Dark Angel Academy (The Complete Series)

by G. Bailey

  “He took my hand and told me that souls remember other souls. That family and love are bonds that connect us far past the death of our mortal bodies,” he tells her and offers her his hand. “My name is Thallon, and I promise to protect you alongside Kaitlyn. We can’t replace your aunt, but we can be each other’s family. What do you think?”

  We both pause as she slides one of her hands out of mine and into his, and somehow I know Thallon means every word. He will make sure she is safe and protected alongside me.

  “We have to go and see the leaders of this place. They have a way of getting Ren,” Henry softly says behind me. Turning to see him, Vesnia and Bryne standing behind me. I look once at Thallon, and he nods, letting me know he will watch her and the other vampires while I go and get back their leader.

  “Where the hell are we?” I ask as we step out of a cabin in the middle of a thick forest with one stone pathway through it, which is lit up with tiny solar lights. The sun is setting over the trees, casting thick yellow and vibrant oranges through the green leaves. It’s super beautiful here, but as I stare at the setting sun, I realise it wasn’t this late in the day before we came through the portal.

  “That’s hard to explain, but I will try,” Henry says, linking his fingers with mine. “One of the tales leaders is hiding us in another dimension that is made with his powers. He literally made this world and can control what is in it. Effectively, it’s safe as long as he is alive,” Henry explains. “And the vampires won’t be sensed here.”

  “How the heck do they have power like that?” I question, and Henry shrugs.

  “At least they are the good guys, darlin’,” he replies, and I guess he does have a point. “We have been here, making a plan to rescue you. Ren spoke alone with Madi about a plan, and she promised to only tell you.”

  “Let’s find her then,” I say, nodding once. As we walk through the forest, I start to wonder about Myles. He must have gotten off the academy somehow, but how is the question. I glance at Henry, taking in his curly locks of black hair, the fires in his eyes burning brightly as he glances at me, and they reflect off his golden skin. He looks tired, though, like he hasn’t slept well in a long time, and all things considered, that makes sense.

  “Have you seen Myles since the academy fell?” I ask Henry, and he smiles at me.

  “I saved the wolf for you, and he is on the tales island, waiting for you much like we all did,” he tells me. “Turns out wolves weigh a fuck ton.”

  I laugh and rest my head on his shoulder, relief coursing through me. “I’ve missed you more than I can explain, Henry.”

  “I’ve missed you more. I thought I might go mad while we had to figure out a plan. Gabriel was a good spy for us and told us they were planning to move forward with your trial after a month of arguing. It was a shock to us all when Ren decided to give himself up to be with you,” he sourly says. “The bastard left a bottle of his blood for me and a note that he would be back.”

  “Sounds like Ren,” I chuckle, but it dies off when I remember he is alone with the angels that last time killed him. Gods, he can’t die.

  We come out of the pathway to another small cabin with a pond outside the front and cute little white windows. I’m not surprised when Madi pushes the door open and steps out, smiling at me. Behind her are two men I don’t know, but the one with a cloak and staff scares me. As he would most people, I suspect. The queen of the tales is dressed only in a white T-shirt and jeans with Skechers on her feet, looking so…well, normal.

  “Thank you for keeping the vampires safe and no doubt helping them rescue us,” I say, stepping forward, feeling a need to point that out. Madi walks right up to me and nods once.

  “I told you before, I don’t believe killing an entire race is ever the right thing to do. You guys are struggling, and I’m on your side. Angels have never once shown us any respect until they demanded our help when the academy fell. Instead of being respectful that we did help, they acted like we were their slaves. I nearly killed them myself before Gabriel stepped in. He isn’t like the others, is he?” she says with a long sigh. “Either way, I’ve made my bed, and I plan to sleep in it.”

  “I need more of your help,” I warn.

  She nods and looks back at the men at the door. One of them clicks his fingers, and a portal made of smoke appears next to us. “Come through.” Madi walks in, and I follow, with Henry at my back. The room we come into is old, like really old. Thick stone walls surround us, and at least twenty glass boxes on alters are littered around the room.

