“The academy wards got to her before we could,” one of them pouts, her gaze sliding to the feline shifter scrambling toward me and the bear. “But that bear shifter—” One of her sisters points at the male shaking off the electricity behind me. “—is ours.”
I feel his hot breath before the impact comes, his wide paw slamming into my side. Two of my ribs crack, the repeat offenders from my own shifts, and I slam into the dirt and tumble to a stop. I gasp for air and force myself to my feet. Pain throbs in time with my heartbeat, and I stare at the bear as he stomps closer, sharp teeth bared and eyes flashing—not yellow, but bright purple.
“Witch’s curse,” I hiss, cursing my fucking luck. Of course three witches had to be paired together. I bet they’re from the same coven, too: Professor Aesir’s biases on clear display.
He’ll putthemtogether but separate me and Revyn and Gemma. Of course.
“Fight me yourself,” I shout, my gaze narrowing on the witches’ joined hands. If I can separate them, the spell will end. “Using a shifter to do your dirty work is cowardice.”
“He already hates you,” one of the witches mocks. “I can feel its poison running through his veins.” She clicks her tongue. “If he can’t act on his own volition, we’re happy to help.”
“Revenge is always sweet,” another one adds.
I try another tactic. “We don’t have a figurine. You’re wasting your time with us.”
“Who said we want a figurine?” The tallest witch stands in the center of their trio. “We’d much rather test our magics.”
Insane. All of them.
“If you’re not going to follow the objective, what’s the point of even being here!” I laugh, the sound as bitter as I feel. “Am I the only person who wants to fucking graduate?”
Movement behind the witches catches my eye, and bright red eyes flash in the darkness. I tear my gaze away to keep the witches’ attention on me. “She doesn’t care about graduation.” I nod toward the feline shifter who’s suddenly sprouted a tail while crouched on all fours. Is she trying to shift, too? “I doubt he does.” I take a careful step back as the bear approaches, the growl rumbling through his chest tempting me to growl back. “Now you three?”
“We do not owe you an explanation, wild wolf.”
I dodge the bear’s next strike and launch at his flank, stabbing directly into the joint where his hip meets his femur. He brays loudly and sways his whole body, dragging me through the underbrush before I can retract my claws. “Wake the fuckup!” His other paw crushes my ankle, and I gasp at the harshsnapof pain as bones break. “Goddammit!” I twist my claws into his flesh and barely dodge the snap of his jaws. “You’re stronger than this! You’re a fucking bear, for gods’ sake! Act like it!”
All of a sudden, he roars and collapses, crushing the lower half of my body beneath his massive weight. Blood sprays and women shout, a cat-like snarl rending the air.
Finally, my teammate does something.
Callum is by my side moments later, his expression unreadable. “They’re unconscious.”
Something crunches nearby, and I wince at the mental image of a cougar having a late-night snack.
Our bear shifter teammate shifts back in slow motion as he falls unconscious, and Callum quickly kneels beside me. “Where does it hurt?” He touches my bruised and broken ribs first, then gently prods the lower half of my body. I hiss as he reaches my broken ankle, the flesh swollen and tender as my body attempts to shield the bones from further damage.
There goes my shot at impressing Aesir.
“No one cares about the academy.” I slam my fist against the dirt as pain radiates up my spine. “We might as well have one big orgy for everyone to claim their fucking mates. That would be easier than pretending we all care about academics and—” I hiss as Callum pokes another tender spot. “—improving our fucking skills.”
“An orgy would turn into a bloodbath,” Callum muses, frowning. “Most species aren’t meant for large mating rituals.”
I choke on a pained laugh. “Is this when you tell me that vampires are the exception?”
His ruby gaze meets mine. “Yes.” Rolling up his sleeve, he taps a vein in his wrist. “Bite me here, Sienna, and drink deep.” He holds his wrist to my lips. “You’ll heal faster.”
I swat his hand away. “Excuse me?” I’m no stranger to a little blood on my tongue, butdrinkingit is another story.
“I can carry you throughout the remainder of our training session,” he murmurs, brushing his fingertips across my forehead, “but it will hinder our offensive capabilities. If you heal within the next few hours, we stand a better chance of completing our objective. I know how much strength means to you, Sienna.” He leans closer, his voice a mere whisper on my cheek. “Drink from me, and you’ll taste a fraction of my power.”
My cheeks flush at his proximity. “That sounds intimate.”
His scarlet lips curve into a delicate smile. “Itisintimate.”
I bite the inside of my cheek as I mull over every possible reason not to drink his blood. “Won’t you get in trouble for sharing your blood with a shifter?” I know very little about vampire law, but blood seems like an incredibly important resource.
“Not if she is my mate.” Lifting his wrist to his own lips, he bites down hard enough for me to hear the puncture. Blood drips down his chin and onto my chest, warm despite Callum’s lack of a beating heart. My eyes flare as I scent him—smoke and shadow and earth, along with something ancient and deep lingering in the undertones.
