Labyrinth Academy 2: Wars: an Urban Fantasy academy romance

by JA Wren

  Hale hadn’t been fully convinced, so Professor Bjerk was still assigned to monitor the situation. In an official capacity.

  But when she stepped inside and came face-to-face with the most annoying guy at Labyrinth Academy, she let out a groan.

  Xander laughed and shook his head. “You know, I thought you’d be more grateful. I’m sacrificing a date with a sexy nymph for this. And let me tell you, that’s not something a guy passes on. Ever.”

  “As if she’d like you anyway.”

  “Who said the date was with a girl?”

  Rayna’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

  He let out another laugh and clapped her on the shoulder. “Just messing with you, Knox.”

  He wandered off to talk to Kally and Bjerk, forcing her to glare at his back. Damn, he got under her skin.

  “Remind me why I suggested we get him involved,” she mumbled under her breath to Asher.

  He smiled. “I think it was something about not being afraid to hurt him.”

  “Right.” It was all coming back to her. Along with a hint of regret. “You know, I think I make poor choices.”

  The most recent being suggesting Xander as a sparring partner. But Asher was right, the benefit was she wouldn’t worry about hurting him. Not too much anyway.

  “Try to get along with him, okay?” Asher said, tugging on her hand until she turned away from Mr. Annoying. “I know he’s not your favorite person these days, but he’s genuinely willing to help.”

  She leaned in closer, trying not to get distracted by his intoxicating scent and memories of last night still playing on loop in her head. It’d be so much more fun to have him all to herself, but that wouldn’t solve any of their problems. And she was determined to control her powers and prevent being separated from Asher.

  Again.

  They had less than a week now to meet Nyx’s deadline.

  But she did still have concerns about Xander, so she lowered her voice. “How do you know we can trust him?”

  “Because.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Xander’s a descendant of Zeus. He wants his father to stay on the throne, so he’ll do what he can to prevent a war.”

  “Meaning he’s happy to keep me from becoming a weapon,” she guessed. Asher nodded but it still begged a question. “Isn’t helping me learn to control my powers kind of the opposite of that?”

  “Not when it’s the key to preventing someone else from using you against your will.”

  She shuddered, but point taken. “Yeah, how about we make sure that doesn’t happen?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Miss Knox?” Bjerk called. “If you wouldn’t mind joining us.”

  She nodded at the professor, then glanced up at Asher. “Good luck with the phoenix.”

  He gave her a lopsided grin, his dimple peeking at her. “Go easy on Xander.”

  Rayna snorted. “No promises.”

  With one last too-fast kiss, they parted ways. Asher headed for the corner of the gym where Nissa was seated in a ball, looking far too fragile for a girl who’d almost brought a building down in a fiery explosion.

  He crouched beside her, resting a hand on her elbow as he presumably tried to coax her to stand so they could train. They wouldn’t get anywhere if she stayed fetal like that.

  “Knox?”

  “Yes?” Rayna snapped her gaze away from the duo and focused on Bjerk. The man wore an especially severe look that made her want to retreat, but she forced herself forward.

  “Professor Kalypso and Mr. Brooks have agreed to work with you today as you learn to manifest your powers.” He scratched at his chin and narrowed his eyes even further. “I’ve recommended the Lunar Field for this particular exercise and believe it will be best suited for your unique skill set.”

  Lunar Field? That sounded almost…fun.

  “You are to practice manifesting your powers, like you did during our last class.” Bjerk said, saying the most words she’d ever heard him utter. “Once you can successfully bring forth your darkness at will, we’ll move on to the next phase.”

  Bjerk’s mouth twitched in what she assumed was his best attempt at an encouraging grin. Not super effective, but it was sort of sweet. Awkward as hell, but sweet. “Try not to kill Mr. Brooks.”

  Did everyone know she found Xander infuriating?

  “Not worried about Kall—uh, Professor Kalypso?”

  He shook his head, just once, then turned and exited the gym. He really was a man of few words. Probably deadly in hand-to-hand combat, though she’d never actually seen him do more than dish out a few instructions. He just gave off that vibe.

