Dark Angel Academy (The Complete Series)

by G. Bailey

  “Thank you,” I say, nodding at her. It’s a smart idea, especially when I’m planning on going off on my own. I reach up and clip the necklace on, letting the blue metal star rest in the middle of my chest.

  “I stopped a goddess once. It nearly cost me everything,” she softly warns me. “And I have no doubt whatever your plan is tomorrow will work. But rarely do we lose nothing to gain a happy ending.”

  “The Great Light is a fake god,” I remind her. “And fake gods can fall and burn just like everyone else.”

  Her eyes meet mine, and I see the same hope and worry I feel in my chest, reflected in hers.

  “Here we are!” Tavvy shouts, and I swallow the emotions in my throat as I turn to see a portal with Lexi and a woman I don’t know sitting at a table on the other side. In front of the portal is a long light wooden table with dozens of cakes and drinks on it. I grin as we each take our seats and introduce each other, and I soon learn the other girl is the alpha female of the wolf pack, Sera. Sera is a beautiful woman about our age, and she is very clearly pregnant. I met her mate briefly in a portal earlier today during the discussions of when the wolves will get to the fight and everything they will be doing. I know it’s hard for Myles’s wolf to take orders from another alpha, but he is handling it the best he can do.

  “Welcome to the first of many TAWVD meetings,” Tavvy says, and we all turn to her in confusion. “Oh, it stands for Tales, Angels, Wolves, Vampires and Demons.”

  Pouring a drink, I hold a glass up as everyone gets a drink too. “To us. To our mates and to the world we want and will fight for tomorrow.”

  We clink our glasses together, and for the first time, I don’t fear for our future. If a demon, wolf, vampire, angel and demon can sit around a table and have drinks...there is hope for a future of peace for us all.

  Chapter 65

  “But I want to come with you!” Aala all but screams at me, her rather strong arms tightly wrapped around my waist. “You will go and never come back, just like my parents and aunt. I don’t want you not to come back!” she cries, and it breaks my heart with every word. Ren kneels next to me, right at her level, and taps her little shoulder. She breaks her head away from my hip and looks at Ren with wide, tear-filled eyes.

  “The goddess that blessed you is going to protect us all. Kaitlyn especially. You have nothing to worry about, little one. When this is over, where would you like to go?”

  She thinks about it a little as she lets me go but still stays close. “The beach to get shells!”

  “The beach it is then,” he replies and stands up.

  “But you need to stay here and be brave for us. Is that okay?” I ask, knowing I’m not leaving her alone in any sense. There are twenty-nine women and sixty-two children staying behind who cannot fight today. If the vampires fall today, at least they will be here to make a new generation of vampires. There are many tales hiding in Knox’s dimension with them, the ones who cannot fight, as the tales island will not be safe when we are at war so close by. We wait for Aala’s answer as she stares at us before she lowers her head and whispers a small answer.

  “Yes.”

  “My brave girl,” I whisper, leaning down and kissing her forehead. I walk Aala to the women who swear to look after her before a tear-filled goodbye. I head back into my rooms and stare at the clothes on the bed.

  “What are these?” I ask, picking up the shimmering blue material and gold chains hanging off the dress.

  “The royal clothes of the vampire race. My mother’s dress,” Ren softly explains, coming to stand behind me. I turn back, glancing at the clothes he has on now. Gold chains fall off his shoulders, wrapping around his black shirt and black cloak that falls off his thick shoulders. The black cape has lines of the same shimmering blue material that looks like real magic. Stunning. “She would want you to wear them today. You’re my queen, and this, this is your crown.” He pulls his hands from behind his back, and in them lies an elf-like crown. A thick blue stone in a diamond shape rests in the middle of the dark blue metal that winds and swirls around it. I bow my head for Ren, and he places the crown on me where it fits perfectly. Turning to look at myself in the mirror, I only see how Ren looks down at me instead of how the crown looks against my blonde hair and pale skin.

