Academy of Beasts XXXII Read online

  Academy Of Beasts XXXII

  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

  Also by Becca Fanning

  Chapter 1

  This is by far the worst thing you’ve ever pulled.

  I never would have let my guard down with you, invited you to my home, or into my heart...

  I think the best thing for us to do right now is to take a break.

  Dracus words played over and over in my head until I thought I’d go insane. My brain refused to shut down and stop remembering his hurtful words. They taunted me. All night. Recalling the disappointment resonating in his tone and the injured look on his face was like torture. An entire night tossing and turning, roasting in the punishment for my lies. Maybe I deserved more than being tormented by Dracus’s words. It was wrong to keep something so huge from him and the others. I never should have let fear of their reactions stop me from being totally honest. I suppose that made me a horrible team member. Another heavy sigh escaped me. It was about the hundredth one since I rolled into bed.

  My eyes were still wide open and glued to the ceiling as they had been for most of the night. They burned from lack of sleep, and I had a headache that started around dawn and worsened as the sun got brighter. I groaned when my eyes shifted to glance at the clock on the nightstand. Even moving my eyeballs hurt. They were tender and puffy from crying. It was well past seven. I had to get out of bed. Though I'd skipped training, I still had to go to classes. I’d missed enough. No one knocked on my door for our usual morning training, so I guess it was a consensus that it was off the schedule for the morning.

  With another sigh that sounded more like a moan, I rolled out of bed. My limbs felt like lead. Sleep had been elusive for too many nights now. Scrubbing a hand over my face, I gave myself a pep talk.

  “Come on, Fiona, get it together. Dracus is just angry at the moment. In no time he’ll come around. You’ll kiss and make up and all will be well. So, get on about your dreary morning. Things can only look up.”

  My lips twisted wryly. That was the only bright side about hitting rock bottom. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse. But wait... this was me we’re talking about. Things always got worse. With my luck, another of the guys, or maybe all of them, would knock on my door and tell me we were over. Feeling twice as depressed as I was a second ago, I flopped back onto the mattress. My mind had changed about going to classes. I just couldn’t do it; face anyone today.

  The loud knock made me gasp. Just a second ago, I thought about the guys knocking on my door to rip what remained of my heart out of my chest. Was it really happening? I was afraid to answer.

  “Fiona? Are you up?” Theo’s voice boomed from the other side.

  I remained silent.

  “Fiona? Are you okay in there? It isn’t like you to sleep this late.”

  I snorted. Late? It wasn’t even eight yet.

  “I heard that.” Theo’s voice rang with amusement.

  Rolling my eyes, I sighed, “It isn’t locked.” I’d gotten up last night to peep into Dracus’s office and bedroom, hoping he’d returned. I hadn’t bothered to lock the door after. A hopeful part of me was sure he’d come to speak with me when he got back from wherever he’d flown off to.

  The door swung open. Theo wasn’t alone. “If it isn’t the dynamic duo,” I murmured without enthusiasm.

  “Good morning to you too, sunshine,” Enrique greeted. He peered into the room and frowned. “It’s like a funeral home in here.” He charged in and marched to the windows to open the drapes. The sunlight nearly singed my retinas.

  I hissed and flung the covers over my head. I was hidden for all of a second because Theo hauled the covers back down. “Nope, you’re not doing this, Fiona. You’re not going to mope.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with moping. I’m allowed. Now, go away and let me mope in peace.”

  “I won’t allow it.”

  “We won’t allow it,” Enrique corrected. His brows furrowed. “Gosh, Princess, you look…” He blew out a breath. “I’d love to say you look radiant, but I can’t lie. You look like hell.” That got him an elbow jab from Theo. He winced and rubbed his side.

  I didn’t even have the energy to give a sassy retort. “Go away, you guys,” I groaned. “I’m not ready to face the world.” I was going to crawl back into bed and stay there until… hell, I had no idea. I couldn’t say until things went back to normal because things at the academy were never normal. The covers were once again pulled from my grasp before I could cover my face.

  “Fiona, you have classes.”

  I glared at Theo. “I’m well aware and I don’t care.”

  Enrique dove and landed beside me, sending my body bouncing on the bed. He ignored my scathing glare. “So, it was that bad, huh?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Theo mimicked Enrique’s action and sent me bouncing again. “Your argument with Dracus.”

  I wanted to be mad at them for coming into my room and disturbing my pity party, but I couldn’t be. For one, I didn’t have the energy for any more heavy emotions, and two, I knew they were only trying to help. “Who said there was an argument?”

  Enrique propped himself up on an elbow. “You came in looking like someone kicked your puppy.”

  “The thought of anyone kicking a puppy is disturbing,” I grumbled.

  “Yet, that’s how you looked last night after you went after Dracus. Plus, he didn’t come home last night. You two must have had a blowout fight.”

  I gazed at Enrique, sadly, and then Theo. “We didn’t.” There really was no blowout argument. Dracus has simply told me in a heated tone that he was done with me...for now. I still wasn’t clear about his idea of taking a break. Discussing all of that with the guys, with anyone, wasn’t going to happen. I’d break down in tears if I tried to talk about my current state of despair.

