Page 25 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)

Galen arrives shortly after that, and his gaze instantly finds me, like somehow, he knew exactly where I’d be.

His lips curve into a seductive smile, and I find myself transfixed, unable to look away.

I drink in the sight of him. He’s left a few buttons of his shirt undone, showing a span of his bare chest, and his sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, exposing the corded muscle on his forearms. A mischievous gleam sparkles in his eyes, and I’m not sure why my heart is pounding so fast.

“Professor?” A student from the first row prompts, and I realize they must have asked Galen a question. I’m guessing Galen didn’t notice either, going by the way his gaze reluctantly goes to the girl who’s staring at him expectantly.

“Yes, good morning class,” Galen says casually.

From the look on the student’s face, Galen didn’t answer her question at all. She opens her mouth to repeat herself, but Galen presses on, and she closes her mouth again, giving up.

“As I’m sure you all know, we have a new student joining us today.

” He glances at me, and everyone stares.

“Welcome to your first class on the History of the Shadow Realm, undeniably the most riveting of all your subjects.” He winks at a couple girls in the first row, and they beam at him, giggling.

I try not to think about how they’ve probably been in his bed, though right now I have the strangest urge to kick him in the balls.

It’s not until Galen looks at me again that I realize I’m glaring.

His smirk grows bigger like he realizes how much it’s bothering me that he has the attention of those girls, and he’s loving every second of it. Unbelievable.

Needing a distraction, I whisper to Kenzie, “Where’s Arizak?” The shadow stallion isn’t in the class, and I’m a little disappointed.

She shrugs. “They don’t always come to classes. The professors are the only ones who are allowed to have their shadow creatures within the academy building, and even then, the creatures tend to spend a lot of their time in the forest where they’re more comfortable.”

Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense.

Sitting on my other side is mohawk guy from the dining hall the night before. He winks at me, slouching in his chair.

I lean toward him, lowering my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Tell me, is this class actually going to be interesting, or do I need to brace myself for boredom?”

The guy chuckles, and I have to admit he’s attractive, with small dimples that appear on his cheeks as a lazy smirk plays on his lips.

His gaze roves over my generous amount of cleavage before resting on my face.

“Can’t promise the class will be interesting, new girl, but if you come find me later, I promise to?—”

He doesn’t get to finish.

“Jensen,” Galen’s voice snaps across the room.

Ah, so that’s his name.

When I turn my attention back to the professor, the amusement is gone from his eyes.

“I see you’ve met our new student,” Galen drawls with a tight smile.

“I realize for the past week we’ve been discussing the different types of souls in the shadow realm, but it’s important that everyone understands our origin story.

Why don’t you come to the front and tell our new student what she’s missed? ”

“Fuck that,” Jensen mutters, laughing under his breath, but when Galen keeps staring at him expectantly, he grumbles another curse and lifts from his seat. Begrudgingly, he makes his way down the stairs and to the front of the class.

I half wonder whether Galen did that on purpose to get Jensen away from me, but then I tell myself that’s silly.

“I must say, little shadow, I don’t appreciate you asking if my class will bore you,” Galen’s voice drawls in my ear, though I don’t see the man’s mouth move.

His attention remains fixed on Jensen, and for a moment, I think I must have imagined it when I hear Galen’s voice again.

“It’s called shadow whispers, treasure, and only you can hear what I’m saying right now,” he explains, like he heard my unsaid question.

“Provided you keep your voice low, you can also reply and no one else will hear you.”

Wait, what? Shadow whispers? Speaking under my breath, I answer, “I didn’t say I’d be bored to death. I simply asked if the class was interesting.”

“Hmmm,” Galen muses. “Well, I can assure you it will be much more interesting now that you’re here.” There’s the hint of a threat in his words, and I get the feeling I must have pissed the shadow professor off. Ooops.

“So tell us,” Galen says to Jensen. “What have you learned of our origin so far. What does our new student need to know?”

Jensen swallows hard, his throat bobbing as he looks nervously out at all the students. The man is huge, one of the biggest in the class, but it’s obvious he’s not comfortable speaking in front of crowds. Feeling sorry for him, I lift my hands giving him two reassuring thumbs ups.

