Deadly Declaration (Shadow Veil Academy Book 2)

by Heather Renee

  He leaned in to give me a kiss, and I patted his cheek. “That’s a good boy.”

  The rumble from his chest rivaled any shifters, but I had gotten my way and I didn’t care.

  When he was out the door, Gemma and I took our seats in the back. As I got my tablet out, I couldn’t help but notice the shaking of Gemma’s shoulders.

  “Let it out. I know you want to,” I drawled.

  Laughter erupted from her chest, causing the students who had already arrived to turn and stare. I sank lower into my seat as I waited for her to calm down, but before she could, we had another visitor.

  Professor Phox’s face appeared right in front of me, completely free of any emotion. “Glad you could finally join my class, Raegan.”

  “I’m equally glad to be here,” I replied with a sweet smile.

  Her lips lifted only a fraction. “We’ll see about that.”

  Apparently, she was cool with saving my life, but not going to take it easy on me after missing seven months of lessons. Maybe I wasn’t so glad to be back in class.

  She moved to the front of the room and stood by the entrance, eyeing the clock.

  Gemma nudged my shoulder. “Watch the door.”

  I did as she suggested, and when 8:30am came, Phox flicked her hand and the door slammed shut before the lock engaged. Poor Embry stood on the outside, staring through the window, eyes wide as fear took over.

  What the hell has this teacher been doing to them all year? I wondered and even asked Gemma, but she shook her head, refusing to move her stare from the front of the room.

  “Good morning, class,” Professor Phox announced.

  Glancing around, I realized only a third of the students who had been there on the first day were in attendance. “Do you think she’d notice if I slipped out?” I whispered to Gemma, but it wasn’t her who responded.

  “Yes, Ms. Keyes. I would notice, and good luck trying to get out. If you can break through my magic, then I’ll pass you in this class without ever having to show up again.”

  Oh, a challenge. One that had my curiosity piqued and pulse quickening.

  “Don’t you dare, Rae. She will destroy you, and then Enzo will kill me for not keeping you in check,” Gemma hissed, but I didn’t listen.

  I was already out of my seat and headed for the front of the room.

  Phox kept her gaze on me but addressed the class. “Here is what you all should know not to do by now, but Ms. Keyes hasn’t been present all year, so this can be our lesson for the day: How not to be an idiot.”

  Now she was just pissing me off.

  I didn’t bother to respond to her. I knew her type, or at least I hoped I did. Words weren’t going to make the situation any better. Showing her that I was capable of great things was the only way to shut her up.

  I’d managed to open the dungeon door last year, and I’d broken into Enzo’s room. I couldn’t imagine her magic was stronger than either of those, and I planned to prove it. Whether that was a good idea or not was to be determined.

  Glancing up at Gemma, I second-guessed my decision to accept the professor’s challenge. Her bottom lip quivered, and there was true fear in her eyes. I mouthed “I’m sorry” to her, but it didn’t make anything better, and it was too late to back down.

  I was going to open the damn door.

  Placing my hands on the wood frame, the surge of magic that came back through burned my hands, and I instinctively pulled them back. Phox snickered from behind me, but I didn’t bother giving her any attention.

  Instead, I did a partial shift until scales appeared on my hands. When I had a little bit of protection, I moved for the door again. This time, the burn was more of a bite, but as soon as I tried to syphon the magic away, my blood began to burn just like my hands had.

  Taking Phox’s power in wasn’t going to work. I had to filter it into something else, but I wasn’t sure what. As I took a moment to come up with another plan, Phox tsked at me.

  “You have two more minutes before I use you for something else that will make me much happier.”

  Ignoring her once more, I found something on the shelf to my right that should work and grabbed the round object. It was an orb, and I knew they could hold power, so I figured it was worth a try.

  Placing my still-scale-covered left hand back on the door, I kept my right hand flat with the orb resting in my palm. When I peeked back at Phox, her brow was furrowed, and she looked a bit nervous. Good, she deserved whatever awful feeling was flowing through her after how she treated all these students.

  Pulling on the magic of the door once more, I winced as it moved from one hand to the other and settled into the orb. There didn’t appear to be an end to Phox’s power, but I didn’t stop until I broke through possibly only the first layer.

  When I did that, I recognized immediately what I was sensing. The distraction was enough to stop whatever momentum I had created and turn back toward the professor. As our eyes met, I knew exactly what she was, and she knew I’d figured it out as well.

  Professor Phox wasn’t just any powerful shifter.

  She was a dragon seer.

  Chapter 21

  Phox strode toward me casually, but we both knew what I had figured out. Instead of getting in my face like I expected her to, she shoulder-checked me and moved to the door. Her fingers wrapped around the handle, and she opened it slowly.

  “Very well, Raegan. You’ve proven your time away has been resourceful enough that you no longer need this class.” She turned around to the rest of the students. “Lessons will resume tomorrow. Everyone is dismissed.”

  Nobody said a word as they gathered their items and carefully walked out the door. Each of them eyed me with a new curiosity.

