Crown of Thorns: a Fae Urban Fantasy (Dark Fae Assassins Academy Book 1)

by Melle Amade

  I turned away from the lounge and thoughts of my sister. Any thoughts of her were going to throw me off my game and that was the last thing I needed to get through this. I was singular of purpose. Find out why the Frost Fae were tracking and attacking me and, despite what Bruta said, find out if it had anything to do with my parent’s death.

  The courtyard itself was beautiful. And as much as I had never wanted to stay after my parents died, my breath caught in my throat. The gold, red and yellow autumn maple trees fell lazily from the trees and created a gilded carpet encircling the main tower where the light and dark fae dormitories were. The main center tower was surrounded by lowlying, three-story row buildings that made up the dormitories for the Frost Fae on the north side and the Blood Fae on the south side. All of the professors’ residences and administrative buildings were in the east wall at the back of the complex.

  The center building was forty-stories tall complete with a penthouse reserved for the royal family and an apparently exquisite set of suites that Headmistress Lucinda inhabited. She had been at the school for as long as I could remember. The most suspicious and disapproving fae I had ever met. She kept a strict code of ethics at Crown Academy, one of the reasons I was pretty sure Bruta wasn’t interested in taking up recidency there any longer.

  Assassins had a private lounge up there also on the thirty-first floor. I’d only ever been there a couple of times, but my parents went there a lot to get briefing on assignments and discuss some of the greatest dangers threatening the fae world.

  But my family had lived at the back in a small townhouse just big enough for the four of us. I was sure Heather didn’t have that now.

  We lost everything.

  Everything except the opportunity to serve the Crown as assassins or accountants or jewelers or designers or prison guards or scouts for the rest of our lives. And fae lived a long, long, long time by human standards. Whatever the royal family needed, any graduate from the Crown Academy was at their beck and call. I’m not sure if the blood and frost fae understood that yet. The melding of the school was still so new. And the light fae thought they were going to get a say in it.

  It’d be interesting to see how that turned out. As devious and sparkling bullshit as the light fae were, my money was on the Dark Fae king having something up his sleeve to destroy the piece or gain control of all of Fantom.

  It didn’t matter how much you put people together, the dark fae were always going to consider themselves better than the light fae and vice versa.

  The archways at each corner of the lowrise building lead to the room where the actual classes were held. All the working classes were specialized, and, in all honesty, I’d never been in those. They weren’t meant for younger kids. I went to local fae primary, secondary schools and high schools dispersed near the campus in Quebec. One of the few places where the fae didn’t mind mingling a bit with humans. I’m not sure what it was about this place, but I loved the quiet peace about it, and as much as it strained every muscle in my body, the place still felt like home.

  It was bittersweet to be standing there in the courtyard now. At twenty-one I should’ve been entering my third year of the Academy, but instead I was an outsider dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt with a quilted vest pulled over to keep me warm. I hardly look like the fashionable fae sauntering around and chattering in groups like they owned the place. Like they owned my home. I pulled the woolen cap down a little farther over my white hair. I wasn’t cold. It would have been weird for a frost fae to be cold, but whoever’s visage I’d taken on, I didn’t change anything about me on the inside. It just changed the way I looked to others.

  I started walking towards the main building probably out of habit more than anything else.

  “What you suddenly think you’re a darky or something,” a voice startled me. Three Frost Fae stood there grinning at me. One was extremely petite with a perky little nose. With her dark blue sparkling eyes, I bet she had some pixie blood in her.

  She was shaded out by a towering man who pulled me close in a giant hug you’re a week late for the start of term, babe,” he said nuzzling my neck. “And you didn’t contact me all summer.”

  “She’s been gone so long she can’t remember where she supposed to go.” A nasty high-pitched voice from a stick-like Frost Fae made the guy pull back off of me.

  “I was busy tracking something,” I muttered, guessing that at least had to be true.

