Darkblood Academy: Book Four: Prophecies

by G. K. DeRosa

  He shook his head and pulled me tight to his chest. “No. Everything worked out, Luna. Don’t you see? Luxora is dead, and she can’t hurt us anymore—or our future daughter.”

  I inhaled deeply, breathing in Ryder’s familiar scent. I wanted to believe him; I wanted him to be right more than anything. But how would we ever know for sure?

  He swept a lock of hair behind my ear and kissed the top of my head. “Thank you for sharing that with me. You should never have to bear anything alone again, okay? That’s what I’m here for. I love you more than anything in this world, and I want to share everything with you.”

  My throat nearly closed up altogether at his words. I tipped my head up to meet his smoldering gaze. “I want that too.”

  Chapter 28

  Waking up in Ryder’s arms was the only way I wanted to wake for the rest of my life. Which was both a thrilling and terrifying thought. His chest rose and fell beneath my cheek as the haze of sleep fell away. We’d had such a tumultuous start to our relationship that this felt too good to be true. Like at any moment, we’d be ripped apart once again.

  I squashed the unsettling sensations, burying them deep in my gut where they belonged. There was nothing to fear anymore. Luxora was dead, and no one could hurt us again.

  I understood now why Kimmie-Jayne had never shared her visions. They were a terrible burden.

  Ryder stirred beneath me, his arm tightening around my waist as he rolled me on top of him. Though his eyelids still drooped, a certain part of his anatomy was wide-awake and pressed against my thigh.

  “Good morning, love.” His gravelly morning voice stirred my own lusty thoughts. Not to mention the whole love thing.

  I stretched, curling my arms around the back of his neck. “I could definitely get used to this.”

  “Good. Because I plan on waking up with you beside me for the rest of our lives.”

  My eyes widened. It was silly really. We’d already talked about our future child and somehow him mentioning the rest of our lives had a whole swarm of butterflies taking flight in my gut. I wasn’t even twenty yet, but things had been moving so fast between us lately.

  I glanced up at the guitar-shaped clock over the door and jumped. “Oh crap, Cinder’s leaving this morning and I promised I’d stop by before she left. Fenix is coming to get her, and I wanted to ask about baby Rose.”

  Ryder grumbled as I squirmed off him. “Fine, but I’m going with you.”

  “Great. I’m sure Fenix would love to see you.” I winked before dipping into the bathroom to get ready.

  Ten minutes later, we were knocking at Cinder’s dorm room. Raf opened the door and ushered us in. By the sad-puppy-dog look on his face, someone wasn’t happy about the two-month winter break from his girlfriend.

  I glanced up and finally noticed the packed room.

  “Hey!” said Cinder, her face lighting up. “I was just about to call and tell you to get your butt over here.”

  Kimmie-Jayne turned around with baby Rose in her arms and a huge smile on her face.

  “You all came!” I ran over to give my sister a hug when a darker presence filled the room.

  Spinning around, my eyes landed on my father—in his true form. Blonde hair with a splotch of white streaking through, blue eyes and striking features.

  “Wow, it’s a real family reunion,” mumbled Ryder. Even Cillian was here, hovering in the corner.

  Garrix smacked my demon boyfriend’s back as he sauntered toward me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me up and down. I was already holding baby Rose so I couldn’t even squirm out of his hold. “I’m glad you survived your little ordeal in the Underworld.”

  “Yeah, little,” I muttered. I was more than a bit peeved that he hadn’t even come by to see me. He claimed he had no idea I’d been kidnapped, but somehow I doubted that. There was little that went on in either realm that my father didn’t know about. “So what are you doing here?”

  He ticked his head at the baby in my arms, and the most genuine smile I’d ever seen lit up the man’s face. “I couldn’t have my granddaughter traveling by dragon. I escorted your sister and her family here personally.”

  “Yup,” Fenix growled from the other side of the room. “Nothing is too good for the great warlock’s granddaughter.”

  “Oh stop, both of you,” K.J. warned. “I’m just glad I was able to bring Rose to see her aunt Luna.”

