The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy



Rafe doesn't respond, just looks up at Jesse. "Can you do anything? To...tell if he's still in there?"

"If who's still in...where..." Alvez murmurs, raising a hand to his forehead and pressing it over his eyes like he has one hell of a headache.

I watch, completely still in Jackson's arms, as Jesse's shadows snake across the floor.

Ben gasps in shock, taking a step back, and Luca's whole body goes tense next to me. "Fucking magic..." Luca whispers, awed and I think a little horrified, "of course, I always forget that you're all...fucking magic."

But I ignore him, watching as the shadows slip over Alvez, begin to explore him.

Alvez gasps in surprise, his eyes flying open, going a bit stiff. He stays perfectly still as the shadows finish their exploration, clearly not hurting him even if he does look very, very freaked out by them. Then Jesse's shadows begin to slide away, reeling back into my cousin's body.

"I think he's...gone," Jesse says, crossing his arms as the last of the shadows disappear. "I mean, I don't know, I've been doing this for less than ten hours now. But...I could sense him in there at first - and now I think it's just...this guy."

“Come on, Ben," Jackson says with a sigh, loosening his arms around me and urging me a little towards Luca. Luca immediately opens his arms, taking me into them as Jackson waves Ben to come along as he strides for Alvez. "Let's get the professor down to the infirmary."

“Where am I?” Alvez asks, exhausted, looking up as Jackson takes him by his hands and pulls him to his feet.

“We'll fill you in on the way down," Jackson says kindly, draping one of Alvez's arms over his shoulders as Ben moves to support his other side. Luca loosens his arms around me, starting to move towards Jackson and Ben, eager to help - but Jackson holds a hand out.

"It's okay, we'll handle it," Jackon says, looking back down at the professor who is slumped against him. "Stay here with Ariel, Luca. Make sure she's...safe."

Luca nods, stepping back and holding me tight again. I sigh, letting him take some of my weight, wanting the support.

"Get bandages?" I call out, my voice a little choked as Jackson and Ben move Alvez towards the door. "On your way back up?"

Jackson gives me a steady nod and then the trio disappears down the hall.

Luca keeps his arms tight around me as Jesse kneels again by Rafe's side, helping my brother peel his shirt back so that they can fully inspect his wounds.

"Rafe, what the hell...happened," Jesse murmurs, looking closely at his chest that I originally thought was burned? But...

"I think he started to...disintegrate

me," Rafe murmurs, looking down in

horror at his raw flesh. "That was always Alvez's power, right? Or, at least what we thought it was. Clearly, he could do more."

"That is...horrible," Jesse whispers, looking up into my brother's face, his expression saying what we're all thinking. That the God of Darkness

didn't get far on Rafe...but give a

few more seconds to concentrate...

God.

I turn my head away from my brother, unable to look and think on it any further.

"What about you?" Luca whispers, and I look unsteadily up into his eyes. "Are you all right?"noveldrama

"I don't know," I whisper, my wolf and I both turning towards this new thing within me. Or, perhaps not new just...awake.

"Sweetheart," Luca murmurs, frowning at me with worry. "What can I do?"

“Um,” I say, glancing over at my brother and my cousin on the floor.

But as much as I wrack my brain for something he - or any of us - can do to fix this...

I've got no answers.

Because even if we all did

miraculously survive our first

encounter with a great and powerful

e

magie, this all...it just got very serious, and very real, didn't?

UMS

And I honestly have absolutely no idea where to turn next.