Academy of Beasts XXXI

  Academy Of Beasts XXXI

  Shifter Romance

  Becca Fanning

  Copyright © 2021 by Becca Fanning

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Also by Becca Fanning

  Chapter 1

  Confusion and chaos. My vision before I ventured off of campus to see the witches made sense. Initially, I assumed it was just a crazy dream caused by my tumultuous emotions lately. It meant nothing. Boy, was I wrong. Still gawking at the witches encircling me, I processed the recent development.

  Dante had escaped custody. A psycho-killer was on the loose, ready to wreak havoc on the entire shifter world. Again. That spells confusion and chaos. My dream was on point. I should have known better by now. My dreams usually meant something.

  “Fiona, we’re awaiting your response.” The head witch’s sharp eyes moved over my face. I think I detected a hint of concern. Of course, she’d be concerned. I was probably as pale as death. I was in such a state of shock I forgot how to form words.

  My brain finally got the message to my lips to move. “I’m... still processing.”

  Worried faces turned to each other. The witches were probably talking among themselves again. They wanted the Core Council to help them recapture their prisoner. Sure, as they said, it was us students’ who helped to take down Dante, but in this case, shouldn’t they go to the authorities for help? Taking a deep breath, I verbalized my question.

  “Wouldn’t it be better if you brought in the proper authorities?” Maybe even The Officials whom the Core Council worked under. “I mean, we’re students…”

  They all looked at each other again. I really wished they’d stop doing that. I felt left out, wondering what they were saying and thinking. “Are you guys communicating telepathically to something? It’s creeping me out a little.” My mouth clamped shut. Gods. Sometimes I wished I had a little more control over my tongue. “No offense,” I murmured. Pissing off a group of powerful witches who had me surrounded wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

  Surprisingly, there was a hum of laughter. “Yes, we do that. I suppose it isn’t polite to do so in your company. We apologize.”

  My shoulders relaxed with a relieved exhale.

  “As for your earlier question: no, we don’t want to bring in the authorities. We’ve been trying to keep this entire situation under wraps, Fiona.”

  “I understand not wanting to cause panic, but…” I shrugged. “If we take this on, the Officials will have to be let in. They’re the reason the Core Council exists. They put the group of students together.” Plus, I just got back into their good graces. I wasn’t trying to get into more trouble and possibly get kicked out of the council and out of the manor that had become my home.

  “Perhaps you can convince them to keep quiet.”

  “Me?” My lips twisted wryly. “We don’t have the best relationship right now. I doubt they’ll listen to me.” But they might listen to Dracus. Maybe I could plead the case to him and he’d plead it to the Officials. He could be very persuasive. “However, I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Because you need our help?”

  Why beat around the bush? I looked the head witch in the eyes. “Precisely.”

  She smiled. “Then, we’ll talk later.”

  “Later? But―”

  I let out a shriek as the ground seemed to shift beneath my feet. Suddenly, I was spiraling into space. “Oh, come on, we weren’t finished!” My annoyed words whipped around me as I fell to... wherever.

  I landed on something soft with an “oomph” and bounced a couple of times.

  “Help us and we’ll see what we can do for you, Fiona.” It was a chorus of voices and it sounded far away.

  Shocked, confused and a little miffed to have been dismissed so suddenly, I scowled. Looking around, I realized that I was in my bedroom. I’d landed on my bed.

  “Well, thanks for the soft landing,” I grumbled as I scrambled to my feet. Looking around, I wondered how they had transported me right back to my room. “Of course, they can do that. They’re witches.”

  I felt a little lost. How did I contact them when I had word of whether the core council would help? Would I have to sneak off campus again? How exactly would they help me with the Demetrius situation? Would they? There was a possibility that I was being played here. Nothing was as it seemed in this world. For all I knew, I’d somehow help the witches, and they’d screw me over by not helping me with my problem.

  I paced my room, my mind racing much too fast. Once I went to the rest of the council about Dante, they’d know I had snuck off to see the witches. So much for keeping that under wraps. I could do nothing and let the witches deal with their own problem.

  “No, I can’t do that.” My conscience would never allow it. Dante was on the loose. Something had to be done. I wanted to help protect innocent shifters. Dropping to my bed, I groaned. Now would be a good time to hear from my ghostly mentor. It was creepy as hell communicating with a dead calm, but right now, hearing from Leia sure would be comforting.

  “Leia, are you there?” I felt ridiculous calling to her. My voice sounded small and... scared. I was afraid. Afraid of what would happen if Dante wasn’t caught soon. Afraid of having to tell Dracus about Demetrius. Of what the guys would say about me sneaking off. My troubles were piling up, and it sucked.

  Still in the clothes I’d gone to see the witches in, I trudged to the elevator. I hadn’t slept, showered, nothing. Because I’d sat on the edge of my bed since the witches sent me back, freaking out over everything until the sun came up. The elevator stopped, and the doors slid open. The guys were all present and ready for training that I wasn’t up for.

