Magic Bound (Shadow Academy Book 2) Read online

  It was that kind of cocky attitude that made the next words pour out of my mouth. “Maybe you report me then. You’ll be ten thousand dollars richer. Maybe then you could use that money to pay for someone to do your homework.”

  She looked like I’d just slapped her across the face. “You do realize I can go straight to the principal’s office right now, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. What are you waiting for?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. I guessed people didn’t call her bluff very often. “I’ll give you one more chance. If this,” she waved the papers at me, “comes back with anything other than an A, you better pack your bags.”

  “Yeah, right,” I muttered as I walked away. It was too early in the day for that shit.

  I needed breakfast. Maybe that would help lift my mood. Or who knows, perhaps Rosa would turn me in so I could be put out of my misery.

  The corridors of the main building were busier than in the dorm blocks. I wasn’t paying too much attention to where I was going until I shouldered past someone. My mind was too full of Rosa crap to think properly.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  “I haven’t seen you up close for a while,” Liam said. Out of all of the people, why did I have to run into blue eyes himself.

  The day was only getting worse. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t.”

  I got the feeling he wasn’t only referring to the little collision. “Good, then you accept my apology. I’m really hungry so I’ll see you around.”

  I’d almost got away when he stopped me. “Wait. We have that group assignment in Peabody’s class that needs to be finished. You’ve totally been ghosting your group.”

  “I’ve been really busy.” Not quite a lie, I could live with giving that answer.

  “Yeah, so has everyone else. If we don’t finish it we will all get an incomplete on our grade.”

  An incomplete would have actually been more than I was expecting in our spells class. But I couldn’t tell Liam that. “So I guess we should all get together and finish it. Have you hassled the others?”

  “You are the first one I came across today, the day I vowed to do something about the assignment,” Liam replied. “We’ll all meet this afternoon in study hall. Four o’clock.”

  “Four o’clock, got it.”

  “So you’ll be there?”

  “I just said I would.”

  His head cocked to the side as he examined every part of my face. “You said you would but that doesn’t mean the same as actually showing up, does it?”

  “I will show up,” I said slowly, so he could understand each word and let it sink in.

  “Good. I’ll be waiting.”

  He took a few steps backwards before turning and leaving in the opposite direction of the dining hall. Liam seemed to be in a weird mood but who was I to speak?

  I tried not to obsess over it as I grabbed some eggs and toast and sat at a small table by myself. I couldn’t see Cress anywhere and she was normally a huge fan of breakfast. All the werewolves loved the dining hall.

  The rest of the day passed pretty quickly. I saw Liam in most of my classes and avoided him as much as I could. Occasionally, I would steal a glimpse of him. He was gorgeous beyond words. Even if I couldn’t have him, I could still admire him from afar.

  Four o’clock came around before I knew it. I had to rush to get to the study hall in time. I wanted to arrive early, to prove a point with Liam. Unfortunately, I was the last one to show.

  “Eden, you have finally decided to join us,” Scott, the resident douchebag said loudly so all could hear and snicker.

  I took the last empty seat and gave him a smile. “I couldn’t stay away from your pleasantness a moment longer.”

  “Most of the ladies can’t.” He winked at me and I felt like groaning. He was so full of himself, so confident, he was going to make a terribly wicked warlock one day. The kind of guy that made us all look bad.

  Liam cleared his throat. “Let’s get on with the work now we’re all here. Has anyone thought some more on the spell?”

  We had to come up with a spell that would animate an inanimate object. We had chosen a book. It needed to flip open and turn a few pages. For the spell to work, it would have to be seamless and act like it was alive and not merely spelled.

  The only other girl in our team of five, Penny, pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose and opened her notebook. “I think I have something that will get the book started.”

  From then onwards, the discussion kept going around the table as we experimented and then tweaked the spell. We would then try again and hope for a better result. It was far harder than it sounded.

  For my part, I remained quiet and hoped everyone would forget I was there. I dreaded someone telling me to recite the spell and see if I could get a better outcome. My outcome would be zero. The book would just look at me and mock the fact I couldn’t get it to do anything.

  My thoughts drifted back to the library and all the books I had yet to research. I could have spent time there instead of in study hall, pretending to be a magical witch.

  Luckily, the biggest ego of the group insisted on trying out all the spells himself because he ‘had the most juice out of everyone’. Whatever that meant.

  An hour and a half later, we were able to make a book open and turn the pages without touching it. I was able to contribute some words to the incantation so at least I did something.

  “Wait, I’ll walk with you,” Liam said as I attempted to run off.

  I kicked myself for not hurrying fast enough. When I was in sight of Liam, I tended to forget about my need to stay away from him. Those eyes drew me in every damn time.

  “I’m going back to the girls’ dorm block,” I replied. “It’s kind of in the opposite direction of where you’re going.”

  He flashed me a smile that was like a bolt of lightning. So pretty but so dangerous too. Stay away from Liam, stay away from Liam. No matter how much I chanted that mantra it never really worked.

