Second Chance Soul: a paranormal reverse harem steamy slow burn academy adventure (Second Chance Academy Book 2) Read online

  Second Chance Soul

  Book Two of the Second Chance Academy

  Ella J. Smyth

  Unapologetic Romances

  Copyright © 2020 by Ella J. Smyth

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Note from the Author

  Also by Ella J. Smyth

  About the Author

  Disclaimer

  1

  Snow. More snow. I shivered as I opened the window to allow fresh air into my tiny, shared room. Slug, the orange-furred menace, lifted his head from his food bowl and glared. I’d lost track of how often I wondered how much Slug understood. He was definitely smarter than the average cat.

  Like right now, there was no mistaking the irritation in his feline body-language. But hey, who knew what bugged him this time? Maybe he didn’t like his food, maybe I’d offended him by brushing my hand the wrong way through his fur, or maybe I was breathing too loudly.

  I laughed. “Cut it out, you giant flea-bag. It’s your fault it stinks in here.”

  I took a closer look, assessing his bulk. “You know, you’re getting a bit chunky, locked inside. I’m going to have to feed you less.”

  His blue eyes narrowed as he hissed, and his tail swished back and forth.

  “Wanna come play outside?” Grabbing my jacket, I held the door open for him. While I pulled on a pair of gloves and a knitted hat, Slug sauntered down the hallway toward the exit. I didn’t plan to be out long—a quick stroll around the square would have to do.

  Outside, I inhaled deeply. Yikes, that burned. The air was icy cold. So close to the Canadian border, the temperatures dropped far lower than I was used to. A thick layer of white transformed the U-shaped layout of the academy from a run-down structure to a winter wonderland. The administration and a few classrooms were housed in the main tract of the installation, with the student dormitories in the left wing and the bulk of the classrooms in the right wing.

  In the middle of the campus, a group of single-room block huts functioned as over-flow rooms. They were much newer than the original building—an indicator that the academy had had to accommodate many more students than originally anticipated.

  The school was not a jail exactly, but we couldn’t come and go as we pleased. Hardly anybody was here because they wanted to be. There were miles of Oregon wilderness between us and the next town. We weren’t allowed cell phones, TVs, or computers. Yet despite that, or maybe because of it, the Farkas Academy for Magical Advancement had a reputation for teaching students who needed a fresh start. Hence its nickname, “Second Chance Academy.”

  I was here because I’d killed a bunch of people on my way home from school one afternoon. Accidentally. I hadn’t set out to burn them to a crisp with my lightning power. That hadn’t stopped the government to dump me here, all alone during the winter break, with not even the library open.

  “I’m so bored.” There was nobody there to listen to my grumbling. There was nothing to do. Kicking a rock ahead of me on the path, my thoughts wandered. It was a miracle I was still alive after the last few days without my boyfriends to distract me.

  My boyfriends. Wow. One is a miracle, two is… I don’t even know what to call it. One more day. Then they’d be back, and… I sighed happily as I wrapped my arms around my body.

  Leave it to the cat to pull me out of my pleasant daydream. I stumbled and flailed, nearly kicking Slug as he bumped against my shin. His heavy bulk almost toppled me. I laughed and nudged him away with my foot. “Stop it. I know it’s cold. Let’s just walk across the green and back—”

  A shout cut off my sentence. It came from behind the cabin at the far side of the central green.

  “Hold him down, for fuck’s sake,” an angry voice snarled. Without hesitation, I ran toward the commotion. I only managed a few steps before Slug dug his claws into my calves. I hissed in pain, but he’d made me slow down enough that I began to assess the situation.

  Whatever’s going on, it sounds like several people. I covered the remaining distance more cautiously, taking care my boots didn’t crunch on the snow. Using the cabin as cover, I carefully peeked around the corner. Just as quickly, I pulled my head back, my heartbeat ratcheting up.

  There were three men holding a struggling student. I recognized one of them—Lawson was the guard who’d brought me to the academy last year. He’d made no secret out of his disdain for people like me. People who’d been affected by the magical fallout.

  Another peak confirmed that the boy between them was a tall senior in his final year at the school. Matt was brilliant at fire magic. During the term finals, I’d watched in awe as he’d exploded a tiny flame into the equivalent of a flamethrower before pulling it back into his core without breaking a sweat. Total genius. So what was he doing here, struggling between two large guys I’d never seen before?

  Another shout rang through the air and cut through my shock.

  “Stop fighting already,” the smaller of the men grunted. I stuck my head back around the corner, just in time to see Matt break away and make a run for it. Lawson held out what looked like a taser and pointed it after the young man. A spark hit Matt’s shoulders. My hand flew to cover my mouth to hold in a gasp of horror.

