“If we’re lucky, they haven’t scoped the surrounding area as yet,” Reece says, climbing off Xander’s back. “If we get on to the main road without bringing attention to ourselves, we should be fine.”
I barely hear him. My attention is on Xander, though my eyes aren’t, and I notice when he steps away from us and changes back. He’s … naked.
“Heavy stuff you’re carrying around there, buddy,” Katie laughs.
Xander grins as well, not at all embarrassed. “Any of you happen to bring any extra clothes?”
“Sorry,” Reece says. I don’t check to see if he’s looking at me. I hope not.
Reece hops into the car and we all climb in as well. I take my seat up front, leaving Katie behind to ogle Xander in peace. He doesn’t seem to mind.
I don't say anything as we make it out to the main road. No one does, but once we do, the conversation strikes up again. Katie wets a cloth and cleans the blood off herself, then I do, then Reece. Though they keep up idle chatter, everyone is on edge, wondering when the authorities will catch up with us.
They never do and we make it to the Academy.
I still stay silent. Reece and Xander go on about old things, Xander doing most of the talking. We head straight to my office with the students right on our heels. They’re excited and scared and I fully understand why. Winning the battle, by no way, means we won the war. And when it comes to defeating Boering, we sure as shit have our work cut out for us.
Once the door is closed behind us, I go to my chair and sink into its comfort, taking deep breath after deep breath.
“Well,” Katie begins. “That didn’t go as planned.”
Alexandra nods. “But we got Xander out, so I’d say we at least accomplished the mission.”
“And we got him out safely,” Reece adds. He comes to my side and drops a hand on my shoulder. I look up at him and I can see in his eyes that the worry has taken a toll on him more than it has on everyone else. This isn’t just about the ruckus we caused. It’s also not about Boering having been there and him getting away. It’s about Xander and I know, without having to hear him say it, that he felt the connection between the two of us as though it was happening to him.
“It’s only a matter of time before they come here, you know.” Xander looks too comfortable with his nakedness. He hasn’t even asked for any clothing. “We can’t stay here long.”
“We can’t leave everyone behind,” I say.
“The coven goes where the leader goes.” There’s so much strength in Xander’s words. It almost makes me feel bad about bursting his bubble. “I respect that.”
“This isn’t a coven Xander.” I say the words carefully, easing him into them.
His eyes move from Reece to the students.
“Rogue Academy,” Joe says in answer. “Mariella and Reece founded it a few years back. They find talent in the darkest of places and help us to hone those talents.” I like the fact that he didn’t leave Reece out of the equation. That even though he lurks in the shadows, allowing me, the Vampire to run the show, Joe knows just how important Reece is to Rogue Academy.
“So, you’re a teacher?”
“Founder, but I do teach a few classes, yes.”
Confusion mars Xander’s face and he nods, as though trying to piece things together. “Aren’t you a little too young to –“
“Age comes with experience,” I say. “And unfortunately, I have a lot of experience when it comes to failing alone in the real world. The students here, they’re offered something I didn’t have – people to turn to, support when they need it, food that they don’t have to risk killing themselves for.”
“There’s no leaving the Academy behind,” Reece says. “We’ll need to figure out something to make sure everyone here is safe. And we’ll need to do it soon.”
Xander nods at that. “I’ll have to take a trip,” he says.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Reece counters.
“I will and I’ll have to do it soon. I can have at least a hundred men back here before another day rolls around. Let’s just hope I’m not too late.”
“Xander,” I cut in, stepping closer to him. “We broke you out of a max security prison. There’s no way we’re allowing you to just roam the streets freely.”
“And there’s no way saving me will have meant you lost everything,” he answers, pinning me with eyes that feel like they could take me apart bit, by bit.
I swallow hard, not knowing what to do with the feeling. “We’ll come.”
“You’ll need to stay here and fight for your students if a fight comes.”
“Reece goes with you, or you’re not leaving at all.”
He shakes his head at me, a small smile on his lips. “Fine,” he says.
