My whole pack, a voice in my head whispers. Saints, do I want Marcus as my mate, for him to bite me and mark me, to make everything official between us. But I’ll take our sweet, heated exploration as we slowly come back together for as long as it takes. Already, he knows just how to wind me up, and I revel in it.
Surrounded by my men, I feel safe, safer than I’ve felt since the gruesome attack on Annette Claude.
Cassian’s purr stirs up, followed by Ian’s and Luca’s, and I reach out for their hands, lacing their fingers with mine, needing to touch them. Simon holds my head in his lap, gently combing through my hair with his fingers, and I sigh in utter contentment.
Surrounded by these men, after my summer of training, I feel ready for the next school year, ready for whatever my father and the Soldiers of Saint Aldous can throw at us.
I feel brave. Like I’ve rediscovered my thorns.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Classes begin on the last warm day of summer, and it’s strange that Cassian and Simon aren’t here to walk me to my first class, Advanced Casting. Still, Luca walked me to class this morning, stealing a kiss before sending me into Professor McNamara’s classroom. With Alan Cadigan gone from Fairhaven Academy, Professor McNamara has taken over his advanced classes in addition to the Intermediate Casting class I had with him part of last semester. I’m glad to have a class with him again. His command of the classroom and his instruction are good. Not as good as Ian’s, but I might be a bit biased where my imperious alpha is concerned. I’ve read ahead in our textbook and even practiced some of the spells with Ian, mastering them quickly; casting has been one of my strengths since Ian unlocked my magic.
“Welcome, welcome,” he says, tapping his scribe on his desk and calling the class to order just as Alyssa slides in next to me with a sheepish grin. “It’s nice to see your familiar faces again this term. This semester, we’ll cover more advanced spells than you’ve cast previously, all building onthe foundations you’ve built in Introduction to Casting and Intermediate Casting. I have the deepest belief that you’ll all succeed in this class. Let’s get down to work!”
“So glad we have Professor McNamara and not Cadigan,” Alyssa mutters.
As am I. Cadigan never liked me, never thought I was good enough for Ian. That, I could have forgiven, but he was also working for Radcliffe on developing the spell to power the collars. He wished for the collared omegas on All Saints’ Eve to take me down despite pretending to protect our classroom. He was the resistance mole, and, most grievously, he was the alpha who hexed Ian with an agonia spell so strong it nearly killed him.
So far, I’ve read nothing but good intentions from Professor McNamara. It’s a tremendous relief.
“You and me both,” I whisper, as I crack a new notebook open and uncap my pen.
Sigils scrawl across the board in crumbly white chalk, and I work quickly to scribble them down, though I’ve already learned them. I’m determined to do well in all of my classes this semester.
“Lunch?”Alyssa asks as we pack our book bags after class.
“We’ll join you in a moment,” Marcus cuts in.
Alyssa gives me a wide-eyed stare, her lips pursed so she doesn’t burst into a grin. “Sure. I’ll save you both seats.”
Marcus follows me from the classroom and then takes my hand, stealing me away into an empty hallway. He presses me against the wall, and he tilts my chin up with one finger, drawing me into our first stolen kiss of the term. I’m certain it won’t be the last. He kisses me until I’m breathless, until my lips are reddened and my hair mussed, thenquickly puts me to rights again, smoothing my tousled hair. He presses a quick kiss to my forehead and then asks, “Lunch?” as though he hadn’t just rocked my world with a kiss.
We meet Alyssa, Darika, Luca, Bitsy, Ellie, and their honor guards at our usual table in the cafeteria after grabbing trays of food.
“So, Casting Theory sucks ass,” Bitsy groans.
“It wouldn’t suck if you’d just study for once,” Ellie mutters.
“I don’t know how to study, Bells. I’m here to look pretty and stir shit up, not to learn the theory behind casting.”
“And you’re doing admirably on both fronts,” Ellie assures her. “Ugh, I guess I’m going to have to whip your ass into gear if you have any chance of passing.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Bitsy replies with a cheeky grin. “I had no idea you were into whipping, Ells.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Impossibly sexy.”
“Is it really that bad?” Alyssa cuts in. “What do Junie and I have to look forward to or dread next year?”
Ellie rolls her eyes. “No, it’s not bad at all. It’s all book learning and easy enoughifyou study, which I know you will.”
“We have our first theory class tomorrow,” I remind Alyssa. “Spellcrafting Theory with Professor Grafton. How is he?”
“Tough,” Bitsy groans.
“But fair,” Ellie puts in. “I’m guessing you have him for Advanced Spellcrafting too? The classes go hand in hand. You’re going to learn more about transmutation circles than you ever wanted to.”
