Starlight & Shadows: A Limited Edition Academy Collection by Laura Greenwood, Arizona Tape, Juliana Haygert, Kat Parrish, Ashley McLeo, L.C. Mawson, Leigh Kelsey, Bre Lockhart, Zelda Knight

by Laura Greenwood

  I pull myself from my thoughts and hop off the table to walk towards them.

  "This is Juliet, our House Captain," Mathias introduces.

  "Hi," I say as brightly as I can, smiling and holding out my hand.

  The new girl hesitates, but takes it anyway. It's possible to see the thoughts stream through her head, just the same as everyone else who meets me. She thinks I'm perfect, but not in the good way. She doesn't want to trust me because of how I come across. That's fine. I'll just do the same as I do with everyone else and convince her.

  "Pleased to meet you," she mutters.

  "Juliet, this is Syxe," Mathias says, introducing the two of us on her behalf.

  "Welcome to Grove Sakura." I drop her hand. "Would you like a tour?"

  She shakes her head. "It's been a long day, do you mind showing me where I'm going to sleep..."

  "Of course." I smile as reassuringly as I can. I really do want her to think of me as a friend, and not just because it's one of the things members of Sakura Grove value above all else.

  "Thanks for bringing me, Mathias," she says softly, something akin to affection flitting over her face.

  I raise an eyebrow at my boyfriend's twin. His cheeks flush.

  Hmm. Apparently, he has a thing for the new student. Interesting, I don't think I've ever seen Mathias interested in someone for more than a date. This is going to be interesting.

  "You're welcome." He shifts from one side to the other with nerves.

  It's almost impossible to contain my smile, but somehow, I manage.

  "If you come with me, I'll show you to the dorms. Do you have your stuff with you?"

  She nods and gestures to the weekend bag at her feet. Is that all she has with her?

  It doesn't matter. I'm not about to make her feel self-conscious about the amount of things she has, that would be an awful thing to do.

  "Why don't I grab your bag?" I move in and pick it up before she can say anything.

  "Thank you."

  We leave the common room in silence, and not the comfortable kind. I need to do better.

  "How did you find your first day?" I ask.

  "Overwhelming," she admits. "There's so much I don't understand."

  "Can I help with any of it? I'm always here if you have any questions. Mathias is too."

  "Mathias..."

  I chuckle. "What do you want to know about him?"

  "Is he really as nice as he seems?"

  I gesture to the stairs in front of us and we begin to climb.

  "I suppose that depends what you mean by nice. He's charming, intelligent, and easy to get along with." I can't keep the affection out of my voice.

  "Oh, so you and him..."

  Oops. Too much affection it seems. "Definitely not," I assure her. "I'm dating his twin."

  "Sorry," she mumbles.

  "Don't worry about it, all you did was ask a question."

  "Why..." she trails off, piquing my curiosity.

  "We need to go to the left here," I tell her. "Why what?" I prompt after a moment.

  She sighs. "Why aren't you more annoyed about this?"

  "This being you asking about Mathias, or that I'm showing you to your room?" I keep half an eye on the room numbers as we walk down the corridor. I don't want to drag her any further than she needs to go when she seems so tired.

  "Both?"

  I glance to the side in time to see a slight smile tugging at her lips. Ah good. She isn't completely on edge around me.

  "Mathias may be my friend, but he's more than capable of looking after himself. And you don't need to worry, he hasn't had a serious girlfriend in the entire time I've known him."

  "Ah, so he sleeps around."

  I snort. "No, I don't think so. He just likes to flirt, but secretly, he's a bit of a romantic." And maybe this girl is going to encourage that to come out more. I can see it happening, especially with how he was looking at her. "This is you." I gesture to a door with one-hundred-and-fifty-seven written on it.

  I slot the key into the door and pull it open, then gesture for her to enter.

  She smiles at me as she slips into her new room, and this time, it's a bit more genuine. If I have to guess, then I'd say that she's warming to me. I hope we can become friends in time, especially if Mathias is going to try and date her.

  "Would you like to come in?" she asks after another moment. "I have a few more questions."

  Oh yes, the two of us are going to become good friends. I can't wait to get to know her properly.

  "Absolutely," I respond and step inside her room. I have a good feeling about Syxe.

  Thank you for reading Grove Captain, I hope you enjoyed it. If you want more reapers, you can find the first book of Syxe's story (which will feature more Juliet!) here: http://books2read.com/shadowseer

  * * *

  You can grab Curses Start Somewhere, the prequel to Grimalkin Academy: Kittens for free here!

  If you want to stay up to date with releases, as well as fun and games and opportunities to name characters or places in upcoming series, you can join my Facebook Reader Group. Or you can join my mailing list for up to date sales and releases.

  About Laura Greenwood

  Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal, fantasy, and urban fantasy romance (though she can occasionally be found writing contemporary romance). When she's not writing, she drinks a lot of tea, tries to resist French macarons, and works towards a diploma in Egyptology. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set.