  Training and building my powers was the least of my concern. Who needed to learn how to control their powers if they were dead? That was what would happen eventually if Dante wasn’t caught. I’d be dead and so would plenty of shifters. Severely weighed down with worry, I stepped into the gym.

  “She’s here,” came Theo’s happy voice. His energy practically echoed in his tone. I loved that he was always so happy to see me. It warmed my heart.

  All eyes swiveled in my direction. The series of expressions were amusing despite my misery. Theo’s excitement immediately died down. Dracus’s polite smile slowly faded. Jasper, who was sat on the floor with a book open―I swear, the guy had a book permanently attached to his fingers―lifted an inquiring brow. Ren’s eyes narrowed suspiciously―of course, suspicion was his middle name. Enrique was the one bold enough to say it.

  “Damn, Princess, you look like hell.”

  “Way to ease into it,” Theo grumbled, sending Enrique an annoyed look. “Never comment on a woman’s look, they get all crazy about it.”

  I rolled my eyes and approached the group. “Actually, Enrique, I appreciate your honesty. I know I look like a prop in a haunted house on Halloween.”

  He roared. “And I appreciate your sense of humor.”

  “Fiona, are you alright?” Dracus stepped forward. “You don’t look up for training.”

  “I’m not. I’m calling a meeting.”

  A low rumble of laughter ca
me from Jasper’s corner. “Somebody’s been spending too much time with Dracus.”

  Ren smirked, and the others snickered. Dracus at least has the decency to try to hide his amusement behind his serious mask. His eyes, however, gave him away. They swirled with laughter as he gave me a once-over.

  “That’s not such a bad thing,” he commented.

  “It’s a terrible thing,” Enrique countered. “The last thing we need around here is another you.”

  If looks could kill, Enrique would have been done in by Dracus’s seething glare.

  “Guys, please, all jokes aside. We need to talk.”

  Dracus nodded. “Fine. Meeting commenced.”

  Chapter 2

  I studied each curious face. I’d hoped we could have done this elsewhere, maybe somewhere we could all sit and relax. But my news wasn’t exactly relaxing, so…

  “Okay. I have bad news.”

  It was disturbing how every expression remained unchanged. They were calm as if bad news was always expected. It was sad. It dawned on me then that none of the guys had experienced a normal life where they kicked back and had fun. They were all intense and guarded, even Theo to an extent.

  “Have you heard something about our mysterious couples killer?” Ren asked.

  My stomach dropped. “Holy crap on toast. I hadn’t even thought about that possibility.”

  “Fiona, what are you going on about?” Dracus demanded.

  I slapped my forehead. “The recent murders. Dante being back on the loose. It could be connected.”

  The soft thud of something hitting the floor caught my attention. Jasper had dropped his book and was on his feet. “Did you just say―”

  “Dante is what now?” Theo asked.

  Face heating up, I gave them all a sheepish grin. “I guess I should start from the beginning.”

  Dracus lifted a brow. “That would be best.”

  I so didn’t want to admit that I had broken the rules. Mostly to Dracus. His disappointed looks always made me feel horrible. Wringing my hands, I began, “Now, I want you all to keep an open mind and stay calm because I’m here... back safely on campus.”

  “Fiona.” Dracus’s low growl made me hand my head. “What did you do?”

  “I snuck off of campus last night. I know it’s against academy rules, and core council rules.” The council members were the only ones allowed to go off campus, but only for important council matters. Such as patrolling villages where heinous murders took place.

  “How the hell did you pull that off?” Ren was outraged. “I was patrolling the grounds. Nothing gets past me.”

  “Except a calm with growing powers,” Dracus bit out, hands on his hips, and annoyed scowl in place. “I have firsthand knowledge that our errant little Calm’s cloaking abilities have grown significantly.”

  I scoffed. Errant little Calm. The nerve. However, I didn’t dare express my outrage. Holding my tongue and staying humble would probably lessen everyone’s anger.

  I held up both palms. “Now, now, boys, calm down.”

  That resulted in a chorus of irritated growls. Dropping my hands, I felt my face flood with heat. “Okay, you all have every right to be pissed. I mean, we’re a team. We should share things with each other.” No secrets. Yet, I had so many. “I did what I did with good reason.”

  “It’s not just about you sneaking off campus, Fiona,” Theo said. “We all do from time to time.”

  “Some of us are more than others.” Enrique winked at me and smirked.

  Yeah, he was the crowned king of sneaking off campus.

  Theo rolled his eyes. “It’s about you not telling us. There’s a killer on the loose. And before you say you can take care of yourself, we know. We all can but…”

  “We all worry. About you,” Jasper finished. “Because, you’re…”

  Theirs in the intimate sense. “I get it. I’m sorry you guys.” I worried about them too.

  Arms folded, Dracus studied me in his usual calm manner. “Fiona is a smart girl. She’d never put herself in danger like that without a very good reason. Where did you go?” He stared at me expectantly.

