Arielle’s chin quivered. Her voice was barely a whisper, “Please, don’t kill me.”
Makoto craned his neck and looked to the ceiling. “Dammit.”
His hesitation settled Sage’s mind. He didn’t want to kill her, either. But he felt it was his duty.
“You need me to do it?” Camila offered.
A strong hand raised in her direction. Makoto demanded, “No one kills her. She’ll remain in the cell. Until we figure out a way to deal with her.”
Sage sighed. So did Arielle. There had to be another way.
Camila must have heard; she turned to Sage and offered her hand. Sage took Camila’s help and stood. She wrapped her arms around her best friend, mumbling into her hair, “I think you’re pretty bad ass, too.”
As they turned to face the others, Camila kept her arm draped over Sage’s shoulders, and said, “Either way, Makoto, it seems you’re a student down.”
Makoto sighed, his shoulders rising and falling dramatically. He looked around the room, at Caspar and Nadya, Camila and Sage, and finally at Mason. “I don’t think so. I have five. The perfect number.”
Mason’s mouth dropped open. He glanced at Sage then back to Makoto about three times over. “You’re inviting me into the society?”
Makoto let a small smirk lift his lips, and the slightest nod of his head was all the answer Mason needed.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sage swung her leg off Mason’s bike and her boots landed on the drying soil. She took a deep breath in, allowing the scent of the forest to surround her whole being. She felt different, changed. As though the person she truly was had been hiding inside her the whole time. She’d cracked open like an eggshell and the girl she thought she was had disappeared. In her place was a bigger, better, badder version of herself. Someone who was capable.
“I guess now I’m in the society you don’t need to teach me the ways anymore,” Mason said, wiggling his fingers like a magician.
Sage passed him her helmet and smiled. “I guess not.”
“Then why did you want me to bring you here?” he asked, and although he waited for her reply, his sly smirk told her that he knew the answer already.
Sage shrugged, her eyes landing on his barely parted lips. She watched him pout those lips and turn to flick out the kickstand. There was no denying what she wanted.
Mason hopped off his bike and faced the track that lead to the lookout. Without looking at her he splayed his arm as if he were a butler. “Shall we?”
His brown hair fell in a wave and hovered above his defined jaw line. He was wearing a black hoodie, ripped jeans, and those blue shoes Sage hated. And she couldn’t have liked this moron any more.
He took one step. That’s all that Sage could bear. She rushed forward and wrapped her fingers around his wrist, gently tugging on his arm to turn him around. His eyes fell on her, a soft smile turning into a grin.
Sage let his wrist go, and moving her grip to his collar, she pulled him closer. Mason sucked in a breath as his green irises darted between her eyes and her mouth. She lifted her chin, reaching up on her tip toes to close the gap.
“Yes,” he cheered as their lips connected.
It was better than before. Soft yet firm. Mason placed his hands on either side of her face, fingertips sliding through her hair. Her body warmed and she leaned in, pressing herself against him. His grip changed, holding her tighter with every second. He moved his hands down her body and grasping at her waist, he kissed her deeper, hungrier.
Sage felt the tips of his fangs, graze over her lips. She opened her eyes to find two ruby-like eyes staring back at her. He’d half-shifted. And looking at a circle of purple reflecting in his irises, she knew she had, too. As they pulled away, Sage noticed their auras melding together, a swirl of purple and red surrounding them.
Mason gave her a quick, soft kiss and sighed. “Oh Floss, you taste better than bourbon.”
“Thank you,” she replied, voice rich with sarcasm.
He smiled, stroking his thumb down one side of her face. “And man, I freaking adore you.”
A sudden rush of embarrassment washed over her. Heat colored her cheeks and she glanced away. Almost immediately, Mason gently tugged on her chin, forcing her to make eye contact.
“I mean it. And what I said in my dorm, I meant it. I care about you.”
Sage nodded. “I know, it’s just... Everything is good. I’m not used to it. I have a new family, a great mentor…” she hesitated, but his eyes—open and welcoming—gave her comfort, a safety she hadn’t known since her parents died. “And, I have you.”
“Yes.” Mason nodded fiercely. “You do.”
They both returned to human form. Sage’s wings took a little longer to retract than her talons. She took a breath, shaking off the tension.
“Speaking of family.” She eased into the question. “How’s Ben? Is he awake yet?”
Mason raised his brow. “He’s okay. He woke up earlier this morning.” He turned his gaze to the trees. “I’m hopeful. If I keep him close and train him well…” His voice petered out.
Sage grabbed his hand. She began walking to the track, pulling at him to follow. “Come on.”
As they broke through the forest and took step onto the rock, Sage let his hand go and sat on a boulder. Above them, a cloud made way for sunshine. Sage smiled and untied her boots.
“What the heck are you doing, Floss?” Mason asked.
Sage slid her feet out of her boots and ripped her socks off. Placing her socks inside the boots, her smile widened. “Just something my mom told me to do.”