  “Me too.” I glanced down at the plump rosy-cheeked baby nestled in my arms and couldn’t help but smile. She grabbed my finger in her little fist and squeezed, cooing softly.

  Ryder appeared beside me, his eyes intent on the infant. His lips tipped into a devastating smile, and my heart skipped a beat.

  “Do you want to hold her?”

  He hesitated for a moment before his head bounced up and down. “Sure, hand her over to uncle Ryder.”

  “You are not her uncle,” Fenix snarled, suddenly appearing beside us. Cillian, too, came over to gush over the cute baby.

  “Unofficial—for now.” He winked at the surly dragon, and K.J. and I both laughed.

  My sister weaved her arm through mine and tugged me away from the boys. “I wanted to talk to you about something in private.”

  I gulped.

  She squeezed my hand and shot me a reassuring smile. “It’s something good.”

  I led her to the corner of the room and muttered a quick cloaking spell so none of the supes would hear us. “Okay, we’re clear. What’s up?”

  “Remember I told you I’d started getting visions when I was on Hitched? Bad ones…”

  I nodded.

  “They were recurring. I’d been seeing the same terrible battle for over a year now, and then suddenly after you guys killed Luxora they stopped.”

  My eyes widened, for more than one reason. I hadn’t told her about Celine’s vision of the battle I’d seen with my sister in it for the same reason I hadn’t originally told Ryder. Could they have seen the same thing? And now they’d stopped? That couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “You think whatever we did worked?”

  She nodded, a big smile flashing across her face. “I think so. I’d been seeing the exact same images for so long now. I thought they’d never stop.”

  I chewed on my lower lip, considering how much I should say. “These images you saw, were Flare and Elrian in them by chance?”

  Her mouth dropped, forming a capital O. “How did you know?”

  “Celine showed me. You were there too.” I shuddered, and a wave of goose bumps spread over my arms.

  “Well, I think with Luxora gone, you’ve managed to change the future. For now anyway.”

  “I saw other things too, K.J. Things about Ryder and me. Maybe you’ve seen them too?”

  Her head dipped into a slow nod. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off with my hand.

  “I don’t want to know. You’re right, knowing is too much of a burden.” I pulled my sister into a hug. “I’m sorry you were cursed with Garrix’s visions.”

  “Me too,” she muttered.

  A dark presence coiled around my cloak, and we glanced up to see the devil himself—no, not Lucifer, our father. He banged on the invisible wall until I dropped it.

  “Yes?” I quirked an annoyed brow.

  “There’s been a development that I thought would interest you both.” He motioned to the others gathered around the sitting area. “If you’ll kindly join us again?”

  “Sure.”

  Ryder still held Rose, and Fenix still loomed over him. It was kind of sweet actually. K.J. must have decided to put her husband out of his misery and reclaimed the baby from Ryder.

  Rose cooed as soon as she was back in her mother’s arms, and the tense set of Fenix’s shoulders relaxed.

  “So what’s up?” I asked, perching on the edge of the couch.

  “I thought you’d all like to be the first to know that Lucifer has been granted a seat on the Etrian Assembly.”

  “Why

?” Fenix growled.

  Cillian didn’t look surprised so I assumed he must have played a part in the negotiations with his fallen brother.

  “To mend the strife between the realms of Azar and Underworld as well as the human one, of course. Lucifer has assured us that with Luxora’s untimely departure, he will be resuming full reign in his dominion. He’s guaranteeing no more attacks in the human world as part of the deal.” He turned his gaze to me. “And as for his role in your breakout from the Underworld, I have assumed all responsibility in repaying the debt. It was the price of his seat on the assembly.”

  My heart nearly doubled in size. “You made a deal with him for me?”

  He nodded. “For as long as I’ve known Lucifer, he’s wanted an official say in Azarian affairs. Now he has it, and hopefully, it will be to the benefit of us all.”

  “Thank you.” I jumped up and wrapped my arms around my father. He only tensed for a moment before hugging me back.

