Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy Read online

  “They’re spelled,” Ione said, grinning. “They think they’re playing another venue on their tour. By tomorrow, they won’t remember they were ever here.”

  How devious.

  But awesome compared to the lame DJ my old school hired to play at homecoming. I winced, thinking of that night. It was one of my first dates with Connor. Just a typical homecoming. Dinner, limo, and dancing. That night marked the first time he kissed me. I thought it was a magical night, but this one already beat it by a long shot. Here I was, in an enchanted ballroom, surrounded by mages, and listening to one of my favorite bands. Hey, maybe this meant I was finally over Connor. The thought made me smile.

  “Hey, Thorny,” Jett greeted me by the entrance. “Well, aren’t you sparkly tonight.”

  Next to me, I heard Ione groan.

  Jett was decked out in a velvety blue dress, shoulders full of metal studs. Her spiky black hair was fastened into a barrette, drawing out the color of her gray eyes.

  “You look stunning, Jett,” I said, smiling.

  The entire ballroom was something out of a dream, the ceiling made up of twinkle lights, the floor full of purple and blue mists, and the tables dripping with white satin and glittery stargazers.

  “Are you coming?” Ione said, tightening her grip around her clutch. She expected me to stay with the other Aphrodite students.

  “I’ll catch up with you later,” I said, ignoring that scorch in her narrow gaze.

  Just because Jett was a Hades descendant didn’t mean we couldn’t be friends. Besides, I worked hard to prove my allegiance, and I was proud of the progress I’d made so far.

  “That stick is shoved pretty far up her ass, huh?” Jett said, give Ione the side-eye.

  “Don’t you start, too.” I looked around. “Where’s Hazel?”

  “She came with Biiirch.” Jett drew out his name in a mocking, lovey-dovey voice. “Over there.”

  I spied Hazel out on the dance floor in a wispy plum-colored dress. Grinning from horn to horn, she looked beautiful and happy. “Aw, they’re cute,” I said, and Jett rolled her eyes.

  “Let’s get some wine,” she suggested, tugging me by the arm.

  “Wine—as in, real wine? They give that to teenagers?” I assumed the stuff we drank in the woods was stolen.

  Jett shook her head, her face full of pity. “Oh, you poor, deprived, clueless mortal. Those laws don’t exist in Mythos. Come on.”

  She led me to the drink table where there were crystal goblets brimming with white Mythonian wine. Jett picked up two, handing me one.

  Across the room, I spied Xander, surrounded by his Ares friends. God, he looked gorgeous. His dark hair was combed back, and he smiled at something a friend said, his eyes dancing. I sighed, secretly wishing that smile was settled on me.

  As if he knew someone was staring, his gaze drifted around the room. I lowered my eyes, trying not to get caught—crap, too late. His gaze burned through the crowd, landing on me. But unlike me, he didn’t look away.

  I suddenly became super self-conscious. He shouldn’t be doing that. Not while there were this many people present. Of course, I’d been doing the same thing, but at least I tried to be discreet.

  Tork, another Hades student, stole Jett’s attention away. They talked about a project for their séance class, while I stood back, pretending to listen. My focus was solely directed on Xander. I still felt him watching me, his gaze prickling the back of my neck.

  Up ahead, the crowd shifted and parted. My stomach flip-flopped as I caught sight of his dark head moving this way. He was coming over here.

  There were no Ares descendants in this part of the room. He couldn’t be that stupid—

  “Dance with me?”

  Apparently, he was.

  I looked up. God, he was hard to resist, standing there with his hand stretched out. That warm magic drew me in, turning me helpless.

  This wasn’t a good idea though. Students were everywhere, from all houses, many of their eyes on us. “Here? In public?”

  We couldn’t do this. Our social status depended on us not being seen as friends. Xander had made that abundantly clear from the start.

  He took my arm and guided me to the dance floor, not bothering to answer. A slow song started playing, and he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against him.

