Page 47 of Fractured Fates

I roll my eyes. If they knew Stone was as much of an asshole as I do, I’m sure they’d think differently.

I take a seat next to Winnie, peering at the ancient-looking scripts pinned in frames on the walls and the equally ancient-looking brass instruments lining the shelves.

I think of Stone in his leather jacket riding his bike and it’s hard to imagine him teaching such an obviously academic subject. Then again, his office had been rammed full of books. Maybe he’s more of a nerd than I realized.

A hot nerd if Winnie is to be believed.

I glance at the clock. It’s already gone nine but nobody seems particularly bothered that the professor is late. Everyone is chatting and nobody has started any work.

“Is he actually going to show up?”

Winnie jerks her chin towards the door as Stone comes strolling in like he has all the time in the world and isn’t nearly ten minutes late.

He shrugs off his jacket – a blazer today not leather – and drops it on the back of the chair. Then turns to face the class as everyone falls silent.

His eyes travel over all the faces trained his way, lingering on mine for a fraction of a second longer than the rest. Then he lifts his hand and a piece of chalk flies towards the blackboard behind him, hanging in the air.

I open my unicorn notepad and fold back a new page, ready to take notes.

It still feels strange sitting in a classroom after all these years of avoiding them. I keep expecting to wake up and find myself in my bed back in my house in the clearing.

“Today, we’re going to examine the existence of magical fingerprints,” the professor says and I glance up and meet his eyes. “Why they come about. How we can avoid leaving them. And how they can be tracked.”

Summer, sitting front and center, and leaning forward slightly in her seat so the professor has a clear view straight down her shirt, shoots up her arm.

“Yes, Summer?” Stone says, in a friendly manner that has my guts twisting strangely with jealousy. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I bet Summer is every teacher’s favorite student.

“I thought we were going to be covering fated mates and the bonding process today, Professor?” she says sweetly.

Several other students murmur their agreement.

The professor waves his hand and the chalk begins to scribble words across the board.

“A change of plan.”

There are several disappointed groans and I lean towards Winnie. She senses my curiosity.

“We’ve all been waiting ages for him to teach us about it. Although, everyone knows that stuff already.” I look at her blankly. “Well, most people,” she says with a sympathetic smile. “It’s still a favorite topic among everyone though because you know everyone’s hoping it’ll happen to them. That their one true mate, or mates, are out there somewhere.”

I pull a face. “That sounds like a load of bullshit.”

“It’s not,” Winnie says earnestly, “just rare.”

“So rare, nobody actually knows of a fated pair in real life, I bet.”

“Oh, I do. It happened to my cousin,” Winnie says, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. “Lucky bitch.”

“Really?” I say cynically. “Because anyone could claim they’re fated mates, doesn’t mean they are.”

“That’s not true. There are signs. And a blood test. Ways to know for sure.”

“Signs?” I scoff.

“Miss Blackwaters,” the professor calls from the front and I snap upright automatically. “If your conversation is so pressing, perhaps you’d like to share it with the whole class.”

I grin at him. Seriously? That’s the best he’s got?

I shake my head.