  “The room is magically protected so only those who are allies of the tales can enter. This is our treasury, and don’t ask me what any of the things do. We don’t have a clue, and I don’t want to test anything to find out. In fact, I didn’t know this room existed until Ren said we took something that belonged to his race, and we searched,” she explains and nods her head to the only glass box with a lid that’s lifted. I glance at the books, orbs and one oddly shaped pencil we pass before getting to the box with a rock inside. Just a plain rock one I couldn’t pick out of a lineup of rocks if I tried. “Ren told me you need to cut your hand on this, and it will take you to him. He said only one can pass through the rock, and it must be a true mate. If you go through and take one of these stones, you could open a portal wherever Ren is and get him back.”

  “She has to go alone, back to the angels?” Henry demands. I place my hand on his chest, and Madi looks away.

  “It’s Ren. I need to go,” I whisper. “He went there for me.” Henry looks like he wants to fight the subject but eventually nods. Before I move my hand away, he tugs me to him and kisses me like he wants me to never ever let go of his lips. I moan into his mouth, completely forgetting we aren’t alone until Madi clears her throat, and Henry slowly lets me go.

  I turn back to Madi, and she offers me the stone. “The stone needs force to open the portal. So just throw it down on the ground or at a wall or something. My mate will close the portal the second you are through, and we will fight anyone who gets through by accident if need be.”

  “I owe you big time,” I say, taking the stone and slipping it into my hoodie pocket.

  “Friends don’t owe each other. We support each other,” she says and slides a dagger out of her holder on her hip. Damn, she is a cool friend. I lay my hand out flat for her, and a small cry leaves my lips when she cuts a line across my palm. Henry picks the rock out of the box, and I turn to him, nodding once, and he drops the rock into my hand. The rock instantly shakes before the grey rock colour bleeds away into a dark red stone that shines with its own light. The rock shakes hard in my hands, which feel glued to it, and I can’t look away. I swear I hear Henry shouting my name, but everything is foggy as the rock shakes and glows, taking the world with it. My feet leave the ground as I can see nothing but red light, and I feel the power radiating down my arms, filling my soul. I once thought nothing could be as bad as the pain I felt when I was changed into an angel or when I was changed into a vampire.

  I was wrong.

  The pain that comes with this rock feels like tiny knives cut every bit of my skin before they suddenly stop, and I suck cold air into my sore lungs. Every inch of my body hurts as I drop the rock, and it smashes into tiny rocks all over the white-tiled floor.

  “Kaitlyn?” Ren’s groggy voice drifts to me, and I snap back into the reality I’m in, the rock long forgotten as I see Ren lying on the tiles, covered in blood and his clothes ripped to pieces. Tiny cuts mark every inch of his body that I can see, and there is so much blood coating him. His face is so swollen I hardly can see his eyes, and a cry escapes my lips as I fall to my knees in front of him. He reaches up with a shaky hand, and I grab it, holding his hand to my chest.

  Fury builds in me as I throw the stone at the wall behind Ren, a portal blasting to life. With all the strength I have, I roll Ren into the portal, and he falls through it before I stand up. Alarms blast to life, and I watch as Riley and two other angels run down the
corridor in front of the bars. The blood on Riley’s white uniform makes me feel sick…he hurt Ren.

  He is a monster.

  “All angels who think they are gods will fall.” My words echo around the room, and I know they heard me as they stare in shock, stumbling to a halt. Riley’s eyes find mine last, and I vow this is the last time I will ever walk away from him. If Riley ever tries to hurt me or someone I love, I will end his life no matter how much it would kill me to do so. I step through the portal, and I know I won’t ever forget what the angels have done.

  Chapter 59

  My fingers dig into my jean-covered knees as I watch Knox Tale heal the last of the bad cuts that cover nearly every inch of Ren’s skin. The pain he must have been in when they did this makes me want to vomit, let alone the images of the burns and cuts that the angels did to him. A hand rests on my shoulder, and I look up at Madi, who watches her mate heal my own.

  “Thank you to you both,” I say, my voice catching even as I try to stay strong. “Ren did not deserve this. No one ever could deserve this.”

