This is work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright© Avery Song & Quinn Ashwood, 2020

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Cover Design by Sanja Balan Covers

Editing by

Rainlyt Editing

Format: Avery S.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

Prologue: Daggers And Smoke

1.  Started With A Bad Day

2.  That Bad Day Got A Whole Lot Worse

3.  Awakened And Meet Your New Partner

4.  M.E.I.D. Mission - Four Ancient Daggers

5.  Willa Silvers, Academy Investigator

6.  Smokeywood Academy

7.  A Year Stuck With You

8.  Night Of Acting Normal

9.  Freshmen Drunky And Queen Of The Primes

10.  Prime Magnetism And Hidden Reveal

11.  History Of Smokeywood And Connected To You

12.  Christmas Blues With You

13.  New Year Truth And It’s Official

14.  Dead End To New Resolve

15.  Flaming Eruption And Reveal The Enemy

COMING SOON - DAGGERS AND SMOKE 2

COMING SOON - DAGGERS AND SMOKE 3

SNEAK PEEK - BLOODY ROSARY ACADEMY

PROLOGUE: Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Sinned…Again And Again

ABOUT AVERY SONG

ABOUT QUINN ASHWOOD

Also By Avery Song

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you for purchasing DAGGERS AND SMOKE.

Thank you for giving Avery Song and Quinn Ashwood duo a chance! This was a challenge, especially with the new idea of paranormal romance. Hope you enjoy our little creation!

Special thanks to our amazing Mom for blessing us with the gift to write and supporting us in all aspects. We pray to continue making you proud as we strive towards success.

Finally, we thank God for giving us the strength to achieve our goals. Without Him, we would be nothing.

AVERY SONG

&

QUINN ASHWOOD

BLURB

Willa Silvers.

Academy Investigator.

Top agent at the Magic Elite Investigators Department.

If only my real biography were half as glorious as the one in my head.

Instead, I’m Willa Silvers, a clumsy, disaster-prone eighteen-year-old and daughter of two powerful M.E.I.D. agents. Naturally, expectations are high as I, the Infinite Level Mageri Mage, embark on my investigatory career. But I’m already running into complications.

With my unwieldy magic that has a mind of its own and being paired with the powerful, sexy, rich jerk who couldn’t care less about “partnership”, I hope completing our assigned mission is no problem. Silly assumption.

Our mission? Locate four ancient daggers, hidden in the depths of four of the most elite academies in the world. It’s our job to dedicate one year to the search for each mystical dagger by attending the various schools and blending in as students.

The catch — because there’s always a catch — is that we’re not the only ones after these legendary weapons. If each one isn’t retrieved within the designated year, the entire world will be annihilated by eternal, life-sucking smoke.

Daggers and smoke…a lethal potential future for all of us if I make a single mistake.

PROLOGUE: DAGGERS AND SMOKE

“Hurry! This way!”

“Run!”

“Fire! Fire! Evacuate all the students on the premises!”

“Willa…are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

How could I even answer when I was still in a state of shock?

A year spent within the walls of Smokeywood Academy, one of the four major institutes of magic and combat.

Better known among us investigators as the carrier of one of the four sacred daggers that need to be in our possession before the biggest criminal organization in the world uses them to destroy all aspects of life.

I was watching its very core be engulfed by blazing flames and black smoke. Screams echoed around me as I stood at the golden gates, unsure whether to stand and watch the rest of the academy fall or dive into action and attempt to claim the first set of the daggers we’d been attempting to locate all year long.

“Willa. You have to get out of there. Help evacuate anyone in front and leave! That’s an order from the heads.”

“We can’t leave the dagger, Adam. I know exactly where it is. I feel it.”

“You must be feeling the smoke inhalation! Willa, I’m dead serious. Get off the property and return to headquart…this…”

The signal to my earpiece suddenly lost connection, only confirming my suspicions.

I’m not the only one here to claim the powerful twin blades.

Pulling the earpiece from my ear, I allowed it to drop to the ground like a piece of trash. Stepping on it and squishing it like the end of a cigarette butt, I let my beating heart calm as I zoned out the screams and cries for help.

Only one voice mattered now, he had somehow laid his mark within my heart.

“You do you, Willa. I’ll always be there to pave the way out.”

“If only he were here now,” I whispered under my breath as I took off the teal blue and gold blazer and tossed it behind me.

Where it landed, I would never know. My body jolted forward into a sprint as I raced right into the burning institute.

I knew the exact location of the item in question, and the closer I got to it, the stronger the buzzing in my ears grew in expectation.

The daggers of chilling power and prosperity. The weapon that ended wars and brought peace with the four leaders that placed them within the academies they built in honor of their victories.

Dying here would potentially leave them wide open, but I wasn’t going down that path unless I knew those daggers would be in the right hands.

Turning a sharp corner, I immediately skidded to a stop - a second away from impaling myself on a pile of broken wooden beams.

“Shit,” I breathed heavily, looking for another way around the cluster of debris. There was no way I’d get through it, but who said I couldn’t just fly right over it?

With a playful smirk, my body tingled with delight and began to lift with ease, like a fairy godmother slowly ascending into the air to grant one’s wish.

This place always reminded me how “magic” was on the down-low. It was the only school that carried a one percent population of magic users, and we were called the gifted elite.

Except for me. I was Willa, the Academy Investigator, but only the admins knew that minor detail.

Landing on the cement floor that was filled with cracks, I pushed off the ground to run at full speed, the buzzing sound almost unbearable.

I was ready to rush past the chamber room, but my body seemed to forcibly stop, my legs giving out before I could process what happened.

“What the hell?” I stared at the ground, the buzzing now a piercing siren sound. It made me feel woozy, and I clenched my stomach in annoyance, but one look to my right and there they were.

My eyes widened, realizing that the chamber looked to be the only thing still intact. It made no sense because the rest of the building was burning, but do magic artifacts that had saved the world really make any sense?

I think not.

Forcing my body to rise up, I urged my legs to work. One shaky step after another, I walked towards the daggers like I was walking down the aisle of a church to confess my sins.

The calm before the storm, as the silence wrapped around me and the serenity of those shining blades made the world grow silent in admiration.

They were placed admirably on a stand in the middle of a platform like an altar, the blades crisscrossed.

The resonating glow of engraved scribbles told me they were reacting to my presence, but I couldn’t think properly to know if that was a sign. The daggers we’d desperately been searching for to complete this part of our case was almost in my grasp.

All I had to do now was claim them.

Taking the three steps up onto the mini platform, I walked right up to the stand, my eyes glued on the prize.

All the struggles. The hardships, broken friendships, bullying, and fighting to keep my rightful place as a Gifted Elite were finally worth it.

Reaching for them with shaky hands, the slight touch filled me with a shock of energy. Ignoring it, I wrapped my hands around their base and lifted them off their stand to stare admiringly at their metal beauty.

“I got you.” I spoke to the weapons as if they could hear me. “You’re going home with me.”

“Willa!”

I turned to the call of my name, surprised to see the very man I admired looking at me with fear in his eyes.

“Get out!”

My brows scrunched together as I registered the two words. Why was he so afraid when this was the one place that resonated peace?

A loud crack made me flinch, and like a light switch, the tranquil sight was no more - replaced by the eerie sight of the rest of the burning building.

Now I realized I was surrounded by smoke, and the flames were inching in on me. My eyes looked to the daggers and back down the pathway where my teacher-partner stood.

I could tell he wanted to run right in, but he couldn’t. The build-up of debris at the entrance made it almost impossible for him to do a flying spell like I had, and the burning flames were growing taller by the second.

Another loud crunch made me worry that the entire building was about to collapse, and my heart skipped a few beats with an important realization.

We’re out of time.

With one last glance at the blades, I looked at my teacher with courageous eyes.

“Now or never,” I whispered and with a twirl of the blades in my hands, I lifted both of my arms up and behind me, throwing them forward with as much strength as possible.

Out stretching my hands, I proceeded to draw out my magic, adding a wave of wind to give the daggers enough momentum to reach their destination.

Wide, golden eyes quickly blinked in understanding, and just like that, the daggers were in the hands of one of the few people I trusted in this business.

That was really saying something when we only knew each other for eight months.

“Wil-”

“Go! Hurry!” I screamed, but right after an ear-deafening sound split the air.

I immediately looked up, following my instincts, but the thickness of the smoke covered the high ceiling.

I knew what was coming, and I braced myself - my body growing stiff as I clenched my fists. Either I’d die right here, or I would somehow manage to survive this ordeal with a few broken bones and a concussion.

If only my chances were fifty-fifty.

I expected wood or cement to reveal itself from the thick smoke that I now realized was a glowing blue and not a rich grey.

However, to my bad luck, that wasn’t what appeared and headed straight for me. Nothing close to debris or wood.

A sheet of golden swords emerged from the thick smoke, and I now hoped I died instantly, with the thought of the daggers being in the hands of the man I’d come to love.

Maybe this was the end of my life as an academy investigator.

STARTED WITH A BAD DAY

The whistle was expected after the door swung open to reveal my rather “distraught” state.

“Well, damn, Willa. I’m proud you came home with some clothes on this time!”

Adam Rogers. My best friend, ex-boyfriend, only partner in crime, roommate.

If my nude lips could emphasize how rotten of an attitude I carried, I was positive he’d be closing the door and locking it up for his own safety.

Not like the door would do anything.

The sound of glass shattering had Adam looking back inside, followed with a long sigh. “C’mon, Willa. What did I say about breaking all the glasses in the apartment? They may be from the dollar store, but those add up!”

“Oops.” Not a hint of remorse was given as I strolled past him, waiting for the walk of shame hymns to begin as the sound of the door shutting behind cued the start of Adam’s noisiness.

“So what happened this time?” He was clearly trying to get me to explain how I ended up home in my black bra, panties, and stilettos.

I definitely looked like a hooker coming home after a banging party. Too bad my night included car chases, kicking ass, avoiding death for the millionth time, and a bunch of bruises on my long legs and arms.

“Don’t wanna talk about it.”

How fast can I get to the bathroom? Actually…never mind. That wouldn’t even stop him from coming in. Drat! What possessed us to date again? Oh, right. Hormones. Making teenagers do stupid things until common sense hits them in the face.

“You and I both know I can hop into the database and check myself.”

I turned around and fell back onto the comfiest couch in existence.

A.K.A. the cloud couch where Willa mopes for ten minutes after a horrid night.

“You already know how this all started.” I put my head back to rest against the cushy surface, wishing to just sleep instead of explaining my mission adventures.

Though I’d rather he not see me kicking ass in practically nothing.

Adam cleared his throat and began, “I was minding my own business, trying to investigate who was selling drugs in the corner when?”

“You’re not using the right tone,” I commented, opening my eyes to give him a glare. “That doesn’t sound a bit believable. Too much sarcasm.”

His smug look was priceless. “When some guys tried to jump me,” he continued. “However, as we all know, I’m a badass bitch and M.E.I.D. prodigy in the making, so you know your girl had to put on a chase to make this television-worthy just in case it landed on nation-wide television.”

My disapproving look had him rolling his eyes as he fixed his silver glasses that sat on his face.

“Alright, alright.” I knew he was going to confess. “I already saw the footage.”

“Ugh! Adam Rogers!” I growled.

“Don’t hate me,” he whined. “I was curious.”

He walked over to grab a bottle of water, a can of La Croix, and a towel. Walking over to where I sat, he offered the appealing bottle of frigid water. My lips grew drier by the second from just looking at it.

My eyes remained narrowed as I reached out and snatched the bottle from him, my anger still brewing at his “breach” of confidentiality.

As if anything is off-limits for this computer wizard.

Adam Rogers was a twenty-year-old computer-wiz genius. He started playing with a computer at nine months old by accident when his dad had gotten too caught up in some video game and kept his eyes off of baby Adam for three hours.

The result?

Adam learned how to crack national security codes by ten, retrieve deleted files for the CIA at fifteen, and save Chicago, New York, and Vancouver from a magic bomb attack that would spread a massive poisonous cloud that would kill millions while infecting many others.

Now, at the age of twenty, he was M.E.I.D.‘s best computer management head, and just so happened to remain my best friend, partner in all things criminal, and roommate.

And ex-boyfriend.

He knelt down in front of my feet and opened the can of La Croix. My questioning, arched brow was still undefeated in provoking an answer to his movement as he lifted my right leg up slightly.

“I’m checking on your injuries,” he finally answered when my obvious frown deepened.

“With La Croix in your hand?”

“It’s going to be useful.” He looked up to wink at me, those emerald green eyes of his glimmering in their unique beauty.

I’d be lying if I said Adam wasn’t attractive. He was one of those hot, nerdy guys that were a pro at Call of Duty and liked to cuddle.

He’s honestly a really good cuddler.

After his last-minute growth spurt the day before his eighteenth birthday, he was now 5′9″. He was slim but muscular, and he had a six-pack. He was a sword master - doing swordplay in his ‘down’ time - and was now working on bulking up, from what he said last week as we entered the fall season.

There was something about being twenty that made him suddenly have the urge to be some macho, built weightlifter, the kind that you saw in gyms, grunting away as they lifted hundred-pound weights for five reps, took a picture for the gram, and then called it a day.

As stereotypical as my judgment was, I’d yet to be proven otherwise in my recent visits to the gym.

He had short curly hair that he always straightened and gelled to the side for the sake of not looking like a typical nerd. I’d never thought gingers would be put into the nerdy category on the regular, but being besties with Adam for as long as I could remember had proven otherwise.

When you have freckles, wear glasses, and are a smart-ass with curly orange hair, you were officially ranked a nerd.

Didn’t stop me from dating him. Or those wishing to date him, like half of our high school - boys included.

I watched him lower my leg, his eyes inspecting the other that had a lot more cuts and bruises. With a nod to himself, he sat on the floor and crossed his legs before getting the blue towel in his hand and beginning to pour the La Croix’s liquid out.

There was no time for me to protest, watching the liquid stop mid-air and begin its floating adventures as it swirled around the towel, not a single droplet hitting the baby blue fabric.

My eyes had to follow the liquid’s journey through the air as it began to emit a soft golden light and make its circular way up and around my legs. The large puddles of water didn’t lay upon my legs until they had positioned themselves on all the spots of discoloration and bloody lines.

When they laid upon my skin, the water felt more like a thin layer of cold squishiness, like plaster or a band aid, but in liquid form.

The chill surface began to warm up, and I peeked a glance at Adam to see his eyes were closed in concentration while his hands were pressed together like he was now meditating with the towel between those pressed fingertips.

Returning to watch his magic at work, I got to witness the healing process as my wounds and bruising began to fade, my skin looking as healthy as it had been yesterday morning.

With a soft blow of air, the thin layer melted; the streams of water removing the excess blood and dirt on my legs. The droplets didn’t hit the ground before they evaporated, only leaving my legs with tiny drops of water.

Adam opened his eyes and began to pat my legs with the towel, revealing its purpose.

“Smooth,” I huffed. I’d give him that much.

There was that golden smirk of his that grinds my gears because it looked so damn cute.

Okay. Maybe I still have a little itsy-bitsy thing for him still, but he’d never know about it.

Adam and I had started dating when I was about fourteen. It started out as a joke, then became a bet about who’d break it off first, and then we’d made it official when I reached sixteen.

We dated for four long years, and I was the one to end it.

It was a silly reason now that I thought about our breakup, but my lame excuse was that I couldn’t see myself dating my partner in crime.

Absolutely false but was professionally valid.

“All better,” he said with triumph as he rose back up and admired his healing work. I purposely presented my arms, bruises still lingering against my pale skin.

He blinked a few times as if he now realized I also came with arms and not just legs. With a sheepish grin, he composed his noble stance and defended his actions.

“I hadn’t forgotten about that.”

“Then?” I dramatically waved my hands in their air. “Where’s the mystical La Croix water of healing entities?”

“Oh.” Our gaze both looked back to the can. Poor thing was tipped on the side, letting out its last drops of the watermelon sizzle flavor.

“Welp. You tried.” My lips were curled into a smile, something I couldn’t help doing when Adam screwed up his master plans. It was the one thing about Adam that was really amusing.

When it came to any type of mission, he was always on point, with multiple backup plans to make sure we all got back safely from the catastrophe some cases brought with their dramatic changes.

When it came to situations between us, it was like his brain malfunctioned and began to work through tunnel vision.

It could have been due to our past relationship or just something that developed when we were kids, but it always ended up making me laugh, even if sometimes it was a pain in the butt.

“I have a backup plan.”

“That you just thought of?” I was positive he had just thought of it. He shyly grinned and began to head to the washroom. “You’re correct, but you have to wait for the grand reveal.”

“Sure.” I was still pretty drained from the action-packed night, so my butt was enjoying every second sitting in the soft cushions. “Take your time.”

“I knew you’d say that.” He briefly looked back at me, a bit of worry crossing his face. “You’re okay though?”

“With?”

“You hit your head near the end of that last clash with the motorbike dude,” he reminded.

I forgot about that.

“Were you actually paying attention to every bit of my shameful fight in lingerie?” I inquired. “As for my head, it’s still in one piece. I even forgot that part.”

“That doesn’t reassure me at all.” He went off down the hall, and I sighed in relief that he hadn’t lectured me about the whole ‘don’t hit your head during missions, Willa’ speech.

Stupid, really. It’s not like I wanted to hit my head on the hard, cold cement.

This tiny problem happened when I’d accidentally been brought into an assignment with Adam. I was twelve at the time while he was fourteen, the two of us arguing in the back of my parent’s car about whether milk chocolate was better than strawberry chocolate.

I couldn’t remember exactly how we got to that conversation, but when I tried to elaborate by using strawberry milk as an example, our car went catapulting through the air and into a lake.

My parents, Amy and Andrew Silvers, were the top M.E.I.D. agents. The acronym stood for Magic Elite Investigators Department, an organization based here in Chicago. They were in the top ten of agents in the world and had just begun their massive rise through the charts that year.

Thus, the list of enemies began to triple by the day.

My dad loved to say that the accident was a mishap. Our cars were usually protected by magic barriers but whether it was off that day or on and had somehow malfunctioned, the result had given away our massive amount of combined magic power within the metal vehicle.

Mageri Mages gave off tons of aura waves if not cloaked. Many times, we needed items such as bracelets, watches, collars, or other types of jewelry-based blockers to lower or eliminate the magic aura we expelled every minute.

Without blockers, we were just bait for what was known as soul suckers, individuals who worked with criminal organizations to absorb someone’s magic properties and store them for mega operations.

Such as terrorist attacks on a mass scale or wide-spread energy blasts that could wipe out a city.

Without our car blocker, my energy was practically singing hymns to all the soul suckers in the area and boom. We were attacked and submerged into the lake.

The impact from the blast had my head crashing into the passenger window and knocked me right out for the majority of the fight, but apparently my magic had gone wild and created a tsunami or something that killed every soul sucker it hit.

Anyone else that got in the path of the mad waves of magic were thankfully unharmed but soaked.

I’d woken up in the private medical department owned by M.E.I.D. I’d suffered a head trauma that left my magic a little sporadic in nature.

Meaning, my magic had a mind of its own. It didn’t always listen to its lovely owner before going on a tangent of trouble-making tasks.

I’d gotten a lot better at my magic control, but the injury was one of those big setbacks I had to deal with. I was one of the lucky ones to not deal with seizures, which were the most common problems that arose with head injuries, but there were times when my vision went in and out, or I’d be temporarily blind.

That was one of the side effects I dealt with if I hit my head too hard.

Being the child of two of the best M.E.I.D. agents didn’t give me time to wallow in my pain, sadness, or any other type of emotion. My struggles with temporary blindness were combated with my own magic.

I was taught how to see the world through energies, something that was tricky to grasp at my age. It was apparently a skill for grown adults who worked in the army and navy forces because they could creep up well into the night but see the world through an alternate perspective.

My blindness had been cured after six long months, and Adam had been with me every step of the way. The good, bad, ugly, and one or two mega tantrums that my parents couldn’t stop.

Our relationship wasn’t the best. To be fair, they were busy accomplishing their dreams and I didn’t want to take that joy away from them. However, it was hard to be dragged into a career that you weren’t sure you wanted a part of.

My birth had created one of the few Infinite Mageri Mages in the world. What did that mean?

Every Mageri Mage had a limit. It didn’t matter how powerful, mighty, or blessed they were. Their magic ran on a cycle, but those continuous flows had pit stops, and when your magic reached that point, you were on time-out.

That gave your magic enough time to rejuvenate those mystical threads and get geared for the next cycle of charged currents until the following pit stop. The fewer pit stops you had within your cycle, the stronger you were.

My parents, for example, had one pit stop that usually lasted them twenty-four hours in a seven-day period. Meaning, they could be at the peak of their magical abilities for six days, and the seventh would be their lowest and they would have no choice but to rest.

They must have been made for one another, seeing as my mother’s peak day was my father’s low day and vice versa. They were a match made in heaven, from what their coworkers and fellow agents boasted about, and they had created me.

A mage with no pit stops. No breaks. A continuous flow of magic that could keep growing and growing.

Finding out about my unique trait was my parent’s ticket to getting me into M.E.I.D. early on - as early as five years old - and that was where I’d met Adam.

We connected pretty easily. Our similar circumstances of being gifted and placed into this organization for the sake of our parent’s dreams for us had bonded us together, and we relied on one another when we needed to vent or were just lonely.

M.E.I.D. rarely had kids within the organization, but there were a few exceptions, and we were both one of those.

Being raised in their protective walls only helped our parents advance in their positions while other low-standard workers had no choice but to raise us. We weren’t complicated in the slightest - minus my tantrums - and we ended up taking the opportunity to grow for our own sakes.

The lack of parental love left a stale gap between my parents and I, and we just weren’t super close anymore. I could tell Adam my darkest secrets and greatest fears, but my mother hardly knew a thing about me.

She knows I specialize in daggers, swords, and summoning magic. She also knows I like chocolate, but everyone knows that.

It used to bother me that I wasn’t close with my parents, but I’d given up on trying to close that gap. Until my parents had reached their personal satisfaction and goals within this large industry, their daughter wouldn’t be included in their rank of priority.

As sad as it was, I’d forced myself to accept it.

I guess I still had to be grateful to them. This three-bedroom apartment was gifted to us by the organization, which was nice since we didn’t have to worry about rent.

We both had jobs that paid us extremely well for our risk-taking duties, and we were working towards making our own reputations.

Another one of those many struggles was escaping our parent’s looming shadow. Their successful steps up that staircase of rank and number of cases completed would always be used against us in some way.

A snarky comment here, a referral to our parent’s legacies there. It was a hard battle to slice through the constant reminders and ridicule about our lack of being like our parents.

Even today with me turning eighteen and Adam being twenty, the ongoing comparison had only lowered by a fraction.

Neither of us would give up in our conquest to pave our own path, but for now, we’d have to go with the flow and pick up cases that were suitable for our rank and abilities until our boss decided we were ready for a high-level mission.

Whenever that will be.

I’d expected that when you reached eighteen they’d give you the good, epic-sounding missions and assignments that boosted your rank and overall score in the M.E.I.D. district board, but that was a bunch of bull.

Witnessing Adam’s struggle to even get a proper assignment had proved that we would be struggling to get important missions and assignments like our parent’s unit, until we reached our mid-thirties.

As much as it bothered me, there was nothing we could do about it. Until our boss felt we were ready for the big-gun assignments, we’d have to do the little ones, like going into clubs looking like a hooker, getting mobbed and attacked, kicking ass, arresting all of them, and coming home in only lingerie.

Easy assignments that threaten the mortality of my clothing.

There was something about clothes that never got along with me. Since I was a kid, fabric just hated staying on me. A good ten years of my life had been spent doing the “selfish” act of removing clothes in an act of defiance.

The good old days.

As I grew older, I actually loved my outfits, as long as I wasn’t forced to wear the hideous uniform rookies were given.

That was a no-no on my contract, and I wrote in fine print that I wouldn’t be caught dead in such a nasty, green-colored outfit. I’d rather fight naked, which I did once to prove the obvious point of my dissatisfaction.

I got my wish at least, and neither Adam nor I had to be stuck in the bad, vomit-colored combination. It also proved we weren’t pushovers for the organization to go around using for whatever.

We both may not be close with our parents, but one little comment about our mistreatment could get a whole department fired. No one wants to deal with that with how our prices are going up while job security skyrockets downward.

Something brushed my forehead, and I poked my eyes open to see a blurry Adam. He frowned with my awakening, and I knew why.

“My vision is fine.”

“You realize your eyes deceive you more than your voice, right?”

“Hmph,” I brushed that slight miscalculation. “Are my eyes silver?”

“As silver as your beautiful long locks,” he sweetly sang, like we were in a fairy tale.

“Give me a few seconds,” I encouraged, blinking my eyes a few times. The action would help give me enough time to send some magic juju to my coronas and clear my vision.

Ten seconds later, my vision was clear once more, and I grinned.

“Are they blue now?”

“Lucky duckling, false alarm,” he replied, but still looked slightly worried. “Your bath is ready. Go soak up for a bit. I’ll find where you hid your medication.”

“Don’t go finding it,” I whined. “It’s hidden for a reason.”

“Unless you need it after a mere bump of your head. I actually follow the doctor’s instructions,” he noted.

“That doctor was drunk,” I argued, remembering way back when the doctor that was assigned to me after a good twenty others, couldn’t figure out what could help me with my temporary blindness.

“You’re right,” he began. “But he was the only doctor out of thirty-four to figure out a medication that works for you.”

“I swear it was twenty.”

“Your memory loss worries me.”

“You make it seem like I’m an old hag!”

“The silver hair adds to the illusion.”

“Hey! You love my silver hair.”

“That I do,” he agreed. “Just as I like you healthy with twenty-twenty vision and a big mouth.”

“I do not have a big mouth.”

“You sure about that?” His left eyebrow spiked up as his grin widened. “Can fit some long things in there.”

“Y-You!” I huffed and grabbed a pillow from the couch to throw at him. He easily avoided it, skipping over to the kitchen island.

“Go bathe! If it gets cold, I’m not running a new one for you.”

“What about my injured arms?” I said dramatically, blinking my eyes for extra emphasis as he walked over to grab our mini ladder.

“I put a healing bath bomb in there. It’ll heal your bruises and cuts. It’ll also make it so you don’t ache when you wake up.”

“You’re a doll,” I praised.

“A precious one,” he added, going up on the ladder and opening a cupboard.

“What are you doing?” I inquired nervously.

All he did was grin my way, returning his attention to reach the very top shelf of the kitchen cabinets. I don’t know how those damn long arms of his reached it, but he pulled out the bottle of pills I’d worked extremely hard to get up there.

I’d forgotten us mages could defy the laws of gravity and get up there with magic.

“Look what I found!”

“I hate you.” With a grunt of annoyance, I turned around. “I’m going to go take a bathy bath and you can’t join!”

“Boo.” He actually sounded disappointed before he carried on with, “You have to stop sitting on that favorite cloud couch of yours after assignments. You know how many germs could be on there?”

“Yes, yes, germaphobic.” I’d forgotten about Adam’s OCD lifestyle when it came to cleanliness. He always had to point out my poor couch, deeming it as some victim of my staining torture instead of allowing the piece of furniture to fulfill its purpose of being sat on.

With a mere snap of my fingers, the dark blue couch was drenched in water.

“And you ruined it,” Adam concluded. “I know I tick you off sometimes, but I don’t think that was valid enough to ruin your favorite couch.”

I looked back to give him a defiant look, my lips curling into a smile as I snapped my fingers again. The heat in the room shot up in seconds, just as a hot gust of wind entered the room and twirled around the couch until it was completely dry.

“There,” I declared like I’d become some sort of superhero. “I’ve saved this apartment from being germville. My duty is over-EEK!” I’d tried to twirl away, completely forgetting that I was a, in stilettos, and b, clumsy as fuck.

That led to me falling backward, as usual.

Arms caught me, and I looked up to see Adam’s judgemental expression.

“I really have to ask your parents which one of them is clumsier,” he noted before lifting me back into standing position. “Maybe when God was making you, he realized how perfect you were and was like, let’s add a hint of clums- and I oop!”

The roll of my eyes wasn’t even dramatic enough for his comment, but I slipped out of the deadly shoes that were better to stab people with than they were to walk in.

“I’m not that clumsy,” I tried to defend myself.

“You stabbed someone with a fork by accident,” he said, reminding me of last week’s incident.

“That was not intentional in the slightest.” I defended. “He was merely at the wrong place and time. Plus, who said he should have walked anywhere near my path? The whole office knows I’m essentially an accident-prone agent who is always minding her own business when catastrophe strikes where I’m standing.”

“He was new and didn’t get the memo,” Adam replied.

“The memo that was sent again last week to warn all the new staff of my apparent bad luck.”

“Clumsiness,” he corrected. “Just admit it already.”

“My bath is going to get cold,” I hummed. “You still can’t come in, but thanks for saving me from hurting my ass.”

“Or head,” he reminded.

“Right.” I headed down the hall and snuck a peek back to see Adam staring at the bottle that held the tiny, disgusting meds that I hate taking. I’d rather drink pickle juice than take that stuff.

Those who loved pickle juice were brave souls.

He sighed, looking conflicted as he lowered the pills and stared at the couch where I’d been sitting.

“I should make her something to eat before she crashes.”

He walked away and headed back to the kitchen island. My heart skipped a beat at the kindness that he continued to harbor in his heart.

One of the many reasons why I still loved him.

Entering the bathroom and closing the door quietly behind me, I stripped out of my lingerie and tossed it in the bin, my mind still shimmering on Adam’s actions.

The breakup between us was sudden, and something I did for his sake. He didn’t deserve to be taken by me, Willa Silvers, who wasn’t sure what she wanted yet.

Did I love him? Yes. He had a special space in my heart that would most likely remain there for the rest of my life as it’s lasted for the last thirteen years, but he deserved someone better.

Someone more loving, kind, and emotionally attached.

I struggled with showing affection. It wasn’t like I wanted to carry a resting bitch face wherever I went, but that’s usually what happened unless I was on a killing spree.

Then there was that cynical bitch that came out, like a Harley Quinn remake. All that was missing was a crazy Joker to push me to the edge of insanity.

The lack of parental love and the damage left by the hit of my head caused my emotional sensors to go a little out of whack. Some days I wanted to be touched, to cuddle tightly in the arms of the man I loved and get lost in his wooden scent.

Then there were days when I didn’t want any of those things and personal space was my new best friend.

The up and down juggle of an emotion lover to emotion destructor was a hard challenge for someone as loving as Adam. When it came to work, he threw all that passion into it, but when there were those quiet moments where all was well, he focused his passion on those he cared dearly about. And I was on the higher level of the hierarchy.

His kindness was a blessing and something I would never ask him to change. Thus the reason why I gave the lame excuse that we couldn’t be dating when we were officially going to be working together in M.E.I.D.

It had only been confirmed when I reached eighteen this past July. Our countless assignments prior to me turning eighteen hadn’t counted as professional conflict.

He had to find a woman who would give him as much generosity as he gave her. One who looked at him with so much emotion that it overflowed and let the whole world know that they were madly in love with one another.

I broke up with him because he deserved the world, and I didn’t feel confident enough to be the queen within that world.

Walking towards the path, I poked my finger into the steaming hot water, grinning at the perfect temperature. The fact that it was still hot enough for some steam to linger in the room told me he put the water at scorching hot, knowing damn well I wouldn’t be in here right away.

Psychic reader.

Glancing over to the mirror, I peered at my nude body. My parents had really blessed me in the attractiveness department. If the whole Mageri mage agent career didn’t go well, I was pretty confident they would have both gotten modeling contracts.

I was 5′7″, skinny with a slim waist, and my perky breasts fit perfectly in bralettes or those outfits that didn’t require a bra to look sexy in.

My hips were just a little wider, giving me an hourglass shape, which was hard to maintain without working your butt off and using waist trainers or sweat belts, especially when you ate like a typical agent.

Junk food, junk food, and more junk food.

My height was accented by my long legs, which made my legs highly sought-after by all the modeling agencies come fall time. They all wanted me for their high-knee boot collection ads.

I’d taken a bunch of the modeling jobs during August and made enough money to probably cover me for an entire year with my usual spending habits.

My skin was pale, which I usually liked to tan once in a while or at least contour my face and neck, so I really stood out. Contouring helped my striking blue eyes to be more eye catching, especially when my common makeup look was darkly shadowed eye lids, heavy mascara, light eyeliner, perfect brows, and a bold nude lip, accented with a darker shade of lip liner.

Blush wasn’t really a necessity unless it was date night. A bit of rosy pink cheeks could go a long way.

My hair was a mix of dark and light silver, mimicking the grey tones of a full moon night. Sometimes my magic influenced the color, adding hints of blue or even gold if my magic was having the time of its life in battle, but the waist-length hair always caught everyone’s attention, seeing as most people in Chicago didn’t have silver hair.

And the only well-known individuals with silver hair were my parents.

Entering the bath ignited a long sigh of relief; the warm liquid filled with healing properties was already doing its job.

Adam was excellent at healing, so good that the department of medical aid in the field begged him practically every day to join their unit. I’d been worried that he’d switch over to them when we broke up, leaving me no choice but to get a new partner, but he stayed.

Thank the heavens, because I didn’t want to deal with our breakup and a new partner during the summer heat.

I was so happy the breakup hadn’t ruined our connection. That would have torn a hole in my heart and probably wrecked my concentration. I’m sure Adam knew that too since he basically read me like an open book with a magnifying glass.

Soaking deeper into the hot waters, I looked to the ceiling and allowed my eyes to close. The world around me began to light up in its own unique way; the bathwater the first to shimmer a light gold, showing every chunk of magic within the bath, followed by the floor where the trail of my steps led to the door.

I noticed the mirror still had lingering magic on it, the accidental result of my ass getting drunk and making out with Adam after a harsh day and night at work.

We’d come to find out that I wasn’t the best drunk to be around.

On the contrary, if you loved a good time in the bedroom, then I was the perfect drunk girl to be around.

Instead of alcohol making me a party-crazy, giggly, happy drunk, I was more of a seductive, questioning, extremely intelligent drunk who could probably find the cure to cancer.

To be honest, I had. I’d written the equations and everything down, but then Adam said our boss had flushed it down the toilet because he didn’t want me getting assassinated or something like that. Who knew you’d go off vanishing if you found the cure to the most dangerous human disease in the world?

Mageri Mages didn’t suffer from diseases like cancer, diabetes, and all that. Could we get physical injuries like broken bones or paralysis? Yes. Due to our swift metabolic rates and digestive traits, it was harder to acquire diabetes or cancer. They were still conducting loads of research in regard to it, but so far, no mages had obtained such diseases.

Our world was split between fifty percent mages and fifty percent humans. How it split so evenly when the world was suddenly blessed with magic was beyond me, but it would be only a matter of time before Mageri mages finally outgrew the human population.

Whether that would lower or escalate crime rates would be left for future me to find out.

Mages on our side of the world could use various magic at different levels of magnitude and elemental strain. Mageri mages were the highest in the hierarchy. Mageri mages and Mageri wolves, or shifters in general.

Due to our unique makeup, most teens that discovered such traits early on got to enter one of the few elite schools in the world.

We only had two in all of the United States, one in Dubai, another in Tokyo, and there had been one in the Netherlands, but that one was recently shut down due to a major drug deal that occurred beneath the school grounds for years until they were caught.

Adam and I didn’t need to go to school, opting into tutoring and private lessons as long as we got to get taught together.

The privileges we got.

Opening my eyes once more, I caught the ring from down the hall. The mere sound made me growl in annoyance, hoping Boss was calling to praise me for my butt-naked accomplishments and not to scold me for running in my underwear through town like Captain Underpants - female edition.

The knock on the door was followed with Adam peaking in with a sad smile.

“We have to go to the office.”

“Meaning I won’t get an ounce of sleep,” I concluded.

“Boss said two hours max, only because he has to wait for me to finish drawing clothes on you in the footage from last night.”

My face began to burn red at his defense and he put his hand up defensively.

“Don’t hate me. It’s boss’s suggestion, I swear.”

“Why are we going out, exactly?”

“We may have a potential assignment. He wants to meet us on the outside field of the office. I think this will be an outdoor conversation, so it shouldn’t be long with the weather beginning to get cooler,” he explained.

“Ugh, fine.” I knew avoiding it would bite my ass later. “Give me ten more minutes and I’ll be out and changing.”

“Okay,” Adam replied and slowly closed the door.

Allowing my eyes to close once more, I decided it was time to soak up the peaceful thinking before having to tackle whatever mayhem was planned for me and Adam at Boss’s request.

Today started out as a bad day, but I’m sure it’ll get better.

THAT BAD DAY GOT A WHOLE LOT WORSE

“Say what now?” Adam gasped at the news, while my eyes were more focused to the East of where we stood.

My lovely bath of rejuvenation had been cut short as we had to rush for an emergency meeting outside. As to why we’d been summoned was beyond me, but here we were - Adam, myself, and our lovely boss, Officer Ronald Rolex - standing on the grassy fields of our training space.

We were finding out what the emergency was all about because I wasn’t one to cut my bath short for just anything. Officer Rolex knew that, since it was an apparent habit of my parents, who hated wasting time, but now that I stood there myself, I could clearly see what the problem was.

Or whatever was brewing in the sky.

“You heard me, Rogers,” Officer Rolex huffed. “Some lot of criminals unlocked an ancient rune that activated some crazy weapons that are now spreading smoke throughout the cities of their resting places!”

“Officer Rolex,” Adam began, “As much as I’d love to be confident in what you’re saying, I have to question whether you’ve been drinking or not.”

“I’m not drunk, Rogers! Don’t make me suspend you!”

“Technically, you need me,” he noted. “It’s not my fault I don’t see how this is possible. You’re saying that some ancient runes that no one has talked about are hidden in different cities, one being in our city specifically, and were activated by a group of criminal masterminds, who want to do what exactly?”

“I can’t go into the details here, Rogers,” he huffed. “I need you guys on the case immediately. There’s about to be an attack of sorts.”

“Says who?”

“One of our best Seers in the field. He’ll be arriving here shortly, but we have to prepare.”

My eyes continued to remain glued to the East, noticing the growth of smoke that entered the sky. It was hard to describe the enlightening richness of teal blue, the hints of gold mixed with the common tint of grey in both light and dark forms that floated into the sky.

I was shocked the sirens hadn’t been turned on, and that no one had noticed its swift growth. I had the intention of saying something, but my mouth remained closed as my eyes continued to be drawn to the miraculous cloud.

I’d never seen something so mystical and yet, I knew its appearance had to mean there was destruction and chaos lingering from below.

Smoke entering the sky usually means fire. Where are the sirens? Why isn’t anyone else commenting on this? No one said anything on the radio…

What was really grasping my focus was this buzzing sound. Sometimes it was a ring, other times it was a constant flow of buzz, like a bee or fly that was chilling in my ear.

When I concentrated on the noise, it would dim and shift into the form of clashing swords, a sound I’d been fond of since I was a kid because it was the very sound that rang through the training field whenever I fought opposing kids with my daggers.

Swordplay was one of my favorites in the arts of weaponry. I could use guns - a second favorite - arrows, axes, and many other weapons for the sake of protection and justice, but daggers and swords were my strong points.

They called to me, resonating with my soul, and had earned my respect many years ago, before I was old enough to grasp their purpose.

Both my parents were masters at it, but my mom was who people knew was most deadly with the short sharp blades. Dad was better with a long sword.

I mastered all of them, and the more blades I had, the deadlier I became.

“Officer Silvers?!”

My head didn’t even move at the rough call of my name, my eyes narrowing as I noticed the sudden sparks of golden magic that suddenly shot through the cloud of smoke.

Someone touched my shoulder, but the feel of their hand didn’t prompt me to react or defend myself. I knew it was Adam, and his voice came calling to me.

“Willa?”

When I didn’t reply, his voice got closer.

“Willa, sweets. I need you to come back to the land of the living here.”

That was his way of trying to tug me back to reality when I zoned out during a boring meeting, but my intrigued perception only increased as the shots of golden sparks and thunder grew stronger.

“Aren’t you guys seeing what I’m seeing?” I inquired, fighting the urge to move towards the gathered smoke.

“Seeing what, Willa?” Adam sounded a tad nervous, a sign that he probably thought I was having some sort of hallucination episode, like when I’d first been diagnosed with my head injury.

“So you’re not seeing that over there?” I pointed to the scene, deciding to describe what was clearly visible to my eyes. “The smoke cloud over there. It’s like there’s a fire of some sort but there are no flames or anything…well, kinda. The flames are more golden than a normal flame color like orange or red. The smoke that’s flooding that part of the sky is a mystical teal, almost with a hint of sparkle to it, while there are glimpses of grey smoke, but the teal is far more prominent. The sky is beginning to grow darker by the second like it’s about to rain, and there are bolts of gold thunder and sparks at that specific building. The one that’s pointy at the top.”

There was a long silence which was followed with Adam whispering, “Willa. I think you really did a thing or two to your head when you hit it during your mission earlier. Where you’re pointing to is perfectly fine and the sky is nice, blue, and it’s even sunny out.”

“But…” I finally turned away to look at both of them, noticing Adam’s worried gaze while Officer Rolex wore his usual stern ‘I’m the boss’ frown. “I’m pretty sure I’m seeing what I’m seeing.”

“Uh, Willa?”

“Yes?” I looked at Adam, and his eyes only widened. “Um…your left eye.”

“What about my left eye?”

“It’s gold.”

“What do you mean?” I blinked my eyes a few times, unsure if I’d left the contacts from the mission in my eyes. “I took my contacts out before my semi-naked walk of shame.”

“No, no.” Adam shook his head. “Your left eye is glowing gold and your other eye is its normal blue.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to say, but then there was a loud crack of thunder that made me flinch, and my head darted back to where I’d originally been starting, only to see a massive golden tornado coming down from the dark sky.

“Officer Rolex?”

“What is it, Silvers? This better not be a hoax to get out of this meeting.”

“Call my parents and ask them if they’re seeing something in the sky.” That’s all I said before my body jolted to a sprint.

“Willa?!” Adam called out, but I was running as fast as my legs would carry me. My phone began to ring, and the tune of the song immediately told me it was my father.

Perfect timing before checking out paranormal smoke. If I can even call it that.

Turning the corner and beginning to race through the quiet streets, I pushed off the ground, my magic thrusting me up into the air until I landed upon a red roof and began to jump from rooftop to rooftop.

Answering the phone, I got right into it.

“If you’re calling to say I’m crazy, I’m not, but if you’re seeing what I’m seeing in the sky, I’m already making my way over there.”

Dad was quiet on the line for what seemed to be a minute before he muttered, “I didn’t think you’d gain that trait from us.”

The way he said it felt like I’d just done something wrong.

“Am I in trouble?” I inquired. “If so, I didn’t do anything wrong and I’ll probably hang up and call Mom. She’s more tolerable to deal with when she’s mad. You’re just annoying.”

I could sense the shift through the phone, my honesty clearly a pain in the ass in a time like this, but I should have been focusing on the task at hand with the magic cloud instead of talking to my dad.

“You’re not in trouble,” he finally answered. “Your mother is on her way to the same sight. If you get there before her, don’t go inside.”

“What is that, Dad?” My voice was stern. “I was the only one who could see-”

My body skidded to a stop, a shriek escaping me when a bolt of lightning was seconds from hitting me. Without a second thought, my instincts hit me hard as my left arm went up and one of my long swords surged into my grasp.

The lightning struck through the blade, the electric charge making me grit my teeth as the energy bore into me.

“Fuck!” I cursed and fell to my knees, needing a moment to breathe when my body shook with the explosive energy. It was hard to describe how I felt, but the attack that should have killed me only empowered my body with more energy.

“Willa?!” Dad was screaming on the other side, and I needed an extra second or two to shake my head and take a few breaths.

“I’m okay,” I breathed, quickly rising up on shaky legs and looking up at where the thunder had struck. Narrowing my eyes, I noticed a being.

It had to be a person or at least, that’s what I hoped. The person looked like a male, one with long hair that was as silver as mine. His eyes were gold, matching the thunderous charge of sparks and bolts that resonated around his floating presence.

He looked down at me with a challenging smirk, one that enticed me to the point of anger, as if he was looking down on me.

He thought that bolt would kill me. I think not.

My grip around my sword tightened as I steadied it and crouched down. Our eyes were still locked onto one another, my body thrumming with that electric energy that fought to kill me in one blow.

My lips curled into a smile, noticing how the man in question stared at me with interest. Then he, too, began to smile, ready for the challenge I was about to deliver as I pushed off the ground and went soaring upward.

Dad was still trying to get through to me, but he was background noise as my magic burst to the surface and I felt the sprouting of the wings I’d manifested with the power of my mind.

From the way those golden eyes widened and flickered with orange, I’d surprised him with the blue-golden wings on my back. They were temporary, fully charged with the pouring force of my magic, but that was one of the many dangerous things about Infinite Mageri mages.

There’s no limit, meaning I could be sleeping, and these wings could still continue their ongoing existence upon my back.

In battle, it was just as dangerous, and the less resistant you were to the laws of the world, the greater the power that came to you. My imagination was limitless, a quality many normally lost after their childhood years.

As a child, you believed you could fly, enter kingdoms of magic or even new worlds. There were rarely any limits to your vast imagination- a living room could suddenly turn into a field of lava.

When we grew up and the reality of the world we lived in sought to consume us, those thoughts of limitless dreams and adventures began to fade and the result merely locked us up in a box.

When you kept your imagination as wide and open as when you were but a child, your magic attuned to those very beliefs and it made you far stronger than anyone realized.

You had to surrender yourself to the magical force of this world and in return, you would be granted with an abundance of certainty, grace, and limitless opportunities.

Surrendering was the hardest part for an adult. It meant giving yourself to an unknown power and having faith that it would return the favor by granting you far more than you originally wanted.

The unknown and lack of patience as to when divine timing in the magical realms would deliver your needs was what most mages couldn’t conqueror, but I’d been molded to do just that and my wish was granted far earlier than the rest.

That was why I was far more dangerous than anyone imagined I could be.

Only my parents knew about the depths of my imagination, probably because they encouraged it. They may have ended up going their own ways to fulfill their dreams and past imaginings of hope and rank, but they always made sure I was never told what was and what wasn’t achievable in this world.

In their own strict, loveable way.

With a few blinks, my wings shot out to stop me from my swift flight, and there was a higher being a few feet before me.

His arms were crossed, observing me closely as if he couldn’t determine if I was real or not. Allowing my sword to fade to its resting chambers, the weapon shattered into little bits of glass, and I stretched my arms out to get the remaining tingles of electricity out of them.

If he was the one who’d struck me, he’d only done me a favor by giving me a bonus boost of magical vitality.

Crossing my arms, we stared at one another, my phone still in my right hand’s grasp.

“Who are you?” I quietly questioned, hoping my dad wouldn’t catch onto it. He didn’t answer, his eyes taking me in from head to toe. More bolts of thunder came crashing down all around us, but it didn’t scare me as my wings kept me afloat.

His eyes returned to peering into mine and he lifted a finger to point to his right eye. I frowned when he kept his finger there, and I ended up mimicking his move until my left hand was pointing to my left eye.

I watched as his left eye remained in its golden appearance, but his right one began to dull until ruby red with twinkles of pink reflected back at me. The two-tone color was hard to not get lost in, enough that I had to pinch my inner palm with my fingertips as I clenched my fist.

“Who. Are. You?” I repeated myself. “Are you the one who’s causing the smoke?”

His lips curled slightly, pleased with my inquiry, and he slowly nodded his head. I didn’t react right away, my gut telling me that he wasn’t agreeing to be the culprit of the smoke.

Is he pleased that I can see the smoke?

He turned away then and he pointed up to the sky.