  The kind that said he could kill you with nothing more than a bobby pin and a sheet of paper.

  Rayna shuddered, hoping she never got an up-close and personal demonstration. “So,” she said to Kally, eager to get things rolling. “Where’s this Lunar Field?”

  “Beyond the greenhouses.” She grabbed a big duffle bag that looked like it weighed several hundred pounds. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  Xander tugged on the bag’s strap. “Let me grab that for you, sweetheart.”

  Kally snorted. “Thanks, but I got it. And don’t call me sweetheart. Ever.”

  He held up his hands. “Hey, no need to get hostile. What is it with you daughters of the night?”

  Kally winked at Rayna, hefting the duffle higher over her shoulder. “Careful. Or I might break out the Moon Thread.”

  “Kinky,” Xander drawled, wiggling his blonde brows.

  Rayna left the two to banter as they exited the gym. She glanced back over her shoulder where Asher was still engrossed in some conversation with Nissa. She waved, but he was distracted by the flame dancing in the center of Nissa’s palm and glowing against his gorgeous face.

  The sun was just setting over the academy, casting it in warm, pink and gold light as they headed for the other side of campus. Xander plodded along beside her, his footsteps weirdly bouncy. Sure he was tall, so long legs and all. But seriously, did he have to bob up and down like a freaking buoy?

  “Could you stop that?” she said as they passed the greenhouses, thankfully sans smoke dragon billowing from the roof this time.

  “Stop what?” he asked, far too chipper.

  “Do you have springs in your feet or something?”

  Kally laughed, waving her hand around in front of an ivy archway that looked like it led into another garden. The empty space beneath the arch shimmered and wavered. Almost like the giant ice wall during her trials.

  She clutched at her chest where her crystal pendant usually hung, hoping she didn’t have to repeat that rescue mission. She’d save Tink a hundred times over, but she’d really like to skip the fake-burn thing. It had felt like she’d scorched her arm off when she sank it into the wall to dig the Wisp out.

  She stared down at the unmarred skin on her hand, thankful it hadn’t actually melted the flesh from her bones. It had been far too believable.

  Tink was back in Asher’s room, where Rayna had left her, unsure if she’d stay out of the training session. Hale still expected her to find a new familiar, no matter how much she revolted against the idea. She wouldn’t have given in so easily if Hale hadn’t basically threatened the Wisp’s safety. It was selfish to hold onto Tink when being at the academy was putting her in danger.

  Better to keep Tink out of trouble as much as possible. For the Wisp’s protection.

  Which meant letting her go. Even if it left a gaping hole inside her chest.

  She had to do the right thing by her flamey-fairy.

  “Why do you have such a problem with me, Knox?” Xander put a hand to his chest. “I think you might want to talk to Asher about this crush you have on me. It’ll get super awkward with your phoenix soulmate if you’re drooling after me all the time.”

  Rayna groaned. “I do not have a crush on you. This isn’t kindergarten mentality.”

  “Could’ve fooled
me.”

  She whirled on him with a scowl. “Nor would I ever drool after you. Geez, you sure you aren’t related to Narcissus? Because your ego is off the fucking charts.”

  He laughed and continued to ramble on, but Rayna blocked him out, too absorbed with what Kally was doing.

  Her BFF took out a brownish-gray crystal from the bag she carried—kind of like a smoky quartz—and held it up to the archway. A weird symbol thing appeared above the archway. Kally murmured something under her breath, the words inaudible, and an oversized moth came fluttering from inside the ivy where it had been hidden amongst the leaves.

  Flapping bright, lime green wings, it landed on Kally’s outstretched hand, taking up her entire palm and fingers. Its wings seemed to glow in the fading sunlight, dark outlines contrasting with the even brighter markings, before they tapered down into twin tails. Two big, feathery antennae topped off its plump white body.

