by Everly Frost
I swing to Striker to see the same worry etched in his face. Our choices are limited now.
The newcomer lifts his hands, palms up, in a placating gesture, raising his voice at the same time. “My name is Adrian Hadrix. I’m not here to harm you.”
Despite Hadrix’s declaration, Striker remains tense beside me. “He’s Lady Tirelli’s man,” he murmurs. “We can’t trust him.”
Hadrix stops at a distance that I calculate is just outside the reach of my whip. He’s smart, I’ll give him that.
He casts a sudden smile at someone behind me. Vulture hurries toward him, giving me a wide berth on her way to settle into the crook of his arm.
He kisses her forehead but raises his eyebrows at her. “Not your prettiest form, my love.”
“Oh.” She pouts. “You know you’ll love me even when I’m old.”
He gives her an intense smile. “Always.”
She turns back to us before stepping out from within the circle of his arms. “Oops,” she says. “Probably best to reveal myself.”
She gives herself a shake, an extended shiver passing through her body. As she moves, her face and hair change. So does her body shape. She grows half a foot in height, her glasses disappear, and her skin smooths to creamy white. Luxurious blonde hair falls down her back, accentuating her slender neck and narrow waist. Her clothes change, too, shifting into a pair of black leggings and a tight sweater. Like Hadrix, she appears in her forties as she smiles back at us with sparkling green eyes.
“Allow me to introduce my wife,” Hadrix says. “So nobody gets confused, you may continue to call her ‘Ms. Vulture.’”
Hadrix addresses his wife quietly. “I’m glad you warned me about Osprey’s plans today, but it looks like things are under control.”
He casts a satisfied glance at the two bodies lying on the grass: Osprey and Hawk, both dead. Confusion grows inside me because it sounds like he’s pleased that they’re dead. Shouldn’t they be his friends?
He makes an unhappy noise in his throat as his gaze passes over Mallard, who remains on the ground, the barrel of a gun pressed to his back.
“It wasn’t easy getting my messages to you, darling,” Vulture says to Hadrix. “I wasn’t sure if you’d arrive in time. But Peyton and Striker performed beautifully.”
“Of course they did,” he replies. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
He takes a step toward me, glancing to the side at Raptor, who tips his chin at Hadrix as if they know each other well.
I narrow my eyes at both of them. By the sounds of things, Vulture has been communicating with her husband for some time. He and Raptor also appear chummy, particularly because Vulture stopped me from killing Raptor.
I don’t know what’s going on, but until I figure it out, I’m prepared for anything.
Hadrix dares to step within the reach of my whip. “I realize you have good reasons to kill Raptor—he can certainly go too far sometimes—but I guarantee he will be more useful to you alive.”
A snarl grows in my throat. “I would rather he were dead.”
Hadrix inclines his head. “I understand, but Raptor knows the inner workings of the assassin’s world. He knows their magic. He can tell you how they operate. Most importantly, he can tell you their weaknesses.”
“Why would I need to know that?” I snap.
“Because, Peyton, the assassins are coming for you.”
Osprey said the same thing, but I didn’t believe her. She lied so often that the words coming out of her mouth were a buzz inside my head.
Movement behind me tells me that the compulsion spell has broken and the other students are mobilizing rapidly, drawing close to Striker and me. The tension among them tells me they’re prepared to fight if they have to.
Taking glances at the soldiers, Lucinda edges up to me. “What do you want to do, Peyton?”
“How much did you hear?”
“All of it. I just couldn’t control my body.”
Before I can answer, Hadrix turns in a circle, lifting his voice as he addresses all of the students. “The assassins are coming for all of you. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at yourselves. Look at Peyton and Striker.”
He points. I’m still floating above the ground, my claws extended, and Striker remains in hellhound form, fissures of fire crackling across his body.
“You are deadly creatures,” he continues, “every single one of you. You are a threat to everything they know and hold dear. You must be destroyed at all costs.”
So far, he hasn’t threatened me. The men surrounding us aren’t pointing their guns at us, either. They stand watching but, other than the gun at Mallard’s back, their hands are held behind their backs, at ease. Now he’s telling us what I don’t want to hear: that the world outside these walls is more dangerous than the one within them.
“What do you want, Hadrix?” I demand to know. “You’re not here out of the goodness of your heart.”
He exhales. “I won’t lie to you. All of Lady Tirelli’s associates are being assassinated. The Assassin’s Legion is wiping the slate clean. This academy is hidden from them. It exists in a place called a Realm that the assassins can neither find nor breach.”
He lifts his hands, sweeping them across the air. In the fading light, it’s almost impossible to see the sheen covering the sky. Most of the students stare in confusion. Even Striker didn’t see it until I pointed it out to him. I remind myself that I’m a Fury. I can see the true nature of things. Most of the time. Frustration fills me that I’m still developing that power. Right now, I really need to see Hadrix’s true nature, but as hard as I try, it’s hidden from me.
If what he’s saying is true, then the cage around the Academy isn’t to keep us in. It’s there to keep others out.
