Dragon Fire Academy 2: Second Term

by Rachel Jonas

  That was the excuse I’d given anyway.

  Sure, I looked like I’d crawled through mud and got caught in a monsoon, before spending the night on the floor of a cave, but I still would’ve gone back to school looking like hell to see about my friends. Yet, I made it seem like this detour was necessary.

  Because I was terrified.

  Facing the other students would be a nightmare. Without a doubt, word had gotten around, and I didn’t have it in me to ignore the stares, the whispers. So, I did what any smart person would do.

  I hid, of course.

  Freshly showered, and still sporting only a towel, I’d fallen asleep curled up on Ori’s bed—my bed during my stay. I was still exhausted from the shift, and the never-ending rainstorm that rolled through hadn’t helped. The sound of it tapping the shuttered window while I rested had been to blame.

  I breathed deep, deciding not to rush to sit up. When I did draw in air, Ori’s scent was everywhere, lingering in the room, on his linen. Of all the guys, being connected to him was the strangest. I’d been fairly certain he hated me before this, but now, as I breathed him in, I smiled a little. It seemed the bond was more prevailing than I realized.

  Not even the added power of my wolf and dragon being awakened rivaled my connection to the Omegas. Their energy was somehow a part of me, moving through me like a surge of electricity every time my heart beat. It was like all four were in my bloodstream now, and I was aware of them belonging to me, and me to them. I wasn’t sure how to manage suddenly being so open, but I guessed they were equally as uncertain.

  It would definitely take some getting used to.

  The queens came to mind—Nayeli, Lehua and Kalea. Their lives were so full—full of love, happiness. One day, my life could mirror theirs, but I hadn’t forgotten that my circumstances weren’t exactly cut and dry. Although they were each able to fulfill their deeper purpose, none of their dreams required them to leave Sanluuk. Mine would certainly take me away from this place, away from the hive. At least for a while. So, for however long I was with the Guard, I’d have to live with the hole that would develop being away from the Omegas.

  Since I was young, I’d known I wouldn’t always have the luxury of living within my family’s fortress. More than anything, I wanted to be useful, wanted to be a part of some greater good that was bigger than me. Bigger than my title. Bigger than my family’s legacy.

  I had an unquenchable need to do something that mattered.

  Flipping over onto my back, I stared at the huge fan with palm leaf-shaped blades whirring above. The nap had done nothing to clear my head. For starters, I still had so many unanswered questions. Like, what was with my mark? I’d taken a mirror to it before my shower, and sure enough, it looked exactly as Kai described. The more I thought about that, the more anxious I became. Even with Paulo’s promise that he and the others would do everything they could to help.

  It had to be the Darkness.

  My eyes flitted toward the window when I tried to push that thought out of my head. The storm had darkened the sky, making it impossible to tell how many hours had passed while I slept. I glanced down to my arm when the weak pulses of electricity in my veins surged a little faster now. It happened at the precise moment I found myself wondering where the guys had disappeared.

  I pushed off from the bed and moved toward Ori’s dresser. He’d given me permission to rummage for clothes after Rayen offered to wash mine. A laugh slipped out as I pushed a few t-shirts aside, praying I didn’t find a porn stash like I’d run across during my stay in Paulo’s room.

  They were all so different—no two the same.

  Pausing my hunt for clothing that would actually fit me, I observed the small, tribal statues Ori kept on a shelf above. They appeared to be hand-carved from wood. Beside them, a stack of old books supported a blue box with a gold lock that sealed it shut. The space was masculine but neat, whereas Paulo’s had been the opposite. Still masculine, but his room definitely fit his laidback, unapologetic personality. Ori, on the other hand, was all clean lines and organization. The few belongings he did have seemed sentimental, items with purpose.

  Surprisingly, being here didn’t feel so strange now. Before, I wondered if my presence had been an inconvenience. This time, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt I was wanted.

