Eighteen-year-old witch, Vera Tate, attends a magic university where she meets vampire prince Lucien Lacroix. After being the target of an attack, Vera finds herself in the middle of a century-long feud that results in murder. Now she has no choice...
By Sunday, my magic situation was marginally improved, the cold helped along with the tedious, artificial warming of my blood. From the infirmary, I went straight to detention. No one else was there. No one but Lucien Lacroix, that is.
As I sat down, I couldn't help but notice Lucien's smirk and the devious glint to his stare. He was pleased about something. The question was what.
"Miss Tate. Now that you have arrived, you may begin your assignment." Lucien raised a book from his desk and rose. I stared at the offending item as he set it before me with a piece of parchment and a pencil. "Let me know if you have any questions."
"Where are the others?"
"If you must know," Lucien said, sinking into the chair behind his desk. "Mr. Collins is dragging the lake with Professor Waters, Miss Morimoto is picking herbs with Rhodes, and Mr. Neven is helping Professor Ishida ward the archives as we, apparently, need them."
And I was stuck inside writing a horrible, boring paper. Feeling sorry for myself, I flipped the book open and began reading. It took no time at all to catch my full interest. In terms of understanding how my enemy was nearby and unseen in the haunted house, it was insightful.
As it turned out, not all warding magic had to be drawn upon the physical realm. With combination magic, it could be a spell powered by incantation coupled with a runic mark—sort of like Quick-Step. The runic mark, itself, could be as simple as a hand-sign. The applicable example was Invisibility, a spell that allowed the user to move unseen with the addition of Distortion. The effects weren't anywhere near as strong or lasting as, say, an enchanted ring, but it would work well enough for a spur-the-moment need. Well enough, too, for my attacker to follow us into the haunted house.
It was then I realized Professor Lacroix had not given me an assignment. Not really. He was giving me answers, insight to how my attacker managed what she had. I flicked my gaze to the man at the desk. He was fully distracted with the research that covered his desk in stacks of books and papers. I had no idea how he kept his thoughts organized with all that information lying about, but his dedication was admirable.
"What?"
Not distracted enough, evidently.
"Thank you," I said, waving the book. "I understand, now."
Lucien cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
With a nod, I hunched over the desk and returned to my paper, refusing to look at him again.
"You are welcome, Miss Tate."
Between writing and reading, it took a couple hours to finish the book despite its smaller size. I was nearly finished when a knock sounded at the doorway. Rhett appeared, his clothes damp and wrinkled like he'd fallen in the lake and been dried-off with a blast of wind. Knowing he was working with Christine Waters, it was likely.
Naomi entered behind him, a grin on her face as she waved.
"I take it the two of you are finished?"
"Yes, sir."
"You may sit, then."
Rhett took the seat on my right, looking a little worse for wear. He laid his arms on the desk and dropped his head upon them. Naomi came around to my other side, scooting her chair closer before sitting.
The antagonistic side of me couldn't resist poking fun. "Did you have a good time at the lake, Rhett?"
"You know I didn't."
Naomi snickered. "Rhodes and I had a great time. He told me all about the plants and their medicinal properties. Showed me an herb that's used for sleeping. Very sweet, too. Apparently next year we can join clubs like alchemy—we should do it together."
"Neat," I said, considering it. I wondered what other options there were.
"What are you working on?"
I handed her the paper. "Essay on the pairing of Distortion and Warding magic."
"Ew." Naomi handed it back.
Hopping to my feet, I scooped up the book and flattened the paper atop it. As I approached, he accepted my offering, scanned it, and passed it back. "You may keep your paper for future reference."
"Thank you, sir." I should have figured as much. I took the paper and returned to my desk, folding it to fit in my pocket. Maybe I'd let Rhett read it when he wasn't half-unconscious.
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
Thanks for reading! Please vote if you enjoyed and let me know what you thought. 💕
