Page 13 of Soul Bound (Cursed Descent (MistHallow Academy) #2)

13

MATILDA

Tapping my foot impatiently outside the dining hall, I feel my insides clench when I only see Vex striding towards me.

“You okay?” he asks, grabbing my hand and leading me into the busy dining hall.

I nod, even though I’m far from okay. “What happened after I left?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Blackthorn was pissed, but we managed to talk him down. He’s not going to report what happened with Night.”

Relief floods through me. “Thank the gods.”

“Don’t celebrate yet,” Vex warns. “He wants you to start some, his words, irregular classes to help you harness your power, and he made it very clear there can’t be any more vigilante justice.”

Irregular classes for the irregular witch. Or Druid. Or whatever the hell I am. “Where are Luc and Draven?”

Vex hesitates. “They went home. To Hell.”

My eyes widen. “What? Why? Did Blackthorn expel them?”

“No. They want to find out why their mum came to talk to you about them. Also, Draven thinks she brought the Araxi here. They’re trying to figure out if she’s helping or harming.”

I nod slowly, processing this new information. Everything feels like it’s spiralling out of control. “Do you think they’ll be back soon?”

Vex shrugs. “I said I would cover for them, but they know they need to be as fast as lightning. If the Big B finds out, there will be literal hell to pay.”

“Big B?” I ask with a frown.

Vex snorts and presses his finger to his lips. “He knows when his name is uttered.”

“Oh, really?” I ask, a bit horrified to only learn this now.

“Keep it between us. He obviously doesn’t want anyone to know.”

“Obviously,” I mutter and stare at the selection of delicious hot meals in front of me. I reach for a plate of lasagne and Vex does the same. We grab some bottles of water and condiments and head to the nearest available table. I tuck in, ravenous from the day’s activities and irregular eating habits since I got here. Speaking of irregular…

“So what else did Big B say about these irregular classes?”

“Not much. I guess that’s between you and him.”

“I’m probably going to be stuck on my own… oh, fuck.”

“What?” Vex looks up, a forkful of lasagne halfway to his mouth.

“Night,” I hiss. “Does that mean you have to teach his classes? You’re his TA and the only other one here who can.”

He sighs. “Yeah, that thought had occurred to me. I guess so. I mean, it was kind of the end game after this year, anyway.”

I nod slowly, not sure what to think about that. On one hand, it’s good that Vex will be taking over Night’s classes. But on the other hand, it’s a lot of responsibility to put on him so suddenly.

“Are you okay with that?” I ask quietly. “It’s a big step up.”

Vex grins. “I’ll kick arse, sprinkles.”

Smiling, I reach across the table and squeeze his hand. “You’ll be great at it. I know you will.”

His grin changes to that sexy smirk. “Thanks.”

We eat in silence for a few minutes, both lost in our thoughts. The dining hall buzzes with activity around us, students chattering and laughing, blissfully unaware of the danger lurking beneath the surface of our world.

Vex’s gaze is pulled over my shoulder, and he narrows his eyes.

“What is it?”

“Don’t look now,” he says in a low voice, “but Blackthorn just walked in with someone interesting.”

Of course, I immediately look. Blackthorn is indeed striding through the dining hall, deep in conversation with a striking woman. She’s tall and elegant, with long red hair and piercing green eyes that seem to take in everything at once. They home in on me, and I flinch as Blackthorn steers her to our table.

“Miss Matilda,” Blackthorn says, purposefully ignoring Vex, to Vex’s amusement. “Do you have a moment?”

“She’s eating her dinner,” Vex points out.

Blackthorn’s gaze snaps to his. “You are walking on thin ice, so do yourself a favour and shut it.”

Vex mimes zipping up his mouth and Blackthorn looks back at me, expectantly.

“Yeah, I’m done,” I say with a sigh and pick my plate up. “Let me just get rid of this.”

Blackthorn waves his hand, and the plate vanishes. I purse my lips. “Okay then. Vex, I’ll see you later.”

Hopefully .

I follow Blackthorn and the mysterious woman out of the dining hall, my stomach churning with nerves. We walk in silence through the corridors until we reach Blackthorn’s office. He ushers us inside and closes the door.

“Miss Matilda, this is Morrigan,” Blackthorn says. “She will be overseeing the irregular classes, which I’m sure Vex has told you about already.”

