Year One (Bloodshed Academy Book 1)

by Jen L. Grey

  “Are you okay?” He laughed and pulled me close.

  “More than okay.” That was the best sex I’d ever experienced. “Are you?”

  “This has been the best moment of my entire existence. Now I don’t have just a true mate; I have a bonded mate.” He kissed my lips and started doing it all over again.

  Rage’s phone kept buzzing.

  “Don’t you think you should answer that?” We’d lost count of how many times we’d been together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Yeah, I guess so. We need to get moving anyway. I’m sure Cole will be here any second. He leaned over to pick up his underwear and pants before pulling them on. He grabbed the phone and groaned. “Get dressed. We have to go.”

  I jumped out of bed, quickly pulling my panties and dress back on. My hair was a mess, but there was no way to fix that here. “What’s wrong?”

  “Isadora wants to see us.” He groaned and put the phone in his pocket.

  “Is everything okay?” I’d never been called to the headmaster’s office before. It had to be everything I messed up with Greg and Jordan. Ugh, this felt like being called to the principal's office.

  He grabbed his shirt and then chuckled. “So, there’s no salvaging this.”

  “Uh … sorry?” There wasn’t anything more I could say than that even though I really wasn’t.

  “I’m not.” He walked over and kissed my lips. “Alright, the longer we wait the worse it’ll get.” He moved to his closet and grabbed another shirt. This time, it was a white polo and not a button-down.

  “What did we do?” I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d never gotten in trouble before.

  “Don’t worry. Jordan probably ran over to complain that we were bullying her.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me out the door. “But the thing is, we would’ve never done that if she hadn’t caused a scene. I’m sure she left out that important part, so we just have to go and tell Isadora what really happened.”

  It didn’t take long for us to reach her office. I’d never been in it before, but it was one place I’d never forget. The floor was a dark pine, and there was a large dark cherry wood bookcase that took up the whole wall. In the center of it was a cut out entirely filled with a painting of a woman that very much favored the woman who was sitting at a huge desk placed in front of it. The desk seemed to be made of the same dark cherry wood as the bookcase with a large leather desk chair sitting behind it. She had four seats in front of the desk, which were already occupied by Jess, Cole, and Damien.

  “So nice of you two to join us.” Isadora was sitting in the chair right behind the desk. Her sparkling green eyes seemed to rake up and down me. “We’ve been trying to get in touch with you both for a while now.”

  “I’m sorry about that.” Rage tensed but refused to let go of my hand.

  “No excuses then?” She leaned back in her chair and placed her two index fingers under her chin.

  “It was my fault.” I refused to let Rage take the blame.

  Cole chuckled and elbowed Damien. “It takes two to tango.”

  “Will you two shut up?” Jess grinned but at least pretended to be offended by what Cole had just said.

  “Two?” Damien shook his head. “I believe Cole was the only one talking. I always get lumped in with you two even when I’m not involved in your shit.”

  “You’re known for who you hang out with.” Cole swayed his index fingers Damien’s way.

  “Will you cut the shit?” Isadora glared at Cole as she stood. “Now, Ms. Wright and Mr. Jackson, please come in and join us.”

  Rage placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me to take the chair. I wanted to argue with him, but I wasn’t going to test Isadora’s patience.

  “I was informed of a very public disturbance tonight.” She paced behind her desk with a frown that seemed to be permanently placed. “It involved two of my most influential students.”

  “Oh, come on. It was that bitch Jordan causing shit again.” Cole slumped in his seat and groaned.

  “If you want to act like a toddler, then I shall treat you like one.” She slammed her hand on the desk, and her teeth extended.

  “With all due respect, I have to agree with Cole on this one.” Damien closed his eyes and grimaced. “Jordan and Ashley have taken a keen interest in not only Cole and Rage but Raven as well.”

  “I bet that hurt to admit,” Jess whispered, but with all of the supernatural ears in the room, every single one of us heard her.

