Fated for Her Wolves - Tara West Page 0,90
ready to crack. “Forces our students to think for themselves instead of relying on their wands to do all the work for them.”
Serah cocked a hand on her hip. This woman had definitely lost her mind. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Doublewart lunged forward and snatched Serah’s wand before she had time to react. “You’ll get it back after graduation.”
She threw up her hands. “What a load of crap.” She had no right to take away her wand, considering the resolution Parliament was about to pass, requiring all schools to use the current Goldenwands.
“Tsk, tsk. You should’ve read our wand policy before signing the contract.” Doublewart wagged a finger in Serah’s face, and that’s when she noticed what appeared to be two black bugs stuck to her fingernail. Gross. Why hadn’t she noticed before? What a horrible place to have warts.
“I’ve changed my mind.” Holding up both hands, she backed up another step. No way in Hades was she attending a school that refused to use her grandfather’s wands. He’d understand why she had to drop out.
“Too late,” Doublewart shrugged. “You signed.”
“Well, unsign it.” She held out her hand. “And give me back my wand.”
Doublewart waved her big ugly wand at Serah’s hands and feet, binding her in place. She tried to scream, but the woman sealed her mouth with another spell.
She flashed an evil grin. “Enjoy your stay in detention, Miss Goldenwand.”
With one flick of the wrist, Serah was swept off her feet and traveling along the corridor at breakneck speed. Suddenly the bindings snapped off her limbs and mouth, and she screamed as she went over a chasm into pitch black.
She hit soft ground with a thud and groaned as she spit out a mouthful of dirt. Sitting up, she wished she had her wand for illumination. Wherever she was, she could distinctly hear water. After checking her earlobes to make sure she hadn’t lost an earring, she stood and brushed dirt off her clothes, then picked debris out of her palms. That’s when she noticed the emerald bracelet Prometheus had given her had fallen off. She fell back on her knees, frantically searching for it to no avail. It was all she had left of him. Releasing a shaky breath, she told herself it was for the best. He was never going to be part of her life again, so why keep mementos to pine over? Besides, the gems were fake. No way could he afford real emeralds on his salary. She didn’t need that ugly bracelet and was glad it was gone. That’s what she kept telling herself anyway.
She got to her feet, squinting at a pinprick of light above her. The light grew brighter, illuminating the uneven cavern walls.
“Hello! Can anyone help me?” she called, disappointed when the only answer was her own voice echoing back.
Stumbling forward, she came to the edge of inky black water that splashed the rocks under her feet. She rubbed warmth into her arms as goose bumps pricked her flesh. She’d landed on a small island rising up from the cavern floor no more than twenty feet in diameter, and she could make out the shapes of triangular dorsal fins moving in circles around her. Though she was an expert swimmer, thanks to her siren blood, no way was she getting in that water.
What kind of fucked up detention was this, and how in Hades was she going to escape this school?
SERAH HUGGED HER KNEES to her chest, trying not to wince every time a shark splashed her. They were magical illusions. They had to be. Sharks the size of elephants didn’t swim in shallow water. Not to mention their teeth were disproportionately long, making them look like sabertooth fish. She had no idea how long she was supposed to serve detention, but as soon as she got out of there, she would call her grandfather and demand he come get her. There had to be another school that would take her, with enough financial incentive. No way could she survive a semester in this hellhole.
“Hello, there. You called for help?”
She blinked at the oddest thing she’d ever seen—three drop-dead gorgeous guys, smiling at her from inside a giant, translucent bubble that hovered about three feet off the ground. She rubbed her eyes, then blinked again. They were still there, still gorgeous, with their rippling tanned muscles, thick, black hair, and broad smiles. They looked like ancient Greek gods who had descended from Mount Olympus.
She slowly came to her knees. “Hello?”
The tallest of the