Azure Dragons (Supernatural Shifter Academy Book 2)

by G. Bailey

  Finally, we pull away from each other, each looking sheepish, and I clear my throat. “Well, I think that’s probably good for one night, wouldn’t you say?”

  “That’s more progress than I’ve made since I started school,” Hunter says earnestly, and grins at me. It lights up his face, and I’m struck by just how rare and beautiful it is when he smiles. My heart beats faster, and for a moment I forget how to use my legs.

  It’s not until he begins to head back towards the school that I’m able to pull myself from my trance, feeling both exhilarated and hopelessly confused.

  Chapter 10

  The fact that we only had three days of classes at the American campus before our first weekend in Boston is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because, let’s face it, I’m not someone who’s used to plunging into anything headfirst. Ironic, I know, considering that I spent most of my life moving from new school to new school, but there it is. It’s a curse because that means we won’t get any downtime during our first weekend here—something I could desperately use right now. It’s not even a question of being rundown from the travel, which I am, but a question of where my head is at; in the aftermath of what’s happened with me, Lyle, and the rest of the guys, I could use some time to parse through everything before being plunged headfirst into the shifter-human conference. But that’s not going to happen, apparently, and on Saturday morning I find myself being roused bright and early by the bell, an automated sound that stands in sharp contrast to the chiming of the clock tower back home.

  Groaning, I fling the sheets off myself and sit up in bed. My room is on the left-hand side of the suite next to Silas’ and Shade’s, with Landon and Hunter taking the others. As I poke my head out my door, my hair slightly mussed from sleep, I see that Shade and Landon are already dressed and seated at the kitchen table. “She rises,” Landon exclaims, grinning when he sees me. “We were wondering if you’d died in your sleep.”

  “I might as well have,” I protest, running a hand through my tangled locks and stretching my arms up over my head. “What time is it? Seven?”

  “Seven-thirty,” Landon replies. “We’re supposed to head straight out to the quad as soon as we’re dressed.”

  “What, no breakfast?” Shade asks, crossing his arms. “This is just getting into torture territory, if you ask me.”

  “Thankfully, no one did ask you, Ivis,” comes Silas’ voice from over my shoulder. I turn to see him emerging from his room, eyes still clouded with sleep. There’s good humour in his tone, though, and he gives me a very subtle wink as he heads into the kitchen alcove. “God, I need some tea.”

  “You’re out of luck,” Landon tells him. “We’re in the States, remember? They don’t believe in tea.”

  Silas groans, rubbing his hands over his face. “Seriously? Coffee makes me sick to my stomach.”

  “Aren’t you precious,” Shade mutters dryly, leaning back in his chair. Silas just shoots him a dirty look over his shoulder as he fumbles with the coffee machine, leaving me to retreat back into my room and get dressed. The sound of the guys’ bickering continues on the other side of the door until it’s joined by additional voices that I recognize as belonging to Hazel and the Murakami twins. By the time I emerge, it’s damn close to a party in the common area, with the others all hovering around the table.

  “I hope you don’t mind if we tag along with you,” Hazel says when I enter the room. “It’s going to be crowded today, and if they let us roam around, we might lose track of one another.” She’s sitting between the twins, who are in the middle of an animated conversation with Landon. The others quiet at her question, all turning their gazes on me at once as if waiting for me to give my permission.

  I blink, realising in an instant that they’ve come to see me as some sort of de facto leader—or at the very least, someone they can trust to make decisions. I’m not sure I like that, not least of all because that implies that this is an us versus them situation, but I guess I can’t blame them. For better or worse, I’m in the middle of all of this, and the sooner I can accept that fact, the better.

  Clearing my throat, I reply, “Of course. The more the merrier.” I turn to the Japanese-American siblings. “You guys are… Ruby, right?” I ask. “And Xander?”

  “In the flesh,” Xander replies, grinning. “And you’re the hybrid.”

  I rub the back of my neck. “I guess Hazel must have filled you in.”