  “Traitor.” Cole crossed his arms, somehow sinking even further into the chair.

  “So, tell me your version of what happened tonight?” Isadora arched an eyebrow, and her eyes landed on me.

  “Oh, well Damien texted me to tell me …”

  Rage interrupted me. “I was dancing with Raven and Jordan tried to cut in.”

  Her eyes cut to Rage. “Pray tell, what was the problem with that?”

  “I’d just discovered that Raven was my mate, and I didn’t want to leave her.”

  Isadora breathed deeply. “True mate?”

  “Yes, we were connecting, and she interfered.” Rage touched the back of my chair, leaning against me. “We explained that to Jordan, and she wouldn’t let up.”

  “Well, she did ask for it this time, I suppose.” She sat in the chair and crossed her legs. “However, this cannot be a common occurrence, or there will be repercussions. I have too much at stake with another issue. I don’t have time to deal with your toddler-like antics. Am I clear?”

  “Of course.” Damien stood and headed to the door, opening it.

  “Don’t worry, Izzy.” Cole jumped from his chair and winked at her. “We won’t let you down.”

  “For the last time, Mr. Weston, my name is Isadora, not Izzy.” Her eyes began sparkling again, but there was still an edge to her tone.

  “You can’t blame me for getting it confused.” Cole grabbed Jess’s hand and pulled her up. He wrapped an arm around her and pointed at Isadora. “Night, Izzy. Make sure you get some rest.” They both walked out the door as the headmaster sighed.

  As I neared the door, Isadora cleared her throat. “Oh, and Miss Wright?”

  I paused and turned around. “Yes?”

  Rage passed through the door but stopped at the threshold.

  “Professor Shaw informed me that you had some kind of block on your wolf and that you are now as one.” She tapped her fingers together and paused. “Make sure you get it under control before the others come back from winter vacation. If not, I’ll have to take things into my own hands.”

  Great, not only do I have two girls who are out to get me, but the headmaster just threatened me again. I wasn’t sure how I was going to survive this school.

  Chapter Seventeen

  It felt lonely staying in my apartment without Jess tinkering around. I was already missing Rage even though he’d only been gone for two hours. When did I turn into this girl?

  I made my way into the kitchen and got a glass of water. I’d barely gotten any sleep, especially after our meeting with Isadora. Rage promised me that everything would be fine. He thought that since everyone knew I was his mate and that Cole was loyal to me; things would begin to slow down. But I wasn’t so sure. I might’ve synced with my wolf, but I still had so much to learn.

  A knock at the door froze me in my tracks. Maybe I had just jinxed myself. I tiptoed over to the door, looking through the peephole.

  “Rave, just open the damn door already. I can smell you right there.” Damien sighed and knocked on the door again.

  Damn, I really needed to get my head in the game or I wouldn’t survive. Not even bothering with a response, I unlocked the door and opened it.

  “Who the hell did you think I was?” Damien put his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

  “You’ll say I’m overreacting just like Rage said before he left.” I hated this feeling of being a walking target. “It’s not that I don’t trust him, but there’s something about
both Ashley and Jordan that’s bothering me.”

  “There is no doubt that they’re going to come after you.” He leaned against the edge of the door. “That’s why we need to make sure you’re in control, especially now that you’re one with your wolf.”

  The fact that he agreed with me completely threw me off my game. “What?” Wow, I was being so very eloquent here.

  “I said I agreed with you.” Damien chuckled. “Rage has an inflated ego at times. He has a god tendency even if he has good intentions. Those girls are vicious and obviously want you dead.”

  It was nice for someone to be on my side. “But my wolf and I are merged. Doesn’t that solve everything?”

  “No, it doesn’t. You still have to feel out your bond.” He scanned me from top to bottom. “I’m honestly surprised I didn’t find you in your pajamas.”

  “If only you’d come like five minutes earlier.” It was odd, but somehow all three of those guys had made their way into my heart. Rage would’ve regardless, for obvious reasons, but not the other two. Somehow, they’d managed it all on their own.

