“Yes, he will.” They wouldn’t say yes, but Desmond didn’t need to know that.
He paused, weighing my answer before finally nodding. “Very well, but first, I want food. Real food, not the crap they’ve been shoving in my cage. Have someone bring me my regular order and you can have your information today.”
Ugh, this guy was a pain in my ass. Once again, I stood up, but Headmaster Stone was already entering the room. “It’s been ordered, but you’ll begin talking first before you receive it. No more demands, Desmond.” He slammed the door closed, and I took my seat for the third time.
“The headmaster doesn’t seem very happy today.” Desmond gleamed. “That makes me happy, so I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
“Who took me from the commissary the day Enzo was taken, and what happened between that time and when I woke up in my room?” I asked, getting straight to the point.
“I took you to Malina, so she could syphon enough power off you to keep Enzo captured. We knew we were losing his alliance, and he needed to pay. Once she was done with you, I erased your memories and dropped you in your bed while Malina had her fun with your boyfriend.”
Son of a bitch. I was going to kill him.
Chapter 3
Scales pushed through my skin in rapid succession as my ire rose. Desmond had pretended to help me time and time again. Yeah, I had known he was a little weird, but never once did I suspect his betrayal. My skin crawled at the thought of him having access to my unconscious body.
“There’s the dragon. I’ve been dying to get my hands on one of those scales since you first arrived at the academy, but Alistair had insisted on that part of you being restrained. Don’t you see why I chose Malina?” His voice had begun to rise. “The council will only try to control you if you don’t get away from here and find Malina. Only she can set you free!”
“I’m already free, you worthless piece of shit.” I almost felt bad for my next move considering he was chained up, but I needed to let some of my anger out before the shift continued, and I couldn’t control myself.
My fist slammed into Desmond’s face, not once or twice, but three times before Headmaster Stone and Fiona rushed into the room.
“That’s enough, Raegan,” the headmaster said with a firm voice as they pulled me away.
Once we were out of the room, Fiona went back in to deal with Desmond as Headmaster Stone continued to pull me toward the stairs.
No words were shared between us until we arrived back in his office, with the door firmly shut.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Glancing down at my arms, I confirmed my scales were gone. “Yep.”
“Does that happen often? The rage and shifting?”
My eyes looked everywhere but at him. “Not really.”
“I see. Well, Jules should be able to help you with that, regardless of how often it does or doesn’t happen. You need to be in control of your dragon at all times or we will have bigger problems on our hands.” He glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s almost time for class. Do you have everything you need?”
“Guess I’ll find out when I get to my first class, which I’ll be late for if I don’t hurry up,” I added, hoping to get out of answering any more of his probing questions.
“Very well. I’m sure I’ll see you soon.” He waved me off, and I didn’t hesitate to make my exit.
My first class was Advanced Shifting and Magic. Everything I was taking seemed to have the word “Advanced” in it, which caused me a little bit of worry. At the same time, I was supposed to be a third-year student, so it wasn’t too shocking when I really thought about it.
The class was located in the top level of Magic Hall, so I headed to the platform and crammed in with about ten other students. I squeezed into the middle of the group, still scared that I would fall off, even though Gemma had promised me several times that it wasn’t possible.
I didn’t believe her.
“Hey, Rae,” a husky voice said from behind me.
My mind had begun to process my interaction with Desmond and whether or not it really mattered anymore. I was so deep in thought that I hadn’t noticed anyone I knew on the platform. That was until someone called my name, making me flinch in surprise.
Turning my head, my eyes landed on Embry’s smiling face. “Oh, hey. Where are you headed?” I asked.
“Advanced Shifting and Magic. You?”
“Same.” There was a long pause as he continued to grin at me without furthering the conversation, so I did. “How was your summer?” The situation was quickly becoming awkward, and I wished the platform would move faster.
“Longer, thanks to you. How about yours?”
My gut twisted. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to have taken that comment as a compliment or an insult. My eyes scanned the crowd listening in on our little conversation. A few smiles were tossed my way, but most everyone tried to pretend they weren’t eavesdropping.
“Uh, it was alright.”
Before he could ask another question, the platform came to a gentle stop and I pushed forward as quickly as possible. I really needed to find out from Gemma what the other students knew about me before I interacted with more of them. The longer I was around people, the more weird vibes I felt from them.
Stepping into the classroom, I sighed when I noticed most of the seats were empty, and Gemma didn’t occupy any of the ones that weren’t. Apparently, everyone was running late on their first day or this was a common occurrence for third and fourth-year students. Either way, I didn’t like it.
Taking a seat toward the back and at the end of the row, I sat my bag on the chair next to me in hopes nobody else would try to take it before Gemma arrived. I searched for the professor I was pretty sure I had never met, but I didn’t see anyone resembling teacher material.
Magic pulsed around the room and, after a couple minutes, I started paying attention to the things I couldn’t see and my body finally relaxed. It was one thing I had missed when I was traversing the states.