“Thy Universe.” His voice was thick with power, an energy that vibrated through the skies and seemed to make the smoke around us thicken. “Your call has been answered. Chosen from infinite power and grace. Let our blades awaken and bestow themselves upon the land.”

The smoke got even thicker, and it was getting harder to see his frame as it gathered around me. I wished to say something, to call out to him again, but I couldn’t move while my mind seemed to be in a trance.

A voice, one that felt more within my head than anything, blared with strife.

Blades of infinite thunder. Children born to rise above the smoke. Heed the power bestowed upon you. Those that wish for our power have broken the seal, destroyed what should have remained hidden and away from the land below. That shield is now broken, and it is now upon you to discover where your destinies lie. Come together, my children, for the time of your unity is approaching. On the fifth year to this day, you will be summoned once more. Whatever side you lay upon will determine whether the end of this cycle of life comes to pass or whether you are reborn into a new cycle of blessings. Be wise. Be brave. Be loved. Bond and fulfill the path you wish to seek within yourselves. Let the essence of abundant magnitude guide you along this journey.

My mind suddenly grew hazy while my eyes got heavier. My body fell back before I could stop it, but the voice continued to speak as I fell.

Like the sun, you have risen to the smoky skies to accept your awakened destiny. Do not let the mundane limit the possibilities and wisdom given to you today. The enemy is near. They know of your awakening and will fight to be rid of you before the journey has come. Retrieve what is rightful yours, my children, and return to me if you wish for this world’s rebirth or downfall. Now, fall to your new beginnings, children, like shooting stars that will ignite the start of a battle among the young and cocky. Prove to those that belittle your potential how dangerous you are. I have blessed you, and so the world shall see what blooms when given sunlight, water, and affection.

My mind faded further away, and I fought to keep conscious as I heard a woman scream my name.

“Willa!”

It was from afar, and I was desperate to fight away the fog. In the back of my mind, I feared the impending result my fall would create, but my magic always knew better.

My dark world suddenly lit up, showing how I fell from the sky, towards the very building I’d pointed towards only minutes ago. How I was able to fly to that point in height would never be explained, and I knew within seconds that my body would plunge into the glass roof and down to a spiraling death.

I braced for the impact, but I felt the burst of my wings that shot out of my back once more, wrapping around me like a cocoon and solidifying into solid rock.

The muffled sound of shattering glass was followed with a rapid sound of wind seeping all around me. The warm wind wrapped around me, slowing my speed tremendously until I felt my protected body land softly upon a surface.

Like a snap, the fog that stopped me from reacting suddenly faded, and I was awake and scrambling to my feet as my wings spread out to their full capacity, their blazing gold and purple feathers shifting to black.

The sudden color change was weird, something that had never occurred before, but then a strong vibration came from my left. Shifting my gaze to the right, I turned my body in time to avoid the ray of bullets that were aimed for my heart.

The next wave of bullets was on their way to my body, but I put my hands up and shielded myself, a blue flame spinning into a spiraling whirlpool, spinning fast enough the bullets melted before impact.

I was up and attempting to get to higher ground, but something crashed into me, a grunt escaping me as I fought to remain in the air.

My black wings ignited with blue flames, the heat making someone scream in agony as I let them lash further out.

The weight lifted off my back, helping me soar further into the air, and I immediately pulled out my gun from the safety of my left hip strap and pointed it at the person who’d been shooting me.

Not a single bit of hesitation tugged into my mind as I pulled the trigger multiple times. The stranger was unable to avoid the ray of bullets I’d shot in various directions; two out of the five injuring him on impact.

His grunt of agony followed his downfall, and I realized I was floating over one of those luxurious pools.

Dammit. How did I get here? What the hell is going on?!

I had no clue where my phone was; the device that had previously been in my grasp was out of sight. My ears picked up on the set of heels racing towards the room, and I noticed my mom skid to a stop, her wild eyes locking onto mine.

Her short silver hair and silver eyes quickly scanned me, looking relieved for all of a second before they widened.

I wasn’t going to wait to be a victim of circumstance, my body twirling around in time for the tackle of a masked man. His weight was double that of the previous man, and I fought to even stay up as my wings flapped furiously while I tried to push him off.

“Get off of me, you pest!” I screamed, my body growing hot as I pushed out a wave of heat and wind. It came out in a rush, enough to send us both higher up in the air, and giving me the tiny bit of distance I needed to kick his abdomen, which sent him further up in the sky.

Trying to get away, I realized the man was one step ahead of me; his hands were already wrapped around a gun and his fingers pulled the trigger multiple times.

I hissed when the first bullet went through me, noticing the second, third, and fourth bullets that followed froze into ice pellets.

Definitely Mom’s doing.

The pain that flooded me was enough to cut my concentration in half, my winds beginning to flutter away and my body beginning to plunge downward like his.

I didn’t care about crashing into the water. My priority was killing this son of an ass who thought it was fun to shoot random people who were truly minding their own damn business.

My daggers were in my hands in seconds, and I used a chunk of my tucked-away magic to give me an extra boost as my body bounced against a wall of wind I’d envisioned, sending me back straight towards the man, whose eyes went wide.

His scream was short-lived, my body crashing into his as my blades sliced through his neck. His head went flying and I grunted with the heavy force of his body on me, using my right leg to kick it further up.

Flipping through the air so I was practically standing upside down, I cut off all my magic, my body darting towards the pool. Placing my hands together in diver position, I crashed into the surface, reaching deep into the clear waters and noticing the stream of blood that left my left hip.

My body was still running on adrenaline, the pain only a fraction of what it should have been as I reached the very bottom of the pool and flipped over so my legs were now pressed against the solid, rough bottom.

Looking up, I noticed the drifting head of one of my enemies on the opposite side of where I’d dived in, his body now floating at the top.

I waited to see if any other surprises would come my way, but when twenty seconds passed and nothing happened, I made the executive decision to head to the surface.

With another push off the ground to give me leverage, I made my way to the top, ready to gasp for air and ready my shields just in case more bullets or other brutal attacks came through to me.

At the last second, I had to stop myself from completing that final outward push to reach the surface because a sheet of ice blazed past me, freezing my one way out.

My heartbeat began to spike, and I immediately thrashed my fists against the solid foundation.

Mom?! What the hell?

I quickly tried to find her presence, but when that failed, I made a mental grunt and closed my eyes.

The world came to life, and I realized above the sheet of ice was my mom, sliding across and shooting multiple bullets toward a group of individuals.

I knew it was my mother’s energy because her body always resonated with solid silver, and her guns were a turquoise blue that shot multiple bullets.

The group of individuals that I assumed were the enemy was a bloody red. Their energy was rather massive, leaving me to worry about my mother’s predicament.

Yes, my mom was a powerhouse, but these guys’ auras alone felt like they were on another level, and without my dad to give Mom support, it was only a matter of time before five against one became a true challenge.

That led to my current predicament. Either I could try and help my mom and expel as much magic as I could muster to get those guys to retreat, or I could reserve my magic to convert to air.

It was obvious what I had to do, knowing the guilt I’d carry for not helping my mom and assuming she was going to do some super move and wreck these random enemies would eat me alive.

Placing my hands and feet against the icy surface, I lowered my head, my internal vision of multiple energies still at full force.

Before I got into my new set of plans, I set a specific marker within the ice - like a magical X that marked the spot while a golden thread wrapped around my waist.

Envisioning that I wasn’t upside down and underwater, I began to crawl forward like I was now rock climbing as I headed in the direction of where the group of red was.

I wouldn’t be able to get directly beneath them, but I’d be close enough to create a strong enough attack that would kill three or even four of the five-member team.

Mom would totally owe me a homemade meal after the strings I pulled for her because I was about to do some forbidden shit. I hoped I got away with it after a lecture from Officer Rolex.

Does it even matter? My best excuse is I did it for my mama. What is he going to do? Fire me? I think not.

I’d just have to pray that somewhere in the rulebook there was a sentence that said ‘Thou shall do anything to protect thy mother. Thus thou cannot be fired or charged for forbidden magic’. If not, I was screwed.

Reaching as close as I could, I remained still and maintained my sheathed presence. If I wasn’t underwater, I’d take a big gasp of air for this move, something any person with magical abilities did to stabilize their inner chakras and elemental properties.

I’d have to make do with mentally picturing myself doing the very deed, the slow internal inhales and exhales secretly reminding me of the growing need for oxygen.

Ignoring the burning that began to creep through my lungs, I began to create the web of electric threads that I was very slowly sketching around the group of individuals. Golden strings overlapping silver ones, my trap was centered on the weakest three, their bodies being tied with the most strings I could manage.

I purposely gave the strong ones fewer threads, knowing well that it would be a more wasteful effort to try and take them down with the sizzling attack of coursing electricity.

I had to mentally thank that random dude who’d decided to potentially kill me with that thunder strike, because that was the very energy I was about to backfire on these guys.

Plus a good dose of the Willa Special.

No one messed with my family, even if my parents showed the least amount of compassion nowadays.

Unless I’m dying, obviously.

The place where I was still bleeding from was becoming numb thanks to the coursing power I was piling within me, but once I unleashed this massive attack, it would kick my ass.

Let’s hope my mom realizes and gets me out of here before I run out of air.

Now, this next part was where the whole forbidden magic part came in, because it involved a little hint of black magic.

Infinite Mageri Mages could call upon any type of magic. Common elements like fire, water, ice, and wind were child’s play to us, but dark magic was a pain in the ass to summon.

It got the job done, and that was why I’d secretly trained myself to use it when I was a teenager. Only Adam knew that I could use the element and control it without losing my sanity, but he didn’t know how often I’d been training myself.

Which could have been the reason for my wings shifting to black for no reason.

Dark magic thrived on three things: blood, vengeance, and power.

If death meant blood would be spilled and vengeance taken care of, and it proved how powerful its elemental destructiveness was in this world, the forbidden element was a very happy one.

I swear, if it was a human, we’d probably be best friends, which kinda sounded a little emo, but that was how I pictured it.

Friends should look out for one another, and that’s what she was going to do in exchange for watching these guys perish by her diabolical wrath.

Letting my feet stay against the ice surface, I put myself into a standing position, ensuring that the golden thread was still connected to me and at the starting point.

Pressing my hands together, I closed my eyes once more and watched as the threads began to pulse with electricity. By the time these guys sensed what was happening, it would be far too late.

That was the point.

Cloaking their group with a black shadow that had yet to take physical formation, I called upon my dark friend.

Darkness, my dear friend. I call upon your forbidden fruit and ask for your saving grace. My mother’s life is at risk, from strangers who attacked us with an unknown purpose. Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine. Surprise them with your dark fury. Darkcando re vera!

The surge of energy that left me in a strong whoosh could have made me vomit if I let it, but I kept my endurance, pushing even more of my thrumming vigor out to trigger the fireworks of payback that were about to ignite.

Even with my blinded vision, I was able to see the burst of my magic come to life, the strings all aligned on their targets and the shadow orb of darkness beginning to close down on them.

Then the theatrics began.

The streams of magic that had been aimed at my mother’s silver silhouette stalled. Perfect timing because I now noticed how small my mother’s aura was, confirming my worries that she’d meet her match sooner or later.

I spread my hands out like I now had those very threads along my fingertips, like a game of cat’s cradle. Beginning to move my fingers at a rapid pace, I tugged at the strings, swiftly tugging, pulling, changing its format. The same movements happened above but with thunder-charged threads that zapped whatever they touched with quadruple the horsepower.

Within my submerged state, I could still hear their screams and words of confusion about where this attack was coming from, but I didn’t let it distract me. The speed of my finger movements only doubled as the darkness that held them in place tightened even more.

Blood splattered against the ice that was my platform, and I watched as one of the weak enemies became my first victim. The second came right after, his body crashing on the part of the ice I was hiding in.

Whether that was good or bad would be something to worry about after I took out the third. His body raced towards my mother.

I stalled in my finger movements and suddenly tugged one side with a swift pull; the third man in question went flying backward and landed in a ball of darkness that swallowed his body and left only his bones that came clattering onto the ice.

Bones were pure white in the dark world of blindness, the soft glow only showing the glimpse of life essence that still lingered in the living tissue until it all faded away, which could take minutes outside of the body.

Now that the three main enemies were out of commission, it was only a matter of time before they figured out where I was.

The gold thread tugged me with force, my body jolting forward, a second before a piercing spear of ice stabbed through where I’d previously been standing, the body of their fallen comrade beginning to sink into the waters and taint it with red.

The spears kept following my path, which had me pushing off the surface and swimming downward to avoid the potential stabbing by one of those things.

The attack made it clear that my mom hadn’t been the one to freeze me down here in the first place, but now I was going to face a problem because I couldn’t get out.

And I’m running out of air.

Swimming to the very bottom, I stayed close to the floor as I swam to the opposite side of the pool where my mother was. I gave up on my blind vision, deciding to conserve as much energy as I could to keep me from dying if I had to go into a semi-coma state and wrap myself in a bubble that contained a continuous flow of air.

Reaching the bottom left corner, I sat on the floor, curling my legs up against my chest and fighting against the burning within my lungs. I hated this feeling of impending doom, the sizzling need to breathe the air we normally took advantage of.

I kept my eyes open, fighting to remain awake for as long as I could before I had no choice but to do my last resort of survival. But the battle above the surface seemed nowhere near done, and I began to grow worried for my mother.

Giving up on the ‘sitting still and praying not to die’ plan, I closed my eyes once more and strived to see where my mom was.

My heart came to a stop, realizing that she was pinned against the middle of the pool of ice and chained down by something. Four massive spears were forming at a far slower pace, aiming to stab into the woman I genuinely cared about.

MOM!

I was desperately swimming there before I could think, moving up towards the surface and pressing my hands against the glass.

How can I save her? I have to remove her from here entirely. How..how..how?!

The thought triggered a single sentence, one that reminded me that the impossible for me was very possible.

Do not let the mundane limit the possibilities and wisdom given to you today.

I can achieve the impossible. No limits will stop me from saving my mother!

Giving up on trying to save myself, I let the remaining pool of magic rush forward in protectiveness. A large magic circle of golden fortitude pushed through the ice, just as the four spears came rushing down.

Letting my mind go blank, I envisioned my mom in the safety of my dad’s arms, a memory I’d kept safely tucked within the depths of my mind when I remembered them.

Those times when we truly felt like a family and I’d laugh with Adam as Dad lifted Mom up like a princess and spun her around during a crisp Christmas morning.

She’d fall into his grasp as if Dad somehow expected the fallen maiden of grace to descend before him.

That was what I wished. As if my vision could let me see the full surface above, the jammed doors to this place swung open, revealing three silhouettes.

I knew immediately that the taller bulk of silver was my dad, and like I’d imagined, his long, silver arms reached outward, seconds before a weaker silver silhouette fell into his grasp.

The second person to their left burned a strong green, one I knew all too well: Adam. The final one I’d never seen before, a tremendously strong red that shimmered with some gold, orange, and silver.

The mix was what took my attention away from the piercing attack - the pain taking my last bit of breath away as I swallowed a bunch of water.

Out of the four spears, one made a direct hit into my chest and was the culprit of the pouring loss of blood that left my chest and flooded the once clear waters around me.

My body began to grow numb, my lungs filling with water while my eyes suddenly grew heavy.

I’d dealt with a few close calls in this field but never had I experienced what it was like to die slowly.

To feel yourself fade away like a clock beginning to run out of battery.

My body drifted further into the waters, my fight to move becoming a failing battle as my mind grew foggy.

Lowering my eyes to my chest, I squinted when the spear was no longer there. Within me was a pair of daggers, one with blue written words in cursive that were too small for my blurry vision to read.

They were crossed, making me feel as though I was now a rock and it was time for someone to come forward and pull those very daggers from their stronghold.

My drifting movement came to a stop, my back against the bottom of the pool that continued to become a tainted red. My vision was growing darker, and I didn’t feel any more pain.

I could feel the thrilling cold, my magic fighting harder to try and heal me somehow but struggling to do just that. I needed to mentally focus on healing myself, but the fog within my mind was making it impossible to strive towards that goal.

Something plunged into the water from above, and I thought it would be my parents or even Adam, if my previous blind-sight had been correct, but the crimson-golden light grew stronger as my vision seemed to darken completely.

My eyes were still open, and yet my vision was at the brink of losing function. It didn’t stop me from concentrating on the very essence making its way down to me, an essence that glowed like an approaching angel that descended to take me home.

I fought to try to make an image of the person, realizing that it was a male angel. I could make out his figure: a slim build, but with muscles that seemed to strike through even with my fading vision.

He was shirtless, his chest projecting visible symbols of magic you’d usually write before an intense spell. Maybe they were tattoos, who knows, but they had such a vibrant brilliance to their red light, just like this man’s red eyes.

As if his hair had now come to my recognition, short strands of silver became long ones, and for a split second, there was the man from before.

The man in the sky that sent the thunder to me.

My mind chose that moment to shut down, the inevitable imminent as my heart struggled to beat.

The angel reached me, and I expected my spirit to be scooped up and to float towards the shining light and face judgment from the being above, but instead, his worried eyes stared into mine.

Seconds before those foreign lips crushed mine…

If this was an attempt to give me air, it would be no use, seeing as my body was filled with water, but the connection brought forth a surging pulse of energy while the water that had entered me suddenly began to leave.

It was like his mouth was a vacuum, sucking out every droplet of water and reversing the damage it had made to my lungs. The burning of my lungs came right back, but my body felt so weak as it tried to hold on.

He released my lips and pressed his hands to my cheeks, putting his forehead against mine.

Fight! Don’t you give up on me, Silvers.

The deep voice would have made my body tingle if I could feel it, and his words somehow gave me a sudden wave of motivation.

I craved to know who he was.

How could a stranger suddenly dive into my life and beg for my salvation? I blinked my eyes back, hoping it was enough to prove to him that I would follow his orders.

He nodded his head, his image going back and forth. I couldn’t tell if he had long hair or short hair, but his energy was nice to look at.

He lifted me up and swam upward, and I knew within a few more seconds that I’d finally retrieve that air I’d been begging to inhale.

Obviously, with my wound, the gasp of air would only bring about a new set of problems that would bring me to the brink of death once more, but maybe this man had a plan, or maybe my parents and Adam did.

When we broke the surface, it was like a rocket shooting out of the sky, and I took the biggest gasp of air. It was extremely painful, igniting a wave of dizziness, and suddenly sent me spiraling into what could have been hypothermia that led to shock. But my heart was still pounding rapidly against my chest while I could feel blood continue its way out of me.

There were multiple voices, screams of worry, orders of authority, and one voice full of pure annoyance, but they all faded away.

They didn’t matter to me.

A single voice cut through the darkness as I sank deeper into its comforting arms.

Live, Willa. We didn’t awaken to lose you before the battle has begun.

AWAKENED AND MEET YOUR NEW PARTNER

~WILLIAM~

MY BODY MOVED before I could think; the shock of everything that occurred upon my arrival through the locked doors was still rushing through my mind and trying to settle somewhere for me to review later.

Fate was clearly playing games because she wasn’t giving me a bloody break.

I’d been summoned by Officer Rolex to meet two agents that I’d be “forced” to work with on a new assignment that he and the department heads of four major districts across the world had concluded was necessary.

These four departments weren’t your ordinary chiefs of magical affairs. These were the four head branches that made sure all agents, investigators, and private eyes followed the list of rules that allowed us to chase after bad guys and maintain the world’s spin of orbit.

I, William Silvestri, almost thought this whole thing was an extremely late April Fool’s joke on the brink of September because I’d never imagined seeing the name Willa Silvers next to mine.

It wasn’t her background or the fact that her parents were two of the top agents in the United States that struck me into thinking this had to be a joke, but the very similarity to our names.

Or that fact that my parents, Andy and Amanda Silvestri, followed an intriguing letter A pattern, the same as my partner Willa’s parents, Andrew and Amy Silvers.

The coincidences were clearly being ignored by Officer Rolex, who couldn’t care less about them as he practically begged my parents to let me be transferred from our home base in Dubai.

Why did I have to travel from the land of riches to come down here over an assignment with an eighteen-year-old girl? I still hadn’t figured out the reasoning since I’d arrived. I was in the Uber heading towards their Chicago office when the sky grew dark and filled with the weirdest but most gorgeous thick smoke I’d ever seen.

Teal with gold sparks of thunder and a radiant charge of power. It had become apparent that I was either hallucinating or I was being tested by someone because the driver couldn’t see what I was witnessing.

That confirmed that whatever was brewing in the sky was designed for me to see alone and I got out, magically teleported my bag to the magical void where I kept my most valuable possessions, and raced towards the tall, sharp point building that seemed to be the prime focus of where this smoke was arising from.

The point became somewhat of a blur as images of a beautiful woman with long silver hair and dazzling blue eyes stared back at me with a level of confidence I hadn’t witnessed within a woman’s gaze in this field.

She wore a uniform that looked similar to one we’d wear in the field, but I’d never met her in my life, nor did she trigger any memories from my past meetings within the United States that I’d attended with my parents.

Those memories were piling up in the corner of my mind, ready to be sorted through once things calmed. However, I wasn’t expecting the building to be surrounded by other magical enforcement, including Andrew Silvers, Officer Rolex, and one of my future coworkers, Adam Rogers.

One look at their conflicted expressions told me something horrible was going on. When I’d questioned the cloud of smoke in the sky, the fact that only a few individuals could see it seemed to confirm that something was brewing.

That triggered my race to the top floor. The other enforcement officers were instructed to evacuate the building in case something exploded or the whole thing came crashing down.

The decision landed us on the top floor with the doors that led to the very luxurious pool closed shut with a magic barrier that was a pain to shatter through.

It took me and Officer Rogers to do the deed, while Officers Silvers and Rolex fought to create a strong trap to capture what seemed to be two remaining threats.

There had originally been five upon our arrival. Andrew was in a frenzy of panic as we all noticed his wife’s aura dimming while she fought to withstand whatever backlash she was enduring within.

Little did any of us know that bursting through those doors would bring us to the bloody scene: the pool now frozen but stained with splattered blood, spear sculptures that pierced into the somewhat thick surface. A woman with short silver hair was being pinned by the two remaining enemy forces, and the last four floating spears were hovering far above her.

Ready to finish the deed.

None of us were able to react before the woman in question’s body dematerialized and suddenly appeared in the air before Andrew’s outstretched arms, where he caught her graceful fall.

All of this had played out in minutes in my mind, but it was surely a few seconds. Just like the seconds that followed after the shocking shift that resulted in my eyes returning to where the woman had been trapped against the ice.

The very spot that I caught a glimpse of the most dazzling, prism-colored aura I’d ever seen.

Auras represented an individual’s magic properties. The bigger the aura, the more energized the person was. The more colors within an aura, the more powerful and talented the mage was.

I’d only seen prism auras in one person.

Myself.

Only my parents knew of my Infinite Mageri Mage status. We’d decided to keep it among ourselves. My parents’ status was enough to give me a smooth-sailing position into the very organization they worked for.

I’d been trained since I was three to start my path down this mage investigator lifestyle, following my parent’s footsteps and the list of instructions, plans, and training I had to endure because of their high expectations.

I was rewarded with knowledge and money, and instead of wasting the dollars I got on toys, candy, and other childish things, I learned how to invest.

After a good ten years, starting my investing adventure at the age of eight, I was one of the richest stockholders in Dubai and the wealthiest among my investigator comrades.

The level of enviousness I’d endured had only given me thick skin, making me into a cold bastard, as some would like to deem me. But the rejection of many only made me stronger, and it was one of the reasons why I could read auras both with my eyes open and my eyes closed.

Including auras that were masked by their owners.

Seeing this person’s impending doom suddenly made my heart sink like I’d just lost a battle. My gut told me that the person that had to be beneath the sheet of thick ice was the woman who had run off to investigate the cloud.

Willa Silvers.

The spears of ice collided with their target, right before the triggering of Officer Silvers and Officer Rolex’s trap had gone into full swing. I couldn’t pay attention to the silver cages that eliminated their possible chance of escaping internal captivity, my eyes glued to the shattering ice while blood began to taint the water below and that prism aura began to dissipate at a rapid pace.

My body jolted forward before anyone could react, and the cry of that woman’s name came unexpectedly from Officer Rogers.

“WILLA!”

Walls of ice burst up into my path, an attempt to slow us down from attempting to save the woman in question, who was surely beginning to fade away with such a big wound.

I was one step ahead, my magic rushing to my internal call and summoning the guns that were loaded with flaming ammo. Raising both of them to the approaching wall, I pulled the trigger and watched the tiny ember bullets strike through the wall and shatter it completely.

Another tried to take its place, but I forced my body to move double the speed, rushing through before the next pillars of ice rose up even higher, their thickness enough to slow the others down.

I shot more bullets at the approaching pool. They were hot enough to make the sheet of ice crack and shatter at the banging impacts.

My weapons faded the next second, just as I pulled off my shirt and pushed off the ground to dive right into the frigid waters to retrieve my supposed partner.

I must be starting my role earlier than promised, not like it mattered if she perished. Swimming through the red waters, I realized she was already at the very bottom of the pool floor, her eyes open and dulling of life while her blood continued to drift upward from her wounds.

My rational thinking had to fight my urge to fear what was approaching. To acknowledge the growing probability that she was going to perish before I could do a damn thing.

I wouldn’t let the panic get to me, because if it did, rationality would be lost, and I’d be risking both of us if my magic started running out of that pulsating power.

When I reached her, I couldn’t figure out what to do first, but the idea of thinking this through was replaced with a storm of fortitude that overtook my mindset and jolted me right into action.

I looked down at her with worry, but my instincts wouldn’t dare let me fuck up an opportunity like this to save her. Without thinking, I did what my magic requested of me; my lips crushed against hers.

As if the kiss had triggered the past images from my apparent confrontation, there was that lingering moment where we stood facing one another in the middle of the air.

Blazing teal wings of fury with their divine golden traits with a hint of black feathers that hid behind the quivering energy.

I couldn’t recall our confrontation to a T, but I’d felt how much strength oozed off of her, enough to make me feel like she was a worthy rival. It made little sense to me, but I allowed myself to surrender to my magic’s whim, and it resulted in something unexpected.

As if I’d become an endless void myself, I inhaled through my mouth, like a vacuum trying to suck up the water that had filled her body moments earlier.

The water didn’t even go down my throat, somehow escaping through a spiraling force within my mouth as I continued to draw out the excess water while I continued repeating my mental intention to keep her body’s essential fluids intact.

When I knew I’d gotten every bit of it, I pushed away but stayed close, already seeing the growing hopelessness in her blue eyes that were far duller in comparison to our prior confrontation.

Radiant glass balls of teal blue that was fading to a pale greenish color by the second.

I was afraid she’d give up before we had a chance to reach the surface, and all I could do was put my hands against her cheeks and mentally scream for her survival.

“Fight! Don’t you give up on me, Silvers.”

The fact that I suddenly wanted to save her from the shackles of death left me in a cloud of mental bewilderment, but there was no time to ask questions as that jolt or drive flickered in her eyes, giving me enough confidence to aid her towards the surface.

The wound in her chest and hip were what would be the next things to attend to that were life-risking, but the essential worry was getting out of these frigid waters before we both died from hypothermia.

Before we hit the surface, I let out a jolt of magic through me, the force enough to send us shooting out of the waters, levitating momentarily to ensure nothing would suddenly attack us.

Willa was in my arms, her eyes that were barely open looking up at the light, and I noticed how they began to shift to light gold. The sight was followed with them coming to a close, and I once again reacted out of instinct, sending a sentence of encouragement to her.

“Live, Willa. We didn’t awaken to lose you before the battle has begun.”

The single word “awaken” spoke to my very being, but I couldn’t recall what this awakening was or what it entailed.

That didn’t matter now as I lowered quickly to the solid ground, a second before my knees buckled. The sudden wave of exhaustion that hit me was only a reminder of the long journey I’d had to deal with before arriving here in Chicago.

The “little” confrontation that left me exhausted on the plane ride here.

Even with my fall, I’d made sure Willa was secure in my arms, laying her down quickly before I fought to grasp some air of my own.

My reaction time had been perfect because Willa was still breathing, her chest moving up and down at a fast pace, but with the blood that seeped around my knees and the floor before me, it wouldn’t be long until she was slipping into death’s row once more.

“Willa!” There was Officer Rogers’s voice again, and he was opposite me in seconds while his eyes quickly assessed the damage. “Shit! She’s lost so much blood.”

“Can you heal her?” I questioned. “Or at least heal that main wound?”

“On it,” he declared, which was a relief because I didn’t want to deal with those squeamish, panicky-type of partners that asked twenty-one questions while their partner was dying.

I needed a few more breaths, and I noticed the arrival of both Willa’s parents and Officer Rolex. It was obvious that Amy Silvers was a mess of emotions, fighting the tears that were already rolling down her flushed cheeks as the little trickles of energy left around her were sporadically trying to figure out a way to assist her dying child.

I had no clue whether Willa was close to her parents or not, but it was apparent that her mother truly loved her somewhere within. I’d heard she was really cold-hearted, or at least lacked emotion, from what the reports had stated when I did a background check, but she was proving those wrong – she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown.

Her father, on the other hand, was trying to make sure the cages that held the two culprits remained in their barricades long enough for the rest of the authorities to rush up here.

Officer Rolex moved to lower to the ground just a foot above where Willa’s head rested, outstretching his arms as he began to chant various words that had no relation to one another but somehow created a mantra of sorts.

It began to work on stabilizing her dropping vital signs, which gave me a sense of comfort, even though I barely knew this woman.

I could tell without a doubt that she’d magically recover due to her infinite status, but if her physical body failed, it wouldn’t matter how powerful she was.

“I need a little help,” Officer Rogers declared. “Those spears weren’t ordinary. They’re sending multiple shards of glass through her body and attempting to freeze her from the inside out. Her magic is attempting to fight it but is struggling.”

I decided to step up to the plate, knowing her parents were probably exhausted or too worried to participate.

“I’ll work on it. Keep healing her. If we can stabilize her enough, we can rush her back to headquarters to the medical center,” I instructed, my mind still on survival mode.

He merely nodded, returning his focus to the problem at hand. I clapped my hands together, closing my eyes once more and specifically focusing on her body.

It didn’t take long before I saw what he was talking about, and I couldn’t help but open my eyes and glare at the very culprit caged in the magical barricades. There were two options I could take, and the longer I stared at this tall, bulky man covered in tattoos, cuts, and a nasty gash on his forehead, the stronger the desire was to kill him.

Might as well have some fun.

Rising up, I walked over to the cage - drawing the attention of Officer Rogers, who spoke up. “What are you doing?”

“Keep healing her and mind your own business,” I huffed in irritation.

One of my pet peeves was when people asked stupid shit, especially when I was busy. The bulky man stared at me questioningly, before he grinned like the ball was in his corner in this new ordeal.

“Coming here to tell me to save your girlfriend?”

I couldn’t stop myself from frowning at his automatic assumption that I was in some sort of relationship with this woman.

“Reverse it.”

“Or what?” he questioned. “Gonna let me out?”

“I’m not the boss of what holds you. Can’t go letting you free when you decided to attack innocent people.”

“You of all people know she’s not in the least innocent.” His voice dropped to an all-time low. “You’re not so innocent yourself.”

I took a step closer, my hands already chilling in my pockets as the tingling of my rebellious strains of magic were waiting to pounce on this idiot.

“What are you after?”

“You know damn well what I’m after. Or at least, the part of you that resonates deep within. You wouldn’t have been here otherwise.” His eyes narrowed as he added, “You saw the smoke, didn’t you?”

“I don’t have time for your silly games,” I announced. “Undo it or I’ll undo you.”

“You think I’m afrai-”

“Officer Silvestri!” It was Officer Rogers yet again, leaving me no choice but to look over my shoulder and notice Willa was beginning to struggle. You didn’t have to be close to see her short breaths, pale skin, and declining aura. The culprit was the spreading ice that was working double-time to freeze her organs.

I returned my gaze to the man in question. His smug look was followed with, “I should be the one giving demands, or that girl is done for.”

“First of all, she’s a woman.” I pulled my hands from my pockets, the energy vibrating through me ready to wreak havoc on this man in the best possible way. “Second of all, I don’t take orders from any fool.”

His scream suddenly echoed around us, and I grinned when he hugged himself as tiny shards of blades poked out of his skin from the inside out.

“What were you saying?” I inquired. “I almost thought you were assuming some type of advantage in this predicament?”

His blazing green eyes met my red ones, and I made sure to reflect my utmost joy.

“The person you should be taking orders from is me,” I protested. “Now stop the freezing, or I’ll just have to make you.”

He knew that I wasn’t joking with my statement, and with a tsk, he struggled to lift his arm and snap his fingers. I waited a few seconds before removing my gaze to see the results of his undoing snap.

The frost that had fought to cloak Willa’s heart suddenly stalled before it could complete its mission. The sight didn’t give me the enlightenment I would have desired to experience, instead leaving me more bothered.

Raising my left hand, I closed my eyes, envisioning a wave of heat wrapping around her beating heart and all other areas that were on the brink of frigid solidification.

Heal what has been frozen, mend what was once broken. Bring ease to the sweet innocence, and life through her body. Flare na za ru.

Spells like this were a hindrance because they had to be extremely small to ensure the delicate organs remained intact. However, they carried a heightened power that when unleashed could leave some major damage behind.

Officer Rogers paused in his healing, just like Officer Rolex, who watched in amazement as Willa’s body began to glow with golden warmth. Her body levitated slightly in the air. The ice that had fought to take over was melting and sliding out of her open wounds like oil against water.

When every bit of the foreign droplets escaped, I increased the flow of vitality just a smidge, enough to escalate the rate of healing. Like my magic had triggered hers, I watched in amazement at the chain reaction I’d just ignited, her own power working with mine to heal her at triple the pace of what Officer Rogers could have done.

We all seemed to watch in amazement and silence. The deep, big wound was gone, leaving the tiniest scar along her chest, while the gunshot wound had completely healed.

I had to fight the urge to sit down, ignoring just how drained - and sick - I felt for the sake of my pride. With my bossy, cold attitude, I wasn’t going to reveal how draining that move was, but now the satisfaction I’d been waiting to experience flooded through me.

Why do I feel so good about healing her? She’s not anyone I care about.

“You think you’re gonna get away with this?”

My attention returned to the threatening man as he walked up to the cage and wrapped his hands around the charged bars. He clearly didn’t care about the chance of being electrified if Officer Silvers or Officer Rolex ordered it.

“I know what you are,” he snarled.

All I could do was shrug. “I know I’m an Infinite Mage of M.E.I.D. Dubai division. Any other secrets?” I dryly announced, not seeing his point.

“You’re foolish.”

“Foolish for knowing my own potential, or foolish for not killing you here and now?” I inquired. This guy was really testing my patience, but I could care less about him.

He’ll be executed before he can try to get bailed.

“Our master has activated the daggers. You can’t hide from your fate. You, or that precious girlfriend of yours.”

“I don’t know her.” I figured it was about time to correct him, but all it did was make his heinous grin widen.

“Two forged by the same metalsmith. Two souls destined to unlock secrets and decide whether this world rises or falls. Act incompetent for all I care, my time here has already come to a standstill.”

His words made me uneasy, my magic feeling the same growing tension as the man’s smile grew so wide his disgusting, discolored teeth were on display.

“We may have failed, but this is only the beginning. Hide and play all you want, but your time will come, and when it does, I hope you’ve enjoyed the freedom you toss around like it’s a right.” He began to chuckle and shake his head. “You’ll see what privilege you carry, but by then, the end of this world will already be near. An act endorsed by your very blade.”

He was making no sense to me, but my instincts kicked in as I pushed off the ground and landed a few steps away from the others.

“He’s gonna self-destruct!” I declared, and without a single thought, scooped Willa off the ground and headed to the door.

Swift footsteps followed me, and when I swirled around, the doors came to a slamming close as Officer Silvers shouted, “SEAL GANDA RE RU!”

His spell of protection was in the nick of time because the explosion that followed shook the entire building but didn’t get past the doors.

We all remained still, waiting for some sort of counterattack, but when nothing happened, Officer Rolex glanced my way.

“Head to the medical center first. Officer Rogers go with-”

“I can go on my own,” I cut him off. “You’re going to need more witnesses of what occurred to explain to the head chief.”

Officer Rolex may have been the head of Chicago’s department, but Officer Chief Roland was the top dog of all four institutions and was the reason we all got paid.

He’s also the first one to attend major crime scenes like this for the sake of press conferences.

Officer Rogers looked like he was going to oppose, but Officer Rolex nodded. “Fine. Officer Rogers, begin healing Officer Silvers. We’re going to need her detailed description of what went on here. Seeing as all five of our culprits are dead, we’re going to have to follow whatever trail they left.”

He looked back at me. “Officer Silvestri. Make sure you get treated as well. What you did back there could put you out for weeks.”

My obvious dislike of his order made him add, “I know Dubai headquarters works differently, but over here, we ensure our investigators remain in top shape while on duty. Get healed and rest. If Willa wakes before we arrive back, make sure she stays put. Your new mission starts immediately, once I explain the details. Understood?”

“Understood, sir.” With an added nod, I looked at Officer Rogers, noticing his worried gaze that lingered on Willa.

Annoying.

Seeing his worry only gave me a burst of motivation to leave. Turning around, I took three steps before my body was rushing through a spiraling portal of silver, gold, and blue.

Unnecessary waste of energy to portal back to where I should have been an hour ago, but the faster I got out of there, the higher the chances of Willa making a speedy recovery.

Why are we even using her first name? Oh right, three Silvers on duty. Confusing as hell.

The idea of working alongside your parents in a room reminded me of the few assignments I’d done with my parents. An extra pain in the butt if you asked me, but it did give me good experience.

In this case, I knew that this whole occurrence was random, and the fact Willa’s mother struggled with the opposing enemy told me they weren’t tiny fish in the sea.

Why would they target Willa, then? Ugh, what even happened that caused me to go from running out of the Uber to landing here? Something happened in between…but what?

The thought only reminded me of how winded I felt, and as I walked out from the portal and onto the alley street just beside the office gates, I had to step back and rest against the brick wall to breathe.

“Fuck.”

My breaths were fast and heavy, my eyes growing weak as I tried not to pass out. The strain of everything was finally settling into my body and was going to be a pain if I didn’t get some rest.

If this was Dubai, all I’d need to do was walk into our charging pods, and within five minutes, I was brand new; physically rejuvenated, mentally relaxed, and emotionally stable. The last part was a blessing with my constant ‘anger tantrums’, as my mother like to call them.

She wouldn’t accept that her son wasn’t some sweet little boy who smiled and loved life.

Quite the opposite, but hey. She could continue dreaming. I got that from Dad, after all. Don’t see her forcing him to smile and shit.

My eyes lowered to check on Willa, her complexion finally getting some color back. It was clear that she was naturally on the paler side, but at least she didn’t look like she was becoming best friends with the Angel of Death.

Her exhaustion was still apparent in her expression as she slept, but from her strong heartbeat, I knew she would recover faster than one would think.

The idea of her being my newfound partner on whatever mission we were about to embark on gave me a mixed sense of satisfaction and uncertainty.

I didn’t do partners.

Aside from my parents, who were a dangerous duo already, my participation was only the icing on the cake to get rid of our enemies and come back with a solid victory.

Other than that, there is no need for added casualties.

Yet, this woman had already proven the dangerous strength within her before we’d even started this challenge.

Why does that excite me?

With a shake of my head, I shoved my messed-up feelings aside.

I need a drink…or a smoke…or a fucking nap.

Whatever would distract me from this sense of awakening.

Or the fascinating woman in my arms.

M.E.I.D. MISSION - FOUR ANCIENT DAGGERS

~WILLA~

“FULL RECOVERY, Officer Silvers. You have to start counting your blessings after that chaotic mayhem.”

I stared at the nurse, trying to distract myself from the grumpy male sitting in the top right corner of the private medical room.

Where he came from was beyond me, but the moment I woke up, I had to take a long moment and pray out loud that I hadn’t been cloned.

From the only moment I got to see him stand, I knew he was 6′0″ or at least an inch taller than Adam’s height. He had short, silver hair that looked strikingly similar to mine, which made him look more like my damn sibling than a stranger.

Bright blue eyes that glittered like teal jewels…like mine!

The nurse thought my parents had been hiding a second prodigy or something, and that was why he was now a grumpy butt sitting with his arms crossed next to the window and ignoring mine and the nurse’s existence.

Maybe my parents hired me a security guard again.

There was one point in my life when my parents thought I’d avoid the hard troubles of being their only child, the risks of sometimes being targeted for stupid stuff like money ransom.

Turns out the bodyguard ended up working for someone else and had to endure the tough luck of dealing with me as I kicked his ass and left him tied upside down off the roof for the entire night until the police were called with an accusation of a failed robbery.

That was a funny story to talk about over family dinner.

“Thanks,” I finally answered. “Any word on when I’ll get to leave?”

“Officer Rolex will be coming over here. He called to inform me that Officer Rogers will arrive first, before his and your parents’ arrival,” she replied. “Just rest up. You’re still a little dehydrated and should rest.”

I merely nodded in reply, my mind already thinking of the best way to get out of this place. I was one of those weird people that hated being watched constantly, and hospitals were no different than mental institutions when it came to checking in on you like a hawk.

If I was officially fine, they would have released me already.

“Cool.” I gave her a fake smile, praying to the heavens she’d leave already. It was like she was lingering around on purpose so she could eye the mysterious stranger in the corner. “You can go now.”

“Ah.” She noticed how my questioning eyes were observing her carefully, catching her in the midst of what felt like her twentieth look to the corner. “I should stick around and finish my assessment.”

“Not necessary.” My voice dipped a bit, enough to make the stranger glance my way. “I know enough about this place to conclude that there are other patients in greater need that require your attention. Checking out the elephant in the room isn’t one of them.”

She blushed at my last comment and nervously laughed. “Ah, I just remembered I have to record some results in the computer database. I’ll come back before Officer Rolex arrives to give a final update,” she declared.

“No need, but whatever rocks your boat.”

My eyes were still locked on the stranger’s blue ones. The trickling eeriness of our similarities was really starting to freak me out.

I should question my parents about whether I have a twin brother. That would be so weird. He’s actually good-looking. Please, Heavens. Don’t let this man be my brother! Not like we’ll ever see each other after this, but, ugh!

She gave another nervous smile before she took one last glance in the man’s direction and shuffled her way out.

The moment the door closed, I rolled my eyes and allowed my magic to lock the door shut while a gust of wind hit the fabric curtains and whirled them out so there wouldn’t be a chance of seeing me or Mr. Stranger.

Good riddance.

“Jealous?”

My eyes moved back to the culprit of the nurse’s clear distraction and I had to get my curiosity out of the way.

“Who are you, why are you here, and please don’t tell me we’re related in any way, shape, or form because I’m better looking than you.”

The last part of my comment threw him off, enough for it to show on his face as he blinked his eyes in pure confusion.

Then he frowned deeply, like I’d insulted him.

“I’m the guy who saved your dying self from the bottom of the pool. I’m here by force, not by choice, and no way in hell are we related. You’re ugly.”

Well, that’s a relief…with a pinch of attitude.

“Why do you have blue eyes?” I ignored his icy tone to address the shift in eye color, remembering how he had red eyes previously.

The man I saw before…and kissed. He did kiss me to save my life.

He blinked again, looking annoyed with my question before he finally answered, “My eye color originally is blue. I wear red contacts for shits and giggles.”

“Great,” I groaned. “Please tell me you’re a security guard who’s ready to ditch protecting me, because we look far too similar for anything else.”

“I’m not a security guard,” he muttered in dissatisfaction.

“Then?” I pressed. “Why are you still here?”

I moved the white blanket to sit up and glared at the clear path that attached me to the damn IV.

Time to pop this thing out and go home.

“What are you doing?” he inquired.

“Going home,” I concluded. “I didn’t sign up to work overtime today after kicking a bunch of drug lord assholes last night, which ended with me almost naked after burning my clothes off and doing the walk of shame home for my rejuvenation bath to be interrupted by that silly puff of smoke in the sky, which led to getting jumped by five douche killers who tried to murder my mom.”

I needed a moment to breathe after rambling all of that in a solid sentence. “And now I’m hooked up to this damn IV pole. By the way, I hate IVs, and hospital rooms, and the smell of sterile death. If you’re no one of significant importance, I’m heading home and crashing there instead of dealing with googly-eyed nurses that can’t keep their eyes off you, when they should be paying attention to their damn patients.”

I got out of the bed, ready to rip my IV and walk straight into a portal that would lead straight to my bedroom. My magic was already on the making a portal part, but my body failed me miserably as I did a solid blink and was about to fall to my doom.

Arms caught me, but the sudden touch made my magic go into overdrive.

Enough to teleport both of us into my room and onto my bed, of all places.

My eyes shot open, only to see the man in question hovering just above me. My heart pounded against my chest, the sizzling tension between us on a level of static high that I’d never experienced with anyone.

Not even Adam made my body react like I’d never seen a man in my life.

His eyes opened up to look down at me, and all I could do was stare back and watch those blue eyes begin to register the position we were in.

What intrigued me was how his right eye suddenly began to shift in color.

Gold? What the hell? Wasn’t my left eye turning gold before? That’s what Adam said.

His face began to turn red, starting from his cheeks before spreading through his entire face. He was up and in the corner of my room in a blink.

“Did you seriously just teleport us out of the hospital-” he paused to look around the room, “and into your room?”

“Affirmative,” I calmly replied, trying to hide how warm I suddenly felt as I glanced over to see that the IV pole had managed to come along for the ride. “Damn IV pole.”

I was going to tug the damn thing out, but a hand stopped me at the last second, leaving me no choice but to look up at the culprit.

“How’d you get back here so quickly, and why are you stopping me?”

“You know how much blood you lost?” he countered. “You’re lucky that’s sodium chloride and not a blood transfusion.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“Says the girl who almost passed out without realizing it,” he huffed and forced my arm away from the IV site. “Stop being a pain in the ass and stay in bed.”

“Hmph.” I finally relaxed, realizing I was pretty comfortable in my actual bed. “I’m only complying because I’m comfortable.”

He merely looked at me with a glare before he took a more observant look around my room.

I had to be proud of myself for actually cleaning it the other day. I patted myself on the back for throwing my lingerie into the hamper and not on the floor like I normally did.

Thank you, instincts.

My room was pretty classy-looking, with more works of art that matched the teal-gold theme I’d been going for. Why those two colors blend well with me was beyond my comprehension, and the added accents of silver and white only made those two colors pop even more.

Overall, it was clean and looked like an advertisement for IKEA or something rather than where I normally slept - or crashed hard on the floor - after a long day - or night - of booty-kicking work.

“You don’t give me the extremely neat vibe,” he quietly commented.

“If that apparent compliment was for yourself to hear alone, I’ll just remind you that you spoke your internal thoughts out loud.”

His annoyed look only amused me, making me grin as I relaxed against my mountain of pillows. At least I was wearing a new set of clothes.

Fuzzy pajamas.

It was the common attire the medical center gave from September through March, instead of nasty hospital gowns that displayed your butt to every living being in the facility.

The hot summer months were when we got shorts and tops to give us a bit of dignity after getting knocked out after an intense case.

It’s clear that I’ve had a good share of rough-ups, and I’m only eighteen.

“So…” I took a long look at him, only now clicking onto the uniform he wore that was very similar to our official investigator attire.

Except his uniform is far more…luxurious-looking? Damn, is he wearing leather? That doesn’t look like the cheap kind either. Is our branch getting an upgrade on our uniform?

“You were getting mad at the nurse and yet here you are forgetting to finish sentences,” he muttered.

“Actually,” I began before a yawn escaped me. “I want your uniform.”

“You want me to strip for you?” Now he was questioning my morals with his questioning eyes.

