Page 16 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)

Kenzie ducks her head, but I just stare around me, wanting to take it all in.

The space is large with multiple long tables around the room, surrounded by students dressed similarly to Kenzie.

Torches flicker on the walls, casting light across the dining hall, and at the far end of the room, there’s an unoccupied table on a dais, which I guess is intended for the professors.

“Over there,” Kenzie whispers as she leads us to a couple of empty seats.

As I drop onto my chair, I eye the guy next to me. His blue mohawk is styled impressively high, and he has a thick, circular piercing through his nose.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he laughs, not bothering to hide the fact he’s enjoying checking me out.

I give him an innocent smile. “Why? Want to trade?”

He laughs again, shaking his head.

“She’s gutsy,” someone else on our table mutters.

“You mean, stupid,” a girl across from me corrects.

Hey. Now that was uncalled for.

“Keep your head down,” Kenzie hisses. “Do you want to make enemies tonight? I said no eye contact.”

I’m sure she’s warning me for a good reason, but it seems ridiculous. We’re all students, aren’t we?

“Who are they?” I whisper, because apparently that’s the only volume we can speak at in here. Kenzie follows my gaze across the room, and her face pales. “Students sit at the different tables depending on how close they are to being accepted.”

“Accepted?”

“You know, becoming immortal. Those are the students who will be the next graduates provided they can survive the graduation games.”

“Graduation games?”

“It’s a series of trials you have to complete before you can graduate.”

“Well, that sounds…fun.” I’m about to ask more when some of the students on that table turn and look my way. One of the guys lifts the blade in his hand, and he slides the flat part against his tongue, leering at me the entire time like some kind of psycho.

“Who’s that?”

“That would be Craig,” Kenzie answers. “He’s one of the strongest and meanest students in the academy.”

Craig pulls the blade from his tongue just as the girl beside him grabs his face and starts making out with him. I’m quickly forgotten as he grips her, roughly devouring her mouth.

“Hold on, so Satine is going to graduate soon?” I ask Kenzie.

Satine glares at me as she keeps Craig’s attention on her.

“She arrived when I did, but Craig lets Satine sit with them. She’s deluded herself into thinking she’s going to become an accepted in the next round as well,” Kenzie explains. She shoots a quick glance in Satine’s direction before averting her gaze.

“Is that possible? To graduate that quickly?”

“There aren’t any set timelines for graduating. As long as you master your abilities and prove you’re worthy, anyone can enter and compete in the graduation games. The rest of us are simply smart enough to know if we compete before we’re ready, we’ll die.”

Before I can ask another question, the massive doors of the dining hall swing open, and a hush falls over the room. The students all jump to their feet, standing rigidly with their attention focused on the entrance.

“Quickly,” Kenzie hisses.

I shoot to my feet, but I hit my hand on the underside of the wooden table in the process.

Ow, ouchy. Trying to ignore the pain, I manage to stay silent.

A moment later, shadows bleed into the room, slithering across the polished black floor, and Knox strides into the dining hall with his massive black wolf stalking beside him.

He’s dressed differently now, wearing a crisp black suit with his hair slicked back, and I note how everyone averts their gazes when he passes.

Well, the guys do anyway. The girls drool like he’s a god and they would worship the ground he walks on.

If everyone treats him like that, no wonder he has such a big head.

I chuckle then, because suddenly I find myself wondering if he’s big down below, too.

That would definitely explain their reaction.

And probably his overconfidence as well.

Knox doesn't look my way as he passes the table I’m at, but I swear I feel his gaze on me the entire time, and my breath catches as he strides past me.

Bonfang, on the other hand, does stare. The wolf’s red eyes stay fixed on me as the shadow professor walks to the long, stone table on the dais.

Knox takes the seat on the end, and Bonfang sits behind him like he’s standing sentry.

The wolf lifts his nose like he's scenting the air, and when his gaze remains locked on me, I’m tempted to sniff myself because there’s no way he could smell me from there. Could he?

“That's Professor Knox,” Kenzie whispers so quietly I almost don’t hear her.

“We only use first names here, because once you enter the academy, any family ties you once had are dissolved. Professor Knox teaches Offensive and Defensive Maneuvers, and trust me, you don't want to be late to any of his classes or get on his bad side.” She winces, and I wonder if she’s remembering her bruised arm from her class with him not too long ago.

Knox’s power seems to fill the room, and it makes me wonder what exactly the man can do. Part of me doesn’t want to know, but the other part realizes it would be better to be prepared.

I lean closer to Kenzie. “You said earlier that when we graduate, we grow more powerful. Does that mean we would become like him?”

“If we graduate, our shadow powers will grow stronger,” she replies, keeping her gaze locked on Knox. “You know, shadow cloaking, shadow walking, manipulating shadows and the like, but no, we wouldn’t be as powerful. It’s different for the professors because they’re originals.”

“Originals?”

“You’ll learn all about them in your history classes, but their power is stronger and they also have unique abilities.”

“Okay, and what are his abilities?” I prompt, indicating with my head to Knox.

“I can’t know for sure, I’ve only heard the rumors,” Kenzie explains, “but apparently, he can walk through dreams, manipulating your nightmares, and force you to sleep at will. There are a ton of other rumors too, about possession and the like, but it’s hard to know if they’re true or not.”

I stare at Knox, not liking what Kenzie is telling me.

“Either way,” she forges on, “Knox is one of the most powerful men in the academy. It’s why the girls all fawn over him.

Well, that and the fact he looks like a greek god.

It doesn’t do it for me, but I can understand the appeal.

