Dark Angel Academy (The Complete Series)

by G. Bailey

  He takes the glass from me, setting it on the side. “I make it my business to see you are well. If you weren’t feeding, you would not be well.”

  I suddenly remember Riley coming to help me and then Miranda biting him. “Is Riley okay?”

  “Why do you care for the boy who threw you into the fire and betrayed you in the name of love?” he asks me, no spite or judgment in his tone. He simply just doesn’t understand.

  Furrowing my brow, I start to explain what I haven’t really admitted to myself before. “Riley is the brother I never had, and I cared for him like family. Even though he did a terrible thing to me, it doesn’t mean I want to see him dead. We can never be friends or close again, but I will always care about him from a distance. I cannot stop my heart from protecting the young eight-year-old boy who I see when I look at him. I see my childhood friend, and that won’t change.”

  Ren tilts his head to the side, watching me closely. “You are fascinating, Kaitlyn Lightson.”

  “So are you, Ren. You could be more if you only tried,” I softly tell him and close my eyes. “Thank you for saving me, Ren. I won’t ever forget it.”

  “Rest, Kaitlyn. I will protect you always,” he whispers to me as I drift off to sleep, comforted by his words as I know deep down in my heart, he would always protect me.

  And I suspect I will always, always want to save him.

  Even from himself.

  Chapter 44

  Wiping the paste from my ribs in the shower hurts so badly, but I carry on until it’s all gone, and I’m amazed to see only a small scar in a line where I was stabbed only ten days ago. Ren wants me to rest for two more days, but he thinks it’s important I get up and clean the wound off in the shower. I’m certain he would have come in here with me if I let him, but he has settled for waiting by the door. Thallon and Henry have been constantly at my side and surprisingly getting along well with Ren when they needed to. Thallon promised me Myles is okay and being updated, but we agree it’s not safe for Myles to come to see me when Ren is always close by. But I miss him and how he makes me laugh. I miss his cooking and joking around with Thallon.

  Turning off the shower, I get out slowly and wrap myself in a towel before drying my hair with the hairdryer. Ren’s bathroom is amazing, and it has its own walk-in bathtub and shower. Even a dressing table with everything any woman or man could need. After sorting my hair out, which still looks a mess of wayward blonde curls, I towel dry myself and put on my clothes. By the time I’m dressed, I feel worn out and breathless as I look at myself in the steamy mirror. I’m not going to be myself for a few days, that’s for sure. I step out of the bathroom, surprised to find myself alone in Ren’s bedroom. I’m slipping on my shoes when I hear a female scream, and nervously I follow the noise down a corridor, through the living room area, and to another door which is slightly open. I push the door open just as Ren shoves Miranda through a red shimmering portal that burns with fire all the way around the edges. On the other side is a clearing of stones, and behind it is a city like nothing I have ever seen. I step closer as Miranda stumbles onto the stones and starts to scream as every inch of her body bursts into flames.

  “What the hell is that place?” I demand, and Ren looks back, holding a hand out for me.

  “Come and see the city of hell, Kaitlyn,” he offers, and in my shock, I step closer to Ren’s side as I look through the portal. Miranda is nothing but ash blowing across the stones now, and I want to feel sorry for her, but she deserved it. She tried to kill me and nearly succeeded. I imagine Ren’s punishment would have been worse if she did. “I do not like killing my own in this manner, but she must be an example to all our people. No one attacks my queen.”

  I shiver as I stare up at him, seeing the passion and fiercely protective nature he has over me and everyone he loves. Underneath the broken and the cold vampire king lies a heart of gold and a man any woman would love without a second thought.

  “We finally meet, vampire king. Do you have a name?” a woman asks, stepping onto the stones with four men at her side. The woman must be about twenty with long dark hair, a glittering crown on her head, and casual, almost normal clothes on, but they don’t hide how beautiful she is. Her eyes sweep over me briefly before focusing on Ren. “I suppose I will start. I’m Alexandria, queen of hell, and you’ve been causing me a shit load of problems.”

  Did the queen of hell just say shit load? Ren chuckles and crosses his arms. “My name is King Erendriel Raloxisys of the vampires, but you already know that.”

