to explain himself. Daring him to do anything.

He leans closer and I hold my breath. Then, his mouth is on mine, kissing me fiercely. I press my lips to his, deepening the kiss as my fingers tangle into his hair.

My whole body feels like it’s on fire and my mind is fuzzy with want. There’s a part of me saying we should stop but I can’t focus on the thought before it’s muted by the feel of his body against mine.

I want this. I need this. I need him.

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