  Fuck. If I could only figure out who these people were life would be a hell of a lot easier. Clearly, they knew me, and this guy seemed to know me pretty well.

  “So how you guys been?” I asked, casually sticking my hands in my pockets and trying to look as normal as I could.

  “You know the yoush,” the guy said, “skipping class, hanging out in the lounge, pining for you.”

  He got a swift elbow in the side from the ultra stick frost fae with her long white hair in braids. “Give it a rest Oisin,” she said. “Eyla’s never been into you. She’s never going to be into you.”

  “You can never blame a guy for trying, Rhia.” he shrugged, unbothered by Rhia laying out the facts. But I could tell there was more to this. If my sensibilities were correct, Rhia really did like this guy. And he really did like whoever the hell I was. Great. I don’t even know who I am and already caught in a frosty love triangle. But at least I now knew two names. Oison and Rhia. Though Rhia looked like if a strong wind came along, she might be blown away with it.

  “We were just headed back to the dorms,” said the tiny pixie-ish one. “Why don’t you come and tell us about, you know, where you were and what you were up to.”

  I glanced at her sideways. This one knew something. But at this stage it’d been a long day and I wasn’t quite ready or on top of it. I need a little time alone to try and gather my head and my heart. I’d spent so many happy memories with my parents here, coming back was like a dagger in the heart. I needed space. I also need facts. Like, who I was pretending to be.

  “I need to rest,” I shook my head. Maybe we can meet up for dinner or something.

  The pixie shrugged like it was no big deal, but I could tell she was a little put out. I fell into step next to them listening to them chatter about school. It’d only been in session for a week but there already seem like there was plenty to gossip about. They were all mostly excited it was their final year.

  Shit.

  Eyla was in her fourth year. How the hell was I ever going to fit in to fourth year classes at Crown Academy. I was in school at Columbia, which was seriously no joke, but, well, it was a normal human school. You studied books, took exams, wrote papers. Crown Academy was harsh. You could die in some of the events and if you didn’t cut it in your discipline, you were screwed for life. Made a servant of the royal household. Like a janitor type servant or a maid.

  My parents had always told me not to worry, that there was no way I was going to mess up and not become an assassin. But what they never understood is that I didn’t want to be an assassin. I didn’t want to hunt escaped criminals or people who the royal family thought were threats. Hell, for all I knew the King himself or at least the Crown Prince had sent Eyla after me.

  No wonder I hated this place.

  7

  A group of students were moving towards us and I was surprised to see the frost shrink back. I stopped and held my ground. Glancing over my shoulder quizzically. Oison just watched me his eyebrows raised.

  Then I smelled him. It was the scent of a lion in the sunlight of the forest lying in the grass ready to pounce. I’d smelled it a few times before when my parents were alive and there were big events at the Academy that we were all required to attend. It still made my knees weak, but I couldn’t stop from inhaling deeply.

  Prince Kylian. Crown Prince to the Dark Fae throne.

  He walked directly in our path and suddenly I wanted to step back and stand with the other frost fae. He was the most gorgeous golden fae I had ever seen in my whole life. And that w
as saying a lot. Fae were by nature perfect looking creatures. But he had something exotic about him that was hard to understand. While most dark fae were in fact, tan skin and dark eyes with varying floral hair colors, he was golden blond like a wheat field in the summer time and skin so tan it looked like he did nothing but lie out all day soaking in the sun itself. His hair was wild like the straw blowing in the fields. He made my skin hot and I just wanted to roll around in his warmth. As he sauntered towards us his hair moved around his face and his green eyes were staring straight at me. I glanced over my shoulder and the pixie Fae was squinting at me making me feel stupid for standing still. I took a step back, remembering I’m not dark fae here. I’m a frost fae and need to show my subservience to the dark fae, but Prince Kylian’s voice halted me.

  “Freezer,” he growled.

