Labyrinth Academy 2: Wars: an Urban Fantasy academy romance

by JA Wren

  Kally was right. It was as easy as breathing now that she’d felt it coiling within her, almost like it was drawn to her as much as she was drawn to it. Like it wanted to obey her. Like it was hers. An extension of herself.

  The black cloud swirled around her wider and wider, until she was sure it spanned several feet. Protecting her. Shielding her from Kally and Xander.

  She edged away from the boulder, no longer needing it. She had a much more efficient protector.

  A snap echoed through the air and she looked up as a flash of light brightened the arena for a split second. The sky was alive with blue electricity, crackling inside the white clouds gathering directly above her.

  Rayna pulled more darkness over her like a dome. Not fast enough. A bolt crashed into her, knocking her to the ground. She gasped, her lungs empty. Her body hummed painfully, the electricity still stinging through her.

  “Aw, sorry about that, little Ker,” Xander drawled, his voice grittier but still fucking teasing.

  She clenched her fists against the burn. “Not as sorry as you’re going to be.”

  His laughter echoed around her. “Prove it.”

  Crap. She wasn’t exactly sure how to do that.

  Think, Knox. Think.

  A shield was one thing, but she couldn’t exactly use it against him. Only to protect herself.

  Darkness and death.

  An image of the Grim Reaper smacked into her head, reminding her she still needed to talk to Asher about him. But if he was her father, maybe she’d inherited some of his skills. If only she had a damn scythe.

  A scythe!

  If she could manipulate the darkness into a shield, maybe she could force it to take the shape of a weapon. It prevented an arrow from hitting her, which had to mean it was solid enough to craft a blade. Or at least something similar, right?

  It had to be. She was short on options and really didn’t feel like getting her ass kicked by fucking Xander Brooks.

  Only one way to find out what her darkness was capable of.

  She willed it to take shape, creating a long shaft she could grab between both palms. It held firm, weirdly solid between her fingers though it still looked like hazy smoke. But when she tried for the blade, it wouldn’t cooperate, floating around as though refusing her.

  Come on. Come on. Come on.

  The air crackled again. A split second warning she was out of time.

  Lightning flew at her and she used the staff like a bat, swinging it awkwardly at the bolt hurtling at her. A desperate move.

  But it made contact!

  The impact sent her falling on her ass, but at least she didn’t get fried when the lightning bolt soared up back into the thick clouds.

  Xander didn’t give her even a second to regain her footing, throwing another bolt at her. She swatted it away right from her sprawl on the ground, then rolled to her feet as fast as she could. Another bolt, quickly followed by one more she missed.

  She howled as it ripped into her. Then fell to her knees, clutching her stomach with one hand while keeping a grip on her staff with the other.

  Xander chuckled beyond her dark cloud. “Gotta be faster than that, Knox.”

  She bared her teeth even though he wouldn’t see it, and yelled, “Again!”

  A taste of victory and she was hooked. Didn’t matter how much that lighting burned through her, she’d master her powers. She’d make sure no god or goddess could use her against her will.

  No way was she bringing an apocalypse to the world.

  Or letting Nyx rip her away from Asher and send her into the night sky. This was how she’d take back her control. Her life. Grow strong enough to protect her damn self.

  Even if it meant taking a hit or two from Xander.

  Sixteen

  “Ow,” Rayna groaned as she settled herself—gingerly—into her seat the next morning.

  She chose the back row of the lecture hall, hoping to remain invisible while she nursed her aching muscles during Light and Dark Mythos and Deities. She usually enjoyed this class, but today she wished for nothing more than her bed.

  Or at least a soft cushion under her butt.

  Her darkness had proven it could heal the worst of her injuries, sealing her skin after being torn open, but it wasn’t especially effective against stiff and aching muscles.

  “Do you need me to be gentler, Knox?” Xander plopped himself down on the empty chair beside her, stretching out and slouching so his feet extended under the seat in front of him. “I can try to go easier on you next time.”

