Immortal Academy- The Complete Series
Page 42
“Hey, I wanted to tell you something.”
“Later,” he said. “I need to keep everyone moving. It’s a long course, and we’ll be lucky to finish it before dinner.”
Dom marched off, and I couldn’t help but grit my teeth in anger. Damn it, it’s not going to be this way. I won’t let this go down like this. My little fairy-witch crap genetics needed to figure out what was best for me and quick.
“It’s been a long and tiring first half of your school year,” Dom addressed us in Braeclaw’s auditorium. I was happy to see that Professor Samson made the cut after that Elite Council member came in and regulated on the dean and administration. Dean Edgewater was gone, and while the rules remained the same at the school—which was fine—we had Dr. Kurt Garrison, a leprechaun of all the possible supes to choose from, standing in his place. Higher than the dean, he was the president of the school, and the short, stalky man with orange and red hair was a no BS kind of guy. He was unapproachable, but at least he didn’t give me the creeps like Edgewater did.
“Silvers,” Dom glanced down at me, “You might want to pay attention to this next part.” He frowned, knowing the president was in the class, and Samson was watching all of us with his rough expression.
“Sorry, sir,” I stammered.
Dom nodded. “You’ve all had it pretty rough, but you’ve proven you can take on any task without hesitation. With that said, Dr. Garrison, president of Immortal Academy, has dismissed all of you from the program. You’re free to resume your studies and activities with the other students, and we ask that you don’t forget how hard you’ve all worked to be back in the good graces of the school.” Dom looked back at the president and Samson, “That’s all I have unless you have anything further to add.”
Dr. Garrison stood, and the top of his shiny orange, smoothed-back hair barely reached the height of Dom’s shoulder. “Thank you for all your efforts, Master Rossi. We hope you enjoy your assigned quest with the masters you’ve chosen to accompany you. You deserve this reward for your hard work and dedication to the fine students who have turned around under your command.”
Dom smiled and shook the president’s hand. “I will, Dr. Garrison. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
Oh God! I haven’t had two seconds alone with him, and now he’s out of here?
“Shifters,” Dr. Garrison cleared his throat once a low chatter filled the room, “You have impressed me and have shown that Immortal Academy still has fine students who can overcome even the most stubborn rebellious streaks.”
We all followed in clapping for ourselves while I watched Dom go sit in the chair behind the podium next to professor Samson.
“I would like to announce that we are making better progress with the new routines Master Rossi has worked long nights on—outside of running drills with all of you—to help the new instructors who were picked solely by him and approved by me. You may have seen Rossi’s sister, Lusa, working with the vampires; the Woodson witch, Sahvannah, working with the magic users; and Melanie, my third daughter, working with the fairies.” He held up his hand, and for the first time since seeing the fierce little leprechaun, he smiled. “No, it wasn’t my personal decision to elect my own kid, but after spending time with her, Master Rossi insisted she was the best fairy to get the troubled Fae back into shape like all of you. Just like her father, I guess.”
He looked toward his right, and I watched Lusa float across the stage…making our ridiculous school uniforms look like a million bucks as she stood next to the president. Right behind her, Vannah—God, I missed her—walked on stage, and I felt more power emitting off my witch friend than ever before. Then my jealousy surfaced, and it was like the demon inside me smiled at the negative emotion when Melanie and her dark red hair walked on stage, looking like she and Lusa could own this school with their beauty. Her green eyes sparkled when she smiled at my friends, then she peeked over at Dominic, and I intently watched their quick interaction.
Dom seemed a bit taken by this leprechaun chick I’d never seen—mostly because the fairies worked in the forests. His grin to acknowledge her was one it seemed he used to hold only for me. My eyes shifted to her. Her creamy skin was tinted red on her cheeks and neck to reveal her reaction to Dom’s smile.
