Azure Dragons (Supernatural Shifter Academy #2) - G. Bailey Page 0,15

and we’ve got plenty of open dorms. The students have been buzzing for days about getting to meet some of their counterparts from across the pond.”

“As have we,” Hawthorne agrees, before turning to the assembled students. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he says, “I would like to introduce you all to Rosemary Russo. She’s the President of the American branch of the Shifter Academy. I expect you all to treat her with the same respect you would show to me, or any of my colleagues. Is that clear?”

There’s a murmur of assent from the crowd of students, but Russo waves him off. “Don’t get too hung up on formalities,” she tells him. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m sure we’re all itching to see where this little conference of ours takes us.”

“On that, we can agree,” Hawthorne says.

“Well,” continues Russo, “I don’t want to keep anyone waiting. If your students are all here, then we can give them a quick tour of the campus and let them get set up in their rooms. No sense in sticking around in the parking lot, yeah?”

Hawthorne gives her a brisk nod.

“You heard the lady,” Josie says, ushering us up the path onto the hill. “Let’s go see what this place has to offer.”

We head up the slope and into the front lot, looking like a herd of white-clad horses on the fresh green grass. Hawthorne and Russo are at the front of the group, and the rest of us follow them like ducklings, making our way into the front entrance hall. A long, windowed hallway extends in the back, leading to a set of twin staircases. There’s a reception desk, along with a bunch of smaller, branching hallways lined with classrooms on either side. The ceilings are high, letting in an absurd amount of light. A few students dressed in gold uniforms are milling about the room, and they look at us like we’re a new, exotic species of animal as we flood the entrance hall. A couple of them jostle each other and point, while a few more murmur excitedly to one another.

“This is the main hall,” announces Russo, making a sweeping gesture with her arm. We have the reception desk here, and off to the left is the registrar’s office. Those stairs in the back lead to the upper floors - there are three, altogether, divided into wings based on shifter form. On the east side is our auditorium, as well as a couple lecture halls for the theory classes, and the nurse’s office can be found that way.” She points over her shoulder towards the far corner of the room.

We come to a stop in front of the reception desk, where a tall, handsome older guy dressed in the gold student uniform is looking at something over the receptionist’s shoulder. His hair is dark brown and on the long side, and he has the inhumanly pale complexion that I’ve come to see as characteristic of vampire shifters. He straightens up when Russo approaches, giving her a brisk nod. “President Russo,” he says, turning his gaze to the rest of us. “I assume these are the U.K. students?”

“That’s right, Mr. Morgan,” Russo says. “I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind showing them to the dorms? If everything is taken care of, that is…”

“Of course,” he replies. “I was just going over the living arrangements with Mrs. Palmer, here.”

“Excellent.” The President turns back to us, rubbing her hands together. “All right, everyone,” she says, “I’ll have the faculty accompany me to the guest house where they’ll be staying. As for the rest of you…” She puts a hand on the tall guy’s shoulder. “This is Lyle Morgan. He’s in his third year here, a vampire shifter, and one of our Resident Assistants. He’ll be explaining your housing assignments for the time that you’re here. If you have any questions about where to find things on campus, he’s who you should turn to. But I’ll let him handle that, himself.”

“Gladly, President,” the guy, Lyle, replies, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. For a moment, they settle on me, and the corner of his mouth quirks up, but I don’t have time to think about it; the look is gone in an instant as he clears his throat and beckons to the assembled students. “All right,” he says, accepting a paper from the receptionist before taking a step backward to look at us. “The dorm building is just on the other side,” he says. “If you’ll follow