Academy of Beasts XXXIII

by Becca Fanning

  He'd broken my fall. I gasped. "Radolf, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

  "I'm doing way better than you it would seem." He still peered at me with concern. "What happened to you up there?"

  "I…" I couldn't tell him I had visions. He knew I was a calm. Everyone did. However, only the few in my circle knew the extent of my powers, and I wanted to keep it that way.

  "We have to move. It's dark but we don't want anyone to see us sneaking around."

  I rolled off of him and staggered to my feet. Even in my weakened state, I offered a hand to help him up. Radolf chuckled. "Thanks but you can't even hold yourself up." He sprang to his feet and circled my waist again. I was still suspicious about why he'd broken into Whitney's and Clair's room, but the guy had just saved me from breaking my face. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt for the moment. Leaning against him, I allowed him to lead me to a dark corner. A snarl made me jump. Without letting me go, Radolf spun around with his own lethal hiss.

  "Get your hands off of her."

  "Back off."

  Enrique and Radolf growled in unison.

  "You guys stop. Radolf, relax, it's Enrique."

  I felt the tension seep out of him. He'd been ready to defend me. Us. Maybe he wasn't up to anything nefarious. I hoped.

  Enrique rushed forward and practically snatched me from Radolf's side. "What did you do to her?" I sagged into him and he grasped my chin to study me. One hand moved over my body, checking for injuries. "Are you alright? Talk to me, princess."

  "Princess?" Radolf watched us with a frown. Are you two… I thought." He shook his head. "I saw you holding hands with Ren this morning…"

  Stifling a groan, I weakly batted Enrique's roaming hand away. "I'm fine. I just… exerted too much energy. You know…"

  Understanding lit his eyes. "Oh, so Radolf didn't…"

  "He just saved my ass."

  Enrique turned uncharacteristically cold eyes on Radolf. "Guess, I won't be kicking your ass after all, wolf."

  Radolf's responding snarl made me sigh. "Guys. Not now. Please."

  "I'm getting you back to the manor. Princess. You look terrible."

  Enrique swung me into his arms without warning, and Radolf lifted a brow. I didn't even want to know what was going through his mind about my relationship with my fellow council members. He said he'd seen me holding hands with Ren, and now Enrique was pretty much behaving as if I belonged to him.

  "Thank you, Radolf," I murmured as Enrique whisked me away. I had so many questions, but I'd wait to confront him. Alone.

  Enrique stopped a few seconds later and turned to Radolf. "Yeah, thanks," he said grudgingly.

  I saw Radolf's curt nod before Enrique waltzed off. With a sigh, I rested my head on his shoulder. I didn't care who saw him carrying me. My pride had evaporated right along with my strength.

  Chapter 9

  Stretching, I opened my eyes, feeling refreshed. There was nothing like a cat nap after draining one's strength by tapping into emotions, visions, and the like. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes. "I feel almost human again."

  "That's good."

  I yelped at the sound of Jasper's voice. Our eyes met, and he smiled. "Welcome back." He sat in an armchair across from the couch I'd just snoozed on. In his hand was an extension of his arm― a book. He always held a book.

  I chuckled. "You too. How did the search for the couple's killer go?"

  He lifted a brow. "Is that the title we're going with?" I shrugged, and his eyes twinkled with laughter before he went somber. With a sigh, he shook his head. "Nothing."

  "Yet," I added. "We'll find something soon." I suspected that I'd found something, but I had to put it to the guys to get their opinions. Conveniently, when I swept the room, they were all present. Dracus stood by the fireplace, seemingly deep in thought. Ren and Theo sat side by side. Theo grinned when our eyes met, and I couldn't help returning a smile. Ren's expression was unreadable. Typical. However, his eyes were like blue flames when he looked at me.

  "Were you all watching me sleep? Because that's weird."

  Theo chuckled. "You're just so cute. We couldn't help it."

  Smoothing my hair, I sighed. "I'm starv―"

  "Not to worry, Princess. I've got you covered." Enrique strolled in, carrying a tray with a sandwich and a glass of milk. My heart melted as I gave him an appreciative smile. My guys were the best.

