Found: A Reverse Harem Academy Shifter Bully Romance (Thornbriar Academy Series Book 1)

by Cali Mann

  Even assuming I did get out, where was I going to go? I had thought to the beach. Although what would I really find there? I didn’t know much about my real family. I’d been so young when I was taken, only seven. Forcing my mind to think back, I tried to dredge up some memories. A homemade birthday cake with a lopsided “H” in happy. The beach, building sandcastles and playing in the waves. Crunching sand between my toes.

  Hailey Cooper. I had lied to the Headmaster. I did remember my last name, but I didn’t see how it would do her any good. Nothing distinctive about it at all. There must be a million families with the name Cooper. It seemed like a small thing to hold back, but I had so few things that belonged to me. Giving up the name would have been like giving up a part of myself.

  A dark shape darted by my feet, and my flashlight bounced wildly. “A rat, a rat,” I reassured myself. I shivered in the cool dampness of the caves. The heat of the day didn’t reach down here. Pausing, I rummaged in my bag for my jacket and pulled it on. See, like a girl scout, Hailey Cooper was prepared for everything. And boy did it feel weird to call myself by my full name, even in my head.

  The silence of the evening stretched before me, and I realized how much I’d gotten used to the sounds of other students going about the dorm or even the other girls at Hastings House. I hadn’t been alone very often in my life, other than times I’d been punished in the closet.

  I was going to miss Thornbriar. A lump formed in my throat. I’d miss the easy companionship of Terrin and Adrian and Sciro. Well, before they’d turned on me. I’d miss being around people who understood how my skin itched when I needed to change. How a plate of food could turn me into a ravenous beast. I smiled. The guys had all laughed at how much I ate and how much I enjoyed my food.

  Rubbing my stomach, I wished I’d brought more than a few breakfast bars. Who knew how long this trip was going to be? And I was already hungry.

  Water dripped up ahead, and I hurried forward to see if there was a stream or something I could follow. I flashed my light along the wall, but there were only rivulets of water running down the stone. Something above ground was dripping inside. Had it started raining? Or was there a creek above me? No telling.

  I shook my head and continued on. It was going to be lonesome out in the world without the guys. Who would I run in the woods with? Who would go swimming with me? Who would watch bad movies and eat popcorn? I grimaced. I’d be fine. I just had to learn to be happy alone. Thinking about all those spirit shifters in the books, I figured I probably shouldn’t live too close to civilization anyway. I was dangerous.

  The guys were better off without me. Adrian had moved on, and Terrin would find some other girl to protect. Who knew when I’d go crazy? What if I’d attacked them? It was better this way.

  I kicked a rock across the floor. Would these tunnels ever end? I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of me or behind me, only what was visible in my flashlight’s beam. Was there more than rats in here? Suddenly, I wished I’d brought more than clothes and a little food. What if I needed a weapon? I didn’t think shifting into a mermaid in a dry cave would help.

  Sciro had said I’d be able to shift into anything, but I still didn’t know if I was limited by my phase or if I could change into anything at any time. I stopped and set down my bag. Closing my eyes, I imagined running after rabbits and howling at the moon. I tried to see myself as the wolf. The images ran through my mind’s eye, but my body stayed human. Was I not focused enough? Professor Frank would have said so. My lips quirked. She always said I didn’t have enough focus. I needed to practice more.

  I glanced back at the dark tunnel. Was I throwing away my only chance to learn how to be what I was? I didn’t even know where I was going. Would I wander around these caves forever, getting more and more lost? Would I die in here? I grabbed my bag and ran forward. There had to be an end to these tunnels somewhere.

  33

  Terrin

  “So, that’s how it’s going to be, is it?” Sciro’s voice cut through the fog of pain.

  Glaring at him, I muttered, “Go away, brother.”

  He snorted. “What kind of brother would I be if I left you out here by yourself?” He held up a cotton school robe. “You want this? Or you gonna shift back so we can go for a proper run?”

  “I’ll take the robe,” I said, standing.

