Academy of Beasts I Page 2

  Jasper nodded and briefly glanced at me. It was only three seconds, but it felt as if he’d seen my entire soul with those faraway eyes. He certainly noticed my shirt pocket, void of any symbol. I wished that they’d brought me a blazer to cover it. Jasper was wearing a blazer and looking every bit like a preppy artist.

  “Nice to meet you. I must be going.” Without another word, he passed us. His movements were elegant. While my footsteps echoed through the castle halls, I realized that his steps scarcely made a sound. I felt the strongest urge to ruffle his wavy blonde hair, tinged with red, as he left. Theo caught me staring at the retreating figure.

  “That’s Jasper, our resident fox shifter in the Core Council.” His grin stretched across his face. “He gives off a mysterious vibe, I know. It’s the nature of the foxes.”

  “Fox,” I repeated and nodded, turning my attention back to Theo. “Is he always so quiet?”

  “Sometimes,” he said and shrugged. “Not as bad as Ren. Jasper is calm, quiet, almost unnerving. He’s an incredibly gifted musician though. Piano and violin mostly.” Something shadowy passed over his eyes. “Just don’t underestimate him, ok?” A shiver passed through me. I didn’t ask anything more as he finally led me to a grand archway which led out to an immaculate courtyard. I nearly gulped as we came through the entryway.

  So, this was where everybody was. It was evidently lunchtime. Hundreds of students were sitting or sprawled throughout the extensive gardens and manicured lawn. In between gorgeous marble statues of strange beasts, figures lounged on blankets and benches throughout the courtyard. My new uniform shirt felt suddenly itchy on my skin. I wanted that shower desperately.

  It wasn’t my imagination that every single head turned towards us as we walked down the smooth cobble-stone path. I kept my eyes forward as Theo waved and greeted a few brave souls, who dared to say hello. I made sure to stay close to Theo as we walked along. Soon, we strolled past the last few students, who were braver with their staring. I stumbled on a stone that was jutting out of place, and Theo grabbed my arm to help steady me. I accidentally met the gaze of two women as this happened, two brunette goddesses with long limbs on a picnic blanket. They glared at me.

  “I bet she did that one purpose,” one of them muttered.

  OK, wonderful. I suppose the nuances of being kind to the new kid weren’t exactly popular among the shifter people. I turned away from them, hiding my pink cheeks and pained eyes.

  “It’s because you’re the strange new student,” Theo said suddenly next to me. He smiled down at me and winked. “Don’t worry. Let me know if anyone bothers you. Shifters are so competitive; it’s in most of our natures. Don’t take it too personally.”

  I nodded. At the end of the path was a white gated area with a handsome-looking manor hidden behind lush trees. I inhaled the scent of flowers; they were the same pink kind that my mother kept in her own garden back home. A lump settled in my throat. As if sensing my unease, Theo hooked his arm with my own. He made a grand gesture as he opened the gate for me and cried, “Honey, we’re home!”

  I laughed. A real laugh. It was nice. He sniffed the air and smiled but said nothing as we charged forward. With a silent movement, he held his hand in front of the intricately carved front door. On it was a door knocker, a beast holding a heavy ring in its open jaws. After a moment, the beast’s eyes lit up with a red light, and the door swung open.

  “A nice touch by Dracus, I’ll admit. Dragon magic is a bit cool for theatrics. Not that he’d ever admit to being theatrical. He’s too proud,” he muttered as we came into the front room. Dragon magic? I’d have to ask later. My head was pulsing with all the new information from our tour.

  Although we’d left behind the medieval digs of the castle, there was a certain old-world charm to this place as well. This manor was three stories by the look it. The floors were polished wood, and the wallpaper was a vibrant red color with gold-leaf leaves climbing up and down. It reminded me of a photography book of British manors that my father used to own, a book proudly displayed on our old coffee table. A coffee table that now was certainly ashes.

  The Academy was beautiful, but it wasn’t home.

