“Shut up.” My effort to keep my giggle at bay was futile. Our laughter mingled and I playfully nudged her. “I do not.”
“Drama queen.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
As we laughed, I relaxed. We were back to being us and it felt good. It was like a load had been lifted off my shoulders―a portion of it anyway. I still had Dracus to worry about. I got my best friend back but Dracus would be angry with me next. The thought dampened my glee and I sighed, but it came out as a groan.
“Are you okay?” Priscilla’s sharp gaze was fixed on me.
I contemplated telling her what was going on but thought better of it. We’d just reconciled; I couldn’t ruin the moment with my problems. “Sure.”
“Look, Fiona, those harsh things I said to you...I feel awful. I shouldn’t have hurled insults out of anger. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” As hurt as I was, I understood. “Really. Let’s just move on from here.”
Her sigh resonated with relief. “I’m all for that.” Priscilla grinned. “So… You went to my kingdom. How was it?”
“Incredible. I wish the reason for the visit wasn’t so morbid but I loved it there… and the quality time with Dracus.”
“Quality time with the prince, you lucky girl.” She wiggled her eyebrows and I rolled my eyes.
“I hope to go back soon. Alice...I mean Queen Alice, did invite me back.”
She gaped. “You’re on a first-name basis with the queen?”
I shrugged. “She’s pretty cool. We had drinks together, it was intimidating yet, freaking epic.”
Priscilla’s delighted squeal made me wince. “I can’t believe you’ve met the queen in person. It’s my kingdom and I’ve never met her.”
“I was so excited. The first person I wanted to tell was you. I’m so happy we’re speaking again.”
“Let’s make a deal. We’ll never let a guy come between us again.”
“Deal. Never again. Do you want to head back inside? I don’t want the guys scoffing down all the snacks before you enjoy any.”
She chuckled. “Let’s go.”
We walked back inside. I wore a smile but my mind was in turmoil. Back with the rest of the group, I saw Amara and Dracus talking. He was actually interacting with another student and he looked at ease. The conversation I wanted to have with him was not going to happen tonight.
Chapter 6
My eyes burned, and I had to squint as I tried to focus on the page I was reading. Trying to read was more like it. Lack of sleep had my brain frazzled, and I’d been staring at the words so long, they started to blur. Rubbing my eyes, I heaved a sigh and clamped it shut. There was nothing helpful in it anyway. Shoving the leather-bound book back into its space on the shelf, I moved down the line. A title about witches and warlocks caught my eyes, and a sliver of hope flickered.
Maybe this one wouldn’t be a disappointment. This was how it had been going all afternoon. I found a textbook that looked promising, only to be disappointed when I found nothing to help me. Of course, the current text I had open was useless. My frustrated growl echoed in the back section of the library. Mrs. Radish, the librarian, peered over her wireframes and shushed me.
My next sound of frustration was much quieter―a drawn-out sigh that reverberated with exhaustion. Sleep had become a thing of the past, and I was tired. Granted, it’s only been two days since returning from the dragon kingdom, but with so much weighing on me, it felt like an eternity. I hadn’t found any information on the kind of power Demetrius claimed Dante had. There was nothing alluding to another with a warlock taking possession of another’s body.
“Was Ren right, after all? Did Demetrius manipulate me?” I’d asked myself that question so many times.
Trust your instincts.
My head whipped from side to side at the sound of the softly uttered words. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn’t external. The advice from that ever-calm voice echoed in my mind. I’d been so wrapped up in finding proof to save Demetrius, and I hadn’t forgotten about my other little problem: hearing voices. One voice in particular. As I looked around the library, I didn’t dare respond aloud as I usually would. The last thing I needed on top of my other worries was to have the entire school think I was crazy. Being the only calm made me enough of an oddball.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I leaned against a bookshelf and closed my eyes. “Gods, I’m really losing it here.”
“If you came clean, I bet you’d feel a lot better.”
My eyes flew open at the whisper in my ear to connect with Ren’s. “Ren, what are you doing in here?”
“Why do you ask in that surprised tone? I’m a student and this is the library.” He shrugged.
“Please, you never study hence, you need no books. You’re stalking me.”
Amusement shone in his eyes. “Admit it, you like my brand of stalking.” He leaned closer until his mouth hovered close to mine.
Placing a hand on his chest, I gave him a slight shove. “Keep your lips to yourself, lover boy. We are not going to give Mrs. Radish another reason to scold me.”
“She’s a miserable old goat, isn’t she?”
I jabbed him in the side with an elbow. “Shush! She might hear you.” Of course, he only lifted a brow, completely unapologetic.
“Seriously, what do you want, Ren? I’m busy.”
“Busy being miserable because you’re still lying to Dracus? I told you, you should have come clean.”
“What are you the little angel on my shoulder now? Careful, before I flick you off with my fingers like a little mosquito.”
His lips twitched at the corners. “This sass coming from you is strangely attractive.”
I looked skyward and sighed. “Gods, Ren, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be snappy. I’m just so tired.”
“You’ve barely slept―”
“I’m not even going to ask how you know that...stalker.” His smug grin made me roll my eyes yet again.