  “I’ve managed to stave off Congress from passing the supernatural ban for now, and I’m hopeful with Luxora gone and Lucifer back in control, the issue will be tabled for the future. I’ve already spoken to Cillian about the new teams to be trained next year, and I’m certain that with everything we’ve achieved, we’ll be able to maintain this hard-fought peace between our realms.”

  “That sounds promising,” said Fenix. He glanced at Cinder, and the creases in his forehead deepened.

  My best friend planned on trying out for the new teams. I hated the idea of her getting caught in the middle of the fighting, but she’d been adamant. The only reassuring part was that Raf would transfer to whichever team she was chosen for. At least I knew he’d keep her safe.

  Fenix stood and helped Kimmie-Jayne up. Rose had already fallen asleep in her arms. I hurried over to get one last peek before they left. Running my fingers over the baby’s chunky little arms, her peaceful breaths quelled the uneasy thoughts about my friend. K.J. had said her dark visions had stopped, and I chose to believe everything would turn out okay for all of us.

  Wrapping my sister and then Cinder in hugs, I promised I’d come to Draeko for a visit soon.

  “I’m going to miss you like crazy,” said my bestie as she curled into Raf’s arm after releasing me.

  “Me too.”

  Even my father gave me a not-so-chilly pat on the back as he walked out. “I’ll see you soon, Luna.”

  Hopefully not too soon. The squad hadn’t been sent out on any missions since Luxora’s death, and I hoped to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  Cillian, Ryder and I walked side by side down the hall trailing after the Skyraiders.

  “What are your plans for the break, uncle?” Ryder asked.

  “Nothing,” he huffed. “I wish to do absolutely nothing for the entire two months. And hopefully if you two can manage to stay out of trouble, it’ll happen.”

  Ryder pulled me into his side and kissed the top of my head.

  “No trouble here, Cillian,” I chimed in. “We plan on doing a whole lot of nothing too.” Nudging my angel headmaster in the ribs, I glanced up at him. “We could be up for a double date sometime if you and Calliope are interested?”

  Cillian’s sculpted cheeks rosied, and he averted his gaze to the hardwood. Clearing his throat, he mumbled something I couldn’t quite decipher. He picked up his pace and waved over his shoulder. “I’ll see you both soon. Enjoy the break.”

  Ryder and I both burst into giggles as soon as he turned the corner. “You know, he’s really happy for us.” His arm came around my shoulders as we walked back upstairs to my dorm.

  “He is?” I knew he didn’t approve of our relationship when Ryder was a teacher and I was a new student, but with everything going on, we’d never really discussed it after.

  “Of course he is. Why do you think he sent you to rescue me from the pits of despair at the rehab center?”

  “I thought he was desperate.”

  He smirked. “Okay, maybe that too. But I think it’s also because he saw what we may have been too blind to at first. It’s one of those annoying angel traits.”

  When we reached the seventh floor, a familiar platinum head caught my eye from down the hall. Drake had a duffel bag hitched over each of his shoulders, and a guilty expression written across his face.

  I stomped over to the prince, throwing him my evilest eye. “Were you just sneaking out of here without even saying goodbye?”

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s possible.”

  I twirled around to my dark shadow. “Can you give us a second?”

  Ryder’s lips twisted into a frown, but he nodded anyway. “I’ll go wait in your room.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once the door closed behind Ryder, I spun back to the ice prince. “After everything we’ve been through, you were just going to skulk away?”

  He dropped his duffel bags on the floor and ran his hand over the back of his neck. “I’m no good at these things, Luna. You of all people should know that.”

  I shook my head. “No. This cold prince façade isn’t you anymore, Drake. You can fool the others, but you can’t fool me. It’s okay to care and to let others in.” I reached for his hands and was surprised when they easily folded into mine. “I want you to be happy, and who knows, maybe Miranda can do that for you, but only if you give her a chance.”

  He snorted. “Doubtful.”

