Page 26

I press my lips together to keep from telling them not to bother. Mr. Peters had me tested for all of the different mage affinities, a process I’d rather not remember, and I had none. Sensing my discomfort, Ever shifts the focus of the conversation.

“Well, as alpha, I can use the strength of other shifters. Once I form a pack, the bond will settle, and I can access their power more quickly with the empathetic link.” Wolf shifter pack bonds seem to have a magic all their own, allowing them to share thoughts in addition to the emotion sharing that regular bonds allow.

“I’ve always wondered . . . How does that work if you don’t have a pack?” Bree asks. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking?”

There are a handful of shifters that bond in packs like wolves, but others, like big cats or bears, can bond with mages and vampires. There’s a slight distinction between vinculums and the shifter bonds, but they’re pretty much all the same to me, and I want nothing to do with either.

“Of course I don’t mind. We’re friends,” Ever declares like it’s law. “Basically, my wolf can sense those shifters without an alpha, and naturally, I’m drawn to lead them, but an official pack bond wouldn’t be complete until there’s a full moon ceremony.”

“That makes sense,” Bree says with a nod. “Obviously, mindcraft is one of my affinities, my other one is just boring warding.”

There’s nothing boring about warding to me, but I guess when you have mindcraft, it’s pretty basic.

“Well, your mindcraft is terrifying enough.” Eli looks at me and Ever. “One time when we were six, she made me think I was a shifter. I spent three days trying to turn into a tiger.”

Bree holds up her hands. “In my defense, he cut off my doll’s hair⁠—”

“I was giving her a makeover,” Eli says quickly, defensively.

“—and he made one of her gowns a mini dress.”

“Which was super cute.”

“It was not.” Bree shakes her head. “Needless to say, his parents were pissed.”

“Bree singlehandedly almost started a war between mages and vampires.”

She glares at Eli. “Okay, now you’re being dramatic.” He flashes his fangs at her and she giggles.

“What’s your affinity?” I ask. Eli’s eyes sparkle, and he and Bree trade devious looks. My stomach knots. “You don’t have to—” The blood in my veins warms and my eyes widen. I look at my body, then back at Eli.

“How did—oh shit!” Little droplets of crimson rise to the surface of my skin. Something deep in my marrow stirs, that same feeling as when the Threshold had driven into me. Primal fear, maybe? My brain suddenly realizing how vulnerable I am?

{Stop him!} Apparently the voice in my head doesn’t like it either, but I’m not exactly equipped to fight back.

“Bloodcraft,” Ever breathes, awe in her voice.

Thankfully, Eli releases his hold and my blood sinks back into my skin, though that unsettled feeling remains. I want to run, but I clench my jaw and force myself to stay still. I do my best to act unaffected as Ever, Bree, and Eli talk animatedly about Eli’s show of power.

Better enjoy your friends while you have them, a vicious voice whispers, and I can’t help agreeing. Bloodcraft is an incredibly powerful affinity. Bree has mindcraft and warding, and Ever is an alpha and can funnel pack magic. They’re all strong and capable. The realization slithers around me like a viper, and venomous doubt churns in my veins.

I’m not like them, and soon enough, they’ll realize it.

The quad is calmer this morning, but it’s the second week and people aren’t as frantic now that they know their schedules. I keep distance between myself and the group ahead of me on the sidewalk, and thankfully they don’t seem to give a shit about me.

The large rectangular building for the Campus Services is up ahead, one of the less decorative buildings, with plain windows rather than the cathedral-style ones featured on the buildings where I have my classes. Most students don’t work, but I need to build up savings for when Addy and I are reunited. I haven’t been able to bring myself to research what happened yet. Deep down, I know I’m scared that maybe Mr. Peters was right.

Maybe my twin is dead.

“She’s not,” I murmur to myself, adjusting the butterfly charm dangling from my neck. “She can’t be.” I shove that unwelcome fear to the far reaches of my mind and push through the doors of the facilities building.

My combat boots squeak on the worn linoleum floor. No one is manning the front desk. I bypass it and stride to the first room. The staff locker room is empty, metal lockers lining three of the walls. Okay, next room, I guess. I peek inside the office across the hall, but it’s also empty. I eye the open closets full of supplies. There are potions and spells that range from landscaping to cleaning. While shifters, vamps, and mages have different affinities, and some can help with menial tasks like maintaining a large property, there’s no special affinity that’ll deal with laundry, scrubbing scum off of tiles, or worse, toilet cleaning with a wave of the hand.

I really hope I don’t get stuck cleaning porcelain, but I’ll do it if that’s what it takes to get a job.

A clatter comes from the next room over, followed by the rumble of a magically enhanced dryer which can zap clothes dry in about ten minutes. “Hello?”

“In here,” a gruff voice replies.