Azure Dragons (Supernatural Shifter Academy Book 2)

by G. Bailey

  “Won’t it?” I turn to her as we stop at an intersection, a sea of blue and gold, black and white.

  “I don’t know,” she replies honestly. “You’re the one in the middle of it, not me. But if you ask me…” She gives me a gentle nudge with her elbow. “The surest way to find out is to just talk to them.”

  I sigh. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

  “Well, it’s true,” she protests, throwing up her hands. “You should just tell Silas. Let him decide for himself, and then you won’t have to worry anymore.”

  “Tell me what?”

  My heart drops at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice behind me, and I whirl around to see the dragon shifter approaching the two of us, the sun gleaming on his brown hair. “Uh…”

  “I think I’ll leave you guys to talk about this one,” Hazel says, shooting me a glance before falling in with the rest of the group. “I’m going to go find Xander and Ruby—I’ll meet you guys at the entrance!”

  Traitor. Slowly I turn to Silas, who’s watching me with a curious look on his face; I should have known this would happen sooner or later. At the end of the day, Hazel is right: things are getting too complicated for me to keep ignoring them. I need to clear the air once and for all, and the time to do it is now. “I… was hoping I could talk to you,” I tell him, walking slowly alongside him as we trail behind the rest of the group.

  “Well,” he says, holding out his arms, “here I am.” He turns to look at me, a concerned expression on his face. “Are you okay, Boots?”

  “I’m fine,” I hasten to assure him. “It’s not me, exactly… I mean, it has to do with me, but it’s not…” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. Why is this so damn difficult? “The thing is,” I say slowly, starting over, “something happened that I think you deserve to know about… but you might not like hearing about it.”

  Silas gives me a small smile. “Well, how am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?”

  “I…” I’m struggling to spit it out, and at the moment I feel like I’d rather be anywhere on earth but here.

  “Millie.” He stops, turning to face me. “You know you can tell me anything. I thought that was clear.”

  “But this…” I swallow hard. The trust in his dark eyes is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Biting the inside of my lip, I look down at the ground, struggling to make my mouth form words. “I kissed Shade,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Last night. I… I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know if… I mean, you and I…”

  I’m babbling, and it takes Silas putting a gentle hand on my cheek to make me finally look up at him. “It’s okay,” he says simply.

  I stare at him blankly, almost sure I misheard. “Huh?”

  He laughs at the look of sheer confusion on my face. “Millie, come on,” he says, his hand moving to my shoulder as he stoops to look me in the eyes. “You think I didn’t know that?”

  I blink. “I…”

  Silas just grins at me, and relief washes over me when I see that it’s in good humour. “Come on, this isn’t grade school,” he says. “We’re all adults here. If you want to spend time with the others, you have every right to.”

  “Oh.” My shoulders slump with relief. “I, um… Wow. I wasn’t expecting that, Silas.”

  “I mean, it makes sense.” He holds his hand out to me and I take it gratefully as we begin to walk again. “There’s something special connecting all of us,” he continues. “I mean, we share an origin, for god’s sake. And what happened between you and me, well…” He shrugs. “Frankly, I would be a little surprised if it didn’t end up happening with them, too.”

  “That’s… very progressive.”

  Silas bursts out laughing. “Are you surprised?”

  “I don’t know,” I reply, blushing. “I’ve never been in this situation before.”

  “Me neither.” He glances down at me. “But for whatever it’s worth, what matters to me most is that you’re happy, Boots. Whether that’s with me, with Shade… with any of us. That said, though,” he adds, pulling me against him, “I’d be disappointed if I couldn’t still do this.” And he plants a soft kiss on top of my head.

  I laugh, letting him draw me into a full-on embrace. “Thank you, Silas,” I murmur into his shoulder. “I mean it.”

  “So do I,” the dragon shifter replies, and I can feel him smiling against my ear. “But we’d better go catch up with the rest of them now. People are starting to give us weird looks.”

