Paranormal Academy

by Limited Edition Box Set

  “Hi,” the blonde girl says, her smile growing even wider. “I’m Hannah, and this is Abigail, but everybody calls her Abi.” She holds her arm out toward her friend.

  “Hi, I’m Riley.” I smile, but wait for the other shoe to drop. I tense a little, expecting a joke at my expense or for somebody to throw something at me. But none of that happens. The two girls just smile.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Riley,” Hannah says. “I saw Ashley passing you notes earlier and just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  I nod, gripping onto my books tighter. “I’m fine.”

  “Don’t be put off by her,” Abi offers me a smile. “She’s part of the elitists. Which would mean something if we went to the other school, but it doesn’t mean anything here.”

  “What does that mean? The elitists?” I shift my weight from one foot to the other. I know Cayson is standing outside the classroom, but he can wait a moment. I want to make friends here and these two girls seem kind of nice.

  “You’ll learn more soon, but basically there is a huge divide between the born vampires and the bitten vampires,” Abi explains. “Ashley thinks she’s special because her dad was a vampire and her mom was human. But she ended up being just human. Her dad had to change her, which is why she’s here. But she thinks she’s better because it’s in her blood.”

  I roll my eyes. I truly hate that kind of mentality. “She was trying to warn me to stay away from Cayson.”

  “Ashley has had her eye on him for a long time.” Hannah shakes her head, giving me a sympathetic look.

  “She knows he was changed too, not born,” I say.

  “But he’s different. His older brother is the king,” Abi says. “And they’re different because they’re the first vampires.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll find out more in history, but Cayson and his two siblings are the first vampires,” Hannah answers.

  “Wait…” I look between them, feeling confused. “Ashley told me that Cayson had a girlfriend, which wasn’t true, obviously. But she thought his sister was his girlfriend.”

  Abi rolls her eyes. “She was pretending, obviously. I guess she was hoping she’d scare you away.”

  “But he’s my mate. I’m not going to let some girl bully me into running him off.”

  Abi and Hannah’s eyes grow wide and they look from each other to me.

  “That’s incredible. Congratulations.” Hannah smiles, like she genuinely means it. “I don’t envy you. Being mated to a member of the first family is…” She shakes her head, letting out a breath. “It’s a lot.”

  I shrug. “I still don’t fully understand what the first family means.”

  “Ask Cayson,” Abi suggests.

  “I will.” Because I genuinely want to know what all of this means.

  “Maybe tomorrow you can hang out with us during free period,” Hannah says. “I know you’ll want to hang out with your mate after school. I understand that. But it might be nice to have some friends too.”

  I grin. “I would like that.”

  Because I genuinely would.

  The door to the classroom opens and Cayson sticks his head inside, looking at me. I wave at him, then glance back at Hannah and Abi. “It was really nice talking to you. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “See you.” Hannah and Abi both wave at me, so I turn and walk to Cayson.

  I have a lot of questions for him.

  13

  1:00 am

  First family.

  “Do you still want to go to the beach?” Cayson asks, as soon as I walk from Abi and Hannah toward him.

  “Uh, yeah.”

  Hearing about the first family can wait.

  I have always wanted to go to the beach and I’ve always wanted to see the ocean. My dad always promised me that he would take me someday, but then he married the step monster and that never happened. He actually took her to Hawaii for their honeymoon, which I’m still a little salty about. But whatever. What happened before doesn’t really matter anymore.

  Cayson holds my hand as we walk out of the school. People still look at us, even more when he’s holding my hand. They’re probably wondering what’s going on between us. Especially if Cayson is as ‘important’ as Hannah and Abi say he is.

  His brother is the freaking king? How crazy is that? But being the first vampire family is huge. Like, really huge.

  We walk over to a car that is sitting in the parking lot of the school. I don’t know a whole lot about cars, but this one looks expensive. Which would make sense. If his brother is some kind of king, he’s probably rich.

  Suddenly, the private jet makes sense. I had kind of written the whole thing off because I had other things on my mind—like the fact that I’m now an immortal being, which is completely insane.

  Cayson opens the door for me and I thank him as I get in.

  Nobody has ever opened the door for me before. Like, ever. And the fact that he does it is kind of sweet. I always thought it was cute in movies when a guy would do that for a girl.

  He walks around the car and slides in the driver’s side.

  “Do you know how to drive a stick shift?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “Never tried.”

  “I’ll teach you later.” He puts the car in reverse and backs out of the space before we take off toward the beach.

  It’s only a few blocks away from the school—within walking distance. We didn’t need to drive at all.

  Cayson gets out and runs over to my side, opening my door again. He holds out his hand to help me out of the car and I accept it, my eyes on the view in front of me.

  The waves are slowly crashing into the shore. Not huge, crashing waves. It’s all very gentle and peaceful. The smell of the salt water in the air is so strong and I wonder if it’s really that potent or if my sense of smell has improved since becoming a vampire. These are all questions I have for Cayson.

