Ch. 601..605: The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy Chapter 601-605
Chapter 0601
I beam again at my friend, sitting back against the couch with a gratified sigh. "Good, I'm glad you won," I say, nestling back into the pillows. “And I hope Wright is stinking mad about it."
"Oh, I didn't win," Tony says, taking a big bite of his cookie. "You did. I got disqualified for friendly fire."
"Oh," I say, my eyes going wide as DQFF suddenly makes sense. "Really!?" I gasp, delighted. "I won!?"
A big cheer goes up in the room and I laugh, delighted as Luca bends down and opens his bookbag, pulling out not his homework - as I expected - but two bottles of whiskey and some tiny paper cups that he begins to fill and pass around.
"Luca!" I gasp as everyone cheers again at the sight of the liquor. "This is contraband -"
"Oh, no one's checking," he says, laughing and handing me a little cup. "Besides, we deserve to celebrate! To Ari, champion of the day!"
Everyone begins to cheer again but I shout out to stop and raise my glass to Tony instead, insisting he take the honor. The cheer goes around and I give my friend a wink as we both salute each other and take deep sips from our cup. And as we lock eyes, I hope he understands that I really do owe him that favor. He nods deeply, letting me know that he accepts it and that he'll call it in, whenever he's ready.
"Wait, Tony,” Ben says, laughing and leaning forward towards him. "Aren't you afraid of the consequences of this?"
“What consequences?" Tony asks, putting his empty cup back on the table with a shrug.
Jesse just shakes his head at him. "Our professors value loyalty and trustworthiness above all things - it's not going to look good on your record, if you've got a history of defying your Commander and killing your comrades, even in a mock battle like this."
"Ah," Tony says, closing one eye and peering devilishly at Jesse. "See, that's where your mistaken, Sinclair - because your professors value loyalty and trustworthiness. Mine, however..." he shrugs. "Value a different set of equally admirable qualities in a Cadet."
"Tony,” Rafe says, leaning towards him, curious. “What are you talking about? What track are you?"
"I'm sort of...between tracks." Tony says cagily, though he's unable to keep the smile from twitching at his lips. "No big deal. Let's talk about Ari instead - so did you snipe all of those Cadets or -"
"No way," Jesse interrupts, grinning at him and shaking his head. "We've got the three tracks of the Academy represented here," Jesse continues, pointing at Ben, and then me, and then around at all the warriors in the room. "And you're not in any of our classes but magic. So? What do you do all day?"
Tony just shrugs, clearly pleased that we don't know his secret and not planning to give anything away.
Which is why it's a surprise when Daphne breaks the silence with her low, throaty laugh.
All eyes turn to her.
"You think you're so clever," she
says, leaning back against the couch
cushions and grinning at Tony as she crosses her arms over her chest. "You've got all of them fooled," she says, gesturing around the room at the rest of us, "but you didn't count on me, did you?"
Tony's grin deepens as he flicks his gaze to Daphne, perhaps for the first time. "And who the hell are you, gorgeous?"
Rafe and Jesse go rigid in their chairs.
"Oh, I'm no one," Daphne says, her
grin matching Tony's as she leans forward, her shining blue eyes locked on Tony's grey ones.
"Just, you know, the person who
sewed all of those little secret
pockets into your uniform, stitch by stitch."
Tony's mouth drops open as he gapes at her in delight. "No way," he whispers.
"Yup," she says, her grin deepening as she flicks @ finger at him, pointing directly at all of the places where I we can now assume that she's done some extra work on his clothes "Which is how I know that you're a member of the very elusive, very secret fourth track here at the Academy."
Tony sighs and shakes his head at Daphne, even as he smiles at her, clearly impressed. "Well go on," he says, raising a hand towards her in invitation. "You earned it, lady detective - go ahead and spill."
"I don't know," Daphne says, taking a deep and satisfied breath, "I would think there were some consequences for outing a secret...assassin."
A collective gasp goes through the room as we all snap our heads towards Tony, delighted and shocked.
Tony's shakes his head at Daphne and heaves a sigh. "Damn it, it's always the pretty ones who break your heart and spill your secrets."
Daphne grins back at him, I think thrilled to have figured it out, but my eyes shift to Rafe and Jesse, who both sit back in their chairs and narrow their eyes.