  “But I couldn’t pronounce it if I tried. What kind of name is that?” Alexandria asks, clicking her tongue.

  “I call him Ren. It’s easier,” I say and pause when all of them look towards me. The men look handsome and terrifying; my body doesn’t know which way to react. I choose to focus on the queen, she might be scary and intimidating, but there is something about her that relaxes me. Alexandria smiles my way. “And you are, angel?”

  Before I can answer, Ren does. “This is my queen, Kaitlyn Lightson.”

  A tense silence drifts over us all as the queen looks at Ren. “I don’t want to start a war that will no doubt kill many, many of what is left of your people. I don’t believe vampires or any race should be slaughtered, but I also cannot fight the angels.”

  “Then, demon, you will sit back and do nothing as always,” Ren growls, and the queen’s eyes flash with anger.

  “The Great Light has some claim over me because of an angel mark I have. Earth is not somewhere I can go, but I will send my armies to The Angel Academy if you send any more angels down to hell and without me there, it will be a bloodbath. You are upsetting the balance I have worked years to sort, and I will not have it any longer,” she says simply. “I want peace between our races. Demons and vampires do not need to be at war. You are welcome in hell to escape the angels if you stop the war and leave the tales community alone as well. I will give you a home, free, but you must stop.”

  “Tell your friend, the queen of the tales, I want the treasure her ancestor stole from us, and I will give her peace. As for you, queen of hell, hide in hell with your army and never pick a side. I wonder if the angels will repay you kindly for staying out of the war or if, when this is over, they will choose to treat demons as cruelly as they have treated my kind.” Before Alexandria can reply, Ren closes the portal with a wave of his hand, and the room is pitched into darkness.

  “War won’t solve this, Ren,” I whisper to him, even when I can’t see him in the darkness. “What could be worth all this?”

  “To be free. That’s all a master vampire wants for his people, and you should want the same. You are a master vampire, the magic is in your blood, but you deny who you are. Sitting back and doing nothing won’t solve this either, Kaitlyn.” I stay in silence as his words wrap around my throat like a vise.

  I don’t know what the right thing to do is anymore.

  But I know I want the vampires to be free. I want peace...no matter what it takes. Even if peace comes at the cost that Ren will never forgive me.

  Chapter 45

  Flying high in the clouds, I hover above the world like an avenging angel who wants nothing more than to save everyone she loves. The list of names runs through my mind so quickly I can hardly blink to keep up. War is here and brewing like a storm that cannot be stopped...and when it’s over, I fear I’m going to lose someone I love. A small white light flickers in front of me, appearing out of nowhere, and it slowly grows bigger until the light makes the shape of a man hovering in the air in front of me.

  “It is time to fulfill your debt to me. Kill the master vampire and end the war, Kaitlyn Lightson.” The voice echoes around my head, repeating the same sentence as fear chokes me. In front of us, a dagger appears out of nowhere, glowing white for a moment before the glow settles into symbols on a white dagger. “This dagger can kill any creature, living or not, with one touch. Do the right thing, Kaitlyn Lightson.”

  I wake up with a gasp, sweat pou
ring down the back of my neck and something cold resting in my hand. I lift up the dagger from my dreams and scream as I drop it, shuffling away to the headboard and wrapping my arms around my knees. I stare at the dagger like it’s alive, waiting for it to jump out and hurt me more than its simple existence already does. I rest my head on my knees as tears stream down my cheeks. It’s no coincidence the first night back in my own room, the first night really away from Ren, that the light above breaks into my dreams and crashes into my soul. Reminding me of the way Gabriel looked at me, the promise that rests on my soul like a brick that I can’t shake or take off. Gabriel thinks the right thing to do is to kill Ren, and then the vampires will run…where? I promised before I knew the truth, before I’d seen how vampires are and how they aren’t evil and lost like Gabriel thinks they are.

  Ren is not evil…nor are his people that he is so desperately trying to save.

  If I don’t kill Ren, he will never stop...and killing Ren will break my heart.

  Why can’t there be an easy answer to all of this?