“And you’ve been scouring the library for two days. What exactly are you looking for? I know it has nothing to do with school work.”
Teeth gnawing at my lower lip, I peered at him through my lashes. Should I let him in? Tell him I was looking for proof of Demetrius’s innocence? Ren watched me keenly, waiting for me to respond. No, I couldn’t tell him. He’d just get upset and tell me again that Demetrius was playing me. I didn’t take kindly to everyone thinking I could so easily be manipulated.
“No, nothing for school. Just looking for extra info about my powers.”
His eyes narrowed. “Come on, you’ve been down this road. There’s nothing here.”
“Nothing wrong with double checking.”
“In the witches and warlock category?”
Gritting my teeth, I pulled in a slow breath to gather my patience. “Ren, I’m really not in the mood for an interrogation. Did you want something or did you just stop by to ask questions and throw my guilt about lying to Dracus in my face? Because it’s getting old.”
Arms folded, he rocked back on his heels. “Somebody needs a good night’s sleep. Alright, Fiona, I’ll leave you alone to deal with whatever you’re dealing with...for now.”
“For now...gee thanks,” I muttered. It was only a matter of time before he was back on my case.
With a slight smile, he turned and walked out of the library. I watched him until he disappeared, wondering if he thought I was the worst for hiding something so huge. Not just from Dracus but from the rest of the council. In a way, it was all of their business if the wrong man was going to die for a crime Dante committed. We were all a part of the war with the slayers.
“Fiona.”
I gasped and almost toppled off of my chair. Dracus stood in my doorway. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Your door was open. You don’t usually leave it open.” He gazed at me with a frown.
“Oh, I uh… didn’t realize it was open.” I kept it closed because the guys loved to drop by una
nnounced. With it closed, at least I got a heads up before they came in with a knock. Although certain people like Ren were beyond knocking. He just mysteriously appeared most of the time.
“Everything alright?”
“Sure. Why?” I closed the textbook I had checked out from the library and pushed it behind my stack of school books. A very conspicuous move because Dracus followed my movement with interest. His gaze lingered on the book that I tried to hide before coming back to my face.
“You seem… I don’t know… anxious.”
“I’m a little jumpy from all the coffee I’ve consumed. I didn’t get much sleep last night and I needed to keep up. I have work to make up for.”
He frowned. “Because I took you away from classes.”
“You make it sound as if you kidnapped me and brought me home with you.” I chuckled. “It’s okay, I didn’t miss that much. I’ve always been fussy about keeping my grades up so I’m always anxious about school work.”
“If you need help with anything feel free to drop by my office...or my bedroom.” His attention shifted to my books again. “I’ve already done everything you’re doing now.”
I was sure the bedroom part was innocent, but it still made me blush. Dracus and I studying together―talk about a distraction. He was right, though. Being a senior, he could help a lot in the studying department. But I couldn’t comfortably sit in a room with him and study as if nothing was amiss. “Thanks for the offer but I already have a study buddy. I wouldn’t want to make her jealous.” And Priscilla would get jealous over something like that. The girl was a maniac when it came to studying.
“Of course.”
I squirmed in my seat, trying my best not to look guilty. I was just paranoid about him being able to see my guilt. “Did you need something?”
“Apart from asking you why you were a no show for dinner? I do have something to tell you.”
Massaging the bridge of my nose, I groaned. “Right. Dinner. I wasn’t that hungry.” My traitorous stomach chose that exact time to rumble. The heat of embarrassment almost consumed me. I was starving and hearing about food had an effect.
Dracus’s brows elevated. “Right…”
“I got caught up in work. I’ll grab something later.”
“You might want to grab something sooner. We’ve got a meeting.”
“Oh, just us? What about?” My heart rolled in my rib cage. Had he heard something? The only person who knew about Demetrius was Ren, and he’d never utter a word to Dracus unless absolutely necessary.
“With the Officials, actually.”
“You mean you guys have a meeting?” As far as I knew, I was still banned from Official meetings, which was just fine by me. Sitting in a room with those guys wasn’t very appealing.
“All of us. You included.” Dracus beamed. “I had a chat with them and they agreed that you could return to meetings as long as there isn’t a repeat of the last incident. I assured them things would be fine.”
Staring at him, I blinked slowly. My heart sank just a little too. He seemed thrilled about getting me back in, but I couldn’t share in the excitement. Dracus’s smile slowly faded. “I thought you’d be happy to be let back into meetings. You were so upset when you were banned.”
“I was.” I felt less than the rest of the council members. Right now, with everything I was going through, I really didn’t want to go to any important meetings. “What if I lose control again?” My emotional state wasn’t conducive to maintaining control in their presence.
“You won’t. I’ve already talked to the others. Everyone will keep their emotions under control. You won’t be channeling as much anxiety and rage as the last time.”
“Still, should we risk it?”
He sighed and grumbled, “This certainly wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. Fiona, you’ll be fine. I’ll be extra watchful.”
“I don’t want you to have to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
Gritting my teeth, I bit back my frustrated growl. I wish he'd give it up already. “What if I request to sit this meeting out then?”
“Not possible.”
“What?” Why not?”
