Fallen Academy: Year One

After much deliberating, I’d decided on royal blue silk shorts with a lace hem, and a black silk corset top. It was more revealing than I normally wore, but Shea assured me I looked totally boneable—her words, not mine. Considering I’d only ‘boned’ one guy, and it was the most awkward thirty seconds of my life—thank you, junior prom—I wasn’t looking to do so with anyone that night.

Shea had picked her infinity weapon in class, a small fist-size circular blade that you could grasp like wolverine claws. She tucked that blade into her purse now. Even Angela was bringing a weapon.

“Should I get Sera?” I asked them.

Angela nodded. “We’re Fallen Academy students in the middle of a war. It’s rare, but attacks inside Angel City do happen.”

I wondered if Lincoln was home. I was wearing my trusty boots, so I could just slip it inside, and no one would know.

Lincoln hadn’t said anything about taking my car back now that I lived in Angel City, so I was just going to keep driving it until he did. I pulled off my key, and handed it to Angela. “Meet you in my car in five,” I told her, then took off running with Lincoln’s trailer key in my hand.

He had been very short and businesslike in our time together during trainings, only showing up for his thirty-minute slot, and keeping the social talk to a minimum unless he was making fun of me, at which time he proceeded to talk to no end. I had no idea what he did at nine thirty on a Friday night, but I was hoping he wasn’t home, so I wouldn’t have to deal with that twice in one day.

As I jogged across the parking lot, I saw the lights were on in the trailer, but his motorcycle was gone.

Hmm….

Jumping up the first few steps, I knocked hard. If he answered, I would just play dumb, and tell him I was coming to ‘ask permission’ to take my dagger to a club. Said club could get dangerous, etc.

I stood there an entire minute and knocked again.

Nothing.

Using my key, I popped open the door and crept inside, feeling like a burglar as I looked left and right. No one home. Whew. I shut the door behind me, and tiptoed across the space to grab the dagger that sat atop the kitchen table where I’d left it that afternoon.

Just as I was spinning to leave, the bathroom door popped open and Lincoln stepped out, dripping wet, waist covered in a towel.

Good Lord, what a body. I froze with my mouth open, just staring at his chiseled chest. When a bead of water dripped from his neck and down his six-pack into his V—oh God, he has a V—I exhaled louder than I should have. Okay, I moaned. I freaking moaned.

Kill me now.

“Brielle!” His eyes roamed across my bare shoulders, down my exposed legs, and then back up to my face.

“I… knocked. Twice.” I couldn’t form words. What’s my name? Where am I?

His gaze landed on my dagger in hand and his eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?”

“Uhhh, well.” I ran a hand through my long blonde hair, loosening the curls with the nervous gesture. “There’s a party tonight at a club, and Angela said attacks can happen, and I thought—”

“You’re going to Chloe’s party?” He sounded surprised.

I put a hand on my hip. “Yes. I have friends, you know.” Kind of. Four of them.

He swallowed, seeming to finally grasp that he was standing there half-naked and wet, and I was just staring at him like I wanted to lick the water off his chest.

‘We like him. I’ve decided,’ Sera said. I chose to ignore her comment.

“Fine, take it. Don’t do anything stupid though.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll try, but no promises.” Turning to grasp the door handle, I paused and spun to look at him once more. “Are you going too?” I asked. He sounded like he knew of Chloe’s party.

He nodded. “If you would finally leave, so I can get dressed.”

My eyes sharpened and I reached out, snagging a pear from the counter before slamming the door behind me.

“Stop stealing my food, woman!” he roared out the window.

I just grinned. Every time he pissed me off, I was stealing a piece of fruit. By the time the year was over, I’d have a whole orchard.

Chapter Twelve

“Brielle!” Chloe shrieked as we stepped into the club. She was greeting people at the entrance, literally just a blue door, and then two flights downstairs that led us underground.

I smiled, giving her a hug, and introduced Shea. She was super welcoming, hugging Shea and Angela, and Luke as well. We gave her our gift, a potion to change her hair color for a month, which Angela had made. Chloe loved it and gave us tickets to the VIP booth before shooing us inside.

The moment we stepped into the space, I was assaulted with music, lights and warm bodies pressed against mine. There was a stage with a live singer who had purple hair, and over her head hung the club’s logo, a moon with the third eye inside of it. Under that a sign read, “Happy Birthday, Chloe.”

“Can I have my next birthday here?” Shea begged, linking her arm with mine.