  And why the hell does this all have to be my choice? My heart to be broken and shattered into a million tiny pieces that no one will be able to pick up. Crawling across the bed, I pick up the dagger, which is truly beautiful in itself, and it holds the fate of the angels when it is in my hands.

  “Hey, I thought I heard you scream,” Thallon says, stepping into the room from the corridor. I almost forgot the guys are now taking night shifts to guard me—even Ren does three nights a week—and I have a sneaking suspicion it’s more because they want to be close to me than keep me safe. I slide the dagger down the gap of the side of the bed as Thallon walks over to me, and I want to lie to him.

  But I damn well can’t because light angels don’t lie. They can alter the truth though.

  “I had a bad dream,” I say, and he sadly smiles at me before kicking off his shoes and slipping off his jacket. Thallon climbs into bed next to me, and I curl up onto his chest, listening to his heartbeat under my ear, letting it soothe my own swirling emotions the best it can. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

  Thallon hums for a moment as he thinks about it. “Christmas is my favourite time of year, and I hate that angels don’t celebrate it.”

  “Why don’t they?” I question, learning something I didn’t know.

  “I’m not sure, but I miss Christmas trees. A big roast dinner and board games in the evening. If I ever am lucky enough to have a family, I want to have a big Christmas every year,” he softly tells me, stroking my hip with his hand. “What about you, what is your favourite time of the year?”

  “Oddly, Halloween. I love carving pumpkins, seeing all the kids in costumes and their happy faces when I give them sweets. I love decorating the house and all the spookiness of the time of year,” I answer, and he smiles softly at me. “I’m guessing angels don’t celebrate Halloween either?”

  “Nope,” he chuckles, and I giggle with him. Leaning up, I gently kiss Thallon, and the second his lips touch mine, a burning desire for him snakes through my body. Like lightning, a simple kiss sets us both on fire, and I moan into his moan as his hand tightens on my hip. Swinging my leg over his lap, I settle above him in just my long T-shirt and nothing else underneath. As I roll my hips, feeling how hard he is under me and only the thin fabric of his trousers blocking us, Thallon moves his lips down my jaw and to my neck.

  “Gods, I love you, Kaitlyn,” he whispers against my neck, and I pause, shocked that he just said that. Thallon cups my cheeks, staring deeply into my eyes. “It will always, always be you for me. You are my eternity.”

  “Thallon,” I whisper as tears fill my eyes. Without needing to say anything back, I kiss him passionately, pouring all my feelings into every movement as I tug his shirt up and over his head. Thallon pulls my top off next, and I undo his trousers, helping him push them down before settling over him. The tip of his length presses into me as Thallon leans down, taking my nipple into his mouth and swirling his tongue around the hard nub. Using his other hand, he presses his thumb against my clit as I slowly lower myself onto him and arch my back from the incredible pleasure. With dazed eyes, I look at Thallon and smile before crashing my lips back onto his and rolling my hips in rhythm. Our breathless moans and groans fill the room as we devour each other, both of us desperately chasing our finish.

  “I love you, Thallon,” I whisper as I feel my orgasm getting closer. Gripping my hips tightly, Thallon harshly kisses me as he thrusts into me harder and harder until I explode around him, taking him with me. Shaking from the aftershocks of the orgasm, I breathlessly lie on Thallon’s chest and close my eyes. Sometimes, even in the darkness, the man you love comes to save you and breathes life back into your soul.

  And Thallon would always come to save me.

  Chapter 46

  “Kaitlyn!” Ren calls my name as I walk through the greenhouse, and I spin around, searching through the crowds of students as I hold my bag tighter on my shoulder. Surrounded by three vampires I have seen around the academy but don’t know the names of, he walks over to me, giving me time to admire how good he looks in a suit and black jacket. He must have been working out, as his large chest pushes the white shirt to its limit, and a few buttons undone at the top draw my attention to his golden skin underneath. Stopping a few inches away from me, he smiles as he speaks. “Can we speak privately tonight?”

  “Sure,” I say, thinking of the dagger in my bag, the pressure of it, and the itch to just tell Ren the truth of why I came back to the academy and just about everything up to and including the dagger.

