by Dawn Jansen
We all agreed on no presents, but the guys have me blindfolded and are leading me through the Academy.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” I giggle. My voice is still kind of raspy from when Widowmaker nearly choked me unconscious yesterday.
Tristan shushes me. “What part of ‘surprise’ don’t you get?”
What’s wild is that I can tell who’s touching me without even looking. I sense their personality and feel their distinct power each time one of them guides me around another corner or down a flight of stairs.
“This isn’t fair,” I protest. “I didn’t get you guys anything.”
“Seeing you happy is the best gift we could have,” Damion says, and I can hear the smile on his face.
“Barf,” I say jokingly. Even though he’s being corny, though, I can’t help but think it’s sweet.
I get my first hint about where they’re taking me when I hear a loud metal door opening, followed by a gust of cold wind hitting my face.
“Is she ready?” Paul asks the others.
“Yeah,” Damion and Tristan say in unison.
My blindfold is removed and, once my eyes adjust to the light, I see they’ve brought me to the Academy garage.
“No way!” I gasp when I see what they’ve done. It’s my Honda Interceptor, and she’s all tricked out!
I run over to my bike and marvel at all the new mods. There are frame sliders, tank pads, flush mount lights, and all other kinds of add-ons and extensions that I’ve always wanted but had never been able to afford. Once I’ve circled the bike, checking out all the mods in shock, I turn to the guys, who are still standing by the door looking very pleased with themselves.
“How did you nerds even know what this stuff is? None of you even ride!” I say excitedly, unable to hide the huge smile on my face.
Tristan makes a gesture of zipping his mouth shut. “The three of us can be very resourceful when we need to be,” he says. It melts my heart to hear him talk about them all as one unit.
I run over to them and we all share a big hug, but then Paul and Damion simultaneously jump back a step. They both grunt and wince in pain, Damion clutching his arm, Paul his hip.
“I guess we still need some time to recover from the Test, huh?” I say, reminding myself of everything that transpired yesterday.
“If they ever need zombies for another Thriller, we should all audition,” Tristan jokes, alluding to the various cuts and bruises that we’re all adorned with.
“Alright, alright, enough rejoicing,” Paul says. “Aren’t you going to ride it?”
“Ride it?” I ask, almost confused at first, but then I remember—I’m no longer a student; I’m a fully-fledged EMP, which means I’m free to leave the Academy grounds.
“We don’t start official duty until after the New Year,” Tristan says, leaning casually on Paul’s shoulder. “That should be enough time for you two to share some quality time together.”
“Federal license plate too,” Damion says, nodding to the bike. “The same kind they give diplomats. You won’t have to worry about getting pulled over anymore.”
I run over to the bike and put on the riding gloves that are draped over the handlebars. The familiar leather smell has me itching to take the bike out for a spin.
“This is the best Christmas present ever,” I say, flinging my hair back and putting the helmet on over my head, “but as soon as I get back, I’m going to give you guys an even better gift.”
I straddle the bike, making sure the boys get a good view of my ass and legs mounting the leather seat, giving them a preview of what they can look forward to after my ride.
“Don’t take too long,” Tristan says with a wink. “That’s a gift we’ve been waiting for for a while.”
I ride out, the bike handling better than it ever has, but then stop before leaving the Academy. I take one last look at the mansion; this place has changed me more than I ever could have imagined, but some things will always stay the same, and right now the road is calling me. I twist the throttle, cherishing the sensation of the powerful engine purring under me, and ride off into the crisp, Christmas-morning air.
The End of Part One
Want to see what saucy activities Mazzy and the boys get up to when Mazzy gets back from her ride?
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Thanks for reading Empower Academy: 1984. This is my second book. My first published work is a short vampire romance novella that you can find on Amazon:
Marked: A Possessive Vampire Romance
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Other Books by Dawn Jansen
Marked: A Possessive Vampire Romance
Marked is a 17k-word steamy romance novella available for FREE on Kindle Unlimited (or just $0.99). What happens when an NYU grad student encounters a sexy vampire living in the abandoned subway tunnels of New York? How will she deal with his possessive love? Find out in Marked: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0826HRGS2
Coming Soon
Empowered Academy: 1985