  Gemma was the last to arrive at the front of the room, and she carried both of our bags. There was a rigidness taking over her body that told me she wasn’t happy. About what, I wasn’t certain, but I was sure to find out based on the twitch in her eye.

  Instead of glaring at me, her irritation was directed toward the professor, which surprised the shit out of me after all the times she’d warned me against doing anything that could piss off the teacher.

  “Listen, Professor Phox. I’ve respected you and done everything you’ve expected of me, better even than most of the other students, but I won’t stand by and let you bully Raegan. I’m not leaving this room until she does.”

  Phox glanced at me. “What does she know?”

  “Everything.”

  She sighed. “So, it’s accurate of me to assume that even if I dealt with her temper tantrum and kicked her out, she would end up knowing what we’re about to discuss anyway?”

  With a grin, I nodded.

  “Fine.” The professor slammed the door shut and waved her hand over it, effectively locking us in, or possibly keeping others out.

  Gemma didn’t flaunt the fact that she’d stuck up for me and won; her face remained serious and I realized I hadn’t been the only one to grow over the last year-and-a-half. Everything that had happened to or around me had affected her as well. She’d almost been killed because of me, twice, and those situations had left lasting effects.

  Behind closed doors, Gemma was still the bubbly blonde I met on my first day, but as I paid closer attention to her, I realized she was stronger now, and I should have noticed it earlier.

  We followed Phox to her desk and brought two chairs over to sit with her. She had some explaining to do, and I hoped whatever she had to say was finally going to piece everything together for me. For all of us.

  “So, just to be clear, what did you learn when you broke through my magic?” Phox asked.

  “Really?” I rolled my eyes.

  “Just making sure I’m not giving unnecessary information. I’ve been bound to keep certain things to myself, and if my assumptions are wrong, then I’d be in deep shit for saying it first.”

  Fair enough, I thought.

  “You’re a dragon seer. The only one on Earth, I assumed
, since there is only one on Drakken. I met her, and her magic zapped into my body when we touched, which was how I recognized yours when I syphoned off the first layer of your spell on the door,” I said.

  Phox seemed perplexed about the information I’d given her. “She did that intentionally, and it means it’s time for the dragons to come back.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Gemma asked.

  “It means that no other was supposed to know what I was until the time was right. I knew with your dragon side that you had the highest chance of figuring it out, so I kept my distance, but Ophelia wouldn’t have let you touch her if she didn’t have a purpose for it.”

  I laughed. “So, you’re saying the centuries-old dragon seer intended for me to knock her over, so I’d reach down to help her? And to think, I actually felt bad about that.”

  Gemma gasped. “You pushed an old lady to the ground? You previously left that part out.”

  I held my hands up, feigning innocence. “I did not push her. She grabbed my arm, and I defended myself.”

  “From a little old lady?” Gemma smirked.

  “Whatever. It doesn’t matter now. What matters is… how are we bringing the dragons back, and when can we do this, because Malina is in Drakken or almost there right this minute, and I’d rather not be left unprepared for when she comes back.”

  Phox leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. She was a seer, after all, so I stayed quiet while she thought, hoping she had some sort of vision that would lead us to victory and not the one where Drakken would fall.

  “This is what Drakken has been preparing for. Though, Malina has to be successful in her trip to Drakken. It doesn’t mean lives will be lost, but we cannot stop her. Which is why it took so long for me to bring the others to your rescue when she had possession of you. I knew what she was going to do, and it needed to happen.”

  My chest rumbled. “You knew I was going to get kidnapped and tortured, and you did nothing about it?”

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I also knew you were going to survive, and you don’t appear to have any permanent scars, so get over it. Life is hard, and then you move on. As I’m sure it’s been explained to you, a seer cannot directly tell the future or interfere.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I used to think it made sense. Not so much anymore.”

  “So, what do we do now?” Gemma asked as I continued to fume over Phox’s revelations.

  “Now, we wait for Malina to return. As long as she does, the future will stay as I’ve seen it, but things are always moving. Every decision a person makes has the chance to change their course.”

  So, there was a chance that Marek could stop Malina in Drakken, but it didn’t sound like that was the best option for the many. Bringing her back and figuring out a way to stop her on our own land was best from what I got out of Phox’s words.

  “Am I a Doyen? Am I powerful enough to stop Malina on my own?”

  Headmaster Stone had already refused my request to strip my other abilities, because I was injured and my body needed time to heal before it went through a big change like that, but I was hopeful that I’d be back to tip-top shape by week’s end.

  “You are not a Doyen. They can only ever be those with original power gifted to them directly from Elora,” Phox answered, but only one of my questions.

  “What about stopping Malina?” I asked.

  “Continue on your path. Follow your instincts and conquer your obstacles.”

  Shaking my head, ire began to build within me. “Do you ever tire of being a pain in the ass?” I snapped.

  She grinned, but before she could respond, someone was pounding on the locked door.

  I stood to see who it was, but Phox grasped my arm. “I mean it, Reagan. Follow your instincts. Nobody else’s. Don’t second-guess yourself, or we will all lose.”