  "How did you know, I'd need something to eat?"

  "Heard your stomach rumbling while you slept."

  "Gods," I groaned. How embarrassing. My cheeks flamed, and he snickered.

  "Don't be embarrassed. I can only imagine the energy you use up when you do your… mind thing."

  "Mind thing?" Dracus finely tuned into our conversation with raised brows. Enrique shrugged and placed the tray on my lap. "How are you feeling, Fiona?"

  "Let me get a few bites of this sandwich and I guarantee I'll feel much better." I stared at the sandwich hungrily. None of them hadn't the slightest idea how I felt after a vision trip like the one I had earlier. Drained. Famished. Empty. I desperately needed to refuel. Not waiting for Dracus's response, I took a huge bite of the sandwich and sighed.

  Everyone was quiet as I ate and reflected on what happened in Whitney's dorm room. That hadn't happened to me before― latching on to a vision… or memory… whatever it was. No matter how much I tried to let it go, I couldn't. I shifted uneasily in my seat. My discomfort had nothing to do with the silence. I felt comfortable with the guys lounging while I devoured my sandwich. They seemed comfortable, too. Jasper had even hooked one ankle over a knee and was back to reading.

  Such a nerd, I thought affectionately.

  No, the uneasiness was coming from deep within. From my subconscious. I was realizing that no one at the academy could help me with my powers. Not even Dracus, who'd had a good handle on helping me with my abilities so far. I needed outside help. Someone out there in the shifter world had to know more about calms.

  My anxiety to know more about my kind and how to operate as a calm was increasing. Discovering new abilities all the time was making me feel uncomfortable around everyone. What if I lost control? Again. What happened tonight was dangerous. If Radolf hadn't been in Whitney's and Clair's room, I would have either been caught snooping around their private domain, or I would have fallen from that ledge and broken a few bones.

  I need to get a handle on… myself.

  My heavy sigh alerted the guys. All eyes shifted to me. "What's wrong?" Ren asked.

  "Nothing. Just thinking." I glanced down at my half-eaten sandwich. It wasn't a lie. I was thinking… very deeply. I didn't want any of them to know about what, however. "Any luck in the Dante department?"

  "No," Ren answered darkly.

  Sighing, I lifted my glass of milk and took huge gulps. With something in my stomach, I felt like I could function again. "Not to worry, the night wasn't a total loss. At least, I don't think so. I might have something on Whitney's disappearance." Remembering the note I'd stuck into my pocket, I said with more certainty. "I do have something."

  Fishing the note from my pocket, I held it up. Puzzled expressions surrounded me, and I smiled. "It's a note written by Whitney."

  Dracus moved closer and perched on the arm of a sofa.

  "Let me start from the beginning. After Enrique got Clair out of the room," I turned to him to glare, "with too much flirting might I add."

  "It was your idea," he defended.

  "I never said anything about using endearments. Sweetness? Really?"

  Enrique sighed. "Okay, yeah, maybe I did lay it on pretty thick. But it worked." He smirked. "Now forgive me, Princess, and tell us what you discovered."

  Shooting him another dirty look, I jumped back on topic. "Anyway, as I searched the room, I was able to see what took place in the past."

  "And?" Dracus leaned forward.

  "I saw Whitney gushing about some guy she met outside the academy walls. Levy, a dragon shifter."

  "Whitney is
a bear shifter," Theo announced. "I gave her a tour when she just arrived."

  "Yeah. She and this mystery dragon shifter have been hot and heavy. She said she was in love." I held up the note. "She's been sneaking off campus to see him. The evening she disappeared, she went to see him. Clair didn't see the note and reported her roommate missing."

  "So, she's probably just outside the walls, frolicking in the forest with this guy?" Jasper asked.

  "That's what I initially thought. Now, I think she's in real danger."

  "Based on what you saw in your vision?" Dracus's gaze was fixed on my face.

  I nodded. "I'm not sure how to explain it but it's almost like I latched on to Whitney when I first saw her talking about Levy."

