“Portals can be created by powerful wizards. A portal might be made when they need it,” Lori claimed.
“Someone taught them how to use angelic runes. Someone a lot more powerful than me, who knew what they were doing,” Grace reminded her friends.
“Then why do you believe they are prisoners here?” Noah asked.
“I just know,” Grace replied. “Trust me.”
He nodded. Turning around, he ordered the hunters, “Gather them. We need to get out of here and protect the children and women.”
“Will you grant them asylum?” Grace asked Aaron.
“Your uncle won’t be happy about this,” Aaron reminded her.
“They have no power over you. I’ll deal with the consequences once I return home. I just need your help to transport everybody to your planet. I’m not strong enough on my own.”
Aaron exchanged a look with his friends before saying, “We’ll help you.”
It took a few moments until they gathered everybody in a smaller chamber, but once the wizards understood that they were going to leave and escape from the angels, they complied and calmed down the ones who were still frightened.
Grace and the dragon princes circled the group. Creating a circle of magic, they summoned their powers and teleported everybody out of the mountain and into the Mist Sanctum Night Bloom Academy.
The sunlight received Grace and the others with a warm embrace. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the beautiful garden where they had appeared. But they didn’t have the time to enjoy the view.
“We have work to do,” Grace said, looking at Aaron. “I have an idea.”
“Another idea?” he asked with a smile.
“We have a way to conceal what we’ve done,” she said. “I’ll need you to return with me.”
Aaron arched an eyebrow. “Where?”
“Back to the hell planet. We need to destroy the mountain before the angels understand that we evacuated everybody.”
“You want them to believe everybody is dead and that we were able to teleport our teammates to safety?”
She nodded. “They want us to think these people are the bombers. We can use the explosives to increase the blast. Once the mountain caves, they won’t bother to look for survivors. It was their plan all along. They wanted to destroy the evidence of ever being a prison on that planet.”
“We have tracking devices. By now, they know we aren’t on the planet,” Aaron reminded her.
“There was a lot of interference. Communication was limited. I’m sure that they won’t mistrust your excuse.”
“What do we do with the prisoners?” Ewan asked.
“They aren’t our prisoners but our guests,” Aaron replied. “Find the headmaster and tell him what’s going on. Give our guests food, water, and shelter. I’ll be back once I convince the angels that the wizards decided to die instead of surrendering.”
Grace looked at Noah and whispered, “I’ll be back soon.”
He nodded and didn’t try to persuade her to give up on her plan. “Just be safe.”
Aaron and Grace closed their eyes and disappeared.
Chapter Twenty-Three
GRACE
Five days went by since the sanctioned attack on the hell planet. With the explosion of the mountain, and Aaron convincing the crown prince that the wizards decided to die instead of surrender, the next step was to persuade Michael, Lori, and Andrea to keep it a secret.
Grace thought that Michael would be harder to convince, but once everybody listened to what the wizards had to say, Michael agreed to keep his mouth shut. Uncovering a conspiracy wasn’t in everybody’s plans. They were just trying to protect their world against radicals. It turns out that not everything was black and white.
For the next couple of days, their secret made them closer than ever, and they often gathered in the library to talk.
“I can’t understand why someone would kill the crown prince because he was protecting a few wizards,” Michael said.
Night had fallen, and they were in the library, waiting for Lori to arrive. She had gone to visit her father. He worked for the Sanabria Secret Service, and his main job was to spy on the Celestials. Despite the good relationships between the king and the celestial royal family, many didn’t believe the angels were as benevolent as they appeared.
“The only reason for that was because the prince uncovered a conspiracy inside the royal family. Someone killed him to prevent him from stopping them,” Noah whispered.
“My uncle didn’t seem like a bad person if he was willing to protect the wizards and teach them the old magic,” Grace said in the same low tone of voice.
“The angels have blamed the prince’s followers for killing him,” Michael reminded them of the past events. “The case is closed, and no one is afraid of the bombs anymore. The Celestials returned from their sky cities. That can only mean that they were the ones behind the bombs in the first place. Your other uncle, the new crown prince, must be behind the whole thing. He was the one who sent us there.”
Grace nodded. “He must have planted the explosives and asked for Aaron’s help, so he would have witnesses to confirm his claims.”
“His plan would have worked if you weren’t part of our team. Why did he choose us?” Michael wondered.
“Maybe he believed that Grace would be killed by the wizards once they realized that she was an angel,” Noah said.
“Or maybe he was just testing her powers,” Andrea added.
“When are we going to tell the headmaster?” Michael asked.
“Don’t you trust your grandfather?” Andrea questioned.
“I don’t want him to know just yet. He’ll try to find out more and put himself in danger,” Grace explained.
The door squealed open, and they turned around to see Lori coming their way.
“You’re late,” Michael grumbled.
Lori took a seat beside Andrea and whispered, “I was almost caught by my dad while accessing his computer. I’m good at programming, but I wasn’t able to crack his password.”
