Daizlei Academy Omnibus Collection Read online

  Daizlei Academy

  The Completed Series

  Kel Carpenter

  Daizlei Acdaemy Boxset

  Published by Kel Carpenter

  Copyright © 2020, Kel Carpenter LLC

  First Edition

  Edited by Analisa Denny

  Edited by Danielle Fine

  Cover Art by Amanda Pillar

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  I. Heir of Shadows

  The Incident

  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

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  II. Scion of Midnight

  Prologue

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  Chapter 84

  Chapter 85

  Chapter 86

  Chapter 87

  Chapter 88

  Chapter 89

  Chapter 90

  Chapter 91

  Chapter 92

  Chapter 93

  Chapter 94

  Chapter 95

  Epilogue

  III. Queen of Lies

  Chapter 96

  Chapter 97

  Chapter 98

  Chapter 99

  Chapter 100

  Chapter 101

  Chapter 102

  Chapter 103

  Chapter 104

  Chapter 105

  Chapter 106

  Chapter 107

  Chapter 108

  Chapter 109

  Chapter 110

  Chapter 111

  Chapter 112

  Chapter 113

  Chapter 114

  Chapter 115

  Chapter 116

  Chapter 117

  Chapter 118

  Chapter 119

  Chapter 120

  Chapter 121

  Chapter 122

  Chapter 123

  Chapter 124

  Chapter 125

  Chapter 126

  Chapter 127

  Chapter 128

  Chapter 129

  Chapter 130

  Chapter 131

  Chapter 132

  Chapter 133

  Chapter 134

  Chapter 135

  Chapter 136

  Chapter 137

  IV. Vessel of Destruction

  Chapter 138

  Chapter 139

  Chapter 140

  Chapter 141

  Chapter 142

  Chapter 143

  Chapter 144

  Chapter 145

  Chapter 146

  Chapter 147

  Chapter 148

  Chapter 149

  Chapter 150

  Chapter 151

  Chapter 152

  Chapter 153

  Chapter 154

  Chapter 155

  Chapter 156

  Chapter 157

  Chapter 158

  Chapter 159

  Chapter 160

  Chapter 161

  Chapter 162

  Chapter 163

  Chapter 164

  Chapter 165

  Chapter 166

  Chapter 167

  Chapter 168

  Chapter 169

  One Year Later…

  Sneak Peek

  Also by Kel Carpenter

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  To Greg and Carol

  For showing me there’s a better world than what I knew. You stood by me through it all.

  Thank you.

  Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?

  J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

  Part I

  Heir of Shadows

  The Incident

  The sound of churning gravel cut off our shouting. Our eyes locked as we heard a car door shut, far too faintly for humans to hear. I turned away to hide my grimace as my forty-something, bible-thumping, temporary legal guardian came through the front door like a soldier at war. Alexandra was momentarily silenced by the harsh glare our aunt gave her. A short, plump woman with a ridiculously colorful wardrobe, Carrie had excellent hearing, so we didn’t dare continue our conversation; despite being our “parent” at the time, she was also one hundred percent human.

  “The principal called, right after the police, to tell me you were expelled and couldn’t come within a thousand feet of your school.” Her dark eyes flashed as she walked toward us.

  “I wasn’t going to learn anything useful anyway,” Alexandra said.

  Carrie looked appalled, and her voice rose in direct relation to the disinterest in Alexandra’s tone. “You attacked another girl and just got kicked out of school! Don’t you realize how serious this is? Don’t you care?”

  Nope. I doubted she cared in the slightest.

  “There’s
only two weeks left . . .” she muttered.

  “Of course, my ungrateful brat of a niece wouldn’t care . . . and here I thought I was making an impression.”

  I nearly choked on suppressed laughter.

  No one made an impression on Alexandra. One of the blessings of being a Supernatural with no parents was that you set your own rules, but she took it too far. I might’ve had a deep-rooted prejudice against humans and a twisted sense of right and wrong, but if there was anything I’d mastered in almost sixteen years, it was self-control. Think before you act, consider the consequences, and never, ever reveal our secret.

  In my silent ramble, I hadn’t heard Alexandra’s response. Before I had time to react, my aunt’s hand whipped out like a cobra and slapped her across the face. Time stopped as I held my breath. I watched the spark in my sister catch fire. She snapped.

  I lunged forward to stop her, but Carrie was too close and Alexandra too fast. Fire erupted from her hand as she grabbed the collar of Carrie’s shirt and threw her to the floor, knocking her unconscious. She glowered down at my aunt and the hesitation was all I needed to step between them.

  “What the hell are you thinking?” I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back. The more distance between them, the better.

  “Get out of my way, Selena!” she growled, trying to get around me. Her halo of red hair was covered in flames, making her look like fire incarnate.

  “Not until you back off,” I said, maintaining my stance.

  She lunged for me, and I grabbed her swinging fist. Twisting her arm so hard she hunched over, I stepped behind her and pinned her other arm behind her back. Within moments, I had her secured by her wrists and on the ground.

