Dragons and Destiny (Animage Academy Book 1)

by Michelle Wilson

  “I can sense negative feelings in people. Pain, distress, nervousness. I felt him. I knew he wasn’t a student or professor. His intent felt—red.”

  “Red?” Professor Vickers asked.

  “Yeah. That’s the best I can explain it.”

  Our conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Chief Winston. Instead of pulling the adults aside, he addressed us all. I sat up a little taller.

  “The suspect will live. He’s awake and talking. You guessed correctly that he was here to steal something. As far as we can tell, he was working alone.”

  “Oh—” I pulled the coin from my pocket. “I just remembered. I found this. Does it mean anything?” Chief Winston inspected the coin.

  “No. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” He placed the coin on the table beside us. “That’s the kind of investigative instincts I like to see in the younger generation.” He winked at me. I smiled.

  “What was he trying to steal?” Drew asked. “Is there anything of value in that room?”

  “We use that room to store old books and some professors use it to conduct low risk experiments,” Headmistress Adiana said. Drew opened his mouth again. I kicked him under the table again before he could say anything.

  “Chief Winston, thank you for the update. I will join you in a moment.” Chief Winston nodded. He started out the door then paused and turned toward us.

  “I have to say. You three were very brave. If it wasn’t for you, this guy probably would have gotten away. We are still trying to figure out how he got in. But when the students at Animage Academy are as dangerous as you, I doubt anyone will try again soon.”

  “I’m sure you must be feeling proud of yourselves.” The headmistress was glaring at the door Chief Winston had exited through as she addressed us. “Come to think of it, I was pretty pleased. But your actions were reckless. Don’t let this happen again. Miss Pearson, if you sense any danger again, find a professor first. You have an hour to get ready and attend your first class.”

  We knew a dismissal when we heard one. I grabbed the coin and pocketed it on the way out. The three of us walked in silence. Our footsteps echoed through the deserted hallways. The January sun was bright as we made our way across campus.

  “How did someone get—”

  “What are they hiding—” Mine and Drew’s words were scrambled as we both started talking at once. We stopped and laughed.

  “That was a night well spent,” Drew joked. Hudson just grunted.

  “Oh, come on,” I said. “You have to admit, it was pretty exciting.”

  He shook his head but couldn’t hide the grin that was plastered across his face. “Let’s just not make a habit of it. Sophie, why didn’t that blast of magic touch you?”

  “I don’t know how, but it was like my necklace absorbed it.” I pulled it out from under shirt and showed it to them.

  “Did you notice Headmistress Adiana didn’t answer my question about the room?” Drew asked. “She knew she couldn’t lie with me in the room, so she just avoided it.”

  “I know!” I grabbed Drew’s arm. The mystery had my brain working in overdrive. It was all I could do to keep myself from skipping down the cobblestones.

  “And how did he get in? I thought only people who were approved were supposed to be able to get on campus. The alarms did go off, but can you believe none of the adults, not even the headmistress was able to figure out he was there?” I stood a little straighter. My ability to sense people and feelings was proving handy.

  “Hudson what do you—” I turned to talk to him, but he was gone, already halfway to the boy’s dorm. My good mood evaporated. How stupid was I to think things would get back to normal?

  Drew’s light touch tickled my shoulder. He spun me around to face him and gave me a peck on the cheek. The negative thoughts racing through my mind disappeared. In fact, all the thoughts did.

  “You sure are full of surprises, little dragon. I’m looking forward to Friday.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  I couldn’t look away from the stranger standing before me. From the soft brown curls, to the artfully done makeup, she was unrecognizable. I touched the mirror with a shaky hand.

  “Penelope—it’s wonderful.”

  “I know!” Penelope had insisted on giving Kylee and I the works for the dance. From our dresses, to our masks, to our hair and makeup. At first, I’d protested. I actually liked picking out clothes and doing my hair and makeup. But as I stood and looked at the sweeping sea-foam tulle with lilac flowers that traveled up my waist and across one shoulder, hugging me in all the right places, I was thrilled I’d let her. I fastened my necklace with the dark teal alexandrite stone around my neck before moving out of Kylee’s way as she finished tying the back of her dress.

