Academy of Beasts XXXII Read online

  The male voice said, “Hey ladies.”

  My head snapped up and my eyes collided with metal gray ones. “Radolf,” I glanced at Priscilla, who shrugged, “hey.”

  He leaned against the tree and smiled at us. “How’s it going?”

  My eyes shifted to Priscilla again, and she lifted a brow as if asking why I kept looking at her. I suppose I still felt uneasy interacting with him around her, even though our little tiff had long been resolved.

  Rolling her eyes at my silence, Priscilla answered, “Great. What’s up, Radolf?”

  His eyes were still on me and I shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing really, I just left class.” he angled his chin to the gym where Berrion stood in the doorway. He directed a smile at us and saluted. I waved enthusiastically at my friend, whom I hadn’t seen in days. “I saw you gals sitting here, laughing up a storm. Just thought I’d stop by and maybe share in the joke. I could use a good laugh.”

  Priscilla rolled her eyes and answered, coolly, “We were talking about girl’s stuff.”

  “Ah, girls’ stuff. Never mind sharing then.”

  I chose to keep my mouth shut until Radolf addressed me specifically.

  “Fiona, I haven’t seen you around campus the last couple of days. Everything okay?”

  My brows dipped. Why would he think otherwise? Did he know something about what was going on with Dante or the killings? I gazed at him, searching his expression. I got nothing but genuine curiosity. “Everything is great. I wasn’t feeling well and took a couple of days off, that’s all.”

  He nodded and moved closer to sit. Priscilla raised an eyebrow when he suggested, “How about grabbing dinner with me?” He beamed. “That will make you feel even better. Not to brag, but I’m great company.”

  Radolf’s arrogance and persistence were qualities I could easily let slide. I lived with five alpha males, so I’d gotten accustomed to the behavior. With a smile, I got ready to turn him down once again. “I don’t doubt that you are, but…”

  “She isn’t interested.”

  The low voice― almost a growl― resonated with menace. It made me suck in a breath. Oh, no. All eyes turned to Ren, who towered over us. His arms were crossed over his chest and he wore his meanest scowl yet. Enrique appeared beside him to sneer at Radolf too.

  I stifled a groan while Priscilla looked at each guy with wide eyes. “Well, this has the potential to get interesting,” she murmured. I elbowed her and scowled. The last thing I wanted was a foolish testosterone-filled showdown between my lovers and the guy who wouldn’t quit flirting with me. I really wished Radolf would stay away from me for his own good.

  “Guys,” I began only to be interrupted by Radolf.

  He peered up at Ren and Enrique with a smirk. “What, you speak for her or something? Why don’t you mind your business?” He turned back to me. “As I was saying, Fiona―”

  I gasped when Enrique clamped a hand around Radolf’s shoulder and hauled him to his feet. “Are you deaf? She isn’t interested.” Enrique’s lethal-looking canines were bared.

  “What is with you two?” Radolf growled. “I can’t ask Fiona out? You think because she’s a part of your precious council you own her?” He shoved him in the chest. “Back off.”

  Panicked, I glanced at Priscilla, who watched the guys with eyes the size of saucers. “This whole thing is going way left.”

  “You think?” I hissed and scrambled to my feet. Poor Radolf had no idea why Enrique and Ren would react the way they did to his interest in me. I preferred he didn’t find out. Before Enrique charged Radolf, I stepped between them and projected a wave of calm. “Cut it out.” I glared at them both and Ren, who stood on the sideline wearing a smug look. “What is this kindergarten?” I spat with disgust.

  Nostrils flared, Enrique pulled in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, his fangs retracting. “My bad, Princess, didn’t mean to lose my temper,” he gave Radolf a contemptuous once over and turned to me with a sly smile, “with you present.”

  Scoffing, I rolled my eyes. “Go away.” I glared at Ren, “Both of you.”

  “Listen to her if you know what’s good for you.”

  Enrique and Ren snarled at Radolf. Tempers were on the rise again. I sighed and threw my hands up. “Seriously?”

  “Is there a problem, here?”

