Page 23 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

As expected, there was no response to my touching the ground, and when I stood a strong wave of exhaustion pressed in on me.

Surely I’d given them enough time to party back in the dorms. I needed to get in some study and sleep.

I headed for the arched gates, and was almost there when a pair of warlocks hurried past. I came to a halt, recognizing them

both. Logan and Noah were in the middle of their evening run—running for fun explained a lot of what was wrong with both of

those assholes—when the moonlight washed over them. There was this stupid pain in my chest at how I’d been ghosted. My dad

was freaking ecstatic at Logan’s obvious lack of interest in me, and I should have been too.

“Logan!” A witch screamed out his name as she raced across the grounds. She wasn’t alone either, two of her friends trailing

behind her. “Wait up. We didn’t finish our conversation.”

Logan and Noah stopped, wiping the sweat from their foreheads. The witch leaned into him, and I recognized her as the pretty

blonde who had been talking to Marcus at that first full moon party. Rage bubbled in my chest, and I was shocked to see light

spilling from my fingertips.

The instant fury made no sense, and needing to get away, I slinked back into the graveyard. “Bastard asshole of a fucking

warlock,” I snarled, and kicked rocks between the headstones.

My anger wasn’t rational. I could only attribute it to the fire of my magic, which swirled so hard that my chest ached.

I tried to force it out, but the way it was locked down only increased my anger.

All I ended up with was hands and arms glowing as I grasped my crystal necklace, desperate to find a calm again.

A tingle caressed my neck and raced down my spine. I was struck with the unnerving sense that I’d pushed too far into the

tombs and headstones. My new location had brought forth the creepy stalker vibe.

Danger, danger, danger.

Like a flashing light above my head, my warning systems were on full alert, telling me to get the fuck out of there. The fear

demolished my rage, and I found myself unable to move, my hand fused to my pendant as I searched for danger. I’d made a stupid

rookie move and let myself get complacent. Nothing good ever came from this creepy feeling, and here I was in the middle of

a graveyard under a full moon. Alone. Wait, no...

Logan and Noah.

They were just outside the gates, and as much as I didn’t want to run into him, Logan was my best chance of avoiding whatever

haunted my world. I just had to push past the debilitating fear and move my feet.

Gripping the necklace tight enough that it cut into my palm, I closed my eyes and summoned up every ounce of strength, managing

to lift my foot as the snap of a branch alerted me to a presence.

My eyes shot open, and I found myself staring at a nightmare.

The creature dragged itself through the graves.

It had two huge clawed hands, while the rest of its body slithered on the ground like a snake.

My breaths were just short of hyperventilation as I stumbled back into a crypt.

The snakelike head of the beast came into view, with dozens of teeth.

It crawled toward me faster than should be possible as it navigated the narrow spaces between headstones.

This time I couldn’t blame a lack of oxygen. Unless I’d slipped, hit my head, and was unconscious, there was a real, honest to fucking goddess monster coming at me. It didn’t look like the one in the lake, but it did arrive with Logan’s presence. Just like the last

one.

Was he dealing in dark magic? As a spellcaster, and one of the strongest warlocks in the world, had he crossed a line?

The snake monster cut off my panicked thoughts as it snarled and came closer, bringing with it a distinct scent of ash and

sulfur. Its beady black eyes were focused on me, unwavering, and I managed to take one step, and then another, almost falling

over exposed rocks.

Goddess, help me.

I had no idea what I could do here, and the creature was only a dozen feet away. Releasing my crystal, it fell against my

chest, and with its warmth my sanity returned.

My sanity and ability to get the Hel out of there.

With the monster between me and the entrance, I sprinted deeper into the graveyard, chancing one very brief look over my shoulder.

A strangled scream escaped when I found the monster close behind. Its pace was intense. There was no way I’d make it out of

here before it caught up.

In my panicked state, I searched my pockets for anything that might help, only to pull out a small vial of ash. Oh, thank fuck. I still had the defensive spell from class today.

