Daring Provocation (Shadow Veil Academy Book 3)

by Heather Renee

  “Raegan?” Enzo’s raspy voice sounded, making me pretty sure it was safe to at least open my mouth.

  Turning my head, I used my hands to wipe at my face before opening my eyes fully. When I did, I caught the final moment before Talon and Gemma released their hold on Enzo and he ran toward me.

  As Enzo helped me up, Phox clapped her hands. “Very well, Raegan. It’s disappointing you didn’t fail the first time, but I’m sure there will be others who do. Who’s next?”

  Gemma and Lyssa volunteered at the same time, but I didn’t pay attention long enough to hear their arguments as to who would actually go next.

  Instead, I brushed myself off the rest of the way and turned back around. I fully expected there to be a mound of dirt where I had laid, but nothing seemed disturbed in the ground beside the hole Phox had created. I had literally moved through the earth. Creepy, but cool.

  “Are you okay?” Enzo asked.

  “Of course, I am. I thought you were doing better about freaking out about my safety, but there’s a chance you may need to start taking some anxiety meds before you give yourself a heart attack.”

  “She spelled the ground, Raegan. You weren’t breaking through if you failed. She was going to hold you down there for as long as it took for you to get it right.” His voice was hard, and I took a moment to understand his fear, because I now had it for my friends.

  Though, the rest of them had been in school all year, and if they were volunteering, then I wasn’t going to worry about them nearly as much as Enzo had about me. So, I took the time we had and walked him through what I had done and had him begin practicing.

  He had some experience connecting with other energies, but I felt a sense of pride being the one to teach him something rather than it being the other way around like normal.

  Sure enough, there were failures just like Professor Phox had wanted, but what had surprised me the most was Talon. He had seemed the calmest out of all of us and had gone last. So, I was actually pretty worried about him, but he’d been out of the dirt in under a minute with a bright smile on his face.

  “I might not know a lot about magic, but I’ve been moving dirt in Drakken all my life,” he announced when he got up.

  Gemma laid into him for not telling the rest of us and helping out, but he just continued to grin, seeming to be overly happy he’d succeeded where others had not, instead of failing like he had the class before.

  Before we knew it, class was over, and it was lunch time. We each went our separate ways again, and I showered for the third time that day while Enzo ordered lunch in our room instead of going to the commissary.

  Once we were both cleaned up and food arrived, I asked about our next class.

  “It’s with Professor Melnier,” he replied between mouthfuls of his turkey sandwich.

  “Really? That surprises me.”

  “Why? He’s like a thousand-year-old elf. He has endless knowledge of the Doyens.” Enzo said the words so casually, but I was instantly intrigued.

  “Why have we never consulted with him before?” I asked.

  “Headmaster Stone did while we were in Drakken. It’s why he sat in on the council meeting when we decided to go on the offense.”

  Huh. I remembered wondering why he was there, but it made more sense now. We’d had bigger things to worry about back then, so I hadn’t thought to ask at the time, but I was wishing I had.

  We finished eating and headed to an elven classroom I hadn’t been in since my first year. “Is Professor Trinket still around?” I asked before Enzo opened the door.

  “Yeah, but I think he only has classes in the mornings, so it sounds like we’ll be using his room in the afternoons. Professor Melnier doesn’t actually teach here. He’s only been helping out since Malina escaped,” Enzo answered as he moved into the room with me right behind him.

  Peyton, Finley, Gemma, and Talon were already chatting with the professor when we arrived, and Enzo said something about them, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than my surroundings.

  This was definitely not the room I remembered, but I certainly liked it better.

  There was a forest-like theme going on, and literal trees were growing inside the room. Birds flew around the area, and I was pretty sure I’d seen a fox slip through the trees and wondered if it was Jules.

  “Is this real?” I asked.

  Enzo’s brow pinched. “Is what real?”

  My hands spread out in front of me. “All of this. The trees and animals and whatever else is happening.”

  “Uh, Raegan, I think you bumped your head. This is a normal classroom.”

  We arrived at the desk covered in vines, and my head was still swiveling around, trying to figure out why I could see something that Enzo couldn’t even though we were standing right next to each other.

  “What’s wrong?” Gemma asked as soon as she laid eyes on me.

  “I think I’m going crazy unless you see forest around us right now,” I answered.

  “Professor Melnier, what’s going on?” Enzo asked when Gemma shook her head.

  “Just a little test, and Raegan is actually the only one so far who passed. And please, call me Emmett.”

  “Care to fill me in on what sort of test would cause me to see a forest inside the classroom?” I asked.

  “As soon as Lyssa joins us, we’ll take a seat and I’ll explain how this class will work,” Emmett replied.

  While we waited for Lyssa, I described to the others what I was seeing, and they were pretty irritated they couldn’t join in. Emmett refused to answer even the most basic questions, which was rather frustrating.

  About five minutes later, Lyssa strode into the room, moving slowly as her gaze moved about the room. “Where the hell are we? Was there some sort of gateway in the door when I walked in?”

  “You see the forest?” I asked excitedly.

  “Well, it’s kinda hard to miss,” she drawled.

