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11
Raven
The locker roomwas a buzz of conversation as everyone finished changing after another grueling day of gym. Today's class had been the same as the last several - running intervals with breaks for planks and pushups. To be fair, I was probably in the best shape of my life, but it didn't come without a price.
I groaned as I lifted my shirt off over my head. My arms were not used to this much work.
"That was brutal today," Violet said.
"I know," I said. "I keep hoping we can go back to those long runs where he just ignored us."
"Same," Violet said as she tugged off her gym clothes. "Hey, you want to come to a party tonight?"
Her question surprised me. Violet and I were gym class friends and greeted each other in the halls and cafeteria for occasional conversation. We'd never hung out outside of school before.
She laughed. "I promise that Scarlett will be on her best behavior."
I smiled. "Okay, sure. Sounds fun."
"You know where the basement dorms are?" She asked.
I nodded. I'd never been down in the dorms where the few resident vampires lived, but I'd passed by the entry a few times.
"You really should come. Our parties are the best." She turned and took a few steps away then looked over her shoulder. "Bring that delicious incubus of yours. I'm sure he'd be up for some fun."
"He's not exactly mine," I said.
"Right," she said, not hiding the sarcasm. "That's why the school's biggest slut hasn't slept with anyone since he started following you around like a faithful hound."
My throat bobbed as guilt weighed heavy in the pit of my stomach. Was I stringing him along? Was he losing out on fun with others because of me? I pushed the thought away. He was a big boy. He could make his own decisions. Besides, I wasn't ever going to let guilt pressure me into something I didn't want to do. I'd gone down that route before and it hadn't turned out well.
But I did like the idea of taking him out for a night. Luka and I had spent most of our free time reading old books lately. Getting out to do something fun probably wasn't a bad idea. It wasn't like my magic was going to mysteriously reappear out of the blue. Based on everything I'd read, there was always something that brought it back.
Quickly, I finished changing and ducked out of the locker room. If I hurried, I could catch Luka before dinner.
I'd only been to Luka's room once before. We'd kept our meetings to shared spaces like the library and cafeteria. Once, though, I'd walked back here with him while he changed clothes after he'd encountered a bad spell in the hallway that left his uniform covered in red spots. He was lucky it hadn't stuck to his skin.
The demons were housed in the old dorms next to the main building. Really, I should call it a castle. Apparently, the dorms were off campus when the school was just getting started and still housed a few government offices and other odds and ends of things. Eventually, the school grew large enough to take over everything. Plus, as more famous and wealthy families started sending their kids here, the competition to get in grew. They took over the whole thing and added dorms inside the building to make room for all the new students. At least that was what I'd learned flipping through one of my books.
You'd think a magic academy would have a more interesting back story than a small elite school for rich kids that started alongside a bunch of government offices but I was learning that there were a lot of things the supernatural world had in common with the human world. Money and politics seemed to be similar. Though, I still hadn't wrapped my head fully around the politics and systems of this community outside of the school.
If I ever got my magic back, I supposed I'd have to do that. I pushed open the doors and stepped into the brisk night air.
It was nearly November and the nights were long. Stars twinkled overhead, brighter than usual because of the tiny sliver of a moon that kept the sky dark. My breath came out in clouds and I tugged my sweater closed around me to keep warmer.
Thankfully, the dorms were only a few steps away. I paused outside the door, unsure of how I'd be greeted by the demons I encountered in the common room. When I'd walked through with Luka, it was the middle of the day and most students were at class.
Now, it was that gap between classes and dinner and it was prime time to gather in public spaces.
Blowing out a long breath, I lifted my chin and tried to pretend that I belonged here. Then I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Heat blew into my face from a vent right in front of the door and I was instantly warm. The demon and fallen angel dorm was kept at a balmy eighty degrees at all times according to Luka. Made it cozier for those who were used to living in the underworld.
I tugged off my sweater and tossed it over my shoulder so I wouldn't have to carry it.
"Take the rest of it off, it's hot in here," someone called.
I lifted an eyebrow as I turned to face the gathered group of demons in the common area. Six of them were lounging on chairs or couches. Two of them were sitting in chairs in front of a large television, gaming controllers in their hands.
