Chapter 4

ARIA   On the way to breakfast, everything seemed strange. Girls were at every window on my way, watching something and giggling. On the second flight of stairs, I gave up and came closer.   “What the hell is going on there?” I asked.   “It’s the warlock!” one of them said covering her mouth as if it was a sin to mention Kingston.    “What about him?” I sighed but looked in the direction their eyes were glued. And oh my! There he was – Alexander Kingston in the flesh. Literally. Because he was not wearing a shirt, just some kind of training pants. He was exercising and using magic at the same time. Something warlocks do regularly to have their body, mind, and powers in sync.  Fire… So, he uses fire the most. Flames were appearing from nowhere in his hands and he was controlling them, making them do whatever he wanted and stretching his body at the same time. All his muscles were flexed and crystals of sweat were covering his torso. Damn! Why are all assholes so hot?! It’s just not fair!   “I would go to any extra classes he has to offer!” a girl next to me giggles.   “You are a werewolf! What do you have to learn from a warlock?” her friend snorts.   “Maybe I want to expand the horizons of my general knowledge?” the first one laughs and I roll my eyes. Suddenly they both stop talking and leave quickly. But I pay no intention to that. I look at Kingston and how easy it is for him to summon the fire element. How beautiful it looks – fire at the tip of his fingers. Sometimes I think that if I was a witch, Fire would be my prime element as well. Just like mum’s.    When I still believed that I can become something, I experimented with fire. I thought that if I try really hard to summon it – it would come. I have a scar on my wrist proving that it’s not true. I sigh heavily, burying this memory deep inside my soul once again.   “Pathetic!” I hear a familiar voice behind my back and do not even turn.   “You are too hard on yourself, Hunter,” I smirk.   “Watching a man who would never be yours train,” he snorts, “Pathetic!”   “You need to learn new words one of these days,” I sign, “You know, there are books for that. Books are little pieces of paper glued together if…”   He turns me to look at him with one swift move and I meet the golden eyes of his wolf.   “Clever Aria,” he sneers, “Books are her only friends. And the closest she can get to a man is just by peeping on him from afar.”   “Funny you should say that, considering how close you are to me right now!” I am not intimidated by him in the least, “And considering I can’t get you to pay me no attention however hard I try!”   “Attention? This?” he snorts, “Aria, that’s a pity. Someone needs to tell you the truth. So that you don’t have any illusions about your place in this world. No werewolf and no warlock would ever want to be with you. You are not worth the risk. So the sooner you accept it the better!”   “How kind of you,” I almost grit through my teeth. Each word of his is like a sharp knife in my heart. Deep inside I know it’s the truth. But somehow hearing it makes it ten thousand times worse! “You do know we live in the 21st century, though, right? A woman doesn’t need a man to be fulfilled in life!”   “Something women who have no men like to tell to themselves,” he smirks.   “I don’t know,” I sigh, “Look at Marissa – she doesn’t have a real man and she looks fine to me.”   That was the last straw and I knew it when I said it. He presses me into the wall, caging me between his two huge hands. Just like yesterday. He bends closer and closer to my face…   “Hunter, baby! What are you still doing here?” Marissa’s voice sounds and we both turn to look at her.    “I couldn’t part with you, babe, so decided to wait,” he says, leaving me alone. Finally. “And then I met this human here and just had to pay respects to royalty!”   They both laugh and then he pulls her in for a very explicit kiss. She jumps up and circles her legs around his waist. They both growl from time to time and I feel like I am going to puke any moment now.    I walk past the both of them and notice that Marissa is already licking his neck. Right in the place where a mark should go. The mark that they would never put on each other. Because they are not mates.   I must have looked for too long because  Hunter suddenly looks at me, his eyes golden again, an ugly smirk on his perfect face…    At the dining hall, I sit next to my brother and his friends. They are all nice to me and thanks to this I manage to eat in peace and quiet. I am almost done with my omelet when a huge shadow covers me.  I raise my eyes and almost choke when I see Alexander Kingston, still shirtless and sweaty, with a towel on his shoulder, standing above me.   “You are late!” he says firmly with just a hint of annoyance.   “Earfly fo wot?” I almost choke on my breakfast absolutely not getting his point.   “I have sent you your timetable yesterday!” he informs me without any kind of emotions.   “I didn’t see it,” I shrug my shoulders.   “It was in a letter and I left it on your desk”.   “You mean the letter with the school stamp?” I raise my brow.   “Yes”   “I didn’t open it,” I admit honestly.  “And why the hell not?”   “Because these kinds of letters are usually for my parents. I just threw it in a bag and…”   “Doesn’t matter!” he interjects, raising his hand, “We were supposed to practice together from 6 am. And you didn’t come!”   “Are you for real? I wouldn’t come at 6 am to meet you even if I knew!” I snort, “Besides, have you no clothes? You do remember that you are a teacher here, right?”   “I do. That’s why you have detention tonight. And you will work it out on the field. 2 or 3 hours would be fine and I will be waiting for you,” he smirks.   God, I hate the guy!   “What’s this? Magic Mike?” everybody in the dining hall hears Hunter’s voice, who appears right next to us in no time. Honestly, Hunter is only wearing a shirt right now because it’s the rule of the school. Otherwise, he would be shirtless himself. He lives for this. And now he is judging someone for the same behaviour?!    “Ah, Mr. Forrester! Good that you are here. How is your hand?” Kingston grins at him.   “Fine as you can see,” Hunter smiles and shows him… yeah, he shows his middle finger. To a teacher…   “Perfect!” the warlock smirks, “Then you are going to work with Miss Grayson here at the detention. Field. 4 pm. Sharp. See you both there.”   And with that, he leaves the hall confidently under gazes of hundreds of eyes…   I look at Hunter and he looks at me. s**t. This day is only starting but it can’t get any worse!