The Roses Academy- the Entire Collection

by Tara Brown

“Like shopping?”

  “Yeah.” Aimee laughed again. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you too, Aimes.” She dove at Aimee, knocking her back with a violent hug.

  “You’ll need to be careful of your compulsion. Marcus’ vampires are the strongest in the world. If a regular vampire makes you, you’ll be weaker than anyone who is older. Because Marcus made you, you are stronger than any vampire. Only Marcus’ other vampires are as strong as you.”

  “Seriously?” She gave Aleks a fangy grin. “Sweet.”

  “Yeah. Ready to go home?”

  “Yeah.” She leaned in, kissing Aimee softly on the cheek, like she was practicing to be delicate. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank us.” Aimee spoke grimly. “We’ve cursed you.”

  “At least we have each other. Can I fly?” Giselle jumped up, ready to go.

  “No.” Aleks exhaled.

  “Can I swim really fast?”

  “Not sure. I’ve never watched Marcus swim laps.” Aimee shrugged.

  “Can Marcus run super fast?”

  “You’ll be faster than a regular human. You’re stronger now,” Aleks tried to assure her.

  “So, I don’t sparkle?” She turned to me. “Does Marcus sparkle?”

  “What?—I don’t think so.” Sparkle? Was she being serious?

  Disappointed, she glanced down. “Man. What can I do?”

  “What do you mean?” Aleks’ focus went back and forth between Aimee and I.

  “My superpowers?” Giselle whined.

  “What superpowers? You can’t die, and like I said, you’re strong.” Aleks scoffed.

  “Hmm, kind of lame. Do I change into, like, a wolf or a bat?” She sounded truly disheartened.

  “And we’re done,” Aleks growled, losing the last hold on his patience and taking her hand. “Let’s go.”

  We’re headed back to Lydia’s. Aimee squeezed my fingers before she let go. “Thanks again.”

  “Yeah.” I was stunned. I’d expected the whole vampire-birth thing to be something much more theatrical. Giselle seemed to be exactly the person she was before, only not sick. She was perky and happy and balanced. There was no blood lust or craziness.

  It was so weird.

  When we got inside Lydia’s house I went to find Ari. I needed to ask her a question. She sat alone, reading a book.

  “Hey.” I sat across from her on the couch. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.” She smiled but it was fake, definitely fake. She didn’t like me. I wasn’t sure why. I sensed she and Aimee were both hesitant to become my friend.

  “How long did it take you to get control of the other people inside you?”

  Ari groaned. “Forever. It was brutal. Why?”

  “I have to try to control my beast.”

  “Oh yeah? Good luck with that.” She scoffed.

  “Thanks.” I tried not to sound rude back. She was such a bitch.

  Lucas walked into the room, sniffing the air. “Anyone smell that?”

  Ben came in right behind him with a massive sandwich in his hands. “I do. That’s a vampire.”

  I sniffed the air but couldn’t smell anything different. “Giselle’s back.” I knew how they felt about vampires.

  “Is she—normal?” Lucas asked, smelling the air like a dog.

  “She’s a vampire,” I muttered.

  “Oh nice.” Ben grinned wide.

  Ari rolled her eyes. “I hope she bites you both.”

  Ben grinned. “I’d be happy to bite her back.”

  Appearing completely different than when I saw her moments ago, Giselle walked in changed and clean. “Hey.” She had to have done that in five minutes.

  Ben moved over on the huge sofa. “Come have a seat, Giselle.”

  “Come on.” Aleks strolled in behind her, staying close.

  “You look remarkably better.” Ben gave her a fierce once-over.

  “Thanks.” Giselle was upbeat. “I feel so much better. I’m still getting used to how bright everything is and how much better my vision is. I can hear shit like it’s nobody’s business. Hanna, your heartbeat is going nutty.”

  “Oh weird.” I blushed, trying not to look at Aleks or Ben or Lucas who all made me feel strange.

  Ben laughed. “How fast can you run?”

  “Faster than you, I bet.” Giselle shrugged.

