Once Upon A Witch: A Dark Academy Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Everafter Academy Book 2)

by Tiegan Clyne

  I look at her, and she has tears in her eyes.

  “It’s so beautiful,” she says, a tear slipping down her cheek and onto her familiar’s shell. “Just beautiful.”

  The entire staff, student body and all of our familiars have been assembled in the courtyard to greet our visitors from Nevermore. It’s after dark, and the gates and driveway are lined with magical torches that cast bright golden light all around.

  I’m trying hard to hide behind my classmates, and Alice and Sirena are hiding with me. Broin stands on my shoulder, and he’s nearly vibrating with nerves, which makes my own nervousness ten times worse. We’re amplifying each other, and I swear I want to scream.

  Lockwood stands with Professor Pholos at the front of our group. They’re dressed in their best robes, and the fierce look in Lockwood’s eyes is incredibly hot. He doesn’t want these people in his school. I’ll bet when the tables are turned, they don’t want him at Nevermore, either.

  The gate opens, and a train of coaches made of black pumpkins comes into view. Cinder gasps, deeply affronted. I guess she thought she was the only one who rode around in produce. A flight of ravens accompanies the coaches, soaring overhead in formation, trailing green fire behind them. A group of six mounted knights in black armor escorts each carriage, but those aren’t normal horses they’re riding.

  They’re kelpies.

  Apart from their ebony coats shimmering like the moon against dark water, they do look like regular horses. It’s really their glowing red eyes and seaweed manes that give them away. I have to admit, though. Nevermore sure know how to make a grand entrance.

  The lead coach comes to a halt in front of Lockwood. The door opens, and a woman who’s half serpent ducks out first. She lowers the steps for the next person and stands aside, her head bowed and reptilian eyes averted to the ground. She’s wearing a slave chain.

  Poor Eden.

  I thought His Excellency had freed her long ago. Apparently not. My stomach clenches at the sight of him descending the stairs, Reverend Cassim Salvador in all his glory, his black leather pants and jerkin gleaming in the sun. The black cloak that hangs from his shoulders is velvet with scarlet embroidery on the hem, and the sigil of our Unholy Lord is on the back.

  Broin digs his talons into my shoulder. Just the sight of Cassim will do that to you. It makes you clench but not in a good way.

  He glides up to Lockwood, who’s half a head taller than him and nearly twice as broad, and shakes his hand. Lockwood’s voice carries loud and clear.

  “Welcome to Everafter! May this Festival of Light bring nothing but peace between our two people.”

  Pfff. So formal and full of shit.

  Cassim inclines his head all the same, and a loose strand of his dark curly hair falls into his eyes. “Indeed. Thank you for your hospitality, so freely given,” he remarks, knowing full well how much our headmaster is hating this. “We look forward to the competitions and especially to the Samhain Masqued Ball. We have brought a few surprises.”

  I can’t see Lockwood’s face, so I can only imagine the look he’s giving Cassim. How I wish I could see it.

  The high priest chuckles and turns back to the coach. “Our first surprise…”

  The Snow Queen slides out in the most elaborate ivory gown I’ve ever seen her in. The train is at least three feet wide, and every pearl, every snowflake adorning her is meticulously placed to catch the light, almost like she’s meant to be the only star in existence.

  White usually stands for purity and goodness, but that’s not the case where she’s concerned. This woman is all ice and malice, and she rules with a cold fist and an even colder heart. She’s Nevermore’s headmistress, Cassim’s beloved wife.

  Another woman steps out of the coach, her hand gallantly held by Cassim. Rapunzel grins but Christopher looks deeply dismayed. Queen Laurette of Fantasia, their mother, steps out in a royal blue dress that’s liberally embroidered with real diamonds. A heavily jewelled crown sits on her head and drop diamond earrings hang from her ears. She’s the fairest in all the land, and she’s also smiling the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. I don’t think she’s happy to be here, either. This is all just a farce.

  Lockwood stiffens upon seeing her. I guess nobody told him that the sitting sovereign of the kingdom that hosts Everafter was coming to visit. He bows to her, then to the Snow Queen. Both women offer him their gloved hands and he dutifully bends down, probably to kiss them. I wish I could see his expressions. I’m starting to regret being in the back of the pack.

