“Oh yeah? Like what.”
“You don’t want to know,” he warns, wiggling his nose in disgust.
“Well, like I said, I was aiming for Gideon anyway.”
“Yeah, about that…” Now it’s Christopher’s turn to look sheepish. He runs a hand through his glossy hair. It’s unfair for a dude to have such beautiful locks. “Gideon isn’t what he makes himself out to be.”
I roll my eyes. “Let me guess. He puts on a front because he’s secretly insecure?”
He lifts his eyebrows. “That’s exactly it.”
Sure it is.
“Why did you take the blame for him?”
Christopher pauses, thinking for a second. “Because without him I wouldn’t be here.”
I don’t get a chance to ask why. The devil in question appears in the hallway. Unlike Christopher, he isn’t wearing any cute pajamas. His ripped torso is on full display with just a pair of sweatpants hugging his waist. He’s leaner than I expected, and in the dimly lit hallway, his pale skin looks bronze. I peel my eyes off the sex lines sliding under his pants. There’s something super fucking hot about that little V.
I grimace at my own thoughts, reminding myself who this is. Gideon, Prince of Assholes.
“Snake girl,” he greets spitefully. “What are you doing out at this time? Sacrificing a goat?”
“No. I’m looking for a virgin to sacrifice, actually. Don’t suppose you’d like to offer yourself?”
A tinge of blood seeps into his face, reddening his features. This guy is simply too easy to wind up.
“Let’s go,” he tells Christopher, barging by me. “Let the Darkblood get in trouble for all I care.”
I watch the boys walk down the hallway. Christopher glances over his shoulder to give an amused grin, which I surprisingly return in good humor. When he looks away, I glare into the back of Gideon’s head. The best thing about all this is that he doesn’t expect girls to stand up to him. He’s used to people following him around like a flock of sheep. But he’s forgetting one very important thing. I’m the wolf in sheep’s clothing and I’m not afraid to put him in his place. I just need to be more subtle about it until I hear Lockwood’s answer.
Hopefully, everything goes according to the Dark Lord’s plan…
I wake up feeling less exhausted than I did yesterday. I guess getting fucked senseless helped with that. Nothing quite beats a good workout.
Stretching my arms out, I carefully sit up in bed, mindful of my back, and every other part of my body that are all kinds of sore. I look around with a lazy yawn, hoping Alice has come back from the infirmary.
“Oh my fuck!” I shriek out, coming face to face with her.
She’s sitting on the edge of my bed, watching me with her big, wide eyes. “Did you sleep well?”
I clutch my blankets in mock distress. “Alice. Were you watching me sleep?”
“I made breakfast,” she says. “Sirena told me what happened. That Rapunzel is such a nasty bitch. Now you don’t have to go to the cafeteria!”
Pointing to the tray at the foot of my bed, which Broin is cautiously inspecting, I find two slices of massacred bread, an entire raw carrot (still covered in dirt), a glass of questionable milk, and what I think is supposed to be bacon. She’s an awful cook, just like Redera.
“Wow. You made me all that?” I smile with genuine fondness and reach over to grab a slice of bread. It’s burnt to a crisp, but I don’t let that stop me from eating. The last thing I want to do is hurt my friend’s feelings. Satan knows I’ve eaten worse. “I don’t mind going, though. Challenging Prince Biff and his wannabe gang keeps me on my toes. It’s exciting.”
Alice giggles. The bags under her eyes are heavier and darker than when I met her. “Well, I just figured we could eat breakfast here.”
“Plus,” Sirena says, stepping out of the ensuite with her hair wrapped in a towel, “this morning’s a study class. We get to hang out and create havoc.” She winks at me before returning to the bathroom.
Alice shouts back at her, “Study days do actually mean that we study.”
“Spoil sport,” Sirena grumbles and Alice rolls her eyes.
I take a bite of the toast and nearly crack a tooth. “So,” I start, swallowing down the mouthful of razors, “where should we study?”
Alice thinks for a moment. “Oh! We could go to the library. We’re even allowed to bring our familiars there, so long as they behave.”
