The Devil's Advocate (Hell's Angel Book 2), page 15
Yep. She was ready for summer.
My crazy red hair, on the other hand, had barely been contained in its ponytail. Even Delphina’s top-notch glamour skills weren’t quite enough to tame this mess. And no matter how important this party was, I still cringed at the thought of going. Last time Delphina went all out to get me ready for something ended up being the absolute worst night of my life. Our simple trip to the Black Hollow just off campus had resulted in a coma for her and me nearly losing my life to a Void-infected madman.
“I really don’t think this is me,” I muttered as I pulled the skirt down a few extra centimeters and groaned. “And I mean, do we really have to go? I’d much rather stay in and try to relax for a change. I’m exhausted from… well, everything that’s happened since I got here, and I bet you are, too.”
Phina put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in tighter. “Let me be as clear as possible. You’ve been a student here for what? Just over a week now, right? And in that time, we’ve found out that you have super rare magic that no one else has ever had, magic that can be used for really, really bad ends if you’re not careful. As for me, I’ve found out that my boyfriend, one of the richest and most influential students at this school as well as former love of my life, was actually evil and just using me to glamour his eyes to hide that evil. Figures, right? Anyway, all of Darnborn knows by now, I can promise you that. So tonight, it’s extra important that we look fantastic, confident, and like we don’t care that absolutely everyone there will be talking about us behind our backs.”
I took a nervous gulp, and as Zia pushed her head into me with more force, I gripped her fur tightly, all the while knowing that not even a 600 lb. tigress would be enough to get me out of whatever mess came next.
“Fine,” I said, knowing that at the end of the day this was far more important to my roommate than to me. “I’ll wear this. Now let’s go.”
She squealed and gave me a tight hug, then spent the next half-hour putting the finishing touches on my look. I smiled and nodded through it all, my worry growing with each passing minute as we finished getting ready and made our way across campus.
My first official Darnborn party. I caught my first glimpse of the layout as Phina and I crested a small hill and came into a wide clearing at the edge of the woods that flanked the campus. Nothing Delphina had said to prepare me for the spectacle had done it justice.
Luckily the academy was set far away from civilization so none of the music or lights would draw attention. And that was good because there was plenty of each. I couldn’t tell where the lights were coming from, but they were shining orbs of all colors floating in the sky above and wrapped around the trees’ branches.
Lively orchestral music pounded around me and echoed throughout the forest, making the twinkling orbs sway and dance in time. The students who had already gathered laughed and twirled, using their unique magical abilities as part of the dance. One glamour-gifted girl shifted the color of her hair with each beat while another with compulsion gathered a group of other students and made them move perfectly in time together in a complicated show of choreography.
There was so much to look at, so much to see, that hopefully no one would pay much attention to me. While I hated how much Phina’s choice of attire put my body on display, the darkening air was still hot and humid enough to make me almost grateful I wasn’t wearing more.
Magic users were never much for modesty anyway. According to Delphina, where there was magic, money generally followed. So most of these kids—well, young adults I supposed—had been raised with the luxury of gym memberships, personal trainers, eating plans, and in Delphina’s case, a healthy dose of glamour to help her maintain her extra gorgeous image.
Most of the girls here wore tight clothes. Some sported short flouncy skirts and crop tops. Others showed off their assets with tight leggings and halter tops. Sequins, glitter, elaborate bead work… anything to draw attention. Personally, I found it to be much too much, but then again I hadn’t been raised in this world and was still struggling to adjust to the culture shock. My brain churned with this onslaught of sensory overload. I licked my lips and swallowed down the lump of anxiety forming in my throat.
Anxiety, by the way, was not my friend. Whenever I let it build too much, I had the unfortunate habit of turning invisible.
At least that’s how it looked to outsiders. What I actually did was far worse. I faded into another stupid dimension where some glowy shadow man lay in wait. He’d even claimed he was my father, but I was not buying it. Mostly because I was way too afraid to even consider what accepting his claim would mean for me and my future.
A firm touch grazed the inside of my arm, and I jumped back out of nervous habit.
My friend Owen smiled widely at my overreaction. “Hey there, Harper,” he said with a cocky grin, calling me by my last name as he loved to do when he was teasing me.
My playful scowl quickly turned into a broad smile. I’d been through a lot lately, and Owen had been there every step of the way, proving just how great a guy he was. It totally made me want to shout wedding vows at him and beg him to love me forever, no matter what. Luckily, I was getting better at controlling my urges, especially since Owen was already taken. Boo.
“Hey, Slater,” I mumbled, so softly I doubted he could hear me over the sound of the hi-fi stereo system.
His girlfriend, Joy, arrived a moment later and latched herself onto his arm.
I forced myself to look away so neither of them could see how much my mood had shifted with her arrival. I knew my crush on him was stupid, that nothing could come of it, but still I hoped.
It wasn’t even that I disliked Joy. She’d always been perfectly pleasant, and if I couldn’t have Owen, I was glad he was at least with somebody nice.
Because let’s face it, I would never be worthy of that role. I was the hapless orphan who had no idea where she came from and had only stumbled upon her magic a week ago. He was the eldest son of one of the most influential magic families in our whole society, and his brother, Eli, was the person who had manipulated Phina and broken her heart wide open—all while trying to kill the both of us, by the way.
Even though Owen helped save us both, things had still become rather awkward after that big showdown.
“So how’s your brother doing?” asked Delphina, not pulling any punches. I’d been so focused on Owen and Joy, I’d practically forgotten how she stood right beside me, how this had to be every bit as hard for her as it was for me. Maybe even more so.
I offered Owen a small, apologetic smile, even though secretly I was glad Phina had come right out with it. His brother had been collected by the Slater family patriarch while I was still in the medical wing recovering from my latest knock into unconsciousness. If others knew what had happened—or what would happen—to Eli to punish his slip into the Void, nobody spoke about it around me.
Truthfully, I was getting pretty sick of all the secrets they kept around this place. It was like the leaders had watched Fight Club and taken its first rule far too seriously. It wasn’t just “don’t talk about the Secret Academy,” though. It was literally don’t talk about anything, ever. For every one hundred questions I’d asked since my arrival, I was lucky to get a clear answer to even one of them.
Yeah, not good enough.
What happens next?
Don’t wait to find out…
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About Zahra
Aussie author Zahra Stone writes funny, sometimes snarky, but always action-packed, urban fantasy stories. Her characters are courageous and daring and afraid of nothing. Unlike Zahra, who is scared of moths, snakes, sharks, running out of coffee, and extended power outages.
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Zahra Stone, The Devil's Advocate (Hell's Angel Book 2)