  She glared out the corner of her eyes but didn’t risk causing herself more discomfort by turning all the way towards him. Asher had given her the massage of a lifetime. It had been heavenly—especially what came after—but too bad it didn’t keep the pain from seeping back into her.

  She’d even been too sore and exhausted to listen to the star calling out to her again.

  Or maybe she still wasn’t quite ready to face her destiny.

  “You’re lucky Ash isn’t here,” she whispered as the professor hushed students.

  “Huh.” Xander grunted. “Is that why he almost roasted me like a turkey on the way to class? Because I bruised your ego?”

  “You did more than bruise my ego.” The comeback didn’t hold nearly the venom she’d meant to throw into it. Mostly because while she hurt like she’d been hit by a fucking train, she was also closer to gaining control of her powers.

  Thanks to Mr. Annoying and his damn lightning bolts.

  Sure, Asher had been livid when she’d returned to his room, sporting tears in her clothing and covered in her own blood. He’d wanted to head out right then and hunt Xander and Kally down, but they’d done what they were supposed to do.

  What she’d asked them to do—train her.

  Their methods had just been a little…painful.

  Xander chuckled, but she cut off whatever he was about to say. “Thank you, by the way.”

  He gaped like a fish for a second, then cocked his lips into a full on grin that likely melted the hearts—and underwear—of most girls. And guys, alike. Rayna was suddenly very glad she was immune.

  “Good morning, students,” Professor Holsten said from the front of the class as she stepped up to her podium. “As I’m sure all of you are aware, the December Solstice Ball is fast approaching, so we’ll be taking a closer look at deities connected to the wintery season.

  “Many view the winter months as the dark time of the year. It’s generally associated with gloom and death, and as such, we’ll be working our way through dark mythos and deities as we lead up to the ball.”

  Holsten waved a hand through the air and the ceiling above morphed into a night sky, midnight blue bathing the lecture hall in darkness. Millions of twinkling stars winked into the sky-ceiling, first scattered across the expanse, then swirling together to form a shape.

  Rayna squinted, sure it almost looked like the Grim Reaper from her kinda-sorta WillowWisp-induced memory. A heavy cloak draped the figure while he—she assumed gender—clutched something in each hand. She stared harder but couldn’t quite see what he held thanks to the starry outline.

  “Can anyone tell me which god—or goddess—is depicted in the Sky View?” Holsten asked. A student in the front row raised her hand. “Yes, Hazel?”

  “Is it Kharon?”

  “Good guess, but Kharon isn’t actually considered a god. He’s the ferryman of the Underworld and is classified as a daimon—or spirit—who serves Hades.” Holsten paced the front of the class with her hands folded behind her back. “He is, however, the son of this particular deity.”

  Silence hung throughout the lecture hall, eerie in a way. Or maybe that was just Rayna’s discomfort as she stared up at the figure in the Sky View.

  Xander flung his hand up beside her, not even waiting for Holsten to call on him. “It’s Erebos.”

  A cold shiver rattled its way through Rayna. Something about that name giving her the creeps even more than a hu
ndred spiders crawling all over her. It rattled inside her head like a loose screw, trying to find where it belonged.

  Holsten beamed. “Quite right, Xander. Though I will ask you to wait next time before blurting the answer.”

  She stopped at her desk and hopped up onto the surface, getting herself settled now that they were on a proper topic. Rayna returned her gaze to the Sky View as Holsten lectured, unable to take her eyes away from the starry figure.

  The more she looked at him, the more an ache formed behind her ribcage. She rubbed at the spot, trying to get rid of the faint burn.

  “This is Erebos, Primordial god of darkness. Consort, or in some cases referred to as the husband, of Nyx, though that has never been confirmed or denied. The pair sired many children, some together, but most independently.”

  Rayna’s eyes widened. Erebos? This was Nyx’s husband, or consort, or whatever the hell any of that was supposed to mean. Did that make him Rayna’s father? The Grim Reaper from her memory?

