Dragon Fire Academy 3: Third Term

by Rachel Jonas

  “But … I did find them,” I interjected, backing up, but lacing my fingers with his as I limped toward the center of the room.

  My knees fell against the grate more clumsily than I meant to, so of course all four guys reached to catch me.

  “I’m okay,” I assured them, peering down into the dark pit I discovered by accident. I nodded toward two barely-visible silhouettes. “They’re down there.”

  “You’re sure?” Paulo asked, slipping his hand down to my elbow to help me stand.

  “Mostly. Although, they won’t answer me,” I added.

  Couldn’t blame them. There was no telling what they’d seen along the way.

  “I might be able to help with that,” Kai said before approaching the grate. And with three words, I understood his plan. “Malu is king,” he called out hopefully.

  Seconds passed and the silence was frustrating. Not to mention, Ori had likely only bought us a sliver of time to get these two and get out before that thing returned.

  “Is … that really you?” a small, brave voice finally answered. This had been their code word, used the day I met Malu during the chaos at the orphanage so many months ago.

  The sigh of relief Kai let out brought tears to my eyes. “It’s really me,” he assured the little one. “You can come out now.”

  There was another moment of hesitation, but then came the sound of small hands and feet working their way up a ladder. Finally, the grate swung open and a tiny pair of arms flew around my waist—Sydney.

  Malu rushed Kai so quickly, he nearly knocked him over, but Kai definitely didn’t mind.

  “Okay, we have to move,” Ori said sternly, likely just as aware as I was that our window of time to escape was closing in on us.

  “The main door is sealed shut. How’d you guys get in?” I asked, feeling my strength beginning to return now that we were gathered here as a unit. My abilities hadn’t come back, but I felt a difference just by having them close.

  “A wall on the south side was destroyed. We got in easy.”

  I peered up at Rayen when he answered.

  “I can’t fly or do much else for that matter. As soon as I crossed over, everything got stripped away.”

  Seeing as how that hadn’t been the case for them, I guessed the difference was the role Spirit played in their being called.

  “Kai and Paulo can carry the kids, and I’ll carry you,” Rayen offered, already stooping to slip an arm beneath my knees. Only, he paused, and it had everything to do with the hand that braced his shoulder.

  “No … I’ve got her.”

  I glanced up at the sound of Ori’s voice, and Rayen backed off. My alpha’s gaze stayed locked on mine as he swept me off the ground to hold firm against his chest. His heavy steps led the way and the others followed. There was no tiptoeing or sneaking around like I’d done to make it here. These four weren’t afraid. They were almost arrogant with the racket they made as we closed in on our exit—kicking aside whatever lie in their way.

  A gentle gaze fell on me and I felt Ori bone-deep, every emotion he’d held back from me for weeks. He was soft toward me again, and the relief that came with knowing we weren’t a lost cause had me melting deeper into him.

  “Ready?” The question came as he stood on the edge of the half-crumbled wall, looming over the several floors between us and the yard.

  In unison, the flames of all four brightened and broad wings exploded from their backs.

  Of course I was ready, because I was back with my hive.

  All of them.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Noelle

  Healing was a slow process, even with my powers coming back.

  It’d been nearly three hours since crossing back over to the southern hemisphere, and they weren’t anywhere near being at full capacity. So, for the time being, I had to deal with the tender bruises and shallow gashes left behind.

  I’d only gotten as far as washing my face and hair before giving up. I leaned against the tile, letting water—as hot as I could stand it—rinse remnants of the long, terrifying day down the drain. The kids were settled and out of danger. Taking them to Maureen was the best option, based on Kai’s trust in her alone. Despite being Chief Makana’s sister, there was no mistaking that her heart was pure. And with her deep connection to Spirit, their safety wasn’t even a concern.

  It still didn’t seem real that we made it out of there alive. Still didn’t seem real that a place like that existed so close to paradise, but it did. Hell was real.

