Secrets of Alkrose (Alkrose Academy, #2)

by K.M. Moronova

“Where is your pet? You don’t want him?” Elias taunts me, lifting his hand to my face and brushing my hair to the side. I lean my cheek into his palm. “No, I want you,”

“Since when?” I try to pull my head away so he won’t see me scowl but he grips my jaw so I can’t mo...

“I don’t know when it happened, maybe when I saw you tied up in the basement and bleeding for me. But… I want to be close to you.”

“So do you,” I say slowly. “You are the sole source of my weariness. I can’t stop thinking about you. The way you bite your lower lip and suck in breaths when I’m too near. It drives me absolutely crazy.”

Last time we couldn’t even do foreplay without me biting his dick and him slapping my pussy with his cock. His lip kicks up in a savage smirk. “Are you going to be a good girl this time?”

“Show me how much you want it, sweetheart. I don’t fuck girls who bite my dick without a little bit of penance.”

“Show me how badly you want it,” he says cruelly, sitting back on his haunches and fisting his massive cock as he waits.

This is why I should’ve just fucked Raine again. He doesn’t play around like this. Yet, somehow this is much more satisfying.

I swallow my pride and lower my hands to my pussy, spreading myself wide for him to see every inch of me. I watch as lust fills his eyes and darkness settles over his features. Oh my fucking gods. “That much?” He lowers his lips to my center and drags his hot tongue over my slit like a starved man, groaning and gripping my thighs tightly.

“What is it about you that drives me absolutely mad?” he whispers, drawing out his words as he slowly pushes his hips into me, filling me with his dick so entirely that I stop breathing altogether until he’s up against the hilt.

He presses one final kiss to my lips before pulling away and blinking down at me, looking exceptionally like a normal man and not at all like an assassin. “I told you the bad guys get the girl.”

“Do you have to be bad?” I whisper against his collarbone, smoothing my thumb over his neck and letting my fingers get lost in his sea of white hair. He chuckles at that. “I tried once to be a hero. Do you want to know what it got me?”

“It got me a bunch of dead friends and more blood than I could ever wash from my hands. It’s easier to be the obedient villain. The sexy guy that gets to kill people,”

I push away enough to look up at him. “Is that true?” “Well, look at me, I’m sexy and⁠—” “Not that part.” I shove him and his expression falls into a weary, uncertain frown. “Yeah, it’s true. So, yes… I do have to be bad.”

As sleep starts to take me, a horrible thought surfaces. I’ll have to choose eventually—between what is right and him.

“Finnick, you’re already near the nether levels—impressive. I’m assuming you let it in during the assessment exam when your friend was eaten, yes?” I scowl at him and he nods thoughtfully. “I want you all to call out to the Shadows inside you and ask them for their names. Let them sink into you as far as you can.”

Corvus raises his hand and Nekane nods at him. “What if we don’t want to?” “Then you will be slaughtered in the second-semester exam. You can’t expect to compete with those who’ve achieved the nether levels.”

He walks over and nervously greets us. “Hey, I’m Aervin. Mind if I join?” Kai waves his hand carelessly, still leaning back in defeat. “Yeah, yeah. Join the band of losers while you still can, our numbers are growing,”

“So you’re a Nova?” I pry—why not, I figure. Aervin hesitates. “I’m not actually a Nova, but I’m in the House because of Edgar. We met at Za’Afiel. It’s a manor on Grimrose Island.”

“Why did they have you all out there? Please don’t tell me they pampered you.” Aervin’s brows knit innocently and he doesn’t have to say more. “Godsdamn it,” Kai huffs.

Corvus finally joins us, looking annoyed with himself. “Shit. At this rate, we’re all going to die.” I give him a leveled look but he shrugs. “If you think Frederick is the strongest thing we need to overcome here, you’re a dumbass. We have to get stronger. Do you guys want to meet up after classes...

“Aervin, Edgar’s friend in the Nova House,” I explain and Corvus nods like he doesn’t really care. “Anyone is welcome to join.” Aervin smiles wit...

“Deep down, I know you wouldn’t… I don’t know why I was so convinced. There’s something dark inside me now, Terra. It won’t stop telling me things I know aren’t true. I—I feel so mixed up.” Edgar’s eyes meet mine and he looks so fucking exhausted.

