My parents lived and breathed these topics every day. I grew up around it and had picked up a lot of knowledge along the way.
I placed my pen down and pushed the papers forward before raising my head. Half the room was still hunched over their exams, but I leaned back in my chair and thought about the way Dad used to quiz me before bed and Pops told me stories of the past.
All of it came in handy today.
Yet, I couldn’t shake the nerves in my belly from Drecken’s stare boring into me as I waited for the rest of the applicants to be finished.
rune
. . .
My gaze flickedaround the room as I tried not to let Drecken’s stare unnerve me. My heart almost combusted when I noticed another basilisk looking right at me.
Fates,it was as if I’d ingested some kind of mitochondrial toxinjust by meeting his dark orange eyes.His exam was finished, neatly stacked in front of him. His stare was fixed on me, dissecting every breath I took, and somehow, I knew he was enjoying it. His magical essence bled into his aura, and I already knew he was a massive basilisk, tall enough to make the desk he was behind look like a toy. I couldn’t be sure since he was seated, but if I had to guess, he was about 6’7”.
And Fates, his hair was a breathtaking sunset yellow that melted into orange and red, untamed andnatural. It was as if the sun had grown roots in his scalp and bloomed in gradients as it set.
My fingers twitched to run through it.
He shot me a wide smile, flashing his fangs as he did. The residue of orange venom on them made my spine click straighter.
Tattoos traced the bones of his hands, and along one arm were many items forming a colorful sleeve. An hourglass of sand, an eye in a jar, two nails, a venomous spider, venom-covered cherries, a venomous scorpion, a human-made gun, a dagger, a beetle, an acid bottle, a syringe of liquid tourmalyke, a femur, and a sword. There was a peep of a snake sticking out beneath his dark shirt and another tattoo barely visible on the other side that I couldn’t see.
His presence practically crackled. I could smell him from across the room. His scent was of burnt sugar, and it made my stomach flip. His eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt a tug at the base of my magic.
I knew he had an extra magic power, and I felt his essence reach for mine.
He hadn’t looked away once.
Tilting his head, he smirked.
I had a weird feeling that he’d somehow marked me without moving an inch.
His tongue slid out, slow and deliberate, before it split. My breath caught as he licked the venom dripping down both of his fangs in one swipe.
Fates help me.That shouldn’t have been hot. But it was.
Magic fizzled through my gums as I did the same.
I clenched my hands on the desk. The air felt thicker now. My own magic was humming beneath my skin, pulsing in rhythm with his gaze.
I hadn’t even realized that written exams were over until Drecken’s magic plucked all the exams away with a snap of his fingers.
Forcing my gaze away, I picked up the last thing Dad was saying.
“You will receive your papers back if you’ve failed, and then you can leave the same way you came.”
A couple dozen papers fluttered back to a few of the applicants, and I could practically feel the defeat in their auras.
A wave of relief flooded me as I noticed myself, Slater, Koa, and the vampire I’d seen did not get their papers back. The basilisk I’d been staring down had also passed.
“Follow us to the training grounds for the first practical exam,” Pops told us, taking over for Dad.
Everyone practically shot up from their chairs and bolted behind my parents and the other instructors as they left the auditorium.
I got up and followed.
Koa leaned down slightly as he fell into step with me. “How do you feel about the exam?”