I uncorked the jar right as my luck ran out and I clipped my shoe on a stone hidden in a patch of grass and went tumbling

forward. Somehow, I managed to keep hold of the jar, and only a little ash spilled.

Flipping over, I screamed again, this time with much more intensity because it was on top of me.

That snake head darted forward as I jerked my hand and let the ash fly in its face. I screamed the incantation, instinct driving

me, even as my mind remained locked in fear. If I survived tonight, I’d have to send Professor Zander some flowers or my firstborn

child because I owed him big-time. In his fussy way, he’d drilled this spell into our heads all week, and under pressure,

I’d remembered it.

My magic burned within me, and when I threw the ash, I pressed my hands against the chest of the creature and prayed I could

send enough energy into it to knock it away. All I needed was a chance to escape.

Its skin was scaly and hot to touch, and as magic raced through my palms I knew I’d made the right decision to open a pathway

through touch. The light grew bright enough to blind me, and while I closed my eyes I didn’t stop expelling magic.

The light faded, and I opened my eyes to find that I was completely alone. The monster was gone, and so was the creepy sensation.

My arms trembled as I pushed myself up, looking at every dark shadow, waiting for movement or another attack. Instinct told

me I was safe, but I wasn’t about to take chances.

Once on my feet, I ran out of the graveyard like my ass was on fire, to find that not a single student was nearby. A glance

at my watch had me blinking... 9:00 p.m. How in the world was that possible? It hadn’t been more than seven when I’d wandered

down.

When I entered the dorms a few minutes later, it was quiet, no sign there’d been a party at all.

I gathered up my clothes and toiletries, knowing that I needed a shower, even if there was a monster lurking in the halls.

No way could I go to bed covered in grass, dirt, and possibly snake-monster drool.

Peering out of my room, the hallway was empty, so I speed-walked as fast as I could to the bathroom with only a moderate level

of panic. The monster attack had my head a mess, as I wondered if I hadn’t imagined the alien in the lake after all.

I’d explained away the first monster encounter easily enough—a hallucination caused by a lack of oxygen. But now with this

second one...? There was a pattern here, especially when both were accompanied by a sense of danger tracing down my spine.

But how did it all tie in to my stalker vibes as I walked through the halls? Was there a student—or professor, couldn’t discount

them—gunning to kill me? Waiting for opportunities as I walked around the school?

Could it be Logan...? Or Noah...?

One of his friends had already beat me half to death, so it stood to reason that the other could try as well. I hadn’t made

any enemies that I was aware of, having only punched one witch, who was no longer a student here.

But there was a threat out there.

By the time I finished showering, the tremble in my limbs had eased under the hottest water I could stand, but I was no closer

to an answer. Dressed in pj’s with my wet hair wrapped in a towel, I raced through the hall. No one jumped out at me, and

my heart only calmed when I was once again safe inside my room.

Putting my bag away and tossing the dirty uniform into the wash bags that we dropped outside our doors to be laundered once

a week, I crawled into bed and let myself fall apart. My chest shook as I drew in a ragged breath, and even as I attempted

to cry, to ease the ache in my throat, no tears came. I was beyond tears, trapped in a moment of terror, as that attack flashed

before my eyes.

Part of me knew I needed to tell someone—my dad, siblings, or Mom for example, but I had no doubt that a single mention of another attack and they’d pull me from school. As far as I was aware, I was the only one almost dying on the regular at Weatherstone.

I should leave. I knew that with every part of my being, and yet... I hated to let those bastards win. Weatherstone felt like home, and

the education was second to none. I mean, Defensive Spells had saved my life tonight.

As exhaustion wrapped around my brain and dragged me into sleep, I decided not to mention anything until I could do more research.

I’d never heard of any magic that could create monsters. I needed to know more. We might exist in a world of magic, but there

were no mythical creatures, dark or other.

Knowledge was my power here, and I would be proactive rather than reactive.

I also needed to whip up another defensive spell.

That shit had really come in handy.