I shimmied up, squeezing first my head, then my torso through the spikes where they were most open—at the top. I held onto the sharp edges, lifting myself from one side of the gate to the other. Carefully, and slowly. Then I started to descend.
The last few feet, I let go, dropping to the ground. I snatched up my pack and swung it over my shoulders. It was going to be a long hike out of here. The day looked like it was going to bring more rain.
I set off through the trees, forging my own path. The forest was eerily quiet even for winter. Every fallen branch that cracked under my boots sounded too loud. In no time, the rainwater from the ferns had soaked through my jeans.
Portland was west and north from the Academy. Which meant I needed to skirt around the school. For the first half hour I walked east, just to get some distance. Then I turned northward. Eventually, I’d have to run into something. A road. A town. Anything.
I rounded a patch of close growing pines, coming face-to-face with a deer. “Whoa!” It ran off. I wasn’t sure which of us was more startled.
The dark grey sky obscured the sun. Within an hour, I wasn’t sure which direction I was going anymore. There were no straight pathways through the forest. I leaped over streams and fallen trees. Avoided thickets of brambles and slick embankments, it was slow going.
I tried to bring up a compass app on phone, but there was no service. For the first time, I wished I was one of those people who could make one out of a clock face, or a hairpin in a pool of water, or whatever.
A black blur caught my eye. I jerked my head toward it, but it had disappeared. My heart leaped into my throat. Was I seeing things? It was daytime, surely the Tromara wouldn’t be out here. I knew that creepy vampire couldn’t be.
I continued picking my way through the foreign landscape. Every small sound startled me. A bird taking flight from a tree branch. A squirrel scurrying down the side of a leafless maple. My nerves were on edge, my pulse too fast. I needed to get a grip.
The gentle pattering of rain suddenly turned violent. Huge drops pelted the top of my head and the surrounding ferns. I yelped, seeking shelter close to a large cedar, as the deluge intensified. The sound of rain was so loud, it filled my ears.
The deep grey sky lit up with a white flash. Thunder rolled, cracking overhead a second later. I cringed against the tree trunk.
A bolt of lightening narrowly missed the side of my head. What the hell? I glanced around the woods, my gaze snapping to the two duster-wearing figures who approached. They were both large men with shoulder-length hair and black eyes. Cruel eyes. I knew at once they were Tromara.
22
Caprice
The two Tromara witches pointed their wands at me. As one swished his, another bolt of lightning struck the tree behind me. I yelped, ducking while sliding around to the other side of the massive trunk. Then I ran. Rain stung my eyes as I tried to shield my face against it. Glancing back, the Tromara gave chase. They were more familiar with the terrain, easily navigating the underbrush and logs.
I pumped my legs harder. My throat burned from drawing in cold, rapid breaths. I couldn’t let them catch me. I’d risked everything to get away from them. This couldn’t be my fate.
A fallen tree lay in my path. I leaped over it, landing hard on the other side. My foot caught in a hole and yanked me to a stop. I fell forward, breaking my fall with my forearms. Quickly, I scrambled up to keep running.
Shouts reached me through the thunder of rainfall. I turned my head toward the noise. My breath hitched. Jaxon dueled with one of the Tromara witches, trading spells in rapid succession. Angel was in his large, black wolf form. He mauled the other witch who squirmed on the ground. Liam hovered to the side, his brilliant red-gold wings fluttering.
I was about to keep running away when three more Tromara came up behind Liam.
“Look out!” I shouted, too late.
They tackled Liam. One transformed into a grey wolf, his gaze trained on Angel. Jaxon was still focused on the witch he fought—neither of them seemed to be able to get the upper hand in the duel.
Instinct took over and I reversed direction. I had no plan. But I couldn’t let them die for me.
I raced toward Liam. Two Tromara repeatedly kicked him in the stomach. One pulled a massive sword from the sheath on his back. He stood to the side, aiming the weapon at Liam’s neck. He lifted the sword high, ready to bring it down on my sweet, bloodied fae.
