Second Chance Heat, a reverse harem magical academy HEA paranormal romance: Book Four of the Second Chance Academy Series

by Ella J. Smyth

There were two chairs and a tiny, square table. Two narrow field beds sat on either side of the room. At first, I didn't notice there was an internal wall separating a toilet and shower from the main room. Even though it was clearly a cell, it was nothing like at a police station. If anything, the stainless steel and glass aesthetic reminded me of scifi movies.

  Logically, I knew they had to wake up eventually. I checked their breathing and even stuck my head into Kiernan, just to see if he was dreaming. But my friends were out cold. Kiernan’s internal landscape was gray and shapeless, with snippets of images that made no sense to me.

  I shuddered and withdrew. And waited. And waited. At least the voices hadn’t followed me here. Or maybe they had, but gotten as bored as I felt. Maybe I should explore the compound? But just as I was about to leave, Lance groaned and rolled over, falling to the concrete floor.

  “Ow. What the hell… where am I?” He lay on his back, staring at the bright neon lamps overhead. Fear and confusion were etched in his face. He turned his head and saw Kiernan.

  “Hey. Buddy.”

  Kiernan didn’t react. Lance pushed himself to his feet and groggily wandered to his friend’s bed. He used the wall for support and shook Kiernan’s shoulder. “Wake up, Hennessy. Come on.”

  Kiernan’s eyes opened, and he rubbed both hands over his face. “Shit. Where are we?”

  “No idea. Looks like we’re locked up, though.”

  Lance helped him out of the bed. Kiernan swayed, but soon found his bearings. He walked the perimeter, his steps steadier with each passing moment. When he reached the bathroom area, he disappeared behind the barrier.

  “At least it's not a bucket,” he said as he returned.

  “Yeah, but look at the cameras. I wouldn’t get too comfortable on the toilet.” Lance pointed to the ceiling.

  Kiernan followed his gaze and grunted. “Oh, man. How am I supposed to go with some fucker watching me?”

  Lance snickered. Then they fell silent and waited. Lance sat on a chair, watching Kiernan pacing up and down the length of the cell.

  It didn’t take long until Lance got tired of it. “Stop it, Hennessey. You’re driving me nuts.”

  “Aren't you worried about what they’re going to do to us?”

  Lance shrugged. “Sure. But driving yourself crazy is not going to help.”

  Kiernan dropped onto the other chair. “I don't know how you can be so calm.”

  He jumped up again and approached the glass front. Cupping his hands to shield himself from the reflecting lights, he peered into the darkness on the other side. “It’s like we’re on a stage in here. I can’t see a damn thing. What if they’re watching us?”

  Kiernan’s shoulders tensed as he placed his palms against the glass. “I hate this.”

  He closed his eyes and engaged his earth magic. It flowed through him in waves that had been invisible to me when I was still alive. Now, the power pounded like a heartbeat through his body.

  But nothing happened. After several futile minutes, he changed tack. His energy signature morphed as he threw different elemental powers at the glass. Then his shoulders dropped, and he leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

  “What are you trying to do?” Lance asked.

  Kiernan threw him an irritated glance. “I was trying to reach the earth, but there’s too much steel and rubber in the way.”

  Lance got up and joined him. “Let me try?”

  Kiernan stepped aside. “Be my guest.”

  Lance was a fire mage, although he hadn’t been fully trained yet. He spread his legs and stretched his palms forward. Taking a deep breath in, he held it. When he exhaled, he pushed his fire against the wall. The flames ricocheted and hit Lance head-on. Kiernan dived for cover and shouted, “For fuck sake, you eedjit. What do you think you’re doing?”

  Lance didn’t answer. He sunk to the floor, engulfed in flames. The only noises were Kiernan’s screams and the roaring of the firestorm. I wailed at the top of my lungs, watching in horror. The fire burned itself out quickly. When it had died down, I was expecting Lance to be a smoldering corpse. Instead, he kneeled on one leg, buck naked, his hands covering his face.

  Kiernan stared at his friend, his face white as milk.

  Lance said, “Ouch. That hurt.”

