Ravage (Royal Fae Academy #1) - Lacey Carter Andersen Page 0,6

really think I can do it?”

“Absolutely,” he tells me. “You’re the most bloodthirsty monster I’ve ever encountered, and that’s quite the compliment.”

Suddenly, it’s like my life has meaning once more. I’m not going to the academy to replace my brother or to accept my new role in life as the heir to my family; I’m going to find the bastards that killed my brother and make them wish they had died instead.

Standing, I smile down at the headless ghost. “Thanks, Charlie.”

He begins to fade. “Any time.”

Turning, I sprint back to the house, swearing an oath that the masters at Royal Fae Academy will rue the day they let one of my kind in.

4

Bron

We sit beneath our tree near the center of campus. It’s the perfect spot, far enough off the main sidewalk to avoid anyone listening to our conversations, but close enough to see nearly everything in the busiest part of Royal Fae Academy. My step-father would have been proud of me. No matter how much time passes, I’m always on guard. Always hugging the line between being a predator and making certain I’m not the prey for someone else.

It wasn’t a fae way of seeing the world, but it was the only way I knew.

Beside me, Lucian and Dwade play chess. Lucian leans back as he waits for Dwade to make his next move. There’s a slight smile dancing along his mouth, like always, and his blue eyes have a permanently mischievous light. He loves playing chess, but especially against Dwade.

Dwade is Lucian’s complete opposite. The giant of a man has his back bent over the board, and his eyes roam the pieces, searching for any weakness. His lips are turned into a scowl and he clenches and unclenches his hands, as if to remind himself that on the wrestling mat he could destroy Lucian with ease.

“Any time now,” Lucian teases.

The big man glares. “I didn’t rush you!”

Lucian’s grin widens, and he opens the sandwich bag beside him and digs out a fresh chocolate chip cookie. It surprised most people that Lucian not only enjoyed cooking so much, but also that he was so good at it. The other students probably saw his formidable parents when they looked at him, but that’s because they hadn’t known him as a boy. They hadn’t seen the child who spent every waking minute with a grandmother who adored him. They hadn’t seen them cooking together and laughing, the sunlight streaming around them like a perfect memory. But I had.

So when I saw Lucian cooking, I knew he was never more true to himself.

It was the same when I saw the look on his face near a campfire. No one else saw the fear in his eyes, but I did.

“Cookie?” Lucian asks, munching his snack and fiddling with the chain of his necklace.

Dwade glared and reached for a chess piece, then froze and dropped his hand again. I almost told Dwade that this wasn’t real. Men and women wouldn’t die if he made the wrong choice, but I swallow the words down. Dwade’s family were known as the Light Warriors. They had protected our kind for as far back as the history books would go. The guy had been raised with the message drilled into his mind that every choice was life or death. Nothing I said would change that.

So, I sigh and lean back further against the trunk of a tree. Usually this would be the moment Rayne and I would exchange a knowing look and start talking about anything else to avoid watching the two. He would find ways to look at the good side of every situation, and before long my mood would change to match his.

But Rayne isn’t here now. The thought makes my gut clench and the darkness that lives deep inside of me rears its head as if to say I’ve lost the only thing keeping me sane. The only person in this place truly capable of standing on the edge with me, but keeping me from falling off.

Maybe without Rayne, I’ll finally just…jump.

I stand, and both men glance in my direction. “I’m going for a walk.”

The humor fades from Lucian’s face. “Are you sure? I think we should try to stick together right now.”

“I’m fine,” I say.

“No you’re not, and neither are we. Especially after seeing Esmeray at the funeral—“

Something settles hard in my belly at the mention of her name. “I’m fine.”

Turning, I stomp away from them, not caring what direction I go. The last