by C. R. Jane
School of Broken Wings
Academy of Souls Book 4
C.R. Jane
MIla Young
Contents
School of Broken Wings
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Sneak Peek
Copyright
Siren Condemned
Chapter 1
About C.R. Jane
Other Books by C.R. Jane
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School of Broken Wings
C. R. Jane & Mila Young
School of Broken Wings by C. R. Jane and Mila Young
Copyright © 2020 by C. R. Jane and Mila Young
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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To all our readers who have been on Adeline’s journey with us.
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School of Broken Wings
With brave wings she flies...
Adeline Jones always suspected Raven Academy was filled with monsters.
And now those monsters want her.
The Academy was meant to be a new start… instead it broke her.
Now, all that stands between her death and survival are the Raven boys.
They were her enemies.
They became her protectors.
And now, she’ll have to make the greatest sacrifice of all to save them...
Sometimes discovering the truth about your past means losing everything in the future.
Read the hugely anticipated conclusion to School of Broken Souls.
“You’re my ever after.
How long?
Only if there’s time.”
― K.M. Golland, Unspoken Words
Chapter 1
The waves crash against the pristine beach and I inhale the salty sea air. It's one of my favorite smells, reminding me of my favorite memories from childhood.
Right now...it reminds me of freedom.
A pair of arms encircle me, and I lean back, basking in the warmth of Finn's touch. I'm aware of the others around us...I'm always aware of them. Even Connor, who's standing nearby, watching me instead of the water, questions and emotions in his eyes that I'm not prepared to confront. I look away from him and turn my attention to the others. Alexander, Dante, Finn, Nyx...Braxton. They're all staring out at the waves with varied pensive looks.
I don't blame them for how worried they look.
I can scarcely believe all that's happened in the last twenty-four hours. With the exception of Connor, who I'm realizing I know very little about, the rest of these men were in perfect positions to someday take over their respective world.
The world of the vampires.
And because of me, the angel who I'm pretty sure they've all fallen in love with...they've lost everything.
It's a bitter pill to swallow.
I always thought that love was supposed to lift you up. It feels a little bit like my love only destroys.
I hope someday I can repay them for what they've given up for me.
A tingle of dread spreads across my body as I continue to watch them. They're all far more beautiful than the scenery in front of us. I get the feeling that I need to soak in this moment. Because there won't be many peaceful moments like this ahead of us. My heart squeezes in my chest as I feel the urgent wish to hide them away and keep them safe.
"What's in your head right now, pretty girl?" Finn whispers in my ear.
"Just wondering if it will always feel this way," I answer.
"Feel what way?"
"That we're standing on the precipice of something terrible," I admit honestly.
Finn's quiet for a moment as he ponders what I've said. "It's kind of lame. But my mother always used to have this saying for me," he says, turning his gaze to the horizon.
"What was it?"
He laughs softly to himself. "She would always say, ‘Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.’"
"Did you believe her?" I ask as I ponder his mother's words.
Again, Finn pauses before answering. "Yes. I did. And I still do."
"Okay," I respond, grabbing on to the conviction in Finn's voice and holding it close to me.
"What the fuck are we going to do now?" Dante says worriedly as he ambles up beside us. His usually perfect hair is in disarray, and there are dark shadows under his eyes.
Is he just exhausted...or does he need to feed? We hadn't talked very much about the fact that they are vampires, but now that we are on the run, I’m not sure what the logistics are of how they’re going to survive. Imagining them feeding off the souls of some helpless humans strolling along the boulevard makes my stomach churn.
But one problem at a time.
"We need to find a place to stay, regroup some while we plan out our next moves," says Braxton as he and the rest of the guys circle me. It’s a little intimidating to have all of their attention. Down girl, I tell my suddenly raging libido. Alexander's stare heats as it meets mine, and I know he can see right through me.
I quickly look away.
"How much time do we have before they come looking for us?" I ask Braxton.
He purses his lips. "It will take a while for them to find us. The council has never been big on technology, so they'll be relying on scouts more than they will anything else. So we'll have time. None of us have ties here but you, and it will be very hard for them to piece together a random vacation spot from years ago."
