Page 23 of Messenger of Death (Ouroboros Academy #2)

I was interested in all of my classes, but after what happened in the shower with Sage, I definitely needed the shifting class. Something took over and I nearly bit Sage. Not a little love bite, either. I wanted to break the skin and taste her blood. I didn’t do that, I didn’t hurt women.

Liam explained it, but I didn’t know if any of that was true. It was fiction, but some of that lore could have been started by shifters who were writers. Plus, I didn’t know if Liam kept bringing up were corgis because he was fucking with everyone or he still thought they were real.

A very tiny woman was standing in our classroom, which was more like an auditorium and there was no place to sit.

She might even be smaller than Lola. But Morgana was also right.

Size meant nothing when we all had magic and she had a steely look in her eyes that we should probably cooperate in her class.

“I’m Professor Theron. I’m the reincarnation of Artemis. I had a twin in my original life and he’s in this class. We’ve never met, but I’m going to be very violent if any of you idiots try to hurt him.”

Of course. Artemis and Apollo were twins.

If Alexios was Apollo, then it made sense Artemis would be here, too.

She just got here a lot earlier. Alexios knew who she was and bowed his head to her in reverence but a few people didn’t know a damned thing about Greek mythology and that didn’t have the same excuse Sage did because someone raised their hand and asked.

The class was smaller than our other classes.

The only people in the class were people Headmaster Mykene knew for sure turned into an animal and people who didn’t know who they were just in case they needed it.

If they shifted in class, it would be a clue.

If someone knew who they were and they didn’t turn into an animal, they weren’t here.

I was pretty sure Ivar fought pretty hard to be here with Ari, but Alexios was here and had been learning sign language to communicate for Ari if the professors didn’t know it.

“So, all gods can shapeshift,” Professor Theron said.

“It’s not easy, and it’s been abused in the past. That’s an elective that’s not available until your junior year and you’ll need my approval and Headmaster Mykene’s to take the class.

We’re not making it easier for the next generation of rapists, thank you.

“You’re all here because you’ve got a known animal associated with you, you’re also a shifter, or we just don’t know who the hell you are and if you shift in my class, it will give you a big hint.

As you figure out who you are, you’ll either stay in the class or drop a class out of your heavy class load since we’re trying to figure out who you are.

“If you’re also a shifter, you’re going to have an easier time because you’ve got an animal inside you who is probably making themselves known.

You’re going to have to figure out how to communicate with them and cohabitate with them or you’ll be shifting when you don’t want to and have to walk home naked. ”

Mazen and Lucian’s hand shot up before mine could. Lucian had a bat and as far as I knew, it hadn’t gotten aggressive around Sage. I was deadly curious about Mazen because there were drawings of the animal associated with Set, but no one knew what it was. And I was still suspicious of Mazen.

“What if we’ve already accidentally shifted? How do we control it and communicate with our animal? Mine is some kind of black dog that must be extinct and I ended up a dog when I got mad.”

“You were Set, right? The priests used to breed these black dogs for the temples. That’s your animal.

We figured that out because you’ve been reincarnated before.

If you’re upset, your animal is going to come out to protect you.

You’ll need to get to know him so he knows he doesn’t always need to come out. ”

“What if you keep shifting in your sleep and ended up in different places?” Lucian asked. “I was the original vampire.”

Liam’s hands balled into fists because we both knew damned well where Lucian was ending up in his sleep.

He ended up there every night during the trials.

Lucian couldn’t help it any more than I could when my canines grew, and I wanted to bite Sage.

But they were just starting to seem like they were kind of starting to get along. I hoped this didn’t set anything back.

“Is anyone else already shifting or feeling their animals?”

Yeah, I guess this part was me.

“I nearly bit someone,” I said. “I stopped myself, but I wanted to. I was Anubis.”

“Save me from horny teenagers,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“You’re all bonded to someone in this life, but some of you are fated.

If you’re also a shifter, you’re probably fated.

If your mate accepts you, then you give them your mark by biting them.

I cannot stress only doing this when they accept you because they can also reject you and you won’t get another mate.

You did good stopping yourself. It means your jackal is willing to work with you. ”

“Uh, what if we’ve got horns growing out our fucking heads?”

“You need no introduction. Welcome back. No one is ever ready for it when you return. You’re different. You aren’t one animal. You are all of them. You’ll eventually learn to put your more animalistic parts away if you focus.

“This is the end of the lecture part of this class. You don’t need me for the rest of class.

You’re going to go outside and sit in nature.

If you know your animal, you’re going to try to get in touch with them.

If you’ve got more than one, you’re going to try to feel nature like an animal would.

If you don’t know who you are, you’re going to do both.

“Normally, I would have you all do this alone as this is only something you can do yourself, but seeing as how one student is dead and two are missing, I’m going to have you go in groups.”

“Excuse me, but someone was also assaulted,” Lola said.

“Yes, and we’re all dying to know how a baby reincarnation who doesn’t even know who they are yet managed to survive to point the finger at my twin and his group when a nearly fully trained dragon guard did not,” Professor Theron drawled.

Lola gasped and everyone flocked around her like Professor Theron had actually slapped her.

Mazen was glowering at Professor Theron like he might hit her and that was a spectacularly bad idea based on everything I knew about the original Artemis.

Radames looked like he was there for support, but might actually be questioning all of this, too.

I thought people were being a little unfair to Lola. Had anyone sat her down and explained compulsion to her? Maybe she didn’t even notice her story kept changing. The rest of these people should have.

Mazen and Radames seemed to have adopted her. Mazen was a lost cause. He looked like he was itching to avenge her. Radames at least seemed reasonable at that he was starting to question all of this.

Maybe Radames was the key to stopping violence against my friends until Lola could identify who really hurt her.