  “I’m sorry,” Hazel says, holding up her hands, “I didn’t mean to-”

  “No, no, it’s all right,” I assure her quickly. “Any friends of yours are friends of mine.”

  “And we’re no friends of the Academy administration,” Ruby adds, meeting my eyes with her own. “We won’t go around blabbing about your history. At least… I won’t. I can’t speak for my brother, but-”

  Xander elbows her. “Ruby!”

  They both start to laugh, and the rest of us join in after a moment’s pause. It’s nice to know that all the U.S. students aren’t as mean-spirited as Lyle. Maybe things will turn around, yet.

  “So what are we waiting for, then?” Hazel asks, getting to her feet. “We’ve got a peace talk to attend - don’t want them leaving without us.”

  “Remind me again why we’re using human transportation,” Landon says, taking hold of one of the railings in the Blue Line train car, a wave of white and gold clad students that couldn’t stick out from the Saturday-morning traffic more if we tried. It’s impressive to me that we were even all able to get underground and into the metro station without incident, although with a dozen magically equipped faculty fellows herding us around like sheep, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. We didn’t get nearly as many weird looks from the humans as I was expecting us to; considering the campus’ proximity to the city, they’re probably used to seeing Academy students out and about. If only any of them knew what we really were.

  “If you were a witch, would you want to bother tapping out your powers just to jump us from the suburbs to downtown?” Hazel asks him. “It’s exhausting.”

  Landon sighs. “Fair point. It’s just weird, is all. I’m not used to public transport.”

  “None of us are,” Hunter replies from his seat.

  “Think of it as a learning experience,” I say. “That’s what this is all about, right? Learning to coexist with humans?”

  “Fair point.” Although he looks visibly uncomfortable amongst the crowd, the vampire-shifter’s blue eyes meet mine for an instant, and something approaching a smile appears on his face. We haven’t really talked since last night, and the kiss we shared; I don’t think either of us is really sure what to say. It’s not that I’m worried about him blabbing about it—Hunter’s always been reserved, bordering on shy, and I doubt he’ll bring it up unless I do. The problem is how he fits into everything else, and what a certain dragon shifter might say if he found out that we kissed. I realise I’m making a lot of assumptions about Silas here, but I’ve never been in a situation like this before, and overthinking things is sort of my specialty.

  Deciding it would be better to focus on something else, I let my eyes drift to Hazel, who’s standing next to the twins. Her eyes slide over to Xander for a moment before meeting mine, and she winks at me before sticking out her tongue. I can help but laugh, disguising it as a cough at the last second.

  “This is how we usually get downtown,” Ruby explains. “If we were witches, I suppose we could transport, but there’s always risk to that, you know? The campus is isolated enough, but it’s pretty much open season once you get into the city proper.

  “Come to think of it,” I say, turning to her, “what kind of shifters are you guys? I just realised I have no idea.”

  “I’m a wolf shifter,” Xander replies. “Ruby here’s a dragon.”

  “Seriously?” Shade raises his eyebrows. “I didn’t know siblings could be different kinds.”

  “It’s rare, but it does happen,” Ruby replies. “We used to get a lot of s
hit for it when we were younger - even our parents took a while to warm up to it. It’s a little taboo in the shifter community - sort of like hybridism. We’re in the same boat, Millie.”

  “Boots,” I say, feeling a sudden sense of camaraderie with the siblings. “Call me Boots.”

  Xander’s brow furrows. “Boots?”

  I nod, instinctively reaching for my foot and fingering the broken pendant I keep in my worn shoe. It was a gift from Mollie, something of a good luck charm. Although I feel a twinge of sadness whenever I think about her—whatever happened to her, anyway?

  “All right,” he says, laughing. “Boots it is, then.”