  "What does that mean?" Theo's brows drew together.

  My shoulders lifted. "I'm not entirely sure how we became connected. But a few moments later, I was pulled back into a vision. I didn't see Whitney but I'm almost sure I was seeing what she was seeing." I sighed and shoved my fingers through my hair. "And feeling what she was feeling."

  Enrique, wearing the same bemused expression as the others, asked, "What exactly did you see?"

  "The images were moving so fast but I glimpsed trees, dirt, dragon winger s…"

  "Her boyfriend perhaps?"

  I glanced at Jasper with uncertainty. "I can't say it was him for sure. But she was scared, you guys." I shivered, remembering the emotions the missing student had projected. "Terrified." Gulping, I added, "I also saw a blade coming towards me… but I guess since I was seeing what Whitney was seeing, the blade was moving towards her."

  Jasper was the one to do the addition and come to the same conclusion that I had. "Holy hell, do you think the killer we've been hunting all this time attacked Whitney?"

  I didn't want it to be the case, but… "That's what I fear."

  "Then that would mean she's dead." Ren's declaration sent another shiver down my spine. Maybe it was the way he said it. Cooly and with certainty.

  "Don't say that," I hissed, "we don't know that for sure."

  He sighed. "We've seen how vicious the mysterious killer is. We've seen the bodies. The blood, the anger, the hatred. I hate to say it, Fiona, but if what you suspect is true, that the same killer we've been hunting got his hands on Whitney…" Ren's eyes didn't waver from mine. "Then she's dead."

  "She's eighteen," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. So young. She'd just started college. Just found love.

  "Wait a minute," Theo held up a finger, "we can't rule out the possibility that her boyfriend did something to her out there in the woods."

  "We're not." Dracus stood and jumped into full leader mode. "Anything could have happened to her."

  "What do we do now?" I gazed at him.

  "Nothing. Now I tell Dean Sahni what we discovered."

  "Nothing?" Theo and I chorused. We were both horrified. I knew he was just as worried about the girl we didn't even know too. Theo and I weren't as jaded as the others.

  Dracus lifted a brow. "Look, I hate the idea of a student― of anyone― being hurt or killed, but the dean only asked us to sniff around to see what we could find. We've done that."

  "But―"

  Dracus cut me off. "But, if Dean Sahni wants to commission the core council to look further into Whitney's disappearance after I give her my report," he shrugged, "then we're on the case." Lifting a hand to massage the bridge of his nose, he let out a long, heavy sigh. "And we'll have even more responsibilities added to our list."

  Nibbling my lower lip, I considered the weight of more things that the core council had to deal with. A group of students. Just the six of us. It was madness, and having the burden sucked. However, we were helping people. Plus, we knew what the council was about, and we all chose to remain a part of it.

  Enrique surprised me by verbalizing my sentiment. "It's what we signed up for," he shrugged, "bring on the extra responsibility. I say we should keep going until we find out what happened to Whitey. She's our fellow student. One of us."

  I beamed at him. I did not expect those words from the devil-may-care bad boy that Enrique was. I'd never been prouder of him.

  Dracus nodded his agreement, as did the others. "Still," he said, "we have to hear what Sahni has to say."

  My bet was on the dean giving us the go-ahead to continue looking into Whitney's disappearance. Sure, she'd have to report a missing student to the parents and the authorities, but she'd have us digging on the down-low. I just knew it. Dean Sahni wasn't afraid to break a minor rule or two for the greater good.

  Chapter 10

  "I knew this was going to happen," I murmured.

  Dracus stopped walking and turned around. "What?"

  "That Dean Sahni was going to have us looking for Whitney in secret." Two nights ago, the dean had showed up at the manor. She'd gone ahead with the usual protocol― informed Whitney's parents that she was missing from the academy and then brought in the appropriate authorities. There were cops sniffing around the campus even now, which made our snooping around more difficult. It was that much harder for Dracus and I to get beyond the wall to search the woods. But Sahni had handed us the case under the table. She wanted as much help as she could get.

  "I had a feeling she would too. We tend to be able to push the limits more than the authorities can."

