Labyrinth Academy 2: Wars: an Urban Fantasy academy romance

by JA Wren

  “You dance?” she asked, genuinely curious. Somehow she hadn’t expected her tough phoenix shifter to be much of a dancer.

  “Of course.”

  Her smile morphed into a laugh as he pulled her to an open spot on the floor and tugged her against his chest. One hand found the dip at the base of her spine—bare thanks to her dress’s open back—while the other gripped her hand, his body blazing with heat.

  Rayna lost herself in the moment, resting her head against Asher’s chest and listening to his heart beat away behind his sternum. A steady rhythm that lulled her, calmed her, and made her want to never let him go. Not even for a second.

  She let herself forget everything around them except the feel of him. Put aside all thoughts of war and destruction, apocalypses and the threat of being shoved into another damn star, and focused on the simple moment. With him.

  A perfect piece of time carved out of the chaos.

  How had she ever doubted him? Let herself think for even a moment that he’d want Nissa? Or anyone else.

  It had to be the stress of everything spinning around her. The only explanation that made any sense. He was hers and she was his. Forever. The world could come to an end and they’d still be bound to each other.

  “I’ve been thinking,” he whispered, holding her tighter in his arms. “When all of this is over, when you have full control of your powers, and we don’t have to worry about wars and someone using you against your will.”

  She didn’t know if that day would ever come, but she lifted her head to meet his gorgeous brown eyes.

  “Maybe we can go somewhere.” His hand at the small of her back moved up her side, stroking her slowly, creating tantalizing friction. “Far away from here, where it’s just the two of us. We can finally put all this behind us and move on with our lives.”

  That sounded amazing, but, “What about our friends?”

  A furrow developed between his brows, like maybe he hadn’t thought that one through. “It doesn’t have to be forever. We can come back and visit them.”

  She opened her mouth, not quite sure what to say. It sounded so simple. So amazingly tempting. But could she leave everyone else she cared about? She loved him with all of her heart, but running away together meant saying goodbye to the friends she’d made at the academy. To Kally.

  Anything could happen while they were gone. Hell, the wars everyone kept talking about could come crashing down on them. What if leaving meant she’d never get to see Delilah and Autumn again? They were human. While everyone else came with immortality, Nature Mages had regular human lifetimes.

  But leaving also meant she could take Tink with her. Never have to sever their bond.

  Before she could decide, a loud crash sounded through the ballroom and all the teardrop lights burst. Water splashed everywhere and the little starry dancers flickered out as they fell. Darkness descended over the room. The music cut off, and an eerie hush crept over them as students stopped dancing.

  Asher heated beside her, his body turning blisteringly hot as he pulled her closer.

  Tink glowed to life within her pendant, apparently sensing something Rayna couldn’t see. Or maybe just preparing the same way Asher was. Rayna stared through the darkness, willing her night vision-like powers to kick into gear.

  But there was nothing. Just groups of students waiting in silence. Watching.

  And then a golden glow came from the entrance, seeping into the room slowly. Like fog rolling down a mountainside. It carried a wave of hot air and Rayna stiffened.

  Was Apollo attacking again? Sans Winterhounds?

  She might be getting better at her dark gifts, but she wasn’t sure she could realistically take him on again. Sure, she’d held him back the last time, but it had only been because of Tink and Artemis that Apollo had retreated.

  Didn’t matter. She wouldn’t let him harm anyone. Least of all her friends.

  The Wisp hovered right beside her, glowing deeper red and bringing a thread of comfort. Thank God Asher stood on her other side this time. They weren’t separated and perhaps that would be the key.

  They could take on anything, face whatever threat was walking into the ballroom.

  Together.

  “We need to get everyone out of here,” she whispered to him.

  “Glow’s coming from the back exit as well. We’re trapped in here, which I’m guessing was the point.”

  Shit.

  The glow was getting brighter, casting more light inside the ballroom while students edged away. They retreated to the edges of the room, ushered by professors chaperoning the event as they tried to clear as much space as possible.