  “Good.” He searched my face. “You found out, didn’t you?”

  I frowned. “How’d you know?”

  “Blood,” he growled. “And she smells like a fucking flower.”

  “Lavender.”

  He grunted.

  I yanked on the robe, and we started back through the woods. “I should have listened to you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You said I should talk to her.” I hunched my shoulders.

  “Communication is the key, man,” he said, sounding like some talk-show guru.

  I laughed harshly. “Where’d you read that?”

  “Street smarts, man.” He raised a cocky eyebrow, then he frowned. “It’s not your job to protect her, you know.”

  “Good thing, cause I fucking suck at it.”

  Sciro stopped. “No. That’s not what I meant.”

  I eyed him, my cat eyes nearly as good as his vampire ones in the gathering darkness.

  “I meant, Hailey’s strong. She’s had to be, growing up where she did.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “She doesn’t need me.”

  “She does, but not in the way you think. She doesn’t need protection, but she does need a friend, someone to listen and be there for her.”

  “I tried to be her friend.”

  “She needs someone to give her,” he continued, “what she’s been missing for so long: love.”

  “I love her.” As I said the words, I realized they were true.

  “That’s what she needs, man. Unconditional love.”

  I grimaced. “But she doesn’t love me. She slept with Adrian.”

  “After you pushed her away.” Sciro huffed. “I’m just saying, man, that you have to understand where she’s coming from. Hailey has been held hostage her whole life. She just wants to be free.”

  “And what, I’m smothering her?”

  Sciro raised that damn eyebrow again. “Might be worth thinking about.”

  We came out of the woods and headed up the lawn toward the dorm. A dark shape ran toward us, huffing, and we both peered at Brenton the asshole uneasily.

  “Where the hell have you been?” he asked.

  “None of your business.”

  He sneered. “Your girl’s all packed up to run away. Thought you’d want to know.”

  “What?” I grabbed the front of his shirt, twisting it in my hand. “What did you do to her?”

  Raising his fist, he growled, “Get your hands off me, Matos.”

  Sciro grabbed my arm. “Let him go, Terrin.”

  I relaxed my grip and said, “Tell me.”

  Brenton was furious, but he held himself in check. I would have been pretty impressed, actually, if he hadn’t been talking about Hailey.

  “Saw her headed down into the caverns with a full bag,” he said. “Way more than a swimsuit and a towel. More like her entire wardrobe.”

  A frown crossed my face. “Meeting Adrian?”

  “No. He was still in the courtyard flirting with that Monica chick, when I came out here.” Brenton met my gaze directly. “She’s running away.”

  My skin prickled. “But there’s thousands of caves down there. She’ll get lost.”

  “Someone must have told her there’s a way out.” Brenton said.

  “Oh, shit,” Sciro said. “And all Hailey wants is to be free.”

  I turned and started running toward the buildings.

  “Wait, Terrin,” Sciro said. “We need Adrian. He knows those caves better than any of us.”

  “Then get him. I’ll meet you down there.”

  Sciro nodded and took off toward the courtyard.
>
  It wasn’t until I was halfway down the stairs to the caverns that I realized Brenton was still on my heels. I swung around. “Why are you following me?”

  He froze. “I just thought I’d help.”

  “Well, I don’t want your help.” I took a breath, trying to focus. My thoughts were racing with what danger Hailey might be in. What if we never found her?

  I said, “Look man. You brought me the info. I appreciate it. I do.” I sighed. “But we’ll take it from here.”

  Brenton shrugged. “More bodies means more help. But if you don’t want me, I’ll go.”

  “You should do that.” I watched him lumber up the steps for a minute, and then I continued down-stairs. I stared at the flickering lights. There were so many caves and tunnels leading away from the pools. How were we going to find her? I frowned. We had to. I wouldn’t fail Hailey again.

  34

  Adrian

  My shoulder itched and I was getting cold. I’d lingered in the courtyard with Monica, not wanting to run into Hailey or go back to the dorm and encounter Terrin. The confrontation with Sciro had been enough for one day. I knew I was in denial, but I wasn’t ready to be mated. I had more life to live, dammit.

