Seraphina woke up to the soft glow of dawn filtering through the large windows of her dormitory. The academy was quiet this early, its eerie silence almost comforting. The weight of the events from yesterday lingered, but it wasn't enough to distract her from the thrill of what she'd felt.
The tension. The stares. The sparks that flew when Damian Blackwood and Jasper Hale locked eyes on her. Both were dangerous, in their own right, and both wanted something from her though she wasn't sure if she should feel flattered or terrified.
She leaned back against the plush pillows, her thoughts swirling. No, she wasn't going to let herself get caught up in this mess. But there was something about the challenge they posed that was.... irresistible. Something she hadn't felt in a long time.
The idea of playing the game her game was becoming more tantalizing with each passing day.
A knock at her door broke her from her thoughts.
"Miss Caldwell, it's time for your next class," came a soft voice from the hallway. It was Mira, one of the academy's caretakers. Mira was sweet, but there was a sharpness to her that Seraphina had picked up on. She had yet to figure out if it was something she should be wary of or something that would work in her favor.
"Thanks," Seraphina muttered, swinging her legs off the bed and standing. "I'll be there in a minute."
The day started like any other, but Seraphina quickly learned that her presence at the academy was becoming... complicated.
She stepped into the large classroom for Advanced Arcane Manipulation one of the most prestigious classes at Eryndale. The room buzzed with quiet murmurs as students settled into their seats. The moment Seraphina entered, the room fell silent. All eyes were on her.
It was impossible to ignore.
She moved to an empty seat at the back, her leather jacket flowing behind her as she walked. But even from the back, she could feel the gaze of Damian Blackwood on her. His piercing eyes seemed to follow her every move as if he were waiting for something. She didn't give him the satisfaction of acknowledging him, though she couldn't deny that his presence unnerved her.
Just as she settled into her seat, the door to the classroom opened again, and Jasper Hale sauntered in, his usual grin plastered on his face. The room immediately seemed to shift again, like the air thickened with his energy. Seraphina couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Late, as usual, Hale," she muttered, but her voice was low enough that only he could hear.
Jasper grinned, flashing her a wink as he made his way to the seat next to her. "Well, it wouldn't be fun if I wasn't, now would it?"
"Yeah, because you're a riot," she shot back, giving him a sidelong glance.
"Careful, Caldwell," he whispered, his voice dropping low, "keep playing with fire, and you might get burned."
Seraphina scoffed. "I'm not the one playing with fire here. You are."
But Jasper didn't respond to that. Instead, he leaned closer, his breath hot against her ear. "Don't think you're the only one who knows how to play the game. I can burn, too."
Seraphina's pulse quickened, and she forced herself to stay composed. His closeness made her uncomfortable, but at the same time, there was something magnetic about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was an undeniable pull.
Before she could say anything more, a figure appeared at the front of the classroom Professor Lucian Draegon. The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted again. His cold, calculating eyes swept over the room, and when they landed on Seraphina, she felt that same unsettling heat from the first day.
"Class," his voice cut through the tension, "today we'll be discussing the power of mental dominion and its application in our world." His gaze flickered to Seraphina once more, a glimmer of something perhaps amusement in his expression. "It's a lesson most of you think you understand, but one that many of you will fail to master. Especially those who think they can skip the basics."
Seraphina barely held back a smile. She wasn't going to let Lucian's sly comments get to her. Not when she had bigger things to deal with.
The lesson progressed as expected Lucian's lectures were always half-entertainment, half-intimidation. He enjoyed putting his students on the spot, making them question their own abilities in front of their peers. And the more he challenged her, the more Seraphina felt something within her stir. Her power, her hidden strength, seemed to rise to the surface, wanting to be unleashed.
As the class ended, she couldn't shake the feeling that Lucian was testing her. But why?
She glanced at Damian and Jasper, both sitting a few rows ahead. Damian's expression was unreadable, but there was something about the way his gaze lingered on her that made her pulse race. And Jasper well, he had that devil-may-care grin on his lips, but his eyes were studying her in a way that sent a shiver down her spine.
As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Seraphina made her way toward the door, but she wasn't fast enough.
Damian was waiting for her.
His presence was commanding as he stood in the doorway, blocking her path with ease.
"Leaving so soon?" he asked, his voice low and filled with something that felt too much like... possession.
Seraphina met his gaze head-on, refusing to back down. "I have better things to do than to stand here and have a staring contest with you."
Damian smirked, an almost imperceptible shift in his expression. "Funny, I thought you'd want to talk to me."
She raised an eyebrow, her sarcasm not faltering. "About what? How you're clearly playing some long game?"
"I'm not playing any game," Damian replied, his voice soft but dangerously intense. "But I'm starting to think you're a lot more interesting than I first thought."
Seraphina didn't respond immediately. Instead, she simply walked past him, brushing against his shoulder with calculated precision.
His eyes followed her every move, but he didn't stop her. It wasn't in his nature to chase, at least, not yet.
Later that evening, Seraphina found herself walking through the moonlit gardens. The night was quiet, the stars overhead like scattered diamonds across the sky. The wind whispered through the trees, but her mind was loud with the echoes of the day's events.
She'd barely taken a few steps when she felt it an unmistakable presence.
Jasper Hale.
He was leaning casually against the stone wall, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. He seemed almost predatory, watching her every move like a lion watching its prey.
"Couldn't stay away, huh?" Seraphina remarked dryly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jasper's lips curled into a lazy grin. "You make it too easy to stay away, sweetheart."
Before she could respond, he was there, right in front of her, too close. His hand rested on the wall beside her, caging her in.
"Let me make this simple for you, Seraphina," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. "You think you can play this game without consequences. But I promise you, I'm not like the rest."
Her breath caught in her throat. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was interested in more than just her company.
"I don't need you to complicate my life, Hale," she said, but her heart was racing.
Jasper's eyes darkened. "Too bad. Because I think you're exactly what I need."