  His skin was reddened, but not burned. The fire had consumed clothes and hair, but otherwise not hurt him. Where he’d protected his eyes, his lashes and brows were singed but had survived.

  Kiernan looked terrified, and he swallowed dryly as he approached. “Are you okay?”

  Lance glowered. “Do I look okay to you? I’ve got no clothes, and we’re still stuck.”

  Kiernan reached out and ran his palm over Lance's bald head. “Oh, man. It's going to take a while to grow back.”

  Lance’s hand flew to his scalp, frantically feeling all over his cue ball skull. Then he linked his fingers in the nape of his neck and closed his eyes.

  “Jesus fucking Christ,” he muttered. “I've got no clothes, I lost my hair, and you’re snickering like an idiot.”

  Kiernan wiped the smirk off his face and reached out his hand. “I'm sorry. Looks like your fire didn't work, either.”

  Lance accepted his friend’s assistance and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Kiernan grabbed a blanket off the bed and handed it to him, glancing pointedly the cameras. Lance blushed and draped the fabric around himself. He looked a ridiculous sight. His eyes were reddened, but he was lucky he was largely immune to his own power.

  Kiernan sat next to him, grinning again. But after a while, he turned serious. “What do you think they want with us?”

  Lance looked at him sideways. “How am I supposed to know?”

  “Do you think they got Amber and Macha?” Kiernan’s voice sounded small and scared.

  Lance dropped his voice as well. “I don't know. But it stands to reason.”

  “Aren’t you afraid?”

  Lance shook his head. “No. Honestly? I don't really care what they do to us.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  I held my breath, waiting for Lance’s answer. “Because I deserve it.”

  There it was again. The same thing he’d said in his dream. I drifted closer to catch his explanation.

  Kiernan looked at Lance as if he’d lost his mind. “What?”

  Lance laughed joylessly. “I’m a failure. I killed my mom, my dad, and Julian. Amber would be better off if I were gone, too.”

  Kiernan punched him in the shoulder so hard, I winced. “Don't say that, you fucker. You don't get to say that.”

  Lance turned towards Kiernan, his eyes ablaze. “What do you know, Hennessey? You couldn’t move on fast enough from Julian. You don't talk about him. You never mention him. I bet you're glad he's gone.”

  Kiernan’s face went white, then red with anger. “You have no fucking clue.”

  He jumped up and began pacing. “I miss him every fucking day. But there’s no point hanging onto old memories. He isn't coming back. We can’t move on until we accept that.”

  Lance shook his head. “Well, I've got news for you. You’re not moving on. You're not accepting anything. All you do is hurt Amber by pretending Julian ever existed.”

  Kiernan stopped in front of Lance. “And what about you? You’re no better. You talk about how you deserve to be dead. Do you have any idea how much that hurts Amber? And me?”

  For the first time, Lance looked stunned. “You? You don’t give a shit about me. You don’t even like me.”

  “That's not true. You mean everything to Amber. And I’ve grown bloody fond of you as well, you fucking arsehole.”

  Before Lance could raise his hands, Kiernan straddled his lap and pressed his mouth against Lance’s. Then he jumped off again. “You mean everything to us. Get this into your fucking head before you’re so keen to sacrifice yourself, and Amber has to mourn another guy.”

  Lance looked completely shell-shocked. His eyes were wide, and his ears were bright
red. He whispered, “I never knew you felt that way.”

  Kiernan rolled his eyes. “Of course, I do. The question is, how are we going to go forward? Do you really want to be the kind of guy who allows guilt to destroy him? And us with you?”

  Lance shook his head. “No, I really don't.”

  I'd seen enough. Whatever they’d used to build the prison was magic-proof. There was also a fresh supply of air because otherwise, they would both be struggling after the fire had burned itself out. They were okay for now. I'd probably be of more help if I explored the complex and did some spying. With one last look at my two friends, I left their cell and drifted down the hallway, keeping eyes and ears open.

  Other than passing the occasional soldier in uniform, this part of the building seemed deserted. Once I got further into the complex, it got busier. I thought I heard Amber's name, but when I floated into a large room, a meeting had just broken up, and I’d missed my chance to learn anything new.