  It takes us less than half an hour to reach our stop, emerging from the metro station in a wave of excited chatter. I do my best to stick close to the others as we walk, but it’s difficult when there’s so much to take in, and I find myself pausing at practically every street corner to gawk at something or another. The streets are tight and winding, lined with buildings dating back hundreds of years. We pass parks, clock towers, fountains, and flowerbeds, all crammed in next to hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurants and Colonial museums.

  I’m so caught up in the sightseeing that I don’t even notice Amelia flanking me until we come to a stop at an intersection and she sidles up next to me. “Brix.”

  I glance at her before looking frantically for the others; they’ve already crossed the street, and the light has gone red, leaving the rest of us behind. Not looking forward to whatever it is she wants to discuss, I slowly turn to her. “Was there something you wanted to talk about, Amelia?”

  “I… Yes.” Her voice is uncharacteristically soft, and she crosses her arms over her chest, looking at the ground. “Look,” she says, finally making eye contact, “this isn’t easy for me to say, so I’m only going to say it once. I wanted to thank you.”

  I blink. “Thank… me?”

  Amelia nods. “Hunter transformed for me out on the quad this morning. He wasn’t able to hold it for more than a few seconds, but it’s more than he’s ever done before.” She clears her throat. “He said you were the one who showed him how to do it.”

  “Er… right.” I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. “I just felt like maybe he needed a different approach. I gave him a few pointers last night, and he trusts me, which I think helped.” Rushing on, I add, “It wasn’t anything dangerous, though. He seemed pretty down about it, so I thought, if I could help…”

  “I know.” There’s a look on her face that it takes me a moment to identify, before suddenly it hits me—gratitude. And a hint of remorse. She shuffles her feet. “You know, I’ve been trying to show him how to shapeshift ever since we were kids. He could never get it right. I was always the quick learner, and I think maybe some part of him resented me for it… I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I was starting to wonder if he’d ever get there.”

  “Maybe you just needed to have a little more faith in him,” I suggest gently.

  “Maybe.” She looks at me thoughtfully. “And maybe he’s not the only one.” Biting her lip, Amelia looks as if she wants to say something else, but then the light turns green, and we begin to cross the street. “I’ll see you around, Millie,” she says at last, before moving away and disappearing into the crowd.

  “What was that about?” Landon asks as I rejoin the group. “Amelia giving you more problems?”

  “Actually… no,” I reply. “I think maybe she was trying to apologise. In her own way.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Landon says, shaking his head. “An apology from Amelia Fucking Ash. What else does this trip have in store?”

  “I don’t know for sure,” I say, nodding towards the end of the street where the Boston Convention and Exhibit Center towers in front of us, “but I think we’re about to find out.”

  Chapter 11

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it, not even the time Mollie took me to a concert in London for my thirteenth birthday. It seems like practically the whole city of Boston is crammed into this one multi-block area, and what’s even more spectacular is the fact that, if the administration is to be believed, everyone here is connected somehow to the shifter community.

  The Boston Convention and Exhibit Center is a modern building a lot like the Academy, with a massive overhanging roof supported by hundreds of crisscrossing beams. All around us, people are moving about, jostling and murmuring to one another while they press forward in a rush to get into the building. You’d think it was Comic Con and not an international peace conference, but then again, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t exciting to be here. It’s astonishing to me that they’ve managed to put this all together in such a short amount of time - the only explanation is that the diplomats in charge of the conference have ties to some very important people, and why wouldn’t they? They would have to, in order to keep an entire species’ existence under wraps for this many centuries.

  I can make out the figure of Josie at the front of the group, but once the rest of the students are all assembled, she quickly moves aside to make room for Russo and Hawthorne, the latter of whom straightens up and projects his voice so that everyone can hear him when he speaks. “The official talks will be happening on an ongoing basis, every day until the end of the convention. I would like to remind you all to be on your best behaviour - you’re not only here as representatives of the Academy, but as representatives of the shifter community as a whole. This could very well end up being a critical moment in the history of shifter-human relations, and I would strongly encourage you all to remember that.”

