Damaged Souls: Saints Academy #2, page 1
Damaged Souls
SAINTS ACADEMY #2
KC KEAN
Damaged Souls
Saints Academy #2
Copyright © 2022 KC Kean
www.authorkckean.com
Published by Featherstone Publishing Ltd
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
Cover Design: Covers by Christian
Editing: SCW Editing Services
Proofreader: Sassi’s Editing Services
Interior Formatting & Design: Wild Elegance Formatting
Damaged Souls/ KC Kean – 1st ed.
ISBN 13 - 978-1-915203-31-1
Contents
1. Rhea
2. Rhea
3. Rhea
4. Adonis
5. Rhea
6. Adonis
7. Rhea
8. Rhea
9. Rhea
10. Rhea
11. Rhea
12. Khaos
13. Rhea
14. Rhea
15. Rhea
16. Rhea
17. Rhea
18. Khaos
19. Rhea
20. Rhea
21. Zen
22. Rhea
23. Xander
24. Rhea
25. Rhea
26. Rhea
27. Xander
28. Rhea
29. Zen
30. Rhea
31. Rhea
32. Rhea
33. Rhea
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by KC Kean
To the nightmare that I had that triggered this entire freaking series, I hated you at the time, but you only proved that I see the best in everything, and here we are now.
If this is what being obsessed with someone is like, then I’m all the way in and not backing out.
Chapter 1
Rhea
Zeus and Nyx.
Zeus… and Nyx.
Zeus.
And.
Nyx.
I’m their daughter.
I can’t hear anything but those three words echoing in my head repeatedly. My heart thunders in my chest as my pulse begins a rhythmic, loud thump in my ears, blocking everything and anything else as every member of the Hex stares at me in shock.
I’m a God.
A God.
A fucking G.O.D.
I don’t know what they’re looking at me for, one of those two people are in this fucking room and he deserves all of their attention.
Zeus.
My eyes are trained on him, unable to tear away from the storm brewing in his eyes. Gone is the jovial man everyone sees on the television, the persona he wants to portray, and before me stands a man with a tight jaw, clenched hands, and glacial blue eyes that give nothing away.
A God, our savior, and now, a deceiver.
If I could speak, I would yell for these fuckers to get me down, but instead, I’m still hanging in the air, and no one’s willing to help me out.
My eyes slam closed as I attempt to take a calming breath, my mouth clamped shut, but the confusion over finding out who my biological parents are, along with the tension thickening in the room, has me struggling.
Relax, Rhea. Relax so you can get the fuck out of the current situation you’re in.
Blinking my eyes open, I force another calming breath to the count of five, holding for a further five, exhaling to the same beat, before repeating the process. I force my gaze to shift from Zeus, who still remains stoic and frozen in place, over to Zellus, the Dean of Saints Academy, who has eyed me oddly since I first arrived. I’m sure he feels validated in his findings now, regardless of how it may impact me. Or the world?
I wonder if it’s normal practice at Saints Academy for a student to be kidnapped by faculty, then strung up like a puppet, suspended in the air like this and muted? Fuck. I’d like to assume it isn’t, but Zellus doesn’t seem to care either way based on his lack of urgency to free me. With his back to me, and his gaze narrowing in on Zeus, it’s safe to say he feels one upped by the man with all the power.
I hope his arrogance backfires and Zeus smites him with a bolt of lightning.
Flicking my gaze to the left, I find Mrs. Black, dressed impeccably in her red pants suit, arms folded over her chest as she shifts her eyes from Zeus to me with her brows knitted together in confusion.
You and me both, lady.
Hades stands beside her, resting a hand on his chin, failing to conceal his glee as a grin continues to spread over his face. He’s clearly a drama whore, eating the gossip up and relishing in it. Just what we need, another Zellus.
Dante stands behind them, mouth agape as he looks at me with wide eyes, running his fingers through his hair, distress and shock flashing over his features. I can’t bring myself to look at him right now, all of the history between us still fresh in my mind. Especially when my mind yearns for Adonis. I have no idea where he is, the last time I saw him his eyes were lilac and our souls had just sealed, before I was ripped from his grasp.
I look to the other man and woman here who I’m not familiar with as they continue to observe me with unwavering scrutiny, and I wish I could scream at them to fuck off. The destruction and utter madness of my personal life unraveling in front of them is not for their entertainment, and they clearly haven’t received the fucking memo.
Are they tearing me apart? Comparing me to the man who provides half of my DNA and the woman known as pure evil, the woman who birthed me?
Blinking a few times to clear my head, I take a closer look at the two unknowns loitering in the room. The woman has long brown hair braided down her back, a tan fur coat wrapped around her body, and a growl teasing her lips as she sneers, but it doesn’t seem to be aimed at me. While the man is wearing a white linen shirt and pants, with sandals, every inch of him is calm and content apart from his facial expression.