  I was nearly back in the elevator that had brought us down, when a door opened, and Kiernan's mom stepped out of a room. I was so surprised, I went through a wall into a supply closet and had to reverse back out to follow her. Kiernan had told me she worked for the FBMA. I’d assumed she was in some office in DC. Yet here she was, at the same time as her son was locked up in this underground complex. Coincidence? I’d find out.

  She held a pile of paperwork against her chest, but even though I floated over her shoulder, I couldn't make out more than a few words. She opened a door and entered another meeting room. Two men where already seated. They mumbled a greeting when she entered, but didn't get up. Mrs. Hennessey sat down and placed the files on the table. “Have you got them?”

  The older of the men cleared his throat before answering. “Yes. They’re safe for the moment. Although your son tried his best to burn his way out.”

  She paled. “Is he hurt?”

  “No. The shields held under the strain.”

  Not a word about Lance, I noticed. Mrs. Hennessey opened the files and ran a finger down a column of numbers. Again, I tried to read what was in front of her. There were names, but nobody I recognized. The dates and numbers were equally meaningless to me.

  The two men waited silently. Eventually, the younger one asked, “Are we good to go ahead?”

  Mrs. Hennessy hesitated, then shook her head. “No. I’ll talk to him first.”

  She got up, picked up the files, and left the room. I followed her to a wall of lockers. She opened one, stuffed the paperwork inside, and closed the door. Then she stared into a small camera until the mechanism clicked.

  “This is so bizarre,” I muttered. “What is this shit? Some spy lab?”

  Mrs. Hennessy turned around suddenly, taking me by surprise, and walked straight through me. I shivered. I’d never get used to this. Shaking myself like a dog, I followed her back to my friends.

  She pushed some buttons and entered the cell through a side door. Kiernan saw her first. His eyes widened and he jumped up. “Mom. What the fuck are you doing here?”

  Mrs. Hennessey frowned. “Language, Kiernan.”

  “Sorry. But what the fuck are you doing here?”

  This time, Mrs. Hennessey let it slide. “You were brought here for your own protection.”

  Kiernan stared at her, his expression growing increasingly angry. “You better explain yourself, mother. Are you saying it was your men who tasered us? For fuck’s sake. They tasered us.”

  Mrs. Hennessey had the decency to look chagrined. “Yes, I’ll have words with them. They weren't supposed to do that. But I did order them to bring you here.”

  Kiernan crossed his arms. “They couldn't have just fucking asked?”

  Mrs. Hennessey pursed her lips. “I really wish you’d stop using foul language.”

  “And I wish you stopped treating me like a fucking child, mother.”

  The way they glared at each other, it was blindingly obvious they were mother and son. I don’t know how often I’d wanted Kiernan to stand up to her in the past. Maybe we wouldn’t be here if he had.

  Mrs. Hennessey caved first. She pulled a chair close and sat down, exhaling loudly. “Okay, let's start again. I'm sorry my men overstepped their mark. I haven't debriefed them yet, but I'll make sure they’ll be reprimanded. But now that you’re here, we need to talk.”

  She waited for Kiernan to say something, but he gestured for her to continue.

  “This girl you've been hanging out with. Amber Whitman. What do you know about her?”

  Kiernan and Lance exchanged a look.

  “She's nice,” Kiernan said cautiously.

  Mrs. Hennessy looked like she was sucking on a lemon. “Nice. That’s not what her record says.”

  Kiernan’s eyebrows climbed. “You mean beyond what’s public knowledge?”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know.”

  “Stop being cryptic. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Why are we here?”

  Lance put his hand on Kiernan’s arm to keep him calm. Blowing up probably wouldn’t get him far with his mother.

  Mrs. Hennessy’s eyes narrowed as she observed the gesture. “Is that how it is?”

  Kiernan’s lips pressed together in anger. He and his mother stared at each other as the minutes ticked by, fighting a silent battle of wills. Kiernan broke first. “Come on, Mom. Did you have me abducted and brought here because I'm dating a girl you don't approve of?”

  Mrs. Hennessey clicked her tongue. “Don't be facetious. Of course not. I brought you here to remove you from her influence. I want you to join the FBMA and help us investigate the disappearance of students from your academy.”