  We walk hand in hand to the water, and I take my shoes off and roll up my jeans, wanting to wade in the water. I want to feel the ocean. I’ve never felt it before. And maybe it’s a silly thing to want, but now that I’ve thought about it, I have to do it. I walk out into the water and Cayson follows. He has a huge smile on his face, like it’s also the first time he’s done this too, but that can’t be true.

  “This is wonderful,” I say, awe in my voice.

  “It really is.”

  “Do you live by the ocean?” I want to know. I realize I don’t know a lot about Cayson at all other than the fact that he’s my soulmate and that he’s beautiful. Another wave rolls in, this time high enough to get the bottom of my jeans wet. I just laugh, not caring at all that I’m wet. But then I remember we’re in his car, so I back up a little.

  “Come sit with me.” He tugs on my hand, so I go with him.

  He sits on the sand, patting beside him.

  “But your car…”

  “It’s just a car.”

  Is it?

  I sit beside him and stare out at the ocean. The moon is nearly full and it looks so beautiful over the ocean. If I could paint a perfect picture, this would be it. A couple, holdings hand on the beach, looking out over the water. It’s breathtaking.

  “I do live in Florida,” Cayson points out. “A lot of the supernatural community lives here, so it’s just easier. I live in Southern Florida, on the east side.”

  “Do you live close to the beach?”

  He nods. “I own a home on the beach.”

  My eyes grow wide. “Do I get to see it someday?”

  Cayson grins. “I think that’s a definite possibility. It’s your house now too.”

  My house too?

  I don’t know about all that.

  “That doesn’t seem fair.” I pull my knees up to my chest, hugging them to me. “I mean, I haven’t worked for anything in my life and you have. You’ve obviously worked hard.”

  “You’re younger.” He shrugs. “It would be weir
d if you did have the money to buy a house and car. Your focus is school right now.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t feel like I deserve it.”

  “I don’t either. Not really.”

  “But you do because you’ve worked for it,” I protest.

  Cayson gazes into my eyes and it feels like he’s looking directly into my soul. “What good is having stuff if I don’t have somebody to share it with?”

  My heart melts.

  If Cayson Ingram didn’t already have my heart, he completely has it now.

  “I have some questions.” I angle my body toward him so I can look at him better. “Some girls in my class mentioned something about you being part of the first family.”

  His entire body tenses up at my question. “I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t want you to think it’s a big deal.”

  “Why would I think it’s a big deal? I don’t even know what it means.”

  “My older brother, my younger sister, and I were the first vampires.”

  “What do you mean the first?” I raise an eyebrow in question.

  “I mean… a witch experimented on us. Whatever they did killed our parents, but it changed us into this,” Cayson says. “From us three, the vampire species was born. Well… I’ve never actually turned anybody but you. My sister and brother have.”

  “That sounds horrible. I can’t even imagine how awful it was to go through that—being experimented on and watching your family be killed,” I say, putting a hand against my aching chest. “It’s something out of a horror movie.”

  He gives a short nod. “Yes, it was.”

  “What happened to the witch?”

  “My brother killed her,” he says, shrugging. “Actually, after that, witches lost a lot of their powers. The witches used to be really strong—not as strong as the dragons or the fae, but they were pretty kick butt. But a generation or so after it happened, it was almost like nature punished them. It wasn’t just this one witch who did bad things. It was pretty much all of them.”

  “I’m glad they got punished, but I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” I reach out my hand and grab onto his.

  “It’s okay. We all go through bad stuff. Even you have gone through horrible stuff. It’s how we react that makes us who we are.” He smiles at me and my heart flutters.

  “I have more questions.”

  “I figured.”

  “What is the deal with the elitist?” I ask. “I mean… for there to even be born vampires, there had to first be turned vampires. So… what is up with the snobbish attitude?”

  “That is my brother’s doing.” Cayson shifts uncomfortably. “My brother is a good guy. He’s just… misguided. Right now, it’s kind of turned vampires against born vampires. Turned vampires are being treated crappy. Hence why there is a completely separate school for turned vampires. I don’t like it, but I can’t really reason with my brother right now. He’s made up his mind.”

  I frown. “I’m sorry. That’s got to be awful for you. You always talk so fondly of him, like you’re close.”

  “We used to be.”

  His words break my heart, so I get up on my knees and knee-walk closer so I can give him a hug. I can tell he’s not expecting the hug, but he squeezes me back tightly and I know he needs this.

  Once we pull apart, I study him.

  My heart feels so full.

  “I can’t remember ever feeling this happy in my life,” I admit to Cayson. “Is it crazy that I feel like I’m falling in love with you even though we just met? Like, I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

  His entire face lights up. “You’re so beautiful, Riley.” He grabs the end of my hair and plays with it, which reminds me of when we were on the plane together. That was back when I thought he didn’t like me. “I am already in love with you. I think I have been from the moment you ripped that dress off.”

  I laugh, shaking my head. “You must have thought I was insane.”

  “No. Though, I did wonder about your age when I saw you in that dress. I just… you looked like you were seventeen. But that dress…”

  “That dress was from my father’s wedding when I was thirteen.” I roll my eyes. “I hated that stupid thing. Just because I could still fit in it doesn’t mean I should’ve been wearing it. That still makes me so mad.”