The academy lived and breathed pure magic and power. There was plenty of it around the humans, but it was dulled in most places unless there was a local pack or coven. Sitting in the class, I breathed in the magic peacefully before sensing a shift in the room.
My head snapped toward the door, but I didn’t see anyone enter. I kept following the power signature I could sense and finally saw the rift in the air. Someone was concealed and sneaking into the room.
Instantly on alert, I sought out Embry, the only person I even remotely knew in the class, but he was busy flirting with a group of girls across the room.
Screw it. I could handle whatever it was on my own.
Standing from my seat, I found the rift floating by the professor’s desk and kept my eyes on it while I moved toward the front of the room.
When I was mere feet from the source, Gemma called out my name, distracting me, and I lost sight of it.
“Sorry I’m late,” she added from behind me when I ignored her.
Suddenly, there was a taller-than-average woman standing in front of me. She had to have been close to six feet in height with shoulder-length onyx hair, deep amber eyes, and a smirk I badly wanted to wipe from her face. I was seconds from punching her when I heard Gemma say, “Good morning, Professor Phox.”
She paid Gemma no attention as she smirked at me. “How did you find me?” she asked.
“There was a shift of power in the room. I followed it until I saw the rift that your shield created.”
“Very well. I’ve only had one other student spot me before I could surprise the class. You ruined my fun, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
I grinned at her pout, because I was pretty sure it wasn’t sincere. Something told me I was going to like having her as my first class of the day.
“I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to screw with us later when I’m not paying attention.”
Gemma stood next to us then, tugging on my bag.
“We should take our seats. Did you pick a spot yet?”
“Yep, we’re in the back.”
Professor Phox nodded to me, and I showed Gemma where I had left my bag.
“What were you doing?” Gemma hissed when we sat down.
“Well, I thought I was stopping an intruder, but apparently it was just our teacher trying to pull a fast one on us. Why?”
“Dude. Nobody screws with the Phox. She’s, like, legendary around here for making students cry and breaking them. By the end of next week, half of this class will be gone.”
Tilting my head back, I rolled my eyes. Of course, I poked the bull. Why wouldn’t I on the first day of a new year? Whatever. Professor Phox couldn’t break me.
I was already broken.
“Just stick close to me, and you’ll be fine. My cousin had her and warned me over the summer what to expect and how to survive.”
I nodded, not really knowing what else to say.
We both got our tablets out and, within a few minutes, class began. Sure enough, halfway through the hour-long lesson, a student was called to the front of the room.
“You, with the odd orange hair,” Phox demanded. “Yes, come up here.”
A girl I had never seen before moved from her chair and slowly walked to the front of the room while the professor tapped her foot, waiting impatiently.
“What’s your name?”
“Bri,” the girl squeaked out.
“You’re a peregrine shifter, yes?” Bri nodded. “I want you to magic your clothes and shift, then do a lap around the room before shifting back and keeping your clothes whole.”
Bri’s eyes widened. “I can’t do that.”
“Then leave my class until you can,” Professor Phox said without emotion.
“Excuse me?” Bri choked out.
The professor lowered her stance to be eye-level with the poor shifter. “Are you deaf or dumb? Either figure it out now or leave until you do.”
Tears tracked down Bri’s face as she raced from the room, leaving her stuff behind.
“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding,” I whispered to Gemma. The only positive thing to come from that was I now knew there was a spell to keep my clothes from ripping in a shift. If I was ever able to fully shift, I’d rather not ruin my entire wardrobe in the process.
We finished the class, paying complete attention in case we were called on. Professor Phox didn’t frighten me, but she certainly intrigued me.
When lunch rolled around, I stuck close to Gemma. We sat down at the same table we used the year before, and as my eyes spotted Peyton and Finley, I wondered what they might know and if they had even bothered to ask Gemma anything about me.
Before I could ask her, they tossed their trays on our table and glared at me. “Next time there’s an evil sorceress harassing you, don’t you dare leave us out,” Peyton snapped with a flick of her hair.
“We should unfriend you, but Gemma explained, and what Peyton meant to say was we understand now that we know more. Just know if there is a next time, we’d love to have your back.” Finley smiled and took the spot next to me.
“I would love nothing more than to have that happen, but hopefully there isn’t a next time.” I smiled, hoping it really would be that easy to move forward with them.
“Good, now let me eat before you begin to smell good.” She traced her tongue over her pointed teeth, and I cringed. “Kidding, Raegan, but seriously, I’m starving and have to get some sustenance in me, stat.”
As we ate lunch, I quietly caught them up on some of the things I had experienced over the summer. Once I had confirmation there wouldn’t be any awkwardness between the four of us, I breathed a little easier.
One hurdle down. Unfortunately, there were a shit ton left.
While we chatted, they seemed to be mostly interested in how I managed to defeat the scavengers and about my wings. Apparently, it was a well-known fact around the academy that I was part dragon, but nobody seemed to really be worried since I couldn’t fully shift.
It was the little things I needed to be thankful for.
“Hey, Raegan,” a voice announced behind me.
Swiveling in my chair, I saw a smiling Lyssa, who was looking rather nervous behind the grin she was trying to hold. “Hey, how’s it going?” I asked.