He grins at me, and I could swear a flicker of irritation passes over Galen’s face before it’s gone again. Huh. Looks like I’m not the only jealous one here. I guess Galen doesn’t like it when others look at his ‘toy’ as he so affectionately calls me.

“Krosia was the first, um, human to come to the shadow realm,” Jensen says uncertainly.

“And who called her here?” Galen prompts.

“The oracle,” he answers.

Galen nods approvingly. “Who is?”

Jensen shuffles his feet. “An ancient being from the shadow realm.”

“That’s correct,” Galen agrees. “There are multiple kinds of shadow beings. There are the corali. These are the shadows an individual with shadow magic can control. They are not sentient beings, but manifestations of power, and an extension of the wielder themselves. Then there are animali shadow creatures. These shadow beings hold animalistic forms and are the very creatures we bond with. Aside from these, we have the higher beings, the zenali. These are rare beings who are more human-like and capable of understanding a variety of languages. They come in many different forms. It’s one of the zenali, a shadow being with oracle powers, who summoned Krosia here. And why?”

Jensen fidgets with his fingers. “Because dark beings, named the Xalgrith, had started to invade the shadow realm, and he knew his kind needed help.”

The Xalgrith? I haven’t heard that name before, and I file it away in my mind.

“Correct again,” Galen answers. “That’s how this all started.

The oracle knew the shadow realm would fall if the shadow creatures tried to fight this battle alone, so he reached out to the human realm.

Krosia was the first to hear him and travel to this realm.

She became the shadow queen. The creed we recite before our meals isn’t simply an academy motto; it’s the very prophecy the oracle sang centuries ago. ”

I stiffen, thinking of the words I’d heard them say at dinner the night before. It’s a prophecy? That last line repeats in my head: For without you…there will be no times at all.

“Professor, may I?” Jensen’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and the guy peers longingly back at his empty seat beside me. Before he can head for the stairs, Galen gestures to an empty chair in the front row instead.

Confusion creases Jensen’s brow, but he doesn’t dare argue. He simply takes the seat offered, his shoulders relaxing now that he’s no longer standing in front of the class.

“You know, for a man who denies that we’re mates, you’re awfully possessive,” I point out to Galen. I can’t be sure, but I suspect Galen has just placed Jensen in the front row to keep him away from me.

“And I told you,” Galen’s whisper sounds in my ear. “You might not be my mate, but I can still tell you’re mine. You’re not bedding that student unless it’s so I can watch before taking you myself.”

His words make me shiver. “I wasn’t planning on getting with anyone. I asked him a single question.”

“That you did, treasure.”

Clearly, logical reasoning isn’t going to get through to him, so I leave it there and listen to everything else he has to say to the class.

Galen goes on to tell us about the twelve original warriors who came after Queen Krosia—six of whom are now the professors of Shadowbone Academy, and six who still fight on the front lines as war generals.

My breath catches. Kenzie had already told me Knox and the others are originals, but I hadn’t realized what that meant. It’s a lot for me to get my head around.

“Wait, so you, Raith, and the others are the original warriors who started to defend against the dark beings?” I ask Galen. “The Xalgrith or whatever they are? Exactly how old are you guys?”

Galen only chuckles and continues talking to the class about how the academy was formed as a facility to train more shadow warriors.

Apparently, after summoning the originals, the oracle sent out a plea to Lady Fate, asking her to handpick suitable candidates for the academy.

Having more warriors has helped with the war, but over the years the dark beings have continued to grow their numbers.

The shadow warriors are the only ones stopping that darkness from spreading across the different realms, and the thought has chills racing down my body. I listen, riveted.

“Why only humans?” I whisper as the question pops into my head. “Why aren’t any of the students from the other realms?”

Galen takes a moment before he replies, “Humans are a blank canvas without an ounce of magic in their bones. It makes them the perfect candidates to obtain shadow powers.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

For the next while, Galen talks about the different realms, including Norso, home to the water monsters, Kanzepes, the beast realm, and Rostof, the realm of the giants. None of this is new information to me, so I end up tuning out, turning over what I’ve learnt in my mind.