“Then let’s go!” I throw my legs over the bed and stand up. Realizing I’m still in Sirena’s tank top and pajama pants, I laugh. “Err, once I’m dressed that is.”
“And don’t forget to finish your breakfast,” Alice reminds me as I walk over to the bathroom.
“What are you trying to do? Kill her?” Sirena asks, opening the door. “You don’t really have to eat it, you know. Her heart is in the right place but her cooking is terrible.”
Alice throws a pillow at Sirena’s face. “Hey, I heard that!”
“What? It’s true.”
My body fills with warmth at their exchange. Compared to last night’s events, this is a breath of fresh air. It’s the sort of light I don’t mind basking in to balance out the darkness for a while.
Once I shower and put on a fresh uniform, the three of us head to the library. Sirena is carrying the basket she brought me, and I think it’s filled with snacks for lunch. Hopefully Alice hasn’t cooked any of it, though I appreciate the gesture. I’m able to grow a lot of things back with magic but teeth aren’t one of them.
Jasper hops through the courtyard ahead of us. It’s a scorching day and students are sprawled out on the grass, some reading books, others soaking up the sun. Familiars prance around them and I can’t help but smile. I’m thankful we’re allowed to bring our familiars to the library. At least there they don’t have to be on their own.
The library is located in one of the round towers. As opposed to Lockwood’s office in the West Tower, we’re headed to the east part of the castle. The stairs are predictably long and steep, the windows the same circular shape as the other towers’. But the interior is unexpectedly darker. Floor-to-ceiling tapestries hang between the windows, the gilded frames capturing the light. One of the landscape paintings even moves when we walk by and I’m convinced the waterfall is a portal.
There must be tons of hidden portals in this castle. Maybe I should start looking for them. I’m not really a fan of spending alone time with Broin in a closet for four whole years. Maybe a portal would give us someplace more stimulating to go.
But then I remember that students aren’t allowed to access portals. I want to pout.
As we climb the seemingly endless stairs, I look at the sun gleaming across Lake Annan. It’s beautiful, with not a cloud in the sky above, and the far distance is made up of rolling green hills. When Broin and I hunted back home, we used to climb the highest tree we could find and watch the moonrise over that same lake.
A sharp pang wrenches my heart. I reach up and stroke Broin’s feathers.
—What’s wrong?— he asks in a worried tone.
—Nothing. Just feeling nostalgic.—
—The lake?—
I nod. —Yeah, the lake.—
Alice points to a butterfly archway at the top of the stairs. She’s smiling and hurrying toward it. It’s good to see her fit and happy again.
Broin says, —One day we’ll be back up in that tree, Little Red.—
I hope he’s right.
We walk through the arch into the library. My jaw drops at the towering bookshelves covering every inch of the walls. The ceiling is domed, like all the round towers here, and the sun pouring through the glass shoots rays of light across the room.
This is by far my favorite room in the castle.
Some other students are already sitting at benches, poring over old books and parchments. In the far corner, where the sofas and armchairs are nestled around a rustic fireplace, a desk of computers sit unoccupied. That always surprises me
. It’s like having a car in the middle of the stone age. I highly doubt I’d even be able to turn the thing on.
Sirena skips over to the bench pushed up against a large spherical window. The lake is visible from this angle and the view is utterly breath-taking. Figures that Sirena likes to be close to water whenever she can. Alice and I follow her to the bench. Above the window, a huge map of our world hovers in the air. Each kingdom shimmers like burnished jewels, emblazoned with all the names of the royals and the members of the High Council.
I set my bag on the table and read the list of royal names. Until now, I’ve never cared about the other kingdoms because She’ol was all I’ve been taught to concern myself with. We have a coven based in each of the kingdoms, but it’s only their Churches of Shadows that I’ve visited. I’m genuinely curious to find out which princes and princesses belong where.
