Deviant Descendants (Descendants Academy #2) - Belle Malory Page 0,49

it was painful, it was the kind of pain that made me feel as if I were pushing my arms to do what they were always meant to. Every ache reminded me of what I’d accomplished.

Once we were done, Cassius gave me a proud little bow. “You did well, Sheridan.”

“Thanks—and thank you for insisting on teaching me.”

“See you next Sunday,” he promised.

This time, I was looking forward to it.

23

The following months dragged on, but I got through them by staying focused on the plans for fall. In Mirror Realm, Ben and Mia struggled with their own problems. The two of them had only just started dating, but they were planning to attend different colleges, and they saw their time together as temporary. Ben’s ex-girlfriend kept making matters worse, showing up at inconvenient times, flirting with Ben all while secretly spreading rumors about Mia.

I didn’t know how to help them. I couldn’t figure my own love life out, let alone theirs. All three of us were hopeless.

“You sure you want to do this?” Jett offhandedly asked me in class. I had grown tired of trying to ignore her. Besides, answering her questions usually stopped her from invading my thoughts.

“Do what? Study?” We were supposed to be going over our notes for the upcoming final, and I wasn’t sure what she meant.

“Go to the Underworld.”

I tensed up, struggling to keep my composure. “Did ah…the spirits tell you something?”

How she knew was beyond me. Riley and I were so afraid of getting caught that we didn’t even discuss it with each other.

“No.” She half-snorted, half-laughed. “Petra asked me to transport you to the entrance.”

My eyes flared, and I gritted my teeth together. “Exactly how did you become her sidekick?”

I despised that the two of them still communicated. Jett fulfilled her purpose by abducting me when Petra was bent on killing Riley. I didn’t understand why they still kept in touch.

“Oh, that’s right. I never told you…” She smiled sadly. “My mom and your mom were best friends. Or they used to be, before my mom passed onto the spirit realm.”

I opened my mouth, unable to speak. Out of all the things she could have said, I hadn’t been expecting that.

“It was a long time ago,” Jett continued, teary-eyed. She cleared her throat, trying to force the emotion away. “Anyway, I think that’s why it’s been important for me to heal this friendship. That’s what my mom would’ve wanted.”

I was pretty sure our friendship was broken. But hearing that she lost her mom made me see Jett in a new light. It made it easier to understand why she had done the things she did. And why she had been so desperate to get her magic back.

“So,” I said in a lighter tone. “How are we getting there?”

She looked up at me and grinned. “Don’t worry about that—I know a guy.”

I shook my head, unsurprised. “Of course.”

24

Three Months Later

“Do you see the man sitting over there on the street corner?”

“The beggar?”

“That’s Toad, one of your bodyguards. He’s dressed like that to blend into the background, so passersby don’t notice him.”

“We have bodyguards?”

Petra nodded. “The other is Grey, whom I believe you’re already acquainted with. He’s standing next to the door to your walk-up. If you ever need anything, just ask him.”

Grey. He was one of the creatures that abducted me from Arcadia with Jett’s help. The sight of his splitting yellow eyes sent shivers up my spine.

“Why him?” I half-whined.

Petra clicked her tongue. “Why not him? He’s loyal.”

He wasn’t the worst of the lot from last time. There was a green creature who called me a dox and tried to cut off my tongue. I suppose of the two, Grey was the better option.

“Come now, Sheridan. There’s no point in holding grudges. Grey was only following orders. And as I recall, he stopped Ajax from slicing out your tongue.”

Riley, out of nowhere, started chuckling. “Sounds like an interesting story.”

“Yes, you would find it fascinating,” I said, my sarcasm ramping up. “Especially considering you were the one who should have been in my place.”

“Oh, that story.” She shivered, putting it together, then went silent.

We walked to the apartment building under the hazy purple sun, hoods pulled up over our freshly dyed hair. It was Petra’s idea to dye it dark brown, one of many precautions.

Curious, we looked around, taking in our surroundings. The Underworld starkly contrasted to our home on Spring Island. Unlike the picturesque setting we’d left behind, this place was cold, lifeless, and