A gleeful smile as a bullet grazed my arm. The inhumane cheers when another bullet shot through Mom’s head. The last bullet that tore through Dad’s chest.
Dad’s death wasn’t instant, and his last words told me what I had to do—and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever endured.
I ranas another gunshot deafened my ears. I didn’t look back, but my heart broke into irreparable shards that day.
Humanscouldn’tbe here.
The tablet I was holding dropped. It bounced off my lap and skidded to the front of the room as panic threatened to close my throat.
In a mere second, Alister was standing in front of my desk and the tablet was placed in front of me as if I’d never dropped it. I pulled in a staggered breath and croaked, “Thank you.”
His brow arched as he went toward the front of the class and clapped his hands together a few times to gain everyone’s attention.
“Do you believe birthstones have meaning?” he asked as Trixie tapped on my shoulder.
I angled my head back, so she knew I was listening.
“Humans can’t breach the ward around the academy. We’re safe here,” she whispered before leaning back.
Safe.Was one ever truly safe?
Kalista was far from peaceful.
I ran a hand through my hair and focused on the expansion of my lungs as I tried to breathe and listen to Alister’s smooth voice.
“Each supernatural being has magic running through their veins. Your birthstone acts as a magical catalyst that can recharge your magical abilities, and in most cases, strengthen the powers you have.”
My heart kept throbbing as a reminder of the rejected bond with Grayson. Every time he was in close proximity, it was like the Fates were punishing me for the rejection occurring.
“What about for a shifter?” another student in the back asked.
Alister’s gaze flickered toward mine for a split second before he scanned the room. “Shifters have a unique ability to change physical forms. The magic that resides in their veins helps them to morph their bodies. When a shifter is supported by a birthstone, it strengthens their already enhanced senses in their physical form.”
“And you?” the blonde next to Grayson asked in a sultry voice that I swore made him cringe.
“Vampires can increase their usual abilities with the help of their birthstone, and it helps with curbing their blood lust,” he said as he walked toward the black desk with dark red stones embedded within the wood and started to shuffle through a drawer.
I believed that stone was garnet, and I was willing to bet it was his birthstone. A different shade of red than mine, but still, it was a nice sentiment.
My cheeks heated up as I shook that thought out of my head. It didn’t mean anything.
Alister pulled out a white marble box about a couple of feet wide and a foot tall and sat it on the desk with a dull thump. “I have rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces adorned with your birthstones. The stones in the rings are the biggest, and I recommend choosing that option.”
He opened the box, and the jewelry sparkled even under the gaudy fluorescent light. “I’ll call you by stone. Ruby is up first.”
There were a total of five other students sitting in my row, three men and two women. We stood up, and I stood in front of the box first with Alister smiling at me, a tilt to his head that told me he wanted to know what I’d choose.
“I’ll take the ring, Mr. Vespertine,” I said and his smile grew as he plucked a silver ring with the large light red stone embedded in the middle.
Instead of handing it to me, he grabbed my hand with a gentle but firm grasp and slipped the ring on my index finger. “Keep it on you at all times. Everyone underestimates the power of birthstones, but I doubt you will.”
The heat from his touch burned my skin in an inferno of fire that smothered the pain in my chest.
He held my hand for a second longer before letting go.
“Thank you,” I murmured before turning and speeding back to the ruby row as the pain came back.
My gaze found Grayson’s just before I turned to sit.
