Page 10 of Elmwood Inclusive Magic Academy
I freeze. Two tiny pinpricks of red light shine from the underbrush in front of me. I look to my right, but the road has vanished. There’s a low, guttural growl from the bushes. Another set of red eyes joins the first, and then another.
Wordless panic seizes me, and I turn to run. But my foot catches on something in the underbrush and I fall flat on my face, branches scratching at my neck and arms. My phone tumbles into the darkness. With an ominous tingle, I can feel the presence of a pack of creatures surrounding me. By the dim light of the moon, I can see them closing in on me, slowly. Their eyes glow red in the darkness of the woods, snarling jowls snapping in my direction.
Before I can stumble to my feet, I hear a loud, deep growling. Out of nowhere, an enormous wolf leaps between me and the creatures. It’s much bigger than a normal wolf, power radiating from its silver-gray fur. The wolf throws its head up and howls powerfully, and the creatures back away. The wolf snaps at them, bright white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. The creatures’ red eyes disappear as they scatter back into the forest, whimpering.
I’m panting heavily, lying still on my back. With all my energy, I summon a simple light charm, casting an amber glow across the path.
I stare, transfixed, as the wolf shifts into a tall, slender woman. She’s completely naked when she shifts, but doesn’t seem self-conscious the way I would be if I was standing naked in the woods in front of a complete stranger. She’s about my age, but a few inches taller than I am, with long, dark, straight hair. Her yellow wolf’s eyes are the last thing to change, to a rich dark brown, gazing at me intensely.
“Why were those demon spirits after you?” she asks. Her voice is like a calm before a storm. “Did someone put a curse on you?”
I can’t find my words. She puts out a hand to help me up. Her hands are soft and strong, and she lifts me easily.
“Those weredemonspirits?” I manage.
“They’re definitely not coyotes.”
My head is still spinning. “Well, thank you…I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up…”
“Do you live nearby? You shouldn’t be out here so late at night,” she notes coolly.
“Um, I go to the academy in the mountains, Elmwood.”
“I’m enrolled there, too. I’ll give you a lift back,” she offers.
“A lift?”
She nods, and without waiting for my response, she shifts gracefully back into her wolf form. She gazes at me with her yellow wolf’s eyes, and I realize what she means.
“Oh…you want me to…?” I stammer.
She turns and kneels. Her wolf form is huge, much bigger than a normal wolf. I didn’t realize that shifters were so large, I’ve never seen one up close before.
I try to still my quickly beating heart.
Just do it, I tell myself. In one clumsy movement, I swing myself over her back and grab onto her fur as tightly as I can. I breathe in the warm, inviting smell of campfire and cedar.
She takes off through the woods. She’s incredibly fast, but the ride is smooth. Her fur is softer than I would have expected, and easy to hold onto. Still, I’m a little shaky as we reach the academy doors and I disembark.
She shifts back into her human form, still completely unbothered by her lack of clothing. Her olive skin glows in the light of the moon. I try not to stare, but it’s difficult. She’s beautiful, and I can’t help being captivated by her presence.
“Thank you again,” I tell her, sincerely.
She nods. I’m still a bit shaken up and I have a strong, embarrassing feeling that I don’t want her to go. But she doesn’tsay anything, so I smile at her and start walking down the hallway toward my room. I can feel her watching me leave, but I resist the urge to look behind me.
As I close the door of my room behind me, I realize I never even asked her name. I sink into my bed and fall immediately into a deep, all-encompassing sleep.
I dream of yellow eyes.
Rae
Tala is in a pissy mood. All of the other students arrived earlier tonight, including the panther shifters. She paces back and forth in the dorm room.
“And where wereyou,” she glowers at me, as I pull on my sweater and sweatpants directly from my luggage. “You smell like witch.”
“Raewasn’t the one antagonizing the panthers,” lectures Kaenan, hands on his hips. “Tala, you can’t start anything this year. We’re here to lie low, not to provoke other packs-”
“I wasn’t provoking them! I just growled at them alittle bit,” Tala narrows her eyes at him. “Plus, they started it! They said I should watch my step, that Leander isn’t around to protect us any more…”