  Other Academy Series:

  Grimalkin Academy: Kittens Series (completed series)

  Grimalkin Academy: Catacombs Trilogy (completed series)

  Grimalkin Academy: Stakes Trilogy (paranormal academy)

  Sabre Woods Academy (paranormal academy)

  Scythe Grove Academy (urban fantasy)

  Grimm Academy Series (fairy tale academy)

  Fate Of The Crown Duology (Arthurian academy, completed series)

  Once Upon An Academy Series (fairy tale academy)

  Follow the Author:

  Website: www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk

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  First Star

  A Celestial Colosseum Prequel

  Arizona Tape

  Blurb

  Life as a Celestial can be pretty boring so when Kassandra meets the new Forgemaster apprentice, Athalia, she’s eager to get to know her better. And going on a first date to hunt constellations is exactly the opposite of boring.

  -

  First Star is a prequel story to the Celestial Colosseum series but can be read entirely on its own.

  Chapter One

  Killing demons is easy, especially when you don’t hold your own life in high regard. They may look scary, certainly when they can appear in multiple forms or bodies, but ultimately, that’s all they are. Bodies. Terror in the flesh. Even if they have venom in their veins and feed on panic, they’re not much different than me. One unguarded moment, a swing of my blade, and it’s game over. Demon life is just as fragile as the humans who walk the Earth and the angels that guard them. Maybe even more so. Once the sun comes up, they’re driven back to hell and humanity gains another day. That’s what we call victory up here. That’s what we fight for.

  My beautiful monologue is interrupted by the swing of a blade missing my face by an inch. The air slashes my cheek, leaving a tingling warning of what might have been.

  “Woah. That was close,” I say, reaching up to make sure I’m not bleeding. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Yes, I just need to get the angle right,” Mila replies as
she swings her katana back up. She wipes her gloved hand across her sweaty forehead and her eyebrows knit together. “Again.”

  “We’ve been at it for hours,” I complain. Even so, I swing my own short sword up and regain my fighting stance. “Like this?”

  My best friend nods, her pink hair dancing on her shoulders. “Perfect.”

  Holding my pose, I wait for Mila to take another go at me. “And you’re sure you just want me to stand here instead of fighting back? Why can’t you use a dummy?”

  She lifts her katana in the air, the thin blade twinkling in the bright light. With a couple of demonstrative slashes, she twirls around, moving so fast I can’t keep track of the sword. Before I know it, a flash passes in front of my face and her katana is pressed against my neck. She grins triumphantly. “It’s just not the same.”

  I push the blade back and step out of her reach. “Noted. Are we done?”

  “Fine. I suppose we’ve been at it for a while. Thank you for letting me practice my swing on you,” Mila replies, sheathing her curved sword with more dramatic flair than necessary. She kicks some dust from the training area in my direction and makes her way to the benches at the side of the path. She sits down and tosses me one of the towels, claiming the pink one as her own. “So what were you daydreaming about?”

  I run the towel over my face first and use it to wipe my sword before I put it into the sheath across my lower back. I’ll clean that later. Not the most practical of places but can’t stand it bumping against my hip.

  Grunting, I sit down next to her and reach for my water flask. “I wasn’t daydreaming.”

  “Then what were you doing zoned out in the middle of a fight?”

  “It wasn’t a fight, you were using me as a test dummy.”

  “And what a test dummy you are,” she teases, hitting me in the shoulder. “So… daydreaming?”

  With a friendly shove, I push her away and stand up to stretch, not wanting to admit I was narrating my life. She’s my best friend and I’d jump in front of a demon for her any day, but it’s none of her business.

  “I’m ready to go back,” I say, swinging my arms back and forth. Even if I hate it, only fools wouldn’t stretch after a sparring match. Sore muscles aren’t just annoying, they can be fatal in real battle.

  “Fine, fine.” Mila wipes her forehead with her towel and jumps up, joining me on the path we were just practising on. On this side, it disappears into a small village with white brick houses that remind me of the seaside in Greece. The other end leads through large fields of green and ends up curling up into the mountains. It’s hard to believe we’re not on Earth. It even smells like we’re in the middle of farmland, complete with the earthy smell of freshly mowed grass and newly turned soil. There’s even a slight dusty quality to the air but it’s much cleaner than anything down below. The crickets are bountiful around here and we follow the path out of the area listening to their symphonies.

  As vast as everything looks, the Colosseum is never far away and unlike the real world, the landscape of the training ground quickly and abruptly changes. The grassy meadows of the Green Plateau overlook a beautiful ocean and lead to a set of hills. Surrounded by this beauty, it’s hard to remember why we’re really here. What we are training for.

  “Hey, did you hear a couple of new students transferred in?” Mila asks as we follow the path.

  “No, you know I don’t gossip.”

  “It’s not gossip, it’s news. Anyway, I think they studied at the Cathedral.”

  “So why did they come to the Celestial Colosseum then?” I ask.

  “I don’t know. I heard they’re all high rank though. One of them is rank Five.”

  That grabs my attention. “Really? Some of our teachers are Rank Five. They must either be the world’s best student or the world’s worst if they’re still in school.”

  Mila chuckles as she skips next to me. For a demon-slaying celestial, she’s very peppy and chipper. The pink hair certainly fooled me when I first met her. If I hadn’t seen her decapitate a couple of underworld monsters with her katana, I’d think she killed them with kindness and positivity.

