Chosen: A Paranormal Romance Academy Series (Black Water Academy Book 2)

by Sloane Murphy

  “We’ve got some fries, fried chicken, noodles, egg rolls, Mac and cheese, and chocolate cake. All the best comfort foods.”

  I take his hand and squeeze it. This is exactly the distraction I needed, and I didn’t even know it.

  “Thank you,” I sigh and kiss him softly. “This is great. I’m glad you’re here because I wanted to talk to you.”

  “About the prophecy?” He asks, standing and grabbing plates and cutlery from my kitchen before sitting again.

  “About Kane kissing me. And Ethan.” I shake my head as I tell him. He frowns, and clenches his fists, taking a deep breath.

  “I know. This bond is fucked up, and I know that I wanted you before it. The reality is that this is our reality. Kane might be wrong about everything still, but it doesn’t seem that way. I can’t say I cherish the idea of sharing you, but I also won’t lose you. If that means sharing for now, then I can do that.” I stare at him, mouth agape. That was not what I expected at all. Vampires are notoriously bad at sharing. Food Sources. Toys. People.

  I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, and he laughs, handing me an egg roll.

  “I know it’s not conventional, Eden. Especially with our kind. But I’m also confident that the bond is what’s fueling any feelings with those guys. Ethan, well that’s a little different, since Kane doesn’t think you’re bonded to him. We’ll all share for now in whatever way you want us.”

  “You guys spoke about this?” I ask and he shrugs, taking a mouthful of his noodles.

  “I’m not one for letting shit lie, neither is Kane. We spoke once you left, especially since Cam’s animal nature is more dominant and selfish than ours. He’s in line to be an Alpha; it goes against everything he is to share, and trust other people with you, and the bond is bringing out that in him. But we all agreed that we’d just see how things play out. Ziniyah and Kane, unsurprisingly, were easygoing about it all, but you know how their kinds are. Monogamy isn’t typically their thing.”

  “But I don’t feel that way about them… I don’t think. If I tap into my power and just let it free, I feel pulled towards each of you, but if I lock it up tight, then it’s not there.”

  “I know you’ve just started your training, Eden, but you’re going to have to jump to fourth-year ways with your power. Where you don’t keep it separate to be called on sometimes, but rather just let it flow through you, become part of you, and use what you need when you need it.”

  “I have no idea how to even start to do that.” I sigh.

  “It won’t be easy. Its fourth-year training for a reason, and with you having so much power inside you, it will be even harder, but I’ve never met anyone quite like you, Eden. If anyone can control this, can do what needs to be done, it’s you.”

  “I wish I could say I felt the same way, but what happens after the trials? Everyone has been suspiciously silent about that. What comes next? I can’t imagine it’s exactly kittens and puppies considering the sounds of the trials.”

  “I think that should be future us problems. Let’s get through this bit first, then try to convince my father and Aurora that she shouldn’t do the trials. Call me selfish, but I’ve lost enough people already to last a lifetime. Anyway, this is not exactly the distraction I had in mind. I saw a new movie pop up on Watchbox about a human who discovers Vampires and falls in love.” He chuckles.

  “Sounds perfectly mind numbing.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ethan

  Ever since that goddamn trial, I’ve been wracking my brain to think of a way to escape the grasp of The Council, and to get Eden to forgive me for being a royal fuck up. When I agreed to spy on her, it was to save my dad’s life. It was before I knew her. The minute I saw her with Creed, I knew I was screwed. Her red hair and green eyes, with that creamy white skin, sparked something inside me. When my mom died, something inside of me died too. My world became focused on pain and darkness. My father drank his way into so much trouble that he didn’t care about our laws. He was careless, killing humans, leaving evidence of our existence, breaking our most sacred rule, paid for in blood. So when The Council came to me, I tried to care. I tried to be who my mom would’ve wanted me to be, and so I agreed to their terms to save him without thought of anything else.