“This must be some kind of ridiculous joke because there is no way in fucking hell I have a descendant with Nyx. It’s not possible,” Zeus bites out, disgust heavy on his tongue. He fixes the lapels of his suit jacket as he glares up at me, like it’s somehow my fault he fucked his enemy without considering the consequences. It’s not like he hasn’t fathered half the Gods in the universe.
“The poor girl deserves a say, don’t you think?” Hades sings, completely ignoring Zeus as he flicks his wrist and a moment later I’m being lowered to the floor.
Relief floods me, but anger quickly bubbles to the surface before I can even take a moment to bask in the joy of my feet touching the ground.
I wobble on my feet as I get my balance, wiping my hands down the thin gown that covers my body as I try to work through the cramping pain in my limbs. I work my jaw, the ache worse than I expected from being forced into that position for too long.
“You’re telling me this earthling is a God, a true God, descended from two originals, and not only that, but she has sealed her soul with other supernaturals here at Saints Academy?” the lady in the wolf coat clarifies, a mixture of curiosity and disbelief lacing her tone. I keep my lips slammed shut, refusing to let them watch me crumble under their uncomfortable perusal.
“Indeed, that is correct,” Zellus answers for me, and I glare at him. “A Miss Selene Hart saw Miss Harrington out by the lake with a first year wolf, and when we went to find her, we found this little God, mating with a demon.” His voice lilts up, the fucking gossip in him getting the better of the situation as he explains the circumstances he found me under.
But mating?
What the fuck is he talking about?
That’s definitely not the word I would use, but I don’t correct him. The semantics of my sex life aren’t at the top of my priorities right now. I will find out more about why he used the specific term once I wrap my head around this shit first.
In this moment, I just want to get the fuck out of here. I don’t want an explanation from Zeus. I don’t want some weird family fucking reunion. I just want to think, and I can’t do that with all of these assholes around.
“Are we done?” I mutter through clenched teeth, a headache piercing my brain something crazy as I glare at Zellus.
He looks at me with a smile showing far too many teeth, making him look deranged, and it makes my gut clench with uncertainty. I don’t like this guy. I haven’t since the day I arrived, but now more than ever. It’s like every pore in his body oozes narcissism and he’s trying to assert himself as the alpha in front of the Hex because he pretty much accused Zeus of fucking the enemy.
“We’re far from done, Miss Harrington. Don’t you care to meet your biological father?” The way the words roll off his tongue make me want to vomit, but I manage to keep down the bile creeping up my throat as I shake my head.
“I’m good,” I grumble, turning for the door, dismissing him as I take two steps, trying to leave, but before I can get any further, Mrs. Black blocks my path. How the fuck did she move so goddamn fast?
She stretches her arm out, cupping my chin tightly and I quickly grab her wrist, adding a firm amount of pressure before she can tighten her hold, and her eyes widen in surprise, before her fangs protrude from her mouth from being challenged. Inching closer, our noses almost brushing as her eyes flare red. She’s far less intimidating than she thinks and I can
My body burns, the feel of my magic awakening in my stomach forcing me to blink hard, and I know with certainty that my eyes are red now too.
I watch as she scans every inch of my face, disbelief in her eyes as she finally speaks. Whatever harsh words she had ready to spit at me suddenly disappeared. “It’s true.”
She tries to twist my face to show everybody else my red eyes, but I tighten my grip on her wrist, fighting against her, which she definitely doesn’t seem to like.
“Careful, Miss Harrington, just because my son is a part of the unit you seem to have sealed your soul too, doesn’t mean I won’t destroy you with one touch,” she hisses, and I scoff at her predictable threat.
My chest heaves with each breath as I stare at this woman, my brain scanning through all of the shit I have endured since coming to Saints Academy. I’ve tried to slip into this life naturally, trying to fit in among the supernaturals, keeping my head down as best as I can, and not even retaliating when I was attacked.
Fuck. That.
Fuck all of that.
I’m done.
“You don’t get to fucking threaten me. Do you hear me?” I growl, my voice deeper, darker, and consuming as my magic boils beneath the surface begging to be released. “I don’t care who you are, and I certainly couldn’t give a fuck who your son is.” The words are aimed at her, but I hope everyone present takes fucking note.
I shove her arm away, taking a step back to create some much needed distance as I circle on the spot, glaring at every single person in the room and making sure there is no way they could have misunderstood my words. They observed my interaction with Mrs. Black, a hint of intrigue mixed between their gazes.
“She’s definitely got a hint of Nyx in there, there’s no lie about that,” Hades says with a grin, tapping at his chin as he eyes me.
