“A slutty crow shifter?” I finish for her.
She snorts, and I grin though inside I’m freaking out. Something is definitely wrong with the magic, and my heart races as I think of the remnants of my curse that are still clinging to me. Clearly, this must be a side effect. For a horrible moment, I wonder if I’ll turn back into a crow if I keep using the magic.Don’t be silly, Shade. That’s not going to happen.But my words are empty, because I can’t know that for sure. I hardly know anything about shadow magic.
“Kenzie, are there any, you know, normal clothes around here that I can wear?” I ask.So much for pink hair.I try not to pout, because I hadreallybeen looking forward to that.
My roommate shakes her head. “Sorry, with the rings no one needs spare clothes. You can remove what you have on, but I don’t have anything else for you to wear. The power we get from the rings is limited, and while I could take off my clothes and give you a set, who knows how long they’d last when I’m not wearing them. The outfit could disappear in minutes or hours. I just have no idea. You probably need to see Professor Lankin. She teaches Shadow Basics, and she might be able to figure out why your magic is going wrong.”
I weigh up my options. Explaining to one of the professors why I’m broken doesn’t seem like the best idea when I’ve just arrived here. What if the guys don’t remember me because it was another professor who wiped my memory? Before I can make up my mind, a soft, eerie melody sounds from the corridor outside our room, and Kenzie tenses like it’s a battle alarm. “That’s the dinner bell. If we’re late, we’ll be punished.”
“Punished?”
“Trust me,” she answers, “punctuality is taken very seriously around here.”
Great,I mumble internally, feeling like I’ve officially stumbled into a nightmare because being on time isn’t exactly a skill of mine.
I plaster a smile onto my face. “All righty, a breezy dinner it is then.” Honestly, I don’t really care about nudity, but I had hoped not to stand out so much. Oh well.
My roommate gives me a sympathetic look. “You sure?” She says it like I have a choice in the matter, but going from what she’s said, I really don’t. Not unless I want to risk getting punished. At that thought, I think of the four stupidly attractive men who brought me here, but I quickly push them from my mind. Fantasizing won’t help me now.
“Yep,” I lie. “Show me to the food.”
Chapter Ten
~ Shade ~
When we exit our dorm, the corridor is filled with students. Like Kenzie, they’re all wearing dark leathers with multiple weapons strapped to them. I get more than a few looks as we walk, but no one says a word. That is, until a tall, dark-haired girl steps out from a room a little further up. She twists her head, her long, glossy hair falling over her shoulders, and her eyes travel over me as she scrutinizes my outfit.
“Looks like we’re getting nighttime entertainment,” she snickers to the girl who exits the dorm after her. “And here I thought they only chose the best to attend Shadowbone. They must be lowering their standards if they’re enlisting strippers now.” Her gaze slides to Kenzie, the cruel glint in her eyes at odds with her soft smile. “I can see why Professor Thane stuck the new girl with you. You rejects deserve each other.”
Whoa.I stare at her, stunned by the venom she just spat out.Did she wake from a nap or something?I know sometimes I’mcranky when people wake me, but then it clicks. “Ohhhh, I get it.” I grin broadly. “You’re the head mean girl.”
“Shade,” Kenzie hisses in horror.
“What? She is though, right? You know, the one who thinks she’s all that, and treats everyone else like dirt, but no one actually likes her.”
I realize after, that I shouldn’t have stupidly said that out loud. You’d think self-preservation would have kicked in by now.Oops.
When I stare back at the girl, her left eye is twitching. “Howdareyou!” she seethes.
Giving her a sheepish smile, I lift my hands in a placating gesture. “Or not. I’m new here and could be completely wrong.”I’m willing to bet I’m not, though.
Kenzie drags me away, probably trying to stop me from making it worse, and the tall girl gapes at me as we move down the corridor, her mouth opening and closing like she’s speechless for the first time in her life.
“Satine isnothated by all. People love her!” the girl’s roommate finally calls after us, but going by her delayed reaction, I’m sure I hit some truths.
I don’t feel bad about it.
Beside me, I can tell Kenzie isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. When we round the corner, the first option wins and she bursts into laughter. “What was that? Are you crazy!”
I give her a quizzical look. “Possibly?”
Satine and her friend come up behind us, shoving past and storming down the corridor. Kenzie abruptly stops laughing, holding it in until they’re out of sight, then she bursts out laughing again.
“I don’t know whether to be impressed or mortified,” she tells me. “You’re going to have to watch your back.”
I wince. “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“No one speaks to Satine like that, and that girl is in a constant foul mood. I’d say you just rose high on her list of targets.”
