Deadly Declaration (Shadow Veil Academy Book 2)

by Heather Renee

  “Nice shot,” JayLeigh said to her.

  “Uh, when did this happen?” I asked, referring to their little womance they had going on.

  Gemma tapped a finger against her chin mockingly. “Probably two nights ago when you were too busy shacking up with elf boy to spend time with your bestie. Talon was on guard duty and I was bored. JayLeigh had nothing better to do, either, so we figured why not. We talked a bunch of trash about you, and it brought us closer together. So, thanks for that.”

  A groan left my body as I realized how bad of an idea them being friends really was. For me, anyway. Based on previous conversations with Gemma, Talon had been keeping her so busy, I hadn’t thought much more about trying to bring her and JayLeigh together.

  Apparently, I wasn’t needed to make that particular friendship happen unless you counted me being their topic of conversation while bonding.

  “I don’t even want to know what was discussed,” I said.

  “Probably not.” JayLeigh smirked. “There was a lot I witnessed while I followed you last summer. Things you probably didn’t want other people to know, but oops, Gemma does now.”

  “Yep, time to go. Headmaster Stone is waiting.” I grabbed Enzo’s hand and headed toward the door not needing to hear anything else, but he paused when we passed by JayLeigh and Gemma.

  “Care to fill me in later as well?” he asked the dragon.

  She nodded. “I’d be delighted.”

  Letting go of his hand, I pushed away from him. “I hate you all.”

  Proceeding down the corridor without them, I did my best to ignore their laughs, considering they were at my expense, but I also smiled when they couldn’t see me. Never once did I expect my life to turn out how it had. Knowing they all got along, even though they were opposites of each other in most ways, soothed a part of me that hadn’t been settled in a very long time.

  When we entered the council room, Fiona and Bennett were present as well. They’d still not filled Desmond’s spot, but Alexander was off searching for potential candidates, so they’d hopefully be complete again soon.

  The only person who wasn’t going to be present that caused me disappointment was Aunt Jules. She’d try to make it back in time, but word of Malina and Drakken had spread through the masses. She was needed to assist with calming people down and gaining their alliance, should we need it.

  Headmaster Stone approached me, handing me a vial with a murky charcoal liquid in it without much of a greeting. “Drink this and then get in the box.”

  “That thing again? Really?” I hated that cage.

  “It will help keep everyone around you safe, including yourself. I don’t know how this is going to work exactly, so I’d rather err on the side of caution.”

  He had a point, so I downed the rancid-tasting liquid and strode over to the box. Before I stepped all the way in, Gemma yanked me back and pushed her finger into my chest.

  “I’ve been through more hell during the last eighteen months since I met you than everything else combined before that. You have pushed me beyond my limits and frustrated the hell out of me.”

  “Uh, this is not helping me right now,” I said, hoping she had a point with a positive spin.

  She grinned. “But you have also shown me great strength and what true friendship is. So, if you die in here today, just know I will find your spirit and terrorize it for all time. You will never have peace.”

  Pulling her into a hug, I squeezed as tightly as I could. “I love you, too.”

  My body began to sway, and I knew it was time. Whatever Headmaster Stone had given me was working, and I needed to be in the box for him to begin.

  Once Gemma was back with JayLeigh and Enzo, I blew them all a kiss and moved to the center of the cage. Bennett closed it up with his elf magic, then remained on my left, while Fiona took position on my right and Headmaster Stone stood directly in front.

  My chest tightened with nerves, but I was trusting my instincts like Phox had said and praying she wasn’t wrong.

  Each of the council members placed their hands on the glass and, as the process began, there was a ripping sensation coming from deep within my core. My head tilted back as the agony began, but all was forgotten as a voice spoke loud and clear within me.

  I’m free.

  Chapter 22

  The voice was firm, yet littered with exhilaration. I was trying to be as overjoyed as the dragon within me was, but my body was being torn to shreds. Anything she might have said after “I’m free” was lost to me.

  If exorcisms were as real as supernaturals, then I was pretty sure I was experiencing what an innocent human would during one. Power was being pulled from all of my nerve endings, and it felt like a cow trying to fit through a mouse hole.

  Screams tore from my throat as a fog swirled around me, cutting out my view of the others. My hands braced on the edges of the glass while I tried to take a few deep breaths and work through the pain.

  It helped the tiniest of bits, but Headmaster Stone hadn’t been kidding when he said this would be painful. Everything inside me felt like it was breaking.

  It’s going to be okay. Just don’t—, the voice inside me whispered, but once again, the pain flared up and I didn’t hear the rest of what she had to say.

  My bones began breaking, and I fell to my knees, but my head continued to rise as my body got bigger. Hopefully my dragon hadn’t been telling me not to shift, because I had no control over whatever was happening to my body. The shift was coming whether I wanted it to or not.

  The sound of glass breaking was heard clearly through my ears as the agony began to subside, but it was quickly replaced with panic.

  I was no longer in my human form. I was a full dragon, and I had no control of my movements as my body slammed into walls and furniture. Alistair and Fiona just barely moved out of my way as I stumbled toward the window.

