Shadowborn Academy_ Year One (Dark Fae Academy #1) - G. Bailey Page 0,10

spine, cooling the burn on my neck instantly. Pitch and his healing charms. I’d be lost without them.

I remember how much pain he’d also been in, more so than I had, and I turn to face him.

“Why did it hurt you? You don’t usually feel my pain.”

Pitch pauses and I pierce the torch into the soil, casting a halo of light around us. Running a hand through his messy, dark hair, he answers, “It was a spell that wards off evil spirits.”

The blood drains from my face. “Does that mean… you can’t… with the rose…” I blurt out, unable to properly say the words. I mean, I should feel happy for him if he’s been freed from my soul, right? But I’m not. I guess deep down I don’t really want him to go. Chances are he only stays with me because he has to. Give a bird its wings again, they’ll fly away forever.

I inwardly cringe at how pathetic I sound.

We’re not real soul mates.

Far from it.

I’m just not sure I’ll be able to face the next few years on my own. His guidance and mentorship regarding all things dark magic has been an invaluable source of information. And he’s the only one who’s ever been there to soothe my nightmares, regardless if he unintentionally caused them.

He must sense my uneasiness because he leans down to brush his lips against my own and tangles his hands through my wavy hair. I melt into his grip, pressing my body to his, and as our kiss deepens, I wrap my arms around his neck, lifting myself onto my tiptoes. In all honesty, those roots fucking terrified me. I thought I just lost Sage and then I was about to be smothered to death.

“I’m not going anywhere. Your soul and mine are entwined, Corvina, whether we want them to be or not. You own every inch of me.”

Pitch holds me to his powerful chest, and I can feel his erection nudging into my body.

“Every inch?” I grin against his lips and slide my hand down his chest…

His reflexes are much quicker, and he grabs my hand. I can’t help the quiet protest that escapes my mouth when he lets me go, but he’s right. Now isn’t the time to go further than kissing. He always holds back but he never tells me why. I think part of it is because of how guilty he still feels about what happened.

At any rate, I need to find my best friend.

She’s more important right now.

“Okay,” I grouse, pouting at him. “You’re better at this tracking stuff than me. Can you help?”

Pitch nods and opens his mouth to reply, but a strange whoosh carries through my ears, and then a light, pale and blinding, hovers in the air beside us.

“What… the hell… is that?” I ask, keeping my focus on the strange little light.

“I wondered when you’d show up,” Pitch says to the ball of fire. Turning to me, he explains, “It’s a will-o’-the-wisp. These ones are different from mortal legends. When someone’s path has been intercepted by a dark force, a wisp will appear to guide you back to the light. In this case, I imagine it’ll take you to the academy, which is ironic considering it’s a school for shadowborns.”

He’s got a point, but this wisp will certainly be useful. Talk about being fashionably late to the party.

“I still don’t know why you couldn’t just tell me the academy’s location to begin with,” I grumble to him.

“Because it’s a journey you had to take on your own,” he counters, facing the little wisp. “It seems this is also part of your journey.”

I approach the wisp skeptically, narrowing my eyes against the blinding light. “Did it come from the Mirror Fountain?”

“Yes.”

“Sage said we weren’t far from the fountain but I was so certain we got lost. I should’ve listened to her. What exactly are these…wisp thingies?”

Pitch comes to my side, and he runs his big hand down the back of the floating wisp like he’s petting it. The creature seems to be a living thing. It bristles and cackles as soon as he strokes it.

“Rumour has it they were created from one of Selena’s stars. They were used to guide her people in moments of darkness.”

“That’s cool and all, but damn did the wisp take its sweet time. I nearly died back there, ya know.” I’ve also never asked him this before, but now seems as good a time as any. “Pitch, did you ever