Escaped Daughter (Morrigan University #1)

8

The rest of orientation blew by and I was mostly focused on adult stuff and detangling myself from my family and the life I’d led. The High Council aides had my room packed and delivered to my house that same day no problem.

The ruling papers were certified and delivered to me and Ramon, my attorney, the next day.

He had my inheritance completely transferred that day and with a detailed outline of how he wanted to set up the new trust to protect me personally. I found myself sending a copy of it to Councilman Oliveria since he genuinely seemed to care and wanted to protect me in Grandfather’s stead. I, of course, sent a copy to Tracey for input as well.

She, in turn, sent me two large deliveries of materials for work after hearing I had a single room all to myself, so no roommate to go poking about in my stuff. She was still a brat because it took magic to make product, and even if I didn’t have to focus to do it, it was draining. Still, it was smart, and the more money and prestige we had with the company, the more we could protect ourselves.

And we would need it once my family found out, and they would undoubtedly be circling the wagons.

I also finished my research into my independent proposal and submitted it before orientation was even over. Friday, all of campus opened, and the change was crazy as students of all six years flocked back before classes started Monday.

Which led me to finally focus on my schedule and prepare for what was to come.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I had:

Intro to Familiars I

:30-10

Professor Wyatt

Latin III

10:15-11:45

Professor Daly

Lunch

12-1

Physical Training I

1:15-2:45

Coach Dunham

Tuesdays and Thursdays I had:

Spell Circles 101

:30-10

Dr. Haskins

History of Magic I

10:15-11:45

Professor Moser

Lunch

12-1

Independent Study (Frosh)

1:15-2:45 (subject to change)

TBA (if topic accepted)

And there was also a special notation on my schedule “Power Assessment: TBA and TBS” which I checked was what every new freshman had. So as much as it seemed like the teachers with seniority would get the best students, I was assured it was more matching those with the right talents to those who could help.

Uh-huh, more like those who wanted to suck up to the right families and politics.

But otherwise, I was happy with my schedule. It was rare for a freshman to get the chance at an independent study, but I placed out of several prerequisite classes for my first three years given my tutoring. It was also why I was starting in Latin III with juniors. It was college-level Latin and we needed to finish Latin IV to graduate. It was needed for advanced spells and the casting we needed in our master’s studies as well.

It was going to be a long six years for sure, but I was impressed with how everything was set up. There weren’t a lot of filler classes or human prerequisites like other colleges. We’d had enough English classes in high school or debate or any of that other stuff. We were here to master our powers and learn magic to help our community and make sure our world thrived.

Which meant the assignments would be grueling, the tests downright painful, and some of the trials possibly deadly. Who wouldn’t want to sign up for that?

It honestly sounded great to me… Except as much as I was ahead in lots of areas, I was way, way behind in others since I’d had to hide my magic, so that was dangerous.

Very dangerous in a place like this. And problematic as to how to fix it, but I had to figure out a way and fast.

A problem for another day as I blinked and it was my first day of classes, and that was enough for my nerves. I rolled out of bed and showered, dressing in casual jean shorts, a sleeveless top—since it was supposed to be hot later—and a three-quarter sleeve overshirt along with slip-on sneakers. I decided on a bit more than my normal makeup to feel confident but nothing too much and I called it done.

The cafeteria was nice, exactly what one would expect for a top-tier college that most of the rich kids attended. But it wasn’t only rich kids there. Our society pushed learning hard and didn’t worry about how it was paid for as we were a rich society with our magic and long history. So families who couldn’t pay for the ridiculous costs were covered by the collective community taxes and treated fairly.

Well, in theory. I’d never seen the reality given I’d lived caged and had been taught with tutors. There was probably some bullying with that and looking down noses at those without money, but even my pompous parents thought it uncouth to mention if someone came from less fortunate circumstances. I thought that to be mostly the attitude of the “important” magical families.

At least in public.

But the cafeteria buffets and options were great, and the range of healthy to junk to comfort food would give me everything I could ever want or need. Again, it was smart to handle it that way as it would keep people on campus where it was safer for them. There were also options to special order food and make requests for extra fees for events or birthdays which was really nice.

Not that I had any friends or people that would know my birthday next semester… It was nice for others though.

I finished eating and made a point to say hi to Julie before heading to class. I found the room easily but almost tripped over my feet as I saw it was the same layout as where that happened. It was a small lecture hall and I had flashes back to that night as even every detail was how I remembered it.

Down to the same damn desk. Oh fuck, that would be distracting. I fanned my face and hurried to take a seat off to the side near the windows that were open and letting in some of the cool, early morning breeze. Seriously, what was the coincidence of that?

