Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy

by Belle Malory

  Aphrodite didn’t want me. Ares saw me as a traitor. Where the hell did that leave me in this school?

  Sighing, I rested my forehead against the net. This was officially the worst first day ever.

  12

  My stomach growling, I rocked back and forth in my netted cage, pretending I was somewhere else. My dad set a hammock up in our backyard in Davidson. Nestled right between twin oak trees, it was the perfect spot to read or take a nap. That’s where I was, in that old hammock. Resting peacefully without a worry in the world.

  Hours passed, and they passed slowly. Every so often someone came to point and laugh. Assholes. None of them ever offered to help.

  The spring sun rose high in the sky, making me sweaty and uncomfortable. I’d kill for a drink of water, but I stopped myself from focusing on my discomfort. I was in my backyard hammock, resting peacefully, dammit.

  A sharp whistle snapped me out of my daydream.

  I felt his presence before I could find him. Goose bumps spread over my arms and the back of my neck tingled.

  “Look what we have here.” His voice reverberated through my body, familiar in a way it shouldn’t be.

  “Hello, gladiator.” There he was, directly below, looking magnificent in his leather kilt and metal armbands. “What are you doing here?”

  “When you didn’t meet me at lunch, I asked around. Overheard some students laughing about the new girl who’d been snared. Had to see it with my own eyes.” He rocked back on his heels, grinning.

  Ugh.

  He was here to mock me too. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was from Ares, after all.

  “Well, here I am. Trussed up for everyone’s amusement. Go ahead, have a good laugh.” I forced myself to look the other way. Rocking back and forth, I pretended I was having a grand ole time in my hammock. Sooner or later, Xander would go away.

  “How’d you end up like that?” he said.

  Guess that meant later rather than sooner.

  “I’m supposed to stay away from you, remember?” Not that I could do that at the moment. Being strung up in a tree made it kind of difficult.

  “Considering your current situation, it doesn’t look like you have much choice.”

  “No, I guess I don’t.” I sighed, really wishing I could summon that fire bolt.

  “Well then? Why don’t you tell me how you ended up in the snare?”

  Oh, what the hell. It’s not like I had anyone else to talk to anyway. He was still watching me, as if he had nowhere else to be.

  “Apparently, my roommate doesn’t like sharing her space.” I shrugged. “She never even gave me a chance. As soon as she found out I’m an Ares descendant, she wanted me gone.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Ione.”

  “Ah.” He nodded. “I know Ione very well.”

  I rolled my eyes at the emphasis on very. “So that’s your type, huh? Tall, blonde and evil?”

  “Not exactly.” He laughed, and God, even the deep, pleasant sound of his laughter added to his overall gorgeousness. “She’s my sister.”

  “Your what?” The pieces clicked together. If Ione was his sister, that meant—“You’re the boy who switched houses.”

  “Guilty. My parents are from Aphrodite.”

  That…that wasn’t fair.

  “But my archer said you’re respected around this school. You’re the leader of House Ares. Why is it different for me?”

  “Believe me, I had to earn that respect. Got called lover boy a lot before I ever became house leader.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking up. “And things are probably different for you because of your father.”

  There it was again, another reference to my dad. “So I’ve heard.”

  I really wished Dad was here, so I could yell at him for throwing me into this lion’s pit.

  “Did your pops ever tell you anything about his history here at Arcadia?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing. I didn’t even know I was a descendant until a few days ago.”

  Xander winced. “That’s too bad. You deserve to know.”

  Yeah…

  Then again, I hadn’t believed half the stuff Dad told me that last night in Davidson, when he tried to explain Mythos. Maybe that’s why he left so much out. Grandpa deserved more of the blame. That slimy old bastard could’ve filled me in once we got here. He had an earful coming his way.

  “Tell you what.” Xander shuffled his feet, letting out a long, contemplative breath. When he finally looked up again, he said, “Why don’t I help you down, and we’ll talk about it?”

