Deadly Declaration (Shadow Veil Academy Book 2)

by Heather Renee

  “I’ve already discussed this with Raegan, and unfortunately, my assistance won’t be available. I’m needed in Drakken.”

  “Are you fu—”

  My hand covered Enzo’s mouth before he could disrespect the dragon king. Marek might have been lenient with us thus far, but I wasn’t willing to find out just how far that leniency would go. He was still in a position to control us, and I didn’t want to find out what it meant to be on his bad side.

  “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” I said before removing my hold.

  Enzo’s eyes bored into mine before he finally nodded, seeming to trust I had a plan. I didn’t really. I had willingly come to Drakken for two reasons: to figure out my dragon side and to bring back the dragon doyen. Neither of those things were happening, so we were going to be completely winging it when we got back.

  I was beginning to think our only two options of survival were to hope that Malina had either changed her mind in her desire to recreate Elora again, or maybe she’d start an attack so big that Marek had no choice but to come and stop her.

  The first possibility was least likely, but preferable. The second was a horrible thought, but I didn’t know how else we would get his help if my begging wouldn’t work.

  Marek moved closer to my legs and inspected the wounds again. “They’re almost completely closed. You’ll just need to remember there is still a lot of internal healing that needs to be done. Might be better for the both of you if you tried to get some sleep, and I’ll continue to check on you throughout the night.”

  I nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.”

  Marek did a few things with the flames before he said his goodbyes with promises to bring back food later. Then, it was just me and Enzo again. Without saying a word, Enzo moved the table between our two beds out of the way and pushed the mattresses together.

  “If I can’t get in your bed, then moving mine closer is the next best thing.” He grinned.

  “Always pushing the boundaries. It’s like you can’t help it.”

  “Life’s not near as fun when you don’t.” He winked, and it reminded me of the first night we met. Well, the first time I remembered meeting him. He had been so carefree then, and I hoped to see that part of him more often, but the memory also gave me another idea.

  “Can you remove the block from the times we met before the scavenger attacked?” I asked as he laid down next to me.

  His hand cupped my cheek. “Raegan, I promise to never lie to you again, but I’d rather leave the past where it belongs. There is nothing in those memories that will make a positive difference in the present or future. Removing the block will only hurt you like it did when you broke through it the last time, and possibly cause you to throw stuff at me.” He smiled sheepishly, his eyes begging me to fully trust him enough to let the past go.

  As I considered his words, I knew without a doubt that Enzo had been a different person when we first met—someone on a mission he was forced to complete—and I had no problem agreeing to his request. I didn’t need to see that side of him and hurt myself in the process. It benefited no one.

  “Okay. I trust you.” My hand settled on his that was still holding my face, and I closed my eyes, feeling a thousand-pound weight come off my chest.

  Admitting out loud that I trusted him was something we both needed. Knowing I loved him and I had forgiven him was just the icing on the cake. Now, we only had to survive Malina’s twisted plans and it would all be worth it.

  The following morning, I woke up just before sunrise when Marek came back in. I’d half-woken each time he came back throughout the night, but he’d done his best to let us rest and I was able to fall back to sleep easily until something changed.

  Finally, I was able to wiggle my toes, and a smile formed on my face. “So, I’m as good as new?”

  “I’d say with another day or two of rest, yes, your legs will work as if the attack never happened,” Marek replied.

  Enzo stirred, and I realized he was no longer asleep. “Good. Now, can we get out of here before it happens again?”

  Marek didn’t seem to appreciate his humor but held his tongue as he began extinguishing the flames that covered my legs.

  While he worked, JayLeigh skipped into the room. “Good morning, lovebirds.”

  I shook my head at her. “Good morning to yourself. I take it from your cheery disposition, you had a good night?”

  “I had a productive night.” She smirked.

  “That was either way too much information or not enough, and I’m afraid to ask you to elaborate,” I said.

  “Then don’t. Anyway, who’s ready to jump on back down to Earth?” she asked.

  Enzo held his hand up as he got out of bed. “The sooner the better. I need a break from this place.”

  JayLeigh patted his shoulder. “Poor simple elf boy, can’t keep up with the dragons.”

  I winced at her comment, because even though I knew the dragons were stronger in their physical form, Enzo was pretty damn powerful with his magic.

  He glowered at her. “Want to find out if that statement is true?”

  She cocked her head to the side, considering the challenge. “I do, actually, but it will have to wait. We have a portal ride to catch within the hour.”

  I groaned. It was one thing for JayLeigh and Enzo to spar in an attempt to pull my dragon out, but I had a feeling it was going to be something completely different when they were fighting for dominance.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Raegan. I won’t damage his face too much. He’ll still be pretty to look at when I’m done with him.”

  Enzo let out a deep laugh. “I can’t wait to see you try.”

  “Enough, children,” Marek said from my other side. “Raegan, can you move your legs?”

  Glancing down, I realized while Enzo and JayLeigh had been distracting me, Marek had finished removing the flames. Not sure how I missed that, but I was glad it was done. Testing my mobility slowly, I moved a foot first, then attempted to lift my entire leg.

