A knock came at my door. “Caprice, may I come in?” It was Isabella.
“Yeah.” I set the phone down.
She entered, giving me a sympathetic look as she sat down next to me. “Oh, my poor girl. I know this is a lot for you to understand. I wanted to move forward slowly with this, but now everything’s changed.”
“I don’t understand anything. Who are you people? Why am I stuck here?”
Isabella glanced down with a sigh. “I’m one of the seven ruling council members. My family has had a seat on the Supernatural Council for generations—first the European Council and then the one here. We decide on everything in the community. And, we keep the Truce with the Tromara. This is very important to us, because without the it those vile beasts would destroy us all.” She touched my cheek. “I don’t want to lose you, like I did your father.”
“They killed my father?”
“Yes.” She let her hand drop. “Every other generation or so, the supernaturals rise up against the Tromara. It always ends in tragedy for us.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause problems. I…didn’t know.” I frowned. “Jaxon attacked that thing. He shouldn’t have done that, right?”
“That’s right. His actions could have broken the Truce. But, they are willing to forgive him. The Tromara want you instead. Of course, I won’t let them have you.” She finished quickly.
I licked my dry lips. “Why do they want me?”
“Supernaturals can sense and smell the power in others. My guess is that vampire Tromara sensed the magic in you.” Isabella grimaced.
“There’s no way you can fight that thing. How will you stop them from taking me?” I stood up, pacing the room. “Maybe I should leave. I can go home. That should put plenty of distance—”
“You can’t run from them. They’ll hunt you down. There is a clause in the Truce that states that a young supernatural has the right to attend the Academy before being taken. And can only be taken, if they fail the Academy.”
“What Academy?”
“A school for supernaturals. The only one in the United States.” Isabella frowned. “I was hoping they wouldn’t know about you, and that I could send you to Europe. It’s…too late for that now.”
“So the Tromara aren’t in Europe?”
“No. Only here. And that clause in the Truce is the best we can hope for.”
“Why would they agree to a loophole like that?”
Isabella stood. “Because it keeps the balance.”
I lifted a brow. She didn’t elaborate.
“I will know more tonight. Now come down and have some breakfast.”
So many questions bubbled up in me as we walked down the stairs. “Are you all immortal?”
“No. But we do live longer than humans.” Isabella poured us each a bowl of cereal, adding fresh berries. “Once we reach the age of twenty-one, the supernatural aging sets in, slowing down the process. I’m almost a hundred and fifty years old.”
My eyes widened. “For real?”
“For real.” Isabella set the bowl in front of me at the table. “The Tromara, however, are immortal. Besides cannibalism, it’s what sets us apart.”
I nodded while chewing on crunchy corn flakes, giving my brain a chance to adjust to all this…freaky shit.
Late that night, Isabella returned. I was waiting for her in the living room, trying to read my book. But my mind kept drifting to everything that had happened in the past few days.
When she walked in, I slapped the book shut and set it on the table. “Well?” I asked. My fate was about to be revealed. I was feeling kind of impatient—anxious. Terrified.
“They’ve agreed.” She let her long silver hair out of its clip.
“Why don’t you seem happy about that? I’m safe now, right?”
“I won’t lie to you, Caprice. The Academy is designed so that a certain number of students will fail every year.”
I recoiled. “What kind of school does that?”
“One set up to keep the Truce alive and well.” Her lips turned down. The lines in her face seemed deeper than usual. “I’m tired. Try to get some sleep. We’ll worry about school when September gets here.”
September was only a few weeks away.
That Sunday, I called Antonio, then Elena. He took the news that I was going to live with my grandma and attend school in Oregon as if it wasn’t that big of a surprise. I told him Isabella was going to adopt me too. Which he was genuinely happy to hear. Vanessa would make arrangements to ship the rest of my belongings out here. They wanted me to visit next summer, and in the meantime keep in touch.
Elena took the news as I’d expected.
“You’re ditching me? After everything?” Elena’s voice was higher pitched than usual. “We made plans, Caprice. We’re supposed to go to college together, remember?”
“I know. But that was before I found out I had family. I want to stay close to her and get to know her.”
“I can’t believe you’re ditching me! Can’t you just go visit her on holidays?”
“No. I can’t. She’s my grandma. I don’t know how long she’ll live. And she’s the only family I’ve got.”
“I get that. I do. It’s just…we had plans. We had plans for our lives.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Elena.” I was so tempted to tell her why I had to stay. That there were freaking supernatural bad guys who wanted to eat me, and this school was my only chance to live. But I couldn’t tell her. Partly because I was afraid. Partly because I didn’t want her to get involved with any of this, and the less she knew the better.
When we hung up, I felt awful—hollow. I’d had to start over several times growing up, but these people I trusted and loved. Yet, here I was, starting over again.
For the rest of August, I didn’t see Jaxon, although I knew he was next door. Some days I was tempted to walk over there and talk to him. But I’d almost gotten his family and friends in trouble with those cannibals. He probably hated me for that. I couldn’t blame him.
