Chapter 3

　　MAYA'S POV

　　I put my hands over my mouth, coughing at the sour, tangy salt. I struggle to my feet. I can feel a slight trembling beneath my bare feet. Where am I? I look around; I'm standing in the middle of a stone balcony. I try to look towards the staircase, but I'm way too high to see its end. So I move to the sides instead, gripping the railings for support as the wind hits me. I go completely still.

　　I'm standing on a building above the sea. A bloody red sea. What the fuck? Bubbles burst in the sea, and I can see steam rise up. Is it boiling? I look again, and it seems the building is floating. I tilt my head sideways; the building looks like it's on a rock that's emerging from the sea. What?? I crane my neck upwards to see the top of the building, but all I can see is clouds and thick mist.

　　"The Grandmistress of the academy is expecting you." One of my abductors says. He doesn't wait for a response; he's already heading inside the building.

　　"Where am I?" I follow him in. The room is wide with so many branches, staircases, and rooms above. This is one hell of an academy. Inside is dimly lit, with lamp stands burning at a few strategic places to light it up. Everywhere is made of stone. They're ancient symbols in the walls and ceiling and... this is a bad idea.

　　I turn and quickly run back to the entrance of the building, but I come to a quick halt, stepping back immediately I notice the stairs and balcony breaking and vanishing into the sea below.

　　My breathing becomes unstable as I watch everything that drops into the sea melts. Should I fall into that hot red sea, and if by a miracle I survive, find my way back home?

　　But how could I do that when I have absolutely no idea where I am? Should I go into this academy, learn about it, and find a safer route back home? Just as I'm still weighing my options, the door snaps shut in my face, pushing me to backwards to the ground.

　　And in the weirdest moment, everything goes still and extremely quiet. My skin prickles; the mark on my arm is glowing again, just like the first time he appeared to me. I feel the shift in the air before I turn. He's here—the wolf man.

　　"Are you okay?" A deep baritone asks, with heavy footsteps rushing to my side. He puts his hands around my waist, helping me to my feet, and I turn to jelly.

　　I turn around to face my helper, and my breath hitches. I gulp and stare at the pretty face hidden under a wolf's cloak. He's the one who stepped through my mirror. I try to calm my nerves. I'm suddenly too hot. My thighs are burning.

　　The hot stranger stares intently at me. There are so many emotions in his eyes, which I can't make out. His fingers massage my waist, sending wrong signals to my brain. He bends his head, leaning his nose to my neck.

　　Help!! I can't breathe.

　　He closes his eyes and sniffs in, but when he reopens his eyes, something shifts in those vertical amber slit eyes. He quickly lets go of my waist and steps back, now looking at me like he hates me. "Why are you here?" He asks in a low tone.

　　I stumble back, narrowing my eyes in shock. "What are you talking about? Who are you?" I whisper back.

　　He shakes his head, glaring at me. "You shouldn't have come here." That's all he says before sprinting off.

　　"Wait." I try to go after him, but a loud voice stops me. "Maya Carter, in the office now!" The voice is so deep, it literally shakes the foundation of the building. My dress yanks up. A gust of wind blows in my direction, causing my body to twirl around, and then seams slide into fabric I don't recognize. I look down; I'm now wearing a clean, white shirt with an attached badge, a checkered skirt, and black combat boots. "Magic." I gasp as the mark on my arm cools off.

　　I turn in the direction of the voice and quicken my pace to catch up with the guardian as I catch a glimpse of his robe. He takes a left turn, stopping in front of a door. Even the doors look like something from the medieval age. Where the hell am I? He knocks once and leaves.

　　The door opens, and I look around in confusion before stepping in and jerking as the door nosily shuts behind me.

　　The office is neatly arranged with ornaments on the desk, books on the shelf, and portraits on the wall. It looks pretty fashionable compared to every other archaic part of this place I've seen so far.

　　Behind the desk is a woman who's really big with muscles and tats. She's wearing a sleeveless showoff shirt. Her blonde hair is packed in a ponytail and shaved at the sides. Okay, she's a badass. She smiles; she doesn't look like the kind of woman who should be smiling. "I'm Kylie, Grandmistress of the academy." That deep voice... Was that her in the hallway?

　　Grandmistress? I would have pictured her in a robe, funny looking hat and sitting behind a pot of hot spell.

　　She goes on. "Welcome to the blood valley academy. The session will be very tough..."