Erik is Prince of Aira in the north east. It’s a maritime kingdom on the beautiful harbor that overlooks the Capsian Sea. I’ve only been there once, but I was pleasantly surprised. Next is Aurora, Princess of Talia, which I already knew. Cinder is Princess of Wysteria, one of the smallest kingdoms nestled in the Western Mountains. Apparently it’s being governed by her step-mother until Cinder comes of age. I’m surprised to find Rapunzel listed with Christopher as Princess and Prince of Fantasia. I never knew they were siblings. They look and act nothing alike.
I search the list for Gideon but he doesn’t seem to be there. He is a prince, isn’t he? That’s weird… Oh, and Draoich is missing from the map.
Obviously.
A beautiful young woman with tawny brown hair sweeps by the window. She’s holding a stack of books to her chest and smiles at every student she passes.
Sirena catches me looking and explains, “That’s the librarian, Mrs. Beauty. I heard her husband was mauled by wolves.”
Alice grimaces. “That’s not what I was told by Nurse Darling. She said Mrs. Beauty’s husband was a wolf and he fought in the war.”
This catches my interest. I try to feign innocence as I don’t want them to find out why I’m really here. “Aren’t wolves forbidden? I thought they were only allowed in Draoich.”
“Yup.” Sirena sets the basket on the table and flops into a chair. “The last wolf hasn’t been sighted over the border for…”
“Ten years,” Alice finishes off, sitting beside her. “You have a terrible memory.”
“Well excuse me. I was only, what, eight at the time? I don’t have a photographic memory like you do. You’re lucky that way.”
Alice frowns at the table, whispering, “I wouldn’t call it lucky.”
I don’t know what Alice has gone through. But the fact that she came from Underland and survived to tell the tale already speaks volumes about her past.
Underland is the land of nightmares.
A strange urge to hug her consumes me again. I brush it off, not wanting to appear weirder than I already have, and sit across from them. I take out my books and Broin hops on one of them while Jasper scurries underneath the table.
It’s strangely comfortable working beside my new friends. I’ve never had many before I came here. Actually, I think the most I’ve had is four, and three of them were Redera, Grandma, and Broin. Five more if you count Redera’s chickens.
They were probably cooked to a crisp in the fire, poor little bastards. I regret not checking on them. They were Redera’s pets, after all. I’d just assumed everything had been destroyed before the fire was even lit. The wolves are generous like that. Find everything, leave nothing.
“I’ve already told you. I’m not interested,” a girl says behind me, her voice gentle and softly spoken. “You’re far too young for me.”
“You say that, but I bet if you took a ride on my magic carpet, you’d think otherwise.”
Amused, I turn halfway to watch their exchange. I’m already rooting for the girl. There’s nothing more hilarious than watching a dude who can’t take a hint get shot down.
The girl turns out to be Mrs. Beauty.
Picking up another book abandoned on another bench, she shakes her head at the boy. “Nothing you could ever say will convince me of that, Aladdin. Please go back to your studies.”
The boy huffs, blowing his dark unruly hair away from his eyes and steps in front of her. “Come on. One ride and I promise to shut up? I have good chat. Really I do. You wouldn’t believe half the things I’ve done.”
“And we have a bragger,” I mutter, rolling my eyes.
Alice and Sirena, overhearing me, look up from their work to eavesdrop too.
“You’re far too young for me,” Mrs. Beauty repeats “I’m sorry.”
She tries to step around him, but he blocks her path, causing my hackles to rise. If he doesn’t take the hint, I swear to Satan I will bitch slap the life out of him.
“Don’t you want to hear some of the secrets I know? You wouldn’t believe the gossip I have on the students here. And I’ve even been to Nevermore. Yup. I went there on my carpet.”
If this guy’s head gets any bigger he’ll take off like a balloon.
“Quit lying,” Mrs. Beauty says softly. “And please let me get back to work.”
When she tries to walk away again and he grabs her arm, I throw my legs off the bench and prepare to get up. Satan knows why I’m feeling protective of someone I don’t even know. I wish this Aladdin would just take the hint and quit while he’s ahead.
“I do know something you should probably know.”
Mrs. Beauty looks more intrigued than irritated now. “What’s that?”
“Yesterday, when I was here—you remember, I brought the flowers?”
“Those were weeds,” she counters dryly, “but thank you for the effort.”