  Berrion’s voice was a welcomed interruption. The Shifter Defense professor scowled at the guys with disapproval.

  “No problem,” Radolf answered, taking a step back from his opponents. He grabbed his bag laying on the grass. “Fiona, guess we’ll talk later.” I watched him saunter off, one hand in his pocket and whistling casually as if he didn’t almost just brawl with my boyfriends. I wonder if he would have backed off had he known my relationship with Ren and Enrique. Probably not. Radolf seemed the type to give zero shit. Sighing, I turned back to the small group.

  “Are we sure there’s no problem?” Berrion gazed at Ren and Enrique, who were throwing daggers into Radolf’s back with their stares.

  “Positive,” Ren stated calmly. I wasn’t fooled. He was probably ripping Radolf to shreds in his mind.

  “Good, I wouldn’t want to send anyone to see the dean.” Berrion nodded when I gave him an appreciative look. He walked off back towards the gym.

  As soon as he was out of ear-shot, I attacked the guys. “What the hell, you guys? Must you embarrass me like that?”

  “Embarrass you?” Enrique scoffed. “We came to check on you and found Romeo chatting you up. We’re the ones who should be upset.”

  “He wasn’t―”

  “He was chatting you up,” Ren repeated. His expression darkened. “You didn’t seem to mind.”

  Jaw clenched, I seethed on the inside. “I’m not even going to respond to that stupid statement.” I gathered my bag and books. “Come on, Priscilla, we’re going.”

  She stood up, shrugged at Enrique and Ren and followed.

  “Fiona.”

  Ignoring Ren’s pleading call, I stomped away with Priscilla on my tail.

  She caught up and let out a whistle. “Gods, that was intense.”

  “I can’t believe them. I expected Ren to put hands on Radolf, not Enrique.”

  “They were jealous,” she shrugged.

  “It sounds like you condone their behavior.”

  “I don’t. But considering your relationships status with both of them, I get it. There’s no way they’d take kindly to some other guy asking you out. So you’re not going to talk to them?” She looked back. “They’re both still standing there watching you with puppy-dog eyes.”

  “I don’t care. Their behavior was uncalled for.”

  Priscilla blew out a breath. “Okay, you really need to tell me what’s going on at the manor. I’m thoroughly intrigued now.”

  Chapter 3

  The room was quiet, and I felt Priscilla staring at me. We had dinner, did a little studying and now we were just lounging. I relaxed on the comfortable sofa that matched her drapes and linen. Purple. I sighed. The color theme of Priscilla’s room was lighter than Dracus’s darker masculine decor but still purple.

  “Dragons really have a thing for purple, huh?”

  Peering at me over her glasses, Priscilla shrugged. “Not all of us.”

  “Well, you and Dracus seem to have a thing for the color.” I sighed again. Uttering his name brought on a fresh wave of despair.

  “I don’t mind having things in common with my prince.”

  Another heavy sigh escaped me.

  “If you sigh one more time without telling me what’s going on with you, I’m going to lose it.”

  Sitting up, I raised a brow. “Calm down, I was getting around to talking.”

  Color filled her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about you. You’ve been… moping all day.”

  Flopping back, I grabbed a pillow to smother my frustrated growl. “I can’t help it. I’m miserable.”

  “Is this about council matters? You mentioned the other day t
hat something bad was going on.”

  “That’s another story,” I groaned.

  “Just how many stories are there?”

  Lowering the pillow away from my face, I stared up at the ceiling. “Dracus and I broke up.”

  Priscilla had snatched a bottle of water from her nightstand and was taking a sip. She inhaled, sputtered and coughed uncontrollably. Slamming the bottle down, she gawked. “What?”

  “Well, I think we did.” Slowly sitting up, I turned to face her with quivering lips. “He said we should take a break. That’s what that means, right? He wants to end things.”

  Watching Priscilla’s mouth open and close repeatedly would have been comical if I wasn’t so distressed. “Fiona, are you serious?”

  “I wish I wasn’t.”

  “How did that even… what happened?”