  “Could Xander blast a hole through a wall?”

  Asher glanced around, eyes quickly scanning the room. Analyzing? “He could. But I can’t see the fucker anymore.”

  Double shit.

  Where was the pain in her ass when she needed him?

  “What about Liv and Torrey?”

  Asher shook his head, staring over the crowds since he was infinitely taller than Rayna. “They’re closing in on the rear door.”

  Triple shit.

  But it was also good. It meant they’d handle whatever came through that door. Protect the other students.

  Oh gods. “We need to get Delilah and Autumn out of here. All the Psychic Realm students.”

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. “Faculty and the stronger Spirituals will keep everyone safe.”

  Kally’s wings came out, spread wide as she shielded the front entrance, standing steady like a dark guardian. No sign of Nick.

  Rayna took a step forward, compelled to join her BFF in whatever fight was coming at them.

  Asher tugged her back, deeper into the shadows. “Not yet.”

  Yet? Did that mean he wasn’t going to hold her back forever?

  He fucking better not. She wouldn’t stand back and hide while others fought. Endangering themselves.

  Tink took off in a trail of red light, heading straight for Kally like she knew Rayna couldn’t bear to leave her on her own. She hovered beside Kally’s wings, a tiny flame against the intensifying glow.

  A skittering sound tickled Rayna’ ears, followed by clicking chirps and the gentle hum of buzzing wings.

  Oh, gods.

  What now?

  She pulled on the shadows, drawing the coolness into her palms right as a lonely bug flew into the ballroom. Oversized and sparkling gold, it kind of resembled a cicada. Except it was even bigger than her head. Kally threw a dagger in its direction, skewering it to the ballroom wall where it twitched and jerked.

  With its final chirp, chaos erupted.

  A swarm of the things burst into the Grand Hall, blotting out the glow. Screams echoed, the sounds of swatting and hitting. Then an inhuman roar and the rattle of the center chandelier.

  Asher’s wings ignited, fanning out right as several bugs descended on them. He covered Rayna’s back and shielded her, his fire burning through the monstrous insects. She gagged on the stench of roasted bugs and covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Let’s go,” Asher said, wrapping his arm around her and guiding her to the exit. Right toward the amber glow.

  He couldn’t mean for them to abandon everyone else. Could he?

  “Ash—”

  “Neither of us is any use inside here. If I let my fire free, it’ll burn everyone, not just the Everlastings. No way to tell them apart from students in this tight space.”

  Everlastings? Did he mean the cicada things?

  No time to dwell on it.

  “And your darkness—” He cut himself off, and she wondered what the hell he was about to say.

  But he had a point about his flames.

  If they could get closer to the entrance, maybe he could create a fiery barrier. Burn the bugs—Everlastings—as they flew inside the ballroom. The swarms were never-ending, more and more golden cicadas attacking the students.

  Like a flood. Wave after wave crashing through the entra
nce. A hurricane against the shore.

  Tink and Kally were working together, taking on the worst of it, but it wasn’t enough. There were just too many of them.

  When they reached the doors, Asher gripped her shoulders, his wings cocooning her in protective fire. “I’ll hold them off, and you run, okay?”

  She wanted to argue, but it would only eat up time. No way was she wasting precious moments. So, she nodded, telling herself she’d be more use outside. She’d block the entrance from view, soak it in black smoke so the damn things couldn’t find their way inside. Then he could scorch any that slipped through.

  They could do this.

  Together.

  His wings expanded, the heat growing sweltering and she was thankful it couldn’t burn her. She was the only one who could withstand his fire. No doubt it would melt any other person into a little puddle with the power he was putting into his wings right now.

  They fanned out impossibly wide, spreading until the entire entrance was nothing but flames. “Go,” he gritted out. “Fast as you can. I’ll be right behind you.”

