"Yes," she whispers.
As Clive’s fingers go to his belt buckle, a ripple of amusement moves through the classroom.
“Clive! Dude!” Remi rushes over and shoves at his friend. “Stop.”
My mouth drops open as Clive halts and looks around in bewilderment. The others told me how powerful Katherine is, but this amount of control is crazy.
Clive’s belt jingles as it drops it to the floor.
The witches nearby chuckle as Clive continues his impromptu striptease, eyes on Katherine's as she whispers to him. How far can she persuade Clive to go?
Two of Katherine’s friends appear at either shoulder—a row of girls in solidarity against the guy who humiliated their friend. Several other shifters stand to join Remi and Clive, but the vampires catch their attention first.
"Sit," says Katherine.
Remi and the others sit back down when told, like primary school kids scolded by a teacher.
“Katherine can’t do this,” I say. “She’ll get herself into more trouble.”
“I don’t think she cares,” says Andrei as his eyes sparkle with amusement. “Reckon she can get Clive naked?”
Naked.
“Whoa. Is she doing this for revenge?” I ask.
“Duh,” replies Andrei, and I grit my teeth.
Clive’s grey uniform trousers drop to the floor and pool around his ankles, revealing bright red boxer briefs. A Petrescu kid shouts a laugh. “Nice undies, dude.”
“Oh, Clive,” Katherine says with a sigh. “Can’t you feel the potion soaking through those too? Take them off.”
A scintillated gasp replaces the earlier amused ripple. I’m not Clive’s biggest fan currently, but I don’t agree with public humiliation. “Katherine.”
She blinks round at me. “Yes?”
“Don’t do this.”
“Do what?” She purses her lips innocently and tosses Clive’s trousers to her friend.
“Don't get yourself suspended or expelled.”
She moistens her lips then looks away from me. Clive gazes around the classroom but it's as if he isn't here; his eyes focus back on Katherine's as soon as she says his name. The other guys shout out to him, but he's oblivious.
Biting her lip in amusement, Katherine closes the gap between them and leans into his ear. Her hair falls forward and brushes his cheek as she whispers something.
The classroom erupts into laughter as Clive turns away, toward his friends, and drops his briefs. At the same moment, the girl who spilt the potion pulls out a phone and points it at his backside.
"That's enough!" I shout and shove my way towards him.
"Clive! Turn around!" calls Katherine.
"Holy crap. I do not want to see his junk," mutters Andrei.
Clive slowly begins to turn, and a hushed class waits.
"Katherine!" I grab my blazer and stand between them. "Don't lower yourself to their level."
"What in the stars' name is happening here?" Professor Turlington's horrified voice booms into the room. "Clive Hudson, dress immediately. Is this your idea of a joke?"
"The vampire bitch did this," snarls Remi. "She used mental magic on Clive."
Katherine sighs and clicks her fingers at Clive, whose expression switches from zoned out to freaked out. His hands go to his crotch as he covers his junk, then he grabs my blazer to tie around his waist by the sleeves, his face paling.
"Is that true, Katherine?" asks the professor.
She tips her chin and makes her way back to her seat, refusing to answer.
"Shifters are easy to control," says her friend with a smirk. "All brawn and no brains. Took seconds."
"So you did this?' asks the professor.
"All three of them," barks Remi. "They humiliated Clive."
"Like he did with his pictures of me?" asks Katherine.
"That wasn't me, I told you." Clive pulls up his briefs from around his ankles. "You'll regret this, Katherine."
"Oh? Are you threatening me, wolf boy?"
"What did you call me?" he growls.
"Well, you definitely have more hair on that arse since the last time I saw it."
The speechless Jamie breaks his silence. "Is Clive usually that hairy, Ash?"
I open my mouth to protest that I don't look at Clive's backside on a regular basis when Andrei nudges me. "C'mon. You're rugby boys. You've seen his arse at least once."
"I dunno," I mutter. "Maybe."
Yvette claps her hands together. "See what I mean, guys? Shifters can't trust the vamps either. Who knows what magic they'd use on you next?"
"This happened because we don't get to train in mental magic," says Clive, parroting Vince. "We're excluded because we're 'dumb shifters'."
Professor Turlington looks away. "Clive. Use my office to dress. Katherine. Stay where you are until the rest of the class leave and I will fetch Professor Whitlock to deal with you."
Katherine runs her tongue across her teeth. "But, Professor, Professor Whitlock isn't teaching today. His class is cancelled because he's unavailable."
"You don't escape your punishment that easily. I'll go to his quarters."
"I heard he isn't at the academy," pipes up the girl beside her.
"Hmm. How strange that Tobias is missing along with his favourite pupil." Katherine cocks her head and arches a brow in her direction.
"Don't be ridiculous," retorts Jamie. "Maeve went home."
But the seed of doubt is planted by Katherine's words and the murmuring begins again, the focus switching from Katherine and Clive's performance.
Katherine, as ever, dug deep into her repertoire to cause as much trouble as she can. Won't she ever learn the consequences of her actions?
"She's had it now," whispers Andrei. "She'll be expelled."
"Why stir up trouble?" I ask. "Okay, I get the revenge thing, but why start a rumour about Maeve and Tobias."
Andrei shakes his head at me. "Because she's jealous. Maeve isn't the only one prepared to cross the student/teacher taboo line."
Katherine now examines her nails, switching to an air of boredom. The worst part of the situation isn't Katherine humiliating Clive, but that she could and so easily. The incident has solidified Vince's teachings: shifters are pushed out. Clive couldn't defend himself.
Now Gilgamesh are at war with Petrescu, how long before Walcott and Gilgamesh clash? The calm in Potions earlier was as big an illusion as any magic, and the academy is heading downhill fast.
Chapter Twelve
JAMIE
Potions didn't distract me, despite Katherine's antics. I don't understand why we're still here. Have the Confederacy secretly pursued the Blackwoods without telling us? Maeve is their secret weapon, after all. I hate when Maeve calls herself that, but her value to both sides threatens her life again.
I've no pendant anymore, but I do know where the grimoire is. I shouldn't know or have touched the book, but I wanted to help my friends. The protection spell I chose to learn is useless now anyway, since the magic is connected to the pendant. Tobias hid the book in his office after Matt used it last year, and the grimoire wasn't hard to find since he hardly has any possessions. I know what the Blackwood grimoire looks like since I saw the book when Matt had it.