“This is most likely the first time you’re meeting my daughter, Melanie,” Dr. Garrison said—shit, pay attention, Jenna. “That’s because after issues with Dean Edgewater forced me to live on this campus, I decided to transfer my daughter to this school instead of keeping her at Coven House Academy. Yes, Coven House is not a college academy, but when the Elite Council approved her early graduation because of her amazing grades, behavior, and ability to progress at an advanced college level in her talents, she was granted early submission to Immortal Academy. So, she is your fellow student, but she’s also one of the leaders in our fairy department. Please treat her with that respect. Mel,” he looked at his daughter, “Anything you want to say? I know you’ve done this with every class since this morning, but it’s part of the job.” He smiled at his daughter as she walked up to take his place at the mic.
My envy of the girl—who Dominic apparently knew well enough to get some High School level transfer into a leadership role—was elevated. I looked over at Dom, knowing he knew exactly where I sat because whenever we had these particular meetings, I was always stuck in the freaking front row.
Dom’s eyes never glanced over to mine, but I watched the pride and the admiration he held for the fairy—leprechaun or not—while she cleared her throat and leaned toward the mic. She tossed her wavy curls behind both shoulders and smiled at shifters who could care less about the fairies.
“It’s been an honor since day one to be at Immortal Academy. Although, I’m sorry you’ve all had a rough start this year.” She giggled and looked back at Dom like they had some inside secret going. “Master Dominic definitely worked all of you hard, but after seeing how his hard work turned all of you into what I believe are now the best students at this school, I admire him immensely. I’m also flattered that Dom would use the same effort he put into all of you to encourage the staff at Immortal Academy to entrust me with the troubled students of the fae society here.”
She looked back at Dom’s warm smile. “I’m putting you in the spotlight here too, Dom,” she said, using his nickname and making me want to barf. “Master Rossi used his late nights to help keep me on track with the fairies and keep my leprechaun temper under control so I could gain their respect the proper way. I’ve learned a lot from spending time with him, listening to his advice, and implementing it with my group, who was turning out to be the most impossible group to get under control. So, thank you, all of you, and I look forward to seeing all of you excel here at Immortal Academy.”
“Thank you,” Dr. Garrison said. He looked back at Dominic, “And thank you again for putting in added time to help Melanie adjust and succeed in such a great responsibility.” He looked at Samson, “I guess that’s it? We turn them all loose for dining with better food and their friends again?”
Samson stood and smiled. “Yes. Again, congratulations to all of you. Please resume your schedules as they were planned for you at the beginning of the school year, which means a delicious dinner awaits.”
My mouth was dry, and my eyes stung from holding back tears. Now, I had jealousy to battle with all of the other BS I was dealing with? I had to get through this. I had to hold on to Dom saying I’d never lose him. Lately, it seemed like this bastard demon spawn had been trying to claw its way out of the mental cage I had it in. I couldn’t let emotions drive me. I had to find something positive to hang onto and quick.
“Well, I guess that’s it for us then, eh?” Bradley came up to me while my friends stood in conversation with the group on stage. “You did well, Jenna, and it was really cool getting to know you.”
“Wait,” I gripped the arm of the guy I was fighting off an attraction for. “Just because we’re released back into our normal routines doesn’t m
ean we’re never going to see each other again. Besides,” I smirked, letting his bronze eyes tame my temper and rage for the Melanie chick, “I said I was going to prove to you I could throw down some pie.” I snickered.
“Well, lead the way.” He grinned, and all the jealousy and negative feelings that were feeding the demon inside fled as Bradley and I left the room and headed toward the dining hall.
“You’re going to eat two pies…and all of that?”
I shrugged. “It’s my normal food intake. Hopefully, I can throw it down like I used to, though.”
He eyed me as we walked out of the food area. “Girl, you must have a metabolism that burns hotter than your body because I don’t even think I could eat that much and not gain weight.”
He and I both laughed together when I nearly tripped over my feet, seeing my table of friends and Ethan smiling and motioning me to sit in my old seat next to him.
“Come on. I want you to meet one of my favorite people in this entire school,” I said to Bradley.