Still several feet away from them, I wasn’t going to arrive in time.
I screamed, yelling, “No!” With the word, a channel of flame burst from my throat. It scorched the Tromara’s back, setting fire to his trench coat. He shrieked in pain and surprise. The other Tromara’s eyes widened.
I reached Liam’s side, skidding to a halt.
“He’s mine! Back off,” I roared at the monsters.
I rounded on the two still standing over us. The one who’d been on fire, had shrugged out of his flaming coat. He glared at me, raising his sword. I snarled. Another blaze of fire erupted from my mouth. They both wailed, going down in flame.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins. My senses heightened, tuning into the battle around me. The two wolves growled as they tore at each other. They were closest to me. I rushed the black one, spewing more fire. It yelped and backed off, running into the forest.
Freed from that fight, Angel focused on the witch who engaged Jaxon. He leaped on the Tromara’s back, his canine jaw ripping open the witch’s throat. The last Tromara fell to his knees, then face-planted in a puddle of his own blood.
I breathed hard, searching the area for more signs of threat. Liam had regained his feet. He and the other two stared at me, not bothering to hide their expressions, which ranged from shocked to curious.
I glanced down at my hands. Black scales covered my skin. It felt like they covered my entire body. My clothes brushed roughly against the scales, making all of my skin feel prickly. Long black nails tipped my fingers.
I blinked. I’d finally done it. Finally morphed into a dragon-shifter. I’d breathed fire. Holy shit!
With a glance at the guys, I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I was at a loss for words. I tried again. “Are you all right?”
That seemed to awaken them from their collective trance.
Jaxon’s steely eyes filled with anger. “We need to leave. Now. Before more of those monsters come for us.” With his hand, he made a throwing gesture at the ground near Liam. The fae vanished in a haze of purple smoke. Jaxon repeated the process for Angel. Then he approached me. “I have some choice words for you!” He took my waist, slamming me forcefully against his chest. His mouth captured mine—hard, desperate. I felt all of his rage and fear in that kiss. Without easing up, he threw the spell at the ground and the purple smoke teleported us.
I sat on a couch sipping coffee next to Liam. Jaxon and Angel sat across from us, their arms folded over their chests. No one had uttered a word in several long minutes. I got it, they were mad at me. Giving me the silent treatment. I wouldn’t blame any of them if they never wanted to talk to me again.
I stared at the coffee table, unwilling to meet the fury in Jaxon’s eyes. I’d totally fucked up. I’d put them in danger. Myself in danger. Possibly Isabella, too. Hell, maybe even the whole supernatural community.
We’d killed four of the five Tromara who’d attacked us. I doubted the cannibals were just going to let that slide. I’d burned two of them to death, for fuck’s sake.
I dared to take a quick peek at the guys. All of their faces were hard—even Liam’s. They’d come to my rescue, knowing full well that the Tromara would take their lives for it. Fools. They should have just left me to my fate. Anger flared in me. They were self-sacrificing bastards!
I bit my tongue. All I wanted to do was rip into them. Instead, I broke the silence with a soft, “I’m sorry.”
“You’d goddamned better be!” Jaxon roared. “Do you have any idea what this means for us?”
&n
bsp; “You should have thought of that before you came after me!” I was as angry as him, no point in holding it in.
“I did. Believe me, I tried to talk myself out of it, Caprice.” His eyes flashed.
“Then why did you do it?”
“Because I don’t want to live without you!” His tone was enraged, but the words threw me off balance.
I gaped at him. “What?”
Jaxon ran a hand through his tousled blond waves. “Never mind.” He stood up, walking to the kitchen.
My gaze trailed after him. He didn’t want to live without me? Was he in love with me? Was I with him? My chest filled with an unfamiliar sensation.
I glanced at the other two. Angel stared hard at the floor. Liam said, “We’re all in this together now. Whatever the Tromara decide for punishment, we’ll each take our part of it.”