I nod politely to Morrigan, wondering why that name sounds so familiar while trying not to stare at her ethereal beauty. She smiles warmly at me, her green eyes sparkling.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Matilda,” she says in a melodic voice. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

“All good things, I hope,” I joke weakly.

Morrigan’s smile widens. “Fascinating things, certainly. I am a master of ancient magicks and obscure rituals. Headmaster Blackthorn believes I may be able to help you harness and understand your unique abilities.”

I glance at Blackthorn, who nods encouragingly. “Morrigan, as you may know, is an ancient Celtic goddess. Or rather, was. If anyone can help you unlock your full potential, it’s her.”

My eyes go so wide, I think they’re going to fall out of their sockets. “Oh, that Morrigan.”

She giggles and nods. “Yes, that Morrigan. I am no longer the goddess of death, fate and war, but it doesn’t mean I don’t remember everything from millennia of existing.”

“How does that work?” I ask, peering at her.

“Which part?”

“The part where you are no longer a goddess.”

“It’s complicated,” she says with a smile. “The short version. Times change, the world has moved on.”

“Except now, the magick wants to return to what it once was.”

Her face grows serious. “Indeed. This is why we need to prepare you as best we can, knowing only what we know.”

“Which isn’t a lot,” Blackthorn mutters.

I nod slowly, taking all of this in. A former, ancient Celtic goddess will be teaching me how to use my powers. It’s almost too much to wrap my head around.

“When do we start?” I ask, my voice shaking slightly.

Morrigan smiles warmly. “We can begin tomorrow at dawn, if you’re amenable. I believe it’s best we don’t waste any time.”

I nod again. “Okay. What exactly will these classes involve?”

“We’ll start with meditation and energy work,” Morrigan explains. “Learning to sense and channel whatever magick is inside you. From there, we’ll move on to more advanced techniques, such as scrying, astral projection, elemental manipulation. My goal is to help you gain full control over your abilities, in a safe space. The power is there, the training is not. We will have mishaps, but that is what I’m there for.”

“We’ll take things one day at a time,” Blackthorn adds.

“Okay. Dawn tomorrow. Where should I meet you?”

“The forest will be the best place. But remember, it has its own magick and can be very dangerous.”

“It has its own magick?” I ask.

Blackthorn nods. “It will be on its best behaviour for Morrigan. She seems to be the only one who can tame it.”

She smiles. “I understand its force. Meet me on the boundary line, Matilda. We will get you battle ready in no time.”

“Battle ready?” I croak, eyes wide as I stand.

“I may be a former goddess of war, but it is deeply ingrained in me,” she says. “Every day is a battle ready to be fought and won.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that.”

She nods appreciatively. “Excellent. I think we are going to make good progress quickly.”

“I hope so.”

“Me too,” Blackthorn says quietly, but I hear him anyway.

Narrowing my eyes at him, he shoots me a sheepish smile. “Get some rest, Miss Matilda. Dismissed.”

Shuffling out of the office, suddenly exhausted, I find Vex waiting for me. “Everything okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, seems Big B wants my irregular classes to be with Morrigan.”

“Figured.”

“You know her?”

“Of her. She hasn’t been here long, but your type of situation is exactly why she is here.”

“Dealing with ancient magick shit?”

“Yep. That about sums it up.”

Great.

He kisses the top of my head. “Go and get some sleep. Hopefully, Draven and Luc will be back soon.”

I nod, and we walk to my room in silence. Chaos greets us as we enter, by launching his furry little body at us. Vex holds up a plastic container and carefully peels back the lid.

I see a pile of rare steak that Chaos shoves his head into and doesn’t even stop devouring the strips when Vex lowers the tub to the floor.

“I know how to get him to like me,” Vex says confidently.

“Well, you’ve certainly won him over,” I say, smiling at Vex.

He grins back. “Food is the way to any creature’s heart. Even murderous little furballs.”

Chaos finishes the steak and looks up at Vex expectantly, licking his chops. Vex crouches down and cautiously extends his hand. To my surprise, Chaos allows Vex to pet him, even leaning into the touch.

“I think he likes you,” I say softly.

Vex’s smile widens. “Progress. Maybe he won’t try to eat my face while I sleep now.”

I laugh, but it turns into a yawn. The events of the day are catching up with me, and exhaustion settles over me like a heavy blanket.

Vex notices and stands up. “Bed.”

I nod, nervous about my impending lessons, but too tired to really care right now. I strip off and crawl into bed. Vex lies down next to me, and I snuggle into him, fast asleep as soon as I close my eyes.