“Oh, um, thanks. I think.” I managed.
“It is my honor.” He grinned, bowing slightly and motioning for Shadrie and me to continue walking.
I wasn’t really sure what to think about the massive demon ashe fell into step beside me. Shadrie encouraged me to give him a chance, but I had no idea where to start.
“So, Zypher, you’re a Third Year, right?” Shadrie asked, breaking the awkward silence. “That means you’ve manifested all your abilities?”
“That is correct. Although demons don’t manifest in the same manner as mages. We attend the Academy to master our more unusual gifts.”
“What are yours?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“I am pleased you wish to know, Dilectus,” he said, smiling down at me. “Beyond my demonic abilities I’ve had from birth, I am able to create shields and illusions.”
“Illusions? Is that why you don’t have horns?” I asked, causing Shadrie to cackle.
Zypher let loose a deep, rumbling belly laugh. “No. I only have horns in my demon form,” he answered, his unnaturally blue eyes sparkling as he dipped down to whisper in my ear. “I’d be pleased to show you sometime, Dilectus.”
My face flushed red as Zypher straightened back to his full height and shot me a wink. Unsure how to respond, we fell into silence again as we continued on to the dining hall. Once we arrived, Zypher found us a table and moved toward the buffets. When I tried to follow, he insisted I sit and wait. Shadrie and I settled in at his request, and she gave me a knowing stare as I wondered what the giant was up to. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head when he returned with several plates overflowing with food and set them in front of me.
“Eat, Dilectus. You will need your strength for classes.” Zypher murmured before wandering off to grab his own breakfast.
“You should see your face right now.” Shadrie laughed. “Your eyes look like they might pop out of your head at any second. This is the most entertainment I’ve had in ages.”
“Not cool, Shadrie. What the hell am I supposed to do about all this food? No way I can eat it all.”
Shadrie shrugged and snagged one of the overfilled plates from in front of me. Zypher returned moments later with his food and sat in the empty seat beside me. I couldn’t help stealing glances at the gigantic demon out of the corner of my eye. He wasn’t anything like I’d imagined a demon being, aside from his massive frame. Instead, he was breathtakingly gorgeous. His luscious lips tipped up in the corners as if he were perpetually happy, and his blue eyes seemed to glow every time they turned to me. I wasn’t sure if it was relief or torment that whipped through me when we finally parted ways for classes.
I was still trying to puzzle out the strange feeling when I strolled into the amphitheater-style classroom. Biting the inside of my cheek, I looked around for a place to sit and smiled when I caught sight of Miles across the room, waving to get my attention. Hurrying over to him, I slid into the chair next to his and pulled the textbook for Spellcasting 101 out of my messenger bag.
“I was hoping we’d have this class together.” Miles grinned. “It’s always a little weird not knowing anybody.”
“Me too.” I smiled, trying not to chuckle at his disheveled appearance. “You might want to fix your tie.”
Miles blinked at me and then looked down to where his tie sat crookedly around his neck, his brown hair flopping into his eyes. “Oh, right. Thanks.”
“Good morning, class.” A tinkling voice called through the room, drawing my attention to a woman no taller than three feet with sparkling wings and purple hair. “I’m Professor Snowthistle.” I tracked her movements as she fluttered toward the front of the room, taking her place in front of the long blackboard. “For those of you who aren’t familiar with my kind, I am a Pixie. You will learn more about Pixies and other supernaturals in your other courses. This course is Spellcasting 101. It’s my duty to teach you the groundwork and basic spells that all supernaturals raised in this realm are taught from childhood. Are there any questions before we getstarted?”
“Yeah, what’s the point of this? I could just shift and eat you. I don’t need spells to do that,” a male voice called out.
“Is that so?” Professor Snowthistle asked, arching a purple brow at the muscular boy seated near the back of the room. “Would you care to assist me in a demonstration then, Mr. Vohs?”
“I’d hate to hurt you, Prof.” The boy smirked.
“Please, by all means, Mr. Vohs. It would be a great service to us all if you would assist me by shifting and going on the attack.”
“Your funeral.” He muttered, standing from his seat and stripping his uniform as he strolled to the front of the classroom.
My eyes widened in horror as he stripped bare, and his nude form shimmered and changed. In the blink of an eye, a wolf appeared in his place, taking up most of the empty space between the front row and where the professor stood. Professor Snowthistle’s small hand twitched, signaling him to attack. I gasped as the massive beast lunged forward, jaws snapping at the woman. I barely noticed the motion of her hand or the words she muttered under her breath, clutching my chest in horror over the certainty she was about to be eaten by the wolf.
The classroom erupted into laughter as the wolf slammed into an invisible barrier with a yelp. Professor Snowthistle’s hands moved in rapid succession, her voice too low for anyone to hear, and suddenly the beast was bound and suspended near the peak of the vaulted ceiling.
“Now, class, as you can see, I have successfully shielded myself from attack and subdued my attacker. While the second spell I used is something you will learn in more advanced courses, shielding is one of the foundations you will learn here.” She smirked, waving her hand and causing the wolf to fall to the floor with a thud. “If someone would be so kind as to take Mr. Vohs to the infirmary, I’m sure that landing was quitepainful.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
“I know, badass, right?” Miles replied in awe.
Professor Snowthistle clapped her hands together, calling the class back to order as a girl who was seated next to the wolf boy moved to drag his unconscious form from the classroom.