  Then she appeared and I knew who The Council meant. Then she appeared and I felt something inside me crack. I felt something other than pain, for the first time in years. At first, I thought I could ignore her, avoid her, but then Laney paired me with her as a mentor, along with that dickstain Creed, and things got even more complicated. While being around her made me feel light, I felt so conflicted that I pushed her away. I had to. Now I’m sat here in my dorm, shirking my captain duties, my mentor duties, and just avoiding life in general so I don’t have to face the mess I’ve made of everything.

  A knock at the door sounds seconds before it opens, and I hear someone walk into the main room quietly.

  “Ethan?” Serena’s voice echoes through to me and I sigh. Rolling out of bed, I grab my gray sweatpants from the floor and leave my bedroom, brushing my hair out of my eyes with my hand.

  “What?” I bark, flicking the switch on my espresso machine before turning to face her as I lean against the counter with my arms crossed. I fight the smile as she runs her eyes down my body, and I cough, bringing her attention back to my face as she blushes. “What do you want?

  “I…” she swallows and wrings her hands. Fucking mermaids. How she was placed in this house is beyond me. “I wanted to speak to you since you’ve been absent since we returned to the school from winter break. Jenny is struggling managing all of the captain duties alone, and it’s not fair of you to just leave everything to her while you brood in here.”

  “Is that right?” I lift an eyebrow at her and take a sip of my freshly brewed espresso.

  “Y- yes.” She stammers and I grace her with my darkest smile.

  “And did she send you to me to tell me this? A first-year to challenge a House Captain?”

  “No. She didn’t. But last night, three new to their power Vampires made a huge mess, tearing through the dorm. She had to get help from other third-years to help her while the rest of us tried not to get bitten. It’s not fair. To us or to her.” Her ire fuels her confidence and it makes me laugh.

  “Get out of here, Serena. And I suggest next time you have a problem with the way Jenny and I run our house, you speak to her before you see me.” I remain stood where I am as she gasps, her frustration obvious before she screeches and leaves the room. Thank fuck for that.

  “Making friends I see,” I look up and find Cam laughing in my doorway.

  “Aren’t I always?” I laugh. “Coffee?”

  “Nah, man. I just came to see if you were still hiding or if you wanted to venture out into the world again. It might’ve only been a few weeks but, fucking hell, have you missed a lot.” He rummages through my fridge, and pulls out the fixings for a sandwich, making himself at home. To be fair, most of the food here is here because he is always eating.

  “What do you mean?” I take a seat on my sofa and he joins me with his giant sandwich and a glass of milk.

  “I mean Eden, man. Shit has been crazy.” I try to resist flinching at her name.

  “I imagine she kinda hates me right now,” I say casually, though I feel anything but.

  “What you did was shitty, but I kinda get it after your mom. But to be honest, I don’t think she’s the grudge kinda girl, plus there’s the whole, ‘she’s the Chosen one’ thing going on with her right now, so she’s a little distracted.” I nearly choke on my coffee at his words.

  “What the fuck?!”

  “I know, man. She shifted last night. I can feel my tie to her like another limb. It’s the strangest thing, but it’s also like I was missing something before, and now I feel whole.” He smiles and takes a giant bite out of his sandwich.

  “Holy fucking shit, man, that’s huge. How is she?”

  “She’s freaking o
ut a little understandably, but I bet she could use a friend who isn’t magically bound to her to talk to about it all.” He nudges me and I roll my eyes.

  “Yeah, I’m not exactly sure that she’d call me her friend.”

  “I think you’d be surprised. She sure as shit surprises me every day. Plus, since she’s bound to Creed, Kane, Ziniyah, and I, she could probably use a guy to confide in that can’t just feel what she’s feeling.”

  “You can feel that?” He nods and chugs down the milk.

  “Yeah, it’s weird as shit, but it’s how I know she’s freaking out. I don’t know if the others can feel it, I haven’t bothered asking. Talking about her with them just makes my bear cranky. He wants to claim her, but everyone else has their paws on her.”

  “That sounds a little insane.”