  “Then why did he leave and why are you hiding in your room?” Theo blinked, his green eyes swirling with curiosity and concern.

  “I’m not hiding. I was sleeping because...I’m tired. We have been spending a lot of our nights on council matters.”

  He lifted a brow as his eyes moved over my face. “Right.”

  He didn’t sound convinced. I imagined my eyes were bloodshot. I could only imagine what I looked like. A hot, miserable, post-crying mess. Since the privacy to wallow in misery was no more, I might as well get up. Sighing, I sat up. “I’m going to shower.” I looked at both guys, still lounging on either side of me. “There was no training this morning, right?”

  “Well, that would have been pointless since training is specifically for you.” Enrique smirked. “And you were a no-show.”

  My eyes narrowed on his grinning face. It still irked me that I had to train and they didn’t. That emphasized how not ready I was to survive in the shifter world. But I couldn’t be mad at Enrique or anyone else for that, could I? “You guys should have called me. I would have hauled my butt out of bed.”

  “We decided to let you rest this morning.” Theo’s gaze roved my face again. “Clearly, you
didn’t rest.”

  Heat seared my cheeks and I self-consciously ran my fingers through my hair. I encountered a few tangles and winced. Gods. I had an entire bird’s nest on my head. “We?”

  He nodded. “Me, Enrique, Ren and Jasper.”

  “No Dracus?”

  The guys shared a glance and shook their heads, no.

  My heart sank. “Of course,” I sighed and scooted forward. “Thanks for checking in guys, I’m fine.”

  I so wasn’t fine. Enrique and Theo didn’t seem to think so either from their growing expressions.

  “I’ll see you guys at breakfast.”

  With apparent reluctance, they got up and left.

  I only stopped for breakfast because I thought Dracus would show up. Seeing his empty seat at the head of the table almost had me breaking down in tears again. Was he that angry that he couldn’t even bear to see my face at the table? I stood and stared at the spot he’d be right now, sipping coffee and reading a newspaper with an adorable frown of concentration.

  “He isn’t back yet,” Jasper shared, eying me with the same concern Theo and Enrique had earlier.

  “Sit,” Ren nodded to the chair I usually occupied between Theo and Enrique. “Mooney made you something special.”

  Something special most likely meant something chocolatey. Dracus would have a fit if he was here. He was always more concerned about my health than I was. What I’d give to have him lecture me this morning about sticking with his precious protein diet. I’d welcome any kind of lecture from him. As long as he was talking to me. I couldn't stop thinking about him. I certainly couldn’t sit and have breakfast with his empty chair taunting me.

  Giving Ren an apologetic smile that took too much effort to get out, I said, “I’ll grab something later. I’m not hungry.” Doing an about-face, I scurried back upstairs to get my bag and books. I also grabbed a change of clothes because I couldn’t come back to the manor this evening.

  Chapter 2

  “Fiona!” Priscilla’s brilliant smile dimmed a few watts before vanishing. “You look…”

  “Miserable?”

  “I was going to say tired but yes, that too.”

  I grunted a response and hiked my bag higher on my shoulder. “Morning.”

  “Are you going to be grunting and muttering all day? Because that’s going to totally kill my vibe.”

  My lips twitched as a smile struggled to push through. “You sound like a regular teenager just now.”

  “I know. I’m deliberately trying to sound like one.”

  Finally, my amusement appeared. I chuckled. “Yeah? Why’s that?”

  Eyes twinkling with mischief, she leaned closer and whispered. “In case you and I ever sneak off to the human world to have a girl’s night or something.”

  I gasped. “Priscilla, you scallywag. I had no idea you entertained such mischievous thoughts.”

  She glanced over each shoulder and hissed, “Come on, there’s no way we could have a proper girls’ night here. The secret underground clubs here are not so secret anymore. When we finally get to have some fun, I want us to really let loose. That can’t happen amongst everyone we know.”

  I smiled, a real one, and it felt good. My facial muscles got a much-needed break from all the crying and pouting I’d been doing. I couldn’t help wondering just how much Priscilla wanted us to let loose. That sounded too much like a recipe for trouble. “Who are you and what have you done with Priscilla?”

  She adjusted her glasses. “I’ve broken the rules plenty of times.”

  “Not like that.”

  “I think it’s time for me to have some actual college fun.”

  I shook my head. “You’ve been looking too much into the human world.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Now, on to other matters. “What’s eating at you?”

  Hanging my head, I groaned. “So much. I’m bursting at the seams. But, we can’t talk about any of it here.” I swept our surroundings. Students passed at a rapid pace, hurrying to get to classes on time. Dean Sahni stood on the top steps of the huge administrative building surveying the campus. With her excellent hearing, I didn’t want to risk saying anything. The Dean wore a blinding canary yellow suit that clashed with her hot pink framed glasses. I stifled a giggle. The woman’s clothes were as bright as her personality.