“You’ve expressed not feeling like an equal member of the Core Council several times. Well, to show you that you are, you’re not exempt from this important meeting. Just as I wouldn’t allow any of the others to request to sit it out, I won’t allow you to.”
Pouting, I glared “but…fine, I respect and appreciate that.”
Dracus’s eyes swirled with amusement, but his expression remained schooled as the stern leader he was. “Good. We’ll convene in the underground chamber in an hour. Don’t be late.”
“Yes Sir, Drill Sergeant Dracus.”
He scowled and marched off. I almost choked, trying to hold back my laughter. We were almost back to normal. Almost. There was still that thing about me hiding a shit ton from him. Groaning, I dropped my head to my desk.
Chapter 7
The silence and curious stares were almost maddening. Huffing, I scowled at each face. “You guys know that staring at me like that only makes me more anxious, right?”
There was a hum of apologies, and the four pairs of eyes skated away. I got that they were all just concerned, and I was touched―really―but being the center of attention like the main attraction at a circus was unnerving.
“Enrique, she just said to stop staring.” Theo sighed his annoyance.
One ankle hooked over the other, arms folded and lounging in his chair, Enrique lifted a brow and continued to look me over. “What? I’m staring because she looks cute in that dress.” He winked, and I felt heat seep into my cheeks. His shameless flirting actually made me feel better. Normal.
Smoothing a hand over my demure black dress, then my neat chignon, I said, “Thanks.”
“I’m getting prim and proper yet sexy librarian vibes.”
I snickered and rolled my eyes. My shoulders relaxed and gave Enrique an appreciative smile. Prim and proper was what I was going for. I wanted to look as unassuming and demure as possible to draw as little attention I could. I’d also chosen a seat as close as I could to Dracus. He’d move faster than anyone if something went wrong.
“Say, Fiona, how about you stop by my room after this meeting and we engage in a little role play? You’ll be the librarian and I’ll be―”
“Enrique, that’s enough. The Officials are almost here. We don’t want them hearing about your taste in… extracurricular activities.”
He smirked. “How do you know they’re here?”
Because of the surge in power. I was able to feel it because of my power. Dracus felt it because he was more experienced and a natural radar for magic from his mother’s bloodline. The others, I’m guessing, couldn’t feel the shift in the atmosphere until the Officials were right there in the room. Four robed individuals stood before us, and Dracus raised a brow in Enrique’s direction.
“Council members,” one of them greeted, “we meet again.”
“Oh joy,” Theo grumbled, sarcasm dripping from his words.
Enrique coughed behind his hand, and I ducked my head to hide my smile. Dracus sent Theo a warning glance.
“Thank you all for coming.”
My brows shot up. They sure had gotten polite. Then again, the woman’s voice I heard wasn’t one I’d heard before. Hopefully, she’d come to every other meeting hereafter. There was no arrogance and holier than though attitude coming from her. That made me relax some more.
“Our pleasure,” Dracus said, although I knew he didn’t mean it. There was a distinct bite to this tone. The Officials remained standing in the middle of the room, faces hidden by black hoods, shrouded in mystery. I wondered if the others were as curious about their identities as I was. It would be a bit more comforting to see the faces of the entities we worked for.
The room fell quiet. I didn’t know I was the focus of attention until one of them said, “Fiona, welcome back.”
I recognized his voice. I was sure he was the one who used the containment spell on me. The memory of the sudden, constricting burn made me suck in a breath and squirm in my seat. Dracus gave me a reassuring glance. The others had gone completely still, every eye fixed on the officials. I didn’t want a repeat of the last incident, so I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing my emotions to settle down. I learned that the animal part of shifters was keen to shift in emotions, and the guys had probably perceived my discomfort and were ready to attack.
“Thank you,” I replied as steadily as possible. “It’s good to be back.”
The man who addressed me nodded. I couldn’t tell if he was looking at me or not. “Prince Dracus, condolences again for your losses.”
Dracus nodded.
The woman stepped forward. “We were pleased to hear that justice has been served.”
“Halfway, Demetrius is yet to be executed.”
“We’ve gotten word that his execution has been delayed indefinitely.”
My ears perked up. Delayed indefinitely? Not that I wasn’t super happy to hear that, but why? I listened to Dracus and the female official. Even though it seemed I had a little more time to prove Demetrius’s innocence, how was I going to pull it off? After days of trying, I still had nothing. Talk about pressure. I actually started to sweat. Beads formed on my forehead, and I felt a few droplets trickle between my breasts. I couldn’t let the man die when he didn’t deserve to. I didn’t realize that I’d started nibbling on my fingernails until I caught Jasper’s eyes. He lifted a brow in askance. Dropping my hand, I turned my attention back to the meeting. We were on to the topic of the mysterious murders. Apparently, a few more cases had popped up while Dracus and I were away. The other council members had continued the investigation but still had nothing concrete. I’d been so wrapped up in my own stuff, I’d forgotten that we had a job to do. Finding the mysterious killer.
“It’s hard to pinpoint his or her exact motive.” Dracus sighed. “They haven’t targeted one species so we can’t say definitively it’s some kind of hate crime.”
Academy of Beasts XXX Page 4