Aurora Witch (Paranormal Hunter Academy Book 2)

by Rae Hendricks

  “You know I told you I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

  “Am angel sleeping on the couch is ridiculous,” I tell him.

  “You know I don't need to sleep. I can if I want to, but I don't need to. I am fine out here.”

  “Please, this is the last time we get to be just us with no interruptions from anyone else. I promise I won’t ask for anything other than for you to hold me,” I beg, which is probably a new low for me, but he makes me this way. I would follow him into Hell, and he knows it.

  Even though it would kill us both.

  He follows me into the bedroom. I lock eyes with him while I take off my clothes, changing into a pair of silk shorts and matching cami. Somehow, this is more intimate than I imagine the real thing being, and I am glad we didn’t go through with it before. Though, wanting him is still in the back of my mind and likely always will be.

  He says nothing, only lets his eyes wander over me and then tucks his wings away, getting down into nothing but a pair of loose, white pants.

  He is the only man I know that can pull off that color, and I am sure it has everything to do with him being angelic.

  He lays down next to me, and his hair spreads out over the mattress almost as far as mine does. We lay on our sides, looking at each other for the longest time.

  I am afraid to blink, because maybe, this will all turn out to be a figment of my wild imagination and he was never really here. Loving an angel can have that affect in you.

  “You’re beautiful,” he says, breaking the silence.

  “So are you.”

  “You should know what I said the other day, it wasn’t because I don't want you. And I hope it will happen someday. Angels just have ways of doing things.” Cryptic as always. “And that’s not the way. That was not the time.”

  “Okay,” I say, letting him know that I can live with that. I understand. Even if I want it to be him, it just won’t be.

  “I wish I could keep you all to myself and not have to send you out into the world where you could get broken,” he tells me.

  I shake my head a little. “There is nothing out there that could break me as hard as what’s between these walls. You should know that.”

  He turns over on his back, and I slowly make my way over to him, laying my head against his chest. It is so strange and so right at the same time. It keeps me awake just staying with him like that and feeling his warmth, until I can’t fight the exhaustion anymore.

  The next morning, I wake up much too early for my taste and go with Adriel to the school, but he stops me when I try to go to the field where we are supposed to be training. “It’s the first day. Just focus on that. We’ll resume tomorrow.”

  I want to ask him if he will be there when I get home. I can already feel the little time we had has worn out its welcome. We are going to have to go back to being careful again, with staff and students watching us, much more closely, with school in session.

  I just wave at him and go into the building, deciding to trace the route to all my classes ahead of time so I won’t be searching for them and be late. My schedule is much too crammed for me to be able to afford even a minute of tardiness.

  On my way back out of the basement, though, I stop in my tracks and spot a familiar face and a tuft of white blonde hair, poking out from under a fedora.

  I pull him to the side, under the stairs, so no one else who is up this early will notice us. “Dru! Is Jake back too? Are you alright? What happened out there?”

  He makes the time out sign and looks at me with annoyance. “It’s much too early for all these questions. No, Jake is not with me, and I don't know what to tell you about the rest of it. Too much is at stake right now. You’ll know soon enough. I’ll see you bright and early on Friday,” he says, turning and walking away from me.

  It could be complete paranoia, but I swear he seems different, with less of a swag in his step. I think there is more to this assignment they were given, in the field, than even I thought in the first place.

  But it looks like I am going to be kept in the dark a little longer.

  The day goes by in a blur, and I can’t help but look forward to the end of it. Not that I would expect to see him in any of my classes, but I don't catch a single glimpse of Jake all day. Not even at lunch or near his dorm. So, that tells me, whatever is wrong with him, he isn’t going to be making it back for the first week like they had hoped.

  With the sinking feeling that Jake’s father was lied to, I trudge into my Demonic defense class, knowing that my mood is bringing down Ursula’s too. I need to pick myself up out of this funk, if I am going to make the cut. There is no room for getting behind.

  I take a seat in the front, trying to encourage myself, but when I look up and see the professor sitting at his desk, I practically choke on my own spit.

  It's Kagan. It is not the class I would peg him for teaching, even if I knew he had gotten a job here this year.

  He hadn’t told me, and the smug smirk on his face right now tells me that it was on purpose. A surprise most likely so he could take a mental picture of my face when I saw him and tease me about it for the rest of my days.

  I give him a wry half smile. I try to pretend, with class starting, I am not about to be learning how to defend against the enemy from my boyfriend. Every time he corrects my stance or calls on me to answer a question, my whole body tingles.

  There is something kind of hot and forbidden about dating the teacher, even if there is no written rule against it here.

  When class is over, I take the longest to pack up my things and get out of there, hoping for just a moment with him.

  He calls me over and places me on his lap, making me blush; making me ache in that new way I have been feeling lately.

  How can I not, surrounded by these three men?

  “So, I have something special planned for us tonight. I hope you can tear yourself away for a bit,” he says.

  I grin. “I don't know. I do have two other boyfriends to choose from and a lot of schoolwork.” From my tone I know he can tell I am simply joking with him. “Of course, I’ll be there. What time?”