Oh, and then there’s also the fact that as an original he has been around for centuries. ”

“Centuries?” My eyes shoot wide. “How old are the originals?”

“Old,” Kenzie replies bluntly.

Knox still isn’t looking at me, but Bonfang’s attention hasn’t wavered. The wolf peels back his lips to show me his glistening fangs.

Okay, so Bonfang still doesn’t like me. Noted.

Satine snickers from across the room, and her voice carries in the silence. “Looks like the new girl is going to become Bonfang’s next meal.”

This is followed by a few giggles and chuckles from the students around her.

I don’t bother reacting. Mostly, because I’m pretty sure she’s right. Bonfang does look like he’s fantasizing about hunting me. I blame the feathers.

I’m sure even Knox must have heard Satine, and I study his face, checking for his reaction. Aside from the tightening of his jaw, the man doesn’t speak.

Soon after, Thane is the next to enter the dining hall.

Unlike Knox, the broad male looks my way.

There’s a hint of surprise in his features when he takes in my outfit, but he recovers quickly and focuses his attention elsewhere.

His bear, Rinoc, spares me a glance, and like Bonfang, he takes up a position behind Thane as the professor takes his seat.

“Professor Thane teaches our physical training classes. They say he has the ability to conjure shadow rain that burns like acid, but I’m yet to see it. He’s a fair teacher, but he’ll push you to your limits,” Kenzie whispers.

I wince. “And what if my limit is below average? Like, way below.”

Kenzie brushes off my comment. I get the feeling she doesn’t realize I’m being serious, but Raith and Galen enter the hall shortly after, and I’m quickly distracted.

The pair of them hone their gazes on me, barely taking their eyes off me as they find their seats.

Raith grins outright, and it’s not until he notices Knox glaring at him that he averts his gaze.

Around the room, the students stare at the four professors with a mixture of fear and admiration, and it makes me roll my eyes.

“Those two are academy favorites,” Kenzie whispers, gesturing with her head to Galen and Raith as Arizak and Kazer settle in behind the men. “Professor Galen can create illusions that seem painfully real, and Professor Raith can transform into a beast, growing in size and gaining fangs and claws.”

“A beast form?” I squeak.

Kenzie nods like it’s no big deal. “And out of all the professors, those two are the only ones who have a sense of humor. They also have a habit of sharing, which makes them popular.”

“Sharing?” I give her a questioning look. “Sharing what?”

Color flushes to her cheeks.

“They share anyone who’s able to hold their attention for long enough,” mohawk guy next to me answers for her, giving me a stupid grin.

“Okay,” I mutter, then as understanding dawns on me I say more slowly, “Ohhh.” I don’t know why I’m surprised.

Raith had made comments about sharing me with Galen, but I’d thought he was simply teasing.

I peer at the guys, unable to stop the images popping into my head, even as a strange and completely unnecessary jealousy filters through me.

No, it’s not jealousy, it’s concern, I tell myself.

Yep, that’s it. I mean, it can’t be healthy sleeping with that many people, can it?

“Do they have STIs here?” I blurt, staring seriously at Kenzie. “Or do the rings give us magical sexing abilities or something? What about babies?”

Kenzie coughs like she’s choking.

“I’ve changed my damn mind. I like this new girl.” Mohawk guy laughs under his breath.

I want to ask why he didn’t like me when we’ve only just met, but something tells me no one needs a reason in this place. Instead, I grin, simply glad there might be at least one less person who has it out for me.

“No STIs,” Kenzie says, gaining her composure. She taps her ring. “And no babies, either. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or simply a side effect of the magic.”

Not long after, two more professors enter the dining hall.

One is a woman with beady black eyes, and fiery red hair that’s pulled into a tight bun.

According to Kenzie, Professor Lankin has the power to temporarily imbue objects with shadow magic, and she’s a strict teacher, but not unreasonable.

Provided I keep my head down and do the work in her shadow basics classes, I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Her creature sits behind her—a red fox with gleaming fangs and cunning red eyes.

The last professor to enter glides across the room, almost looking like he’s floating on the shadows that slither under his long, olive-green cloak.

His straight, black hair drifts down his back, and while the male has a handsome face, there's something in his eyes that makes me uneasy.

Icy dread twists through me, though I have no idea why.

The professor’s gaze connects with mine, and I finally listen to Kenzie’s earlier advice and avert my gaze.

“What about him?” I whisper to her.

“That would be Professor Yevar,” she answers. “He teaches Battle tactics and warfare. It’s all theory, so provided you can pay attention in class you’ll be fine. From what I gather, he can amplify a person’s fears and play with their emotions.”

I turn my gaze back to the professor as he sits.

His creature is an abnormally large cobra that remains completely silent as it slithers behind him and watches the students around the room.

The creature isn’t as large as the shadow beasts of Raith and the others, but I get the feeling it’s just as deadly.

When the professors are all seated, I’m surprised when the students around the room slam their closed fists to their chests.

“Uh, Kenzie…” I ask, belatedly copying what everyone’s doing.

“Follow along,” she whispers back, her fist already at her chest.

Hundreds of voices fill the room as the students begin to chant.

Where the black sky weeps and shadows reign

A darkness stirs, born of pain

They must rise, shadowed blades

Take the oath, decide our fates

Where the land bleeds, and the skies fall

Forests of ash, before the final call

Stand as one, our forgotten, lost warriors

For without you…

There will be no times at all.

The professors remain silent as they watch the students, and the moment the final word is spoken, the students sit as one. I quickly drop into my chair. I barely registered what’s been said, but one line sticks with me: There will be no times at all.

What the hell does that mean?