  In the grand entryway, there was a magnificent staircase that curved down from either side of the second-floor. Before the stairs, a grandfather clock sat against the wall. It let out a bellowing sound to announce the daytime hour. As Theo launched into the history of the clock, my mind wandered to the smoke and to my parents’ screams. I missed my old house. I would give anything to be back in our middle-class home in our boring suburb. Anything.

  “Hey bear brain,” a voice called out as a hand came clapping down onto my shoulder. “Girls don’t care about clocks.”

  Chapter 3

  When I looked up to see who’d spoken, my jaw nearly unhinged. Were all of the students required to be absolutely beautiful for admission? This boy was far different from Theo and Jasper, though. His strong chin held a haughty air, and he knew he was attractive. He glanced down at me, tan skin and white teeth, smiling with a politician’s ease. There was an edge of danger in his face. Definitely popular among the female students.

  “Hello, darling. Pleasure to meet such a pretty addition to our humble home.” With an smooth movement, he took my hand in his grasp. On one of his left fingers, he wore a gleaming golden ring that depicted the face of a lion with two emeralds for eyes. He lifted my hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on my fingers.

  “Enrique,” Theo huffed. “Don’t scare her!”

  Enrique, who looked much more suited for advertising high-end European watches than attending a shifter college, winked at me as he lowered my hand. “Am I scaring you, love?”

  “Scaring?” I echoed back. Although he was handsome, his type was one I immediately knew. There would be a running contact list of female students named ‘Busty Blonde from History’ on his phone, I was sure of it. I offered a half-smile to make peace. “I don’t scare easily.”

  Mom would’ve laughed at that. I was too timid to watch horror movies back home when she and Dad lined up a home movie night. But I needed to be brave here.

  His eyebrows shot upwards, and Theo yanked me away from the blond-haired boy immediately. “Don’t encourage him,” my bear friend warned me. “You’ll only provoke the kitten.”

  Enrique scowled, meeting Theo’s gaze. “You fancy a brawl to show the new girl how we settle things?” His grin was teasing as he shook his head. “No, I’m too lazy to fight you today.” He stretched his long arms above his body, and his untucked shirt lifted up to reveal an appealing slice of firm muscles. I glanced away and looked at the clock.

  “Did you even go to class today?” Theo asked.

  “I don’t recall,” Enrique purred back. Their voices faded behind me as I stepped towards the clock, enchanted by the woodwork. No, woodwork wasn’t right. It wasn’t quite wood that it was made from. The material was a dark gray that looked as smooth as water with the texture of wood. I wish I’d actually been listening when Theo had been waxing on about it. My fingers brushed the surface, hard and gray. It was cool to the touch.

  “That’s dragon metal,” a firm voice rang out. “And I’ll thank you not to put any grease on it.”

  I ripped my hand away and stared as the newcomer came down the magnificent staircase. Behind me, I could feel Enrique and Theo stiffen. The air changed as the man arrived. His head held high, an air of something that Enrique had but royal. An aristocrat. Words failed me as his looming frame hovered in front of me. He stuck his hand out in one swift gesture. His beauty was untouchable.

  “Fiona, we have been told of your arrival. I understand that Theo has given you a tour of the castle.” I’d never met someone that exuded such a presence before. His every movement was one of confidence, sculpted no doubt from whatever wealthy family he’d been born into. His dark hair was slicked back. His brown eyes held none of the warmth that the other two Council members present had. It was all business. His chin lifted half an
inch, and I hurried to meet his hand with my own tentative shake. He was pride incarnate.

  Theo seemed to deflate in relief as he went to stand by me. “No worries, Dracus. I’m just starting the house tour.”

  Dracus’ stern eyes looked from Theo to Enrique and then back to me. He nodded. “Very well. I’ll see you all at dinner.” With that, he marched down the hall to our left and disappeared from sight.

  Enrique snorted. “The old man is off to his quarters until supper, I suppose.” He followed in the direction that Dracus had left. “I’m off to bother the prince for a bit.”

  “The prince?” I asked, but Enrique didn’t turn back. Theo chuckled.

  “Dracus is a prince from the land of dragon shifters.” He saw my open mouth and laughed again. “Really, he is. You’ll find he’s got a permanent stick up his ass most days, but he’s nice as long as you’re not a complete idiot.”

