Academy of Protectors (The Protector Guild Book 1) Read online

  He didn’t respond, choosing instead to stare at his lap, lost in his own thoughts. Would I bond again, if given the chance? If it meant that I could stay here, with Atlas and the rest of the team?

  I thought back to Max, and the way that I’d been naturally drawn to her since seeing her in the cafeteria earlier. There was attraction, yeah. I mean, anyone with eyes could see that she was beautiful. Everything from her dark black hair and eyes to her full pink lips made it abundantly clear that she was gorgeous. And there was something strangely compelling about the fact she could be such a ferocious fighter, while remaining so incredibly naive and innocent. She was filled with so much curiosity and trust, an open book in some ways, but an absolute mystery in others. It was an odd combination for a protector of her fighting caliber.

  But there was something else there, a pull that reminded me of Sarah. Only, where the bond between Sarah and I had been constructed, glued together by magic, my pull to Max felt different somehow—more effortless. More right.

  “Cyrus’s kids...what do you know about them?” I met Atlas’s dark gaze again, but his thoughts were just as impenetrable as usual. One thing that was clear though: he was badly in need of a shave and a solid week’s worth of sleep. Red was starting to take over the whites of his eyes and he was even more surly than usual, which was a pretty difficult thing to achieve. “Jesus, Atlas, when’s the last time you slept? You’ve been off all week.”

  I considered throwing a jab about how insomnia could lead to distraction and to getting people killed, especially after the way he called me out today. But I reigned it in at the last second. He didn’t seem like he was in the mood and I didn’t want to push him.

  Atlas cleared his throat and stretched his head from side to side, relaxing slightly after a few cracks echoed in the room. “I’m fine. Leave Cyrus’s kids alone, Wade. We have enough to worry about now with increased attacks. I don’t need you mooning over some fresh meat.”

  I could feel my cheeks heating. Had my attraction to Max really been that obvious? “What do you know about them?” I pressed, ignoring his clear desire to change the subject, yet again. What a surprise, the guy never liked to discuss anything outside of work and duty these days.

  “Not much, no one really does,” he said, shrugging but not meeting my eyes. “Never heard of them until yesterday and now they’re here. That’s it. Far as I can tell, Eli didn’t know much either beyond the fact that they existed. Which means either Cyrus kept the details about them hidden even from his brother, or Seamus didn’t think they were worth mentioning.” His mouth dipped into a small frown.

  Atlas hated being in the dark and the Bentley family’s arrival had shocked everyone. Cyrus had been gone for so long that most of the protector world assumed he was dead. That, or that he was some phantom-like figure built into protector mythology to make us fight harder, be stronger. If we didn’t work so closely with Seamus, I’d probably buy into the myth part more than I did.

  “They fight well,” I said, thinking back to the way that Max had taken me down almost instantly. Yeah, I had been too busy trying to parse through whatever thrall she had over me, the way my skin seemed to hum as I got close to her, but still. There weren’t many fighters who could take one of us down like that, especially one as small as her. We weren’t on one of the top teams without reason. And Atlas knew it too, or else he wouldn’t have announced that we were taking over their sparring matches.

  “They’re okay,” he shrugged, waving me off. “You were going easy on her. Like I said, you need to be focusing with the right head.”

  “Dick,” I muttered. Maybe he was right. Maybe Max was just fresh meat. The protector community was small enough that most of us grew up knowing each other—hell, half of our matches were determined while we were children. It was a fun pastime for parents, to speculate who would end up bonded to whom. So I guess it wasn’t completely impossible that the newness of Max heightened my reaction to her.

  Even still, a girl hadn’t really caught my attention like that, well, ever. I opened my mouth again before Atlas cut me off with a shake of his head.

  “I mean it, Wade. Stay away from her, something about them doesn’t feel right. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll figure it out eventually.” Atlas looked back down at his stack of notebooks, no doubt studying all of the wolf hunting patterns that he’d been obsessing over for months. We all wanted revenge for Sarah, but Atlas was consumed by his need for it.