  Chapter 15

  I don’t think I’ve ever felt relief as palpable as the relief I’m feeling now, with the exception of when we found Silas alive after he’d been taken by the Academy. I feel like there’s a renewed spring in my step in the aftermath of our talk, and even though the sun is beating down on us and I can already feel sweat forming under my uniform, I have a feeling things are going to work out. It’s amazing what a little romance can do for a person’s mental state.

  Silas lets go of my hand when we arrive at the convention center, smiling at me as we break off from the main group and head over to the place near the entrance that we’ve been using as a meeting point. It takes several minutes for the others to arrive, coming in groups of two and three. It’s only after everyone is here, talking excitedly and looking around at the guests for the day that I realise Hunter still isn’t here, and I immediately feel a pang of worry in my stomach. My mind is already going to worst-case scenarios, visions of the vampire shifter strapped to a table in a laboratory somewhere while the humans suck the life out of him, just like they tried to do to Silas. I’m on the verge of full-on panic when Hunter’s familiar voice sounds over my shoulder, and I turn around to see him jogging up to us, a look of concern on his face. “Sorry, sorry,” he says, running a hand through his red hair as he comes to a stop between Hazel and Landon.

  “Where did you go?” I ask. “We were starting to get worried.”

  “You should be,” Hunter replies grimly. Seeing the looks of confusion on our faces, he sighs. “Look, it’s about my dad,” he elaborates, crossing his arms. “He told me the school board is having a meeting with a bunch of the other Academy representatives from around the world. I’m usually able to get more out of him on stuff like this, but he wouldn’t tell me anything—just that they’ll be discussing ‘measures’ to be taken in the aftermath of the riots.”

  “‘Measures’?” asks Shade. “What kind of ‘measures’?”

  “Like I said, I don’t know,” Hunter replies. “I even asked Amelia. She said he wouldn’t tell her a word about it, and he tells her everything. I…” He swallows. “I have a bad feeling about all this, you guys.”

  “You’re not the only one,” Landon adds grimly. “We’re talking about Academy-wide decisions, here. The last time they did that, we were on lockdown for weeks.”

  “And they weren’t talking about the future of the whole shifter community back then,” Silas adds, crossing his arms. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “Do you know where this meeting is being held?” Xander asks.

  “It should be in the auditorium,” Hunter replies. “This afternoon, if I remember right.”

  The twins exchange a look, and Ruby’s mouth drops open. “You’re not seriously thinking…?”

  “I seriously am,” Xander replies. “If they’re making decisions about our future, I want to know what they decide.”

  “Well, how are we even supposed to get in?” Ruby demands, throwing her arms up. “We’re talking about sneaking into a board meeting, here. That’s not exactly an easy task.”

  “Wait, we’re talking about sneaking into a board meeting?” asks Landon.

  “He’s the one who’s talking about it,” Ruby responds, nodding at her brother. “I think it’s impossible.”

  “It might not be,” Hunter speaks up then, and the rest of us go quiet as we turn to look at him. He sighs, looking suddenly put on the spot. “Look, I can’t promise anything,
” he says, holding up his hands. “Ruby’s right; anything administration-related won’t be open to the public. They’ll probably have bouncers, and a group of students trying to muscle in through the front door will stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “So then what are you suggesting?” Silas asks.

  “We won’t be able to get in,” Hunter replies, looking at him, “but I might be able to.”

  “Because you’re the son of a board member?” asks Landon.

  Hunter gives him a grim nod. “Again, no promises. They might tell me to fuck off the second they see me. But maybe if I can tell them I’m there for my dad… If I could come up with some kind of excuse…”

  “You could at least stay long enough to find out what they’re planning,” I finish for him.

  The vampire shifter nods. “Exactly.”

  There’s a long moment of silence as we consider his offer. “Damn, Ash,” Landon says at last, raising an eyebrow at him. “Daddy’s little boy is finally starting to grow up.”

  “Shut up, Landon.” Hunter shoots him a glare, but looks like he’s struggling not to smile.