  With another nod and a quick glance at the battle going on behind her, Rayna stepped through the wall of fire. Guilt tore through her instantly. She was fleeing, the only person who could literally walk through the blazing wall, while everyone was still trapped inside.

  Twenty-Five

  A sickeningly hot wave assaulted Rayna the minute she stepped outside. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the white light and her skin blistered instantly.

  What the fuck?

  She called on the black smoke and let it billow around her, a cool balm that kept the heat at bay. Cicadas rushed past her, not even paying her any attention as they focused on the Grand Hall.

  Where the hell was Asher?

  Still blocking the entrance?

  How long could he hold them off?

  She pushed her darkness out, hoping it would stop the bugs, but they sailed right through. Unaffected. Unfazed. Easily navigating through the dense wall of black.

  “Rayna,” a male voice said. “It’s been a very long time.”

  Déjà vu pounded at her head. Something about the voice was familiar, tugging at memories buried deep in her mind. She tried to squint through the smoke, but all she saw was the bright, blazing light. A huge ball of blinding glare. Like looking directly into the sun.

  At least the voice wasn’t Apollo’s. She was grateful for small mercies.

  “Do I know you?” she called, hoping like hell her voice didn’t waver.

  A laugh—wait, were there two? “You could say we’re kind of family. After all, your soul is bound to our brother’s.”

  Brother?

  No.

  Asher had said his brothers were dead. Killed by Apollo. Then again, he’d killed her, too, and she was still walking the earth. Was it possible his brothers had somehow survived?

  Or was this a trick?

  She searched her mind for their names, desperate to cling to something tangible. Something that might prove they lied or told the truth. “I thought your father killed you.”

  Blunt. But hopefully effective.

  The light dimmed enough she could make out two tall figures in the distance, flames pouring from each of them. Lighter, more yellow than Asher’s. The man on the left shrugged and stepped closer. A halo around him allowed her to catch a hint of his features and sparked the memory of his name.

  Ember.

  Which meant the man still hiding behind the flames was likely Khol.

  Ember looked nothing like the man she loved. Short, sandy brown hair with gray-blue eyes made him seem better suited for the beach than a phoenix shifter. “Apollo wanted Asher to believe we’d died. A punishment in its own way.”

  Rayna called more darkness from the shadows, pulling it down from the night sky, until her hands were freezing. Her body overflowed with black energy. Or maybe just nerves. She couldn’t tell. “As if being trapped in a volcano for a thousand years, burning to death every century, wasn’t punishment enough.”

  Another shrug. “Consequences of his actions.”

  “And yours? What did Apollo do to you when you failed to carry out his orders?”

  He edged closer. “He rectified the situation.”

  Sounded ominous to her. Maybe with a dash of brainwashing. “Am I another situation that needs rectifying?”

  Ember’s lip twitched in a creepy half-grin that hinted at his relation to Asher. It held none of the same warmth. “Not exactly.”

  Dread coiled through her, even icier than the power flowing from her hands. She didn’t know what they had planned—if Apollo still wanted her dead or if he’d stick to his new idea of weaponizing her.

  Either way, she wasn’t going down easy.

  She’d fight until she drew her last breath before she let someone rip her away from Asher.

  And she’d fight just as hard before she allowed that apocalyptic vision of global destruction to come true.

  Behind her, a roared pierced the air, but she had to focus on the threat in front of her. Trust Asher and the others could deal with the bugs.

  “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Rayna,” Ember said. “You’ll find things are a lot less…painful, if you just go with it.”

  “Not on your life.”

  The moonlight tingled on her skin, and she tried drawing in power from it as well. Like the darkness, it pooled within her, giving her strength. She didn’t know how the hell to use it, but she’d try anything.

  She couldn’t let either phoenix get past her. Swarms of cicadas were one thing for them to battle inside the Grand Hall. To hold back from the students inside.

  Two powerful phoenix shifters?

  They’d bring the entire campus down in an inferno.

  Ember smiled. “So be it.”