  Enzo was yelling my name, but I didn’t stop. A feeling of claustrophobia took over, and I needed to be free, to stretch my wings and truly be one with my dragon. It didn’t matter that there was a wall made of stone in my way; all I cared about was getting outside as quickly as possible.

  My head pointed and charged forward, and it wasn’t until I broke through the wall that I saw the error of my actions.

  I had no idea how to fly.

  I got this, my dragon said, pushing forward to take control of the beast we were.

  I had absolutely no problem taking a mental back seat while she drove. That was, until we came dangerously close to the ground and I had a minor heart attack before burgundy wings flapped, lifting us back into the sky.

  Flying in this form was a completely different experience than in my half-shift. My eyesight was a thousand times better, as were my senses of smell and hearing. Remembering the spot Enzo used to take me all the time, I pictured it in my mind and urged my dragon to go there. It would give us a vantage point and some time to think.

  She took her time soaring through the air, but I didn’t mind. There was no reason to be in a hurry, other than the fact everyone that had been in the room was probably freaking out. I’d probably have to apologize later.

  When we landed on the mountain top, my dragon settled onto the ground, sighing in contentment.

  This is better, she said.

  I’m sorry you were trapped for so long. Were you always there, or not until I came to Shadow Veil? I asked.

  I’ve always been there for you, but it wasn’t until your magic started to show itself that I was able to really understand our predicament. I spent the last two years feeling like I was suffocating underneath your other magic.

  I cringed, hating that she had felt that way, and even more so that the bitch of a sorceress had done that to us.

  We’re going to get our revenge. One way or another, we will stop Malina, I said.

  You’re right, but so are the others around you. We have to be patient. We only have one shot at this, and there is no room for error, she replied, standing up a
nd stretching her wings out. I’ve lived many lives, and she has power I’ve never seen before.

  You mean, you weren’t born when I was? I asked.

  In a way, I was. I don’t remember most of my past lives, but a dragon spirit lives on forever. I’ve been around since the beginning of supernaturals.

  Holy shit. I hadn’t expected that answer, and I felt damn grateful to have been trusted with her spirit.

  We should probably head back and deal with the chaos we left behind, huh? I asked.

  She snorted, and smoke came out of her nose. You get to deal with it. I’ll be sitting on the sidelines for that particular conversation. None of them will want to talk to me.

  Damn it, she was right. I was on my own, but not really. There was a serenity within me since my dragon was no longer confined. It was a bond different from mine and Enzo’s that I knew could never be broken now that it was free.

  She jumped off the edge of the mountain, and exhilaration filtered through from her to me as we freefell toward the ground, speeds increasing until the last moment when our wings moved and we were once again soaring.

  Students were on the lawn outside the school, pointing and gasping at the sight of my dragon. They knew what I was, and I saw no point in hiding myself now that I could shift.

  We landed a few yards in front of the crowd and, once our wings were put away, people crept closer. Only a select few brave ones came within touching distance, though nobody actually did.

  When I saw Enzo pushing through the crowd with a laughing Gemma and JayLeigh behind him, I figured the show was over and it was time to clean up my mess.

  Shifting back was easier than I thought, but still painful. Once I was back on two legs, Enzo’s face turned a whole new shade of purple.

  A slew of curse words spewed from his mouth as his shirt flew off and was suddenly coming over my head.

  Oops, I hadn’t learned how to shift and keep my clothes on, which meant I had just given a quarter of our school a nice peep show. I suddenly had multiple things to apologize for later.

  Enzo picked me up, his body trembling with fury. He brushed past Gemma and JayLeigh without stopping as students around us catcalled and whistled at me.

  My friends caught up to us, snickering at Enzo’s expense.

  “Don’t worry, Raegan. Now, I can teach you all the things, and you won’t lose your clothes near as often,” JayLeigh said with delight.

  Enzo’s glare turned toward her. “She better never lose her clothes again in public.”

  “Or what?” she taunted.

  “You don’t really want to know.” His voice was dark as power, thick and heavy, oozed off of him. I was pretty sure Enzo had finally hit his stress limit. I couldn’t blame him. I’d pushed him quite a bit lately.

  Even JayLeigh backed up a few inches, giving Enzo some space as he continued forward with me tight in his arms.

  My dorm was closest, and he must have realized that as well, because instead of going to his like normal, he took the platform to Hybrid Hall. Most of the students were still in class, so there were no other interruptions on our way to privacy.

  He set me down and then opened the door. Once we were inside, his palm pressed against the door, and the entire frame glowed.

  “What did you just do?” I asked.

  “Made sure nobody can bother us. I have very little control right now, and I need you alone. I don’t know what happened, but when your dragon broke free, something within me snapped. Then, you were gone, and I might have added to your destruction.”

  Shit. I knew he was going to be pissed I took off, but I didn’t realize it would have actually made him lose control. Enzo was almost always in control, and I didn’t like being responsible for causing chaos in his life.

  “I’m here now, and everything is going to be better from here on out. I’m whole again, and we’re going to find a way to defeat Malina.”

  His hands skimmed slowly over my arms and up my neck, before settling behind my head and gripping my hair. “No more talking.”