  I grimaced, glancing at Monica. I wasn’t being fair to her, though. I knew she liked me, and I was using her to avoid another chick. I was an asshole.

  Sciro came pelting across the yard, full vampire speed.

  Shoving down my jealousy, I raised an eyebrow at him. “What’s the emergency?”

  “Hailey’s running away.”

  “What?” I straightened, feeling Monica stiffen on the seat next to me. She didn’t turn around and pretended to ignore Sciro, but her body language betrayed her.

  “She thinks there’s some escape route through the caverns.”

  I jumped to my feet. “But there’s miles of tunnels. She could be lost for weeks.”

  Sciro nodded. “Come on, man. We got to meet Terrin down there. No one knows the caves like you do.”

  “I don’t understand. How would she have even gotten the idea?” Then it hit me, and I rounded on her. “Monica,” I growled.

  She batted her eyelashes at me. “What, Adrian-honey?”

  I wasn’t fooled for a second. Monica was an open book to me. “What did you tell Hailey about the caves?”

  “Nothing,” she said sweetly.

  Fury roared through me like I’d never felt before. I grabbed Monica and yanked her up to face me. “What did you do?”

  She trembled under my hands. Her gaze darted around me, looking for someone to help, but no one stepped forward.

  I leaned closer, laying my face alongside her head. “Tell me.”

  “I just wanted her to go away,” she said. “To leave us alone.”

  My gaze held the full weight of my anger, and Monica flinched. She knew me, too, even if she sometimes chose to ignore what I told her.

  “So it could be the way it was before,” she whined.

  “Monica,” I growled.

  “I left that book out. The one you showed me about how the monks used the old tunnels to smuggle slaves off the mountain.”

  I stared at her. Those tunnels had been closed down for years. Some had caved in, and others were in danger of collapsing too. And she’d sent my mate down there. I didn’t even know what I was doing, but I started to shake Monica until her teeth rattled.

  Sciro grabbed my arm. “Adrian. We don’t have time for this. We need to go.”

  I took a breath and nodded. Releasing her, I turned away.

  “Adrian,” Monica pleaded.

  Sciro and I took off for the caverns, and I left my oldest friend behind.

  We hit the stairs running, and I dredged up every fact I’d learned about the caverns over the years. I’d been fascinated by them when I’d first arrived at Thornbriar. The pools were a fairly recent addition, added when the shifters turned the old monastery into a school.

  Terrin had already charged into the caves, not thinking that now we’d have two people to look for, not just one.

  Sciro turned to me. “How do we do this? It won’t do us any good to get lost too.”

  “We need cable and something to hold it here.” I pointed to the edge of the pool, where a ladder protruded. “Then we can follow the cable back.”

  “Okay, let’s go get supplies,” Sciro said, turning.

  “I’ve got them,” Brenton said behind us, dropping rope and fastenings to the ground. Over his shoulders, he had two or three bulging gym bags, and the big guy was barely breaking a sweat.

  Sciro and I both stared at him. “Why are you here?”

  “Can’t lose my lab partner.” He shrugged.

  I blinked. What the hell? But there was no doubt we needed his help. We’d rushed off to find Hailey, but hadn’t even thought to bring supplies. Some friends we were.

  From one of his gym bags, Brenton pulled out brightly colored chalk.

  “What’s that for?” Sciro asked. I could almost see his analytical mind processing. “To mark the paths we’ve tried.” Brenton lifted flashlights out of another bag.

  I didn’t know what to say to that, so I bent down and started tying ropes to the ladder.

  Terrin came charging out of the caves, huffing. He stared at us all wild-eyed. Sciro got in his face. “Stop, Terrin. We’ve got a plan.”

  If it’d have been anyone else, they’d have ended up with a broken nose to match mine. I rubbed the bandage still covering it.