My thoughts immediately go to my family. "Do you think they'll go after my parents?" I ask desperately. The word "parents" reminds me of the fact that I didn't know who mine really were. I had compartmentalized my real thoughts about finding out I was adopted. That was another thing I was going to have to face before this was all over.
"How sure are you about that?" I push.
"Your parents wouldn't be worth their time," Alexander drawls. "This is the vampire council we're talking about. Humans are nothing to them but a food source that they prefer to keep alive."
I frown at his callous words, and he just shrugs. Whether I like it or not, he's right. My experience with the "non-scholarship" students at the school—aka the vampires—made it clear that humans as a whole were looked at as nothing but dirt under their feet, albeit delicious and necessary dirt.
"Okay," I sigh. I turn around and look at the hotels near the boardwalk. This is a poorer part of the beach strip, so most of the hotels are run down. Farther down, you can find the nice resorts. They all looked out on the same pristine white strips of sand though.
"Motel 6's are cheap," I say, pointing out one just a block down.
All of the guys with the exception of Connor look at me incredulously, even Finn. "What?" I ask, staring confusedly at the distaste present on all of their faces.
"Did you just say a Motel 6?" gasps Dante, before he puts a hand to my forehead like he’s checking me for a fever.
"I'm not sure that we have the luxury of choosing a nice place to stay when we're on the run, guys," I tell them, pointing out what I think is obvious.
"Angel, we're not staying in a motel," Alexander says haughtily. I have the insane urge to either slap him for his arrogance or kiss him. It's a daily problem I face.
"Okay, I know you said that the council wasn't good with technology, but I'm pretty sure that using a credit card is a no-no when you're on the run no matter what," I argue.
All of the guys were now smirking at me. I resist the urge to pout.
"Pretty sure all your men have plenty of cash to spare," Connor smirks. I swear, the other guys all growled at him, even though they were basically all insinuating the same thing.
"How did we end up with him again?" Nyx asks sarcastically as he shoots Connor a look loaded with hate.
"I saved your asses," Connor shoots back at him.
Nyx, Alexander, Dante, and Finn, surprisingly, all start to say something.
"Shut the hell up, all of you," interjects Braxton. He's met with frosty glares from all of them. I'm not sure how all of us are going to peacefully coexist together. The guys all hate Connor, and the feeling seems to be mutual.
"He's right, Adeline. Cash won't be a problem. We just need to find a place that will accept it,” explains Braxton, pulling out his phone and beginning to search for something. The guys all scatter away from each other while Braxton goes to work trying to find us a place. Finn returns to my side to give me a hotdog he's bought from a vendor on the boardwalk, and I practically rip it out of his hands as I realize just how starving I am.
The hotdog tastes like the best thing I've ever eaten, although I'm sure that's not the case. My heart clenches for a second as I think about walking the boardwalk with my parents whenever we would visit on vacation, and all the little shops and restaurants along it. Maybe someday when everything calms down, I'll be able to show the guys that.
A little voice inside of me tells me that I'm a fool. And I can’t help but agree with it.
"Do you want another one?" asks Finn with a laugh. He looks a little impressed at how fast I just put that hotdog away.
"Yes, please," I tell him gratefully, and he hurries over to get another one. The other guys are lined up to get some as well, and soon Finn is back holding out another one for me.
Braxton's phone rings just then, and I hold my breath, wondering if it’s someone from back at the Academy. Should we even be using cell phones? Can't they track us that way too? Maybe we should pick up burner phones. I start to catalog everything I've ever seen about being on the run and all the do's and don'ts of it.
Then I start wondering if I should dye my hair or buy a wig.
Looking at the guys, who are all standing around eating while seagulls stomp around at their feet, trying to get any loose crumbs, I'm amazed at how calm they all look. They don't seem to be wondering whether they need to dye their hair blue or not.
"Okay, we have an appointment in an hour to look at a rental forty-five minutes away, so we need to get a move on," Braxton tells us as he hangs up his phone.
"Who were you talking to?" I ask nervously.