  “Yeah, I know Kane and Creed feel stupidly protective of her too, but Ziniyah, despite kneeling to her…”

  “A Merman knelt to a Vampire?” he interrupts.

  “I know, man, shocked the hell out of me too. But yeah, you know what the Mer are like. They’re so laid back unless it affects their power or their way of life. Plus, he didn’t know her before she called to him last night.”

  “She went Mer too?”

  “It seems that way, and it’s like now that she’s bonded to the four of us, there’s a flow between us. If the boost in my bear is anything like what they’re feeling, they’ll feel the extra power through the bond too.“

  “You’re right, I missed a lot. Ziniyah being bound to her is going to make life a little difficult, especially if I want to win Eden’s trust back. Shit.” I run my hand across the back of my neck. “Do The Council know?”

  “Nah, I don’t think Lucius even knows yet, but you know he’ll handle this all now, and The Council will fuck off. Which should mean you’re off the hook too. Also, know that Creed’s meeting with Laney is in about twenty minutes, and then we’ll be bound from speaking about this craziness to anyone who doesn’t already know.” He shrugs and finishes wolfing down his sandwich like he didn’t just lift the weight of the world off my shoulders.

  “Seriously? I fucking hope so, man. I know my dad’s been in a bad way since Mom, but I couldn’t just let them kill him.”

  “I know that. Eden will get it too. She lost both her parents. I bet she’d have done the same in your shoes. You really should talk to her, maybe just wait a few hours, ‘cause Creed went over to see her last night.” He growls a little, and I know it’s not as easy as he’s making it out to be.

  “You okay with all this, man? I can’t imagine life’s going to be all that easy if you’re bound to her. That means you walk into battle with her until her job is done.”

  “I know, except, I don’t really. No one’s talking about much other than the trials, and the fact that the Minister is still pushing Aurora as the Chosen one. Creed is losing his mind a little at the thought of losing anyone else. I don’t envy him right now. For me, I’d have walked through fire with her anyway. I felt a pull to her before this; we all did, it’s just her. She’s different. Chosen or not.”

  “Oh, I know,” I groan. “We should probably get ready for class. I’ve missed a lot recently.”

  “I’ve noticed,” he laughs. “Get your shit together while I get a snack for the morning and we’ll head out.”

  “Thank you, Cam.” I say, not sure what else to add. He didn’t have to come here, tell me any of this. Especially considering everything.

  “We’ve known each other our whole lives, Ethan. It’s going to take more than some stupid dick move for me to forget that.”

  Chapter Nine

  Eden

  This week has been exhausting and I’ve never been so glad to see Friday. After avoiding class Monday and Tuesday, all I’ve done is catch up all week, and sit detention for missing class. You’d think Laney would be more sympathetic but apparently dealing with all this shit means nothing in relation to missing class. I slip the black blazer off and undo the white shirt of my uniform as I make my way to the shower, grinning at the memory of Creed and I in there earlier in the week. I might be tied to four guys, but he’s the only one who makes me forget everything. I’ve successfully managed to avoid everyone else since the beginning of the week.

  All that will come to an end tonight as it’s the annual bonfire. We get to each put something into the bonfire, something we want to let go of, get rid of, forget about. Unfortunately, I can’t throw the stupid bond in the fire. Everyone will be there, but that’s probably a good thing since I’m meant to start training with the guys tomorrow and I have no idea how that’s going to go. Especially since I have no idea how I tapped into my other powers last time. I barely have control of my Vampire ones. I sigh as I finish undressing and step beneath the scalding water, as I try to scrub away some of the craziness that is now my life.

  I hear the twinkling of my new cell, courtesy of Laney according to the note that came with it, from my nightstand. No idea who it could be, since no one has my number. I ignore it and let the hot water flow over me until my skin starts to prune. I shut off the water and step out, wrapping the huge fluffy towel around me, wondering what the hell someone wears to a freaking bonfire. The twinkling starts up again, so I grab the cell and slide my finger across the screen hitting loudspeaker.

  “Hello?”

