After the stress inducing lunch that I had, I needed to get my mind off magic and the insanity that mine bought with me. I was so excited about moving room and thankfully it was just the thing that I needed to take my mind off other things. Packing my stuff up though was definitely not something that I was excited about. The only thing getting me through was that I couldn’t wait to see our new room and get settled in with my guys. By the time the bell rang to indicate that class was over I had made it to the classroom where the guys were finishing up and was literally bouncing up and down in excitement. All three guys were laughing at my giddiness as they walked out of the class. But once they walked through the door and we turned to walk down the corridor I got a strange feeling of wrongness in the air that tickled down my spine. I slowed down which pulled Liam to a slow pace beside me. “What’s wrong kitten? You’re not changing your mind on us already are you?” He laughed. One look at my face and he stopped laughing. Liam pulled us off to the side of the of the corridor and Kyle and Sykes followed. I don’t know what it was I couldn’t put my finger on it. Something wasn’t right. “Aria, seriously, what is it?” Liam asked dipping down a little so he could look in my eyes.
“Do you feel that?” I asked looking around the corridor for whatever was giving me this feeling. It wasn’t just that something was wrong. It was danger. There was something dangerous here. My magic was calling to me that something wasn’t right but it had never done this before and I didn’t know how to focus it to give me the answer that I needed.
“What is it?” Kyle asked taking my hand. All three of them were now stood surrounding me with my back to the wall. They had created a wall of mates around me and whilst I was touched at their concern we needed to have a talk at some point about this. If anything I wanted them to be behind me.
“What can you feel Aria?” He pressed when I didn’t answer right away. By this point Professor Octavia had come out of her classroom and was eyeing us curiously.
“Something is wrong,” I answered casting my eyes around me. “My magic is screaming danger but I don’t know where it is.”
Professor Octavia rushed over to us having heard what I said. “What does it feel like Aria? Explain it to me.”
“As I walked out of the classroom I could feel it, like a sense that something was wrong. Then it was like I felt my magic run down my spine. It’s reacting strongly but I can’t focus it to tell me where it’s coming from.” I looked up at the Professor feeling distressed, I wasn’t used to this feeling but not knowing where the threat was going to come from was throwing me through a loop. The feeling of fire in my veins was building, my magic was preparing me for a fight but I couldn’t tell where was it was going to come from. I stepped past my mates into the corridor and pulled my short swords into my hands. The heavy feeling of them had always helped me to centre myself.
“Close your eyes Aria,” Professor Octavia instructed and I immediately did as she said. “The magic that you can feel shivering down your spine, focus on it. Draw it to the centre of your mind. Once you have it push it out of you with the intention of it directing you towards the threat. I know that doesn’t sound very specific but I fear that time is of the essence right now.”
I closed my eyes and did as she said. It was hard trying to get a hold of the magic with the sounds in the corridor distracting me but then all of a sudden I had it and it flared out of me. I took off running to follow it and I could hear the pounding footsteps of my guys and the Professor following behind me. All I could concentrate on was the tug of magic in my core as it led me through the academy. I didn’t need to follow it for long though because the screams of fear were enough to lead me the rest of the way. I released the
hold I had on my magic, instinctively knowing that I would need everything I had for whatever lay ahead. When we rounded the final corner the scene that came before my eyes nearly shocked me to a standstill but thankfully the flush of red hot rage as my magic rushed through my veins was enough to keep my feet running and I sprinted into the centre of the chaos. My first thought was blood, there was just so much blood and it was everywhere. I couldn’t concentrate on the bodies lying still on the floor. I couldn’t look at the dead. Not if I was going to save everyone else here. Students were running screaming in all directions. It was total chaos. And standing in the middle laughing with glee was some sort of demon. He had one student hanging limp in his hand while his other hand was plunged inside their abdomen. A girl laid at his feet screaming. One of her legs was bent out at the wrong angle and she was trying to use her hands to crawl away but she couldn’t get a grip on the floor that was now slick with blood. Della stood against a wall with her witch friends surrounding her. She was white as a sheet and doing nothing to help any of the other students. I let out a scream of rage as I drew both short swords back and leapt forwards. I knew that I didn’t want to land in the bloody puddle. I needed to keep my feet. I had never seen this demon before and I didn’t know its weaknesses but I was going to go with my first assumption from the battle simulator. Nothing can function without a head. My first dive had one of my swords cut through the demon at the wrist and I rolled to a halt before spinning back to face it. The dead student fell to the ground, the demons hand falling with them, and it screamed in rage turning towards me. Behind it I saw Kyle and Sykes explode into wolves. Kyle’s wolf was black and possibly the biggest wolf I had ever seen. Sykes was slightly smaller and grey and white. Liam was only a step behind them already in his panther form. His sleek black fur glistening in the light as he crept around to flank the demon. The demon was so busy concentrating on me that he didn’t notice the shifters moving at his back. I knew that we had to make sure that he kept his focus on me and we needed to end this quickly. I rose to my feet holding my short swords at my sides, patiently waiting. I needed him to make the first move so that I could counter his attack and end this. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long. With a roar of pure rage the demon charged at me. Liam darted in at the same time as I charged the demon. He ran across the back of the demon and one swipe of his huge paw tore out the back of the demon’s legs. He hadn’t seen the panther charge and was completely unprepared for his legs to give
way from under him. As he was charging, he fell immediately to his knees and I saw my opening. I leapt high as he fell. Kyle and Sykes both darted forwards and locked their jaws around his upper arms just as I dived over his shoulder and drove my short sword through his neck. I landed on my feet as the demon fell to the ground, his head rolling away from his body. Kyle and Liam both let go of its arms and changed back to their human forms. I remember at the time wondering how they still had clothes on but the words never made it to my mouth as I looked at the carnage that lay around us. Apart from the girl with the broken leg, who was already in Professor Octavia’s arms, all of the students who weren’t injured had fled the scene and everyone else, everyone else was dead.