  Great. This was looking worse by the second.

  I laid my arm across his shoulder, feeling his muscles stretch beneath his suit. Even dressed up like this, that Ares strength exuded from him. He smelled amazing, too. Him, his magic, his body—all a little too intoxicating for comfort. I could feel the blood rise in my cheeks, my heart thumping against my chest.

  I still didn’t understand why it was happening. In public. Everyone was staring, whispering, wearing matching expressions of shock and disapproval. “You couldn’t say whatever you needed to say in private?” I whispered furiously.

  With his free hand, Xander threaded his fingers through mine. We slowly swayed to the beat. “I don’t need to say anything.” His voice tickled my ear. “I just wanted to hold you.”

  I backed up to look at him, thinking he was joking. Everything in his expression told me he was serious, from the hard lines of his face to the intensity of those blue orbs staring back at me.

  “You tell me for weeks we can’t be seen together, and then you suddenly change your mind—because you feel like holding me? On a damn whim?”

  I was ready to punch him in his stupidly handsome face.

  “So angry.” He grinned. “Didn’t the Fates tell you to work on that?”

  I took a deep breath, trying to stay composed. “Why are you doing this, Xander?”

  He shrugged. “When left to your own devices, you tend to make dumb decisions. You need me around—okay, okay.” He laughed as I pushed away from him. “Don’t go.”

  “Then explain, and this time take it seriously.”

  He nodded. “I did it for your benefit, not mine. I never cared about my own social status, only about yours.”

  I tripped—right over Xander’s feet. He stopped me from falling, holding me steady. “You look beautiful, by the way,” he said, as if I wasn’t losing my shit right there on the dance floor.

  “You did that for both of us.” I leaned my weight into his arm. “So we could both appear allegiant…right?”

  “I proved my allegiance long ago,” he said with a sigh. “I promised your mother I would protect you. You were new to the school, trying to fit into Aphrodite—how would it have looked if you were seen hanging out with me, someone who turned their back on the same house you were trying to join?”

  I pressed my lips together. We both knew the answer to that question. “That still doesn’t make your intentions innocent.”

  “Whether you believe me or not, it was all for you. Strap me to another ollodipher. I’ll tell you the same thing.”

  I swallowed. No. I preferred believing he was looking out for himself. That made whatever this thing was between us easier to push away.

  “Come on, Sheridan. They already see us.” Very slowly, he twirled me beneath his arm. “We might as well enjoy the dance.”

  I hated that part of me was enjoying this. There was an electric current in the warmth of his hand, sending tingles down the length of my spine. For a gladiator with such a hardened, rough exterior, there was a gentleness to the way he held me, as if I were precious. The whole thing made me feel like I was being sucked into a hypnotizing vortex, one I could never escape. Even the people surrounding us were disappearing into the background, suddenly unimportant.

  I tilted my head, eyeing him suspiciously. “You’re telling me you never cared about fitting in?”

  He didn’t answer for several long seconds. At first, I thought that was an answer within itself. It surprised me when he finally spoke.

  “I joined Ares because it was one of Selena’s conditions, but also because I never wanted to feel helpless again. To me, the gladiators in Ares were the ep
itome of strength and power. I’ll admit, it’s nice to have a tribe. But I never cared about fitting in. I just wanted to be capable of defending myself. I promised myself long ago that I would never be weak again. Never.” His jaw ticked as he spoke, like he was reliving the nightmare he experienced in the Underworld all over again.

  I swallowed. I felt it in my gut—this was his truth. Besides, the guy was already at the top. He was Ares’s house leader. Everyone already respected and admired him. I was the newbie, green without experience.

  “Okay.” I let out a slow breath. “I believe you. You were looking out for me. Then what is this? Sabotage?”

  He laughed once. “You handled your situation pretty well. Aphrodite has embraced you.”

  I pursed my lips. “You’re evading the question.”

