by M Guida
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “I get so tired of the arguing.”
“Maybe it’s about time you reminded Lucien you can’t be with a Golden Demon,” Poppy said. “Them’s the rules. You’re a dragon, and he’s a Golden Demon. I don’t know why he’s always pushing the limits.”
I hadn’t told the girls yet that I had Golden Demon blood. The secret would come out soon enough, so I might as well start with them.
I cleared my throat. “I have to tell you something.”
Mina studied me. “What?”
“There’s a reason why Lucien is so attracted to me.” I put up my hands. “Now, I don’t know how, so don’t ask…”
“What?” Mina nudged me. “Tell us.”
“I have Golden Demon blood. That’s how I was able to pass the dragon trials last year.”
Poppy’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
I shook my head. “Nope. True. You can even ask Anton.”
Poppy looked at each one of this. “That’s so weird. No one has mated outside their kind for centuries.”
“Apparently that’s not so,” I said. “Someone in my family did, but I have no idea who, or when.”
Mina looked thoughtful. “I bet that’s why Ryker is so determined to get you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before Dad left, he told me that Ryker was obsessed with pure bloods. He thought Ryker was afraid half-breeds would diminish the Dark Demon’s powers.”
“Why?”
Mina sighed and looked down. “I don’t know. That was the last time I saw him.”
Uncomfortable silence descended on us. Mina had suffered so much over the rumors about her father and as far as I could tell, she wasn’t any clearer to finding the truth.
Katona broke the silence. “I know. You could have them both.”
Mina snorted and looked up. “I don’t think Lucien is sharing kind of guy.”
That was an understatement. “You’re not the first person to suggest that. My problem is I like them both, but choosing either one of them isn’t high on my priorities right now.”
Katona patted my leg. “Why not? I don’t know what I would do without Dante.”
“That’s because you’re not facing the Hollows,” I grumbled.
Her eyes widened. “The Hollows again?”
Poppy shook her head. “Now what?”
“Anton says my dragon is obsessed with that spell book and I need to control her. He’s not letting me take dragon magick this year.”
They all blurted, “What?”
“Yup. And I still have to take the dragon trials, but he’s making one up special for me.”
Mina frowned. “So, it’s not going to be like ours?”
“Apparently not,” I said. “The only good thing is I won’t have to take dragon magick with Heath Read.”
Katona laughed. “You mean you’re going to miss your biggest fan?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Seriously, that’s not good,” Mina said. “How about I teach you what I’ve learned?”
“That still might be a good idea, Mina,” Poppy said. “I wouldn’t tell Bo, though.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
“Because every time you spend time with Bo, Lucien’s turns into a raving jealous bull,” she said.
I tilted my chin and pointed my thumb to my chest. “I decide who I want to spend time with.”
“Do you really like them battling over you?” she asked softly.
I lowered my head. “No. I don’t.” The truth was, I knew I was leaning toward Lucien… and the problem was I didn’t know how to break Bo’s heart.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Anton gave me my revised schedule. Lucien was going to teach me how to meditate when I was originally supposed to be in dragon magick. School started tomorrow, Anton released me from his custody, and I got to return to my own room.
I stopped at the cafeteria to get a café latte and something to eat. The cafeteria wasn’t that crowded yet, even the Royal table was empty. I suspected students were enjoying sleeping in one last time. School always started at eight am sharp.
My stomach growled, and I headed toward the line. I got my coffee and couldn’t resist a smothered breakfast burrito stuffed with sausage, potatoes, cheese, and eggs. My mouth watered just looking at it.
I slid into a chair at the Royal table and took a bite of my burrito. It was delicious.
“Hey, beautiful.”
I glanced up to see Bo with a tray full of two fried eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns and a big cup of coffee.
He sat next to me. Concern filled his eyes. “How are you feeling today?”
I held up my finger until I swallowed my bite. “Better.”
“Good.” He took a sip of coffee. “So, what happened after Lucien and I left?”
I retrieved a piece of sausage that had fallen out of the burrito and onto the plate and popped it into my mouth. I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell him, because he wouldn’t be happy. “I’m back in the doghouse again.”
“Meaning what?”
I told him about Anton’s new plan.
“You’re shitting me?”
I took another sip of my latte. “I wish I were.”
“What is it with that guy? I swear he won’t be happy until you end up at the Hollows.”
I put my cup down. “Sometimes I think that, but other times, I think there’s a reason behind his madness.”
“You mean his manipulation,” he grumbled. He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you what I’ve learned in dragon magick. We’ll foil Anton’s plans.”
I thought about what Poppy said and cleared my throat. “I don’t know.” I cut into my burrito.
He frowned. “Why? Is Lucien teaching you again?”
I wasn’t going to lie. This time, it wasn’t going to be a big secret like it was last year. “He’s teaching me how to meditate.”
“I could do that.” He slammed his chair down. “Anton never gives me a chance. It’s like he wants you to be with him.”
He sounded so dejected, and my heart ached for him.
“Bo, Anton isn’t pushing me to be with anyone. Besides, I decide on that, not the Headmaster of Legacy Academy.”
