Second Chance Doom: a paranormal romance adventure (Second Chance Academy Book 5) Read online

  Second Chance Doom

  Book Five of the Second Chance Academy Series

  Ella J. Smyth

  Unapologetic Romances

  What do a former ghost, a half incubus, a confused human-cat hybrid, and a damaged orphan have in common?

  * * *

  Me.

  * * *

  Amber Whitman. Bearer of Lightning. Smiter of Evil. And a girl who’s trying to keep them from killing each other.

  * * *

  When we find ourselves at the Magical FBI’s headquarters, they offer us trainee positions that come with a condition: look after yourselves. And leave the kidnapped humans to die.

  * * *

  I might be a petite blonde who’s scared more often than she’d like to admit. But I know what I want. And a cushy job at the expense of everybody else is not it.

  * * *

  I’ll do whatever it takes to bring down the bastards behind the evil master plan. Alone, if need be. Or with my men by my side.

  * * *

  The choice is theirs. All I know is that I’m ready to take names and kick ass.

  Contents

  Newsletter

  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

  Note from the Author

  Also by Ella J. Smyth

  About the Author

  Disclaimer

  Newsletter

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  * * *

  And check out all my social media links here:

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  1

  “Amber. Stop. The guards will shoot to kill.”

  I screeched to a halt, my hand resting against a heavy metal door. My heart rate whomped up to worrying rates. I whirled around, my eyes wide.

  Callahan caught up with me, slightly out of breath. He bent over, his rasping breaths interspersed with chuckles. “Man, I gotta lay off the smokes. But that was too funny. You should have seen your face.”

  My eyebrows met my hairline. “Callahan, what the hell?”

  He waved away my words and straightened, towering above me by at least a foot. “You can’t walk around the compound by yourself. You’re not officially part of the FBMA yet.”

  His stern demeanor melted into a nearly-smile. “Actually, that’s what I want to talk to you about. Come on.”

  Callahan, our handler, opened the door into a tiny room. It didn’t look any different from a regular office. White walls, synthetic gray carpet tiles, a small table and two chairs. The only thing that made it stand out was a camera mounted at the ceiling. It followed our progress with an ominous whir.

  The FBMA, the Federal Bureau for Magical Activities, didn’t need to resort to clunky, 90s style technology. The camera was to show we were under constant observation. I frowned at the contracting lens before focusing on what Callahan was saying.

  “Let me explain the process of you guys joining our unit. Our training and recruitment is modeled on the FBI system.”

  He tapped on the badge that clung to his pocket. “That is, you need to hold a bachelor’s degree in a field like law or magical cybersecurity, and you have to be at least twenty-three years old.”

  That was easy to say for someone old enough to be my dad. I was ready to tell him as much, but he continued. “Let me finish. I know none of you are old enough. And you haven’t graduated from the Farkas Academy.”

  I wanted to protest, “And whose fault is that?” but kept my mouth shut.

  “Given the extraordinary powers you in particular possess, Assistant Director Hennessy has sought and obtained permission at the highest level. All of you will skip the mandatory requirements and the three years of training.”

  Was that good news? It sounded like good news.

  “With other words, once you complete your training alongside the FBI trainees at Quantico, you’ll be given the equivalent rank of FBMA Special Consultants until they deem it fit to promote you to Special Agents.”

  He looked at me expectantly while my thoughts whirred. What did that mean? It sounded like the constant threat of being imprisoned for the rest of my life had disappeared.

  I chose my words carefully. “What about the reasons that forced us into the Academy in the first place?”

  Callahan tapped his pen against a legal pad. “Your boyfriends are in the clear. Their actions didn’t result in loss of life, except for Lance’s. But he was cleared through the legal system. Your case is different. There are some in management who don’t believe you should be given another chance. I vouched for you, and Assistant Director Hennessy was able to convince them. But you’re on probation.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Callahan crunched up his face as if chewing raw ginger. “It means they see you as a threat to be eliminated permanently if you kill again without authorization.”

  I ignored the first part of his sentence. I was used to having my life threatened. The second bit was more interesting. “Without authorization? Does that mean you want me to be an assassin?”

  Callahan threw his head back and laughed. “God, no. That’s the last thing anybody wants.”

  I was about to take offense when he turned serious. “No, we don’t want to send you out to kill people. But there will be times in the line of duty when you have to defend yourselves or others. Just be aware—your actions will be under more scrutiny for a long while. But as long as you stick to the rules, you’ll be fine.”

  He tossed his pen down. “And to learn the rules, you need training. I’ve arranged for you and your boyfriends to travel to Quantico right away. You’ll be there for a minimum of three months before you enter regular service.”

