Year Two (Bloodshed Academy Book 2)

by Jen L. Grey

  “Don’t hate, hater.” Cole turned toward him and waved him off. “I don’t need your bad juju.”

  “We don’t have time for this.” Rage trekked to me and brushed his fingertips on my cheek. “If you’re tired, I’ll tell Isadora that you couldn’t make it.”

  He wasn’t thrilled about me being involved with the headmaster. She was a handful at the best of times. On top of that, he was concerned about my well-being. Between my parents and Isadora, I was too keyed up to go to sleep. “No, she wants me there too.” I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his. “We’re in this together.”

  “Always.” His eyes lightened as a small grin peeked out.

  “I never thought Rage would settle down.” Cole tilted his head. “But not only is he firmly committed to one girl, he’s whipped.”

  “You’re just jealous.” Jess smacked his arm. “He’s not whipped. He’s caring and attentive. If Raven wasn’t my best friend, I’d hate her just because of that alone.”

  A phone dinged, and Damien pulled it from his front pocket. “Damnit, we gotta go. She knows we are here and lollygagging.”

  “It’s like the bitch has eyes everywhere.” Cole spun around, looking in every corner.

  I snorted and glanced at Jess. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Alright, just don’t wake my ass up when you come in.” She yawned and sighed. “I’m exhausted. Have fun.” She turned and made her way back to the dorms.

  “Time to face the music, guys.” Cole turned and merrily strolled toward the main house.

  “Doesn’t he ever get tired?” The vampire always had endless energy, no matter the time or task.

  “I used to think he had to.” Damien sighed in defeat. “But I’ve never seen him get tired. He’s perky when he gets up and the same even when going to bed every night over the past three years.”

  “Perky isn’t the word I’d use for him.” Rage shook his head as he watched Cole. “I can think of a few better. Smartass. Annoying. Attention Starved. Needy.”

  “Oh, Shameless.” Damien huffed.

  “Come on, guys.” Cole opened the door and motioned for us to hurry up. “The longer we take, the angrier she’s going to be.”

  “Weren’t you part of the reason we were lollygagging?” Sometimes conversations were like whiplash with him.

  “Don’t throw my past mistakes in my face.” Cole arched his eyebrows and lowered his head.

  “It was less than two minutes ago.” He had lost his damn mind.

  “Exactly.” He held out both of his hands and shook them with each word. “In the past.”

  “Just don’t.” Rage closed his eyes and took my hand as we walked through the door. “You know there is no winning with Cole logic. It always slants in his favor.”

  “I’m glad you finally caught on.” Cole followed behind us but reached forward, pushing Rage’s shoulder. “It only took three years.”

  We rounded the corner and came face to face with Isadora.

  She was outside her office, pacing, and stopped in her tracks when she saw us. “Thank the gods you’re here.”

  “Most women I know say that when I come.” Cole smacked Damien in the arm. “Get it, come.”

  “Mr. Smith, do you really find that appropriate in front of me?” She stiffened, and her nostrils flared.

  Despite the fact that it was close to four in the morning, she was dressed impeccably in a suit, her hair and makeup perfectly styled.

  “How is it not appropriate?” Cole blinked his eyes and placed his hands on both sides of his face.

  “You’ll never pass as angelic.” Rage grumbled and took a step toward Isadora. “What was so important that we had to come back immediately?”

  She glanced down the hallway and then behind her. “Let’s go into my office to discuss it.”

  I wanted to ask who the hell was she thinking would be up this hour, but I bit my tongue. That lady didn’t like me much, so I didn’t need to press my luck.

  We all filtered into the office with Isadora in the very back. She shut her office door and sighed before turning around to face us. “We have an unprecedented issue.”

  “Then you called the right team.” Cole walked over to her desk and sat on top of it.

  “Mr. Smith, get your ass off my desk right this instant.” Her face was already lined with worry, and her words sounded more exhausted than menacing.

  “Fine.” He stood and leaned against the desk.

  “We found a dead body in the clearing that Ashley was killed in.” She wandered behind her desk and sat, her fingers rubbing her forehead.

  “Who was it?” Damien stared out the window in the direction she spoke of.

  “That’s the problem.” She dropped her hands on the table and leaned back. “We have no clue.”

  A person being killed in the exact same location as Ashley was strange. Could it somehow be tied to The Elites? Surely not. I never answered their letter, and they never reached out to me again.

  “What species is he?” Rage glanced at his phone checking the time.

  “That’s the one hundred dollar question.” She bit on her bottom lip and sighed. “It’s a half-breed.”

  “Like part human and part something else?” Times like these were when I showed my ignorance.

  “No, it’s two supernatural breeds.” Damien turned away from the window.

  “He’s a half breed, fae and wolf shifter.” Isadora sat upright in her chair and stared straight at Damien.

  “How did he die?” For some reason, this was important to me.

  A shiver racked her body. “It was like both supernatural parts fought one another. One side has teeth and nail markings from a wolf. While the other side was burnt as though from elemental magic.”

