XXXIII ||| She Ain’t No Fairy Godmother, Cinderella’s Full of Shite

We both gasped, "You can hear him?"

A nod, "I can hear all kinds of animals even if they aren't bonded to me, Hel. Normal and supernatural. Don't you think I'm awesome?"

Awesome? Maybe. Egocentric? Absolutely. "Hell yeah."

["Ugh, I'm embarrassed. To think she heard everything I said."]

"Worry not, Jack, the black Wolpertinger, nothing surprises me. You should go now, sweetheart." Me?

I blinked, "Oh, yes. I came for my schedule," I looked down at the iPad. "How do I see it?" For some reason, my picture doesn't look as ugly as it did minutes ago, now that I know the reason to my change. "What's my first class?"

The hair in the nape of my neck went up and before I could even turn around, I knew exactly who was right behind me. "Advanced Myths and Truths of the Supernatural World," he spoke, and his voice sounded deeper and more entrancing than it did yesterday.

["He's staring very intensely at you."]

I don't want to know. My entire body tensed, and I felt something burn instead of freezing, my mouth suddenly dried and my heartbeat sky-rocketed. And I'm pretty sure my face must be burning up. Maybe it's a fever.

["You mean a lovesick fever?"] He teased.

If you say anything more, I'll slice you in tiny pieces, Jack.

["Ah, I'm starting to live your death threats, Hel!"]

Arsehole.

"Hel, I called out best student to guide you today. He's also on all of your classes, together with Felix, and our other top students. Given your impeccable record, I took the liberty to put you in all the advanced classes. I'm sure you will do well. And it's only fair, as you intend to take the 1st spot in the Academy, hm?" Mia exclaimed in the grace of a Queen.

I clenched my jaw. What the hell?

"If you haven't been properly introduced, I can do that, as the times you two met ended up in chaos and glass shattering," oh, dear Goddess. "He's our top 1 student, the Crowned Prince of the Vampire Court, Oliver-Sean Montgomery Strauss-Khan. Also the strongest student in magic and all topics you can imagine. He knows the Castle with the palm of his hand, and he's also my first and only pupil," her what now? "If you really intend to take the 1st spot, it's him that you will have to overthrow in here. I'll be looking forward to this." Closing my eyes and clenching my fists, I cursed Mia and all her ancestry tree.

Sorry for that Abellona, you're collateral damage.

Holding up not to have another explosion of frustration, I took a deep breath and finished my tea, doing my best to ignore him, his proximity, and how he was burning two holes in my back with those eyes of his. "Thank you very much, godmother Mia," so what if she's his master.

"Godmother?" He mumbled, still with eyes on my back.

"Ah, Oli, I forgot to tell you, I'm Hel's godmother," all of a sudden the old witch smiled kindly as if she was the sweetest person on the earth. "Crazy world. But keep it a secret for this master of yours, alright, Oli? I don't want people thinking I accepted her here out of nepotism."

That made me scoff bitterly, "Though you kind of did," I licked my lips, still with my back to him. "Just not for your part."

"That's a way to put it, but you did belong here, Hel," she winked at me. "And we both know that, hm? Didn't the spirits tell you? Didn't they tell you to come here?"

What is she saying in front of him? "I have no idea of what you are saying, godmother Mia," I feigned ignorance. "I don't talk with spirits."

"But they talk to you," Mia leaned closer. "Don't worry, Oli isn't a threat to you!" What is she going with this?

Taking a deep breath, face blank, I sent the bottle to my ring and only carried the iPad and the iPen on my hands, phone on my pocket, ear buds still on my ears but turned off, then I got up, gathering all my courage to turn around, "I know he isn't. But I am to him!"

And even though I tried to prepare myself to meet his turquoise eyes, it still didn't help on the overwhelming heat that spread inside my chest, burning everything on the way down and up. Despite my desire to stay as far away from him as possible, I held his gaze, refusing to look away and lose this staring contest he started it. "You aren't a danger to me, Hel!"

If it was possible, it all became even more overwhelming the instant he called me by my name for the first time, it took my breath away, and it made me want to tell him to say it again, just for me to lavish myself in the delicious sound of my name in his beautiful mouth.

Ugh. I hate this disgusting mating bond. "You say that because you don't know me, Oliver," I said as dryly as possible, but I could tell hearing me call him by his name had the same affect on him as it had on me when he called me Hel. "Thank you for the help, Mia. It meant a lot to me. After I'm done with the reading, I'll come to you again." I said it all while keeping my gaze on his, bending my neck to look up given our infuriating height difference.