Chapter 0602
"Wait, seriously?" Ben asks, leaning forward and giving Tony a friendly shove on the shoulder. "I thought assassin track was a myth!"
"You're supposed to think it's a myth!" Tony says, laughing and turning towards Ben. "That's how it stays a secret."
“Wait, so, what do you do all day?" I ask, leaning forward towards him, fascinated. "You just learn to...kill people?"
"It's like being somewhere between Warrior and Espionage," he says, turning his eyes back to me, "but with less studying and more fighting. After all, you're being trained to sneak into places and steal information; I'm just trained to sneak in and kill."
"And should we be worried about that?" Rafe says, folding his arms across his chest and further narrowing his eyes at Tony. "An assassin in our midst?"
“Nah, I'm a patriot," Tony says, turning to Rafe with a shrug. “I'm on your side - you can check with the Captain if you want. They put me through all kinds of interrogation and personality tests before teaching me how to sneak around with a dozen knives hidden on my person."
"A dozen?" Jackson asks, turning to Tony with surprise and letting his eyes slip over his person, clearly wondering where they all are.
"He's only got pockets for ten," Daphne says, dry.
"Hey, I can put two in one pocket," Tony says, laughing and grinning her way.
I turn and smile at Daphne, sitting up straight. "Can you put some in my uniform?"
"Sure," she says, laughing with a shrug. "That will be fun - and in your other clothes too, for when you're a spy out in the world."
Conversation loosens then, breaking out into smaller groups as Daphne and I discuss possibilities for hidden pockets in ballgowns. The boys pour over the results a little bit more, going over the fine details of the rap sheet, and we all eat the mountains of food on the coffee table and that keep coming up in the dumbwaiter. Luca keeps all of our little paper cups liberally filled with whiskey and the evening passes warmly, with lots of laughter and celebration.
A little later in the evening I light the fire, standing up and grinning at the little flame that I lit all by myself, without Jackson's power bolstering me. I sigh happily, looking around at my friends sprawled about in little groups, talking. Rafe and Daphne are on the couch, having a friendly chat, while the rest of the boys gather on the floor talking about...whatever the hell boys talk about. Luca separates himself from the group and comes over to me by the fireplace, bringing the bottle of whiskey and pouring a little more into the cup I raise up to him.
"Very proud of you," he says, slipping an arm around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze.
"I'm proud of you too!" I say, grinning up at him. "I saw the details, you know, and even though everyone's making a fuss out of me and Tony getting the most kills you crossed the largest amount of distance in the fastest time."
"Yes," he says, fighting his proud smile and tightening his arm. "I am fast, like lightning."
“Like a gazelle," I sigh, leaning against him.
"Gazelle...that's not sexy," he murmurs, and I laugh when I look up, seeing him frown. "I'd rather be lightning."
"Lightning's not sexy either," I say, waving a hand to dismiss the point. "But, I'm proud of you. I mean, yours actually took skill - I just laid on my belly and let the rifle do its work."
"Ah, don't do that, gorgeous," Luca says, planting a little kiss on the side of my head.. send a little anxious glance Jackson's way, knowing that we promised these displays of affection wouldn't happen, but his back is turned so...I guess it's all right.
"What do you mean?" I ask, frowning up at my mate.
"I mean that you're underplaying your skill," he says, shaking his head at me. "You've been working your ass off getting good at that rifle, and you're naturally a good shot. None of the rest of us could have done that. So accept the praise, and the
ranking. You earned it, top girl."
I blush a little, looking down at my cup, quite pleased at the idea. "Thanks, Luca," I say, chuffed and happy.
“No problem, fancy little shrimp." The dumbwaiter bell rings again – honestly, what else could it be? Luca hands me the bottle of whiskey. "Here, you take this I'll check on that."
Chapter 0603
I do as he says, holding the whiskey bottle as he walks away, letting my eyes lightly drift over his rather stunning form as I do. Luca he is...well. When he walks like that, it's very difficult to take your eyes away.
Ben turns towards me and gives Tony a nudge, nodding my way. Tony nods eagerly and gets up with Ben, both grabbing their whiskey cups and coming over to me.