“Not bad. I was wondering if I could talk to you about our elven class this afternoon really quick.”
I nodded. “Sure, what’s going on?”
Her face reddened into what I assumed was a blush, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Lyssa had never lacked confidence before.
She cleared her throat. “Um, can we speak in private?”
Glancing back at Gemma, she waved me along. “Lunch is almost over. I’ll just catch up with you in your room after school.”
Peyton and Finley both seemed as shocked as I was at Lyssa’s behavior, but neither of them said anything.
Grabbing my plate, I turned back to Lyssa and stood. “Let me just put this away and we can talk.”
“Thank you.” She released a deep breath, which only made my unease rise.
Had something happened to Enzo? If it had, did I even really care?
Based upon my sweating palms and rapidly beating heart, apparently, I cared more than I realized or even preferred to truly acknowledge. Especially not out loud.
Once my lunch was disposed of, I followed Lyssa outside through the back door of the commissary. She led me to a grouping of willow trees that I knew had a bench underneath the branches, but the leaves were so thick that I couldn’t see it.
“Lyssa, what’s going on? I’m not stupid. Whatever you need doesn’t have anything to do with class,” I stated with a bit of attitude.
“I’m sorry, but I had no choice.” Her shoulders shook, and sweat built up on her brow.
“No choice in what? What’s wrong with you?”
“Uscoto,” a deep voice whispered from behind the branches, releasing Lyssa from whatever hold had been placed over her.
“Please don’t hate me. I didn’t know what he had planned when he asked for my help, and by the time I realized it, I had no control.” Lyssa pushed through the foliage, and I heard a grunt, followed by a slap. “Don’t you ever ask for help again, Enzo. You’re on my shitlist for the foreseeable future.”
No, No, No. I wasn’t ready for this. I knew it was coming, yet I had also hoped to avoid it for as long as possible. Half of a school day wasn’t nearly long enough.
Lyssa stormed back toward me. “Feel free to run now. I would have never done that to you if the bastard hadn’t spelled me.”
Her advice sounded great, but the earlier part of me that had feared something awful had happened to him convinced me to stay put. “I just need to get it over with. If we both have to go to this school, I can’t ignore him forever, no matter how much I wish I could.”
“Give him hell, girl. He damn well deserves it, but I will say, it won’t hurt to listen to him. I did, and while I don’t condone his choices, I do understand them.”
Without waiting for a response, Lyssa took off and I just stood there, unsure of how to proceed. Did I just waltz right through the branches and give him hell like Lyssa suggested, or did I make him come to me?
“Screw this,” I huffed. I had survived three months on my own, all while being hunted by scavengers and who knew what else. Enzo didn’t scare me, and I was going to face him head on. If I let him control my choices, then I wouldn’t be able to move forward with my life, and that was all I wanted.
I wanted to be free of it all.
My hands surged forward as I pushed through the branches. When I saw Enzo standing there, I was taken aback by his appearance. His hair was wild, like he hadn’t brushed it in weeks. I was pretty sure there were even some dreads poking through the oily bronze strands.
The circles under his eyes were almost as dark as his hair, and the previously vibrant, golden honey color of his eyes was a flat brown. My fingers twitched to reach
out to him, but I restrained myself.
“When was the last time you slept?” I asked without emotion.
“I don’t remember.” His voice was rough, unrecognizable from what I remembered.
“Is this even the real you? Or was that Ryn’s persona? Hell, was anything you did real?” My voice rose, and I took a step forward, but when his eyes lit up in a positive way, I moved back again.
“Everything I told you about me was the truth, Raegan. Since finding you that night with the scavenger, I never once lied to you. I only ever omitted the truth so I could protect you, but I failed, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t stronger.”
“It wasn’t your job to protect me, Enzo. I’m a big girl, and I deserved the truth. You had no right to do what you did. People keep telling me that you had your reasons, but no matter those reasons, I couldn’t fathom loving someone and keeping the secrets you kept. It leaves me with no choice but to believe it was all a lie. My only question is, how deep do those lies go? How long have you been involved in all of this?”
By then, I was pacing back and forth, trying to avoid staring at him. The more I saw the pain in his face, the more my heart tried to convince me he deserved my sympathy, but that wasn’t happening. He did this. Nobody else. He made all of the choices that brought us to this point.
“Since the day I was born,” he answered, his voice finally sounding somewhat normal.
“What does that even mean?” I snapped.
Instead of answering me, he reached behind the bench and pulled out a glass orb. “Do you know what this is?”
The only similar one I had seen before was a listening device, but I doubted it was the same thing, so I shook my head.
“It’s spelled to light up if the person holding it lies. My name is Jason.” The orb glowed a soft silver color. “Here, try it so you know I’m not lying.”
When he pushed the circular object toward me, I reached for it, but immediately regretted it when our fingers brushed together and a shock of power passed between us. Doing my best to ignore whatever it meant, I focused on the orb.
Deadly Declaration (Shadow Veil Academy Book 2) Page 3
