by S. L. Morgan
I went to speak, but he cut me off.
“For now, celebrate the fact you survived your first month. It’s all uphill from here.” He winked and then was gone in a blink.
Teleporting. He was a witch. I knew that ability from a mile away since it was Vannah’s favorite thing to do before this academy shut it down. Maybe they’d let her use it once she proved she would use it for good. I had no idea. I really didn’t know what years two and three brought the supernaturals at the school. Lusa was in her second year here, and after she used compulsion on me, she still had to keep it in check. Same with Dominic. He shifted and could’ve suffered severe consequences for doing so outside our allotted time when Ethan freaked that night.
“Are you coming?” Vannah tugged on my arm. “Let’s go. You’re going to die when you see this massive dancing area and then another room that’s just as big as that, filled with desserts.” She looked at my dress and smiled, “Be careful ravishing the pie station, you’re wearing all white…well, the parts that are covered, I should say.”
“What am I doing wearing this stupid thing?” I said with hesitation, realizing this was over the top.
“Wear it like the Queen of Sparta you are tonight, my sweet and crazy friend.”
We walked into music that even made me want to dance. It was a mix of fast beats with classical instruments keeping up, creating a rhythm that set the stage for an eventful night. I smiled and ignored every single person dressed in lavish clothing—all monarchs and royalty—and focused on getting to the pie station. Awesome music combined with my favorite food? I was totally down for this night I’d been dreading.
Vannah was right, bright crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and students lined the white porcelain pillared walls. It was an intoxication of beauty, but the only thing I was about to get high on life with right now was the pie that was calling me into the magnificent dessert room. The black and white checkered floor made my eyes so thankful it wasn’t a bright multi-colored fairy floor. It was simple, and beams of light fell on the desserts as if they were just as special as the artwork and sculptures in the entrance of this building.
I was in the middle of cramming a piece of pie in my mouth when some tall chick who hung with Dom and Company—my new favorite term to refer to Dominic and his crew—approached.
She was dressed in a chiffon gown with some ribbon and crest adorning her shoulder, and before I could swallow the bite of pie, she was flanked by a panther shifter I liked to call red lips because of her ostentatious makeup, and a lioness shifter with thick, golden blonde hair.
The chick in the chiffon stood in front of me, arching a brow almost as high as Mistress Sirena. Her leathery skin was evidence that she spent too much time in the sun or something. This chick had charcoal black hair, emerald green eyes, and pouty pink lips. Her eyes would have been something of beauty if they weren’t always sending daggers in mine and my friends’ directions.
“Did you hear what I asked?” She stomped her foot like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum.
“No. Sorry. Don’t speak bitch. Gotta go,” I said and left the mean girl tactic that had me singled out at my weak spot—the pie station.
“You should watch your language,” I heard the high pitched trill of red lips shout out, “the dean is present tonight.”
I ignored the trio and headed reluctantly out of the dessert section in search of my friends.
“Jenna!” Tanner’s eyes were as wide as saucers and smile stretching from ear to ear. “Dang, girl, it’s a shame you friend-zoned me a long time ago.”
“Mind out of the gutter, dude.” I pointed into his chest. He wore coattails and a strange hat with a bizarre looking white wig. “Who the heck are you?”
“George Washington.” He pulled on his blue tailcoat, “First president of the United States of America. It’s a place I think I want to live once I’m out of here.”
Tanner rattled off about the president while my eyes fell on where Dom and Co. stood. I’m sure my eyes were as wide as Tanner’s when he first saw me when I saw what Dominic was wearing—or lack thereof. The red burgundy cloak that hung from his back should have drawn my eyes away from the veins in his bare arms, and the abs of steel that were shredded and more than tempting.