There are probably dozens of classrooms just like this one. Get a grip and stop thinking of that night and him. You might bump into him one day, but just… Get a grip before you make a fool of yourself, Bevin. It happened. It’s over. Don’t be that simpering girl.

The pep talk helped and I settled down, opening my notebook and ready to act a diligent student who was focused on learning.

“How come she’s in this class?” a woman whispered from several rows over. “I heard she doesn’t even have a familiar. Can you even take this class without one?”

“Seriously? How did she even get into this school without one? That must have been one hell of a fucking bribe her parents gave,” a guy from behind them taunted.

“Yeah, everyone in her dorm is talking about it,” the first woman replied. “They say she came for the early seminar, but no one saw her with a familiar the whole two weeks she’s been here.”

“Maybe it’s simply a small one she’s embarrassed of?” a different woman suggested.

The first woman snorted. “Like a bug? She seems the type who got blessed with looks and nothing else. I bet it’s a bug.”

“I’d check her for bugs and anything else,” another guy joked, several of his buddies laughing and making comments on my looks.

I was debating how to handle it and what to say when the bell rang.

“Welcome to Intro to Familiars I,” a deep voice said from the front of the class. “I’m Professor Derek Wyatt and the teacher of the class.”

I slowly looked up at him, knowing that voice and unable to hide the horror I was feeling as my gaze landed on him. He was more than the teacher of the class.

He was the man who had taken my purity.

This wasn’t a classroom like the one it had happened in. It was the classroom.

It was his classroom.

We’d done it on his desk right there.

Fuck. My. Life.

I’d lost my purity to a professor. The professor of my first class . My first college class and I’d slept with the teacher. I wanted to melt into the floor and die.

And the asshole simply caught my gaze and smirked at me before staring back out at the class. Okay, I didn’t want to melt and die… I wanted to kill him . How—who—when—how many of his students had he fucked and smirked at like that?

See, that was why it was better to never know the reality as it ruined everything . Gone were the hot, hot memories of that night, and instead I felt dirty. I felt trashy like a slut who was one of many who banged the hot professor who got around campus.

I blinked back tears, mentally screaming at myself that I’d endured worse and I would not cry over this jackass. I was free now and I would get through this too. He was nothing to me, a blip on the radar I would laugh at later. A speed bump I didn’t care about.

Except I remembered something and horror swarmed me all over again. Wyatt. He was Derek Wyatt .

As in another important magical family. One that was a main rival of… The Shaw family. He hadn’t wanted to stay anonymous for anything nice or pure, but because our families were rivals, and taking the purity of the youngest Shaw daughter was a major ace up his sleeve.

In other words, I’d been completely, totally, and utterly played, and I was too fucking stupid to have seen it. He wasn’t my hero, but the devil dressed up as one who slid in at the opportune time to “rescue” me and get everything instead.

He got to be a hero in front of the High Council, save a Shaw, shit on my family when they were the culprits, and probably got props from the school since he worked there for saving a student. He got my purity and the magical boost from it since I was powerful. He now had that secret in his back pocket to use as he wanted and the power over me as my teacher.

And the worst? The absolute worst of this?

We could have made a baby. He knew we could have made a baby as rival houses and he could have had control of the youngest Shaw that way and a win against my family. The first test came back negative, but I still had a bit more time before I could take the final one.

He wasn’t my savior. He was a monster—just like my family.

There really was no one I could trust ever.

I’d gotten so lost in my head I hadn’t noticed he’d kept talking or class had continued until the person in front of me tapped a stack of papers on my foldout desk. I apologized and grabbed them, realizing it was a copy of the syllabus. I took one and quickly passed them to the person behind me.

“Before we get into the overview of this class, let’s get the normal inappropriate personal questions out of the way,” Professor Wyatt said as he leaned against the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared out at everyone and focused on a rather boisterous group of women. “This is my first year as a professor, last year was my first year as an instructor.

“Yes, that’s unheard of, but I passed my qualifications faster than normal and was certified by the High Council given my level of magic and knowledge. So even though I’m twenty-five, I assure you, I’m legit as a professor, and you’ll be wise to treat me as one.” He gave us a moment to let that sink in and I swallowed loudly dealing with him being that much older than me. “Yes, I am single, however, I’m interested in someone.”

And then the fucker shot me a glance. I was torn between shooting an energy blast at him even if it got me expelled and vomiting in my mouth.

Both seemed fairly appropriate at the moment.

“Given my age, status, and new teaching credentials, I’m ridiculously careful of how I interact with students.”

Oh, that was hard not to burst out laughing at. Then again, he did report everything to the High Council… But still. Laughable.

“So be warned that I will record all lectures as is university procedure, but I also do the same for office hours and any student meetings. If there is a private matter to be discussed, that doesn’t need to be archived with the university records, that’s fine. I simply ask that an impartial witness be present like an RA, my advisor, or your power assessor. That way there aren’t any misunderstandings later.”

