“I’m so sorry! That’s awful.”
The merman shrugged. “We knew we’d be targets when we enrolled.”
“Did you have a choice?” I asked curiously as we walked away from the groaning shifters, who still hadn’t dragged themselves up from the ground. Personally, I hoped they ended up stuck there all night, unable to shift and heal themselves, but realistically, they would all recover soon, so it was best if we got away before they had another go at me and my new friends.
“Yes, of course. Why?”
“Oh, just wondered.” Stars above, was I the only student on campus who’d had no choice about coming here? The minute I thought about the circumstances of my enrollment, I remembered Willow and my witch family.
Not being able to talk to them bothered me immensely, but all I could do was hope I’d see them again. If I had a phone number, I could have called them, but I didn’t. I’d looked on social media at Glynda’s suggestion but found no trace of anyone I knew. Hardly a great surprise given how obsessed with privacy Adam had always been.
“Hulder and I owe you,” the merman said when we reached the dorms. Hulder grunted in agreement. Stars above, they were sweet.
“You don’t owe me a thing,” I replied. “I’m never going to stand by and let someone get bullied.”
“You’re not like other witches,” the merman observed.
I snorted. “No, they have better control of their magic.”
“Maybe they do, but you’ll learn that here.”
“I hope so.” So far, the best parts about being at this school were Maverick, Glynda and finding my familiar. The rest of the experience had been a mixed bag.
“Thank you again, witch.”
Something about his lyrical voice called to me. Pulled at the magical tether in my chest. But I forced the feeling down. I had enough going on in my life without adding a new attractive male to my harem.
Still, it didn’t stop a blush from tinting my cheeks.
“Call me Raven,” I told the merman.
He tilted his head and smiled. “And I’m Kai.” We stared at one another for a moment while the troll male scuffed his toes impatiently on the gravel.
“Hi, Kai,” I replied eventually, feeling like a clueless teenager from the silly human series about vampires Willow enjoyed.
When the awkwardness grew excruciating, I mumbled something about needing my bed and moved to leave. Kai mumbled somethingawkward in return and then waved goodbye as he and Hulder took the path to the dorm where the lesser magicals lived.
Why they were called lesser escaped me. Just because they were different did not make them less than.Stupid Mage Council and their bullshit laws.
I ducked my head as I entered my dorm building, exhaustion hitting me hard. Yet again, my trip to collect orange trumpet flowers had ended in disaster, but I lacked the energy to care. I would try again another night. Even if I no longer felt like giving Alar-dick a nasty case of explosive diarrhea, I knew a wolf pack who would enjoy the experience.
32
Kai
Hulder trudged up the stairs after me, silent like always. He was a troll of few words, but the fact he never tried to fill awkward silences with pointless conversation was why we’d become friends.
My whole body ached. Stupid fucking wolves. If they hadn’t taken us both by surprise, we’d have fought back. But seven wolves and a mage paralysis potion meant we’d had no chance.
If the witch hadn’t appeared this evening, I had a strong suspicion Hulder and I would be wolf chow by now. There were no cameras above the entrance to the pool. Probably because few people used it apart from me.
Hulder probably would think twice about hanging around the pool with me tomorrow, and I wouldn’t blame him. All the lesser species had become targets for the supremacists lurking on campus. Those assholes would likely leave him alone because it was damn difficult to injure a troll, but I was a legitimate target.
Everyone knew I needed to swim at least once a day to prevent issues with my gills. Until ten years ago, aqua species like me had notattended Starfall, but thanks to persistent lobbying from the Lesser Species Council, the school had finally installed a pool for merpeople, sirens, and water-based shifters.
Not that it saw much use. A seal shifter enrolled last year but left after a month. Nobody knew why, as they refused to talk about it.
When we reached the top floor, a light blew out, leaving the corridor in shadow. The building was already in a poor state, and in the few weeks I’d been here, we’d had issues with roof leaks every time it rained.
