Paranormal Academy Book 3: Elemental Blood

by Jody Morse

  I just hoped that whatever had happened to Kaden, it wasn’t too late. I hoped that there was still time to save him, that he wouldn’t be lost to me forever, the way Avery was.

  My heart was pounding as I landed in the middle of the forest, where the portal led to.

  I realized then that anyone could see me. I used the dark magic veiling spell Kaden had taught me since the last time we came here together and then moved in the direction of the castle, my legs carrying me as fast as they could go.

  When I finally reached the castle, I made it past the guards without a problem. I was able to make it to the front door of the castle.

  But there was no one there to open it for me this time.

  I hesitated. Even though I knew that I probably should have waited to follow someone else inside, a bigger part of me didn’t even care. I had to get inside. It was urgent. Not going in right now could have been a life or death scenario when it came to Kaden; it could have been a make it or break it situation.

  So, I went inside the castle.

  As I walked down the hallway, I looked inside every room and around every single corner for Kaden, but I didn’t see him anywhere. If he was here, he was either hiding or he was being held prisoner.

  Just the thought that Headmaster Crane could have been holding him prisoner made me feel sick to my stomach.

  Approaching the room where the Headmaster had held his meeting with the Dark Coven, I heard the sound of talking.

  As I poked my head into the room, I saw Headmaster Crane talking with another man.

  “The Kingdom is ready for a new King, Your Majesty,” the man was saying. “I’m afraid that your reign is nearly over. Unless you can find a biological heir to the throne, then it’s going to be up for grabs to anyone with elemental blood who falls into the Air category. In fact, one such candidate is going to be making his way over here today.”

  “Chesterfield, you know that I have a biological heiress who can ascend the throne once she is ready,” Headmaster Crane replied with a side.

  “While I understand that she is your daughter, the world isn’t ready for her to ascend the throne, Your Majesty. With the current environment, I know you understand that.”

  “I don’t care about that,” he replied, shaking his head. “No, the world is not yet ready for my daughter to ever take the throne, but the question is: will they ever be ready for her? She is a force to be reckoned with, which will make her the most powerful Queen, as well as the most dangerous. But she’s already going to be powerful and dangerous, regardless of whether or not she takes this throne. That’s why a paranormal world war is about to start all because of her.”

  I held my breath as I listened to his words, allowing them to sink in. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? There was just no way this could be…

  “I have had to fight with the Dark Coven because they want to kill her. They want to off her so that she can never use her powers for good. And while I personally would rather see her use them for evil, too, at the end of the day, I have learned that my daughter is incredibly strong-willed. And it is my job to keep her alive. To protect her. Because while we might not see eye-to-eye on everyone, I am not about to give up my throne to some unpowerful schmuck. No, my daughter, Juliana Montgomery, is going to be the most powerful Queen the paranormal world has ever seen… one day.”

  And suddenly, everything made sense. The reason Headmaster Crane had been so intrigued by me from my very first day at the Academy, the reason he had gone to great lengths to try to discover the extent of my powers. The reason he was trying to keep me alive, even when the Dark Coven wanted so desperately to get rid of me.

  Headmaster Crane was my father.

  Chapter 22

  “Juliana is not ready to take the throne,” Headmaster Crane went on, shaking his head.

  “I understand you feel that way, Your Majesty, but she is your only heir to the throne,” Chesterfield insisted.

  “I will remain the King of the Air Kingdom until Juliana is ready, but trust me when I tell you that she is not ready now,” Headmaster Crane said, shaking his head. “I watch her every day. I watch her at the Academy as she becomes aware of her powers. She is still too young… too powerless. And far, far too naïve.”

  I frowned. I didn’t even agree with anything he was saying. I wasn’t powerless. I was The Chosen One. My powers far exceeded the abilities of anyone at Paranormal Academy. If I wasn’t powerful, I wouldn’t be constantly surprising my instructors with my magic, but my magic seemed to know no bounds.

  It was all excuses. Headmaster Crane… my biological dad… didn’t want to step down from the throne. It would have meant giving up his own power, his own rule over the Kingdom, and that was the last thing he wanted.

  No, Headmaster Crane was probably the most power-hungry man who I had ever met. He wasn’t willing to give up his crown for anyone in this world, not even his own daughter.

  Not that I necessarily would have wanted to be the Queen of the Raven Shifters. Raven shifters scared the shit out of me. How could I be their ruler?

  “The Air Kingdom is going to grow tired of your rule,” Chesterfield insisted. Oh. So, it wasn’t just the Kingdom of the Raven Shifters. It was the Air Kingdom. That I could work with. “They’re already tired of your rule.”

  My father shrugged. “They’ll get over it.”

  “But they won’t. They want to see a fresh face as a ruler. Someone new. Someone with a better reputation.”

  “Are you saying my reputation is bad, Chesterfield?” Headmaster Crane asked, his voice rising to an angry level.

  “If the shoe fits, Your Majesty.”

  “Well, I am about to introduce a fresh face to you,” a voice said from another corner of the room. I peered around a corner as I saw a tall man, who towered above both Headmaster Crane and Chesterfield, entered the room. “He should be here any second.”