  There was no telling what that person had gone through. It obviously made an impression on Isadora, so I could only imagine how awful this was going to look.

  “It’s getting close to daylight, so we need to get moving.” Rage squeezed my hand and grinned. “Go on back to the dorms. I’ll see you later.”

  “No, she needs to go with you.” Isadora squared off as if she was prepared to fight Rage.

  “There is no reason for her to go.” Rage wasn’t going to let this one go. He didn’t want me to witness this.

  “There absolutely is.” Isadora narrowed her eyes at him, and her normal demeanor returned. “She is your mate, and whether you like it or not, you both need to do this together.”

  “Awe, this is a team-building exercise.” Cole snickered and winked at me.

  “Shut up, Cole.” Rage's jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed on Isadora. “If you want her to be more involved, that’s fine, but not with this.”

  “You seem to forget that you’re a student here at Bloodshed Academy and that I make that decisions.” She lifted her head and looked at him down her nose. “Not you.”

  “It’ll be fine.” Damien patted Rage’s shoulder. “Just come on.”

  I wasn’t sure why, but I needed to see what had happened. This situation, all of it seemed too coincidental.

  “Fine, let’s go.” Rage tensed as we headed out. When we were outside, he turned to me. “Go on back. You don’t need to see this.”

  “No, she has to go.” Damien stepped in front of me, blocking the way to the dorms.

  “Like hell she does.” Rage growled.

  “She’s expecting you to do this.” I’d rather have run away and hid, but something inside me told me to face this.

  “As always, the lady is right.” Cole wasn’t his usual jolly self. “Last time we didn’t listen, we had to clean the bathrooms for a month. I don’t want to do that again.”

  “Why did she make us come back? Doesn’t she have someone else who can handle this?” It didn’t make sense. After all, this was a prestigious school.

  “Because she only trusts us three …” Cole stared off into the woods, and then a small grin filled his face. “I mean four now.”

/>   “Let’s get this over with.” Damien headed into the woods and took off running.

  “How many times have you all disposed of a dead body?” I might not even want to know the answer.

  “This is a first.” Rage grimaced. “We better catch up.”

  The rest of us set out, and despite my being a girl, I kept up. It was only a matter of seconds before we reached the clearing. Damien stood there with his back toward us, but his body stiffened.

  “Are you okay?” It was unusual for him to act like that.

  He glanced over his shoulder, his face a shade paler than normal. “It’s worse than I expected.”

  That’s all it took for Rage to grab my waist. “No, you can’t be part of this. Go home.”

  Who the hell did he think he was, telling me what I was going to do? He wasn’t my alpha. “Hell, no. Isadora told me to be part of this for a reason.”

  “It’s not worth you having to deal with this.” Rage’s eyes darkened, filling with anger. “I’ll take the repercussions, so go home.”

  This was the first time we had ever fought, and I understood that he was trying to protect me. There was a reason Isadora wanted me here, and to be honest, I needed to see it. Somehow, I knew it was linked with Ashley’s death. “No, I’m not leaving.” If I didn’t stand my ground now, it would be even harder in the future.

  “Please.” Rage’s voice cracked.

  “She’s right.” Cole’s usual demeanor was gone. “There is a reason why Isadora wanted her here.”

  Not wanting to prolong an argument, I hurried and stood next to Damien. The smell of burnt flesh made my stomach roll, and the sight of it didn’t help either.

  Never had I ever seen anything like it. It was as if the guy’s body was torn in half. The left side of his body had teeth marks and deep scratches. The cuts were so deep that blood still oozed from them.

  The right side of his body was completely charred. The black skin melted onto the bone, and even though his face was sliced down the middle, the pain he had been in was evident. This wasn’t like Ashley’s death. Whatever caused this, the victim had stood no chance of survival.

  Vomit clawed at my throat, but I couldn’t allow myself to show weakness in front of the guys, especially after how I insisted on staying. “What in the world caused this?”

  “I don’t know.” Damien frowned as deep worry lined his face. “There are no traces of a struggle with someone else.”

  “It’s as if his fae and wolf side fought. Death was the final outcome.” Rage stepped next to me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

  “This is one of the rare times I wish that Isadora didn’t count on me.” Cole stared at the body.

  “We need to move.” Rage glanced at the pink hue that was beginning to hit the skyline. “Let’s find something to haul him off with.”

  “Yeah, I’ll grab some branches that we can use.” Damien headed off toward one of the largest trees on the side. He began breaking off the limbs that were near the bottom.

  “Raven, do you mind looking around to see if you can find any footprints that might show he wasn’t alone.” Rage’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the horror that was right before us. “The putrid smell covers up any other scents.”

  I wanted to protest, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay with the dead body’s smell. “Fine, but let me know if you need me.” I headed off in the direction that Damien had used in my training to hide and come out to attack me in his bear.

  “This is even a little too much for me.” Cole gagged and his nose wrinkled. “I mean, hell, that blood is semi-fresh, and I’m not tempted to have a snack at all.”