  A ball of fire blasted into her before she even saw it coming. She crashed into the hard stone walls, her back scraping raw as she slid down the surface, the front of her dress torched from the flames.

  Unlike Asher’s fire, Ember’s burned, leaving blistered skin beneath the singed edges of her dress.

  She sucked in deep breaths, wheezing through the searing pain in her torso as she staggered back onto her feet. Then cloaked herself in darkness, cocooning herself in the stuff. The black cloud thickened around her, but she could still see the figures beyond it. Faint, silvery outlines.

  Their fires raged brighter. Hotter. The heat even radiating though the darkness.

  How was she supposed to take on two phoenix shifters?

  “Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way, Rayna.” Ember spoke calmly. Almost conversationally. As through his brother hadn’t just blasted her. “Maybe I should get Asher out here, huh? Or didn’t I hear you’d bonded with another WillowWisp? Those little bastards are tough as Hades, but not indestructible.”

  Rayna clenched her fists, reminding herself Asher and Tink could take care of themselves. Her job was to keep these two from getting inside where they could burn through students without blinking.

  The Spirituals could probably fend for themselves—mostly—but she wasn’t so sure about the Physicals. And even less so about the Psychs.

  “A little birdie tells us the WillowWisp has become pretty important to you,” Ember continued. “We’d hate to see something…unthinkable happen to it.”

  “I know.” It was Khol this time, his voice an octave lower. Deeper. More menacing. “How about we go for the Nature Mage? I mean, she survived her recent run-in with an associate of ours, so she should be around here. Inside, perhaps?”

  An unnatural growl rumbled from Rayna, so unfamiliar she startled herself. “Don’t you touch her.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere,” Ember said. “Khol, get the girl. Take out our brother if you can.”

  A scream ripped its way from Rayna’s chest, and she threw her hands up, acting on pure instinct. Black tentacles flew out from her fingers, headed straight for the brothers. They d
odged right at the last second, taking flight on identical, fiery wings.

  She tracked their movements, easily visible as they ascended higher and higher against the dark sky. She couldn’t let them get away. Couldn’t let them hurt those she cared about. That list was growing longer and longer, filling up with powerful beings and regular humans alike.

  Delilah was a strong first year Mage, one of the best talents in her class. But she wouldn’t stand a chance against a phoenix duo.

  The two hovered in the sky. Waiting for her? This was a time when a set of wings would’ve come in handy. But since Midnight was still locked in the barn realm, and she was unlikely to sprout feathers anytime soon, Rayna coiled more darkness into her.

  Crisp ozone surrounded her. Cool after the heat of Ember and Khol.

  The darkness spiraled around her, growing in speed until it was a tornado of pitch black smoke. Sparks of red snapped inside the vortex and she had a flash memory. There one second and gone the next.

  The Crimson Rites during her trials.

  The hurricane of her blood with black smoke and dark red electricity.

  This was it, the image she’d seen, only ten times larger.

  And still the hurricane grew, more smoke billowing up while the sparks turned to thick bolts of lightning rippling through the black clouds.

  She could feel Ember and Khol’s fires hitting the outer edges of her dark shield. Her smoke pulsed like a second heartbeat, part of her but somehow removed. The fiery assault vibrated along her nerves without actually harming her as the fires died on contact. Fizzling to nothing.

  Then that skittering-click-chirp pierced the night, scuttling closer until the ground moved beneath her feet, rolling with a freaking wave of bugs. Everlastings swarmed her, their oversized wings glinting gold in the moonlight as they raced towards her.

  She swatted at them as they climbed her legs. Too many. With every one she got rid of, there were five in its place. Rayna screamed as they covered her. Their creepy legs tickled her everywhere.

  Her shield failed, the smoke and red sparks dispersing while she battled the bugs.

  She dropped to her knees as they blanketed her torso, dragging her down with their heavy weight. If she couldn’t get them the hell off, they’d take her all the way to the ground.