“As horrifying as that would be, the answer is no,” I declared. “I want a female uniform from wherever you got that from. Please tell me we’re getting a uniform like that?”

“You can’t get this type of uniforms,” he answered dryly. “They’re specifically for the Dubai department.”

“Boo.” I pouted my lips and gave a moment of silence to my poor body that would have to return to our easily-torn-up set of clothing I’d been replacing on the regular.

Officer Rolex was so annoyed with my requests that I got replacements sent to me on a monthly basis.

Looks like I’ll need an extra replacement, seeing as this month only started. He’s gonna be so mad.

“Hold up.” His statement finally registered in my head. “Did you just say Dubai department?”

His nod prompted me to sit further up, the action rewarding me with a wave of dizziness. He was at the side of my bed and steadying me by the time the spinning stopped.

“Do you have an issue staying still?”

“I actually do,” I admitted. “But to be fair, anything from Dubai deserves my utmost attention. That’s the land of money, which is amazing since they were just a sandy oasis two decades ago.”

“I’m glad you respect our country’s growth,” he commented and forced me to lay back against my pillows. “Now stay still for goodness sake. I’m already going to be accused of kidnapping you and bringing you back home when it’s quite the opposite.”

“Kidnapping.” I thought about it. “Not a bad alibi. I could blame you and then see if Officer Rolex will get us new uniforms.”

He just stared at me, and I followed up with, “Do you know how many times I have to replace my uniform a month? September just started and I almost died after a night of almost dying. My uniform for September was burned last night and my replacement uniform is probably in the trash back at the medical facility. Therefore, I don’t have a uniform that can last for whatever case Officer Rolex wants to assign me to, and he always complains and gives an hour-long lecture when I bring up needing a spare uniform.”

He continued to stare at me for a solid minute as if he was processing my long, comprehensive explanation.

“Your uniform isn’t fire, water, and tear-proof?”

I gawked at him.

“That’s a no,” he concluded and pinched his nose. “Will you at least keep quiet and not try to escape your bed if I actually get you one?”

“Would you actually get me one?!” I practically shrieked.

You know you’re committed to the investigator’s life when you get excited over a new leather, life-proof uniform.

“You’re acting as if I proposed to you,” he declared with a sigh, but followed up with, “Only if you actually follow my orders to stay put and not exert yourself. I didn’t sign up to leave the joys of Dubai to come here and be partnered up with a stubborn woman.”

Partner?

“Hold on. Y-You’re going to be my what?”

“Partner.”

“As in romantic partner? Because I know my parents are annoyed with my breaking up with Adam and all, but this type of payback with an arranged marriage is a little heartbreaking,” I whined. “Aside from your rotten attitude, at least my magic somewhat likes you. You’d be tolerable, but I doubt you’d handle my level of crazy.”

Yet again, I’d left him speechless as he stared at me for a few more seconds.

“Officer William Silvestri,” he introduced.

Oops. Guess he’s not a potential love partner.

“And you used to date Officer Rogers?”

“Intriguingly enough, yes,” I replied. “Do I have to sign a dotted line for the uniform ownership?”

“No,” he replied. “I could get that to you by tomorrow if I truly wanted to.”

The news made me smile in delight, and there was that hopeless look of his. “I can’t believe you’re getting happy over a uniform.” He sighed. “And now I can see why Rogers was looking at you like he was about to lose his wife in the line of duty.”

“Say what now?” I inquired.

“How much do you remember aside from dying?”

“Bits and pieces,” I replied. “You kissed me, by the way.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Why?”

“Ask my magic.” He shrugged. “I act on instinct not on common sense in the battlefield. I’m sure you do the same, Infinite Mage.”

“How…did you know that?” I inquired.

“Aura,” he calmly answered.

“If you’re referring to my aura, aren’t you also one then?” I tested. I’d noticed before my consciousness registered where I was that there was a wondrous prism of light in the corner of the room.

It hadn’t registered that the aura was his, but now that I was trying to see it, he’d clearly shut it off completely.

“Could be.” He shrugged. “What do you think?”

“Not sure,” I admitted. “Your aura was pretty to look at when I was waking up from whatever I was dreaming about. Now back to Adam. How do you even know him?”

“I don’t.” He noticed the white vanity stool I sat on to do my makeup.

“You can sit,” I offered, realizing that after whatever happened when I lost consciousness could have drained him as well. “Don’t leave your cooties on it.”

He didn’t comment, but I swore he smiled just a little as he pulled it out and sat down. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared back at me as if waiting for me to bring up a new topic to discuss.

Might as well introduce myself.

“Officer Willa Silvers,” I announced. “Private investigator for the young adult department of M.E.I.D. Chicago Distri-Oh wow. Are our names similar?!” The thought caught me off guard, leaving William to sigh in defeat.

“Can you stay focused on one thing long enough, please?”

“If you can’t endure me bouncing from topic to topic, you might as well resign now before I can walk with my two feet,” I warned him. “I’m also a little clumsy and have a tendency to lose my clothes in mysterious ways, but apparently, it’s been scientifically proven that Willas, in general, struggle with keeping fabric against our luscious bodies. These are actual facts. You can google it.”

Poor guy was going to be left shocked by my words on multiple occasions if all my comments stunned him into silence.

“If we’re actually partners, you’re not going to survive.”

“In the field, I will,” he began. “As for my sanity, I’m not sure.”

“Marvelous.” I grinned. “You’ll fit right in.”

“How are you feeling?” He decided to be the one to change the subject.

“Less dead,” I admitted. “Is my mom okay?”

“Safe with only a few scratches and bruises from the mini text I got from Officer Rolex,” he revealed. “She would have been in worse condition if it wasn’t for you. Maybe even dead.”

I sighed in relief. “Maybe I’ll be rewarded with a family dinner or something,” I concluded.

“You make it seem like a family dinner is hard to come by.”

“It is when your parents are two of the top agents in the world.”

“Funny,” he replied. “Mine are included in that top category.”

“Huh?” I had to recall his name again.

William Silvestri…Silvestri…oh snap! THE OFFICER SILVESTRI DUO?!

My silence that was followed with my mouth dropping open made him smirk as he bobbed his head.

“Top two in Dubai and within the top five globally,” he acknowledged. “You’re right. We’re a little too similar. It’s freaky.”

“Now you understand,” I emphasized. “Don’t both your parents’ names start with A?”

“Amanda and Andy.”

“Amy and Andrew.”

We both stared at one another before stating, “Weird.”

The door opened, and the two of us glanced over to see Adam, Officer Rolex, and my parents stroll into my room.

“Well, welcome to my personal space,” I began. “I swear I didn’t invite any of you, but please, feel at home,”

My parents gave me a disapproving look, while Adam pouted his lips.

“Then why is he here?” he inquired.

“Oh.” I looked back at William. His grimace was back and deeper than ever before.

Yup. He totally dislikes Adam.

“He’s allowed. I almost died from my clumsiness and he attempted to save me even if he hates my guts.”

“Your assumptions are valid,” he muttered.

“So there’s a logical reason why we entered an empty hospital room with a screaming nurse?” Officer Rolex questioned, looking just as upset as my parents.

“Oh please,” I began. “The nurse that was more focused on checking William out than attending to my dehydrated ass? I could have died, and her eyes would have continued their quest in trying to unravel every piece of clothing on him.”

I pointed to William, noticing his eyebrow raise as I looked back to Officer Rolex. “And before you go on lecturing me about how I destroyed my replacement uniform after the one I was designated to use for September was burned prior to the one that’s in the hospital trash can or in custody for evidence, why can’t we have uniforms like Dubai’s?!”

The four of them just stared at me, and I groaned.

“Always rendered silent. Why can’t my enemies be silenced with my words? Hmph. Hey, why are you guys here, anyway?”

“Figured the chances of you staying in one place was slim to none, so I told Boss that we should come to the apartment,” Adam replied.

“At least you know me well enough,” I commented. “Can I take this out now?” I lifted my arm for added emphasis on the IV.

“No,” everyone replied.

“Rude,” I muttered.

“How are you holding up?” Adam walked over to the other side of my bed.

“Feel pretty good aside from the random dizziness.” I shrugged. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

Looking at my parents, I gave them both a good up and down look. “Both alive. Cool. Do I get a reward for being a good child?”

They both looked relieved with my talkative nature, but Father replied with, “Or you can explain why you ditched the field to run to a place that was closed off for our investigation only?”

“Hold that thought,” I requested and pointed to William. “Do I have an unknown brother?”

The two of them looked at William, watching his blank expression before they looked back at me.

“Didn’t I tell Amanda that this would happen if there was even a slight chance of them meeting?” she directed to my Dad, who sighed. “Andrew warned me that Will would potentially be coming to the US but didn’t think it was work-related.”

“So we’re related!”

“No.” They both shot me down. “You’re an only child.”

“Boo.” I sighed.

“You make it sound as if you want him as a sibling,” Adam noted.

“If that meant I could bully him, ya.” I honestly replied.

“Your thought process amazes me.” William sighed. “Back to the previous thought.”

“What was that again?”

“Why you ditched me and Officer Rogers to go play hero!” Officer Rolex butted into the conversation.

“Right, right.” I had my light bulb moment and looked back to my parents. “It all started with me-”

“Minding your own business,” the four of them declared.

I paused my sentence and frowned, which actually made William chuckle and drew all of our attention to him.

“You say that often?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “I feel hurt with it being used against me.”

“Tough times.”

“Can you laugh again?”

“Why?”

“I feel like it’s a rare occurrence, like a shiny Pokémon coming out from the fields. I wanna record it for evidence that you’re capable of laughter.”

“Why do you say it as though you’ve known me for longer than twenty-four hours?”

“Intuition,” I said with pride. “You learn to follow it in the field, remember?”

“Officer Rolex?” William caught his attention. “Can I go home?”

“You haven’t even lasted with me for one mission,” I whined. “Also, you can’t leave until I get a uniform.”

He sighed and pulled his phone out.

“Address.”

“555 Smoky Street Avenue, Apartment 111,” I began, and Adam interrupted. “Why are you actually giving him our address?”

“Because I want that uniform.” I looked at him like he’d just accused me of stealing. “Can you not see the high-quality leather? I’d actually survive a month with a uniform! Maybe even two!”

“You two live with one another?” he inquired, his fingers still tapping against the screen of his phone.

“Yes,” Adam and I replied.

“Hmph.” There was that pissed-off look, but he tapped his phone like he’d finalized a deal then slipped it back into his pocket and rose up. “It’ll arrive tomorrow morning.”

“Yes!”

“And I’m going home.”

“Why?!” I gasped. “We just met!”

“Good,” Adam huffed. “See, Officer Rolex? I told you Willa can’t survive with a partner other than me.”

“If you’re going to make it into a challenge,” William began, “I actually would have tolerated her just to prove you wrong.”

“Aww.” I clapped. “So romantic.”

They all looked at me, and I shrugged. “What?”

“Did she hit her head while fighting?” Adam questioned my mom.

“No.” Mother shook her head. “That’s our daughter for you.”

“I feel offended by your acceptance of my exquisite qualities,” I noted.

“Bye.” William began to head to the door, but Officer Rolex stepped in the way, blocking the exit.

“Stand down, Officer Silvestri,” he declared. “You’re not going anywhere. The mission still stands, and has been ranked of highest priority.”

“Huh?” William and I replied.

“Wait, what?” Adam added. “What do you mean it’s the highest priority? You’re making it seem like this something as important as a terrorist attack.”

“It’s worse than that.” Officer Rolex’s voice dropped, and I felt the tension in the room grow like a bomb was about to be dropped upon us. “What just occurred is only the beginning of a world calamity if we don’t get started on locating the key pieces those men were after.”

“Key pieces?” I inquired. “What are you referring to?”

Officer Rolex closed my door, as if it would have done much in sealing in our words. A glance to my parents told me they wanted the room to be fool-proof - in other words, secured from any information leaks.

Our apartment was soundproofed, but it wouldn’t stop anyone strong enough to peak through magically unless guarded.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and concentrated.

“Conceal the presence within this room and let the words bounce off the walls within, to be kept for our ears alone. I grant this protection as this is my space of rest and serenity.” I had to pause, trying not to feel stick to my stomach. “Walanda barrienda sounda perana ru.”

The walls of protection took over, granting my wish. If this wasn’t my actual room, any of them could have put up the barrier walls, but personal space required the owner to solidify the request or it could easily be tampered with.

I had to take a few moments to calm my breathing, and I felt a hand give me support against my right shoulder.

Finally feeling a tad better, I opened my eyes to see it was William who was keeping me from slouching over to one side. He didn’t say anything, his eyes scanning mine for a long moment. There were no words exchanged, but for a split second, I felt a tiny boost of energy flowing into me.

Then it was gone as William removed his hand.

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to have this discussion now?” Mother intervened, her worry no longer cloaked in the slightest as she looked at me.

“I’m fine, Mom,” I reassured her. “Was just a bit winded from the spell. Those are hard to do after a long night and day of fighting bad guys.”

She didn’t look completely convinced but she nodded, as did Father, but Adam didn’t hide his worry from his expression. I had to ignore it, for now, knowing damn well that if Officer Rolex was concerned about something, it could kill thousands, if not millions.

“Let’s hear it then,” I encouraged Officer Rolex to continue.

He turned his main attention to William and me.

“We were informed two weeks ago that there was a potential raid of four ancient underground tombs that are spread across the world,” he revealed. “Precautions were put into action, but after a week and a half, it was determined that the reported hint was just a hoax. We lowered our defenses back to their usual numbers last night, and those very sights were attacked.”

“Were the ancient items within those protected lands stolen?” William questioned.

“No,” Officer Rolex replied.

“Then what’s the problem?” William inquired. “If they remain in their apparent tombs or sacred spaces, what’s the big deal?”

“That’s the problem,” he commented. “They’re not there.”

“I thought you just said they weren’t stolen,” I acknowledged. “How are they not there?”

“Not stolen,” Adam repeated. “Are you trying to imply that they disappeared?”

“That’s exactly what I’m implying,” Officer Rolex emphasized. “Meaning, the ambush attacks triggered their activation.”

“Activation?” I questioned. “You’re making it seem like these are weapons of mass destruction or something.”

Something seemed to flash in my father’s eyes. I noticed their wide appearance as they darted to Officer Rolex.

“You’re not implying the four sets of daggers were triggered into activation, are you?!”

His question had myself, Adam, and William looking at both my parents, and even my Mother was displaying immense worry in her silver eyes.

“That building was one of the daggers’ resting place,” Mother implied. “Why didn’t we pick that up earlier?”

Officer Rolex sighed.

“Yes. To answer your question, Andrew, the daggers were triggered into action. As for your question, Amy, it was confidential material for only the heads and Chief of the four global districts. He’s now at the prime site, investigating the remains of those men to try and locate their root origin and who sent them.”

Officer Rolex returned his gaze our way.

“The building you rushed over to was one of the four resting places of these apparent daggers. Those men that you protected your mother from are a part of whatever organization that is now aiming to discover the daggers and their destined wielders.”

“Destined wielders,” I repeated. “These ancient daggers were hidden beneath these iconic buildings for what exactly? Also, how is their activation the trigger to a global dilemma?”

“We can’t go into the details as to why they were hidden,” Officer Rolex emphasized. “Their activation, however, will trigger a global reaction if the four of them are retrieved by those who want to use them for evil. Retrieving the daggers will lead them to their wielders, and if they agree on the enemy’s conditions, the world itself will fall through a list of natural catastrophes unless they follow their orders of rulership.”

“Let me get this straight,” I began. “You’re saying that you can’t give us enough information as to why they were hidden in the first place.”

I paused so my first point would be absorbed among the group.

“Yet we’re still supposed to retrieve some sort of magical weapons that have the potential to destroy the world with magic disasters. Not to forget that each set of daggers has an apparent wielder,” I continued, giving Officer Rolex a judgemental look. “And to top off the list on this intriguing case, you’re stating that IF these daggers and individual wielders fall into the enemy’s hands, not enemies, and follow their laid-out conditions, we’re fucked. If they don’t, we’re still fucked because the daggers will be activated, nevertheless. Picking up that specific detail about the enemy versus enemies, I can infer that you guys already know the exact organization behind this but that’s probably classified information that you can’t give to your commoner agents, but you’re expecting me and William over here to go along with this assignment.”

When he didn’t reply, I nodded my head and looked to William.

“Hey, partner! I’m Willa Silvers. You’re about to either die from the world ending from the activation of daggers or die from being stuck with me for a few weeks. Nice to meet you.”

He sighed but looked to Officer Rolex.

“As much as I’d love to disagree with Willa, she pointed out a few good facts. You’re insisting we’re going to be a part of a case that centers on locating ancient daggers that none of us knew even existed. No name of what they are, no reason as to why they were found or how this specific timing resonates with anything, and you clearly have a hint or two about who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. I can survive being stuck with Officer Silvers over there for a few weeks, but if I have to suffer her tormenting tactics, I need to be convinced this is worth the effort.”

“I’m offended,” I muttered to him, adding a glare to try and make him feel guilty. He merely looked away, but we both returned to staring at Officer Rolex as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“The information you’re seeking has yet to be delivered to us. This huge activation just hit only a few hours ago and you’re expecting all the answers. We don’t have those right now.”

Why do I have a feeling he’s lying?

I remained quiet, my eyes glancing at Adam, who gave me a slight nod that told me ‘go along with it’. Peering over to William once more, I noticed his conflicted expression as he studied Officer Rolex carefully. He then looked over to me, sensing my lingering gaze.

The shared look told me he knew something wasn’t adding up, but there was no point in us arguing about it much further.

If we pushed too hard, he may end up giving the case to someone else and then I’ll be a silly target in this unknown game of cat and mouse with no access to the very resources and files we’re inquiring about.

“What’s our mission then?” William got to the point. “Obviously, these ancient daggers aren’t all in one place now, are they?”

“No,” Officer Rolex replied. “We believe two are still in the United States of America, including their potential wielders, but the assumptions of the wielder part are still unconfirmed. As for the other two sets of daggers, one is believed to be in Dubai, while the other is still being investigated but may potentially be in Tokyo.”

Huh? The same countries that host the top Elite schools in the world…

I wanted to bring it up, but William continued with, “Alright. Not somewhere we can’t reach. What are we doing then?”

“You and Officer Silvers are going to be academy investigators,” he revealed. “You will be attending each of the four Elite Academies in the world, one school per year. We’ve already registered both of you. Your acceptance letters were sent out a few days ago and should be in your mailbox.”

Neither of us said a word as he carried right along, “Year one will be at Smokeywood Academy for Elite Mageri Mages. Year two you will be sent over to Dubai to their Elite Academy. Year three will see you in Tokyo, and year four will land you back here in the USA for your final year. Your dorm house has already been selected and your room has been confirmed.”

There was another long moment of silence before I decided to speak the first thing that came to my mind.

“Okay,” I began. “I have several questions.”

Adam smirked at me, knowing damn well that I’d have a ton of questions when it came to any mission.

William looked like he was ready to bounce out of here.

“Before Willa asks her list of questions, clarify something for me,” he directed to Officer Rolex. “Did you just say our invitations should be in ‘your’ mailbox, as in ‘our’ mailbox? Because after that you said ‘your dorm house’ and ‘your room’ all in one massive revelation paragraph. I have a strong suspicion that we’re living together.”

That was one of my seven questions but then the first one struck a chord after he brought up the living situations.

“Wait a fucking minute!” I gasped.

My parents looked my way and I cringed. “Shh. I didn’t swear. That was just the imaginary me.”

Returning to my point, I went with, “Did you just say year one, two, three, and four? Are you trying to say this mission is FOUR fucking years long?!”

“Willa,” Father growled.

“Manners, Willa,” Mother sighed.

“Mom. Dad. I’m eighteen. Plus, I should get a pass after surviving death,” I complained.

“Fine.” Mother brushed it away. “And yes. The mission they’ve considered for you and William is a four-year one.”

“Did you guys know about this?” William questioned.

“We were aware of the potential of you two being chosen due to your perfect streak in the field,” Mother answered.

“Also, your age factored perfectly with their application process,” Father added. “Smokeywood’s entrance is eighteen. In Dubai, it’s nineteen. Tokyo is twenty, and the final school in the USA is recommended for ages twenty-one and above.”

“Pretty damn specific,” I muttered.

“Haven’t answered my question,” William reminded.

“Yes,” Officer Rolex confirmed. “The two of you will be boarding with one another for the next four years. You do get summer break and holidays off like other students, but when you’re abroad in Dubai and Tokyo, it would be best to remain in the dorm we’ve assigned. The entire place is soundproofed, like the apartments here, and will have extra precautions put in place to ensure your safety.”

“You’re telling me that you’re actually expecting William to survive living under the same roof as me for four years?” I summarized before breaking out into laughter. “I’m sorry, but I know what a pain in the ass I am. My parents can’t even handle meeting for damn dinner, and you’re expecting a stranger to get used to me for four solid years. One thousand, four hundred sixty days. Poor guy is going to die before these ancient daggers wreak havoc on the earth.”

“We only struggle with dinner plans because we’re busy, Willa,” Father argued.

“If we had less of a strenuous schedule, we would dine with you on the regular,” Mother interjected.

“You’re not that bad to live with,” Adam quietly pointed out.

“You dated me!” I struggled not to laugh harder, finding all of this far too amusing. “I’m even shocked you lasted.”

Turning to my parents, I pouted. “Don’t try to act like I don’t know about your last day off and how you stood me up to go on a date.”

The two of them blushed and I looked back at Officer Rolex.

“I feel as though you’ve already made the assumption that we’d approve,” I pointed out the obvious. “So why don’t you tell us what the consequences will be if we refuse?”

“What she said,” William backed me up, which was actually nice of him.

Officer Rolex looked between us and muttered, “You’re the only two deemed fit in all four districts to take this one. Plus, we’ve already set everything up, making it almost impossible for you to refuse.”

“But if we decide we don’t want to get mixed into this game?” William pressed with a low tone.

“We can’t offer either of you protection if the enemy forces decide to get rid of you,” he bluntly declared.

“What?” Adam was the one who spoke up on our behalf. “Sir. You can’t just get rid of their protection. We all signed the dotted line that insists we’ll receive protection and security no matter what age or status after committing five years to the service. Obviously, Willa has done that and more, and I’ll assume William has done similar. Suddenly revoking that for declining an assignment is sketchy as hell.”

Took the words out of my mouth.

The fact that my parents were being silent about this only confirmed my growing suspicions that we were being left out of some big plot and no one wanted to share a thing with the two individuals that were about to waste four years of their lives on a case that could end up with everyone dying anyway.

My eyes returned to William’s, and I noticed his concealed expression, but his eyes told me more.

Accept it.

I wasn’t the type to refuse an assignment unless it risked my health, which had only happened once in my lifetime, but there were too many open holes with this apparent case, and the idea of me now becoming an academy investigator was both intriguing and bothersome.

We may be both eighteen, but there was no need for us to do further education when we worked as agents already.

This present case wasn’t giving us the opportunity to deny without substantial consequences - security being far more valuable with the number of cases we’d completed in our youth.

It would be stupid for us to fork it up, and I couldn’t imagine the level of uncertainty and anxiety we’d experience if such measures were taken away from us.

No sleep without fearing one of your past enemies’ friends, mates, who-knows-what would try to come and kill you in your sleep. Or in broad daylight, honestly.

“Fine,” I replied and faked a yawn. “Can we work out the details and sign the contracts later? Not feeling the greatest all of sudden.”

The four of them frowned, but Adam soon caught onto what I was trying to do.

Get everyone out of our space so we can talk privately.

Officer Rolex looked over to William, and all he did was nod.

“We’ll wrap everything up tomorrow morning then. If you feel unwell still, Officer Silvers, we’ll come back here to fill out the paperwork.”

“How loving of you to go the extra mile,” I sarcastically commented, faking another yawn and reaching for my blanket so I could hide beneath it. “Tomorrow morning, got it. Let’s make sure the world doesn’t end or I get killed in my sleep, thanks.”

“Then what about me?” Adam questioned. “I’m normally Willa’s partner. Where does that leave me?”

“You’ll be working on the sidelines for the operation. Since you’re two years older than Willa and William, there was no way of trying to get you into Smokeywood. Therefore, it’s best we have you being their extra pair of eyes if things get messy during school. On the down-low times in the school year, we can get you another partner for side missions.”

I didn’t like the sound of that, and a quick peek at Adam’s expression told me he disapproved of the entire thing.

Before anyone could protest, he was opening the door. “It’s about time we get back to the office to deal with the rest of the cleanup from earlier this morning. Amy. Andrew. Don’t take long.”

“I’ll escort you out then,” Adam muttered, clearly annoyed as he headed to the door.

“I guess, no ‘good work’? Or ‘thanks for not dying’?” I commented.

Officer Rolex looked back at me, but I wasn’t even bothered with his authoritative look. “I’ve noticed as of late we barely get any appreciation, and now, with these new events, you’re dropping a bomb on us. We have little to no choice but to join your planned four-year mission. I’d expect to receive some sort of compensation.”

Glaring right into his eyes I carried on, “We’ll discuss the details tomorrow, but I’ll make it clear now that if we’re going to be contributing four years of our time and effort, not to mention risking our lives for a job that’s practically threatening our safety and livelihood, the perks better be double if not triple.”

“Agreed,” William declared and rose up. “I’ll be contacting my head chief in regard to this, since it wasn’t in our brief discussion that this was a four-year assignment that would mean me living here. I’m sure the whole visa thing will be sorted by you guys, but as Willa said, if you’re deliberately leaving us no choice to decline, then you better make sure we’re very comfortable. I’m aware of the pay difference here versus Dubai’s branch, but I’ll be paid double if you expect me to remain here.”

He took a glance at me and added, “Also ensure Willa gets the same pay.”

What?! He’s not serious.

I looked back at Officer Rolex and all he did was nod. “I’ll make sure that’s within the contract.”

DAMN! He didn’t even argue?! What the hell are we about to get ourselves into?

“Good. I’ll list more of my demands and send it over to my command to ensure its in print by tomorrow morning.”

That’s all he had to say as he sat back down and looked elsewhere, like he was now bored. Adam exited first, gesturing for Officer Rolex to follow suit.

My parents lingered back for only a minute.

“Try to get some rest, Willa,” Father encouraged.

“Thank you for stepping in,” Mother whispered.

“No problem.” I shrugged. “Just doing my duty as a daughter. Guess I won’t see you until sometime next year, right?”

Their conflicted gazes only made me eye-roll. “Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad.”

You’d think by now I would get used to the whole ‘see you once in a new moon’ when it came to the miraculous chance of having quality time with my parents. Even after I risked my life to save my mom, I couldn’t even get a damn breakfast with them, let alone a full-course dinner.

They looked like they wanted to say more, but I lifted the blanket over my head and hid underneath the covers. I was honestly exhausted at this point, but I knew there was still more to discuss once they left.

The shuffling of their feet gave me a bit of relief. The anger within my heart regarding the whole situation was making my magic want to leap out and break stuff.

Good thing my tantrum days are behind me. Those were pretty bad.

“I’ll be back,” Adam announced, and the door closed, leaving the room in silence.

“Do you not spend time with your parents?” William inquired. I poked my head out from the blanket, doing a quick scan of the room before returning my gaze to him.

“Define time, because even that is rather impossible for my parents to sacrifice for the sake of their booming careers,” I commented. “And I would have said that with their presence, but Officer Rolex was getting on my nerves.”

“Yours and mine.” He looked displeased as he stared at the door. “They’re obviously hiding something.”

“With the force tactics and easily agreeing to pay me equal pay as a male at Dubai rate?!” I exclaimed. “Totally hiding something.”

“How much do you get paid?”

“Hundred grand a year due to my age, with free residence and a few bonuses if I crack down on a hard case.”

William blinked a few times, looking absolutely disgusted.

“What?”

“That’s pennies.”

Oh snap. I insulted the rich, ignorant agent.

“I’m sorry my pay is not a fortune, like yours,” I apologized.

“You do realize the average pay for a male agent regardless of age is three hundred grand a year in the US, right?”

My mouth fell open and he went right on with, “That’s your average college’s pay. Meaning even Officer Rogers is getting that rate of income for being some computer whatever tech.”

I’d never questioned Adam’s income; money was never a discussion of choice between us. It felt a little invasive for me to ask, even when we were dating, so I kept that all to myself.

Now I regretted not inquiring about it, feeling fortunate to even make that money a year and not rely on my parents.

“Someone of your rank, credibility, and skill set, which I’m basing on your performance from today, should at least be paid five hundred grand a year, minimum,” he asserted. “Included free living space, which would be a house and not a small place like this, but I’ll give you credit for making it rather spacious. Also, to add to the list of perks, that includes free food, travel expenses, and a vacation every three months, fully paid, to give us a break from the field. If you’re currently on a mission during that time, you get to reserve the time and use it in conjunction with the next to wherever you want to go. Decide it’s time for a luxurious Bora Bora trip, you’ll be right there on your private island with 24/7 room service and all services and activities included.”

I couldn’t even think of what to say, and the door opened to reveal Adam, who paused midway through the door when he saw my expression.

“What?”

“You get paid more than me and Dubai gets four times more than my chump-change salary!” I snapped.

Adam blinked and looked over to William.

“What nonsense are you spitting?”

“You mean to tell me that you’ve been her boyfriend for how many years, and you didn’t decide to up her disgusting salary?” William crossed his right leg over his left. “I may dislike all this bullshit being thrown in our face, but I wouldn’t let my girlfriend, let alone partner, be underpaid to work and deal with my rich ass.”

At least he’s willing to admit he’s going to be a pain just like I’m gonna be a thorn poking his butt every other minute.

Adam closed the door before replying, “I didn’t think it was necessary to bring up.”

I wasn’t sure how to even respond to that.

“So you admit that at some point in your relationship you knew she was being underpaid and yet you didn’t vouch for a pay increase.”

“I don’t have that power,” Adam defended.

“Correct,” Willian replied. “You, in particular, don’t have that power, but I’m sure you’ve made enough connections as a tech wiz to know the right people to vouch for her pay increase.”

William shrugged. “If you think about it, I have no power in this office, and yet I’m rather positive that Officer Rolex will approve of whatever I ask for. And I ensured my partner, even if it was by force, would get the same, if not more.”

Adam remained silent, and it was obvious he’d lose this battle if he even tried to argue further.

“How are we going to figure out what’s going on before we sign our souls to this contract?” I decided to change the subject. “We know we’re not being told everything, that’s a given, and I’ve never known an academy investigator existed. How are we supposed to prepare for something that feels like it was just created specifically for this case?”

“I can try to get as much information as possible from today’s incident, but even if I stay up the majority of the day and night, it may not give us enough solid ground,” Adam suggested.

“I’ll get my tech person to look into it,” William announced as he rose back up. “Seeing as I’m going to be stuck here, they’re going to have no choice but to come down here.”

“Why can’t Adam be your tech person?” I questioned. “He’s assigned as our bonus man for the assignment.”

“Simple.” William specifically looked my way. “I don’t like him.”

Well…at least he’s more honest than the general population.

“I’m right here, you know,” Adam growled.

“I’m well aware,” William replied. “I ignored your presence for a second to emphasize my obvious point.”

He turned his attention back to me and randomly flicked my forehead.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“You look like you’re about to fall sick if you don’t get some sleep,” he huffed. “You almost died. Even with the healing treatments at the hospital, you should try and rest.”

“Being lectured by you feels like a nuisance more than it gives reassurance,” I noted with a blank expression.

“Get used to it, partner.” He headed for the door. “We’re going to be stuck together for four damn years, locating some silly sets of daggers before the world ends. Marvelous.”

He reached for the door and looked back at me, ignoring Adam once more.

“I’ll deal with the contract deals. If you decide you have something else you want to be included in the contract, you can email me.”

“I don’t have your email.”

“I emailed you the tracking for your uniform, but chances are, it’ll be in tomorrow morning before we head out.” He turned away. “Get some rest. I hate when people bring me down. Thus, why I don’t have partners, to begin with.”

He opened the door and waltzed right out.

“Hey. You have to be escorted out, dammit,” Adam huffed and ended up scrambling after him. My door came to a slow close and all I could do was stare at it until my very eyelids grew heavy.

“My new partner did say I have to rest,” I muttered to myself and lay down. Checking the pocket of my pajama-wear, I pulled out my phone and quickly checked my email to see the recent email that had the full tracking details of the uniform.

He actually ordered it for me. Rich jerk… Yet he’s actually caring when he feels like it.

Shaking my head, I lay down on my side, my back to the door as I continued to stare at the screen and ponder everything that had happened.

If I’m entering a four-year contract where I can potentially get whatever I need. What should I demand aside from an intense pay raise?

The thought left me more exhausted then before. My eyes fought to stay open, but I shortly gave in to the need to sleep.

At some point, I heard the door open, but it didn’t disturb my peacefulness as I drifted further away. Something was said, fading far away from my ear’s grasp, but the soft touch against my cheek made me smile slightly.

Tomorrow would determine whether I’d become our district’s first academy investigator.

WILLA SILVERS, ACADEMY INVESTIGATOR

“H-H-HOW?!”

My jaw was going to end up hurting from all the gawking I’d done throughout the long, eight-hour day. I was now back in my room in cozy bunny print pajamas with a face mask plastered to my face.

My hands had been clinging to the thick contract for at least an hour as I reviewed every bit of detail in the 75-page document, and that was after the additional two hours I’d spent highlighting all the extremely important stuff, just to make sure it was visible if we had to go through it one last time as a unit tomorrow morning.

My multicolored highlighters were scattered across my messy bed, along with my thin markers to help add any notes or variations, but this contract was so detailed and solid that I’d barely made any added commentary.

“Are you asking how I was able to formulate a flawless contract, or how I got away with getting it approved by the Dubai, Tokyo, and New York branches, which gave Officer Rolex and Chief Roland no choice but to approve every demand we made?”

I lifted my head to look over to William, who was now sitting in a more comfortable chair I’d brought from the living room over to my room for his back’s sake.

It took me a second to register the familiar avocado pink facemask plastered on his face.

The fact I’d somehow managed to get William Silvestri, a man I’d officially known for no more than twenty-four hours, into a pink face mask should have been ranked as my biggest achievement yet since I couldn’t get Adam to do one even if my life depended on it.

It was one of his few ‘hell no’ moments.

“Both,” I answered, and then returned back to review the last few pages of the contract once again before we got into the final discussion about this whole new adventure we were approaching.

I’d been woken up by the knock at the front door. I was amazed that I could actually walk straight without feeling queasy, weak, or becoming a safety hazard with my clumsy tendencies.

My uniform all the way from Dubai was at my doorstep, and that was what made today’s rather stressful day less maddening.

Deciding to take a shower to get the day started, I did just that while reviewing everything I would have liked to get approved if the possibility was there. I had no hopes in all of this contract business, especially since I’d discovered I’d been underpaid compared to my coworkers - the majority of agents in the field being male - and my own parents hadn’t even warned me about the dramatic difference in pay.

Not like Adam warned me about it either.

The impression I got from last night was that he had to have known at some point that I was being underpaid, but he hadn’t said anything. I wasn’t yet sure how I felt about that, but I put the thought aside for now.

We had bigger worries to deal with than money problems.

He hadn’t brought it up when he rose and we ate breakfast, but I could feel the slight tension between us. I knew in my heart I wasn’t upset, but more disappointed.

I didn’t know how I should really feel about any of this and now with the swift change in circumstances, it looked like we wouldn’t be tight partners anymore.

Another bummer.

Instead of portal jumping to the office, we took Uber to save my magic. I was trying not to show it, but I still wasn’t at my top-performing self. The continuous flow of magic didn’t mean I wouldn’t endure bouts of exhaustion after expending a lot of energy in a short period of time, but Adam understood that and didn’t complain about the tiny inconvenience.

We still made it on time for the meeting. William was already present. My parents were already on duty for another case, which slightly upset me because they hadn’t even tried to check in.

It was one of those many reminders that I needed to try and not be reliant on their affection when they didn’t seem to input the same amount of worry and concern for their only child, especially with what I’d done for their sake.

The meeting had included us video calling each chief of department. Their presence was important, since it emphasized what had been written in the section of documents they had approved of.

Hours later, including two fifteen-minute breaks and a short lunch, William and I had officially accepted our roles as academy investigators.

I’d been stunned on the ride home and sat in my room for a good thirty minutes before I decided to do something out of the ordinary and call William back over here to review the contract once more.

I personally didn’t believe he would have actually shown up, but within a few minutes, he was knocking the door.

Adam wasn’t home yet, staying behind to get more details about his role as what he had muttered in the car ride there as ‘tech side chick’.

He really wasn’t liking being essentially tossed to the side for this four-year mission, and I actually agreed. He was an important asset on critical missions. He was the eyes I needed when I couldn’t see shit and the ears I needed when I couldn’t get into a room, but he had access to the cameras that came with voiced audio.

It felt like a blessing that he wasn’t home, though, since I felt he wouldn’t have been too pleased with William’s company. I’m sure he’d question why I was trying to be compliant with the rich officer from Dubai, who was harsh, to the point, and looked annoyed with life itself half the time.

To be fair, I’d subconsciously asked myself the same thing, having had my share of partner problems, including the inability to last long enough in a room with a partner without pissing them off and watching their sorry butts walk out of the room, field, or car.

I’m impressed William hasn’t ditched yet, especially with my face mask stunt.

There were obviously tons of excuses I could have made to make his life a living hell, but now with this looming assignment on our shoulders, it would be rather counterproductive to try and make us mortal enemies.

Did we have to like each other? No. But in this field, I needed a partner I could rely on because things could go downhill at any second of a case.

I needed backup that I could rely on. That meant being relatively “nice”.

Finishing the last page, I finally lowered the package and blinked my strained eyes. “I’m still in disbelief,” I whispered.

“About?”

Deciding to review what had left me in an intriguing state of gratefulness and utter confusion, I replied, “You were able to get my salary to go from one hundred grand to five hundred and fifty grand, which starts the moment we start this assignment. I now can request unlimited uniform replacements, and I’m now going to receive a wardrobe full of special outfits that can be used during our academy missions that have the same protective qualities as Dubai’s uniforms.”

I had to pause for a moment before carrying on.

“I’m being given a motorcycle for around campus and to use on side assignments that demand us to leave school property. And that’s not even mentioning the black, infinite American Express Card we’re going to receive tomorrow with the rest of our school package that will cover any food expenses we have. Our dorm house is assured to have a pool, and we’ve been given special privilege to use the school spa and gym amenities, which is far more mind-blowing since I never knew schools even had spas on campus,” I admitted. “To top off all of that, any books we need, whether textbooks or self-improvement books, will be covered by our departments, any broken weapons will be replaced along the way, and we’ll be allowed to travel anywhere we wish during the summer vacation with whoever we want so we can recover. Plus, the fact that my once-in-a-while medicine will be upgraded to one that I take once a day that will generate a protective barrier around my mind that can remain in place for up to seventy-two hours just in case I miss two doses just blows my mind.”

“Not literally, of course,” he commented. “That would be counterproductive.”

I groaned but didn’t even blame him for pointing that out.

“Basically, you were able to get me everything I’ve been complaining about. Well, aside from dinner with my parents.”

“They didn’t check in with you all day?”

“Nope.” I closed my eyes for a moment. “I’m not surprised. They’re busy doing some other mission that’s more important. Do I feel just a tad unappreciated? Yup. It feels pretty pathetic to have to beg for your family’s affection at eighteen years old, but I keep reminding myself that I’m now an adult and have to just give up on bothering,”

Reaching for my phone, I fiddled with the screen as the reminder of the electronic item brought back another important fact.

“I almost forgot that you added in that we get new phones specifically from Dubai, ones that have yet to be released and are integrated with high-tech security measures to ensure our information is protected. Bonus is getting brand new MacBooks for ‘note-taking,’ as you put it.”

“It’s true. Can’t keep up with note-taking without a device to swiftly type things down.” He wasn’t even the least bit ashamed.

“I get the impression you’re extremely smart and don’t need it.”

“You’re also right,” he replied. “That’s why you should remember when you’re given the opportunity to get anything you desire, you make sure you claim every little thing that comes to your head.”

“Including unlimited refills of chocolate, ice cream, and bubble tea!” I declared.

“Bubble tea?” William blinked at me in confusion. “What’s that?”

“You’ve never had bubble tea? Boba? The drink with black pearls at the bottom?” I inquired. “I know I’m white, but I drink it a lot. It originated from Asian countries. Have you never had it before?”

“We don’t have those in Dubai, yet,” he confessed. “Sure, it’s in the works, but not yet.”

“You’re missing out on life.”

“So it seems,” he replied. “I can’t believe you asked for a popcorn machine, like in the movies. Why do we need that?”

Oh right.

“You said I could ask for whatever.”

“And you ended up asking for popcorn, chocolate, ice cream, and this bubble tea stuff,” he listed. “Basically, the food that we eat and shit.”

“Essentially.” I didn’t even feel bad.

He wanted to pinch his nose, but I interjected. “Uh, no. We still have ten more minutes of that on your face. Touching your mask is going to ruin the inner work!”

“Why was I forced to do this?”

“After a long day like what we experienced, you’re lucky you didn’t age ten years on your face. When you’re in your forties and we still know one another, you’ll be thanking me,” I vowed. “You know men age faster, especially when they don’t smile on the regular.”

“Marvelous,” he muttered. “Should have just asked for the 20 karat face masks if you’re trying to maintain our beauty for twenty-two years.”

I stared at him with a clueless look and he frowned.

“Have you never tried those?”

“We have those China-made 4k karat gold face masks?” I tried to reason. “Never heard of 20 karats.”

“Maybe when I’m in a good mood I’ll let you try it.”

“I find that this ‘good mood’ moment is a rare occurrence within this life, and I bet my wish will never be accomplished,” I voiced.

“You’ll see what I mean later. I have a few. Seeing as you begged me to wear this pink avocado one with honest emotions of wanting me to not age, I’ll return the favor.”

“Seriously?” I beamed. “You sure are being nice to me.”

“If you call this nice, you don’t want to see me angry.”

“That made no sense but sure, keep your anger tucked away elsewhere because I don’t want it.”

Glancing back to the thick document, I let out another sigh.

“Tomorrow we basically start our new lives as students.”

“Maybe with it being an elite school we won’t deal with stupid people,” William muttered.

“There are stupid people everywhere,” I pointed out. “But if you’re trying to factor in all those who have a lower intelligent level than yourself, then you’re really setting yourself up for failure with that type of wish.”

“Are you going to miss your boyfriend?” he casually asked.

“Ex,” I corrected. “I don’t know. I mean, we’ve been used to living with one another for a while. He makes nice baths. I’m going to miss those.”

“That you share?”

“Not anymore.” I smirked and looked at him. “Why are you so intrigued?”

“I need to see whether you love him still or not. That way I can determine whether pissing him off bothers you.”

“You really hate him, huh?” I gave him a puzzled look. “Makes no sense, but men are as weird as women, so who knows.”

The door opened up, and the two of us peered over to see a half-naked Adam. His expression was originally calm until his eyes landed in William’s direction.

“What’s he doing here?” Adam questioned, looking unimpressed as William purposely leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs.

“You know that it’s common manners to knock before entering, right?” William countered.

“Welcome back, Adam,” I greeted. “We’re finalizing our contract to sign tomorrow.”

Adam’s frown deepened as his questioning eyes bounced between us.

“With face masks on?”

“Multitasking is the key to success,” I said with pride. “You know that.”

He entered the room, closing the door behind him before he crossed his arms over his chest, the action making him a little more buff. It had been a while since I’d seen him shirtless, but I always gave a moment to appreciate any muscle eye candy.

“Boss texted me saying you guys have to sign it tonight,” he revealed.

“Tonight?” William and I said in unison.

“Why?” I questioned.

“I asked exactly that,” Adam admitted. “Looks like school starts tomorrow afternoon for orientation. They had changed the schedule last week but forgot to update Chief. In the morning you’ll be given your uniforms, schedules, and a tour of campus and your dorm house. From how Officer Rolex explained it, it’s only going to be you two in the dorm house so you don’t need to worry about leaked information and such.”

“Do we have to go back to headquarters?” I questioned. “Because I’m not applying another facemask, nor am I getting out of my pajamas to put a bra on.”

The two of them stared at me, and I did notice Adam purposely lower his gaze to see if I was telling the truth.

“Baggy clothes conceal all,” I declared, directing it to Adam specifically, who lifted his gaze back to mine.

“Hiding, huh?” he commented, but let it go. I’m sure if we were dating he’d want to ‘further investigate’ and that would just lead to some nice fun between the sheets, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Sadly.

“Chief said he and Officer Rolex are still at the office. We can do a video chat and magically send the documents over,” Adam continued to explain. “I’ve already set up some cameras throughout the campus, but I don’t have access to the dorm homes. They can only be accessed by those living in there, and visitors have to be invited in to stay on the property for a short period of time.”

“Intriguing,” I admitted.

“We won’t need cameras within the dorm house anyway,” William spoke up. “That’s a privacy issue.”

“Not when this is a mission,” Adam acknowledged.

“Well, when working with me, my privacy is far more important than any mission,” William answered. “Therefore, no cameras.”

“I have to ensure Willa is safe,” Adam argued.

“Peeping on your ex-girlfriend to make sure she’s not getting all frisky with me is an invalid excuse to put cameras all over our property,” William argued. “Last time I checked, you were the side dog. Stay that way.”

“You little-”

“Can you guys have your manly disputes later?” I intervened and returned my attention to Adam. “As for the camera debate, I’ll have to agree on that one. I was fine with it for other field missions, but if our dorm house is going to be our resting place for the next year, I don’t need to be monitored. Plus, I like dancing in my underwear, so no one else needs to see that if something crazy happens in the dorm house and someone else has to review the evidence.”

Adam looked annoyed but William seemed intrigued.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually going to be dancing in your underwear over there?”

“That depends on how I feel,” I disclosed. “If I feel like dancing in my underwear one morning, I’ll do just that. If I suddenly feel like singing the hymns of pop music at six in the morning while doing laundry, I’ll also do that. You never know what you’re going to get with morning Willa.”

“Why do I have a feeling living with you may be a challenge for my tolerance?” William questioned himself.

“At least I actually like cleaning and cooking, but thanks, Adam, for the new reminder. Add no cameras on the property for the contract.”

“Fine by me.” William reached for his package to write the details while I reached for my phone.

“Does that mean all our latest tech will be delivered tomorrow morning then?” I inquired to no one in particular.

“Probably,” Adam replied, his cutthroat reply tugging me away from the screen to look at him once more. “Are you in a rotten mood?”

“No.”

“So yes,” I concluded. “Wanna talk?”

“Not with him acting like he lives here,” Adam huffed.

“You have a personality complex, don’t you?” William inquired and checked his watch. “Can I take this off now? I’m not wearing this to our video meeting.”

“Only if I can take a picture of you,” I declared.

“Are you trying to use this for blackmail?”

“I would say yes, but I don’t think you’d care if I posted this anywhere.”

“You’re right,” he replied. “Hurry up. I wanna get this over with so I can go home.”

“Home as in your hotel?” I inquired while aiming my camera to take a good picture of him.

Or pictures, but he didn’t know that.

“No,” he replied. “Home as in my house in Dubai.”

“You can’t travel there now,” I noted. “Even with magic, wouldn’t that drain you completely out? There’s no way you’d be ready for tomorrow morning’s activities,” I argued.

“I’m not teleporting myself. My chief said once I’m finished they’ll get me to use the one at your headquarters.”

“Use what?” I inquired.

“You don’t know about the magic portal thing they have?” He looked unimpressed. “Our headquarters in Dubai has multiple portals throughout the place to allow us to teleport wherever we need to go without wasting our own energy. It makes it easier for us to have a higher advantage when dealing with criminal activity, not like we have a lot. We’re normally aiding the US and Tokyo, so it only makes sense for us to have portals. I only didn’t use it to get here because it wasn’t an official mission or case,” he explained.

