Summoned By Magic by Lexie Scott

Chapter 12

My stomach dropped. I offended them. Made a major mistake. Showed how oblivious I was.

Then, the three of them burst out laughing.

I glared them down and crossed my arms, waiting for them to finish.

“You mean you haven’t noticed the mark?” Daniel asked.

I shot him an incredulous look. “There’s no mark.”

Malik punched his arm. “No, but there’s an aura.”

I turned to Hannah, and she was still giggling, shaking her head. “Guys, stop. She’s completely new to this world. She knows next to nothing. We can’t laugh at her, or she’ll never ask us anything.”

Thank you, Hannah!

They composed themselves, and she continued. “There’s no outward sign or way to distinguish between the races.”

“Races isn’t a biological term,” Malik interrupted. “It’s been proven.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “I feel like I’m describing animals when I say species.”

Daniel growled and wagged his brows. “Some of us are.”

I chuckled, but she ignored him. “As I was saying, there’s no way to tell based just on appearance, but there are some general trends that can help.” She looked down the table and called out, “Hey, Savvy?”

A girl sitting in the group next to us looked our way. “Yeah?”

“Can you show us your ring?”

She scrunched her nose in confusion but lifted her hand in the air and waved it around before dropping it and turning back to her friends.

“Vampires have to wear amulets created by witches to be able to walk in the sun without getting seriously burned.” Hannah explained.

“Like to ashes?” I asked.

Daniel looked like he was fighting a laugh and shook his head. “No, like the worst sunburn ever.”

“So, they wear rings?” I tried to understand.

“Some have rings. Some have bracelets or necklaces. Just look for really old-looking jewelry,” Hannah said.

“Not always old,” Malik countered. “The really old or rich vampire families have plenty of amulets to pass down to each generation, but some don’t.”

“So, they’re stuck inside during the day?” That sounded awful.

“Unless they’re covered head to toe. The school has underground tunnels for the vampires who don’t have them, so they can get to their classes,” Daniel said, before taking another huge bite.

“Really?” I wasn’t sure if that was another joke.

“Yeah, but usually by the end of their freshmen year, they’ve made friends with a witch who can create one for them,” Hannah added.

“So, we can make them?” Something so powerful sounded like it should be too hard for teenagers.

“Yup.” She picked up her last chicken tender. “We learn that pretty young since it’s one of the things that creates a balance in our world.”

I leaned my elbow on the table, food forgotten. “What does that mean?”

The three of them shared a look like they were deciding who would tell me. Malik blinked and seemed to have lost. “The three species exist in a mutualistic relationship, each needing something from the other. It’s been that way since recorded time. It keeps any one species from overpowering the others. Nature’s justice.”

“That’s interesting, so vampires need witches for the sun amulets. How does the rest work?”

“Witches need vampires for their potions. A vampires’ venom, hair, fingernails, even their eyelashes make spells stronger,” Hannah explained, and I tried to hide my disgust.

Daniel and Malik laughed. I hadn’t pulled it off.

“It’s gross but true,” the mountain lion confirmed.

“What about shifters?” I asked.

Malik reached over and stole a handful of fries off my plate. “We need witches for their magic too. You guys can provide us with amulets that make it so our clothes stay on when we shift back into our human forms. And in exchange, shifters often work for witches providing protection or are used for information gathering depending on what kind of animal form they take.”

“And sometimes their fur, feathers, whiskers, or whatever can be used for spells. Especially if you’re trying to track something or someone.” Hannah said.

As weird as this all was, I wasn’t freaking out or overwhelmed. They explained it so matter-of-factly, I just listened and stored away the information for later. This was my new world, and I was happy to learn more about it.

“And vampires need us for our blood,” Malik said with a wicked grin.

I froze. No. He was joking.

“Did you see that?” Daniel chuckled. “She went pale in like one second! I’ve never seen blood drain that fast.”

“Then you haven’t been bitten by a very good vamp,” Malik teased him.

I was going to be sick.

“Drink this,” Hannah held my water out to me. “They’re just trying to freak you out.”

I glared at them. “It’s working.”