  Matt twitched violently and fell to the ground, twisting and flailing. I watched his struggle with wide, shocked eyes. A pitiful noise made me look down. Slug was pressing his body against my leg, shaking all over.

  He seemed terrified out of his mind, as if he knew what was going on. Maybe he smelled the poor kid’s pain and panic? I dropped to my knees to touch the cat’s body reassuringly. Shit, what if Slug gave away my position? Those guys couldn’t realize I’d seen the whole thing. Now was not the time for my pet to freak out. I pushed my hand onto his neck to keep him in place and stuck my head out again.

  The men had picked up Matt, who wasn’t moving anymore. I hope he’s only unconscious. I forced myself not to think of the other possibility. One goon on either side, they dragged the student toward the main building, with Lawson bringing up the back. He lo
oked left and right, as if to make sure there weren’t any witnesses.

  “Hey, what are you doing?”

  The men’s heads turned at the sound. A guy was rushing at them. I didn’t know where he came from, but I recognized the lanky shape. Lance. The boy who’d been an ass to me when I’d first gotten here.

  My heart was beating so hard, I was convinced they’d be able to hear me. Lance had reached the group and flung out his hands, palms open and pointed at the men. The two goons flew backwards as if kicked by a mule. Of course. He’s an air mage. He had to have hit them with a concentrated air column. Standing over them, his face grim, he looked like a superhero. All he needed was a cape.

  Just then, Lawson stepped up behind him. I wanted to warn Lance, wanted to scream, “Watch out!” But that would have endangered me and the trembling furball under my hand. I could only stare.

  Lawson touched a black object against Lance’s back. Lance stiffened, then his back bent like a tightened bow. When it looked like his spine might break, Lawson pulled his hand back, and Lance collapsed onto the snow-covered ground as if somebody had cut the strings off a marionette.

  Tears were running down my cheeks as I fought to keep myself from sobbing out loudly. Slug was wriggling because I squeezed him so tight. But I needed to hold on to him, because all I wanted to do was to run over and make sure Lance was okay. Lawson touched Lance’s motionless body with his shoe, shaking his head. He gestured at his buddies to pick up the unconscious kid they’d dropped when Lance had attacked.

  “Let’s go. We’re late.” The men dragged Matt towards a black SUV waiting outside the front building. They bundled the body into the car before driving off. I watched them until they disappeared through the gates. They were taking Matt away from the academy, and I was the only one to witness it.

  Lance still wasn’t moving. I waited until the car was out of sight before sprinting toward the boy. When I got there, I fell to my knees. I didn’t care that the snow was soaking through the fabric of my jeans. Lance looked so pale that I took my glove off and felt for his pulse with trembling fingers.

  Please, God. Don’t let him be dead. I couldn’t feel the heartbeat I was praying for. A constant chorus of, “Please, no,” ran through my mind.

  2

  I kneeled in the melting snow, the cold penetrating my pants. Was it the ice water that froze my core? Or was it the fear that the boy lying before me wouldn’t wake? Either way, my fingers trembled as they pushed against his cooling skin. His wrist felt bony, limp, and there was no pulse.

  Lance looked as if he’d already died, his eyes staring sightlessly under half-open lids. I sobbed once, then tried to feel for a heart beat on his neck. And this time, there was a faint throbbing under my fingertips. Ba-dum. And again, ba-dum. I sat back on my heels, exhaling sharply. He was alive.

  Slug hadn’t run off. He bent over the boy, and his tongue darted out. Carefully, he licked his face and pushed his head against his cheek. Lance twitched, then coughed. He opened his eyes, staring at the big cat right next to him.

  “What the— Get him away from me.” He groaned, rubbing his face. “Why am I on the ground? What’s going on?”

  “Don’t move. Do you know what happened?”

  Lance shook his head while pushing Slug with his other hand. “Why is that thing licking me?”

  I laughed out loud with relief. “Slug, leave him alone.”

  He’s not hurt. Thank goodness. But why doesn’t he remember anything?

  Lance was struggling to sit up. I had to help him off the ground. He was sodden and shivering continuously. “Come on, you need to get out of these wet clothes.”

  Where should I take him? The boys’ dormitory was just as far away as my own. But I had nothing for him to wear at my place. Decision made, I asked, “Where is your room?”

  His teeth chattered so hard, I barely understood his directions. Halfway across the square, Lance staggered, and I pulled his arm over my shoulder to offer some support. He leaned heavily on me, which slowed our progress. As we approached the other side of the open quad, he stumbled again.