His resigned tone melted my heart. They’d each decided to sacrifice themselves for me. Why? Jaxon had just told me why he’d done it. Angel and Liam must have reasons too, even if I didn’t know what they were.
“I’m so sorry, guys. I screwed up big time. This is all my fault.” I swallowed hard. “Let me take the punishment—”
“Not going to happen,” Jaxon called from the other room.
“Caprice, stop,” Liam said.
Angel shook his head.
I was outnumbered. Going up against them, I was beginning to learn, was futile. They were each as stubborn as me, if not more so. I glanced at Jaxon’s back as he stood over the sink. I wished I could see his face, read what he was thinking.
I wished I knew what they were all thinking, and feeling. Had Liam and Angel risked their lives for me, or for Jaxon? Either way this was my fault.
“Are you angry with me too?” I asked May as I closed the door to her office.
She pursed her lips. “Not angry. Disappointed.”
“You’re disappointed? Your brother could lose his life because of me!”
“He makes his own choices.” She waved away my concerns.
I sighed, then stifled a yawn. I’d been up for too many hours, but May wanted to see me before I went to bed. So here I was.
Her eyes lit with excitement. “You shifted. I want you to do it again.”
“Right now? Here?”
“Yes. While the sensation is still fresh in your mind. Give it a go.” She was relentless.
I closed my eyes, remembering back a few hours to when I’d morphed. Heat crept over my skin, sending prickly sensations through me.
May gasped.
I opened my eyes. I’d done it again. My hands were covered in those black scales with the reddish glow. I touched my face, feeling the same scaly texture there.
“What do I look like?” I asked her.
She snapped her mouth shut, retrieving a mirror from a drawer. “Take a look.” She held it in front of my face.
“Holy fuck!” I ducked away from it. That wasn’t me, that was a monster.
“Mmm. Yeah, that might take a moment to sink in. Take it slow.” May placed the mirror in my hands.
Slowly, I brought it up, summoning up the courage for a quick peek. I didn’t have a snout or anything, but my face was covered in scales. My pupils were slit like a snakes. The irises glowed a red-orange. If I’d had snakes for hair, I’d look like Medusa. Thankfully, my long black mane was the same as always.
“Well, what do you think?” May asked, leaning against her desk.
How was she not terrified of me? “This will take some getting used to.”
“Yeah, but it’s…wow. You breathe fire too?”
“I’m not doing that here.”
“That’s fine. But you can, right?” Her eyes shone with excitement.
I nodded.
Suddenly a memory, fully formed and vivid, came crashing into my mind.
I was in a dark room with dirty carpet. The shouting reached me from downstairs, and fear pinched my chest. I ran to the stairs at the end of the hall. From below my foster father’s voice boomed, “Clumsy bitch, she deserves the belt!”
I glanced down to the living room, where my six-year-old foster sister stood crying. Her glass of orange juice all over the carpet. My foster mother cowered against the wall, her voice placating. “She’s just a child.”
My foster father undid his leather belt, folding it in half. He reached for the little girl. I sprinted into the room and shoved her behind me. Shielding her small frame with my larger, teenaged one.
“Get out of the way, Caprice!” He roared. “Or you’ll get some of this too.”
“I won’t let you hurt her.” I was furious. I’d had enough by that point.
He lunged at me, trying to get to the girl I protected.
“No!” I screamed, cringing away. With the words came a channel of flame. It narrowly missed him, instead lighting the carpet and drapes on fire.
He jerked back, wide-eyed and pale. I stared at the raging inferno as it spread in the room. Gathering my wits, I grabbed my foster sister and ran for the front door.
May tugged at my arm. “Caprice? Are you okay?”
I blinked a few times, coming back to the present. I’d suppressed that memory. It had been so deeply buried in my subconscious that it only came out in snippets through my dreams. A wave of dizziness swept through me.
“I need to sit down.” I sank into a chair. “I remember what happened. The traumatic event that caused me to suppress my abilities. I did burn that house down.”