  “Welcome to Everafter, Your Majesties. I trust your trip was uneventful.”

  Cassim laughs, the sound loud and grating. “With an escort like this, even the bravest knight in all the realms would think twice about attacking us.”

  Lockwood maintains a cool, neutral voice. “I was referring to the weather.”

  Queen Laurette chuckles. It’s as put-on as her smile. “The trip was delightful, Headmaster Lockwood.” She looks around, her hands primly folded over her glittering skirt. If this is her day dress, I can hardly wait to see what she wears to the ball. “Tell me, where is my daughter?”

  Lockwood turns. “Princess Rapunzel, please step forward.”

  Spell Head runs out of our lineup and straight into her mother’s embrace. The queen cups her cheek with her hand and kisses her forehead, doting on her, while Rapunzel wraps her arms around her mother’s worryingly thin waist. Do royals ever eat?

  “Oh, my dear, I’ve missed you so.”

  “And I’ve missed you, Mama.”

  Sirena snorts quietly beside me. “Like a hole in the back of the head.”

  The queen releases Rapunzel from her embrace, but she keeps hold of her hand. Turning to Lockwood, she motions to the main entrance. “Please do take us on a tour of the grounds. It has been a long time since I was last here.”

  He bows again. “Of course, Your Majesty. Please, come this way.”

  Lockwood and Pholos lead Queen Laurette, the Snow Queen and Cassim away. Rapunzel is along for the ride, clinging to her mother’s hand like a three-year-old.

  Alice says quietly, “Don’t you think it’s a little weird that she didn’t mention her son? I mean… he’s here too, right?”

  I glance over at Christopher, and he’s looking down at the ground. Beside him, Gideon is whispering in his ear, but whatever he’s saying, Christopher isn’t hearing it. If I’m not mistaken, I’m witnessing Prince Biff actually being nice to somebody.

  Well, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

  The higher-ups move off toward Lockwood’s tower as the other carriages disgorge their occupants. A horde of villains in training, all of them dressed in green plaid school uniforms, file out one by one. They’re carrying heavy trunks, and I wonder where they think they’re going to sleep. Thank the unholy lord our room only has three beds.

  They sure as fuck better not think they’re sticking a Nevermorian in with us. I don’t need that stress right now.

  Ahead of me, Aurora pinches her nose with her thumb and index finger. “Ugh! Can you smell all the Darkblood?”

  “Is that what that stench is?” Erik remarks dryly. “I thought it was feeding time for the swine.”

  His comment boils my blood, but I let it slide. I never heard what trouble, if any, those two got into after the incident in the auditorium yesterday. They probably talked their way out of it.

  “Whatever it is, it’s offensive,” Cinder complains, holding a cloth napkin to her mouth.

  A Nevermorian stalks up to them and stares Aurora dead in the face. “Do you have trouble being polite, little princess? Because I can teach you manners.”

  The student is female with bright green skin and ebony hair that she’s piled on top of her head. Her lips are scarlet and her eyes are the same. She’s the first sluag I’ve seen in person and I’m actually relieved she’s left her scythe at home. As the reaper of the unforgiven dead, she’s got a lot of power over souls, and part of that power is retri
bution.

  I’ll probably be seeing her or one of her sisters close-up soon enough. I made a deal with Lucifer, after all.

  Erik steps between Aurora and the sluag. “We’re being polite, witch. We haven’t cast any spells to banish you, now, have we?”

  The sluag merely laughs in their faces. “Foolish child. Do you really think you’re that powerful?”

  Prince Biff can’t resist and gets into the mess. “We’re powerful enough for you. You’re just a student, too. Now back off before you get hurt.”

  A familiar voice responds within the group of Nevermorians. Heaven’s halos, I was hoping he wouldn’t be here!

  Damien Salvador. Cassim’s son.

  My betrothed.

  Well, ‘Ravyn’s’ betrothed, and she died a week ago.