“Can I transfer?” I inquired.

“Maybe after this four-year term, but if you do transfer, you’ll most likely be stuck with me, and that would be a hindrance.”

“You’d warm up to me.” I smirked in pride.

“I love how you’re so confident in your personality.” He shook his head but headed to my bathroom. “I’m using your restroom.”

“Sure.” I gestured to where he was already walking over to. “You can use the blue towel.”

“That’s mine,” Adam argued.

“The one that used to be yours and you haven’t used,” I corrected. “Plus, I washed it and it smells like cherry blossoms.”

“I’ll make sure to use that one,” William announced, stepping into the marble-tiled washroom and closing the door.

Deciding to deal with this annoying tension, I returned to Adam’s judgmental glare. “Adam. We’re not going to survive a week doing this mission if you’re going to be so jealous.”

“I’m not jealous.”

I almost laughed. “Adam. I know what jealousy looks like,” I reminded. “You look like William is your new adopted brother and is now stealing your parents away from you.”

“He’s an arrogant, rich jerk that doesn’t even deserve to be here,” Adam huffed.

“You’re lucky I added the washroom to the list of soundproofed areas.” I lifted the contract and uncrossed my legs. “In terms of rank, he’s pretty top-notch, Adam.”

“No, he’s not,” Adam argued.

“Perfect record, solves every case, and was able to cut through a massive underground drug organization in the middle east. He’s one of the most sought agents, and only hasn’t been placed in the top ten yet because he just turned eighteen a few weeks ago. Ya, he’s filthy rich, but look at his parents.”

Rising up from the bed, I began to clean up the pens and markers off my blanket.

“I’m technically rich with my parents being where they’re at, but that doesn’t mean I’m an arrogant, rich bitch that doesn’t deserve to be in this position or any position within the field,” I explained and returned my gaze to his guarded one. “Do I like the idea that I’m going to be stuck with a man I barely know for the next four years? Hell no. And the fact that his personality does piss me off sometimes only reminds me that this is going to be a difficult set of months to come.”

I paused as I picked up my last set of highlighters and placed them all in the marble, gold holder I placed on my side desk near the window. Walking over to my desk, I placed the item back in its spot, glancing around the room to ensure it was almost up to my clean standards.

“At the end of the day, Adam, this is my job. Maybe to you it seems I’m not taking this seriously. Or better yet, maybe you believe I like this whole random idea to send me off to some school to be an academy investigator and retrieve random daggers that can destroy the world.”

Giving him a stern stare, I continued, “To burst your bubble of assumptions, I don’t. We’re being forced to enter this case, a four year one where I have no idea what is expected of me or what the consequences entail if we truly fuck up. Aside from the whole ‘the world will end’ part. Seeing as I’m going to be stuck with William for some time, I might as well try to play nice with him and get along because he’s now my partner. With any partnership, trust has to be earned.”

Adam didn’t argue with my statement, and I figured I’d start packing my clothes.

“Plus,” I began as I opened my closet door and reached for my turquoise with golden striped luggage. “Thanks to him, I’ve been given a deal I most likely wouldn’t have been able to achieve in centuries. He doesn’t know me but was willing to help solidify a contract that benefits both of us. Not only his pocket and needs. He ensured we were paid equally, attended to any needs we might have during the next four years, and insisted that I have unlimited uniforms. I’ve been fighting for uniforms since I officially joined at ten during our times of kicking bullies’ butts.”

“I don’t see why I couldn’t just be your partner,” he whispered.

“And I wish I could answer that,” I tried to comfort him. “Your ranks are just as good, but let’s remember how important you are to the tech department. You’re the only one in this whole district that can hack into the damn White House. Enemy databases are child’s play to you. If anyone else could do what you’re capable of, I’m sure there wouldn’t have been a question about who I would have wanted to spend my next four years with.”

He smiled slightly at my last comment, and I rolled the empty luggage over to the bed, lifting it up to lay upon the firm surface.

Walking over to him, I stopped before him and gave him a comforting smile.

“This mission doesn’t mean I’m replacing you, Adam. You know that.”

His eyes met mine, searching them with a bit of doubt. I genuinely meant my words, and if not for the fact we were no longer lovers, I would have proven it to him with a deep kiss.

Instead, I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a tight hug. He held me tightly, resting his forehead on my shoulder as he whispered, “I just hate that I can’t have your back over there.”

“You will,” I assured him. “You’ve always had my back. Near or far away. You’ve been the backbone I needed when I was lonely and sometimes afraid of the unknown future. You mean so much to me, Adam. This mission, my partner, the changing environment. None of that is going to change anything. Distance has never torn us apart. This mission won’t do that either.”

I leaned back and gave him a wide smile.

“William is merely my partner for this case. Nothing more, okay?”

“I’m better-looking than him, though,” he quietly muttered, his cheeks growing red.

I giggled and nodded. “You have nice, sexy muscles and totally look better.” I winked and gave him one more hug.

We pulled apart and there was that grin I’d come to fall in love with, in the past.

“You look extra attractive with a face mask.” He winked when I blinked in confusion, only now remembering I still had the pink mask on my face.

“How you put up with me is beyond my level of comprehension.”

The door unlocked and William was back, his skin looking much better while his hair was in a messy, wavy style. He was holding my band that I’d let him borrow, and he looked our way.

“Do you guys need a minute?” he inquired.

“Oh, no.” I moved away and skipped over to the washroom. “I need to take this off so we can get this signing thing over with. It’s gonna take me a bit to pack for four years.”

“You make it seem as though you’re not coming back here,” William noted.

“Well, we don’t know what the policies are at this school. I assumed the school was nearby from the name, but I checked Google and couldn’t find the exact address of the place. That immediately tells me this isn’t a property we waltz into.”

Reaching the doorway of the bedroom, I looked back at the two of them.

“I like to prepare for the worst. In this case, that’s not being able to come back here until the end of the semester, if not year, so packing a few bags would be essential. Doing that all in one night is gonna be a pain in the butt.”

“I’ll help you,” Adam reassured me.

I gave him an appreciative look. “Thanks, Adam.”

William didn’t say anything, but I gave him the same wide grin.

“I’m sure you would have helped me if you could.”

“I wouldn’t,” he bluntly announced.

“Awww, so you’re actually an asshole.” I beamed.

“Glad we’re on the same page,” he declared, moving back to sit down in his chair as he crossed his leg to make a little platform for his contract. “Hurry up and get that mask off. You look ugly with it.”

“Have you realized you like to say the opposite of what you mean?” I pointed out.

“Do not.”

“Sure, sure,” I brushed it away. “I’ll keep it a secret between us, partner.”

“Weirdo.” There was his disgusted look as he tsked and returned his attention to the pages. “Go away. I’m still not helping you pack.”

“Ya, ya.” I finally walked into the washroom and closed the door.

Looking over at the blue towel, I noticed how perfectly it was placed back in its spot on the golden ring holder, and even around the sink was dry.

Adam wasn’t a super neat freak like me, but it looked like William fell in the OCD-clean department. I wouldn’t know until we start living together, but that was the feeling I got.

Pulling the face mask off and rinsing everything off, I finished the remainder of my skincare routine and stared into my reflection.

“I should feel nervous or something,” I quietly stated. “Why do I feel…relieved to be leaving?”

Shaking off the feelings my whispered question made, I gave myself a motivational nod and put my hands in a fist.

Let’s get this over with.

“ALRIGHT.” My pen glided along the line of the bottom page, my infamous squiggly line proof of my final agreement.

With a nod, I flipped the page and picked up the contract to place in my dominant left hand. Looking over to William, I watched him do the same, his contract also in the palm of his left hand as he stared at the wall that currently reflected Chief Roland and Officer Rolex.

Returning my attention to them, we both closed our eyes like instructed and declared in unison, “May our magic seal this contract in stone, the universe of magic our witness as we embark on this case and follow the terms and conditions agreed upon.”

It was the usual statement we used with all signed contracts before jumping into the field, unless circumstances led to us diving right into the madness before we could even review the standards and details of the case.

The warmth of our hands signified that pages were beginning to ascend upward in the air, flipping through every page before its whole body teleported to the massive file cabinet that kept all records of all our commitments in the field.

Opening my eyes, I lowered my hand that was now free from the thick document, as did William. Adam, who was in the corner of the room to give us space, returned to my left side while William remained on my right.

Our full attention before us, Chief Roland nodded.

“Make sure you’re ready to be up bright and early tomorrow. Officer Silvers, a driver will pick you up and help teleport any luggage you have, no matter the amount. Officer Silvestri, the portal is ready for you to arrive in front of your home in Dubai. Your parents have already been informed of your commitment to this case and are expecting your arrival.”

We both nodded and Officer Rolex turned his attention to Adam.

“We’ll need you bright and early in the office, Rogers. You most likely won’t be able to see Officer Silvers off, so make sure you do that tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” Adam replied.

Officer Rolex nodded and looked back between William and me.

“I wish you two the best of luck,” he remarked.

“Thank you, sir,” I replied for the two of us.

Chief Roland looked pleased as he spoke, “That should be all. Best of luck, both of you.”

We nodded again, and I waited for him to end the call, but as if he’d just remembered something, Chief Roland spoke once more.

“One last thing.” He looked between the three of us and continued, “There was a part not mentioned before that I just remembered.”

Oh no. That doesn’t sound good.

He stood a little taller and decide to deliver the sudden news.

“If you don’t retrieve each set of designated daggers before the school year’s up, the world will be engulfed with life-sucking smoke that would kill both the human and mage races.”

My eyes widened while my mouth dropped, and I couldn’t even peer at Adam or William as my mind repeated his comment again and again.

He…did not…just say if we don’t find the daggers within the year everyone’s fucked?!

When none of us spoke back he nodded.

“Glad I remembered. Now get some rest.”

Before we could get a word of oppression out, the magic screen shifted to black and the rectangle cloud of magic poofed into nonexistence.

“H-He did not just say that!” I stuttered and immediately moved up to the wall and began slapping my hand against the flat surface. “Chief Roland! Officer Rolex! Get back here!”

“I knew it felt off that they were so easy-going with our plans,” William growled.

“You mean they don’t even have hope in us that we’ll make it through the first year with the designated daggers?” I inquired, turning my attention back to see his angry expression that was clearly directed at our new predicament.

“Yup. I had a strong impression they don’t think they’ll need to pay you the agreed-upon salary since we won’t ‘achieve’ the yearly deed, and there will be no need for you to be rewarded with your yearly cheque.”

“Now I’m just pissed off,” I huffed.

“Hmph.” William actually smirked, which caught both mine and Adam’s attention.

“Why are you smiling?” Adam questioned.

“They didn’t review the final changes in the document,” he noted, his smirk only growing bigger, which made me feel a little happy for some strange reason.

“What did you do?” I questioned. “You sound like an evil mastermind right now, which kinda makes me excited.”

Both of them gave me a questioning look, and I quickly defended myself.

“Not excited sexually!” I seethed.

“I put into the new agreement while you were doing your skincare stuff, which takes years, that payment would be deposited into your account at the start of the assignment, which is tomorrow at six in the morning,” he declared.

I almost forgot to breathe as I stared at him wide-eyed.

“You’re not serious.”

“Dead serious,” he replied.

“There’s no way they overlooked that,” Adam defended. “Even if you wrote it in small print, they would have picked up on it.”

“We live in a time and age where women are only starting to be recognized as a force to be reckoned with,” William began. “I figured this branch is a little more behind in the new respect laws and acts for women, and I took a chance at assuming they would quickly review my contract and not Willa’s. My pay will be delivered to me at the end of the year upon completion of year one at Smokeywood.”

“Hold up.” I put my hands up to emphasize the pause. “You sacrificed getting paid on the assumption that they would only review your contract and assume mine was exactly the same so that I would get paid?”

“If you want to assume such, sure.” He shrugged and looked away. “I don’t need the money, but since you’ve been rather underpaid for a while, I figured it was about time to get a little payback. I’m pretty confident it will be fine, but I don’t like the drop of that not so minor detail. I’ll look into our possibilities when I return to Dubai.”

“Aren’t you worried you’re going to get in trouble?” I couldn’t believe what he did.

No one has ever done something remotely close to that for me. Not even Adam.

“I’m not afraid of anyone but my mom.” He turned around. “And she taught me that equality matters, no matter what gender or status. Ya, I’m rich and like to belittle people when I’m pissed, but I don’t ignore what is morally unfair. You’ll be paid on the first day of every year for the next four years, and they can’t undo the contract without both of us being present and ready to agree to undo it. If we undo it, they can’t force us to resign it, and they lose their chances of threatening us. Therefore, it was a foolproof plan that worked marvellously. At least they’ll remember not to piss me off.”

Glancing over his shoulder to see my stunned expression, he bid his farewell.

“See you in the morning, Willa. Don’t be late. I hate tardiness.”

With that, he was walking through a portal that I was positive landed him back at headquarters where he’d go through another that would return him home to Dubai.

“Wow.” That was all I could say, feeling so moved by his concealed actions that were now brought to life.

Thank you, William.

I couldn’t help but smile, even with the looming thought of us now having multiple concrete deadlines to fulfill for the sake of saving the world.

Turning my attention to Adam, he didn’t seem very pleased with William’s actions, but I wasn’t going to dive into it.

No one said acting a little naive was a bad thing.

“I better start packing,” I declared and moved back to my bed to unzip my luggage. “Do you mind getting my other luggage from the storage?”

“No problem,” Adam replied, leaving me with a moment of solitude.

With a sigh, I quickly pulled out my phone and decided to do something I normally wouldn’t have done.

ME:

Words can’t express how grateful I am for what you did. I know money may not be important to you, but what touched me was your acknowledgment of my worth. The money isn’t what moves me close to tears. It’s the consideration that I’m worth being paid equally and your hope that I’m fit to do this mission alongside you. You wouldn’t have added that part into my contract if you weren’t confident in my abilities. That’s enough for me to want to work with you. I’m not easy to work with, and I’m certain you’re similar, if not the same, but I’m willing to work with you and acknowledge that hidden kindness you’ve shown in the past forty-eight hours. Anyways, I’ll get back to packing so I’m not late. I hate being tardy (just like you.)

- Willa.

Sending the message, I threw the phone to the side of the bed and began to gather some clothes. The text ding alerted soon after, and I quickly checked.

COPYCAT WILL:

Partnership demands chemistry, something I’m not sure we have aside from our similar appearance, qualities, and outlooks - to some extent.

I was ready to delete the message but decided to continue reading it for the hell of it.

With that being said, I don’t need to do a background check to see how powerful you are. Potential isn’t hard to ignore, let alone miss, and as arrogant, cocky, and sometimes evil as I am, I’m not stupid enough to turn a blind eye on yours. We both saw the gathering smoke yesterday, which only proves that you’re on the same level as me…if not higher. This case won’t be easy, and I’ll probably die from living with you for a week, but I’m one to love a few challenges in life. Pack and get some rest. We’ll need it.

- William.

My lips curled up as I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Guess it’s official. Willa Silvers, Academy Investigator.

SMOKEYWOOD ACADEMY

“This can’t be ours. No way in hell!”

I came to a dramatic stop as the words left me, my eyes scanning the literal mansion before me that had massive smoky grey stoned pillars with golden gates and the number 222 under Smokeywood Dorm.

The very number written in our official letter invites.

I’d barely got an ounce of sleep as Adam and I pretty much packed my entire room in five pieces of luggage. I didn’t have many sentimental items that were too big to fit in my luggage, making the transfer of items easier for my four-year journey.

I wasn’t super materialistic; the memories I made with others were far more important. That made it easier to save money since there wasn’t really anything to spend it on unless it was the limited edition teal motorcycle I’d been eyeing, the one with golden-rimmed tires and capable of being charged with sunlight and moonlight.

I’d put that down as one of the items I wanted, but we had to lower my high standards in the bike department since it was far too expensive for our department’s budget.

Another reason I should just transfer over to Dubai’s headquarters.

Since there was no point in sleeping, I worked out, showered, wrote in my gratitude journal, and finished off with a long meditation session.

Meditation helped calm any lingering nerves I had trying to fight to get my attention. I didn’t expect myself to be nervous for a day like today, and I wasn’t sure I’d even call what I was enduring nerves.

It’s more like a bundled flicker of excitement with bits of uncertainty and willingness to jump into this new environment.

Adam had to leave at four in the morning, a bummer when I wished we could have had one last breakfast together or even a cup of fresh coffee, but beggars can’t be choosers in the force.

You must adapt to any circumstances and move with authoritative confidence.

We said our goodbyes, and how tempted I was to kiss him one last time. I fought the urge, knowing how cruel it would be to do that to him, especially when I wasn’t sure when we’d see each other face-to-face.

We could always face time one another, and he’d be a text or phone call away, but I’d miss his physical presence, something I’d gotten used to after years of him consistently being in my life.

I felt it was far too early to acknowledge it, but I missed him already.

At least my arrival at this place was a good distraction. The designated taxi was owned by Smokeywood, and the exterior of the car matched the gold-and-blue theme of this Elite magic institution.

I didn’t know for sure what to expect from this place, especially when I knew I’d only be attending for a year.

There wasn’t much of a need to be pumped or exhilarated with what was approaching, but when the car entered the freeway and suddenly jolted through a portal, my mind was shaken.

Upon our arrival, we drove onto a quiet street. We stopped at a security checkpoint with massive black gates. The driver had to provide his name, my name, and a letter of approval that was from the headmaster that allowed my entrance.

After the checkpoint, the drive to the actual school property was a good thirty minutes, and once we arrived at another set of checkpoint gates, I got a really good view of the castle-like academy on the horizon.

By the time we reached it, which took another fifteen minutes, the sun was beginning to make its rise into the sky. The wonderful colors that blazed through the sky made me pumped to get this case started.

Then there was the added bonus of my happiness at getting the bank notification that I’d been officially paid. I had to screenshot the screen a few times because I couldn’t believe it was real, and it was hard not to share the mini financial victory with Adam.

He’d been my person to celebrate all my achievements with, but this was one I’d have no choice but to keep to myself.

I’d gotten a better glimpse of the massive school; the structure of the castle was extremely tall and yet had a reconstructed modern look while maintaining the ancient feel to it.

My focus wasn’t too much on the structure since I knew it would only be a matter of time before I’d get a closer view of my new world for the next eight months, since summer and holiday vacations didn’t count.

The dorm houses were split into neighbourhoods, and mine was in Section One. I was dropped off at the gates and instructed to walk the remainder of the way because the gates needed to scan our magic presence for security reasons.

The walk wasn’t long, but now that I reached the very gate of our new home, I was speechless.

“On time, I see.”

My wide eyes turned to see William heading my way, his attire a three-piece white suit that left me wondering if he’d just returned from a fancy ball or party instead of his home in Dubai.

He was rolling one white bag and my eyes immediately noticed the black cat in his other hand. My mind took a pit stop to admire the rather small cat. I would have assumed it was a kitten, but even with its small size, it didn’t give that impression.

“Is that a cat?” I inquired.

“Nixie,” he replied “Our family cat. She won’t be much of an interference.”

“You brought your family cat from Dubai all the way here?” I inquired. My tone of voice reflected astonishment more than anything. I personally thought it was an extremely cute, loving gesture to bring a pet to a new destination, so it wouldn’t be alone.

I’d always wanted a pet, but with my schedule and my parents barely around, the poor thing would have died of loneliness.

“Yup.” He reached where I stood. Nixie lifted her head to stare at me for a long second before she wiggled in his grasp.

He let her go and she took one final look my way before she was dashing down the wall of the gate and pushing off the ground to hop right over and enter the property.

“Uh…” I pointed in the direction Nixie went to while moving my head back to William. “Isn’t that a little risky? What if she triggers the security or something?”

“I just came back from the security office. She’s been scanned and cataloged in the database, so she won’t be attacked by anything if she roams around. She’s connected with my magic so if she feels threatened, her body will automatically return to my side.”

“Isn’t that a hindrance when she randomly gets scared by something and teleports to your side?”

William was silent for a moment before answering.

“Sometimes,” he admitted. “She doesn’t like cucumbers. My mom decided it would be fun to drop one and, well, I got a lot of scratches during one of my intense missions in the Dominican Republic.”

I fought hard not to laugh, but my wide grin was enough to make him irritated. “You can mentally laugh all you want.”

“I will in honor of your thrilling past.” I winked playfully before looking back to the masterpiece of premises before us. “No way are we actually staying here.”

William looked at the number on the side of the gate.

“Definitely ours,” he confirmed. “I’m not impressed often, but this is rather amazing for an Elite school. Don’t see this level of treatment unless you’re attending the Elite school in Dubai, and even they only have a small, secured set of homes at this standard.”

“Should we, like, enter?” I inquired. “We’re a little early but we’re going to have to get ready and wear our uniforms.”

“Mhm.” William bobbed his head. “We have to display our invites to the gate.”

“How do you know?”

“The lady at the security desk explained it to me when I asked. Don’t think they’re supposed to but whatever.” He shrugged before pulling out his invite.

I quickly did the same, tugging it out of the mini backpack I brought with me with the valuable pieces of documentation and ID, plus my investigator documents, badge, and laptop.

Doing what I was instructed, the two of us presented our invites, watching the cursive lettering on the letter begin to glow vibrantly before the very metal of the gates began to project the same golden glimmer.

The loud unlocking sound followed with the gates slowly opening inward to allow us entry.

Strapping my backpack back on, I reached for the handle of my main luggage but realized it was gone. Looking further up, I realized William was already making his way up the long driveway, my luggage in his left-hand grasp while his luggage was on the right side of him.

I quickly ran forward to catch up to him, my pleased smile reaching my ears as my body thrummed with happiness at his kind gesture.

We reached the perfectly trimmed lawn with a few rose bushes along the edges to give the spectacular building even more beauty, but my eyes landed on the two vehicles parked on the driveway.

One of them was a very familiar teal motorcycle with golden designs and rims.

“No way. Just no. I’m dreaming. We have to be dreaming. This reality can’t be real,” I voiced but took cautious steps to the glorious bike that I’d only seen in magazines and on YouTube.

I was frightened to even touch it, but my shaky hands couldn’t help but reach out and glide slightly across the cool metal. I squealed and took a few steps back to admire the piece of work, only imagining how amazing it would be to ride this baby into the night.

Heck. Day, night, who cares. Riding this down the damn driveway would be spectacular.

“You’re really into bikes,” William casually stated. I’d completely forgotten his existence, my eyes tugging away from the bike of my dreams to notice his intrigued expression. He still had our luggage, but he didn’t seem upset that I’d completely forgotten the point of our arrival.

“When I drive one of these bad boys, I get such an exhilarating high,” I admitted and looked back down to it. Taking another touch of metallic teal metal, I continued, “I always had the impression that you’d be ranked a true agent when you rode a motorcycle. Not just those average ones, but the ones given to you by M.E.I.D. I worked really hard to be able to get my license for it and even harder to be acknowledged for one. When I finally got it, my dream only seemed to expand, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. Every time I take a ride, I get to remind myself of how hard I worked for the few minutes of wind whipping in my hair and the roaring vroom of the engine. I’m the only female in our branch that has a M.E.I.D. bike. I’ve been saving up for my own, but we don’t have parking at the apartment, and it didn’t seem very logical to rent a parking space out just for a bike of such status.”

Scanning the beauty one last time, I finally moved my hand and slid it in my pockets.

“Whoever gets this bad boy is extra blessed. It’s nice to have at least seen it in person. The mechs are insane on this, and you can magically charge it so it goes even faster. I know I have the finances to get one now, but it wouldn’t be necessary if we’re not going to be able to bring it to Dubai and Tokyo. Maybe after this is all over, I’ll get one.”

“It’s yours.”

If the urge to breathe hadn’t registered in my now burning lungs after the long, stunned minute of silence passed, I would have just stopped breathing altogether.

“What did you say?” I finally spoke.

“That bike is yours. Just like the sports car next to it is mine,” he revealed. “These are our cars for this assignment, and they can be taken to Dubai and Tokyo so there’s no need to think we won’t be putting them to good use.”

“Impossible.” I shook my head. “Chief Roland said there was no budget for it.”

“Chief Roland says that about everything, from what my Chief-in-command declared, and yet he’s living off a one-million-dollar salary, sitting on his ass, barking orders. A little pay cut isn’t going to make him broke,” William argued. “If it makes you feel better, my chief threatened to transfer you to Dubai’s headquarters.”

Now that was even more shocking.

“What?!” I couldn’t even believe it. “You’re joking.”

He shook his head and glanced at the entrance of our dorm house.

“You really have to start realizing your worthiness in the field, Willa,” he commented. “This mission made your file accessible to the Chiefs in the other three main districts for this global mission, and all three of them demanded you be transferred to their headquarters. Even your parents haven’t been requested like that.”

Returning his attention to me, he carried on, “Infinite Mages are extremely rare. Dubai only managed to keep me because they value my work ethic and pay me extremely well for my age. My parents don’t even have a part in why I get what I want or the income I receive. That’s solely based on the fact that I’m an Infinite Mage. We’re batteries that don’t run out. If we were put in a protective bubble, we could go on missions non-stop without getting a scratch. That’s hard to come by in the field, and they know that. Your sudden popularity made Chief Roland and Officer Rolex uncomfortable and worried you’d request to transfer before the mission started, so they were going to be lenient on any of your requests. I only snuck in the money one because I knew that income would come right out of their salaries and give them a reminder to not discriminate by gender. Now that they know you’re a rare jewel they’ve been covering up with dirt, I’m pretty sure they’ll be going the extra mile to encourage you to remain.”

“I… don’t know what to say.” I should have had something to say. “So many things to say, but the words are only scrambled in my mind, and I can’t form an intellectual sentence that would describe how I feel right now.”

“Hard work pays off,” William declared. “Remember that. There isn’t much more that needs to be said.”

I nodded in agreement and we decided it was time to venture into the household.

After a retina scan, fingerprint scan, and aura analysis, we were in and admiring the massive space. Even William was impressed as we put our luggage next to the ones that were delivered and sitting in the corner of the main living room.

I knew we’d get a tour of the complex, but I couldn’t help taking my only view of the two-story building that looked more like one of those magazine vacation homes.

Twenty minutes went by and I was still a little star-struck with the treatment we were getting as freshmen.

“Does everyone get this type of luxurious welcoming?” I pondered, my words echoing around us.

“Certainly not. I believe our blocked neighborhood is for the privileged freshmen,” William revealed. “We have perfect ranks, which were converted to a perfect scoreboard on the grade scale. Our departments already have a general idea of our magic capabilities, which must be far higher than the standard student at our age. Looks like this is the life for those who are rich, smart, or can tamper with the system to get into these parts of the block.”

“Nice.” I bobbed my head and grinned. “Ready to start our academy investigator duties?”

“Sure,” he replied. “After a cup of coffee.”

“Black or Double-Double?”

He was quiet for a long few seconds. “Five sugars and six creams.”

I blinked at him.

“You don’t seem like you walk on the sweeter side of the coffee brick road.”

“Most people assume that,” he noted. “That’s why I have a fridge at my office to keep a well-stocked amount of cream and have sugar packs in my drawer. Everyone always gets me black on coffee runs.”

“The tough life,” I sarcastically stated. “In Dubai, you guys have coffee runs? Like when one employee goes around and gets coffee for everyone?”

“Sort of,” he admitted.

“Which means?”

“Whoever has the lowest ranked scores per term receives server duty for the following term. They’re eight to sometimes twelve-hour shifts revolving around serving their fellow employees and catering to our every whim. If we want a foot massage, we get that. If you suddenly feel like getting food from a restaurant two hours away, they have to go and get it. The position is one you would fight for your life to avoid, but it makes people work harder, especially those that think they can slack off during assignments because they’re the ‘small fry’ in the department. This position is on every floor.”

“Harsh,” I admitted. “But I kinda like it. So many dimwits in our departments would actually work instead of play Fortnite at their desks. Even funnier because they’re getting better pay then what I was getting while risking my butt…and clothes in the field.”

“At least you won’t deal with that anymore,” he confirmed. “At least not for the next four years.”

“Good point,” I agreed. “You’re not very snappy this morning.”

“Result of my tiredness,” he replied. “I’m also used to your commentary by now.”

“Isn’t that good for you.” I gave him a smile. “Did you sleep?”

“No.”

“Not even a little?” I inquired. He shook his head. “I had to finalize paperwork with my chief and make sure my financial aspects and properties would be secured while I’m gone,” he admitted. “And my mom wanted a late dinner.”

“Really?” I found that so adorable, noticing how his cheeks turned slightly red at the confession. “Even though your parents are as busy as mine, do they still try to make time?”

“When they can.” He seemed uncomfortable talking about it. “I’m sure it was because they won’t be seeing me for a while. At least with assignments in Dubai, I was either in the field or office. In the office, they could get a glimpse of me from my office window. In the field, it’s more difficult. We can go a few months without seeing one another, but four years is a little too much.”

“True,” I replied and smiled. “Let’s make some coffee and get this show on the road.”

He nodded, and even as I turned around and headed into the kitchen to see what kind of coffee maker they had, I felt his gaze still lingering on me.

Glancing back at him, I smiled and arched a brow.

“What?”

“Did your parents agree to have dinner with you after you saved your mom?” he inquired. My smile fell for a short second, but I quickly replaced it with a fake laugh.

“Oh please. Did you actually think they would make the time?” I turned away to mask the bit of hurt I felt from the reminder. “My parents love this job. I think it’s something they put on hold due to my abrupt arrival into the world. I wasn’t a planned pregnancy.”

Heading to the cabinets, I opened them up and saw two large golden mugs. Retrieving them, I carried on.

“I was created by accident, but my parents decided to keep me for a number of reasons. They dedicated the first bit of my life to just me. I was loved, adored, taken out, and taught about this magic world we live in. My magic showed up when I was only a few weeks old, which proved that I was going to be far stronger and more gifted than anyone expected. I think that’s what motivated them to sacrifice some more time on me. But once I could walk and generally speak, it was time for them to return to their passion.”

Looking for the coffee pods, I was relieved to see a new pack along with a few essential things you’d use during breakfast.

How kind of the school to rank coffee as an essential need in every dorm home.

“I don’t resent them. I’ve lived a good life, and they brought me into the world and didn’t abort me like many that are ranked ‘accidents’. It’s just…” I paused and looked at the machine. “Sometimes I wish for more. To be like other families that gather around a dinner table and actually have a conversation. Not the basic, how are you, how’s work, what’s your goal questions. I crave those moments where we can really just talk and catch up. Not going to happen now, but hey, maybe when I get married and have a kid. Then they’ll have no choice but to come by and spend time, right?”

I shrugged and got the coffee maker started.

Turning around to look at William’s blank expression, I gave him a smile of gratitude. “Thanks for what you’ve done the last two days, especially with the contract thing. I got the notification today that I’ve been paid in full. I haven’t told anyone, not even Adam since I’m not sure how he’d take it, but you deserve to know that I appreciate what you’ve done for me since saving me at our first encounter.”

Placing the mugs for when the water was fully boiled, I twirled around and headed to the stairs. “I’m gonna quickly wash my face.”

He nodded as I went up the stairs.

Reaching the bathroom, I closed the door and let out a long sigh.

“What the hell, Willa?” I whispered to myself. “Stop acting as if he’s your new Adam in the making. He probably doesn’t care.”

Shaking my head and moving to the sink to splash my face with some cold water, I took a few deep inhales and allowed the air to leave me, taking away the bits of stress and hope I had in regard to my parents.

“You’re a big girl, Willa,” I proudly stated in the mirror, watching the droplets roll down my face. “It’s time to get into the groove of school life.”

With a nod, I smiled with determination and patted my face with a towel.

Coffee first, and then this assignment officially begins!

A YEAR STUCK WITH YOU

~WILLIAM~

“I NEED A DRINK! No, no. A damn bottle, at this rate. How the fuck are we going to find these daggers and their wielder in that maze of a castle filled with rich, snobby assholes!”

Lifting my eyes from the thick book of rules, regulations, and our strict schedule for this year, I was greeted with the sight of Willa pacing around the large study hall while balancing three books on her head.

Her hands were occupied with her own set of daggers, the golden blades twirling in her hand as she continued to rant about the rather exhausting day we’d dealt with.

Exhausting didn’t even define that shit of a day.

“Never in my existence have I seen so many stuck up, stupid, rude, little…shits!” Willa huffed, and the lights began to flicker on and off. It was obvious that her magic was just as upset by our predicament. The orientation proved that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

When I arrived here to see Willa’s shocked expression at our new living conditions, I knew with one look that we weren’t going to have a smooth year. Not because of Willa, but from what I knew about the life of the rich.

Rich adults were very different. They actually worked to obtain their success, rank, and the money in the bank account, or at least the majority of those in other countries. The US was one of the few tricky countries where sometimes you had no clue where these people got their money, and either they wasted it on stupid things or invested it, proving that they had some understanding of how they obtained money.

Back home, ludicrous amounts of money were practically a standard to our way of living, but that didn’t get rid the fact we were all raised to respect one another. Whether young or old, respect was key to get by in the land of riches and gold.

Even if you had to fake being humble, it would get you to your destination.

In a rich Elite school like Smokeywood, the word humble was clearly not in their vocabulary.

They probably didn’t know what being humble even was.

From the moment we’d arrived on campus to get our student IDs, it was obvious who the cool kids were. It was equally obvious who were the ones that barely passed the threshold of what this school considered “rich”.

The returning students forced to wear uniforms were still able to flaunt their high-end brand choices. Their shoes consisted of Christian Louboutin heels and other footwear that must have cost around four to five grand.

We’d both received our uniforms, but today didn’t require us to wear them. If we were going to get a brief tour of the place, it would have been smarter to go in normal attire anyways, but even I hadn’t thought of she’d wear a white suit for the three-hour tour.

Apparently from the whispers and few loud commentaries, that had been a mistake.

I’m sure what really pissed Willa off was that everyone assumed we were either twins or siblings. I personally didn’t care, as long as they didn’t bother confronting me today, especially when I was running on a single cup of coffee.

Willa, on the other hand, could give glares that induced heart attacks, which was a little amusing to see those very students flinch and clench their chests like she really had sent them an attack.

She was a peculiar individual, but she wasn’t that bad. I’d dealt with my share of partners, and they normally didn’t last twenty-four hours before begging our chief of command for some saving grace.

I wouldn’t confess it to her, but we were far more similar than I’d like to admit to myself. Our circumstances, the glimpse of her upbringing, and even our achievements were close to one another’s.

This mission would test our compatibility with one another now that we had no choice but to work together, but the idea didn’t poke into my side as much as it had when the idea was brought up in a meeting with the chief about being chosen for this academy investigator role.

If only they warned us about the jackass students.

You could see the attitude in their expressions as they walked with their obvious pride. However, one glance of their auras only made me roll my eyes over and over again.

Weaklings who wouldn’t stand a chance against us professionals.

What was infuriating was the idea of mingling with these very students to try and find the clues we needed to find these daggers. They’d apparently been hidden somewhere on the huge property, but finding their wielder would be another problem.

The student had to be among the freshmen of this year if our chiefs were so confident in us attending this school first.

I was positive the four main chiefs knew a lot more than they were leading on, but how much exactly and why?

“Adam is doing a scan of the property to see if he can get some sort of signal or even a map of any energy that resonates with what happened at the tower two days ago.” Willa paused in her prancing to look at me, the golden blades effortlessly twirling in her hands. “But that doesn’t help us figure out who is apparently destined to use these daggers, and even if we find them, what makes these chiefs sitting in their million-dollar mansions sure that they’ll follow our plea to assist us for the next four years? Do they really expect them to believe the whole ‘the world will end’ bullshit?”

“I think it’s too early for us to try and figure out a solid plan,” I finally voiced. “Do you just do all of that, so your magic doesn’t go breaking stuff?”

She blinked a few times as her hands stalled in their twirling fest. As if her magic now wanted to prove me right, the books on her head began to float upward, just like half the furniture in the study room.

I didn’t say anything until my very chair began to float upward, and I gave her a fierce but stern look.

She pouted her lips and went right back to twirling her daggers, the three books on her head falling back into place like the rest of the furniture.

And me.

“Not having a plan with a mission like this gives me anxiety,” she declared. “Yes, the school itself is beautiful, appeasing to the eyes. The professors look powerful, and I’m actually thrilled that I may learn something new and important rather than dealing with repeated information. The food choices in the cafeteria are like having a five-course meal at a seven-star restaurant, and the number of clubs and activities is like we’re attending the damn Olympics. Oh, by the way, we’re joining the magic yoga sessions.”

My infamous eyebrow lift had her pausing once more and I quickly added, “Keep pacing, but why are you assuming I’m going to yoga with you?”

She did like I’d asked, her body twirling on one foot as she began to walk the other way.

“Yoga and meditation help me remain calm and sane. Plus, partnered yoga helps with new relationships. I did it with Adam.”

“Was that before or after you guys began dating?” I muttered.

“Before.” She actually looked proud of herself as she twirled around once again. Every time she spun on her bare feet like that, her long silver locks would move gracefully with the movement and accentuate her form.

She must have not known just how graceful the move was, and it led me to wonder if she’d done ballet or some sort of dance when she was younger, because the move was clearly engrained into her and not an action she did deliberately to get attention.

“I need a partner to join,” she continued. “It starts next week, after all the freshmen shenanigans are over. If I’m stuck learning and playing student, I should at least get a moment of calmness.”

“You can do yoga at home,” I reminded.

“Obviously, but have you ever taken a group yoga session?”

“No.”

“Exactly.” She tossed one of her daggers in the air, spinning her body quickly. The action created a gust of wind that was enough to turn a few pages from my book before she caught the weapon effortlessly.

“You can’t say shit.”

“What do I get for attending?”

“Clarity, peacefulness, and a good workout?” she offered. When I frowned, she added, “I’ll go join whatever activity you want to do.”

I thought about it, and the first idea that popped into my head accidentally left my lips.

“A dance class.”

She paused right in place to look at me.

“Seriously?”

“Ya.” Now that it was out, there was no point in trying to say otherwise. “I’ve never done a dance class before.”

“You’re not-”

“The type who looks like he wants to dance?”

“Exactly.” She began to pace but at a slower rate than before. “Fine by me,” she finally agreed. “But remember I’m clum- EEP!”

Her foot got caught on the edge of the rug, and there I was, catching her - yet again. There was that ignited charge of energy, the one that made my body thrum and my cock press against my boxers like I was watching something arousing.

I quickly swallowed the lump in my throat, fighting to remain calm while my body was growing more excited by the second.

“You’re good at that.” Her nervous smile caught my attention as she let out a quiet giggle. “I’m clumsy.”

“You’ve proven that,” I acknowledged. “As long as you don’t trip during an actual battle, it’s fine.”

I helped her stand back up, noticing the floating books that now hovered around us. “Are you manipulating gravity or something?” I asked.

“Uh.” She followed my gaze, and as if her acknowledgment undid the spell, the books fell to the ground. “That wasn’t me…I think,” she admitted, her cheeks growing a little flushed.

When I eyed her carefully, she moved away as her daggers disappeared.

“What’s the plan then?” she questioned. “School starts tomorrow with our intriguing schedule of Magic Psychics, Magic Philosophy, Elemental Martial Arts, and Spellcraft for Elite Mages. It’s going to take us a few weeks to get through the entire property and search.”

“I have someone looking into that,” I revealed.

“And that person is?” she questioned.

The knock on the door caught both of our attention, and I grinned.

“I thought we weren’t able to get visitors?” Willa pointed out.

“Unless approved ahead of time,” I revealed. “And our person who’s going to aid us is here.”

We made our way downstairs, still in our attire from this morning. I decided to open the door while Willa stood there with a wide stance and crossed arms.

It was kind of cute to see a bit of dominance in her stance, but I pushed that thought aside.

She’s not your type, William. Though, it would be a bit amusing to piss off Officer Rogers.

There was something about him that ground my gears, making me want to do everything to annoy and anger him. How he lost a girl like Willa intrigued the curious side of me, but it wasn’t a subject I wanted to dive into.

I’m sure Willa didn’t want to be reminded. They at least seemed like good friends even though they were ex-lovers, but the little act of ignorance about her obvious low-ball pay rate was absurd.

Opening the door, my eyes landed on the 5′5″ girl with neon purple hair and big, thick glasses that practically took over half her face. Computer bag on her left shoulder and luggage in tow, the familiar acquaintance grinned from ear to ear in greeting.

“Will! I’m here!” she declared and waltzed right in, her tanned skin glittering like she put on lotion with sparkles in it. She was wearing her usual attire - black sweat pants and a purple tank top. That was her go-to wear because she got too hot from the computer screen but cold from the waist down because of the constant flow of fans on her hard drive to keep them from slowing down.

Taking off her shoes, she immediately whistled as her eyes took in the entire place at a quick glance.

“Holy computers! Was this place made by Dubai creators? They surely took time to build this masterpiece! Hey, where’s Nixie? Nixieeee! Auntie Echo is here!”

“Meow!”

Nixie came out of nowhere, having clearly made herself right at home in our new living space as she walked over to walk around Echo’s feet.

I glanced at Willa, noticing how she watched Echo carefully, her eyes reflecting a level of intrigued wonder with the new acquaintance.

Better be courteous and introduce them.

“Officer Silvers, this is Echo Valentine,” I introduced.

Willa looked surprised for a moment, and before Echo could say anything Willa spoke. “Echo? As in E.V.?”

“Y-Yes!” Echo nervously declared. “How did you know?”

“Do you know Adam Rogers?” Willa inquired.

I turned to see Echo fix her glasses, her entire demeanor changing as she widened her stance and put her hands in the sky.

“Adam Rogers! My damn archnemesis!” she said with disgust. Nixie raced over to my feet, watching the theatrics as Echo’s aura basically shifted from non-existent to raging with power.

“That brat of a computer genius! He’s my worst enemy and the one that I will beat this year in the competitive hacking arts for professionals in December!” She pointed to Willa, while fixing her glasses again - out of habit - and questioned her.

“How do you know that nerdy jackass?”

Willa blinked innocently before she replied, “He’s my ex.”

Echo stared at her for a few seconds before she was right by her side, grinning from ear to ear suspiciously.

“As in, he’s an ex you want to get payback on or an ex that you’re planning to return to?”

“Why does it sound like either option can lead to terrible consequences for Adam’s sake?” Willa inquired.

“Because they can if you want them to?”

“Echo,” I sighed. “Can you be an evil mastermind and deal with that stuff later? We have more impor-”

The glare she gave me could be felt even though her thick, non-transparent frames. “Silence!”

She returned her attention to Willa, who looked shocked that this short woman could shut me up.

I’m sure if it was anyone else, I wouldn’t have allowed it, but this was one of Echo’s tendencies in her weird personality and I’d just lived with it in all these years of having her as my tech person.

She’d saved me more than enough times in so many assignments and missions that I was probably more in debt to her than anything.

“Did he break your heart, sweetie? How much do I have to pay for us to seek revenge, because I’d be more than happy to work on a solid, error-proof plan to get him killed?”

“That’s nice of you.” Willa was actually smiling, leaving me to wonder if Adam was the one to break her heart. “However, I was the one who broke up with Adam. It was my choice. I’m sure he still loves me, but I decided to pull the plug.”

Huh? She broke up with him?

The fact she could say it so easily to Echo, who was practically a stranger, only made me wish to retrieve more information about their past relationship.

“You broke up with him?!” Echo gasped before taking a step back to examine Willa like she was an object. “Hmm. You look a tad too good for him if you’re going to compare levels of attractiveness, but that disappoints me. I would have loved to piss him off, but I’ll think of a way around it while coming to your guys’ aid!”

“What do you do again?” Willa inquired.

“Ah! I didn’t officially introduce myself.” Echo giggled and ran her hands through her short locks. “Echo Valentine. Top tech agent for the International Magic Affairs department and tech wiz for Dubai’s top investigator department.”

She pointed to me, wearing her proud smirk.

“I’m William’s tech gal for all his missions, but I also work with other high-level individuals, including a few presidents around the world. Globally, I’m better than your ex-boyfriend. He’s just one of the top in America.”

With a flick of her neon strands, she stood with pride and pointed to the sky.

“I’m your tech angel sent down to assist you in finding these daggers of saving grace before Adam does! I’ve been invited by William to come to assist, but he wished for me to introduce myself and request a spot in the basement to become my magical lair.”

“Ask my permission?” Willa looked surprised as she turned her gaze to me. “Why did you need to ask?”

“We’re partners,” I defended, my voice emotionless, though it was getting difficult to stop myself from blushing. Closing my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest, I looked away and stated, “It would be rude to invite her into our place without both of our consent for it. I originally figured her staying at a hotel would be easier, but with the extent of how big this place is, we’re going to need all the help we can get to try and gain some advantage during this school year.”

“You’re really respectful,” Willa praised.

Echo grinned and shuffled over to whisper in Willa’s ear. “Isn’t he so loving? I think you should date him.”

“No.” I immediately shot down the idea.

“That secretly means he’d love the company.” Echo grinned in mischief. “He doesn’t do very well with dating others, though. They don’t get his personality traits.”

“I can see why,” Willa admitted.

“But he has potential, right? Right?” Echo encouraged.

“Echo,” I growled at her nuisance attempt to try and hook me up. She always did that, ever since we met, trying to find me a girlfriend to appease my parent’s apparent prayers to the heavens that I’d get married already.

They clearly were forgetting I was eighteen for goodness sake.

“Ah! The boss is mad,” she shrieked and actually hid behind Willa. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Willa Silvers. I already checked your file and you’re a kick-ass chick. We have to be friends!”

“Sure.” Willa grinned, her blue eyes almost twinkling at the idea of having a friend. “I don’t really get along with girls of my generation, so that would be cool.”

“Is it because you’re independent, kickass, a powerhouse with looks, and aren’t into the daily life of cock and margaritas?”

I couldn’t even follow what Echo was saying but it seemed to click in Willa’s mind. “Ya! I never get a good variation of girls to hang out with. Usually, I’m stuck with snobby girls at a club while I’m finding drug lords and sex offenders. Also, our department here doesn’t have any females in the higher ranks. You know the politics with rank climbing in the business for females. I think I only got close because of my parents and my magic status.”

“I totally agree with you.” Echo sighed. “You should just transfer to Dubai. Let’s hurry and solve this mission so you can meet some actual girlfriends!”

Willa’s smile only widened as she bobbed her head, and as I quietly observed the two of them, I felt a little pleased that I’d gone along with the idea to invite Echo.

It was a last-minute decision and a bit of a strain to pull off because Chief Roland had questioned why Adam Rogers couldn’t live on the premises if Echo was approved to remain, but with the other chiefs, including ours, approving of Echo’s qualifications, especially in the global sector, there wasn’t much to disapprove of with her volunteer efforts to travel down here and remain with us.

The alibi was that she was our security guard, something you were allowed to have on the property if deemed necessary.

With Willa’s and my history in the field, something only the Headmaster knew of, the request was immediately approved this afternoon. I was thankful Willa wasn’t really upset with the sudden intrusion, but I’m sure she knew we could use all the help we could salvage.

“You’re more than welcome to stay here, Echo,” Willa declared. “However, how are you going to get away with being here all day and night? Are you a student or something?”

“Nah.” Echo shook her head. “I’m officially considered as security for you and Will. I know I’m on the shorter side compared to you two, but I actually have my certificate in security affairs of presidential, royal, and elite students.”

“Certificate in what?” Willa questioned. “Is that real?”

“Definitely!” Echo clapped her hands and poof, there was her pink-framed certificate that reflected the very title in gold cursive.

Willa was gawking as she examined the framed document. “Shut up! That’s insane!”

“A little nerdy, right?” Echo shyly stated.

