Laithe wants me to take the mark because it would free him from babysitting duty. If Jarron could track me and know when I was okay all the time, I wouldn’t need the middleman.
But since I’m stubborn to a fault, I need all the information I can get about what I may be getting myself into before I make my choice.
Before I came to this school, I promised myself I’d remain independent of the supernatural world. I wanted to be powerful on my own, not with anyone’s help. So, to accept a claiming mark from Jarron, in some ways, feels like a betrayal to my past self.
Even if I’ve come to the conclusion that my past self was a moron.
So many of those beliefs came from the fear of what Jarron was. We had a bad moment once four years ago—when he turned into his demon form and stalked my sister.
My stomach sinks.
It’s hard for me to even think about that night now. Because what if it’s the true evidence that Jarron chose Liz that night, not me? Why else would he have stalkedher?
I shake the thought from my mind.
Information. That’s something—one of the only things—I can control right now. I will arm myself with as much knowledge as I can get. Beginning with what exactly it means to allow a magical being to mark me.
5
A New Inner Circle
“Are you ready?” Laithe’s smooth voice pulls me out of my focus. I look up from my scattered notes to the clock to find it’s already almost 8:30 a.m. I’d spent over an hour reading, jotting notes to try to help it all settle in my mind.
Most of it is information I already know, but writing it down helps me conceptualize it better.
Bite:non-magical, surface level only. Heals just as any wound would. Some supernaturals bite out of pleasure or desire to inflict pain, others as a source of sustenance, like vampires and some species of demon.
Claiming mark: A bite that creates a magical link between the two beings. Will last for several months, depending on the magical strength of the being who gave it. These can be erased if replaced by a stronger magical being. This magical link can create a limited psychic and/or emotional link, where the two beings can feel as the other feels, see what the other sees and speak through the magic. The strength of this link depends on magic level of the being, and the strength of the emotional connection. Marks are not limited to one, and with each new mark the link grows in strength.
A Bond:A permeant link that will never erase or diminish, regardless of separation or time. It magically connects the two souls forever. To achieve a bond with a High Orzian, it requires a series of marks. One on each wrist and each ankle. A bond with a fae requires a spell and ceremony. Wolves, a community ceremony during a blood moon.
I stand and stretch my cramped muscles then follow Laithe from the speakeasy and out into the hall. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?”
“The main entrance of the academy.”
“Oh.” I have no idea what kind of surprise will be at the main entrance. Although, I’m excited just by the prospect of being able to leave Elite Hall.
I haven’t even been allowed to attend my classes. Other than a few meetings with Mrs. Bhatt and the occasional private lessons from Professor Zyair, I may as well have dropped out of school.
I bite my lip as I finally pass through the entrance from Elite Hall into the main hallway.
It doesn’t take long before I hear loud chattering up ahead and I realize there is an enormous crowd at our destination. I don’t think I’ve ever approached the main entrance hall from this direction before because staring down at the front doors from the second story is bizarre. There are hundreds of people gathered, looking up at me like I’m royalty or something.
My heart hammers faster.
The memory of my first moment in this school rushes back to me. I walked through those massive doors and found myself suffocated by the packed bodies staring up at the demon royalty.
I swallow, realizing that I am now that royalty, at least to those looking up at me. Maybe it’s temporary. Maybe it’s fleeting. But for the moment, that’s who I am.
“What is going on?” I whisper to Laithe.
They just smile.
We walk down one side of the marble stairs to find Mrs. Bhatt waiting for us with a big smile. She’s always been rather stiff to me, but she hasn’t ever done anything against my best interest, so I try to like her.
The crowd parts to allow me passage onto the platform between the two sets of stairs. That’s when I see Lola and Janet, and my panic is broken.
Lola flutters up and hovers in front of my nose, her purple wings beating so fast they’re a blur. Then, she spins around and lands on my shoulder. “You okay? You look pale.” Her voice is quiet.