Holy mother of shifters! The dude was in some kind of early year regalia for a warrior, I just had no idea what. The shield he carried made my throat go dry. That’s when Dom and Co. saw me standing there, jaw open and probably looking like I was drooling over the guy who was carrying the…
“Shield of Sparta?” I seethed out. “Tanner, tell me I’m wrong. Oh my God, I’m going to kill Ethan for this.”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Tanner touched my lower, bare back, and I jerked away from him. “You are looking at your king, my lady. Leonidas…”
“Shut.” I held my hand up and closed my eyes. “Up.”
“You both make a fine pair.” Tanner chuckled.
“Alright. Where’s the group hanging? I’m standing in an area for everyone to witness this, so let’s get out of here.”
“We’re actually over there by the King of Sparta and his monarch bros.”
“What?” I said, trying to duck behind the slow dancing crowd. “Come here,” I said, grabbing President Washington Tanner and looking at the people dancing in some fancy way. “Tell me you practiced in the one hour they taught us some of the dancing we’d be doing tonight?”
“I believe you’re dancing with my queen, Washington.”
I wanted my head to fall into Tanner’s sturdy chest and rescue me from the mortification to follow, but it was too late. Tanner—like every guy at this school—gave Dom his space, and now I was looking up into humorous brown eyes that spoke to my soul somehow, and my hands were caught in rough, warrior hands.
“Well, if we didn’t want anyone thinking we were a couple, dancing together like this isn’t helping us,” I said, pulling my eyes away from the guy I’d hardly said a word to since he’d shifted that one night. “Every. Single. Person. Is. Watching. Us.”
“You know, some words aren’t made to be complete sentences,” he teased as he led our dance.
Watch his feet, Jenna. I was determined to keep my eyes off the crowd and off his enticing brawny olive toned abs—gah! Crap, he’s in sandals, and his feet are even beautiful. In the art of pulling it together, I stared boldly into his eyes. Dude’s rigid and muscular body was too tall and his shoulder too wide for me to glance around. I had to face this monster head on. How could Ethan think this was cool? Pairing me up as Dom’s queen for the night? Bet Dom and Co. and the fangirls were enjoying this. It certainly explained why three of his groupies wanted to kill me at the pie station a few minutes ago.
Well, at least I crossed a line with the students this time—and not with the school. Now, I was just left to wonder if this song was ever going to end.
Chapter Fifteen
I resorted to glancing around at the audience Dom and I had created while dancing. It was much easier to look at their gossiping expressions instead of falling mercy to the Greek god of a body in front of me.
Dominic’s hand slid to my exposed lower back due to the nature of this dancing ritual. Yeah, I said it, ritual. There was nothing dance-like about this. It was me and my fierce, no BS master dancing like we were somehow meant to be. I had to fight everything off at this point—everything as in my soul felt drawn to the power of this guy, and I couldn’t explain it.
I’d never been this close to any guy in my life, much less someone I was inwardly admiring for his commanding air, strength, and the power that poured off him in waves. It also didn’t help that he was easy on the eye, which was putting it mildly now, having seen him half-dressed in these warrior clothes of the Spartan King.
My throat was dry, my palms balmy—which I knew he felt—and my heart trying to fall out of its normal rhythm. It wasn’t fair that he had this much control over me, and I was growing frustrated that I was turning into one of the group
ies who gawked at him.
“You shouldn’t worry about what others think, you know,” Dominic said, and I heard a smile in his voice.
“Just trying to find Ethan. This was his idea.” I finally looked back into his beautiful brown eyes, noticing his thick black lashes that highlighted them. “It was his idea…”
“That you be my queen for the night?” he rose an eyebrow of humor at me. “So, tell me, my queen, what intelligent advice do you have for a king you love so desperately who is about to head off to war only to die to protect his people.”
“I really didn’t study up on this couple, so you got me there. Like I said, I asked Ethan to find a character for me to dress up as, and he told me I fit this person very well.”
“You do.” He smirked. “You also wear the clothing very well too.”
