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He didn’t even seem to be paying attention to where we were going. He probably already had the layout memorized.
“You a second-year or third-year?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. I wasn’t one for making small talk with strangers, but something about this guy drew me in. Besides, I had about a million questions about the school, and I figured he’d give me more interesting answers than Miss Avery would.
“Second.” His lips curved up again, and he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “Me and my buddies sort of run this place, so if you need any help getting settled in, let me know, yeah?”
Wow. Blatant.
I sort of had to respect that though. And it wasn’t like I could blame him. Everything about me, from my voice to my body language, was conveying my interest in him. He’d picked up on that and thrown down his own cards.
“Thanks,” I murmured. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Fuck. I was really tempted to take him up on his unspoken offer. It was probably a really bad idea to hook up with a guy who I’d be stuck going to school with for the next two years—especially since I’d gotten the impression we wouldn’t be leaving school grounds, wherever those grounds might be, except during the summer and winter breaks.
That was a long time to be trapped in a building with an ex-one-night stand, no matter how large the building was.
Still… it was tempting as hell.
Maybe Trace could see some of my internal debate written across my face, because he laughed again. His sky-blue eyes danced with amusement as he brushed his fingers lightly down the back of my hand.
“Hey, it’s a standing offer. I’ll be around.”
Before I could respond to that, Miss Avery led us into a large hall, peppered with long tables and tons of people sitting all over the place. There had to have been at least four hundred people there, and it was disturbingly easy to spot the first-years. They were the ones who looked terrified and confused, while others—like Trace—sat with an easy confidence.
Fuck. I didn’t want to be marked as one of those petrified first-years, so even though adrenaline was still pulsing through my system, I did my best to affix a nonchalant expression to my face.
Trace had split off from me and Miss Avery when we entered the room, so I took the first seat I came to and settled in, crossing my legs and turning toward the woman standing on the raised dais at one end of the room.
She was dark-haired, with piercing gray eyes, and although everyone else I’d met here so far had worn regular street clothes, she was dressed in a long black robe.
When she clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention, the sound echoed through the room. Unless she had a mic on her hands, I wasn’t exactly sure how she did it. I could only assume it was more magic.
“Welcome, welcome,” she intoned as everyone began to quiet. “For our returning students, welcome back to Magic Blessed Academy, and to our new first-year class, welcome. I am Dean Amelia Frost.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she locked gazes with some of the most terrified looking students.
“Some of you are a little confused about what’s going on, and I promise everything will be explained eventually. For the moment, just know that you’re exactly where you are supposed to be. This is the only academy in existence for people like you—those who have been gifted new magic by the gods. It’s natural to feel upset or confused about this gift, especially since, unlike those born with magic, you developed it later in life. What we want you to understand is that your gift is precious, and we are here to make sure that you take care of it. It’s a beautiful thing.”
A few students around me relaxed a little at her words, but I had to do my best not to scoff. She hadn’t actually said anything useful at all, just a lot of flowery words and promises that didn’t mean shit.
I pretty much tuned her out after that, except for when she clapped her hands again and dismissed us.
Apparently, classes would start the next day, and there was someone standing up at the front waiting to direct us to our rooms. I let some of the other people go ahead of me, the ones who seemed a lot more excited about their newfound gift.
When I finally reached the front, the tall man with a shaggy beard handed me a detailed map of the academy building and shot a little tendril of magic from his finger to show me my room assignment.
The map was broken down by level, and by the look of it, most of the classrooms were on the first, second, and third floors, while the dorm rooms and admin suites were on the upper levels. The entire place was seven stories tall.
As I left the large main hall, I had my head bent, staring at the map as I tried to decipher it. I glanced up when I stepped through the door, glancing left and right to see which way I should go.
Then I froze.
Blood rushed in my ears as my whole body flushed hot, then cold.
People curved around me, but I wasn’t able to move.
Up ahead, a few yards down the hallway to my right, was a man with light blond hair and an aristocratic, handsome face.
Oh shit. Are you fucking kidding me?