  My muscles were weak compared to normal, and there was still discomfort, but not so much that I couldn’t push through it. Sitting up straight, I gradually moved my legs off the side of the bed with Marek’s assistance.

  Within the blink of an eye, Enzo was at my other side, grasping my elbow to help me stand. Between them both, I was barely putting any weight on my legs. “I need you two to back off a little if I’m going to know how well I’m actually healed.”

  “Or I could just carry you until we’re absolutely certain you’re all better.” Enzo grinned at me.

  “Thanks for the laugh, and nice try, but I got this.”

  Enzo nodded and lessened his hold first. It had been one of the things that had made me fall for him to begin with. He never stood in my way, and he always encouraged me to do what I wanted. Right then was no different, except for the fact that Marek was still holding on.

  I gave him my full attention. “I can do this.”

  He held my stare for several more seconds before he finally nodded and backed up a few inches. Not as much space as I was hoping for, but who I was to complain about having people in my life who cared.

  When they were no longer holding on to me, I braced myself against the bed, getting a feel for where my weaknesses still laid. My left ankle burned from the weight of my body, and my right knee wasn’t feeling too great, but other than that, I was confident I could walk if I took it slow.

  Putting more weight on my right leg, I stood without holding on to anything, and then took a step forward. Where I moved, so did Enzo and Marek, which caused JayLeigh to murmur ridiculous comments from the corner about overprotective men.

  Apparently, insulting her king was where she stopped with her quips.

  Taking another few steps, I breathed a sigh of relief when each one became easier instead of harder.

  JayLeigh grinned at me as I got closer. “See? All that ass-kicking for three days really strengthened your core. You’d be on th
e floor by now if it wasn’t for me.”

  “Actually, I’d probably be in Advanced Shifting or Combat class right about now if it wasn’t for you, but let’s not play the blame game,” I countered.

  “Speaking of Shadow Veil, I replied to one of your aunt’s emails. She’s not happy with you or me.”

  “What did you tell her?” I growled.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure how much you wanted her to know, so I just said you were alive, but unable to reply to any messages and you’d be in touch soon-ish. When I checked the replies earlier, they weren’t very friendly, so I told them to work on their manners, otherwise you wouldn’t be responding at all. Seriously, you don’t need that kind of language in your life.”

  My palm smacked against my forehead. “You seriously need to learn some peopling etiquette.” Turning back to Marek, I asked, “How far is the other office? Can I reply to her now before we go, since the travel time takes longer?”

  “It’s just two more doors down the hall. If you feel up for it, then let’s go.”

  He and Enzo continued to hover nearby, but it wasn’t necessary. My strength continued to grow, and by the time I reached the other office, I was standing up straighter and breathing easier. Though I was still moving slowly so as not to set back any internal healing, I felt confident walking wherever I needed to on my own.

  I didn't bother to read the previous messages. If something major had happened, I trusted JayLeigh enough to take things seriously and tell me. So instead, I typed out a quick reply, beginning with my apologies and once again telling them I was alive, then ended with the news of us returning home. Hopefully, it was enough to appease them for the next few days or weeks. I didn’t even know what month it would be when we got back.

  “Let’s go pack up our stuff and go home,” I said to Enzo when I was done, but he shook his head.

  “There’s nothing here we need to take with us now. Let’s just get out of here and deal with it later, since you want to come back.”

  I considered the items in my room, and he was right. I had brought mostly training clothes, and I had plenty of those at Shadow Veil. When I nodded, he wasted no time picking me up and turning to JayLeigh. “Where is the portal?”

  “Same spot we arrived in. Let’s use Marek’s private entrance instead of going through the main doors,” she replied.

  “Uh, you know I can walk, right?” I finally piped up.

  “Yes, but you don’t need to strain yourself. Save that energy for the portal. Plus, let me feel better by doing this for you.” He lowered his voice to say the last part, and I conceded. As long as I went through the portal on my own, I’d be okay with him carrying me there.

  That was what relationships were about. Give and take. Finding the perfect balance. We had a long road ahead of us, but I was confident we’d figure it out.

  If we didn’t, he’d be missing a pair of balls after I was done with him.

  Chapter 16

  Gemma’s tackle hug was even more aggressive than it had been when I’d arrived back from being gone all summer, which I guessed was acceptable since I had no idea how much time had passed since we’d left. It could have been the end of school for all I knew.

  “I hope you don’t ever have plans of returning there. This school year has been torturous without you here causing trouble like the last one,” Gemma whined. “Ugh, and Professor Phox is way worse than you got to experience on the first day. I’m pretty sure every single person in our class has cried at least once. She’s probably going to be gunning for you, too. She wasn’t happy to find out you weren’t coming back any time soon and nobody would tell her where you were. You are going to classes now, right? Everything is back to normal?”

  My hands grasped her shoulders. “Gemma, my best friend, the most high-energy witch-vampire hybrid I know, calm down.” I laughed. “I know it’s been a while, but I’m not going anywhere any time soon. Let’s cover one topic at a time, preferably after I’ve showered and eaten.”

  Jules wrapped an arm around both of our shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you settled, and we can properly catch up over dinner.”

  “What time is it? Or better yet, what day is it?” I asked.