I’m busy wondering how many shadow warriors there are, when a shadow seems to come from nowhere.

It slides over my shoulder and between my breasts, slithering slowly down my belly before it settles between my legs.

None of the students around me react, and I get the feeling they can’t even see it’s there.

I’m somewhat grateful for the little writing table that’s positioned in front of me.

“What are you doing?” I ask, guessing it’s one of Galen’s corali shadows because he has a devilish smirk on his face. What had he said? That they’re not sentient beings but manifestations of the wielder’s power? “I think one of your shadows is lost,” I mutter.

“Not lost, I’m simply ensuring my class remains interesting to you,” Galen drawls as the shadow presses against the sensitive spot between my thighs. Well, holy smut gods. Galen smiles smugly from across the room, right as that shadow starts to feel like fingers pressing between my legs.

I try to focus, but Galen’s phantom fingers push my thighs further apart, and while there’s no sensation of ice and fire, it doesn’t stop the desire that heats my body, making my stomach clench.

Calm down, Shade, it’s just a shadow. A really, really dirty little shadow that feels exactly like a certain shadow daddy’s fingers.

“You’re distracting me,” I whisper, because Galen has asked another student to tell more about what they’ve learned over the past weeks, and right now, I can’t concentrate on a single thing she’s saying.

“Do you want me to stop?” Galen asks.

His shadow fingers slide under the band of my bikini bottoms, and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from groaning when those fingers find my sensitive clit and stroke up and down my center.

I know it’s not really him. At least, not physically, but that doesn’t stop my body from responding.

I can’t bring myself to tell him to stop.

Not when he’s right, and I do want this. God, I want so much more than this.

“Knox won’t be happy that you’re touching me,” I rasp instead, remembering how Knox had told Raith and Galen to leave me alone.

Galen’s shadow fingers swipe through my wetness before focusing on my clit again, massaging it with slow, teasing, torturous circles. “Focus, treasure, or you’re going to fail this class.”

I tear my gaze away from him and stare at the student who’s still speaking. Is she saying something about the originals? If she is, I can’t tell.

“And I’m not touching you,” Galen adds. “Not…technically.”

He continues to tease me, playing with my clit mercilessly until my knees start to shake.

Crap. I blow out a shuddering breath. Honestly, since becoming human, I haven’t actually explored my body much. Sure, I’ve tried a little, but my own fingers never make me feel like this. And to think this isn’t even his physical body…

His phantom fingers glide down to my entrance, and I suck in a sharp breath, subconsciously shuffling like he’s under my little writing table, and I want to give him better access.

“Mmm…You’re such a good girl, aren’t you? Look at how wet you are for me. Why is it that even when it’s only my shadow touching you, I still don’t want to ever stop being between your thighs.” His voice sounds tortured, and my heart thunders as the image of him between my legs pops into my head.

The student has stopped speaking now and she’s sitting again, but I’m still not paying attention. “If I fail this class, I’m blaming you,” I rasp, not at all remorseful because Galen’s shadow fingers feel too damn good.

“You’re right,” Galen agrees. “This is rather unfair of me.” He pushes a phantom finger into my pussy, and it takes all of my effort not to cry out. One pump. Two.

And then…

What the hell?

I don’t feel him anywhere.

Galen’s shadow fingers disappear completely like they were never there, and the man gives me a twisted grin from across the room.

Un-freaking-believable.

My chest heaves, my body wound so tight and desperate for a release I’m clearly not going to get.

“You’re an asshole,” I whisper in frustration, but his shadow power mustn’t be cloaking my voice anymore, because the girl sitting in front of me whips her head back.

“What did you just say?” she spits at me.

“Oh, nothing,” I splutter. “That wasn’t— I didn’t?—”

She huffs and turns back around, and Galen’s smirk grows even bigger.

I glare at him.

“Relax, little shadow,” he tells me. “The first time I make you shatter I want to be able to taste you. I’ll play with you until you’re begging me to make you come.”

My mouth goes completely dry. “And what makes you think I want that?”

He chuckles darkly. “Soon, treasure,” he promises, not bothering to answer my question.