That was actually ridiculously smart, and I made a few notes that I wanted to adopt that policy for school and the business. I was chum in the water and in a precarious position given all that had happened, and I needed to start thinking everything was a trap and avoiding them better.

The professor standing in front of me was a perfect example of that as well as giving me the help to avoid the next one.

“Any other questions?” he asked the class, nodding to the woman who raised her hand first.

“What type of girls are you into?”

“Well, I’m into women, not girls, but that question is really over the line, and I would never be into someone who would ask it and in a public setting,” he drawled, ignoring the chuckling and jeering in response. “So moving on from the invasive personal stuff, let’s get back to the class material.” He glanced around and saw no one seemed to object.

However, that woman seemed to want to kill him with her eyes. She deserved it, but she would have to get in line behind me first.

I had a much, much bigger grievance with him.

“This class obviously focuses on familiars, but specifically it will teach you about the bond you have with your own familiar and how to grow it. Beyond that, I will teach you how to interact with other familiars, the proper way to greet and handle them, and next semester even work with them when you combine magic as you’ll have to for projects at school and in life.

“To start, we’ll go over the broader view, but we’ll also get into specifics as the goal is to learn as much as much as possible. That is why you are all founts of information as well as the ones learning. You are a class who have different familiars and histories with them that won’t be in textbooks. We’re going to go over them—not for gossip but to learn.

“It’s valuable information. Maybe not for you now, but for your family later or to help another witch or warlock. All of it is knowledge for your arsenal that you build on. So next class, bring your familiars so I can see the array of what we have. I’ll bring mine and they can start adapting to the setting and getting used to each other as they will interact in this class during the year.”

Well, that was going to out me in record time.

Like. I. Gave. A. Shit.

I bit back a smirk. Honestly, I didn’t give even one ounce of care of the crap I would get. Not one. I knew it was because I was powerful, so they could run their mouths all they wanted and they would. The petty ones would, but the smart ones would use their brains and ask if something more was going on.

It would be interesting to see who fell into which bracket.

Professor Wyatt moved on into the lecture and went over the two theories of how familiars came to be and were matched with witches and warlocks. He went into it more deeply than I normally explained it or heard people discuss it, and even in my anger I had to admit he was an engaging lecturer. He was knowledgeable on the topic, passionate, and had a great voice without being too much or distracting.

No, that was how hot and sexy he was.

Fucker.

“All right, let’s wrap there for today,” he ended right before the bell was going to ring and I could race out of there. He set aside his notes and picked up a notebook, glancing at it quickly. “Ms. Millen, if you could please stay after.”

I couldn’t hide my flinch in time, the woman who had been saying the shit early snorting.

“See, I told you she didn’t have a familiar. He probably wants to know why she’s in this class as well.”

“It’s a prerequisite to graduate,” someone muttered.

“Fine, how she got in then,” she drawled.

The bell cut off what else anyone might have said as everyone hurried to pack up and head out. I put everything away and stood, watching the others leave as I slowly walked down the stairs. I reached the front as the last person walked out the door, making sure not to flinch as the noise of it closing behind them echoed in the room.

“I tried to call and warn you after your hearing, but you changed your number,” he offered.

I opened my mouth to ask how he’d even gotten my number when my phone was locked… But he worked for the university. Right. It was on file. I gave a swift nod and tightened my grip on the strap of my messenger bag as I focused on his broad chest, unable to meet his eyes.

“Congratulations on your hearing and getting free of your family,” he tried again, sighing when I flinched but said nothing. “Are you really not going to say—”

“Did you need me for anything for class, Professor Wyatt? ” I bit out. “Otherwise, no, I have nothing to say to you.”

He didn’t reply right away, but I felt him move closer, taking a step away but he was faster, snagging his fingers in the waist of my shorts and holding me in place. He leaned over and pressed his lips to my ear. “I want more of that magic, goddess, and I know—”

I shoved at his chest with my left hand and forced myself away as I pulled back my right hand and let it fly with all I had, slapping him across the face hard enough it turned his head. It echoed in the quiet room, my heavy breathing the only other sound that could be heard.

And that’s when I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They fell in my anger even as I desperately tried to keep control. “I am not just my magic. You, nor my parents, nor anyone else can have it. I get it, you’re a Wyatt who got to fuck and fuck over a Shaw. Bully for you. I was even completely stupid and told everyone it was my fault so you got praise and props for being the hero.”

He slowly turned his head and looked at me, doing a double take when he saw my state as he rubbed his cheek. “You’re misunderstanding—”

“Fuck you,” I spat. “I’m not a pawn you can use for any of the sick games you all play. I was disowned because I want out of that life.” I took several quick steps back, my whole body shaking as I tried not to trip over myself. “Don’t approach me again unless for class or I’ll report you.”