  “Any queen is lucky when their king looks at them the way you look at me,” I tell him before turning and kissing him, taking his lips for my own. His hands grip my hips tightly as he lifts me up, pushing my back against the counter.

  “I will always look at you this way. You’re my love, my queen, and my redemption.” I kiss him harder the second he stops talking, even when his words steal my soul and brand it with his name once more. I quickly undo his trousers as he pushes down my leggings, and I wrap my legs around him as he easily slides into me. I moan as his teeth drift down my neck seconds before he bites me, and the sensation is incredible. Like a lightning bolt jolting through me, pleasure wraps around my body as he thrusts into me, feeding from my neck at the same time. My orgasm slams into me as he removes his lips from my neck and kisses me, thrusting harder.

  “Kaitlyn...” He groans my name against my lips as he comes hard and long inside me. We both stare at each other as we calm down, reality threatening to seep back into our world. We have hours before the war, and this is the last moment we will have together.

  “I love you,” I whisper. “Thank you for changing me, for being my ghost when I was alone and showing me what was really worth fighting for.”

  His smile hurts my heart with how perfect it is. “It was never you who was lucky. It was always and forever me.”

  I kiss him one more time, wishing we had forever to be together, when we both know our time is up. Ren pulls back, and we both quickly use the bathroom before I strip off and pick up the dress on the bed. It’s easier than it looks to put on, and the silky material falls to my knees, and my knee-high boots look pretty cool with it. I’m sure the vampire queen didn’t wear boots with the dress, but this is me. I clip the gold cuffs on my upper arms, linking the gold chain through them and hooking them together. I tightly plait my hair under the crown, letting it fall over my shoulder. Finally, I clip the cloak on and move to the mirror to see myself...and I look far more like a queen than I feel. The dress should be see-through, but somehow it isn’t at all. The shimmering blue material covers me well, and strands of it link around my neck. The thin gold chains are all linked to the belt around my waist that holds the same blue jewels as my crown. The cloak falls from the back of my dress, starting about midway up my back and hanging around my feet like a wave of water.

  “I have something else for you,” Ren says, nearly making me jump as I’m so lost in my thoughts. I turn around as Ren opens the top drawer of the chest in our room and pulls out a dagger. He walks to me and hands me the dagger, which I recognise right away.

  “The light above made this,” I whisper, taking the dagger into my hands. Ren helps me clip it onto my belt and turns me around as he wraps his large arms around my shoulders.

  “And it will kill him when we get a chance. The war starts and ends today,” he murmurs. “There is no one else I want at my side when I take down the light above.”

  I wish I could tell him there is no way I will let Ren get close enough to the light above to kill him. The light above wants Ren...too bad he is mine.

  And I will kill anyone who gets in the middle of us. Even a fake god.

  Chapter 66

  How can a sky look so serene and beautiful when it is minutes away from war? The white clouds hover in the bright blue sky, the smell of saltwater fills my senses, and even though the war is coming, this place is stunning. My mates and I stand near the edge of a cliff, looking up at the sky for the first signs of the angels that are no doubt coming for us. Ayda and a few other flying horses stand behind us, ready to take us to the skies when we need it. Myles is going to fight on the ground with the wolves, but his hand is locked in mine for now. Henry is to my left, two long sword
s on his back and leather covering his chest and arms, with gold chains much like Ren’s strapped across him. Ren is right behind me, his hand wrapped around my waist and my head tucked under his chin. Thallon is next to Myles, and I glance at him, knowing he can fly and he will be okay. He has two blue diamond-tipped metal spears in his hands, and similar clothes to Henry, making it clear who he is fighting for. Somehow all four of us found each other, and this is our family to fight for.

  The vampire army waits behind us, including Vesnia and Bryne and many others. To the left is an army of tales that matches ours in size, but the demons on our right are the true army here. They must have at least six times our number, and each of them is dressed in red armour, with red swords, and each looks trained to be deadly. Turns out the queen of hell is going to rule at the end of all this.