  I moved down a drawer and found a stack of ribbed tank tops. They were usually pretty slim fitting, so I lifted one into the air, laughing a bit at how long it was. What would have fit Ori like a shirt, would practically be a dress on me. The one I held was white, and would’ve basically been see-through, seeing as how I didn’t have anything to wear underneath, so I swapped it out for a dark blue one. For now, it was the best I could do, so I dropped my towel and slid the material over my head.

  ‘She’s been out for a while. Think we should check on her?’

  The soft voice startled a gasp out of me, and I turned toward the door where I thought I’d just heard Kai ask the question.

  ‘I peeked in on her about an hour ago and she was fine,’ Paulo answered. Only, as I stepped near the door, I was beginning to think that hadn’t been where this conversation was taking place.

  It was too clear, too … close.

  ‘You peeked in on her?’ Ori asked, repeating Paulo’s statement, but as a question this time. ‘You shouldn’t have done that.’

  ‘Relax,’ Paulo said with one of his chilled laughs. ‘She was covered, but what’s the big deal? It’s not like she has anything I won’t eventually be allowed to look at.’

  Covering my mouth when I nearly laughed out loud, I realized this was no ordinary conversation. I was in their heads. The feeling of static moving over my skin while I eavesdropped aligned with how my mother described the sensation. It accompanied the ability to telepathically communicate with someone you’re tethered to, like she was linked with my father. The only difference was, Mom had intentionally connected herself to my dad, so the two could speak in thought, see through one another’s eyes when the other allowed.

  I, on the other hand, had done no such thing with the hive.

  ‘Don’t start,’ Ori shot back, and I imagined the unamused look on his face.

  There was still laughter in Paulo’s voice when he spoke again. ‘Just sayin’. She’s basically ours now. It’s just a matter of time before we get to see the goods, right?’

  ‘You think she’s obligated to sleep with you?’

  ‘You’re putting words in my mouth,’ Paulo answered in defense, sounding lighthearted despite Ori’s brash tone. ‘I’m only pointing out that, eventually, she’s gonna want to.’

  He was so freakin’ cocky. When my face tightened with a big, stupid grin, I had to admit I liked that a little. The next second, I exited the bedroom and stayed quiet as I continued to listen.

  ‘I won’t allow you to make her uncomfortable here,’ Ori said gruffly. ‘Our home should be her safe haven. Don’t be the dick who ruins that because he can’t keep his in his pants. Besides, we have to stick to protocol, so you’re just gonna have to deal with it.’

  There was a lull in their conversation, and I had time to think about what I overheard. Mostly, I was acknowledging all the pent-up frustration that had accumulated between the five of us. All of it, locked inside us waiting to be released. My imagination ran away from me and I swallowed hard when the thought of painkillers and ice packs returned.

  But my next thought centered around one word I heard mentioned—protocol—wondering what the heck it meant.

  ‘Whatever, Boss,’ Paulo eventually griped. Resentfully, of course.

  There was no missing his sarcasm, nor the frustration aimed toward Ori after he’d put his foot down, establishing the standard he expected the others to uphold during my stay.

  I moved toward the front door where the four were seated. Two of their large frames were visible as they sat on stools outside the windows. Finally stepping out onto the porch, I laid eyes on them all, including the pair I’d just heard arguing
about charged hormones and bad timing inside my thoughts.

  Rayen stood when I joined them, and the gentlemanly gesture caught me by surprise. A gesture that brought yet another smile out of me. Their gazes all slipped to what I wore—the thin, ribbed material that hugged my body down to where it stopped mid-thigh. I was breathing unevenly as they observed me, and when the self-consciousness that came with it got to be too much, I reached across my torso for my arm. It didn’t hide me much, but it made me feel at least somewhat hidden from their stares.

  “ … Hey,” Kai said awkwardly. Too much time had passed for it to feel natural that he’d just now decided to speak.

  My face warmed when I smiled at him. “Hey.”

  “Here, take my seat,” Rayen offered, stepping aside before I could even respond.

  “Um, thanks,” I answered breathily.

