Fortune Academy: Year Three Read online

  Fortune Academy: Year Three © 2020 by J.R. Thorn

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  Cover Art by Covers by Juan

  Interior Illustration by Ricky Gunawan Book Cover Art

  Line Edit by Kristen Breanne

  Proofread by Love2ReadRomance Proofreading & Editing Service

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  All Persons Fictitious Disclaimer:

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

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  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system.

  Published in the United States.

  Recommended Reading Order

  Download a printable PDF reading order by Clicking Here!

  All Books are Standalone Series listed by their sequential order of events

  Elemental Fae Universe Reading List

  Elemental Fae Academy: Books 1-3 (Co-Authored)

  Midnight Fae Academy (Lexi C. Foss)

  Fortune Fae Academy (J.R. Thorn)

  Blood Stone Series Universe Reading List

  • Chasing Fate (USA Today Bestselling Book)

  * * *

  Seven Sins

  • Book 1: Succubus Sins

  • Book 2: Siren Sins

  • Book 3: Vampire Sins

  * * *

  Royal Covens

  • Book 1: Captivated

  • Book 2: Compelled

  • Book 3: Consumed

  * * *

  Fortune Academy (Part I)

  • Year One

  • Year Two

  • Year Three

  Fortune Academy Underworld (Part II)

  • Episode 1: Burn in Hell

  • Book Four

  • Book Five

  • Book Six

  Non-RH Books (J.R. Thorn writing as Jennifer Thorn)

  Noir Reformatory Universe Reading List

  * * *

  Noir Reformatory: The Beginning

  Noir Reformatory: First Offense

  Sins of the Fae King Universe Reading List

  * * *

  (Book 1) Captured by the Fae King

  * * *

  Learn More at www.AuthorJRThorn.com

  Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Author's Note

  Fortune Academy Underworld: Episode 1

  Read Lily’s Origin Story

  Recommended Reading Order

  I’ve done it. My five virtues have finally accepted me and it’s better than I could have ever imagined.

  * * *

  Hendrik, Orion, Dante, Kaito, and Logan each fill a void inside of me that I hadn’t realized had been aching.

  * * *

  One problem: something is still missing…

  * * *

  Or someone.

  * * *

  I sense another Virtue coming my way… and the guys are not going to like this one.

  * * *

  Cole is unlike any of my Virtues. He’s a monster—just like me.

  * * *

  Abused, beaten, and downright vicious. My guys think I should chase him away, but if being a monster has taught me anything it’s that everyone has a heart.

  * * *

  It might be cold, hardly beating, and a bit broken, but I’ll find a way to reach him… monster to monster.

  “I can’t believe we’re really in Hell,” I said as I stared up into a bleeding sky.

  I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the horror above as I dug my fingers into the soft bed of dried grass at my side. Despite our chilled surroundings, faint warmth bled up from the soil as I watched the black clouds mix with the red hue of the atmosphere. Skulls with beady red eyes dipped in and out of the fog and watched us, waiting to see what we’d do next.

  This place is fucking creepy.

  Oblivious to the floating death over our heads, Dante rested at my side and laced his fingers through mine. After a year of living with only one hand, he couldn’t stop glancing down at the regrown appendage. He continued to stroke my knuckles, seeming to enjoy the sensation of warmth that passed between us after we’d sealed our mate-bond for good. “We could just stay here,” he suggested with a wry smile.

  I nudged him with an elbow. “You’re just drunk on the power of the Blood Stone.” After our trip to Hell’s outer icy crust, he had nearly died. Even a badass bounty hunter like him wasn’t built for the trip, but his bond to me kept us both in one piece. Having both demonic and succubi heritage had its perks.

  “I’m drunk on you,” he corrected. He nuzzled into my neck as steam curled around our bodies. The Blood Stone resting on my chest supplied us with ample warmth that kept the chill away. Ironic as it was, a frigid breeze kept the ground frozen and killed anything stupid enough to step foot on the outer wastelands of Hell. Snow piled up in a tidy circle around us like a little wall that separated us from the responsibilities waiting outside.

  I poked my finger into the flimsy barrier and ice melted as fresh steam puffed into the air. “I don’t know how long the Blood Stone can keep us warm. We’d better get into the tunnels.”

  “Maybe this place runs on a strong hot and cold cycle, because things seem to be melting.” He indicated the sunken-in waves of snow down the horizon. “See?”

  I scrunched my brows together. “We shouldn’t be able to impact the landscape that far.”