  Hanging my head, I embraced the shame. “I sort of lied. I did lie. I kept something major from him. From the entire council.” Priscilla’s expectant expression propelled me into an explanation. “I discovered that Demetrius is innocent, and I didn’t tell Dracus until last night. Plus, when I was in the dragon kingdom for the trials, I had more than one secret meeting with Demetrius. Needless to say, Dracus was livid.”

  Mouth agape, she gazed at me wide-eyed. “How can Demetrius possibly be innocent? He killed a student on the roof in front of all of us.”

  “It wasn’t him,” I said quietly. “You probably won’t believe me, and I won’t blame you, but he showed me what really happened. Dante was in control of him when he committed that crime. By right, Dante should be the one charged for Daniel’s death.” I waited for Priscilla to tell me that Demetrius had manipulated me. I expected those words. Everyone else thought so. Apparently, I wasn’t astute enough to know when I was being deceived. My powers meant nothing in this case either. That was what Dracus and the others implied with their responses, and it was insulting.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  Looking her in the eyes, I confidently answered, “Other than what he showed me, I trust my instincts. I can feel it in my bones that Demetrius isn’t a bad guy. I feel bad for judging him wrongly. I feel even worse, knowing he’s been sentenced to death, and I did nothing to help him.”

  Priscilla nodded. “Okay, so what do we do?”

  I blinked, so shocked by her response that I couldn’t immediately think of anything to say. “I… don’t understand.”

  “You said Demetrius is innocent. What’s the plan?”

  My jaw practically brushed the floor. “You believe me?”

  She shrugged. “Your intuition has proven to be accurate all the time. Plus, your powers are no joke.”

  Relief swamped me. Finally, someone who didn’t think I was crazy for believing Demetrius. Her response motivated me to let loose about everything I’d been keeping to myself. “Oh, Priscilla, you don’t know what it means to me to have you in my corner. You’re the only one who hasn’t implied that I’m easy to fool. The guys are all sure Demetrius is playing on my sympathies.”

  “I’m sure it’s because they’re overprotective. I can’t believe you got close enough to a dangerous prisoner to talk to him. Well, as you’ve said, maybe he isn’t so dangerous after all.”

  “He isn’t. I know he’s a warlock and had the capability of using magic on me, but I’m positive he didn’t. I would have felt it. Dracus doesn’t believe me. He’s hurt that I’d side with the man who he thinks killed his brother.” Heavy-hearted, I turned to gaze out the window. “He feels as if I betrayed him, and I can’t blame him for the way he feels. I should have been honest with him from the beginning. I should have told him the moment Demetrius asked for my help.”

  “I doubt he would have believed you.”

  I glanced at Priscilla with a sorrowful smile. “He wouldn’t have, but I should be loyal to him over Demetrius. Even if he didn’t believe me, at least he wouldn’t feel as if I betrayed him in the long run. I was wrong to hide something like that from Dracus. I can admit that. It’s just that I couldn’t live with myself if Demetrius was executed knowing he was innocent. I had to try something.”

  Realization dawned in Priscilla’s eyes. “That’s why you insisted on sneaking off campus to see the witches.”

  “I thought they could give me something to help Demetrius or maybe confirm that he is indeed innocent. I mean, although he’s a wolf shifter, he’s still a warlock. Still a part of their community.” I sighed.

  Priscilla sat taller on her bed, obviously intrigued by this whole saga. “Well, what did they tell you?”

  “That powerful warlock does have the ability to do what Demetrius accused Dante of doing. He could have readily used possession to control Demetrius, using him to kill Daniel. It would be easier for Dante to accomplish because of their blood bond.”

  “That is a really messed up thing to do to your sibling. Use them to commit murder and have them take the fall. I mean, doesn’t he care an ounce that his brother has been tried and sentenced to death because of his actions?”

  Snorting, I stretched out on the sofa and laced my fingers behind my head. Staring up at the ceiling, I said, “Dante was willing to kill every shifter he got his hands on for more power, I seriously doubt he cares what happens to his brother. The man is all about himself.”

  And he’s on the loose.