  “It’s barbaric,” Madi agrees with me, and I reach over, brushing some of his locks of hair from his sweat-covered forehead. Knox slowly puts Ren’s arm down and covers him up with the blanket before looking at me. When I first met the giant man that is Madi’s mate, I was a little terrified. This man created a whole dimension and can heal people, among other incredible powers. Overall, I might have stepped back if it weren’t for his kind eyes and how he looks at Madi. They are completely in love, the kind of love created in pain and fought for against all odds. Looking at Ren briefly, I understand it.

  “Thank you so much,” I say, and he nods once, looking rather tired. “Will he wake up soon?”

  “I have healed as much as I can, but I believe his vampire healing will do the rest,” Knox explains as Madi steps to his side and wraps her arms around his waist. “But he has a fever, and he must rest to heal that.”

  “I understand,” I say, and he nods.

  “We will leave you,” Madi suggests, and I watch them both go to the door and head outside the room, stepping past the two vampire guards who are determined to guard us even when it’s not really needed in this dimension. Anyone that is here is on our side, I’m sure of it. As I walk back to the bed, the door opens once more, and Henry walks in followed by a surprise: Myles. I practically fall out of my chair and run to him. Myles laughs as he catches me, holding me tightly to him as he swings me around once.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I did bring a present, though,” he tells me as I lean back, really taking him in. Myles has shaven the sides of his head, though his blond hair is thick at the top and locks still fall onto his forehead. He smells like the forest, which isn’t unusual for him, and I’ve grown to find his scent comforting. “And I haven’t showered yet. My wolf was easier to run in.”

  “That’s what the smell is,” Henry jokes, and Myles grins at him as he lets me go. “Did the wolves agree to help?”

  “The alpha is a good man, someone I would call a friend. He agreed to help us in the war as long as I swore not to ever challenge him for the alpha position,” he explains, and my eyes widen.

  “What did you say?”

  “That I’ve found my home, and she needs help to fight a war coming. I swore never to be alpha,” he tells me, and with everything I know about him, that couldn’t have been easy. He did it for me. Without giving a single thought to Henry or Ren, I lean up and kiss Myles. He pauses against my lips in shock, but that doesn’t last more than a second before he kisses me back, bending my back a little as his hands grab my waist.

  “Now I regret saving your ass,” Henry grumbles, and I try not to laugh as Myles chuckles against my lips and lets me go. I rest my head under his chin as I smile at Henry.

  “How is he?” Henry asks, nodding his head towards Ren. Myles lets me go so I can walk over with Henry to Ren’s side. I cross my arms, looking down at the man that usually dominates the room but currently looks weak and tired. I hate seeing him like this.

  “He needs a lot of rest,” I say, which is all I can really say right now. “Are Thallon and Aala okay?”

  “Yeah, Thallon has taken Aala to get some food. She needs to see you, darlin’,” he suggests. “Seems you are in short supply, and the demand for your time is high. I’m willing to share with the kid though.” He winks at me, and I laugh until it dies off when Masita comes into my mind. I hate that I couldn’t respect her by giving her a funeral. I couldn’t give Aala a good way to say goodbye.

  “Her aunt died to save me. Riley killed her...but he was really trying to kill me,” I whisper. “I never thought Riley would do that, but he isn’t good. He isn’t what I thought he was.”

  “When I get my hands on him, he will die,” Myles growls, and Henry huffs in agreement. I clear my throat and stand up, looking at Ren one more time.

  “Can you stay with him? I won’t be too long,” I say, knowing I need to go and see Thallon and Aala. I also want to check in on Vesnia, make sure she is okay with Bryne, though I have a feeling she is as happy as she can be now that she is with him once more. Myles nods once, moving to stand by the door while Henry kisses the side of my head.

  “I’m your mate and sworn to protect his life with my own. You never need to ask,” he explains to me as I touch the tip of my fingers on Ren’s hand.