  “That’s right. If things are warming up, you don’t have to worry. So how about you just relax?” Dante asked as he leaned on his elbow. He stroked away a strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. “Rushing is what got us in this situation in the first place, anyway. Let’s just enjoy the moment.” He pressed a light kiss on my cheek. “I rarely get you all to myself, so I’m going to enjoy it.”

  I wasn’t used to Dante being like this, so sweet and attentive. A part of me wanted to take him up on his idea just to stay here. I wanted this moment to last forever, but painful flashes of my other Virtues swept through my mind, urging me to reunite with them.

  “Logan’s hurt,” I admitted on a coarse breath. Thinking of my wolf brought our connection to the surface and a flash of his pain swept through my senses. He’d been injured during the battle at Fortune Academy when the Dean had sent Melinda and her thralls after us. Logan’s wolves, and Hendrik’s Dark Mages, had worked together to defend us against the students under Melinda’s control, but it had resulted in a horrible bloodbath.

  And then there was Olivia.

  I grabbed my chest as my heart twisted and tears steamed at the edges of my eyes. Had I made a terrible mistake? Leaving her to die at the Dean’s hands, didn’t that make me the monster I always feared I’d become?

  Maybe Hell is where I really belong.

  “Logan?” Dante pressed as his hand ran up to intertwine our fingers again. “Surely he’s fine, being an Alpha wolf and all.”


  “I’m not going to ignore him,” I insisted. “Stop thinking with your dick for once.”

  Dante smirked, unaffected by the insult. “I’m pretty sure thinking with my dick saved my life. If you hadn’t reversed your succubus powers to let me feed off of your sexual energy, I’d be a frozen statue.”

  “That would be an improvement,” I shot back.

  He grabbed his chest. “Oh, babe. You wound me.”

  Our banter edged off as I stared up at the sky again, feeling both annoyed and defeated. How was I supposed to find anyone in this place?

  And how was I supposed to live with myself? Olivia had been such a good friend, a much better one than I ever deserved. After everything she’d done for me, I’d just abandoned her for some stupid quest to save the world. If she died, what kind of world would I be forced to live in?

  “I just got the hand back, Lils. I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t pop it off.”

  I glanced down to see I had a death grip on Dante’s poor fingers. I released him and grumbled an apology.

  “Are you worried about the others? The last time you felt them you said they were stressed, but calm. So they’re okay, I’m sure.”

  “Enough,” I said as I struggled to my feet. Snow puffed into steam as I hit the edge of the unmelted wall around our shallow spot. More divots in the landscape crumpled and began to steam.

  I glared at my Hunter who blazed with a beautiful red glow. The aura of the Blood Stone burned through him after our union, solidifying our bond on a deeper level than I had with any of my Virtues. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to distract me from the fact that I’m a massive failure and everyone I love is doomed because I fucked up.”

  If the Dean hadn’t found me out… If I had bonded with my Virtues sooner… If I hadn’t been such a royal screw-up, then maybe the universe would have gotten the Champion it deserved.

  Instead, it chose me, proof that the universe had lost it.

  “I’m not doing anything,” he said, sporting an innocent grin that brought out his dimples. He got to his feet and wrapped one arm around my waist, bringing me in close to him. He nuzzled his nose into my neck again as he breathed me in. “I just don’t want you to worry about things you can’t control.”

  “Olivia’s dead,” I said, my voice breaking on the admission.

  And it’s all my fault.

  “You don’t know that,” he said, pulling away as those brilliant orange eyes of his turned serious. “The Dean would want to keep the leverage she has on you. Olivia is still alive. I’m sure of it.”

  I swallowed the permanent lump in my throat. “I hope you’re right.”

  He let out a breath and steam puffed the air as he looked up, seeming to notice the floating skulls and black clouds for the first time as he grimaced. “We’ll find a way out of here. We have to.”

  I surveyed the empty landscape and wondered where to even begin, especially now that little pockets of steam had begun boiling up to the surface. That certainly couldn’t be good.

  Fuck. I really had to stop executing plans that I hadn’t fully fleshed out yet, because this sucked.

  “Why don’t you try to feel for Logan again?” Dante offered after an awkwardly long moment of silence. “Maybe it’ll help us find the tunnels.”

  I sighed and squeezed his fingers as I drew in his warmth. “Okay, but if I guide us into a pit of fire or something, it’s your fault.”

  He chuckled. “Of course.”

  The power of our connection slipped through me like velvet, making my shoulders relax despite my nerves being on the fritz. Logan flashed into my mind again and his blue eyes crossed my vision, looking straight through me and into my soul.

  “I’ve got him.”