  But I say nothing, and I hate myself for it.

  “Are you alright?” he asks, and I hesitate until he glances at my ribs. Duh. Of course, he meant my injury.

  “It’s sore if I press on it, but otherwise I don’t notice. I wanted to ask you a question if you have a moment?” I ask, and he nods, looking back at the three vamps who quickly walk away. “Who are they?”

  “My royal advisors. They might look young, but they each are over five hundred years old and have spent their lives advising master vampires,” he explains to me, and I lead us over to the fountain with the rose bushes I like so much. “Now what is on your mind?”

  “If you had a secret...something you once thought was the right thing but don’t any longer, would you tell someone?”

  His eyes search mine, and for a second I almost think he knows everything. “Your secrets are yours to keep and tell. No one can tell you the answer you know in your soul, Kaitlyn.”

  “Have you always been wise, Ren?” I question, and he laughs.

  “No, but being dead for fifty years gives you time to think,” he replies, and I chuckle with him. “Now don’t you have class? We can talk more tonight if you like. I have many problems to discuss with my advisors today.”

  “Yes, history class. I should go,” I say, scrambling to my feet. I almost forget Ren isn’t a normal guy I have a crush on for a second when we are together. It’s like the world blurs away and all I can focus on is his voice, his cinnamon scent, and how good it feels to be next to him. Picking up my bag, I step away, but Ren calls me back.

  “By the way, Kaitlyn, you look beautiful today.”

  I turn back, surprised by the compliment as my cheeks burn. I grin at him before turning away and rushing to my class. I’m about ten minutes late when I step into vampire history, and the teacher shakes his head before nodding to my seat next to Henry. Henry takes my hand as I sit down, linking our fingers under the table as he carries on the lecture I just interrupted.

  “In the eighteenth century, vampires were at their strongest, and we held many castles and lands around the world. We soon began to realise our half breed children could be just as strong as our own, and we welcomed the humans into our homes with open arms. Unfortunately, it became clear that the mix of vampire and human blood did not make for strong children. Every half breed child died between the ages of eight and thirteen, and for many years
, this was a curse no one could shake. Has anyone read ahead?”

  Henry surprises me when he places his hand in the air, and the teacher nods at him to speak. “Soon it became clear that only a master vampire’s blood, given to the child once every three months until adulthood, could save the child from death. The master vampires donated as much blood as they could and effectively saved all the children from certain death, but a rule was placed that no more vampire and human matings would be allowed. The master vampires’ donation as a solution was not a long-term fix, so it was safer for everyone if humans and vampires did not mix their blood.”

  “What happened to the children who the masters saved?” I ask, intrigued.

  “As far as we know, most lived full and happy lives with no children. There was one case of a master vampire having a child with a human, but we lost their records many years ago. We only know they survived because of you, Kaitlyn,” the teacher states, surprising me.

  “Me?” I question, letting go of Henry’s hand and leaning closer as all the students look my way.

  “Yes, you are a descendant of a master vampire and human mating. That is the only explanation for your gift of seeing ghosts, and with your blonde curly locks, I believe you come from the house of Regor.”

  “Do you have any paintings or information about them?” I question, and he sadly shakes his head.

  “Much of the information about vampire ancestors was lost to us. All we have is basic information, and the only master vampire house with blonde hair is Regor. It was odd; as you well know, Ren’s ancestors all came from an angel and a goddess mating, resulting in a vampire child. All the masters have dark hair, and they are related as such. The vampire master Regor came from nowhere, no relation, and I wish we knew more. It is interesting, nonetheless,” he tells me, his eyes twinkling with a love for history I can understand. “I am sorry for all of you that we do not know more about this history of ours, but I will teach you everything we do know. Now turn to page forty-eight in your book, and we will learn about the interesting times when vampires helped build the train tracks...” I tune him out as I sit back, crossing my arms, thinking over this history I know nothing about. For the rest of the lesson, I can’t help but think about my ancestors and wish there was more information. How did my family not have the powers I do? How could I be the only one to see ghosts and have this gift? I’m so lost in my thoughts the whole lesson passes, and Henry places his hand on my shoulder, catching my attention.