  I’d been there.

  A light knock at the door warranted an answer, but I was too weak to give one. Whoever waited on the other side of the threshold must have known as much, because after a few seconds, the knob turned, and I was no longer alone.

  With a soft click, the door latched again, and next came the sound of heavy, bare feet coming closer to the shower. I didn’t flinch when the curtain pulled back, nor when the lathered loofah I clutched was taken from my hand. Gently working the sponge in circles, my back was cleaned. Then, my arms and legs before I was turned to face him—Ori.

  I’d known it was him by his scent, and his very presence excited my dragon the most out of my three supernatural identities.

  The sponge continued its delicate journey across my neck and chest, down my torso as he held a hand against my ribs to steady me. And then, when he was done with the process of meticulously lathering and rinsing every inch of me, the faucet went silent. Encircling me in the warmth of a thick towel, I was lifted from the shower. My arms naturally settled around his neck, and without saying a single word, I felt his love so strongly.

  There was no question of where to take me. He already knew I’d made myself at home in his room during his absence. It was so strange being handled so delicately by such a brute of a guy, but he’d never been any other way with me.

  My weight sunk into his mattress when he placed me there, seated upright with my legs dangling off the edge. His gaze lingered on me and I breathed deeply, feeling so many things, I didn’t even know where to begin with him.

  “Do you want to be alone?”

  I shook my head, not needing to even think about my answer. “No,” I breathed. “That’s the last thing I want, actually.”

  A small, quickly fading laugh slipped out and I lowered my gaze. Every time I closed my eyes, it was like I was back in that terrible place all over again. More than anything, I needed to erase the stain it left on me, the negative energy that had embedded itself deep in my bones.

  Ori came to stand before me, placing his hand on my chin to bring my eyes higher, meeting his stare.

  “What do you need? What can we do?” he asked caringly.

  It hadn’t hit me until now how heavy this all still weighed on my shoulders. Not until a tear slipped down my cheek, and another followed to collect in his palm.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted with a shrug. “It just feels like, every time I’m near the Darkness, a little more of it stays with me. No matter how much I hate it, no matter how much I just want to be normal, it’s a part of me,” I admitted. ‘I just … I just want to forget. Even if only for a little while.”

  I finally understood why I didn’t feel like I’d fully shaken it off when returning to the bungalow.

  It was because I hadn’t.

  Couldn’t.

  Ori stood in silence for a moment, and I looked away. Eventually, he left the spot where he’d been posted to move toward the door.

  “Give me a second,” was all he said before leaving.

  I was alone with my fears, my sadness, my hopelessness.

  The power granted to him and the others by Spirit had momentarily caused the dark entity to flee, but we all knew it would only come back. Probably angrier, more determined to have me. I couldn’t live with that, knowing I belonged to that thing.

  A faint creak in the hallway came before the door pushed open lightly, but when I looked up, I wasn’t only met by Ori’s stare. He’d brought them all
.

  Confused, I watched as four formidable bodies passed through the doorframe, the height of each one making it necessary to duck his head as he entered the room. Still, none said a word.

  I clutched both arms across my towel and waited for a clue as to why they were here. However, as quickly as I wondered, I got the answer to my unspoken question. It didn’t come by way of words. Instead, I began to understand when t-shirts lifted to reveal tight abs marked with symbols in ink. That understanding deepened when jeans came unzipped and dropped to the floor. Then, there was nothing left to wonder when my own towel was gently undone where I held it secure against my chest.

  As the fabric fell away to expose me, and my shoulders were lightly coaxed back against the mattress, their hungry stares said it all.

  I’d made it known I was desperate to have the memory of my torment and fear taken away. So, together … my mates would see to it that I got my wish.

  All my wishes, actually.

  Chapter Twenty

  Noelle

  My calf shifted over the smooth torso of my alpha where he’d fallen asleep at the foot of the bed, and then my arm over Paulo’s rock-hard thigh. Kai’s warm curtain of hair hung over my shoulder as I rested on his chest, and Rayen’s huge hand covered nearly my entire midsection.