“Okay.” Mason plonked himself beside her and took his own shoes off.
Sage resisted the urge to throw them over the cliff. She pressed the soles of her feet onto cool stone and took a deep breath. Lifting her face to the sun, she said, “So, rookie, how does it feel to be in the society?”
“Rookie?” Mason raised his eyebrows. “All right, sure, I’ll accept that. To answer your question? Yeah, it feels pretty damn good.”
Sage leaned over, bumping her shoulder into his side. “We’re all here for you, I hope you know that.”
“I know.” Mason bumped her back, then frowned. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. That you had to face AJ alone.”
A light breeze rustled through the trees and a rush of air licked at her bare feet. Sage wriggled her toes and stretched out her legs. She turned her head to Mason, resting her chin in front of her shoulder. “I think I needed it, you know? It taught me that I’m not just a distraction.”
“Ha!” Mason shook his head. “You are so much more than a distraction.”
Her heart bloomed. “It’s weird, you know. I turned you, thinking I had broken the rules. The whole time, I felt like I was failing and that my world was about to crumble around me, but it all led to victory, and my world opened up.”
Mason’s eyes twinkled and a cocky smile lifted the edges of his mouth. “That’s life isn’t it? Just when you feel like giving up something magical is waiting around the next bend.” He dusted his shoulder.
“Are you saying you’re the something magical?” Sage teased.
Mason rolled his bottom lip out and shrugged.
Sage bit her lip, wondering if she should tell him the truth of what she meant.
“Oh my god, stop looking at me like that.” Mason covered his face with his hand.
“Well, I’m not sure if you know that I was actually talking about me and what I’ve discovered in myself.”
Mason laughed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I know, Floss. I’m just teasing. Besides, I wouldn’t call myself magical, I’m more mysterious or ethereal.”
Sage thwacked his chest with the back of her hand. Before she’d even had the chance to make another move, Mason wrapped his arms around her, locking her arms at her sides. He pulled her into him, hugging her tight.
He whispered into her hair, “Thank you for following your instincts with me.”
&n
bsp; The recruits sat side-by-side across the front row. All of them were a little tired and a little confused, but not broken. And definitely stronger. A proper unified team. They were the Shadow Society as it was meant to be.
Makoto walked in. He took one step and stopped, staring at his students all together in a row. Smiling to himself, he locked the door.
He cleared his throat and headed for the back of the room. Pressing the button that opened the secret cage, he said, “I guess today’s lesson is how to deal with a Fallen.”
The wall behind his desk opened, revealing Arielle inside. She hardly blinked as her dark cage became a viewing room. She moved to the window and slammed her forehead against the glass, scowling at everyone.
“I think this is a better punishment than death,” Camila joked.
As Makoto walked to his desk, he stated, “There’ll be no more reciting at the end of class.”
“Why?” Nadya asked, shocked. “One recruit turns someone, and we throw them out the window?”
Makoto took his place in front of his desk. He leaned against it, crossing his ankles. “Forget the rules, you’re a clan now. It’s taken a little longer than normal, but given you were infiltrated by a Fallen, I think you’ve done fairly well. From here on in, you all make the rules. As a family, you decide what to do. And I’ll be here for support.”
He placed his palms over the edge of his desk and half turned toward Arielle. “First point of order… you don’t want me to kill Arielle? So, what do we do? How will you stop her from bringing more Fallen? Ruining lives? Killing innocents?”
Sage stared at Arielle through the glass. She’d moved away from the window and sat at the back of the cage, picking at her fingernails. An idea sparked in Sage’s mind. She waited for Nadya or Caspar to speak. But everyone was silent.
“Well,” Makoto said, crossing his arms. “We’re off to a great start. If we can’t think of anything, I’ll have no other option—”
“What if,” Sage spoke up. Everyone glanced her way—some surprised, some eager. “What if we forced her to go to the Veil? Can the Elders of the Veil take her? I mean, we can certainly contain a house cat, can’t we?”
Makoto’s brow dropped. His eyes drifted to the floor. The clan leaned forward on their chairs, awaiting their mentor’s response. Lifting his head, he replied, “It’s not a terrible idea. We can’t technically banish her to the Veil, not like that. But if she’s in the cage long enough, she’s sure to get hungry or bored.” His eyes slowly lit up. “And if she goes through to the Veil and leaves her cat, we take it somewhere else, somewhere she can’t find it to reconnect into this world… Yes, it could work.”
“What about the Veil?” Nadya asked. “Will that disrupt things? I’m guessing it wouldn’t be great to have a bunch of Fallen wandering around.”
Camila gave a loud huff. “One. There’d be one Fallen, not a whole army.”
“Yeah, and Arielle won’t be strong, she won’t have claws or fangs,” Caspar added.
“Right.” Makoto clicked his fingers at Caspar. A second later, he pressed his palms against his temples. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“I like it,” Camila urged. “It’s better than killing her. Although, if it fails I’ve got no problems with killing her.”