  “You really have a knack for this,” Kylee said. She was dressed in a true ballgown in a deep purple color. All week, I’d been a bundle of nerves thinking about the ball. But now that it was here, I was oddly calm.

  “It was fun. I wish they’d let me redesign those annoying uniforms.” As she strapped a mask made with her own white pegasus feathers over her eyes, Kylee helped me tie my intricately designed green and gold disguise. With that, we were ready. Penelope draped her arms around both of our shoulders as we stared at ourselves in the mirror.

  “We are gorgeous, ladies. Those boys won’t know what hit ‘em.”

  The stars were already twinkling in the sky as we left the dorms. There was a tingle in the air as more students were leaving both dorms to head to the ballroom. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I looked around for Drew. The night was alive with color as students whisked past in colorful dresses and dark tuxedos. Magic of a different sort weaved its way through me as I watched all my fellow students hidden behind their masks. Tonight, I could be anyone.

  “Excuse me, my lady.” Drew had snuck up on me in the dark. He stood behind me on the cobblestones. He looked like he stepped out of a story book. His outfit was pitch black with intricate silver embroidery of branches and leaves running through. The suit was complete with an old-fashioned overcoat. The black horns on his mask twisted around his head. He held his hand out to me and bowed. Handing me a corsage that matched the flowers on my dress.

  I curtsied and let him slide the corsage onto my wrist. As he did, more flowers bloomed and wound their way up my arm.

  “Flowers for a lovely lady. You look amazing tonight.” Warmth filled my body and spread to the tips of my fingers as his eyes trailed from my face to my low neckline to the high slit in the skirt. My mother would have never let me out of the house in a dress like this. Good thing she wasn’t there.

  “Shall we?” Kylee walked past us on the arm of a guy I didn’t recognize in a raven mask. Kylee adjusted her own feathered mask and they led the way to the ballroom. Drew offered me his arm, and we melded into the throng of students.

  I had only been in the ballroom when we took the portal to Drew’s house over the holidays. The room looked much different decked out in fabric and drapes. Floating candles gave the room a soft warm flow and glowing moths fluttered about, making the room dance in color.

  “May I have this dance?” Classical music played from nowhere as Drew led me straight to the dance floor. Swept up as I was in the revelry and majesty, I could only nod. Soon we were twirling across the checkered marble floor. For a few moments, the only things I could concentrate on was his hand on my waist and the steps of the waltz Drew was leading me in.

  “Where did you learn to dance?” I called out. We were one of only a few couples doing an actual waltz instead of gently swaying in one spot.

  “My parents hold to some of the old traditions. I’ve been taught in dancing, music, and general revelry making since before I could talk.”

  The students weren’t the only ones enjoying the ball. The professors were decked out in their finery and enjoying themselves as well. They led the students on the dance floor through dances from different time periods. I was lost in the
whirls of colors and laughter that surrounded me. When I was with Drew, I never wanted to stop dancing. My dragon was quiet inside of me. Tonight, I was completely happy with being just a human.

  At the start of a medieval court dance I came face to face with a partner in a Phantom of the Opera style mask. He bowed and extended his hand. As soon as I took hold I knew.

  “Hudson.” He grinned.

  “How did you know?”

  “I can always tell.” We were silent for a few moments as he twined his arm around mine and we walked in a circle.

  “Are you here with someone?” I kicked myself as soon as the question left my lips. Why did I ask him that? Why did I care? I didn’t care, I told myself.

  “Um—yeah. I came with Willa.” Despite the heat of the warm bodies surrounding us, I felt a chill. I really didn’t care about this, I told myself again.