  “My place at eight? Oh, and I heard from Jake. They say he is not 100 percent yet, but he called because he wants to apply to be my TA – help the new teacher since he’s been in the field now and all. They’re giving all the students who participated, that option.”

  “Sounds like lousy reparations, but I am glad he is okay. Maybe I’ll hear from him soon too.”

  “I bet you will. See you tonight.”

  He winks, and I am a little wobbly as I walk out of the room and think about what could happen tonight. How is it that all of these men make me swoon so easily?

  Chapter Seventeen

  I can’t believe this is my life and this is my boyfriend.

  I came into his apartment, all the lights turned off. The only light there is candlelight. He has made them float around us with a spell, and he has cooked for us.

  He even bought Ursula a huge bone. She is gnawing on it in the far corner of the room, on a luxurious pillow just for her.

  He has had music playing that we’ve danced to many times. A vase of Iris’ sit at the table in front of us, he says are for me to take home.

  Now, we are full and happy, holding each other lazily on the couch. He has asked me to stay tonight, and even though my nerves are making my skin crawl, I accepted the invite.

  I so want this for us. It already almost happened once last year, and now that we have been together for nearly a year and with all the things I have been through, I feel like what we have has matured.

  Tonight, has shown that to me more than anything.

  “You tired?” he whispers to me, sending a chill down my spine as his breath tickles my neck.

  “Eh, maybe a little. Either way, we both have school tomorrow.” I smile at him, and he scoffs.

  “I guess you liked my surprise, then?”

  “Well, at first I was surprised that you
didn’t tell me. Then I thought, the whole teacher student thing is kind of hot.”

  “Is it?” he asks, looking at me, and the smile is instantly wiped from my face. “Because there are plenty of things I can teach you even if we’re not in a classroom.”

  I swallow, and I don't know if he was trying to make an innuendo or if my brain just automatically went there. No matter; my body is on fire now as he leads me to the bedroom.

  He doesn’t switch the light on and doesn’t even look at me while I get down to my lace panties and bra. He has always been a gentleman, and maybe that’s the best type of person to lose it to.

  I don't feel as guilty as I thought I would when I crawl into bed with him. My breathing is much too heavy, for someone who is supposed to be going to sleep. I turn to look at him and see that he is also wide awake.

  I dare myself and follow through, rolling on top of him, our underclothes the only barrier between us. I think back to the night this almost happened before and know now that it wouldn’t have been right to make that decision in the heat of the moment. We needed to grow together first and take it slower.

  But now, there is nothing holding us back.

  Up on my knees, I look at him as he watches me taking off my bra, revealing myself to him. His hands go down to my hips, his thumbs hooking into the top of my panties, then he hesitates.

  “Are you sure you are ready?”

  “Yes, I am sure this time. No bad reasonings or excuses. I want this.”

  He flips me over onto my back and slowly slides the last of my clothing off, leaving me exposed. It is a little embarrassing but also heats up the tension between us.

  I can feel that he is into this and ready. He still takes his time, kissing up and down my legs, all the way up to my inner thigh and making them burn for him.

  When he finally lays on top of me, things are gentle, and I see nothing but love in his eyes. He shows care for me, while also giving me a sensation I can’t even describe.

  Afterward, we lay there together, his hands tangled in my hair. I haven’t put my clothes back on yet, and I don't know how I can sleep thinking about what we did. It’s a high I will never forget, and I wonder if it’s like that every time or only the first.

  Suddenly, our euphoria is interrupted by a late night knock on the door, the kind that sounds frantic.

  It is an incessant banging that makes me jump and look at Kagan with worry. “Who could it be?” I ask, and he is already rushing to get some clothes on. I do the same just in case.

  “Stay in here,” he orders. I reluctantly agree though I probably have a better chance of defending us than he, just because of what I am.

  A strange sensation overtakes me, and I try to get into Ursula’s head to see if she can give me more information about what is going on out there.

  “I can feel your worry. I am listening,” she lets me know, and it makes me feel at least a little bit of relief.

  But when I hear the voice of the person entering the house, I know I need to come out of hiding.

  “Jake!” I call as I see him, talking in hushed distressed tones to Kagan, while Kagan is clearly trying to calm him down.

  Now I know something strange has happened. On top of his odd late night visit to Kagan, he is also pale, almost green like someone who is nauseous. He has visibly lost weight, and his hair is a crazed mess.

  “No, no, no,” is all he says as he paces back in forth in front of Kagan and says nothing directly to me. He won’t even look at me.

  “Jake?”

  “Stay back!” both of them order in unison, and Ursula gets up on all fours, her hair standing on end. She quickly bares her teeth and growls at them.

  Something is not right, and I make the mistake of taking another step forward which causes Jake to fix his gaze on me. Only, There is nothing friendly there at all. He looks like a monster.

  And then he launches himself at me.

  We are struggling on the floor when he pulls out a knife. “Jake, Jake, it’s me. You have to stop this! Let me help you!” I beg, not letting Ursula or Kagan get anywhere near him. I don't want him to be hurt.

  But it’s my downfall that I am fighting them off, while I should be paying attention to Jake.

  He gets a good stab in on my side, and I scream in pain, knowing this is a blade spelled with Hellfire. And it's much more powerful than the one Dru has for training me.