“Did you see what happened to them?” I ask, biting the insides of my cheeks. I only saw the aftermath, and that was awful enough. I can’t fathom what he’s seen. Edgar lowers his chin and mumbles, “Yeah, I did. Heirah soldiers were there too, Terra. We never stood a fucking chance.”

“I saw it—they helped Fernestia infiltrate our country. I’m certain that Finn’s father was a part of it. His men were there to clean up the aftermath,” he says with venom.

“Novas have a distinguished power, one that is visible in our eyes. As a defense mechanism, if we are not in tune with our powers, we cast out a blight in times of distress.”

Elias holds his hand out toward the clearing and darkness blasts from his palm, scorching the snow and trees into black smudges.

“Uncontrolled power like this will blight those around you who are not Novas or in full unity with their Shadows. While if you are in control—”

Elias performs the same attack, but this time, there is no dark smoke. A pine tree snaps in half and falls without a trace of him having anything to do with it. “No evidence of your power will be left behind.”

“This is fucked up. If Raine gets hurt⁠—” “You’ll what?” Elias snaps, his jaw set and eyes trained carefully ahead. “We aren’t playing games anymore, Terra.”

“I know I shouldn’t feel content here, but I do. Does that make me a monster?” I ask just above a whisper.

“Maybe a little bit, but I don’t think it’s fair to blame yourself. Our Shadows have suppressed a lot of the emotions we’d normally be experiencing. I woke up this morning and hardly even remembered anything about Barkovah or the people under my care.” His eyes are sullen and he looks away from me. He doesn’t remember them?

“You remember Bennie, don’t you?” I search his face but his expression remains impassive. A small gasp rolls from...

“I only see the future, so many futures and paths. The past has all been lost to me. My Shadow tells me that we’ll all lose more and more of them as the days draw on. Slowly digesting our memories until we’re mere shells of ...

“Will you forget me?” he asks between hot kisses against my stomach, trailing up to my sternum. I writhe beneath him and bite my lower lip to keep from moaning as he cups my tits and squeezes them. “Will you forget me when I’m dead?”

“I’ll never forget you, Raine. Never. How could you even think that I would?”

“It’s okay. I always knew I wouldn’t live a long life, not with how I grew up, and especially when things went to shit in Barkovah.” His eyes flick back to me, so calm, yet I feel anything but. “You’ll be okay. Just keep your heart muted and I’m sure you’ll forget me before long.”

“Why was he in your room, Terra?” He levels a glare and I give it right back. “Fuck you.”

He’s as messy as I am. Elias lights his fireplace. It burns evenly just like the one in my room. “Is this really your room? I pictured you being an uptight clean freak.” I smile at him. Elias collects some of the notes on his desk and piles them carelessly. “Unfortunately,”

“You’re much better at control than your brother. I’m concerned his Shadow might be a problem.” I still; if Elias is worried that can’t be good.

“His Shadow is malicious and ill-willed. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of Shadows are a little aggressive and bloodthirsty, but his is different.”

“He mentioned earlier to me that it was whispering terrible things to him. He looked really confused and lost in himself.” I recall his weary eyes and my heart sinks a little more. “Is that why you brought me here?”

“He’s furious with the delay I caused. Apparently I was summoned to escort Edgar myself at Za’Afiel, but obviously I was locked in a bunker worrying about you.”

“Edgar’s restoration went poorly because of my absence so I need to get him back on track. He needs to be controlled.” I stare at Elias for a few seconds. “You want my help?” He nods.

“Elias, I’m not going to⁠—” “It’s in everyone’s best interest. If we don’t get him tamed, I’ll have no choice but to—” He cuts himself off and gnashes his teeth, looking away sharply. “You’ll have to what?” I say quiet...

“No.” He unfolds his legs and leans forward in his chair, resting his arms on his thighs and clasping his hands together between them. He looks up at me beneath dark lashes. “If we ...

The world has ruined him. And that’s not his fault. It’s not his fault that the darkness swallowed him whole and infected his mind like poison. Even now, I know he fights the demon inside of him with everything he has, but how long can a soul fight before it tires?

“It’s nothing,” he says, crawling closer to me and pulling me against his chest. “Why haven’t you healed? Did Dr. Cein do this to you? Who is he exactly?”

It hurts that he’d rather suffer alone. It’s been beaten out of him to know anything else.

“I don’t like this.” I lean back and let my eyes linger on his collarbone. “Don’t like what?”