Isabella let me change some things in my room to make it fully mine. I hung my favorite band posters on the walls, installed some mood lighting, and added some color to the space with new rugs and pillows. I’d live here in the summer. The rest of the year I’d be at the Academy.
A few times I’d gone into Isabella’s library searching for the book that opened the secret room. I’d tried all the dictionaries, but none of them opened the door in the wall. Defeated, I gave up.
The warm August days turned cooler as soon as September arrived. Three days before school started, Isabella drove us into Portland to find a witchy supplies store. Her favorite was in the southeast area.
I slammed the car door shut, studying the single story witch shop in the busy shopping district. “Are we really going to find what we need here?” I asked Isabella. I still hadn’t accepted that I was a witch, not really. Maybe this school would awaken my magic.
“Everything except a couple of school books and your wand. You’ll get those on campus.” She opened the door and a bell chimed. “We do use normal things like herbs, crystals, candles, and such.”
“Good to know,” I murmured, following her in.
The shop was long and narrow. At the front were displays of crystals, magical sprays, and other supplies. The back half held rows of book shelves.
“Welcome in,” called the twenty-something hipster from behind the sales desk.
I sidled up to Isabella. “What are we looking for exactly?”
“Herbs mostly. You’ll need them for potions.”
Potions. Right. This all still sounded completely crazy.
Against one wall were a hundred glass jars filled with dried herbs. Isabella went to work measuring and bagging about twenty of them, as I wandered the rest of the shop.
A circular table with little bowls of stones drew my attention. I picked up a tumbled black piece, rolling it around in my palm. The sign said it was black onyx, used for protection. No
wonder I was attracted to it. I chewed my bottom lip. Could this little stone really protect me?
The doorbell chimed, and I glanced in that direction. My breath caught. Jaxon walked in, his arm around an absolutely gorgeous woman. She had long strawberry hair, green eyes, and the perfect smattering of freckles across her nose. I hated her instantly.
Jaxon said hello to Isabella, then turned his attention to me. “Caprice, I want you to meet one of your teachers.” He waved to the beautiful woman. “This is May. She’ll be your potions teacher.”
I shook her hand, plastering on a fake smile.
“Got everything you need for school?” Jaxon asked me, his grey eyes warm and soft. As if he hadn’t been avoiding me for weeks.
“I don’t know.” I turned to Isabella. “Do we need anything else?”
She glanced at the list in her hand. “Ah, one book. Mythology Around the World.”
“I know right where that one is,” Jaxon said, moving toward the back of the store.
Not knowing what else to do, I followed him. He was such a player. I should have known that as soon as I met him. A man that good looking couldn’t be anything else. Of course he’d spent the past few weeks with his girlfriend instead of me.
At the far back corner, Jaxon reached up to the top shelf for the mythology book.
I folded my arms. “So, you have a girlfriend?”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” He studied the title page. “Just a fellow teacher.”
Like I was going to believe that for a second. “You flirted with me, even though you have a girlfriend. Don’t you think that’s wrong?”
“Not really, since she’s not my girlfriend. Not that it would matter if she were.”
My brows drew together. “What?”
“I flirted with you. But it didn’t mean anything. I needed information.” He held out the book. I didn’t take it.
“What do you mean?” My heart beat faster as dread swirled in my stomach.
When he looked at me, his eyes were steely. “I’ve found that sexual energy is the quickest way to get close to someone. I needed to know who you were, and I didn’t have a lot of time.”
My mouth dropped open. “You led me on? You…bastard!” I shouldn’t have been so surprised, I knew he was a player. But him admitting it, as if there was no chemistry between us at all, in that casual tone, was infuriating.
“I did what I needed to do.” He dropped the book into my hands. Brushing past me, he disappeared around a bookcase.
I took in deep breaths to calm the fury bubbling up in me. No wonder he’d avoided me these past few weeks. He got what he wanted. That was it. He was done with me.
Swallowing hard, I rubbed my face, trying not to cry. I’d been such an easy mark, responding to everything about him. His closeness, his scent, his kiss. I wouldn’t make that mistake again—ever.
7
Jaxon
“I can’t believe you said that to her, Jaxon.” Liam sat next to Angel on the front porch couch.
I took a swig of my beer. “It’s the truth. Besides, I couldn’t have her hanging all over me at the Academy.”
Half of Angel’s mouth lifted in a smirk. “Excuses. That’s all I hear.”
Angel had an annoying way of getting to the truth of the matter, especially when I didn’t want him to. Was I making excuses? What I’d said to Caprice was unforgivable. If I were her, I’d be furious right now. And I’d never want to see me again.
The tightness in my chest wouldn’t let go. It had been there ever since I’d come up with my plan to distance myself from Caprice. The past three weeks had been hell. She’d been so close, living next door, yet so out of reach.
At first, playing the suave charmer had been easier than I’d thought it would be. I had to vet Caprice, for all our sakes, but especially for Isabella. But, then Caprice…well, she was more than I’d thought she’d be. Or maybe I was just a sucker for foster kid sob stories.
No that wasn’t it. I liked her strength, how she held her own against me. She was sexy but didn’t know how much she affected me. I liked how brave, smart, funny--yeah…I couldn’t fall for her. Out of the question.