  “So are we doing this, then?” Hazel asks finally. “Hunter’s going to try to listen in?”

  “I’m in if Hunter is,” I reply, turning back to him. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Not at all,” Hunter replies, “but if this lets us get a step ahead of the Academy, then I’m willing to give it a shot. It still hurts knowing that my dad might be in on this… but then again, he might not be. How will I ever know if I don’t try to find out, though?” The corner of his mouth twitches. “Besides, I shouldn’t be thinking too hard about this. I might chicken out.”

  “This could be our shot at finding out the humans’ plans,” Silas says thoughtfully, nodding. “I’m for it. We’ll need some way of listening in, though.” He turns to me. “Boots, do you have some kind of witch spell? Something you could do in-form that would let us hear what they’re saying?”

  “I can barely even get into my witch form, let alone cast complicated spells,” I reply. “Besides, they’re probably going to have wards up against magic. I have another idea, though - something a bit more… old-fashioned.”

  “Are you sure this is going to work?” Silas asks incredulously as we sit together in the shadows. We’re back at the seaport, our backs against one of the nearby buildings as we watch the water lap at the docks and the passersby move back and forth near the railing. With any luck, we’ll be inconspicuous here - just a handful of convention-goers who wanted to take a break from the endless meetings. My cell phone is in my lap, and my knee is bouncing up and down in anticipation as we wait with bated breath for Hunter’s call.

  “Have a little faith,” Landon says, elbowing him playfully. “Boots has got this.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Silas replies, shooting me a grin. “I’m more worried about Hunter, if I’m being honest. What if they catch him?”

  “We’ll be on mute,” I reply. “He’s going to put us on speaker so we can hear what the board is saying. If everything goes the way it’s supposed to, they won’t be able to hear anything we say.”

  “Emphasis on everything going the way it’s supposed to,” Shade remarks dryly. “Let’s just hope Hunter’s dad hasn’t already sold him out.”

  “He wouldn’t,” I reply, although deep down I’m not so sure. I can’t shake the feeling like we’re about to find out something that will turn the whole world upside-down, but I’m afraid that saying it will just make it real, so I keep my mouth shut. We’re all nervous enough as it is without any more ominous predictions.

  As if on cue, my phone begins to vibrate, and I quickly hit the answer button before muting our end. Hunter’s voice comes through, speaking in a hushed whisper: “Okay, I’m by the back entrance to the auditorium. There’s a bouncer there—I’m going to try to talk to my way in. If something happens to me, then… call the cops, or whatever.”

  Shade snorts. There’s the sound of rustling fabric, and I realise Hunter’s put his phone in his pocket. We look at one another as we wait for something to happen, nearly jumping at the sound of a gruff American voice. “I’m sorry, but this meeting isn’t open to the public.”

  “Oh, I know,” comes Hunter’s reply. “I’m actually the son of one of the board members—David Ash. I brought him something.”

  There’s a sigh. “Look, kid, I don’t care if you’re the president. I was told not to let anyone in here who’s not on the board.”

  “Do you want to see proof?” There’s a rustling sound. “Look, here’s my ID. My dad is David Bartholomew Ash, and he’s on the school board for the U.K. Academy. I have a blood bag for him.”

  “A blood bag?”

  “Hello - he’s a vampire shifter.” Hunter’s tone is making him sound eerily like his sister. “He needs to feed or he’s going to pass out.”

  “I… didn’t know vampire shifters worked that way.”

  “Well, of course you wouldn’t. Where did you get your education? The American Academy?” he snorts. “Honestly, I’ve heard your school system was bad, but I didn’t realise it was that-”

  “All right, all right, enough,” the bouncer says, sounding exasperated. “You’re giving me a migraine. Get your dad his blood, or whatever, and then I want you out of there. Do you understand?”

  “Absolutely,” Hunter replies, sounding overly chipper. There’s the sound of a door opening and closing.

  “I’ll be damned,” Shade says, shaking his head in disbelief. “He actually got through.”

