Page 18 of Dead Wolf Falling (Bad Moon Academy 2)

“My, my, Little Red, whatever are you thinking about?”

I flip Brayden off, and he smirks. Draco squints at his brother before focusing on me. The way his eyes light with desire makes me wonder if perhaps Brayden had been lying. Maybe it truly was Draco in the ballroom and not his twin?

“Pack magic is not what’s keeping you prisoner, Raven. It’s the demon and the alpha.”

Pulling my attention from Draco, I clasp my hands together and stare at the wall. “The demon spirit is keeping me here?”

“The demon spiritandthe alpha. You shouldn’t forget his role in all of this.” Brayden steps closer and my eyes snap to his. His face contorts with annoyance, though the emotion isn’t directed at me. “You see, without abusing changed wolves, he wouldn’t be as powerful, nor would our little friend Jinx.”

“The missing shifters,” I conclude. “They’re using them for power, right?” I figured as much earlier.

Brayden nods. “Bad Moon Academy doesn’t run without Jinx, and Jinx doesn’t run without food, and you, my dear, have been slowly devoured by her. Jinx’s little illusion makes a functioning academy out of what would otherwise be a dilapidated mansion with broken doors and lights. Filthy, but functioning all the same.”

“How did you figure this out?” Draco asks, stepping in line with Brayden so their arms brush against one another.

I volley my gaze between the two, searching for any distinguishing feature which keeps me from being fooled by twin switching. Or if Brayden wants to pretend to be Draco again; though I guess he wasn’t entirely pretending. . . I never called him Draco, and he never told me he was. Still, he knew what he was doing, letting me believe it was his twin all along to get close to me. But, then again, I let the phantom get close too, and I didn’t mind that.

You’re conflicted about him.

Obviously, Joan. He isn’t who I thought he was. . . or, he isn’t who I expected him to be.

She hums.If he were a phantom, would you still long for his touch?

I don’t long for the phantom’s touch,I respond with a huff.

Sure you don’t.

Whatever. Sometimes I hate having her in my head. It means she knows way too much about my reactions and desires.

“Being sort of dead comes with its perks, Draco.” Brayden flicks his hair out of his eyes.

Everett grunts. “Speaking of sort of dead—” He cuts off, and his eyes widen.

A small whoosh is the only sound I hear as Adler shifts. He doesn’t have enough room on the bed though, and he slides off the mattress, landing on his bare ass on the floor. Bea squeaks and scoots to the middle of the bed.

Hopping up from the bed, I grab a towel from the bathroom and hand it to him, smiling when he looks at it then down at his naked body. His fingers brush against mine when he reaches for it. Once he wraps it around his waist, he stands, earning a growl from each of the men. I scowl at them all before pulling Adler into a hug.

“Are you okay?”

He keeps one hand on the towel but wraps his other arm around me, squeezing me tight.

“A little tired, but alive.”

“Well, that counts for something, right?” I ask and pull away to meet his amber gaze. “Your friend took Aunt Lou home.”

The arm around my back slides away, and he adjusts the towel, tucking it tight against his body. “He’ll take care of her.”

“I’m Draco.” A hand shoots between us, causing me to take a step back. “You are?”

I dig my elbow into his stomach, but Draco simply grabs it and yanks me against his body, wrapping a possessive arm around my shoulders.

Adler tracks each movement he makes, narrowing his eyes at the shifter.

“I’m Adler.”

Draco tsks. “I must have misspoken. What type of fae are you and which court are you from?”

“I’m not from a court.”

---