  “Want to race?”

  “When the sun goes down,” Aleks pointed out. “We don’t need wolves and vampires running around in broad daylight.”

  “Well, I better get home before Roland sets the hounds out looking for me. He’s been weird lately.” I offered Giselle a smile. “I’m glad you’re better.”

  “Thanks, Hanna.” She got up when I did and hugged me hard. “I owe you one.”

  “No, don’t be silly. It was my pleasure.” I hadn’t done anything except emotionally blackmail a powerful vampire.

  “See ya.” I waved at everyone.

  “I will walk you out.” Aleks followed me from the room.

  I blushed, hating that being near him or listening to him speak or even just smelling the air around him made my heart beat faster. “Oh, that’s okay.”

  “No, I want to.”

  I walked from the room to the front door.

  He took my hand. “I’m sorry if he hurt you at all.”

  “Your little mind tricks didn’t work, Aleks. They wore off the moment you were gone. So he didn’t do anything to me,” I murmured, annoyed he had tried to make me love Marcus so the stay wouldn’t be so bad.

  “Oh, thank God.” He sighed. “I felt so bad about doing it, but I was worried you would leave.”

  I glanced past him into the room where they all were. “Well, I’m glad she’s alive and healthy. Just be honest with me from now on though, and don’t use that Jedi mind-trick crap on me. I don’t appreciate being traded and tricked because you need to save hot chicks.”

  “I saved her because I had to. It wasn’t because of her looks. I owed her.”

  “Whatever, fine. We’re cool.” I strode out of the house annoyed. And not because he had tricked me, but because I liked him. He smelled like all my favorite things. And I hated that I liked him. I didn’t even know him well enough to like him. It was dumb.

  My hormones were a hot mess.

  “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” he called after me.

  I waved backward, not looking back.

  The walk home was frustrating. One part of me wanted to phone Aleks and tell him to meet me at my place, but how he and Giselle felt about each other was obvious. I had no intention of making any moves on him. The farther I got from him, the more upset I was about being attracted to him. It was like the fresh air and the distance gave me perspective over the raging lust I was plagued with.

  I’d never been this girl. I’d never cared about boys this much in my life.

  Needless to say, I laughed as I strolled into my driveway to find Officer Paulson standing at the front door, speaking with Roland.

  Another guy I needed to stop finding so damned attractive.

  I exhaled deeply, wanting to get into my car and drive to the airport, but he turned and spotted me. “Hey, just the girl I wanted to see.”

  “Hi.” I waved.

  He was in his uniform. I tried not to notice how his body filled it out or the way his eyes sparkled when he looked at me.

  What the hell’s wrong with me?

  He walked toward me. “So how you feeling?”

  “Good.” I sighed, staring at him.

  “Don’t talk outside, it’s freezing.” Roland waved us inside. “Come in out of the cold, you two. I will fetch some cider.”

  I looked at the wreath on the door and realized Roland had been decorating.

  “Wow! Roland, this looks amazing.”

  “Thank you. It is my favorite season.” He headed off for the kitchen.

  Andy laughed. “Yeah, mine too—less crimes committed. Well, more suicide attempts b
ut less other crap.”

  “You sound very concerned about the suicides.”

  He shrugged. “You kind of get to the point where you lose the ability to get attached.”

  “How’s the case?”

  He scowled. “Your aunt is a piece of work. It’s why I’m here. I didn’t want to bring it up at your birthday.”

  I pointed to the sitting room. “Let’s sit.”

  He pulled his jacket off and hung it up on the coat rack as I hauled off my boots and slipped on my fuzzy slippers.

  The couch was warm and inviting with the fireplace ablaze and stockings hung in preparation. Roland had really gone all out. The entire house looked like the backdrop of a period piece.

  “She isn’t your real aunt. It turns out she and your mother were friends for years before you were born. What do you recall about her?”

  “Not much.” I shrugged. “I knew she wasn’t a blood relative. They always said she was like my mother’s sister. She was my godmother.”