  I scowled. Freezer? What the fuck sort of an insult was that. I bit my tongue; clearly aware he still was the crown prince and pissing him off in my few minutes at the academy wasn’t going to be very helpful. Still, he already seemed a bit irritated with me.

  “We missed you this first week in the assassin’s academy,” he said his voice deep, dark and still warming. Even though he wasn’t pleased with me something about his voice made me very happy.

  “Um, yeah,” I muttered. “I had some stuff going on with my… with my family… a sick relative.” I stopped speaking suddenly because I didn’t know any of the facts. I had no idea if Eyla had a mother, father, sister, brother or even an uncle. I had no idea who this woman was or what excuse she could have for not being at the academy the first week. I just had to remember to speak in generalizations.

  Then I had to remember what I told people. Shit. This was going to be harder than I thought. Okay. She missed the first week of school because she has a sick relative. Now I’d have to figure out who her relatives were because judging by the look on Pixie girl’s face, she was going to start asking questions soon.

  “Well you’re behind so you better get in there early and start training before class starts tomorrow,” he said.

  What a dick.

  This guy was going to be the king one day. Keeping tabs on where everybody was in class. Seems like he’d have more stately things to do than monitoring class attendance. I was about to say as much when a group of girls surrounded him.

  The sparkling redhead who sidled up to him and looped her arm through his was the Light Fae princess. That was surprising that those two were so cozy. I couldn’t think of a worse mix. But apparently, she was territorial in all her dainty flowing red gownness. She shot me a glare as if she wanted to light a fire under my ass and burn the frost off me. Little did she know I cared nothing for the Prince, nor did she frighten me in the slightest. She could have her power and her prestige. I just needed to find out some information, stop people from trying to kill me and I’d be on my way. I missed the kids at the orphanage. And even worse, I hadn’t even said a proper good-bye.

  Then I saw her, and I had to put my hand over my mouth to hide my gasp. Heather stood there, right next to Tatiana like they were best friends; my sister and the Light Fae Princess. My skin flushed hot and my palms grew clammy. Now I wanted to slap the princess.

  Hard.

  Worse than that, Heather was looking at me and I don’t know if it was just the way that she looked at everybody now, but it was exactly how she looked at me when I was on trial; with a look of pity.

  That was enough. I was out. I turned on my heel and walked away heading towards where I knew the frost fae dorms were. My supposed fae friends ran to catch up to me.

  “Did you seriously just turn and walk away from the royal couple?” Pixie girl asked me slight tone of awe in her voice.

  My lip curled. “I have nothing to say to them. Why wouldn’t I? They’re not worth my time.”

  Oison grabbed my elbow and leaned into me as we kept walking. “Hey, I don’t know what happened this summer. I don’t know where you’ve been this last week but be careful what you say,” he said. “You can’t have anyone hearing you talk badly about the royal couple. Not in mixed company at least.”

  I wanted to shrug him off, but that wasn’t really the best way to go about figuring out who this girl was and who these people were that she friends with. Besides he really did sound like he cared and was trying to help. I let him keep a grip on my elbow.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I’m just a little tired. Would you mind walking me to my room?” I asked ignoring the glares from Rhia.

  “Yeah, of course.” He sounded happy at the opportunity and I almost felt bad that I was just using him to figure out which room was mine.

  It didn’t take us long. He led me by the elbow up a narrow staircase to the top story of the three-story building. Apparently Eyla had an apartment.

  “Here you go,” he said, bowing graciously as we got to the door.

  I started putting down my pockets. Holy crap. I didn’t even have a key to my own room.

  “Everything okay?” He asked, looking at me quizzically. “You really don’t seem yourself.”

  “I’ll tell you about it later,” I said. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind. I can’t seem to find the key to my room.”

  “You probably haven’t even picked up your welcome back packet yet have you,” he smiled kindly at me. “Listen, I’ll go down and pick all that stuff up and slide it under your door. But if I’m not mistaken, I saw your new roommate here.”

  He reached past me, twisting the door handle. It opened. I looked up at him as he leaned over me. I was completely confused.