  “Enrique is brave enough to bother him,” I noted as Theo led me up the stairs.

  “Because Enrique’s also filthy rich and doesn’t have an ounce of self-awareness in his body.” And in a darker voice, “Well, he’s wealthy in a different way.” He didn’t expand upon that remark. Instead, he led me to the west wing of the second floor, which he explained was where my room was. “Ren also lives on this side, but you each have your own private bathroom. Don’t expect to see much of him.”

  “Right.” I hovered behind him as he went to my room’s door. “Is he the last of you?”

  He glanced over his shoulder, and his smile nearly melted me. “Well, there’s you now, Miss Mystery.” He opened the door with a key from his pocket, and I gasped as it swung open. My bedroom at home was a modest small room with a twin bed and a desk for my laptop. This? This was the workings of an interior design team fit for a movie set of a historical film. I saw a four-poster bed with a fluffy white comforter, an ornate desk with a matching swivel chair, and large windows with fabric curtains that are pulled open to show off the trees outside. There was a bookcase in the corner with two plush leather armchairs on either side.

  “A bit stuffy, I know,” Theo said, misunderstanding my reaction. “Dracus insisted on a manor-style room for everything. The rest of us have greatly redecorated. You’re welcome to.”

  “No,” I said under my breath. “It’s cool. It’s like something out of a movie.” I moved into the center of the room and spun around, admiring the fancy polished furniture and the massive bed. When I glanced back to him, he was staring at me with a funny expression. My cheeks warmed. “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s just cute, is all.” He glanced down at the key. It was on a plain black leather cord. “That’ll be the only key for your room.” A sudden shadow fell over his face again, making me bite my lip. “There may be other ways into your room, though, I’ll warn you.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Is theft a problem on campus?”

  He let out an awkward laugh. “Something like that.” The sunny disposition returned to him once again. “Just be careful, okay?” He handed me the key and pointed to the door on my left next to the large window. “That’s the bathroom if you want a shower before dinner.”

  I glanced out the window. The sun was beginning to dip. I’d slept longer in the hospital bed than I thought today. “Thanks, Theo.”

  “No problem, Fiona.”

  He left and I basked in finally being alone. It was peaceful. My stomach clenched. And yet, not being alone had helped. I didn’t have to think about my parents or the mysterious mistake that had brought me to Beast Academy. Besides, Theo was the warmest to me out of all the others. Well, Enrique had been a bit too friendly. I walked over to the window and admired the lush trees that skirted my window, their branches swaying slightly in the breeze.

  My breath hitched as I caught sight of something in the tree. A young man sleeping on a sturdy branch, only a few feet from my room. Gorgeous, just like the rest of them. Not that I was surprised by that anymore. He had messy dark hair that was pushed to the side as if it was an afterthought. There was no trace of a uniform on him, only black athletic shorts that were slightly fitted and a loose green tank top. He was fit and lean with sinewy muscles. I ducked to the side into the curtains when his eyes suddenly flew open.

  Cold, blue eyes.

  I sucked in a breath and counted to ten. I looked back; he was gone.

  That must’ve been the last of the Core Council.

  Ren.

  Chapter 4

  A week ago, I was at the library researching self-help books to get me started on a potential career or college track. Something to make me feel real in the world. I took a quiz in a book to determine what kind of personality I was: What Color is Your Soul? My result was something that felt lukewarm. Mint. That was my color. I was someone curious, but indecisive. The book seemed confident in that. I had felt mostly indecisive back then.

  But perhaps life had decided for me. Never in my life had so much been thrown at me at once. My hands shook as I stood in the center of the room.

  I took one of the calming agents that Greta had given me as the terror climbed up my throat. It was all too much.

  After a long hot shower, I still had a few hours before dinner. I crawled into bed with a towel wrapped around my wet hair, promising that I would dry it with the hairdryer I found in the bathroom after a nap. As soon as my eyes shut, I fell into a deep sleep. It was a miracle that the alarm from my phone, freshly charged now, woke me up. The SIM card was gone, but it still worked as an expensive alarm clock.