  Father and daughter.

  Darkness and death.

  The Sky View changed, little stars forming into a second cloaked figure beside the first. Presumably Nyx, since a band of stars arched in a circle above her head, along with two crescent shapes either side of it.

  Rayna needed to talk to Asher about her memory. Grim had said he’d never met her phoenix, but surely her soulmate would know who her father was without an official meet-and-greet. He could tell her if her father really was Erebos, though it made sense.

  She already had her suspicions.

  Her powers manifested in plumes of darkness. She’d first assumed that had to do with Nyx and her reign over the night, but if she’d been born from Erebos—from the Primordial of darkness—that would explain her abilities all the better.

  And if the darkness came from Erebos, what other powers did she possess from Nyx?

  “Erebos is thought to be the grandfather of all dark deities,” Holsten continued. “Each one can be traced back to him on some level, whether sired or created. But perhaps even more interesting is how many light deities also have roots leading back to Erebos. Light and darkness feed each other. One cannot exist without the other, and as such, they are closely intertwined.”

  Rayna barely paid attention to Holsten as she rattled off more about Erebos and his offspring. About the connections between light and dark. Never once did she even look in Rayna’s direction, almost pointedly ignoring her even when students around her participated in the lecture.

  Almost like she knew Rayna was related to Erebos but couldn’t acknowledge it.

  At the end of the day, when her classmates all headed for PE at the gym, Rayna wandered along the cobblestone path down to the barn in a semi-daze. She’d been distracted all day by thoughts of the Grim Reaper—Erebos—and whether he really was her father.

  She needed to tell Asher what she’d seen in her memory. Things had been kinda crazy since then, but she truly had meant to tell him. When the time was right.

  Yeah, Knox, keep telling yourself that.

  Okay, so she may have procrastinated, but she vowed she’d fess up. Soon. Whether she wanted to get into the gritty details or not, it was time. She couldn’t stick her head in the sand and pretend none of it had happened any longer. Time to find out if Grim was her father and if he and Erebos were one in the same.

  Hopefully Asher had the information she needed or she’d have to resort to asking Nyx. And she sure as hell didn’t relish the idea of summoning the woman. Not after she’d threatened to shove Rayna back into a star and trap her in the damn sky if she didn’t get control of her powers.

  Five days.

  Her time was running lower, but at least she’d made progress. She could summon the darkness now, use it as a shield, and even wield it into a staff.

  Would it be enough?

  Nyx said she had to be able to control her powers, but she never stated to what extent.

  The barn came into view ahead and Rayna shuddered. She hadn’t been near the realm with the magical creatures since she’d suffered a star-induced blackout. But she couldn’t put it off much longer.

  Hale was adamant about her choosing a new familiar and had arranged for Rayna to meet with Professor Matthis, head of Magical Creatures, to help her with her choice.

  Not exactly subtle. She got the hint she’d avoided it long enough.

  While she’d managed to convince Tink to stay inside her pendant most of the time, she’d known it wouldn’t work forever. The Wisp was too mischievous for her own good and was bound to come to Rayna’s defense sooner or later.

  God, she was glad she’d left her behind during that training session. If Tink had been anywhere near them when Xander and Kally beat the hell out of her—

  She shivered at the thought of what the Wisp might have done in her defense.

  And what Hale would’ve done in retaliation.

  She wiped away the tears sliding down her cheeks, thankful she was alone on the cobble path. While the last thing Rayna wanted was a new familiar, she couldn’t be selfish and put Tink at risk anymore. She’d be safer in her own realm, no matter how much Rayna would miss the little flamey-fairy.

  Asher met her outside the barn, leaning his shoulder against a tree as he waited for her to join him. Somehow, the man got hotter every day, but that might just be because she was falling for him harder and harder.

  Was it possible to love someone more in a second life?

  “Hey.” He tugged her into the circle of his arms and buried his face in the curve of her neck. “Gods, I’ve missed you.”