  We worked fast, tying the other ends of the ropes around our waists. Then we headed in, and every time the path split, we each chose a different path. We’d go as far as we could on that path, then turn around and come back. We marked each path that didn’t lead anywhere.

  On the first round, I found a recent cave-in, dust rising around it.

  “Hailey?” I’d called but there’s been no response. I started digging out the rocks, hoping she wasn’t in here.

  I didn’t want the mate mark, but I also didn’t want her to be hurt. Everything within me called out to claim and take care of her. She was ours, my creature and mine. I rubbed a dusty hand across my brow. We had to find her.

  35

  Sciro

  I followed the tunnel, listening to the water dripping above. Pausing, I closed my eyes and smelled, using my vampiric senses to my advantage. The heavy mineral smell of the rocks almost covered it over, but the tunnel had a hint of Hailey’s lavender scent. She’d come this way.

  My flashlight dangled from my hand. I didn’t need extra light to see in the dark. “Hailey?” I called.

  We were going to find her. We had to.

  The look on Terrin’s face when he’d come out of the cave…my brother was heartbroken and determined and pissed off all at once.

  Once we found her, Terrin would have to be the one to convince her to stay. If Adrian or I or even Brenton did it, Terrin would give up. He’d think she wasn’t meant to be his, and that wasn’t true. I’d seen them together. Terrin and Hailey made sense.

  Adrian would just go on to his next conquest. Terrin truly loved Hailey. If he could just get over his dickish controlling shit, he’d be perfect for her. He cared, no matter how scared he was, and he was gentle. He’d always be there for her, supporting her no matter what. He was just what Hailey needed.

  I headed toward a corner, and froze. My vampire senses picked up Hailey just beyond the next wall. She was low to the ground, probably sitting, and I heard the soft click of a water bottle being opened. Hailey sighed. She sounded tired, even though she’d only been down here a couple of hours.

  I listened thoughtfully, then I turned around and headed back along my rope. I used my speed, to race back down the line, and then I picked out Terrin’s rope and I tugged on it.

  He came charging back down the passage. His night vision was almost as good as mine. “Where is she?”

  I inclined my head toward the tunnel. “That way, just keep taking the rights and you’ll find her near the sou
nd of water.”

  His hands tightened into fists. “Why didn’t you bring her back?”

  “Terrin, listen to me,” I said placidly. “She’s safe. She’s okay. But you need to be the one to bring her back.”

  He frowned as he considered what I’d said, then he nodded. “Right turns?”

  I slapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve got this man. I’ll get rid of the other guys. Bring her home.”

  Terrin took off down the tunnel I’d indicated. I gave him a few minutes, then I tugged on the lines of the other guys. We’d clean up the rest, and Terrin would bring our girl home.

  36

  Hailey

  I lay against the rock, my eyes closing. It’d been a long day, and there was a long way to go. It wouldn’t hurt for me to rest. I didn’t even know if there was an end to these tunnels. I’d come across two cave-ins already, and I feared that I’d stumble into something I couldn’t get out of.

  The water still trickled above. I was starting to worry that I’d been going in circles all evening. I was never going to find a way out, and I’d given up what I’d had at Thornbriar for nothing. I’d given up Adrian and Terrin and Sciro, who had all, in their own ways, been kind to me.

  Spirit shifters always went mad. My chest tightened. I couldn’t bear to hurt anyone. The accounts from the books I’d read trooped through my head. I grimaced. But when had they really started killing them off? Had spirit shifters ever had the benefit of Professor Frank’s focus training? If I worked really hard at focus training, could I stay in control? I couldn’t imagine hurting Terrin or Adrian or even Sciro. I was so deep in my thoughts; I didn’t hear his footsteps approach.

  “Hailey,” Terrin said gruffly.

  My eyes popped open, and I stared at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to rescue . . . find you.” He grinned, illuminating his face with his flashlight.

  I bit my lip. “I’m glad you did.”

  “I was hoping you would be.” Terrin came over and squatted down next to me. “I’m sorry, Hailey.”