  It inspected the crystal, little bronze feet roaming the stone, and then took flight again. A hazy white light flowed around the moth as it hovered in the air above them, then pooled down until an almost transparent figure appeared in the center of the archway.

  He held a wooden staff tipped with a lime green orb and Rayna half expected him to yell you shall not pass.

  Instead, he dipped his head at Kally and turned to hold his staff—orb first—up at the archway. It glimmered while all Rayna could do was gape at the man who’d literally sprouted from a giant moth.

  She’d never get used to the crazy shit she saw at the academy.

  “Come on, Ray-Ray.” Kally took her hand and tugged her along. “The door won’t stay open forever and we only get one pass in and out per day. Academy rules.”

  The three of them stepped through the shimmering entryway, and Rayna glanced back to watch the man return his moth state, flying up into the ivy covering the arch.

  Much like the barn door, it led them into a different realm—or at least that’s what she assumed as she looked around.

  They stood inside what she could only describe as a sort of gladiator arena. Night had completely fallen, the darkness only broken by huge torches mounted around the massive space. The ground was a mix of sand and stones, making a hard, compacted surface she cringed at the thought of crashing into.

  Yeah, best to try avoiding that.

  “Why don’t you guys warm up while I get a few things together?” Kally asked, dumping her duffle on the ground and kneeling over it.

  Rayna unzipped her jacket, revealing the sports bra and sweatpants she’d worn for the occasion. Xander whistled and she shot him a glare that only made him laugh as he ripped off his shirt. She had to admit the guy was packing some serious muscle, but it didn’t come close to Asher’s sex appeal.

  Definitely not after the night they’d shared. She smiled, happy their relationship was progressing, as she and Xander went through a series of stretches Bjerk had run them through at the start of every PE class. Then they waited for Kally.

  Except her BFF had vanished. God, she hoped mothman hadn’t eaten her or something even more ridiculous.

  “Kally?” Rayna called, doing a little spin to try and find her. She wouldn’t have left her here in the middle of freaking nowhere with Xander. Would she? “Kally, you better not have ditched me. Or I swear I’m returning that early birthday gift I bought you months ago.”

  Which was back at her apartment, hidden in a closet somewhere. She didn’t mention it had probably been ruined when the Winterhounds demolished the place. Better add a replacement to her to-do list.

  If her bestie hadn’t abandoned her.

  “What did you get me?”

  Rayna tilted her head and looked up as she followed the sound of the voice. Kally hovered on her bat-like wings above them, silhouetted by the full moon at her back, not even making a damn sound. Did those things come in stealth-mode?

  “How—?”

  Xander crashed into her, cutting off her words and sending her sprawling into the compacted earth. Her shoulder screamed as the ground grated at her skin, imbedding tiny stones into her flesh. She was about to plow into him when she spotted the crossbow Kally aimed at her.

  And the arrow lodged into the ground a foot from her skull.

  Had…had Xander just saved her from being shot?

  “No cheating, Mr. Brooks,” Kally sing-songed. “You’re supposed to be on my team, remember?”

  He shrugged as he climbed off of Rayna and dusted his sweats. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think she’d be much good as a sparring partner if you poked holes in her during the first ten seconds.”

  “Ray-Ray learns best from experience.” Kally re-aimed the crossbow at her head and smiled. “Don’t you, hon?”

  The arrow came sailing towards her, narrowly missing Rayna as she dodged it at the last second. “Shit.”

  “Come on, Ray-Ray,” Kally called from above. “I saw what you did last night when you thought hotness was in danger. Concentrate and pull in the darkness. Use it as a shield. It’s yours to command, you just have to draw it in and let your will take over. Easy as breathing.”

  Yeah, maybe in the past. Right now, she was too worried about an arrow impaling her.

  But Kally was right. Her emotions had been the key to unlocking her abilities.

  “Hold out your hands,” Kally instructed. “Let the coolness of the shadows wash over your skin.”

  She did as Kally said and the chill touched her fingers. Faint at first. Then a little more, until she could feel it everywhere. All around her. There was so much of it. Almost every corner of the field was shrouded in darkness, waiting for her.