When no one else says another word, I move to take a step back again, hands clenched at my sides as I fight the need to hold the gown tighter to my chest. My body is tingling from head to toe, and I’m worried my magic is going to burst from me if my emotions grow even more volatile, leaving me to deal with the consequences. I’d rather have a meltdown in private than in front of this audience since it already seems like they view me as weak.
Well, maybe except for Hades, he seems to have received the memo.
“I can escort Rhea, I mean, Miss Harrington, back to her hall if we’re done here,” Dante says, shockingly confident since he’s an earthling among the supernatural. No one stops him when he approaches my side, and I don’t turn to look at their reaction. I’m too transfixed with the pleading look in his eyes as he places a hand at the small of my back, ushering me toward the door.
I want to tear him limb from limb after everything he did, but my gut tells me to just go with him, get out of this room, at least, and then I can brush him off. Or more likely tell him to fuck off.
Keeping my head held high, we near the door as I hold my breath, and just as I think we’re home free, Zeus’ voice booms around us. Of. Course. “Light will shine from within the darkness, consumed with rage, ready to fight. Stand tall. Stand together, and you shall reunite.”
Dante stills beside me, and I do the same, glancing back over my shoulder as I look at Zeus. He almost looks pale, his forehead marred with confusion as he stares at me.
“That was a prophecy from a long time ago, Zeus,” the man dressed in white linen says calmly, flicking his gaze between the two of us with a tight smile.
“One that was added to only days ago, isn’t that right?” Zellus states, hands on his hips as he grins, clearly loving that the drama hasn’t quite ended yet, some of which the asshole created himself. “What did it say again? ‘Darkness bestows us unlike before, twisted, broken, and ready to fight. Correct your ways, or forever be coated in night.’”
Why do I have a sinking feeling that he now believes the prophecy relates to me? Nothing good will come of this, any of it, especially if others start to buy into that bullshit too. I refuse to believe the man before me is my father. Never. And Nyx? Fuck, she’s not even here to defend herself.
Dante nudges my back once more, and I take the hint, putting one foot in front of the other as the sound of Mrs. Black’s voice bellows from behind me. “If she’s the darkness, she can’t leave this room.”
My head whips around so fast, I’m surprised I don’t pull a muscle, but my magic is in full force now, my body radiating heat like I’ve never felt before. “I dare you to come find out.”
The room blankets in darkness as the lightbulbs shatter around us, one after another, not helping my fucking case at all, but I don’t stick around for the aftermath as I race from the room, Dante hot on my heels.
Rushing through the corridor, I realize we’re in the main building of the Academy, life continuing on as normal while I was hung in the air like a spectacle. I have no idea what time it is, but no one is around, and I don’t stop to investigate why as I near the portal, blooming with black smoke and enticing me in. But just as I reach a hand out to the thick fog, Dante grabs my wrist and drags me to the left instead.
Caught by surprise, I stumble as my feet move with him, my vision disorientated until the sound of a door slamming breaks through my internal fog, and I find myself in the very same office where I learned he was the Hex representative for the humans. I almost want to laugh at the irony of the situation, but I only have a thread of energy left.
He releases his hold on me as I pant, gaping at him, demanding him to fucking explain what on earth he thinks he’s doing with just my eyes.
“We need to talk.”
Chapter 2
Rhea
My chest heaves with each breath I take as I try to calm the anger ripping through me. I can feel his eyes searching mine, the redness likely odd to him, but I’m too pissed to explain myself. He has no right to answers, not that I have much to fucking offer anyway outside of what he already heard.
I’m standing here, in a loose gown, the material doing nothing to keep me warm, although the adrenaline coursing through my veins is working on that just fine. But I’m still here and not back at Agion like I wanted, and that’s this motherfucker’s fault.
Brushing my messy hair back off my face, I give him a pointed stare. “Look, I appreciate you assisting to get me out of there, Dante, but I have nothing else to say to you. So this talk you’re requesting to have isn’t necessary, at all,” I state, shrugging my shoulders.
He stands right in front of me, less than a few feet apart. His gray blazer is undone, along with the first few buttons of his crisp white shirt, and his hair is a mess from raking his fingers through it. I’m angry with myself for still knowing his physical tells when he’s stressed out. As he continues to stare at me instead of moving, I feel myself getting more and more irritated. With him. The conversation. Everything.
Fuck.
“You’re joking, right, Rhea? Do you actually realize the amount of shit you’re in?” He starts to pace the office, only taking a few steps before turning and repeating.
The emotion he’s radiating from his body is oddly, somewhat… caring? But I have no interest in that, especially not from him. He lost that right when he was balls deep in his neighbor.
I take a moment, looking around at the simple wooden desk, cushioned chairs and stained-glass window looking out over the darkened courtyard, before I respond. I can’t help but struggle with the actual words to describe the mess I’m in. “I can hazard a guess,” I murmur, bringing my gaze back to him. “But that’s not your problem, Dante.”