His expression became sincere as his thumb absently rubbed the area where his hand rested on my lower back. It glided over my spine, giving me an internal shiver. My emotions were destroying my confidence, and I was losing control of the front I was keeping up in front of Dominic.
“Yeah, the sandals look great on your feet.”
Dominic chuckled and drew me in closer, his lips were at my ear now. “Are you getting flustered by the appearance of my feet?”
That’s all I needed, some dumb, arrogant remark, and suddenly, the warmth of his breath that should have raised goosebumps all over my body had no effect on me. “I hate feet. They’re ugly and weird.”
“But mine are attractive. You just said it.”
“Dominic, please. I’m just trying to get through this dance. Your groupies are going to give me hell for this, and I’m not in the mood to be the topic of this school’s conversation over the next few months.”
He grew more serious. “What if I told you I was glad Ethan told me I reminded him of the King of Sparta? Except for the death part, of course; although, I would fight to the death and go fiercely into battle to protect my people—if immortals actually died, that is.”
“Then I’m glad you’re glad. You kind of run at the top with this school, so you’re not going to get crap about this, but I am.”
“Like I said, who cares what they think. Let them talk.”
“Easier said than done.”
“I have a proposition for you.” He cocked his head to the side, and just as he was finally starting to pique my interest because the look on his face resembled more of the master I had grown to know, the music was ending. “It’ll have to wait, but for now, please don’t hate Ethan too much for doing this. Will you trust me when I propose we do something together to help Ethan, something that I really need your help with?”
“What are you talking about? I mean, I’ll do anything to help Ethan. What’s going on?”
We broke as soon as the music stopped. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
He threw his crimson cloak back, did some weird bow, and then turned back to where Dom and Co., the groupies, and the snobby trio had all remained in conversation, watching me and Dominic make some kind of a dumb statement in the center of the room.
“You guys actually make a cute couple, even if Dom stands a head taller than you.” Lusa met me, wearing a simple dress, so very un-vampire-like of her. She winked and smiled, and I let out a breath of relief that never-ending song had ended.
“Nice. You and Ethan? Were you both in on this together?”
“Ethan is wiser than you give him credit for. He smartly paired you two up, though all of us are only amazed because it seems like you literally despise my brother.” She laughed.
“He’s my training master, I’m supposed to hate him.” I laughed.
“Well, let the gossiping gals start in. You’re both sure to have made Immortal Academy Ageless Ball history tonight.”
“Speaking of which,” I eyed her simple white gown, “who are you dressed as? A queen in her nightgown?”
Lusa laughed, but before she could respond, she was pulled away by Mistress Sirena. “Talk later, gotta go.” She smiled and then floated through the crowd as flawlessly as only vamps could do.
“Holy crap,” Nick said with a laugh. “I can’t believe you and Dom match historical characters. The only people who show up as matching partners are couples here. You and Dom secretly dating?”
I glared at him and folded my arms. “No. I really wish this Queen of Sparta was alive because apparently, she was super fit, trained like the Spartan warriors, and more importantly, she was witty and smart, and I could use her advice right about now—or her brains.”
“What are you talking about?” Vannah smiled at me. “You’re all of those things. I mean, you’re not really Dom’s queen, but you’re everything else you just listed about that queen. Just go with it and have fun. All those girls with painted faces who act like they’re in Dom’s tribe only wished they’d thought of this.”
“I need some fresh air. Seriously.”
“Take the back door through the refreshment area. That’s if you can make it past all the desserts,” Tanner smiled.
I noticed he and Emma seemed to have made up, which made me happy for Tan. Part of me wanted to jerk the dumb fairy up and chew her out for hurting him, and the other part made me think that Tan finally got a taste of his own medicine.
“Alright. I’ll be back in a few,” I said before my skimpily-dressed butt crisscrossed through the dance floor, trying to go take a much-needed breather.