“Nerdy? That’s awesome!” Willa made it seem like they were talking about the latest handbags in the fashion market. “Doesn’t that mean your magic level is extremely high?”

Echo nodded, the frame in her grasp disappearing before she pulled off her glasses. Willa’s blue orbs doubled in size, and I couldn’t help but smirk when Echo opened her eyes to reveal her pure white eyes.

“Hold on,” Willa was struggling to even speak. “Y-You’re blind?”

“Yup!” Echo declared like it was an epic condition to carry. “Long story short, I protected the president of Dubai from a venomous snake bite. The venom immediately triggered blindness due to the damage to my corneas but was stopped before it could reach my heart.”

She slipped her glasses on, and her smile broadened. “You’d think the disability would screw me up in the field I was in. I was about fifteen at that time, and obviously needed my vision for my job as a secret hacker for the government. Therefore, I had to learn how to use my magic to brighten the world around me. It’s basically-”

“Like living in a world of neon colors, the energies all around us pulsing through the darkness and lighting our path and those all around us,” Willa interjected with a softened expression.

Now Echo was speechless, as was I. The two of us looked at her as she nodded.

“I have occasional blindness. It’s due to a major head injury I endured when I was small. I don’t need my eyes to see through pitch darkness, and I can fight a room of people with a blindfold. It’s definitely not a disability. It’s a gift that makes you appreciate the world and the privileges many of us take for granted.”

You didn’t need to see Echo’s eyes to see the shift in her demeanor, and I knew Willa’s words had definitely made her mark on her because she nodded and presented her hand.

“I think we’re really going to be good friends, Willa.”

“Likewise,” Willa declared and shook her hand.

I didn’t stop the smile that graced my lips, a little happy that my smart tech partner, who I guess was my friend if I put it on those terms, made another female friend that got her.

Echo didn’t have many, the two of us sharing the same circle of friends who were all in Dubai on serious missions. We still kept in touch when we could, but it was hard to trust anyone in our field.

Trust at such levels meant you’d be willing to die for that person. Something I would do for Echo and the three other individuals in our lives back home.

With Willa in the picture, I was beginning to feel like she would be added to the small list, but deep down, I was craving more.

Bad sign.

Echo clapped her hands, drawing my attention.

“Before I go get to work, what’s the plan for you two? Are you gonna go party this week?”

“Party?” the two of us questioned.

“Why would we party?” Willa asked. “We have to find those daggers.”

“Willa, my dear,” Echo began. “There’s no way either of you is going to find those daggers without playing along with the role of students.”

“What?” I questioned. “I don’t get what you’re trying to say, Echo. Elaborate.”

Echo crossed her arms and sighed.

“You guys can’t think of this as a mission!” she exclaimed. “If the daggers were so easy to retrieve, the four top chiefs wouldn’t have specifically sought out the both of you to fit the four school’s prerequisites.”

She clapped her hand, a whiteboard with a purple marker appearing out of nowhere. She took the board and began to draw a diagram for us, showing the results to both of us.

“Look. This is us right now in the bubble.” She pointed to the circle. “The daggers are somewhere on this property, but they aren’t going to reveal themselves to just anyone. You have to project that student vibe! To resonate with the land and want to discover its secrets. Think of this like you’re trying to seduce someone to bed.”

The two of us gave her a look, and she shrugged.

“Seduction still requires a connection, whether instant or gradual. This magic is ancient. It’s not going to respond to our simple tricks to find where these daggers at. They’re infused with magic, and in order to wrap their essence around our fingertips, you have to want to learn and grow within their lands.”

She pointed to the quick block castle she’d drawn.

“I have a theory that each set of daggers resonates with the building for a reason. It may be a long shot, but what if previous students from many years ago used the very daggers in question? I’ve been doing my research, and this very school is based off an ancient dagger set. I can’t seem to find out exactly what their name is or the facts behind its origin, but the set was what helped create this place of learning. It’s your duty as students not only to learn about it but to experience the student life while being an academy investigator behind the scenes!”

She lowered her board and looked between us.

“Yes, this is your mission, but remember, you two would have never decided to enter college or university. Why not try and enjoy yourselves for the first couple of months while obtaining information? It also wouldn’t hurt to start making connections. You both have the looks to get into the cool crowd if you truly wanted to. There’s more to those groups then drugs, alcohol, and sex. They talk and carry more hidden secrets then one would believe.”

“Echo, you’re really smart,” Willa complimented.

“I’m twenty-two,” she revealed. “I know I don’t look it, but your girl has done enough missions in schools on the sidelines to help my fellow agents.”

With that, she stretched her arms.

“I’m exhausted, but hungry,” she announced.

“Actually, we should eat something. It’s pretty late,” Willa suggested and looked my way. “Wanna go out?”

My questioning look made her groan. “To EAT! EATTTT!”

“Sure,” I replied, and there my lips went with smirking at her reaction.

She pouted her lips, looking annoyed, but my heart skipped a beat.

Ugh. Stop skipping, you stupid organ.

“Yeah! Food! You know, it’s been years since Will and I have actually been able to see each other face-to-face and have a conversation!” Echo explained. “The life of an investigator and his tech sidekick is a tough one.”

“Opposite from me and Adam, who saw each other non-stop.” Willa sighed. “A break is weird, to be fair.”

“Breaks are important,” Echo declared before quietly whispering, “Let him suffer.”

Willa laughed but nodded. “Sure!”

She looked between us and grinned. “Guess we’re really playing student.”

“Essentially,” I replied.

“I’ve got you guys covered. I’ll have a map and list of potential groups you guys should start making connections with, as well as a list of all the latest events cool kids attend by tomorrow morning. You’ll be the talk of the school in no less than a week,” Echo vowed.

“Wow.” Willa looked impressed. “Oh! Echo. Do you wanna see the massive indoor sauna and spa room? Now that I have a girlfriend, we can totally use it together! There’s even a function to call for masseurs to come and give you a nine-minute detox massage!”

Echo stared at her with a baffled expression before she squealed.

“Shut up! I haven’t gotten a massage in like…years! YEARS!”

“Come this way!” Willa grabbed her hand and tugged her along, leaving me with Nixie, who was grooming her fur.

“Don’t forget to change into clothes so we can eat!” I barked out, but the two of them were long gone. I frowned and looked down at Nixie, her head moving up to give me a look with her blue eyes.

“They’re going to be gone for an hour, aren’t they?”

“Meow.” She went right back to grooming herself and I sighed.

Pulling out my phone, I pulled up the picture I’d taken early today. It was a random instinct, but the image displayed Willa’s excited face as she stood before our dorm house earlier this morning.

Photography was something I did when I was bored or tired, but that moment had seemed so serene in nature that I couldn’t help but take the image.

Eyeing it carefully, I felt my heart speed up, and that made me hiss and close the app. “Stupid heart. Maybe I’m dying,” I told myself. “I should ask my mom why my heart does that when I look at Willa. She’ll think I’m stupid for not googling it. Whatever.”

Shaking my head, I took one last look at my phone screen and before I knew it, I made the very photo my screensaver.

“A year stuck with Willa Silvers,” I whispered.

What’s the worst that could happen?

NIGHT OF ACTING NORMAL

~WILLA~

“ECHO? Are you sure you won’t get in trouble for coming along?” I inquired as we waited outside the gates of our dorm house.

“I’ll be fine. I’m security, remember?” She winked and emphasized her black-on-black suit outfit with the badge featuring the word “security” written in gold.

Tonight was the Smokeywood block party for Elite freshmen. It was by invite only, already cutting down the population of freshmen this year into one-fifth.

Echo, being the amazing mastermind she’d proven to be in the few days of her residence in our huge basement, had not only gotten us tickets to this VIP event but somehow morphed the perfect background stories for us.

She’d come up with everything, from our “past” private schools to our multiple awards, talents, medals of honor, and other charismatic information that would catch the eye of those who’d want us to join their crews.

The term Elite was thrown around constantly, especially with this being an Elite academy institution, but the word was used differently amongst the students.

It was deemed to be used for those who deserved to carry the title like a famous crown that they’d earned after fighting a fierce battle. If you were accepted into that crowd, you were approved of that “status” and immediately treated like royalty, from what we’d researched so far this week.

Classes were all introductions this week, our supposedly two-and-half hour lessons being ten to thirty minutes long to ensure we got the gist of things. Next week was when we’d learn the nitty-gritty about this school and the fundamentals of our classes before we’d move on to the magical aspects.

This school didn’t do the school year in terms. Our classes would carry through into the new year, and training would be added after the holiday break.

The content seemed easy enough for me, and I had no doubt the same went with William. Before we began this whole thing, I was dreading the idea of working with him, but this week had been far more relaxed than I’d expected.

William wasn’t as mean, selfish, and arrogant as he portrayed.

Quite the opposite.

I wasn’t sure if it was because he was somewhat comfortable with me or something was in the air, but the two of us got along pretty well. I still had those moments when he glared, rolled his guys, gave me a pinch of attitude, and looked like he dreaded being in the same room as me, but it actually left me a little happy.

He wasn’t easy to predict, and he wasn’t kind to me - or anyone - to gain something or in an obligated way.

We were partners, so that usually meant we had to trust and get along with one another, but our connection, though obviously not perfect, felt well-balanced, and that brought me a unique sense of contentment this week.

It felt good to be in his company, even if it was to do our own little hobbies in silence.

I’d come to realize William loved to read. Information was like his best friend when it came to passing the time. Whether for pleasure or to get us ahead of this case, he’d be completely in his own zone, and I ended up making timers to snap him out of it or he’d forget to eat.

Literally.

He found it a hindrance, but after a few days, he didn’t pester me about it. He was an OCD neat freak like me, which was honestly a blessing in this massive place because it meant I wasn’t solely cleaning the house every other day to keep it in perfection.

He liked to wear contacts, going with his usual red-eyed look because without them, we looked far too close to twins for comfort. We’d already gotten lumped as twins or siblings in some recent school blog post.

Thanks to Echo’s computer whiz epicness, she quickly created a blog site and generated multiple students. The blog centered on the two new students who could be changing the game in the world of Elites.

It was the perfect launch, especially on a Friday that followed up with a party bash. All of it set us up to make connections and get some sort of information about what could help us get ahead of this case.

Adam and I had been texting at night, simple check-ins instead of our usual face time sessions. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to see him, but by the time I snuggled into bed after a long shower or bath, I was honestly spent.

I forgot how tiring school could be, since it had been years since I’d had to take any classes. I’d had far more energy back then, or I could have just been so accustomed to the life of an investigator that hours of learning and being around various levels of energy was just draining.

Adam knew we’d be going to some party tonight, and immediately began to lecture me on my inability to handle alcohol. It wasn’t like I couldn’t drink.

Quite the contrary.

I could drink a lot, far too much for my own or anyone’s good. And when he said “handle,” he was referring to the consequences that usually occurred when I reached that level of tipsy intoxication.

With William around, I could only assume he’d want nothing to do with drinks, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt, but Adam, being the protective “parent” ex-boyfriend, he had to remind me of my alcoholic flaws, seeing as he wasn’t there to watch over me.

Being apart for a week was a little eye-opening for me - in a positive way.

I’d been so reliant on Adam’s company, used to his warm baths, volunteered gestures to make dinner, and his physical comfort that I’d somewhat lost that identity of being by myself.

Sure, on missions I’d be alone in my hotel rooms and whatnot, but that didn’t stop me from texting, calling, or face timing him. It was an addiction I never really acknowledged, and now I was surprisingly enjoying the detox.

When we broke up, I expected that he’d want to stay away from me, but we’d acted like everything was fine and dandy the next day. Our romantic connection was cut, in terms of kissing and sex, but everything else had been the same, which at that time was a blessing.

All this alone time was enlightening, and I was being given the chance to review my past emotions that had never reached the surface.

William definitely had a part of this new experience, because he gave me space as a partner. We did text when we weren’t around one another, but it was simple things or just a quick ‘are you alive’ check-in when either of us took too long with our nightly skincare routines.

I never would have expected William to be into his skin, but he actually took it very seriously, which was fun because we could have a full, serious conversation while wearing facemasks or cucumbers on our eyes.

It was laughable, and yet it gave me some joy after a long day at school.

Now that we were going out to a space that was more relaxed, I was intrigued about what was to come.

Tonight’s look was completely organized by Echo, and I was actually digging it. I’d never gotten to wear such a fancy club dress as this, sticking to my usual black dress that flared out at the bottom half so it was easier to run in.

Or kick ass, which was what I normally did when I went to any club, party, or gathering for work.

Today I was wearing a teal dress that was blinged up from top to bottom in golden rhinestones. The material hugged every curve, accenting my slim waist and even emphasizing my hips.

I wasn’t as super curvy as I’d wish. My active life of catching criminals and keeping the magical world safe was a bit too much cardio, but at least the squatting from all the ass kicking gave me a nice butt and decent thighs. I still loved my figure and this dress only made me love my body even more.

My heels were thin stilettos, branded, of course, with rhinestone straps that crisscrossed all the way up to my upper thighs, where a nice bow was made with the remaining lace. They were far more comfortable than their appearance alluded.

My long silver hair was left straight but Echo had sprayed some sort of stuff that gave it more density.

Or what she referred to as having “body” rather than flat iron straight.

I wore a few bracelets and another high-end watch that was from the new Rolex Women collection of extremely expensive diamond jewelry. How Echo got this so last-minute was her little secret, but it fit perfectly with the dress, thanks to its two-tone appearance and diamond synchronicity to match.

My dress was strapless and somehow made my boobs bigger than they were. It had to be the padding, but damn, did they look good.

With a simple makeup look that wasn’t too far off from my usual smoky eye, nude lip look, I was ready to go.

This was the first time I was going out to actually mingle and have some fun. We were still trying to get information on the sidelines and make connections, but it was refreshing to not have that as the center focus of the night.

“What’s taking William so long?” I inquired.

“He’s always like that. He takes forever, then forgets we even have an event because he gets caught up researching something, or he gets distracted by Nixie and starts playing with her.”

“Must be living the good life,” I sighed, but couldn’t even blame him for getting distracted by his family’s black furred, blue-eyed cat. She was pretty nice to have around, especially when you could be deep in reading and suddenly feel something jump on you like you’re being attacked.

That took me some time to get used to.

Apparently, from William’s words, if a cat jumped in your lap, you were now the chosen one and couldn’t leave unless deemed invaluable.

No bathroom breaks for the wicked.

She’d somehow managed to get into my room twice this week, but her purrs were rather comforting, and I’d gotten the best sleep in years those nights.

“Why don’t we take some pictures to pass the time?” Echo suggested. “Did you know Will loves photography? He’s a pro at it.”

“Really?” I pondered the idea. I didn’t take that many pictures, something I wished I was into because memories of gatherings were hard to come by when you barely went out because of work.

“Yup! I’m sure if he wasn’t an agent, he’d be some sort of famous photographer or something. He’s that good. Sometimes he’s just there at the right moment to take the picture and boom, an instant masterpiece. He had his own galleria moment in Dubai at the age of twelve.”

“Galleria?” I question in astonishment. “You mean he had a whole art section of a gallery to display his photographs?”

“Section?” Echo laughed. “He had the whole damn gallery! It was huge. I’ll show you the pictures and videos tomorrow afternoon.”

“Really?” That was delightful to look forward to.

“Totally!” She pulled out her camera and moved back a bit. “Now let me take some pictures before I’m forced to find Will and pray he’s ready. I’m sure he is, because he hates tardiness.”

“Alright.” I posed as she began to take various pictures of me, coaching me on where I should put my hands or how to change my stance to look spectacular.

“Yes! Just like that! Content, baby, content! Getting all the glam photos for the blog.”

“You’re having far too much fun doing this.” I actually giggled, and she practically squealed while she kept capturing every single moment.

“Yes! Smile like that.”

She kept going for a while, and my magic began to flutter within my stomach and swarm throughout my body as tiny sparks of electricity seemed to run through me.

As if I was urged to look up and lean back just slightly, my back pressed into something firm, just as my head moved up, only to feel the soft brush of lips against mine.

My eyes went wide in shock, looking up to those almost identical blue eyes that were just as wide as mine. Our timing and movement had somehow synced, and it was clear William had probably lowered his head to question why I’d leaned right into him.

I didn’t think it would result in a kiss.

“And I– oop!” Echo exclaimed before she shrieked, “Stay just like that!!! Like that! I may not be a photographer but damn! This is a photoshoot for kings and queens! The Universe has my back on this one. There could be a quantum physics portal somewhere, somehow aligning the two of you up! I should totally research that! William! Stop idolizing Willa and move next to her so I can get more pictures!”

I blinked and watched William’s cheeks swarm with red before he moved away from me and stepped to the side, keeping a one-person distance between us.

My eyes took a long gaze down his body, and boy was I impressed with the final results.

His hair was styled perfectly in a spiky look, one that made him look like a total bad boy ready to walk the runaway and kill a bunch of people at the same time.

He wore a silky teal dress shirt with gold cufflinks and a gold vest with a nice floral design on the smooth material. Teal pants with shoes that were just as blinged out as mine followed the golden theme we were representing.

The theme of the party was to represent Smokeywood, and we were doing that to the very T. His tie shifted back and forth from gold to teal, and the fact that he wasn’t wearing his contacts only told me that the red wasn’t matching his look.

I acknowledged that William was attractive, even in his school uniform, but in this moment under the soft moonlight that shone above us, he looked spectacular.

Sexy as fuck.

Was that inappropriate for me to think about my partner? It was too late to retract as I eyed him like he was a new flavor of chocolate bliss.

“Can you stop eyeing me like that?” he practically growled. “It feels like you’re undressing me or something.”

“Admiring and undressing with the eyes are two different things,” I pointed out. “However, I won’t confirm which one I was doing.”

“You have to stop unexpectedly kissing me,” he voiced.

“To be fair,” I began, “you were the one to kiss me. Both times.”

His frown actually made me smirk as I closed the purposeful distance he made. “Now take an actual nice picture with me.”

“Why? It’s not like this is prom,” he pestered.

“No, but it’s a party, and whenever I go to parties it’s for work and not for play,” I voiced.

“You had to have gone with Adam,” he assumed.

“Nah.” I shook my head. “He doesn’t do any form of dance. He does like to be my chaperone and make sure I don’t do anything stupid.”

“Why do I feel like that’s my new role tonight?” he inquired to himself, but his ridged body loosened up. “I’m not babysitting you, if that’s what you’re expecting.”

I grinned and wrapped my arm around his.

“That’s exactly what I want you to do.” I winked and turned to Echo. “Echo? Can we have some nice pics together for memory’s sake?”

“I got you!” she cheered and went right into her snapping frenzy.

William sighed, but muttered, “Fine. Only to piss Adam off.”

“You love annoying him, even from afar,” I pointed out.

“Maybe he’ll realize what he should have fought for.”

I almost missed what he’d said, the loud pounding of my heart against my chest and the rush of blood that made my ears ring making it hard to hear, even at this close distance.

The energy between us was enough to make me uncomfortable, and yet I didn’t want to leave his side.

I didn’t want to let go.

Echo finished taking a couple of more pictures, and I moved out of the frame so William would have his share of photos.

“Ah! I forgot my gun! Be back real quick,” Echo casually declared.

“Gun?” I inquired.

“She is security, after all.” William shrugged. “Guess she’s making sure she fits her role perfectly.”

“She looked like she had fun,” I admitted.

“Echo enjoys taking pictures during events and stuff. She’s not super into the art aspect of photography, but ask her to take a picture of you and she’s essentially going to give you an entire photoshoot,” William explained. “I know she’s doing the blog for shits and giggles with our alibis, but it’s something she loved to do in the past when we and my few friends back home would chill. She’d write about our hangouts using different characters and our pictures as examples. If she’d wanted to be a writer, she could have been, honestly. It was that believable.”

“She can still be an author,” I admitted. “It’s something she could strive to do once this is all over, or even during the down months.”

“Maybe. She gets so into these cases that there isn’t much downtime. I think we all do that though. Feels almost sinful to be going out to party tonight.”

“I agree.” My voice was low as I looked up to the moon. “I feel bad being able to party.”

“Because Adam’s not here?” he inquired.

“A little bit,” I admitted. “Don’t get me wrong for saying this, but as of late, I feel like I’m detoxing from our relationship. It’s not like I don’t want to be his friend or anything. It’s just the first time where we haven’t really been in constant contact with one another. I’d texted him maybe three days ago and then yesterday about the party, but before it was a constant conversation day and night. Now I feel a little more independent.”

“However,” he emphasized the single word.

“I feel bad that he isn’t here. Obviously, he has other duties and wouldn’t be able to do what Echo’s doing for us. It’s silly for me to feel like he needs to be here and enjoy the semi break from constant cases and fieldwork, but I’m also happy he’s not here. It’s confusing.”

“That’s just how life is,” William announced. “Regardless, you need to have time for self-reflection and growth. His constant presence doesn’t help you grow. All it does is make you reliant on another’s presence.”

The way he explained it in words made so much sense.

“Enjoy this time to do things you wouldn’t in his company. He can survive without you, just like you’re doing now. Allow yourself that space. You never know what’s around the corner for you, and this is your time to meet new people, even if it’s temporary.”

“When this is all over, will you still keep in touch with me?” The question was random but valid.

He didn’t even pause as he answered, “Yes.”

I smiled and nodded my head. “I’ll take your advice to heart,” I assured him. “Thanks for giving me a chance to be your friend.”

I noticed the slight flicker in his eyes, but he nodded again. Our attention returned to the gate as Echo closed it.

“Ready!” She swirled around and looked at us one last time. “Now remember, you guys are supposed to have fun. Relax, talk to people, feel free to share your qualities. You’ve already studied your alibis down to every detail. The party is heavily guarded, so no need to worry about ambushes and stuff. They kill on sight for anyone that tries to crash the party. That’s how high ranked this thing is, so you’re safe.”

She opened the left and right flaps of her jacket, revealing her guns and other weapons that were pretty concealed.

“I got you if anyone slips up.”

“You’re like an assassin,” I whispered in awe. “So cool.”

“I keep telling you, Willa. We should have been friends ages ago. You would have had so much more fun,” she reminded like she had all week when I was blown away by her coolness. “Let’s head out.”

We both nodded, and I noticed William’s offered arm. When I looked up at him questioningly, he was looking away at the moon.

“Hurry up before I change my mind,” he huffed.

With a sly smirk, I hooked my arm around his and we began to make our way to the party.

“Can I call you Will?”

“That’s weird.”

“Please?” I requested. “William is so long.”

“How is that any longer than Willa?”

“Will.I.Am,” I pronounced. “It’s longer than Will.A.”

“Are you being serious right now?”

“Very serious.”

“Fine.” He already sounded tired.

“Score!” I beamed, and he looked over to me.

His expression was hard to read, but he didn’t seem as mad as he tried to project.

“Have fun, just like that,” he muttered and looked away, leaving me grinning from ear to ear.

I certainly will.

FRESHMEN DRUNKY AND QUEEN OF THE PRIMES

~WILLIAM~

“HEY, Will, why are you calling me?” Echo questioned through the speaker. I took a sip of my drink, my eyes attempting to scan the crowd for the hidden, silver-haired vixen of a partner who’d gone MIA for half the night.

“I can’t seem to find Willa,” I replied.

“Hmm?” That’s what Echo usually replied when she was pulling out some sort of device to prove me wrong. It only took her five seconds to say, “She’s in the VIP lounge.”

“I checked there,” I voiced over the pounding music, ready to walk over to the very place we’d gotten access to for looking like we deserved access there.

“No, no,” she answered. “She’s not in that lounge, stop moving.”

“There’s only one VIP lounge here,” I emphasized, doing what she said by stopping where I was. My eyes lingered on the group of dancing students, all of them in their best-fitted attire and trying to impress those apparently watching to see who would be worthy of joining their ‘crews’.

When we arrived, we found out rather quickly that this party was almost like an initiation of sorts.

There were these laid our expectations during the welcome introduction, emphasizing the fact that this was a party where we could come and chill, but to be mindful that some would be recruited or asked to chill with the special bunch of Elites.

It was a subliminal message in a way, and everyone that was here understood that. It didn’t seem to bother me, nor did it bother Willa, from her relaxed persona.

The place was packed, even with how big it was, only reminding us of how huge the freshmen population was at Smokeywood.

This was like a competition of the fittest, and it was only a matter of time before those that stood out were brought into the realms of the unique Elites that chilled in the private sectors of this mansion.

We’d done our own quick tour of the place while we sipped on some drinks, deciding to split up only to try and not draw too much attention our way.

Echo’s blog had been successful in hyping us up, and I knew from the multiple interruptions I’d experienced for autographs, pictures, and even a few mini recruiters on their own that it was one of the best plans put in action to make us really blend into this new lifestyle.

I’d lost track of where Willa had gone, which didn’t normally worry me. She was a big girl and didn’t need me following her like some lost puppy.

Or an overprotective one.

However, a particular person from the past decided to call me only a few minutes earlier.

“WHO IS this and how did you get my number?” I inquired as I waited at the open bar for yet another glass of sweet concoction.

“It’s Officer Rogers and from the database.”

“This is my emergency line,” I grumbled, knowing damn well it was a lie and my private phone number.

I wasn’t the type to carry two or three phones at once, so there was no way I’d go juggling two during our intense lifestyle that made them easy to lose.

“Well, I was calling to see if Willa was around?”

“Why do you care?” I questioned. “This is a mission. I shouldn’t be distracted by you. I could report your interruption,” I pointed out.

I definitely didn’t want to be a dick about all of this, but his injury only reminded me of what Willa said earlier, and to simply put it, I wasn’t going to let this guy suddenly ruin that Adam detox she’d been working hard to adapt to.

“I’m calling because she said you guys would be going to a party.”

“I’m rather positive that you can hear the music in the background and safely assume that we’re already conducting the very mission you speak of.”

“Are you near her?”

“No.” His constant question about where exactly Willa was began to grind my gears. “Why does it matter? She’s not in danger. My tech person would have caught onto it and reported back to us,” I explained.

“Tech person?” he questioned, and I realized I’d said too much.

“If you have nothing to do, I’m returning to my day off and tomorrow I’ll happily answer your inquiry about Willa.”

“She doesn’t handle alcohol well,” he blurted out.

“Meaning she’s not a good alcoholic?” I concluded without him even answering.

“Not necessarily. She’s…well…hmm…” He struggled to figure out the right wording, but the longer he took, the more impatient I became.

“Listen, Adam, you’re wasting my time. I’m hanging up first.”

“She gets really seductive and cocky when she’s drunk,” he revealed. “Make sure she isn’t trapped with some other jerk or cocky ass on your level.”

“Sure,” I replied and whispered, “Why don’t you return to being useful instead of worrying where Willa is? She’s fine, safe, and in our line of vision. Go read a book or be productive or something instead of worrying about her. Willa is an adult who has done more cases than the average student. Give her some trust and you won’t be made out to be a dick.”

“I’m not a dick! Willa doesn’t talk shit about me.”

“You’re right. She doesn’t. But I do, and I’m pretty proud of it,” I voiced. “I’m hanging up.”

“Find where she is. She doesn’t handle alcohol well,” Adam ordered me like he was suddenly my commander.

That really ticked me off.

My voice dropped as I answered him with threatening authority, “Listen, tumbleweed who let go of a queen that was far too good for you,” I began. “I don’t take orders from the likes of you. You were assigned to do shit outside these walls. You weren’t given permission to call my private number and demand me to do ABCD.”

With a deep breath, I let it out to control my surging anger.

“Willa’s an adult and I don’t care if she gets completely wasted or can’t handle alcohol for shit. I’ll be there for her if she needs me, but I’m not going to try and act like I’m some baby sitter who desperately needs her in my line of vision. Sit the fuck down, read a damn book, and get used to this distance because it’s what your future has in store. Be grateful you’re getting anything at all from the government.”

The line was silent, my words lingering in the electronic connection between us. “I’m not getting any money from the government,” he muttered.

“It’s funny how you’re the perfect con artist and a web of lies, ones that are so thick that you, yourself, have gotten lost in their tangled captivity. I could expose you if I wanted to right this minute, but I prefer to keep silent and let the woman who’s working her ass off to do what is right in the world receive what she deserved from the very beginning.”

My voice dropped to an all-time low, and it didn’t matter that the music was blasting around me. He’d hear what I had to say, right here and now.

“Don’t test me, Rogers. I don’t like you. I never will. And I know what you’ve hidden so deeply from the very woman that loved you. Push my buttons enough, and you might just see the side I don’t hide from the world and especially my partner.”

With those threatening words, I hung up.

“SHE’S in the VIP lounge on the third floor. The one that they said wouldn’t be any partying in,” Echo explained.

“Why do I have a feeling she got there simply because of that intriguing character of hers?” I quietly stated to myself.

“I think she’s just drunk,” Echo corrected.

“Isn’t that a bad thing?” I noted.

Echo laughed. “Not from what it says in her files. Go get your queen so we can go home.”

“Stop making it seem like we’re dating.”

“You like her.”

“I never said that.”

“You don’t need to say it,” she sang through the phone. “I’ve never seen you this tolerant of anyone, and especially not at such a quick pace. You’ve known each other for, what? A week? Yet you haven’t submitted your utmost request to get a new partner and you guys apparently kissed twice.”

“The first time was to save her,” I grumbled, making my way to the elevators.

“Ya, ya, underwater CPR whatever.” Echo brushed it away like it was nothing. “You kissed her this evening.”

“By accident.”

“Fate doesn’t work by accident.”

I pressed the button of the elevator, watching the digital number on top remain on two for a long moment.

“We’re not going to date.”

“You keep telling yourself that mister Silvestri, but your magic is going to do the opposite of what you say,” she revealed.

“You don’t know that,” I complained.

“You think because I’m blind I can’t see that magnetic charge between you two?”

Her words made me grimace, but she continued, “Stop ignoring it already. Just go with the flow. I have a stronger hunch as to why Chief needed specifically you two for this case, but I’m not going to figure that out if you’re trying to fight against what’s brewing between you and Willa.”

“Her overprotective boyfriend won’t like her dating.”

“You mean the boyfriend who’s hiding far more secrets under his good boy appearance than that he knew damn well Willa was getting the lowest pay in her whole damn department but told her parents otherwise so they wouldn’t ask Willa themselves?”

“She really didn’t see all that was going on beneath, huh?” I whispered.

“I think there’s a bigger reason why Willa broke up with Adam. She’s just being naive on purpose,” Echo determined. “That’s the vibe I get, but you’re the only one who’s going to get those details out of her.”

“You have all this hope in me.” I sighed. “You’re weird.”

“Are you afraid to fall for her?”

The question left me silent, and she sighed.

“William.” Echo’s voice was stern. “Alexa was a using bitch. You have to stop letting that experience bring you down. Just be happy I told you to make her sign a prenup.”

“I’m gonna go find Willa,” I announced. “Keep an eye out for anything peculiar.”

“Coolio,” she replied.

“No one uses that term,” I huffed, relieved that the elevator was finally here as the number changed to one. “Thanks, Echo.”

“You’re welcome. Have fun mingling with powerhouses.”

She hung up and I slipped my phone into my pocket, noticing the single guard in the elevator.

“What floor?” he asked when I walked in, the doors closing behind me to mute out all the booming noise.

“Three.”

“No access,” he sternly stated. My blank expression only emphasized my disapproval of his rejection, and I decided to go along with this random lie.

“My girlfriend is up there.”

The guy took a long look at me and used my free hand to gesture my attire.

“We look very similar. Blue eyes, silver hair, blinged-out dress. We’re together, and she’s only going to kick my cock if I don’t come to her. She doesn’t do the chasing,” I explained.

The man actually glanced at my crotch, and as if he could feel the impact of a solid kick, he reached over and pressed the third floor. He then put his fingerprint on the scanning pad, which told me this level was clearly off-limits.

“Upon arrival, you have to use your magic to get to where your girlfriend is. Don’t cause shit or you’ll be kicked right out,” he declared.

“Cool,” I simply replied and took another gulp of my drink that was almost gone.

Facing the door, we arrived on the destination floor. The doors opened and I walked right out, noticing the empty space. It was like they hadn’t decorated this place at all.

The elevator doors already closed behind me, leaving me no choice but to do what was instructed.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep inhale and magic fluttered to life. Almost immediately, I was drawn to the left, not because that was the right direction, but because that tugging, magnetic pull I always felt when I was around Willa was making its debut appearance once more.

God, my magic just loves being around her. Annoying.

I allowed the pulsating energy to be free, projecting it around me before I took a solid step forward. The feeling of entering a portal hit me fast, and as soon as the swirling sensation started, it ended just as quickly.

The live band classical music was the first thing to greet me, and I opened my eyes to see the sophisticated group of individuals in ball gowns, elegant suits, and masquerade masks.

A man in a teal suit came and offered the choice of a gold mask or a teal mask on wide silver platters.

Teal was calling to me, but with the outfit I wore, the sudden pop of color seemed like something Willa would choose. Reaching for the gold, I took it and placed it on my face.

The magical item didn’t need a string to keep it in place, and I lowered my hand to watch the waiter smile and bow his head.

“Correct choice for your girlfriend,” he revealed. “Feel free to enjoy your time in the Elite lounge. Your lady in question is with some of Smokeywood’s Primes. Don’t hesitate to make yourself comfortable for the remainder of the night.”

With another bow, he was gone, and another server quickly came and took my almost-empty drink and gave me a brand new full one.

This one looked different, not in the physical content of the liquid I saw with my eyes, but there was magic that resided in it. Taking a mere sip of it, I was impressed with the flavor, and an immediate wave of calm ran through me while making me feel empowered.

This stuff is so not good to be addicted to.

With a nod of thanks, I followed the invisible thread of magnetic energy, my body moving intuitively and landing me in a smaller section that was guarded by two bulky guards.

They gave me a mere glance, looking at one another and nodding in approval as I passed. The gold mask I wore must be playing its role in all of this.

A few individuals that stood near the bar looked my way. I kept my cool appearance, the usual grimace and ‘don’t talk to me’ aura I apparently projected on a daily basis remaining as my blue eyes scanned the room.

It only took one solid glance to find Willa, and I was internally taken aback by the wave of power coming off of her. Yes, I’d accepted from the moment I saw her in the depths of the pool water that she was strong magically, but the woman sitting quietly within a group of intrigued individuals only gave off the impression that she was queen among a group of servants.

The energy oozing off of her immediately proved that she was more powerful than me. If we battled, I’d lose if she did one solid magical attack with that level of vitality. How she hid it so well was what really took my breath away, seeing her swirl the half-filled glass of alcoholic beverage in her hand, her half-open eyes seemingly dangerous as one eye glowed its usual vibrant blue while the other was a glimmering gold.

Her hair was still perfectly resting on the side of her face and her right leg was crossed over her left. She seemed out of it almost, but also alert to everything happening around her.

The replicated gold mask that I wore was what sat on the bridge of her nose, only emphasizing how stunning her eyes now were, matched up with the oozing waves of magic.

I’m sure many men in my position would have been a little annoyed by the power shift between themselves and their female partner, but I found it a little pleasing, relieved that she’d be able to take care of herself if we got separated during a mission.

It also turned me on, a little too much.

Concealing my move with a hint of magic, I pulled my phone out to quickly take a snapshot of the scene. It was so swift that no one caught onto it, and by the time I slipped my phone back into the safety of my pocket, blue-gold eyes locked onto mine.

My cock twitched as I fought hard not to sink into the dominating aura Willa was practically shooting my way. It was like she was now a spider, reeling me into her intoxicating web.

Her smile made my heart beat fast, and she lifted her free hand and used a single finger to direct me to come her way. The move was so seductive and graceful, that it made everyone in the room look my way.

It brought upon a new challenge, one that I accepted as a daring smirk took over my lips, and I took long strides to get to her side even faster without looking like I was under her woven spell.

Even though I felt like I was.

Before I reached her, the guy who was sitting a little too close for comfort immediately moved out of the way, and my smirk widened as I took his place. Without hesitation, my arm lifted to wrap along Willa’s shoulder, bringing her a little closer as I greeted her.

“Hey, baby. Was looking for you.”

She took a sip of her drink, turning her attention to me as her pleasing grin widened. “Sorry, love. I was talking with some new friends of mine.”

She moved her hand to acknowledge the three individuals sitting on her right; two males and one female.

“These are the Elite Primes of Smokeywood. Think of it like the student council almost, but way cooler and with none of that bullshit we see in other schools. I was just informing them how you enjoy many ancient books and such. They were just saying they would grant us access to the library so we could improve some of our combat skills. Not like we aren’t more powerful than the majority of the student body.”

Her voice held a level of smoothness that immediately made my body tingle in desire. It was making my head hurt while I mentally wished my cock would stop getting harder.

Our magic was running on a sort of high, one that begged for us to be even closer, which was making it hard for me to think straight.

“Excellent,” I calmly replied and took my own sip of my drink. “Pleasure to meet you three.”

“Likewise,” the female spoke up, but I knew with one look that her pleased expression didn’t reach her eyes.

She definitely doesn’t like Willa.

“It’s an honor to meet some powerhouses like yourselves in the first week here at Smokeywood. A rare occurrence,” the male with white hair spoke up. “Willa has been telling us about your past together. Intriguing how alike the two of you look and how similar your magic auras are. It reminds me of the twin blade legacy.”

Twin blade legacy?

“Too bad you two are apparently together, right?” The guy with shoulder-length locks sighed. “I’d date Willa in a heartbeat.”

The girl with short red strands looked pissed as hell, even with the red mask on her face, but Willa quietly laughed, the sultry sound only making people visibly shiver, like they were on some sort of high.

“Too bad. We’re new at this relationship thing so who knows if we’ll last. If we don’t, I’ll make sure to get your number.” Willa winked.

The idea of her being with someone else suddenly made me feel like a possessive asshole. Without thinking, my hand reached for Willa’s chin, turning her head in my direction as I leaned in closer.

“As if I’d let go of a precious diamond like you, baby.”

My lips were already on hers - initiating a kiss for the third time since knowing her. I had to mentally kick my own ass later for the deed, and yet, I couldn’t be happier to feel those luscious lips against mine, tasting the lingering sweet drink in her mouth.

It surprised me when she kissed me back, the move making my entire body grow hot and desperate for more. I had to tug at every string of restraint to break the kiss, and my grin of satisfaction was taunting Willa as she pouted in annoyance.

“Baby. We can take this elsewhere if you like?” I offered. “Are you done here?”

She took a few seconds to think about my words.

“Let’s go elsewhere. Somewhere more private,” she ordered and looked back at the Primes. “It was a pleasure to meet you three. If you need anything from us, please let us know. We’re grateful for the kind welcome to this elite institution, and if you need us to put anyone in their place, we’d happily do that.”

We both rose up, and my arm hooked around Willa’s waist to make sure she didn’t suddenly disappear to some other place in this club.

“We’ll keep that in mind.” The tone of the red-haired girl dropped, almost giving off her internal irritation that was fighting not to leak out entirely.

Willa caught it though, and she was out of my grasp and before the woman in question with her a dagger pointing to her neck.

No one moved, and then the sudden shift in Willa’s magic doubled, leaving a few people trembling in their place.

“I’ll let you off the hook today since I’m about to enjoy a pleasurable night with my man, but remember to uphold your manners around me, Rita. Just because you’re a Prime and potential wielder, that doesn’t mean you can slip up when I’m in your presence.”

Do they know about the wielders? What did they talk about?

“Yes, ma’am,” Rita replied, swallowing slowly as she looked up at Willa.

“So hot.” The black hair dude chuckled. “Who knows, Lucian. Maybe Willa’s the prodigy of this school.”

“If she is, that would be wonderful, Troy.” Lucian looked my way, the tension just as fierce as the jealousy punching off of Rita.

Taking a step to be at Willa’s side, I wrapped a possessive arm around her once more and leaned in to brush my lips against the nape of her neck.

“Willa.” My voice was low and just as thick with persuasion. “Let’s not waste valuable time.”

Willa didn’t say anything, but I could feel her tugging back the waves of magic she’d let loose for the world to taste.

Do her parents even know how lethal she is with this magnitude of magic? Not to forget it’s continuous.

She let me tug her closer, and she relaxed against me.

“We’ll be off,” she announced. “See you around campus.”

Her flirty wink made a clear mark on Troy and Lucian, the two of them smiling in approval while Rita hid away her thrumming anger, not like either of us couldn’t sense her desire to pounce at us.

Willa finished the rest of her drink, placing it on the platter held by of one of the servers as we made our exit. I didn’t bother finishing mine, tossing it in the nearest trash can. Using a flick of magic, I’d already secured a good amount of it, hoping Echo could analyze it once we got back home.

We reached the elevators, but Willa pulled away and took my right hand. Tugging me down the right, we turned into a quiet corner before I was up against a wall. Willa took the lead as her arms slipped around my neck, pulling me down until our lips were locked against one another.

I couldn’t defy her, my body suddenly sizzling hot, as my hand moved down her bare back, the action making her moan into my mouth.

Placing my hands on her hips, I delved inside her mouth with my tongue, exploring her like a newly-discovered cave with many hidden jewels. I wished to taste every bit of her, and God was she addicting. Her taste, the way she fought for control against my invasive measures, it made my length so hard, I wished to press her against the wall and fuck her like crazy.

It would only take a lift of that dress of hers and a moment to unzip my pants to pull out my length to appease my desires, but I fought hard to not be controlled by the impulse.

We kissed while her arms loosened their hold and began to trail down my chest. I held her tighter, pressing her against me, which was a bit of a curse since it stimulated my hardness.

My mind was going crazy, our magic dancing around us and growing in dangerous measures. I was doing my best to keep it all concealed, but if it got any stronger, I’m sure it would get a few security men up here in a matter of seconds.

“Willa,” I growled against her mouth when we broke the heated kiss. “I can’t cloak this.”

She knew what I meant, her tired-looking eyes meeting mine before she kissed me once more, but at a slower pace.

“You’re so annoying to be around,” she whispered. “So damn enticing…and hot…and you make me want to date again.”

That was new, the sudden confession leaving me astonished. She tugged my bottom lip with her teeth and kissed me one more time.

“You’re different,” she murmured. “Justice runs through you. You’re not hiding a different side of you. Not living a damn lie.” Her hand went through my hair and she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.

I couldn’t stop the urge to comfort her, my arms wrapping around her and tightly returning the embrace.

“Why can’t I be with someone who sees my worth? Why do powerful people get discarded like trash and oppressed by stupid laws and rules? After all I’ve done, those who sit on thrones of money and deceit remain, and those with pure intentions are sent into the field to shed blood.”

I felt every bit of her words, and it felt like we’d gone through similar experiences. I knew she was referring to Adam in some way, but that only added to the pile of questions.

Does she know what he’s hiding? What he’s fighting to keep behind closed doors?

“Ironic how the intense smoke brought me to a man of my caliber. Funny.”

She remained still, her head resting against my chest. I didn’t dare move, but I allowed my hand to rub her back.

“Willa?”

The sound of footsteps caught my attention before I could call to her again, and Echo appeared within seconds.

“This stuff is pretty potent,” she quietly acknowledged. “Portrays a hidden side of a person and a fraction of the magic they carry.”

She was referring to whatever was in our drinks, and the word fraction made me look at her questioningly.

“Yup,” she answered my internal assumption before I could even think it out. “What we just saw was a fraction of Willa’s power. Also intriguing how we have a little mouse tracking our princess tonight.”

“Adam?”

“Sometimes I wonder if he’s more of a stalker at this point. Can’t say anything since it is his job to assist from the sidelines, but I don’t like being tracked without permission and I’m sure Willa’s the same.”

“Is she going to be okay?” I inquired, lowering my gaze to see she’d fallen asleep.

“She drank far too much of that stuff for obvious reasons. They wouldn’t have let her in otherwise. Looks like we have some clues, and I have a growing hunch we’re going to discover exactly what these twin daggers are all about in the specific history class.”

“That’s next week isn’t it?”

“Was,” she corrected. “Checked again and noticed the online syllabus shows four weeks from now.”

“They changed it.”

“Intriguing, right?”

“They said that Rita girl is a potential wielder.”

“Assumption,” Echo declared. “Which has seemed to change from the soft whispers going on in there after your exit.”

“You’re not saying they think-”

“Willa has big potential and caught the eyes of the Primes. Both good and bad,” Echo replied. “Prime is the fancy word for potential. And it looks like they wanna recruit your girlfriend.”

I blushed at her creepy smile.

“Forget what I said.”

“Never,” she giggled. “Now that’s what you call love. You’re so madly in love with her you don’t even realize. How saddening.”

“Let’s go home,” I groaned. “At least we don’t have school tomorrow.”

“Good thing you don’t because Willa’s going to be hungover pretty bad.”

“Great.” I leaned her back only to scoop her up, the movement not disturbing her as she remained asleep.

“Primes. Alcohol. Stalkers. What a perfect way to start our freshmen year.”

“Freshmen drunky is what I call it.” Echo snapped her fingers, a portal appearing right before us. “Hurry up. I can only hide it for a few seconds.”

Walking right into it with Willa in tow, I knew the moment we arrived back and I put her to bed, I’d need a long cold shower.

I’m doomed. So fucking doomed.

~WILLA~

“I’M GOING TO DIE!” I groaned and lay on the bathroom floor, feeling sick to my stomach while my head pounded like crazy.

The knock on the door made me want to cry. Just the thought of anyone coming in and seeing me in this utter mess of vomit rotations made my eyes sting in the moment of humiliation.

The creak of the door opening made me curl up in an attempt to make myself as small as possible. There was a heavy sigh as the door closed and the lock went in place.

“Would you stop trying to disappear? I’ve dealt with and seen far worse than a toilet bowl filled with vomit with a girl splattered on the floor.”

“I’m not splattered,” I defended, poking an eye slightly open to glare at the culprit of those words.

William just looked down at me, and he actually looked concerned when my eyes filled with tears.

“Please don’t tell me you’re actually going to cry?”

“Last night was horrible! I feel like shit! I’m hungry, my head is pounding like a thousand drums reside inside, and now you have to watch me cry away last night’s makeup.” I burst out in tears. “And I’m cold!”

Cue in the full-out Willa breakdown.

I must have been running a fever from how much I’d drank. Everything from the night before went from amazing, exciting, and enjoying the night with William to drinking, more drinking, feeling like an empowered goddess, then making out with William.

How can he even talk to me when we made out? Actually made out!

I remembered all the vital stuff, the information I knew in the back of my mind would aid us in the mission, but was so embarrassed by it. We got the answers we needed, something I should have been proud of, but was it really worth it for William to see me at my all-time worst?

My crying wasn’t doing anything to help, but with all the emotions bouncing through me, the added aches and pains of my body, the inability to keep even water down, and feeling cold while my skin was burning hot were finally taking their toll on me.

Crying only made it worse, but I didn’t care anymore. I was just tired of everything right now and wished for it to stop.

William sighed and dropped to one knee, helping me slowly sit up.

“All right, stop crying.”

“I hate you!” I sobbed even harder.

“I know you don’t mean that.” He sighed and pulled me into his arms. He remained on the floor, keeping me in his lap as he slowly rubbed my back and cradled me. I sobbed in his chest, probably ruining whatever shirt he was wearing.

“Go away,” I whimpered. “I’ll vomit on you.”

“Go ahead.” He didn’t sound bothered by the idea. “You’re cold.”

“Why are you helping me? I’m not that important,”

“You’re my partner and important to me,” he grumbled. “You’re only in this condition because you were doing your job when we were supposed to have fun. It’s not something you should feel ashamed of. And you shouldn’t assume you’re suddenly not important. Stop crying and thinking so negatively. I wouldn’t be sitting with you if I agreed with your nonsense.”

“Meanie,” I cried but remained close, trying to calm down from my waterworks hysterics.

