Blood and Beasts by L.M. Miller Page B

strong with high
cheekbones, and a nice mouth. He looked to be about six feet, maybe a little
taller, and… and he had a tattoo. It was on his left inner forearm, an elaborate
wolf. It was Fenrir, the Norse demi-god, a wolf creature. That was
interesting... The necklace around his neck, gold with a dog fang hanging from
it, probably had some kind of significance too. Rodney noticed that she was
staring at it and fingered the fang absently.
    “It was my brother,” he murmured
quietly, trying to prevent the teacher from hearing his rumbling voice, but
Madam Winslow shot them a glare all the same.
    Seph nodded and didn ’ t ask more on the subject. She
touched Linda ’ s arm lightly as the pretty, little
witch in front of them proceeded to explain a complicated spell that they were
about to start in class. Linda glanced over at her.
    What happened to his brother? She asked pertinently, and Linda ’ s eyes widened a little more as she
realized the depth of Seph ’ s power, and also how she already
knew how to use it.
    I think he should tell you that
himself, don ’ t you, Seph? She responded tactfully, and Seph
couldn ’ t disagree with her.
    “Want to share with the rest of the
class, girls?” Both girls looked up abruptly as the teacher glowered at them
over her square glasses, setting a green-tinted vase on each of their desks.
    “Share what, Madam Winslow?” Linda
asked sweetly, and the teacher gave her another surly look, green eyes
flashing.
    “Hmm… Would our new student like to
try the new spell in front of the entire class?” Seph ’ s eyes widened as she suddenly found herself lightly
pulled to her feet by the teacher and brought to the front of the classroom.
    This was obviously an embarrassment
technique. She looked around the class of about twenty students and swallowed
quietly. What had the teacher been talking about again? Not Rodney ’ s brother; that was for sure. She
targeted a nerdy-looking girl who sat in the front row. Her name was Ursula
Major, and she was a very talented witch. They were supposed to wave their hand
over the vase, kind of a backhand over it, and wish it to disappear. It was
just an illusion spell. Not too hard, right?
    Gulping again, she tried what the
girl had been thinking. She waved her hand over the vase, willing it to
disappear. Nothing happened… She closed her eyes, waved her hand, and willed it
with all her might… Nothing. She caught the teacher ’ s gemstone eyes cautiously.
    First, Francesca Murrieta skips
out on my first period class again, and now I get this impudent, little
vampire. I hate vampires… Had she said/thought Francesca Murrieta?
Francesca had gone to this school?! Francesca had said she had been living in
the woods for the past two months! Hadn ’ t
she? But then she had been told Francesca would be her roommate, but… Francesca
had lied this whole time?! She had been going to Monster Academy for the last
two months?!
    “Francesca ’ s been going to school here?” She asked Linda from the
front of the class, voice pitching a little with her shock and anger.
    “Francesca? Ya, I was gonna ask
you, Seph. You gotta be her best friend she ’ s always talking about, right? The one in the foster…”
she was silenced by Seph ’ s vehement glare, daggers
practically shooting from her eyes.
    “Francesca ’ s really been going to school here?” No one said
anything as she practically trembled with her ire. “She lied to me…” she
pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to contain her swirling emotions and
thoughts.
    “Vampire, are you going to cast the
spell or not?” There went that teacher again, arms crossed over her chest
firmly.
    Madam Winslow was just irritated
that class was not going the way she had expected, and that Linda and this new
vampire were having a conversation right in the middle of the classroom. It was
disrespectful. It was unruly. These students were just becoming rowdier and
rowdier, more so every single year! She