  I had just enough time to slip on a plain black dress that I’d found in the closet and dry my hair before dinner. Whoever had prepared my room had been kind enough to stock up with plenty of products. Makeup from brands that I scarcely recognized appeared in fine silver pots and compacts. Someone had even thought to provide perfume for me. A tiny tag was placed around the perfume bottle with my name on it. I shivered.

  In some ways, I felt like a princess. In more ways, I felt like the world’s biggest liar. I had been brought here, into this house of mysterious shifter men, under the pretense that I was a shifter. I stared at my reflection. Who was this freshly showered young woman, clutching a perfume bottle for dear life? I felt older and looked more sophisticated than before. Mom used to say people going through grief always seemed older than they were. My chest burned as I sucked in a deep breath.

  Dinner. It was just dinner tonight.

  My thoughts swirled madly. And then what, Fiona? Another day, another dinner? Another lie? Is that how you want to live? I pressed a hand against my forehead and set the perfume bottle down on the sink counter.

  I wasn’t a shifter. There was no way this was going to work. A painful throb began at the base of my skull as something flashed in my mind. Images. Blurry hazy bits of a film inside my skull. A memory of myself. Or what I thought was myself, as a young child. I could see myself reaching a chubby fist out to someone.

  There was another child there, a child like me. I was reaching my hand out to the other toddler. A child that had the same colorings as me, cool brown hair and light eyes. I saw the tiny child shifting into something. A tiny bear cub. I pulled my hand back.

  Impossible.

  I shook my head. Why had the fire felt so familiar to me? Why had my parents’ death felt so shockingly numb? I sucked in a sharp breath as my vision blurred. It could be the medication I was taking.

  I stooped down to the ground and hugged myself. I was confused. Greta told me that shock and trauma could make the mind do funny things. I sucked in another deep breath.

  A muffled knock sounded on my new bedroom door. I swore and quickly spritzed on the perfume before rushing out of the bathroom. Looking presentable meant survival.

  When I opened the door, I wasn’t surprised to see Theo. It seemed natural that he would be the one to come fetch me. I was surprised to see him dressed casually. A fitted gray shirt sat handsomely over his burly frame, and he looked much more at home in dark jeans than his school slacks. He
grinned, the same sunny smile. I wonder if his face ever got tired.

  “Feel better?” He asked. I nodded. The shower had done wonders for me. I hope I looked much better this time around for my second round of the Core Council.

  “Theo, exactly what does the Council do?” I asked him on the way down to the dining room. He chuckled, but it was the kind of laugh that came off as rigid. I tried to conceal my frown, but he wasn’t paying attention anyway. He knocked into one of the doorframes and the entire wall reverberated from the contact.

  “We do school stuff. Boring stuff, mostly. I’m the Ambassador, though, which I think is the best job.” Gone was the stiffness as he beamed at me. “I get to meet all the new students!”

  My heart sunk a tiny bit. In a way, I’d imagined that Theo was especially excited to meet me, but then again, it made sense given that he greeted nearly everyone we passed in the courtyard before. He was probably the friendliest person on campus. We came to the first-floor entryway, and he led me down another hallway. As we got closer to the dining room, I could hear voices clearly.

  Unhappy voices.

  “Doesn’t it seem suspicious? She—"

  My heart froze in my chest. A tone filled with distrust. Theo let out a loud laugh as we came into the room, effectively covering up whatever else was coming from the person. A knot formed in my stomach. “Ren, you’re so funny always bringing up that thing. Especially for someone who never talks.”

  Ren, who was at the end of the table near Dracus, had a foul look on his face. I don’t suppose he was interrupted often. Our eyes collided. The beautiful boy from the tree. I swallowed. Whatever that thing Theo was talking about, Ren didn’t want to be reprimanded on it. Dracus cleared his throat. Enrique kept scrolling through his phone. I wondered if that thing was me.

  “I know that my arrival is a bit surprising,” I said. Now, Enrique looked up from his phone. I preferred him glued to his texts. Fewer eyes on me would’ve been better.