  He gently touched the side of my face. “Maybe it’s selfish, but I want to be near you. In private or in public. It’s almost like…” He looked up at the starry ceiling, searching for the right words. “When you’re not around, I feel like I’m being strangled, like someone is slowly choking me to death. When I’m near you, that iron grip releases. My lungs fill up with oxygen, and I can breathe again. I thought you were safer away from me. But now I think we’re better off together.”

  “Xander…” Good grief, I was on the brink of tears. “This is crazy.”

  He was saying words I wanted to hear, but they were also words that terrified me.

  “But it feels right, doesn’t it?” He drew me closer, resting his chin over my shoulder, like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Ugh, he may not care about his own reputation, but I did. I didn’t want to see him lose everything he worked so hard to build.

  No. This couldn’t happen.

  Even if that meant I needed to be the stronger one between us. I took a deep breath. “Time and time again, you have been there for me, Xander. The last thing I want is to hurt you or your reputation.”

  “Let me worry about my reputation. Don’t you think I’m capable of making my own decisions?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “I can handle myself, Sheridan.”

  I pulled back to look at him, ready to put my foot down. “You’re not considering how this would affect me. If they crucify you for this, it will destroy me.”

  He sighed, and I could tell he was losing his patience. “If you push me away out of some misplaced sense of honor, that will destroy me. I don’t give a damn about anyone else’s opinion.”

  My mouth parted. I looked into his eyes, seeing for myself how serious he was. His gaze held mine as if I were his entire universe.

  “If you want to say no, I can’t stop you. But just remember, that makes you the thing that stands between us. It makes you the bad guy—not them.”

  The music stopped. He released me so suddenly, I stumbled, still reeling from what he said.

  “Just…” He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. “Think it over, okay?”

  I managed a feeble nod. Then he left me alone on the dance floor, disappearing back into the crowd. I was so shocked, I just stood there for several long seconds, everything around me one big blur.

  37

  Still in shock, I left to find Jett, unable to wrap my mind around what Xander admitted. This definitely wasn’t a normal teenage experience, but I wished I had a mom to talk to about this stuff. And since I didn’t, it made me really miss my dad. He always used to tell Riley and I to come to him. If it was about boys or periods or bra sizes—he didn’t care. He promised to act normal about whatever subject we approached him with. And he always did. No matter what came up.

  God, I missed him. I just wanted him to wrap me in his arms and tell me everything was going to be okay. I wanted to ask if he was taking his blood pressure meds, and if he was taking it easy on the salt.

  “Thorny!” Jett yelled from behind, startling me. “Guess who I just saw with a visitor’s badge—your dad!”

  I blinked several times.

  Was there a secret genie following me around, granting my wishes?

  Whatever—I refused to question this. My dad being here was the best news I’d gotten in a while.

  “Where is he?” I said, my voice brimming with excitement.

  “He came from the main office, headed toward the north end of the school. Come on, I’ll take you.”

  She grabbed my hand and led me out of the ballroom. Since everyone was at the winter ball, the walkways were empty. We hurried toward the north end, and I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. I was so happy.

  But then—had Riley come too?

  My grin faded into a frown at the thought. It was evident she already knew about magic. Would we be at each other’s throats, unable to defy the will of the curse? I swallowed and remembered the last time I saw her. I felt like I had no control over my anger. I held those scissors, wanting to stab Riley in her heart.

  I never wanted to feel that out of control again.

  “Let’s take a short cut,” Jett said, and pulled me off the main path.

  I didn’t ask questions; all my thoughts were on Dad and whether or not Riley was with him. What to say, how to react, how to feel.

  A dark bag came over my head, splintery arms around my waist, an elbow jutting into my ribcage. Heavy words were spoken in a brusque voice, a spell. The words drifted in my ear, and the next thing I knew, I lost all consciousness.

