Nearly all the females in the room, along with a few males, swooned at the sight of so much golden muscle. Stars, the man had muscles on top of his muscles. Was that normal? I didn’t have enough experience to be sure.
“Oh my goddess, I think I’m in love,” a witch whispered in front of me. “I don’t even care that he’s a hairy shifter.”
“Your bitch of a mother will care, so don’t even think about it, you ho,” her friend laughed.
“Eh, what happens at Starfall stays at Starfall,” the first witch giggled.
My chest squeezed so tightly at her words I wondered if maybe I needed a healer. Surely it wasn’t normal to feel this way in the presence of a male?
Our coach scanned the room, his brawny arms folded across his chest and a blank expression on his face as every student in there stared up at him in silence. A legion of demons could have attacked and not one person would have reacted.
When he spotted me at the back of the room, magic flared in my veins. Smoke drifted up, and I realized too late that I’d set the surrounding floor on fire. People yelped as everyone near me jumped away.
The room’s magical defenses kicked in, setting off a sprinkler over my head. Students dove for cover, leaving me standing in a puddle of water, my hair and white tee soaked. Once again, I became an object of ridicule.
Mages, witches, and shifters all started laughing as water dripped down my face. I heard Demelza cackling loudly and Alar-dick saying something about unstable witches, but I ignored them all.
The scent of scorched timber made my nose wrinkle and left an acrid taste in my mouth. I swallowed my shame and fixed a smile on my face.
“Oops!” Fake it until you make it, right?
Aside from Glynda, the troll and merman were the only two magicals in this cursed gym who weren’t howling with laughter at myexpense, which made me like them all the more. The merman threw me a sympathetic look before focusing on the floor.
A deep, threatening growl rattled the walls, sending a rack of weights tumbling down. Everyone went quiet and turned to face our new coach, who’d finally dragged his eyes away from my red face.
I gulped. Was he angry with me? Stars, I really needed to get a handle on my stupid magic. It had been unstable ever since the market incident. And also way stronger than ever before, which seemed odd given how sluggish it had been until I burned a tent down.
My hand reached for the amulet around my neck, and the magic fighting for release settled, no longer fizzing so much in my veins.
“Welcome to Combat Training. My name is Maverick Wilder, your new PT and physical combat instructor.” He sneered while taking us all in. “Let me be very clear. I do not tolerate magic supremacy bullshit or campus bullies. Everyone in this room has power and deserves to be at Starfall Academy. Anyone who thinks otherwise is welcome to discuss it with me.” His lip curled up to reveal sharp white teeth. Several students shuffled on the spot as the atmosphere changed from excited to apprehensive.
“Those of you who laughed at the witch’s expense, hit the running track. You will do laps for the next hour.” Several students groaned out loud before our coach roared his displeasure. “Anyone who feels this exercise is beneath them can come to my office and explain why they feel that way once the class ends.” A feral grin told me and everyone else in the room that daring to question the coach would be a seriously bad idea.
I watched as all the students except for Glynda, the merman, and the troll trudged outside where rain fell in sheets. A half-smile lit up my face as I realized they’d soon all be as wet as, if not wetter than, me.
“You three get a pass for today’s class. Go read a book or something,” the bear said to the others in a gruff voice while his eyes took in my soaking wet tee. Glynda looked at me with concern, but I grinned to let her know everything was fine.
The merman seemed surprised at being let off from the punishment but didn’t hang around for long. He shot off, dragging his troll friend with him.
“I’ll be in the library,” Glynda said before hesitating. “But I can wait if you need me?”
“Leave us,” Coach Wilder growled. Fur rippled down his arms, and his biceps popped. “I’ll protect her.”
Glynda choked on a surprised laugh, apparently baffled by his insanely protective attitude.
“Come find me after,” she mouthed before walking away.
The minute the door closed after my witch friend, the bear yanked me into his arms. I squeaked in surprise, not expecting him to behave in such an unprofessional way. Surely there were rules about fraternizing with the faculty? If not, there should be. It was a blatant abuse of power!
“My little mate,” the male grumbled. “You’re safe now.” Was this the bear talking or the male?
“Um, I should probably go get changed,” I said, my voice muffled against his chest. Soft hair tickled my cheeks. Stars, he felt good. Smelled divine too. Of pine and rain. All the scents I loved.
“No,” the male growled.
“No?” This was nuts. If anyone saw a teacher holding me like this, I’d be in trouble and he’d be fired.
“Mine.” Okay, so the male had mental issues.Relatable. Given how unstable my magic was, I had issues too.