“I don’t see why she even likes you,” said Angel. “You’re all serious and brooding, man. Not attractive.”
Liam rolled his eyes. “Not all women like smart-asses like you.”
Angel spread is arms wide, still holding his beer bottle. “Show me one who doesn’t. I’m a love magnet.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t like me anymore. I did a good job of ending that.” I raked a hand through my hair.
Liam said, “I still don’t know if that was the best course of action.”
“Yeah, man, how are we supposed to make sure she doesn’t fail the Academy when she thinks we’re all assholes because we’re friends with you? Did you think of that?” Angel gulped down the rest of his beer. I did the same.
Fuck. I hadn’t thought of that.
“We’ll figure it out,” Liam said, swirling his IPA. “Isabella’s heir needs to survive. She needs to take her place on the council one day if the Sorrentino line is going to survive.”
“If it weren’t for Isabella, I’d say fuck the Sorrentinos. Let the UK witches take over the seat.” Angel got another bottle from the cooler he’d brought.
“I’m not taking the place of Isabella or Caprice.” My jaw tightened. United Kingdom witches versus Italian witches, it was an age old war. A war that had come to an end several generations ago. I wasn’t going to revive it.
Although my aunt would be perfectly happy if I did. Gladys McIver had stepped up to fill my father’s role on the council after he died, when I was a child. But since that seat was an inherited one, it was mine by right. When I finally decided to take it.
Angel shrugged. “Scottish. Italian. Makes no difference to me.”
Liam pursed his lips. “She’ll be in my class this term. I’ll keep an eye on her—”
“She’s in my class too,” I said.
“What are you thinking?” Liam set the bottle down too hard. “Jaxon, you burned that bridge. Leave her alone. Angel and I will take over looking out for her.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’ll be fine. I promised Isabella.”
Liam gave me a dubious glance. “I’d argue with you more, but you’re a stubborn son of a bitch. Fine. Have her in your class. She can come running to me the next time you piss her off.”
I growled.
“You know what I’m saying is true.” Liam settled back with a sigh. “I’m the most qualified to look after her emotional health, and you know it.”
Sometimes I wished I had the emotion reading ability unique to the fae, then I remembered how Caprice hated me and was glad that I didn’t. She could turn to Liam for comfort. It didn’t matter.
My chest clenched tighter with jealousy. I pushed away from the railing, grabbed another beer, and popped the top off with the opener that lived on the windowsill.
Angel spoke up. “I don’t care about her emotional health. See, using words like that, that’s why you never get laid, man.”
Liam glared at him, but the tops of his ears turned pink.
“What I care about is why those Tromara bastards didn’t take Jaxon’s head for rescuing the girl. My dad thinks you’re real lucky. What do you guys say about that?”
I hid my face with a long swig. Rescuing her from the Tromara vampire had been the single most stupid thing I’d done in my life. It was part of the reason I knew I had to distance myself from Caprice. Another mistake like that could lead us all to war—again. All the lives lost in that war would be my fault. And the scary part was I’d rescue her again in a heartbeat.
I didn’t want to be like my father. It was hard enough being the son of the last rebellions leader. Everyone knew I was a bad seed, just waiting to sprout. The only three people who thought differently were Isabella and these two sitting on my couch.
“They want her, obviously,” Liam said, “bu
t they don’t want us to know how badly they want her. By not punishing Jaxon, they’re trying to make us think she’s not desirable to them. But by them acting all nonchalant about it, tells me they are up to something big and bad.”
Angel shook his head. “I don’t think the Tromara are that smart.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” I said. “I agree with Liam. They are biding their time. For what I don’t know. Nothing good.”
“Why do you think they want her?” Angel asked. “What’s so special about her?”
I didn’t have an answer to that. I knew why she was special to me. But what had that Tromara vampire sensed in her? That fucker had licked her. My fist clenched at the memory.
All we could do was watch her closely at the Academy, help her to succeed, and keep her safe from the Tromara. Between the three of us, we had this. Caprice would live to take Isabella’s place and fulfill her role and destiny as the Council Queen. I wouldn’t accept any other outcome.
8
Caprice
Academy Obscura was a walled fortress about twenty miles east of Estacada. Buried deep in the forest, I didn’t see any sign of it until we were at the tall iron gates. They were open and we drove right through.
Inside was a complex of grey stone buildings. Isabella followed the driveway to the central building, which had turrets. It resembled a small castle. A few other cars were parked in the circular drive, letting out awestruck students. At least I wasn’t the only one overwhelmed by this place.
Academy Obscura was carved into the stone, in an arch over the doorway. We walked through the heavy wooden doors, our shoes clopping on the polished stone floor. The late afternoon sunlight glowed in the leaded glass windows.
“You went to school here?” I asked Isabella. I still had a hard time wrapping my head around her actual age.
“Over a century ago.” She glanced around the high-ceiling room. “It hasn’t changed.”
Against the far wall was a row of tables. The people behind them checked in students in, giving them their room assignments and class schedules. We joined the line.
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