Her White Wolf (The Academy of Amazing Beasts Book 1) Page 4

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Higher education costs money, and I don’t have any of that. I’ll just stick to what I’ve been doing. I’ve got food to eat. I’m not out on the streets, and I get to hang out with people’s pets.” She shrugged, and even though she claimed to accept her fate, her voice was empty of spirit.

  Her disgustingly low ambition really aggravated me, and I was going to have to beat it out of her… metaphorically. Even Aurelius gave her a confused look as though he too were disappointed in her.

  “That’s it,” I declared firmly. “Enough of your sniveling. I was beginning to believe in you, and then you turned back into a weak-brained lamb’s blood, allowing the world to dominate you instead of turning the course of the tide around and bending events to your will.”

  I grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards me, startling Aurelius. He jumped off the metal table and stayed close by us, but he didn’t snarl or bite. Even he must have known this promising but clueless girl was too good for this place. If she’d be able to cope with my world was a whole other story.

  Whatever happened, it would prove to be amusing.

  “Ow!” she protested and wrenched herself loose. Despite her annoyance, she still dignified me with a response and didn’t call the guards, or whatever they used to patrol this infirmary. “What the Hell do you think gives you the right to touch me? I’m here to handle people’s pets, not deal with your bullshit!”

  As the ornery redhead expressed her extreme displeasure, Aurelius looked up at me with a frowning snout and accusatory eyes. He clearly took her side on this. Even though I wasn’t thrilled to be shamed by a pup, I found her fiery reaction adorable. I thought she’d need more of that if she stood a chance in this world, so I let her continue with her rant.

  “Why don’t you tell me exactly what’s knocking around in your head and maybe I’ll let you stay a couple of minutes before I kick you out of here too?” She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. “You’re really burning all your bridges here.”

  I salivated a bit as I sensed a seed of curiosity glow in her heart. Despite all of her distrust of me, she was still looking for an escape and had exhausted her time here. I loved to stoke the fire of passion and exploration in women. It was such a provocative energy to feed on that no meal could contend with. I would have even thrown her on the steel table and told her just how mundane her world was to prey upon her hunger for excitement if it weren’t for the prying, innocent eyes of Aurelius and the mission I was on.

  “Bridges that were meant to be burned, to be sure.” I started to tap into my solar plexus, where my hypnotic power resided and willed it up to my eyes. “There is nothing for you here. Your family is cruel, you’re out of coin, and you’re an underappreciated apprentice. I can take you to an academy that will see you for who you are and nurture the gifts within you.”

  As I locked my gaze on her, I knew this was more than a slight transgression… but I knew it would be worth it.

  “What? You’re going to take me to a college fair?” Remarkable. She seemed immune to my spell and to my advances. “Well, I’m not interested. Anywhere you go has to be expensive as Hell, and then I’d have to bump into you on a daily basis. Hard pass.”

  I had to admit that while, at first, I found her pluckiness endearing, the charm wore off when she rebuffed my offer.

  “Yes, well, while there would be the unfortunate circumstance of sharing a school with each other, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. You claim to know your way around a kitchen, so you can take part in our esteemed cooking classes,” I continued to list the advantages. “More importantly, you’ll be able to use your healing and intuitive abilities for all manner of creatures. And, if my presence so enrages you, know that I am enrolled in crafts that are too advanced for you, so it’s unlikely that we’ll even need to deal with each other. There will be a whole castle to separate the two of us.”

  She looked at me in disbelief, then heaved a great sigh, “A castle?! You’re seriously out of touch. I need to make the rest of my rounds.” With a dismissive turn, she made her way toward the door.

  I knew I had to capture her attention and quickly. “Did I forget to mention that all costs will be taken care of? Ingredients. Books. Room and board. Everything.”

  She turned back around slowly as Aurelius rushed over and pleadingly nuzzled her legs. I could sense her performing a series of mental calculations.

