Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy Belle Malory (highly recommended books .txt) 📖

“Sorry—” He stopped short, staring at me with wide, incredulous eyes.

And those eyes, dear god.

Bluer than the turquoise water beneath us, surrounded by full, thick lashes that would make any girl jealous. It didn’t seem fair they belonged to a guy—and he was definitely all guy. A young gladiator, dressed like the ones Hazel and I had seen in the lobby, every inch of him ripped and full of lean, gleaming muscles. I couldn’t decide if I was attracted or afraid.

The rest of him was just as beautiful, even his flaws. Dark hair waved around his chiseled face, a tiny white scar marking the skin above his left brow. His nose was slightly crooked, as if it had been broken before, and his lips appeared both hard and soft. I always thought Connor was the be-all and end-all of gorgeous guys, but this one put him to shame.

My stomach fluttered, and I immediately backed up.

Was that…

Holy crap, I could feel his magic. It radiated from him in strong waves, blazing through me like fire. Warm, intoxicating, and strangely intimate. If just standing near him could signal that much magic, he must be powerful.

“Sorry, I…” He repeated himself, stumbling over his words again.

“It’s okay,” I finally said, since he couldn’t seem to finish his own sentence.

I should be the speechless one. Between the two of us, he was clearly the marvel.

Another gladiator appeared, a little stockier and darker in complexion. He nudged his friend, trying to get him to move or react. “What’s gotten into you, Xander?”

Great question, buddy.

I mean, I was cute, but I wasn’t this level of attention-grabbing.

Then I saw it. A subtle look of recognition. This Xander guy acted like I was the ghost of freaking Christmas past.

But that didn’t make sense. There was no way for us to know each other, and he wasn’t exactly the forgettable type. I tilted my head, studying him more closely, and those eyes of his did the same, drowning me in their intensity.

“She said it’s okay,” his friend said, waving his hand in front of Xander’s face. “Question is—are you?”

He startled out of his daze, flinching. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, opening his mouth to speak, but his attention caught hold of something behind us.

“Sheridan,” Grandpa’s gravelly voice rang out. His firm hand came over my shoulder, turning me around. “We’re docking soon. Let’s head back to the lobby.”

He scowled at the blue-eyed gladiator. The island was far out on the horizon, still miles away—we weren’t docking anytime soon. Something deeper was going on here, and I wanted to know what it was.

His boots thudding against the deck, Grandpa steered me toward the lobby, kind of pushy about it. He obviously wanted me away from there as fast as possible. I stole a quick glance behind me to find the gladiator still staring, a frown pulling at his perfect lips.

“Uh, Grandpa?” I said, once we were far enough away. “Everything okay?”

He turned on his heel, practically growling. “What were you doing with Alexander Arius?”

“Nothing.” I straightened, feeling as if I were being interrogated. “The guy literally bumped into me. Do you know him?”

“Yes, I know him.” His lips thinned. “And you will do your best to stay away from him.”

The out-right order took me by surprise. Was he banning me from talking to all guys because my sister and I fought over one? No—Grandpa knew me well enough to know I wasn’t the boy crazy type. That meant he had a problem with this particular one, and it bothered me that he wouldn’t explain when I already knew so little about this world. I refused to let it go.

“Why?” I said, trying not to cower under his heated gaze.

Grandpa was used to having his orders followed without being questioned. He sputtered, his whole face turning red, and—ouch. My face burned as if he’d slapped me.

Whoa.

I lifted my fingers to my cheeks, feeling an invisible sting. “Because I said so,” he huffed, then proceeded to walk on ahead.

They were right about the Ares temper. My magic was new, and I still managed to set a room on fire. Grandpa was probably capable of a whole lot more. But that old parental cop-out wasn’t going to fly. I was determined to find out, one way or another.

Just as I was about to risk his wrath again, I felt a tugging on my arm. It was Hazel. She waited until we were far out of Grandpa’s earshot. “Xander is a student at Arcadia,” she said, but that much I already figured. “From a prominent family. The Ariuses practically own most of Summer Island. Anyway, my sister told me there was some sort of scandal surrounding them.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Word has it, they might be Hollows.” She said the word as if it were the definition of evil.

“What are Hollows?”

Hazel looked around, appearing worried about anyone overhearing our conversation. As a trio of bulky minotaurs staggered past; she grabbed me and ducked into an empty hall. “They’re a secret society of outliers who don’t stand by the core values of Mythos. They believe in using both light and dark magic, and they take power from others, which is illegal. Before Mythonians became a civilized society, mages were allowed to practice magic without consequences. Now we have laws in place, to prevent it as much as possible. Hollows don’t agree with or abide by those laws. Their main goal is to overthrow our officials and return to the old ways.”

It was a relief to know Grandpa hadn’t given that order because he thought so low of me, but it also set me on edge. I was still getting used to the idea of magic existing, much less dark magic.

“He didn’t look evil,” I said, thinking of the way Xander’s magic felt. He hadn’t given me bad vibes. Nothing about him struck me as off. Then again, I was no