“Camila!” Nadya moaned.
“What?” Camila said, giving Nadya a teasing smirk. “Just saying it as it is. And, I said if not when.”
Makoto let his hands fall to his sides. He pushed himself away from his desk and paced in front of them. “Is this how we deal with her? I’m not opposed to it, but you’re the clan, I’m just here to help you, however you decide.”
Mason clapped his hands together and said, “Let’s do it!”
Sage sat back in her chair. A bubble of excitement simmered in her gut. She knew there’d had to be another way.
“Great!” Makoto exclaimed. He took a moment to catch the eye each of the recruit separately, rubbing his hands with glee. “Now, onto the next point of business. The last part of the year, I want to ensure you’ll be all right in the world alone. You know you won’t have me forever. I’ll have a new set of recruits to lead. So, let’s choose an Alpha.”
Mason would make a great Alpha, Sage thought, turning to look at him. He smiled back at her and slid his hand into hers. He jerked his chin up, motioning behind her.
She twisted around, finding Camila grinning at her. Camila took her other hand and squeezed. On the other side of Camila, Nadya and Caspar peered around, both sets of eyes shining with approval. Sage’s heart fell to her stomach then began beating in double time. The whole clan, they were all looking at her.
“It’s unanimous.” Makoto said, beaming. “Do you accept the leadership, Sage?”
“W...Wait a minute,” Sage said, slipping her hand from Camila’s and reaching for her necklace.
As she smoothed her fingers along the leather, her mother’s words rang loud and true. A new mantra echoed through her mind. Believe in yourself.
Sage called her owl forward, aligning into half-shift. She felt the purple aura envelop her. With Guardian strength running through her veins, she faced Makoto.
“I accept.”
- - THE END - -
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Angel Academy by Kiesha Thomas
Prologue
TREVOR DEMKAR
Xundar is a magical place not for peace but for diversity. Everyone, whether you are an angel or a sorcerer, has power, but I secretly want more. This place has food, love, and lavishness, yet something is missing. I’m the most powerful being here except for Valcrum. We were created in Valcrum’s image and given the power he deemed fit for us. Why should our power be limited?
Everywhere I look I see green. The lush foliage that covers the grounds and the vast trees that stretch across the realm bore me. The pink flowers of Henstar have a sweet coconut aroma, which tickles my nose. My heart raced as I heard heavy footsteps approaching. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dylan Johnson.
“What is the matter Trevor?” asked Dylan, as he pulled a dark purple berry from a tree and popped it into his mouth.
“Don’t you want to see more?” I said. “I’ve grown bored of the trees and grass.” The wind flowed over me and I closed my eyes allowing myself to drift southward. When I opened my eyes, I stood at the bank of enchantment. Its waters were blue and the currents stronger than the night before. I dove into the water plunging deeper beneath the surface. I swam until every cell in my body vibrated and fuzziness gathered in my mind. The further I swam away from the surface the darker the water became, and the temperature turned cold.
Changing directions, I swam to the top. My head popped out of the water and my eyes burned in the sunlight.
Dylan ran his fingers through his hair yanking at his tousled locks. “What are you doing?”
“I am trying to swim to the bottom.” Dyla
n is smart but he always asks dumb questions. Water drops fell from my body while crawling out of the water.
“Everyone knows that the bank of enchantment is bottomless. You will die trying to see the bottom.”
“Maybe but maybe not. One day I will see the bottom for myself.” I’m tired of Valcrum’s laws. Why did he give us power then put limitations on it? I want to see the bottom of the bank for myself. I want to know what will happen if I see it; my powers should protect me from death.
“Do you want to travel to Realm of Vertum,” asked Dylan?
“I want to see what is beyond the Realm of Xundar. What else is below this spiritual realm? What kinds of creatures live there? You must be curious too, Dylan.”
“Valcrum has forbidden us to leave Xundar. Xundar is home and all that we know; leaving it might kill us,” said Dylan.
“I’m leaving Xundar. I’m going down there.” I pointed downward through the white fluffy clouds and jumped.
My body soared through the clouds as I plummeted downward. I landed with a thud upon the hard ground. The brown soil that covered the ground didn’t look much different from the soil up in Xundar. Black crows feasted on the dead carcass of a four-legged animal with fur. It was much too small to be a Garmulet. The animal had one head when Garmulet’s have three. Getting to my feet, I walked toward the woods.
Something smelled like decay. Looking down I noticed the brown stains on the bottom of my pants. I dabbed my finger in the glob and brought it to my nose. This place didn’t smell sweet like Xundar, and there was death and feces covering the land.
Interesting.
Closing my eyes, I envisioned my clothes clean and olive green in color. The material darkened and changed clinging to my muscular limbs. I’m glad some of my powers work in this place. Leaves on the trees shifted in the breeze that flowed from above. Something or someone was coming. My feet barely touched the ground as I rushed through the forest. Who knows what dangers lurk on this planet?
Academy of Magic Collection Page 137
