Supernatural Academy: Year One (Supernatural Academy #1)(11)

We stepped off the stairs to find a wide open room filled mainly with couches and shelves. It was like a very upmarket library-slash-games area. A few witches and wizards—I assumed—were sprawled about. Chatting. Laughing. And reading books. Taking advantage of the last day before classes started.

As we walked through, I even noticed a couple in the corner making out. Like, full-on mouth-fucking each other. Larissa’s warning felt heavier then. I’d spent most of my life watching my mother throw sex around like it were a necessity, and I doubted I’d ever be supe enough to go completely casual with sex, but only time would tell.

“Kate lives on the fifth floor. That’s where some of the best suites are. Her family is very important in our world.” Ilia’s dislike of her spilled out in her tone. “All of the Clovers are up there.”

“What floor am I on?”

She paused. “Uh, I know this.” She thought for a moment before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small cell phone. She flicked through some messages, and then met my gaze. “Second floor. Your room is already set up.”

At least I wasn’t close to Kate and her bitch-squad.

“The sixth floor is the best, but only the truly powerful are there,” Larissa said, her eyes lifting to the ceiling, as if she could see all the way to the top.

“Asher and the guys are there,” Ilia said wistfully. “I don’t live in the dorms anymore, but when I did, it was everyone’s dream to get to the sixth floor.”

I didn’t say anything, but I had a terrible feeling I knew who Asher was. One of the ones she’d warned me about.

Larissa lowered her voice. “Asher is part of the Atlantean-five,” she said, and I was immediately paying all the attention. “They’re kind of a big deal around here. Not brothers, but they all grew up together and are as close as family. They stick together. You mess with one, you’ve messed with the lot. And they’re powerful. Three mages, one vamp, and a lion shifter.”

I blinked. “Atlantean-five?”

Ilia grimaced. “That’s what I was trying to say before, but I cut it off because it’s kind of a long story. But the main points are that the Atlanteans were an ancient race of magic-user-fey, and not a mixed race, but their own race, who were the first to cross from Faerie to Earth. They had a strong affinity for water magic, but most of them died when their land sank to the bottom of the ocean. We study them in the history of supernaturals, but they’ve mostly been forgotten.”

My eyes went wide. Atlantis. I knew this tale; everyone knew this tale. I couldn’t believe it was supernatural in nature.

“The ones who escaped, their descendants are always extra powerful,” Larissa added. “Asher is the strongest, the purest of lines, but the other four all have Atlantean blood too.”

She licked her lips, like she was trying to find moisture.

“Are there a lot of these Atlantean descendants around?”

Both girls shook their heads. “Nope, they’re really rare. Last count was like five or six hundred total in the world. It’s actually one of the reasons our Academy has had a huge influx of new students lately. Everyone wants to be close to them.”

“If they’re rare, how did the five of them meet?”

I mean, the odds of them finding each other would be almost impossible.

“I think … I heard their parents were all friends or something,” Ilia said with a shrug.

“Why are they so horrible?” I asked. The girls had both warned me, which I was taking seriously.

Ilia shook her head. “They’re not horrible. Not at all. I’ve had a few interactions with them, and they’re actually nice … charming even. But I’ve always sensed that if you got on the wrong side of them, they could destroy you. I think it’s better just to avoid them as much as possible.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Unless you can get one of them in bed for the night. I’ve heard Atlantean dick is a one-of-a-kind experience.”

I blinked before a snort of laughter left me. “Did you just say Atlantean dick?”

She was without a filter, and while it had been annoying when she kidnapped me, I was already over that. I might have even been a little grateful that my hand had been forced, because now I was living the pink-haired life like a boss.

Ilia shrugged. “Just calling it like it is.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about me going anywhere near them … or their jewels,” I said.

I could already tell that this Academy was like high school on steroids, filled with magical creatures born of myth and legend. It was smart to stay off the radar of anyone popular or powerful.

It might be the only way to make it through alive.





5





My room turned out to be one of the nicest places I’d ever stayed. I had a queen bed with soft sheets and a thick blanket. Bathrooms were shared, but there were at least ten on this floor, so one was generally free—according to my very helpful tour guides. Both of them were now sprawled across my bed, and there was a sense of ease between the three of us that I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt with any friend before.

“So … what myths about supernaturals are true?” I asked, putting away my few sets of clothing. “Larissa went out into the sunlight, so I’m guessing vamps don’t burn to ash?”