I laughed. “Sure, just don’t expect me to rent out the VIP lounge.” I smacked the VIP tickets on her arm and she grinned.

“All right, I’m broke as hell, so let’s get some guys to buy us drinks.” Shea shook her cleavage to drive the point home.

This was an eighteen-and-up club, but I was pretty sure they carded at the bar. “And what will you be drinking, missy?” I asked her, trying to scream over the music.

She rolled her eyes and snatched the tickets from my hand. “Don’t mom out on me,” she growled. “They have Mage drinks here. Similar to the donuts. Bliss drinks, etc.” She walked toward the red roped-off entrance of the VIP section.

Ugh, I wasn’t momming out. I was… okay, I was momming out.

Screw it. I need to relax, and dance, and let go of this week.

After getting past the big Nightblood at the VIP entrance, we stepped into an open, less-crowded space.

Noah, Darren and Blake were all leaning against the bar. When we walked in, Blake caught my eye and waved me over.

“OhmygodNoah’shere,” Shea rushed out.

I nodded. “Be careful, he seems like a player.”

She shrugged, looking him up and down. “I don’t mind getting played.”

I rolled my eyes. She said that now, but when she was crying herself to sleep because he cheated on her, I’d hear a different story. We reached the boys, and I introduced everyone again, as Luke and Shea had only met the boys once.

“Who wants a drink?” Noah asked, eyes on Shea.

“Bri and I will take a bliss bomb,” she told him with a sugary smile.

He nodded, looking seductively at her, and then took Luke’s and Angela’s orders next—a mellow margarita for Luke, and a water for Angela.

“Boring!” Shea shouted at her.

She laughed. “Someone has to watch over you kids.”

“Ha! You’re like barely older,” Luke snapped.

She sucked her finger and stuck it in his ear, making him squeal. They were so cute. Nothing like Mikey and me, who were always at each other’s throats. My mom said it was the shock of her life to find out she was pregnant with Mikey when I was ten weeks old. I couldn’t believe that just next year Mikey would be at school with me.

The drinks came, and after a few sips, I started to laugh. They were just like the donuts.

“Let’s dance!” I shouted, chugging the rest of my drink and dragging Shea, Blake and the entire crew to the private VIP dance floor.

I quickly learned that Darren was the joker of the group, challenging us to a dance-off, and battling with some pretty hilarious moves. Shea twerked all over him, making him go rigid and wide-eyed, then finished with a booty slap that had Luke and me in peals of laughter. Shea didn’t give a shit. Ever. And I loved her for it.

The music changed to something more sensual, and I started to grind my hips in the air to the beat, my arms above my head.

I love this drink. I love life. I love love.

Spinning around quickly, I slammed right into a familiar chest. It was his scent that hit me first, earthy and… yummy. God, he was so tall. I wanted to just climb him like a tree.

“Drunk already?” Lincoln scowled down at me.

My hips continued to move, still dancing. Screw him, I love dancing. I shook my head. “No. Bliss bomb. You should have one. Maybe that stick will fall out of your ass.”

“Ha-ha,” he yelled, bending down so I could smell him more.

“Dance with me!” I shouted, grabbing his arm and holding it above my head, I twirled underneath it like a ballerina.

Lincoln glared at Noah. “Did you do this?” He pointed to me, keeping his body stiff, just letting me dance with his one floppy arm.

Noah grinned. “Come on, man. Lighten up, just for one night.”

Lincoln just glared at his friend and slipped his hand from me, taking his warmth to the edge of the bar where he sipped on a bottle of something clear that looked suspiciously like water.

During the next four songs, we continued to battle and dance as Lincoln drank his water, watching me from across the dance floor. His long sword hung from his hip. Chloe had joined us and was dancing with Darren. When I broke into the running man, Blake was sent into fits of laughter, but the bliss bomb was wearing off, and I was becoming acutely aware of those blue eyes watching me from across the bar.

“Be right back!” I told Shea, who was grinding on a happy Noah. My chest and forehead were glistening with sweat, and I was dying for some water. I sank into the seat next to Lincoln, and got the bartender’s attention. “Can I have a glass of water?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Bottles only. They’re four dollars. You can get free glasses of water outside the VIP section.”

Oh. My face fell. “Okay, never min—”

Lincoln slid a five-dollar bill across to the bartender without a word. The man grabbed it and gave him the water bottle, Lincoln handed it to me.

What’s happening? Is the world ending? Did Lincoln Grey just do something nice for me?