  The demons will rise in power, and the angels will fall to nothing.

  Funny enough, I believe that is the right way. The wolves’ howls fill the silence, and I turn back to see a row of wolves on the hill behind us, hidden in the trees, our secret weapon. If we can get the angels to the tree line, then they lose their flight, and we can fight them on the ground. Which we need to do.

  “Are you all ready?” one of the princes of hell asks after walking over to us. The twins are ridiculously good looking—it’s hard not to notice—but I also don’t know which one is which. I think this one is Nick because he seems more serious than his brother.

  “As we will ever be. The vampires owe the demons a great debt,” Ren answers, and Nick nods once.

  “A debt my queen is sure not to forget in the future. Let us focus on war and peace before we trade favours of any kind,” Nick answers and gives us a short nod before walking on to Madi and the tales.

  “Stay close,” Ren warns me, not that I have any intention of listening. If he knew my plan, he would lock me away and not let me fight. I can’t risk that, and I know it’s my fate to end the light above. I’m his saviour wrapped in destruction. But he never knew I would be his.

  “Stay safe. All of you,” I say just before we hear the sound of drums. The hushed whispers of the army around us die away as the drums get louder, the beat faster, just before we see a dark cloud burst through the skyline in the far distance. Thousands and thousands of angels fly in a formation towards us, a mixture of light and dark, and their white armour reflecting the sun. Behind them is a massive group of angels on horses, spears attached to their sides, pointed at us. I gulp, slipping out my sword and turning away from my mate. I climb onto Ayda, who’s also donning battle gear, and pat her mane as Myles shifts into his wolf in front of me. His wolf stares at me for a moment before turning back to the angels. I pick up the reins and lean down to Ayda.

  “Thank you,” I tell her, hoping she can understand me like I think she does. Ayda chose me for a reason, and this moment is what we have been brought together for, and I won’t let her down any time soon. I know she won’t let me down either.

  Ren looks over at me as he climbs onto Henry’s horse at my side and pulls out his swords. I have to admit, that was hella sexy to see.

  “If we survive this, can we bring the swords to our bedroom?” I ask Ren, and he laughs. Henry grins up at me, lifting his sword.

  “I have a sword for you too.”

  “Cheesy line, mate,” Thallon says, shaking his head with a big smile. Myles’s wolf huffs, and it’s just the tiny distraction we all needed before the literal storm descends on us. Clearing my throat, I look back at the angels, seeing the deadly swords in their hands and the looks on their faces. How frightened Ren must have been when an angel army like this came to his home and killed all those vampires.

  This is the last time the angels get to destroy anyone. They can’t rule anymore; they are too corrupt and cold.

  The army crashes into us like a wave against the rocks, and I don’t even know how it happened so quickly, but I lose track of all my mates within seconds. I’m sure I hear Ren roar my name, but I can’t see anything but wings, and magic, and everything going mad. My sword clashes with an angel right in front of me, his brown eyes glaring into mine. Ayda kicks him with her leg, giving me the element of surprise, and I shove my sword into his stomach. He coughs twice before falling off my sword onto the ground, and Ayda doesn’t wait, flying into the air. We sweep between angels in the sky until we get above them, and suddenly an angel smacks into me, knocking me off Ayda. I scream as I tumble through the air, the angel flying after me. Swallowing my panic, I pull out one of the tiny knives Myles gave me earlier and fling it at the angel. It slices through his throat, and hot blood smothers me before his body harshly hits my chest and falls away as I shove it with my arms. The ground looks so close, and I brace myself for one hell of a hard landing just before Ayda flies underneath me, and I crash onto her back. Grabbing her reins, I swing my legs around her, and she bolts into the air. I look down to see Madi in the air near me, her whole body glowing with blue magic as she shoots blue dust at angels near her, and they instantly drop to the ground. The demons are not as nice as Madi; I see several of them ripping the angels apart like candy.

