Page 42 of Severed By Magic

“We do that every other day, man. What are you talking about?” Theo crossed his arms.

“No, the five of us. We need to train together as a bond. We need to figure out what we can do. What our weaknesses are and how we can strengthen each other. We need to know our capabilities and our limits. Where we’re vulnerable.”

“Okay.” Niall stood and faced me. “But why are you freaking out now?”

I didn't want to repeat the conversation that I heard, but maybe it was necessary for them to comprehend my sense of urgency.

So I told them.

“We might think we're safe here, but the Alpha and your uncles might not be enough to protect us. We can't depend on them, and we can't count on the rest of the pack. We need to be prepared to defend ourselves and have an escape plan if it comes to that.”

The mood of the room shifted. I hated to disturb the calm and peace they’d had moments before, but they were getting too comfortable. Becoming complacent wasn't something we could afford.

There was no time for rest. Not until we were prepared.

“Okay.” Saige slid off the bed. “How should we get started?”

Niall

Tying my worth to my usefulness was something I’d have to take the time to work through when, or if, we were in a place of true safety. Sure, I had other attributes some found appealing. At least, Saige and the guys assured me as much, but life was simpler at the Academy. I knew my strengths and the best ways to help.

Saige was failing her classes, so I tutored her until she excelled. She was cursed and asleep, so I researched all the remedies available. Hybrids were going missing, so I tried to find the trends.

I was completely out of my depths here.

Doing data entry was about as mind-numbing as it sounded, but that was my job. All day, I stared at a computer screen, updating files and classifying incoming emails so the correct person could respond.

The position didn’t seem necessary, especially to assign me to work for twenty hours a week. It felt like a punishment. Surely, it couldn’t take anyone more than an hour a day to finish all my tasks.

The absolute worst part was the restrictions. I had no internet access, aside from the email service, so I couldn’t spend my hours of free time researching anything. It was torture. Being so close, yet so far.

There had to be a way around it. I was sure I could figure it out, but I didn’t want to get in trouble. That was the last thing our bond needed.

But it was so tempting.

“Everything okay?”

I nearly jumped in my chair at Nancy’s voice. My flash of guilt at being caught staring off evaporated when I remembered I finished all my work for the day.

“Yeah.” I straightened.

She didn’t move on as I’d hoped. “Are you able to handle things?”

This was my chance. I could be honest and admit I was bored out of my mind, or go on wasting away.

I couldn’t do it.

“Actually, I was wondering if there was more I could do?”

Her brows knit together. “You’ve finished your other tasks?”

“Yes, it only takes me about thirty minutes to finish, then I spent the rest of the time waiting for an email to come in so I can redirect it.”

She pursed her lips before sighing. “Well, that’s interesting.”

It was?

“The person you replaced complained about being overworked and needing something more slow paced, so we reassigned him to a weekly patrol shift.”

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