Supernatural Academy: Year One (Supernatural Academy #1)(46)

Ilia and Josh both spun to stare down the street, scoping out the newcomers.

“That’s not like any uniform I’ve seen,” Ilia said, and there was an undertone of worry in her voice.

I counted six of them approaching us, but I had a sense that there were more hidden in the background. They were dressed head-to-toe in black leather, with dark green and blue shimmery accents intersecting across their midsections and arms and legs. I only knew that because the shimmer reflected and was almost blinding at times. The strangest part was the headpieces. They wrapped right around to their eyes, looking a lot like scuba masks.

“Maybe we should go,” I said, an uneasy feeling settling into the pit of my stomach. “I … I think we should go.”

Ilia nodded and slid into the driver seat. I was already in, seat belt clicking into place. As she spun out of the parking space and slammed the car into gear, a blast of energy zoomed past, narrowly skimming our car, crashing into a vehicle parked on the street.

“Holy fuck,” Ilia said, her eyes flicking between all of her mirrors. “They’re definitely not happy about us leaving.”

The Mercedes picked up speed, and I didn’t even bother to hold on for dear life. Instead I turned to stare out the back window, gasping at the sight of them running after us. They were almost keeping up with the speed of a car.

“They’re gaining on us,” I said softly, not wanting to startle her. “What the hell are they? Shifters? Vamps?”

No way for me to tell with their faces covered.

Josh’s chest rumbled as he spun in his chair, his eyes darkening. “Vamps could move that fast, but they are definitely not vamps. Some of the demi-fey as well, but they’re not humanoid in shape, which rules them out too.”

Well, great.

“Are you going to shift?” Ilia asked, shooting him a quick look. “If you don’t, I can try and use magic to buy us some time.”

Josh shook his head. “I can’t shift in the car; I’d rip it to pieces. My beast is larger than a normal lion.”

For a second that freaked me out, until I remembered that I had much bigger issues to worry about. Our pursuers had not shot at us again, which was good, but they were also still chasing us. Which was bad. Very fucking bad.

“If we make it back to the school, then we should be safe,” Ilia said, trying to sound calm and cheerful about the whole situation.

“We’re not going to make the school,” Josh said, and despite his previous assertion, he was starting to shift.

This was the first time I’d ever seen a shifter in action, and I was both fascinated and horrified as his bones cracked, his body transforming into a golden, furred beast that was as big as a damn horse. The seat collapsed under his weight while bits of clothing littered the car. His roar just about busted my eardrums, as he ripped off the door and leaped from the moving vehicle. Ilia spun the car in a one-eighty turn as I screamed.

“What are you doing?” I shouted.

She gritted her teeth, wrestling the wheel. “It’s not me. They hit us with a spell.”

The road between the school and the town was a single lane, ice and snow along the edges. The moment our tires slipped off the asphalt and clipped the slush, Ilia lost all control.

“Shit,” she spat, easing her foot off the accelerator. “Prepare for a fight, girl. Stay close to me.”

“I don’t know how to fight,” I gasped, clutching my seat belt, shopping bags pelting me as we finally came to a stop. “Especially not with magic.”

It was my first week; I was still learning how to create a mage light.

What was I going to do? Shine the way to make it easier for them?

When the car stopped moving, an echoing silence reverberated through my ears. I jumped when Ilia pushed her door open and sprang free. Shoving bags and boxes off me, I pushed at my door too. It didn’t move. It was jammed somehow, and I slammed it with my boot and then my shoulder, trying to get it unstuck.

Suddenly it was wrenched so hard that I almost tumbled out.

One of the leather-clad assholes was standing on the other side, and for a brief moment he examined me. I was assuming a male judging by the build, but it could have been a very muscled female as well.

“Are you Macilinta of the Sonaris people?” a heavily accented voice asked me. So heavy that I couldn’t even be sure I heard that correctly.

I gasped before shaking my head. “My name is Maddison.”

He reached in to yank me out and I threw myself back, out of his reach. I scrambled into the front and dove out the opening from the door Josh tore off. Hitting the cold ground was not the most fun I’d had today, but it was more fun than having some weird leather-wearing asshole rip my limbs from my body.

I was up and running, natural athleticism kicking in. On the other side of the road, a freaking lion was pouncing on a few of the leather-clad guys. The thought hit me hard: Josh turned into an animal. A lion.

How is this my life?

Ilia’s red curls caught my eye. She was fighting three … no, four of our pursuers, and she was doing a wicked good job at it. Sparks flew from her hands as she spun and twirled in what looked like a complicated dance. She shouted words that I recognized as the fey language, and I could not imagine ever being that confident and skilled.

“Maddi!” she shouted. “Watch out!”