  I appreciated his faith in me. “I went to see the witches.”

  They all exchanged glances. “Why?” Ren asked.

  Think fast, Fiona. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I had felt the need to do what I did. Yes, the witches confirmed that Dante did have the means to control his brother’s action, but I had to wait for further help. Dracus would never accept the weak evidence I had. “Um... I... I had a vision.” Holy crap, lying has become too easy. Pretty soon, I’d need an intervention. Pulling a deep, steadying (very guilty) breath. I covered the distance between the guys and me.

  “I had this strange vision about the witches and Dante. I thought it was nothing, but a worry nagged at me. It’s a good thing I sought the witches because I learned that Dante escaped their custody. I know you guys are angry, but right now, you have to put that aside. We’re in serious trouble here. Dante is on the loose,” I stressed.

  Dracus scrubbed a hand over his face. He already looked tired. It has to be hard being the leader when so much craziness was going down. “That’s certainly serious trouble.”

  “Dracus, the witches asked for my help… our help. They requested the core council deal with the matter. They want to keep everything under wraps, therefore, they don’t want to bring in the authorities.”

  “The Officials are the authorities, and we can’t hide something this big,” he explained.

  “That’s what I told them.” I sighed. “They told me to convince our bosses to keep this quiet. They’re trying to avoid sending the public into panic. There will definitely be panic. Look at the havoc Dante wreaked before. I told them I’d see what I could do.” Eyes locked with Dracus’s, I said, “At the end of the day, you’re our leader. So, what do we do?”

  “We alert the Officials. If we’re going to be involved in this―”

  “We have to be. Fiona is the first one Dante is going to come after.” Ren was pacing, agitation swirling around him like a gathering storm. Everyone fell silent and watched him. Hearing about Dante must have triggered his PTSD or something. The warlock went hand in hand with the slayers. The slayers killed his entire family. I felt his surfacing pain. It clawed at my chest. So much so that I didn’t even panic over his reminder that Dante would have it out for me.

  Eying Ren with compassion, Theo turned to Dracus. “Maybe we can reconvene once you’ve had word with the Officials.”

  Dracus nodded. “You should all stay put until I do. I’m sure they’ll want to meet with us immediately.”

  He gave me an apologetic look. I shrugged. He knew I’d become a stickler for going to classes. But right now, my grades had fallen a few notches on my list of priorities. I didn’t much care for going to classes in my current mental state. Plus, I didn’t want to see anyone. Not even Priscilla. If I saw her before I had my emotions under control, I’d blab everything to her. Just as the witches wanted to prevent mass panic in the shifter world, I wanted to do the same for my friends… for now. If the Dante situation wasn’t dealt with, soon everyone would have to be notified of the danger we were all in.

  Chapter 3

  Standing outside Ren’s door, I balanced a tray on one hand and knocked.

  “It’s open,” came the low response. Ren’s words practically oozed misery, and I sighed before entering.

  “You never leave your door open,” I noted.

  “I knew you’d come.” He sat on a sofa facing the window, staring out. From there, a portion of the campus beyond the manor gates was visible. From a distance, the students moving across the grounds looked like tiny dots.

  “How did you know?”

  Finally, he glanced over his shoulder with a small smile that barely reached his eyes. “Because you can’t resist comforting everyone, even when you need comforting yourself.”

  I smiled and shrugged. “You got me.” Even at that very moment, I was f
reaking out internally. I had been since learning of Dante’s escape. No, before that, since Demetrius begged me to help him. I was doubly worried since Ren made the very good point of Dante targeting me. Still, I put all that aside because I wanted Ren to be okay. “How do you know I need comforting?” I rounded the sofa and stood in front of him with the tray.

  Piercing eyes moved over my face. “Have I ever told you that you have an expressive face? You almost keeled over when I mentioned Dante coming after you.”

  “Yeah,” I grumbled. “I’ve been told about my lack of a poker face on multiple occasions.” I offered the tray with coffee, bacon, eggs and delicious pastries Mooney had put together. “You didn’t join the rest of us for breakfast.”

  “Wasn’t hungry. Still not hungry.”

  I stuck out my lower lip, still holding the tray out in offering. “But I carried it all this way.”

  A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. He sighed and accepted my offering. “Fine, who can resist that pout.”

  Grinning, I sat beside him and gazed out the window. I didn’t say anything, just left him alone with his thoughts while he ate. After a while, I glanced at his empty tray and smirked. “Wasn’t hungry, huh?”

  His sheepish grin made me smile. At least his mood seemed to have improved. Taking the tray, I placed it on a side table.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “No problem, I like taking care of you.”

  One corner of his lips lifted upwards. “Sucking up won’t save you from the lecture I intend to give.”

  I snorted. “Nothing can ever save me from your lecture. Yours nor Dracus’s. I’m well aware of that. Since Dracus hasn’t gotten around to giving me a proper one because he’s busy setting up a meeting with the Officials, you get first dibs. Lecture away.”