“Maybe.”
I gave him a cool look.
“Hey, I get it you’re an independent woman. But sometimes I wonder if you haven’t forgiven me for last year,” Bo continued.
Pain at the memory of him abandoning me bubbled up inside me, but I forced a smile. “I thought we’d been through that. I get it, Bo. Your crown was at stake. None of the other princes faced that predicament.”
He attacked his food. I groaned when Lucien entered. I just hoped another battle didn’t start between them.
Lucien didn’t say anything and went straight into the food line. More students trickled into the cafeteria, including Mina, Poppy, and Katona. I was glad to see their smiling faces and hoped their presence at the Royal table would keep Lucien and Bo at bay.
Bo picked up his tray. “I’ll see you around, Raven.”
“Bo, you didn’t finish your food.”
He shrugged. “I guess I’m not that hungry.” He left, throwing his tray on the counter for the dishwasher to collect.
A guilt bomb went off in my stuffed gut, and I wasn’t sure I could eat another bite. This was my fault. Poppy was right. I had to tell him the truth.
Lucien had made his claim on me, and I wasn’t fighting it. Bo had said the same thing to me, but my insides didn’t quiver when he had said it. I’d known for a while and wasn’t sure about how to go about doing this. When I was in high school, I never had this problem. I was usually the dumpee, not the dumper.
“Where did Bo go?” Lucien sat where Bo had been.
I avoided his gaze and concentrated on the last remaining bites of my burrito. “He said he wasn’t hungry.”
He asked no more
questions, and luckily, the cavalry arrived.
Mina had the same burrito I had gotten and a big glass of orange juice. Poppy and Katona came back with coffee and huge cinnamon rolls, dripping with icing.
“I couldn’t resist,” Poppy said. “They are so good here.”
Katona winked. “She forced me to get one.”
Poppy elbowed her. “No, I didn’t.”
Katona laughed, but her gaze was distracted when Dante, Xavier, and Rhys walked into the cafeteria. Whenever Dante was around, love shimmered in her eyes.
Dante stopped at the table and put his hands on Katona’s shoulders. “Giving into temptation?” he asked with a smile.
“Shut up,” she said. “You know I can’t resist.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “I know.”
Katona was so lucky that she could concentrate on her relationship with Dante, and didn’t have the threat of the Hollows hanging over her head.
Dante joined Xavier and Rhys in line for food.
Lucien glanced over at me. “I saw Anton earlier.”
I scooted my empty plate away. “He told you that you’re were teaching me again?”
“Yeah, and he also told me what would happen if you failed.” He stabbed a big piece of sausage with his fork. “I’m not going to let that happen.”
“I think he’s obsessed with the Hollows,” Mina said.
“Or with Raven,” Lucien muttered.
I frowned. “That’s not a pleasant thought. Has anyone ever actually been sent to the Hollows?”
“Only one,” Lucien said.
“Three guesses who,” Poppy said. “And the first two don’t count.”
I looked at her questioningly.
She slapped her palms on the table. “Come on, Raven. Don’t tell me you don’t know? Didn’t you pay attention in Demon class?”
I stiffened. “I paid attention.”
Lucien blurted. “Ryker.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, right?”
He shook his head. “No. Ryker led a rebellion here. He recruited demons to join forces with him and his dad.”
I pointed my finger down at the table and stared in disbelief. “Ari and Faas went to school here?”
Lucien finished his glass of orange juice. “Yeah, until the Dark Demons formed their own academy. Abbadon Rock Academy. Students learn dark magic and dark arts there.”
“Wow,” I mumbled. “I didn’t know there was another academy besides Legacy.”
“If you call them that, yes,” Lucien said. “There’s plenty of others.”
I blinked. “Really?”
Poppy pulled her cinnamon roll apart. “Sure, there’s Dark Moon Academy for wolves.”
Katona blurted, “And Red Rose for vampires. There’s even different types of vampires. The ones here are dhampirs, meaning we can walk in the sunlight. We still drink blood.”
My heart stilled.
She held up a defensive palm. “We don’t kill our victims and we have blood donors.”
I couldn’t believe we’d never had this conversation before. “So, is that what Anton is?” I asked.
“No, he’s a mystic,” she said. “Mystic vampires can do magic.”
“And are there academies for just dragons?”
“Yup,” Mina said. “Draco, and Starlight for the Fae.”
“And Astral for the Golden Demons,” Lucien said. “But we all came here because the princes of the kingdom are expected to get along with each other. So we’ve always come to Legacy.”
I looked at each one of them. “Is Legacy the cream of the crop?”
Lucien shrugged. “I’m not sure the other academies would agree with that.”
I pushed. “But yes?”
No one answered me, not even Lucien. My head was totally spinning. How could I not have known any of this? I’d taken Supernatural History for the last two years.
“I’m going to get another coffee.” I grabbed my cup and headed back to the food line, but this time I just filling my cup with java and a bunch of creamers. Today, they had pumpkin spice, my favorite.
