“No one’s up for the challenge, then?” Professor Thrax pressed. “It seems I may have discovered my top two students, and we’re only on day one.”
“I’ll break the damn thing,” someone growled, and a second later, Alex Wardwell stepped forward. He clenched his jaw, making it almost as square as the frames of his glasses. His blue eyes glinted with determination beneath dark lashes.
My heartbeat picked up at the sight of his coiled muscles.Even pissed off, Alex is H.O.T.
Professor Thrax stepped aside. “One Wardwell against another. This should be good.”
Alex moved forward like a cat stalking its prey, slow and fluid. From his protective bubble, Hunter was staring at his cousin, arms crossed over his broad chest.
Eva nudged me, and I shot her an excited glance. The tension in the air was palpable.
Were we about to see a family feud played out before us?
As if in answer, Alex thrust his hands in front of him. A vivid crimson light that was even brighter than the magic he’d used to hit the bullseye shot from his palms and crashed into Hunter’s shield.
The collision of green and red was blinding, and my gaze shot to the floor. I heard Hunter cry out, and looked up. The shimmering green dome around Hunter remained intact, but the wizard himself was on the ground, his chest heaving.
Realizing that everyones’ attention was on him, he leapt up and ambled to the edge of the protective bubble. His hand brushed the green magic, testing it, and a charming grin spread across his face. “Is that all you got, Cousin?” he taunted.
Alex snorted. “Can you handle more? I’d hate to bring it and break that pretty little nose.”
“Yes, that would be a shame.” Hunter’s gaze rolled down the line of students. “A few of these lovely ladies would probably agree.”
A few girls batted their eyelashes. Eva let out a single, strangled giggle. I just smirked and gave a tiny shake of my head.
Hunter caught my reaction and winked. I couldn’t help myself. I started cracking up.This guy is too much.
My mirth attracted the attention of Alex, who whipped around, his eyes latching with mine and lips pursing in annoyance before he dismissed me by turning back around.
My laughter ceased. Alex’s scowl made me feel as though milk had curdled in my stomach. Before I could even begin to fathom why he seemed to dislike me so much, Alex swung into action, slamming Hunter’s shield with red-hot magic.
The shield pulsed and shimmered, holding strong. Hunter touched it, infusing it with more energy, and the color deepened.
Although I couldn’t see Alex’s face, I noticed the tension building in his shoulders. He let his power fly once more, this time as a constant stream.
I watched enthralled, as the vibrant river of red flowing from Alex’s fingers engulfed the green dome and pressed inward. Second by second, the red magic forced the dome to contract, and Hunter’s space to become smaller.
Underneath his protective bubble, Hunter’s jaw worked, and green power streamed from his palms to press out against Alex’s magic. The dome was contracting at a rapid pace, and in less than a minute, it was nearly touching Hunter on all sides—threatening to shrink-wrap him.
Clenching his jaw, Hunter flung his arms up. His shield pulsed andjumpeda few inches off the ground. Red magic flew off, and Alex was thrown backward onto the ground. Whatever Hunter had done had thrust Alex’s assault off from the inside.
He shot his cousin a cocky smile, but then something caught his attention, and he looked down.
I followed his gaze and gaped. Red magic wasinsideHunter’s dome, snaking its way up the walls. Alex had snuck a few tendrils in when Hunter had tried to toss it off.
Hunter swore and took a step back, obviously trying to assess how to reclaim his safe space.
Alex barked out a laugh at his cousin’s anxiety. It was the sound of victory.
My breath tightened, and I watched with a mixture of awe and fear as Alex, not even bothering to pick himself up off the ground, raised his closed fist and splayed his fingers open. Red magic shot toward a spot on the dome where the rest of his power had congregated. When the two halves of his power met, a sound like crackling lightning filled the room, and the dome shattered into a million little pieces.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
I’d never seen magic used like that. Judging by the stunned looks on most of my peers’ faces, I wasn’t the only one.
A slow clap made me jump, and Professor Thrax stepped forward. “Good work today.” He nodded at Alex, Hunter, and Diana in particular. “Unfortunately, we’re out of time. Although I didn’t get around to testing everyone to the extent that I would like, I’ve got enough to go on. Let’s just say we have a lot of work to do before the Samhain Trial.” His eyes turned to me. “Dress appropriately from here on out so we don’t waste a second.”
The sound of a hooting owl filled the room, and my classmates rushed out of the training hall to get to their next class. Eva and I still had to change, so we darted into the locker rooms.