  With a single nod of agreement from me, that was all it took for him to move into action and for clothes to go flying through the room. As soon as our bodies became one, I knew the bond with Enzo was finally complete. The room was doused in a teal light that radiated from us brightly.

  Burgundy and darker blues swirled within the teal, but I didn’t pay attention to it for very long. Enzo stole every breath from me and had my full attention as he took us to heights I never knew possible.

  Over a month later, we were nearing the end of April and school was finishing up. Word had come back from Marek that Malina arrived, but he couldn’t track her down. Every time he thought he had her, she disappeared.

  So, once again, school was ending early, but this time it was much more organized. A graduation had been planned for fourth-year students, and last year’s class was also invited since they hadn’t gotten one.

  Enzo had eased up some as my training with JayLeigh came along. Since the days were shorter on Earth, it wasn’t as strenuous as it had been on Drakken. Plus, having access to my dragon, who I learned was named Chelle, helped maintain my stamina considerably.

  Apparently, dragons had their own names and definitely their own personalities. Chelle had been nearly as stubborn as me, but as we learned more about each other, we became to think and act more as one.

  I’d mastered shifting and keeping my clothes. Talon had even taken a trip home to Drakken and brought back a couple of those awesome outfits JayLeigh wore that reminded me of Catwoman. Enzo’s jaw about fell off the first time he saw me in it, which told me everything I needed to know, and I wore it more often than my academy uniform.

  As I headed toward the upper atrium for another lesson with JayLeigh, I saw Gemma leaving one of her classes.

  “Hey, you off to your next class?” I asked after we hugged.

  “Actually, I’m done with my last two classes of the day for the remainder of the year, so I’m grabbing some food and then up to my room to finish one of my final assignments for Phox. Where are you headed?”

  “To go train with JayLeigh in the atrium. Want to ditch the assignment and join us?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, no. That crazy lady has kicked my ass enough over the last month. You have fun with that.”

  Not bothering to argue with her, we said our goodbyes and I went on my way. When I entered the training area, the glass ceiling was opened up and JayLeigh was tossing a dagger in the air.

  “You’re late.” Without missing a beat, she threw the blade at my head, but I saw it coming and snatched it from the air.

  “And you’re a psycho.”

  “I won’t argue that. Are you ready?” She grabbed another dagger from her hip holster.

  “Yep. What are we working on up here?”

  So far, I’d mastered shifting, communicating with my dragon, throwing and dodging knives, evasive flying, and passed the basics in dragon history. Even though I wasn’t taking the regular classes through Shadow Veil, JayLeigh had quite a knack for teaching, so I was getting in plenty of learning.

  “Hand-to-hand combat. I thought you might prefer a better view from up here since you’ll be on your back a lot.”

  She still acted as though she had little faith in me, but I had been working on hand-to-hand fighting with Enzo since I arrived at school. I wasn’t worried about the day’s lessons in the slightest.

  “Alright, let’s see how dirty dragons like to fight.” I grinned.

  JayLeigh needed no other sign to begin. She threw the other dagger in her hand, but this one wasn’t aimed to hit me. It landed in the wall an inch past my ear. When she smirked, I wasted no time moving in.

  She blocked every punch I threw, but I wasn’t really trying yet. I was gauging her skills and how she’d fight against me now that I was full dragon, well, with a dash of witch as well.

  Evidently, by the time I shifted during Headmaster Stone’s spell, he hadn’t quite finished, but it di
dn’t matter if I still had my witch side since I got what I wanted out of the process.

  Everything worked out how I had hoped, and the bonds I so badly needed with my dragon and Enzo were firmly in place.

  After a solid ten minutes of staying even with her, I decided to up the ante. She was consistent with her moves, seeming to repeat most of them over in a different sequence each time. But still, they were all the same. I just had to figure out her pattern.

  When I’d truly tested her defenses, I struck out hard and fast, landing a blow to her cheek.

  “Oh, you think you’re strong, do you? Watch this.” JayLeigh countered with some leg kicks that were going to leave massive bruises, but they didn’t slow me down.

  I charged forward and went for her legs as well, but with my arms. Taking her by surprise, I was able to tackle her to the ground.

  “So, how’s that view you mentioned?”

  She flipped me over just as easily. “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”

  We began grappling on the floor, neither one of us staying on our back for long. Finally, I landed a solid punch to her kidney while she was on top of me, and we both laid on the ground panting, staring up at the sky.

  “We could do this all day, and I don’t think either of us would win,” I said.

  “You were keeping things from me and holding back before, my little protégé.”

  Rolling to my side, I sat up and reached for a bottle of water. She joined me and stole the water before I was done chugging.

  “What next?” I asked.

  “Well, no more of that, obviously. How about you pick?”

  I’d never been able to pick before. She always just demanded I do whatever, and I did. I took mastering all skills seriously even if she drove me crazy on occasion. Okay, most of the time.

  “How about—”

  Before I could finish my thought, the doors blew open and Enzo frantically looked around until his eyes settled on us, still on the ground.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He walked forward and kneeled before me, the bond between us flaring to life, but I ignored the distracting sensation, needing to know what was so important that he’d practically ripped the doors off their hinges.