  A couple of well-armed students pass us on their way to the training ground and nod at us. One of them has a large spear resting on his shoulder while the girl is carrying a shield with sharpened edges. Impractical weapons on Earth, perfect for slaying demons and putting on a good show in the Arena. That’s what we are here for.

  Chapter Two

  After a short walk, we arrive at the Celestial Colosseum. Inspired by the amphitheatre on Earth, the massive construction is only part of the academy. The Green Plateau and the other training grounds all belong to the Colosseum, together with the many barracks. They’ve become so numerous, they are now small villages.

  Even though it’s a serious learning institute, it doesn’t always look like it. Students are coming and going as they please, participating in training when and how it suits them. I suppose it’s only fair that fighting demons is a voluntary dedication.

  “I need to stop by the Forgemaster. I think Butterfly needs some attention,” Mila says as she unsheaths her katana and holds it up into the light. “She’s a high maintenance lady. Want to come with?”

  “Nah, I sharpened my sword yesterday.”

  “Oh come on, what if I run into Jacob?” my best friend begs.

  I sigh dramatically but nod all the same. “Fine, I’ll come with you but I warned you not to date a Forgemaster apprentice. You know how messy break-ups get.”

  “Yes, yes, I know. I just couldn’t help myself.”

  “Believe me, I noticed.”

  The Forges are just on the outside the inner ring of the academy, making it easy for the students to visit and keep their equipment functional. Between practice matches, fights at the Arena, and slaying demons, our weapons get a lot of action.

  The sharp, distinct smell of heavenly fire and smoke greets us way before we make it to the Forge. The sound of hammers hitting metal and sizzling steam makes it hard to talk but that doesn’t stop us.

  “I hope Jacob isn’t here,” Mila mutters as we step into the Sword Forge.

  “Why did you two break up again? I thought you two were going to take the soulbond.”

  “I thought so too but…” My best friend hesitates. “You know what, it doesn’t matter.”

  I pause in my step, halting next to a wall decorated with all sorts of heavy tools. “He wasn’t good enough for you anyway.”

  “Thanks… I think—”

  Before she can finish, someone I don’t know approaches us and shoots us a charming smile. “Hi. Can I help you?”

  “Umm… Sure. Is Jacob here?” Mila asks, checking over her shoulder for her ex.

  “I think he’s training. I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Athalia, I’m one of the new Forge apprentices. I just transferred in from the Cathedral,” she says with a melodic voice, reaching across to shake my best friend’s hand.

  “I’m Mila,” she introduces herself.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You’re one of the new students,” I say, checking out the other girl. She’s slightly shorter than me and has streaks of soot and coal across her cheek, probably from working. Her baggy overalls and large boots give her a casual appearance but she has fine, elegant features that don’t match. It’s her eyebrows. They’re perfectly done, not something I’d expect from a blacksmith.

  She raises one of her perfect eyebrows, a bemused smile playing on her lips. “You see anything you like?”

  I quickly clear my throat, feeling my cheeks flush. “Ahem… No, I mean, yes. I mean, I wasn’t staring.”

  What a rubbish answer.

  She chuckles, bemused by my flustered reply. Her laugh is light and slightly sharp, not unlike the sound of metal clicking together. It suits her, given she works in the Forge.

  “What can I do for you?” she asks, turning around. Her two braids whip over her shoulders and land on her back, dancing a
s she bounces over to one of the anvils.

  Mila taps the handle of her sword. “I need some maintenance on Butterfly. Do you do those or should I come back another time?”

  “I specialise in swords but I’m not an expert of curved blades. I’m sorry.” She turns to me, her look expectant. “What about you? Do you need me to take a look at your sword?”

  “M-Mine?” I stammer. “Why?”

  “That’s why people come to the Forge, right? To have their equipment looked after?”

  When she puts it like that, I come across like an idiot. I point at my best friend, hoping to clear up the confusion. “Oh no, my sword is fine. I was just accompanying Mila.”

  “Aww, that’s sweet,” Athalia coes. “Are you two… a couple?”

  “Us? No, no. We’re best friends,” I quickly deny. Maybe a little too quickly. Is she fishing or just being polite? I can never tell but it certainly feels like she’s flirting. I’m just not sure if it’s with me or Mila.

  The new apprentice smiles. “Well, it’s nice to meet you two. How do you like the Colosseum?”

  “It’s pretty good here,” I answer. “Better than high school. Competent teachers and I can just skip the classes I don’t like. And if someone messes with me I kick their ass in the arena.”

  She laughs. “I have no doubt you do. I’ll try and stay on your good side.”

  “You better,” I joke back, earning another smile.

  Mila clears her throat loudly and I’m reminded of her presence again. I run a hand through my hair and chuckle uncomfortably.

  Luckily, Athalia recovers more smoothly. She gives us a wave as she returns to her anvil. “Alright, I have to get back to work but if you need anything, come see me.”

  “Thaaanks,” Mila sings. She loops her arm through mine and pulls me away, giggling conspiringly before we’ve even left. She squeals as we leave the Forge and pulls me to the side, gesturing back. “What was that?”