“McClintock?” Alvez says, smiling at Jackson. “Anything to report? I am particrly interested in the
results of this pairing.”
“Why?” Rafe says, the word abrupt. All of our faces turn to brother, Tony leaning around Jackson to get
a good look.
Alvez just raises his eyebrows.
“Why?” Rafe asks again, slinging an arm over the back of his chair. “What’s so special about the
pairing between rk and McClintock?”
“Because,” Alvez replies, even. “I have the sense that their magical affinitiesplement each other.”
Jackson goes rigid in his seat next to me, but I just turn my head, curious. What is this man up to.
“I know it seemed, perhaps, by chance how I paired you up in thest ss and for your homework
sessions, but the orb gives more than sense that you can do magic. It also gives a sense of what that
magic might be.”
“What the hell,” Jesse says, frowning at our professor. “Why didn’t you tell us thisst time? Wouldn’t it
have been useful to know that whoever we were paired up with for homework was our best match?
And, also, that you already know what we can do?”
“I don’t know what you can do,” Alvez corrects, his voice still calm and even though the rest of us are a
little ruffled by the news. “I simply have a sense,” he says, gesturing back to the diagrams on the board,
“of where your affinities mighty.”
“No, I’m with Sinir,” Tony says, shaking his head at Alvez. “You should have told us this, if you
already know. You expected a lot of honesty from usst ss while withholding information.”
“I understand your point, and your objection,” Alvez says smoothly, nodding and looking around at each
of us in turn. “But I do find that the results are better when students go into the first pairing with less
information and more freedom to experiment. Everything here is
deliberate, nned. I would ask you to please trust me both as a person, and as your professor.”
I narrow my eyes a little at this man, though, my wolf’s hackles raising. Because honestly, I’m not sure I
do trust him. Tony is right he asks for a lot while holding his own cards quite close to his chest.
And considering the leverage he’s holding over me…
“So?” Alvez says, turning his attention back to me, raising an eyebrow and perhaps reminding me of
that leverage with the little smirk on his handsome mouth. I sigh, tom suddenly between my obligation
to this man and my promise to my mate.
But, I think I can find a line to walk between the two.
“We had a result, yes,” I say, trying to channel Jackson’s energy and keep my voice as stony and
expressionless as possible. “I melted the marble into a puddle of ss.”
Tony gasps in excitement, but Jesse and Rafe – for whom this no longer a novelty – simply turn to
listen.
“You melted the marble?” Alvez says, emphasizing the first word with interest.
“Yes,” I say, not looking at Jackson as I nod solemnly. “I could feel the magicing from me. Jackson
and I tried to do things to the marble together, but when it didn’t work, we both tried individual
experiments. I didn’t tell him that I was trying to melt it, I just did it by myself. And it worked.”
Jackson stays silent and stoic at my side.
“Very interesting,” Alvez says, smiling and looking between us. “And, it confirms the cement of your
affinity along the lines reported by the orb, rk. There is indeed an aspect of heat to your magical
gift.”
He stands then as Jesse and Rafe stare at me, baffled but also a little delighted to see this information
come forward. Alvez stands then and moves towards the chalkboard, beginning to exin the
complicated diagram which he has drawn out. He informs us that there are six main categories of
magic light, dark, earth, sun, body, and spirit – and they blend andbine in unique ways.
The next hour passes in a blur, so fascinated am I by the lesson. Apparently, my magic is primarily sun
magic, if it has something to do with heat. But what I can truly do with it has great deal to do with how
much of the other magical categories my magic engages.
“Wait so,” Jesse interrupts, his voice dazed with his own interest as Alvezys out the details for us.
“Why, then, were you excited to see rk lined up with McClintock? What are his powers?”
Jackson goes slumps in his chair beside me and I sit up straight. “There was nothing –“
But Alvez interrupts. “McClintock is Body and Sun,” he murmurs, still studying the diagram. “I figured
the Sun connection between the two of them would produce an interesting result. The whole system is
a great metaphor though, it isn’t as precisely scientific and factual as I’d like it to be.”
Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.
I look over at Jackson as Alvez’s back is turned and he looks back at me, his face expressionless. But
he gives me a steady nod, letting me know that we’re okay – that I haven’t done anything that he feels
has betrayed him. I nod back, letting him know that I
won’t.
“Wait, so, what am I?” Jesse asks, all eagerness.
“You, Jesse Sinir,” Alvez says, pointing to two spots on the diagram, “are heavy on darkness with a
touch of spirit.”
“Awesome,” Jesse murmurs, leaning back into his chair. “I don’t know what that means, but it’s
definitely more badass than the rest of you.”
Iugh, leaning over to re at him, but he just grins at me.
“And you, Rafe,” Alvez says, pointing to new spots on the board. “Disy a strong affinity for light and
body, which is an unusualbination. Cadet Davis, perhaps unsurprisingly,”
says, turning to Tony, “is most promising in the categories of earth and darkness, which exins why
he has a connection with water – cool and deep.”
he
“Wait,” I say, frowning as Tony nods, unsurprised. “Why does everyone else get two? You only said sun
for me.”
“Because,” Alvez says, leaning forward on his desk and studying me further. “The orb only
reported that affinity for you, rk. Which is rare. A strong connection to one category – we’ll have to
see what the result of this is.”
I scowl, slumping back in my seat, a little disappointed. Jesse is right – just being sun does not
compare, at all, to darkness and spirit.
The rest of the ss goes quicky, with four of us peppering Alvez with questions while he exins as
best as he can. By the end of ss I think we’re all as confused as we are excited, though I don’t miss
at all that Jackson simply sits quietly. He doesn’t seem…mad, precisely. He just sits still, like he’s
passing the time. Like he’s here because he’s obliged to be, but that doesn’t mean he has to
participate.
–
–
“For homework,” Alvez says, startling me out of my contemtion of my mate for a moment as our time
runs short. “I’d like you each to return to your pairings and try again. mounted with this new knowledge.
rk and McClintock,” he says, “see if this time you can experiment with making McClintock’s power
manifest. And rk, I’d like to see you in my office early next week for some…private consultation
regarding your singr affinity. See if we can make heads or tails of it.”
Rafe goes rigid next to me at the idea. I admit, I do too. Inwardly, my wolf leaps to her feet, baring her
teeth. But I just nod to Alvez because… I mean, what other choice do I have?