  Not willing to be silenced, I threw a pencil at him, forcing him to meet my eyes again. “What do you mean something doesn’t feel right? Do you feel the pull too?”

  Atlas paled, the blood draining from his face like he’d seen a ghost. “No, don’t be ridiculous.” He took a long, steady breath in and out before shaking his head. “That kind of magic doesn’t exist anymore.”

  “I know there haven’t been any natural bonds forged in ages, but I swear there’s something about her, man,” I pressed. I watched as Atlas stared, like he was almost looking through me, his face ashen. It was rare for him to be at a loss for words. I sat up straighter, studying him. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

  Atlas shook his head, jumping back to the present, his characteristic scowl back on his face. “Don’t be ridiculous, Wade.”

  I narrowed my eyes and took a breath in, ready to fight him on this.

  “I mean it, Wade, drop it,” he barked. “Any connection you feel is probably born out of a need to get your dick wet. So go do just that if you need to, but leave the girl alone.”

  With that, he stood up and opened the door, a clear signal for me to leave. Atlas wasn’t usually so crass or dismissive, not when it came to me. The fact that he was being so reactive, just amplified my own frustration.

  “You can’t just order me around, asshole. Besides, I’m going to be tutoring her.”

  “Fine,” he started, stopping his perusal of whichever document was currently in front of him again. “Tutor her, but that’s it. We don’t need the Bentleys sniffing around in our business. And whatever spell she has over you—you know how bonds work. They can be severed as quickly as they can be enforced. You have enough to work on without getting distracted by some pretty face. Especially if you want to stay on our team. We don’t have room or time for dead weight. The stakes are too high.”

  I fell back deeper into my chair. It felt like I’d been slapped. Atlas had been frustrated with me before, sure. But he’d never threatened to kick me off the team before. Especially not after he’d fought so hard to keep us together and get me my spot here in the first place. Without another word, I stood and left, slamming the door closed as forcefully as I’d opened it.

  Chapter Seven

  Max

  Every shade of yellow, orange, and red rushed by my window as Izzy drove me, Eli, and Ro into town. Her van gave me some serious soccer mom vibes, but she blasted her pop music loud enough to break the image. It felt so strange, leaving The Guild with two new friends, on our way to a completely normal shopping trip. For a moment, frustration settled in my bones that Cyrus had kept this life, these sorts of normal experiences from us. But I pushed the unease away as quickly as I could. He had his reasons, and I was happy enough to be given the opportunity now. Who knows how long Ro and I would’ve been locked away if Cyrus hadn’t received that letter. I owed Seamus a seriously giant thank you gift.

  When we pulled up to the mall, Ro wandered off, mumbling something about not wanting to shop. I followed his line of sight and found Arnell near the food court. I smiled to myself, wondering how long it would take for those two to become a thing. I couldn’t wait to give Arnell the protective-older-sister-spiel that I’d been planning for years. It didn’t matter that I was technically younger than Ro. I had the intimidation thing down to a T.

  Izzy steered us immediately to a small boutique shop filled with more dresses and shoes than I’d ever seen.

  “Are you guys going to model for me? Because I totally vote that you model for me.” Eli ran his hand along a black silk dress sitting on a headless mannequin. “And this should definitely be option number one.”

  A pretty woman walked up to us, asking us briefly if we needed help finding anything, and then immediately proceeded to ignore us, instead focusing her attention on flirting with Eli. His rakish smile made it abundantly clear that he didn’t mind the distraction. Which, honestly, seemed pretty on-brand for him, even though I’d only known him for a day. Izzy rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling me roughly through the store as she wove around displays, studying some with indifference, some with measured interest.

  “Better this way,” she said, swiping hangers roughly along the metal racks. “Shopping with men will only slow us down.” She grabbed four dresses, guessing at my size and piled them into my arms before shoving me into a closet-sized dressing room. I stared in disgust at the splotches of dried gum on the floor, afraid to take my shoes off to change. I ordered most of my clothes online, and even then they were only basics for fighting, so this wasn’t part of my usual shopping process. And the materials and colors that Izzy had picked out? They were nothing like what I was used to wearing.

