“Silver! Damn, man, look at you!” It was Karrick, a Beastkin I’d been playing football with for three years now. He pulled me into a crushing hug. “I was wondering where you were!”
“I’m surprised to see you back,” I replied. “I thought you and Phoenix might’ve run off to the woods over the summer and never come back.”
“We did go to the woods,” he laughed. “But we came back. He wants to keep studying magic and I…” He ran his hand through the thick, dark fur on top of his head. “Well, I don’t want to be away from him.”
“Last I heard, you had some magic to study yourself.”
“Yeah,” Karrick sighed. “There’s that too. Professor Blackwood didn’t really give me a choice on that one. And my mother sided with her too.”
“Still playing football though, right?”
“Are you kidding me?” Karrick scoffed, flexing his arms. “Of course I am! Without me, you idiots would get absolutely pounded into the dirt!”
I laughed, punching him lightly on the shoulder. His boast was exactly what I needed after that confrontation with my father.
“You’re not wrong there, beast boy. The team would fall apart without your scary ass on the field.” I glanced around. “Where is Phoenix anyway? You two are usually attached at the hip.”
“Library already. Said something about wanting to get ahead on fire conjuration this semester.” Karrick rolled his eyes, but the fondness in his voice was unmistakable. “You know how he gets with his books.”
A twinge of envy shot through me. They’d found each other against all odds—childhood friends reunited and now lovers. I pushed the feeling away. “Smart man. First day hasn’t even started, and he’s already studying.”
“That’s my mate,” Karrick said proudly. “Hey, you coming to the stoplight party tonight? Everyone’s gonna be there.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” I needed something to take my mind off my impending royal prison sentence. “Just let me drop my stuff and get settled in. I’ll meet you there.”
As Karrick lumbered away, I continued to my room, fishing the key from my pocket. I paused before inserting it into the lock, feeling the magic emanating from inside. All I could sense was my luggage and the spells holding the cases tightly shut. I was alone.
Checking rooms before entering was an old habit, one instilled in me since I was a child. My father was always worried that his one and only heir would be assassinated. By who, I had no idea. But after all the issues with the Purity Front the past few years and my friends getting attacked, I found myself checking every door that I came across. One could never be too careful, especially if that someone was secretly a prince in disguise.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside, greeted by the familiar sight of my dorm room. My luggage sat neatly stacked near the bed, just as Caldwell had promised. The air smelled faintly of the cleaning spells used by the academy staff. They always left a hint of lemon and something otherworldly lingering in the air that reminded me of lightning.
With a wave of my hand, I activated the privacy wards I’d installed last year. The symbols etched into the doorframe glowed silver for a moment before fading. Another habit from my royal upbringing. I couldn’t afford to have someone walk in while I was practicing twilight magic or speaking to my parents through our enchanted mirror.
I slumped onto my bed, the mattress creaking under my weight as I stared at the ceiling. The frustration that had been building since my conversation with my father threatened to bubble over. An arranged marriage. Of course they would spring that on me now, when I was so close to graduation. It was just like them to dangle freedom in front of me only to snatch it away.
“Fuckers,” I muttered, running my hands through my white hair.
I forced myself to breathe, to focus on the present. I was at Widdershins now. The Twilight Realm and all its royal obligations felt worlds away. It wasn’t going to last forever, but it was enough to get me through the next few months. I could sit and worry about it later. But right now, I had a party to get ready for.
The annual stoplight party was a tradition to start the year off right. People would wear green if they were single and looking, yellow if their situation was complicated, or red if they were taken. I’d worn green every year since I started at Widdershins. There were lots of good memories made at those parties too.
This year would be no different. My last chance to find willing partners before I was shackled to some noble elf woman for eternity.
I pushed myself up and began unpacking, hanging my clothes in the closet with careful precision. The routine helped calm my nerves. When I reached the bottom of one case, my fingers brushed against something cool and metallic. The royal signet ring my father had insisted I take with me “in case of emergency.” Its magic allowed me to summon up a giant crystalline golem to protect me in an instant. I shoved it into the back of my desk drawer, where it belonged. I wasn’t going to need that tonight.
After a quick shower, I dressed for the party, choosing a tight black shirt that showed off the muscles I’d worked hard to maintain and dark jeans that hugged my thighs. I tied a bright green bandana around my forehead—my stoplight signal—and checked my reflection in the mirror.
Silver the prince, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Silver the confident jock, stared back at me, a lazy smirk on my face thatdidn’t quite reach my eyes. But no one at the party would notice that. They never did.
As I headed out, I caught a glimpse of the enchanted mirror on my nightstand. It remained dark, but I knew my parents could activate it at any time to check on me. I flipped it face down before closing the door behind me.
I was no longer on their time.
Chapter 2
Ash
I’d barely stepped over the threshold of the teleportation circle and already I was in the financial aid office. They’d been waiting for me at the gate. Apparently, something was wrong with my funding for my sophomore year at Widdershins Academy.