  “I was going to get some dinner and I was hoping you’d join me.”

  I knew what the right answer was. I needed to make up an excuse and leave without him. That was the safest option for me.

  “Sure,” was what came out of my mouth. “But then I really have to get back to my room. I have a lot of homework to do.”

  “Just dinner. I promise.”

  Sharing a meal with him was enough to get me into trouble. Cress would definitely not approve. She still didn’t like him and couldn’t place her finger on what exactly it was about him that got to her.

  We went to the dining hall and grabbed some food. Liam got a burger while I opted for some chicken nuggets and fries. Healthy wasn’t really on my scope that night. I needed some comfort food.

  An empty table was found at the back of the hall. The place was about half full with other students. Friday nights were usually pretty quiet as people opted to go into town and grab some food. They would then catch a movie or party the night away in some seedy club.

  I always spent Friday nights researching. Cress would try to get me to go with her but I always found an excuse. How could I enjoy myself when I had the curse hanging over my head like a dark cloud? I couldn’t just forget about it for the night.

  We were toward the end of our meal when small talk started getting old. Silence was far too loud as it hung over us awkwardly. I had so many things on my mind and I couldn’t share any of them with Liam.

  He broke the silence first in the most spectacular way. “How come you’ve been avoiding me?”

  “I haven’t,” I immediately replied.

  “It’s okay, I just want to know. I’m not judging or anything. But it would be helpful for me to sleep at night if I knew why.”

  Lying to him felt like the shitty thing to do. It felt like he’d been so honest with me and here I was, dodging and ducking away from ever
y conversation.

  I had to say something. “I told you I was focusing on my studies.”

  “Yes, you did tell me that. I don’t think that’s it. I think there’s more to it.”

  Goddess, please forgive me for lying my butt off. “I have a boyfriend back home. He’s human. My parents don’t agree with it.”

  “So that’s why you aren’t speaking with your parents anymore?” he asked. We could at least bond honestly about being alienated from our parents.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  His eyes drilled into me as blue gazed at green. It was almost hypnotizing looking at him. Hours could have passed as we stared. In reality it was probably only seconds.

  “I should go.” I started piling my trash onto my tray and moved to stand. Liam’s hand covered mine before I could.

  “Let me walk you to your room.”

  “I can find my own way,” I insisted.

  “I know you can. I want to.”

  His chivalry was only making him even more attractive. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t need a guy to walk me home but it was really nice that he cared enough to do it. Every time I was with Liam he was nothing but a gentleman. I couldn’t see him as Cress did. Everything about him seemed so…lovely.

  Maybe it was a warlock versus werewolf thing.

  The night was chilly when we left the main building. Instead of following the concrete path, we decided to walk through the gardens. I buried my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket as I tried to keep them warm.

  “It’s a full moon,” Liam commented.

  I looked up and saw the bright and clear moon without a cloud in the sky. Every coven in the country was probably having a celebration tonight to honor the full moon. Magic was apparently stronger at this time of the moon’s cycle. Covens would be giving thanks for the strength.

  “I’m surprised the school didn’t arrange something to celebrate it tonight,” I said. My parents always did something for a full moon. Sometimes it was just the two of them having a thankfulness ceremony, other times it would be with their coven.

  Liam shrugged. “I guess you have to be a graduate magic-user before celebrating.”

  A noise over in the forest caught our attention. Large branches of a tree were moving as if disturbed by something.

  We stopped just in time to see a woman emerge from the forest. Her hair was bedraggled with leaves while her head flicked back and forth as if she was searching for something.

  Liam grabbed my elbow and started to pull me along the path. “We have to go.”

  Chapter 6

  “She might need some help,” I said as I resisted being dragged away. “I should ask her what she’s doing here.”

  “You don’t want to know. Come on.” Liam tugged me harder and I had no choice except to follow him. The frown on his beautiful lips was enough to make me concerned.

  He kept up a brutal pace as we rushed to get to the girls’ dorms. He closed the door behind us and still hurried to take me up to the third floor.

  I yanked my hand back when we reached the community lounge on level three. He couldn’t take me to my assigned door in case Rosa was home. The lounge area would have to do.

  It took a few moments to catch my breath. All that researching wasn’t helping me to keep fit and active at all. “What was that all about? She probably needed someone to help her.”

  “She didn’t.”

  “You’re going to have to explain some more.” It felt very hypocritical saying that to him when I never told him more than I absolutely had to.

  “That woman out there is evil. Anything could have happened if we’d gotten too close to her,” Liam said. His eyes were wide open as he spoke. I’d never seen him look so scared before.

  “How can you be so sure? Do you know her?”

  He shook his head. “You’re just going to have to trust me on this one. I’ve never lied to you before. Can you say as much?”

  That burn hurt. But he wasn’t wrong. “Is there something I should know about women coming out of the forest at night?”

  “Just stay away from them if you see any.”

