Page 28 of Monsters Within (The Creatures We Crave 1)
Alexandra
Ihadn’t let go of her hand yet, and she seemed inclined to let me hold it for as long as I needed while I had an absolute brain fart. For some reason, it felt like I was pulling on her strength and poise.
She wanted us to stay here? At the academy? How did we get here? Who were those men that chased us?
My brain was officially scrambled eggs as millions of questions ran rampant in my brain, and I hadn’t forgotten that my monsters and I desperately needed to talk about how our realities had collided.
It was all piling up, and I hadn’t found a damn moment to breathe.
“I have some questions,” Kylo announced. “If you don’t mind.”
I was so thankful he had himself pulled together enough to be polite and ask.
As she removed her hand from my tight grip, she gave me an encouraging smile that had the knot in my chest loosening ever so slightly. Taking deep, calming breaths, I nodded to her, silently acknowledging that I was okay.
It was so unlike me to rely on someone else for strength or guidance, but it was easy with her. The maternal and genuinely caring energy she gave off was something I had never felt before.
Was this the difference between the human world and the supernatural? Time would tell, I suppose. I’m sure there were terrible people no matter where we were.
In response to my nod, she gestured to dark leather chairs that had suddenly appeared behind us, nudging at the backs of our knees. “Please have a seat, and I’ll be happy to answer your questions. Would you like anything to drink?”
Oh, yeah, just chairs appearing out of nowhere in the perfect position. No big deal.
No amount of books from the local library I’d checked out to learn about this world would be sufficient enough to keep me from being in complete shock and awe. It was so different to be living and breathing it. Not that there had been a ton of books available on the subject, with it still being new to society and somewhat of a hush topic with humans.
“No, thank you,” I answered, settling into the chair and crossing my ankles in front of me, Kylo and Elwin echoing my words as they sat.
“What do you have?” Lucien asked casually as he plopped down and stretched his arms up, clasping his hands behind his head.
A twinkle entered Headmistress Estrid’s gaze that had me chuckling to myself before she even responded. I really liked her.
“Every blood type available, the tears of unicorns, water from the fountain of youth, and last but not least…” she trailed off as she pursed her lips together as if deep in thought. Coming out of it, she raised a single finger, “Oh! We have water as well.”
Silence ensued for a few moments before we all broke out into laughter. Except for Lucien, who looked as if he was actually contemplating all the options.
Man, it felt so damn cathartic to laugh like this. Seeing Kylo’s dimples deepen and Elwin’s carefree attitude I didn’t often see, it honestly felt like such a surreal moment. It was just too perfect. Was all of this too good to be true?
Lucien finally cracked and smirked. “I’m okay, thank you, though.”
Estrid smiled and clasped her hands in front of her once more. “So, who wants to go first?”
I felt all eyes turn to me expectantly, despite Kylo having been the one to ask. “Uhm, I guess I’ll start,” I offered. Taking a deep breath, I puffed my cheeks up as I blew it all out and began. “How did you know we were in trouble in Ordinarius, and how did you pull us here?”
She didn’t miss a beat, as if she knew that was coming first. “I am a goddess from Divinus, and I have the rare power to pierce the veils between all of our worlds. Along with this, I was blessed by the three goddesses of fate—Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld—before taking my position as Headmistress of this Academy.”
Her eyes traced my face as she paused, seeming to give me a moment to absorb before plowing on. When I passed her check that I wasn’t lost yet, she explained, “If I have a student out there that needs my intervention and the fates deem it important, it feels as if there is a string connected from my chest to the student in question, and I create a portal to draw them into my safety here.”
Well, that without a doubt explained her quick extraction of us from Ordinarius. But wow, that meant the fate goddesses deemed us important enough to be here at this academy. It was a strange thought, fate.
A low whistle came, drawing my attention to Lucien, who was now leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “Wow, we’re in the presence of a goddess. Do we bow or something?”
Shockingly, he seemed genuine in his question, and I found my eyes widening at it. Shit, was that a custom? How would Lucien know that?
A tinkling laugh left her throat, floating through the room like a whisper of wind. I swear I felt it curl around me in a warm hug. She had to have massive powers.
“No,” she chuckled. “Please don’t.”
Elwin quietly spoke up, raising a hand halfway. “Uhm, do you know what we are?”