  I glanced at Priscilla, tempted to tell her. I was definitely going to. It was just that I hated the idea of causing her any distress with the news. As I opened my mouth to admit that the Core Council was searching for an escaped Dante, she spoke and my mouth clamped shut.

  “So, now that you and Dracus have taken a break, what does that mean for you and the others?”

  That was a very good question. One I couldn’t answer. “I have no idea. Things are bound to get awkward. We all still live together. The tension between Dracus and I will be visible and palpable for sure. I’m afraid that will put a strain on my interactions with the others.”

  I thought about our morning training that everyone was involved in. Things were going to be awkward for sure. It was only a matter of time before the others knew what was going on. “I feel horrible, Priscilla, I love Dracus and he hates me.”

  Priscilla’s brows scrunched together, and she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Fiona, I think hate is a bit of a stretch.”

  “Okay, he doesn’t like me very much right now.” I shrugged. “That still doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  “I’m sorry, I wish I could help.”

  “You’re helping more than you know. Having someone to talk to is good.” Sighing, I rolled over, propped myself up on an elbow and peered at Priscilla. “I’m grateful to have a friend like you, which is why I think I need to give you a heads up. Now, I don’t want you to panic.”

  She scoffed, her eyes widening with worry. “The thing is, if you don’t want me to panic, never start by telling me not to.” She lifts a brow. “I’m panicking.”

  I chuckled. “I’m sorry. This is a secret council business, and it involves the Officials and the witches. All entities have come to the consensus that this should be kept private for now, so as not to cause mass panic. However, I have mixed feelings. While I think it’s a good idea to not have everyone panicking and taking crazy actions out of fear, I also think people have a right to know they’re in danger. You know, so they can watch their backs.”

  “Gods, I’m really worried now.”

  Lips twisting into a wry smile, I gazed at Priscilla. “Not to cause you further panic but this is cause for worry. When I went to the witches seeing help for Demetrius, they told me Dante escaped.”

  Priscilla blanched and her eyes grew to the size of saucers.

  “What?”

  “Dante is on the loose, I’m afraid.”

  Chapter 4

  The silence stretched so long; I started to feel uneasy. Shifting on the sofa, I sat up and cleared my throat lightly. Gazing at Priscilla, I waited for her to respond. Nothing. “You’re freaking m
e out here. Say something. Please.” My concern mounted when she only continued to gawk, her skin a little pale.

  “I shouldn’t have told you anything,” I groaned.

  Blinking, she shook her head. “No, no, I’m glad you did. It’s just…”

  “Frightening?”

  “Very.” Releasing a long breath, she pushed her glasses up on her nose with a finger. “I’ve processed and dealt with my shock. I’m good now.”

  I eyed her dubiously. She still looked terrified. “You sure?” If she was a badass dragon shifter and was so scared about Dante being loose, how was I to feel? Plus, I was probably number one on his hit list. I was more screwed than anyone else, in my opinion.

  “Yes… sort of. I mean, I’m still freaking out a little internally. What do we do, Fiona?”

  We? There’s no we. I’m not even supposed to be telling you this. “What you’re going to do is keep it to yourself. For now, anyway. If we can’t find the warlock soon, the authorities will have to be brought in and it will be public knowledge.”

  Groaning, Priscilla flopped onto her back. “Just when I move back into the dormitory and think everything is back to normal.”

  “Come on, when is anything ever normal around here?”

  “Our normal.” She sat back up to glare at me.

  “You could always move back into the manor.” I gave her a sweet smile and batted my eyelashes.

  “No thank you. Staying in a house with a high level of testosterone and healthy doses of arrogance isn’t my idea of a good time.”

  I frowned. My attempt to get more female energy into the manor for the sake of my sanity failed. It was worth a try. “Look, try not to worry too much about Dante. The council is on it and so are the witches. We’ve stepped up with patrolling the outside of the walls in case he decides to pay the campus a visit.” I didn’t bother mentioning the mysterious murders that we hadn’t gotten to the bottom of yet. News about Dante was probably all Priscilla could take right now. It wouldn’t be right to put more pressure on her. At least one of us should be able to have a somewhat normal school experience and focus on their studies. Speaking of studies…