  I held my breath, wondering if it was another trick. “You want to help me?”

  He held his hand to block the sun and looked around, scouting the area. “Don’t see anyone else here to do it.”

  “That’s…” really nice.

  But the words got caught in my throat.

  Before I knew what was happening, Xander flung a knife straight toward me. Holy crapballs! I squeezed my eyes shut. The knife struck the branch above me, slicing the top part of my net. The whole thing collapsed, and I fell straight down, waving my arms and legs like a maniac. Xander broke my fall, catching me in his arms like a pro.

  Whoa, muscles.

  “We learn to save damsels in distress pretty early on in Ares.” He gave me a teasing wink, then set me upright on my feet.

  I dusted myself off, still dizzy from the fall. “Uh, thanks,” I said, stretching my arms and legs.

  Being on solid ground again felt amazing. But now that I was down here, standing only inches away from Xander, I had a whole new set of problems. Up close, his magic moved through me in warm, inviting waves, and those dreamy blue eyes of his held mine with magnetic force. Good grief, I could hardly be around the guy without feeling like I was melting from the inside out.

  “Let’s take a walk,” he suggested, as if reading my mind.

  Thinking of Jett, I panicked. Could he actually…?

  Dear. God. No.

  He couldn’t know I thought he was the hottest guy I’d ever seen in real life, and that my stomach was doing little flips in his presence, and that his magic was turning me into a puddle at his feet.

  I quickly searched for that little forcefield at the center of my forehead, but I didn’t notice anything unusual. Not a mind reader, what a relief.

  “A walk sounds great. As long as it’s not back into that zoo you people call an academy.”

  He laughed. “C’mon,” he said, leading the way. “We’ve got a lot to cover.”

  Right now, I didn’t care if Grandpa warned me to stay away from the guy. So far he was the only person at Arcadia who hadn’t treated me like a leper, and he was the only one willing to tell me what the hell was going on.

  And I was ready to know everything.

  13

  We walked together slowly. Instead of heading back in the direction of the school, Xander steered me down a dirt path leading away from it, surrounded by lilac blossoms and hydrangeas. Considering what I’d been through today, I was grateful. Part of me never wanted to go back to that place again.

  “Your dad was a star at Arcadia. He excelled at everything he did, becoming one of the most powerful students House Ares has ever seen.”

  I lifted my eyebrows, once again surprised to hear something similar to what Jett had said. “That’s kind of shocking. He’s basically a nerd at home.”

  I wasn’t exaggerating. Dad’s life was books, teaching, and caramel macchiatos. It was hard to believe he came from this world, and that he was once an Ares gladiator.

  “It’s true.” Xander stopped to pick up a pebble. He tossed it into the air, and it lingered above his palm for several seconds before falling again. “The guy holds all the records in Ares. Everyone expected him to go on and do great things.”

  “What happened?”

  “He got mixed up with the wrong girl.”

  Gah, relationships. I should’ve known.

  “Love ruins everything
.”

  Xander chuckled, the sound tugging at my insides. “Sounds like you’re in the wrong house, damsel.”

  I arched a brow, despising that nickname but ignoring it for the time being. He did come to my rescue, after all. “You’re telling me.”

  “I take it you know from personal experience?”

  No way was I going there with him. I never wanted to breathe Connor’s or Riley’s names at this school, to him or anyone. Grandpa asked me to leave my past in Davidson, and this was the best way I knew how—by never speaking about either of them here.

  “Let’s get back to my dad,” I said. “What’s the deal with the girl? Who was she?”

  “Petra Drakos.” He said the name with contempt, like it was the definition of evil. “Another all-star in Ares, talented just like your dad. No one had seen two such powerful students in over a decade, so it kind of made sense for them to end up together. They were like the Beyoncé and Jay-Z of Arcadia.”

  “Were they in love?”

