Daring Provocation (Shadow Veil Academy Book 3) Read online

  Daring Provocation

  Shadow Veil Academy, Book Three

  Heather Renee

  Daring Provocation © Copyright 2019 by Heather Renee

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.

  For more information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book, email [email protected].

  ISBN: 978-1698816029

  Editing: Jamie from Holmes Edits

  Cover: Covers by Juan

  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

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Stay In Touch

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Heather Renee

  About the Author

  Dedication

  To Uncle Matt and Cousin Ben.

  You were two of the greatest men I ever knew, and the world won’t be near as bright without your smiles in it.

  Until we meet again.

  Chapter 1

  New Orleans was possibly the most badass place in the universe. I’d yet to explore the many wonders of the world, but the two weeks I’d spent in the Crescent City, as it was often known, were the most relaxed I’d been in over two years.

  After the battle with Malina had ended on a not-so-great note, it had taken a decent amount of the summer for us to get things settled around the academy and for me to not want to kill Enzo. Much of the academy had been damaged in the fight, and there had been more construction needed than simple magic could fix.

  But when the dust settled and Jules told me what I would find in New Orleans, there had been no stopping me from taking a much-needed vacation and heading south.

  “Do we have to leave?” I murmured to Jules.

  “Well, I don’t, but you do.” She smirked.

  I twisted my head toward her with a glare on my face. “If I have to, then so do you, and you only have yourself to blame. I didn’t ask you to stick around so long and make yourself essential to everything we’re dealing with. You did that all on your own.”

  She laughed. “So, you’re saying because I was trying to be helpful, I’m doomed to see this through to the end?”

  “Damn straight.” I nodded curtly while Enzo chuckled from behind me as we strolled through the French Quarter.

  “Good to know. Next time, I’ll just be an asshole and leave you to figure things out on your own.” She rolled her eyes, obviously not liking my thought process.

  Instead of continuing to banter with her, I took in the magic around me. Humans took the uniqueness that was New Orleans for granted when they played tourist. The city was full of tranquility. Inside every shop was a piece of magic, and I’d visited them all, learning everything I could from the locals.

  Enzo nudged me. “We’ll be back. Hell, we can even live here when this school year is over if you love it that much. Just don’t look so sad, because it makes me want to kill someone, and since Malina’s not around….”

  Plastering a smile on my face, I winked at him. “I’m fine. I promise. Just let me have this moment. Whether it’s filled with sadness or happiness, I just want to soak it all in before we leave. It’s good to just feel without having to act.”

  Recently, I’d had moments when I just needed to reflect and be left alone. Enzo was struggling with them, because he had an innate desire to fix everything, but sometimes a girl just needed to feel, be in the moment, and accept what was.

  Over the summer, there had been a lot I’d accepted, half of which I didn’t like, but I’d grown beyond my temper tantrums for the most part. A huge thanks to Chelle for that.

  Her presence swirled within me, but she remained silent, knowing what I meant when I wanted to be left alone. She had been gone for two full days after the fight with Malina, and I’d never been more depressed and miserable in my life.

  When the power we shared had finally flared to life, I cried tears of joy for a solid hour while Enzo tried his best to figure out who he needed to kill. The poor guy always wanted to decimate something. Getting him into anger management was beginning to sound like a great idea.

  “And now you’re smirking. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to know what you’re thinking in that pretty little head of yours,” Enzo grumbled from my side.

  Ignoring him, I glanced up ahead to find Gemma and Talon turning into Café Du Monde. Even though it was nearing midnight, the place was packed, but Talon had a unique ability to make people give him a wide berth.

  I watched in fascination as he simply stared at a group taking up two tables they didn’t need and enjoyed the moment as the frat-looking guys scattered, mumbling apologies as they tripped over themselves in their haste. Talon hadn’t even glared, but I was pretty sure one of them peed their pants.

  I really needed to acquire his superpower.

  Gemma waved us over as they took a seat, and we happily sat down. I’d had multiple beignets each day since arriving, and I wouldn’t have minded at all if we spent the rest of the night sitting in the café, devouring all of the sugary perfection I could handle before exploding in white powdery dust.

  “School’s overrated. I think we should all just say ‘screw it’ and stay here. New Orleans seems like the only place Malina hasn’t been, so maybe we’d be safe.” Gemma sighed with wishful thinking.

  “Where’s JayLeigh?” Jules asked, ignoring Gemma’s comment since we all knew it wasn’t possible.