  “Oh—that’s nice.” It was the only thing I could think to say. Blessedly, the song ended. We stopped dancing. Both of my hands were still in his. I wanted to say something else, but nothing came. Hudson leaned forward and gave me a peck on the cheek.

  “You look beautiful tonight, Sophie.” His whisper was hot against my ear. Time froze as he stared at me. The moment was broken when he dropped my hands like he was burned and strode away. An impulsive desire to follow and yell at him seized me. A hand on my shoulder stopped me. I looked up into Drew’s impossibly perfect face. The music started up again, and I realized we were just standing in the middle of the dance floor.

  Everything that was magical moments ago now seemed overwhelming. The music was loud; the fabrics and the dresses surrounding me were suffocating. Every mask looked like a villain lurked underneath. For the first time that night, my dragon stirred, her unceasing desire to be let free surfaced in my chest.

  “Sophie, are you all right?”

  “I’m just—um—hot.”

  “Do you want to go outside and take a walk?” I nodded and Drew grabbed my hand and drew me out a side door. The cool night air was a relief. I took a deep breath and pulled as much as I could into my lungs. Drew led me to an empty bench. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket for me to wipe my face. After he handed it to me, he let his hand fall to my knee and let it rest there. From our seat we could see everyone still dancing.

  “Isn’t it beautiful? I think this is what one of the old Faerie courts would have been like. It would have been a sight to behold.”

  “Why aren’t there any courts anymore?”

  “Most of them went away before the turn of the century. Faeries were being hunted. The humans were winning. You know the stories. Part of the Secrecy Act was the deal that all the kings and queens would abdicate, and the Council would rule over all supernaturals.”

  “I thought the faerie on the council was the queen?”

  “In name, yes, but each new representative is chosen by the Council, so it’s not the same. After the Council was established, there was no reason to hold the courts anymore, and they just faded out.”

  “That’s really sad.” I ran the handkerchief I was holding through my hands, lost in thought about kings and queens, and courts full of faeries and merriment. Something rough brought my attention back to the cloth. Embroidered in a corner was an emblem with a bear track and a crown.

  “What is this?” Drew took the handkerchief from me and inspected it.

  “I’m not sure. Probably just a brand or something. I borrowed this get up from my dad.” He stuck the cloth back in his pocket and took both of my hands in his.

  “The ball is almost over, but I don’t want tonight to end.” A chill went through me that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. “Want to gather some of our friends and really make this a night to remember?”

  “Yes.”

  It was short work to gather most of the Immortal’s Club and sneak out in pairs and trios until we were all in our usual grove of trees.

  “Follow me,” Drew told us. “Let’s go somewhere special.” He led us through the trees and to the same spot I’d snuck off campus with Willa. Was I the only student that hadn’t gotten the secret passageways memo?

  “What about those of us with wings?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Drew said. “There are stranger things on the streets of New York than people walking around with wings. No one is even going to notice.”

  My gown and mask provided some sort of protection as we walked along the streets. My friends surrounded me, I was invincible. This is what it was to be strong and to be free. The first night I snuck off campus I’d been worried for Willa’s mom. This time it felt, well, fun. Nothing could stop us now.

  Soon, we veered off into a hidden street I knew was one of the supernatural areas. I began to see more wings. Even a gargoyle was walking around with his claws and wings out in the open. Drew reached out and took my hand. I was suddenly too shy to say anything in reply. Drew led me to a large steel door. He knocked three times. The door opened and music came pouring out. The guy at the door looked at both of us.

  “You’re a little young, aren’t you?” He said.

  “This place allows people of all ages,” Drew said. “You know that.”

  “Why should I let you in? You’re cocky for a student.”

  “I’m a gryphon.” He pointed at me. “And she’s a dragon. And the rest of us are all animages.” The guy narrowed his eyes as he looked at us. Then he nodded. “Come right on in.”

  Drew went first and held tight to my hand as we pushed past the guy and entered the nightclub.