"Are we offering refills, highness?" Ben asks, leaning against the fireplace next to me and holding his cup out.
"Only in exchange for pledges of lifelong loyalty," I say with a haughty sigh. He laughs and offers his cup, accepting my terms, so I fill it. Tony does the same, leaning against the mantle with one hand and looking out towards our friends.
"Good little club you've got going here," he murmurs, looking around at everyone. "Very cozy and high spirited group, isn't it?"
"Yeah," I say with a happy sigh, looking around at them all. "Good looking, too."
Tony flashes a grin at me and nods.
"Speaking of which," Ben says, lowering his voice and leaning in conspiratorially, even as he keeps his eyes on Tony. "You're going to want to keep an eye on how much you hit on Daphne around Rafe. I mean, I know it's all in good fun, but..."
"Are they like, together?" Tony asks, peering over at my brother and Daphne who are still chatting idly, if not a little awkwardly.
"She dumped him," I say on a sigh, making Tony snap his head back to me, his eyebrows raised. "And he is...not over it." "Look how hard he's trying," Ben says on a sigh, shaking his head. "It's just...I don't think the chemistry is there between them." "Bummer," Tony murmurs, nodding along.
"So, yeah," Ben continues, looking back at Tony again. “Unless you want to incur some Sinclair wrath..."
"Oh, nah, it's no big deal," Tony says with a grin. "I was just having fun with it - it's been awhile since I was around a pretty girl and -"
I huff in protest, standing up straight, making Tony burst out laughing and give me a friendly little shove.
“I didn't mean it like that, Ari," he
net
says, shaking his head at me, "you're a whole different category of forbidden. Though don't think I'm not enjoying the way Luca Grant reacts every time I do this." He slips an arm around my shoulders and Luca, true to form, does indeed
narrow his eyes
narrow his eyes at Tony, his teeth flashing as he makes his second trip back from the dumbwaiter with a couple of gallons of ice cream on a tray in his hands.
Ben and I laugh along with Tony, who drops his arm from my shoulders and gives me a wink.
“Wait, but,” I say, frowning up at my lanky, dark-haired friend. “You don't think Daphne is cute?"
"I think she's beautiful," Tony says, looking down at me, quite serious. "But, like you, she's way too nice."
I squeak in protest, pressing a hand to my heart before I realize that that...may have been a compliment. "Excuse you, Davis," I growl, giving him a tiny shove. "I am very murderous and cruel."
"Yeah right, Ariel, you're a doll," he says with a smirk. I turn my shocked expression to Ben, who gives a sad little shrug of confirmation. "What's wrong with being nice!?" I protest.
"Nothing," Tony says, beaming at me. "I just like 'em mean. Adds a level of spice to the relationship I'm just not interested if I'm not half worried that she's going to bite my head off."
I laugh, leaning back against the stones of my fireplace and smiling between my two friends. "Well then Daphne's out, lucky for Rafe," I say with a happy sigh, looking back towards the group. "Because she's a doff too."
“Lucky girl,” Tony murmurs, taking a long sip of his whiskey. "Though I'm not sure Rafe is the only Sinclair she needs to worry about."
I whip my head up to Tony, wondering if he can have already intuited in a single evening what I've been suspecting for a long time.
Ben catches my eye and gives me a smirk, letting me know that he thinks that Tony probably has.
Chapter 0604
A few hours later, Daphne's face cracks into a wide yawn and Jesse, sitting next to her on the couch, reaches out and pats her knee.
"Come on, lady detective," he says, getting to his feet and offering a hand. "Let's get you to bed."
"The party's not done though," she protests, yawning again as she casts a hand out to where the rest of the group is lounging around the room, the conversation now quieter, more subdued.
"Oh, it will be done as soon as Ariel finally falls asleep into that eighth bowl of ice cream," Jesse murmurs, gesturing over at where his cousin's head is nodding, her finger slipping away from the spoon. "Which will be in about eight seconds."
Daphne laughs and takes Jesse's hand. He turns to her at the touch, giving her a brilliant smile and pulling her to her feet.
"You know I don't need an escort," Daphne says, smoothing her hands down over her skirts. "I can make it downstairs by myself - no one bothers me."