  38

  I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when I finally came to, I found myself flat against the bottom of a rowboat. My body was stiff, my wrists bound. Jett was perched above me, hood drawn, staring out into the sea’s horizon. There were several other hooded mages and creatures with her, one with leathery green skin and sharply pointed fangs that sent chills down my spine.

  Clearly, Jett read my mind. Once again, I’d forgotten about her nifty little ability to do that. And that story about my dad, agh. She’d played on how badly I wanted him here. “Why?” I said, my voice hoarse.

  Her gaze flicked down to mine for less than a second.

  “We’re supposed to be friends,” I reminded her.

  That hit a nerve.

  “Your first mistake was in trusting anyone, Thorny,” she said, condescension dripping from every word.

  One of the others, a creature with scaly skin and yellow eyes, turned his creepy gaze on us. “We’re nearing the entrance,” he said, and the others nodded. What they meant by that, I had no idea, but our surroundings were darkening. Overhead, it looked like we were entering a cave.

  “Why?” I said again, needing an answer.

  Jett stared at me for several seconds, debating. When she finally spoke, her voice took on a faraway sound. “I’m reinstating what rightfully belongs to my family.”

  I blinked. “You’re trading me for magic?”

  “Don’t take it so personal.” She looked away. “We’ve only been friends for a few weeks. The magic has been in my family for centuries.”

  I ground my teeth, finding it hard to not take personal.

  “Why was it taken in the first place? Who stole it?”

  “My grandmother was caught between both sides in the Uprising, playing both the Hollowed Council and the Mythonians. Fear got the better of her. She stupidly pledged our family magic to the Hollows, and when they caught her breaking her vows, they took what she pledged. As the magic drained from her veins, it disappeared from all of her descendants as well. Basically, the bitch screwed us all.”

  I remembered how much it bothered Jett, not having that the ability to speak to the dead. It was a Hades passage of rite. She must have felt as out of place as I did at this school. No wonder she befriended me when no one else would. Unless…

  I breathed in slowly. “Did you have this planned the whole time?”

  “I was approached shortly after you arrived by Petra Drako’s people. If it makes you feel any better, I liked you right away. Who knows? We may have been friends without the extra push.”

  It
did not make me feel any better.

  “You’re just handing me over to that psycho,” I said, seething. “Like it’s nothing to you.”

  She sniffed and shook her head, acting as if I were a clueless child. “You really have no idea how things work yet, do you? Power means everything in Mythos.”

  She was right. Since enrolling at Arcadia, I’ve only been worried about breaking the curse. I failed to recognize how different people are here compared to the human world.

  In a way, I got it. I’d been helpless enough times to understand the importance of power. But no matter what happened, I never wanted it to mean as much as it did to Jett. I would never allow magic to outweigh my character.

  “You’re better than this,” I said, feeling sorry for her.

  My pity only managed to piss her off even more. “You don’t know shit about me. I’m exactly this way.”

  “If that’s true, which I doubt, that’s really sad, Jett.”

  She let out a sharp breath. “Zeus’s grave, if you would have just made the sacrifice with the Curse Breaker, neither of us would be here right now.”

  Wait—what the hell did that mean?

  I gasped. “You’re saying you set me up with that lunatic?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Obviously. And had you allowed him to break the curse, Petra would have been satisfied. Now, she’s probably going to kill you.”

  I glanced back and forth, trying to wrap my head around what she said. “But…that doesn’t make any sense! Why would she curse me only to want it removed?”

  Jett shrugged, uncaring. “How should I know? I’m just following orders.”

  Nothing added up here. What reason could Petra possibly have for wanting to break her own curse? After everything she’d gone through to bind us, after sacrificing her own womb, why would she suddenly want to go and undo all her hard work?

  God, this was making my head hurt.

  At least I didn’t have long to find out. As we drifted deeper inside of the cave, the tiny boat picked up speed. Water whooshed up ahead, sounding as if it was dropping. I gulped. I didn’t have to ask where we were going. I could feel it in my gut. We were portaling into the Underworld.