Page 13 of The Goddess is Awakened
My sister watched dodgeball with us because she liked critiquing the cheerleaders, but even she knew what a big deal it was he was here.
“This is going to besobadass.”
“Please don’t give me secondhand twin embarrassment making an ass of yourself at him.”
“Fuck the secondhand stuff. I’d have to drop out of school and fuck off to the Aether if I embarrassed myself in front of him.”
“Oh, good. Then I’m safe. You can be really awkward sometimes.”
“I’m eighteen. I’msupposedto be awkward for a little while longer.”
“Okay, maggots!” Zion yelled. “This is your first day of magical combat. You’ll learn to defend yourself and eventually fight back. This is class, but it’s the same principle as a dodgeball match. You don’t fight dirty in my class. You could end two careers on the dodgeball pitch if you do. If you’re a little shit that does that in my class, I’ll make sure you never graduate from this university. So, don’t be a little shit. Pair up with someone you don’t know that isn’t the same kind of supernatural as you.”
My twin went and found herself a pretty little banshee who took the fact that we had to wear uniforms here a bit too far and had her hair in pigtails. She also had a lollipop in her mouth. I knewexactlywhy Matilda picked her. She was cute. If Mags ever decided to live as just a witch, she might want to have a coven again. They were both psycho possessive of each other, but maybe one day. I hoped Mags didn’t eat that banshee and embarrass me in front of Zion.
I was watching my twin instead of picking a sparring partner. By the time I remembered what I was supposed to be doing, I was the only student left. For some reason, there was an odd number of students in class.
“You, lion! Get your ass over there and spar with the witch.”
This massive lion shifter with a long mane of golden hair looked utterly shocked he was even spoken to.
“Um, I’m not a student here. I’m a deaf translator for a student.”
“You signing to them while they are fighting is going to get their ass kicked. They need to hone their other senses while fighting. I’m betting once they get sharp, they are my best fighter. You’re here, and I need a body. Go fight that witch.”
I was pretty sure this lion knew exactly who this man was and respected him just as much as I did because he signed to a really cute brujo and came to stand in front of me.
“Sorry. I’m just supposed to be here signing for Oscar, and I really don’t want to get arrested again, but when Zion Skinner gives you an order, you do it. I’m West.”
West looked like he was about to explode. Honestly, Zion didn’t even know my name and just called methat witch,but he acknowledged I existed, so holy shit.
“George. Did Zion Skinner just pay attention to us?”
“Totally. Do you play?”
“I’m a forward, too.”
“Oscar, the guy I sign for, was going to go pro. He was a talented center. You should meet him. He is also losing his shit right now.”
“Zionneverplayed dirty, but he bulldozed anyone who got in his way. He might go freshmen bowling unless we fight.”
“I can shift and come at you but don’t throw any witchy woo at my hair or face. A lion’s mane is sacred, and my face is too pretty for pustules,” West said, pulling his hair up in a ponytail.
He really was, like, insanely pretty. I had the benefit of god hair, but I got my mom’s curls, and sometimes, they were hard to tame.
“Seriously, how do you get your hair that perfect? It has that look like you just got out of bed, but I know it took work.”
West gave me a toothy smile and pulled his shirt off. Damn. He was a fine specimen of golden, muscular flesh.
“I’m not telling youeverylion trade secret, but if you can stop me from tackling you, I’ll give you the perfect product for curly hair. Oh, and I know I look good, so if you don’t at least peek when I’m fully naked, I’m going to be offended.”
I started giggling. Itotallyplanned on peeking, but West was just such a lion shifter. I didn’t expect an answer when I asked about his hair. I was mostly paying him a compliment. My dad Felix was a warlock who never cut his hair. He’d been growing his locs forever and took them seriously. We all respected his hair. My dad and Balthazar liked to unexpectedly glitter bomb him because it annoyed him, and they always avoided his hair.
A lion shifter and their mane were like Felix on steroids about their hair. There were hair products you couldn’t get if you weren’t a lion and spas that did hair treatments specifically for them. If he was about to drop a product I could actually buy, I had no doubt it would keep my curls under control. Sometimes, I didn’t want to straighten them like Matilda always did.
West was totally naked and made sure to strike a pose so I could take him all in before he shifted. Fucking lion. Almost as soon as he shifted, he went to pounce at me. I had several options in my arsenal for attacking him, but I didn’t want to kill him. I threw a few harmless spells at him that would have just zapped him. I had impeccable aim, but he was also older with more training. I missed more times than I got him, but that was the whole point of this class.
Eventually, Zion told us to take a break.