"Oh, come on," Jesse says, reaching his hands high above his head and fighting his own yawn. "Give me a chance to stretch these long-ass legs." "Are they long?" Daphne asks, looking curiously down at Jesse's lower half and then bursting into a blush when he laughs, realizing she might have been rude.
"Yes, they're long," he says, starting towards the door and gesturing for her to follow. "The rest of the Sinclairs are all long and muscled torso, but my mother gave me these damn stilts. I'm like a crane."
Daphne laughs softly, grinning and following Jesse to the door. Calls of goodbye and goodnight follow them towards the door and Daphne waves over her shoulder, taking particular care to meet Rafe's eyes - his rather sad gaze as he, too, waves after her.
The hallway is quiet as the two make their way down it, their shoes echoing off the stone. "Did you have a good night?" Jesse asks, smiling softly down at Daphne as they wind their way down the stairs, his hands tucked neatly behind his back.
"I did," she says, looking up at him. "I was excited for Ariel and..." she hesitates for a second, looking down at her feet, "glad to see Rafe again. I..... want to be friends."
Jesse makes a soft noise in the back of his throat, understanding.
They walk a few more feet in silence, Jesse giving Daphne her space, before she suddenly goes still, a little “oh!” escapes her mouth.
"What?" Jesse asks, turning back towards her at the bottom of the stairs. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" she says, her hands moving up to cover her mouth as she closes the few steps between them, her expression guilty. "I just - I totally forgot! I wanted to congratulate you on developing your magic!"
Jesse's face bursts into a wide smile. "Ariel couldn't keep her mouth shut about that, could she?"
Daphne grins back at him, dropping her hand from her mouth. "Was it a secret? She's just very proud of you, Jess. Knew I'd be too."
"You're proud of me?" he asks, his smile growing bashful.
Daphne nods, deep and slow, tucking her own hands behind her back. "Will you show me what it does?"
"Um," Jesse says, running a hand through his hair and looking around. "Yeah, sure...come...come over here."
Impulsively, he grabs Daphne's hand and tugs her down the hall after him. She laughs, eagerly following, and is surprised when they reach a window seat tucked into a corner next to a tower staircase. "Oh, I didn't know this was here..."
"I've passed it a few times," Jesse says, sitting down sideways and patting the other side of the long cushion before him, moonlight
streaming in through the glass
panes on his right. "There's always some Ambassador Cadet sitting here studying, though. Hogging it.”
Daphne eagerly sits down across from him, nodding. "Stupid nerds," she murmurs, making Jesse laugh. "So, what...happens?" she asks, a little anxious, looking him over like the magic is going to explode from him any second now.
"What did Ariel tell you?" he asks, turning his head and studying her, his eyes lingering on the soft skin of her cheek, blushing apricot in the just
moonlight. His jaw clenches,
subtly, as he tucks his fingers beneath his leg, stilling them.
เอนริ
"Um," Daphne says, her blue eyes going distant as she thinks back, the fingers of one hand reaching up to. twine absently in the ends of her curls. "Nothing, actually – just that it developed." She blinks back to the current moment, meeting his gaze. "I think she wanted you to be able to tell me yourself.”
"Ariel,” Jesse says, one corner of his mouth curling up. "Such a peach. Okay...um, I'm going to show you now but...don't get freaked out." "Why?" Daphne asks, sitting up straight. "Is it...scary?"
“A little bit,” Jesse says with half a grimace, no part of him wanting this perfect girl to be scared of any part of him – not for a minute, not at all. “But I'll make it be nice, okay?"
“Okay,” Daphne says, relaxing a little and giving Jesse half a smile. "I trust you."
Jesse drops his eyes, his mouth working hard against his smile. But then he concentrates, exhaling slowly and holding out his hands between them.
Daphne's eyes go wide and she can't help her little gasp when the air darkens in his palms and then shadows begin to swirl. He glances up at her, worried, but keeps going when he sees her shock turn to fascination and then delight.
Chapter 0605
Jesse lets go of his leash on the shadows a bit, letting them pool, and then dropping his hands and tipping two perfect little shadow kittens out on the cushion between them.
"Oh my...oh my god," Daphne whispers, delighted, leaning down and peering at the little half-substantial kittens before her, the details of their soft fur perfectly rendered, their little grey eyes shiny and bright as they peer up at her in the moonlight. "They're so...Jesse!" she laughs and looks up at him, delighted, making his face break into a bright smile. "They're so cute! Why did you say this was scary!?"