“The only people who know where this academy is, are now standing within its walls,” Hadrix continues. “If you leave this place, you will be vulnerable, a target. You’re safe as long as you stay.”
Striker growls beside me. “That’s all well and good, but you didn’t answer Peyton’s question: What do you want?”
“I ask your permission to stay,” he says. “I need safety for me and my men as much as you do. Bloodwing is the only safe place left to us.”
“Why would we agree?” I snap.
Hadrix inclines his head at Striker, stepping even closer. “The Dravens have provided Lady Tirelli with her weapons, but I trained her soldiers. Let me do the same for you. I can teach you weaponry and combat skills, and show you how to kill efficiently. Combined with your powers, I can make you better assassins than the assassins themselves.”
His eyes gleam striking blue as he passes his charismatic gaze across all of us. “Then, when you choose to leave, you will be prepared for the fight ahead of you. They may call you ‘monsters,’ but I call you ‘warriors.’ I say they should be afraid of you.”
It’s a rousing speech, but it leaves me cold. Now that he’s standing closer to me, I sense Hadrix’s power like a constrained rage, tightly leashed. He’s definitely not a wizard like his wife is a witch, but he is magical. What he is, I can’t pinpoint.
He lowers his voice. “What do you say, Peyton? I know I’m asking a lot for you to leave Raptor alive. I can understand if it’s difficult to trust someone who just appeared on your doorstep, but I promise you, I’m not here to cage you.” He meets my eyes in a way that’s calculated to make me trust him. “You have a rare and beautiful power. I’m here to make you stronger.”
Everything inside me screams at me to run, to take Striker’s hand and get the hell out of here. The gate is open. We could run through it right now and face down the assassins together, but we’d be leaving behind students who aren’t ready to defend themselves.
I carefully wind up my whip, glaring at Raptor, who stands with his arms folded across his chest, his expression hidden behind his messy hair. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but I will never forget what he did to me.
Th
e blaze in Striker’s eyes is dull now and I’m reminded that he’s still recovering. I squeeze his arm as I lower myself to the ground and force my power to recede, hoping he’ll see it as permission to return to his usual form. If anything happens now, I will be his defender.
He shakes out his shoulders, carefully morphing back into human Striker. Joseph has already done the same and Lucinda’s skin is smooth again. Ashley has also removed the tie from around her eyes.
They all look tired. The stress and fear have taken their toll. Not just from today, but from years of it piled on their shoulders.
“Is Hadrix telling the truth?” Striker asks. He doesn’t bother lowering his voice. There’s no point trying to conceal our conversation.
I nod reluctantly. “The threat is real. He’s not lying about that. We’re a target and we’re not ready to defend ourselves against trained assassins. Only a handful of us know what we are. Those of us who do are still learning to control our powers.”
What I don’t say is that I watched those two assassins annihilate a fully-fledged Fury. The woman with the silver-ringed eyes is not to be messed with. Even at my strongest, even with this whip, it will take everything to kill her.
I reach for Striker, drawing him close. “You already started training us. Can you teach us the skills we need instead of Hadrix?”
He smooths the hair behind my ear. “I could try, but…” He glances at the soldiers and their guns, a dangerous glint returning to his eyes. “I don’t actually believe we have a choice right now.”
I turn to the others, picturing the bloodbath if things go wrong. I’ve finally made some friends, people I care about. The way Joseph is holding Lucinda’s hand and Lachlan is holding Ashley’s tells me they have a chance for happiness. All I can do right now is protect them within the new lines that are being drawn around us.
I choose my words carefully. “Striker and I will accept this new situation. We can learn from Hadrix and take the time we need to become stronger. We will fight anything that threatens us.”
I hope the students hear my silent promise: If Hadrix threatens or hurts us, we will fight him too.
Nobody moves. Then, slowly, one by one, they give me silent nods. Striker is last, his agreement a single downward sweep of his head.
I can’t read the expression behind his eyes. He promised me a faraway bed that belongs to both of us. A dream that’s fading fast.
“You’ve made the right choice,” Hadrix says from behind me. He doesn’t smile. Every move he makes is carried out with military efficiency.
I speak clearly. “We won’t be treated like prisoners anymore. You will not threaten us with violence. If you or your men harm any one of us, you will answer to Striker and me.”
He nods without hesitation. “You have my word, but please be warned, my training methods are not for the fainthearted.”
I glare at him. “You have no idea how tough every student in this place is.”
He grins. “I’m counting on it.”
Vulture has remained quiet but now she exchanges a look with her husband. The silent communication between them makes me cautious again. I’m not sure I’m prepared to accept any more surprises.
“There’s one more thing,” Hadrix says. “But I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
He waves at the first vehicle parked at the gate. There’s movement inside it, but I can’t see beyond the tinted windows, especially now that my rage is diminished. I’m tired too. It’s been a long day and all I want is a quiet place to mourn the loss of my freedom—the broken hope that Striker and I could start fresh today. I tell myself it won’t be forever. I have a way out and a path to get there. We will leave Bloodwing together. Just… not today.