I walked out into a dark courtyard and saw a path that caught my attention. Less time in there with judging eyes, and more time out here close to nature is what I needed. I took off my sandals and meandered through the archway made of vines out to an area that we’d never had the privilege to explore on the school grounds.
It was dark, and my wolf lent me her night vision to navigate behind all the buildings to an abandoned building where I heard angry voices off in the distance. My wolf hearing engaged right then, and I was able to hear the sounds of men grumbling and arguing with each other.
“Get rid of it by getting it out in the Dark Woods where none of the students go. The lake will be there, you idiots know this. We’ll figure the rest out later, just dispose of the body now.”
I did not just hear that. My wolf’s ears fell flat back, and she bared her teeth as I snuck behind bushes that weren’t trimmed into all shapes and sizes like the ones on the front lawns.
“Here, come with me,” a deep voice growled out. “Just leave it, and we’ll handle this first.”
My heart was racing when I saw a bag that was obviously cinched up with what could only be a dead body inside. Did a vamp drain a human and the school was trying to cover it up? Why was there a dead body at this school behind the supernatural barriers?
I inched forward, hearing the voices fade farther into the building. I made it to the bag, and I should have feared the sight of a dead human, but I wanted this to be my first lesson in why we protected them. My major at this academy was leaning even stronger now in the direction of the Immortal Forces who policed this crap.
The bag was made of very rough cloth, and my shaking hands reached for the one place that wasn’t tightened by rope. This poor human’s head.
I froze when I pulled back the cloth and saw Jessica. The fox shifter’s hollow eyes were dilated, staring into oblivion. I covered my mouth quickly, biting my tongue hard so I wouldn’t scream right then and there.
“She shouldn’t have been asking questions. Besides, we need to feed her.”
“It’s just sad, the way she fought.”
“You know it’s our job. If you can’t take it, then get out of it.”
I covered sweet Jessica’s innocent and immortally dead face, whispered I’m sorry, and stealthily hid behind bushes that concealed me from the evil men I heard talking. These guys weren’t part of the school, though I could scent in the air through my wolf that they were very much part of this school.
I sank down in the bushes, knowing I needed to get out of this place quickly, but I c
ouldn’t believe what I had seen. Jessica, my friend, was not only dead, but she was a dead immortal! No one cracked the code on how to kill an immortal—or at least I had never heard of an immortal dying.
An inner voice—my wolf and her wisdom—broke through the trembling nervous breakdown I was about to become victim to. I had to get out of here and tell no one about what I had witnessed.
If I wanted to get to the bottom of this, I had to act like I’d never seen it. I couldn’t trust anyone at this school.
Ethan’s words came back to me at that point. “You can trust the students. Immortals don’t die. Immortals will die!” All of which made me trust the owl who saw life differently than the rest of us. I had to stick close to my guy. That’s how I felt as I scurried off unnoticed from Jessica’s body.
I couldn’t be suspicious. I needed to act normal. The dean made it clear he was worried about me not accepting his school tonight. He was number one on my list of people not to be trusted. I had been drinking the happy punch lately with all my friends because it felt good to be talking to them again, and I had to keep doing that.
I wanted so badly to confide in the old Vannah again, but I wasn’t sure she was all there anymore. She wasn’t one for guys, and here she and a fairy were planning their future together after the academy. No, Vannah wasn’t Vannah anymore. Tanner might buy this, but the relief when I stopped fighting everyone and everything was so apparent with him that I really didn’t think I could trust him either.
Dominic? I thought, walking into the dancing area, bumping into kids dancing in front of me. Could I trust him? I couldn’t carry this burden by myself, but the truth was, until tonight, Dom was a hit and miss with me. I couldn’t trust the dude, he worked for the staff that, one-by-one, I was quickly putting on my suspect list.
The only person I could trust was myself and my wolf instincts. I would be a lone wolf, but that was fine, a lone wolf could be more dangerous and fierce than one who ran with a pack, needing their efforts for her survival.