  “The only one who’d get hurt would be you, little prince,” he sneers. He’s at least a foot taller than everyone else. I always did like how tall he was. Pity he’s such a jerk. “But that’s not why we’re here, is it?”

  Christopher speaks up quietly. “This is a week for putting our differences aside,” he says. “So welcome to Everafter, all of you. We hope you have a pleasant and fulfilling time.”

  The sluag looks at him with narrowed eyes. Her kind can read your soul and see your sins as if they were painted across your face. I wonder what she’s reading on Christopher.

  Whatever she sees, she thinks it’s funny, because she laughs. “Well said, little prince.”

  Gideon and Damien are staring each other down, and I can feel the heat of their hatred from where I’m standing. Part of me would love to see them actually get into it, but I know how mean Damien can be. Gideon doesn’t stand a chance.

  “Are you going to welcome us, prince?” Damien spits out, sneering the title as if it’s a curse.

  Gideon’s tone is just as disgusted. “Are you going to behave, filth?”

  He laughs in Gideon’s face. “Are you?”

  Beauty comes out of nowhere and gets in between them. “You’re both going to behave because this gathering is under a sacred truce.” Gideon reluctantly backs up a step, and she turns to frown at Damien, who also backs up. “Now, we’re going to be taking you to the rooms where you’ll be staying. You’re our guests and will be treated as such… won’t they, Mr. Kingsley?”

  Gideon’s jaw muscle twitches. “Yes, Mrs. Beauty.”

  The professors from Nevermore help the professors from Everafter wrangle the students into groups, the girls on one side and the boys on the other. Professor Huckleberry goes to each of the Nevermore students, all smiles, and gives them welcome packets—parchments written with rules and instructions, and a map of the academy.

  Professor Merlin comes over to the Everafter students and raises his hands. “Gather in, children,” he says. “Now, some of you have open beds in your rooms, and so you will be playing host to students from Nevermore. You will find their ways and sometimes their appearances disturbing, but remember—this is only for four nights. I expect that you will be able to keep the peace and remain civil for that long. You are heroes and heroines, as well as royalty and nobility. Act like it.”

  Erik mutters, “They stink.”

  “To them, so do you,” Merlin advises. “Take this opportunity to welcome them, to get to know what life is like for the villains in your tales. Learn from them.”

  The only thing most of these idiots will learn is how to mortally insult a Nevermorian, but whatever. That’s on them. The bloodshed over the next few days should be epic.

  A beautiful Nevermorian girl is standing alone, gazing up at the school, her emerald cloak spilling onto the ground. Her jet-black hair is held back with a red ribbon, and her huge, robin’s-egg-blue eyes are guileless and filled with awe, reminding me a little of Alice.

  Whoever she is, she doesn’t strike me as Darkblood. I can’t imagine why she’s at Nevermore. But looks can be deceiving, I’m living proof of that, so maybe she just got a rotten deal. Satan knows there are plenty of those going around in the world.

  Damien stalks over and whispers in her ear. They both turn to look at the Everafter students gathered across the courtyard.

  No, wait a minute.

  They’re looking at me.

  I give them a sheepish smile, just like Red would do, before turning to join my friends. Merlin is leading everyone back into the school. I follow the girls closely, and try my best to engage in their conversation. Truthfully, though, all I can think about is Damien and what he’ll do if and when he finds out I’m not who I say I am.

  —We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,—Broin tells me. —For now, I want you to focus on blending in as much as possible. No more fights. No arguments. There will be eyes and ears everywhere, and they’ll all be watching you.—

  —What about Cassim?—

  Broin pauses, hopping nervously on my shoulder. —I’ll speak with him.—

  Those words are enough to put me at ease. —Thank you, Daddy.—

  At nightfall, I search the academy grounds in raven form. No one suspects anything since ravens tend to be Nevermorian messengers. I use their arrival to my advantage, and what a fucking relief it is to be flying again.

  With the sleeping arrangements confirmed, the students have retired to their dorms, some more reluctant than others, and the hallways are mostly empty as I fly through them. I promised my girl I would speak with His Excellency on her behalf. I’m not sure what power, if any, I have in this situation, but I’ve got to at least try.