His face lights up like a puppy who’s just been called a good boy. “It was my pleasure, Mrs. Beauty. Anything for a beautiful damsel.”
She shakes her head at him. “You were saying about yesterday?”
“Oh. Yeah. Well, I was hanging out back there.” He points a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the rows of books. “And heard these two kids talking. Hansel and Metal or something.”
“Gretl,” Mrs. Beauty corrects him, laughing. “What did they say?”
“The girl, Metal, Gretl, whatever, started crying. I asked them what was wrong and do you know what they said? Do you?” He pauses for effect.
“Hurry up and spit it out, dammit,” Sirena mutters, loud enough for Aladdin to glance over at us and frown.
The girls go back to their books, pretending they weren’t eavesdropping. I just wink at him, which he returns with an amused grin.
Mrs. Beauty finally manages to escape him and walks away.
“Hey, wait. I wasn’t finished!” Aladdin scurries after her, bypassing a group of students throwing nuts into a monkey’s mouth. The creature is sitting on the bench as though he’s the Lord of the Land and these students are his servants. The students think it’s hilarious.
Once Aladdin has caught up to her, I use my advanced hearing to focus on their conversation.
“What do you want, Aladdin?”
“Just a date. One night, me and you.”
Beauty pauses as if she’s really considering the possibility. “You know I can’t. I work here and dating students is against the rules.”
“But what if told you that there’s a wolf hiding in this school? A student. Would that change your mind? We could go hunting for them.”
“A-a wolf?” she echoes incredulously. “What do you mean?”
“Told you. Secrets. I have a whole cave of them.”
Aladdin couldn’t sound more smug if he tried.
But is what he said true? Is that why Gretl was crying, because she saw a wolf at Everafter Academy? I’m not sure Aladdin is a reliable source, but he’s all I’ve got.
I look down at Broin. —Did you hear all that?—
—It looks like we’ve got our lead, Little Red.—
Despite all the excitement, I do ma
nage to get some studying done before lunch. Sirena opens the basket, takes out a bunch of boxes and sets them on the table. We share the sandwiches and Sirena hands me a bottle of orange juice. I’m delighted to see she’s also included some candy. As I devour the chocolatey goodness, I make a mental note to conjure some dinner later. It’s the least I can do to pay back their kindness.
After lunch, we take our familiars back to our room. I’m almost too excited to wait until the day’s over when I can find Aladdin and finally get some answers. I try not to get my hopes up but it’s hard when so much is at stake. If what Aladdin said is true and he knows who the student is, this could save me months of tracking down Rosso Lupa with little to no progress. I just hope he isn’t full of bullshit.
I walk to potions with Sirena, my eyes on the floor as we weave through the castle. Sirena is talking about her home, and how the capital, Delphina, was named after her late mother. I try my best to listen to her but my thoughts keep straying. I feel sick with excitement, though it’s not only about Aladdin. I’m eager to hear what Professor Lockwood has to say about last night. So far I haven’t seen him or his eagle hanging around. Let’s hope he doesn’t leave me hanging for too long. I need pain, the kind I know he can deliver.
We enter the class and grab the nearest empty seats. Even though I like Professor Rumpkin, the class itself is so fucking basic that I want to pull my hair out by the roots. Speaking of hair, I’m just getting settled when Rapunzel comes flouncing in with the rest of the princess posse. Gideon and Erik, as usual, trail along behind.
“Hey, Medusa,” I greet, and Sirena giggles. “I didn’t think you were in this class.”
She’s trying to stifle a smile, but it just makes her look like more of a simpering idiot. I can see that she has something in her hand hidden between her overly-ample chest and the books she’s holding.
“I am now,” she said.
Aurora stands back, giving Rapunzel room. This doesn’t bode well.
With a look of triumph, impressed with her own cleverness, Rapunzel pulls out a wand made of willow wood and points it at me. It’s skinny and has no core, which means it’s mostly useless. I hope whoever sold her this piece of crap is having a good laugh.
Once Upon A Wolf: A Dark Academy Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Everafter Academy Book 1) Page 14