  Priscilla waved at Dean Sahni, and she waved back. “Don’t you just miss her in the classroom?”

  “I do.” Dean Sahni had a sense of humor that kept classes from being a snooze fest. “I hate that we don’t get to see her as often as before. But things have been going great with her as dean. We wouldn’t have Shifter Defense if she wasn’t in charge.”

  “Yeah, she isn’t one to play by the rules.”

  “And I love that,” I laughed. No doubt, she would do a better job at handling a crisis on campus like the one we had last year. The thought reminded me of Demetrius, who was still sitting in a dungeon for something that wasn’t entirely his fault. I had to push aside the morbid thought because Priscilla would pick up on my spiraling mood.

  “So do I.” Priscilla turned back to me. “So, when are we going to talk?”

  “In your dorm room, tonight.” I flung an arm over her shoulders and led her towards our first class.

  “Tonight? Don’t you have council matters to take care of?”

  “Yes, but the guys are going to have to deal with it.” I sighed. “I feel bad about shirking my duties without permission, but I can’t go back to the manor tonight, Priscilla.” Besides, Dracus wasn’t even there for me to ask his permission to take the night off.

  “Gods, is it that bad?”

  “Yeah,” I said sadly. “I’m spending the night at your place. They’ll all be mad at me, but I don’t care.”

  Priscilla remained quiet, but she gazed at me with a worried frown.

  After our last class, Priscilla and I sat on the lawn behind a grand oak tree where there was less traffic. For once, I wasn’t rushing back to the manor for a meeting or some other crisis. Things were bad at the moment, with Dante on the loose and the Officials charging the Core Council with finding the mystery shifter killer. However, I wasn’t in tip-top shape mentally, so the group was better off without me.

  “I don’t know, Fiona. Maybe you should have asked Dracus for the evening off.”

  “Instead of ghosting the council? Yeah, I know I should have. I’m being totally unprofessional and irresponsible.” My admission was monotonous as I stared off into the distance.

  “Holy crap,” Priscilla sighed. I could practically feel her eyes boring holes in the side of my face. “Look at you. You’re a walking brochure for the symptoms of depression.”

  Blinking, I turned to her and snorted. “Gee, thanks. Hearing that just brightens my day.”

  She pursed her lips guiltily. “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never seen you this down before. Do you want to grab dinner and head back to my room now?”

  “Not yet. I’d like to take in a bit more of the sun.” I turned my face up to the sky. “This is nice. I haven’t had time to sit and relax lately. Not with everything that had been going on. This is what normal college students should do, you know? The only thing we should have to worry about are exams and tough professors. Not all the things that we have to worry about here.”

  Priscilla’s gaze lingered on me. I knew she was anxious to hear what’s been going on. “Need I remind you that you’re in an entirely different world now?”

  “No.” I sighed. “No reminder necessary.”

  “Do I detect regret in your tone? That worries me. Fiona, if you’re planning to run away and return to the human world or something, you can’t. What am I supposed to do for the next two-and-a-half years we have left in school? I need you here with me or I’ll lose my mind.”

  I turned to Priscilla to discover genuine panic on her face. My laughter was devoid of humor. “Why on earth would I return to the human world? Who and what do I have there? Nothing and no one.�
� I heard the sadness underlining my words, but I didn’t care. Sighing, I leaned back against the tree and crossed my legs. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going anywhere. I was just expressing how messed up it is that we have to deal with certain things.” Like wars and murders and... possibly breaking up with my boyfriend who happens to be a dragon shifter. Definitely not normal stuff.

  Priscilla reached into her bag and took out a ziplock bag. Still glancing at me with worry alternating with suspicion, she sank her teeth into a baby carrot. The loud crunch tickled me and soon had me in stitches. I laughed so hard, tears leaked from my eyes. Maybe there was a bit of hysteria mixed in with my amusement― I wasn’t entirely sure.

  Brows puckered, Priscilla asked, “What’s so funny?”

  “It’s just comical seeing you snack on vegetables. I mean, you’re a dragon shifter.” Her perplexed expression launched my explanation. “I guess I just assumed you’d be more of a carnivore.”

  She looked down at her bag of vegetables and snickered. “You make a good point.”

  Her giggles mingled with mine, and I shrugged. “I don’t know why I find that so funny.” But I welcomed the cheer.

  “I don’t either, but it’s just good to see you laugh.”

  “It feels good,” I murmured.

  “See? We’re more normal here than what you think. I know you haven’t gotten a great impression of the shifter world so far, what with rogue shifters slaughtering innocent people and all.” Her brows drew together. “And with evil warlocks waging wars.” Her lips twisted wryly. “I was going to say that this world isn't that bad, but it sounds pretty bad.”

  I chuckled. “It does, but I know it isn’t all bad. This world also comes with great friends.”

  Priscilla beamed, her cheeks turning bright pink. Smiling, we fell quiet and enjoyed the campus’ scenery. I was starting to relax. The tension seeped out of me and I let out a long breath. My mood was brightening until we got company.