  Ravyn’s happiness means more to me than anything, but not because I’m her Daddy or her protector. It’s because I love her. And sometimes, to protect the ones we love, we need to bend the truth a little, which is what I’ve done since the day we got here.

  Before Ravyn entered the girls dormitory for the first time, I’d gone ahead to make sure it was safe, more out of habit than anything. I never expected to find a letter addressed to her inside one of the rooms. I just managed to read and dispose it before she arrived. After everything she’d gone through, the last thing I wanted her to see was a summons from Maleficis Invictus for her treason.

  In light of what happened, I wrote back and managed to convince them to postpone the trial. I was surprised to receive a second letter the next morning, stating there was a change in plans. The council had passed the case on to our covenmaster, Cassim, who will later decide her fate, whatever that may be, and under no circumstances am I allowed to intervene. It will be punishable by death for the two of us.

  Cassim Salvador is the most powerful warlock in Draoich. He’s also the cruellest.

  Whatever punishment he has in mind for my girl will be a fate worse than death for me to witness. It’s why he’s given me strict orders to do nothing but watch. It is, however, what I deserve since it was my ignorance that sent Ravyn into the woods that night to abandon our Dark Lord.

  The most I can hope for, right now, is that Cassim will spare her until after the festival. It’s a long shot, of course, but it’s still worth a try. I track his scent all the way to the headmaster’s tower. I barely reach the first set of stairs when Professor Eden suddenly appears, blocking my path.

  She’s a small but terrifying creature, with beautiful amber scales that cover her body and a pair of serpentine eyes that cut right through you. She belongs to a rare species thought to be the most powerful within the six realms, but Cassim now keeps her like an exotic pet. Some say she chooses to stay at Nevermore to teach potions. Others, like me, believe she’s being forced. No matter how fancy the collar around her neck is, it’s still a slave chain.

  I shift into my human form and give her a smile. “Professor Eden. Nice to see you.”

  Her yellow eyes travel up my body, pausing briefly on my chest, the only part my transformations never seem to cover. “Broin Blackstone. What the heaven’s brought you here?”

  “I need to speak with His Excellency.”

  “Oh?” She widens her eyes. “He won’t be pleased.”
r />   “I know that.”

  “He’s in a foul mood.”

  I quirk my lips. “Isn’t he always?”

  Eden smiles, just a hint, before stepping aside. “Then you’ve signed your own death warrant, Blackstone. Good luck.”

  I bow my head in thanks, grinning as she walks by. Once she’s slipped away entirely, my grin disappears and I mount the remaining stairs. Going by the dark energy bleeding through the hinges of the next door, I’ve found Cassim’s chamber.

  The door is already ajar, allowing slivers of light to creep into the hallway. He must have been expecting me. Eager to get this over with, I open the door and step over the threshold into a ludicrously ornate room. Fit for a king. The king Cassim has always wanted to be but never will.

  I find him slouched in a velvet chair while a Nevermorian girl trims his beard. Her hands tremble as she presses the blade to his throat and carefully swipes away the hairs. Sprawled out by the fire is Cassim’s familiar, Fenris, one of six monstrous hellhounds given by our Dark Lord as a gift to each of the She’ol leaders. Fenris is the king of all hellhounds, and his molten eyes land on me the instant I step into the room. The black, smokey tendrils that form his coat sizzle.

  Easy, boy.

  “I wondered when you would seek me out,” Cassim states, not even bothering to open his eyes. “You never have been the patient kind, my son.” He makes a beckoning motion with his hand. I go over and bow respectfully at his side. After a moment, he waves dismissively. “What’s so urgent it couldn’t wait?”

  “It’s about Ravyn, Your Excellency.”

  “Ah, the deserter. What about her?”

  My hackles rise at the insult. But kicking his ass will only piss the council off more.

  “Her punishment—”

  “—is for me to decide,” Cassim interjects, opening one eye. The girl moves around him to start on the other side of his neck. “You’re merely the outcast who follows her like a faithful hound… not that she knows anything about faithfulness.”