“Nothing,” I confirmed. “I’m not an elemental.”
Her smile was once again brief. “Not yet. But you’ll find your way. I’m sure of it.”
With that, she strolled to the next student and left me to ponder her words.
Chapter 10
“I feel fucking invigorated. I might not sleep for a week.” If I hadn’t known water was her jam, I’d have thought Belle wasusing air to float out of class. “That was the most intense water experience of my life. I can’t wait for more advanced classes.They’ve already added two to my schedule, and I’ve never felt closer to my element.”
“I’m really happy for you,” I said, barely able to stop an excessive sigh from escaping. “Meanwhile I feel closer to my chair,because I didn’t leave it for the whole lesson.”
She breathed out a laugh, shaking her head. “You’ll get there. Otherwise, you and your chair can form your own coven.”
I choked on my own laugh, covering my mouth with my hand. “Christ. I better invite the desk too, otherwise it’ll get jealous.”
Belle nodded, forcing a serious expression. “You don’t want to know what scorned desks are capable of. Trust me on that.”
Students were sparsely dotted around the hallway as we made our way to our next class: Weatherstone and Its History of Necromancy.Another freshman-only class that I was excited about; history had always interested me. “At least our next class isn’t anactive affinity class,” I mused, looking around at the students rushing by. “My power is still playing hide-and-seek, outsideof a slight spark with fire and metal.”
Belle gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Honestly, I wouldn’t stress about it. Mom took eight months to figure out her affinity. She expressed magic early, but then was stuck in her college—Grimsworth University—for almost a year before she developed a craving for the ocean. Her dorm was a few miles from the beach, and she woke one morning knee-deep in the water. It’ll happen.”
“Fuck, good to know. It’s just hard because all of my family expressed clear affinities during their toddler years.”
“Your family isn’t exactly normal,” Belle reminded me. “I’d heard about them long before the Hottest Warlock of the Year camestrolling by.”
I squeezed my eyes closed briefly. “Please don’t ever call him that when he’s around. His head is already too big.”
The history classroom was five times the size of our last, with cork floors that squished beneath our shoes as we made ourway to the stadium seating. We’d arrived early, having booked it out of Elemental 101, which gave us a chance to observe everyonewalking in.
There were a lot of faces from our last class, including Marcus Lofting, who I remembered quite well. “It’s Fireball,” Bellewhispered, and I tried to smother my laugh.
Marcus had engulfed half the room in flames before they put it out.
“Or should we call him Aquaman?” I replied, since he’d shown as strong an aptitude for Belle’s element too.
“He could touch air as well,” she pointed out, and I wasn’t surprised that Professor Damone had been fawning all over him.He showed signs of multiple strong elements to call, which meant they’d be watching him as a possible spellcaster.
Spellcasters were hard to classify in college because students could show small affinities in multiple areas and still only end up having a single strong affinity. A true spellcastercould touch all affinities equally except for necromancy. The dead didn’t share well with the living.
Belle and I must have been staring at Marcus a little too hard, because he caught my eye and offered the slightest of smiles.I turned my gaze away, trying not to notice that he was quite nice to look at—a few inches taller than me with broad shoulders,messy dark blond hair, and piercing blue eyes.
“Spellcasters are way too much work,” I said, before realizing that Belle would have no idea what I was talking about. I’danswered my own damn thoughts.
“Way too much,” she agreed, taking that brain slip in stride. “Drama-free is the key this year. We’re only at college once,and I’m not tying myself down to any witch or warlock.”
“Same.”
We high-fived over it, settling the deal the old-fashioned way. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to date. I absolutely neededto find an outlet for the rage of fire in my veins, lest the dreams keep me awake for the entire year. But nothing serious.
That wasn’t my focus here.
“Have you ever had a boyf...?” Belle trailed off suddenly, and I stiffened in my seat, forcing my gaze not to look towardthe door. Because I felt what had shocked her. I felt him.
How in the Hel...?
“Who—and I cannot emphasize this enough—the fuck is that?” Belle breathed.
“Logan Kingston,” I bit out, gritting my teeth as I continued to fight my eyeballs’ need to turn his way. Disloyal bastards.“He’s both mybest friendand archnemesis, apparently.”
