Academy Obscura - The Scorched Summer: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance

by Cassia Briar

  Streams of flame higher up caught my attention. Two pairs of dragons were locked in a fight to the death. The mate bond latched onto Caprice and Montrell, the black dragons. They each fought a red beast who equalled them in size and strength. I aimed my wand at Sebastian. I’d promised to help however I could.

  A curse blasted apart my protective layer. Another followed it right in front of my face. Swearing, I evaded, searching for the witch. My gaze narrowed in on Isabella. There she was.

  She stood on the rooftop, brewing up a storm around her. Lightning bolts struck a couple of the other witches’ brooms and they plummeted to the ground. My gaze snapped back to Isabella. She was mine.

  I flew straight for her head, making her duck, then landed on the roof behind her. My broom vanished. I held my wand high, just in time to block her spell—another curse. The seven curses were rare, ancient, and forbidden dark magic. The old Council Queen seemed to be quite familiar and skilled with them. Not surprising.

  We flung and blocked spell after spell. She’d grown more powerful since the last time I’d seen her—and younger. The pit of my stomach hardened. She was one of them now. A freshly created Tromara.

  Once upon a time she’d been my friend and mentor. That woman had vanished, replaced by this monster. Had she ever been real? Was anything about Isabella not a lie?

  The storm she created whirled around us. She hollered over the howling wind. “After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?”

  I blocked another curse. “What exactly am I supposed to be grateful for?”

  “For protecting you. I killed your aunt Gladys.” She shot off spells in rapid succession. “She was the one who set that car bomb. If she’d had her way, you’d be dead, and her children would have taken your Council seat.”

  I glared through the shifting grey and black clouds. “That just makes you a murderer!”

  She charged, her small frame hitting me with unnatural strength, even for a supernatural—but not for a Tromara. My back hit the flat stone rooftop and winded me. My wand slid, spinning to a stop several feet away.

  Isabella held her smokey quartz wand against my neck. “I should have known you were a bad seed. Like father, like son.” Her dark eyes flashed. “I enjoyed killing him too.”

  I caught my breath and flipped her off of me. Lunging, I snatched up my wand. But I wasn’t quick enough. Isabella’s magic sliced across my upper back. I blocked her next spell in time and rose to my feet.

  “You know what?” I said, encircling her with magical rope. “You’re right. I am like my father. And for the first time in my life I’m proud of that.”

  I’d never spoken truer words. I was proud. Never again would I shun my father as a traitor or feel shame for being his son.

  She incinerated the bonds and they fell away. “You’re a fool.”

  Isabella flung a nasty, black glob curse my way. The thing ate through the shield I’d erected and kept coming. I stepped back, putting all of my will power into the spells I shot at it, chipping away at the dense, oily energy until it finally dissolved.

  “Did you have fun with that one?” She chuckled, as if this were a game and she was enjoying it. “Try this one.”

  A red bolt of light slammed into her chest so hard she staggered and dropped her wand. I startled and spun around, seeking the spell’s source. Elena approached, eyes fixed on Isabella, who shrieked in agony.

  In horror, I watched as the former Council Queen’s skin began to glow red-orange, then ignite and fall away from her bones. Her screams disintegrate along with her body, until only ash remained. The pile scattered in the light breeze.

  I turned a harsh gaze on Elena. “What the hell was that?”

  “The killing curse. Probably what she was going to use on you next.” Elena lifted her chin. “You really need to practice your gratitude.”

  “Where did you learn that? That’s black magic and it’s forbidden.” Not that I was ungrateful she’d saved my life. I was rattled. That curse was gruesome. Who was teaching Elena these things?

  “Never mind that. We’re not going to win by playing nice.” She focused on the sky, and my gaze followed hers. “We need to destroy that ward. It’s a giant electrical dome trapping us in. The Tromara are backing our people into it and it’s killing them. Come on.”

  I followed her across the open rooftop to find shelter from the heated battle and get to work. A black trenchcoat wearing fae swooped past my head. He reached for Elena.

  “Get down!” I shouted.