  “Good,” Dante said, leaning in as he lowered his voice. “Does it feel like the sensation is coming from a particular direction?” I concentrated, then definitely felt a pull to the left, so I nodded. “That’s my girl. Follow it. I’ve got your hand and I’ll be your eyes on this end. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

  Grimacing as I kept my focus, I took one step and paused as snow sizzled around my foot. The connection flashed in and out, no matter how hard I tried to maintain it. “Something is interfering,” I said as pain lashed across my temple, making me wince.

  “Uh, not to frighten you, but I think I know what it is.”

  “What?” I hissed.

  “No, nothing. Don’t open your eyes. It’s—”

  Too late.

  Holy.

  Fuck.

  “Dante!”

  It was the Hunter’s turn to cut off the blood flow to my fingers as he gripped me hard. “Relax. It’s just, uh, a stray animal.”

  “That is no fucking stray animal. That’s Cerberus!”

  The three-headed dog the size of a building marched through the wasteland, sending snow and dirt spraying in his wake as he headed straight for us.

  Shit.

  Chapter 2

  Dante yanked me across the landscape as the ground hissed at our feet.

  “Which way?” he barked.

  “I don’t fucking know!”

  A howl from behind us made my heart go in overdrive. Cerberus was supposed to be a creature of mythological proportions, a guard-dog of Hades and not actually… well, real.

  Yet here we were. Hell had frozen over and we were about to get eaten.

  A different howl responded to Cerberus’s challenge, echoing through my mind with piercing clarity.

  Logan.

  Seriously? He thought he could save the day?

  The idiot would freeze to death if he stepped out onto the wasteland, but Cerberus was packing enough heat that the snow around us was already melting. I drew in a breath of the humid air as I searched for my Virtue.

  There you are, cocky Alpha-hole.

  “There’s another one?” Dante asked as I redirected our path towards the sound.

  “That’s Logan,” I said as I drew from my super-strength and bolted us across the melted grounds. This layer of Hell could have been beautiful in the full light of day. A long horizon of sweeping grass perked to life from the warmth of Hell’s dog and a few rocky structures revealed themselves.

  “The entrance to the tunnels,” Dante said with a relieved breath.

  The ground shook again as Cerberus gained on us. I glanced over my shoulder and immediately regretted it.

  The beast didn’t have any fur. Caked, red blisters ran across his crusty hide and beady red eyes locked in on us as one of the heads howled with victory. The other two salivated and the vile liquid landed on the ground, sending steam hissing into the air.

  Gross.

  “I do not want to be eaten by that thing,” I said as I turned back toward the patch of rocky landscape.

  “Then hurry it up.” Dante reached for his blade with his free hand. “You’re going to get into the tunnels while I hold it off.”

  “With your dagger?” I scoffed. “That creature will use it as a toothpick!”

  Another howl pierced the air and a silver wolf sprang from an opening in the rocks, making me screech as I dove out of the way.

  Logan, the dumb, overprotective Alpha that he was, ran straight toward Hell’s guard-dog.

  “Logan! You stupid wolf! Get back here!”

  To my surprise, Cerberus sidestepped Logan’s small wolf form and pranced around him, pulling his paws up in an undeniably playful manner.

  What the fuck?

  Logan yipped, causing the creature to bow down and stick his butt in the air like some kind of puppy. The two stared off and the air hummed with energy before Cerberus released a roar—one that I thought was meant to be playful—before springing off the way he’d come.

  Logan shifted with a crack of bones, wincing as he gripped his bleeding side.

  “Do I even want to ask how the hell you just did that?” Dante asked, holding up his dagger.

  Logan shrugged. “It’s a dog thing.”

 
“A dog… thing,” Dante repeated.

  Logan’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he winked at me. “I’m an Alpha, or have you forgotten? That’s not just a title for show. It means I can command any canine that isn’t a shifter, and even if the thing had three heads, it was still just a big mutt that wanted to play.”

  “What did you tell him?” I asked.

  Logan laughed. “I told him to bring me a stick and then we’d play tug-of-war.”

  “And it fell for that?” Dante asked while waving around his weapon.

  “I wasn’t lying. If he comes back, I’ll play.” Logan staggered toward us, naked, and glared at Dante. “Really, a dagger?” He glanced at the pitiful blade. “You come up against a three-headed guard dog from Hell and you’re going to offer it a toothpick?”

  “That’s what I said,” I replied, propping my hands on my hips.

  Dante huffed before tucking the weapon back into a scabbard at his waist. “You both severely underestimate my skills with a blade.” He pulled off his coat and offered it to the shifter. “Put something on.”