  I wipe some of the blood from my face as we fly higher and higher, leaving the war behind and heading to the city of the angels.

  Chapter 67

  As I shove my sword back into my holder, Ayda flies us straight past the rubble of the academy, of what is left of it. The beautiful gardens are gone now; nothing but dust smothers the floating rock, and strangely I feel sad that the academy is gone. For a while, it was my home, and it was where I met my best friend. And where I lost a best friend too.

  And most of all, I found my mates. The loves of my life.

  When I first came to the academy, I thought my life was over. My parents were gone, I literally had died, and I didn’t know what else there was to live for. Turns out, my life was just beginning. Pushing away all my thoughts, I focus on the city just as we come through the barrier that surrounds it, and Ayda swiftly flies up until she suddenly flattens out into a glide, and I get to see all of Neamh from high up. The city of light is as beautiful as I remember, but it’s tainted with silence now, not one single noise drifts up to me from the entire city. Turning Ayda, we head towards the castle in the centre of the floating island where I know the light above is hiding while his people are at war. My heart aches as I get further away from my mates, having no clue how they are doing and wishing I could be by their sides in the fight. I just know if the light above isn’t killed, then this war will never end. The angels will always do what it tells them, and I can’t live in peace until this is over.

  Even if it costs me everything.

  Swooping down, Ayda lands in a clearing opposite the large doors where the light above is hidden, but he isn’t alone. Three angels in white uniforms, helmets covering their faces, block the door, and they all turn to me. Sliding my sword out, I climb off Ayda as they walk over to me.

  “Three against one? Not fair, guys,” I say, patting Ayda’s side.

  “What are you doing here?” the angel in the middle asks, slipping out his own sword. I slide the spear attached to Ayda’s side out of the holder, knowing the fight is going to happen one way or another. I need to get into those doors, and they will protect it. I’ve never fought more than one person at a time, but my vampire strength and speed should give me a boost. Their wings and powers might be an issue though.

  “She is the vampire queen, don’t you recognise her?” the angel on the left questions. I lift my spear as the middle angel decides to attack, and we crash together in the middle of the clearing. The second angel attacks me from my left, and I kick out at him before slashing him with my sword, catching his leg. He goes down as the middle angel hits me hard with the sword, cutting my side. I push away the pain as I spin around, using my vamp speed to sprint to a nearby pillar and run up it. I push my legs off the pillar, jumping into the air and crashing down on the middle angel with my sword, which snaps his and gives me a clear view of his chest. The cra
cking of his ribs as my sword slides into him makes me feel sick. He drops to the floor, and I spin around with my spear, wondering why the third angel hasn’t attacked me yet. The angel stares at me, and I halt as I see his eyes.

  Riley pulls off his helmet, throwing it onto the ground between us, and we stare at each other over the dead angels between us.

  “Don’t get in my way, Riley,” I coldly warn him.

  As if I stabbed him already, he almost takes a step back, hurt shining in his eyes. “Everything I’ve done is for you! I kept you alive! How could you betray me!”

  “Betray you?” I shout back, almost laughing. “You tried to kill me the last time we met and instead killed an innocent vampire. You were my best friend, and more than once you have tried to kill me now!”

  “I wasn’t going to kill you; my aim is good. I would have only caught your side and made you stop! You were running away from me!” he shouts, taking another step closer to me. I flick my eyes to the door, knowing I need to end this now. Riley is just taking up time, and another angel could come, making it harder for me to do this. “Don’t you dare, Katy!”

  Ignoring him completely, I bolt for the doors, knowing I will be quicker than he is. I crash into the doors, noticing they are locked with chains. I grip the thick links, pulling at them, then hearing them start to crack just as Riley grabs my waist and throws me away from the doors. I stumble on my feet before I fall on my face, seeing a sword on the floor nearby. I pick it up as Riley storms over to me, his sword held at his side. His anger-filled eyes clash with mine as we both strike out at each other at the same time, the clang of our swords vibrating down my arm.