  “Not exactly. Petra was…what’s the right word? Obsessed, I think. Yeah, she was obsessed with Daniel. They dated through their mastery years. Everyone assumed they’d marry after they graduated, but then something huge put a dent in that plan. Your mother, Selena Vane.”

  My…mother. “Oh boy.”

  “Yeah.” He coughed uncomfortably. “He fell in love, and Petra wasn’t exactly happy about being left for another woman. It made things even worse that your mother was from Athena.”

  Our path came to a stop in front of a small lake. My mind went blank for a few moments as I took in the beauty of the surroundings. Ducks floated over the glassy water through heart-shaped lily pads. White flowering dogwoods and blushing pink magnolia trees were in full bloom. The grass was lush and covered in fallen petals. This was spring at its full height.

  Xander walked right up to the edge of the lake and tossed the pebble. It skipped across the glassy surface, rippling the water and disappearing into the distance.

  “So what’s the big scandal?” I said, ready to get down to the meat of his story. “The scorned lover thing isn’t enough to make people pay this much attention to me. There has to be more.”

  “There is.”

  He frowned and met my probing stare. It was obvious he didn’t want to tell me whatever part came next.

  “Growing up as an Aphrodite descendant, I’ve learned the hard way that timing is crucial to relationships.” He focused on the lake ahead. “Unfortunately for your dad, his was awful. Both women, Petra and your mother, became pregnant at the same time. At first—”

  “Whoa, hold up. Did you just say pregnant?”

  He nodded.

  My heart started thumping uncontrollably in my chest. I needed a second to digest this. I began pacing back and forth.

  Both women.

  Meaning two babies.

  Meaning my sister and I…

  No.

  No way.

  Dad would have told us.

  He would have told us, dammit.

  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it made sense. That last day in Davidson, I asked him how he knew I was the one who started the fire. I just know, he said.

  God, this was too much.

  “Are you okay?” Xander asked, watching me pace. “Because that’s not everything, and if you’re already having trouble with this—”

  “It gets worse?” I stopped to stare at him. “Worse than my dad knocking up two women at the same time? Worse than my sister and I not sharing the same mother?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Your sister…I didn’t put that together. I’m sorry, Sheridan,” he said, sounding genuine. “Where is she? Back in the human world?”

  I nodded, swallowing down the sting in my throat. “Go ahead.” I took a deep breath. “I’m ready to hear the rest.”

  He looked unsure, but continued anyway. “Well, your dad had a choice to make, and he chose your mother. Petra was livid. She went mad with wanting revenge—part of that renowned Ares temper—and she swore to curse both children. She wanted to make your dad as miserable as she was, and I’d say she did a good job of it. Before she gave birth, she disappeared. Not long after, your mom was kidnapped.”

  I didn’t like where this story was headed. “Where was she taken?”

  “No one knows for sure.” His gaze lingered on me, his voice lowering. “Everyone believes Petra made a deal with …” He swallowed, having a hard time finishing his sentence.

  I guessed what it was. “A deal with Hollows?”

  That word grabbed his attention. “Do you know what they are?”

  I slowly nodded, unable to forget that conversation with Hazel. Unable to forget that they were the definition of evil. Unable to forget that he could be one.

  “Rumor has it, Petra traded her soul for a curse. Several months later, both babies were delivered to your dad, with a stone tablet.”

  It felt like my legs were giving out from under me. “What did it say, Xander?” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

  “Once the sisters become of age, they will not rest until one of them destroys the other.”

  Oh God.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. This all started with my seventeenth birthday. Connor, Riley, everything. I’d already tried to kill her. The curse was already manifesting.

  I couldn’t breathe. The air, it wouldn’t stay in my lungs. I started gasping—

  Xander pounded on my back. “Breathe, Sheridan.” Instantly, my lungs filled.

  I looked at him, wondering how he fit into all of this. Nothing about him made sense.

  My breath hitched. “And my mother?”

