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

by Jaymin Eve

She had been a beautician and hairdresser before she got sucked into the darkness of drugs, alcohol, and men who were no good for her.

I almost tripped over the flat ground. “You read my mind?” I whisper-yelled. “Do you know how fucking rude that is?” Mossie grinned at Ilia, pointed teeth filling his mouth. “She seems to be adjusting to the supe world already. A human’s first question would be how did I read their mind, but not Maddison.”

Hope was a killer. Any time I’d ever let myself hope for something more, the disappointment when it didn’t work out crushed me. Eventually you learned to stop hoping.

“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.”

That was the thing with scars … you really couldn’t get rid of them. Even after they faded, the shadow of the injury remained. And it always would.

My panic kicked in hard as I met a pair of serious green eyes. “Maddison Marie James,” Ilia said with a scowl. “I’ve watched you, one way or another, for years, and I don’t think there’s anything you can’t do.”

“Sorry, I sometimes talk before I think. It’s a problem I’m not working on.”

“Are you Macilinta of the Sonaris people?” a heavily accented voice asked me.

“There were three royal families on Atlantis. Sons and daughters of Sonaris, blessed of god. Sons and daughters of Corpinicus, blessed of water. And the final royal family was Jervania, blessed of earth.”

“I’ve seen you navigate this new world and do it better than most of us that grew up here. But I want you to know that you’re not alone. You don’t have to do it all on your own.” I snorted. “You do realize that you’ve ignored me for over a month. Relying on you doesn’t sound like the best idea.” Alcohol made me honest, but I didn’t regret saying that.

Asher just shook his head. “If you all could stop hitting on Maddi, that’d be great. She’s here as our friend. Okay? She’s one of us. An Atlantean. That’s a bond deeper than you all trying to plant your dick in her.”

He leaned in closer. “Different rules for me,” he murmured, and my blood boiled again, my body aching.