The Royal table was getting crowded with Vivian and Eden taking their places. Tired of sitting, and with my head spinning, I decided to leave. I wanted to get back to my room and unpack my things. At least I hoped my things were there. Anton hadn’t said one way or another.
I picked up my plate to take it to the dishwasher.
Lucien stood. “Are you done?”
“I’d liked to get unpacked.”
“I’ll walk you back,” he said.
We unloaded our dishes and headed out of the cafeteria.
“What’s the rest of your schedule?”
“Well, according to Anton, I have Powerful Objects, but I don’t know what that would be.”
“You’ll learn more about how to use your crossbow and arrows but with magic. Not all of us possess that power.” He clasped my hand. “But I’m sure you will. Your powers are always a surprise and I’m enjoying watching them unfurl.”
“I’m glad you do, because every time it happens, I seem to get deeper and deeper into trouble.”
“Your unique abilities scare some supernaturals, Raven.” He stopped and brushed his lips over mine, making my heart flutter. “But you don’t scare me.”
I thought of what happened last year and how Bo had strayed away from me. It had hurt so bad. I frowned. “I’m always a mess and never know what I’m doing. I scare people?” I put my hand on my chest.
“Sometimes. You have the ability to absorb magic, and that makes some people uncomfortable like Bo’s father. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised he didn’t send him to Draco academy.”
I lowered my head. “Because of me?”
He lifted my chin. “I told you, new powers can be frightening. People do crazy things out of fear.”
My gut tightened at his words. I hated being the freak no one wanted their kid to be around.
He threaded his fingers through my hair. “What other classes do you have?”
“The usual–Demonology, Magick Intuition, Defense and Battle techniques with you guys, and independent study with Anton.”
He stroked my neck. “On what?”
“Angel studies. I assume this year I’m going to learn more about Azrael and why I’m connected with him.”
He smiled. “You’re not the only one who has independent studies with Anton.”
I searched his eyes. “Really? Why?”
“I suspect it’s because he’s discovered something more about Golden Demons.”
“Which is?”
He tilted his head back and laughed. “You actually think he told me?”
I laughed back. “No.”
Students were coming and going from the cafeteria and I needed some privacy, especially from Bo. I didn’t want him to see us. “Come here.” I led Lucien to a bench that was away from the traffic and concealed by some tall pines and aspens, and purple, blue, and yellow Columbine flower beds.
Desire filled his eyes, and no matter how difficult it was, I had to turn off my libido. “Lucien. Making out is not what I had in mind.”
He frowned as he sat next to me. “So, why are sitting here?”
I lowered my voice. “I know Anton’s hidden the spell book, but I memorized a spell.”
“The one where we combine our powers?”
I nodded.
“You want to try it, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. My gut tells me it’s the key to finding my mom and dethroning Ryker. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thrown all of his forces at us.”
He didn’t answer, and the desire in his eyes was replaced with his alpha look of taking charge. His gaze turned steely and his lips tightened. He clasped my hand. “You saw what happened last time on the bus?”
“It was the first time I tried a spell.”
“That one was minor compared to this one, right?”
“Well, yeah. You don’t think we should try it?”
“I think we need to work on you gaining control of your dragon. Will you trust me on this? I think we need to do this together.”
“You just want the two of us practicing the spell together first?”
“I do. Then we bring the others in.” He kissed my hand. “Just be aware, not all of them may go for this.”
“I understand. I don’t want to force anyone to do this, because you’re right, it could be dangerous. I mean, we’re threatening Ryker.”
“Can you be patient?”
“I’ll try.” I cocked my eyebrow. “And what about you? When have you ever been patient?”
He laughed and drew me into his arms. His tongue pushed open my lips and kissed me, his tongue exploring my mouth. Nothing mattered but him in that moment.
Something spilled on my lap.
I screamed and jumped up. “Hot, hot, hot.”
Searing pain gripped me.
“What’s wrong?”
My cup rolled on the pavement, turning the cement brown. “I spilled my coffee on my jeans. Shit.”
“Are you okay?”
Steam swirled off my jeans, and I could barely breathe. “No. I gotta go to my room.”
“I think you need to go to the infirmary.”
Tears tugged at my eyes. I shook my head. “I just need to change my jeans.”
“No. For some reason, your dragon isn’t healing you. Let’s go.” He lifted me into his arms and sprinted toward the infirmary.
Only I would ruin a romantic moment in such a scalding disaster.
Chapter 8
Lucien kicked open the infirmary’s door. “Dr. Greenwood, where are you?”
“Lucien, I can walk.” Not exactly true––my thigh throbbed––but being a helpless female wasn’t my style.
He sat me on the nearest twin bed. All the beds had matching comforters with a daisy print, and on the nightstands were vases filled with the flowers. Lit purple candles filled the air with lavender.
Dr. Greenwood, a tall Fae with long white hair, came out of one room. Actually, he looked like he floated. He was a healing Fae, and his white robe shimmered around him. “What’s going on here?”
Lucien pointed. “She spilled boiling hot coffee on her thigh.”
The doctor frowned. “Her dragon should have absorbed the heat. Something’s wrong. I need you to get out of those jeans, Raven.”
