Supernatural Academy: Year One (Supernatural Academy #1)(29)

Being human had never felt quite as shocking, that was for sure.

“How old did you turn?” he asked.

“Twenty-two,” I replied.

He nodded like he’d expected that answer. “As you age, your powers grow stronger, and it doesn’t surprise me they found you on your birthday. Do you know that each year at the time of your birth, you have a moment where your power connects to the gods? The very gods we are born from, gifted to our mothers.”

I blinked. “Seriously? How many gods do you all believe in?”

“A lot.”

His food started to arrive then, and he took a moment to maneuver the plates around before he was finally satisfied everything was in reach. The time and care he took to position everything amused me, and I bit back a smile as I watched.

When he was finally satisfied, he said, “I have OCD when it comes to food. It all has to be in reach and positioned from most appealing to least in a half circle, starting on my left side.”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me how you like to eat. As long as you don’t drop a half-chewed carcass on the table, then you do you.”

Jesse laughed again, and I was starting to like the warm rumbly sound. “I’ll keep my kills away from our table, then, shall I?”

He said our so casually that for a moment I was taken aback, until I realized he meant his and the other guys. Not his and mine. He started to eat, and since I’d finished my tacos, I picked at the salad, again wondering why I was still sitting here.

It should have felt weird, not getting up and moving the moment he opened his mouth and all but kicked me out, but for some reason, the draw to remain near him was stronger than my fear of what I was doing.

I didn’t understand it, but I was chalking it up to some weird supernatural thing. Maybe it was just the attraction of their Atlantean blood. It had seemed like everyone wanted to be close to them when they arrived last night.

Jesse started to eat, and I eyed each plate, already working out what I’d get next meal. He was very observant, noticing my examination of his food, and then he shocked the shit out of me when he nudged a few plates forward.

“I can share, if you’d like to try something.”

I stared at him, not quite sure if I’d heard that right. Did he just offer to share?

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. You’re a growing boy. Gotta keep your energy up.”

He watched me for a long moment, before he returned the plates to their original positions and continued to eat in his neat and methodical way.

“What did you mean that some of your brothers were curious about me?” I asked, searching through my salad for the cherry tomatoes. They were my favorite part.

Jesse shrugged. “A human-raised supe that Calen can’t get a read on … they aren’t the only ones curious. Trust me.” He shrugged. “Rone seems to think you’re a spy or assassin, sent here to take us out. This has piqued Asher’s interest because he likes to know everything that’s going on, stay in control of situations. He wants to talk directly to you … I just beat him to it.”

I snorted, before coughing on the tomato I’d just bitten into. “Spy or assassin? Yeah, that’d be a cool story, but nope.”

I was deliberately ignoring the Asher thing, because there was still something disconcerting about that guy. Something that both drew and repelled me. And I’d never even spoken to him, which should have been the biggest worry of all.

Jesse let out a low, growly laugh. “Yeah. Twenty minutes in your company and I can already tell there’s nothing dangerous about you.”

Twenty minutes. I checked my watch, and sure enough, it had been over twenty minutes since he’d sat down. Time was flying and my lunch break would be over before I knew it.

Another large body dropped into the chair next to Jesse and I found myself staring at a familiar supernatural, the one who had been with Calen and Rone yesterday, Mr. Plaid Shirt and silvery eyes.

“Hey,” he said quietly, not questioning why I was at the table. “The others will be here in a minute.” He was looking directly at me as he leaned over the table and held a hand out. “I’m Axl. It’s nice to meet you, Maddison.”

He wasn’t as tall or built as Jesse. If anything, his muscles were long and wiry, like a runner or long-distance swimmer. He had messy auburn waves, and those eyes, which were a beautiful shade between gold and silver.

Grasping his hand, I shook it quickly. No energy hit me and I wondered if he was keeping it locked down. “Nice to meet you as well.”

He sank back into his chair and immediately pulled out a textbook and some notepads.

“Axl is our resident genius,” Jesse said with a smile. “He’s studying the three hardest areas: healing magic, combat magic, and advanced spellcasting. And he’s topping every single class.”

There was a fondness in Jesse’s voice that spoke of a clear and genuine friendship between Axl and him.

Axl shrugged. “What can I say, my brain craves knowledge. It’s never satisfied. I need to know everything, break it down, and then build it up again perfectly. I wouldn’t say I’m a genius though.”

Jesse shot me a knowing look. Genius, he mouthed, and I covered my smile with my hand. Axl continued reading his book, so Jesse reached out and ordered a few more meals, which I assumed were for his friend, because if that boy ate one more thing himself, he’d probably explode.