  “And this is why I didn’t answer any questions until she arrived. I had a feeling she would need answers as well. Alright, everyone, take a seat.”

  Lyssa and I couldn’t see anywhere to sit, but Enzo helped me find a seat that looked a whole lot like a rock to my eyes, and Lyssa sat on a stump.

  “This class will include a few things, but to sum it up, I simply called it Enhanced Combat Training. Here, you will learn how to create illusions depending on your magic levels, or you’ll learn how to manipulate energies to bend them to your will along with defensive moves to withstand an attack of Doyen proportions.”

  “Why do only Lyssa and I see the forest?” I asked.

  “You have a deeper connection with the earth’s energy. It won’t always be that way. Some days others will see something different and the two of you will be completely oblivious, but we’ll work for as long as we’re able for you all to be on a similar level for the tasks you’ll excel at.”

  So, we had Enhanced Magic, Energy Connections, and Enhanced Combat Training for classes. Even though they were smaller in size and fewer students than taking normal classes, I was finally excited to be learning more and growing our powers together, especially with some of my dearest friends.

  Emmett dropped his illusion on the classroom before he explained what we’d be working on for the afternoon. Most of it had to do with pushing our energy outside of our body, and I was quickly realizing that all three classes connected together. We couldn’t succeed in one without doing so in all three.

  We just had to hope there would be enough time to learn what we needed in order to not fail against Malina again. Otherwise, this would not only be my last year of school; it would also be my last year on Earth.

  Chapter 5

  Class with Professor Melnier—or Emmett, as he preferred to be called—was the least physically demanding of the three, but it had still been mentally draining. After two hours of attempting to force our minds to do things we’d never done before, I was pretty sure all of us were ready to sleep for a week.

/>   When we were dismissed, Lyssa had taken off almost immediately. Gemma was asking Emmett something, and Enzo was chatting with Talon, but Peyton and Finley had practically collapsed to the ground. I stood above them and smirked.

  “Still glad you decided to push your way into our shitastic situation?” I asked them.

  Peyton lifted her head slightly and growled at me. “You could have warned us.”

  My hands went up innocently. “Hey, I tried to leave the two of you out of it. That was my way of warning you.”

  “I thought this was going to be easier than regular schoolwork. When Lyssa’s dad said he’d take care of everything, I should have asked more questions. I now know where she gets her devious traits from,” Finley droned as Gemma joined us.

  “Seriously? Quit your crying. There’s no time for rest. The guys have to go do some ‘guy stuff’, so we’re having a girls’ night,” she announced as if there wasn’t a choice in the matter for the rest of us.

  I was all for hanging out, but I doubted Peyton and Finley would be awake longer than it took to shower and eat.

  “What are they doing?” I nodded toward our men.

  “Not sure. I heard something about Alistair before they saw me approaching and decided I didn’t care enough to ask. My brain is too tired to do so.”

  I wondered if I should care. If there was something going on, I couldn’t see either of them leaving us out, but then again, they were overprotective brutes. I wasn’t going to put anything past Enzo and Talon when it came to my and Gemma’s safety.

  “Can we put this on hold for an hour?” I asked, deciding I at least wanted the opportunity to ask Enzo what they were up to before taking a long and scalding shower.

  “Uh, sure.” Gemma raised a brow at me skeptically, but Peyton and Finley didn’t mind at all.

  Finley stood first. “I need to go feed anyway or you ladies might begin to look like a good snack.” Her tongue ran across the sharp points of where I knew fangs extended when needed.

  Peyton pushed Finley as she got up as well. “You’re not scary, Fin. Raegan is a dragon shifter. There’s no beating that when her beast could eat all of us for lunch.”

  Huh. I had never considered myself notably dangerous, nor my dragon, but I could understand her viewpoint when Chelle’s size was taken into consideration.

  Dragons were once the most feared leaders. Your friend is smart to be cautious, because I would most certainly devour her should she cross you, Chelle said nonchalantly.

  Seriously? Don’t even think about eating my friends.

  A shiver ran across my body as I tried to extract the image from my mind. Chelle just chuckled inside my head, and I decided we needed to have a serious talk soon about proper friend treatment and etiquette.

  “Someone come pound on my door when we’re ready to hang out. I’m going to go sleep for however long I have,” Peyton said as she headed for the door, dragging her feet.

  “I’ll be in charge of her. Where are we meeting at, and should I invite Lyssa even though she took off without really saying bye?” Finley asked.

  Gemma responded first. “Let’s meet in my room. Less chance of the guys crashing our party if we stay away from Raegan’s high-rise she calls a room. And yeah, invite Lyssa. We need to loosen her up.”

  With our plans made, I said my goodbyes and went over to Enzo, who was just parting ways with Talon.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “Not much. Talon asked for my help locating one of the outbuildings further out from campus. I guess Headmaster Stone wants something to do with it.”

  My brow raised. “And you don’t know what that is?”

  “Nope, didn’t ask.”

  He wasn’t lying. I could tell from the bond that had continued to grow and change over the summer, giving us the ability to read emotions from each other when we were together. Though, even if Enzo wasn’t lying, he was definitely up to something.

