Academy of Mages and Shifters 1

by Laura Wylde

  “Are we sure about that?” I shrugged helplessly clutching at straws. “I know it might seem unlikely, but it isn’t impossible, is it? Something could have happened that we don’t know about…”

  “Something under the nose of the whole magical community?” Trevor jumped in doubtfully. “It isn’t likely.”

  “Well, there has to be a reason. We can’t be here for nothing. I think that we should do some digging.”

  With sheer determination flooding through me, I stalked around the building, trying to see what I could find. Even if the dragons weren’t sure the demon had left anything behind, I wasn’t about to leave anything to chance. My gut was screaming at me that there was something important here, that the demon needed something from this place, and I was determined to find out what. Even if it was a trap, why here? London was filled with historical landmarks, some of which would have been much more compelling than this one. Older ones, magical ones, places we could have seen magic so we would have spent more time messing around. What was I missing?

  Or was I pondering this so deeply because getting involved with the compelling mystery was much more appealing than watching the eyes of the guys piercing in to me, wondering how I’m feeling, trying to make me decide what I wanted to do when it came to the future of their harem because I had absolutely no idea.

  On the one hand, it would have been fun to dive into it head first, I wouldn’t have liked anything more than to commit to these guys knowing that we could have an awesome time together. But on the other hand, I didn’t want to make a snap decision under these stressful circumstances that would affect me for the rest of my life. I needed to take some time, to really think this through and they would have to respect that.

  I just hoped and prayed that they didn’t get bored of waiting and found someone else in the meantime. That would absolutely crush me. Not that I’d be able to do anything about it, of course.

  “Megan!” Duncan gently tapped my shoulder making me jump. God, I got so lost in my thoughts and worries about the future there that I forgot about the present moment. This was a dangerous time where a demon could come for me at any given moment. I needed to have my wits about me. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.”

  “It’s okay, I was just taking a look around.” I made a sweeping gesture with my hands. “But I haven’t found anything. I guess you guys must be right and there isn’t anything here for me to worry about.”

  “I don’t know if there isn’t anything here,” he replied tactfully, trying to make me feel a little better about my outburst. “I’m sure you’re right. Like you said we spent a whole night searching London for him and the tracker didn’t stop moving. Not until the demon ended up here, so there must be something in this place…”

  “But we’re wasting time messing around.” I stared at Duncan’s feet, unable to meet his eyes. God, what he must have thought of me… what they all thought of me right now… it didn’t bear thinking about.

  “I’m not saying we’re wasting time, just that we know where the demon has moved on to.” That brought a spark to my eyes, but I still couldn’t quite look at him. “He has gone to the Brecon Beacons. A mountain range near Swansea.”

  “Wales?” I asked curiously. “But what could be there for him in Wales? It can’t be the mountains, can it? Because if he wanted somewhere to hide something, there are deeper and bigger mountain ranges than that…”

  “Well, there aren’t just mountain ranges there,” Duncan sighed. “There are caves and rivers, forests and trails, architecture that dates back to the middle ages… I don’t know what we’re looking for there.”

  It was getting a little tiresome, travelling here there and everywhere, but it was what we had to do. Wales was yet another place that I hadn’t been to, and I had always wanted to, so I guess this was a chance. It wasn’t an ideal situation but right now, it was all that I could do. I nodded and agreed with Duncan.

  “Do you want to fly with me this time?” he asked curiously. “Or are you happy with Artemis? What about…” He gulped before he spoke again, so I knew what was coming before it did. Thankfully, because of Duncan’s delivery, I knew that he wasn’t trying to make a joke out of my situation. He simply needed to help. “Connor?”

  “I will be fine with Artemis. I’m used to the way that he flies now. It’s easier.”

  “You know, you will have to fly with us all eventually. If…” He stopped himself, just in time, but I knew that he was right. If I was going to join their harem then I would have to give them all a try. But that time wasn’t today.

  Chapter 10

  Trevor

  “Oh God,” I groaned as I saw the same thing as everyone else. “The caves. Really? Does it have to be the caves?”

  I was prepared for the mountains, ready for the water, happy for the forest, but the caves were the last thing that I wanted. I didn’t enjoy small spaces, I wasn’t keen on the idea of being in the damp and the dark, the possibility of getting trapped was all too real for me. Immediately, my eyes found Megan. I wanted her with me if I was going to have to face this. As close to me as possible because she had magic and a possible way of saving me.

  “It looks like this is where the demon is,” Duncan nodded as he continued to stare at his tracking device. That damn thing which had us running all over the place. “I can’t pick up exactly where though, so we need to find it.”

  “This is a big area,” Connor agreed. “We might need to split up to cover more ground.”

  A sickness swirled deep at the bottom of my belly as I thought about being on my own in the darkness of the underground, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do it. I would be a waste of space because I wouldn’t be able to do anything. I was going to have to think of a way to make sure that I didn’t completely fall apart.

  “We should go in teams though, right?” I asked while flickering my eyes over everyone in turn. “No one should be left alone because if the demon attacks… well, that leaves us all in danger.”