  “As long as this isn’t some weird sugar baby deal, fine,” she said at last. “I’m not that strapped for cash. If it’s a real scholarship opportunity, I’ll check it out since my shift is almost over. At least it’s a free trip to take a look at this castle that’s got you so full of yourself.”

  Once she had accepted my offer, I savored her leap of faith. “Excellent.”

  Whether she ended up regretting this would fall squarely on her shoulders. I’d done my part.

  6

  Joan

  I didn’t know whether it was Aurelius snuggling up to my leg and giving me some killer puppy eyes or the promise of free college, but I decided that enough was enough. Even though Drama King was the definition of a clueless trust fund baby and basically rubbing my crappy circumstances in my face, he wasn’t wrong. I was going nowhere fast, and it didn’t hurt to consider other options. If I didn’t like his campus, I could just leave and return to life as normal, right?

  Come to think of it, my past few days had been garbage, so I wouldn’t mind a scenic drive on his dime.

  “How far is this place?” I asked. “I haven’t heard of a nearby school where students live in a remodeled castle. I’ve been looking around, too. Do you have a car? Because I don’t.” Of course, I wouldn’t ever think of getting a ride from a stranger, but I had a feeling that Aurelius wasn’t going to let anyone harm me.

  “A car?” He scrunched his nose up at me. “Your common tongue is so coarse. There’s no elegance to it. At any rate, I have one of those. Don’t worry.” I don’t know what he was suggesting about my “tongue,” but he was making this pretty convenient for me aside from his snootiness.

  “Great. Well, I guess I might as well tell you my name if you’re going out of your way for me. I’m Joan.” I headed over to my cubby and slung my tote bag on my arm. “Let’s get a move on, then. I’d like to be back before dark if this turns out to suck. I’m not in the mood to get chewed out when I get home.”

  He seemed shocked that I had so little to carry. Maybe he couldn’t go anywhere without bringing extra outfits and a ton of designer luggage. Judging by the look his swanky dress shirts, he seemed vain enough for that.

  “Theo,” he said by way of introduction. “A pleasure. Is that your custom for exchanging names?” He gestured to my single bag. “And is that really all you’re taking?”

  I would have cussed him out and let him know that he hadn’t introduced himself either, but I chose to wait until after our little trip. How much do you really need for a few hours? I was hoping that this would be quick, and even if I did end up liking the place, I didn’t have much in the way of belongings. What I had right here was what I loved the most.

  “Yeah. Let me just check in with Olivia, our receptionist, so everyone doesn’t think I just disappeared on them. I’ve never left work early before, so now’s as good a time as any.” I winked at Aurelius, who seemed antsy to get moving, and opened the door with relief. I think everyone was glad to stretch their legs.

  As Theo and Aurelius followed me, I approached the front desk where Olivia, a brunette who was nice but kind of chatty, checked some intake forms and typed some notes on her computer. I knew I’d have to say enough to let me off the hook but not so much that she’d ask too many questions or run her mouth.

  All the customers in the waiting room seemed relieved that Theo wasn’t having an epic meltdown and that his dog was healthy enough to walk on its own. That was probably going to win me some extra points and help me talk my way into leaving work early.

  “He
y, Olivia?” I asked sweetly. She looked up at me curiously, and before she could get too chatty, I kept going. “Our client, Theo, wanted to thank me for being able to check out his dog, Aurelius, and give him some recommendations for his care. Also, Theo wanted to say that he was so very sorry for the scene that he made and that he was just so worried about his precious puppy.”

  I stuck out my bottom lip with a pout as though I were talking about a kid that had his toy taken away. “In fact, he’s so grateful for what we’ve done for him that he wanted to take me out to see a college he thinks I’d like.”

  “So sorry. So grateful,” Theo said like an emotionless robot, but Olivia seemed to be totally eating it up as their eyes met. Was she even swooning? Whatever, as long as she fell for it.