  “I never told him—”

  “He will wake, and you can tell him everything,” Henry softly says, picking up my hand in his. With tears in my eyes, I give him a shaky smile before leaving the room. The cabin has a corridor of rooms leading to a big open plan room where Thallon is near a couch with Aala lying on it. She is sleeping on a small pillow, and Thallon is covering her with a thick purple blanket as he looks up to see me. Quietly he tucks her in before walking over to me, linking our fingers as we head outside the cabin to the decking where we rest against the bannister.

  “Poor kid cried herself to sleep. I’m clueless what to do with kids, but she seemed to calm down when I said I was going to stay here until she wakes up,” Thallon explains, looking worried. “She is so young to have lost all her family.”

  “We can be her family...I know it’s not the same, but I want to care for her. Her aunt died to save me, and that is a debt I can only pay back by caring for Aala. Plus, I like her,” I say, feeling a resolve in my chest. There is no way I’m leaving her when this is all over. If it’s all over. Somehow I will find a way to make sure Aala is safe from the angels, from anyone that could mean her harm. Thallon runs his finger down my cheek to under my chin, tilting my gaze up to his until our eyes lock. Our lips meet at the same time, both of us calling to each other in a way only our souls could understand.

  A throat clearing jolts us apart, and I glance over Thallon’s shoulder to see Madi standing with one of her mates...Oisin, I believe his name is.

  “There is trouble with the vampires. One of them has called a meeting, and they want to fight,” Madi warns, stepping closer as Thallon moves to my side. “They need a leader, but Ren isn’t awake.”

  My hands shake as I realise the only person that could tell them anything is...well...me. Dammit. Shakily, I hold my head high and glance at Thallon. He seems to understand without a single word that I need him to come with me.

  “Can you watch Aala? If she wakes, come for me please,” I ask.

  With understanding shining in her eyes, she smiles at me. “Of course.”

  I link my hand with Thallon’s, drawing whatever strength I can from his touch as we head through the clearing and into the woods where the vampires’ cabins are. I hear the noise of a big group, followed by shouts of one man as we get closer to the cabins. Coming out of the tree line, we step into the back of a big group of vampires who all pause and turn to us. With their heavy eyes weighing every single one of my footsteps down, I walk through them with Thallon following behind me. On a raised platform, a man I recognise as one of Ren’s council stands in the m
iddle, and his green eyes flash with anger as I climb onto the platform.

  “We were just—” the man starts to say, but Thallon grabs the collar of his shirt and throws him off the stage. Unexpectedly, that was sexier than I thought. Thallon nods at me, making it clear no one else will interrupt me.

  “My name is Kaitlyn Lightson, and I was once human. I led a normal life, but I saw ghosts, I saw the dead that roam the earth in search of a home. Many of you believe I am simply the mate Ren chose, but I am more than that. I know what it is to not have a home, to be forced to hide and not trust even your best friend. I was that girl before I met Ren, and even the angels could not be a home for me, because I knew in my soul I belonged somewhere else.” I pause as whispers float around in the crowd. “I became half-vampire, and in this time, I found out my ancestors were master vampires, and I held the power to be one. So when the fake god, the light above or Great Light, took my wings and angel powers from my soul, my vampire side was finally free. I am a master vampire, and so is my mate. We will make the vampire race rise from under the angels’ feet and push them off their throne.”

  The chatter of the crowd is so loud now, and my nerves match their noise. “All those who treat angels like gods will fall. The vampires will rise, and I promise each of you that I will be a queen you will be proud of. Are you on my side? Are you ready to prepare for the last vampire war? A war the angels will never, ever forget?”

  The cheers that follow the last word that leaves my lips must shake the walls of this dimension. As my people cheer, they each bow down on one knee, and I swear to myself I will fight for my people.

  This was always my destiny.

  Chapter 60

  “The child should leave for this conversation,” Warren, one of Madi’s scarier mates, states as he appears in the room, next to Madi. These tales have a bad habit of just appearing in places and making me jump out of my skin. Madi says you get used to it, but I’m sure some of her mates are doing it on purpose for a laugh. The pains in the arses they are. I put down the cards I was playing with Aala, trying to cheer her up or at least distract her, as I look at Madi and see the worry in her eyes. I’m coming to know Madi quite well, and she is one of the strongest women I know, so I know for certain something is wrong.