  “Lateness should never be tolerated, Phineas. You know this,” Headmaster Crane insisted.

  “And yet your lateness has always been deemed acceptable,” Phineas replied. He turned to Chesterfield. “The man who I am about to present to you is an obvious choice for King. He, too, is an heir to the throne, but his kind is not often thought of as an Air element.”

  “So, what you’re saying then is that this man you’re about to present to us is not a raven shifter,” Headmaster Crane said.

  “No, he is not a raven shifter,” Phineas confirmed. “He is an eagle shifter.”

  “So, you think the Air Kingdom should be ruled by a bird?” Headmaster Crane sounded completely appalled at the idea.

  “What, exactly, do you think a raven shifter is?” Phineas questioned. “The last time I checked, they have feathery wings and fly, just as eagles do.”

  “We are not only birds,” Headmaster Crane replied. “We are much more than that. We are symbols of death. That is what anyone thinks of when they see a raven—death. Death is powerful. It is also fear-inducing. It comes with a great deal of intimidation. What type of fear does an eagle have to offer?”

  “Eagles,” Phineas replied, “are representative of wisdom.”

  “Are you saying that I am not wise, Phineas?” Headmaster Crane questioned.

  Before Phineas had a chance to say anything, I heard the sound of a door opening from behind me. I held my breath in my best attempt at staying hidden.

  I watched as a familiar figure entered the room… and I nearly stopped breathing.

  The tall figure moved down the aisle, towards the thrones, at a swift pace.

  His dark hair was cut shorter than usual, but there was absolutely no mistaking him.

  My heart pounded against my chest as the realization hit me in full force.

  Avery was still alive.

  The emotions flooded my veins then. I felt… everything.

  Mostly, what I felt was longing. My soul had craved him for so long that it took everything in me not to run to him, to throw my arms around him and never
let go. But I knew I couldn’t do that.

  Instead, I just knelt there on the ground, wondering how this was even possible. Avery’s very existence was a complete mystery to me. How could he have survived the raven shifters? Don’t get me wrong. This was a freaking miracle. I just didn’t understand how it could have happened.

  And then there was the anger. The anger and resentment of knowing that I had spent so long grieving the death of someone who had actually survived.

  Even though I was happy he was alive, I also couldn’t help but feel slightly betrayed.

  Avery had been alive all this time, and he hadn’t even once tried to reach out to me to let me know he was okay and that he hadn’t died? He had just let me mourn his death and grieve what could have been.

  Pushing the negative feelings to the back of my mind, I let the reality sink in.

  Avery. Was. Alive.

  The guy who I loved, my possible soulmate, was standing right in front of me.

  But what was he doing here… in this castle, of all places? It didn’t make any sense.

  As he headed towards the front of the room, I held my breath.

  Every part of me wanted to undo the veiling spell and say something to him. To run to him. To do something.

  But I couldn’t. Even though every ounce of my being wanted to go to him, it would have blown up my spot, and that was the absolute last thing I needed. It would be bad enough if Headmaster knew I was in the castle, but if he found out that I’d overheard he was my father… Well, I wasn’t entirely sure what he would do. And that scared me.

  As he approached the front of the room, Headmaster Crane’s face twisted into a strange look. “Avery Tate. I thought you were dead.”

  “Is it that you thought I was dead, or is it that you hoped I was dead?” Avery shot back at him.

  “Touché. A bit of both if we’re being honest.” He shrugged.

  I could feel my blood boiling, and that was when I noticed it: a little flicker at the corner of the room. It may have been the world’s tiniest flame, but I knew that I was the one who had lit it.

  Well, my anger was what had lit it, that is.

  I thought about how I wanted the flame to die out, and a moment later, it was no longer burning.

  “Prince Avery, it’s time for us to discuss your next course of action,” Chesterfield said as he stood before him.

  Wait. Prince Avery? There was no way I had heard him right… was there?

  Then again, it shouldn’t have surprised me, I supposed. I had thought Avery was just a witch; I didn’t know he was an eagle shifter, either. It made sense that he was a prince and I hadn’t even known it.

  But the main question was why hadn’t he told me any of this? Why had he led me to believe that he was just a magic user? It felt weird to know that he was a shifter and a prince. It made me feel like he was a complete stranger, in a way. There were so many things I hadn’t known about him, which only made me wonder what other secrets he had been keeping from me.

  “Next course of action?” Headmaster Crane scoffed. “Who says there will be any course of action, Chesterfield?”

  Avery glanced over at him. “I intend to take my rightful place on the throne, Your Majesty. I understand that you’re not ready or willing to abdicate the throne yet, but the Air Kingdom is ready for new leadership—younger leadership. While you have done a fine job as King, it’s time for someone else to have a turn to reign.”

  “Well, you are right about one thing,” Headmaster Crane agreed. “I am not ready or willing to abdicate the throne. I will do everything in my power to not step down from my rule.”

  “Then I’m afraid it might be time to take this to an election,” Chesterfield told him. “The kingdom deserves a shot at new leadership. You have only ruled for so long because there was no one who was able to take the throne, but Prince Avery is both able and willing. There is just one issue.” Pausing, Chesterfield turned to Avery. “I would just like to remind you that in order to take the throne, you must first take a wife. Have you made any decisions on who you would like to make the next Queen of the Air Kingdom?”

