Big Bad Academy

“Yeah, whatever.”

“You know, I could carry you again, if that would make this easier,” he tells me. He watches me for a moment, like he’s trying to decide whether I’m brave enough to take him up on that offer.

“Flynn, the next time you carry me, it’s going to be straight to bed or not at all.” I turn and start marching toward the front of the castle – er, the academy – and I don’t look back. If he’s shocked or surprised by my comment, I have no idea, but it’s the truth and I’m not going to hold back anymore.

I’m attracted to him, which feels really good.

It feels weird, but good.

Suddenly, I don’t feel like just a boring old writer. I kind of feel like one of the heroines from my books. I’ve been kidnapped, taken away by a handsome man. I can easily pretend that I’m here to save the world because as of right now, I don’t know any better.

And I don’t know what this place is.

The academy.

What does that even mean?

I walk up to the front staircase and I stand there for a minute. I crane my neck to look up at what’s in front of me. It’s a huge stone castle that looks like it’s right out of a magical fairytale. I stare at the building, wondering where it came from. I mean, there are castles in the world, yeah, but not like this. This place looks like it’s absolutely magical.

The stone towers on either side of the castle extend up. They’re round turrets, and I wonder what it might be like to climb the spiral staircases inside of them. There are definitely spiral staircases. Definitely. The front of the castle, unlike most castles I’ve seen, has a couple of windows built into the stone sides. The front staircase leads up to double wooden doors, which makes this place look a little more like a dollhouse and a little less like the type of place you’d go to be eaten by vampires.

The whole castle is surrounded by a huge stone wall which seems to go on forever. We’re inside of the walls with the vehicle, so obviously there’s a gate somewhere, but I can’t see it. The courtyard we’re in is large and

beautiful: full of plants and hedges and trees.

I turn around, finally, and look at Flynn.

“What is this place?” I whisper.

He smiles and walks up beside me.

“Come on,” he pushes open the door. “Let me show you.”

Chapter Six

Flynn

There’s a heavy tension in the air when we step inside, but it’s not because of what’s happening with the academy. It’s because she’s here, and she makes me feel so many different things that I shouldn’t be feeling.

Brave.

Strong.

Protective.

Heather brings out this weird instinct within me that makes me want to take care of her. I’ve never felt this way about someone before, much less a human, but I try to push those feelings aside so I can show her around. I need to get better about separating my feelings from the things I need to be doing. What I need to do it focus. I don’t need to be thinking about that kiss we shared or how it made me feel.

“This is Greystone Academy,” I tell her.

“Yeah, I got that part.”

“It’s training grounds for shifters.”

“All shifters?”

“Wolves, specifically.”

She looks at me curiously and bites her bottom lip, and then she nods slowly, chewing on this bit of information.