  “She never returned. Most people assumed she was killed. Your dad assumed the same, and he fled to the human world. He hoped he could somehow prevent the curse from manifesting if he kept his daughters away from Mythos, away from Petra…”

  And that’s why he kept us in Davidson, why he never told us about our heritage.

  “How do you know so much?” I said, accusingly. “My own father and grandfather never told me. Why you?”

  He swallowed. “Everyone knows.”

  I didn’t buy that. People might listen to rumors, they might assume a few details, but Xander knew more than any outsider should.

  I stepped back, moving away from him. His energy was too comforting, and I didn’t fully trust him. “You told me that day in the stables that I looked like my mother. And my grandfather specifically told me to stay away from you, Xander. Why you?”

  He avoided my gaze, looking guilty as hell. I wanted to know why.

  Releasing a small breath, he stared at the lake. “Everything I’ve told you is rumor and myth to most people, but not to me.” He curled his hands into fists. “I’ve been there. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Everything I’ve told you is true.”

  The things Hazel told me filled my head, and I began to piece it all together.

  People suspected he was in the underworld, being guided and trained by dark mentors.

  “You’ve been where, Xander?” I said, holding my breath. “Are you a Hollow?”

  He laughed once, his voice empty of humor. “I see you’ve been listening to gossip.”

  “Is it true?”

  His gaze finally met mine, but his face was like stone. He took several steps toward me, paralyzing me under the weight of his stare. “If you believed one breath of it, why did you follow me out here, alone?”

  I…I didn’t know. I was an idiot.

  His face moved closer to mine, until we were only inches apart. “I can’t answer any more of your questions.” His breath was a whisper against my ear, sending shivers down my neck. “Guess you’ll have to trust me.”

  With that said, he walked away.

  I stared after him, my jaw dropping open. “Seriously?” I called out. “Trust you?”

  “Ask your dad to verify it,” he said over his shoulder. “Tell him to show you the tablet.”

  I couldn’t
exactly do that since he wasn’t here, but Xander already knew that. It was obvious this conversation was over. I wanted to stop him from leaving and press him for more, wanted to demand he tell me about my mother, but my body was frozen, and my throat still felt choked.

  It was a lot to take in, almost too much, and the source may not be trustworthy.

  Oh, please. He was telling the truth.

  Deep down, I sensed it. Xander hadn’t lied. He definitely withheld some information, but he hadn’t lied.

  14

  I skipped dinner, opting to eat my stale muffin from breakfast while hiding out in my dorm room. I couldn’t face the other students after they knowingly left me hanging in Ione’s net and laughed about it behind my back. Tomorrow I’d put on a brave face and try again, but tonight I just wanted to wallow in privacy.

  Thankfully, Ione wasn’t there. Most of the students were out, socializing in the commons or studying in the library. Laughter and voices sounded outside. From the balcony, I saw several clusters of students sneak away into the woods. A sigh escaped as I leaned against the railing, watching their silky togas disappear between the trees. I’d never been much of a social butterfly like Riley, but I missed my friends. And as much as I hated it, I missed Connor.

  “Right here.” His voice tickled the back of my neck, making me shiver. “This is my favorite part of you to kiss.”

  His arms caged around me, and I turned into them, flushed. “Yesterday, it was my shoulder. And the day before that, the inside of my wrist.”

  “What can I say?” He shrugged, shameless. “Tomorrow, it may be the small of your back. The hollow of your stomach. Or the spaces between your ribs. Every time I kiss a new part of you, it becomes my favorite.”

  I closed my eyes, forcing the memory away. Reminding myself that it was a lie. Just like his lips, Connor was a traitor. Thank God I never gave up my virginity to that asshat. Just the thought of it, knowing he was with my sister too, made me cringe.

  Ugh. To hell with thinking about them both. I needed something to do, something else to occupy my mind. Heading back inside the room, I rummaged through my stack of textbooks, scanning the titles to see if any of them interested me.