  Her power raced through me. This time, it didn’t burn, but it awoke something within me. A renewed strength and sense of purpose came over me as I felt my dragon stir stronger than ever.

  After I nodded in understanding, she released me and removed the spell from the door. When she did, Enzo came tumbling into the room, purple-faced and fuming.

  “What is going on?” he roared.

  Gemma turned toward Phox. “He’s always good for daytime drama. It’s like watching the human soap operas.”

  I grinned. She and JayLeigh were so alike. If Gemma could let go of her resentment toward the dragon, then they’d likely be the best of friends. Maybe I needed to make that happen.

  Enzo snarled, bringing my attention back to him. “Calm down before you hurt yourself. Phox is on our side. You know this, or you wouldn’t have left me alone in her class. Now, quit acting like an idiot before she eats you for lunch.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he growled.

  “It means you missed story time, and I need to catch you up, but not when you’re acting like a child who didn’t get his way. Let’s go for a walk and, as long as you behave, then I can tell you what I know.”

  His eyes narrowed at me. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”

  “Possibly.” I shrugged before grabbing my bag, taking his hand, and pulling him from the room.

  Before we exited, I turned back to Gemma when I realized she was still sitting. “Are you coming?”

  She shook her head. “Some of us don’t have cool dragon magic and we still have to go to our regular classes to grow stronger.”

  “Oh.” I was more disappointed than I wanted to admit, but proud of her for continuing with the learning. She could have gotten a free pass on most of her classes if she really wanted, considering how involved in our current situation she was, but she wasn’t taking the easy way out. No, my bestie was going to be a badass, and I couldn’t wait to see her smash some heads in when the time came.

  Enzo pulled on me, so I waved goodbye and went with him outside. We continued walking and were near the edge of the forest before either of us spoke. He had needed to cool off, and I’d needed the time to gather my thoughts.

  Phox was very insistent that I listen to myself, which almost made me second-guess myself more, but I tried to focus on everything I had been working toward and what I wanted. When I broke it all down, I knew what needed to come next.

  “So, what happened?” Enzo asked, considerably calmer than before.

  “Professor Phox is a dragon seer.”

  He gaped at me, and I thought he was going to have something to say about that, but apparently, he wanted more information instead. I continued recapping what had been discussed before ending with what I wanted to do next.

  “I’m going to request Headmaster Stone remove any foreign part of magic from my body this Friday. This means I will no longer have any elf and possibly witch magic within me.”

  I said the last part more to make sure he truly understood I wouldn’t be like him anymore. While I doubted it would change his mind, I needed to be certain he truly knew what my decision meant.

  “You’re sure about this? Alistair made it sound like you could be seriously hurt in the process.”

  My hands cupped Enzo’s cheeks. “I’m following my gut.”

  “Okay, then. I trust you.”

  With his words of acceptance, a determination settled within me. Having Enzo’s full support fueled my fire even more. Come Friday, I was going to become who I was supposed to be, and I had never been more excited for anything in my life.

  My previous enthusiasm was tested when Alistair fought me on removing any parts of my supernatural self.

  “Raegan, I’m only looking out for your best interest. I’ve only done this twice before, and like I’ve said, it’s not a pleasant experience. Are you sure it’s worth it?”

  “Headmaster Stone, with all due respect, I will not yield from my decision. I understand the consequences of my choice, and they are mine to own, so let me do that.”

  His face fell as he realized after an hour of trying to conv
ince me otherwise, there was no changing my mind. “Fine, but when you cry for me to stop because you’re writhing in pure agony, remember I tried to warn you and know I won’t be able to halt the process. Once it’s initiated, it has to be completed.”

  “I understand.”

  He turned to leave his office, grabbing supplies as he moved through the room. “I need a few minutes to finish preparing. Though, you’re welcome to come in at any time.”

  Once the headmaster left the room, I turned toward Enzo who had remained silent, yet tense, during the entire conversation.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Honestly, no. I’m so far from okay I don’t even know what I am, but I still support your decision and I’m not going to try to hold you back, so it doesn’t really matter.”

  Grabbing both of his hands, I held them in mine. “It does matter, and I’m sorry for putting you through this, but it’s my path and I have to follow it. I don’t know where it leads, but I know it’s the right choice.”

  He smirked. “Now you sound like a dragon seer with all your ‘path’ talk.”

  I shoved him away and stood from my seat. “Shut up and let’s go.”

  He stood as well and grabbed my hand, spinning me around into his chest as he lifted me up, so we were eye level. “I love you, Raegan, and no matter my fears, I believe in your choices. You can do this.”

  His lips crashed down on mine in an all-consuming kiss that had my toes curling. I kissed him back with just as much ferocity and squeezed tight around his neck. Our bond was stronger, but it had been held back by something. A part of me hoped stripping the pieces of me that didn’t belong would not only wake my dragon but also help to solidify our connection.

  When hands started roaming, a throat cleared, but we didn’t pull apart. Then, something was thrown and hit right between us.

  “What the hell?” Enzo snapped.

  JayLeigh and Gemma stood side-by-side, giving each other fist bumps.