I've never hated my height so much in my life.

"I'll be waiting, sweetheart. And please, avoid using your sound magic to break the glasses around here. I heard it happened again in your dorm. We need to work on that," aye, why is she bringing that up again.

And in front of him. How embarrassing. Feeling it hard to keep my blank face, I turned around to face her, breaking eye contact with him, even if all my body wanted to do was to stay like that. "I'm sorry, Mia. It was an accident. I'll try to control my abilities better. I'm not used to either the sound or the purple flame yet, but I'll work on it."

She winked, "That's why you're here, sweetheart, to control all the power that lies within you. You still haven't awakened everything, I can tell that much. But you know that already, don't you?"

Of course, mom told me. "I'll avoid destroying the Castle."

"Just the glasses is okay. Feel free to unleash your inner Goddess out here, sweetheart. This Academy is made for that, after all!"

["Inner Goddess? Is she referring to your serpent?"]

Definitely. But in a way hot-turquoise-eyes behind me won't get the memo. "You don't know what you're asking," I chuckled anxiously.

"Oh, dear, we both know that I know that very well," ugh, she is all eerie again. "Now, go. I can tell Jack, the Wolpertinger is thirsty. You need to give him some animal blood. Right, Jack?"

["Of course! I need to be feed."]

She grinned at him, "You sure do. And as I'm feeling good right now, you can get her to get you three to four bottles."

"Hey, I'm not his servant girl!" I scoffed.

["We are bonded!"]

"Yeah, so what?" I glared at him, then at her. "But I'll do him the courtesy of getting him some blood to drink. I can't give him mine after all. I still need him alive." When I said that, Oliver choked behind me, and I got all too conscious again.

"No, you certainly can't," she clicked her tongue. "AB+ right?"

I frowned, "What? My blood type?"

A nod, "Yes," then she waved one of my documents in her hand.

"Yes, I'm an AB+, can get blood from everyone but only give mine to AB+… in theory," I licked my fangs. "But we know that would be very, very deadly, Mia."

"Not to all people, Hel," there is her smug face again.

Just like that, I tensed up, "I have no desire on trying that out."

["She's all hot and cold, ain't she?"] Jack scoffed.

That's an understatement. "Do you need anything else from me?"

"No, no," she baited her eyelashes, again, looking all kind, sweet and lovely. Which she is far from being. "You can go with Oli, Hel. And don't even try getting away from him today, at least for today."

She must be fucking with me.

["Maybe she wants you to fuck him."]

Mia choked on her tea, laughing out loud, "Oh my, you're the best, Jack," ugh. "The best," she said chuckling.

Clenching my teeth, feeling my face burn even more, I glared at him and he had the decency of avoiding my eyes, but I held his chin and made him look at me with all of his eyes, "Jack, I'm going to torture you if you keep this up. And you better know I'm not joking."

["You wouldn't dare!"]

I tightened my grip on his chin, "Oh, but I will. And I'll enjoy it."

["Mia, Mia, Mia, help me,"] he cried.

"Oh, come on, Hel," she said, still trying to control her laughter. "He's just joking around."

But I kept my eyes on him, "He jokes around way too much, with shit he knows he shouldn't. That must be because he has a death wish, hm, Jack? Do you want me to show you how you torture someone?"

"Aye, you're scaring him, Hel," she chuckled.

"He should be scared. That way he'll zip his smart mouth."

["Sorry, sorry, Hel. I just speak my mind. Besides, it's like you did not think that. You naughty girl,"] when Mia burst out laughing again, I grabbed him by the wings with my other life.

"That's it, I'm done with you," I groaned.

["No, no, no, not my wing!"] He cried.

"Then shut the fuck up, Jack!" And thankfully, he pressed his lips tight together. "Hah, so, you only obey when I'm aggressive? Masochist, much?" He said nothing but I could tell he wanted to by how his lips shook. After a second glaring at him, I turned to Mia, "Not funny!"

And she still has that giggling smile on, "I'm not laughing."

"And I'm 17," I scoffed, but when I turned around, I hit my body on Oliver's chest, and when I glared at him, he was smiling. Not just a smile, but as Felix's says, a panty-dropping smile, that made me melt inside, but I managed to keep a straight face. "What are you laughing at, bastard?"

"You," slowly he passed his tongue over his bottom lip, sending a wave of shocks into my belly, and I found myself swallowing hard at the sight of him… imagining stuff I shouldn't. And when I looked at his eyes again, they were on me. "See something you like?"

"Arsehole," I pushed him aside and strode out of Mia's office.