“That’s because he has weak-ass powers.” The barriers would have stopped anyone who’d mastered their darkness. The only thing Spencer had mastered was the ability to get under my skin in record time.
This sucked. Everything about this totally and completely sucked balls. I didn’t want to be on the same planet with the guy. Now I had to work with him. I checked the time and cringed. “Do we really have to do this?”
“If by ‘this’ you mean allow Spencer Dalton onto school grounds and to teach 3C, then yes. I fully expect you to report in with me every day after class.”
“You want me to spy.”
She smiled warmly instead of answering. Her gesture was answer enough. “You’d better get going.”
Pushing out of the chair with a groan, I debated my decision. I could tell her no, storm out in dramatic fashion, and lose the trust of my friend and mentor. Or, as much as I hated the idea, I could suck it up and do exactly as instructed.
Sometimes it sucked doing the right thing.
I was in no hurry to see Spencer again and took my time walking to the 3C building, not even trying to dodge all the rain that had rerouted midair so every last drop drenched me. By the time I stood under the protective awning over the front doors, I was soggy and dripping. My shoes sloshed as I opened the door and stepped inside.
And promptly slipped on the linoleum, my little buckle shoes no match for the wet floor. Down I went, face-first, bouncing twice before settling, sprawled out, my nose resting against the cold surface.
Well, that was graceful. And painful. Linoleum was damn hard.
The classroom fell silent aside from a few snickers. I felt a presence above me and tightened every muscle, bracing myself for a fight.
“Hello, Katy. So good of you to join us.” That buttery-rich English accent grated on my nerves. “That was quite an entrance. What do you do for an encore?”
The classroom erupted in laughter at my expense. I so, so hated Spencer Dalton. Aside from the whole trying to kill me thing. Aside from magically enhancing me with a darkness I still had trouble controlling. Even aside from him hooking up with my mom. It was his blatant arrogance I hated the most.
I rolled to my back and stared straight up. He, of course, stepped into my line of sight. To someone who didn’t know of the evil lurking just below the surface, he gave off the perfect good-boy image. The bold blue eyes. The blond hair he’d cropped short, no doubt for his first day as a professor at the academy. His robes were even wrinkle-free.
“Do you need any help getting to your feet? Or do you plan to assist me from the floor?”
Reluctantly, I pushed myself up and stepped back several feet to put space between us. I didn’t trust myself if I was within swinging distance. Once I settled in, I really got a good look at the man who’d made my life hell since the Council had imported him in from the UK to train me.
This was the first time I’d seen him since that night on the bridge, when he and his buddy Alec von Leer had revealed themselves as my mom’s partners in crime—and in other ways too, which still gave me nightmares to think about. He’d filled out more, with broader shoulders, thicker neck, and he even seemed more golden tan. It had to be fake since the sun hadn’t shined on the island for months.
If I didn’t already know how dark he was, the evil he was capable of, I’d quite possibly sway at the sight. He was true beauty, chiseled to perfection with those high cheekbones and square jaw. I stole a glance at the students and wasn’t surprised to see the front row full of doe-eyed females all completely engrossed with and focused on Spencer.
Pahleez.
The smirk twisting his arrogant face had me ready to blast him back to the depths of hell from which he came. “I see you’ve finally let your hair down. It looks quite nice.”
A compliment from this guy was worse than the most offensive insult from anyone else. I gave him a bored look and turned to face the students. “Okay, who’s ready for a demonstration?”
The students cheered. Some pounded the desks while others clapped. The class loved my demos, and I loved to give them. They were fun, broke the tension, and got them excited for the lesson. I figured with who was now running the show, they’d need a little boost.
“There will be no demonstration.” Instantly, their excitement dimmed as Spencer stepped forward, his hands up. “No training battles. No use of your powers in any way. This class is about control, something the previous professor lacked.”
Jebus, it was like he’d just taken away their birthdays and Christmases. Every last student deflated and dropped their gaze. I stepped forward. “Spencer, come on.”
“It’s Professor Dalton,” he snapped as he shot me a glare. “I trust you’ll remember your place in my classroom.”
Was he kidding me right now? I’d been the TA in this class the entire year, the prophecy for twice that, and had kicked his ass countless times. I knew my place, and it sure as hell wasn’t bowing down to the likes of him.
“Now you listen to me, you son of a bit—”
“Stand down, Reed.”
I whipped around and didn’t know whether to be pissed Rob had cut me off or relieved he and Leo had arrived as the classroom’s security detail. I wasn’t worried about my safety. I could handle anything Spencer hurled my way. I worried about the students and whatever plan he had for them. It couldn’t be rando that he’d been appointed as the professor for the one class that taught brand-new elementals how to call, control, and conceal their powers.
Just what the hell kind of deal did he strike with Graves?