  “Hey, stay with me. We’re nearly there,” I said, breathing hard as I supported his weight. Lance nodded, his eyes blinking sluggishly.

  Thankfully, his room was on the ground floor. Lance pulled the key out of his pocket. I took it and opened the door with one hand. Single occupancy, lucky dog. Dragging his heavy ass to his bed, I dropped him on it. Lance groaned and held his head.

  “It hurts,” he mumbled.

  “Do you want me to call somebody?”

  He grimaced. “No, I just need to rest for a moment.”

  I stood around, wondering if there was anything else I could do. Lance ignored me, lying back with his eyes closed. Time to leave.

  As I was about to close the door behind me, he lifted his head and said, “Amber. Thanks for looking after me. I can’t remember what happened. But you were there when I needed help. I won’t forget that.”

  I nodded, pleased with his reaction. I remembered my panic when I couldn’t find his heartbeat. I’d been so scared, I’d had to fight not to lose it right there and then. And I wanted answers. Why had Lawson and his men abducted Matt? Why had they tasered Lance and just left him? If I hadn’t been there, he could have died of exposure and shock. I could only think of one person who might know what was going on. Ms. Farkas, the head witch, had helped me last term. She’d said I should come find her if I had any more problems.

  It was getting dark. I walked faster. The lamps dotted throughout the campus had turned on, and their orange light created shadows in doorways and behind brushes.

  What if Lawson had seen me after all? Maybe he was waiting to jump me the way they had Matt. Something moved ahead of me, chittering as it scrambled through the undergrowth. What if one of his men lurked near the cabins? I was running by the time I arrived at the admin building.

  My breath was wheezing in and out as I tore the door open and slammed it shut behind me. I looked over my shoulder, fearing somebody might have snuck up on me, but there was nothing. Only a few students with their heads down, hurrying toward their dorms.

  I bent over, resting my hands on my knees, and chided myself. Hysterical much? There is no one out there. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that somewhere out there, somebody was waiting for me.

  After I calmed down, I walked to Ms. Farkas’s office, knocked, and waited for permission before entering. The head witch sat behind her desk, working on some kind of chart. Her black hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, making her look younger than usual. I’d seen both the caring and the stern side of her over the last months. As the owner and principal of this academy, she obviously took her responsibilities seriously.

  Ms. Farkas looked up and smiled briefly. She put her pen down and gestured for me to take a seat. The images of the young man’s motionless body getting thrown into the car flickered through my mind. I didn’t want to sit. I wanted her to fix this.

  “You’ve got to call the police,” I blurted out.

  She pulled up her eyebrow and leaned forward. “The police? Why? What happened?”

  “I saw a student being kidnapped. Please, you’ve got to do something.”

  Ms. Farkas stared at me, then picked up the phone on her desk. “I’ll call Lawson. He’ll know what to do.”

  “Lawson? But he’s in on it.”

  The moment I’d blurted out the words, I knew I’d made a mistake. Ms. Farkas slowly lowered the receiver onto its cradle. “Please tell me exactly what happened. You’re making no sense.”

  I took a deep breath and told her what I’d seen. I left out how Lance had been attacked as well. It would only confuse matters, and I needed her to take action to get Matt back. They couldn’t have gotten far. If I could convince her to call the cops right now, they might still catch up with the SUV.

  She held up a hand and stopped me mid-sentence. “Look, I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation. Why don’t you check wit
h me in an hour, and I’ll have an answer for you?”

  There was no point arguing. I had to trust her to do the right thing. But in the back of my mind, a stubborn flicker of doubt took seed. Why isn’t she more upset?

  As I walked to my residence hall, I kept an eye out for Slug. I hadn’t seen him after helping Lance to his feet. He was probably trying to catch a mouse or something. I hoped he wouldn’t stay outside for too long. Even though I was wearing gloves, my fingers felt like frozen fish sticks.

  Entering the dormitory building, I blew on my hands to warm them up enough for me to open my room door. The bare light bulb glared off the white walls and blinded me for a moment. So much so that I screamed when something the size of a piglet hit my middle.

  Instinctively, I grabbed whatever had jumped at me as I staggered back. I recognized my giant pet the moment my hands connected with his familiar shape. With one hand, I clutched Slug’s furry butt against my stomach, and with the other, I held him tightly to my body. His head rested on my shoulder, and he obviously didn’t care he’d nearly frightened me to death.

  “Goddammit, you stupid cat,” I muttered as I balanced his bulk on one arm and turned the key in the door. Once inside, I dropped him to the ground.

  Slug landed on his legs and glared at me. “Smarter than you, human,” he seemed to say.