“Fine,” I answer.
Xander stands, his cock swinging because of the change in movement. I do my best to look away. I’ve never met someone more comfortable with his nakedness.
“We leave in an hour. Pack. Weapons. Drugs. Whatever it is that’ll keep you alive.”
Reece nods and when he notices Xander hasn’t budged and that he’ll be leaving the both of us together in the room, an uncontrollable frown takes hold of his features. But before anyone else can see it, he’s gone.
“He didn’t like that,” Xander says, coming closer.
“You should put some clothes on.”
“Aren’t I the guest here?” I merely look at him and he laughs.
“You do have a point. I’ll search for something soon.” Or get someone to make something, I think, but don’t say. Chances of finding anyone here as big as the guy before me are non-existent, to say the least.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I’m not.
Xander he nods. “You kicked ass in there.”
“Almost had my ass kicked too.”
There’s silence for a while before Xander breaks it. “I’m sorry we had to meet like this,” he says.
Again, I don’t say anything. I just stare at him. What’s funny is that the fireworks are still going off inside me. I turn away to find him something to wear, thinking I’ll be able to shake the feeling that’s overcome me. But even in his absence, the fireworks don’t dim.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I pace. From one corner of my office to the other. And when that gets boring, I switch locations and do the same thing in my bedroom. Reece and Xander left about an hour ago and ever since, I’ve been on edge and sick to my stomach with worry.
A knock at the door brings my pacing to a halt. Lorietta, a teacher as old as the night, pushes her way into my bedroom. We’ve gone over what will need to be done to protect the Academy - both in the next few hours and in the coming days.
Guards are positioned at the front, the back and on the outskirts. A few of them making themselves a constant fixture at Hellen and Nelson’s cabin. The teachers who have not accompanied the guards have amped up lessons. The Chemistry labs are filled with those who study the craft, developing cocktails like the one I’d taken to the prison. Others are busy in the basement, filing tools and creating new ones – arrows, dipped in silver, spears, knives, battle axes. The crossbows are out. Guns loaded. Traps set.
This was never how it was meant to be. I feel like I’ve built an army rather than prepared students for their future. The only thing that settles me, is the look in their eyes. The determination on their faces. Knowing that they stand by me just as strongly as I stand by them. That they trust me. That they don’t blame me.
“No sign of him yet,” Lorietta says. “Though, if what I knew about him then, still holds true, you won’t hear him coming.” I’m impressed at just how many people in this Academy know who my parents are; how many of them had suspicions that I was more than just a girl who happened to do something good in this world. How many of them knew who I was and kept their tongues tied.
“But we are prepared,” Lorietta continues. “Word is spreading quickly and when it catches on like wildfir
e, Boering’s army will diminish bit by bit. The only people left supporting him will be those who are just as evil as he is and those who he holds by the throat.” Her words should tame the fear, but somehow, I can’t shake just how much I’m trembling.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” I say. “Like maybe I’m overlooking something important. A weak spot? A flaw in our plan?”
“And you wouldn’t be as good as you are if you didn’t have your doubts. Put on your colors,” she says. “We have a war to win.”
I don’t hesitate at that, throwing my blazer on and following her through the building, all the way to the gates. The sight before me isn’t one I ever thought I’d see and it fills me with equal parts pride and fear. The throngs of people surrounding the campus is just the beginning. When I step through the gates, what I see, is Lorietta’s words coming to fruition. An army of vampires charge toward us – faces I’ve never seen coming into focus. But they aren’t faces that fill me with fear. At the center, someone holds our flag. I stand, hands at my side, watching as they approach.
“Mariella Lanster,” the closest of them says, coming to a halt only a few feet in front of me. “We are here to offer support if you need it.”
I feel Lorietta’s hand touch mine, squeezing lightly. I have a strong feeling she’s more responsible for them showing up than she’ll ever take credit for.