  He smiles but tries to hide it. “I’m sorry that you were so miserable in your human life, but I love how feisty you are. It’s what most attracted me to you.”

  “I thought you hated me.”

  “I hated myself for turning you,” he counters. “I tried not to. I mean, it should have been your choice. But I couldn’t stop myself. I tried. I really tried.”

  “It’s okay,” I say. “I think if you would’ve asked permission, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I mean… vampires. That’s crazy.”

  He looks at me, awe on his face. “You’re so perfect for me. Like, fate chose perfectly.”

  I couldn’t agree with him more.

  “Hey, Cayson. Do you think…” I pause, letting my voice trail off.

  No. I’m not going to finish that statement.

  “What is it?” he asks, squeezing my hand.

  I shake my head, not wanting to finish my sentence.

  “You know you can trust me, right? I would never judge you for anything. And you can trust me with anything.”

  I nod, biting my lip.

  I do know that. I’m just…

  Scared.

  I take a deep breath. “I just wanted to ask about the mate bond.”

  I swear his green eyes grow darker. “What about it?”

  “Is it too soon to complete it? I mean…” I pause, trying to think of a better way to word this. “I mean, how long do people usually wait to complete their mate bond? Cause I feel like I’ve known you forever and I don’t want to wait too long.”

  He takes a deep breath before answering. “Most people don’t wait more than a day or two. But… I mean, you’re new to all this, so I don’t want to rush you.”

  “I’m ready now.”

  I’m not sure what I thought Cayson’s reaction to me telling him I want to complete the mate bond would be, but I didn’t think he would attack me right there on the beach.

  Well, attack is the wrong word. But he does attack my mouth. He kisses me with such passion that I think if I wasn’t already sitting down I would fall over from how intense it is. I’ve come to learn that everything with Cayson is intense.

  He pulls back to look at me. “You’re really sure, right? Because once we complete the bond, that’s it. It can’t be broken.”

  “I know.” I lick my lips. “I’m ready.”

  He kisses me hard again, but he pulls away quickly. He gets up from the sand and holds his hand out to me. “Come on.”

  He helps me up and the two of us walk to his car. I dust the sand off my butt before getting in. I have no idea where he’s about to take me, but I’m equally excited and nervous for what is about to happen.

  Cayson is my first.

  I’ve found my person.

  14

  2:30 am

  Three words.

  I expect Cayson to drive us back to Mystic Academy, but he doesn’t. He drives to a hotel a little farther down the beach—one of the ritzy kinds that I’ve never stayed at. It even has valet parking. The guy who works at valet seems to know Cayson. He even calls him Mr. Ingram, which is kind of weird. I wonder if he stays here a lot.

  Cayson hands his keys to the valet and grabs my hand to pull me inside. He doesn’t say anything to the guy. When I look back at the valet guy, he’s smiling at the car.

  It is a nice car.

  I follow Cayson inside and inhale sharply. Everything is so nice. There is even a huge fountain inside, spraying up water. A massive chandelier hangs from the ceiling in the middle of the lobby. There are glass elevators going up and down.

  My jaw drops as I look around.

  I have definitely never stayed in a
hotel this nice before.

  Cayson tugs on my hand and I realize we’re not going to the front desk. We’re walking toward the elevator. When the elevator goes down, he has to put a key in it to push the button to our floor.

  “I thought you were in Colorado,” I say, tilting my head to the side. “Wait… you live on the Atlantic side, right? Not the Gulf side…”

  “I do. I live in Southern Florida, on the east side.” He leans against the back of the elevator.

  “Then why do you just happen to have a key to a room in this hotel?”

  “I own this hotel. Well… this chain.” He shrugs. “I keep a room here open in case I need to do any business at Mystic Academy. It usually comes up out of nowhere.”

  My mouth falls open.

  Is he serious?

  He owns a hotel. Or several hotels, I guess.

  Again, I feel inferior. But I shouldn’t. Cayson has been alive for many lifetimes. I’m only seventeen.

  Wait…

  “Do you know what date it is?” I ask.

  He looks at his phone. November thirteenth,” he answers, putting his phone into his pocket.

  “Today is my birthday.” I grin.

  “It’s your birthday?”

  I nod.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve bought you a present or something,” he says.

  I shrug. “You already bought me clothes.”

  “That is just me taking care of you. We will get some more clothes before I take you to school tonight,” he promises. “And I’m going to buy you something for your birthday.”

  “I’m eighteen now. I was really looking forward to this day. I mean… it wouldn’t have made any difference. I would’ve still had to be home with… you know… them… but it’s one step closer to freedom that graduating high school would bring.”

  The elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. I expect it to open into a hallway, but it doesn’t. It opens right into the room. Upon looking around, I realize we’re in the penthouse. The first thing I do when I walk inside is go over to the window and look down at the beach.

  “Wow,” I whisper, wondering how I got here. This feels like a dream—like I’m going to wake up in my room in Colorado or I’m going to wake up in the hospital from a coma or something and this will have all been a strange dream.