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

I picked up The Art of Seduction. Energy brimmed at my fingertips. Words flashed through my mind, imprinting onto my subconscious. I winced as the words floated through me, shuddering at the things I was learning: effective body language, magical pheromones, voice rhythms and cadences, and every other gross, obscene method, magical or otherwise, that could be used to attract a mate.

All of it, absolutely disgusting. I tossed the book aside, anxious to get it out of my hands. Eck.

For the rest of the night, I went through the entire stack, until the process left me feeling tired and depleted. Then I fell asleep with the books, their spines, pages, and covers hiding in the blankets, their energies surrounding me. It seemed these books and their powers were my friends, my only friends here at Arcadia, but I was grateful for them. They’d each taken me on magical journeys, filled my mind with knowledge and wonder, and left me craving more. Tomorrow I’d go to the library and get as many books as I could get my hands on.

When I woke up the next morning, there was a blade pressed against the hollow of my neck. Ione towered over me, her expression dark.

“Do it,” I whispered, daring her.

I should be terrified out of my mind, but her dagger barely made me flinch. If she slit my throat, I wouldn’t be around to carry out the curse. Nor would I have to worry about Riley coming after me.

She arched one blonde brow and pushed the edge of her blade firmly against my throat.

“Go ahead,” I said, fed up with her and her bullying. “Or don’t you have the grit, love-blood?” I’d heard students from other houses use that nickname for Aphrodite descendants.

Ione tilted her head to the side, looking impressed. “Said like a true Ares descendant. You’re not scared then?”

I leaned my head back, giving her better access. “Only that you may not know what you’re doing. I’d rather you get it right instead of making a mess of my neck.”

She tossed the dagger aside, a slow grin pulling at her lips. “At least you’re amusing. God knows this isn’t going to be easy. And you’re right, by the way. I wouldn’t have known what to do with that thing. Xander gave it to me for protection, but it’s about as good to me as a paperweight.”

I sat up, rubbing the sore spot on my neck. I didn’t care about whatever she was rambling on about. After the stunt she pulled yesterday, I wouldn’t care if she dropped dead.

“Well, get up then. Let’s start with your hair. You can’t get away with that ponytail you wore yesterday, not in Aphrodite. We rule beauty too, you know.”

What level of insanity was this chick operating? “Go away and torture someone else, Ione.”

She waved her finger toward my head, muttering something in Latin. I shrieked and jumped out of bed, feeling my hair pull this way and that. Once in front of the mirror, I relaxed. She hadn’t turned my hair blue or chopped it to magical bits. Instead, she arranged it in pretty braids with a gold laurel leaf.

I was speechless. Ione had actually done something nice.

Her reflection was suddenly next to mine as she assessed me in the mirror. “You should wear pink today. White washes you out.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, eyeing her like a wild animal. Any second now, I was sure she would show her true nature.

“Well, let’s get going,” she said, putting her weight to one hip. “I don’t have all day to wait around, and Xander is making me walk you to your classes. You and I have to look like besties.” She said the word as if it disgusted her.

“Xander is making you…” I groaned. It was a kind gesture, but it also sort of pissed me off. “Forget whatever your brother said, Ione. I can take care of myself.”

“You mean like you did when you ended up in my trap? If it hadn’t been me, it would’ve been someone else, you know.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Let’s just get this over with. That way I get my brother off my back, and you can attend your classes and learn a thing or two about magic. Then, next time, you might actually be able to defend yourself.”

For someone so crazy, her logic was pretty sound. “Why did you agree to this?”

“Why not? I happen to love my brother, thank you very much.”

I shook my head, not buying that for one second.

She looked away, sighing. “Let’s just say I owe him a favor.”

It was clear she didn’t want to reveal why she owed him that favor, and honestly, I didn’t care that much anyway. “Fine.” I headed toward the closet. “But we need to hurry because I need to make a stop first.”

15

I waited in the administrative office before class started, hoping to figure out how I could send a message to my grandfather. A short, round woman with wiry glasses perched on the end of her nose sat at the front desk. “Name?” she said without glancing at me.

“Sheridan Thorne.”

She scribbled something with an old-fashioned quill. A full profile appeared on the paper on her desk, my picture included. “Ah, I’ve found you,” she said. “You have detention at dinner today.”

“Detention!” That was the last thing I expected to hear. “What for?”

She squinted as she read. “It appears you missed five classes yesterday without a permissible excuse.”

Oh, sweet stars, this was just perfect. I leaned closer, trying to explain myself without being overheard. “It wasn’t my fault. I was caught in a booby trap. All day, I was hanging from a tree.”

“Then you should have reported the incident, dear.” She stared through me, her voice taking on a disinterested tone, as if she’d heard similar excuses.

“But—”

“Five o’clock, in the library.” Her voice rang with finality.

I ground my teeth together, seeing that there was no way out of