  “Alright. Well, if you figure it out, don’t forget to tell me or there will be hell to pay,” I said voice thick with a sweetness my words didn’t portray.

  “You’re scary, you know that?”

  “Peyton mentioned something similar just a moment ago. I’m thinking it’s not such a bad thing as long as I can keep Chelle from eating my friends.”

  His brow pinched. “Do I want to know?”

  My head shook. “Probably not. It’s not something that can easily be forgotten.”

  “Okay, then. How about dinner before you take off? I heard Gemma mention girls’ night.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Following him to the commissary, my stomach growled as I thought about what I wanted for dinner.

  Peyton would taste the best if you ask me. Chelle chuckled.

  Your jokes are not funny.

  I find myself rather entertaining, so we’ll have to agree to disagree, she replied with a soft laugh.

  That we would, because I was going to need professional help getting those thoughts out of my head.

  Just over an hour later, I was sprawled across Gemma’s bed and half-asleep before Peyton, Finley, and Lyssa showed up. Finley took pleasure in rushing across the room and dropping an elbow into my stomach.

  “Wakey, wakey!” she screamed in my ear.

  “Whatever blood you had contained entirely too much caffeine,” I groaned while rolling out from under her.

  “Possibly, but it’s better than me being hangry.”

  “Touché. So, what’s on the menu for girls’ night, because I didn’t get my dessert with dinner,” I whined to Gemma, who was at her butler box, punching a whole lot of buttons.

  That girl loved food more than I did. Thankfully, our supernatural metabolisms kept us in top shape no matter how many chocolate cakes we ate.

  “Well, since Phox seems to insist on trying to kill us, I figured we’d keep it low key and just pig out on sweets while playing some poker. We haven’t done that in a while, and a movie night seemed too boring,” Gemma said.

  The mentioning of Phox reminded me of what she’d said earlier about having to head back to Drakken. I opened my mouth to say something to the others, but then realized there was likely a reason she hadn’t announced it to us all at once. If she did indeed plan on leaving, then I’d let them find out when Phox was ready.

  Lyssa sat down next to me. “Please, don’t tell me I have to endure these nights often.”

  “Oh, come on. You were so much better last year in your attempts at being nice. Don’t go back to being the bitch I first met when I arrived at Shadow Veil.”

  Her eyes widened in feigned offense. “I was no such thing.”

  “Lies, but it’s okay. I get it now and we’re all good, which means I’d like for you to be a real part of the group. Not just someone who trains with us because she’s afraid of other people being better than her.”

  She flinched at my words, and I knew they held a truth in them. I felt bad, but I needed her to know she wasn’t alone and didn’t have to be something she wasn’t or preferred not to be.

  “You don’t have to do this,” I continued. “All of the students respect you already. Being part of defeating Malina isn’t necessary for you to be someone great.”

  “Yeah, I know that, but my dad doesn’t,” she said quietly, glancing around the room to make sure the others weren’t listening. Gemma and Peyton were busy setting up food while Finley was shuffling cards, so Lyssa continued, “He’s high up in supernatural dealings with the government. He demands I follow in his footsteps in order to carry on the ‘Trich’ family name. When he learned that you and I had become friends of sorts, yet I’d been sent home with the other students last year, he wasn’t very happy.”

  Ire bubbled beneath the surface, and Chelle rumbled within me. Neither of us understood how a father could be so cruel as to insert their only child into a situation that had a high probability of getting her killed. Plus, she seemed to want nothing to do with it.

  “I’m s
o sorry, Lys.” I reached for her hand, but she yanked it away.

  “I don’t need your sympathy. I just need to make sure Malina dies and I graduate Shadow Veil. After that, I can deal with my father on my own and hopefully forge my own path. My future isn’t set until I say.”

  Her voice was filled with a determination we could all learn from, and a grin widened on my face. She might not have wanted to be a part of our badass squad, but she was still going to give it her all in hopes of taking charge of her future. That was something to be damn proud of.

  More than that, it was something to be respected, and I had a new sense of admiration for the feisty elf at my side.

  Chapter 6

  Enzo

  Raegan was going to kill me, but technically, I hadn’t lied to her. Talon was a sneaky bastard and well aware of the consequences to the bond between me and Raegan, since they came from her dragon side. So, when he asked for my help, he very carefully left out details that would raise suspicion to the importance of whatever he needed my help with.

  After I dropped Raegan off at Gemma’s dorm, I met Talon out by the main entrance. He looked like he was ready for war instead of a quick trip spent scouring the surrounding area for whatever it was the headmaster hoped to find.

  He was wearing all black: boots, cargo pants, and shirt, along with multiple weapons strapped to his legs and hips.

  My hand moved up and down. “Is all that really necessary?”

  He shrugged. “Alistair told me not to shift, if possible, should we run into trouble. I thought some weapons would be nice. Not all of us can be pros at Enhanced Weapons magic on the first day.”

  “Alright. So, what is it we’re doing exactly?” I asked, ignoring his pouting about our earlier class.

  I was more curious about what Headmaster Stone wanted. Even though I had been okay with keeping Raegan out of the loop for the moment so they could enjoy their girls’ night, I had every intention of telling her as soon as we were back.