  “Do I really need to try all of these on?” I asked, pawing a black dress with beads and lace. It was pretty, but it didn’t seem very pragmatic.

  “Yup, and I need to see each one, so no cheating.” Her voice rang clear from the dressing room beside mine as I pulled on a strappy red dress first. “So, Max, what was it like growing up outside of the protector community?” She whispered the word ‘protector’ so that if any other shoppers wandered by, they wouldn’t hear. Though I’m sure most humans wouldn’t bat an eye if they did. They’d probably assume we were discussing body guards or something.

  I laughed, stepping out to show her the dress and glowing with her approving smile.

  The material hugged my curves, but was still breathable. It was odd to be wearing something so feminine. I kind of loved it.

  After walking back into the crusty dressing room, I peeled the red dress off and tried on a deep sage one that clung to me more tightly than I was comfortable with. “We didn’t really grow up around humans either, to be honest. It was just me, Ro, and Cyrus. In a cabin. In the middle of nowhere. Come to think of it, I was practically raised by wolves.” And with Cyrus’s gruff nature, ‘wolves’ was possibly putting it lightly. “We went to town every once in a while, and had some acquaintances we tried to keep in touch with, but truthfully most of my social experiences involved watching really cheesy movies over and over again. Which makes me an expert on pop culture, but virtually ignorant on how to interact with people in the real world.” My arms stretched and bent in odd angles, as I tried like hell to zip up the back of my dress without assistance. “It’s odd though, because I don’t think I ever realized how different humans were from protectors until today. They just have so much more freedom when it comes to living their lives. They can have whichever jobs they want, they don’t have to worry about bondmates or being eaten by a vampire. It helps to live blissfully unaware of monsters, you know?” I frowned, thinking for a minute. “Though, to be honest, maybe a lot of that freedom is an illusion for most humans too.”

  “Ooh, I love that dress, you’re so getting it.” Izzy’s voice rattled above my head and I looked up to find her peeking over the barrier between our dressing rooms. I twitched, pulling awkwardly against the spandex-like material. Catching the movement, she frowned. “Never mind, you don’t look comfortable. Rule number one,” she held up a single finger, “never buy something that doesn’t make you feel awesome. Next option.” She ducked down, disappearing back into her own room.

  I could get behind that kind of logic. “Forget growing up away from protectors, what was it like growing up with them? And with Theo? And what’s Reza’s deal? Her personality is straight out of Mean Girls. She even kind of looks like Regina George.”

  “I love that movie!” Izzy swore softly as she zipped up her dress. “Too tight, this won’t work.”

  I pulled on a burgundy dress that was flattering without being too revealing for my comfort. “I like this one.”

  Izzy’s head reappeared over the partition, the top of her body housed in a bright blue monstrosity that belonged on either an unlucky bridesmaid or in an eighties movie.

  “Ew, veto,” I blurted out, but then immediately covered my mouth. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to be honest about these things? Or at least not that honest. “I mean, unless, you know, you really like it. Because some people must, right? Since when you think about it, someone had to design it and decide it was good enough to sell in a store. It’s not quite my taste, but I don’t really have any sense of fashion in the first place, and plus it kind of reminds me of something you’d find in a Molly Ringwald movie, and I’ve always really liked her.”

  She laughed, the grin on her face so big that it went all the way up to her eyes. She laughed with her whole face. It was contagious. “I tried this one on for shits and giggles. Rule number two—it’s never good to take yourself too seriously.” She scrunched her nose and winked, making her look even more pixie-like than she already did. “But, as for your questions, growing up with protectors was just—I don’t know, normal? It’s all I’ve known. And well, Theo’s just Theo. He’s not a horrible person. Or brother. He’s just really hard on himself. He wants to be the best. My family defines our worth based on how well we excel in fighting. Actually, that’s how most protector families are. Which makes sense, when you think about it. Our survival depends on our ability to kick ass. Getting beat by the new girl? Not exactly his finest moment.” She paused a beat, blinking slowly as another huge grin spread across her face. “But definitely one of my favorites.”