“Just relax. When you’re done crying we’ll work step-by-step on making you feel better, okay?” he assured me.

I gave a slight nod into his shirt, sniffing a few times as my tears quietly fell. His body was cool in temperature, just like the tiled floor, giving more comfort than I realized.

I felt horrible for being a burden, but for him to go out of his way to assist me at my lowest was beyond kind. Just because we were partners on this mission, didn’t demand either of us to help one another when we were down.

If you got sick outside of a battlefield, there was a high chance that you’d have to deal with it on your own. That’s essentially how we were trained, and when I woke up to the urge to throw up, I was going to quietly battling it out solo, but after the fourth round, my mind decided it could use some assistance.

At least dream of assistance since I couldn’t speak and vomit at the same time.

We remained still, the silence lingering around us as I focused on breathing. That hypnotic sensation that always thrummed between William and I returned, but it was softer, comforting me even more as my aching, exhausted body allowed itself to breathe.

To rest in the arms of this man that made me feel all sorts of emotions.

Last night between us was a thrilling, exotic connection that I’d never experienced with anyone. It wasn’t the alcohol that reared its crazy head and made me believe that William and I could have something more.

I’d felt this connection since the first time we met, and all it had been doing was growing stronger. The daily reminders of our closeness when we walked down the school halls with only an inch between our bodies.

Sitting next to him in class was a mental nightmare since all I could do was focus on the scent of his rich cologne and enjoy how his nearby company made my body fizzle, craving to close the distance.

How many times I’d had to stop myself from reaching out to grab his hand - or merely brush my arm against his by accident - and those few instances at home where we shared the same couch or tried to cook together in the kitchen almost drove me insane.

My magic wasn’t just feeling the connection.

It was falling hard for the same source of power that complemented ours. Craving to be connected entirely, to empower one another, and to create a striking force so big that it could bring down mountains.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to last fighting against it. We’d only made it through one solid week of school on this new mission that we had no clue where it would lead.

We still have almost four years more to go. Many, many weeks to endure each other and to fight to accomplish this task that was set up for us.

The soft stroke to my cheek shot bits of electricity through me, warm static that made me feel a tiny bit better. When I didn’t complain about it, he kept stroking it lightly. Maybe it was something to pass the time, or maybe he knew that the continuous movement was having a positive effect on me.

Eventually, I opened my eyes; the nausea settled down and the inside of my stomach had paused in its acrobatic flips and plunges.

Peering up, I met William’s blue eyes. He didn’t try to hide his emotions that resonated in the depths of those blue crystals.

He let me see all his worry. The flashing concern for my wellbeing only made me wish I could snap my fingers and feel better.

When he stroked my cheek again, he let his hand remain there, and whispered, “Why?”

The soft, single-word question held so much weight to it. So many questions I knew neither of us could answer.

Why were we chosen for this? Why were we the only ones who could see the smoke? Why have we been set up to deal with this task? Why does the idea of us being apart when all of this is done worry the hell out of me? Why can’t we figure this out?

I think the most important question that had crossed my mind was whether we could work.

Can we be a couple? Would he want to date someone like me? A woman that carries her own hidden secrets. The woman who yearns to be loved by her parents again. The woman who’d rather return to the relationship she was ‘comfortable’ in versus a relationship she knew would be worth fighting for. The woman who was falling in love with a man because he’s not the typical good boy or bad boy.

William was just his own kind of individual. Some days he was an ass, other days he was a saint. He wasn’t afraid to say what needed to be said or fight for what was right. That was something hard to find in this time and age.

A place where things happened beneath and if you didn’t remain silent, the world would fall upon you and ensure you’re left as the bad guy.

“You make me want to do the craziest things,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t care…yet seeing you in pain annoys me. It makes me want to find the cure and listen to your annoying remarks.”

He frowned at the admission but kept going.

“I shouldn’t feel this way…we…shouldn’t have this type of connection so soon.” He was right in so many ways, but it felt so good to be in his strong arms. To know he wanted to be here and liked my weird personality that a good majority of people couldn’t deal with.

“I’m not a good boy like Adam,” he whispered.

“Adam was nothing close to being good, William.” That was all he would get from me, my weak voice only emphasizing that I wasn’t well enough for us to even have a conversation.

Even so, he deserved to know a glimpse of how I felt.

“That connection…it’s there. Strong. Magnetic. Magical. I love…it. Want it. Want you? I don’t know.” All I could muster was a tiny smile, my weak eyes still swollen from my crying frenzy.

“Whatever we do. I just want to make sure…no matter the ending, we won’t drift apart.”

That was the scariest thing to me out of all of this. For us to return to the lives we lived on different sides of the world. This mission was what brought us together. Without it, there would have been no reason for me to be in Dubai, let alone get that one percent chance to meet him.

We would have walked right past one another, not realizing how desperately our souls yearned to be as one.

The silence felt like it echoed around us, my heart picking up as I patiently waiting for his answer. We could make this work or try whatever this was.

We could make our alibi be a reality, but would it worth it? Once we made this official, there was no undoing it. The word would spread, and it would be a matter of time before our own coworkers, near and far, would hear of our change in relationship status.

Adam would know…and I’m sure he would be even more upset that I got away.

“I’m not perfect,” he reminded.

“Neither am I.” My eyes locked with his once more.

“We’ll fight.”

“We do that already.”

In the one week we’d been together, he should have realized I would combat every type of comment he tried to throw at me.

“What if I can’t protect you?”

“I never asked for it.” That actually made me grin slightly, and I watched the corners of his lips rise a fraction as he closed his eyes.

“If you steal my side of the blanket, I’m kicking you off the bed.”

“Guess we need two blankets,” I declared. “I’m a blanket hogger who likes warm cuddles.”

Now he was smiling, the biggest smile I’d ever seen form on his handsome features, and boy did it light up his entire appearance, making him look like a descending angel from the heavens.

“Go to sleep.”

“You never ans-”

He stole my last words with his lips, sealing the deal we just made with one another. I got lost in the soft movements, swirling happiness that flooded through my body and resonating deep within.

My eyes began to close, just like his, and for once I didn’t fear vulnerability.

He broke the kiss after a long minute, pressing me against his chest.

“Rest up. We gotta get back to work. Can’t do that when you’re sick.”

“No vacations?” I teased, already feeling sleepy.

He was quiet for a moment, and then whispered, “Holidays, we’ll do something.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he assured me, and a soft kiss landed on my forehead. “Sleep, Willa.”

His encouragement made me smile, and I followed his gentle orders, falling into a blissful void of smoke.

This is the start of something new.

PRIME MAGNETISM AND HIDDEN REVEAL

“Finally! I’ve gathered all we need to know!” Echo cheered in triumph.

“Only took you six weeks to do it,” William coldly muttered, pausing his chopping motion to look at Echo, who’d slid right into the kitchen in what appeared to be her clothes from four days ago.

Maybe five.

Her joyous expression morphed into a deadly glare that made William look away and quietly return to chopping the onion we were using for lunch.

We decided to enjoy our lunch break at home today. Our next class had been canceled due to a malfunction in the previous class where a student tore the wall down with a spell.

It was perfect timing since Echo had apparently cracked down on what we’d been trying our best to investigate in the five weeks since the freshmen party.

“Patience is key in this field!” Echo said with pride, and I lowered the broth of the soup we were making to look over to her.

“Good work, Echo,” I praised her. “What did you discover, and do you want some soup?”

She blinked a few times as if she now realized it was lunchtime.

“What day is it?”

“Friday,” I answered, and looked back to see William adding the chopped onions to our concoction that was simmering at the perfect temperature.

William sighed, and turned around to rest against the counter.

“You got so into your research that you’ve been stuck down there for at least five days,” he revealed. “Don’t you remember me bringing you breakfast before class, lunch during my washroom break, and dinner when we got home?”

She blinked innocently. “Everything’s a blur.”

“You were bringing her food this whole week?” I inquired. I’d always wondered why it took him a little longer to meet up with me after he went to the washroom.

I wasn’t sure what guys did in the washroom aside from pee, shit, and ‘other’ essential needs I’m sure they needed to deal with, but it made me wonder if he was investigating something and didn’t want to share just yet.

There was his grimace of the day, and he looked away shyly and shrugged.

“When I felt like it,” he mumbled.

“So kind,” I praised him, making his frown deepen, but his cheeks grow redder by the second.

Echo skipped over to me, going on her tiptoes to try and whisper in my ear. I always leaned slightly down so our difference in height wasn’t too strenuous. Each time she had a quiet remark it was always worth it.

“He gets all excited when you praise him like that,” she whispered.

“N-No I don’t!” he snapped, the two of us giggling at his swift comeback.

“How much time do we have?” Echo inquired as she moved to the island and placed the thick notebook of information on the island.

“Enough for you to give us a summary version of your discovery before our fourth class,” William suggested. “We have yoga after.”

Echo looked confused for a second, turning her attention to me.

“Has William, our William, been going to yoga with you?” She sounded baffled by the sheer thought, and my sinister grin was followed with me pulling out my phone.

“Wanna see the goods?”

“Totally!” She rushed to be by my side, but William was in front of me in a nanosecond, and Echo skidded to a stop.

“Don’t get in the way of amazing, blackmail content!” she declared.

“Go change! You smell!” he snapped back.

“Ugh! I know I smell!” she fought back. “That has nothing to do with seeing photo evidence of you doing yoga!”

“Video evidence,” I added, feeling like an evil mastermind ready to reveal all of William’s secrets.

“We have to focus on what’s important!” he snapped. “Go change or shower or whatever. At least lunch will be done by the time you’re clean.”

“Fine, fine,” Echo grumbled, moving away to stomp towards the stairway. “After I reveal my research, I deserve cheesecake and yoga pictures of you love birds.”

“Okay,” I agreed, which rewarded me with William’s famous glare of wrath.

That was what many of the students at school called it. They somehow loved it. The look was one of the top liked pictures on Echo’s blog and our alibi Instagram accounts.

Why we had to keep up with social media was beyond me, but I was a little glad we weren’t joining this dancing app trend because we’d fail miserably at it.

Not saying William wasn’t a good dancer. Something I’d found out during the freshmen party.

Echo’s exit allowed me to return to the bubbling soup, my hand wrapping around the wooden spoon to stir it slowly. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out, noticing Adam’s name across the screen.

My immediate response was to frown, uncertain whether I wanted to talk or catch up right at this moment. If we were going to dive into stuff, it would have made sense to call him during the evening.

I wasn’t necessarily ignoring him, but since I decided to date William officially, I’d made the decision to lessen my talks with Adam. It was more out of respect for Will than anything because he deserved my utmost attention. He didn’t deserve to waste the precious time worrying.

Both of us had agreed when I’d recovered after the freshmen party that if we were going to be in a relationship, it would be more on the private side and we’d take things slow.

This assignment as academy investigators was our prime goal and attention winner, but in the privacy of our dorm home we could be a little more intimate.

Dating hadn’t changed our relationship much, to be fair. It just allowed us to fulfill the need to hold each other’s hands when no one was looking, to hug and sit closer to one another whether on the couch or on the floor when we played videogames late at night.

At school, it was easy to be more emotionally connected, our alibi working in our favor as a dating couple of Elite students.

That night had set in stone our smooth sailing into the Prime Elite students’ circle of friends, giving us far more access to benefits we never thought would be given to us. The process had been a little slower than expected, which was why we decided to let Echo research it as we waited for the apparent “initiation” period to be over, which would be when we returned to classes after the new year.

I could see why they did this, to weed out who wanted to use the promised access to the ancient libraries, exclusive training centers, and other lists of benefits that they only gave certain students permission to use.

The whole idea of it all felt like a hidden secret, one that few whispered when they saw the three Primes - Rita, Lucian, and Troy - walking down the hall or deciding to sit in the main cafeteria in their VIP section that had full-on catering services.

Many students assumed they were from royal families or mages that were set to join the higher positions of government upon graduation. There were stories, blogs, and articles on many possible scenarios, but no one had the proper answers we needed to get a move on this investigation.

It was getting harder with Adam checking weekly as to where we were at in terms of progress, an order from Chief Roland, or so he said.

I’m sure he was calling right now for that very reason, but I really wasn’t in the mood to answer the same questions.

We have no leads yet. We’re still working on it. Yes, I’m good, healthy, happy. I’ve been busy and can’t text as often as before.

The usual answers were followed with some sort of excuse to cut the call short.

It was only a matter of time before he knew something was up in our friendship, if he hadn’t recognized it already within these last five weeks. He didn’t have access to what happened indoors, and our relationship persona to him was fake.

I didn’t want to acknowledge the obvious clues that emphasized that his behavior was rather stalkerish, but it was only a matter of time before William cut through it with a knife of disapproval.

As if my thoughts triggered the very move, I felt William’s presence behind me, a second before he took my phone, slid the answer button, and coldly answered.

“No, we have no leads. No, we have no clue where the daggers are. No, Willa can’t talk to you right now since we’re busy doing our fucking jobs, and the next time you call during school hours, I’m going to force Willa to change her phone entirely and not give you her number.”

Before Adam could counter, he added, “You of all people know I have the right connections to get a phone you can’t track. Don’t threaten me. Let us do our jobs.”

With that, he hung up and literally tossed the phone on the counter.

Well…that was…kinda hot.

He noticed my gaze and his interrogating look made me say the truth, “That was hot.”

“Are you seriously complimenting me for answering your annoying ex-boyfriend’s call and threatening to get rid of your phone?”

“Pretty much.” I casually shrugged, something I was beginning to pick up from him. “I mean, you’d get me a new one and that means less interruption.”

Turning to face him, I went on my tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips. The ripple of pleasurable shocks made my body tingle and my toes curl in contentment.

His hands were on my hips in seconds, pressing me against his body as he overtook me in a ravishing kiss. Arms around his waist, I pulled him closer, not wanting to be an inch apart as he deepened the kiss. His hands slid to my ass, squeezing it lightly before lifting the teal-gold skirt of our uniform to feel my bare ass.

“Will,” I quietly warned, that sizzling urge to take things to the next level rearing its head. I’d come to realize that my self-control was losing its ability to keep me grounded the longer we dated.

“A little more.” He moved us so my body pressed against the counter, seconds before he lifted me up to sit on the marble countertop and spread my legs so he was right in between while his hands gripped my hips firmly.

I couldn’t fight his urge to kiss me, and I now wanted to feel his skin beneath the palms of my hands.

They moved on their own, unbuttoning his dark teal blue dress shirt that he’d untucked from his pants when we’d arrived home, a common habit that was totally beneficial in times like these.

The touch had him growling against my lips and I took advantage to kiss him fiercely, my magic buzzing, encouraging us to continue to feed our euphoric high.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Echo’s voice cut through our wordless conversation, the two of us pulling back and looking at Echo with her now drenched strands that were still dripping droplets of water onto the white towel on her neck. “But the soup is levitating.”

“What?” we both said before looking back and seeing all the contents of our soup now floating in the air.

“Shit!” William reacted first, pointing his hand to the pot and flicking his hand upward in time to catch the bulk of the thick liquid. I was already working on stopping the remaining droplets from hitting the ground, my magic thrusting to my fingertips and alternating gravity with the simple thought.

The actions were practically effortless, and the fluid flow of the soup returning to its designated pot and the silverware returning to the hot stove happened in seconds.

We both sighed, relieved that lunch wouldn’t be completely ruined, and were rewarded with a round of applause.

“WOW! That’s the first time I’ve seen both of you use magic so fluidly. My hypothesis may be right!” She beamed.

“Hypothesis?” I inquired. “About us?”

“Yup!” she cheered and then showed us her phone that we hadn’t noticed. “Also, I got that little steamy moment on video. All the blackmail I can come up with.”

I looked at William, who groaned heavily. “You’re too much.”

“I haven’t seen you so in love with someone like this in all our years of friendship. Yet, you wanted to stick to being in a relationship with Alexa, the using cunt.”

“Alexa?” I inquired. “Like the talking speaker?”

Both of them looked my way and I nervously added, “No? Okay, pretend I never suggested Will having a relationship with a talking speaker.”

Echo laughed while William sighed.

“My ex-girlfriend in Dubai,” he revealed.

“You’ve dated before?”

“Ya,” he replied. “And it was a pain in my ass. Can we move on to more important things?”

“Sure.” I figured that was a sensitive topic he didn’t want to poke at seeing as he was rushing to change the subject.

Not like he’d bugged me about Adam’s tendencies as of late.

We set ourselves up for lunch, the soup now ready. After serving a generous amount for each of us, adding a variety of sliced bread with the choice of butter or jam, we made ourselves comfortable on the cushioned stools, waiting for Echo to finish a good chunk of her food before she enlightened us with her findings.

“Let’s start with the Primes,” she announced, lowering her spoon into her empty bowl of soup. “Notice how the term Prime seems like some sort of secret?”

“Ya,” I replied. “Like it’s a word that can induce the plague or something. Everyone always whispers it, and there have been rumors about students disappearing or getting transferred for boasting about their potential of being one.”

“Yup.” Echo leaned back against the back of the stool and pushed her bowl aside to replace that space with the thick stack of written notes. “Primes aren’t chosen randomly. It looks like outside sources are the ones to inform who is a potential Prime or not. They give off the impression that they’re in control, but they’re all puppets getting fed instructions as to what they can and can’t do.”

“By who?” The prime question was asked by William as he took a bite of a piece of garlic bread. “Is it some sort of council or something?”

“No.” She shook her head. “That was the first thing I looked into. Each state has a set of council members for small districts of mages and one union council for all in the state. I researched each and found nothing related to Primes.”

“Then is it an organization of sorts?” I inquired.

“Somewhat.” Echo sounded conflicted by it. “See, from my research so far, it feels like the information is being downloaded from afar.”

“Ethernet downloads, like a connection coming from one end of a wire to another?” William inquired. “As in it’s being downloaded from a realm of technology to a source that spreads it?”

“Yes and no,” Echo admitted. “Yes, because the download of information and requests come through some sort of electronic wire, but it’s definitely from a source that almost mimics a god-like entity. We’re in a world with magic, and the idea of gods are definitely possible, but this feels as though someone has connected somewhere they shouldn’t have and that information streams down to another group of individuals that monitor the students of Smokeywood and determine whether a specific individual or group is worthy of the title Prime.”

“Alright.” I took the chance to think about it. “Let’s say there’s this powerful god in the sky that is feeding information down an ethereal tunnel that is channeled by those who meditate and download the information. Like how psychics and those who use meditation allow their minds to ascend to various planes of this world to grasp new ideas and such.”

I closed my eyes to think it out, my words coming out in a quick blur.

“That means these individuals have to be doing it on a daily if not weekly basis and are looking for those who have potential not just physically or magically but have to have a sort of connection spiritually, right? All three of the current Primes are taking yoga classes but are given exclusive lessons. Why is that? Yoga is something that is better in groups. Why specifically select only three individuals to do a ninety-minute class?”

Opening my eyes, I noticed Echo’s wide grin, and I felt like I was onto something.

“Our smart Willa is onto something hot,” Echo praised, bobbing her head in approval. “I’d noticed that fine detail when you mentioned, after your first yoga class with Will, that people were disappointed because they heard some of the most Elite students were joining the class. ‘Most Elite’ obviously referring to the Primes. The class was moved to private, something that wasn’t in effect last year.”

“They specifically changed the rule this year?” William questioned. “That seems suspicious.”

“Very,” I commented.

“Did you know that the day of the smoke incident at the tower, the level of frequencies in the atmosphere increased tenfold?” Echo acknowledged. “Frequencies, or as some refer to them, electronic pulses. Others believe frequencies to be spiritual communication that heightens when multiple people are meditating and accessing a higher plane at the same time.”

She flipped through a few pages of her package.

“I have a strong feeling that this group of individuals receiving these downloads and designating who are Primes within this school is the very reason why you two were automatically or quote forced,” she paused to do the gesture of invisible quotes in the air with her fingers, “to take on this assignment and able to get everything you desired in the contract.”

“Hold on.” My mind was struggling to follow along. “Let’s call these certain powerful individuals that downloads information the Dagger and Smoke Council. DSC for short.” Gathering my thoughts, I continued, “You’re saying that DSC does various activities, many revolving around intense meditation and other methods to connect with the higher planes of the universe and download information that most likely benefits them or to get information on the future, whether for themselves or what they’re inquiring about. This DSC is the culprit behind deciding who in Smokeywood deserves to be a Prime, which, from what I recall Will explaining, were potential wielders, correct?”

William nodded, adding into the conversation.

“From what it looks like, there’s a good possibility that Primes in this academy institute are potential wielders, but that leaves the problem of them being secretive for a solid half of the year to those deemed worthy of even being one of them. I’d assume if Primes are extremely difficult to appoint that they wouldn’t need the extra time before initiating a set of chosen potentials.”

“There’s a reason for that,” Echo answered. “Back to Willa’s point, yes. You have it summarized rather nicely. DSC connects to their source of information, one we’ve yet to fully confirm if it’s physical, spiritual, or an ancient magic harvest somewhere in the universe, and with that information, they determine who fits their current equation. That formula is obviously temporary and needs to be balanced, which kind of makes sense, but currently, the chosen three are not balanced.”

“They aren’t?” I commented.

“Not from my analysis.” She glanced over to William. “Returning to Will’s comment. The reason they need extra time before the initiation is to test what occurs when they begin to distance the current Primes.”

“Why distance them?” William asked.

Echo grinned and snapped her fingers, four items dropping to the island, only to snap together in a second. We both moved our attention to the four circular figures, my mind immediately determining they were magnets.

“When I do this,” she began, swirling her finger to pull apart the four magnets that were a variation of neon pink, green, orange, and blue like highlighters. “The magnets are spaced out but have a slight tremble to their core. They feel one another’s magnetic pull but are just too far to be completely captivated by that invisible force. When I let go of two,” she allowed the action to occur and they rushed back to one another, “the two will race back to be with one another while the others remain in their place due to the exterior resistance.”

She looked between us as her smile grew.

“If that exterior resistance is now removed, what happens?” She let go of the remaining two, and they rushed to connect like the previous pair. “They fall into place, meaning each magnet has a partner, just like how every dagger comes in a set of two blades.”

“You’re saying because there’s only three of them, they’re missing a fourth,” I concluded.

“Exactly.” Echo nodded her head. “Thus, the reason why they’re distancing, or what may look like isolating the group. To see who will suddenly have the urge to be connected to one another. Or who will be unconsciously drawn to their group, or an individual within the group.”

“Has that happened yet?” William asked.

“No.” Echo shook her head. “That’s one of the problems they’re facing now, but not one you’d expect.”

“What do you mean?” I questioned.

“None of the three in their Prime group have reacted now that there are two new magnets on the table.” Her sly grin left me confused, and I looked over to William to see if he’d have something to add. He seemed just as unsure as I. The two of us returned our attention as Echo giggled.

“Perfect investigators in skills and brains but can’t acknowledge what’s been growing within you since the day you two met.”

“Huh?” I tilted my head in confusion while William frowned. “We’re not getting it.”

“How about this.” Echo pointed to the couch. The very piece began to float in the air, until it was turned so the seating area was now facing us, then it lowered back in place.

“William. Go sit over there.”

His questioning eyebrow went up, but he slid off his stool, took another piece of bread, and nibbled on it while heading to the couch. Once he sat down, Echo nodded and looked back at me.

“Willa. Go sit on the counter over there, right where the sink is.”

“Okay?” I was hesitant to follow, but I slid off the stool and went over to the counter, positioning myself to sit on the marble surface right next to the sink.

In this position, we were practically parallel to one another, and Echo was in the middle. She looked back and forth, moving off her stool and walking over to stand behind the middle of the couch.

“Alright. Close your eyes, both of you.”

I did what she instructed, and her voice drifted around us. “Take a deep breath in and let it out.”

Inhaling deeply, I let out the breath slowly, following Echo’s instructions as we were told to do it two more times.

“William. Envision the power running through Willa. Picture it running through her like flowing water. Let yourself see the sparks of energy that vibrate with every breath she takes. Think of her like a weapon, one that can crush the world with a mere slice,” Echo encouraged.

My magic began to hum, the feeling growing tremendously as a strong humming sound thrummed through my ears. It made it hard to stay still, my body desperate to move or do something to distract me from this burning call forward

“Now order her to return to her wielder. Use her full name.”

It sounded freaky and yet he went along with it.

“Willa Silvers. Return to me,” he said with authority, and as if my body was now a puppet attached to strings, my body was tugged forward.

And went flying across the room until I made a crash-landing right into William.

The impact sent the couch back, and William somehow caught me before our bodies jolted then crashed into the television behind the couch. A blink and we were falling again, but our bodies stopped at the last second, hovering over the kitchen island that William must have teleported us to.

I tried to move out of his grasp, but my body wouldn’t move. It was even hard to think straight now that I tried, the buzzing emotions taking over my entire body as I waited impatiently for more orders.

Like a weapon ready to enter the battlefield and slay any who tried to disobey the man I served.

Now that the very thought registered, I realized how messed up it was and that I’d just referred to myself as an actual weapon to wield and deliver bloodshed.

What’s happening?

“Do you get it now?” Echo exclaimed.

“Wait.” William seemed shocked before he followed up with, “How do I turn this compelling power off? It’s too much.” He actually sounded like he was in pain.

“Say Willa’s name again and release her.”

“Willa Silvers, release from my grasp,” he ordered, and as if that was the key to shut off the magnetic pull, I was pushed upward. I shrieked before William cursed.

“Protect thy heart from turmoil! ISHNA RA!”

My body stopped entirely, an inch from the pointy part of the massive chandelier that hung down from the high ceiling of our kitchen.

I sighed in relief, my brain feeling foggy and making it almost impossible for me to react in time to save myself.

“Interesting spell,” Echo acknowledged. The sudden reminder of what he’d said made my cheeks burn red.

William scowled before his body floated sideways thanks to Echo’s assistance. When the levitation spell stopped, he corrected his posture before he landed on the ground.

Waving his hand across the island, the remaining food floated over to the opposite counter, giving me enough space to be lowered back down. Slowly, my body floated downward until I was lying against the warm surface.

“That was…not fun,” I complained and worked on getting up.

“At least you’re both in one piece.” Echo’s gleeful reply made William growl in annoyance. “Why did that just happen? Couldn’t we have done that demonstration somewhere safer?”

“This was perfectly safe,” Echo argued.

William pointed to me. “Nothing is safe for the Queen of Clumsy.”

“Hey.” I gave him puppy eyes, feeling a sudden wave of tiredness. “I’m not…” My body wobbled, and I was falling back before I knew it.

“Ugh!” The sound came from William after my body seemed to crash into his chest. He’d clearly caught me, but I was fighting to recover from the sudden drop of magic.

“Hmm. Sudden drop in core magic. Good thing we caught that now,” she declared.

“Echo!” William snapped. “Why did this just happen?”

“You still don’t get it?” Echo sighed. “Do I actually have to spell this out for you?”

“Yes,” he huffed, still holding me in his arms.

“The reason why we’ve been having no leads, in this case, is because we already have our wielder,” she declared.

I opened my eyes slightly, the spinning sensation beginning to dim and my ability to concentrate quickly replacing the fogginess I’d experienced seconds earlier.

“Meaning?” I croaked, moving my gaze to see Echo as she pointed our way.

“Our wielder in question. William Silvestri,” she declared.

The two of us just stared at her, and that’s when her smile grew wider with an eeriness to it.

“And our potential set of daggers? Willa Silvers.”

What. The. Hell?!

HISTORY OF SMOKEYWOOD AND CONNECTED TO YOU

~WILLIAM~

“CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? Because my ears are still ringing in disbelief,” I remarked. My body was still vibrating with a charge of energy that made it hard for me to keep in place. I felt like I could run through any obstacle, or at least around the world with the outpouring flow of magic coursing through my veins.

Everything that just happened seemed unreal, and my body was only thriving to experience that emotion all over again.

“Why don’t we move to the couch,” Echo suggested, her attention on Willa. I agreed with a nod before lowering my own gaze, noticing how drained she looked while her skin had diluted of color.

I moved a little too quickly to the couch, sitting down and keeping her in my grasp. It would have made sense to lay her down so she could have her space, and yet I didn’t want to let her go.

“I’m fine,” she finally answered, “but I’ll just chill right here.”

The way she made it sound was like she had an option, but the reality was that her body was weak from whatever we’d just done.

“Maybe we should skip next period?” I suggested. Willa had enough energy to shake her head just lightly.

“No.” She needed another few seconds to continue. “We learn about Smokeywood today. That lesson isn’t being repeated. Nor will it be recorded. We have to go if we want to interrupt what’s happening and figure out why this school is connected to our case.”

“She’s right.” Echo nodded. “Let’s continue talking while I magically make something.” With those words, she clapped her hands twice, and multiple floating jars with different colors of liquid began to do their own thing while Echo said a few magic incantations.

When she finished, her attention returned to the prime subject.

“I said what I said,” she declared. “William is the wielder we’re looking for and our pair of daggers is Willa.”

“You’re making it seem as though Willa is a physical object,” I argued. “There’s no way she’s a dagger.”

“You’re half correct,” Echo replied, looking perfectly comfortable in her element of discovery. She always had tons of theories, but the look in her eyes told me that she was certain that this theory was about to become reality.

“Let’s think about this for a second,” she encouraged, which was her nice way of telling me to shut up and let her explain the facts she’d probably gathered in the last six weeks of us starting the case.

“Why is it that the two of you are so similar?” she questioned, her legs beginning to move as she paced and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Your names. Willa and William. Your birthdays are in the same month. Your parent’s names all start with A. Both of you are Infinite Mages. The two of your personalities balance each other out, Willa being extremely outgoing while William is reserved and mysterious. Both of you have accomplished lists of deeds that many at eighteen couldn’t think of accomplishing. Let’s not forget that you both excel in blade weaponry combat. Daggers and swords, in general, are your strongest assets. You have the exact same shade of eye color and hair color, and I’m sure if either of you had switched genders, you’d look practically identical. I could go on and on about this, and we’d only be left with the prime question of why is that?”

She stopped to look our way once more, her smile growing and revealing her white teeth.

“That brings us to the twin blade legacy of this school, one that connects Smokeywood with a particular school all the way in Dubai named Smokeywind Academy for Elite Mages.”

“Wait, what?” I couldn’t help but interrupt. “We’ve never heard of that school.”

“Yes we have,” she announced. “Only under the name of Windfall of Smokey Ridge Academy for Elite Mages. The academy in the heart of Dubai’s sky that allows only 10% of applicants into their academy, and your apparent next destination if you’re able to retrieve the daggers on time.”

“Windfall…” I trailed off, remembering my parents talking about it once during one of their cases about a student who’d committed suicide by jumping off the floating island that hid the academy within the sky.

The only reason why it had come to our attention was because the student had fallen into the ocean, and a nearby cruise ship witnessed the plunging death and reported it to the news.

My parents had to be the ones to cover it up.

Even with the swift return to normalcy, I’d still heard the tiny whispers in our office about the school and how brutal it was. Now that it was being brought up, I was surprised I’d even forgotten about its existence when this incident only happened a few short years ago.

“Rings a bell, right?” Echo confirmed.

“Ya,” I admitted. “The one with the student who died.”

“Don’t blame his suicide attempt. The school is lethal, from what I’ve discovered from the bits of information I was able to retrieve after hacking into a current student’s blog. Even that took me a solid day to decode and after getting bits of information, the entire thing was rebooted and new firewalls set up. So intriguing how quickly they refine their security walls, both in the air and electronically. Just proves that they have something to hide.”

“Then this school,” Willa spoke up, “is somehow connected to Smokeywood?”

“According to my theory, they’re more than just connected,” Echo declared. “The schools are twins, meaning they are replicas of one another, only it seems that Smokeywood carries a golden flame element while Smokeywind carries a water-air element.”

“Why didn’t they call this school Smokeyflame or something?” Willa inquired. I peeked down to see she looked far better now, the color returning to her face completely and her eyes regaining their slightly glowing strength.

“You okay?” I quietly asked.

“Much better than earlier.” She smiled and actually sat up. Kissing my lips unexpectedly, she whispered, “Thanks for making sure I felt okay.”

All I could do was nod, my heart pounding quickly at her praise as I immediately looked away. I hated the feeling of embarrassment, and her praise did exactly that.

“Here, Willa.” Eco snapped her fingers, and a small cylinder of sparkly blue liquid appeared, its liquid swirling as it moved from side to side. Presenting her left hand, a clear mug appeared in the palm of Echo’s hand. The cylinder hovered over it and poured the contents into it.

“This will give you a boost so you’ll be completely pumped for the remainder of your classes today. You should be able to do yoga as well.”

“Thanks,” Willa replied, the mug floating over to her lap. She took it and smelled it. “This smells like blueberry pancakes. That sounds weird.”

“It tastes like blueberry pancakes.” Echo grinned in triumph. “Who wants to drink yucky juju power juice? Not me.”

Willa grinned and she drank the fluid quickly.

“Yummy!” She beamed with a bit of liquid glossing her lips. I reacted on impulse, my thought process taking a back seat as I leaned in and licked the excess off her lips.

Her face burned red as she looked my way, and I kept my calm expression even if I was mentally cursing myself for acting on impulse.

Why am I even embarrassed? We’re dating. Ugh. This is awkward.

“Should I give you two a minute?” Echo was grinning from ear to ear, and I immediately replied, “No. Continue.”

I noticed the slight smile on Willa’s face, her cheeks now a rosy red as she looked into her empty cup.

She totally liked that.

That made me want me to explore more, but I knew this wasn’t the time or place. I had to mentally remind myself of that, my body already thinking of what else Willa would be up to trying if we were alone and not in the midst of this new discovery.

“I have a huge hunch that the story I’ll explain now is what you’re going to discover in class today, but it’ll be good to get through it now so we’re somewhat on the same page,” Echo declared and peered at us in seriousness while the floating cylinders around her disappeared, just like the mug in Willa’s lap.

Once she knew we were both paying attention, she explained the heart of this story.

“There’s a legend that revolves around four ancient daggers. The discovery of their existence happened many, many years ago when magic was first discovered and mages began to surface. These four blades we bestowed upon four royals, each royal being from a strong family of blessed mages. These individuals were young but extremely powerful, enough to make their kingdoms tremble at the sight of their auras. However, they weren’t given the chance to rise to the throne.”

“Why not?” Willa asked.

“The four of them were summoned by the highest court of mages at the time. They were sent to an ancient location and apparently were murdered.”

That took an unexpected turn for the worse. My shock was just as apparent as Willa’s gaping mouth.

“H-How old were these four individuals?”

“Hard to say,” she admitted. “All of this was written in ancient incantations, in a language that is far harder to translate than the spells and woven magic we use now. It’s one of the reasons why this took so long to gather. Each symbol could take between fifteen minutes to four hours to research and translate to English.”

She paused and tapped her finger against her lips.

“I’d say they had to have been between twelve and fourteen. At least two of them were twelve. They quickly covered it up with an excuse that an avalanche occurred, or some sort of natural catastrophe. That’s exactly what led to the consequences of this mission given to us, I believe.”

“Didn’t the families do anything?” I inquired. “No way would they believe such foolishness. Also, if they were royal children, there’s no way they would have gone down to this apparent place alone. They would have had their guards or even the current king or queen’s second-in-command go with the children to protect them.”

“You’re correct,” Echo replied. “They each went with an army full of soldiers, all of whom apparently died from the same natural disaster that struck the four royal children. Many believed it was a catastrophe because of the magnitude of deaths involved, but the four families didn’t believe a single word.”

Uncrossing her arms, she turned her attention back to us, her eyes dulling of emotion as her words grew serious.

“That’s when the four mothers of these children secretly met at the very site of their apparent deaths. Each of them brought a set of daggers, weapons of chaos that had been passed down from generation to generation. Normally such daggers are only given to the king or the firstborn son in the family line, but if any of the kings took the journey down to the mass grave of their child, their absence would be noticed almost immediately. These were times when males were superior and females were easily ignored. In this case, it was a blessing because no one was able to follow their movements.”

She took a deep breath and let it out.

“Maternal instinct is powerful, and though none of their children’s bodies were discovered, the four women were able to locate the exact spot of where their child took their last breaths. Laying the daggers upon the soil, they called to their spirits to return to land, and their magic granted their very wishes.”

She looked deep in thought, then she whispered, “When the children’s spirits were summoned, the entire place was covered in smoke. As if to shield any type of visibility from the outskirts of the land. It was thick and dense, and like a compass, each direction harbored a different color of smoke. Teal with hints of gold. Red with sparks of black. Green with lines of blue. Orange with bits of purple. Together, the smoke kept their various colors, their connection strong but none of the colors melding together. The children were given that precious chance to explain everything that happened, but the consequences of their deaths and revelation of their ends only endangered their mothers.”

Echo closed her eyes and shook her head as if she was seeing the entire scene unfold within her mind.

“The magic poured into the earth had taken every bit of magic within the four women. That meant that if they returned, they would either be exiled by their own people or be killed on the way back by those trying to keep the secret of the children’s death hidden away. The children felt pity for their mothers, the women who raised them with love and the goal of bringing peace. It brought them immense anger, and they decided that until those worthy of carrying the very blades their mothers brought revealed themselves, the world as they once knew it would be covered in smoke that would slowly steal the life of all humans. Whether they had magic or not, they would suffer the consequences of their ancestors, but if those destined to get rid of the corruption in the heart of the royal houses succeeded, the world would live on, with the ongoing protection of these chosen warriors.”

Opening her eyes once more, she looked between the two of us.

“All four mothers decided it was best to be with their children in the land of the dead, and all four were beheaded with the slice of their daggers. Their blood soaked the weapons and the magic coursing through the ground cried in agony at the sight of their hosts’ deaths. With intense liberation, the magic surged into the daggers, creating four beams of intense light that ignited smoke that reached the mountains and hills. Anyone that got stuck in its wrath died a horrendous, slow death, leaving many of the soldiers that had plotted the deaths of the four royal children dead. It was a message to the four royal kingdoms of what they had just committed, and an early reminder that the universe, referred to as Mother Earth, never forgets. Whatever is written within the realm of the living is set in stone, and the actions of these four families would reap the consequences when the countdown of the world’s end began.”

She paused and sighed.

“That trigger of the world’s end is based on the wickedness of the earth, when death is an easy thing to commit for humans and mages alike. Other contributors include the actions of deceit, injustice, and actions that ignored nature’s gifts for our salvation. Obviously, we can see that all happening. Death rates are going up, even with our organizations trying to take down criminals daily. Global warming is destroying the earth just as fast as the individuals living on it with our ways of living which only contributes to the negative growth. Deceit is common among us, resulting in many individuals enduring injustices from lies and inequities. Everything they warned is coming to pass, and now these people of power are desperate to bring peace back to the lands before what was written by the blood and magic of those royals from the past becomes the present and destroys our future.”

The room went quiet, and I had no words to express.

The story was heavy. It was filled with truth that hit me straight in my core. I couldn’t imagine how the mothers would have felt, let alone the children who were innocent in all of this. Their deaths were premature and uncalled for, and those royals didn’t want to carry the consequences of such merciless murders.

“When the children watched their mothers perish, only the empowered daggers remained. To place the plague onto the world like they had would only result in it coming to a dramatic end. They didn’t want to hurt nature if it wasn’t necessary, and they believed a time would come when individuals of such capabilities would arise and wish to avenge their loss. With their intentions, they meditated and called upon the universe to bury the four daggers in a place where no human or mage could obtain them. When the rightful time came and the countdown began for their death prophecy to ride upon its righteous path, the daggers would arise from their shackles.”

“Was that what happened six weeks ago?” I questioned.

“If you want my honest opinion,” Echo began, “I don’t think so.”

“Why is that?” Willa questioned.

“From all I gathered and calculated, the individuals chosen should have reached the prime age of twenty-two before the world began its descent into mayhem. That’s four years from now.”

“Meaning we’re four years early?” I questioned. “Wait. So the daggers were activated on purpose.”

Echo nodded and her voice was barely audible as she whispered, “By a certain group of council members that have descended from the very ties that sought those children’s deaths.”

“Wait.” Something clicked in my mind. “This assignment then. Are you trying to say we’re being set up to do this so we can gather all the wielders and then…” I trailed off, but Willa finished my words.

“All four wielders and daggers gathered in the same place. At that moment, they’ll repeat the past and make it so the future prophesized won’t happen,” she declared. “They want history to repeat itself…but I feel that wouldn’t happen.”

“No.” Echo shook her head and grinned. “It wouldn’t because they don’t realize that they’ll need eight individuals, not four.”

“Why?” Willa and I asked.

“Daggers are presented by two blades, correct? However, I think that each set of blades has two individuals connected to them. In this case, I have a strong hunch that Smokeywood’s is connected to the two of you. That’s why you both look alike and even blend in with the themes of the daggers.”

“So you’re saying William represents the wielder in this case and I represent the daggers?” Willa was trying to figure it out. “It’s still confusing.”

“They’re all theories as of now. It’s going to take me weeks to figure this out in detail and I’m trying to ensure my information is kept secure. I’ve been writing my notes because I’m not sure if I can trust our departments.”

“That was already obvious when they so easily granted our demands,” I acknowledged.

“What happens when we find these daggers then?” Willa inquired. “Are you saying I’m the daggers?”

“The energy of the first set of daggers is definitely within Willa. I believe our office knows that and is thinking of using you as a scapegoat if their hypothesis ends up being faulty.”

“A scapegoat?” I inquired. “How?”

“The hidden daggers are going to call out to Willa the closer our time gets to running out,” Echo replied. “That’s what I believe will happen. I’m still working on the section about the wielders and their potential. I’m not sure I’ll be able to translate everything in time. The small section that I obtained about the story took five weeks. Imagine trying to figure out all the types of daggers, the potential of the wielders, and the strengths and weaknesses? It could take me a solid year to decode each dagger, and that’s not a luxury we have.”

“Does that mean we have to find the daggers by the end of the school year?” I questioned. “Or when a year has officially passed?”

“If you want my honest opinion, I think by the end of the school year. The daggers are within these grounds, but if this council organization from ancient history are the ones that activated the daggers, waking them from their slumber early, they’re probably working hard to find them and get rid of them,” Echo explained

“They want the world to be covered in smoke?” Willa questioned.

“I don’t think they care about what happens,” Echo admitted. “We live in a world where anything is possible. Maybe they believe that they can survive the pandemic that arises with the smoke? Who knows.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” I muttered. “What now?”

“The two of you go to class,” Echo announced. “However, this remains between us.” She looked at Willa. “Meaning, you can’t tell Adam. Until we can figure things out, I don’t want either of our departments to know about our progress. Especially the idea that you two are potentially exactly what they need to get rid of. They may have a hunch, but they can’t get away with murdering you without solid proof.”

“I’d like to live another day, so I can agree to those terms,” Willa replied.

“Fine by me.” I shrugged. “What about this organization or DSC people? We have no clue who they are, but seeing as Willa was almost murdered when we first met, someone or a group of people are pretty positive of what Willa is.”

“I’m still unsure of that,” Echo admitted. “However, I’m working with two main sources to figure it out. One in Dubai and another in Tokyo. They’re trusted sources that have sworn magically to assist us while we figure this out. They’re working on figuring out who these individuals are, but for now, we’re on our own.”

“Waiting game,” I concluded. “We have to be patient or we’ll screw everything up.”

“Agreed,” Willa replied.

“Let’s get to class,” I concluded. “We’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon.”

“I’ll go back to researching,” Echo announced.

“Or you could take the rest of the day off,” I huffed. “You’re going to work yourself into exhaustion.”

“I agree with William, Echo. Go rest. You’ve done enough today.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” we both emphasized.

“Haha, okay.” She looked relieved. “I’ll head to bed then.”

We both nodded and quickly cleaned up. I finished drying the glass plate, noticing Willa’s far-away expression as she looked out the window in front of the sink.

“Willa?”

She looked my way and smiled. “Yes?”

I didn’t say anything immediately, but I placed the plate on the drying rack and placed the napkin down. Walking over to her, I slipped my arms around her waist, pulling her into a hug.

She was rigid at first, the rush of magic making our connection tingle, but the longer I held her, the more she relaxed into my embrace.

“We’ll figure this out,” I whispered quietly.

“I know,” she admitted. “It’s just intriguing how the past may repeat itself. It also makes it hard to trust those who should be lifting us up,” she whispered.

“I agree.” I held her a little tighter. “But we’re going to figure this out as a team, and I guess it’s only a matter of time until we meet those we’re destined to fight alongside of in this brewing battle.”

She pulled back to look up at me, her eyes searching mine.

“Tell me something,” she whispered. “If…what Echo said is true…you’ll still like me, right?”

“Of course.” That was an easy answer. “Why would that change anything?”

All she did was smile, relief flooding her eyes as she returned to hugging me.

“Just curious.” That’s all she said, and I knew there was more beneath her words, but again, it was something I’d have to wait and earn.

To earn her trust. Maybe it was broken by Adam.

Kissing the top of her head, I pulled back and offered my hand to her. “Back to our daily performance.”

She grinned and placed her hand in mine. “Maybe it’ll one day be our formidable future,” she whispered.

That made me smile, and the idea of a future with Willa suddenly seemed feasible. She was unlocking my emotions slowly, and it was at a pace that didn’t make me frightened of whatever was in store for us.

Slowly, little by little. I’m connecting with you.

CHRISTMAS BLUES WITH YOU

~WILLA~

“YOU’RE NOT GOING BACK HOME?” I inquired, staring at him with wide eyes. “Didn’t your parents want you over?”

I was still questioning why we were having this conversation mid yoga pose. My head was currently resting on the padded floor of our dorm house’s mini-meditation area where we did all our yoga, dance, and meditation stuff if we felt like it during the weeknights or weekends.

My hands were behind my back, my arms assisting in my position while the rest of my body was leaning back like a letter L that fell off to the right side. My ankles were now resting in William’s hands. They had previously been chilling on his shoulders as he maintained his crossed-legged yoga pose.

I had to admit, to anyone who would have walked into the room, it would have been perceived as pretty sensual seeing as my legs were wide open. I had to not think about it, or my mind would decide to tug me out of my state of calm and enter a frenzy of sexual desires - something that was happening far too often for my own good.

I felt like William was waiting for me to initiate the next step, and I was grateful for his patience, even if it was driving both of us mad. We still kissed, hugged, made out, but sex was still off the block for now.

Did I blame him? Not really. Am I really ready for us to dive into this connection? Are we ready to ignite what we know will seal this relationship and move it to new heights?

“They did,” he admitted, lifting my legs further out so I could really stretch. “I told them I’d spend Christmas here.”

“Why?”

“Your parents never got back to you, did they?” he reminded. I was glad he couldn’t see my face because the hurt would give me away.

I’d texted my parents multiple times this month, asking eight weeks in advance if there was a possibility for us to have Christmas dinner together. It was something we hadn’t done for years due to our duties and schedules never meeting up properly.

This year felt different, though. I wished to at least enjoy one solid dinner with them, just in case this whole case didn’t go as we expected it to.

Knock on wood.

The fact that I was practically begging for a few hours of their time felt beyond pathetic. We were of the same blood. They brought me into this world. Yet, I couldn’t get a damn moment with them?

It made everything Echo had explained weeks ago become more of a looming reality because I was coming to realize that my trust in my own parents was thinning every time my text messages were read.

And ignored.

“No,” I finally answered. “Don’t think I’m spending the holidays with them.”

“Then that means you’re going back home?” he inquired.

When I didn’t reply, he slowly lowered my outstretched legs until my back was now laid against the floor. I sat up, the movement landing us face-to-face. I remained with my spread-out legs while he sat in between.

We were inches apart, the static between us making its usual appearance while we stared into each other’s eyes. His worry reflected in those blue eyes of his, the color I loved to look into much more than the red contact ones that he had to continue to use for school.