  “Okay.” Duncan seemed to agree with me, thank God. “Yes, I think that’s a good plan. Connor, you and Artemis should go left, and Megan are you okay to go with Trevor?” God, he really seemed to know what I needed. Duncan was turning out to be a better leader of this investigation than I thought possible. “And I will remain on the outskirts of the caves with my eyes on the tracker so I can assist you with directions if need be. I will be looking out myself, but I won’t go in too deep so I can protect you all. Is that okay? Unless anyone else wants that job?”

  For a split second, I half considered it since it would definitely be the much safer option, but with Megan by my side, I knew that I would be okay. Plus, a very selfish part of me wanted to actually get some time alone with Megan. I had gotten to know her from afar and I liked what I saw, but as for me and her time, well it just hadn’t happened. This was going to be the chance that I needed to speak with her one on one and get to show her a bit of myself too. She liked Artemis’s sweet and caring side, that much was obvious, and it appeared that hate had rapidly turned to love with Connor. She had to be impressed by Duncan and how well he was proving himself…it was just me that she had no idea of. I wasn’t sure how Megan viewed me at all. This was my time to find out.

  Sure, I would have preferred it not to be in a situation which scared me, but I couldn’t fight that.

  “I’m good with that,” Megan piped up, smiling at me like she was excited as well, which made me feel good about myself. Hopefully, she was as excited about alone time as me. “That sounds like a great plan.”

  As Duncan set about drawing up maps of where he wanted us to go, I couldn’t stop looking at the Irish beauty who never really seemed to fit in at the academy… something I could relate to. I never really fully fit in myself either, not as much as I would have liked. In Scotland, the others teased me because I was small for a dragon. It didn’t seem to matter to them how fast I was or how capable, and I always made sure that I was extra capable to
make up for my stature, but it didn’t change anything. When I was with my clan at the academy, I still felt people looking at me, wondering why the others bothered with me. I brought the whole image down.

  I confided this in Artemis once and he tried to tell me that it was all in my head, but when the druidesses always targeted them, Connor mostly, and never me, it only highlighted what I already suspected. I half wondered if I should find a new place for myself, so I didn’t damage the aesthetics of the clan, even if it did feel like the right place for me to be. But then Megan came along and changed everything. She really looked at me, really saw me, I could tell. The reason that her and I hadn’t been alone yet was much more my fault than hers. It scared me to ruin things by opening my mouth. But now I knew that she had kissed Connor, things had heated up and I didn’t want to be left behind.

  Now, staring at her as Duncan talked, my brain was spinning at a million miles an hour, racing rapidly, acting like crazy. I kept imagining what it would be like if I were the one to kiss her. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

  “We’re transforming?” I suddenly demanded as Connor began the process. “Searching as dragons?”

  “Yes.” Duncan shot me a confused look. “Didn’t you hear? We just decided that. It’s for the best because our powers are much stronger, plus our ability to fight, so if by any chance we come across the demon…”

  “We can take it out.” I nodded. That was probably for the best since I had Megan to protect. It did put a bit of a damper on the whole getting to know one another better plan though, but the mission had to come first. “Okay.”

  The others all changed first, I hung back and waited until the very last moment, shooting Megan just one final regretful look before I did the same thing. If things went the way that I hoped they might, then we would have plenty of time to bond and get to know one another. I didn’t need to worry. Not about that when I had the responsibility of keeping her alive resting on my shoulders. I had to get my focus in the right place.

  “Shall we go?” Megan asked with the sweetest smile playing on her lips. “Are you ready?”

  I nodded, hoping that she could see the gesture through my dragon form. She seemed to instinctively understand, which was good because it meant I didn’t need to panic too much about trying to make myself heard.

  Megan seemed impressively brave as she headed towards the cave. There wasn’t even a moment of panic in her steps. She had to either be seriously confident in her magical abilities, or she totally trusted me to keep her alive. That thought was as flattering as it was terrifying. Now, I just needed to ensure I didn’t let her down.

  You can do this, Trevor, I told myself with utter seriousness. You are just as capable as everyone else.

  The darkness didn’t feel as bad as I was expecting as we stepped into it, nor did the scent of dampness flood through my nostrils. Having Megan with me meant that I only needed to focus on her which was wonderful. I breathed her, in instead and watched her movements. She was like a gorgeous sexy snake coiling through the cave.

  “Whew, so we need to find where this demon might be,” she commented, almost to herself. “And what he might be up to. But that’s hard, isn’t it? Without knowing what his motivation is, how are we supposed to find him?” She paused for a while, continuing to move. I wanted to know exactly what was going on inside her head, but in my dragon form, I couldn’t ask. Luckily, it seemed that she needed to express her emotions aloud to come to terms with them, so I was being given that insight without having to ask for it. “I still have a feeling that Big Ben is the key and I don’t know why. Maybe I’m just being stubborn thinking that, wanting it to be the truth because he stayed there for such a long time and I kinda fought that corner, but it seems essential to this, doesn’t it?” She huffs loudly. “But I can’t think of anything other than time and time doesn’t give us anything.”