Braxton comes up to me and pulls me into his arms, kissing my forehead. "Just the owner of the rental. The great thing about technology is almost everything in real estate can be done quickly now." He massages the top of my shoulders as I sink into him. "It's going to be alright, baby," he whispers in my ear. And I nod against his chest. "You need to relax before your wings pop out again. I don't think we could explain that to everyone on the beach right now."
Just him mentioning my wings makes the area on my back start to ache. I take a deep breath to try and calm down. I don't want my vamps to have to try and compel everyone in the vicinity to believe that they actually saw a huge bird and not a blonde girl sprouting wings.
We load up into the car, all the guys complaining again about being squished. I end up on Nyx's lap, and he groans a little as I shift into his lap, trying to get comfortable. "A little less moving, please, unless we want a large situation," he says uncomfortably.
"Large situation? Is that what we're calling it?" Alexander calls from the front. Nyx looks non-plussed by his comment.
There's a long silence after that as we all settle into our thoughts as Connor drives us down the coastline. I let myself imagine for a second another life, where I was just a girl who lived around here, who had somehow fallen in love with some local boys-—an outrageous proposition in itself—and that we were all on our way to our little cottage by the sea for a few weeks.
I let myself dream until we get to the rental house.
My mouth drops open as we pull through the gates. I was expecting a cottage, not the near mansion that lies in front of us. "Um. I know you said you had cash. But can we really afford this?" I ask as Nyx playfully taps on the bottom of my chin to close my mouth.
"We need a place to train," says Braxton, looking proud at the splendor in front of us. "This has a gym, basketball court, and private beach property out back to use. It's perfect for the work ahead of us."
Connor parks the car and we step outside. Immediately, a woman with a short brunette bob and scarlet lips, wearing a tight black pencil skirt and a low-cut blouse, steps out of the house. She's shooting a hungry look at all the men, and a low growl escapes me.
As soon as the growl comes out of my mouth, I quickly cover it in shock. Did I just growl at a stranger?
Connor is looking at me confusedly, but the rest of the guys are shooting me delighted looks. Like my growl is a combination of Christmas and their birthday all wrapped into one embarrassing animalistic sound.
I shoot them a confused and appalled look, but I can't exactly ask what just happened in front of the woman who I assume is the real estate agent. She marches right up to the guys, not sparing me a second glance. I watch as she plays with the top of her shirt, enhancing her ample cleavage. I look down at the oversized men's shirt I'm wearing over a pair of jeans. I look like a little child compared to her.
"Which one of you is Braxton?" she asks in a smooth, cultured voice.
Braxton clears his throat and extends his hand. "That would be me. You're Kelly, I assume? Thanks for meeting us on such short notice."
Kelly looks like she has died and gone to heaven. She takes his offered hand in both of hers, brings it close to her chest, and gives him a radiant smile full of flawless teeth.
I can't drag my eyes away from the contact. My mind is all of a sudden full of highly inappropriate things, like could I get away with killing her, and would it be impolite to rip off her hands?
“It’s my pleasure,” she gushes.
Kelly fina
lly seems to realize that she's held on to Braxton's hand for a socially awkward amount of time and finally relinquishes it when he tries to pull it away.
She shakes her head as if she was caught in a daze at the touch of Braxton's skin and only now just come awake.
"Shall we go inside?" she asks brightly, flashing that same smile to the group. It falters a bit when she finally notices me. I obviously can't see myself, but I can imagine that the look on my face is a bit murderous. She quickly looks away and begins to walk inside the house, obviously swiveling her hips outrageously in the hopes that the guys are staring.
"She's a bit friendly," I mutter to Dante as we follow her.
"Yes," Dante says casually. But the wink he gives me shows that he knows exactly how Kelly's friendliness is affecting me. He slides his arm around my waist and kisses the top of my head, beginning to hum a soft, happy tune, as if this is the best freaking day of his life.
I'm a little distracted from our flirty real estate agent when I walk into the house. You can see straight through several rooms to the back wall, that looks to be entirely made of floor to ceiling glass. I can see a large deck and the ocean beyond the deck.
