Deadly Alliances (Dark Shifter Academy #5)

Chapter 3 Shea

My eyes were raw as I stared blankly at the floating dust catching the morning light in front of the kitchen window. Last night had been a restless one, only waking from nightmares to cry over Julian’s capture and Arya’s hatred. I was relieved when dawn finally came, but as I sat at the kitchen table, I clung to the numbness that had settled over my mind because it was the only thing protecting me from my fears and regret.

A plate of freshly cooked French toast appeared in front of me, the steam it emitted dancing in the sun’s rays.

“Eat, Shea,” Gram said, rubbing my back softly. “There are no earthly woes that a good breakfast can’t soothe.”

I attempted a smile and picked up the knife and fork she handed me, but my stomach wasn’t really conducive to food just yet, so I passed the time by cutting my toast into perfectly symmetrical squares and pushing them around in the pool of syrup.

When the front door opened, I eagerly jumped off my chair and darted for Caesar, who didn’t hesitate to welcome me into his warm embrace. As soon as his strong arms closed around me, my soul seemed to lighten, and I let out a slow, shaky breath of relief.

So many times over the night, I debated slipping over to Aunt Janette’s and seeking his comfort. But I wanted to respect Gram’s boundaries where that was concerned. Though she seemed to have made peace with my romantic situation, I didn’t want to push her too far—I’d already pushed things far enough in the last few weeks. But, god, being in his arms now was something I had desperately needed after everything that went down yesterday.

“It’s alright, Shea,” Caesar cooed into my hair as he held me. “We’re going to get him back.”

I nodded into his chest, even as I tried to hold back the fresh tears that stung my dry, puffy eyes.

Kai and Janette squeezed past us and made their way to the table, where Gram was setting plates of French toast for everyone.

“Come on, let’s eat,” he encouraged softly, pulling away just enough to usher me to join them.

I let him guide me to the table and sat back in my chair, watching as everyone dug into their food.

Aunt Janette kept scooting close to Kai, who seemed to stiffen and pause between bites each time. The fact that that made a smirk tug at my lips oddly gave me comfort; my sense of humor was still alive and well. And the fact that Kai wasn’t scooting away from her also made me curious—did Kai have growing affections for her, too?

My appetite stirred slightly under the levity, and I finally stabbed a square of toast and put it in my mouth. Okay, Gram might have had a point because this was seriously delicious. I continued eating without restraint, doing my best to savor the flavors and just enjoy this moment of peace.

“So what is the plan so far?” Gram asked, making my stomach knot anew.

“We’re still working out the kinks,” Caesar replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin before lacing his fingers in front of his chin. “We can’t just go in there guns blazing. We need to get close enough to the compound for Kai to hack their surveillance system, and once we acquaint ourselves with the layout and security routine, we’ll be able to forge a stealth mission to get in and get Julian out.”

“And you believe you can do that successfully?” Gram asked. “Sneak into a castle full of trained vampires and rescue one who’s been weakened and tortured without any of you getting hurt?”

My stomach twisted painfully at the reality she so eloquently pointed out.

“With the help of Shea’s magic and my technical skills, yes, I believe we can,” Kai supplied.

“And my magic,” Janette added.

Kai turned surprised eyes on her midchew. “Wait, what?”

“Two witches are better than one, and no offense to Shea, but I have far more practice than she does,” Janette explained. “Besides, there’s no way I’m letting my niece go into such a perilous mission without my supervision.”

“B-but—” Kai stammered, and by the look on Caesar’s face, he was just as caught off guard by this suggestion as Kai.

“I think that’s an excellent idea, Janie,” Gram said with a nod of approval.

With some effort, I swallowed the bite I’d been chewing since the conversation began. “While I appreciate the offer and the concern, I’m not sure I feel comfortable with—”

“Nonsense,” Gram interrupted. “ I don’t feel comfortable with the thought of you entering the lion’s den, at all. But if you’re going to insist on it, then I’m going to insist Janette go with you. I would go myself, but I think we can all agree that I’m quite a bit past my prime and would only be a burden. Janette has taught you much in the last week, and I’m very grateful she’s willing to take such a risk. Thank you, Janie.”

Aunt Janette shrugged happily as she took a bite of a crisp piece of bacon, then grinned.

Great, one more person I had to worry about.

But Gram did have a point. Janette had been dealing with vampires and shifters for years, and she was far more proficient in protecting herself from them than I was. Maybe I needed to look at it as adding more ammo to our assault, especially when it looked like I didn’t have a choice.