  I wanted to reassure her that she might be on to something there, that I agreed with her about the demon and Big Ben, but that was a thought that I would have to hold on to until I was human again.

  “Which way do we go now?” She turned to face me with a gorgeous smile on her lips. “Oh God, you really are beautiful, Trevor. I love your sky blue scales, they are stunning.” She brushed her fingers over me, her warmth against my cold skin making me shudder with joy. Yep, there was definitely something there. “You look lovely.”

  I bristled with pride, thinking about how fast I was and how much she liked my scales. Focusing on that rather than how small I was compared to the others was awesome. My smaller stature would probably help in these caves anyway. I certainly wasn’t feeling trapped and stuck right now, which was only a bonus.

  “I’m glad to have you here,” she practically whispered to me. “Because I don’t like being scared alone.”

  She was scared? How the hell was she scared when she seemed so confident? I couldn’t imagine it. She was the one person who didn’t fear yelling at Connor too, which was really cool of her. To have her not a puddle at his feet is adorable. She’s strong, filled with awesome badassness. I liked her more by the moment.

  I tried to move closer to her, to reassure her that I was going to be there for her no matter what. But it wasn’t the easiest when I towered above her, so as we started moving again it was with frustration on my part. I couldn’t quite fathom why Duncan was so insistent on us needing to be dragons. Sure, for protection, but I could shift rapidly if I needed to. I hadn’t been put in a life or death dangerous situation before, but I knew I could do it.

  We grew deeper into the caves, it really did start to get darker and damper, and eventually, we got to the place where it was too tight for me. The dragon form wasn’t working out for me anymore.

  “Do you want to turn back?” Megan asked me quietly. “I don’t want you to get stuck with me.” I shook my head no. “Are you sure? Because there isn’t much else for us here, I’m sure of it. We could go somewhere else?”

  I stepped away from Megan into the shadows. I wish that I could have explained why I was avoiding her, but she would understand in the end. I didn’t want to leave, but my dragon form wasn’t working. Instead, I needed to become human Trevor instead. Yes, it was against Duncan’s rules, but none of us really knew what we were doing.

  My heart hammered against my rib cage as I became me again. All of a sudden, I wasn’t quite so confident about facing Megan. In a way, it was easier for me when I couldn’t talk because I couldn’t say anything stupid.

  “Oh, thank goodness.” She rushed towards me and pulled me in for a hug. Her scent flooded my nostrils, and it tasted incredible. It made me think all kinds of things about her. “I am so glad that I can talk to you now.”

  “You are?” I squeezed her tightly, loving the sensation of her against my body. “Me too.”

  “I’m not keen on the darkness of the cave,” she giggled weakly. “So, much as I liked your dragon form protecting me, I’m grateful that now we can have an actual conversation. That will make me feel much better.”

  “Where do you want to go from here?” I asked her curiously. “Now that we can move on.”

  “I don’t know. Do you think that maybe we could take a minute? Sit down and just rest? Try and work it out?”

  As she took a seat on the wet floor of the cave, I did the same thing. This wasn’t the most comfortable, but I was willing to endure anything for Megan. Especially when she had such confusion in her eyes.

  “Talk to me?” I said with sympathy in my tone. “I will listen to anything you have to say.”

  “I know. You will because you’re awesome like that, Trevor. I just… I don’t know what to say. I’m not really sure how I am feeling about anything. My head is all over the place. It’s been a crazy few weeks… months, maybe. Starting with leaving my hometown and going to the academy. It’s been overwhelming.”

  Those words made me realize how it must have been for the druidesses at the academy because until they found their harems, they were alone. We always
had everyone else in the clan, but they had to face this by themselves. Now, I was glad that the academy teachers helped us and assisted us in finding one another because I didn’t want anyone to feel that way. Loneliness wasn’t nice for anyone; it was stressful and saddening.

  It was pretty obvious that we were originally sent away together because our teacher thought that there was something between us, and she was right as well. Of course, there was something there.

  “I didn’t fit in,” she confessed. “Not when I first came to the academy, which immediately made me feel like a failure because I know that we’re supposed to find our harem, and then there was the whole mess with the demon, and now we can’t find it which is… well, it’s really stressing me out, that’s all. I feel like it’s my fault.”

  “You can’t blame yourself,” I immediately insisted. “It was all of us. We all messed up.”

  “But me and Connor were fighting and that’s why it all happened. If we were focused, then we could have done something. And I know that I was winding him up and helping things escalate which is annoying…” She shook her hands fervently. “Because if it wasn’t for this, then we could all be at the academy learning, rather than out in the middle of nowhere, hanging around in the dark caves with no solution at all…”

  I needed to calm her down, to give her a moment to think, so I acted on insult and did the only thing that I could. The action that I definitely wouldn’t normally take, but that felt right here. I leaned in and took her chin between my fingers before bringing her lips to mine and kissed. The sensation of her lips against mine brought an explosion of butterflies flapping wildly in my belly. It was unlike anything else. The eruption of sensations between us was crazy, it really was like a firework display. I loved it. I immediately wanted more.

  “Wow.” She pulled back with her eyes still closed and a serene smile on her face. “That was amazing.”