  The sound of limbs dragging across the field alerted me that I didn’t have much time. I gazed around the area, and when I stepped into the trees, there was one set of footprints.

  I glanced around and was tempted called out to the guys, but something stopped me. I followed the tracks, and as my eyes scanned the trees around me, I noticed a letter stuck on a small, low branch, flapping in the breeze.

  Rage’s name was on the tip of my tongue, but something held me back. I walked over and snatched it off. As I unfolded it, the familiar font greeted me.

  Raven,

  What you’ve seen is what the Elites are trying to prevent from continuing to happen. This is an important mission and one that you can help us with. If you’re interested in preventing more deaths like his, meet us tomorrow night at this location.

  Do not tell anyone or there will be severe consequences.

  -The Elites

  My chest felt heavy, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I found these footprints, but there was no way that they were involved. The strangest thing was that there was no scent. Even though it had been hours since his death, something should be lingering in the air.

  “Raven.” Rage’s voice sounded closer than I expected. His quick footsteps were heading in my direction.

  My body froze for a second, and before I could put the letter away, Rage appeared, and his eyes went to my hands.

  Regret clawed into me. It was time for the stuff I’d been hiding from him to come out.

  Chapter Five

  He motioned to the letter. “What’s that?”

  Well, this wasn’t going to go over well. I didn’t want to lie to him. “Just something I found.” I tried to act nonchalant and casually put it in my pocket, but his hand caught mine.

  “May I see it?” He glanced at the white paper in my hands.

  I was at a loss as to what to say. “I don’t know.” I wasn’t sure what severe consequences meant, but I didn’t want either him or me to experience them.

  “Why don’t you know?” His voice was suspiciously steady.

  “They said sharing it with anyone would cause severe consequences.” I didn’t want our bond to become tainted by lies. “I just want to protect you.”

  His eyes warmed to the chocolate I’ve grown to know and love. “The best way to protect me is for me to know what’s going on.”

  That was probably true, especially now that he knew I was hiding something.

  He let go of my hand and turned his palm face up. “Please, can I see it?”

  This was an important moment for us. The only part I dreaded was telling him that this wasn’t the first letter but the second. I placed the note in his hands.

  “Thank you.” He opened the letter and read the words. “I thought this was some kind of sick joke.”

  “What do you mean?” Was someone playing a trick on me? If so, this was a morbid way of doing it.

  “Ashley had made a weird comment about wanting to be an elite.” He glanced up from the note and sighed. “I thought she was just talking about me and the guys.”

  “That humble, are ya?” I cracked up laughing and probably sounded crazy. At this point, it was either laugh or cry though.

  “I feel like I should channel Cole right now, which is something I never thought I’d say.” He folded the piece of paper back up and put it in his pocket. “But from now on, I need to know that you’ll tell me these things no matter the consequences. Just as bad as you want to protect me, I want to protect you too. So, keeping stuff from each other is only going to lead to both of us getting hurt.”

  “Then in the name of transparency, I fully intend to go to this meeting.” He was right. True mates were meant to make each other stronger.

  “Why?” He tried to where a mask of indifference, but the twitch of his jaw was his tell.

  “Because I think they may have answers about what happened to the hybrid.”

  “Maybe, but you don’t have much else to base it on.” Rage closed his eyes and groaned. “You’re about to tell me something I’m not going to like, aren’t you?”

  Damn, he could read me like a book. “This isn’t the first note like this addressed to me.”

  His shoulders slumped as he turned and leaned against the tree. “How many have there been?”

  I could feel his disapproval.<
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  “There’s only been one other.” I needed to clear the air between us. I’ve never felt so vulnerable in my life.

  “When did you get it?” His jaw twitched again.

  I hated that I was causing it. “The night Ashley died.”

  He flinched ever so slightly, but it was enough for me to see. “What did it say?”

  “It said that I was elite material and that they were a secret group that was making hard decisions to protect our society.” I hadn’t been interested in joining until this moment. This group may be making it so things like the half breed’s death don’t happen. “After what I saw tonight, I want to meet them.”

  “Is that all of it?” He pushed off the tree and looked deep into my eyes. “Anything else you need to tell me?”

  Realizing he doubted me hurt, but I deserved it. “No, that was it. You can even see the letter if you want to.”

  “Come on, let’s go home.” Rage stepped over and pulled me into his arms. It was nice and comforting, but the stench of burnt flesh clung to his shirt.

  “Let’s go take a shower.” I pulled back and fanned my nose. “Where is everyone else?”

  “They are taking him to Isadora.” He took my hand, and together we headed back toward the clearing. “She has the skill of fire, so she’ll take care of the rest.”

  Cole and Damien did a good job. There was no sign that the poor guy had ever been there; however, the stench clung to the air.

  We hurried back without delay. The sun peeked out from behind the trees, and the brilliant sunrise streaked the skies in pinks, purples, and blues. It was hard to believe that we had seen something so horrendous just shortly before.