  It was a good night.

  Like, a really, really good night.

  Warm light seeped through the wooden slats of Ori’s blinds, casting a patterned shadow over our skin, his sheets. I stirred a bit, and Paulo—ever alert and poised to protect—awoke from his sleep, lifting his head.

  Dazed, he stared at me a moment, until realizing nothing had been wrong, other than having a clumsy mate who couldn’t seem to do anything subtly.

  At ease and smiling at my whispered, “Oops,” he let his head settle back against his forearm. My palm warmed when his free hand reached to grab it from where it had been resting against his thigh.

  A smile graced my lips. Partly because of his quick reaction, but also having something to do with the very obvious morning wood he was sporting beneath the sheet. My gaze flitted up to meet his, and I guessed I’d been caught, judging by the smirk he now wore.

  And when it came to Paulo, a smirk was never of the sweet, innocent variety.

  He glanced toward the others casually, making sure they were each still asleep. Then, instead of greeting me with a traditional ‘good morning’ like anyone else would have, he eased my hand beneath the sheet, all but begging to be touched.

  Of course, I didn’t object.

  His eyes fell closed when he relaxed again, and I had high hopes the others would awaken and do their part in recreating the scene from the night before. One where their attention, their hands, and anything else I asked for … were all on me.

  A quiet, mannish groan passed from Paulo’s lips and every ounce of my focus was on him. The way his teeth sank into his bottom lip, the way his chest rose and fell more rapidly as he got into it, the way those muscles in his thighs flexed and released in rhythm.

  That intense focus was probably the reason we’d been so in-the-zone and missed whatever signs would have served as a warning to the shock we were all in for.

  The knob turned and Paulo’s head whipped toward the door just as mine did. With the jarring sound, the three who’d been asleep seconds before were now wide awake, as a body burst into the room. My heart bottomed out with the realization that our early-morning visitor was, literally, the last person in the world I expected to see. Meanwhile, it was super obvious what I was doing underneath that sheet, and super obvious the five of us had a wild night and were more than comfortable with each other.

  It was the perfectly wrong scene for a girl to get caught smackdab in the middle of … by her freakin’ father.

  “What the…? Dad!”

  With that one, damning word—“Dad”—Paulo cursed softly and then grabbed a pillow to cover himself with, before hopping out of bed. As if that would make him look any less guilty. The others quickly followed suit, reaching for whatever shirts and pants were closest, whether they belonged to them or not.

  I thought I’d seen hell the night before, but that had been nothing compared to the look my father sliced my way as all the pieces fell into place. Shocked by what he walked in on, he froze for a moment, but then snapped out of it just as quickly. The next instant, the door slammed shut behind him when he fled.

  Of all the days for him to pop up, it had to be today.

  Mortified, I climbed out of bed and the short walk to Ori’s dresser where I kept my clothes was my own version of the-walk-of-shame. I slipped into underclothes and a tee, then stood motionless again as reality sank in.

  “This is bad,” I said mostly to myself, pausing to push a shaky hand through my hair. “So, so bad.”

  I couldn’t even wrap my head around him being here, let alone what he’d seen. Before this, I was pretty sure he thought his little girl hadn’t been touched. While that notion had gone out the window around age eighteen, it was still nice to let him believe I was innocent.

  After this, though? No such luck.

  “We’ll go out there and smooth things over if it’ll—”

  “Are you insane?” My head whipped toward Kai unnaturally fast. “He’ll eat you alive,” I said shrilly, reminding myself of one of those overly dramatic actresses from low-budget movies.

  I was sure that warning sounded like a euphemism, but I meant it quite literally. Rayen settled both his hands on my shoulders when he came to stand before me, wearing nothing but a pair of unzipped shorts that hung low on his hips. I unwittingly glanced down at his happy-trail before refocusing.