"Because it...can be scary," he says, laughing lightly and running a hand through his hair as she squeaks and leans down to peer at the kittens again, at the way they gambol about with little puffs of shadow breaking into the air with every tiny footfall. "It was scary, the first time, when I didn't have as much control."
"These two couldn't possibly be scary," Daphne coos, reaching out a finger. She hesitates, though, and then looks up into Jesse's face. "Can I touch them?"
He nods to her and is glad she doesn't see the shiver that passes through him as she looks back at the shadows, reaching out and stroking a hand over one kitten's head, and then the other. "That's so crazy...they're like...half real, half smoke," she murmurs.
"Yeah, I don't really know how to describe it," Jesse says, taking a deep breath. "My mom and I are going to experiment with it - I get the feeling that I can like...make them as sharp or as soft as I want? But..." he shrugs. "I just don't really know yet."
"That's so cool," Daphne sighs, sitting up straight and glancing between Jesse and the kittens. "Are they always...cats?"
"I can make them whatever I want," Jesse says with a shrug, puffing the kittens away into ambiguous shadow and then reforming them again into two elaborate smokey knives and then two tiny crocodiles that snap their teeth and make Daphne laugh. Then, grinning, he turns them back into the kittens again. "But...the panthers feel right. Feel best."
"Is that what they are?" she asks, sitting back against the window frame and absently petting one of the panther kittens that climbs into her lap. "Not house cats?"
Jesse laughs, likewise leaning back against the frame. "How dare you suggest my terrifying shadow panthers are house cats."
"Oh, but they're so cute," Daphne murmurs, reaching for the other one, which hops into her palm. "I just want to give them a saucer of milk and let them curl up in a patch of sunlight."
"Oh, I'm sure they'd oblige," Jesse murmurs, turning again towards the wolf inside his soul, asking him for the thousandth time if he's sure - that there's nothing there. But his wolf just tilts his head back, giving a mournful howl and then standing up and shaking out his fur, confused. Because even though Daphne smells better than anyone they've ever met...there's just no bond. It's not there.
"What are their names?" Daphne murmurs, watching delightedly as the kittens crawl over her lap, pouncing at her skirts, one standing on her leg to bat a tiny paw at her hair, completely oblivious to the bitterness racing through Jesse's veins as his eyes fasten on her perfect lips, spread wide into the prettiest smile he's ever seen.
"You name them," he says,
impulsive, quite suddenly wanting her to be a part of this - to give a name to this shadowy fraction of kis soul that he can pour out at will
Because even if his wolf in that
it wasn't Daphne who woke this magic, he still wants her mark on it. Still wants, quite desperately, for it to be hers.
"Me?" Daphne asks, looking up into his brown eyes in surprise.
"You," Jesse says, staring at her, memorizing the way she looks in this perfect moment. "Who else?"
She blushes then, looking down at the shadows in her lap, and his heart breaks clear in half.
"All right," she says slowly, after a minute, reaching out a finger to tap one kitten on the nose. "This one is Tempest, Storm of Dawn," she murmurs, making Jesse's face break into a wide grin.
“And this one," she says, moving her finger over to the next kitten, who sits up straight and looks eagerly up into her eyes, "is Mittens!"
Jesse bursts out into peals of
laughter and a moment later Daphne
back hard against the stone on. either side of the window seat, their joy echoing out through the castle, ringing against the stone.
goes with him, both of theon next!
"I'm sorry," Daphne says, leaning forward and wiping a tear from one eye when her laughter subsides. "I'll come up with something better -"
“No,” Jesse says, shaking his head, still laughing a bit, his eyes crinkled into little slits of joy. "No, please, it's perfect – I love it —“ "Jesse, you can't have a magical shadow panther named Mittens -"
But he reaches out and grabs her hand, leaning close and beaming into her face. "Daphne, I couldn't name him anything else now," he says quietly holding her gaze. "And I wouldn't want to."
Softly, Daphne curls her fingers against Jesse's own, nodding and looking steadily into his warm brown eyes. "All right then," she whispers. "Mittens it
is."