“Dominic’s at that table. I know you two are over, but I’m not into pissing off the alpha in him because I’m with you.”
“Dominic said he was going to apologize for pulling that alpha on you,” I said.
“He did,” Bradley answered. “But seriously, if he’s in the same mindset that you’re his chick, I’m not getting mentally screwed over by an alpha wolf—especially the strongest one in the school. Truth be told, I’ve been waiting to enjoy this meal since we entered that stupid program.”
“Dom’s not going to pull a possessive alpha card on you. You did see the way he was looking at the president of the school’s daughter, right?”
“True. Looks like they might have been doing a little bit more than working on how to fix the fairies late at night. That was pretty obvious.”
I glared at Bradley. “I don’t need to hear your opinion about what you think they did. Let’s go eat before I’m the one giving off crazy alpha possession vibes.”
We both loosened up as we joined the group at the table. I found my seat next to Ethan, and Bradley sat next to Melanie—great!—who was across from Dominic.
Ignore them! I ordered myself.
“Hey, E!” I rubbed the owl shifters back only to be shocked when I was suddenly caught up in the tightest side hug of all time. “God, you’re going to smother the life out of me.”
“He’s missed you,” Lusa said from the other side of Melanie.
“We all have!” Vannah said, sitting to my right.
I felt tears well up in my eyes from being here again. My friends were back. I laughed at Tanner, who jumped up to get me pie, and I was semi-shocked he was with some chick with bright white hair now.
“God, it’s so good to be normal again,” I admitted.
“You have always been normal, Jenna,” Ethan released me and smiled.
“Thanks for that, Ethan. It’s good to hear after coming out of the first half of the year and being treated like we were the scum of the school.”
“Dominic fixed your wolf,” Ethan said.
“He did. An astonishing story!” the voice of the leprechaun chick chimed in. She smiled at me, then looked at Dominic. “I can’t believe you managed to do all of that while working with an entire group.”
“He’s an amazing guy.” I decided to answer for Dominic.
“Jenna is a strong shifter. I can’t take the credit for her and her wolf coming around like they did. I’m just happy they are both in a healthy mindset now,” Dom said.
Tanner interrupted my intent glare at the chick who was into my man. “Here’s your slice of pie,” he said. “Dang, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Tan-man,” I answered.
“A slice?” Bradley laughed, and I watched his humored irises dance like flames in their mesmerizing bronze color. “You promised two whole pies once we got out of that group.”
Tanner and Vannah laughed. “She could do it, guaranteed. Her pie addiction was probably the first red flag for the school to put her through that program,” Vannah teased.
“Tan,” I eyed my buddy, “Go see if they’ll get me two pies. This is a day to celebrate.”
“That’s it,” Dom said as he stood with Scott, Ian, and Finley. “We’re off to our quest.” He looked at the leprechaun, “Hopefully, when I get back, there will be reports of your success with those fairies, Mel.” He grinned.
“I’ll stick to my notes.” She batted her eyelashes at him.
Oh, God. Mel? WTF! Damn my wolf for rejecting Dominic Rossi, I thought as her cheeks blushed red under Dom’s smile again. I couldn’t do this.
“See you all later,” Lusa said.
“Good luck on the quest,” I said to Dominic, stopping him as he was leaving the table. He turned and hit me with that expression I couldn’t read from him.
“Thanks, Jen.”
He didn’t have to smile or do anything. He said the name his inner wolf and he held for their mate. The name I hated unless it was coming from him. I took that and held it over everything I was feeling right now. Who cared if he called the redhead beauty by a nickname? Who cared about anything but Dom subtly reminding me that I was still his mate? It was all in the way he said my stupid little nickname. That was all it took for me to jump from the table and head to where he and his master friends were walking toward the exit of the eating area.
“Wait!” I said, stopping all four in their tracks.
Scott grinned and patted Dom on his shoulder. “Hurry it up. We’ve got to get on this, or we’ll never make it to the checkpoint before tomorrow.” He glanced at me, “Good to see you again. Glad it all worked out in the end.”