  Not being able to resist them was what got me into this mess in the first place.

  “Once we explain things to him, it’ll take some time,” he said, “but I’m sure he’s a reasonable guy. Eventually, he’ll get it.”

  I could only shake my head. Knowing my dad had seen me and Paulo with his own two eyes had me lowering my gaze again. I’d been caught red-handed. No pun intended.

  “Kill me dead,” I begged in the whiniest voice ever, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a ball and pretend this was all a nightmare. “I mean, what is he even doing here?”

  None said a word, but I hadn’t really expected an answer anyway.

  “This is so bad,” I repeated.

  “It has to be you,” Ori chimed in as the voice of reason. He took over where Rayen had once stood facing me. “Your dad will need to hear it from you that this … arrangement is what you want, that it’s what you’re comfortable with,” he said calmly. “He needs to know that being part of this hive is your fate as well as all of ours.”

  As much as I hated that this was all on me, Ori was right.

  The guys fell back a bit, clearly reluctant to let me take this on by myself, but they didn’t object.

  “We’ll wait in here until you call for us,” were Ori’s last words of reassurance.

  I nodded and took a deep breath before slipping into a pair of shorts. Then, the second half of my walk-of-shame commenced.

  Taking slow steps down the hallway felt strange because, this was my dad. I hadn’t seen him for the better part of the year and now, here he was. I wanted to run to him, squeeze him until he made me let go, but that was something his innocent little girl could get away with.

  There was no telling how he looked at me now.

  Just before stepping into the living room entry way, I paused and breathed deep, knowing he already heard and sensed me nearby. There was no use stalling, so I decided to just press forward to get this over with. Fast, like ripping off a band-aid.

  “Dad, listen—”

  “This isn’t why I let you come here,” he practically growled, unable to look me in my eyes—a fact that made me feel dirty. “You were supposed to focus on school so you could join the Guard. You’ve even got Lea wanting to follow in your footsteps, because she looks up to you, and …” His voice boomed for a moment, trailing off
when he managed to bridle the festering anger. “I don’t even have words for what I’m thinking right now.”

  My plan had always been to ease him into the idea of me being with the Omegas. Not to shove it right in his face, which was exactly what I’d just done.

  It wasn’t lost on me that this subject would be a sensitive one to tackle, but being on the other side last night changed me. After coming face-to-face with pure evil, being made aware of life’s fragility, the last thing I wanted to do was make excuses as to why I loved the men I loved.

  When I dropped down onto the couch beside my father, he still didn’t meet my gaze, but I took his hand and he didn’t pull away.

  “At the risk of sounding cliché,” I began, “that wasn’t what it looked like.”

  “Noelle, just … save it.” He winced a bit, already shaking his head before I even finished.

  “I’m only trying to explain,” I stressed.

  If the bulging vein in the middle of his forehead was any indication, this already wasn’t going well.

  His eyes flitted in the direction of Ori’s bedroom—the scene of the crime.

  “I’m exactly two seconds from going back in there, doing some serious bodily harm,” he threatened. And my dad’s threats were never empty.

  Never.

  “I love them,” I blurted, knowing how clumsy my timing was, but I had to get that part out into the open. At least before he could act on the rage that now also had the veins in his arms and neck glowing orange.

  “And I should add to this confession that I love them because they’re good men, honorable men, and they’ve done nothing but look out for me since I arrived here.”

  That wasn’t a lie. Even when they hated me, they kept watch over me. Only for a very different reason than they did now.

  Dark hair moved over my father’s shoulders when he shook his head, still holding my hand in his giant one. His ink stood out to me, and it reminded me of his and Mom’s story. I’d asked him to tell it to me more times than I could count over the years, and never got tired of it. Because a connection like theirs was so rare, so deep. Maybe if he understood that I’d somehow managed to find the same thing with the Omegas he’d ease up a bit.