  “She’s human. Get it through your damn head that no matter what she does, you can’t behave like this!” I was nearly shouting. I had to stop myself from pulling her back so I could smash her into the ground again; she was my sister, after all.

  “What are you?” a voice hissed.

  My eyes snapped up to see Carrie staring, wide-eyed. She was by the front door and holding herself protectively. Her shirt collar was charred, and red burn welts nearly wrapped around her neck.

  Great. Collateral damage.

  The front door started to open behind Carrie, and she jumped back, terrified.

  Sunny blond hair peeked through before the door swung open. My sister Lily was home. It took her no time at all to assess the situation, and her smile dropped into a grimace. She did a once-over of Carrie’s expression and looked away; her mind now closed to any excuses Alexandra would undoubtedly give.

  “I’ll go pack,” she said dryly.

  Chapter 1

  Tick.

  Tock.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  Three hours and fifty-two minutes ago, they’d closed the plane doors. I’d checked my watch seventy-eight times since then. We still had half an hour, and my anxiety was building.

  I wiggled out from between my sisters. Alexandra cast me a tired look before narrowing her eyes at Lily’s sleeping figure. It’s amazing how at fifteen years old they still argue over who gets the window seat.

  I ran my hand over Lily’s forehead to clear the wrinkles away, but the troubled frown remained, and she mumbled in her sleep. I didn’t have to hear her to know what she was dreaming; it’d been the same for five years. Her fitful sleep wasn’t the only consequence of our parents’ deaths, but it was the only one there was no help for. The only one beyond my control. I frowned, shaking my head as I squeezed past Alexandra into the aisle.

  Leering male gazes followed me as I breezed past. I set my jaw as I headed toward the rear of the plane, trying to pay no attention to the visual pedophiles.

  I slipped into the tiny bathroom. The fluorescent light was awful, and the mirror smudged with lipstick. I waved my hands under the faucet, scooping up cold water and splashing it on my face, letting it run down my neck. It helped clear my mind, but not my unease.

  My long black hair fell forward into the sink, soaking my shirt as I sighed unhappily and shifted to sitting on the toilet seat. I hadn’t slept in three nights. Not since Carrie threw plane tickets at us and she kicked us out of her house. But ever since, I’d been up thinking. Planning. This was it—our very last option before foster care. I wouldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t. If this didn’t work out, we’d go somewhere. San Francisco, Las Vegas, maybe New York . . . I didn’t know yet, but somewhere. It would be so much easier if Alexandra could just get her act together.

  We could stay put till we turned eighteen then go off to college. Lily could grow up and meet a nice, pathetic human boy. Alexandra could become a model or something equally outlandish that would get her both attention and men . . .

  But what about you?

  The thought rang like a bell in the eerie silence. What about me? My defenses were falling more every week. The threat of insanity loomed just out of sight, like a shadow, always there. Waiting. I’m not normal, but I’m not crazy . . . yet.

  I was growing restless, impatient. My temper was shorter, with just as big a bang. If I said yes to the insanity, to the darkness, to my disease . . . Selena would be no more. The monster would reign. And once I let it out, there would be no going back.

  If I let it out, people would die. People I cared about much more than myself. I had to hold it together—for them. Had to remember the things this world would do to them as justice for my actions . . . I could never release the monster, not for anything less than the world. I grimaced at my black boots. The laces were falling apart, like the seams of my life, but somehow they survived. Worn and walked on, they remained.

  I tapped my feet impatiently as I glanced at the time. Twenty-five more minutes. Could it go any slower?

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking—”

  I jerked my head up sharply. “Great. Just flipping great . . .” I muttered, not even listening to what he had to say.

  I stood, stumbling as the plane rocked sideways. Turbulence. The door flung open and the frame rattled, but whether it was from me or the shaking, I didn’t know. Before I’d even made it out into the aisle, a greasy man with awful breath fell onto me, pushing me back into the wall. I flattened like a sheet to escape his touch.

  Stop.

  “Well, hello, darlin’.” His gaze traveled to my disheveled shirt, which had been pulled down in the commotion. He smelled of alcohol and stale smoke. My eyes glazed over as the violent calm took over.

  “Get the fuck off me if you want to keep that hand,” I spat, pushing him into the counter.

  “Don’t be like that, sugar.” He made the mistake of reaching for me.

  Before his hand even made contact with my skin, I grabbed it and sidestepped behind him. I thrust my palm into his elbow, snapping the bone.

  “Fuck!” He cried out in pain, surely not prepared for—nor accustomed to—having his ass handed to him by a hundred-and-twenty-five-pound girl. I twisted his arm sharply behind his back and threw him into the wall.

  I turned to leave and almost ran into two blond Amazonian flight attendants who were staring in horror.

  Shit.

  Chapter 2

  “So you’re saying this man tried to sexually assault you?”

  “Yes. I’ve said yes the last five times. My answer’s not changing, so yes, yes, and wait—yes again,” I snapped.

  The policeman looked me over. He was an older man—maybe forty. He was utterly normal with an average face and forgettable features. To the very core, this man was nothing but human. Which meant he was nothing.