  I moved closer to the beautiful specimen who towered over me as I peered up at him. He leaned against the tall, wooden beam behind him to give me room to pass. When I did, our bodies brushed against one another and I inhaled sharply. His hair—damp from either the rain, a swim, or a shower—clung to his skin. Whatever the case, there was something about him that was always so inviting. Like he wanted to be touched.

  Or maybe it was simply that I wanted to touch him. Totally possible.

  When I lowered to the stool and made sure I was covered appropriately, I realized I still had the Omegas’ undivided attention. The conversation between Ori and Paulo came to mind again. Specifically, the part where Paulo mentioned the inevitability of our hive’s physical connection.

  At the thought of it, I was left to wonder what an appropriate wait time would be. I mean, I wasn’t going to rush things, but … I felt the pull already. Whether it was being mated to them, or just being near them, waiting seemed super unnecessary at the moment. Especially when I observed them right back—like how their clothing clung to them in the sweltering heat.

  So much for taking things slowly.

  I’d lived under some pretty tight restrictions back home, which taught me to bridle my feelings when it came to things like this—being chaste around guys, keeping in mind I was under near-constant surveillance. But maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if, just this once, I … gave in? Went after what I wanted for a change? After all, the Omegas weren’t just some random dudes.

  Just as quickly as the thought came, I was reminded of my proper upbringing and knew I didn’t have it in me to make the first move.

  Stupid morals.

  Stupid waiting.

  “Sleep okay?”

  I glanced toward Kai, grateful he’d spoken. “I did. The rain made it hard to keep my eyes open.”

  All around us, a continuous downpour beat against the roof and dock, rolling off the overhang that covered us. It was beautiful here at their place. Apparently, in rain or shine.

  “Ori, your bed is perfect.” I met his gaze with a smile he returned. “Thanks for offering it to me.”

  “My pleasure,” he answered with a nod.

  We were plunged into kind of an awkward silence after that, and the sensation of static crawling up my arms and legs returned.

  ‘Soooo, we’re just gonna pretend she’s not practically naked?’ Rayen asked. ‘I’m tempted not to give back her clothes.’

  When I peered up to observe him, his gaze was focused on my boobs, where the tank top posing as a dress left them exposed. Clearing my throat, I discreetly tugged the material up a bit.

  ‘Just don’t let Ori hear you say that,’ Paulo replied. ‘Dude’s in major cock-block mode, being a dick about protocol.’

  There was that word again.

  Apparently, this conversation excluded their alpha. Which accounted for why he hadn’t jumped in to rip Rayen a new one like he’d done when he felt Paulo had gotten out of line.

  ‘Well, if we’re waiting for him to give the greenlight, guess that means Sanluuk is about to have its first ever lotion shortage.’

  Hearing Paulo laugh at Rayen’s comment inside my head, I nearly laughed too.

  ‘Maybe. Maybe not.’

  Rayen shot Paulo a thoughtful look. ‘Don’t get any bright ideas,’ he warned. ‘Just stick to Ori’s plan. It’s times like this we have to trust he knows best, respect rank.’

  Paulo didn’t seem as content as Rayen, but he said nothing.

  Hearing Rayen’s rationale confused me, though. All this talk about protocol and rank seemed so cryptic. How did any of this relate to Ori being their alpha?

  For a second, I thought I should probably tell them I could hear their inner-hive conversations, but then realized that might be embarrassing—for them and me. After a few seconds, I decided against it and instead asked a question to make things a little less weird.

  “So, any idea where we should start our search? To figure out what’s up with my mark, I mean.”

  Not a search for lotion. Definitely not lotion.

  The others’ gazes shifted toward Kai and mine followed.

  “I believe my aunt can help,” he spoke up. With how the others had all looked to him, I guessed this was something that had been discussed while I slept.

  “She knows about things like this?”

  “Yes and no,” was the answer I was given. “Yes, she’s sensitive to Spirit and the island itself, but I don’t think anyone really has experience with what we’re dealing with,” he answered honestly, although his delivery was kind. “Talking to her is probably the best place to start. She’s a seer,” he added.