  In order to seal the deal and make this seem extra important, I continued, “Can you let Dr. Kerrigan I’m taking the rest of the day off? This is kind of time-sensitive with application season ending soon.”

  Olivia waggled her eyebrows and looked Theo up and down like an ice cream cone. I think all she heard was “take me out” and thought that I was scoring a hot blond or something. “Hey, you deserve it, girl! Two jobs and not a single day off?! Plus, it’s only a little while. We’ll live. If it gets rough, we’ll phone someone on-call.” She leaned in with a secretive whisper. “He’s cute! Get it.”

  “Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. “Anyway, I gotta run. Thank you for being so cool about it.”

  Theo ruffled the top of Aurelius’ furry head as the now relaxed puppy let out a pleased bark. He then waved at everyone in the room, who all put down their magazines like he was giving the most interesting speech in the world.

  “Again, sorry for the trouble, villagers!”

  That’s all he said! That was barely even a sentence, but the waiting clients smiled warmly and waved back, as though Theo had waved a magic wand and made them forget his temper tantrum. I couldn’t believe it! If the college didn’t end up working out, maybe I could ask him to use some of his charm on my stepmother to get her off my back. He didn’t exactly have a way with words, but everything seemed to just work out for him.

  Now that everything was squared away and no one was pissed off by my playing hooky or Theo’s impatience, all three of us headed outside. I looked around at the parking lot while Aurelius wagged his tail in anticipation. What was it going to be? A Lamborghini or a Buggati? Theo’s car should have been easy to spot. Everyone else in town had pretty ordinary cars, and a guy who basically lived in a castle must have had the sweetest ride around.

  I squinted in confusion. “Um? I don’t see it? Do you have one of those really small sports cars that you can’t even see when a van is blocking it?” I scanned the parking lot once more. “Where’d you park?”

  “Park?” He sounded almost amused at my question. “Our means of travel isn’t here. It would have attracted too much attention. You’re going to have to walk. It’ll bring some color to those pale cheeks.” He tilted his head and whistled at Aurelius. “Come on, you two. My father’s expecting us.”

  I clicked my tongue in irritation. I didn’t see what his father had to do with this. I didn’t agree to meet the family, I just wanted to find a way out of this whole mess that was my life and have a shot at an actual career.

  We walked so far that we made it into the swankier part of town that I’d never been to, which was really cool until my legs started to ache. Aurelius, on the other hand, seemed to be having no problem at all with this not-so-little trek. He may not like to hunt, but he loved to hang out. When I was almost certain that my legs would give out on me, Theo finally stopped. I realized we’d gone way past the restaurants and boutiques buzzing with activity, and now there wasn’t a single person around. What’s more, this guy thought he was slick. I wasn’t picking up what he was putting down when I saw him step into a shady alleyway.

  “Oh, hell, no! No way! You are just so entitled!” I crossed my arms and leaned back as though he were a rat I was disgusted by. “I’m not going in there with you.”

  I didn’t really think he was going to rough me up. First, he looked like he was too much of a pretty boy to know his way around a street fight. Second, we already established that Aurelius wouldn’t let Theo hurt a hair on my head. I did think that he was used to his good looks getting him what he wanted, though. Since he was a sharp dresser, he probably thought he could just take a girl to the good part of town to get hot and heavy.

  When he spoke again, though, Theo’s tone was so dry that I doubted he was actually making a move on me. “You’re right that I’m entitled, which is why you’re going to get in here right now. I’ve got places to be, and you’re really holding me up with your stubbornness.”

  Theo then pulled what looked like a wand out of his pocket. Maybe he thought highly of his magic tricks, but I really didn’t think this was the right time or the right ambiance, for that matter. Instead of surprising me with a bunch of scarves or fake flowers, he turned around and started muttering at the wall. I strained my ears to make out what he was saying, but I was pretty sure that even if I could make sense of it, it was high time to just book it.