“Yeah,” I exhaled. “If you only knew.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said, eyeing Dom then me. “Hang tough, you’ve got this.”
“See you out there,” Dom said, dismissing Scott. “What’s going on?” he asked me in a lower voice.
“God, I can’t think!” I said, knowing I was being rushed because he had to leave now.
Dom smirked. “I tend to have that effect on chicks.”
“Not funny.”
“None of this is.” He tightened his lips. “Jen, I really have to get on this thing.”
“Us,” I said. “I haven’t been able to talk to you about us. I figured it out. Something’s blocking it all.” I was rambling through words, trying to get my thoughts straightened up.
“Nothing is blocking us, Jen.” He sighed. “It’s the way it is now that the wolf and you are balanced.”
“I’m not buying that shit, Dom!” I snapped back. “You and me. When we were together…when we first felt our wolves? Your wolf wasn’t playing the alpha to mine. It was submitting to her. I felt it all. It’s like your wolf saw her as an equal.”
“God, Jenna. That’s in the past. We both know how your wolf is now—in the present,” he said in a concerned voice.
“I’m not accepting this.”
“I can tell.” He smiled. “It gives me hope, though.”
He went to leave, and I grabbed his arm. “Dom, you promised you’d protect me. You can’t leave me.”
Dom’s eyes were wide, and his brows knit together.
“Jenna Silvers,” he said in the alpha voice. “This is not your personality, and you know it. You and I both know that you don’t need me to protect you. You never have. You can’t keep going on like this. Weakness is an emotion you do not want to carry in you right now. You understand, right?”
“Yes.” Damn it! He was right. I was acting like some desperate fool, insecure that I wouldn’t be safe without Dominic. Why the hell would I even think like that? “I just want this all to be some bad dream I can wake from.”
“You and me both.” Shockingly—and in front of all the kids in the dining hall—Dom skimmed my jawline with the back of his knuckles. “E, Lus, and Vannah have eyes on you. They know what to do if anything goes south while I’m gone. I can’t skip this quest, or I would. If anythi
ng, trust Ethan. You’ve already seen him handle things of deadly nature toward immortals.”
I nodded as his hand dropped from my face. “Work on getting those grades up, Silvers.” He shot me a wink, somehow settling down my desperation right then and there.
I watched Dom head out of the dining hall, then I pulled it all back together. I turned back toward the table, my eyes meeting Dom’s new fangirl first. She dropped her eyes down to her plate as if I couldn’t tell the leprechaun had been watching our entire exchange.
I sat next to Ethan and rubbed his back, remembering how badass the owl shifter was. He’d saved Finley from that dark shadow thing that was sent to hunt us on the quest, he’d worked with that fairy-godmother of mine, and he’d wiped out the demon that’d possessed Vannah.
“You’re safe, Jenna,” Ethan said, and I knew his inner-owl instincts allowed him to listen in on mine and Dom’s conversation.
“I thought you two broke up,” that Mel chick interrupted me as I tried to answer Ethan.
I refrained myself from glaring at her.
“Yeah,” was all I could manage to say without being a total bitch to the school president’s daughter.
“Anyway,” Vannah said. “You’ve got pie left, Jenna. I’ll be shocked if you don’t finish it.”
No matter how we all tried to pull ourselves out of the awkward situation I’d brought back to the table from my talk with Dom, nothing helped.
All I knew was that I didn’t really care. I was going to get to the bottom of this. I had these fairy-witch genes in me, and I was going to figure out how they were forcing my healthy inner-wolf to see things differently with Dominic.
Chapter Seventeen
I was blown away when, in the middle of Kat rattling off how she couldn’t believe Dom was with the new girl, and it was so just like him to fall for the president of the school’s daughter, Vannah walked in with two guys behind her.
“Move Kat’s bed on the wall, pull the center dresser out, and you can fit my bed in the middle just fine,” she ordered with a smile.