Turning slightly, I whisper a thank you, before guiding the vampires through the gates, but it doesn’t click closed before another herd of footsteps stomp in my direction. They’re heavier than vampires, more solid and when I spin around, I’m shocked at what I see. Xander promised support a hundred men strong, but the beasts, furred and in various forms, are at least double that. Wolves, lions, tigers, bears, even a goddamn eagle, all charge forward, shaping into muscled men as soon as they come to a pause.
Xander steps forward, a smile on his face and pure fire in his eyes. “Boering doesn’t get to win this time,” he says. And with every muscle in my body, I believe him.
THE END…FOR NOW!
Don’t want to miss Mariella’s journey? Get book two here:
ROGUE ACADEMY BOOK 2
DOWNLOAD LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SGMVFT7/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2ULVBN3YJT1RU&keywords=rogue+academy+savannah&qid=1559509774&s=gateway&sprefix=rogue+academy+%2Caps%2C208&sr=8-2
QUANTUM ACADEMY
Grab your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Academy-Supernatural-Magical-Romance-ebook/dp/B07SJL49WG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=QUANTUM+ACADEMY&qid=1559510218&s=gateway&sr=8-1
QUANTUM ACADEMY SAMPLE
Jesus H. Christ, it’s hot in here!
Sweat dripped from my hairline, stinging my eyes. Angrily, I wiped it away and continued pacing the small confines of my dorm room, waving a hand in front of my face in a vain attempt to cool off just a little. The administrators at Quantum Academy neglected to tell me that there wouldn’t be any air conditioning when they recruited me. Can’t say I blamed them. Chances are, if I knew it’d be hotter than Hades, I probably wouldn’t have come.
Tammy, my roommate and best friend, had a small desk fan and even though it was on the highest setting, it barely stirred the warm air. I glared at it, wondering what else I could do to bring the temperature down a bit.
A spell? Sure, I could do a spell, but we really weren’t supposed to be practicing spells for personal gain. They always had some kind of backfire on them, and sometimes they could be a real doozy. However, after fifteen more minutes of sweating and furiously fanning myself, I decided it was worth the risk. There wasn’t really much that could be worse than this heat, right? The side effects of my spell could mean that all my clothes ended up two sizes too small. Or perhaps my hair would turn from black to blue, from shoulder length to ankle-long. Whatever the case, something had to be done about the heat!
I bit my bottom lip as I thought about which spell would work the best while producing the least fallback. A smile tugged at my lips and my right hand traced the desired spell in the air. A light swirl of cool air breezed by me and I sighed in bliss, cringing only slightly when it started to sprinkle tiny drops of water inside my room. Oops, that wasn’t the plan. As usual though, my spells had a tendency not to come out as I intended.
I stood in the middle of the room fascinated with my newest spell and its result. Tiny drops of cool water fell down from an almost invisible cloud above my head. I held my hand out to capture the droplets, amazed I had conjured actual water – something I’d never been able to do before. Elemental spells can be difficult, and usually only upper level witches and warlocks are able to produce the elements, but here I was, a first-year witch, and I had just created water!
Of course, I couldn’t tell anyone – except Tammy – or else I’d be looking at months of extra kitchen duties. But damn, I was proud of myself. What exactly could my little cloud do? Could it follow me around the room? The only way to find that out was to experiment, so I took a step, and then another, until I’d walked a couple of feet away from where I’d been standing. A frown pulled at my eyebrows. Unfortunately, the magical rain cloud didn’t move with me.
With a sigh, I walked back and stood under the cool water and let it dampen my hair and skin. At least I wasn’t as hot anymore. The only problem was, I wasn’t sure how to stop the spell. Already, there was a puddle forming on the floor. It looked odd because it wasn’t spreading out, as normal puddles of water do; instead, it just kept gathering water and rising higher.
I tried a few termination spells to try and stop the rain from falling, but nothing worked. If anything, it looked like it was starting to rain harder.
