“I suppose I did.” I cross my arms.
Lock grips my arm and tugs me forward. Parker smartly stays a few steps back, but I can feel his concern from here. We walk through the corridors and into the main hall, where the headmaster starts explaining about the binding scrolls. Once those are signed, he tells us about the leadership board and bonding. I pretend to listen to all of it like it’s new, but I stare at the leaderboard. I’ll easily get on top because I’m not a first-year, but I have to make sure Parker does too, or he will die at the bottom. I’ve got three years’ worth of knowledge; it should be easy enough.
When he’s done, I turn around and come face to face with Lock’s mother. She smiles and kisses her son’s cheek before waving her hand in the air at her side. Winifred comes over, and I take in my friend. Her long blonde hair is straight and windswept, her clothes damp and messy, but her face is all brightness and smiles. She is the opposite of her brother. “Winifred, I would like to introduce you to your son’s fiancée. I’m sure all of you are going to be good friends in the upcoming years. I look forward to us all having family dinners and more talks in the future before the wedding.”
Wini smiles at me. “Nice to meet you, Juniper.”
“Call me Juni. All my friends do,” I offer. Her returning smile is massive and warm, and much needed. I know Lock and his mother, Fasrah, are hyper-focused on me, so I’m careful with my next words. “It is lovely to meet you too, Mrs. Venus.”
“My son has told me everything about you and will continue to do so. We are close.” She looks at Lock. “A word, before I have to leave?”
“Of course, Mother,” Lock agrees and leans into me. “Don’t go far.”
I scowl at his back as he walks away and leaves me with his sister. “Well, it’s really nice to meet you. Goddess, you’re pretty. How did my brother end up with someone this pretty? And what do you see in my brother? Anyway, I won’t judge you for your poor taste. I’d like to be friends too.”
“Ican judge you, though.” Parker slides up to my side. I search the crowd for Rue and frown when I don’t find her. Where is she? “He’s hot and rich, but I always thought you’d go for someone you loved.”
I can’t say I love Lock, not now, not ever. I change the subject, even damn well knowing Parker will bring it up again. “Parker, this is Winifred. Wini, this is my childhood friend Parker.”
“Nice to meet you!” Wini’s excited voice can make anyone smile, and I know she will get along with Parker. Her eyes watch me for a second, and I realize I called her Wini. Dammit. Thankfully, she doesn’t bring up my mistake. The both of them begin talking about the academy, the bonding tomorrow, and I only listen in when I hear the worddragon. “Yeah, they banned the dragons this year! They said that they’re too dangerous, nearly extinct, and they kill too many, so it’s just unsafe for them to bond to anyone. They’re going to keep them in the castle for the bonding night, just in case.”
My stomach drops, and I force myself not to respond in any way.
Parker laughs. “Who would want to bond with a dragon, anyway? They breathe fire, which means there is a high chance of getting burnt, and they’d be very dangerous, right? You can’t stay hidden anywhere, and seems like a lot of fuss. I want someone who shifts into something smaller and has fewer teeth.”
“I like wolves,” Wini sighs.
I spot Lock coming back, and I lower my voice. “Bonding night is dangerous. Run straight from your room and into the forest. Don’t stop, and watch out for spells. You need to have a dagger, or a knife, or something sharp. When you find a bloodstone and a shifter, cut your hand, and you will bond. The doors will open at midnight tomorrow night, and you will be attacked by the upper years. Run and watch your back. The castle listens and feels you, so make it clear you want a clear path to the forest. Alone.”
Parker and Wini frown, both of them looking like they have a million more questions, but Lock is back. He places his hand on my back and leads me from the room, leaning down. “I can’t wait for our wedding. My mother was telling me all about it.”
“I’m looking forward to the future too.” I smile at Lock, but he doesn’t know I plan to bring down the academy long before there is a wedding. He will be dead long before it too.