  It’s enough to distract me, and he hisses like a rabid animal before biting right into my neck and pulling out a chunk of flesh.

  “This has to be a bad dream,” I whisper before my head falls to the ground, me losing control over my muscles, and it all goes dark.

  ***

  “Just do it, you have to do it! She’s going to die!”

  “Get Jake out of here. Take him to his dorm or to her apartment. Go!”

  “What if this doesn’t work?”

  “It has to.”

  The words don't make any sense, and they come at me in bits, like memories. I think I have been in and out of consciousness, this whole time, is why.

  There is more than just Kagan and Jake in this apartment now. I know those voices, and every time I hear them, they lull me back to the darkness because they make me feels safe.

  Adriel can fix this. Dru can fix this.

  I keep hearing those words in my head over and over.

  This time, a loud whimper in my ear, that’s so sad it hurts my heart, causes me to open my eyes instead of going back into that void, whatever that is.

  Part of me instantly regrets it since I feel pain everywhere. It’s like Hellfire has been injected into all of my veins. I find the source of the whimper and see that Ursula is laying her head against my chest.

  I place my hand against her fur for comfort, stroking her in a fluid motion, back and forth. It keeps me here and keeps me calm through the waves of pain.

  She barks twice to alert the others I am awake, but I don't move or try to talk. I have to focus on surviving the torment of this feeling, before I can handle anything else.

  “Good girl, Ursula,” Dru tells her. I blink and look around in my immediate surroundings. I am still on the floor of Kagan’s apartment, but the only faces I can see are Dru’s and Adriel’s. Maybe it was Kagan who was tasked with taking Jake out of here.

  “Don’t try to move, my love,” Adriel says, and I can feel his hand sitting on top of mine. “Your body is in transition right now. I’ll explain everything, but for now, I need you to focus on staying awake, whatever that means.”

  I raise my finger up to poke into his palm, so he knows I understand. At least, I understand what he wants from me.

  For once, I don't press the matter of my curiosity. I am afraid to know what’s happened to me now. Haven’t I been through enough?

  I don't know if it's minutes or hours that I lay there, waiting for the pain to subside, until I finally feel a difference. There is still a slight burning, and my whole body aches, but I can move a little. I can think; have words to say.

  “What happened? Where is Jake?”

  “Jake tried to kill you, that’s what happened,” Dru spouts, and Adriel turns to give him a damning look.

  “Jake has been taken away to keep you safe, but he’s with Kagan. He’ll be fine. It’s you we need to worry about right now.”

  “Why?”

  I look at Dru because I know Adriel is never forthcoming, though he looks truly shaken this time. Did I almost die? For real? What can kill an angel?

  “The Hellfire was going to kill you. Adriel and I had to bind our blood together with a spell and then force feed it to you in order to save you. I’m sorry. We had to make the decision.”

  “Wait, if you gave me demon and angel blood bound together, what does that make me?” I croak out, not ready to be something different again. The experiments ran through my head all over again, and I just can’t do it.

  “Don't worry. It doesn’t leave this room,” Ursula assures me, hearing the distress of my th
oughts.

  “A Demon Witch, I guess. It doesn’t really exist – a witch with both angel blood and demon blood. You’re something new. I didn’t even know it would work, but it was the only thing I could think of,” Adriel explains.

  “We can’t tell anyone. The Magistrate can’t know this time,” I beg, making sure they both look me in the eyes, so they know I am serious. I force myself to sit up even with the pain, and Ursula sits dutifully next to me, her chin up in the air.

  She’s proud of me.

  “For once, I think we can all agree,” Adriel scoffs.

  “Something is going on with Jake. Something happened to him.” They both nod and say no more. “The Magistrate did this?” Again … nods.

  “Then, I want to find out what they are up to and expose it. I won’t let them play games with me or the ones I love anymore. I don’t know which of them are corrupt and which are not, but one corrupt member means it's poisoned. We can’t trust the good guys anymore.”

  “It’s about time,” Dru says, clapping his hands together. “But if we’re doing this, there are things you need to know.” He looks up at Adriel expectantly.

  “Not here. After classes. I’ll find a place.”

  “But I can’t go to classes like this.” They both point to my wounds, and I look to see that other than blood stains on my clothes, there is no sign I was ever injured.

  “You have to. You have to keep up appearances, Riley. Can you do that for me?” I look at Adriel and am tempted to tell him I would do anything for him, but that’s probably a bit much right now.

  “Yes, I can. Just get me a clean uniform from my apartment.”

  “I’ll do it,” Dru volunteers slipping out the door.

  I look at Adriel, and I can see the red stains from the tears he must have been crying this whole time, thinking he could lose me.

  “It’s time for me to know it all, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it's time.”

  Get Book 3 – the final installment of Paranormal Hunter Academy – now!

  I was made into the impossible to save my life...

  Three hearts are entangled with mine, and with that has come heavy consequences, such as three men bound and determined to keep me alive no matter what it takes. But one of them has gone too far this time, making me more than just a feared outcast. If he thought I was in danger before, it is even worse now, because neither side appreciates my existence.