Don’t panic, I told myself over and over even as I looked frantically around the room, trying to figure out how to get out of this current mess. The dark blue glass pitcher sitting on my desk caught my eye and I rushed over to it. I ran back, frowning at the growing cylinder-shaped body of water and shoved the pitcher into the puddle. I filled it to the brim and rushed the contents to the bathroom Tammy and I shared in our dorm room.
After dumping the water into the sink, I hurried back and repeated the process … scoop, run to the bathroom, empty water, repeat. My wet tennis shoes squeaked and squished with every rushed step, leaving wet footprints on the hardwood floor. A couple of times I slipped, my wet shoes skidding across the floor. I’m sure I looked a sight running and sliding across the floor like a possessed witch, but it couldn’t be helped.
Thankfully, the rain started to slow down and I was making some progress with scooping out the water. I paused, bending at the waist to catch my breath and shook my head at my own stupidity. Tammy was going to have a field day with my newest episode, and I was sure she would never let me live it down. But, she’d never betray me either, so at least I was safe in that regard. She wasn’t only my roommate, but also my best friend. And we were in this school together, fighting to survive as magical creatures in a world that didn’t appreciate our kind. It was dangerous and there were so few witches and warlocks left that the Powers That Be started the Quantum Academy as a way to help us learn to use our magic wisely, while protecting the world from the dark magic out there.
And the mortals, whether they realized it or not, needed our special talents to protect them from all the things that go bump in the night. If it wasn’t for our kind, dark magic would have taken over a long time ago and there wouldn’t have been anything they could do to stop it. Because, well, chances are they’d have been wiped out a decade ago.
I straightened, rubbing my aching back as I stared at the slowly dwindling water body. I decided to try a cleaning spell, and was pleased that it worked … somewhat. While all the water wasn’t gone, it was mostly just a shallow puddle now, one that could be explained as a spilled glass of water. I thanked my lucky stars and took the pitcher to the bathroom to dry it off before returning it to its place on my desk.
My shoes squeaked with every step I took across the room and I scowled down at them, wondering if I should cast a drying spell whil
e I was at it. No, I decided. I’d tempted fate enough today with two personal gain spells. If I wasn’t careful, I’d wake up in the morning as a one-eyed toad as punishment.
I chuckled at the mind image and the look on Tammy’s face if she woke up to find me sitting on my bed, green and covered in warts. I was still laughing like an idiot as I walked across the room. So deep in my thoughts was I, that I’d forgotten that water and a klutz like myself weren’t exactly an ideal combination. Needless to say, I wasn’t paying attention and my soggy sneakers slipped in the small puddle. A startled screech escaped my mouth as my foot and leg shot out from beneath me and I suddenly found myself falling to the floor. My head bounced a couple of times on the hardwood floor, thumping as loud as roaring thunder. At first, I saw stars. And then, I saw nothing.
Yet somehow, I was aware of one very important fact.
I was now dead.
***
Death was not supposed to feel like this, was it? It felt good … pleasurable. I mentally shook my head in wonder. I was dead, I knew it. That just wasn’t a feeling you mistook. And as a witch, I was more sensitive to my being, so I would know if I had only been knocked unconscious instead of dying. I had definitely died, but now it seemed as if I just … woke up? Yes, that’s right. Like I woke up from a dark slumber. Except that didn’t make much sense at all. There is nothing in this world as final as death, nothing as permanent either. Whatever was happening to my body - the warmth, the rising heat, the tingling - none of that was supposed to happen if I was dead.
I groaned … or was that a moan? The feeling of pleasure was intensifying and in a very intimate place. My eyes shot open and I jerked up into a half sitting position, leaning back on my elbows. Somehow, I was now lying on a bed instead of sprawled out on the hardwood floor of my dorm room. Still, that wasn’t what captured my shocked attention. No, not in the least. Nestled between my thighs was a pile of thick dark hair. Thick dark hair which was likely attached to a head.
Rogue Academy: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Academy Romance (Rogue Vampire Academy Book 1) Page 15