  "Because no one knows what we're doing?"

  "Precisely."

  I squinted up at Dracus's profile in the dark. As always, I was at a disadvantage. He could see perfectly in the dark while I had to feel around. Literally, I was relying on my calm power to pick up on any sign of Whitney. So far, I felt nothing.

  "Dracus?" He looked my way again but kept walking. We moved deeper into the woods. "I'm surprised you partnered with me."

  "Why would you be surprised?"

  "Because you've been avoiding me for the most part." And I was tired of it. I missed him.

  "I haven't been―"

  "Don't bother denying it." I sighed. "You don't even show up for my morning training anymore."

  "That's not true. I was there yesterday."

  "For two minutes to ask the others about my progress."

  His mouth snapped shut, and he turned to glare into the darkness. "I hear you've been doing great, so I'm not needed."

  "Yes, you are. You got me to this point, Dracus. Not a professor or the dean or the witches. You." Dracus helped me transform into someone physically and mentally stronger. I could physically battle with shifters twice my size. I'd held my own against Radolf the other night. I pouted. "You're like my very own Mr. Miyagi, and you just quit. Left me high and dry."

  Coming to a stop, he hung his head and groaned. "First of all, I didn't abandon you. We live in the same house and you're free to come to me with any questions, anytime. Second, who is this Mr. Miyagi person? A friend of yours from the human world?"

  A beat of silence passed, and I snorted. When he blinked innocently, I lost it. I had to slap a hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter. There he was—my unintentionally funny, ever clueless about all things human Dracus. "No, he's not a friend… It's a character from…"

  His brows drew together in confusion, and I snickered. "Never mind. The point is, you were in charge of my training― you put yourself in charge because you're a control freak."

  He scowled but didn't deny it.

  "And it was working for me. Then you just quit because we had a little spat."

  "A little spat?" He snarled. "You… you…"

  "Just say it, Dracus. Get it off your chest. I betrayed you and you can't forgive me."

  His eyes swirled with fury, and his nostrils flared. If only he'd just say it. Throw everything on the table so we could deal with them and move on. His stone-cold mask would have been intimidating once upon a time. Living with him and receiving the look for an entire year, I was accustomed to it. I developed a tolerance for all of my guys' menacing moods and masks. They didn't faze me one bit.

  "Now is hardly an a
ppropriate time to discuss personal matters. We're on duty."

  I glowered at him as hard as he glared at me. "Fair enough. So, if I come to you later, when we're off duty, will you talk?"

  "I would have if we had anything to talk about."

  I scoffed. Unbelievable. "We have plenty to talk about. You know, like the state of our relationship―"

  "I said we should take a break."

  "I take that to mean you want to break up."

  "Take it to mean whatever you like."

  His hurtful words were like a punch in the gut. I almost staggered with the force of it. Jaw slackening, I gazed up at him, wondering if he realized that he pretty much just broke up with me.

  "Don't be surprised about us partnering up on missions," he continued. "We're teammates, it's bound to happen. We're both mature enough to continue working together, aren't we?"

  Mouth snapping shut, I nodded yes. I couldn't say no, could I? Taking my pain and disappointment, I shoved them down. "Sure."

  With a nod, he turned and strolled off, forcing me to follow. "Dracus."

  His shoulders tensed. "Yes?"

  "I just want to tell you that I ran into Radolf the other night in Whitney's dorm room. He was there to search just as I was."

  Tension seeping from his shoulders. He turned to me. "Radolf?"

  "Yeah. I should have told you the same night it happened. I'm sorry, I waited so long to mention it. It won't happen again."

  "It's okay."

  I thought I saw his expression soften and a sliver of affection glisten in his eyes. But it was dark. I could be seeing something that wasn't there.

  "Why would he be… investigating?"

  "I don't know." This time, I was the one to walk off. It was difficult to maintain my composure and keep up professionalism when my boyfriend callously broke off our relationship moments ago.

  Hours after a very awkward patrol with Dracus, I was still awake. I'd sat in my room, staring into space, replaying what Dracus said in my mind.