Chapter 2 The hunt

The grand hall of Blackthorn Academy smelled like old money and older magic.

Akira stood frozen in the doorway, her secondhand uniform itching at her neck. A hundred eyes turned toward her-polished, privileged students who took one look at her scuffed shoes and parted like she carried the plague.

Except one.

Kyler Vanthorne lounged at the center table, his long fingers toying with a silver dagger. His gaze locked onto hers, and he smirked.

"Look who survived the first night."

A chair screeched as Akira dropped into the empty seat across from him. "Disappointed?"

"Fascinated." He flipped the dagger, catching it by the blade. "Most orphans don't last till morning."

A cold trickle slid down Akira's spine. Before she could retort, the doors slammed open.

A woman strode in, her black robes whispering across the stone floor. Headmistress Voss. The room fell silent.

"Welcome to your first Magical Theory lesson," she said, her voice like ground glass. "Today, we study pain."

Akira's stomach dropped as servants wheeled in a cage. Inside thrashed a creature-all teeth and shadows.

Kyler leaned close, his breath warm against her ear. "Don't scream. They like that."

---

The creature lunged against the bars.

A student screamed. Headmistress Voss smiled.

"Observe how it reacts to light." She snapped her fingers. Torches flared.

The creature howled, its form writhing. Akira's nails bit into her palms. Something in its cry echoed in her bones-a song only she could hear.

Kyler's hand clamped over hers. "Breathe."

She jerked away. "Don't touch me."

Too late. The torches flickered. The creature's head snapped toward her.

It *smiled*.

---

"Miss Vance." Headmistress Voss's voice cut through the buzzing in Akira's skull. "Demonstrate."

Akira's mouth went dry. "What?"

"The spell. Now."

Murmurs rippled through the room. Kyler stiffened.

Akira stared at the creature. Its eyes-too human-pleaded.

Her blood roared. The torches exploded.

Darkness swallowed the hall.

In the chaos, a hand grabbed her wrist. Kyler yanked her behind a pillar.

"Are you trying to die?" he hissed.

Shadows coiled around Akira's fingers. "I don't know what I'm doing."

The creature wailed.

Kyler's grip tightened. "Then learn. Fast."

Later, in the library's hidden corner, Akira pored over stolen books.

*"Magic demands sacrifice,"* one passage warned.

Footsteps echoed. Kyler dropped into the opposite chair, tossing a vial of black liquid between them.

"Drink. It'll hide your stench."

Akira eyed the swirling potion. "Poison?"

"Worse. Vanthorne hospitality." He leaned forward. "They know what you are."

The shadows at Akira's feet deepened. "And what's that?"

Kyler's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Mine."

The library doors burst open.

Headmistress Voss stood framed in firelight, her shadow stretching too long, too sharp.

"Ah," she purred. "The witch and the hunter. How... predictable."