Year One (Bloodshed Academy Book 1)
Page 17
“Mr. Jackson, I understand that her death was justified.” She glanced at the bite marks on my neck. “But handling students’ dying is still not the norm.”
“Can’t we tell them something that would make them proud?” I hated to think of what my parents would do if they received news like this. Honestly, I felt horrible for what I’d done.
“You’re wanting her death to be recorded as one of honor?” Damien blinked repeatedly, and his forehead wrinkled. It seemed like he was staring at a ghost instead of me.
“Why not?” I crossed my arms. This wasn’t about making Ashley a martyr but about helping her family through a rough time. “Say she protected me from a rogue wolf or something.”
“That could work.” The headmaster stopped and stared at me. “It would give the school plausible deniability and let her family have peace.”
“Rage, do something.” Damien shook his head in disbelief. “She was a fucking psycho.”
“Look, I’m not happy about it either. Hell, it’s partly my fault for leading her on.” He stood up from the chair and clenched his hands into fists. “But if that’s what Raven wants and the bitch stays dead, then I’ll do whatever will make her happy.”
“Do you agree, Mr. Weston?” Isadora tapped her foot on the ground. “You’re the last one who needs to agree.”
“Fine, whatever.” Damien stood and nodded. “If that’s what Raven wants, I’ll go with it.”
Isadora startled from his submission, but her neutral expression quickly returned. “Very well. I’ll take care of the body. Now you are all dismissed.”
Thank the gods it didn’t take long. Being around her really gave me the chills.
I followed both Rage and Damien out of the room. When I reached the threshold, Isadora’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “Ms. Wright, a word please.”
Rage took a step back toward the door, but I held up a finger. “Just give me a moment, please.”
“Fine, but I’m staying right here.” Rage frowned and leaned against the wall.
“Okay.” I shut the door and took a few steps back into the room.
“Never did I imagine that Cole, Damien, or Rage would allow their hearts to be given to anyone outside their group.” Isadora placed a hand on one of the chairs we had just vacated and seemed to try to look through me.
“Well, Rage and I are true mates.” Our bond trumped everything.
“I know that, but he’s not the only one who loves you.”
A coldness ran through my body. “No, you’re wrong. They don’t love me like that.”
“Love is a funny thing.” Isadora tilted her head as she examined me, reminding me of the way Professor Shaw had looked at me in class. “Maybe they don’t love you the same way Rage does, but they still love you just as much. Somehow, you’ve gotten the elite three that were unattainable.”
“I never meant to …”
She raised a hand out in front of her chest. “I know you didn’t mean for it to happen. But let me be clear.” Her eyes turned cold, and she scowled in my direction. “You better not cause any more trouble, or it won’t be only you that pays.”
Her threat was clear, and I refused to show how much it affected me. “Understood.” I turned and exited the room.
When I stepped outside, Rage pushed off the wall and growled. “That bitch spelled the room so we couldn’t hear.”
“It’s fine.” What I needed at the moment was for him to keep his shit together. There’s no telling what he would do if he had heard our conversation.
“Dude, keep it together.” Damien punched him in the shoulder. “Let’s get out of here before you do something stupid.”
I was pretty sure Rage wasn’t going to listen, but eventually, he turned, and we walked out of the building.
“What happened back there?” Rage stopped and gently grabbed my hand, turning me toward him.
I didn’t want to chance Isadora overhearing us. “Let’s go to my room.”
“There’s my people.” Cole strolled out of the cafeteria and grinned. “Do you know how horrible it was to go in there? Those people are fake wannabes. I can’t surround myself with that negative energy.”
“Dude, can you shut the hell up?” Damien ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I can’t deal with you right now.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Cole slowly glanced at each one of us before his face turned serious. “What happened?”
“Not here, and not now.” I tugged on mine and Rage’s joined hands. The four of us together began the trek to the dorm.
When we entered the dorm, we found Jess pacing in the middle of the floor. She sighed when she saw me. “Girl, I was worried. The school just alerted us that Ashley died protecting someone from a rogue wolf, and I knew that shit wasn’t true.” She ran over to me and threw her arms around me, hugging me hard. “I knew that was bullshit. She’s not noble. I was so worried she attacked you.”
“I’m fine.” My heart sank at what I was going to have to tell her. I hadn’t been able to fully process it yet. So I wasn’t sure how I felt about my own actions, let alone having to tell Jess. “But she did attack me.”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Cole pulled me from Jess’s arms. “That bitch attacked you?” He watched Damien and Rage as they sat on the couch. “Tell me one of you killed her. ’Cause if not, I’m going to bring her back to life so I can kill her.”
“No, we didn’t.” Damien’s eyes gleamed with pride.
“Then what happen—” Cole stopped, and his eyes landed on me. “You did it.”
I averted his gaze and glanced at my feet. This wasn’t something I wanted to talk about.
“Did what?” Jess wasn’t processing it as fast as Cole was.