  He takes a step back to allow Russo to move forward and speak, her hands behind her back as she clears her throat. “In addition to the main diplomatic talks, there will also be several other sessions led by important figures in both our communities, all with the goal of strategizing and encouraging integration. I would also personally recommend listening to some of the lectures on keeping a low profile while living in densely populated human communities, such as Boston. Again, though, it will be up to you all how you decide to spend your day. The Academy faculty fellows will be around the convention center until the day is over, and you will be free to spend your time here as you see fit. Remember, though,” she adds, a knowing gleam in her eye, “this is an academic trip. Don’t take this as permission to run wild around the city. Our resident witches will be keeping an eye out for your magical signatures, so it’s in your best interest not to stray too far from the convention center. Other than that, though…” She spreads her arms out. “Enjoy yourselves, and I hope this experience is an educational one for all of you.”

  Silas and I exchange a look. He shrugs his broad shoulders, and I nod. Seemingly finished with their speeches, the two school presidents turn around and retreat into the building, leaving the rest of us to trickle in on our own. The guys and I linger behind for a moment, waiting for the crowd to clear up, and Landon turns to us as the students disperse. “So,” he asks, “where to first?”

  “Anywhere that’s not here,” Shade replies haughtily. “As if listening to a bunch of brown-nosing politicians is anyone’s idea of a good time.”

  “You heard Russo,” Hazel shoots back at him. “They’re going to be tracking us. We have to at least put in some effort.”

  “Just think of it this way,” I say, “it’s better than class, right?”

  “It would be,” Shade agrees, “if it weren’t a Saturday.”

  I purse my lips. “Good point.”

  “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you,” Silas says, “but I actually want to see these so-called peace talks. This affects all of us, whether we like it or not, and if a bunch of bureaucrats are going to be deciding our futures, I’d like to hear what they have to say.”

  “Same here,” Hunter puts in. “Most of the board members are going to be there, and I ought to go there to support my dad - at least, for a little while.”

  “Screw that,” Landon replies. “I want to learn about blending i
nto human society.”

  “I wouldn’t mind just poking around for a bit,” Hazel adds. “You know, to see what looks interesting.”

  “Maybe we should split up, then,” I suggest. “We can all meet up around lunchtime and go get something to eat together. Until then, we can go do our own thing.”

  “That works for me,” Shade replies. The others murmur their agreement.

  “I guess we’ll see you guys later, then?” asks Xander, turning to us.

  “Sounds like a plan,” I reply.

  The group disperses into the building, Hazel, Xander, and Ruby heading in one direction and Landon and Shade heading in another. I’m left standing between Hunter and Silas. “Well,” the dragon shifter says, turning to me, “do you want to come with us, Boots?”

  “Yes,” I reply. It’s not even a question; Silas is right. This could end up being a landmark event, and like it or not, we’re smack in the middle of it. This could also be a chance to learn more about the experiments the humans conducted on us, and one look at Silas tells me he’s thinking the same thing. Now is the time to be strategic, especially if it means getting some insight into the humans’ plans for us.

  Wordlessly, the three of us file into the building, taking in the soaring ceiling and massive banks of glass windows on all sides. Everywhere I look, I see booths with conflicting messages and themes - some are clearly geared towards shifters, while some seem to be more human-focused. Opportunists using this as a chance to sell their services to the magical community have staked out at a lot of the tables, and the walls are littered with signs declaring messages of coexistence and unity. It all feels a bit disingenuous.

  I follow the two guys down the length of the hall, weaving my way between other attendees as I do my best to keep up with them. At one point, I almost run smack into a security guard who’s no doubt here to make sure unsuspecting humans don’t wander in, thinking it’s some kind of public access event. I’m struck by the fact that there’s no easy way to tell which of the attendees are humans and which are shifters; if you didn’t know any better, you’d think there was no way to distinguish them at all. I spent most of my life thinking that, and yet here I am. Talk about getting thrown into the deep end.