  Another large, flying body collided with the Tromara and they tumbled across the stone. I immediately recognized Tyler. He pinned down the Tromara and punched him. He kept punching him until the creature’s face was nothing but mashed flesh and cartilage. Slowly, he got to his feet.

  Elena rushed to him. They briefly embraced before he was pulling her down into cover. We huddled in a deep shadow where two slanting parts of the upper roofline came together.

  “The three of us should be able to break that dome apart.” Elena pointed her tiger’s eye wand skyward. I did the same, and fae magic shot from Tyler’s hands. From the small section of campus I could see from our position, other steams of light joined ours. I focused intently on piercing the ward. Gradually, it began to unravel.

  32

  Caprice

  I was growing tired, weakening, but so was Sebastian. He took another bite at me, before turning invisible. The bastard! I did the same and moved from my current position. What was the cunning, old fuck up to now?

  Without warning, the ward above us shattered. Stars shone bright and clear in the unobscured night sky. I changed altitude looking for any sign of where Sebastian had gone. The sneaky Tromara king kept me on my toes as he dished out one foul trick after another.

  There. I spotted him on the ground. He shifted to his natural vampire form, a thick dark mist draped over him to form a flowing black robe. He had no wand. Instead, he used his hands to form and direct magic.

  I dove straight for him, fast and invisible. A giant net appeared below me and I crashed into it. I tried to spin away, but the fine netting tangled and twisted around me. Struggling to free myself only seemed to make it worse. I could barely extend my wings. The ground was coming up too fast.

  The air hummed as a long, thin object darted past. Another followed, this time sinking through the scale and muscle of my leg. I roared. The force of it altered my course from straight down, to sideways, taking me over the Academy’s walls.

  I crashed into the forest, taking out half a hillside of trees. Trapped in the net, agony shooting from my thigh, I collapsed in the dirt.

  The only way out of this was to shift down. Summoning up my courage, I morphed to human form. The huge spear ripped through the skin and tissue of my much smaller upper leg. I batted away the netting and soon I was free.

  I fell to my hands and knees, naked, panting. The forest outside the campus walls was dark. Deep shadows hid within the dense tree trunks and underbrush. I micro shifted my eyes to see better.

  “Caprice…” Sebastian’s voice taunted nearby. In a blink, he was on me, pinning me to the ground.

  I let my skin turn to scales. Too late. His fangs sank into the side of my neck. Pain flashed hot and sharp, but was soon replaced with euphoria as he pumped venom into my body. Unwillingly, I relaxed under him.

  “Now that’s a good girl.” He spoke into my hair. “Fuck, you taste so good. Like power, and lust, and riches.” Sebastian rocked his erection against my uninjured thigh. “See what we could have together? Doesn’t it feel good?”

  I hated it, but it did. It felt so, so good. My wounds no longer hurt. My mind drifted in a state of bliss and my body ached to be taken. I ground my hot core against his hard body.

  His chuckle was dark, victorious. “Do you want me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me you want me, Caprice.”

  “I want you.” The words came out dripping with lust. I couldn’t fi
ght the need to have him. My dragon fixated on Sebastian, she’d always found him attractive. His power. His confidence. Now he could be hers—ours.

  The Tromara king moved in for a kiss. Following my instincts, I leveraged my weight and rolled us so that I was on top. A technique Destiny had taught me.

  Sebastian tensed, trapping me in his arms for a moment, until I rubbed my breasts over his chest and licked his neck. He relaxed his hold.

  “You’re feisty,” he said with a moan. “You like to take charge.”

  “Mmhm.”

  “That’s a good little dragon.” Hands roaming my naked body, his fingers traced the scars on my back. “I love that you wear my marks. Forever and always.”

  Hatred coiled at the base of my spine like a snake ready to strike. He shouldn’t have called me a good little dragon. Through the haze of lust, my inner beast stalked Sebastian like a predator. I straddled him, pushing up from his chest, and rocked myself on his rigid shaft. I let out a long, low groan.

  He closed his eyes in ecstasy. “Yes. Oh, Caprice.”

  Under this venom-induced euphoria, my rage boiled and burned. Fuck him. He was mine. Mine to kill.