“So, you got nothing,” Michael supposed.
“Dad is not a fan of angels. We had a few conversations, and I told him about how I got my first assignment. I didn’t give him the details since it’s also classified, but I mentioned Sorath’s name, and his face became dark and worried.” She paused for a moment before asking, “Do we really believe that Sorath killed Prince Lucas to stop him from uncovering a conspiracy? If that’s so, what sort of conspiracy? What could be so important that he would kill his own brother and blame it on the people he was protecting?”
“We have no way of finding out,” Noah said. “In fact, it’s dangerous for us just to be talking about this.”
“There was an attack on Prince Sorath’s life,” Andrea reminded us. “Do you think he faked it?”
“It was a good way to play the victim,” Lori replied. “The bombs were discovered in time. No one got hurt.”
“Other bombs exploded in other kingdoms,” Michael said.
“This created fear, and people looked to the angels to be protected. The Celestial Queen summoned them to hide in their cities, but Sorath stayed behind to hunt down the culprits. People believed he’s their savior once he gave them the scapegoat he created,” Grace conjectured.
Lori added, “And he’s the new crown prince. Once the queen decides to step down, he’ll be king.”
“Maybe he killed his brother because he wanted to be the next king. It’s not unheard of,” Michael declared. “Werewolves aren’t that sneaky, though. The princes can fight among themselves to prove they are strong and more worthy of being kings.”
Grace slightly tapped on the table to have their attention. “We are gathered here today because our exams start next week before winter break. This semester is almost over. We need to concentrate and study hard. There’s nothing we can do about what happened. We protected the wizards, and we’ll keep their existence a secret like we promised. Agreed?”
“What about the dragon princes? Is Darren returning to finish the school year with us?” Andrea asked.
“The princes are the ones with the most to lose. They aren’t going to tell the angels about what happened. As for Darren…” She shrugged. “He has his own problems to deal with.”
“We promised to help them if they needed us,” Noah said.
“Defeating the Darkness.” Lori shivered and hugged herself. “Their enemy sounds terrifying.”
“Their bride was hot,” Michael said with a goofy grin.
Andrea slapped the back of his head.
He grunted and rubbed where she hit him. “You’re just jealous because she’s the reincarnation of a goddess.”
Lori sneered at them and looked at Grace. “Now that we’ve decided to stop meeting to talk about this, what are you going to do?”
“About what?”
Lori grinned and faced Noah. “When are you going to perform the mating ritual, so we can throw a party?”
Grace beamed. “Once Noah passes the exam and is officially an elite hunter.”
Moments later, Grace and Noah sauntered their way down the corridor that led to the attic. Noah’s arm surrounded her waist.
“What are you thinking about?” Grace wondered.
“How proud I am of you.”
Grace smirked and hugged him. “You’ve already said that a few times since we returned.”
He brushed his lips against hers and rubbed their noses together. She giggled but didn’t let go of him.
“I’m still worried,” he whispered against her lips. “We know why Sorath killed his brother, but we don’t know why you were attacked. Was he the one who sent the killer after you? Why would he do that?”
“I have no idea, Noah. But we need to move on. People believe they are safe, and the terrorists were caught.”
“The Dark Conclave might be after you, and you have no more protection.”
“I have you and Grandpa.”
“I’ll keep being your private chauffer then. I’ll drive you to and from college. We’ll spend all of our time together when we aren’t in class.”
Grace cupped his face between her hands. “I think that’s just an excuse to be with me all the time.”
“It’s a great excuse.” He smirked. “I’d be with you, even if you weren’t in danger.”
She narrowed the distance between their mouths and kissed him passionately.
“Do you want to come to my bedroom?” Noah teased against her mouth. “We could talk some more.”
“Or just kiss,” she said breathlessly. Her body ached for further contact and reminded her that there was more to life than studying and worrying about the fate of the world.
Someone cleared their throat and announced, “It’s past curfew.”
Grace and Noah let go of each other and fixed their clothes and hair in embarrassment.
Grace breathed in before facing her grandfather. “We were just saying goodnight.”
Vincent Delacroix crossed his arms, sporting a stern expression. “I can see that.”
“Night!” Noah kissed her cheek, waved goodbye to the headmaster, and sneaked away to his room.
Grace grinned at her grandpa and walked his way. Lacing her arms around his, she asked, “Why aren’t you in bed?”
“I was on the phone with the Minister of Defense. It seems the king wants to give medals to you and your friends for a job well done.”
“Medals?”
“It will be a small ceremony. It’s a great addition to your career to be acknowledged even before being an Elite Hunter.”
“I know, Grandpa.”
“We’ll tell the others tomorrow morning. I’m sure they’ll be excited.”
Grace faked a smile and laid her head on her grandpa’s shoulder while he accompanied her to her bedroom.