  “It’s just after six and February fifteenth,” Jules answered.

  Damn, we’d been gone for six months Earth time, but it had only been two weeks on Drakken, including travel time, which I figured had eaten up at least a couple of days. Future visits were going to have to be much shorter.

  I was going to have another crazy few months of catch up, and I no longer had an expert to train me. Enzo had been gone as well, so there was no way he’d already know the material. Though, we could at least study together. Thinking of him reminded me I had completely ignored him and JayLeigh once Gemma took my full attention.

  I spun in a circle but didn’t see them anywhere. “Where did the others go?”

  “Headmaster Stone and Enzo took JayLeigh to show her where she’d be staying outside of the dorms. Enzo tried telling you, but Gemma was squealing too loudly in your ear for you to hear, I think,” Jules said.

  “Yeah, I missed that.” I shrugged. They’d be fine on their own, and I didn’t want to deny Gemma some needed attention, so it worked out.

  Gemma grasped my arm as we headed for the academy. “Girl, why didn’t you warn me the dragons were so sexy? The blond one that came to help us out… yum is all I have to say. The other students weren’t allowed to know who they were, so Headmaster Stone assigned me as their liaison. Best. Job. Ever.”

  “Well, you’ll have to tell me more about the blond beefcake later. I’m glad you had something to keep you busy while I was away. Sorry I didn’t get to respond recently. There was an incident, but I’m okay and that’s all that matters.”

  “What about Marek? I’m disappointed to see he didn’t arrive with you as well,” Jules said.

  “I couldn’t convince him to come. He has his reasons, and there isn’t anything we can do to change them unless Malina forces his hand somehow.”

  Gemma huffed. “You mean, they’ll come clean up the mess after Malina finally attacks for reals?”

  My head snapped to her. “What do you mean ‘for reals’? Did something happen?”

  She winced. “You didn’t get my last message?”

  “No, I didn’t read the other emails. I was in a hurry to get back here. What the hell happened?”

  “Let’s get to the room before we discuss this,” Jules suggested, and I agreed with her.

  Hopefully, the students had been kept mostly out of the loop with anything related to Malina. She didn’t deserve to have any power behind her name. She wasn’t someone to be feared, she was someone to be destroyed. Even if we didn’t know how we were going to accomplish that particular task, I was no longer afraid of her.

  I was going to figure out a way to remove her from this Earth, once and for all.

  Something had crossed my mind before we left, and I wanted to speak with Headmaster Stone specifically about it. If I was the direct descendant of two Doyens, that had to give me some extra boost. Even if Malina hadn’t birthed me or carried me in her stomach for nine months, she had created me. Used her DNA along with the others.

  If the foreign parts of me, the ones not Doyen-related, were removed, maybe I had a chance at ending her myself. Just maybe, Marek could save his world by staying put and I could save mine by becoming who I was meant to be, just like the seer said.

  Gemma punched the code into my door, and as soon as we entered, she opened her mouth to likely ask several more questions, but I held my hand up.

  “Shower first, then talking. I promise to be quick if you’ll order food while I clean up.”

  She glared at me. “I feel like we just had this exact conversation six months ago. It’d be great if you’d quit disappearing, so we didn’t have to do this again.”

  I gave her a quick hug. “I will do my best, but until Malina is dealt with, I make no promises.”

  �
��I’d really love it if someone would kill that bitch.” Gemma pouted.

  “We’re working on it, and I have some ideas. Dig deep and find some patience,” I teased as I skipped into the bathroom. As soon as the door was closed, I heard a thud, followed by Gemma’s yelling.

  “Yes, I threw a pillow at your door, and yes, it was supposed to have hit you in the back.”

  Laughing, I quickly stripped down and hopped into the shower before it was even warm. I hadn’t been able to take a shower since before I was attacked, and while I wished I could enjoy the alone time, I didn’t have a death wish. Gemma had even less patience than me.

  So, I scrubbed and rinsed in record time, arriving back in the room fully dressed before the food was even ready. “See? You hardly had time to miss me again.”

  “Whatever,” Gemma said. “Now, spill your guts out.”

  “Um, I’m pretty sure you have some explaining to do first. What happened with Malina?” I asked.

  The butler box dinged, so Gemma waited to answer until we were all sitting on my bed cross-legged with plates of pasta in front of us and bread in the middle.

  “I’m going to let Jules answer. She retains that stuff better than me,” Gemma garbled over a mouth full of food.

  Shaking my head at her, I considered calling her out for just wanting to eat, but decided to let it go.

  “There’s not a ton to tell, actually,” Jules began. “Malina is definitely up to something, but whoever she’s working with has kept their mouths shut. You knew about her trips to the big cities from my first email, then there wasn’t much to report, but over the last two weeks, she’s been moving in closer to Shadow Veil.”

  “Did she come here?” I interrupted.

  Jules tsked at my outburst. “I’m getting to that. She fell off the radar for a few days, and we thought she figured out we’d been tracking her, but then she reappeared again. Soon after that, our walls were tested with some pretty heavy magic. The council gathered, along with some of our best fighters and the two dragons, and they went beyond the shield to check it out.”