Page 16 of Shattered & Returned

I wasn’t sure why they deemed him the most suitable chaperone. I supposed it didn’t matter. They’d taken me wearing nothing but the nightgown on my back. Mom’s paranoia had ensured we left no traces, no photos, no history. The amulet, my only treasure, now rested forever with her in the earth. I hadn’t realized it’d been spelled to hide me all those years.

My pulse was still racing from the courtyard violence when the tower’s shadow fell across us. Craning my neck, I tookin the warped splendor of Ravencrux Tower. Its swan-like wings stretched toward the sky. Soft amber light glowed from its windows, alternating with dark, sightless ones. Thick ivy claimed its left side, while moss filled every crevice.

Orren cleared his throat, suddenly awkward without his pals. “This is where you’ll live, Bloom.” His fingers twitched as if fighting the urge to reach for me. “Ravencrux Tower. Everyone here is under Master Nero’s protection. Mostly hybrids, shifters, high demons.” He trailed off, then added almost apologetically, “The ones who don’t fit anywhere else.”

Of course, they’d put me with the misfits. Great.

Orren pointed east to a tower the color of tarnished silver. “Kingsley Tower. Carl Kingsley’s brood nests there, distant godspawn who think their diluted blood makes them royalty.” His lip curled into a half-snarl. “They swarm like wasps if you cross their territory. Never wander alone, Bloom. Safety lives in numbers here.”

My stomach dropped. “Please tell me gang fights are unusual here.”

His nod was grim. “I’ll guard you when I can.” Then his expression softened with something like pride. “I have to hunt now and then.”

The admission hooked my curiosity. “What do you hunt?”

For a second, he was surprised that I asked, then his smile turned sharp. “Whatever’s running.” A pause. “Whoever.”

The unspokenI caught you, didn’t I?hung between us. My thumbs-up faltered. This boy who’d dragged me from my garden now promised to guard me from worse predators. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

I took a deep breath. The black granite steps chilled my bare feet as I climbed toward the matte door. Twin gargoyles flanked the entrance, their time-worn snarls still threatening. Above theframe, a larger sentinel crouched with wings spread, its stone claws poised to seize the unwary.

Yet the tower pulled me forward like a magnet. I had an unnerving feeling that this place had been waiting for me for a long time.

“The neutral factions—witches, mages, and druids—occupy Stardust Tower,” Orren explained as he trailed behind me. “You’ll study their capabilities in class, and I’ll give you names to avoid. The golden-eyed viper tops the list with his lies about Master Nero.” Embers glowed behind his teeth as he spoke. “Don’t be fooled by his pretty face. That fucker’s lies poison everyone.”

Of course, he hated the golden boy who’d called him a dog. I swore a wisp of smoke curled from his nostrils before vanishing.

The door groaned open on its own. Inside, an obsidian pedestal held a riot of blood-red roses, their perfume thick.

“The wards recognize you,” Orren said, smug. “Intruders lose limbs. Or lives.”

My pulse stuttered. “Or it opened foryou.”

He huffed, gesturing to the flowers. “These bloomed at dawn for your arrival. The tower’s never done that before.” The roses’ petals glistened, still damp with dew. “No one else gets flowers. Not even Master Nero.”

He waved me in. “Lady first.”

“After you,” I countered. No chance I’d charge blindly into the unknown on his say-so. The tower itself seemed to exhale in exasperation at my lack of trust.

Orren strolled in, pausing beside the rose-laden pedestal. As I crossed the threshold, the wards brushed against me, a sensation like sinking into a moonlit bath. A breath of ease parted my lips.

This would be my new home. For years, apparently.

To the right, an arched window stretched floor-to-ceiling, its black tracery framing the twilight beyond. A chaise sprawled beneath it, all dark elegance. The entire space spelled shadow and luxury in equal measure, just like the rest of this impossible academy.

I mounted the first step, guided by floating orbs of witchlight. Their glow shone on the edges of the spiraling staircase.

“We should turn on actual lights,” I said, glancing back. Orren had somehow ended up behind me despite being the guide. “Unless you want me tumbling onto you when I miss a step.” I eyed the vertiginous drop. “You’d break your neck before we hit the landing.”

“We don’t use electricity,” He chuckled. “Magic fuels everything here.” A beat. “And I don’t break that easily.” Then he was beside me in a blur, thick fingers circling my elbow. “Do you need to sit down and rest? Your room’s on the sixth floor.”

“I’m fine,” I said.

Orren continued his tour as we climbed. “Students occupy floors two through six. Dante, Morrigan, and I have quarters on seven, though we rarely use them. The eighth floor belongs to Nero, though he doesn’t sleep there.”

“Then where does the mysterious Nero rest his head?” I asked between breaths. If I was trapped here, I’d at least know my captors’ habits.

Orren’s steps faltered. “No one knows. He keeps multiple residences.”

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