  “Eden! Thank God. I’ve been knocking for an age, come let me in! We should get ready for tonight together. The party after the bonfire is going to be amazing. The Phoenix house always hosts, since their affinity with fire is so close.”

  “Ruby? How the hell did you get this number?”

  “It’s on the school media page, silly!”

  “The what?” I ask and she giggles.

  “I forget you’re so new to all this. The school has its own web page, where people post all sorts of random delightfulness, but it also updates with contact details for everyone. Since we’re linked on the site, I got the update that you added your number. I’ll show you when you let me in.” I hang up and open the door to her. She’s stood there with about three bags and a mountain of clothes.

  “I didn’t update anything, by the way. I didn’t even know this stupid page existed.” I tell her as she comes in. I close the door behind her and sigh at the mess now in my living room.

  “Well then someone who had access to your number must’ve. Could’ve been Laney? She has everyone’s information.”

  “Since she got me this thing, that makes sense, I guess. I just don’t like the idea of my details being available to everyone, ya know?” She pulls out her cell and brings up my profile page, complete with my name, a picture of me that I have no recollection of anyone taking, and my phone number.

  “Can I take this lot down?” I ask her, biting my lip, uncomfortable about it all.

  “Sure you can. I figured you’d want to when I heard your voice. You just need to sign in on your cell, and request deletion. Hand it to me while you go put some underwear on and I’ll sort it.”

  “Thanks, Ruby,” I hand her the phone and stalk back to my bedroom to cover up.

  “You can thank me by filling me in on what was going down with you and the house captains the other night!” She shouts through and I bark out a laugh. But of course.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing quite as scandalous as you’re picturing.”

  “I don’t know about that,” she says as I walk back through dressed with my robe on. “It looked hella tense in there, and then there’s the way they were all eye-fucking you.”

  “Ruby!” I squeak.

  “What? I’m just calling it as I see it. Dude, you’re hot and those guys all want a lick of your lollipop.” I burst out laughing at how ridiculous she is, and I’ve never been more grateful to have her around as I am right now.

  “Oh, wow, I needed that,” I laugh. “But that isn’t why they were there… exactly.”

  “So, come on, spill it. No, wait, do you have cake? I can smell cake.” I roll my eyes at her.
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  “It’s in the refrigerator. Creed brought it over a few days ago. No clue if it’s any good still.” She jumps up and grabs the half a cake that’s left, along with two forks and sits down opposite me.

  “Okay, now spill.”

  I shrug and fork some cake into my mouth to delay the inevitable.

  “So…. Turns out there’s some old ass prophecy…”

  “You mean the oracle prophecies? Blah blah, bunch of crap if you ask me.” She says, and I laugh and take another forkful of the chocolate cake, which makes her growl a little.

  “If we’d had this conversation a week ago, I’d totally be with you. Except, my window is boarded up because I shifted and jumped through it the other night, before apparently going full Mer siren.” I shrug as she just stares at me, speechless.

  “So, turns out the Chosen one is bonded to someone of each race, and I’m bonded to Creed, Kane, Cam, and Ziniyah.” I take another forkful of cake while she just gapes at me.

  “Holy fucking spitballs, Eden! How is this your life?” She shakes her head and takes a giant bite of the cake.

  “I keep asking myself the same damn question. It’s insane, right?”

  “Absolutely fucking batshit,” she agrees.

  “And yet, if I let my power out, I can feel them. I can feel where they are, or at least how to get to them. What they’re feeling. Their power. It’s weird as hell.”

  “You’ve been testing it?” She asks and I nod.

  “Of course I have. I’m not being saddled with this and going in blind.”

  “Oh shit, wait, does this mean there will be a Trial of the Elders?”

  “I mean, there are going to be trials. No one’s called it that, but I guess so?” I shrug, trying to get more cake from her and failing while she grins.

  “I wonder if anyone else will enter!” She squeaks.

  “What?”

  “The trials, they’re an open thing if someone thinks they’re a contender. Our laws say anyone can put themselves forward. It’s been years since a trial happened, but I doubt the basics have changed.”