Academia of the Beast: A Dark Retelling of Beauty and the Beast(8)

When he stood, Allyn held her breath. He was tall—at least six-foot-five, with a square jaw and a clean-shaven face.

The shots from earlier warmed her from the inside out at that point, and as she looked up at him, she began to relax. Looking into his eyes did that to her. In his gaze, she was safe.

“Good evening.” He held a hand out to her. “Join me for a walk,” he said, the same accent Edan spoke with lacing his words with an intoxicating flair.

It wasn’t a question, and she could listen to him talk all day.

Confused by her sudden desire to do what he said, she accepted his hand.

“Where are you going?” Aude asked, sitting up as she watched Allyn come to her feet and follow the stranger.

Allyn glanced back and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

With a charming smile, the stranger turned to them. “You don’t mind if I steal her for a moment, do you?”

Allyn noticed how the color in their faces drained as they got their first real look at his face. Did they see what she did? A man that was too handsome to be real?

“Of course, your highness,” Aude said, lowering her head.

“Forgive us,” Khia said, her head lowered as well.

Your highness?

Realization hit Allyn like a cold bucket of water was splashed onto her face.

That’s why he looked familiar.

She tensed.

Holding her hand was Conall Baran, the crown prince of the Baran clan.

A Wolf.





CHAPTER 5


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THE HAIRS ON Allyn’s exposed arms stood on end as she walked behind Prince Conall Baran from the VIP lounge. He didn’t glance back at her as they walked down the long hallway lit with neon lights that trailed along the grooves of the floor. The sound of the music faded farther and farther away as they approached the far door that led to the elevator.

Once they reached the elevator, Conall pressed the button and it opened. They stepped inside and she stood far from him, watching him select the eightieth floor at the very top of the building. Why he chose to take her far away from her friends she was uncertain of. But, as they rode the elevator to the top, she could feel sparks of electricity between their bodies.

It was odd. She’d never felt such magic just by standing beside a man. Her brows furrowed as she glanced at him. The urge to touch his face was almost unbearable.

Did he have magic as well?

When he met her gaze, she looked away, fixing her eyes on the glowing buttons on the elevator panel. “What is your name?”

“Allyn.”

“Allyn, what?”

“Allyn Carmody.”

“Oh, you have Irish ancestry. Nice.”

“Thank you. There aren’t many of us in Central Elastria.”

“Don’t worry. We are all blended. There aren’t many Scots outside of my clan anymore either.”

The world was a mixture since the wars of the old days. The old countries and kingdoms were no more, but some still liked to hold on to their ancestor’s heritage. Allyn knew she was of Irish ancestry. She just wished she knew a bit more than that. Above all, she wanted to know where her power came from.

“You’re the first shy girl I’ve met at this club,” he said. “You seem more like the stay at home and read type.”

His observation was uncanny. It caught her off guard just how accurate he was. “You’re right. I would have rather stayed at home.”

He lifted a brow just as the elevator doors slid open. “But then we might not have ever met.”

She swallowed as he reached for her hand and led her outside the elevator to another long hallway. She wanted desperately to tell him that they had met before, once when they were children.

“This is true,” Allyn said, walking hand-in-hand beside one of her greatest enemies. She knew this to be a fact, she just wasn’t sure how much he knew. “Where are you taking me?”

“I want to show you something. You see, I’m like you. I’d rather stay at home with a book. But, a prince must show his face once in a while. I saw that look in your eyes like you were uncomfortable amidst the wild partygoers, and I asked my assistant to bring you to me.”

“Oh,” Allyn said, taken aback by his candid response. Then again, there was a tiny thought that he would say anything to get her to his bed. She hoped he was honest. Being taken away from the party wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. She never wanted to be there anyway. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I know of a quiet place. I think you’ll like it.”

The door ahead looked to lead outside.

Unsure of what to expect, Allyn began to dread going outside, knowing that the biting cold would chill her bones. She held her breath with anticipation as Conall opened the door and held it for her.

“Come now,” he said, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. “I promise I won’t bite.”

“Good one,” Allyn said under her breath, and he chuckled.

Conall’s laugh was nice and disarming. Despite all of the warnings within, he made her feel comfortable.

Instead of being met with cold, the temperature never changed as Allyn stepped into an indoor garden lounge. Her eyes widened at the glass room that had the best view of Elastria that she had ever seen.