“Wait, you’re—”

“Go fuck some other student and then smirk at them that they’re just one of many idiots,” I choked out before turning and racing for the door. Dammit. I shouldn’t have let him see that bothered me too. The other stuff was valid and that was… That was personal and showed I cared more than I wanted to let on.

Gods, what a mess. What an absolute fucking mess .

I managed to get it together enough to walk into Latin without drawing too much attention. I was ready for some shit for being a freshman in a junior class, but the campus was big enough that there shouldn’t have been a huge beacon above my head that said as much. Plus, there might be a few sophomores in the class?

I could only hope.

But the class was going to be an easy A for me as I should have been placed in Latin IV, but they probably thought that was pushing it since I was only certified by tutors. Great tutors… Yet only tutors and no formal education. Fine, I could have an easy refresher.

Lunch I kept light and took to go to eat with Julie who was my only friend on campus. Yes, I knew that was probably lame, but the owl got around, and I was fully informed on a lot about campus for sure.

That left me at my last class of the day and the one I was least excited about. I knew physical training was important and I was in great shape… But not in the way they meant the class. My family didn’t put much stock in the value of women or their abilities.

So they definitely didn’t take them seriously in a fight. Hence. I barely knew how to throw a punch. I was honestly shocked the slap I gave Professor Wyatt earlier did much of anything. Which meant this class was not going to be easy for me.

I doubted I was the only one in our sexist society though, so that might be my only saving grace.

I had gone over the weekend and claimed a locker, so I was all set to quickly change into the university-approved apparel for the class and head into the gym. I wasn’t the first there, but I wasn’t the last either, several rushing to hurry before the bell.

A very large, tall, and ripped man stepped out of an office with several other men and stared over us. “I’m Coach Dunham, and I’ll be in charge of your training while you’re at Morrigan University. If you have any problems, come see me. Injuries, you go to the clinic and see the healers. If you want to bitch about the curriculum or don’t like you have to take this class—I don’t give a shit.”

Okaaayyyy then. Wow.

“Let’s get started,” he said as he looked over the clipboard in his hand. “We’re starting with physical assessments to gauge where you’re all at. Follow us to the workout room.”

I wasn’t the only one who walked briskly in the direction he headed.

“What’s the princess going to do in this class?” a woman snarked… The same one from my first class who started shit with me. “Bat her eyelashes at an attacker? Seriously, there’s no way she can do anything or—”

“Shut the fuck up,” Coach Dunham bellowed. “This isn’t gossip or talking time. Move your asses.”

Well, I liked him better.

“Millen, I have a note here that your phone number is changed and you need to update it with the university,” he barked at me. “We need it for this class specifically in case of weather changes or to send schedule shifts.”

“I apologize,” I called over. “It was related to a High Council hearing Wednesday, so everything didn’t get processed until Friday with the paperwork. I’ll update it at the administration building after class.”

“Fine, but you start us off then,” he grumbled, waving me forward. People moved for me, no one else wanting to get on his radar, and I easily made my way to him. He tapped the treadmill next to him. “We’re starting with cardio. Hop on and let’s see what you can do. I want the fastest mile you can run and then as long as you can run.”

“Oh, no, the princess might sweat,” that bitch mocked.

I ignored her. “As long as I can at top speed or a distance run?”

“Distance,” he answered.

“I need more than class then,” I warned him, nodding when he raised an eyebrow at me. “I admit I can’t throw a punch, but I can run and run from a bad guy.”

“Smart to at least try for that,” he grumbled. “Fine, give me as fast as you can for as long as you can in this class to give me a gauge.”

“Yes, Coach.”

He gave me an approving nod when he saw my mile time and pace.

I was glad for that as I was going to not impress him with lots else. It was hard not to smirk when I was still running at a fast pace long after that bitch took her turn and had to stop.

Coach did a double take when he saw I was one of the last people running. “Millen, who are you planning to have to run from like that?”

I shrugged. “There’s always going to be someone bigger and badder than me. And if my parents thought girls were weak and useless, then I decided the best I could do was lower the percentage of people who could outrun me.”

“Definitely not the worst theory I’ve ever heard,” he muttered. “We need your other stats so hop off.”

I nodded and ramped down, heading over for push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and the like. I did well from what I could tell, at least better than the group of women standing around the bitch who kept taking shots at me.

I was happy I wasn’t doing poorly but the rest wasn’t any kind of consolation for the way the rest of my crap day had been. It honestly didn’t even make a blip on my radar.

Or give me a chance to pull me out of my upset. I wasn’t sure there was anything that could manage that.