Page 25 of Unshaken

“No need for that, Professor Star, sibling growing pains, nothing more.” Rodyn turns to her with a sickly-sweet smile that has my hackles raised. Manipulative asshole.

“Don’t worry, sunshine, we won’t let the big bad Wolf get you. I put that on everything,” Trys says as he brushes his finger lightly over my hand. I look up, his black irises are swirling with smoke, and I know he means every word. But I’m not a damn princess.

“Thank you.” I smile, and I really mean it. I lift my opposite hand and lay it over his fingers giving him a squeeze. “I don’t need to be protected. I can look after myself. I wasn’t made to run and hide from anyone. I was raised to be a warrior, and if I have to fight to stay alive in this place, then so be it.” I let his hand go and he nods as if he understands, respecting my words and accepts what I’ve said.

“You don’t have to do it alone, Micah. Not anymore. If Rodyn won’t get his shit together, my soul is dark enough to erase him from existence without a second thought.” I lean back away from him, the movement so tiny I didn’t think he would notice, but of course he does.

“It’s OK, sunshine. There will be things about me that will chill you to the bone, and I am not afraid to admit I love to make the streets run red. It’s who I am. Who we are. The same bloodlust I’ve seen countless times in my eyes, I see in yours, and I’m fucking hard for it.” Trys’s eyes never leave mine, his gaze is so intense that I swallow past the lump in my throat. My eyes shift down, away from his observation of who he thinks I am. I refuse to even think about him hard for me in any way. I won’t deny it, it’s a heady feeling to feel wanted and accepted in such a raw, downright primal way, but it’s too much, too fast. I can’t help but wonder if there is more at play here, that we are just cogs in the wheel of destiny, moving toward a collision course with chaos. I need to get a grip on my situation fast. I need information, and I needed it yesterday.

“Don’t think too hard about it, sunshine. I know it may seem cliché, but let’s take this one day and night at a time.” He smiles, it brightens his face with the playfulness that I now attribute to him.

I nod in agreement. “Yes, one day at a time,” I reply as Ty comes back our table holding three trays, passing them out to us in silence. I look up, noticing the frown on his face I want to ask if he’s ok, but the words die on my tongue, and I leave the matter alone. I know the answer already and want to get through the rest of the class without any more drama.

The tray in front of me has a test tube of clear liquid with two empty rectangular pots next to it. I can only assume that one is for blood and the other for the liquid. We were also given a small syringe, a card with a color key to identify your species, and a sharp pin to prick our skin with.

Professor Star claps to get our attention again to give further instructions. “I have given you an identifying potion, and that alongside five drops of blood will be all you need to begin the process. Each species will turn a different color, for example, green is the color for a Witches genealogy and blue will mark you as a Wolf shifter. You should all have a key card to help. I will be coming around to discuss your bloodlines with a few of you as you get your results. Don’t be surprised if you find traces of other supernatural genes in your blood. If the traces are faint, it is usually so far down in your family tree that it could be a relative from hundreds of years ago. If the colors are concentrated, then it means that there are two distinct Supernatural bloodlines within your DNA, and this will link back to your parent or who sired you. Any questions?” she asks the room, then proceeds to walk around slowly as we all begin.

I get to work. Secure in the knowledge of exactly who my parents are and where I come from. My coven is one of the stricter ones. We’re encouraged by the Angels to maintain the purity in our bloodlines. A Light Guardian has to be perfect, or the magic the Angels infuse within their skin via the Enochian tattoos that is used to protect the Guardian won’t work.

Ty pulls out his knife, using it to slice his finger before passing it across the table to Trys, who does the same. I watch them work, completely in sync with the other as they pour the potion in one pot and drop their blood directly into the solution. I hold my breath as the potion swirls for a moment before it begins to turn green, marking them as Warlocks, then the second color, bright red appears, and begins dance slowly around the green, never touching or blending together. I immediately lift the key card and find that the red color indicates a Demonic bloodline, and my mouth falls open as I look between the two of them in shock.

“This we already know. There’s another truth for you, kitten,” Ty whispers in my ear, not fazed in the least. Trys shrugs and takes Ty’s knife, holding it out for me to use. I take it, wanting to stop and ask a thousand questions, but I can hear Professor Star coming closer, so I take the knife and cut my finger. Ty, like a gentleman, pours the solution in the pot for me and I squeeze my finger dropping the blood down into the potion. Nothing happens right away. I wonder if somehow I’ve done something wrong, when suddenly the blood and the solution begin to move. The first color to appear is bright red, and I damn near fall out my chair to get away from the lying test result before me. I stumble back, Trys catches me, and Ty grabs my chair before I hit the floor. I can almost feel Rodyn and the rest of the class looking back at me due to the commotion I’ve caused. I try to ignore him and the others as the second color appears in a deep dark green.

“This test isn’t right. This is not possible. There is no way—I can’t be—my parents are both—” I look between Trys and Ty, as if I need to explain myself, or is it more for me trying to make sense of this myself.