“Vampires are forbidden from drinking the blood of witches. It’s a crime punishable by death, so don’t worry.” Daniel composed himself. “Shifters, too, but only in our human form.”

“Yeah, it’s not technically against the rules for them to feed off our animal forms, and it gives them a crazy power boost so sometimes we trade.” Malik shrugged, like letting someone drink from your veins was completely normal.

“Trade for what?” I barely got the words out.

“Usually healing,” a guy stopped behind the shifters and smiled across the table at me.

“Sai, there you are!” Daniel and Malik scooted to make room for him on the bench, and Sai sat down. He had thick black hair, dark eyes, and skin a similar shade to Malik. I almost asked if they were related, but Daniel interrupted my perusal. “This is Saige, the new girl we told you about.”

“Nice to meet you, Saige. It’s not every day a year-four student appears out of nowhere.” His full lips quirked into a smile, and my cheeks heated. His voice was deep and smooth. I could listen to him forever. Plus, he was ridiculously gorgeous. Where were all of these guys coming from? Were supernaturals just super attractive as well?

“Oh, good. Your color’s coming back.” Malik winked at me, and I nearly threw a cold fry at him.

“Nice to meet you too,” I croaked out, then cleared my throat. This was humiliating.

“Right, so vampires will heal shifters in exchange for their animal’s blood.” Hannah continued quickly to save me. “They can go to the health center, of course, but the school keeps track. It raises too many questions if they go in too often.”

“Why are they getting hurt so often?” I asked.

The three guys shared a look, and Daniel sighed. “There are some activities that take place that aren’t necessarily school-sanctioned.”

“There’s a fight club,” Hannah clarified.

I smirked. “I thought the first rule was that you don’t talk about fight club.”

Sai whooped. “Saige, my love. Where did you come from?”

I giggled while Hannah shook her head.

“Pittsburgh,” Daniel answered for me.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here now.” Sai stood and slid across the table to wrap me in a tight hug. A familiar zap of energy filled me at his touch, and I stiffened. He pulled away from me, beaming, and waved to his friends. “I’ll see you guys later.” He winked at me. “And you.”

I smiled, too stunned to wave or say goodbye before he turned and headed out of the hall.

“So that’s Sai,” Malik said, watching me. “He’s a shifter, too.”

“What kind?” I blurted the words without thinking.

“A tiger,” he replied.

I let out a relieved sigh.

“A fan of terrifying beasts?” Daniel teased.

I shook my head. “No, I just didn’t know if it was okay to ask about that, but the words kind of slipped out.”

“It’s completely fine to ask what kind of witch or shifter someone is. If you don’t know what species they are, you can ask that too. No one will take offense,” Malik promised.

“Yeah, it’s perfectly normal to us,” Hannah confirmed.

“Is it perfectly normal for you to be glared at?” Daniel leaned forward and whispered the words.

“Me?” I gasped.

He nodded. “Niall Kelly has been staring at you like you murdered his puppy for the last ten minutes. How did you manage to piss him off already?”

I fought the urge to turn and look for those crystal blue eyes. “Nothing. Mr. Haddon had him show me where to sit before the assembly, and we’re in lit together. I don’t know why he hates me.”

Hannah waved me off. “He hates everyone. Just give it a few days, and he’ll forget all about you.”

Why didn’t I like the sound of that? Ugh. I didn't want the mysteriously dark, angry, and annoyingly sexy guy hating me, but that didn’t mean I wanted him to forget about me.

Which was stupid.

Of course, I did.

Making an enemy on my first day was not ideal.

“What’s his deal?” I asked, pushing my hair behind my ear and trying to glance discreetly over my shoulder. I didn’t see him. Maybe he was on my other side.

“I don’t really know,” Daniel admitted. “He was fine freshman year. Normal, even. He hung out with some witches and shifters. Then something happened during summer break, and he came back all grumpy and quiet. He doesn’t talk to anyone, and everyone gives him space.”

Huh. “Did anyone ask his friends?”

Malik shook his head. “They said they didn’t know what happened. He just stopped answering their calls and texts and showed up for the next term like a completely different person.”

What happened to him? What would make a person close themselves off completely and turn so angry? Had he lost someone? Had someone hurt him? It was hard to imagine what could have been bad enough to create someone that looked so mad at the world.

