Free Spearwood Academy Volume Eight (The Spearwood Academy Series Book 8) by A.S. Oren Page A

war, you could die!” My heart flutters at the concern in his voice.
    “That’s a fact of life. We’re all going to die. The war could kill you too. If I die, I die,”
    He steps forward and takes my hand. “You shouldn’t be so content with the idea of dying.”
    I look over my shoulder at the spot Maverick took his last breath. It’s easy when I feel like a part of myself has already died. I rub his hand with my thumb for a second before dropping it and moving around him to the forest. “With or without you, I’m leaving. Bullock should stay here and find out what’s on the chip.”
    “I already found a lot of information; I think you should see it.”
    “After I save my brother, Paden, and Horace. They come first.” I take a step into the forest.
    Dante grabs onto my wrist. “I can’t let you do that, Avalon. You’re staying here,” his voice, echoes in my mind. For a moment, my world spins and it takes me a second to regain myself. He just tried to use the Voice on me and if I was still warped, it would have worked.
    I pull my wrist out of his grasp and face him. “If I was still warped, that would have worked, but I have my training back now. I don’t know if Edgar taught you or not, but he taught me. He trained me how to overcome it. A few weeks ago, I discovered I could use it as well. Even though I’m a fire user, isn’t that right, Lusk?”
    His broad arms fold over his chest. “Don’t bring me into your lover’s quarrel.”
    Dante throws up his arms. “You think she should go out there then, in the line of fire? That goes against the very thing we were born for.”
    Lusk lifts a pointed eyebrow. “I didn’t say what she’s doing is smart, and I’ll help to try and stop her, but I’m not going to get between you two and whatever twisted relationship you’ve created for yourselves.”
    I stare and each of them as I say, “None of you are going to stop me. The only family I might possibly have left is lying on the ground in a soon to be battle zone and I’m going to save him and the others trapped there.” could my parents or Edgar be in the rubble too? I don’t even know where they were taken.
    A fire ignites from behind me, burning at the trees. I lift an eyebrow, that’s all Lusk’s going to try? I pull the fire into my hand, stopping it from burning this all down. Dante comes at me with his hands and arms shifted into his dragon form. He tries to overpower me using only defensive moves. I care for him, but I’m not going to let him stop me. I grab one of his arms with both my hands and bring my leg up to kick him in the side that doesn’t have one of my golden scales infused with it.
    As the muscles in his back seize, I use the advantage I have on his arm to spin him around and pull his arm behind his back. I kick at the back of his knees, forcing him to the ground. He tries to pull at me with his other arm, but I dig my heels into the ground and place my hand in the center of his shoulder blades. I wrestled with Maverick and Paden nearly all of my life. If he wants to stop me, he can’t be afraid of hurting me. I force him lower to the ground. “Sleep,” I command with the Voice, remembering how it felt to use it weeks ago, my head pounds with rushing blood, but I ignore it. Heat burns at my hand, but he falls forward into the dirt. I hope that he stays out long enough for me to get out of here.
    I right myself just as a flaming whip comes at me. I shift my arm and hand and let it wrap around my forearm. I grab it with my hand and pull, but he pulls back. Lusk drags me across the ground and up to him. He wraps and arm around me, trying the same trick he used earlier. This time I’m more aware of myself.
    My hand rests against his chest. I press my talons into his skin. He hardly flinches, and presses own into the flesh of my arm. He’s not afraid to fight dirty. This will be more of a challenge. Nevertheless, I can fight dirty too.
    I smile up at him. "At least you're not