“I assume by your reaction, Miss Jones, that you didn’t know this about yourself?” Professor Star asks with concern, and maybe a little pity in her eyes. “This is very unusual for your coven, very unusual indeed.” She leans in, taking another look at the two distinct colors swirling around each other, humming to herself. I wish I could ask her what she thinks it means, but I have a feeling deep down inside of me that I already know the answer. I don’t want to own this truth though.

I clear my throat, desperately trying to reign in my emotions, failing miserably but trying anyway. “Can I do another test please. I shared a knife with Ty and Trys, so maybe some of their blood mixed with my own?” I’m not sure if that is even the case, I am grasping at straws, and I know it. Anything except me accepting the absolute truth. I am a hybrid and so are my Soul Tethers. I’m not sure about Esme, but I plan to ask her. I am beginning to panic; I don’t want to appear weak, but my mind is in turmoil, and I am losing control. The swooshing sound of blood pounding through my ears as my heart beats hard in time with my rapid breathing only alarms me more.

“I cleaned the knife before I gave it to you, sunshine. That’s all you in that pot,” Trys says somberly, and my stomach drops at the absurdity of it. I mean, my mother was the fucking Headmistress of Caelum Academy, there is no way she would be a Demon. My father was an active Light Guardian, now a professor. Neither one of them would be able to set one toe in there if they weren’t 100 percent Witch or Warlock. Nausea rises up in my throat like a tidal wave as my emotions spill up and out of me in a violent torrent of confusion and anger. The classroom begins to spin, laughter rings out, and I spot the bitch Sasha enjoying the show. Ty lifts me off my feet and cradles me bridal style as I begin to dry heave. He races with me clutched to his chest towards the door of the classroom. I can hear more laughter as we leave, turning down the hall, followed by the sound of Professor Star saying something to the class as we exit out of a side door.

Fresh air hits my lungs, but I still can’t breathe. I grab at this ridiculous bowtie around my neck, tossing it away from me as I take deep breaths. I can’t control myself. I can’t find my focus as my body reacts to stress. Benches begin to rise from the ground, levitating around the lawn. The wind begins to whip around us wildly, trees sway violently, rocks and leaves rise and shoot around like weapons, causing students to run for cover. Ty collapses into the grass, continuing to hold me as my world spins out of control. I lean over his arm and emptying out the contents of my breakfast as tears prick my eyes. I look around in horror at the chaos I’m causing, this is me. All of me. Dangerous. Dark. Deadly. If Ty was disgusted by me spewing everywhere, he doesn’t show it. He just holds me saying nothing, curling himself over me, protecting me from my own torrent of magic as my heart sinks, and everything I thought I knew about myself falls apart.

I’ve been living in a false reality. My father is not my real father. The only thing that keeps bouncing off the walls of my pounding skull is one word.

Demon.

Seventeen

MICAH

Ican hear the sound of my parents' raised voices as I make my way down the hall from my room. I know I was told to stay put but they sound so angry. It’s my fault. My momma and daddy never fight. A door slams, causing me to flinch, I shrink back into an alcove in the hallway. The glass vase with my momma’s favorite flowers rocks back and forth, I hold my hands out to steady it. If I break her vase, she will never forgive me, and with her already mad, I will be punished for sure. Their voices get louder as I get closer, and I stop as Marcus cracks his door open. My baby brother has his thumb hanging between his teeth. He’s been warned to keep it out of his mouth, but he sneaks a suck or two when he’s alone in his room. I look at him, his eyes wide in fear. I hold up my finger to my lips, hoping he doesn’t start crying. That will send my parents running to his aid and I would be busted for sure. I tiptoe over to his door, and he holds his hand out for me.

“Stay with me, Mi,” he says as the shouts cause him to whimper.

I wrap my arms around him, patting his back, rocking him like my momma always does when I hurt or cry. “I got you, panda. I did this. I want to make it right. I will be right back, OK? Then we can watchLion King, you and me.” His eyes light up at the mention of his favorite movie, and it’s enough to settle him. I push away, holding my finger to my lips again as I quietly close the door.

“How is this possible, Verity?!” my father yells as my back hits the wall and I slide down to listen at their door.

“She’s special, blessed with more magic, Kalob. We should be happy, proud.” I can hear my mother’s heels hitting the floor as she takes them off.

“She can control all four elements, Verity!” my father shouts

“So! It’s rare but not unheard of, Kalob. We’re both triple elementals. It’s not a big deal,” she says as something crashes against the floor.

“Not a big deal. What about: Telekinesis, Telepathy, and the fucking shadows pouring from her hands.” I cover my mouth as tears spring to my eyes. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I couldn’t control my magic in front of the Council. My magic had just manifested, my parents were as shocked as everyone else in the room. All of their eyes were on me, the whispers of concern, the gasps of horror, I felt so small. The look on my daddy’s face made me cry in front of all my friends. I am a freak.

“Kalob, we can help her control herself. The Council are concerned yes, but we can fix this. We can push her Elemental magic and suppress the rest by not allowing her to use it. If I need to block her, then I will, but I think we can manage this.” My mother sounds like she’s trying to make my daddy feel better, and I cry in frustration because he’s mad at me.

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