  “You’re really nice,” I blurted out. It’d been a long time since a fae other than Bruta was nice to me.

  “It’s part of my charm,” he grinned. “But seriously go in and get some rest I’ll slip your envelope under the door, so you’ve got everything you need. If you don’t make it out to dinner tonight, I’ll see you in the morning or usual table.”

  He turned and bound down the steps. Our usual table. This was gonna be a lot harder than I thought I needed to be on my toes and quickly figure this shit out. I sure as hell hoped he wasn’t one of the assholes because so far, he seemed to be the only friend I had here.

  It’d been a ridiculous long full day and I was desperate for a rest. I’d toured the 3rd story apartments before so I knew what to expect. A small two-bedroom apartment with a tiny living room. All I had to figure out was which bedroom was mine and I could lay down. I stepped in and shut the door. My mouth gaped open and I leaned against it breathing heavy.

  “What the actual fuck?” I couldn’t stop the words from coming out of my mouth. I was staring face-to-face with a black winged demon casually draped across the sofa like she owned the place.

  8

  I’d have sunk to a squatting position to catch my breath, but my legs were frozen stiff. There was a freaking demon in my room. I reached for the dagger that rested in the scabbared on my hip.

  “I’m not a freaking demon,” she said, raising her perfectly arched eyebrows. Her shoulder length brown hair fell flat against her shoulders, but even though she sprawled across the couch in a tight corset, her lengthy body and lithe muscles don’t hide the demon wings folded behind her.

  And apparently, she can read minds.

  I reach behind me and grasp the doorknob. I’m exhausted, have no magic powers, and only brought a dagger with me. Campus rules require no weapons larger than six inches outside of the classroom. It made for some petty jokes when we were kids. Now I just wish I had a sword. There was no way I’m facing this thing alone. I turned the doorknob as the creature stood up and its wings outstretched like a giant bat in the cramped space, its claws nearly scraping the ceiling.

  “Relax,” she said, her voice decidedly casual. “I’m your new roommate.”

  “Those look like demon wings to me,” I said, staring at them rather than taking her outstretched hand.

  “Onyx Nighshade.” She dropped her hand, her head cocking to the side.

  “That’s
a pretty dark name.” I was still trying to gauge her. She actually didn’t seem that dangerous.

  She smirked. “I’m a Reaper from Hell.” Her shoulders rise and fall in a careless shrug. “We aren’t known for being light. Those are the other reapers.”

  We stare at each other for a good solid minute.

  “And you’re my roommate?” I asked.

  Onyx nodded. “Exchange student. Apparently, I suck at Reaper Academy so they thought I should come here for a year and quit being an embarrassment to the Hellions.”

  She was new here. So, she had no idea who I was either. Suddenly I felt a little safer with her in my frost fae disguise. Like I wouldn’t have to be on my guard and remember shit I never knew in the first place.

  I grabbed her hand in a firm shake, unable to stop the smile forming on my lips. This could work out quite well in my favor.

  Except, she was suddenly frowning at me. And, as beautiful as she was with her angular features and high forehead, a frown on a reaper just looks fucking scary.

  “Your skin is pretty warm for a Frost Fae.” She raised her chin at me. “What’s your name?”

  “G-.” I’m caught off guard and cut my words short. I’m not Gaia. I’m definitely not allowed to be Gaia right now. “Eyla,” I said.

  “Mmhmm,” Onyx nods without a single look of belief. Her hands crossed over her chest as her wings folded at her back. “Your last name?”

  For fuck’s sake. I actually didn’t know that yet. Where the hell was that welcome packet Oison promised me?

  “Didn’t you see it when you checked in?” I countered. Stalling.

  “Why yes I did,” she said. “It’s just interesting that you don’t seem to know what it is.”

  Great. I’m here like thirty minutes and I’m already going to die. I opened my mouth to find some other excuse, but she held up her hand.