  I did another small shift, this time letting my fingertips turn into dragon talons. In one swift, fluid motion, I ripped out Sebastian’s throat. His eyelids flew open. Shock and panic registered in his deep, dark orbs. He gripped his neck with both hands trying to stop the gushing blood flow.

  For good measure, I twisted his head and tugged, until it was no longer attached to his body. Satisfaction warmed my chest.

  I slowly stood. The calm pumping through my veins didn’t match the horror movie scene at my feet. Plus, I was still horny as hell. Naked and wounded.

  A blur of movement caught my eye. Zed materialized in front of me. He was soaked in blood and his eyes glowed silver. Heat raced over my skin at his closeness. Giant. Dangerous. Yum. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I didn’t want Zed.

  His fingers found the two punctures at my throat. I couldn’t hold back my moan as his large hand cradled the back of my head. Zed stepped closer, his fangs brushed my skin.

  “Trust me,” he said. I shivered as he bit down. This time, though, the pleasure didn’t last for long. Sensation returned, along with all the pain, and my mind cleared. Zed extracted his sharp teeth and it fucking hurt.

  I blinked up at him. “What did you do?”

  “Sucked the venom out.” His hands dropped to his sides.

  “Thank you.” I took a step back, all at once too aware of our proximity. Of my wanton behavior. That vampire venom was some crazy shit.

  Regina and Lyn appeared beside me and I startled. Fucking vampires!

  Lyn’s gaze swept over my battered, bloody appearance, and she hmmed to herself. She produced a robe from the satchel across her shoulder and held it up for me. I slipped it on. Lyn then went to work on wrapping up my torn thigh. Luckily, the wound was on the outside edge of the bone, nowhere near the main artery.

  “Well, you put an end to him.” Regina picked up Sebastian’s severed head by his long, black hair. “Let’s go show the Tromara their king is dead.”

  Quickly patched up for the moment, I was ready to see the end of this battle. Zed and Lyn supported me on either side, and I began to limp back to the Academy. Then they started to run, at vampire speed, and it felt like we were flying. The cool wind rushed my face and blew back my hair. I closed my eyes against it.

  When I opened them again we stood at one of the campus’ small side gates. Inside, shouts rose up, but the clash of battle was gone. Was it over? More importantly, had we won?

  I shrugged out of Lyn and Zed’s arms. I’d enter the Academy on my own two feet, haltingly, but that was okay. Regina opened the gate and marched through, holding Sebastian’s head high. I followed her through, the other two vampires at my back. The air exploded with cheers and clapping.

  I smiled for the ragged, dirty, bleeding supernaturals who’d just won this war. We’d done it!

  The moment of joy was short lived. All around, survivors cared for the severely wounded. Tromara and their supporters were rounded up and locked in magical bonds. Bodies were carried or dragged from rubble and lined up on the ground. My heart ached.

  Jaxon and Elena were the first to reach me. They both embraced me at the same time. Tyler appeared behind Elena. I breathed out a shuddering sigh of relief. They were alive.

  Montrell landed on the lawn, shimmering from dragon to his human form, then shoved his way through to kiss me.

  “When--how did you become a dragon? When were you going to tell me? What happened with Demarcus?” I asked, letting my hands skim over him, making sure he was whole. He winced. He was injured.

  “He’s dead.” Montrell captured my wrists. “My mother has been avenged. As for the dragon part… I didn’t know if I could shift to that form until I tried. When two red dragons appeared in the sky I was certain I’d lose you. I did the only thing I could think of to help. It worked.” His attention landed on my throat. “Vampire bite. What happened?”

  “Sebastian—” I was cut off by Angel’s wolf plowing into Zed. They crashed to the ground in a fit of hisses and snarls. “What are you doing?” I shrieked. “Angel!”

  Montrell cupped my face. “Did Zed bite you?”

  “Yes. But only after Sebastian had bitten me. Zed drew out the poison, he helped me.”

  “Angel,” Montrell snapped. “Get off him.”

  I glanced between the two of them, confused. Angel snapped at the vampire before releasing him. Jaxon folded his arms and pinned Zed with a glare.