  Lance opened his mouth for the first time. “We know why students are disappearing. Farkas's trafficking them to the Fae.”

  Mrs. Hennessey looked at him as if he had grown horns. “How do you know about the Fae?”

  “Because Farkas dragged us through a portal. We barely made it back. In fact we lost…” His voice broke. He rubbed a hand over his mouth as if to hold in the words, then tried again. “We lost a dear friend, a member of the group.”

  Mrs. Hennessey raised an eyebrow and said, “Another one of Amber's lovers?”

  Kiernan looked as if he wanted to punch his mother. “Yes. And stop making it sound like it's bad. You have two husbands.”

  “That's different. They’re your fathers.”

  Kiernan jumped up. “Stop bullshitting me. If I hadn’t dragged it out of you, you wouldn’t have admitted my father was a fucking incubus.”

  Mrs. Hennessey's face turned red. Through clenched teeth she said, “This isn’t the time nor the place to discuss this.”

  Kiernan responded heatedly, “This is exactly the time and place. You thought you could throw the fact my dad was a sex demon in my face and leave it at that? You never prepared me for the fact I might have inherited his powers.”

  Mrs. Hennessey stood up, facing off with her son. “I don't even recognize you anymore. The way you speak to your mother. That's her fault. You used to be such a well-behaved boy. Now look at you. Defiant and —“

  Kiernan interrupted her. “Oh, shut up, for fuck’s sake. I'm not a boy anymore. I grew up when I was shot in the shoulder by the Fae and had to watch my best friend bleed out in front of me. And you couldn't even be bothered to tell me you were already investigating what was going on?”

  Mrs. Hennessey's hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God, I had no idea. I'm so sorry, Kiernan. I didn't realize you were talking about Julian.”

  I watched her sharply, and to her credit, she had tears in her eyes. Watching his mother cry broke Kiernan. Sitting down on the bed, he visibly struggled for composure, his anger dissipated. His mom sat next to him, putting her arm around her shoulder and pulling him close. “Look. I don't know how Amber is involved in this, but given the circumstances of how she arrived at the academy, I think it's safe to assume she isn't who she claims to be.”

  As I watched in disbelief, Kiernan nodded.
Lance's eyebrows drew together, and he looked as if he wanted to say something, but Kiernan threw him a warning glance.

  “I really want you to work with me.”

  Kiernan pulled away and looked at her for a long moment. Then he closed his eyes. “Yes, Mom. I’ll work with you.”

  I hit the ceiling light in my agitation, screaming, “What are you doing, Kiernan?”

  Unsurprisingly, they ignored me.

  “What about you, Lance? I'm extending the same offer. Will you work with me?”

  What was wrong with them? Kiernan’s mother had made it clear she considered Amber an enemy. Would they really join the FBMA against our girlfriend?

  Lance said, “Yes. That woman needs to be stopped.”

  Mrs. Hennessey smiled, but her eyes stayed hard and calculating. I’d heard enough. I needed to find Amber and warn her.

  19

  Amber

  I had very little recollection of walking through endless hallways. My head was pounding with anger. Mrs. Palmer had betrayed us, and we were prisoners of our enemies. The only sounds were the shuffling of our feet and our heavy breathing. A man not much older than me kept pace. I glanced sideways. His pale-blue eyes were darting from Macha to me and back again. A thin layer of sweat pearled on his upper lip.

  His hands clutched a large gun so tightly, his knuckles were white against the skin. Was he scared of me?

  I remembered, back at home when I was first arrested, the deputies had been terrified of me. My gaze locked with the young soldier’s. He stumbled. It gave me an odd satisfaction to see I had some effect on him.

  Somebody pushed me hard between my shoulder blades. “Stop it, witch bitch. You try something, and I put a bullet in your brain. See if your magic works against that.”

  “Private!”

  The man behind me shut up. My thoughts were whirling. Who were these people? Why the animosity against magic if they worked with Farkas? My shock had subsided, and I assessed my situation.

  My hands were tied behind my back with zip ties, and even though I'd once burned through the plastic in a similar situation, it had taken time. No way would I be able to do this undetected. Besides, I wouldn’t abandon Macha.