30
It was so bright that I could not see anything for many minutes, black dots dancing across my vision. The tumultuous water calmed, as did my heartbeat, and when I could see again I focused on the beach, which was about two miles from me. I blinked at the sight of a supe standing there. No … not a supe … Asher.
My body locked down, and I forced myself to keep treading water, watching the figure against the waterline. Had he been here when everything went dark?
Deciding I’d had enough swimming for one night, I started to freestyle, moving rapidly on top of the water until my feet hit the edge of the sand. Asher watched me closely. I kept expecting that he would be gone by the time I made it to shore, but he wasn’t.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice low, without any inflection.
“What do you mean?” I said, stumbling up, my limbs tired as I collapsed on the warm sand. I didn’t care that I was getting covered; there was something comforting about burrowing into the heat, especially after everything that just happened.
“Who was in here with you?” Asher pushed, standing over me, looking far too fuckable with his plain white shirt and dark jeans that fit his body like a glove. His feet were bare, his skin glowing golden, and I wanted to punch him straight in the dick.
Fucking asshole.
“None of your goddamn business,” I told him, pulling myself up. Ignoring my clothes, I stalked away, needing some distance.
“You’re in danger, Maddison,” Asher called after me. “You need an ally. We can work together.”
I flipped him off and kept walking. Fuck that. Fuck that to hell and back.
The time had come and gone for me to need an ally, especially one that was Asher Locke. The trust we’d had was damaged—maybe beyond repair. And while Asher was probably right about me being in danger—that god had been scary and strong—it didn’t change anything. I was here at the Academy to learn, and I would not let anyone distract me from that again.
* * *
When classes started backon Monday, I was first to every class and last to leave. I approached every one of my teachers, asking them for an advanced syllabus because my powers now were too strong for normal second-year classes. To my surprise, all of them had already been prepped on this and were prepared for me. I was especially excited for my extra classes in Sword and Sorcery. I’d be using some Atlantean weapons.
Jessa and Braxton were not back for Advanced Attack and Defense, but they had brought in some badass called Tyson. He kicked our asses from one side of the building to the next. I was not allowed to use magic at all, and I loved the chance to learn how to defend myself physically. It might come in handy one day. At minimum, I was going to be able to punch Asher without breaking my own hand.
“You’re fast and strong,” Tyson told me at the end of the class. “I know Jess was giving you some extra classes, and I’m happy to do the same if you want to get better in a shorter amount of time.”
I nodded, still trying to get my breath back. “That would be great. Louis is giving me extra as well, but with my current situation, I don’t think I can have too many fighting or defending skills.”
“You got it,” he said, a smile creasing his handsome face. He had a bit of a look of Braxton, and I remembered that one of the quads was a Tyson. “Are you Braxton’s brother?” I asked.
He grinned. “Braxton is my brother. I’m the alpha in our pack.”
I lifted one eyebrow and we remained in the stare-off for a few minutes before Tyson laughed. “Yeah, okay, don’t tell that dragon bastard I said that. The last thing we need is a Compass fight to knock the Academy down.”
Everyone had left the room by then, and I followed Tyson out. “So Louis is training you as well,” he said.
I nodded. “Yeah, and I’m hoping he doesn’t hurt me as badly as you just did.”
Tyson’s grin grew; it was clear he enjoyed torturing us. “The strongest steel is forged in fire,” he said. “My first fight teacher … he told us that every lesson. He also had that phrase painted in huge letters across his wall, and he fucking tempered us to something unbreakable. In the end, it was the best thing he could have done.”
“You guys did survive a lot,” I acknowledged.
As we stepped outside into the light, Tyson clapped a hand on my shoulder. “And we will survive this.” Somehow, that was reassuring. “I’ll see you on Wednesday,” Tyson told me, and in an instant he opened a step-through and was gone from the Academy. I blinked, because only the strongest magic users could do that inside the protective walls of this place. The Compasses were living up to their reputation.
“He’s heading back to Stratford,” Louis said, appearing at my side. It wasn’t magic, he was just stealthy, but I managed not to jump. “He’s never far from his mate if he can help it.”
I smiled but didn’t encourage any more of that talk. Mates were not my favorite topic of conversation. “How was the class?” Louis asked, and I once again found myself walking with a powerful sorcerer.
“Hard,” I admitted. “A lot of magic is easy for me now. I barely even need to know the fey language or anything. But physical fighting … I’m still far behind.”
Louis didn’t seem concerned about it. “I’m glad you want to learn hand-to-hand. Don’t become complacent and rely just on your magic. You need to make yourself strong in more than one way.”
I snorted. “Oh, I will be, don’t you worry. After everything … I’m never going to let myself be vulnerable again.”