  Malina was off licking her wounds and gathering resources while we were doing the same. It was a race to see who would be done first, because we couldn’t risk an attack to the academy again. We were still trying to rebuild the damage her people had caused just a few months ago.

  “I’m right here,” JayLeigh’s voice sounded right before she shimmered into appearance.

  I’d long gotten used to her invisible act. She had tried to teach me, but I didn’t have the patience for it. The act required a lot of concentration and focus, but I seemed to have a hard time with both as of late. Hopefully, I’d be changing that soon.

  The group began to chat about how they wanted to spend their last night in New Orleans while I people watched, waiting until it was time to go see my new favorite person in this world.

  Late at night in the Quarter, there always seemed to be more supernaturals than there were humans out. I smiled, loving how freely they roamed. Shifters, witches, and vampires were most common around the powerful city.

  I’d yet to see an elf, but Enzo had said that wasn’t surprising. Most of them lived in remote areas or other countries, and I made him promise we’d visit those countries one day. I was quickly learning that life was s
hort, and I wanted to live it to the fullest while I still could.

  We’d lost more than twenty good people in the battle against Malina, and I’d counted myself lucky that those closest to me survived. I’d been worried that we wouldn’t be welcome in the city, since a decent number of those lost were from New Orleans, but they’d all been understanding. Much more than I believed I would have been, had the situation been reversed.

  The person I’d been most wanting to see came into my line of sight, and I waved the sorceress over eagerly. Enzo followed my gaze and moved over, so she could sit next to me.

  “Good evening, Raegan,” Amalia greeted me, then smiled at the rest of the group before taking a seat.

  “Hey, Meme,” I practically cooed. Leaving my grandmother after only just finding her was going to be excruciating on my heart.

  My parents had kept me hidden from all things magical while I grew up, which meant I had never met any of my extended family. Blood or not, I still considered these people my own, and the day I met my Meme was one of the greatest of my life and a big reason I had no desire to leave New Orleans.

  At first, I’d been mad that Jules hadn’t told me about this part of my family, but I soon realized that there hadn’t been a point. Well, after she forced me to listen to her reasonings, anyway.

  I’d been stuck at the academy for the first year. Literally. There would have been no way for me to come find them, and knowing I had family out there and not being able to see them would have killed me. Then, I took off when I was finally free and wasted no time before disappearing to Drakken after I came back.

  There hadn’t really been time to bring it up, and she had been right in assuming I’d have dropped everything to come meet them, because that was exactly how we ended up spending part of summer break in New Orleans.

  “Are you sure you can’t come back with us?” I asked, even though I knew my grandmother had never once in her centuries-old life left New Orleans.

  She patted my hand resting on her shoulder. “I wish, child, but I have responsibilities here, just like you have them at Shadow Veil. We all have our part to play, but I will welcome you back into my home anytime you’d like.”

  Meme Amalia was leader to the witches and the hybrids who preferred their witch side. Her husband, my grandfather, was the previous leader until they had trouble with some vampires a couple decades ago and he was killed.

  His funeral had been the last time my mother was in the city, and my heart hurt that she had spent so much time away from this mystical place and her family just to keep me safe. Meme assured me that my parents were at rest, though, and I tried to take some sort of peace from the knowledge, even if I was riddled with guilt.

  Her wrinkled thumb rubbed between my eyes. “No sense worrying about what you can’t change, child. You’re too young to frown so much.”

  A grin formed as I leaned into Amalia. “I’m going to miss you, but we’re going to be back soon. I want to find a place here and never leave, like you.”

  Both of her cool hands wrapped around my cheeks. “I want more for you than New Orleans. My city is wonderful, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, but there is more to life than magic. Be human. Make mistakes. Live your life, and when you’re ready to settle down, you come back to me. There will always be a place for you here.”

  There was sorrow in her tone, and her soulful azure eyes pierced right through me. “Thank you, Meme.”

  A band began playing right outside the café, and whatever she’d been about to say was cut off. Instead, she squeezed my hand tighter, and we sat together with our group while their voices rose to be heard over the music.

  Tomorrow was going to suck, but I’d be back just as soon as Malina was dead. Stopping her was all that mattered so I could keep those I loved most safe, but something told me my last year at Shadow Veil Academy wasn’t going to be easy. I feared for the lives of those around me and wondered just how many of them were going to die because Malina was a selfish bitch.

  Two days later, we were back at school, and the tension within me had never been worse. My Meme had held me tight as we both fought back tears. I ached to go back to her, as well as the aunt and uncle I had met, plus six cousins who were much too young to deal with anything I had going on.

