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On the floor. Magenta hair puddled in the mud. Her vines whipped around, trying to protect her. Cole’s foot was propped on her throat. She held his ankle and kicked her feet, trying to get him off her.
“Hey!” I shouted. “Get the fuck off of her!”
Cole’s head snapped up, his teeth bared in rage. “You.” His hands roared with red and white. He stepped over Ember, who sat up, coughing.
Why hadn’t anyone stopped him?
“Why is it so hard for you to behave?” I demanded. “I’ve met smarter toddlers than you.”
Cole’s answer was a scattering of condensed flame. Shooting straight at me. The flash, the speed, all of it was too much to stop.
Why wouldn’t I be bulletproof?
My own words echoed in my mind, mocking me, as I stared at my own impending third-degree burn roaring toward me.
Like a curtain pulled through the air by rope, a dark liquid wall rushed from my right and rose between me and the flames. Cole’s attack hit the other side with a boom and a hiss, and then the wall sloshed to the ground.
Mud. That had been a mud barrier. Which means a water Divine had just saved me. But which one?
The answer appeared in the form of the buff, tall woman by the name of Darby. She stood to the side, her arms crossed and her expression bored. But I saw the white-knuckled clenched fists, the only thing betraying her anger.
The students parted as Razai strolled toward us, a dangerous smile threatening us. “What have we here?”
Cole, unwilling to back down, said, “Ellis fell down, and I was just helping her up.”
Darby rolled her eyes.
Razai better not buy that bull—
“Bullshit,” Razai dismissed, then addressed me. “Miss Valence, go ahead and file your useless report. I know you love those.”
“Save it,” I snapped. “I’m not going to file a report.”
Razai pretended to consider, tapping his chin and observing the bulky bully student, who was shaking with rage. Razai took his time to speak while Cole’s jaw clenched harder and harder.
That’s when I realized Razai was drawing this out. The psycho enjoyed Cole’s discomfort. As a professor, it seemed a bit strange. He wanted disorder as long as he was the one causing it.
Finally, he stated, “Valence will decide your punishment.”
I gaped as the entire audience turned their attention to me. “This isn’t my class.”
“Very good observation,” he said with patronizing slowness. “This is my class, which is why I have authority to give you choice of punishment. If you pass on it, we’ll resume our studies as usual.”
Now my fury flared. To think I’d just given him permission to hug me. Looked like both men had to be punished. “Fine. You and Cole are paired up for hand-to-hand combat.”
Unfortunately, Razai’s excitement only increased.
Damn. I thought he’d think it boring.
Darby manhandled Ember to her side, practically growling at anyone who came near the pink-haired fae, and marched the girl to the healer’s office to get her neck bruise fixed. Ember gave me a miserable wave.
And then the true chaos began.
I’d watched a few classes from my window to know what the drill was. The students paired up and used their magic and combat skills to spar.
Today was a different game. The class gathered around Razai and Cole. Razai didn’t mind the attention. “If Cole can land a single hit on me, he wins. Should be pretty easy.” His green eyes locked onto me. “Thrilling enough for you, Valence?”
Why had I done it? Why couldn’t I have just suggested Cole do a few laps?