My entire life had been turned upside down within hours. I’d been taken from my home and dropped off in a strange place, expected to adapt to this new world alone, and I wasn’t bitter or shooting daggers at people. That option appealed to me, but what would it accomplish in the end?

I hadn’t exactly been given a choice, but I could have refused or at least fought to stay with my family. That wasn’t what was best for them, though. I needed to be here so one day I could safely return to them.

“Well, he’s sure interested in you for some reason,” Daniel said, not sounding pleased about that. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure he stays away.”

Malik nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, guys, but I’m sure it’s fine. He’s probably just curious about why I’m here.” I forced a smile to show them it wasn’t bothering me.

“I’ve already been asked like a dozen times what I knew about you,” Hannah admitted.

“Me too,” Malik chuckled.

“Same, everyone wants to know about the new girl, but none are brave enough to just come up to you,” Daniel scoffed. “Cowards.”

“Well, it’s already gotten around that she has two affinities. No one knows what to think of that,” Hannah said, showing her phone and the notification for thirteen unread messages.

“These are just from while we’ve been sitting here.”

“Really?” I looked around. “Why don’t they just come over?”

Malik shifted uncomfortably. “We’re not exactly the norm.”

I looked at each of them. “What does that mean?”

Hannah sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you because it’s a stupid and antiquated way of thinking, but most students stick to their species.”

I scowled, “Really?”

“We’re obviously allowed and encouraged to be friends with each other, but the supernatural community is incredibly slow to change. For most families, it’s a struggle to even send their kids here because all three species are here together. They prefer for vampires, shifters, and witches to stay with their own kind.”

Just like Robert and Susan. I couldn’t believe Masie had been right. Things at the school hadn’t changed. They were still choosing to segregate themselves.

But not these three. “Then why are you guys––”

“Our families are more progressive,” Hannah answered before I could finish my question. “We’ve known each other our whole lives, and when we got here, we became friends with others who didn’t want to follow the social norms.”

“Like Sai?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Daniel said. “We’re not the only group of friends from all three, but we’re definitely in the minority.”

“Yeah, some of our friends are even hybrids,” Malik said proudly.

“Hybrids?” I asked.

“The kids of mixed species parents,” he explained.

My heart hammered. I was a hybrid? There was a name for it?

“It’s pretty rare for people of different species to have relationships, let alone bond, but it’s becoming more common. I think our generation is the first that’s ever been open about it. The more progressives in our society want to normalize inter-species relationships and hybrids.” Hannah grinned.

“So do people hide it if they’re hybrids?” I asked.

Daniel shrugged. “Probably. Not everyone does though. Theo’s open about it.”

“Theo? The guy I met?” I checked with Hannah, and she nodded. “What mix is he?” I cringed. “That’s not how I should ask, is it?”

Malik laughed. “Probably not, but Theo isn’t easily offended. He would tell you if you asked.”

“Are you saying I should ask him? Are you not going to tell me?” I waited for one of them to answer.

Hannah grinned. “Maybe you should. He seemed to like you.”

“What?” Daniel scowled. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry! I warned him to stay away from her. She’s not going to be his next conquest, but he is our friend. It could be good for her to meet other people.” She shot me a wicked smile.

It felt like a challenge. Like she didn’t think I would have the guts to go up and talk to him. “Fine,” I grinned. “Next time I see him, I’ll ask.”

“He’s right over there.” She pointed past me, and I turned to see him laughing with a bunch of guys at the table next to ours.

“Don’t.” Daniel reached out and caught my hand. “Wait until he’s at least away from his rugby friends. You don’t need all of their attention on you.”

Hannah shifted next to me, sending him a questioning look, but he widened his eyes at her before turning back to me. “Just do it later.”

I wasn’t sure why he was warning me away from those guys, but I decided to listen to him. “Okay.”

“Good. It’s almost time for our next class anyway.” Malik stood, and we all got up and gathered our trays. On the way out, I glanced back and locked eyes with Niall. He didn’t even bother pretending not to watch me.

I arched a brow in question, and he just blinked, making my gut clench.