Rage must have known how I was feeling because he came over and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Ashley had dropped a note off at our place for Damien. She told him that she wasn’t going to be able to practice with him today and signed it Raven.”
“But Raven went to training today.” Jess’s face somehow turned even a shade paler than normal.
“She was waiting for me.” Somehow those words pushed past my lips.
“Wait …” Jess took a step back and shook her head. “You’re saying Ashley attacked you.”
“She wanted me dead.” That was blatantly clear. What I did was in self-defense, but my stomach turned queasy at what I’d done.
“Raven killed her out of self-defense.” Rage pulled me into his chest and ran a hand through my hair. “It was either you or her. Remember that. You didn’t go up there to kill her. She intended to kill you.”
“Then why the hell did the school make it sound like she was a hero?” Jess’s eyes flashed with anger.
“I came up with the idea.” She didn’t need to blame anyone else but me.
“Why would you do that?” Cole now joined in the conversation. His tone was cold. The one that he reserved for everyone else except those in this room. “Now she sounds like a fucking saint.”
“To give her family peace and to give the academy a good story where Bloodshed doesn’t look bad.” Also, to make myself feel better, but that felt too selfish to admit.
“This can’t leave the room.” I needed to make sure each one of them understood. “If it does, Isadora will make our life hell.”
“She already does.” Cole rolled his eyes. “I’m not scared of her though.”
“She’s not trying now, and she’s already a pain in the ass.” Damien leaned back and shivered. “Imagine if she actually tried for once.”
“If Raven doesn’t want us to say anything, then we won’t.” Rage kissed my forehead and tugged me toward the bathroom. “What you need to do is go take a shower and get some rest. I’ll go back and deal with them while you just relax.”
I wanted to laugh at those words, but my insides were turning cold. “Okay.”
He started the shower and cranked the heat up. “There, it’s getting warm.” He grabbed my waist and
pulled me against him again. “This was not your fault. She chose to attack you. You did it out of self-preservation. You did absolutely nothing wrong. Don’t let the guilt eat you alive.” He kissed my lips and let go. “I love you.”
It was strange because even though I knew that fact, he had never said the words aloud to me until now. “I love you too.”
A sweet smile spread across his face, and he opened the bathroom door. “I’ll meet you in your room in a few minutes.”
Now that I was alone in the bathroom, I turned to see my reflection in the mirror. Ashley’s bite marks were just about gone, and my face was almost as pale as Jess’s fae complexion. It was comforting to see that I didn’t look any different. There wasn’t any darkness clear on my face.
I stepped into the bathroom and let the scalding water try to penetrate my mind’s fog. I began washing myself but got lost in my thoughts. I kept reminding myself what I did was the right thing. She wasn’t going to stop, not until either she or I was dead. She had let hatred and greed fill her heart.
As I stepped out of the tub and got dressed, it hit me that I would be okay. At the end of the day, I did what had to be done. Although that didn’t mean I had to like it or be proud of my actions. There was no right or wrong answer, there was just an answer—one.
There were murmurs in the den. All four of them having hushed conversations, and it was comforting. Every one of them had my back, so I was going to take Rage’s advice and get some sleep.
When I entered my bedroom, I didn’t even bother turning on the lights. It made no difference to my vision anyway. As I crawled into my bed, something crinkled on my pillow.
I don’t remember ever leaving anything there. I grabbed a piece of paper that was folded in half, opening it to see a clear, crisp font forming letters that I had to look over multiple times until it made sense.
Raven,
We’ve been watching you. Now we know you’re Elite material. Our mission is secret, but very important. The very essence of our beliefs centers around improving the vitality of our supernatural society. To do this, we need strong leaders who can make hard decisions. If you decide you’d like to be part of this mission, leave a response at the place you took Ashley’s life.
Do not tell anyone, or there will be severe consequences.
-The Elites
My breath caught, and my head seemed to spin. Was this some sort of test by Isadora? I wasn’t sure what to do. My eyes became heavy, and I tucked the note between the mattress and box spring. I didn’t have to make a decision right now. I just needed sleep.
The End
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About the Author
Jen L. Grey is a USA Today Bestselling Author who writes Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Fantasy genres.
Jen lives in Tennessee with her husband, two daughters, and three miniature Australian Shepherd. Before she began writing, she was an avid reader and enjoyed being involved in the indie community. Her love for books eventually led her to writing. For more information, please visit her website and sign up for her newsletter.
Check out my future projects at my website. www.jenlgrey.com
Also by Jen L. Grey
Bloodshed Academy Trilogy
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
The Artifact Reaper Series
Reaper: The Beginning
Reaper of Earth
Reaper of Wings
Reaper of Flames
Reaper of Water
Stand Alones
Death’s Angel
Rising Alpha
Stones of Amaria (Shared World)
Kingdom of Storms
Kingdom of Shadows
Kingdom of Ruins
Kingdom of Fire
The Pearson Prophecy
Dawning Ascent
Enlightened Ascent
Reigning Ascent