  Blaring music greeted us as we walked through the door. The sound assaulted my ears. Drew sensed my hesitation and squeezed my hand. His concern radiated through me and I was able to concentrate and adjust the sounds to a more manageable level. Our friends melted into the crowd and soon it was just Drew and me. I didn’t think a group of teenagers in ball gowns and masks would’ve been able to blend in, but it was no ordinary crowd gathered here.

  I spotted a group of vampires at the bar. At night their pale skin was exposed. They all glowed under the fluorescent lights coming from the dance floor. Charlie joined them, throwing her owl mask onto the bar and hailing the bartender.

  Drew pulled me onto the dance floor. It was even darker there, and we had to dodge gargoyle and faeries wings, arms legs, and even the occasional tail to make it to the middle. The air was humid from the bodies pressed around us. The music thumped all the way through my body. Dressed in our outfits and masks, I truly felt like I’d been swept up in a fairytale.

  We danced and danced. The music was fast and exciting. Drew’s body was pressed up against mine. Sweat made my hair cling to my neck and mask. Somewhere along the way Drew abandoned his jacket and rolled up the puffy sleeves of his shirt. A slow song began, and Drew circled his arms around my waist and pulled me towards him. I hesitated a beat before putting my arms around his neck and laying my head on his chest. In the dark and out from under the watchful eyes of the professors, it was easy to get close to each other. I was intimately aware of all the places our bodies touched. Our hips, our stomachs. The tops of his wings grazed my hands. We swayed back and forth. Much too soon, the song was over.

  “Want to get something to drink?” he whispered. His breath was hot against my ear. I nodded. He took my hand and led me through the crowd to a bar over by the wall. I sat on a stool while he ordered us two sodas. The coldness of the drink shocked my system. It was so hot in there, I was starting to sweat.

  “Enjoying your night?” he asked. I nodded again, still too mesmerized by the dancing and the boy I was with to speak. “How about we get out of here and go for a walk before we have to head back?”

  “Sounds good,” I managed to say. We left our glasses and headed back out of the club. The cold January wind was a relief from the humidity inside. It cut through the fog in my brain. Drew took my hand again, and we walked up and down the New York streets. It was almost 2 a.m. and there were less and less people out as we walked along.<
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  “You know, I was surprised when you actually said you wanted to go out with me,” Drew said.

  “Really?” I asked. “Why?”

  “At first I thought there might be something going on between you and Hudson.”

  “No, Hudson’s ju—just a friend. Was. He was just a friend.”

  “I don’t think you’ve noticed the way he looks at you,” Drew said. “Besides, I thought you were out of my league.” I snorted which, startled a laugh out of him. “What? It’s true!”

  “I thought the same about you,” I said.

  “There’s no way I’m out of your league. Your league is so far above mine I can’t even see it. I mean you’re smart, and tough, and so sure of yourself. That first night of the Immortal’s Club the older students didn’t know what hit them. Here you were a brand new shifter who busted through their crap and made your own rules. It was great. And plus, you’re pretty hot.”

  My heart fluttered, and I knew I was blushing from my chin to the roots of my hair. “You didn’t want to go out with me just because I’m a dragon?” I asked. Maybe it was the night that was causing me to be so bold and ask the question that scared me the most.

  Drew pulled me off the sidewalk and into an alleyway. He backed me up against the side of a building. “Sophie, no matter what your animal is, you would still take the world by storm.” He leaned down and kissed me.

  “Hey Drew, you ready to head back?” We jumped apart like we’d been shocked. Drew cleared his throat while I was suddenly concerned with straightening my dress as Penelope made her way down the alley to us.

  “Uh—yeah, sure. We probably should.” Drew grabbed my hand, and we headed to catch up with the group. I didn’t think Penelope had noticed anything until she looked at me and winked. If I kept blushing like I had all night, my face was going to turn permanently red.

  It was almost 3 a.m. when we arrived back at the empty lot at the back of the school. We were just getting ready to slip through the fence when Drew paused.