May made a sympathetic face. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
I nodded, then launched into the whole story.
Dean Wright suspended me from all activities, including classes. She’d decide what to do with me once she heard from the Council. Jaxon, Liam, and Angel were also put on house arrest. Several of the other teachers took over their classes.
Madison pretty much ignored me as she came and went. I may as well have already been dead—I was to her. So I spent my days reading, and occasionally playing with my dragon-shifter abilities. I was getting used to the red-orange eyes and scales. They felt natural, like a normal part of me.
We didn’t have to wait long for news. Although it did’t come by way of the Council as everyone had expected.
The din of a hundred conversations penetrated my dorm window. Glancing out, it seemed the entire student body milled around on the lawn. The teachers strode toward the Dean’s Hall.
I opened the window, leaning out. “What’s going on?”
A witch from last term’s potions class answered. “The Tromara King is here. All the teachers have been called in by Dean Wright.”
My stomach sank. They were here from me. To determine my punishment. And that of the guys, too.
“I didn’t know the Tromara had a king.” I called down.
The witch’s eyes filled with fear. “No one’s seen him since the last rebellion.”
Yet, he’d shown up tonight. To deal with me and the guys for killing his men. Which basically meant we were in deep shit.
23
Liam
The Tromara’s leader, King Sebastian Anastos, was difficult to read, like he had a veil shielding his emotions. Or maybe he didn’t have any emotions. Either way, I couldn’t get a read on him. He appeared vampire, with pale skin under long, wavy black hair. His fangs showed when he spoke. Those dark eyes gave away nothing, but my senses told me there was something more to him.
I stood with the rest of the Academy faculty at one end of the large room, while the other was occupied by nearly twenty Tromara—the most I’d ever seen gathered in one place. They were of course there to protect their king. Each was more sinister looking than the last—all large men with dead eyes. Who knew what they hid under those trench coats. Not that it mattered, they were all deadly, even without weapons.
“You have confirmed that this girl is in fact a dragon-shifter? From the legends of old?” the King Sebastian asked.
Dean Wright’s face was pale, but her voice came out steady enou
gh. “We have, Your Grace.”
A hint of annoyance flickered across the Tromara King’s face. I had the distinct impression that he was disappointed that she’d offered up the truth so easily. He’d wanted her to lie. But one of his creatures had seen Caprice in her dragon form. We’d made sure to tell the dean every detail before this audience with the Tromara. Was he trying to catch us in a lie and lay a trap?
“Is she comely?” he asked.
Dean Wright startled. “I beg your pardon, Your Grace?”
“The girl. Is she attractive?” he asked, his voice filling the cavernous room.
A chill zipped across my scalp. There was no reason for him to ask a question like that, unless…
“Of course. All supernaturals are attractive, Your Grace.” Dean Wright was pushing it with such a flippant comment.
The king sneered. “Some more so than others.”
The dean inclined her head.
“She is a Sorrentino.” It wasn’t a question, he knew. “She would be the next Council Queen.” His dark gaze roved over each of us. “Killing three of my men is an unforgivable offense and puts the Truce on precarious ground. However…” he paused, “I have decided on the penalty for your crimes. The Truce will stand, and your kind will continue to be protected under it. In exchange for this Sorrentino girl. Either through the Culling or when she graduates, this future Council Queen will be my bride.”
My stomach dropped. Standing next to me, Angel growled. The low, threatening rumble drawing attention.
King Sebastian pinned the two of us, then Jaxon, with his dark gaze. “You are the three guilty ones. The ones who love her.” He looked us over, the sneer returning to his lips. “This punishment is for each of you.”
I clenched my jaw tight under his scrutiny. How did he know what we were feeling? Only fae had that ability among supernaturals.
He continued, “What do you think of that? Of her as my wife?” His gaze flitted to Jaxon. “I’m going to pound into her until she screams my name. I’ll take her over and—”
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