  “Please, Drake. At least promise me you’ll try.” I placed my hand on the left side of his chest, and his heart thrummed beneath my palm. “You have too much good in here to let it all go to waste.”

  His lips curved into a smile. “You are too good, Luna. Which is why things never would’ve worked out for us. The royal Fae would’ve eaten you up and spit out all the good.” He shook his head, a rueful grin still on his face. “I’ll try, human. Just for you.”

  I pulled him into a tight hug, and his stiff body relaxed against mine. “Goodbye, Drake, and good luck with everything.” A part of me wanted to say see you soon, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be true. Drake was embarking on a completely different life now—one far removed from mine, and I had no idea when I’d see him again.

  “Goodbye, human, and thank you for teaching me a few things these past years.” His icy lips pressed against my cheek, and a second later he was gone.

  Ryder was stretched out across my bed when I walked into my room. He propped his head up on his hand at my approach. “Everything okay with the mighty prince?”

  I grabbed a cushion off the couch and chucked it at his head. Which of course, he annoyingly dodged.

  He sat up and pulled me into his lap, enveloping me in his muscular arms.

  “I just feel bad for Drake. Could you imagine growing up in Winter Court? And then being forced to marry someone you didn’t even like, let alone love?”

  He exhaled softly. “No, I couldn’t. But like you said, he was brought up with the royals. Like Elrian, it’s his birthright.” His lips brushed my cheek then nuzzled my ear. “But that’s what I love about you, Luna. You care so much. It’s no wonder you broke through the Fae’s icy shell and conquered my devious demon.”

  I lifted my gaze to his, the demon’s vivid citrine swirling within the deep onyx of his irises. “I’m not sure who was harder to conquer, you or the demon.”

  He laughed, his big chest vibrating beneath mine. “I’ve come completely undone because of you, you know that right?”

  “I do. Because you’ve done the same to me.”

  His lips captured mine, and a delicious tremor swept over me. My heart was so full, so complete, I wasn’t sure it would remain within its skeletal confines. It raged against my ribs as if it were trying to reach Ryder’s. His vibrated with as much intensity as my own, matching its erratic beats as I pressed against him.

  Though our future was unclear, there was one thing I knew with certainty. The truth of it lived in the marrow of my bones—somehow I always knew. Ryder and I were meant to be together. I may not have known all the details yet, but for now I was okay with that. As our hearts and limbs entangled, I treasured the blissful moment, vowing to enjoy every single one with the man I loved.

  Epilogue

  Five Years Later

  * * *

  The burnt orange and blue flames danced over the charred wood, spreading warmth throughout the quiet living room. The hiss and crackle lulled my weary bones. My eyelids drooped, but I stubbornly willed them to remain open.

  “Go to sleep, baby girl.” Ryder’s breath tickled my ear, his big body curled around mine on the couch.

  “I can’t. What if she wakes up?” My eyes drifted from the mesmerizing flames to the small pink and white bassinet by my side.

  “Didn’t you listen to your sister? Kimmie-Jayne said you had to sleep when baby slept.”

  I sat up, peering over the rim of the crib where a tiny pink cherub breathed softly. I still couldn’t believe she was mine—ours. I hadn’t slept more than a few hours a night for the past two weeks since she was born. As much as I tried to convince myself we were safe here, I couldn’t shake the twinge of impending dread in my gut.

  Ryder kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Everything’s going to be fine, Luna. There’s nothing for us to fear anymore. No one even knows she exists.”

  Yet.

  The moment I’d found out I was pregnant, I begged Ryder to leave Azar. It had been our home for years, but with news of baby coming an irrational fear gripped my insides. It wouldn’t let up, not until we moved back to the human world, to a small town in upstate New York where I hoped no one would ever think to look for us.

  I was okay for a while, and then she was born and the panic returned ten-fold. Our daughter was just as Celine, Luxora’s seer, had foreseen. She was a female warlock, like me and like her father, had a strong streak of demon inside her.

  As I stared at our precious baby girl, I couldn’t reconcile it. How could this adorable tiny baby hold so much power?

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