“You want my honest answer?” I inquired.

“Always,” he replied.

“I’m not sure I want to return to the apartment,” I revealed, feeling a little bitter about what had been running through my mind the last couple of weeks.

Since the revelation of Echo’s theory, I began to analyze my past and all the circumstances I’d endured before this mission began.

The good and the bad.

It felt like a good thing, in a sense. To review what I needed to look into, things about myself that I always fought to ignore or pushed aside with humor. It also made me realize the mistreatment I’d dealt with in the past.

From my family, my workplace, and even my relationship with Adam.

It was as though I was in the process of shedding old skin, and with the new year approaching, I didn’t want to enter it carrying the same weight on my shoulders.

The same habits, negative thoughts, and the heavy burden of regret.

“Is there a reason?” William finally questioned.

“Yes.” My eyes lowered to his bare chest, admiring his muscles in an attempt to not get lost in my emotions. “I think…I need to distance myself from my past.”

“Does that include your parents?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted and looked up to give him a hopeless look. “What am I supposed to do when the people I love don’t care about me?”

“You move forward,” he bluntly replied. “But that depends on multiple factors. Your parents are tricky, and I wouldn’t move forward until you can see face-to-face if they truly want nothing to do with you. To me, I don’t think that’s the case, but I won’t defend their actions and ignorance.”

He paused and his hand stroked my cheek, brushing away a tear.

“If you’re worried about returning to the apartment you share with Adam, you don’t have to go back. We can stay here.”

“We?” I gave him a conflicted look. “William. You don’t need to miss out on being with your family over the holidays because of me.”

“Aren’t you technically a part of my family?” He tossed the question back to me, looking away when his words registered in my mind and made my eyes tear up.

He quickly added, “Adam doesn’t deserve to be around you. I’m a better candidate…and, well…I kind of told my parents I’d only come by if you came with me…so…ugh. This is stupid.”

Placing my hands on his cheeks, I moved his head so he was looking back at me once more. “Did you actually tell your parents that?”

My tears fell, and there was his expression of immense worry that I didn’t get to see often. His face was completely red by now, but he answered with a solid nod.

“My mom’s excited to meet you. My dad just wants to sword battle with you. So silly.”

I actually giggled, blinking my eyes to let my tears fall as I took a steady breath. “So…I am wanted, huh?”

“What made you think otherwise?” He placed his hands on top of mine. “What’s going through your mind, Willa? I know the last couple of weeks of this semester have been busy with all the dumb paperwork separate from the exams and reports we had to submit that kept them posted on our stalled progress, but I thought you were okay.”

“I am okay,” I tried to defend, but all that did was make me want to cry harder.

Why am I afraid of telling him?

“I’ve known you for four months now, Willa,” he whispered and looked into my eyes. “What are you fighting so hard to hide?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and realized this was the moment that could either break us or make us stronger.

If I tell him and he doesn’t get mad…then we can actually be something. We can date…for real and not for show. He can be mine without me feeling guilty with burdened regrets. He could be mine…and I could be his.

“W-What…if…” I struggled to get the words out, choking on the sob that fought to escape. William slid my hands off his cheeks, and I expected him to push me away, but he practically lifted me up, leaning back down so his back was pressed against the floor, and lowering me to lay on top of him.

“Willi-”

He kissed me before I could protest, the bittersweet touch helping fight against the clouded fear that fought to cover the hope I held in my inner sky.

“Nothing you say is going to push me away,” he declared. “Once I’m committed, I don’t turn away.”

“What…about…your ex?”

“She broke up with me.” The bitterness in his voice reflected a level of hate that was hard to describe. “If she remained in my life…I’m positive she would have destroyed everything I care about. My family, my circle of friends, my career. I’d already lost a part of myself…that I almost thought I’d never get back.”

He paused to compose himself and he lowered my head against his chest, stroking his fingers through my long strands.

“I thought love wouldn’t find its way into my life again. I begged the universe to never let my heart shatter the way it did when Alexa broke it into a million pieces. I lost my identity, and she left me there in the dark to pick up the bits and pieces that were left. No remorse. No fucks given. I was a piece of garbage she’d thrown out. She believed no one would want to try and make me anew.”

He took a steadying breath, one that made me lift my head and rest my chin against his chest so I could peer up at him. He met my gaze and smiled.

“I don’t show my emotions because she made me believe they made me weak. I stopped trusting people because she manipulated me into thinking everyone was my enemy. I still carry those very habits today, and they are things that I have to work on daily so that I don’t suddenly screw up everything I’ve built. When I don’t reply immediately to something, it’s not because I’m struggling for words. It’s because I’m trying to answer in the way that the new me would reply and not the old mold of my past that lied and played with people’s emotions and hearts.”

He closed his eyes, letting out a few breaths.

“My parents, Echo, and about three others know just how bad it got. They know what that relationship did to me, and it’s one of the hardest topics to talk about because I’m reminded of how bad I was. How I hated what she did to me and how it took four years for me to figure it out. We decided to date for fun at fourteen. By sixteen, I was a fucking mess, ready to self-destruct. We broke up, and it took me two solid years to return to a normal lifestyle without dealing with all the mental stuff that tackles you after something bad wounds you physically and emotionally.”

Opening his eyes, he returned to staring down at me.

“The hate for her is still strong and thick. For a long time, I blamed myself, and that was such bullshit because I did nothing wrong. I tried to love her the best way I could, in a way that meant I didn’t need to change myself to please her, but it only was a matter of time before none of that was good enough for her, and I ended up being someone I wasn’t. Finding that part of me again was the hardest task I’ve ever dealt with.”

He let out a heavy exhale and smiled.

“It’s a daily struggle, and somehow, being around you makes it easier to be my cold, quiet self. You always have a way of lifting my spirits or making me smile when you’re not looking. Even when I’m an ass, you don’t take it seriously, and you call me out if I’m pressing too many of your buttons. A relationship with transparent honesty is one that reaches far places, and I know it’s the scariest part because you’re left in that peak of vulnerability. I want you to know that I’ve been there, and if there’s something heavy bothering you, I won’t judge you for needing to vent it out. You’re the woman I never thought I’d let back into my closed-off heart…but you somehow managed to be a sly investigator and get right in there.”

“Something only I’d do,” I teased.

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes, which made me quietly laugh. With a steady breath, I nodded and moved off him to sit up. He sat up and moved to sit next to me, the two of us staring in the mirror.

I was in my neon teal sports bra and matching tights, while he wore black shorts. The reflection reminded me that this was a safe place.

“What if my life wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows?” I inquired.

“No one’s life is filled with butterflies and rainbows,” he replied.

“What if the happiness and harmony I project is a lie?”

“If it’s a lie, break away from the shackles that hold your truth.”

My head turned over to look at him, and he turned his head to meet my eyes. He meant what he said, and what I’d said so far wasn’t pushing him away.

“You know how they say when you’re drunk, the real you come out to play?”

“Yes.”

“What if that was me once upon a time…and I was…forced to be something I’m not.”

To be the submissive agent that followed rules.

To be the kind girlfriend that attended to her boyfriend’s needs.

To be the child that was strong and brave, hiding the broken pieces that only shattered into smaller specks of glass.

“The woman who sat with bold authority among a group of individuals that were desperate for your attention and power?” he elaborated. “I see nothing wrong with her, nor do I see any flaws in you now. Whether you decide to be the fierce woman that commands a room with her presence or the woman who inspires those around her to achieve many things without the common excuses of age or gender. Whoever you want to be when we enter the new year in a few days is up to you. Regardless, I’ll still love and support you.”

I bit my lip hard, fighting to not break down at his acceptance. He reached over to lay his hand upon mine, the two of us staring at one another as my tears fell.

Something told me he knew what I’d been hiding, and yet I couldn’t cut through the web of the past to say the exact words.

“You don’t need to tell me now,” he finally whispered. “However, whatever decision you decide to make, you have to let go of what has tried to destroy you from the inside out.”

“If that revolves around the old apartment?”

“Then you’ll move out.”

“Where would I even stay?” It was such a silly question, especially when I had more than enough money to get my own place, whether I decided to rent or buy.

Could it be the idea of living alone that frightens me?

“With me.”

I blinked and my eyes widened at the two words. “What?”

“Echo…has been researching about the transfer thing. Since she’s still working on the details, not the dagger and wielder encryption, she suggested we start to come up with a backup plan to set in place by the end of the school year. If it’s deemed safer, and you’re willing to go along with it, we’d implement it before revealing the plan to your chief.”

“My chief. So Chief Roland?”

He slowly nodded, his voice dropping to an all-time low. “Echo and her two contacts. The ones she trusts that are in Dubai and Tokyo. They believe Chief Roland is working with the DSC. There’s not enough evidence yet, and even if we did gather enough, there’s no way for us to prosecute him until all of this is over. However, it’s clear that he doesn’t have good intentions for you, something he proved with the way he was treating you.”

He paused for a long moment, looking hesitant about whether he wanted to say the next words. He didn’t have to, as I decided to say them to him.

“Adam doesn’t want good things for me.” I said it like it was a fact, and it frustrated me that my heart sank in disappointment even after all this time.

“Do you know?”

I lowered my head because I didn’t want to talk about it. Now wasn’t the time for me to dive into that can of worms.

“We don’t need to go there,” William whispered and picked my hand up to squeeze it comfortingly. “What I was getting at is, by the end of the second half of school…if you agree…we’re transferring you over to Dubai’s branch.”

“Wouldn’t that be difficult? Plus, there’s no way Chief Roland or Officer Rolex would approve of it.”

“They already did.” The way he smiled made me question his revelation, and then my mind went to the night when we signed the contract.

“You didn’t-”

“Secretly put in extremely tiny words that you’d be transferring to Dubai’s office and be provided full security and protective services under our work agreement in the boring section of the contract that everyone skips?” He gave me an innocent look, watching my jaw drop.

“William. Please tell me you’re lying.”

“I’m not.” He said with determination.

“B-But what if I’d said no?”

“Then I would have merely voided it.”

“How could you make such a risky move?” I couldn’t understand it. “That could have cost your career. No, maybe life. What if they find out?”

“They won’t.” He shrugged. “Since they didn’t point it out, my Chief already processed everything, and it will reveal itself next September when year two starts. If we survive until then, they’ll find out on our first day back. We’ll already be up in the sky, and that academy doesn’t accept outsider applicants”

“B-B-But!” I couldn’t think of words, and he lifted my hand and pressed it to his heart. I felt the swift beating thump against the palm of my hand, and when I searched his eyes for an explanation, he whispered, “When you walk into a room and see a play unfold in front of you, it’s only a matter of time before you see who the puppeteer is and who the victim of their controlling strings is.”

His eyes teared up, as my own water droplets fell down my cheeks.

He knows.

My lips fought to smile as I felt a shift in the weight that I’d carried for years. I didn’t need to say those words for him to see.

He knew…this whole time, didn’t he?

“How long?”

“Since I laid your dying body onto the ground next to the pool.” His tears fell and he whispered, “Only a few know this, but if your body rejects a healer’s assistance, it’s not due to their inability to heal. It’s because the wounded victim’s magic is rejecting their assistance. Usually an indicator of abuse between the two, and you know the other stuff that falls into that category.”

He gave me a moment and whispered, “I decided I’d be the one to take you out of that cycle…even if you didn’t ask me to. Did I realize I’d fall for you? Nope. Not in a million years, but Fate had other plans and I don’t like defying her.”

Pressing his lips against the back of my hand, he gave me a charming smile.

“You’re strong, Willa. Far stronger than me. Don’t you think it’s about time to end the cycle?”

He was right. I knew he was right, and yet, I was frightened.

“What if…”

“He’s unhappy. He comes after you. He finds out before we reach that finish line?”

I slowly nodded.

“It won’t happen,” I vowed. “When he finds out, it’ll be far too late, and if he tries to come after you, then he’ll just have to face the ‘me’ from two years ago.”

“Aren’t you…disgusted?”

“By what?”

“You know…”

“Was it in your power to stop what happened to you?”

“No.”

“Then there’s nothing to be disgusted about. You’re not the problem, Willa. You’ve never been a problem. The world around you painted a world where you thought you had to work harder, strive higher, and please everyone for the sake of comfortability.” He squeezed my hand once again, his eyes filled with conviction. “Now it’s time to break that reality and enter a new one that acknowledges the truth. You’re not the problem. You deserve to be praised, to be loved, to reach positions and new heights that are long overdue, and to show all those that belittle you that the tables have turned.”

Leaning in closer, he said with pride, “You’re the weapon they were frightened to see be pulled out of the stone they trapped you in.” His forehead pressed against mine. “It’s time I pull you out and hold you up with pride as your real potential shines through the dark smoke covering your shining beauty.”

He sealed his words with his lips.

For the first time in years, I could give in to his uplifting affection without the fear of consequence.

This Christmas wouldn’t be filled with the blues. This time, I’ll be with someone I connect with…and love.

NEW YEAR TRUTH AND IT’S OFFICIAL

~WILLIAM~

“WHY DO I have to wear this?”

I pulled away from my phone, only to be left stunned by Willa’s appearance. Before I knew it, I was taking multiple pictures, and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re supposed to ask permission before taking pictures,” she acknowledged.

“You’re right,” I admitted. “But then you’d give me one of those awkward stances and smile like you’re a serial killer. This is better.”

Her darting eyes of anger only made me return to the picture taking, and she gave up on even trying to stop me anymore. “My previous question is still valid.”

“I told you I’m taking you out for New Year’ss,” I answered, noticing her flustered expression as she crossed her arms over her chest to huff.

“Which makes no sense seeing as everything is closed here and we didn’t get tickets for any events.”

“True, but it’s nice to dress up once in a while, especially when we’ve been wearing our uniform day in and day out. It’s boring.”

“Hmph.” She thought about it. “Whatever.”

Her way of admitting her defeat.

“Come over here.” I gestured for her to sit on my lap. She didn’t fight against the idea, waltzing over to me in her teal rhinestone heels with red bottoms.

Limited edition Christian Louboutin’s I’d bought for her for this occasion.

They matched the fairy-like dress she wore that cloaked her body. The top part was made of thin lace that matched the complexion of her skin, glazed with golden glitter.

The corset hugged her top half and was embedded with teal and gold rhinestones while the bottom half was short but fluffed out like a Tinkerbell outfit. The lace fabric was in the shape of massive petals and the design was gold and teal snowflakes against the sheer blue fabric.

Her hair was in curls, something I hadn’t seen before, and even her makeup was different than her norm; her eyeshadow shifted from gold to teal, and her lips were a striking red. Adding her black mascara, eyeliner, rosy red blush, and contoured face, she really put effort into tonight’s look.

She wore a simple gold necklace and gold bracelets from Hermes.

Another trinket I’d gotten for her.

I’d told her that I’d return them if she wanted me to, but then she got all flustered at the idea of returning a gift and said she’d keep it since it was from me.

I could tell Willa wasn’t used to being pampered, and that was why I went the extra mile to do exactly that tonight.

To make her realize what a gem she is in the field of coal she’d been forced to be stuck in.

She didn’t know what I had up my sleeves, or where Echo was, which she’d been trying to pry out of me all day. The plan was coming together perfectly, but I wanted to at least get a picture together before the start of what I knew would be the best New Year’s she’d ever experienced.

“What?” she questioned when she got comfortable in my lap.

“I want a kiss first,” I requested.

She huffed but leaned in to kiss me. I loved the dance between her overconfident self and the funny, playful, ‘let’s question everything’ side of her that grinded my gears.

It was obvious that I loved every part of her, and I felt she was beginning to realize that.

“Can we take a nice picture?” I whispered against her lips.

She nodded just slightly, her eyes lowering to my lips once more. I grinned and initiated the kiss, deepening it as I fumbled with my phone.

I personally enjoyed slow kissing. It allowed us to ride out our emotions at a calm pace while taming the hypnotic link that brought us closer. It was harder to fight the desire to speed things up, but it was a mutual agreement that let us tread at a comfortable pace for both of us.

I’d already taken a few pictures before we broke the kiss. The lust in her eyes made it hard for me to stick with the plan.

“Where are we going?” she finally asked, distracting me from the growing tightness in my crotch.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Hmm.” She looked at me questioningly. “As long as there are no explosions.”

“Does that mean no to fireworks?” I genuinely asked, suddenly worrying that if she did hate them, I’d have to try and get Echo to stop part two of the plan.

“Nah.” She smiled. “I like those. I haven’t seen them up close or anything. Just on the television broadcast. You know, the morning after the whole countdown.”

“You’ve never experienced the countdown with friends and family?”

“Nah.” She shook her head. “We’re always busy so it’s rather impossible. Maybe once when I was really young, but that was kind of a blur to me.”

I nodded and wrapped my arm over her shoulder as I kissed her cheek.

“Few more pictures. Then we’ll find a place that has nice fireworks.”

“That’s what we dressed up all fancy for?” she concluded.

“Pretty much,” I replied. “Disappointed?”

“Nope!” She beamed. “I’m excited! Can you get a picture of me with a firework in the sky?”

“Anything you want,” I quietly replied.

“With us?”

“Tricky, but doable.”

“Yes! I want one with us then,” she determined.

“Your wish is my command,” I teased her, and we took a few nicer pictures before she slid off my lap and I rose up.

Reaching for her hand, I wrapped my fingers around hers, concentrating my magic to begin the spiraling process of creating the portal I needed.

I pushed away my nerves, the fear that this plan would burst in flames if I’d judged things wrong. There was no way of changing things now, and I hoped my gut instinct was right about this.

“Ready?” I asked, meeting her excited eyes that glimmered like blue diamonds.

“More than ready!” she replied. “Let’s go see fireworks.”

More than that, my Willa. Let’s enter the new year with no regrets.

~WILLA~

THE SWIRLING SENSATION of the swarming magic portal didn’t faze my rising anticipation for spending New Year’s with William.

After my parents had finally texted back saying they were on yet another mission and that was the reason for the ignored messages, I could safely assume that I wasn’t going to see them until well into the new year.

Did it hurt? Ya, but I decided that if I didn’t see them by the end of this year, they would be left behind in the past as I moved forward into the present.

The last four months had been filled with lots of self-reflection and healing, and after my deep talk with William, it was time to implement those changes instead of fearing the uplifting freedom they would deliver to me.

With a dash of haunting uncertainty about what consequences those changes would deliver to me.

I hated this stage of my life. Feeling vulnerable in the darkness while I wore a mask during the day that reflected who I wished to be.

Not who I wished to be. Who I truly was, hidden behind layers of doubt, fear, and wishful thinking.

If it wasn’t for William, I wouldn’t have tried to confront what I’d shoved to the corner of my mind. I’d walk down the same path, pleasing the world as I committed to a job that used me, lived with a man that projected himself as a happy, tech wiz who loved me passionately, and carried on this path until I cracked from the pressure.

Or was killed.

As I’d dressed up for this date with William, I’d thought about how the door had swung open with Adam asking about my lack of attire after another stressful meeting.

How I acted exactly like he’d told me to, let him manipulate the way I thought for years. I’d been unable to fight back against the fake reality.

Even after our breakup, I was forced to still respond to his kind gestures, and was unable to truly relax when I was naked and bare. I’d been learning to shut out the past when it got deep like that. I kept reminding myself that I didn’t have to deal with that any longer, and I could now move forward after a few short months.

Four months had gone by so quickly. The remaining four before summer vacation would breeze by.

With William’s plan, we would be long gone from this place. The entire plan felt like a dream, one I kept seeing when I curled up in bed at night. I’d even begun thinking I’d be more comfortable sleeping in the same bed as William.

It was a baby step in the right direction. Today would only get better. I would finally be able to experience something with someone who wanted me by their side out of love and not because of the benefits.

We walked out of the portal, my eyes registering my surroundings rather quickly. We were clearly on a rooftop, but the view before us was utterly spectacular. The tall, high-rise buildings sparkled with bright lights, and the massive fountain shot various streams of water at a synchronized pace.

The streets below were packed with gleeful people from all over the world. The crowd was filled with various cultures. Streamers and other decorative pieces designed the streets that danced with various lights while loud music played and a section of the sky projected a visible countdown before the year ended.

We officially had fifteen minutes left until the clock struck twelve, and it finally dawned on me where we were. My eyes darted to meet William’s that twinkled with happiness. I was sure that he was expecting my reaction of pure shock.

“Surprise,” he whispered.

“You brought me here? All the way to Dubai?” It didn’t seem real, and yet here I was. My feet were against the concrete, greenhouse, patio rooftop that was decorated with Christmas lights and fancy furniture.

“Figured a good entrance into the new year was to see how we celebrated.” William casually shrugged, moving close to admire my expression as I looked up at him.

“Do you like your surprise?”

“This is spectacular!” I emphasized, my eyes tugging away from his to admire the view once more. It was dark, which made it hard to judge the true beauty of this place, but I knew what my final decision was going to be, and the idea seemed like an achievable future.

In a few short months, I’ll be a part of this new world with William.

Anyone would have questioned my acceptance of the idea, especially when William and I had only known each other for four short months.

We weren’t madly in love, and it wasn’t one those fairy tale loves, the one-glance romances that you witnessed in stories and movies. The two of us had flaws, things we wanted to fix within ourselves and from the pasts we were still struggling to confront and conqueror, but that was why I knew we had a chance.

There was no reason for either of us to rush, and the idea of starting anew elsewhere, a place that would appreciate my talents, gifts, skills, and knowledge would be motivating to continue on this journey to retrieve the daggers.

Turning to face William, I hooked my arms around his neck and gave him a wide grin. “Thank you.” The words of gratitude were soft-spoken, but I was sure they expressed how moved I was with his actions.

Portal travel to another country on his own had to have taken days of stored up magic, and to arrive at this vast view only made me appreciate his efforts even more.

“How long have you been planning this?” I couldn’t help but ask, knowing he was someone who seemed to think way ahead, with everything he’d revealed so far. From making sure I got paid, to somehow managing to sneak in the sentence that would solidify the plan of transferring to Dubai.

“Hmm.” His silence followed up with, “Four months.”

“When you met me?!” I couldn’t help but shriek at the idea. “You barely knew me.”

“True, but to plan this, I had to speak with a few people first.”

“Did you have to get permission to use this place?”

His grin widened while his eyes twinkled in mischief. “I own this building.”

“Why am I not surprised,” I sarcastically huffed but pulled him down for a sweet kiss. “Thank you, William.”

“You haven’t seen the best part,” he countered.

“The fireworks?”

“No.” He shook his head while his hands moved to rest on my hips. After giving me a quick kiss, he let go and gestured to one of the corners that was designed with plants.

With a snap of his fingers, the tiny bulb lights that I hadn’t even noticed began to light up, illuminating the space and revealing the two individuals standing there in fancy attire.

I was rendered speechless, glancing back at William as he grinned and nodded his head.

“How?”

“Remember what we talked about during Christmas?”

I slowly nodded, nervously looking back at my mother and father, who patiently waited with worried eyes.

“You didn’t…”

He shook his head, giving me a bit of ease at the thought of my parents knowing about the hidden truth of my past.

“They don’t know the details, but do you also remember when we were working on the contract and wearing facemasks? How you explained that it would have been nice to have dinner with your parents?”

“Ya,” I quietly replied.

“I found out the reason why it felt almost impossible for you three to have a family dinner together.”

“There’s a reason?” I couldn’t think of what reasoning they would have, aside from being assigned multiple assignments that crossed paths with our schedules.

“Third-party,” William declared and pulled his phone out. His thumb tapped the screen a few times, and he showed me an example of the previous text messages I’d sent to my parents about Christmas Dinner.

“Those are the text messages you asked to see during Christmas day,” I voiced, remembering how Echo was shocked that my parents had taken ages to reply to me, speculating that there was a problem with my phone.

I’d only given her my phone to check it out and see if they were just getting my text messages last minute or if they really didn’t want anything to do with me.

William nodded and flicked his thumb across the screen to show me the next picture. I had to do a double take at seeing the set of text messages, but they were from my Mom.

Sweetheart, let us know about Christmas dinner.

Willa, I know you’re busy with this case, but let’s try to make time.

Willa, Maybe you’re mad about me not being able to thank you for saving me months back. I tried texting you after it happened, but got no response. Are you still upset?

Willa…I’m sorry.

My eyes watered and I took the phone out of his grasp with my trembling hands as I flicked through the multiple screenshots.

Text messages, and not just from this year.

Years of messages that were ignored and misinterpreted.

“How? Why? I never received any of these,” I whispered, and looked over to my parents. My mom was on the verge of tears, and the sight broke my heart. Despite our slight differences and lack of communication, my mom rarely showed how hurt she was, but now all the harbored pain reflected on her soft complexion as her eyes filled with tears.

My dad was struggling to keep it together, looking as though his pride was punched in the gut. He always kept a blank or guarded expression, never liking to show his true feelings, even to me, unless we were home or in a private place together.

My eyes kept going back and forth, from the multiple text messages to the miscommunications that I knew I’d never messaged to my parents and yet my name and number was connected to them.

“Echo retrieved all these messages from the past four years. Intriguing enough, from the day when you started dating Adam,” William revealed. “I’m sure you can put one and two together, but he’s not the only reason why your schedules never matched the few times you’d talked in person with your parents to try and figure a day, evening, or hour to meet and share a meal. Officer Rolex specifically informed scheduling to ensure you had different schedules and assignments than your parents and used the excuse of conflict of interest.”

His hands reached out to rest on my shoulders, grabbing my attention from the screen just after a tear dropped onto the surface.

“I told you when I entered your life, I knew something was off. I decided to investigate it, but we had to pause due to the new assignment. Echo was pissed about the lack of communication after seeing your messages and three days later, we had our culprits. I contacted your parents privately, using an alias to book a meeting with them, and presented all the text messages you’ve sent over the years. They then showed me all theirs, and it was easy to identify the discrepancy.”

He could see the hurt in my eyes. He let his guard down just slightly so I could see the swarming emotions of flickering anger and conviction.

“Your parents had the idea that you didn’t want to hang with them. They asked Adam multiple times, and he said you were just dealing with the stress of the job. They didn’t ask you in public because they were afraid you’d make a scene, based on what Adam had fed to them. Adding the reinforcement from Officer Rolex, and even Chief Roland, they were at their wit’s end and thought you just needed space until you got a break from the field. They’ve been wanting to share a dinner with you, Willa. You were just robbed from your parents by a controlling ass and the people that wanted to keep you in the invisible cage they kept you in.”

Then his anger swarmed his face as his eyes darkened.

“In a few minutes we’ll be entering the new year, and with the truth coming into the light, we know enough to set a course on our plan. Your parents are more than willing to cooperate, and my parents are going to help to ensure none of this reaches your department, Adam, and the rest of those traitors. I’m sure you’re angry, as you deserve to be, but the ultimate payback requires patience. Can you promise me not to react until the time is right?”

He was right with everything he said. If I brought this level of deceit out into the open, Adam would try to find a way to deny it, and with our security in the hands of my department, we’d either be killed by our past enemies or by them on some false conviction.

Slowly, I nodded and whispered, “Why?”

He knew what I meant, and he leaned down and kissed me.

“You deserve the truth, nothing but the truth, and I told you in this partnership that I’d never cut corners. Whether there are more secrets to unfold or this is the bulk of it, we’re entering the new year knowing who our allies and foes are. We may have started this with our hands tied, but we’ll end this on the right foot and give them a taste of their own medicine.”

He patted my back and gestured over to my parents.

“Now you should go hug them because the new year is in two minutes and your lips are mine to claim at exactly twelve.”

That made me grin before I returned his phone and ran to my parents. They accepted me with open arms, hugging me tightly and immediately apologizing for not looking into things.

Funny how the three of us were top investigators in the field, and we never once thought that our lack of communication and family time was due to manipulative motives from exterior forces.

It made me mad - so, so mad - that I lost out on years of family events, outings, and catching up because of a controlling group of individuals who wanted me to always suffer by their diabolical hands.

Not anymore. We won’t be dealing with that from the start of this new year onward.

The cheers of the countdown began to thrum through the streets, ten seconds left of this year that had ignited a change in my life that would catapult me into the unknown.

Looking over to William, I raced back to his side, just as the countdown reached five seconds.

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

The burst of cheers was followed with the first booming sparks of fireworks in the sky, but my lips were captivated by William’s as he held me tightly against him. I kissed him with all my might, grateful to enter a new year and break a cycle that was ruling my entire life. I finally had a chance at happiness.

I pulled back to look William dead in the eyes, and his perfect smile was followed with a tiny whisper, “I love you.”

It was the first time he’d said those three words to me, and what made my heart bloom in affection was the fact that they were real. True words from a man that I’d somehow fallen in love with.

A man that had cut through the vines that hid away the struggles I kept inside. He’d cleared the smoke that covered the lies in my life, and now, he was willing to stand by and help me obtain a future that was run by the truth.

“I love you, too,” I replied with a wide smile.

We looked up in time to see the massive firework that burst through the sky, rainbow sparks that lit up the black surface and ignited cheers of happiness and delight.

“PARTY TIME!”

We turned to see Echo, who carried a bottle of champagne. My eyes noticed two individuals behind her, both of them looking so similar to William that I knew without a doubt that those were his parents.

His father was 6′3″ and almost the spitting image of William but with a wiser appearance and silver eyes.

His mother was 6′1″, curvy with extremely curly silver hair with blue highlights. He had to have gotten her blue eyes because even at this distance, they were as striking as ever.

They were also in fancy attire, the two of them holding dishes of food.

“Happy New Year, everyone,” his mother cheered. “We brought dinner!”

“Why are we eating at twelve in the morning?” his father muttered.

His mother nudged him with her elbow, making him grunt in pain as she kept her wide grin. “Don’t mind Andy. He’s always a grump ass.”

“Amanda.” He looked insulted and Amanda laughed.

“Hush! I have to meet my future daughter-in-law!”

I blushed and looked at William, whose entire face was red.

“M-Mom! At least introduce yourself to her parents or something,” he defended.

Amanda only laughed harder, as if she had some sort of master plan up her sleeve. “Did that ages ago! Did you forget that we’re friends with Amy and Andrew? Hey guys! We brought food for dinner!”

We watched my parents smile in greeting, and before we knew it, they were exchanging greetings and explaining the misconceptions we’d just discovered moments ago.

Discovered ‘last’ year.

Squeezing William’s hand, we exchange a look and I whispered, “I can’t wait to get revenge.”

His grin held vengeance as he slowly nodded and squeezed my hand back.

“You’ll get exactly that, Willa,” he vowed. “Just as we’ll get vengeance for the daggers hidden by smoke.”

Academy investigator that led to me finding out the truth of my life circumstances. All those who put me in this cycle would wish they never knew the name Willa Silvers.

DEAD END TO NEW RESOLVE

“That’s it for class today. Remember that there are only six weeks left until your final exams. Elemental tests will run through next week until the end of May. Do not play around with this. Your grades will determine if you move to year two or repeat this year. That’s for every class, mind you. This is an Elite institution and only needs students who are the best of the best. Failure will lead to repetition, and if that happens and you still can’t reach the level of satisfaction this school requires, you might as well start looking for another school to transfer to.”

When the classroom was pin-drop silent, Professor Sapphire nodded in approval.

“Class dismissed.”

I let out a long sigh, feeling a little sleepy after the crazy day we’d had. The studying part of this mission was one thing, but the daily battles were getting a little exhausting.

As an Infinite Mage, I normally didn’t have a problem, but my lack of sleep was catching up to me. I could only imagine those who didn’t have a continuous flow of magic running through them.

The soft touch of a hand rubbing my back made me grin, and I looked over to see William’s bored expression as he continued to look forward. From how lazy his eyes looked, he was barely staying awake. The two of us spent hours every day for the last four weeks trying to find clues of where these daggers were and how I was somehow potentially one.

We’d searched everywhere, from the halls of this massive building to the gardens, fields, and forest of this vast property. We were arriving home at three in the morning every night, finally tucking into bed by four, and rising up again by seven to start the day once again.

Running on three hours of sleep was torture, and I was so glad today was Friday because I had every intention of sleeping the weekend away at this point.

A dream worth having, right?

I knew there was no way either of us could spend the weekend sleeping when the deadline was creeping up, and poor Echo was still working her butt off on decoding the scriptures that explained more about the dagger of Smokeywood.

William and I felt like we would have the answers when it was too late, which was frustrating. We’d have to do without that information now that the clock was really counting down.

My department - specifically Adam, Officer Rolex, and Chief Roland - weren’t helping to alleviate the stress this mission was bringing.

I was on the verge of breaking my phone and making sure I didn’t accept a new one because the constant calls every day asking about our progress was beginning to get on my nerves.

Lack of sleep only made my tolerance thin more by the day.

I’d made a quiet vow on New Year’s that enough was enough, especially when I found out exactly what my place of work and my ex had been doing for years.

My parents were just as mad, and were now working with William’s parents on a transfer plan. As of now, I could confidently trust Dubai’s headquarters.

Having gone there in person during the three-day stay in Dubai, I was left with hopeful thoughts and words of wisdom from the Chief, Osako.

It was interesting because he was the Chief of Dubai’s Department of Magical Affairs, while his twin brother was the Chief of Tokyo’s Department of Magical Affairs, Chief Osaku.

I now understood why in the video conference call they looked so similar. The major difference was Chief Osako’s obvious tan from his marvellously hot country.

He’d taken me around the entire building, which had worried me at first because I didn’t want anyone discovering what my transfer intentions were all about. He assured me that everyone was magically sworn to secrecy to keep everything within these walls, and they had maintained those laws of privacy for twenty-five years.

The best part was seeing William’s office.

Or a whole damn floor, if you acknowledge the 1400 square foot office.

They gave me a glimpse of how a typical workday would be, and I was shocked at the fact that Chief Osako had already reviewed my resume, achievements, and multiple complete assignments - determining that I would be getting a big office like William’s upon my transfer.

They were already starting the construction and decoration process, and I even got to choose the theme, wallpaper, and furniture that would be included.

Yes. I did ask for a popcorn machine. Why? I still had no clue, as I barely ate the salty food.

By the end of the trip, I was craving to go back and already missing my parents as well as William’s.

Andy and Amanda were extremely nice. Amanda was a friendly, overhyper individual who could light up the room with her bubbly personality and constant laughter.

How in the world had she survived with Andy, who was just like William in his quiet nature and who seemed to only join the conversation when Amanda was involved? They were extreme polar opposites, Amanda at the end of the ‘happy-go-lucky’ side and Andy on the ‘everything dies’ side.

Love worked in mysterious ways but hanging out with them alongside my parents was an intriguing experience that I craved to redo.

It also showed me a side of William I didn’t see often, a more relaxed part of him as we watched our parents bicker while sharing amazing meals on the rooftop of one of William’s homes.

The memories were what motivated me every single day when I wanted to give up, and I couldn’t wait to accomplish this mission and be surrounded by those I cared about again.

William said when I transferred, he’d introduce me to his other friends, and they were excited to meet me from all the good things they’d heard from Echo and William so far.

Six more weeks until all of this came to an end, but with no other leads, what do we do?

My eyes caught onto William’s movement as he used his free hand to pull his phone out. From the color of the blinking notification light, I could tell Echo had just messaged.

William’s deep frown told me it wasn’t good news, and he looked over to me before moving the phone my way so I could see what was written.

ECHO:

Bad news. The P’s are off the grid. Zero signs. Back to the drawing board.

I frowned at the text and looked up to William to try and get an explanation of what it meant. The P’s was our shortened version of the Primes. Rita, Lucian, and Troy were suddenly ‘missing’ since we returned from the holiday break.

There were no signs of their presence on campus, and when Echo further looked into it, they had been absent since the holidays.

Coincidence? I think not.

“Does that mean…” I tried to prompt an answer, and William leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Fatality.”

The single word was enough to emphasize their status.

Oh crap, they’re dead?! All three of them?

“Echo’s sure?”

“Echo doesn’t text me unless she has concrete evidence, which means body and certificate.” He sounded annoyed and a little stressed, the combination only making today even more dreadful.

“Dead end,” I muttered and squeezed his hand. “We need a damn miracle.”

“William and Willa?”

We both lifted our heads to see Professor Sapphire’s pleased expression, the two teal blue envelopes in her hands catching my attention.

“Glad I was able to catch the two of you after class.”

My eyes quickly surveyed the classroom, realizing we were the last ones in the class. Returning to Professor Sapphire, I gave her a small grin in response.

“Both of you have retained perfect scores in performance and written content since the beginning of the year. I’ve been assisting the other professors in grading, and we’ve come to the conclusion that our school may be hindering you two from excelling to new heights,” she explained and lowered the envelopes to our desks.

“If you wish to remain at Smokeywood, we’d be delighted to keep you, but we’re also giving you this opportunity to transfer over to our twin school. This isn’t an opportunity offered to everyone. In fact, we haven’t offered this in the last four years.”

Her smile widened, but her eyes shimmered with enough magic to make the hairs on my arms lift up while fear struck me hard in the gut.

William squeezed my hand tightly, which only told me I wasn’t the only one to feel the intense heaviness of this woman’s power.

I’d never sensed this from her throughout the last six months of being in her three-hour classes, but now I feared that I wouldn’t survive it.

“Think about it. I’m only substituting this year for one of the Professors. I’ll be returning back to my position at this school next year. It would be an honor to assist you in your training and overall growth as Infinite Mages.”

The last part of her words made me freeze, but she quickly turned around and whispered, “Time is ticking, but don’t lose hope. The thrumming of your physical weapon will rise when it deems right. You already know who your enemy is. Make sure they don’t succeed in getting rid of you before your true journey begins.”

She took a few steps away, the power she exhibited now gone like a flash as she looked over her shoulder with a wide smile.

“Have an amazing weekend, and please get some rest. The two of you have been looking awfully drained the last couple of weeks. I’m pretty sure both of you want to be in your best shape for the exams. See you Monday afternoon.”

With a wave, she was out of the classroom, leaving both of us stunned for five solid seconds.

I scooped the envelopes up with my free hand, squeezed William’s with the other, and triggered the portal that made the room swirl until we dropped onto the couch.

“ALIENS!” Echo screamed as she quickly caught the bowl of Ramen she’d almost dropped. “Holy crap. Willa? William? How the hell did you do that?”

“Uh.” I hadn’t really thought of my plan. The idea of going through a portal and escaping the classroom was the priority, but I hadn’t taken into consideration getting up and walking through it. “My bad?”

“Or good,” William breathed and looked to Echo. “Echo. We need you to search up everything you can find on Professor Sapphire.”

“On it!” She placed her bowl of ramen next to her, picking up one of her laptops that were scattered along the carpet and placing it in her lap to start her intense search.

I exchanged a look with him, the two of us nodding before we opened the designated envelopes and began to pull out the contents.

There were two thick sheets of paper, one that looked to be a letter of admission and the other filled with symbols.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the symbols, reviewing their golden lines against the teal paper.

“It’s from Windfall of Smokey Ridge Academy for Elite Mages. ‘Dear candidate. Our sister school has informed us of your outstanding rank in both theory and magic capabilities. They have determined that you deserve the opportunity to attend our elite academy that will take you to a new level. From our review, and considering your main weapon of choice, we’ve concluded that you are perfect candidates and are humbly welcomed into our school once you’ve completed your final exams, which will occur a week before everyone else’s. If you choose to attend, you will be summoned at the right moment and teleported to the meeting site. Please ensure you’re wearing proper attire, including at the hours of rest, for your summoning can occur at any moment after your exams. This information is to remain private. If shared with anyone not trusted by our organization, you will find yourself in a peculiar situation.’”

He paused to look at Echo, but she shrugged. “I think it would be triggered for anyone that had the intention of spreading it around. Since I haven’t instantly died, it proves I’m good.”

William nodded and returned to reading the last part.

“‘If you decide to remain at Smokeywood, you will forget about receiving this invite. Sign the dotted line as well as share your opinion about the next page. Thank you.’”

William pulled the second paper forward, the same symbols that were on mine displayed on his.

“Those are the ancient symbols that have been taking me eons to interpret,” Echo declared.

“We only have an hour to sign,” William revealed.

“What?” Echo shrieked. “I need a good day or two for that many symbols.”

“It says right here. ‘Failure to sign the dotted line after an hour from reading these contents will result in the invite vanishing and your acceptance being denied. Such circumstance will also lead to induced amnesia about receiving our invite.’”

“No pressure,” Echo groaned. “This is impossible. We can’t interpret-”

“The blades of wooden flames will arise at its rightful time.”

I felt the pairs of eyes on me as I went right along, my attention fully glued on the paper before me within the dark depths of my closed eyes.

“Blades of Merciful wonder, from a mother proud of her son and the agony her death left on his wandering soul. His anger feeds the flames, and their embers will ignite and destroy the very place of their burial. Screams will make them burn stronger. They will spread mercilessly until one worthy of their glory fights through the burning flames. Death awaits, hidden in threads of deception as the mask shields the enemies’ true revelation. Do not fear death. Embrace it and you will be saved.”

The words came effortlessly to me, and as I finished, I opened my eyes to see Echo’s and William’s shocked eyes.

It only now dawned on me what I’d just done, leaving me a little dumbfounded as I commented, “Why didn’t we try to read the material?”

“You saw the symbols,” Echo reminded.

“Yes, I saw them for a quick second, but I didn’t think using my technique would have made a difference.”

“There’s more to it than that. Obviously, you two have the same technique of internal sight,” William defended and looked at me. “Willa, one of your eyes is gold again.”

“Really?” I questioned, but Echo added. “Not anymore.”

I lower my eyes back to the sheet, only seeing symbols and not the hidden words in golden cursive from seconds earlier.

“It’s gone. The gold cursive writing,” I announced.

The three of us looked down at our letters and William looked my way.

“What do you want to do?”

The fact he was asking me made my lips curl up in respect as I thought about it.

“I don’t think this is a trap,” I admitted, following what my gut was telling me. “This feels like the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for. It’s a little bit of a coincidence that we found out about the Prime’s apparent demise only seconds before this was presented to us, but with six weeks left, this is the best lead we’ve received after six months. The invitation is powerful, and I know we both felt the dramatic power difference in Professor Sapphire. That’s not something that can be made up or done just to set us up. We’re going to be attending the school for this mission, anyways. If it means setting ourselves up so that transition is easier, why not?”

William nodded, taking his time to think. When it surpassed two minutes, I quickly added, “I could be making an error of judgment, but it feels right. This could lead us to a dead end…and it may be hard for us to figure out a way out.”

William reached over to hold my hand, and his supportive gaze was backed up with his words.

“You do you, Willa. I’ll always be there to pave the way out,” he assured me. “Everything you said is valid, and this is the best shot we’ve got. If we’re going to be summoned and taken to this place during finals week, it’s best we go along with it.”

“Fits with future plans as well,” Echo added.

“Then we gotta sign the dotted line,” I declared, squeezing William’s hand before attending to the matter of signing these magic-engraved papers.

Moving to the kitchen island, William and I took a deep breath, allowing our magic to thrum through our fingertips and into our pens.

After writing down our reflective responses regarding the hidden message, we moved our attention to the lines that asked for our signatures.

With a final nod, the ballpoint glided against the paper, our signatures sealing the deal as we lifted our pens at the same time.

The paper glowed a fine gold light and faded from the table. Looking at the other letter, the only words written on the rich surface were ‘Thank you for your cooperation. An early welcome gift to our institution’.

Before either of us could question it, two boxes appeared in place of the single paper that began to crumble into ashes.

We watched in amazement as the last bit of ash fell against the marble surface, bits of smoke lifting from the burned pieces before they faded away with a gust of wind that came from nowhere.

“Wow,” we said in unison and returned our attention to the boxes. The one that had my letter beneath it was mint green, while William’s was teal.

With another exchanged look, we reached for the boxes and opened them up, revealing brand new cellular devices.

“Phones?” I questioned, and as if we were thinking the same thing, we looked to Echo, who’d been quietly observing us.

“Looks like they know about Willa’s phone,” she announced.

“My phone?”

“Remember how we decided that we won’t text one another unless it was an absolute emergency? Especially after what we discovered during Christmas?” Echo reminded.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“I haven’t tampered with your phone simply because it’s not my right to and it belongs to the department, but there’s a tracker that also records all phone calls.”

“A-All?” I gasped, immediately feeling violated, like I had months ago when I first found out how controlling Adam had been to me and everyone around me.

“Don’t worry, I checked the manuscripts for most and there wasn’t anything descriptive to worry about. Good thing you’re not a talkative person. You don’t text much either.”

I slowly nodded, looking at the phone that was giving me a sense of saving grace.

“My phone has a tracker, doesn’t it?”

“Definitely,” Echo and William replied. “That’s why I was happy we left it in your locker over the holidays,” William added.

“Alright.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “What’s the plan?”

“We wait,” William declared. “I have a strong hunch once our exams are done, your department is going to want an update. We’ll go in and stress our compliance and go along with what they suggest. When the opportunity arises and we decipher what seems to be written in those symbolic words, we’ll know exactly what needs to be done.”

“What I also recommend, is we start moving Willa’s stuff,” Echo emphasized. “Now that we have somewhat of a solid future move, it’s about time we secure your items so that if our plan has to be initiated while on duty, there’s nothing of importance or value here.”

“What about my family house?” I inquired. “We can’t, like, sell it?”

“Don’t have to.” William shook his head. “I already bought some land in Dubai. All we need to do is get a house mage to teleport your house to the land. Once it’s there, you and your parents can request whatever changes you’d like. If you also want a brand-new house, that can be arranged.”

I stared at him with wide eyes. “House what?”

“A house mage.” Echo giggled. “Girl. Have you been living under a rock? If there are mages who help save the world, there are mages that sell homes and can teleport the infrastructure to wherever. It’s costly and a pain, but they get paid really well. They can only do it once every two months, and that’s for a mage with extremely powerful teleportation magic.”

“You bought land for me and my family?” I gasped as that “minor” detail sank in.

He shrugged. “Investment?”

Echo laughed. “Might as well put a ring on it!” she cheered.

We both blushed and looked away from one another. “I’m tired.”

“Likewise,” William agreed.

“Sure, sure. I’m going to move to my office and get down with finalizing our plans. Both of you rest up. You really do look horrid.”

We glared her way and she shrugged like she didn’t care about her blunt honesty.

Once she left, I looked down at the box once again, the shiny new phone that I felt hadn’t even been released yet staring back at me.

“Meow!”

I flinched at the noise, only now noticing Nixie sitting in front of the box. She walked over to nudge her head against my cheek, purring quietly before she walked around the box and let her tail brush beneath my chin before she jumped right off the island and walked away.

Sometimes I forgot she even lived on the property with how she came and went.

William chuckled, the sound prompting me to lift my head to look at him.

“That’s Nixie’s way of saying not to worry,” he revealed and walked to my side. Leaning down, he kissed my cheek and whispered, “We’re almost there, Willa. I know it’s frustrating, but I’m pretty positive justice will be served with a platter of payback.”

“When you say it like that,” I began, “it’s kinda sexy.”

He rolled his eyes. I giggled and leaned in to kiss his lips.

“Guess we figured out our new resolution,” I said with affirmation.

“Indeed.” He nodded. “Now all we have to do is wait.”

The countdown of patience.

FLAMING ERUPTION AND REVEAL THE ENEMY

“That was a pain,” I muttered, pressing the AutoStart button on my motorcycle that I’d come to call Goldenblue. She roared to life, the sound lifting my plummeted spirits up after the excruciating five-hour meeting of how we haven’t done ABCDEFG. Plus, finals were this week.

I couldn’t wait to be whisked away by this new school, because I was dreading every last bit of my once-sacred department.

Today the tense air in the room was palpable, especially when no one had mentioned Adam being included in the conversation.

I’d kept an unimpressed expression the entire time, following in William’s scowling footsteps as the two of us endured the torturous minutes that led to hours about how we had no leads.