The sudden sensation of my phone vibrating in my pocket made me jump, and I hastily pulled it out, hoping it was Arya responding to any of the dozen texts I had sent her last night.

But it wasn’t. The number wasn’t in my contact list. I considered ignoring it, but a twinge in my gut advised me against it, and Gram had been encouraging me to follow my intuition. And if my instinct was wrong and it turned out to be spam, I could just hang up, no harm done.

I swiped the answer button and held the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Shea!” The frantic squeal pierced my ears and forced me to pull the phone away an inch, but I recognized that voice.

“Ashlyn?” I pulled the phone in front of me and quickly glanced at the unknown number again. “Where are you calling me from?”

“A burner phone,” she replied in a rush. “The general is tracking all correspondence, and I had to tell you about Arya.”

My heart thudded in my ribcage, fear draining the small appetite I’d managed to bolster. “What about Arya?”

At that, Caesar’s eyes darted to me, his chewing halted.

“Hadrian and his vampires attacked the Dome last night and demanded Arya in exchange for a cease-fire,” she explained quickly. “Arya snuck out while everyone was arguing about it and handed herself over. Shea, she’s gone!”

My pulse roared loudly in my head, making my ears ring and the rest of the world fade out for a long moment. Why did things keep getting worse? Julian was being tormented in Hadrian’s clutches, and now Arya had foolishly given herself up to save a school full of assholes who essentially didn’t actually care about her. Would he do the same to her? If he knew she was supposedly destined to kill him, she might be dead already.

This rescue mission had to start now .

Angry determination replaced the dread and grief that had plagued me all night and morning. “I’ve already got a plan to infiltrate Hadrian’s compound to rescue Julian—long story—so now this rescue mission will be a two-fer.”

“You’re doing what?” Ashlyn balked, her pitch going even higher.

“Embracing my badassery,” I declared, thirsty for immortal blood. “I’m going to get them both back, and God help any fucker who gets in my way.”

“Okay… Then I’m going with you.”

“No,” I insisted. “I’ve got all the help I can handle. Caesar and Kai are with me. Besides, we need you to remain as our eyes and ears at the Dome. The leadership there obviously needs an overhaul.”

“Okay,” she reluctantly acquiesced. “I don’t really know what I can do about that, but I’ll think of something. Shea, please be careful. I fear that Caesar is the only hope this school—this war—has.”

“I know,” I agreed sadly.

So much was riding on all of this. I had entered this world with the singular intention of expanding my skills and knowledge, and now I found myself in the center of a supernatural war that threatened the lives of everyone I loved, as well as the safety of the entire world. The weight of it all seemed too much for me to bear for a bleak instant.

“Keep me posted, if you can,” I said. “I’ll do the same. Don’t worry. I will get her back.” I’d get both of them back, even if it killed me.

“Will do. Good luck, Shea.”

“You, too,” I said before she hung up.

We were all going to need all the luck we could get.

“Hadrian has Arya?” Caesar asked the instant I pulled my phone from my ear.

I looked up to see that every pair of eyes around the table was fixed unblinkingly on me, and that weight pressed down on me once more.

“Yes,” I said. “Ashlyn said that Hadrian attacked the Dome and demanded Arya in exchange for a cease-fire.”

Murderous fury blazed in his chestnut eyes, and his fists clenched around his utensils. “Dracul handed Arya over to Hadrian?”

I shook my head, answering quickly before Caesar could bend his knife and fork beyond repair. “No, Arya snuck out and surrendered herself to save everyone else.”

“Goddammit!” He slammed one of his fists against the table, making the plates on it rattle loudly.

“Fucking Dracul,” Kai seethed. “Is there nothing that pompous, incompetent idiot can’t screw up?”

“It’ll be okay,” I said, to convince myself as much as them. “We’re going to get her back, given that Hadrian doesn’t just kill her.”

Caesar shook his head as he clenched his jaw. “I don’t believe he will do that. She’s his daughter, not that I think that means all that much to him. And if he was going to kill her, he would’ve just destroyed the Dome without getting her out. No, whatever he wants with her, it’s something else, and he at least won’t kill her until he gets it.”

I slapped my hands a bit too forcefully on the table, making the dishes rattle again. “I think our timeline just got pushed up. We have to take action now. And I don’t think a stealth mission is going to cut it.”

Kai cocked his head curiously. “What do you propose?”

I took a deep, steadying breath to prepare myself for what might be a really terrible idea. “I’m going to enroll as an Initiate at Heritage Prep.”