Page 13 of Fortune Academy: Year One
My black veins.
I swallowed hard.
“The bathroom and showers are shared and at the other end of the hall, so I’d recommend going early in the morning if you’d like to avoid the rush,” Dante continued, oblivious that my mouth was now hanging open.
“Excuse me,shared?”
He waved away my concerns. “These are the Freshman dorms, what’d you expect? You don’t get special treatment just because you’re at a prestigious academy.” He grinned, his glowing eyes lighting up with mischief. “Follow the herd to orientation tomorrow. There will be an assessment involved to check your supernatural standing.” His gaze dropped to my arms which were tucked securely around my chest. “I trust that Kaito’s binds will hold. For the one-third that’ll remain detectable from the test, I doubt you’ll be able to be identified.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, my voice squeaking into sonic realms. I didn’t even care what Dante thought of me anymore. The whole idea of wandering around with a bunch of strangers into an assessmentterrified the shit out of me.
He smirked and eased onto the sofa, dusting off the armchair. It didn’t make sense that the covers hadn’t done a better job keeping the furniture clean. “You know, you’re the first bounty I’ve ever had that managed to cut my hand off—twice.” He adjusted his injured arm that he still hid from me in the shadow of his cloak.
I edged closer to him and sat on the end of the sofa just within reach. “Well, if you’re going to whine about it, then at least show me.”
His gleaming eyes watched me. The effect of his gaze should have been unnerving, but I found him fascinating to look at. I always felt like eyes were the gateway to the soul, and if Dante’s eyes glowed, then what a tasty soul he must have.
I flinched at the strange turn my thoughts had taken.
Did I just call his soul... tasty?
Dante surprised me by pulling out the stump of his arm, the appendage still not having grown back. “I’m afraid whatever Hendrik did to me might be permanent, and of course the bastard failed to mention that.”
“A sacrifice is not truly a sacrifice without having lost,” I said, my words barely a whisper as they came to me unbidden.
Dante hummed. “Insightful words, and likely true.” He returned his arm into the folds of his cloak. “If you can do what Kaito hopes you can do, then you were worth the sacrifice, Lily.”
My fingers dug into the dusty edges of the sofa. “And what is it that Kaito expects me to do?”
Dante’s eyes flashed with violent promise. “Save us all.”
Melinda the Muse
Dante left me to my room and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. His presence made me both anxious and excited, but now that he was gone, the reality of what I’d gotten myself into hit me like a wall.
No fucking pressure.
“Save us all, my ass,” I grumbled as I ripped sheet after sheet off of more dusty furniture. The room was actually quite large with some expensive pieces in it. Once this place got cleaned up I was going to feel pretty fancy.
But man, this place needed a serious cleaning. I hadn’t even noticed the chandelier cocked against the ceiling, tied up by a rope which seemed to be glued with a million cobwebs. There was a small kitchen with a sink filled with sandy grains that would be a nightmare to clean out. When I finally ventured into the bedroom I had to find the light switch. I ran my fingers across the walls—nothing. Just grimy, textured surface that made me want to go take a shower.
I’d always been good about seeing in the dark, but this bedroom had a haze over it that made it impossible to see anything. I needed at least some light to work with and if there was a window, I suspected it was nailed up tight with more wooden boards and nails.
Pain rocketed up my shin as I rammed into a piece of furniture. “Shit!” I cried and doubled over, only to fall onto a bed and land on a fur blanket. It was the first thing in the entire place that didn’t smell like dust, so I breathed in and took a moment to recover.
“Well, at least I landed on something soft,” I muttered.
I’m not soft, a voice growled in my head, sounding sleepy and not at all pleased at having been disturbed,but you are pressing your breasts into my face, and those are kind of soft... and nice.
I reeled back and slammed into the wall, my hand miraculously finding the light switch and splaying the room with dull luminescence from the crackling bulbs.
A massive silver wolf stared back at me lazily, his eyelids drooping over crystal blue eyes. I hadn’t landed on fur bedding... I’d landed on a wolf.
A wolf that could talk in my head.
“Niiiiiice wolfie,” I said with a trembling voice as I eased towards the doorway. “Didn’t know... this room was occupied.”
The wolf yawned, making me freeze as I stared at sharp canines. He stood and shook himself, sending fur flying to join the floating dust motes that hung in the air.I’m not a wolfie,the voice said again, this time sounding more irritated,I’m just a wolf. I can shift back if it would make you feel better, but I didn’t bring a change of clothes.