  “Thank goodness I didn’t. Since I don’t think Rage would be very happy with me.” His gaze went to the den. “Go get a couple changes of clothes. I don’t need Rage killing me before I get to ring in the New Year.”

  Not arguing, I ran into my room and grabbed a bag, piling it with three changes of clothes. He said a couple, but I figured an extra outfit might be warranted. Better to have extra and not need it than the opposite.

  “Alright, I’m ready.” I threw the pink zipper bag over my shoulder.

  We made our way to the first floor and out the door.

  “Let’s go to our usual spot.” Damien led the way, and we moved in amicable silence.

  When we reached the clearing, he paused. “Now, we need to do things differently here. It’s not going to be like the last time.”

  “Okay, let’s do this.” I figured there was no point in being negative. I threw my bag on the ground.

  “Alright, we’re going to recreate the very first night you got here, but I want you to not shift.” He walked across the opening and slid behind some trees.

  Overall, shifters aren’t uncomfortable with nudity, but we still didn’t go out of our way to have our dangly bits on display for everyone to see.

  A loud roar broke through the silence, and all my instincts kicked into gear.

  It didn’t take long for Damien in his large grizzly form to come racing into the clearing. He pawed at the ground, and his eyes landed on me. He roared once more before charging toward me.

  Even though I knew this was an exercise, it felt real. He looked pissed. My bones began to crack as the shift pressed upon me.

  No, this can’t happen. Damien told me to control myself and not let this happen. I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. However, another bone cracked, and my hands grew fur. No, dammit. I thought this would be easy.

  When he was within ten feet of me, his mouth opened wide, revealing his sharp teeth with drool dripping out the sides. He stood on his hind feet, ready to fight.

  That’s all it took for the shift to happen. My clothes ripped, and fur sprouted all over me. I howled and prepared to attack.

  Damien then dropped to all fours, and every ounce of aggression vanished. He ran back in the direction he’d come from to shift back.

  It pissed me off that I’d shifted. I thought there wouldn’t be any problem for me to remain human. With my teeth, I grabbed the strap of my bag and dragged it behind two large trees. I shifted back and chose a gray shirt and black yoga pants. I dressed quickly and met Damien back in the clearing.

  “Ugh, I messed up.” I hated that I failed.

  “To be honest, you did better than I expected.” He gave me one of his rare grins. “I almost thought you weren’t going to shift.”

  “It was a struggle.” More than I liked to admit. “But at least I didn’t blackout like that first night.”

  “That’s the point of this exercise.” He picked a twig from his hair. “If it were easy, then we wouldn’t need to work on it.”

  “You’re right.” Isadora’s threat rang in my ears. “Okay, I’m ready to try again.”

  Pride seemed to gleam from his eyes. “Alright then, let’s try again.” He turned and ran back to the area across from me. He slipped between two trees and disappeared.

  Okay, I have to concentrate more and be in control. I threw my arms to each side and jogged in place.

  Damien appeared again in his bear form, but when his eyes landed on me, his big grizzly mouth lifted at the corners. It seemed like he was laughing.

  Great, even in animal form, I was being made fun of. I stilled and waited for the inevitable attack. “What are you laughing at? At least when I shift, I don’t smell like ass.” Damnit. Maybe I shouldn’t be poking at the big ass bear.

  He roared loud and began a quick run toward me. He could run fast for such a large animal.

  The adrenaline pulsed inside me, and my body once again wanted to shift. I closed my eyes, trying to block out his attack. However, his heavy breathing and loud steps seemed to echo in my ears. The closer he got, the harder it was to ignore.

  When it felt like he was right on me, my eyes popped open, and my bones began to crack all on their own accord. I tried to hold it back, but it felt like my body was fighting against me. All too quickly, I lost control. My bones broke, and the ground seemed to drop out from under my feet as I shrank once again, back into my wolf form.