  There were God knows how many kids from the Academy stuck in Faerie. Some of them were our friends. I sat up straight, my stomach roiling at what I was going to say next. “That’s impossible.”

  Even the twitch under his eye stopped. Was he surprised at my objection? He really should have known me better by now. His voice carried that I-can’t-believe-you-said-that tone I recognized from my dad. “What?”

  “We don’t have three months to get them out. I’ll talk to the guys, but I’m sure they’ll agree. We have the knowledge and the powers to save them now.”

  Callahan’s face stayed calm, but his shoulders were about to wrap themselves around his ears. “You have the raw power, but no training. Remember what I said about you being on probation? That was the condition for you to be able to lead a normal life.”

  He held my gaze, ensuring I
got his point. “Don’t jeopardize that chance. Leave the mission to the professionals.”

  His words were the spark that turned my anger into outrage. I jumped up so fast, the chair fell backward.

  “Professionals?” I shouted. “You gotta be joking. Have you forgotten who saved all your asses? I remember how Farkas killed your so-called professionals one by one. I saw grown agents cry like babies as she flayed them alive.”

  Callahan paled. He said so quietly I could barely hear him, “I remember. Every night, I remember.”

  He closed his eyes and rubbed both palms over his face. When he dropped his hands, there was anger to rival my own in his expression. “I would love nothing more than see you raze the fucking place to the ground and kill those bastards who took the kids. But this is bigger than us. Much bigger.”

  His gaze bore into me, imploring me to understand the weight of his next words. “Farkas wasn’t the one organizing the Fae raids on the Academy.”

  His tone turned conciliatory. “Amber, I consider you a friend. You and your men, you saved my life. I’ll never forget that. You’ve been dealt a really shitty hand. None of this was your fault.”

  Callahan wasn’t aware of it, but I saw it. His body language, as much as his words, was begging me to hear him. “Please, don’t throw your chance away. You’re so close to being rehabilitated. You could do some real good for the magical community. Please. Don’t fuck it up.”

  I couldn’t ignore his plea. I picked up my chair and sat down again. “I’ll make you a deal. For me, this is all about my friends dying in Faerie. For your agency, we’re going to be useful for decades. All I’m asking is a few weeks to find a way back and get them out.”

  His eyelids flickered under the strain as he held my gaze with his until he had to drop it. Slug’s training had paid off once again. “Fine. I’ll talk to Hennessy. But I can’t promise anything.”

  2

  I kicked the wall after Callahan was out of sight. For fuck’s sake. The fate of my friends depended on some brickhead in the FBMA management. I didn’t blame Callahan, but holy hell, was I over this bullshit. From the moment the lightning had exploded from me, I’d been shoved this way and that by strangers who thought they had the right to tell me what to do.

  Two agents walked past me, groomed perfectly, wearing identical fitted suits. The only difference between them was that the woman wore her medium-length hair pulled into a ponytail, whereas the guy had a regulation haircut. She shook her head while muttering to her partner, “That’s her.”

  Swallowing down the “fuck you” I wanted to shout after them, I turned and stalked back to our digs. It took me longer than it should have. The corridors weren’t numbered, and there were no signposts. Only the same dark linoleum floor covering and a lighter gray paint on the walls. This wasn’t a government office for civilian traffic. This was a military-grade facility with neon lights, steel doors, and the charm of a DMV.

  Finally, I stood in front of our quarters. I only found it because of the loud music drifting through the empty hallway. I pushed the door open and dropped onto the king-sized bed next to Kiernan and Lance. Kiernan shifted to give me more room. To be fair, the FBMA had made an attempt to accommodate our Quint as best they could. Somehow, they’d managed to fit a king and a queen into the small room. There was no space for any other piece of furniture, but since we only used the place to sleep, it didn’t matter.

  Kiernan was scrolling on his cell phone, skipping from song to song. “Hey, Amber. You’re the voice of reason. Who do you think did a better cover of ‘Sweet Dreams?’ Marilyn Manson or Annie Lennox?”

  “Eurythmics, obviously,” I replied, putting as much scorn into my voice as I could.

  Kiernan and Lance looked at each other. Then Kiernan rolled on top of me. He lowered his head to tease me with his nose, drawing a giggle from me. He brushed his lips against mine until my mouth opened and my body relaxed for the first time all day.

  Holding on to his broad shoulders, I dropped my legs open to give him more space. I was floating on waves of sensations, gently buffeted by the strokes of his tongue until my head was swimming with his presence.

