Page 27 of Reckless Witch

Blade smiles at me. “The last symbol is a mirror, Ms. Crowe.” Elegance drips off his every syllable. “Not a literal mirror. It is, instead, the difference. You cannot have light without darkness. Nor can darkness exist without light. The challenge is to understand the difference. That is the symbol’s meaning. Difference.”

I’m so caught in the alure of his eyes that I struggle to hear what he’s saying. He hasn’t once looked away from me, but I don’t feel awkward. His expression is almost tender. Strange, he hadn’t seemed the tender type in the club. Sexy, likely very inventive in the bedroom. But tender? I feel as if I can fall into those eyes because, beneath the sensuality and polish, he’s there to catch me.

Those gorgeous eyes crinkle at the edges. “Shall I escort you to the infirmary, Ms. Crowe?”

I drop my gaze, a little unsettled that, in the span of a few seconds, I’ve so easily fallen under his spell. I’d never had that reaction to a Fae before. Why this one?

“I’m fine.” I turn toward Miss Mack.

She’s wide-eyed and obviously mortified that Blade caught her torturing a student. She blinks rapidly and says, “Well done, Ms. Crowe. How brave of you to volunteer to attempt that spell. Please, take your seat.”

Obviously, Miss Mack wants to sweep the incident under the rug. I’m half tempted to call out her bullshit, but with the anger I sense bubbling in Blade, she’s already in trouble. I decide to vacate the limelight and sit down. My legs are a little weak, but I manage to smoothly lower myself into my seat. Ariel shoots me a dagger-filled look, but I don’t care. Living on the streets, I’ve come across a lot tougher characters than her who don’t like me.

“Commander Tyrion,” Miss Mack’s coo is a little unsteady. Her guilt rings like a bell. “This is such an honor. What brings you to our class? It’s not often we see you here.”

“I’m observing,” he replies curtly. “We shall speak later. Until then, Miss Mack, continue.”

Miss Mack pales and grips the edge of the lab table. All eyes follow Blade as he walks to the back of the classroom. He leans a shoulder against the wall and looks like a damn movie star. His eyes lock onto mine and all I can think is that I haven’t noticed the crease in his cheek before.

“Shall we move on?” Miss Mack’s high heels click across the room to her desk. When no one responds, she claps her hands. “Students!”

I turn in my seat along with the rest of the students—all except Fran. Her big brown eyes stare at me. Her faint smile never wavers. I glimpse Blade. He hasn’t moved and his eyes are hooded. I slide down in my seat and face the front. My cheeks heat with the memory of how I’d grabbed his collar and kissed him at the club. I now regret not having gone home with him. If he ever again says ‘my place’ within earshot, I’m going.

“Voila.” Miss Mack says.

The gasps in the room jerk my attention back to her. She’s holding aloft a crystal shard, but it’s the dark streaks running through it that make my heart skip a beat.

“Shadows,” Miss Mack murmurs.

My heart begins to pound. On the black market, those are worth a king’s ransom. Shadow magic is supposed to be among the most powerful magic in existence. A tremor ripples through my stomach. Grams was certainly powerful enough to harness Shadow magic. Was that why the Illumina pinned the crime on her? There certainly weren’t many witches capable of harnessing that much power. Framing Grams still didn’t make sense.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Ariel’s voice is at least two octaves higher.

“These are husks,” Miss Mack stresses. She twists the crystal back and forth. “Think of them like deactivated viruses.”

Deactivated? All sound from the classroom fades as I stare at the crystal. Even Blade vanishes until there’s just me and the trapped Shadow husks. The dark ribbons inside the crystal don’t appear dead. The more I stare at them, the more I imagine them breathing, pulsing. Do I hear soft whispers emanating from the crystal? The sound reminds me of black velvet. So beautiful…

“Ms. Crowe?” Miss Mack’s strident tone shatters the spell.

I shiver and clear my throat. “Yes?” I croak.

“Do you have something to say?”

I frown in confusion, then realize I’m standing, fists clenched at my side. I quickly drop back into my seat. The students around me shift nervously. Hell, I don’t blame them. What the hell just happened?

Miss Mack stares at me a good three seconds before resuming her lecture. “As you saw, control is key. As hard as this type of magic is to learn and control, it’s infinitely more difficult with live Shadows present. Does anyone have any idea what went wrong when Leilah attempted the spell while in a dream state?”

“She was probably calling on The Shadows,” Ariel mutters.

A murmur sweeps the room. My heart races. They really think I’m like Grams. I start. She isn’t guilty of a damn thing—other than trying to help the Illumina—and neither am I.

“If Ms. Crowe had called on Shadows, those husks would have risen from the dead like Lazarus,” Blade’s voice cuts through the light murmur.

Everyone turns toward him.

“What went wrong was an overload.” He pushes away from the wall and walks to the front of the class. When he faces us, I’m certain the eyes of every female in the room are glued to him. “This is a prime example of why you’re here. Untrained, your abilities have the power to destroy you.”

“Only if The Shadows return,” a guy of about twenty says.