The vehicle’s door opens and a young woman steps down from it. Her blonde hair is braided in a similar style to the other female students’, but she wears tight jeans and a sweater that hugs her slender curves. Her eyes are bright blue, but for a moment… I’m sure they switch to brown, then back again. Her hair shimmers too, rippling brown and then settling to blonde. I blink, trying to decide if it’s a trick of the light. Night will fall soon and visibility will only get worse. The sooner we settle this, the better.
A deep crease forms on Striker’s forehead as he studies the approaching woman, his gaze passing from her hair to her eyes.
His confused expression suddenly clears and his claws snap out. For a second, I think he’s going to break away from me. A careful touch on his arm tells me that his beast is threatening to burst out at any moment, a new fire building inside him.
Hadrix places a protective arm around the woman’s shoulders when she reaches him.
He pins Striker in his sights as he says, “I think you know my daughter, Kaitlyn.”
I stare in shock. Silence falls over the yard. Lucinda bristles and so does Joseph, the tension rising around me a thousand percent.
Ignoring everyone else, Kaitlyn gives Striker a sweet smile that makes my blood run cold. “Hi, baby.”
Oh, hell no.
I might have just made a deal with the bad guys, might have agreed to stay at Bloodwing when all I want is my freedom, but there’s no way I’m letting this two-faced liar do whatever she wants.
Stepping directly in front of Kaitlyn, I block her ability to see Striker. His rage is a comforting heat at my back, telling me he wants to tear her to shreds. The Fury inside me practically purrs in response. Striker Draven is one scary-as-hell asshole, but his brutality is the mirror to my own.
“Hi, Kaitlyn,” I say, matching her sweet tone. “We haven’t met before. Allow me to introduce myself…”
She blinks at me, the faintest hint of annoyance that I’m in her way, but I don’t let her irritation bother me.
This is my academy now. I’ll train and I’ll fight, but I won’t compromise my heart. The assassins might be coming for us, the supernatural world might consider us disposable and worthless, but I know what I am and I’ll only get stronger.
My smile doesn’t reach my eyes. “I’m your worst nightmare.”
Read more in Assassin’s Academy: Book Two: Revenge.
Assassin’s Academy: Book Two: Revenge
I only know three things for certain:
First, the Assassin's Legion will stop at nothing to annihilate every student at Bloodwing Academy.
Second, my power is growing rapidly and my true nature will soon be beyond my control.
Third, Striker Draven's love will destroy me.
Oh, and there's a fourth: Striker's ex has returned and she's intent on getting him back.
Determined to protect my friends, I'll fight any attack on the Academy. I'll curb my inner nature as long as I can to keep them safe. I'll even take on Striker's ex. But mind and body, heart and soul, love is my poison.
This is a full-length dark academy romance, the second in the Assassin's Academy series. An enemies to lovers romance for fans of action and intrigue.
**Recommended reading age is 17+ due to language and sex scenes.
Get your copy of Assassin’s Academy: Revenge.
Assassin’s Magic Series
A complete urban fantasy romance series.
Is love worth the danger?
When Hunter Cassidy plans to infiltrate the Assassin's Legion, posing as an assassin-in-training, she is prepared to encounter danger every step of the way. What she doesn't expect is the ruggedly handsome and relentlessly fierce trainee, Slade Baines.
It's hard enough that Hunter is the first female to be accepted to train with the Master Assassin himself. Even when she beats the other candidates, the Master ranks her lowest of all. In the male-dominated Legion, the other trainees see her as a weak link to be driven out of their ranks.
When they try to force Hunter out, Slade gets in their way, becoming an unexpected ally. Despite her best intentions, Hunter finds herself lowering her guard around him, which only makes carrying out her secret mission more difficult and puts her in danger of falling for him.<
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But there's more at stake than Hunter's heart. The Master Assassin possesses the key to locate a weapon that Hunter must ensure remains hidden at all costs. In her quest to stop this deadly power from falling into the wrong hands, she must make a choice between following her heart... or fulfilling her destiny.
This is a full-length novel at 90,000 words, the first in the four-book Assassin's Magic series.
Start the series with Assassin's Magic.
The Monster Ball Year 2
This Collection includes an exclusive Assassin’s Magic story.
From 13 Award-Winning, USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHORS Comes A Night You'll Never Forget.
It's that time again! The Monster community is abuzz with whispers of the most anticipated party of the year. This deliciously exclusive event has tongues wagging even amongst the who's who of the monster community. It will once again be held at an undisclosed location on All Hallows Eve.
Watch for your ticket but not in the mail. The silvery slip of parchment is said to appear in your hand by the light of the moon.
If you find yourself a fortunate recipient best to keep it to yourself. There are some who would kill for the chance to attend. Because as every good monster knows... what happens at the ball, stays at the ball.
xoxo, Elvira
Get your copy of The Monster Ball Year 2.
Also by Everly Frost
Assassin’s Magic Series (Urban Fantasy Romance)
Complete
Book One: Assassin’s Magic
Book Two: Assassin’s Mask
Companion Book Three: Assassin’s Menace