  “He really ought to pull out that Amelia voice more often,” quips Landon. “He could get us whatever he wants.”

  I hold up my hand to silence them; the sound of more voices is coming through. It’s muffled, like they’re on the other side of a partition, but if I concentrate, I can just barely make them out. “...I really think we should be focused on the matter at hand, Hawthorne,” comes an American voice. Russo’s, if I’m correct.

  “This is the matter at hand,” comes another voice, this one I recognise as Hawthorne’s. “You’ve heard how the peace talks are going. The politicians are deadlocked. How many more skirmishes are there going to be before you realise that the humans are outmatched, here?”

  “Outmatched?” This one I don’t recognise. “You’re making this sound like it’s a war, Hawthorne.”

  “It is a war,” Hawthorne insists. “You all know this; I’m just the one brave enough to say it out loud. We’re woefully unequipped to deal with the shifters anymore. Not with them mobilising, threatening to rise up. The dam is going to break, ladies and gentlemen; the only question is when. The only way we’ll have any hope of surviving when it does is by leveling out the playing field.”

  “You’re talking about restarting the hybrid experiments,” someone else pipes up. My eyes go wide as I look up at the others; they look as stunned as I feel.

  “That’s a dangerous proposition, Hawthorne,” Russo replies. “The U.K. Academy already tried that; we’ve seen how it ended.”

  “There were… outside factors,” Hawthorne concedes. “It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to continue our research. Don’t you people understand? Granting humans shifter abilities will make the whole conflict irrelevant. We won’t have to worry about regulations and integration if we do this. Hell, we might not even need Academies anymore.”

  “But it’s a dangerous procedure,” pipes up another board member. “Even if it does work, we’re talking about hundreds of shifter lives lost. You can’t just replicate magic like that without a sacrifice.”

  “And what would you rather sacrifice,” Hawthorne fires back, “a few thousand shifter lives, or a few million human lives? Because these are the stakes we’re talking about, here.”

  “That’s hyperbole!”

  “I do think President Hawthorne has a point,” Russo says with a sigh. “It’s clear that the landscape is changing for us, and this conference isn’t getting us anywhere. It might
be time to take things into our own hands.”

  “What you’re suggesting is unethical,” protests another board member.

  “Not to mention unsanctioned,” adds another.

  “Enough,” snaps a new voice, this one deep and authoritative. “Hawthorne, you’ve said your piece. We will… need to think about this, before we take any further action. Maybe it would be best to take a recess for a few days and consider this proposal. We can reconvene and take another vote when we’re all fresh.”

  There’s an uneasy murmur from the assembled board members, followed by a rustling sound that signals some of them are getting to their feet. Hunter begins to move away, making it harder to catch what they’re saying, but it hardly matters; we’ve gotten the gist of it.

  And the gist is not good.

  Chapter 16

  The next twenty-four hours pass by in a haze. Whatever sense of excitement permeated our group before has vanished entirely in the aftermath of the board members’ meeting, replaced by a shroud of unease that has us all on edge. Everything said at the conference suddenly feels like white noise, a bunch of nonsense compared to what we know is happening behind the scenes, and the worst part is that I should have known it would come to this sooner or later. This was exactly what Silas was talking about when he mentioned being worried before we even left the U.K.. This is what comes of leaving the fate of an entire population up to a handful of bureaucrats. It doesn’t matter that there are shifter representatives involved in this too, because the humans are the ones who run the Academy. It all feels too cunningly perfect, engineered so that no matter what we do, as students, there’s no way to fight their decisions. I can’t help but wonder how many of the shifter politicians have any real power, and how many of them are just puppets, put in place to keep the shifter community from rebelling. It’s a system that’s worked fine until now, but for some reason—maybe the modern world, maybe the fact that shifters have finally seen through the bullshit—it’s not working anymore. I should be grateful for that, but I’m not; everything feels like it’s about to fall apart again, and we’re hopeless to stop it.