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Leroy straightened himself and pointed to the badge on his black uniform. “In case you forgot, sweetheart, I’m an Executor now. You can’t talk to me like that.”
Gregory snorted and mumbled something under his breath. I didn’t catch what he said.
“What’d you just say to me?” Leroy snapped. A few sparks shot from his fingers in warning.
I threw my hands up and formed a shield between them. “Leave him alone.”
Gregory shrank down in his seat. “I said nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“That’s what I thought,” Leroy growled. “It best not happen again. And drop your fucking shield, Lucas. You’re not impressing anyone. What a loser.”
Leroy spun toward the front of the room. I kept my shield up a few moments longer and studied him. He wasn’t the kind of person to let this go.
Then I realized why he had. It was because of the Waning. Those small sparks of magic were all he had. He couldn’t form a battle orb right now to save his life.
Good. Maybe he’d leave the rest of us alone.
A man strolled into the room then, and all chatter died instantly. He didn’t have to say a thing to get the class to quiet. It was like his mere presence commanded his attention. I didn’t know who the guy was, but he had to be our new professor. Oliver bristled at my feet and growled lowly.
Our professor looked like he’d just walked off a movie set where he played a stockbroker. The guy was over six feet tall, with a strong jaw and dark hair that he wore slicked back. He wore a nice suit and walked with unrivaled confidence in his stride.
Something about him seemed very familiar, but I couldn’t place my finger on it. I’d certainly never met him before, but perhaps I’d seen him around Octavia Falls.
“Hello,” he said in a deep, smooth voice.
An arrogant smirk crossed his face, and Lena gave a loud sigh. A few of the other girls snickered, like they couldn’t control themselves. Hell, he’d only said one word, and he was already charming the entire female student population.
“Now that’s a guy I’d like to be mentored by,” Leroy said in a low tone. He didn’t mean it in a sexual way, but it sure sounded like it.
Our professor’s dark eyes scanned the room. A shiver traveled down my spine when his gaze moved over me. I guess I could see where the girls found him attractive, in a conventional sense, but his arrogance left me feeling uneasy. Whatever he was doing to charm everyone else, I was unaffected by it.
He straightened his suit jacket at the front of the room. “Welcome to Advanced Mortana Magic. I’m Professor Leto, and I’ll be teaching this class this semester. You may not recognize me, but rest assured I am well versed in death magic. I’ve just returned to Octavia Falls after a long… sabbatical. Let’s get started.”
He moved toward the back of the room as he spoke. “It’s come to my attention that your professors prefer to explore your necromancy magic through the use of cat skeletons. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” Lena answered eagerly.
“Do you ever wonder why they don’t teach you using real human remains?” Professor Leto asked, placing his hand on the doorknob of the storage closet.
“Ethics,” Gregory said.
“Nonsense,” Professor Leto argued. “Many witches and warlocks donate their bodies to the coven after death. Ethics are not a factor.”
“Then what is?” Gregory asked.
“Fear, I suspect,” Professor Leto answered. “If you fear the human body, perhaps you will fear death itself. Imagine what a witch or warlock might do if they feel comfortable around a corpse.”
I didn’t know what he was getting at, but I kept my gaze on him. He definitely gave me the chills, and I was determined to figure out why.
Professor Leto opened the storage closet, and he wheeled a table out of it. It wasn’t until he shut the door that I got a good look at what lay on the table.
My insides twisted at the sight of a pale corpse. An old man lay naked on a metal table. A thin white sheet covered his middle, but that was it.
I have lived a full life. I am ready to go.
The words echoed in my mind as if I was hearing them now for the first time, but I wasn’t. This last thought had come to me last night. It’d definitely come from this guy. I didn’t even have to question it; my magic just knew.
I didn’t know the old man’s name, but knowing his last thought while he lay cold in front of me felt too weird—too personal.