It came to the point that I was so fed up with it all that I snapped.

“ARE YOU DONE?” I interjected, resulting in everyone in the room staring at my angered face. “Because if you think we’re going to find these daggers sitting in this boardroom and listening to you tear us apart after close to eight months of searching, I’ll gladly be the one to tell you that this is a waste of time.”

“Officer Sil-”

I rose up and slammed my hands on the table, the action enough to crack every bit of apparent magic-proof glass, and leaving all of them stunned.

Taking a deep inhale, I loudly let it out before opening my eyes and looking right into Chief’s face.

“We. Get. It,” I articulated. “Do you think we’re really that stupid? We know we’re running out of time, even though it was originally stated that we had a year. I guess from your sudden actions we’re four months short?”

When one replied, I laughed. Cynical and a little fear-inducing.

“You forced us into this assignment. It wasn’t OUR choice to be here. Yet, you think the lot of you can sit here and lecture us like illiterate fools?” Another bark of a laugh. “Grow some fucking balls and shut the fuck up! If you have some master plan to aid us finding these blades you guys are so desperate for us, two eighteen-year-olds, to find, then BE MY GUEST! Let’s hear it!”

“Willa.” Adam’s threatening voice made me send him a piercing gaze in defiance.

“Instead of trying to stop me, why don’t you get back to your computer and do what you’re apparently good at. Like hacking into some system to find one damn clue as to where these daggers reside!”

William rose up then, and I found it hilarious when that glint of hope flickered in the three of their eyes. Like he was about to be their superior and was going to tell me to shut up.

He reached for my hand, intentionally lifting it up to press his lips against the back of my hand.

The flash of anger that washed over Adam’s face gave me a glint of satisfaction before William graced us with his words.

“From the original contract, it was deemed we’d have a solid year. Now you’re saying otherwise and condemning our lack in movement with this case? You have trackers and video footage of our every move, don’t you?

His eyes landed on Adam, and for the first time, my whole body shivered at the threatening look that graced William’s face.

Like a killer that was ready to move on to his next prey.

“Before you try to belittle my girlfriend’s behavior, which is clearly out of the frustration that we’ve wasted hours that could’ve been used in discovering something that can change our current circumstances, why don’t you stop acting all innocent, like you haven’t been viewing our lives through a computer screen? The evidence is all there, and by law, the ones who are voiding this contract is the group of you. Eight months and twelve months are extremely different time frames in the court of law. If you don’t feel like the world will be here in four months, then please, feel free to void the contract. We’ll happily return anything given to us, and you’ll enjoy dealing with my lawyers. They work with this country’s president, if that makes you feel better.”

Gently tugging my hand, he directed us to leave but paused when we got closer to the door.

“Let me warn the three of you,” William announced. “I don’t care if you lecture me all day and night. It goes in one ear and out the other while I subconsciously meditate. However, this is the last time I’ll let you lot of lazy bastards try to make it seem like Willa is incompetent. She’s the strongest agent in this entire building, stronger than even her parents. Stop acting like you’re blind and start using that common sense of yours. Also, before you try to tell me we’re not allowed to date with your double standard nonsense, remember your computer wiz Officer Rogers dated her for four years.”

With that, we were out the door.

“COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE,” William reasoned, the two of us stopping in front of my bike.

“Like?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Chief Roland could have shifted into a dinosaur and eaten us all.”

I snickered at the mere thought, leaving the two of us laughing. “I love you,” I giggled.

“I know,” he whispered and pulled me into a hug. “As I love you. Sorry you had to deal with a group of condescending assholes.”

“William not included,” I teased him like he was a set of batteries not included in the common child’s toy. “Are you going to go see Chief Osako?”

“Yup. Shouldn’t take long,” he assured me. “Heading back to campus?”

“Ya. Echo and I are going to try and unlock the golden eye,” I hummed like it was a joke on purpose.

“Okay, be safe,” he encouraged with a wink and smile. I hugged him one last time as he kissed the top of my forehead.

He then pulled me in for a slow, passionate kiss. The sight of anger that graced Adam’s face earlier still flickered in my mind, giving me a push of motivation with the idea of making him upset.

After all the shit I’d discovered about what he did to me, it was about time he endured what it was like to see his precious girl taken away from his grasp.

He can’t do anything anymore, and soon, he’ll feel the same helplessness I’ve kept hidden for years.

“See you shortly,” he whispered against my lips.

“Alright,” I purred and plopped a kiss on his.

We pulled away and he watched me get on my bike before he waved goodbye one last time. I pulled out of my parking spot and drove towards the exit, looking back to see him walk right into a portal and disappear from my sight.

Slipping in my ID card at the pay station, the parking gate opened to let me onto the long driveway to the main street. Glancing at my watch, I decided to let Echo know I was coming back.

“Text Echo. I’m coming home,” I spoke over the roaring of my bike as I gripped the handles and escalated my speed. I knew the deed was done but the ding sound of the sent action reminded me that I should put in my Bluetooth speaker piece.

It felt a little old-school to use, but I disliked wearing wireless earphones while cruising on my bike. I loved the empowering sound of the loud, thrumming of my bike as I accelerated like crazy down the road.

Being an agent also meant that the common speed limits didn’t apply to me, leaving plenty of room for speedy cruising.

Slipping it into my ear, another ding came from my watch, notifying me of Echo’s reply.

ECHO:

Cool. I’ll make ramen.

I thought it was cute how Echo wasn’t the best cook but loved to do her best by welcoming us home with some sort of instant concoction. I’m sure she knew our meeting wasn’t going to be good, and her concern was much appreciated.

Better than those men with masculine complexes that can’t be mature and professional like William.

The vibration in my pocket was followed with a ring, the sound hitting me with dread while a chilling shiver went down my spine. I took a few deep breaths and finally pulled out the phone.

Answering it without bothering to look at the screen, I slipped it back into my pocket and pressed the bottom against my speaker to solidify the connection.

“Officer Silvers.”

“What was that back there?”

I rolled my eyes at his commanding voice, noticing that he was whispering, which told me he was probably hiding in the washroom.

Hiding so no one else saw this side of him.

“I’m tired,” I muttered and turned my attention to the road as I drove onto the main street that headed to the toll highway. It wouldn’t take me long before I arrived at the school; the portal that would jolt me there was at the next exit.

“Tired and purposely displaying some fling with your partner to make me jealous isn’t a fucking excuse, Willa.”

“I’ll call you back. I’m driving.”

“Don’t hang up!” he snapped. “I’m actually calling you for work!”

“Then get to it instead of bringing up unnecessary bullshit,” I snapped right back, my tone low and threatening. “And you better change that tone of yours, or I’ll be the one to hang up on you.”

“Have you fucking lost it?” He was yelling now, and all that did was make me speed up, the sizzling energy of the portal beginning to spark into action a second before I was rushing through it and arriving at the secret entrance for students only.

It made life easier since there were no slowdowns with security and whatnot, and I was only a short distance from the main gates.

“I haven’t slept for days, Adam! DAYS! Yet, we come to a meeting after eight strenuous months of hard work and all you guys can do is belittle us? What makes you think we want to do this shit or even carry the burden? In fact, with how you guys treated us, we might as well give up and let the world end. Then we’ll see if any of you have something to say when we’re all dead!”

“Willa,” he sighed, meaning he was trying to keep his cool instead of going on a swearing fit and revealing his hiding place. “Why don’t you come back and we’ll talk about this?”

“Without William? No thanks,” I proudly announced. “Enough of belittling me in private.”

He was going to continue, but a blaring ring went off on his end. He cursed and it sounded like he was rushing to his computer, but I didn’t care about it seeing as I was trying to get to the stone gates.

My watch went off then, and I glanced at the screen to see the capital letters.

ECHO:

FIRE! SCHOOL BURNING DOWN!!!!!

My eyes widened at the message, and when I lifted my head to try and peer at the structure, it suddenly revealed the intense smoke entering the sky.

“SHIT!” I screamed, and sent a jolt of magic through my bike that boosted my speed from 140mph to 180mph in three seconds.

I was in front of the gates in seconds, my body humming to life at the raging flames that somehow enticed me. It felt good to see their wrath, and their orange-golden appearance reminded me of the wise written words from the letter we’d received weeks earlier.

“Blades of Merciful wonder, from a mother proud of her son and the agony her death entailed on his wandering soul. His anger feeds the flames, and their embers will ignite and destroy the very place of their burial. Screams will make them burn stronger. They will spread mercilessly until one worthy of their glory fights through the burning flames. Death awaits, hidden in threads of deception as the mask shields the enemies’ true revelation. Do not fear death. Embrace it and you will be saved.”

This is the sign we’ve been waiting for. The flames of anger. Embers that ignite and destroy. This is the very burial site.

“Hurry! This way!”

“Run!”

“Fire! Fire! Evacuate all the students on the premises!”

“Willa…are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Adam’s words cut through to me. My immense shock was mixed with fear and joy.

I was watching the very core of Smokeywood Academy be engulfed by blazing flames and black smoke. Screams echoed around me as I stood at the golden gates, unsure whether to stand and watch the rest of the academy fall, or dive into action and attempt to claim the first set of daggers we’d been attempting to locate all year long.

“Willa. You have to get out of there. Help evacuate anyone in front and leave! That’s an order from the heads.”

“We can’t leave the daggers, Adam. I know exactly where they are. I feel it.” My words didn’t feel like my own; it was almost like I was in a trance as something deep within called to me.

It didn’t matter if Adam heard my words. None of it would matter because I was going to claim those daggers that were about to change my life.

“You must be feeling the smoke inhalation! Willa, I’m dead serious. Get off the property and return to headquart…this…”

The signal to my earpiece suddenly lost connection, only confirming my suspicions.

I’m not the only one here to claim the powerful twin blades.

I knew from the day I’d been attacked on the tower that there were people waiting to strike again and finish me before my purpose was fulfilled, but I wasn’t going to fall for their traps this time.

Pulling the earpiece from my ear, I allowed it to drop to the ground like a piece of trash. Stepping on it and squishing it like the end of a cigarette butt, I let my beating heart calm as I zoned out the screams and cries for help.

Only one voice mattered now, he somehow laid his mark within my heart.

“You do you, Willa. I’ll always be there to pave the way out.”

“If only he were here now,” I whispered under my breath as I took my off the teal-blue-and-gold blazer and tossed it behind me. Why I’d decided to wear my uniform today was beyond me, but now it would be the mark I left behind as I pumped myself up for this exhilarating retrieval.

Where it landed, I would never know - my body jolting forward into a sprint as I raced right into the burning institute.

I knew the exact location of the item in question, and the closer I got to it, the stronger the buzzing in my ears grew in expectation.

The daggers of chilling power and prosperity. The weapons that ended wars and brought peace with the four leaders that placed them within the academies they built in honor of their victories.

The following thoughts unfolding within my mind were foreign in nature, this information feeling vastly different than what we’d read and discovered so far. I had to push my curiosity aside, knowing there would be a time and place.

Dying here would potentially leave those daggers wide open, from my internal analysis, but I wasn’t going down that path unless I knew those daggers would be in the right hands.

Turning a sharp corner, I immediately skidded to a stop - a second away from impaling myself onto a pile of broken wooden beams.

“Shit,” I breathed heavily, looking for another way around the cluster of debris. There was no way I’d get through it, but who said I couldn’t just fly right over it?

With a playful smirk, my body tingled with delight and began to lift with ease, like a fairy godmother slowly ascending into the air to grant one’s wish.

This place always reminded me how “magic” was on the down low. It was the only school that carried a one percent population of magic users, and we were called the gifted elite.

Landing on the cement floor that was filled with cracks, I pushed off the ground to run at full speed, the buzzing sound almost unbearable.

I was ready to rush past the chamber room, but my body seemed to forcibly stop, my legs giving out before I could process what happened.

“What the hell?” I stared at the ground, the buzzing now a piercing, siren sound. It made me feel woozy, and I clenched my stomach in annoyance, but one look to my right and there they were.

My eyes widened, realizing that the chamber looked to be the only thing still intact. It made no sense because the rest of the building was burning, but do magic artifacts that saved the world really make any sense?

I think not.

Forcing my body to rise up, I urged my legs to work. One shaky step after another, I walked towards the daggers like I was walking down the aisle of a church to confess my sins.

The calm before the storm, as the silence wrapped around me and the serenity of those shining blades made the world grow silent in admiration.

They were placed admirably on a stand in the middle of a platform like an altar, the blades crisscrossed.

The resonating glow of engraved scribbles told me it was reacting to my presence, but I couldn’t think properly to know if that was a sign. The daggers we’d desperately been searching for to complete this part of our case were almost in my grasp.

All I had to do now was claim them.

Taking the three steps up onto the mini platform, I walked right up to the stand, my eyes glued on the prize.

All the struggles. The hardships, broken friendships, and fight to keep my rightful place as a Gifted Elite within an organization that had been using me for years, was finally worth it.

Reaching for them with shaky hands, the slight touch filled me a shock of energy. Ignoring it, I wrapped my hands around their base and lifted them off their stand to stare admiringly at their metal beauty.

“I got you,” I spoke to the weapon as if it could hear me. “You’re going home with me.”

“Willa!”

I turned to the call of my name, surprised to see William down at the entrance, looking at me with fear in his eyes.

“Get out!”

My brows scrunched together as I registered the two words.

Why was he so afraid when this was the one place that resonated peace?

A loud crack made me flinch, and like a light switch, the tranquil sight was no more - replaced by the eerie sight of the rest of the burning building.

Now I realized I was surrounded by smoke and the flames were inching in on me. My eyes looked to the daggers and back down the pathway where my teacher-partner stood.

I could tell he wanted to run right in, but he couldn’t. The build-up of debris at the entrance made it almost impossible for him to do a flying spell like I had, and the burning flames were growing taller by the second.

Another loud crunch made me worry that the entire building was about to collapse, and my heart skipped a few beats with an important realization.

We’re out of time.

With one last glance at the blades, I looked at my William with courageous eyes. He’d been a teacher, friend, lover, and coworker that had helped me in so many avenues in my life, some that I never realized needed fixing.

It hurt to think my time may run out, but I knew that my death would only push him to not give up on our task.

Our goal as wielder and weapon.

“Now or never,” I whispered and with a twirl of the blades in my hands, I lifted both of my arms up and behind me, throwing them forward with as much strength as possible.

Out stretching my hands, I proceeded to draw out my magic, adding a wave of wind to give the daggers enough momentum to reach their destination.

Wide eyes that were burning gold instead of their usual blue sparkle quickly blinked in understanding, and just like that, the daggers were in the hands of the person I trusted the most in this world right now.

That was really saying something when we’d only known each other for eight months.

“Wil-”

“Go! Hurry!” I screamed, but right after that was an ear-deafening sound.

My head immediately looked up, my first instinct, but the thickness of the smoke covered the high ceiling.

I knew what was coming, and I braced myself, my body growing stiff as I clenched my fists. Either I’d die right here or I would somehow manage to survive this ordeal with a few broken bones and a concussion.

If only my chances were fifty-fifty.

I expected wood or cement to reveal itself from the thick smoke that I now realized was a glowing blue and not a rich grey.

However, to my bad luck, that wasn’t what appeared and headed straight for me. Nothing close to debris or wood.

A sheet of golden swords emerged from the thick smoke, and I now hoped I died instantly, with the thought of the daggers being in the hands of the man I’d come to love.

Maybe this was the end of my life as an academy investigator.

Closing my eyes and waiting for the strike of those sharp blades, a commanding voice boomed through the room.

“WILLA SILVERS!”

What happened next felt like a blur, my body suddenly surging into nothing but a thin layer of pulsing energy, the daggers striking past me and landing into the crumbled ground below.

I felt like a floating essence, and I darted backward at the speed of a rollercoaster. In a split second, I was back in human form, crashing right into William and sending us right out of the room and against the cement walls.

“OOF!” William grunted from the impact, but I was on the verge of passing out as the booming, massive power within me plummeted.

“Ow. Willa? Willa?”

“Surviving,” I muttered, fighting to even open my eyes. I had to shake my head, opening my eyes to see the swirling of the ceiling before William looked down at me, giving me the view of four of his worried expressions.

“Hey, dreamy husband,” I giggled incoherently.

“Oh God, I did something wrong,” he muttered and quickly scooped me up.

He turned us around, and I was sure he was gonna try to get us out of here, but he froze and cursed under his breath.

I sensed the familiarity in the air, and even with my slight incoherence, my eyes were able to focus on the prime source of magic down the hall.

The same golden swords returned, directed at both of us. I felt the urge to protect William, even in my weak state, as I clenched my fingers into my palms, making tight fists that began to trickle sparks of electric magic.

The humming was back, but it wasn’t external.

It was deep within, begging to be unleashed by the man holding us protectively.

“Give the daggers to me.”

That familiar voice, the deep, enthralling tone of command that I’d dealt with during those nights of belittling words and the threats that followed to secure my secrecy about all that occurred behind closed doors.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Adam,” William replied with just as much threatening command. “As your eyes can see, it’s only me and Willa.”

“She’s embodying the daggers! Either you give her up, or you die facing the consequences!”

“Consequences?” William laughed, and I noticed the sudden shift of energy around us. “Weren’t you the same one that sent those golden swords down to kill her?”

“I should have done so years ago,” he seethed.

“Right, right,” William brushed off. “But even after abusing her and making her entire life a living hell under your controlling wrath, you couldn’t kill her and get away with first-degree murder. There was no proof of what she was, and thus, you were trapped in your own cycle.”

William chuckled, and I looked up to his deadly grin.

“Admit it. You’ve lost and now the tables are turned.”

“I’ll destroy you!” Adam screamed.

“No.” William’s voice vibrated with intensity, and it suddenly felt like we were about to enter a portal of sorts. “We’ll destroy you and the rest of this corrupted world.”

His words of conviction suddenly triggered the fading of our bodies. I was shocked as my eyes widened, watching as my legs began to disappear.

“Please ensure you’re wearing proper attire, including at the hours of rest, for your summoning can occur at any moment after your exams.”

That part of the letter came to my mind, and the explosion of happiness and victory flooded through me.

“NO!” Adam screamed, and I looked over to him as he sent out at least a hundred golden blades towards us.

It was the first time I was seeing him use his weaponry magic, and the site of his obvious frustration and approaching defeat made my heart skip in glee as static energy thrummed around us.

His eyes locked on me, and for the first time since being his victim of silent abuse as I played my role as his best friend, partner, and ex-lover, I could do what I knew would trigger him the most.

I smiled, proud and wide, as our bodies faded away, leaving blazing smoke behind and a screaming Adam at the root of this newfound disaster.

TO BE CONTINUED.

COMING SOON - NOV 20th, 2020:

(Will release earlier based off of popularity)

https://books2read.com/WILLASILVERS2

COMING SOON - MAR 12TH, 2021:

(Will release earlier based off of popularity)

https://books2read.com/WILLASILVERS3

TURN THE NEXT PAGE TO READ THE FIRST CHAPTER OF BLOODY ROSARY ACADEMY.

BLOODY ROSARY BLURB

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, let your powers grant me Safe Haven.

Blessed Art Thy the blood that courses through my veins, from the womb of my Fae Mother and blood from my Vampire Father.

Holy Mary, protect me, for I have two sides to choose from.

One of holy matrimony that calls to the world of perfection and grace.

The other, of darkness and bloodshed, the pulsating desire to grow powerful outweigh the temptations of tranquility and equilibrium.

Let me make the right choice, for I am bound to both, but can only be with one.

Please, do not forsake me.

I pray that this choice to attend Bloody Rosary Academy will benefit the hidden proposition within these very beads of thou rosary.

I offer my body, rare blood, and magic powers to seek the truth of my birthright within those very walls and find the culprit to my parent’s demise and my orphan livelihood.

Shelter me at the hour of their death and let me the final victor.

Now, and for the next four years.

Amen.

PROLOGUE: FORGIVE ME, FATHER, FOR I HAVE SINNED…AGAIN AND AGAIN

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two minutes and forty-five seconds since my last confession, which wasn’t in this tiny brown box but in my mind since I see no need of being here between a wooden separator and a priest who has probably committed more sins than me in the last twenty-four hours.”

My bright red lips curled up in innocence as I blinked my golden-orange eyes at the furious man dressed in white, sitting opposite from me in the tiny confession box we were forced to enter once a week.

The poor soul had to deal with my sorry ass every week, always assigning me to be the last one in the small group of females that resided in this section of the church. Each week was the same as the last; this priest never gave up on his hidden mission to do more than listen to some young fifteen to eighteen-year-olds confess the list of unholy crimes they had committed within these stained glass window walls.

It was amusing because if it wasn’t for my trust issues, I would have been just like the other girls, who did everything that these superior adults told them to do, brainwashed into believing that God would descend down from the heavens and deliver us everything we asked for.

Surely, they didn’t read the fine print that states that God helps those who help themselves. That didn’t include pleasing whoever asks to be pleased in the hidden corners, on the wooden benches, and in the confessional box that was designed for prayers of forgiveness and not screams of ‘holy’ pleasure.

I was reminded of the first time our priest, Hendrick, tried to convince me that he was going to perform the ceremonial Holy Kisses that would remove whatever demonic spirit had possessed me.

That demonic spirit was straight-up my personality, and you didn’t need to be a genius to figure that one out. In fact, everyone in this building had known from when I was taken in at thirteen that I was a dangerous child who didn’t take nonsense from anyone.

Did my circumstances mean I had to be treated like a slave? To many that were taken in by the church, apparently so, but I wasn’t an ordinary orphan. I was a jack of all trades and these silly adults that fought secretly to tear me down were also afraid of my wrath.

Hendrick was still the boldest one in the ring of adults, and it just amused me because he really didn’t realize who he was playing with. I wasn’t into old men, and as much as the idea of having a man enticed me, the opportunity wouldn’t be given to me in these walls.

I deserved someone who had the balls to strike back against the foolishness that happens in this sinful world and not someone who took a comfortable seat contributing to it.

“Lucinda Delphine.” The vibration of his growl only made me sigh dramatically.

“Hendrick. We go through this every week. I don’t understand why we keep doing this to one another. If you don’t have the balls to withstand my demonic attitude, I don’t see why I’m forced to carry on with confession,” I explained. “Besides, you saying my full name like you’re my parent isn’t going to magically change my ways.”

“You are an ungrateful bitch,” he hissed.

“Now, now, Hendrick.” I leaned in forward, knowing damn well how it got on his nerves. “This is the confessional box. You shouldn’t be using such vocabulary. God’s watching you now. And just as a reminder, between the two of us, you’ve lived longer and committed far more sins than I. Therefore, you’ll reach hell a lot faster than me. So why not quit while you’re ahead and really start to repent for your sins?”

The sliding part of the window revealed his red face. His eyes blared with fury, but I was shocked at the sudden movement, a blade slicing my cheek before the tip of the blade pressed against my neck.

Oh. That’s new.

“I’m tired of you, Lucinda.” His voice was venomous, but my focus was on the stinging of my cheek as blood began to reach the surface. “You think because of your heritage in that royal family that you can walk around these walls with your head held high. You’re in our favor. You should be on your knees, praising us for our act of kindness in taking you in. We could have left you on the streets, and I assure you, that demonic power of yours would be put in her place.”

His words made me snicker, and I felt the first roll of blood running down my cheek. My eyes closed for a mere second, and his gasp was followed promptly with the soft weight of something falling into my lap.

Opening my eyes slowly, I looked to see the silver blade below. My fingers wrapped around the hilt and I lifted it up to inspect its beauty.

“A very rare weapon indeed.” My voice was lower now, a seductive nature to its harmonic tone, all while my tongue grazed along my upper lip, feeling the tips of my sharp fangs that came out to play.

I smiled, my piercing eyes that were surely red with menace now locked on Hendrick as he shivered like the fucking coward he was. The single drop of blood that had left my wound was now a replica of the blade I held and now poked his flesh, just above his jugular vein that pulsed rapidly.

The sight made me eager to see how his blood would taste. But I knew that because of the many deeds this man did daily, his blood would taste bitter with memories of the innocence he’d stolen from many girls in the same predicament as I.

No. Not the same predicament, but the same circumstance that forced us to remain within these sacred wells of matrimony.

I didn’t want to see his past, nor give him a hint of pleasure with my thrilling bite. I was tempted to take every bit of blood within his wrinkled body, leaving him lifeless so he couldn’t hurt another innocent soul who had fallen victim to his bullshit and lies.

“Dagger of Levana,” I hummed in delight while my eyes observed those brown circles widen at my words. “What? Is it because I sleep in class that you’ve assumed that I wouldn’t know what this dagger is?”

It made me giggle quietly, hoping to prolong this moment of confession so he could see the side of me I dare not show many.

If I did, they usually ended up dead…by accident, of course.

“This dagger was used in the 1900s, to exorcise demons that had resided in human children. It’s one of the few weapons of the Vatican and is supposedly kept safe within our walls from those who desire the power to get rid of demon shifters. It can also work on wolves due to the pure silver, but now that I can observe it for myself, this thing wouldn’t hurt a damn fly.”

I sighed and began to twirl the dagger between my fingers.

“From the legends, a mere slice with this blade will not only destroy the demon within the child but releases a venom that causes the victim to be unable to move for an hour, giving the wielder enough time to proceed with a cleansing ceremony to ensure the demon will never return to their previous host. Without a body, the demon will fade and return to the likes of hell.” The story intrigued me because I couldn’t believe that these individuals merely did a cleansing ceremony during that time of vulnerability.

“What were your plans for me, Hendrick?” I inquired with a sinister smile. His eyes only widened as I allowed my body to completely relax and opened that other side of my core that brought harmony and grace within my being.

The warmth of the sun dawned against the skin of my cheek, and I felt the pulsating power in my eyes, which were surely glimmering gold from the sudden shift.

The place where he’d sliced with the knife was now healed to perfection, and it felt good to use my magic after sitting in hiding for so many months.

Now I’d really spooked the poor man out, his skin beginning to pale as fear embodied his structure and eyes.

“Have you no shame? I’m sure you know by now what I am. Or at least about the vampire part of me. Did no one tell you of my fae traits?” Now my voice was a tender, high-pitched sound, and my giggle made the tiny plant that was on the tiny ledge next to the door handle suddenly grow.

I grinned at the sight, noticing the way Hendrick followed my gaze to see the miraculous growth of the recent decor piece. Sister Ara had said something about wanting to add a tiny plant in the confessional boxes, to help get rid of the stench that sometimes - or all the time - lingered in the small space.

The poor woman was naive, oblivious to the fact that the adultery and sin that occurred in here were the culprit of the lingering smell.

She hadn’t had sex, so how would she know?

I’d done the deed a few times already. My innocence had been given to one of the choir boys who gave off the innocent facade. He was a vampire hybrid, one of royal blood that was hiding temporarily within these walls.

Due to his family still being alive and the church doing him a favor, he couldn’t be toyed with by those of authority that hid their secrets beneath praise and worship.

I never got to learn about his other half, since he always had an excuse revolving around perfect timing when it came time to show a glimpse of his growing potential. Either way, he was a good once in awhile fling to have, and I gained the experience I needed.

Or lost my purity that seemed to be a valuable possession to this sicko priest and others wearing the holy garments of our Savior.

“Let’s pretend this never happened,” I concluded, moving the blood-shift blade from his neck and allowing it to float from side to side in front of his face. “Don’t play with me, Hendrick. You can try and make my life a living hell, but you can’t get rid of me. I’ll be of age in a short few days, and then I’ll make my way out of your life, like everyone else in this place. I suggest you begin to be a little nicer. It would be sad to hear about a priest being arrested after years of rape and sexual assault.”

I innocently smirked and flicked my hand to the side, the blade stabbing into the wooden wall before it faded into red smoke.

One thing I’d learned was to ensure I never left a trace of my blood. I didn’t need these power-hungry addicts trying to find any sort of weakness of mine to use against me.

Rising up, I stretched and looked over to the plant.

“I like this one.” Picking it up, I held its dark red pot and looked back at Hendrick. “I’m keeping this.”

He knew I wasn’t asking for his permission, but he nodded his head while beads of sweat ran down the side of his face.

“Thank you, Hendrick. Don’t worry about next week’s confessional. I won’t be around.”

With those words, I walked out and strutted down the aisles of the church, staring at the black pews and red carpet below. No one had even been able to answer my question about why our church was the unique one with black benches, but I was positive there was a hidden meaning behind it.

I just wasn’t going to be the one to stick my nose in that box of not-my-business.

Kicking the heavy wooden doors open, I entered the quiet hall and took a deep inhale of the less stale air. Letting it out, I sighed in relief.

“Feels good to be a confident bitch,” I praised. “Thank you, my Savior, for adding a little spice in whatever concoction you mixed to create me. You knew your girl would be dealing with some trifling men that are still called your children. Too bad they can’t be spanked with some thunder. Maybe then they would fear those commandments you wrote.”

With a shake of my head, I began to skip down the hall, carefully holding my new plant that I was going to place next to my bed.

Now that I reminded myself of my soon departure, I’d have to figure out how to fit a plant in my bag.

I sang a recent hymn we’d learned last night as I made my way back to the sleep corridors. I hadn’t reached our door before it opened and my blue-haired friend popped her big head out to see me skipping towards her.

“Do you sing loudly on purpose so the whole hall can hear you?” she inquired, not looking the least concerned about the volume of my singing.

“I was whispering,” I replied. “And no, I don’t.”

“Whispering to you is like being in the back row of the church choir. I can only imagine what loud singing would be for you. Oh, wait! I recall that. You shattered the two-thousand-dollar stained glass window and blamed the predicted apocalypse that never happened! Right, right.”

I came to a stop in front of the door, my grin so wide it showed my white teeth.

“Pearly, my dear. You know everyone thought the world was going to end that time. It was a foolproof plan that worked, and I got out of working for sleezebags that want sex to cover up an accident. God will forgive me.”

“I’m sure he will.” She lowered her eyes to my plant. “Did you steal the confession plant?”

“Uh.” I thought about whether my actions just broke a commandment or not. “Does it count as stealing when Hendrick sliced me with a blade after I pissed him off?”

Her pink eyes grow wide before she grabbed my arm, tugged me inside, and slammed the door behind us.

Before either of us spoke, her blue locks began to glow, the ends of her shoulder-length hair beginning to change to purple as she whispered, “Conceal our words from the enemies that lurk in the dark.”

That was one of the forbidden spells we’d learned after secretly breaking into the spell library, ‘borrowing’ a bunch of books, and studying them thoroughly before returning them back to their rightful places.

That was around Christmas time, which was usually the time when the church was extremely busy. Everyone would come and give praise, especially before New Year’s Eve since we all knew things were a little sinful during those times before we all vowed to change our ways in the new year.

Do we ever keep our resolutions? Nope.

“What?!” my best friend, Pearl Indigo exclaimed. All I could do was grin, admiring her extremely loose white gown she wore to follow the rules of the church.

Pearl wasn’t as lucky, like me, when it came to family circumstances.

She didn’t have two dead parents that left their massive inheritance behind with a note that stated she’d claim their entire legacy at eighteen. I did.

She was a wolf shifter, a rarity in these times since our world was dominated by two strong forces: vampires and fae.

The wolf race was dying out, and her pack had to make the decision to go into hiding or fight for a rightful place in the supernatural war of dominance.

Sadly, the wolves came third, and their defeat was why they were near extinct and hiding in the mountains, attempting to grow their numbers once more.

Pearl’s pack had gone into hiding but decided to leave Pearl behind. She was only ten at the time, and all she could recall was waking up at the door of the church where Sister Ara found her.

Her last name, Indigo, was given to her since no information was left about her last name. Whatever her family had done had left Pearl with no memories of who they were.

It was like having a blank slate, but Pearl had never asked for one.

Nor did she deserve to be left orphaned and in the church’s care.

Thankfully, we were the same age, and I’d arrived only a few days later. Since then, we’d been practically sisters, and no one dared mess with her.

The last guy who tried died a horrible death…by accident.

She was 5′3″ with caramel skin. You’d think she was Native Indian, but her striking, abnormal blue hair made many question what her cultural background was. Her pink eyes only added to the peculiar combination, and when she used magic - something wolves shouldn’t be able to do - her hair would begin to shift into a plum purple.

Her weapon of choice was a bow and arrow, and she definitely knew how to shift, but she didn’t do it often unless it was the full moon. Her wolf was lovely, protective in nature but loved cuddles, making her a fun cuddle buddy during winter when she felt like shifting.

She’d become my ride-or-die within these walls, and with my approaching exit and ownership of my family’s fortune, I knew she was coming with me.

That was non-negotiable.

My longer-than-average silence time rewarded me with Pearl’s analytic gaze while she placed her hands on her hips and tapped her right foot to emphasize her impatience.

“See, what happened was I had to deal with weekly confession at this ungodly hour of the evening, and Hendrick, as usual, decided I was getting on his nerves when he insisted that confession was going to be a little longer this evening.”

“Oh, he better have not laid a finger on you!” Pearl was literally tossing her oversized gown in the air, revealing her black shorts and a black sports bra. “I’ll go kill him now.”

“Do you think before you act?” I pondered out of curiosity, placing my new possession on the counter near my bed.

Pearl growled, but I rolled my eyes. “Easy, sweet Pearly of the wolf lands. Thou shall not kill,” I stressed on the commandment. “Unless necessary.”

She gave me a judgemental look and I rewarded her with an innocent shrug. “It’s true. Remember, God helps those who help themselves. Even if there’s a little murder in between the holy trenches.”

“We’re all going to hell,” she groaned.

“We’re technically shifters. I don’t think the same rules apply to us,” I noted. That was something I had to look into because from what I was beginning to find out, we all had different Almighties.

Pearl was the perfect example. For her, the Moon was a symbol of their Savior or Higher Creator. The power the Moon had on them was empowering at its full glory and weakest when it was not there at all.

From the legends written about her kind, the stronger their beliefs and connection to the Moon, the more powerful they became. Adding the fact Pearl could use magic and believed in the Moon even with our livelihood in the church, I knew once she struck eighteen and had the opportunity to train herself, she’d be a badass.

Not like she wasn’t a threat to begin with.

My eyes lingered on her outfit, and I smirked. “Do you wear those all the time?”

“Any time I leave this place they’re on me. Only I can take them off, so let Mr. Can’t-Keep-My-Hands-Off-Anyone try it. Then I’ll have fingerprint evidence and he’ll enjoy his time in the heart of prison. You heard there’s a new virus outbreak, right? Only a matter of time before it hits him in those closed walls. Then we’ll see if he’s so intrigued by my best friend!”

“I’m glad we never fight,” I concluded and bobbed my head. “It would be a battle I’d lose with honor.”

“You’d do it gracefully and all watchful eyes would pity you by default,” she whined.

“No. I’m sure they wouldn’t pity me,” I argued.

“Please. Remember the last time Eleanor tried to piss you off and ended up throwing milk on you when we were enjoying lunch outside on the picnic benches? We were sixteen.”

“I remember that.” I grinned. “She wasted such valuable milk.”

“Instead of getting angry, you gracefully fell to the floor until everyone was crowded around you and calling the damn healer to ensure you were okay. She got two weeks in the confinement room, and after that, she was moved to another church for apparently going crazy.”

“Is that what happened?” I stroked my chin in wonder. “That sucks.”

Pearl looked at me in devastation before her emotion turned to hopelessness. “You’re telling me you also don’t remember breaking into that confinement room with that big old scythe of yours and threatening to reap her soul and feed it to Lucifer himself.”

I cringed, now recalling that phase of ‘I rule this church so don’t play with me’. Puberty for a vampire included becoming a cocky bitch who didn’t fear death.

Only I remained that way, with a little bit of kindness left behind for my actual friends and those I respected.

That Eleanor girl had pissed me off. She’d bullied me since she’d transferred from another church after being a thorn in their side. She didn’t stand a chance here, especially when she decided to pick on me.

Too much to chew with my sassy attitude.

Poor girl left with a mental diagnosis, but I didn’t really blame her when she got a dose of my scary vampire side and scythe.

At first glance, I wasn’t scary.

Standing at 5′5″ with golden-orange eyes, magenta roots that blended into golden strands with tons of white tinsel locks to make my hair appear like a hair dye gone right, and my flawless, peachy white skin that never harbored a single pimple, I looked more like royalty than an orphan child.

I was the sole royal child of the Delphine family. Maybe that was why I was blessed with perfection.

With our usual long white gowns, it was hard to see my figure of perky breasts, small waistline, and thick thighs. I was fitter than most here, still able to maintain my fast runner rank, and when I didn’t eat mine and half of Pearl’s food on days when we were served vegan food, my six-pack would put on a show.

On the holy holidays like Easter and Christmas, we had to wear our white veils that hid our hair, giving the impression of pure nuns walking down the aisles before mass to prepare to sing in the church choir.

It was easy to conclude that my appearance fooled everyone. They usually became shocked, which morphed into borderline psychosis.

I sighed and pulled off the white dress, revealing my red bra and red panties.

“You didn’t even wear shorts?” Pearl gasped.

“No one can touch this,” I slapped my right ass cheek before dragging my hand up my hip and to the side of my waist, “without perishing. How else would I have survived all this time?”

“Yet, you gave your virginity to Tommy Hilfiger,” she groaned.

“Tommy Hill,” I corrected. “He’s sweet. We were curious, and he knows how to make a girl cum. That’s all I need.”

Pearl shook her head. “No, girl. You need Jesus,” she corrected. “And a whipping while you’re handcuffed.”

“A girl can dream.” I laughed. “However, we’re not going to find any bad boys in these walls.”

“Do you even want a bad boy?” she questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched me walk over to the drawer to pull out my set of red pajamas. “Let’s be real. I know you only were with Tommy for sexual lust, which made no sense to me, by the way, because you never bit him. He’s a total good boy.”

“Good boy on the outside, dangerous on the inside,” I sang. “But not bad enough for me. You’re right. Also, if I bit him, it would have gotten a whole lot messier. You know the whole notion revolving around biting, sharing memories and emotions with another, carrying the burden of another’s baggage. It’s as if being cursed to survive on blood wasn’t enough of a punishment for whoever cast the first bite on humans.”

“Dracula?”

“Myth,” I brushed off that silly tale that was made to fool humans and make a bunch of money over and over again in the box offices when they made multiple remakes of the fake tale.

“Well, at least it’s better than Adam and Eve. See what happened when Eve tempted Adam with the apple. Now humans have to deal with bleeding from their vagagas.”

I had to pause and look back at her.

“Are you still calling our holy grails ‘vagagas’?”

“Uh, ya.” She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Who calls their pussy a holy grail?”

“It is,” I said without a hint of shame. “That’s where the flowing nectar of a man pools and upon God’s blessing and divine timing, a child is made.”

Pearl burst into laughter. “Bitch, that’s not how it goes! Did you forget about the race to the egg story?”

“Irrelevant,” I declared with a smirk on my face. “Listen. Let’s all agree that this,” I dramatically used my hand to wave at my lower region while practically hip-thrusting to emphasize my point, “is just as addicting to men as dick is to us.”

“O.M.G! How are you eighteen?”

“Seventeen and three-fourths, Pearly,” I corrected, on the verge of giggling. “Thank goodness I don’t need to deal with human struggles. Imagine losing a bunch of blood every month which would leave us no choice but to frequently feed at least every other day AND deal with memories, emotions, and burdens of strangers. That would drive me into insanity! The horror.”

“Vampires have it hard,” Pearl sang. “Don’t forget you’re only half.”

“Apparently, from my results, I’m actually 45% vampire, 55% fae,” I revealed.

“What tests told you that bullshit?” Pearl laughed. “You need to get reevaluated because they switched those numbers. I’d say 55% vampire if not 90% because your fae side comes out once a year to smell the flowers and ask the Universe for extra sunshine in the summer.”

“She grants me it each time I ask.” I wasn’t even mad at her statement which was 99% true. My fae side loved to lurk in the shadows of my soul, only coming out to taunt those that pissed me off before tucking back to bed and ignoring the world as we knew it.

Only during the peak of summer did she choose to come right out, soak up the sun for one solid day, and ask the universe for a longer summer. The next day, I was back to my sassy, ‘don’t mess with me’ self.

If anyone got to enjoy the kindness of my fae side that day, it was truly a blessing. Pearl got to experience it every year, and each time, she’d retell how kind-hearted I was compared to my usual personality.

A saint! Immaculate soul. Healer of all fae. All the praise that I soaked up.

“Back to the first topic!” Pearl reminded me as I headed for the washroom. “What was that about the slashing of your cheek?”

“He thought it was a good idea to use the Dagger of Levana on me.”

“Is he stupid?” she bluntly asked, looking as unamused as ever. “He actually thinks you’re possessed?”

“Apparently.” I lifted my hands in defeat. “Vampires that don’t bow to humans of authority are apparently possessed by the Devil, Lucifer himself, and need to be exorcised into paralysis and purified with holy kisses and rods for an hour.”

“So it didn’t work,” Pearly concluded.

“Nah,” I replied and turned around to point at my cheek. “He cut my cheek though.”

“He’s a fool.” She put her hands together in prayer. “Dear Father. Please forgive my best friend for committing a formidable crime.”

“Jeez, Pearl. Have some damn faith in me,” I whined. “I wouldn’t waste my time killing him. He’s not worth it. All I did was threaten him with a bloody sword, take his plant, and walk away. We’re only going to be here for a week anyways. The moment the clock strikes twelve on my birthday, we’re leaving. The lawyer comes this week to have me sign the papers.”

“Thank you, Heavenly Father! We’re leaving this shithole!”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to use our Father’s name in vain and swear in the same sentence,” I acknowledged.

“Let’s admit it. We suck as Catholics, okay?”

“That’s something I can agree with.”

She bobbed her head in pride. “Aren’t you a little worried about the blood thing?”

“I didn’t leave a trace,” I replied.

“Ya, but now he knows you can use your blood and shift it into a weapon.”

“True, but what is he going to tell the heads? I sliced her by accident after she subconsciously rejected my request to feel her up, and her blood suddenly became a blade and she threatened my life? Please. That sounds even more insane than the idea of me being a hybrid.”

“Valid points.” Pearl nodded and stroked her chin. “Alright then. Crisis averted!”

“No one is stopping us from leaving this place. I don’t know what it’s going to be like to claim my family’s heritage, but maybe I’ll be able to find some clues about their deaths.”

Pearly gave me a heartfelt smile. “I’ll help you any way I can once we’re out.”

“My ride-or-die bitch,” I whispered.

“Always and forever.” She winked. “Now go shower. You stink.”

“Oh, sin and lust.”

“Eww.” She stuck her tongue out in disgust. “I swear, that’s exactly what the box smells like every damn day. Yet, Sister Ara believes a damn plant is going to make it smell like the sacred scriptures of the library.”

“I’d rather smell bleach than the stench in there,” I concluded. “I’m gonna shower.”

Pearl nodded and walked over to the mini fridge to pull out a blood packet for me. “Fresh delivery!” she announced. “I know you like it not too cold, so at least by the time you’re done showering, it’ll be the perfect temperature.”

“You’re a gem.” I put my heart to my chest in awe. “Thank you. I was going to ask Sister Ara, but it slipped my mind. “

“Like everything.” Pearl rolled her eyes. “I never would have thought a vampire fae would have problems with her memory.”

“Sadly, I’m one of those.” I giggled. “Oh well. Made me unique.”

“The best form of supernatural supremacy. Uniqueness.” Pearl winked. “In you go, and don’t go taking a year while singing the entire Taylor Swift album.”

“Admit it, you’re just not a fan,” I concluded.

“Beyoncé is a legend.”

“That’s obvious.” I turned around. “That’s why you had no complaints with me singing her classics.”

“Human music is overrated.”

“You can’t even tell the difference between supernatural music and human music.”

“Truth, but I’ll figure it out. I have a plan,” she said with pride.

“Ya, ya. I’m going.” I walked into the washroom, ready to close the door, but paused as I watched Pearl gather our white gowns and throw them in the hamper. She was honestly a sister to me, one who’d gotten me through the really tough times.

The only one to see me struggle while I projected to the world that I was a fierce force to be messing with.

“Pearl?” I whispered.

She lifted her head to look at me. “What?”

“You’re the best,” I praised.

“Oh boy. You’re going to get all sentimental and shit. Please go throw some warm water on yourself and drink your blood because you’re getting soft.”

I laughed. “Bitch.”

“Best Bitch the Vatican Rose Church has ever seen!”

“We’re going to hell,” I concluded.

“We know that, dammit! Save me a spot next to you. Maybe that will give me some sort of benefit in the toasty pits.”

“Why’s that?”

“You’ll be Lucifer’s favorite. Duh!”

“Certainly,” I said it like it was a fact. “Teacher’s Pet of Mischief and Misery, with my trusty sidekick, Ball Kicker!”

“That’s a horrible sidekick name!”

“I tried!”

“You failed me!” She pressed her hand against her chest like I’d insulted her. “Be gone while I pick up the pieces of my shattered heart.”

“Trusty Sidekick of Overdramatic Foolishery,” I corrected.

“Now we’re talking!” She was up and tossing her blue locks back like she’d won Miss Universe, Supernatural Edition. “Shower!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

I closed the door and locked it. Turning around, I pressed my back against the wooden door and smiled.

Forgive me, Father. For I have sinned…again and again. But to be truthful, my sins have led me to someone I can still call family.

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Avery Song is a reverse harem author who specializes in paranormal, fantasy, and urban romance.

She especially loves writing strong main characters and is excited for all the books that are approaching.

ABOUT QUINN ASHWOOD

Quinn Ashwood is the alter ego of a USA Today Bestselling Author.

Her works revolve around the Urban Fantasy world, mixed with bits of Epic Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.

She cowrites with International Bestselling Author, Avery Song.

The duo is ready to take the Young Adult World by storm!

~Books by Avery Song~

THE SUPERNATURAL SPY ACADEMY SERIES:

S.S.S YEAR ONE

S.S.S YEAR TWO

S.S.S YEAR THREE

S.S.S YEAR FOUR

S.S.S FIVE (May.29.2020)

SPELL TRAVELER CHRONICLES

Witchling Academy- Semester One

Witchling Academy- Semester Two

Witchling Academy- Semester Three

Witchling Academy- Semester Four

Witchling Academy- Semester Five

Witchling Academy- Semester Six

Witchling Academy- Semester Seven (Jun.12.2020)

Witchling Academy- Semester Eight (Oct. 23.2020)

JADE STORM TRACKER SERIES

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester One

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Two

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Three

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Four (June 5th 2020)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Five (Nov.27.2020)

BLAZING ACADEMY

Semester One

Semester Two (Jul.17.2020)

Semester Three (Oct.16.2020)

COWRITTEN WORKS:

SUPERNATURAL CAPTIVITY SERIES

Supernatural Inmate

Supernatural Outlaw (May.22.2020)

Supernatural Villain (Oct.9.2020)

SUPERNATURAL MARKED MONARCHY

Psychic Prison - Book One

Psychic Royalty - Book Two (Jul.24.2020)

Psychic Monarchy- Book Three (Nov.13.2020)

DESTINED IMRISONEN TRILOGY

Arrested By Magic

Escaped By Destiny (Aug.7.2020)

Freed By Power (Jan.8.2021)

FOR THE FAEIRY ABSOLUTES

Celestial Prison (May.8.2020)

FOR THE PURELY DIVINE SERIES

Fae Rose Academy - Year One

Fae Rose Academy - Year Two (Jul.31.2020)

WILLA SILVER ACADEMY INVESTIGATOR

Daggers and Smoke - Year One

Daggers and Smoke - Year Two (Nov.20.20)

Daggers and Smoke - Year Three (Mar.12.21)

THE SUPERNATURAL VAMPIRE FAE CHRONICLES

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year One

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Two (Sept.18.2020)

Bloody Rosary Academy - Year Three (Mar.5.2021)