  His jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth tightly. He was so serious and the change had been so abrupt when we were walking back.

  I was worried. Really worried.

  “I should go,” he said, turning to leave. “Promise me you’ll stay in here tonight. Don’t go back out there no matter what happens.”

  “I was going to go to the library later. I need—”

  “Promise me, Eden. Forget about the library tonight. Go inside your dorm and get an early night or something.”

  “Okay, I will.”

  “Promise.” It wasn’t a question but a demand. I’d never seen him like this before.

  “I promise,” I said. He was freaking me out. There was no way I was going out after that episode. “I’ll stay in and go to bed.”

  He nodded, finally accepting my answer. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.”

  I stood there motionless until his footsteps could no longer be heard on the staircase. A shiver ran down my spine. I thought everything was safe and secure here at Shadow Academy. I never for a moment had an inkling that something could happen here. To me, yes, I was a sitting duck. But to everyone else?

  I took the back stairs down to the first level just in case Liam was waiting to see if I broke my promise. I crept along to Cress’s room and slipped in as quietly as I could. Both werewolves weren’t home yet.

  I changed into my most comfortable pajamas and laid down on the floor. My blankets were pulled up to my chin as I tried to get warm.

  The werewolves had a ceremony to honor the full moon too. I didn’t know much about it but I knew it was a magical time for them too. Cress and Claire would probably be out late if they were participating in one. However, like the witches and warlocks, there was no ceremonies on campus. They would have had to go into town and find a group there.

  For the first time in weeks, I wished they were there. I didn’t enjoy the solitude like I normally did. I longed to hear Cress’s laughter or the way Claire snored in her dreams. I felt very small in a big world full of things I didn’t understand and feared.

  A part of me considered calling Liam and asking for him to come back and hang out with me. Of course, I would then have to explain why I was sleeping on Cress’s floor. It was all too hard and dangerous.

  I closed my eyes and wished for morning to hurry up and arrive.

  The two werewolves didn’t come home until well after midnight. They woke me from my light sleep but I pretended to still be asleep. They were quiet as they slipped into their respective beds and started snoring.

  Morning came quickly after that. I could finally sleep knowing I was no longer alone. That woman—whoever she was—wouldn’t have stood a chance against two werewolves. They might still only be teenage cubs, but they would have been a force to be reckoned with.

  Saturday morning was always lazy and quiet on campus. It was usually the time I did my laundry for the week and attended to any errands that needed doing. I dumped my load of washing in the laundry room and set the timer on my phone.

  I headed to the communal lounge to hang out while I waited for the washing machine to be done. It was the slice of normalcy that I really enjoyed. Laundry was something that didn’t need any magical powers to perform. Simple, uncomplicated, and easily achievable in a couple of hours.

  I’d borrowed an ancient text on witches from the library and flicked through it while I waited. The answer to the curse could have been found within the yellowed pages. I quickly became engrossed.

  Movement on the staircase snatched my attention. I looked up in time to see Madame Darkness take the last step. She looked around and waved as she spotted me.

  “Just the person I was looking for,” she said. Even though there were no classes today, she still wore her black suit. Not one hair on her head was out of place.

  I closed the book and made
sure the spine was hidden from view. I didn’t need to start explaining why I was reading a book on curses from so long ago.

  “Is there something I can do for you, Madame Darkness?” I asked. My mind immediately assumed her presence in the girls’ dormitories wasn’t good. Professors rarely left the main building.

  She sat on the lounge next to me. Her legs crossed at the ankles as she sat up straight. She was every inch proper and perfect. “I was wondering if you’ve spoken to your mother recently?”

  “No, I haven’t actually. We are playing phone tag, we keep missing each other.” Hopefully she would buy the lie.

  She pressed her red lips together tightly. “Well that’s not good. I was hoping you’d told her about me being one of your professors. I would so love to catch up with her sometime. Do you think she’d like to visit the academy?”

  “She’s really busy at the moment. Work is crazy so she doesn’t get much free time. I can ask her next time I speak with her, if you like?”

  “Yes, please do. I would love to know how she is getting along.” She clasped her knees with her hands for a moment before relaxing again. “Perhaps I’ll give her a call too. She’ll get a kick out of that, I’m sure.”

  Madame Darkness laughed and something about it sent a shiver down my spine. Everyone at the academy knew she was a powerful witch. I didn’t need someone with a huge amount of magic paying extra attention to me.

  “What is her phone number?”

  I pulled out my cell phone and tried to determine if I could lie about it not working. I didn’t want her to have a direct line with my estranged mother. She might work out that I’d been lying to her since the first week of classes.

  Somehow I doubted my lie would be very convincing. Maybe Mom wouldn’t pick up the call if she didn’t recognize the number.

  I reeled off my mother’s phone number as Madame Darkness typed it directly into her phone. She stood and nodded her head, as if she’d just decided something in her mind.

  “See you in class next week, Eden.”