Academia of the Beast: A Dark Retelling of Beauty and the Beast(4)

“There is no way I’m taking your bed. I’m completely fine with the sofa. It looks comfy anyway.”

“Okay. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable. We have plenty of pillows and blankets.”

Allyn smiled. Was this what a sleepover was like? She’d always wanted to stay up late talking and laughing with girlfriends. Her days were quieter, spent alone in her room or by the bank of the river with a bag of books and her favorite music.

“Thank you.”

“Would you like a drink?” Khia asked, heading over to their stainless steel kitchen to the right of the front door. Her hair swung as she walked as if the world was a runway.

Allyn nodded and took her hair from its ponytail so that it hung to her mid-back. “Yes. Whatever you have.”

Khia held up a clear bottle, a thinly arched eyebrow lifted. “How about a shot of Chronos?”

“Make it a double,” Allyn replied, as she walked over to the window that stretched from floor to ceiling and looked out onto the city.

“Babe,” Aude said. “How do you feel about me dying my hair red? I have hair envy right now.”

“Do whatever you want. I hear it’s going to be the hottest trend in the fall. But blond is taking over spring.”

Allyn knew nothing of fashion or trends. She couldn’t afford to follow such things. Her heart soared with books, and art, two things that Byron never understood. Dating a soldier whose idea of a fun night was drinking and throwing darts or playing video games, Allyn had lost sight of what she truly wanted. Sometimes she wished she’d learned more about boys and men from her mother.

As she looked out to the windows, she missed her more than ever.

From that high up, she could see the entire city, all the way to the Briar Woods that separated Elastria from New Prussia, the next kingdom over. The sun was setting, and the city was awakening with color and light that were enchanting, hypnotizing Allyn as she imagined what life would have been like if she’d never met Byron. Perhaps she would have done something with her literature degree. Something other than waitressing just to scrape by.

She sighed, pressing her forehead against the cool glass. She’d been attracted to his royal army uniform and his charming smile. Like Wickham in her favorite Jane Austen book, he had tricked her. She just wished she had a Mr. Darcy to give her the happily ever after her heart desired.

Her heart still ached as she tried to push Byron from her mind.

“Here you go, love,” Khia said, tapping Allyn on the shoulder. Aude stood beside her, two shots in her hands.

Allyn took her shot glass and together, they held their glasses out to each other.

“Cheers to a new beginning,” Aude said.

“And saying goodbye to trifling men,” Khia added.

Forcing a smile, Allyn nodded. “Cheers to that.”

They tapped their shot glasses together and drank down their shots of the potent liquor that burned Allyn’s throat as she drank it down.

She winced at how strong it was.

Khia looked up from her phone, her thin eyebrows lifting. “You guys aren’t going to believe this,” she said, a grin spreading across her face.

“What is it?” Aude asked.

Khia jumped up and down, her bangs bouncing. “I was approved for a curfew pass! I can bring three guests with me to the Pre-Season Party.” She ran toward their bedroom area and threw open the wardrobe.

“What does that mean?” Allyn asked as she watched Aude throw several shiny, glittering dresses onto their king-sized bed. “Won’t everything be closed?”

“No, girl. We will get picked up in half an hour and taken to the secret location where the party is being held.”

Allyn sat down on the sofa. She knew they were looking at her, but she intentionally averted her eyes and turned on their TV. “You guys have fun. It has been a stressful day and I have no desire to be around a bunch of people I don’t know. I’m not going.”

“Like hell, you’re not. You get your skinny butt off the couch and get in here. We are dressing up and ending the season with a bang.”

With a groan, Allyn turned to her. “I can’t. I don’t really feel like being around a lot of people.”

Aude knelt down before her. “Sweetheart, that’s why you need to come with us. I know that Khia and I are fun and all, but after tonight we will all be stuck indoors for six weeks. Even if you don’t feel like it, you need to take advantage of this opportunity. Who knows what will happen? You might actually thank us for persuading you.”

When Aude gave her a smile that highlighted her dimples, she knew there was no more use resisting. So, she stood, and with a sigh, she nodded.

“Fine. But, you’re going to have to let me wear one of your dresses.”

Aude clapped her hands and then nudged her along to the bedroom. “I have the perfect one for you. Someone might find a new man tonight.”





CHAPTER 3


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CONALL BARAN STOOD on the balcony, looking out into the dark forest as white snow fell from the sky. He gripped the slick ice-covered railing with his bare hands, his jaw clenched as Hannah stormed into his private chambers, her high heels clicking against the marble floors so loudly that he almost cringed at how much the sound was intensified by his ultra-sensitive ears.