  “You can feel it, right?”

  Rayna nodded up at Kally, her smile stretching across her lips. This was definitely progress.

  “Remember,” Kally called from above, her voice more distant but still perfectly audible. “The darkness belongs to you. It wants to obey you. All you have to do, is draw it in like taking a deep breath, then exhale it out, and it’ll do whatever you want. A light mist. Or a dense fog. Let it surround you like a shield, thick and heavy, just like you did last night.”

  God, that sounded so simple.

  Rayna inhaled, trying to pull in the darkness with the oxygen.

  “Xander, you’re up,” Kally said, much further away now.

  Blue light glowed from beside her, the air sizzling with electricity. Hesitantly, Rayna turned toward Xander. His hands were raised at his sides and snapping with lightning, his eyes bluer than ever. “Better get a move on, little Ker.”

  She gritted her teeth even as she stumbled backwards, then fought to get back on her feet. “Don’t call me little.”

  He shrugged. Then raised his hand and threw a damn lightning bolt right at her. Rayna screamed, the sound bouncing off the sides of the arena. The bolt caught her upper arm, grazing her with a scorching rip through her skin.

  She clutched the gaping tear, blood oozing from the wound, seeping between her fingers, and dribbling down her forearm.

  She guessed playtime was over.

  Turning on her heel, she ran as fast as she could, hoping to buy herself a few minutes to get her shit together. She hadn’t expected them to lay into her straight away. She’d still been trying to follow Kally’s instructions, but she’d only gotten as far as sensing the darkness. Touching it. She’d lost her tentative hold on it the moment Xander flung that bolt at her.

  Diving behind a massive boulder, she clenched her fist—the one not trying to staunch the bleeding—then spread her fingers, calling the darkness to her. It pulsed all around her, thick and delicious. So much of it thanks to the Lunar Field where night had fallen.

  Was that what Bjerk had meant when he said it was well-suited for her skills?

  Her hands cooled. The blood stopped flowing down her arm. And she knew it was working, somehow the darkness was healing the slice in her arm as it pooled around her. Within her.

  That was fucking handy, but Kally said she needed a shield.


  Except, she wasn’t happy with simply going on defense. She needed a weapon, something more than just the darkness.

  Nevertheless, she let it bathe her, washing over her in heavy plumes. Hiding within the black cloud could be her starting point. After that, she’d take a few minutes to figure out how the hell to turn it into a shield—

  She yelped as something sliced through her leg and she fell to her knees.

  “I’ve never known you to run from a fight, Ray-Ray.” Kally whooshed down, her bat wings sending a cloud of dust at Rayna, dispersing the darkness. “You’re supposed to manifest a shield. Not hide like a scared little girl.”

  Blood seeped from the hole in her leg, leaving a near-black trail as Rayna scrambled backwards, her butt dragging through the sand and stone. “I don’t know how.”

  “Sure you do. You just have to remember.”

  “Yeah, that’s kind of a problem.”

  Kally gave her a look of false sorrow. “Well, until then. Let’s try some more motivation, shall we?” She raised the crossbow again and Rayna almost whimpered.

  They were five minutes into this exercise and she already wanted out.

  She heard the faint click of the arrow releasing and her arm automatically flew up to shield her—as if that would do any good.

  Except the anticipated pain didn’t follow. She expected the arrow to rip through her somewhere. Anywhere. But the darkness had gathered in front of her, thick as night itself, and prevented the arrow from piercing into her.

  A shield.

  She’d created a shield.

  “Better,” Kally said. “Now, let’s try that again, shall we?”

  Her BFF took flight, soaring high enough she disappeared into the heavens, but if Rayna squinted hard enough she could see her. Like staring through night vision goggles, she could make out the silvery shape of Kally doing circles above, her wings stretched out wide.

  Rayna pulled on the darkness, letting it heal the hole in her leg, then shot to her feet, planting them this time instead of running. She clenched her fists and summoned more darkness.