  “Well, I’m glad you know she isn’t related to you. Anyway, we found out she was spending your trust fund wildly. She owns three other houses, all bought in the last year. And even worse, she owns five vehicles.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Basically, it seems she only took you in to get access to the money. She knew all about the trust fund long before your mother died.”

  “I knew that, but not about the houses and cars. So she has all these places everywhere? When did she go to them? We never took trips.”

  “I think they were part of the after-you-died plan.”

  “Oh.” My stomach tightened.

  “Roland and I spoke and we’ve got your family lawyer filing court orders to have them transferred into your ownership, as your money bought them and there is proof of it all. Her lawyers tried to argue that she took the money as payment to look after you, but the judge was adopted as a child. It didn’t go well. Anyway, it’s a fraud case now as well.”

  “Wow. How did I miss all of this?”

  “Hanna, she’s a sneaky woman and apparently an amazing actress.”

  “I honestly always believed she loved me, that they both did.”

  He put his hand on mine. “Hanna, I want you to know I’m here for you.”

  “Thank you.” Our eyes met and something clicked.

  We leaned in at the same time, brushing lips and hovering there.

  “I should go. I’m on the clock.” He stood abruptly. “I’d like to see you again.”

  “Unofficially?” I tried to joke but he wasn’t the first guy I’d kissed today.

  “Very unofficially.”

  “Me too.” I tried desperately to get my mind back on track. “Give me a call. I’m not sure what Roland has planned over Christmas.”

  “Caroling and pageantry, I suspect.” He laughed again. “It looks like Martha Stewart came by to help him out.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me if they were best friends.” I walked him to the door. “What do I do now, regarding my aunt? Or rather, Cecile?”

  “Well, the judge has the weekend to go over the paperwork and court orders. She will be deliberating on Monday. If you want, I could call you when she calls to tell me her decision. Most likely the court will liquidate the assets and you’ll be owed the money, but it’ll be tied up for a long time.”

  I shrugged, trying to be casual and act like we hadn’t just had the most inappropriate kiss of the day. “Let me know.”

  He opened the door. “Okay, well I have to get back to work. Tell Roland I said thanks anyway for the cider.”

  “I will.” I smiled, staring at his uniform, my eyes riveted to his chest.

  He smirked. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Stop looking at me like I’m a piece of meat. I’ll call Monday if you don’t call me first.” He walked out and I tried hard not to watch his butt in his police pants.

  “Your cider.”

  I turned to see Roland holding a tray. I took a mug of steaming cider. We both waved as Andy drove out of the driveway.

  I hated seeing him go.

  Chapter 20

  Hanna Hyde versus the Greek Isles

  “Roland, does God hate me?” I pondered as I strolled into the kitchen in the morning.

  “Good morning.” Roland chuckled. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because I went to bed last night thinking about the fact I have this sweet cop trying to date me. Marcus is exactly what he said, everything and nothing. There are days I do nothing but think about him. And something, maybe an unnatural force, makes me want to be with Aleks. Then there is Sam. Oh my God, Sam is driving me nuts. I actually forget where I am when he’s around. He has the sweetest way about him. And Ben. God, he smells good. And while I’m busy drooling over all these guys, I forget that I have NEVER cared about boys. I’ve never had a real boyfriend, except Jimmy and that hardly counts, and this feels like the worst timing possible to contemplate one, let alone five.”

  “I think you are too young and you should wait to make decisions about boys. You have so many things going on in your life right now.” He smiled, and started cleaning up. “Just relax and be young, my dear. Your mother would have given you that exact advice.”

  “Who was my mother?” I asked quietly, watching him tidy up.

  He frowned. “Why?”

  “My father met my mother seventy-five years ago, Roland. I’m assuming she was something more than a regular mom.”

  “Yes, well I suppose that’s the truth of it. I was told we would never have to have this conversation, and yet here we are.” His eyes lowered as he spoke, “Your mother was special. She was something called a siren.”

  “The women who call ships to their death?”

