Free INTEGRATION (Bonfire Academy Book Two) (Bonfire Chronicles) by Imogen Rose

his legs planted wide and his nostrils flaring. That was as angry as I had ever seen him. Although he was obviously fuming, his tone was surprisingly soft when he spoke. “You know that I would have matched those contributions, had I known.”
    “I do, and I’m so sorry that the rules prevented me from telling you. Even now, I’m breaking a confidence, but I feel it’s necessary for you to have the whole picture.”
    “Thank you. I need you to keep Faustine safe while I try to find out what’s going on,” he said. “Are you able to do that, or shall I take Faustine home with me?”
    “Well, that’s up to you. I can’t guarantee her safety under the present circumstances, though we’ll do our very best. I can’t have Mason removed until we have tangible proof. If you do decide to take her, we’ll keep her place open until it’s safe for her to return.”
    He nodded. “Is Mason’s father still here? It may be worth talking to him before I make any decisions.”
    “He just left.”
    “Anything else? Have you told me absolutely everything?”
    I coughed.
    He looked at me, narrowing his eyes. “Cordelia?”
    I glanced sideways at The Smelt. I didn’t know if she’d omitted it on purpose or if she’s just forgotten. Either way, I felt he needed to know before he decided to yank Faustine out of school. The issue might be wider than the confines of the school. It was perhaps even more dangerous to remove her and possibly expose her to even more danger. That woman in the room had felt…ominous. How? I didn’t know, but I felt a strong need to tell King Sebastian. “My apologies, if I’m overstepping,” I murmured to Frau Smelt.
    “Carry on,” she said.
    “I thought we should mention the old woman in Mason’s room.”
    King Sebastian’s face immediately hardened, and his eyes bored into me. “An old woman?”
    I told him what I had heard and smelled, watching his expression grow colder. I shuddered at the malevolence pouring out of him. “Do you know who it could have been?” I blurted.
    “Think back to the scent, Cordelia. Analyze each nuance of it; try to tease it into individual threads.”
    I imagined myself back in Mason’s room, trying to recall everything I had felt and smelled. I scrunched up my useless nose and shook my head, feeling awful for not being able to be more helpful.
    Faustine’s father walked over and gently touched my shoulder. “Did you smell a demon? One of us?”
    One of us? I hadn’t even considered that possibility. Why would a demon associate with the likes of Mason and his father? “A demon? The thought didn’t even occur to me. I had just assumed it was another shifter. Why would you ask that?”
    King Sebastian’s face clouded over in a blank mask, his aura menacing. “Did you smell a demon in there?”
    “No, but like I said, I’m pretty useless when it comes to olfactory tracking.”
    “Were you by yourself?”
    “No, Jagger was with me.”
    “The faery? He won’t be much use either.” He turned to The Smelt, clearly frustrated. “What about the Trackers? Did you send them up there?”
    “I was just about to,” Frau Smelt hurriedly assured him. “I’ll call them in now, if you wish.”
    King Sebastian nodded and sat back down on the couch. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
    I was desperate to ask him why he thought there was a possible demon presence, but I didn’t dare make a sound, instinctively knowing that King Sebastian was ready to kill. Plus, I was overcome by a horrendous stench. The Trackers had arrived.

 
    I had never seen the Trackers before, just heard of them. They had attained legendary status at the Academy. They were bloodhound shifters. No one knew how many of them there were, or where they hung out or what they did when they weren’t busy tracking. I had imagined the team to be a pack headed by a fierce bloodhound. I anticipated quite a large group coming into the office, as I had heard Frau Schmelder ask for the
team
to