Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy, Belle Malory [motivational novels for students .txt] 📗

My breath hitched. “And my mother?”

“She never returned. Most people assumed she was killed. Your dad assumed the same, and he fled to the human world. He hoped he could somehow prevent the curse from manifesting if he kept his daughters away from Mythos, away from Petra…”

And that’s why he kept us in Davidson, why he never told us about our heritage.

“How do you know so much?” I said, accusingly. “My own father and grandfather never told me. Why you?”

He swallowed. “Everyone knows.”

I didn’t buy that. People might listen to rumors, they might assume a few details, but Xander knew more than any outsider should.

I stepped back, moving away from him. His energy was too comforting, and I didn’t fully trust him. “You told me that day in the stables that I looked like my mother. And my grandfather specifically told me to stay away from you, Xander. Why you?”

He avoided my gaze, looking guilty as hell. I wanted to know why.

Releasing a small breath, he stared at the lake. “Everything I’ve told you is rumor and myth to most people, but not to me.” He curled his hands into fists. “I’ve been there. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Everything I’ve told you is true.”

The things Hazel told me filled my head, and I began to piece it all together.

People suspected he was in the underworld, being guided and trained by dark mentors.

“You’ve been where, Xander?” I said, holding my breath. “Are you a Hollow?”

He laughed once, his voice empty of humor. “I see you’ve been listening to gossip.”

“Is it true?”

His gaze finally met mine, but his face was like stone. He took several steps toward me, paralyzing me under the weight of his stare. “If you believed one breath of it, why did you follow me out here, alone?”

I…I didn’t know. I was an idiot.

His face moved closer to mine, until we were only inches apart. “I can’t answer any more of your questions.” His breath was a whisper against my ear, sending shivers down my neck. “Guess you’ll have to trust me.”

With that said, he walked away.

I stared after him, my jaw dropping open. “Seriously?” I called out. “Trust you?”

“Ask your dad to verify it,” he said over his shoulder. “Tell him to show you the tablet.”

I couldn’t exactly do that since he wasn’t here, but Xander already knew that. It was obvious this conversation was over. I wanted to stop him from leaving and press him for more, wanted to demand he tell me about my mother, but my body was frozen, and my throat still felt choked.

It was a lot to take in, almost too much, and the source may not be trustworthy.

Oh, please. He was telling the truth.

Deep down, I sensed it. Xander hadn’t lied. He definitely withheld some information, but he hadn’t lied.

14

I skipped dinner, opting to eat my stale muffin from breakfast while hiding out in my dorm room. I couldn’t face the other students after they knowingly left me hanging in Ione’s net and laughed about it behind my back. Tomorrow I’d put on a brave face and try again, but tonight I just wanted to wallow in privacy.

Thankfully, Ione wasn’t there. Most of the students were out, socializing in the commons or studying in the library. Laughter and voices sounded outside. From the balcony, I saw several clusters of students sneak away into the woods. A sigh escaped as I leaned against the railing, watching their silky togas disappear between the trees. I’d never been much of a social butterfly like Riley, but I missed my friends. And as much as I hated it, I missed Connor.

“Right here.” His voice tickled the back of my neck, making me shiver. “This is my favorite part of you to kiss.”

His arms caged around me, and I turned into them, flushed. “Yesterday, it was my shoulder. And the day before that, the inside of my wrist.”

“What can I say?” He shrugged, shameless. “Tomorrow, it may be the small of your back. The hollow of your stomach. Or the spaces between your ribs. Every time I kiss a new part of you, it becomes my favorite.”

I closed my eyes, forcing the memory away. Reminding myself that it was a lie. Just like his lips, Connor was a traitor. Thank God I never gave up my virginity to that asshat. Just the thought of it, knowing he was with my sister too, made me cringe.

Ugh. To hell with thinking about them both. I needed something to do, something else to occupy my mind. Heading back inside the room, I rummaged through my stack of textbooks, scanning the titles to see if any of them interested me.

Mythonian History: The Titans

Mythonian History: Magic Throughout the Ages

The Art of Seduction

Potions and Love Spells

Working with Archers

They each buzzed with untapped energy. I picked up the book about the Titans, holding it flat against the palm of my hands. Once again, an electric current floated through me; only this time, I stopped myself from dropping it. The longer I held the book, the stranger things got. That buzzing energy uncoiled into my hands, coursing through them. Words flooded into my head, almost at the speed of light. Almost like I’d read the book without opening it. The histories transpired in my mind, about a race of powerful mages that came before the Olympians called the Titans, and a war between the two races that lasted a decade. The details and imagery were in my head as if I’d spent the last few hours reading. I knew about the battles, the types of magic used, and how the Titans were eventually defeated. By the time it stopped, I was in awe. I looked down at the book…

I had a vivid imagination, but not that vivid.

I quickly opened it up, scanning the first few paragraphs. It was word for word, exactly the same as what came during the flash. Whoa.

Could I