  “No—yes. Well, that part is not entirely true. They don’t need to sing; they just need a strong breeze. They used to hang out along the coastline when ships were the mode of transportation.”

  “My mom did that?”

  “I don’t know.” His gaze flickered to mine. “We never talked about her and the ships.”

  “Did she kill men?”

  He laughed. “Only with her looks. No, she was a sweet woman. She and Cecile became friends before you were born. Cecile hated your father but loved your mother. Everyone loved her.” His dark eyes grew hollow. “Humans can’t help themselves. Supernatural men lust after sirens. But most supernatural females despise them. Cecile was a regular human woman, and she loved your mother like a sister because she couldn’t fight the urge to.”

  “Why would they leave me with Cecile if she was evil?”

  “No one knew she was evil. She was a devoted friend to your mother. No one believed Cecile capable of anything. Your father tested your blood yearly, against your mother’s and his. You never showed any signs of having the traits of either of them. Cecile was the best bet. She was human. You were human. She loved your mother and you.”

  “Up until Cecile poisoned me, I was a regular human?”

  “Your father believed that you had none of the siren in you and none of him. It was a miracle, and they had no reason not to think you would grow to be anything but a normal kid. He would have brought you to live with us if you had been abnormal in any way. You would have grown up around the Roses Academy.”

  “What changed it all?”

  Roland shrugged. “I fear we may only hazard a guess that it was the poison. All I know is no one from our world was permitted to meet you until the day the change occurred. He wanted you to have a normal life.”

  “That panned out well.”

  “You know what they say about best-laid plans.”

  “So she was a siren? What if I’m a siren and that’s why Aleks is into me? Why Andy wants me? And Marcus? And I think that Ben guy is too, but he also appears to be into Giselle. And then there’s Sam. Oh my God, Sam. He definitely hit on me.” I closed my eyes and let my head fall back.

  “People can’t fight their love and attraction for sirens. If you are it’s terribly dange
rous. You force feelings on them.”

  “Force.” I paused. “You said ‘people’—Aleks isn’t people, neither is Marcus.”

  “I told you supernatural beings experience lust, incredible lust for sirens. Some even mistake it for love.”

  “This is disgusting. I was wondering what was going on. I went from regular girl to—well, something else. Do you know how many guys I’ve kissed in the last two weeks? A lot.” My cheeks flushed. “Shit. So even Nephilim can be affected?”

  “Well, I once knew a man who was a powerful fae shifter, definitely not a man. Anyway, he was so in love with a siren, he lost everything. He swore an oath to serve her and her children for the rest of his life. He gave up everything to be near her.

  “She let him do that? What kind of people are sirens?” It made my stomach ache to think about it.

  “They’re known for being fickle in love. One minute they love you, and the next, they can’t stand the sight of you. They love a new man every week sometimes, leaving a wake of agony in their path. No man can take the loss of a siren.”

  “Oh my God, this is a hot mess. One minute I’m ripping people and deer apart, and the next, I’m convincing guys to fall for me, only to rip them apart in a different way.” I covered my face with my hands and muttered through them.

  “The worst part is the natural pull you feel to supernatural beings. You fall as hard as they do. Nephilim, fae, vampires, and even poor old Aleks. Your magic and theirs mixes terribly causing chaos and uncontrollable desires.

  “So I magnetize them as much as they do me? Great. Are there others like me?”

  “Many. They live typically in warmer places like Greece. You have a grandmother and several aunts there who are like you.”

  “Really?” I popped up to look at Roland.

  “They will want to see you now that you are the way you are.”

  I frowned. “Maybe we should wait until I get the other me under control.”

  “Wise choice. No one wants Hanna Hyde ripping apart the Greek Isles.”

  “Exactly.” Laying my head on my hands again, I tried to get a handle on the whole thing. “So nearly eight decades ago my father met a siren and they had a kid? Half monster from my father’s blood and half siren from my mother’s? Did they love each other in the siren way or was it real? Did she trick him into it and leave him crushed?”