  She groaned as he kissed the column of her throat, paying special attention to the skin behind her ear that made her shiver with pleasure. She’d missed him, too. Classes had gotten a lot more tiresome since he’d been forced to join the other Physical Realm students.

  “It was better when we were tied together, wasn’t it?” she gasped as his hot tongue met her skin.

  He nipped the lobe of her ear. “That can always be arranged.”

  She laughed but it soon turned to a moan as he pressed her back up against a huge tree trunk, holding her between the rough bark and the hard line of his body. He took her wrists and drew them over her head, gently trapping her in his arms.

  Almost like the Moon Thread that had tied them together. And almost making her wish she hadn’t freed them when she did. If she hadn’t, the academy would’ve been left with no choice but to let Asher attend Spiritual Realm classes with her.

  His mouth devoured hers in a scorching hot kiss that chased everything else away. The world narrowed to the two of them, locked together in their own little bubble. Perfect. A slice of bliss even when her heart had ached with sorrow only a few minutes ago.

  “Uh, sorry to interrupt this voyeuristic thing you guys have got going on,” a voice said from nearby. Rayna dragged her mouth from Asher’s and turned to find a familiar Mage standing a few feet away.

  “Autumn, hey.” Rayna eased back from Asher, much to both of their disappointment—if his whispered curse was anything to go by.

  She hadn’t talked to Autumn in days, but then she had been out of action and holed up in the infirmary. And then they hadn’t had a chance to catch up during her welcome home party before it turned somewhat—fiery.

  It wasn’t entirely her fault though. Not when they’d invited Autumn to join them and Delilah—no Ethan in sight—for dinner the day before, pre-training. She’d declined, choosing to work in the greenhouses instead.

  The Nature Mage waved shyly. “Have either of you seen Delilah? We were supposed to meet near the gazebo for Grimoires, Amulets, and Talismans, but she never showed. I thought she might be here with Ethan.” She fidgeted with her hair and chewed on her bottom lip as she said his name. “But there’s no sign of her.”

  Strange. It wasn’t like Delilah to miss class—not with her perfect grades and star attendance record. And it was even less likely she’d ditch her friend. Awkward boyfriend situation or no boyfri
end.

  “Maybe she was running late,” Asher offered, his hand finding Rayna’s and giving her a tight squeeze, delicious heat flowing from his skin.

  “Yeah.” Autumn said it slowly, like she didn’t really believe it was possible.

  Rayna had to agree. “We can help you look for her.”

  “I can help Autumn search for Delilah,” Asher cut in. “You need to pick a new familiar. Before Hale busts out of her tail feathers.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He tapped the crystal dangling against her sternum. She hadn’t been able to leave Tink back in the dorm this time. “This isn’t just about you, remember?”

  She groaned. Why did he have to argue with logic all the damn time? It was infuriating.

  “Oh, no.” Autumn held up her palms. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll check the cafeteria. Maybe I missed her there getting tea or something.” She was already retreating back up to the path, but threw over her shoulder, “I’ll let you know when I find her.”

  Rayna stared after the Mage until she disappeared and Asher tugged at her hand, pulling her towards the barn. But something prickled against her nerves. An uneasy dread coiling through her system.

  “It doesn’t seem like Delilah to blow off her best friend.”

  He shrugged and opened the barn door. “Not even for a boy?”

  She opened her mouth, about to deny it, but…maybe she had. Things had turned uncomfortable as hell between the girls recently. It might not be impossible Delilah had gotten caught up with Ethan, lost track of time, and forgotten to meet Autumn.

  Even if Rayna still thought it was unlikely.

  Stranger things had happened.

  Right?

  Instead of answering, she stepped through the doorway and into the barn, greeted by unending darkness before it opened up into the forest. With the sun shining around them, the glow was missing, but she could still imagine what it had looked like at night. Totally different to the subdued beauty that stretched before them now during the day.

  “So, any thought to what kind of familiar you want?” Asher asked.