Cruel Magic (Royals of Villain Academy #1)(15)

Malcolm rolled a few syllables off his tongue that had meaning only to him, his fingers rippling like a piano player’s as he scanned the room. He was confirming no one else was still in residence. When the spell had satisfied him, he spun around to face the rest of us.

“That brainless bitch,” he snapped.

Everyone at Blood U knew better than to argue with Malcolm Nightwood… except our newfound Bloodstone scion.

I might have laughed at the memory of her trying to take Malcolm on, like a lamb bleating at a fucking lion, if Malcolm hadn’t been so furious about it. If the conversation had happened in private, he might have brought her down a few pegs right there and left it at that. But she’d torn into him in front of the daughters of some of the most powerful families below the pentacle five, thrown his graciousness in his face, and he hadn’t been prepared for a fight.

It was better that we’d left with one quick jab than stay and risk a larger fumble.

“She’s brainless, all right,” I said, flopping onto the arm of one of the sofas. “She’s never worked a bit of magic before today, and she thinks it’s a good idea to go up against the four strongest mages in the school? She’ll regret that in no time flat.”

“I should have flipped her on her ass right there,” Connar muttered, cracking his knuckles.

Declan held up his hands, always the voice of reason. “But you didn’t, because no matter what she said, she’s still a scion.” He turned to Malcolm. “She didn’t really understand what she was getting into. She’s only been here a few hours.”

Malcolm scowled. “Somehow I don’t get the impression she’s going to turn all sunshine and roses as she settles in.”

“So we teach her what her proper place is,” I said. “And teach her quick, before she gets even farther into bad habits.” I didn’t care where she’d grown up or how ignorant she was, she couldn’t walk in here and do whatever she wanted expecting everyone to accept her like that. We all had our parts to play, scions more than anyone.

If I’d pulled a stunt like she just had in front of that many witnesses… An uncomfortable prickle wrapped around my gut. The less I thought about that, the better.

Years of searching to finally pluck her from our enemies’ grasp, the crown of scionhood dropped just like that onto her head where it should have been all along… You’d think she could show a little more gratitude.

“We’ll teach her, all right.” The eagerly brutal light that was my favorite look on him came over Malcolm’s face. The corners of his lips curled upward. “Of course we will. We won’t even have to work that hard. She’s got a lot of catching up to do and an entire senior class looking for ways to earn for their leagues. A few well-placed blows, and she will come running to us begging us to have her back and help her learn the ropes. She might be a scion, but this place is ours. We decide what goes.”

“Any blows you strike are going to need to be a lot more subtle than lighting a kid’s feet on fire if you don’t want Ms. Grimsworth cracking down,” Declan said. “Having the Bloodstone scion back under her watch is a big deal to her. You can… educate her, but we don’t want to come close to crossing any lines.”

Malcolm scoffed. “Give me a little credit. She won’t even know what hit her.”

Connar looked from one to the other like a pit bull ready to spring. “What’s the plan, then?”

I leaned back against the sofa. I knew what my role here was. If any of these guys would still give me the time of day if they had the full story—which was doubtful—it’d be for my ability to provide the entertainment. So I’d keep delivering.

“I don’t think she should get to do much other learning until she’s proven she can learn to give respect where it’s due. She’ll have a class schedule after her assessment. I can already think of a few fun ways we can make her wish she had us on her side.”

“Do you have some new illusions up your sleeve, Jude?” Malcolm said.

I spread my hands. “Hey, might as well earn for my league at the same time.”

He chuckled. “Whatever. As long as it’s good, I’m down. What have you got?”





Chapter Seven





Rory





Professor Banefield had said he’d come get me for my assessment at nine in the morning. It hadn’t occurred to me in the moment that I’d dropped my phone back in my parents’ house and my dorm room didn’t appear to have any clock. Maybe the other fearmancers had a magical way of telling time?

In any case, at least it gave me one reason to be thankful that I slept so restlessly that I was up with the rising sun.

When I ventured into the common room again, it was empty except for the Nary girl—the one Malcolm had called a “feeb”—who was eating a bowl of cereal in the same hunched defensive position I’d seen her in yesterday.

Now that I’d seen how the mages around her were inclined to treat her, I could understand why she might take that stance. She didn’t appear to have suffered any ill effects from Malcolm’s daze, which one of the girls must have finally snapped her out of after he’d left, but what the hell did I know about the effects of that kind of magic?