  I’d heard of certain supernaturals having intuitive abilities—my aunt Hilda being one of them—so I didn’t think it strange that one dwelled here on the island.

  “Well, hopefully she can at least point us in the right direction,” I said with a smile, doing my best to seem optimistic.

  My gaze left theirs for just a moment when my thoughts drifted again, but my attention was called back a second later.

  “There’s something I think needs to be said.” I glanced toward Kai when he spoke again. “Now that things have come to light, there’s really no need to continue holding this information, but … the incident at the Pinning Ceremony and the orphanage weren’t Noelle’s only encounters with the Darkness. It communicated with her at Makoni Lagoon.” He turned toward me next. “I’m sorry for having to break my promise to keep it secret, but they need to know everything. It all has to be out on the table for us to help you.”

  I nodded, feeling it was unnecessary for him to apologize, but I appreciated that he valued my confidence in him so greatly.

  “What do you mean it communicated with her?” Ori practically growled. I mean a full-on, teeth gritted, snarling growl. “You took her to Makoni Lagoon?”

  “No,” Kai answered, “but I didn’t stop her when she and some of her friends went.”

  “We didn’t stop her,” Paulo jumped in, deciding not to let Kai take the fall alone. It reminded me of how I sometimes stood with my siblings when they did dumb things that got them into trouble. Lord knows that was pretty often.

  There was so much tension among them now, mostly coming from Ori who hadn’t even blinked as he stared the two of them down.

  “Do I even need to tell you how stupid it was that you’re just now saying something? Makoni is only a few miles from the hemispheric border. Who’s to say that, if you’d sent them all back to the dorm like you were supposed to, maybe the Darkness would have never found her?”

  Kai’s head lowered, taking Ori’s accusation to heart.

  “I was already having dreams,” I cut in. “So, it’s not their fault.”

  “What dreams?”

  I peered up after Rayen asked. “Well, at first, I wasn’t sure what to make of them, but after coming face to face with the Darkness at the Lagoon, I knew it was all related. It would speak to me, never really showing itself.”

  “What did it say?” Ori’s expression was stern, unrelenting.

  “In the dreams, I was never really sure. But at the lagoon
… it told me I belonged here. And it said something similar that night at the orphanage.”

  Being forced to recall the details made my skin crawl.

  All four of the guys were silent. Likely for different reasons. Kai and Paulo may have felt guilty, but Ori and Rayen were clearly stricken with concern. The deep creases in their foreheads as each stared at the wood slats beneath our feet said as much.

  “She can’t be out of our sight,” Ori concluded. “When we retrieve her things from the dorm, we retrieve everything and bring it back here. She has to be kept under around-the-clock surveillance.”

  “No.” When I objected, all their gazes shifted to me.

  “No?” The way Ori asked, repeating my statement like he couldn’t believe I spoke up, I guessed he wasn’t used to being challenged.

  “I’m sitting right here. Yet, you’re discussing this like I have no say. You’re their alpha,” I reminded him, pointing at the other Omegas. “Not mine.”

  As Ori and I squared off, the three watched in silence.

  “I intend to finish what I started here, which means I’m not moving out of the dorm. I get that you’re only trying to protect me, but I deserve a vote on this, too. It’s my life we’re talking about here.”

  Ori’s furious stare bore a hole through me, making my heart race. For a moment, those harsh edges of the relationship we’d carved out when I first arrived were glaringly visible. We seemed to have both forgotten about our bond.

  “I don’t disagree with you; this is your life. But … don’t you get how that fact makes this our problem, too?”

  My heart lurched when he aimed the harshly spoken question at me, pointing out how the two were no longer mutually exclusive anymore—my life and their interest. We were a unit now, no matter how strange that felt.

  The other queens had shared Ori’s past with me, and I should have been more sensitive to that, less defensive considering I knew he only meant to help. I wasn’t wrong to let him know how I felt, but my approach could have been more thoughtful.

  “I’m sorry,” I forced out. “I’m a bit high-strung from all of this. It was wrong to snap at you.”