“Are you ready for your exams?”
She nodded.
“What about Noah?”
“We’ve been studying together. He’ll do fine.”
“We need to decide where you’ll be sleeping once you get mated. What about your parents’ bedroom? We can buy new furniture and keep all their belongings elsewhere. It’s time to give a new purpose to that room. I’m sure they would like you to move there with your mate.”
“I didn’t even think about it.”
Her grandpa frowned. “Were you thinking about moving to the attic?”
“It’s our favorite place, isn’t it?”
“The west wing is our family’s private quarters. I’ll take care of everything if you’re not in the mood to deal with it. I’m sure you have a lot more on your mind.”
“I’ll talk to Noah about it.”
Grace and the headmaster stopped in front of her bedroom door.
Vincent smiled at her and brushed her cheek. “My baby is all grown up.”
“I love you, Grandpa.”
“I love you, too, sweetie.”
End of book 1
More About The Author
Anna Santos is a Bestselling Author in Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.
She likes to write about werewolves, vampires, angels, fae, and occasionally humans.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading or spending too much time on Facebook. She occasionally cleans her house and makes pancakes in the morning to eat with her coffee. Other times, she hopes her extrovert husband will bring her breakfast in bed because she slept late while writing, reading, or watching K-dramas.
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Shadow Society by Elle Scott
Chapter One
Hiding fangs or talons or sometimes wings was no easy feat.
Rule One: It is forbidden to show your true self to civilians.
Rule Two: Protect not kill.
Rule Three: Be careful who you trust.
Seventeen-year-old Sage Windsor replayed the rules in her mind on a loop as if her whole life depended on it. The moment she woke up that morning a sinking feeling had haunted her. The feeling remained through breakfast, through first period, through lunch. It stuck like glue, spreading from the pit of her stomach and forming as a lump in her throat. As though she knew something was big was about to happen. Not bad or good, just something.
Sage stared at her feet as she scurried down the corridor at Graystone Boarding Academy. Her best friend Camila strutted beside her, shoulders rolled back with pride. Her gaze fell on each fellow student she passed as if daring them to look at her. In contrast, when anyone happened to glance their way, Sage would avert her eyes and let her purple hair fall in a frame around her face.
“What’s wrong with you today?” Camila side-eyed Sage, looking up and down her body.
Stopping at her locker, Sage peered through the strands of her hair and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve just got a funny feeling.”
“Is it that time of the month?”
“What? No.” Sage flung the back of her hand against Camila’s bicep. “It’s more instinctual, like my body is warning me.”
Camila stopped and clapped her hands together. With wide kohl eyes she leaned in close and whispered, “Animalistic instincts?”
“Shhh,” Sage hushed, checking over her shoulder.
She felt like all eyes were on her, watching her every move, judging and waiting for her to reveal her true self. But they were all too wrapped up in their own selves to notice.
“Don’t shoosh me,” Camila said, wagging a finger. “I’m only trying to understand which part of you is off kilter.”
Sage didn’t even know. It was hard enough to understand how she could do
the things she could, let alone understand some airy-fairy emotion. Sighing, she opened her locker and pulled out a workbook. The pages inside the book were empty bar a few random doodles. She technically didn’t need it for her next class, but she clutched it to her chest with meaning anyway. She didn’t need the book because her next “class” wasn’t technically on the curriculum. The book was all for show. A misleading lie. Those were the lengths someone went to when they were carrying a secret.
“Um, Sage?” A soft unknown voice said from behind.
Here we go, Sage thought. Two words from a stranger was all it took to convince her what the unwelcome feeling was about. She’d flown under the radar all semester and finally someone was going to say something.
Sage turned to face the girl. She looked like a sophomore, tall yet not quite grown into her body. Smiling nervously, she said, “You probably don’t remember me. I’m Harriot, I was one of the freshmen who helped you out with your philanthropy project last year? Anyway, I really like your hair. Can I ask what brand you used to dye it? I’ve been wanting to go red or orange for ages, but I’m worried it will fade too quickly.”
“Harriot?” Sage repeated, thinking back to not even six months ago. A flicker of a memory surfaced. “You grew over Summer.”
The bell signaled the start of the next period. Ignoring it, Harriot smiled fully and opened her mouth to speak. But before any words came out, Camila stepped between them.
Camila bared her teeth and jutted her chin, hissing like a stray cat. She remained that way, like some kind of relapsed sociopath, until Harriot backed away. Once satisfied with the space between them, Camila let her bottom lip roll out.
Still watching Harriot, she leaned toward Sage. “It’s best we keep our distance from civilians. Isn’t that what Makoto says?”
“Makoto says to be careful, not rude,” Sage said with a light-hearted tone.
“I was being careful. Her next question was going to be about the you know what.” Camila whispered the last part as if saying the words “Shadow Society” aloud would bring unwanted attention.
Academy of Magic Collection Page 121