  Izzy’s head disappeared and I heard her fall and trip next door, followed by a barrage of colorfully creative swear words.

  “This dress requires more coordination than sparring,” she mumbled, her voice mottled by fabric. I heard the sound of a zipper, and then the soft crackle of tulle as she tossed it aside. “And as for Reza. Well, she’s just used to being the best. Her mother’s the Headmistress of the Academy and really hard on her. That kind of pressure can turn people a bit sour, you know?”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize. That must be stressful.”

  “Don’t go soft on me, Max. Parental expectations are no excuse to be a bitch. Theo’s been in love with her since we were kids though, so I’ve had to listen to him singing her praises for years. I don’t know, maybe I’m just bitter. I think part of him wanted to beat you today to show off for her. Kicking ass is kind of like protector peacocking.”

  “Peacocking?” I opened the dressing room carrying two dresses that I didn’t hate. Not bad for my first actual shopping experience. Not quite on par with a Pretty Woman shopping spree, but I was pleased with my choices.

  “Peacocking—you know—guys trying to impress girls they’re interested in by demonstrating their primal value and physical prowess.” She furrowed her brows, her voice deepening into a mocking lull. She paused a beat, thoughtful. “It’s like caveman science. You know, I’m tempted to get this awful dress to wear when I need cheering up. It’s so wonderfully ridiculous, don’t you think?”

  I looked at her thoughtfully, assessing. This must be what it was like to have a girlfriend.

  Fun.

  “Izzy, can I ask you something?”

  “You just did,” she winked. “Sorry, I hate when people say that, but yeah, shoot.” She walked over to a large wall of shoes, pulling a few out to match with our dresses.

  “Do you know why everyone stares at Cyrus? It’s like all eyes go to him the second he’s in the room. Like he’s a movie star or something. It’s a bit weird, don’t you think?”

  Her hands paused on a pair of high black stilettos. “You’re kidding right?” When I shook my head, she continued. “Well, he’s one of the only protectors to take on a vampire solo and live to talk about it. There’s a reason we hunt in teams. And Cyrus, well, he took on two. At once. Story goes that he saved Headmistress Alleva from a particularly gruesome duo, walking away from the battle with only a few superficial injuries, excluding some permanent damage to his leg. After that, he sort of disappeared from the protector world until you guys showed up last night. And I mean, he was gone for almost two decades, so it wasn’t like he took a sabbatical or anything. For a lot of people, when you guys walked in yesterday, it was like seeing a ghost. A really famous one.”

  “Like Casper? Only less friendly.” I covered my shock with a soft smile. That explained his occasional limp and extreme distaste for vampires. Not that any protectors were fans of the creatures from hell. But I wondered why in all our years, he’d never told us that story. Come to think of it, I didn’t know much of anything about Cyrus before he took us in. His life kind of became training us.

  “By the way, remind me to grab you one of my extra thigh holsters. They’re perfect for stashing your blades when you’re wearing a dress and heels. Not that I’m expecting an attack tonight or anything, but it’s always best to be prepared.” Izzy walked over to the cash register, a heaping pile of cloth and dangerous-looking shoes in her wake.

  “I knew that wasn’t just a boy scouts thing,” I muttered, hurrying to pick up the pieces of her abandoned trail.

  “How are you girls doing? Having a good day?” An elderly woman with long grey hair started inspecting our garments before nodding approvingly and ringing them up.

  “I’m doing okay,” I started, encouraged by the woman’s soft smile to elaborate. “It was my first day at a new school today, so I was a little nervous about that. But also kind of excited. And also, this was my first time shopping with another girl, so that was more fun than I thought it would be. I’ve been feeling a little off though, so that might be the nerves. Or, you know, because it’s that time of the month.” I whispered the last part, before dropping my voice off altogether. The woman was staring at me like I was a hydra and Izzy was laughing behind her hand. “Er, what?”