  Marek stood at the entrance when we pulled up, his smile inviting, and I realized I missed him more than I thought I would. “It’s been quiet around here without you guys. I almost went back to Drakken,” he said when I walked up the steps, which earned him a punch in the ribs.

  “Kidding. I was only kidding,” he moaned.

  It had taken eighteen days for Marek to wake up after the fight with Malina where my mate had stabbed my father. I’d struggled majorly with accepting that what Enzo had done was for the best, but JayLeigh had managed to talk me off the edge, and Enzo lived.

  He had explained the conversation with Marek and why he’d chosen to keep it from me, and while I didn’t think keeping me safe and focused was the best excuse, I did understand. Enzo had been right. If I’d have known, my thoughts would have constantly been on Marek, and there had been too much going on during the battle for that to have been a good thing.

  I might have still screamed at him and threatened to remove his balls several times once the entirety of the situation had registered with me, but I eventually calmed down and waited not-so-patiently by Marek’s side for him to wake again. I wasn’t ready to call him Dad by any means. I had already had a father, and calling someone else Dad felt disrespectful to the memory of the one who raised me.

  By the time I’d turned away from Marek, Gemma, Talon, and JayLeigh were nowhere to be seen, but Enzo and Jules stood behind me.

  “It’s late, and tomorrow’s the first day of school. You two should get some sleep,” Jules said.

  “I don’t see the point in us attending classes,” I groaned. Besides our history, there wasn’t much I was going to learn that I couldn’t figure out by working with JayLeigh, Jules, or Professor Phox.

  “Because we’re not going to let Malina dictate our lives. You will still do what you came here to do.” Jules glared at me, and I held my hands up in surrender.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She gave me a hug, then pushed me toward Enzo. “Go get some sleep, and I’ll see the two of you tomorrow.”

  “Love you, Jules,” I called over my shoulder as Enzo led me away.

  “Love you, too,” she replied before turning toward Marek. She obviously didn’t want us to know about what they were discussing or she wouldn’t have dismissed us so quickly.

  I moved to turn back toward them, but Enzo swooped me up into his arms, his preferred way to walk with me. “Let it go. We just got back from probably the best vacation I’ve ever had, and I want to end it on an equally good note. So, we’re going to go up to our room, and I’m going to have my way with you. Got it?”

  Well, I wasn’t an idiot, so I simply grinned and nodded. There was still an ominous cloud lurking around me, and if he wanted to keep me distracted for just a little while longer, then I wasn’t going to stop him.

  Tomorrow would be soon enough to worry about classes and what progress the council made with Malina while we were gone. I had goals in life, and I’d be damned if I let that pain-in-the-ass sorceress screw with them any longer than necessary.

  Chapter 2

  Morning came much too soon, but I had no idea what classes I was assigned, so I eagerly woke Enzo and got out of bed to get ready for school. While I dressed for the day, my hand hesitated on my normal go-to pants. I’d been stubborn for two years, refusing to wear the skirt, but it was still in the eighties outside, abnormally hot and humid for the time of year.

  Screw it. I yanked out the skirt Gemma had given me just in case I was ever forced to wear one and put it on. The plus side to the skirt was I could hide my dagger underneath the material, and none would be the wiser.

  Enzo was already in the shower, so he’d be nice and surprised when he came out. I
was pretty sure I’d never worn anything other than pants around him before, unless we were headed to bed.

  Over the summer, my hair had grown long enough to braid, so instead of spending the extra time drying it, I braided the mahogany strands and looked for my bag, which likely still had my tablet in it—I probably should have found it the night before, but oh well. Hopefully it wouldn’t be necessary for the day, but I’d bring my charger just in case.

  When Enzo came out with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, he stopped in his tracks and glared at me. “You need to change.”

  “What? Why?” I feigned innocence.

  His heated gaze traveled up and down my body. “Because there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to focus on anything other than you in that all day now, and other guys shouldn’t get the same pleasure unless I’m allowed to pummel them.”

  My hand patted his bare chest. “You’re lucky you’re adorable. Now get dressed, or I’m leaving without you, and if you pummel anyone, I’ll wear the skirt every damn day.”

  He grunted, murmuring under his breath, but I didn’t bother to decipher his complaints. Instead, I grabbed some granola bars and tossed them in my bag along with my charger before grabbing some juice. I was really craving a beignet and wasn’t sure how I was going to go a whole day without one after having several of them each day for the last couple weeks.

  More than that, I was missing my Meme. While I’d met other family members, she had been the one I’d connected with instantly. She reminded me so much of my mom, and I clung to that with ferocity.