Chapter 3
This room is literally like living in hell, and I want out. There is a gigantic lavish gray bed in the middle of the room that I’m certain Lock expects me to share with him. Sheets hang from the four-poster bed, which is stuffed with fluffy pillows and cushions all in shades of gray. Thankfully, there’s an uncomfortable looking couch that I slept on, because I am not sleeping in the bed with him. The four-poster bed takes up most of the room, and everything in here is bright, painted white and gray, and lacking any of the spooky decor of the rest of the castle. The only parts they haven’t mutated in this room are the gigantic stained glass windows that display wolves and snakes, and the balcony with its iron bars is still the same. It looks out over the forest and the rising moon.
I spent three hours in the bathroom, claiming I needed to get ready for the bonding night, and Lock wasn’t all that happy about it. In truth, I was hiding all my ingredients, potions and my new spellbook under the floorboards.
Lock’s bonded is a beautiful blonde panther shifter named Emery. I know her only from previous years, and I have to pretend we have never met when she comes into the room. Sheis sitting on the bed, looking between Lock and me. “Can’t we all share the same room, Lock? I don’t want our bond to?—”
“No,” Lock snaps at her, and she flinches. My hands itch to hex him for speaking to her in that tone, and he just makes it worse. “Don’t make me put you in your place, Emery. You are my bonded, but she will be my wife. She comes first and always will. Now get out.”
Tears stream down Emery’s face as she storms out, slamming the door shut behind her. Lock sighs. “Shifters have such tempers. They are almost wild animals.”Yet, I know you’re fucking Emery, or at least you were in the past years.I wonder how many witches have relationships with their bonded. “You will have to remember to keep your bonded in their place, or I will do it for you if you can’t stomach it.”
If he lays a finger on my bonded, he will die. I sit on the couch, tugging at the edge of my cloak and tight clothing. It all fits perfectly, but all I see when I look in the mirror is the years I’ve lost. I watch Lock unpack his clothes and mine, which have been carefully picked for me, and my uniforms. He puts them side by side like we’re already a married couple. When he is done, he comes over and sits next to me. “The bonding night can be quite dangerous.”
“I guessed that. I will be fine.” I cross my arms. “I’m sure whoever I pick will be agreeable.”
“About that, my mother decided it was easier just to handpick a shifter for you rather than let you run around the forest with those animals and maybe get hurt. I don’t want you hurt. She chose someone. His name is Aster.” Wini’s bonded. The wolf who punched me in training and beat me up to prove a point. It’s hard to forget him. “He’s a wolf shifter and big wolf, but he’s a nice guy. I’ve spoken with him, and he would work well in our great family. I think he’ll be perfect for you. I would have preferred someone female, but Mother decided it was better thisway. A wolf of his size will be easy for you to ride away from any danger.”
Damn it. First the dragons are locked up, and now they have arranged this crap. Okay, I can figure this out. I’m definitely not bonding with Aster; he belongs to Wini. “You can’t come into the forest though, right? You already have your bonded. I have to do this alone, and who knows what will happen out there,” I point out. I ask him just to make sure.
“Well, yes, I cannot come with you. The Umbral Authority can’t alter the magic of the castle and lands, and it won’t let us. Don’t be scared. I know this is very annoying, but Aster’s going to be waiting. Ready for you.” He hands me a dagger. The dagger’s gray, bland, with his family name etched in gold on the blade. The blade isn’t really that sharp, almost dull. “Here, your first family dagger. You just have to find a bloodstone, cut your hand over it. It’s really easy, all right? I’ll be waiting for you at the ceremony afterwards. The door opens at midnight, and I can’t help you, so I have to step back for now and leave. I’ve already made sure that no one will touch you in the corridor or castle. My friends and I will protect you.”
“Aren’t you sweet?” I mutter.
He grabs my chin, rubbing his thumb across my lips, and I internally wince. “Remember, Aster is his name. He’ll be waiting for you. All you have to do is walk into the forest and find him.”