  “Better?” he whispered against my lips before tasting me again. Way too soon, he shifted off me and leaned on his elbow, watching me as if he could pull the thoughts straight out of my mind.

  “Wanna tell us what got you so pissed?” Lance reached across Kiernan’s body. Kiernan moved to his back, allowing Lance and I to hold hands across his chest. Lance ran his thumb over my fingers, making my skin tingle where he touched me.

  I inhaled deeply. I couldn’t keep this to myself. They needed to know. “Where are Macha and Julian? This concerns them as well.”

  “Macha took off an hour ago. No idea where he went. Julian should be back soon. He’s trying to find somewhere to buy snacks.”

  I grinned before turning serious again. Ever since Julian had literally returned from the dead, he was devouring candy at an alarming rate. If I ate like him, I’d be packing on the pounds. But despite the sugary calories he consumed, he stayed as skinny as ever.

  Kiernan rolled over me to the other side until I was bracketed by two warm bodies. I drowned in their scents. Their love lifted my stomach until it dropped into freefall, weakening my knees. We’d been through so much together. And we hadn’t reached our destination yet. God knew what our future held. But somehow, being with my men calmed me and allowed me to refuel. In their arms, I didn’t fear anything and worried about nothing.

  Kiernan kissed my temple while Lance ran his hand up and down my arm. He pushed his body against me, and the hardness against my hip felt both familiar and arousing. I closed my eyes and enjoyed what I suspected was the quiet before the storm.

  Far too soon, the door opened, and Julian carried his loot to the other bed. I sat up and watched him stash unfeasible amounts of candy underneath the metal frame. When he was done, he winked. “Growing boy gotta eat.”

  I didn’t reply, and his expression grew wary. “What’s up? What did I miss?”

  Nudging Kiernan aside, I slipped out of the bed. “Do you know where Macha is?”

  “Sorry, no clue. He was kinda secretive, but he said he needed to look for someone.”

  I frowned, filing the information for later. “Okay. I’ll catch him when he gets back. But you need to know what I found out today.”

  That got their attention. Their situation wasn’t as legally precarious as mine, but their lives had also been hanging in limbo since we’d returned from Faerie.

  “Callahan told me they’re sending us to Quantico to train alongside the FBI for three months.” I waited for their response, their outrage.

  “That’s awesome.” Lance’s face lit up.

  “What?” I must have looked as incredulous as my voice sounded.

  Lance’s expression faded a little. “Well, I mean… Isn’t it? If they’re training us, they’re offering us proper jobs, right? Which means we’ll get the protection of the FBMA. Plus, we’ll learn how to defend ourselves and fight our enemies. What’s not to like?”

  My mouth had dropped open. How did the bonehead not understand the implications? “How about our friends—Beth, Kenzy, Luke—are going to be dead in three months’ time?”

  He flinched. “Yeah. There’s that.”

  I was relieved to have gotten through to him.

  That was until he turned his head to Kiernan and said, “What do you think, Hennessy?”

  Kiernan held his gaze. “The Fae are slippery bastards. We’ll need to be as prepared as possible. Last time, we lost Julian. I don’t ever want to go through that again.”

  Lance got up off the bed. “Yeah, I agree.”

  He turned his back to me so he could fish his shoes from under the bed and pull them on. His voice sounded muffled, but I heard him alright.

  “Seriously, what’s our chance against experienced magic users and the entire Fae army? How is it gonna help anyone if they slaughter us the minute we ge
t there?”

  Kiernan scooted to the side of the bed. “And besides, we don’t even know where the portal is.”

  I was about to grind the enamel off my teeth. It took a lot of effort not to shout at them, but I managed to keep my voice steady. “You know damn well our friends and all the other kids are stuck in a lab somewhere. And once again, we’ve been told to slow down and wait and let the grown-ups handle it.”

  My breath stuck in my chest. The enormity of the situation squeezed my throat until my voice barely escaped its clutches.

  “But in three months, our friends will be dead. I saw the kill list with the dates with my own eyes. They have days left to live. And you’re sitting here, seriously considering a fucking training camp while they’re draining the life from Kenzy.”

  My voice broke with the effort to fight back my tears. “Fuck you. If you’re too cowardly, I’ll do it myself.”

  I threw one last, disgusted glance at them before I opened the door and slammed it behind me. In the hallway, I bent over, placing my elbows on my knees, and fought to calm the raging anger. I was so furious, waves of emotion threatened to engulf me like a tsunami of pure rage. Five minutes ago, I’d felt safe with Kiernan and Lance. I’d allowed myself to believe, just for a few moments, that everything would turn out fine.