  Avery shook his head.

  “So, you have yet to decide on who to marry?” Headmaster Crane asked.

  “That would be correct,” Avery agreed with a nod.

  Headmaster Crane let out a sinister laugh that echoed throughout the room. “This whole thing is really truly laughable. You do realize my reign is about to renew, right? If you don’t take a wife—a Queen—from one of the Air elements within the next thirty days, then my reign as King will last for one-hundred more years or until I decide I am ready and willing to abdicate the throne.” I could hear the smile in his voice as he added, “I have always thought this war should last one-hundred years and under my reign, that is exactly what will happen. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good war around here.” A twisted smile hit his lips. “So, my reign looks like it will continue for another century. Unless, that is, you can find a wife with Air elemental blood. Tick-tock, tick-tock.” He let out a sinister laugh.

  I took a deep breath because I knew what I needed to do… and it wasn’t for love.

  No, I knew I loved Avery. Even despite all of the secrets he had been keeping from me—like the fact that he was alive and a prince—I knew there was still a chance that he might have been my soulmate. Our first kiss had started a fire. That had to have meant something.

  But, as much as I loved him, at the end of the day, he wasn’t the only guy I loved. I wasn’t sure that I would have done this for just the two of us.

  I needed to do this for the greater good. I needed to do it for the entire paranormal world—and for the human world, too.

  If I didn’t do this, this war was going to end in mass destruction. It was going to claim the lives of so many—paranormal beings and humans alike. Headmaster Crane… my father… was a monster. I didn’t trust him to reign for one hundred more years. I was genuinely afraid of what he would destroy during that time.

  He had already destroyed enough.

  So, without giving it a second thought, I undid the veiling spell that had been keeping me hidden and headed to the aisle at the center of the room.

  I knew that revealing I had been eavesdropping on this seemingly private conversation was dangerous for me on so many levels, but I didn’t care.

  I knew that this was what I needed to do.

  “I’ll do it,” I announced.

  All four of the men turned to look at me then, their eyes growing really wide.

  “Miss Montgomery. How long have you been listening in on this conversation?” Headmaster Crane asked.

  Maybe Avery’s presence in the room was what made me feel less afraid, but a sudden sense of bravery had washed over me.

  “Long enough to know that you’re my father,” I confessed.

  His lips remained in a flatline. “You weren’t supposed to overhear that.”

  “Well, it looks like it’s too late.” I swallowed hard as I took a few steps closer to where they were standing. “I also know that Avery needs to take a wife who is of the Air elements. Well, as a dragon shifter, I am of Air.” I glanced over at Avery then. “So, I’ll do it. I will marry you. I will be your Queen, as long as that means ending his—” I motioned to Headmaster Crane— “reign.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Headmaster Crane murmured. “My own daughter?”

  “Watch me.” I turned to Avery then. “So, what do you think of my proposal?”

  “I… uh…” As Avery paused, his gold eyes met mine, and I noticed that something about the way he was looking at me seemed… off. I wasn’t quite sure how else to explain it. He was staring at me in a way that he had never looked at me before in the entire time I had known him, and I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. “That sounds great and everything. You are incredibly beautiful, but… there’s just one problem.”

  “What is it?” I asked with raised eyebrows, trying to figure out what the problem co
uld have possibly been. I was offering to marry him, to be his Queen, so we could save the entire world from mass destruction—and so we could save the paranormal world from Headmaster Crane’s reign. It seemed like any other problem would have been small in comparison to all of the problems that could arise if we didn’t get married.

  “Well, it’s just that my Queen should be someone who I can trust. Someone who I know will rule by my side with the same values and goals as me,” Avery began.

  “I’m pretty sure we want the same things, Avery,” I said softly.

  His gold eyes locked on mine sharply. “I’m not sure how you can be so certain of that when we don’t even know one another. This is the first time we’ve ever met. I’m not trying to be rude, but I just have to ask. How do you even know my name?”

  My heart sunk as the realization hit me.

  I wasn’t sure what had happened to him after the raven shifter had carried him off all those months ago, but it was clear that something had happened.

  This wasn’t the same Avery who I had fallen so hard for, or him for me. It was just a shell of the guy who I had known, the guy who I had kissed the day he had gone missing.

  Something—or, more likely, someone—had completely robbed him of his memories. Or, at least, of his memories of me…

  The Avery Tate who I had known had traveled the whole entire world to find answers about who I was. But the Avery Tate who was standing in front of me, staring at me like I was a complete stranger, didn’t have any clue who I even was. He didn’t know that our kiss had once started a fire or that we had this incredible connection.

  I was convinced that there was only one thing that could have happened to make Avery forget who I was, and that was magic. Someone must have put a spell on him, a spell that had made him completely forget me.

  It just made me wonder one thing: Who would want to make him lose his memories of me?

  “I know you don’t remember me now, but I’ll make you remember. I promise. It will all come back to you later on. Just give me this chance. Just give us this chance to save the world as we know it. Please.” I shot him a desperate look.