  My breathing was ragged, and I whined in frustration. All this seemed to knock the strength out of me. Ugh, I messed up again.

  For the next week, every day played out the same way. Damien and I would head to the same spot, and over and over again, I failed. The only good news was it did seem as if I was gaining some control, but still not anywhere near what I needed to have.

  I grabbed a cup of coffee from my Keurig and made my way to the couch. Damien’s family apparently didn’t live far away, so he was spending Christmas morning with them, leaving me alone in my apartment. He’d offered to take me with him, but it would’ve made the wrong impression. Going to a guy’s house on Christmas to spend time with him and his family just felt wrong since it wasn’t Rage.

  Of course, I missed that man too damn much. We’d talked every night, but it wasn’t the same as him being here with me. It was amazing that I’d met my mate, my true mate, but I hated that he had to leave the very next day.

  My phone rang, so I grabbed it from the table in front of me. Of course, it would be my parents. I wished more than anything I could be there with them. However, Isadora wanted me here until my wolf and I were in complete sync with one another. I couldn’t be out and about feeling threatened and shift in front of humans. “Hey.”

  “Merry Christmas.” My parents both said in unison.

  “Aw, Merry Christmas.” Hearing their voices tugged on my heart even more.

  “We miss you, baby girl.” My dad’s voice was strained as if he was trying not to cry.

  “I miss y’all too.” They both meant the world to me. I reached for my necklace and grasped air. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it home.”

  “We know it’s not your fault.” Mom’s tone had an edge for some reason. “Still, you never told us a specific excuse for not coming home for Christmas.”

  For some reason, my gut told me not to tell her, at least for now. I didn’t suspect my parents had anything to do with the necklace and its block, but I needed to figure out who spelled it before I tell them what happened. Speaking of which, I needed to get it back from Professor Shaw. “Just struggling with my wolf still, and that causes a risk for anyone I’m around. Especially if I leave here.” That was the truth, so I wasn’t lying, just omitting certain details.

  “Maybe being around family would help you.” Mom’s voice got higher.

  “Liz …” Dad was always the peacemaker in our family.

  Mom and I were very similar, which caused u
s to fight with each other. Now that I’d been here, I realized she had alpha running in her blood as well. It was a shame that she didn’t utilize it.

  With the way Mom was acting, I decided I needed to get off the phone with her and fast. I knew it was going to turn into an argument otherwise. “Hey, guys, I’ve got to run.”

  “Okay, honey. We just wanted to let you know that we miss you.” Dad was quick to speak first. “When you get back home, we’ll celebrate Christmas.”

  Damien had told me we get a week's break in the summer, so it wouldn’t be a full year before I saw them again. Just the thought of that break was comforting. “I love you both. Bye.” I hung up as tears sprung from my eyes.

  I’d never felt alone like this before. If I’d been home, we would’ve opened gifts and even had breakfast together. Now, I was sitting here all alone with cold seeping throughout my body. Not only had I kept the secret about the necklace, but I hadn’t even told my parents about Rage yet either. I figured there was plenty of time for that.

  A loud knock rapped against the door.

  That man was ruthless and wouldn’t give up. “Damien, I told you I wasn’t going to your family event.” I jumped to my feet and reached the door, swinging it open.

  It was Rage.

  I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around him. I missed him so damn much. “What are you doing here?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” He hugged me tightly. “I couldn’t stay away from you any longer, and I couldn’t miss our first Christmas together.”

  It’d only been a week, but it felt like years. Tears glistened in my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Rage rubbed my back and gently placed me on the ground.

  “So now your parents hate me.” I sniffed and tried wiping the tears away from my eyes.

  “Not at all.” He leaned down and kissed my lips. “Mom said she’d been expecting this ever since I told them I found my true mate and that she wasn’t allowed off-campus.”

  “I hate that I sound so weak.” This year had never made me feel so insecure and brave at the same time. I needed to move more into the braver side.