Supernatural Academy: Year One (Supernatural Academy #1)(72)

“Is Josh sure it’s his?”

I mean, if he apparently couldn’t even remember her...

Ilia shrugged. “He doesn’t know for sure. He won’t know until it’s born. But … I mean, he put himself in that position after asking me to be exclusive. His friends confirmed he was with her.” She shrugged again, her bottom lip quivering. “It’s for the best, really. A magic user and shifter were never going to work out in the end.”

I sniffled with her, my heart hurting for my friend. “Stay in my room tonight,” I said when we pulled apart. “We can hang out and eat junk food, take your mind off it.”

I had exams to study for, but she was my first priority.

She shot me a sad smile. “Love you, girl. Thanks for the offer, but I’m actually heading out soon for a new hunt. We’ve got a wolf shifter in Japan causing some issue. He’s sixteen and pretty powerful already. I’ll probably be gone a month or more, which right now is the best news I could have gotten. If I stayed near Josh, I’d probably curse his dick to fall off or something.”

I laughed, even though she was definitely not kidding. “I’m going to miss you.” It would be weird not seeing her every day. “I suppose it has been a long time since you did any work.” I joked to cover my sadness.

She snorted. “Yep, it’s time for me to earn my keep again. But I’ll be back before you know it.” She nudged me. “And if you ever set your damn phone up, we could text.”

I snorted, not even sure I knew where it was at this point. “Be careful,” I said to her. It bothered me that she was about to traipse halfway across the world; I would miss her so much. But this was her job, and maybe getting away from Josh was the best thing for her.

With one last hug, she took off, and I tried to ignore the sad ache in my chest.

I got up to leave just as Asher arrived. He stopped me with a hand on my arm, a hand that felt like it was scorching my skin. “You’re going to kill it on your test,” he said, flashing those fucking dimples at me.

Asshole.

Sometimes I wondered if he did it deliberately.

“I’m nervous,” I admitted. “This is my first supernatural test, and I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“You are.” He was always confident. I tried to absorb some of it.

“Thanks. I’ll find you guys later.”

He nodded. Then he did something that completely took me by surprise. Leaning in, he kissed my cheek gently before he released me and turned to slide into his table for breakfast.

I stared after him in shock as my pulse spiked and breathing turned ragged. That was the first “non-friend” thing he’d done in ages, and it affected me far more than it should have.

Shaking my head, I stumbled away, stopping short at the death glares from the Clovers at their nearby table. In fact … it looked like half of the school was staring at me. My relationship with the Atlanteans was the subject of much gossip, which we fueled by never admitting or denying anything.

The guys didn’t want people to know I might be one of them, and despite my few weird episodes in Water Magic, nothing had gotten around about it yet. Instead, the students all thought I’d found my own harem and was fucking the five guys on a rotating schedule.

If only it was that simple. Truth of the matter, Asher was too much for me to handle, let alone five Atlantean supes. But sometimes I enjoyed the drama of our entire situation.

Masochist.

Pushing that kiss to the back of my mind because I had an exam to get through, I rushed across the commons and into the practical magic area. Simon was already outside the test room—his timeslot was just after mine—pacing frantically, rubbing his hands together.

He rushed at me when I reached him, grabbing my hands. “I can’t do this,” he said, sounding half-hysterical. “I’m not cut out for this magic thing.”

I shook my head. “You’re amazing,” I said fiercely. “You found your weapon straight away. You’re one of the smartest supes I’ve ever met, and you aren’t as weak in magic as your family has made you believe. You’ve got this, Simon. If you can remember four hundred years of supernatural history, you can do anything.”

His family had done a real number on him, making him feel like he was barely magic in nature, and therefore not worthy of being here. They were smart and powerful, apparently, but in my head they were idiots for not loving their son unconditionally.

Simon tried to smile, but he was clearly too nervous to achieve anything other than a grimace. “I might vomit,” he said, breathing deeply. “I don’t understand how you’re so calm. Your magic malfunctions all the time because of the block, and yet you still make it work.”

It was true, but the teachers were aware of my “special circumstances” and they allowed for this. Plus, I’d worked my ass off to be as good as I could be. “We’ve studied hard. You’re awesome with your short blades. You’ll be fine.”

By the time it was my exam slot, I’d talked Simon off the ledge and felt confident enough to leave him alone. His nerves had at least taken my mind off my own worries. I passed Damon, who had the time before me. We hadn’t talked much since the school dance; he’d backed right off when I left with Asher that night. Hanging with the Atlanteans made it kind of hard for me to get a legitimate date.