Page 35 of Fortune Academy: Year Two
“That’s not true,” he said, easing onto the edge of the desk as he clasped his hands. It was the posture he always took with me when he was treating me like a troubled student. “I’m trying to help you.”
“Oh yeah?” I snapped, shoving into his face. “Then why didn’t you tell me that I’m the reason everyone lost their memories? Or are you going to pretend you didn’t know that as well?”
Silence engulfed the room, revealing that both Dante and Kaito knew very well that I was the epicenter of one of the worst catastrophes to befall supernaturals.
“I was going to—”
“No you weren’t!” I cut him off, digging my nails into his thighs and drawing blood.
I didn’t realize that I had shoved my way between his legs, but now I let my claws come out. Kaito flinched, but didn’t move to defend himself.
He cleared his throat. “Dante. Give her the Fortune Card.”
I glanced at the Hunter. “The what?”
Dante’s eyes had taken on a dangerous hue and his white-knuckled grip on his dagger said he was seconds away from lopping my head off. “I did not spend a year of my life tracking that thing down so that you could rush her into using it. Look at her, Kaito. She’s embracing the darkness. Giving her the card will not make this better. When she breaks it and releases its magic, it’ll rip her apart and she’s not ready for it.”
I dug my fingers further into Kaito’s muscles, eliciting a groan from his lips. I thought that Dante had spent a year looking for Cindy or Jess, but now the truth was coming out. “Why did Dante go on a mission to retrieve a card?”
Kaito went still. “Because I asked him to.”
I twisted my grip. “And what will it do?”
Kaito’s silver eyes watched mine with an unflinching gaze. “Take you to meet your mother.” His jaw worked before he added, “One of them, at least.”
Chapter 13
Ihad no idea what to think or who to believe. What did Kaito mean that I had more than one mother? He couldn’t possibly mean that biologically, so did that mean my parents were a lesbian couple and had a sperm donor? Not that it would be an odd family unit, but I still didn’t get how a silver card was going to help me meet one of them.
Thoughts of Jess’s revelations filtered through my mind. She said that I had demonic lineage, but this didn’t feel demonic. It felt somehow… holy.
I flipped over the Fortune card that had the school’s icon on the back. It shimmered with an internal sparkle that said it was definitely a magical artifact. It warmed my otherwise cold fingers and had a slight jingle to it when I shook it.
I stuffed it in my pocket and marched down the pathway. Only the occasional student was out this early, as most of them tended to go to the Sports Arena or hang out in dorm parties on our days off. I, instead, had spent last night washing off Kaito’s blood all the while feeling like a turd and hardly gotten any sleep. Sleeping in was so off the table for me.
It was stupid to feel guilty. Kaito was the one who was using me, but I hated hurting him and not trusting him. That was the downside of the Virtue connection. I couldn’t think straight.
I needed help and there was only one person on campus I could trust with my life, and that was Olivia.
She’d be at the library studying like the overachiever she was. It was supposed to be our day off, but Olivia wouldn’t rest until she was just as good as the other Dark Mages.
I often caught her studying anything she could get her hands on when it came to the library’s collection of documents and testimonies that covered memory loss suffered by the supernaturals. She had started to remember what she was, but not who she was. I didn’t blame her for trying to seek out answers.
Just like the rest of the buildings at the Academy, the library was both magical and impressive. Looming statues garnished the exterior, reminding me of Roman columns. Each figure held up their hands as if keeping the library’s top floor aloft. It was symbolism that knowledge came with a heavy burden that was best lifted together. That only made me feel more lonely.
The musky scent of worn books enveloped me the moment I was inside. It made my shoulders relax a trifle, but it wasn’t until I found Olivia that I cracked a smile. There she was in her standard spot, far in the back on the top floor surrounded by piles of books. She didn’t peek up at me until I came up from behind her and poked her in the ribs.
“Yikes! Lily!” she said, grabbing her side and choking on her surprise. “Don’t do that to me.”
I chuckled as I pushed aside enough books to make a spot to settle next to her. The carpet on the top floor was like plush velvet and I sank my hands into it, squeezing lightly with my fingers. “You need to be more aware of your surroundings,” I insisted. “What if I had been Melinda?”
Olivia’s cheeks reddened and she frowned. I didn’t often see her angry, but it was cute when she was. “The bitch already bombarded me today.” She held up a torn book. “She’s going to get me in trouble, you know! This one had to have been expensive.”
All laughter swept out of me in an instant. “Oh, I was joking. Is she actually bullying you?” Melinda should know better than that. Olivia and I were allies, and as far as the campus was aware, I belonged to Hendrik. Even if I was a pet, Melinda should know better than to piss him off by messing with me or my allies.
Olivia scoffed. “Every single fucking day. I haven’t told you about it, but you know what, this crosses a line.” She blew out a hard breath as she held up the mangled cover. “I can’t tolerate such desecration.”
I smirked. “It sounds like she’s been a pain in your ass for a while, but this?” I indicated the book remains. “Clearly, this has crossed a line.”