  “Barrière à la porte!” he said sternly to the bricks in front of him. “Make this barrier into a door. So mote it be.” I would have thought he had a really active imagination if it weren’t for what happened next.

  The outline of a door began to appear in the form of bright blue light. It then flashed three times and turned into a swirling entrance that buzzed with activity and ripped quickly like a mirage. Part of me sensed that there really could be a way to step into and see what was on the other side, but the other part of me remained disbelieving. This guy could have just been a talented illusionist. Or maybe this was some weird hypnosis trick that was triggered by a set of clever phrases?

  “Is that even real?” I thought that it couldn’t be, but I was jittery with excitement. The thrill that it could be made me feel like I’d knocked back three cups of coffee. This was all making me consider whether I had a soft spot for magic tricks. I’d forgotten we were even in a sketchy alleyway.

  Theo chuckled in a way that was disturbingly seductive and uttered in a rich tone, “Get ready to be initiated. Aurelius. Viens à la maison! Come home!” I shivered at his authoritative voice as I watched Aurelius quickly pad away from my side and leap into the bright opening without hesitation.

  The dog disappeared before my eyes.

  So it really was a portal. While he made that graceful vault into wherever lay beyond here, I could feel the pure joy of a homecoming burst within him like fireworks. I was surprised that I could sense Aurelius’ emotions without touching him and when he was so far away. If he could feel that good about this place, and I could pick up on it without question, then maybe this was worth taking a chance.

  I was struck by the desire to hold Theo’s hand just this one time as I stepped into the unknown, but I didn’t want his head to get any bigger than it already was. Instead, I was going to have to bite the bullet and potentially put my old life behind me for good. Not that I’d actually miss it. I nodded as bravely as I could and stepped in. The last memory I had of my old town was forever associated with Theo’s smug grin.

  7

  Theo

  Funny. I expected a horrific scream from Joan. When I didn’t get one, I was a little disappointed. A small dose of lamb’s blood terror here and there was a great way to keep a mage vigorous and entertained.

  However, I admired her courage. She would certainly need that if she didn’t want to devolve into a shuddering mess every two seconds like any of her kind normally would. I still needed to test her limits, though. I could always tell my father that this was a necessary precaution so she wouldn’t drop dead of shock, but really, it was for my own amusement. What can compete with the undeniably delicious combination of a daring spirit and a delicate heart? Feeling fire and fear intermingle took me to the highest places. I closed my eyes at the enjoyable thought
and stepped into the portal.

  I was pleased to watch Joan, pale as a specter, crouched down as she held onto Aurelius for dear life. What was the matter with her? I took special care to select a waypoint that would dazzle her peasant sensibilities. While her world tried to scrub away all hints of nature with their horrid structures, this forest was ripe with untainted enchantment. Curious dryads leaned on towering trees and peered at Joan. The alluring woodland spirits giggled lyrically, but Joan failed to notice them, nor the luminous waterfall that I had ordered a naiad to lace with aquatic songs.

  Instead, she looked too stunned to scream and looked stupidly up at my carriage. Perhaps she was drinking in how exquisite the upholstery of the seats was. Her uncouth thighs had probably never touched satin before. Perhaps I would introduce her to all manner of sumptuous delights if only to remind her of how low her station was… but only after I made her scream like a banshee.

  “Well, there you have it. My carriage.” I mocked her by attempting to copy her uncultured language. “It’s impeccably wrought with dwarven metalwork, and those fine brushstrokes are the handiwork of well-trained fairies. Oh, for a special touch, it’s encrusted with pearls that nymphs dove countless times for until they found those that were the most resplendent.” I smirked. That was particularly fun to watch, even though my father complained about my extravagance.

  Joan’s eyes darted back and forth, her expression shifting from pure confusion to bitter irritation. Aurelius burrowed his head into her cheek in an attempt to console her. He was too soft on her, but I suppose that was his way. Further, he could keep her reeled into this excursion. I wasn’t about to let her loose.