  “What the hell, you guys?” I asked. Anger and jealousy flowed through our link.

  Jaxon answered. “We felt your lust through the bond. Then you arrive back here with fang marks and Zed. We could only assume…”

  Heat crept up my neck, but I wasn’t embarrassed, I was angry. “You assumed Zed found me alone in the forest, bit me, and we had wild, venom-induced sex. In the middle of a battle?” I narrowed my eyes at the three of them. “It wasn’t Zed, it was Sebastian. And I killed him before we got to the sex part. You guys know I’m faithful to you. Now pull your heads out of your jealous, dirty minds and tell me where Liam is.”

  Jaxon’s brow furrowed. Montrell’s expression hardened. Angel brushed his soft fur comfortingly against my arm.

  “What happened?” My voice broke. Liam was alive. I could feel him through our mate bond.

  “He’s hurt, but he’ll be okay.” Jaxon’s tone wasn’t as reassuring as I would have liked. “Come on.”

  I started to limp after them. Montrell scooped me up and followed Jaxon and Angel. The vampires stalked after us, but kept their distance. Elena and Tyler stayed behind to lend a hand with the wounded.

  We entered the Dean’s Hall and jogged down several flights of stairs. We emerged into the first basement, then took another staircase to a sub-basement. A chill crept over my skin. The place reeked of death and fear and pain.

  Narrow hallways brought us past small, dark rooms. The chains attached to the walls spoke of recently passed horrors. They were nothing compared to the large space we entered at the end of the hall. Sconces flickered on the four walls. Within a circle of red on the floor, were sigils—all painted in blood. I recognized the design from the Ex Codice Tromara. Sure enough, a table, with binding straps, stood in the middle of the room. This was where the Tromara ate souls.

  Several people gathered round a prone form on the other side of the sacrificial table. They spoke in hushed tones. A shot of red hair caught in the torch light.

  “Put me down,” I said to Montrell. He set me on my feet and I shuffled forward.

  Liam, crouched beside the others, turned and caught me in his arms. The tears I’d been holding back for so long finally surfaced. I sobbed into this chest. He gently pushed soothing fae magic into me and I cried harder.

  A while later, I eased back to look up at his face. A week’s worth of auburn beard covered his jawline
. His cheeks were hollower than they should have been. Those moss green eyes had taken on a hard edge I’d never seen in them before. They’d damaged my sweet fae.

  My attention drifted to the figure on the floor and my stomach twisted. May. Josh cradled her head in his lap. Two healers pointed glowing wands over her body.

  I glanced at Liam. “Is she going to be okay?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. She’s on the verge, drifting between life and death.” His voice caught and he cleared his throat. Suddenly, he swayed dangerously on his feet. Jaxon took one of Liam’s arms over his shoulder, helping to steady my pale fae.

  Montrell took his other arm and they supported him between them. “You shouldn’t be standing on that leg.”

  Angel spoke before I could ask the question. “The Tromara broke his knee—crushed it—and it’s still healing.”

  A fresh, new anger clawed at me. I’d made a deal with Cyril to give them death once this was over. Now, I wasn’t so sure I would give them what they wanted. They didn’t deserve a quick, clean death after everything they’d done.

  Pushing that thought down, I focused on May. The Tromara couldn’t have her life too. I’d once brought back Brody from the brink of death. Maybe I could do the same now.

  “Let me try to help,” I kneeled, conscious of my injured leg, and shifted to my half form. The doctors gave me space to work. Josh’s gaze never left May’s white face.

  I tugged at the magic deep inside. It rolled up my throat in a thick red smoke as I leaned in close. On an exhale, I whispered the same word I’d used on Brody all those months ago, “Live.” The crimson fog surrounded her slack features, entering her mouth and nose.

  I sat up. All we could do now was wait.

  33

  Caprice

  May gasped. Her eyes flew wide open and she struggled in Josh’s arms. He tightened his hold on her, spoke softly close to her ear, and she visibly relaxed. Liam dropped to the floor and pulled his sister against him. I squeezed her hand, relief making me light-headed.