Reckless Souls (Saints Academy Book 1) Read online

  Reckless Souls

  SAINTS ACADEMY #1

  KC KEAN

  Copyright © 2022 KC Kean

  www.authorkckean.com

  Published by Featherstone Publishing Ltd

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

  This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it wasn’t purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referred to in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorised, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Cover Design: Covers by Christian

  Editing: SCW Editing Services

  Proofreader: Sassi’s Editing Services

  Interior Formatting & Design: Sloane Murphy

  Reckless Souls/ KC Kean – 1st ed.

  ISBN 13 - 978-1-915203-16-8

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Rhea

  2. Rhea

  3. Rhea

  4. Rhea

  5. Rhea

  6. Rhea

  7. Rhea

  8. Rhea

  9. Adonis

  10. Rhea

  11. Rhea

  12. Rhea

  13. Rhea

  14. Xander

  15. Rhea

  16. Zen

  17. Rhea

  18. Xander

  19. Rhea

  20. Khaos

  21. Rhea

  22. Rhea

  23. Adonis

  24. Rhea

  25. Rhea

  26. Zen

  27. Rhea

  28. Rhea

  29. Xander

  30. Rhea

  31. Rhea

  32. Adonis

  33. Rhea

  Afterword

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by KC Kean

  To Laura,

  For listening to my inspiration for this story, and envisioning it just as I did.

  For teaching me pinterest, and making everything so damn pretty as always!

  You’re a queen, thank you!

  Prologue

  Rage.

  Destruction.

  War.

  Darkness attempts to overwhelm the bright sky as chaos continues to swirl through the air. The chill that follows the blackness, sends shivers through our bones.

  Despair consumes us, forcing our survival instincts to the forefront. We must protect ourselves, by any means necessary. And we will.

  We have the power to build an army.

  But simple human soldiers will not do.

  We are Gods, kings among men, and in our wake we’ll ensure we are immortalized within story books and tales of lore.

  Angels.

  Demons.

  Vampires.

  Shifters.

  We will rule the world, protecting ourselves from the evil that is the Goddess Nyx, the ruler of the night, just as Zeus proclaimed we will.

  We won’t settle until her force is gone.

  We won’t settle until the threat on our lives has been eliminated.

  We won’t settle until we are the supreme leaders.

  This time shall be marked in history as evolution. Young and old supernaturals working together as the world has never seen before to create a safer future.

  Whatever the cost.

  Whatever the pain.

  We shall prevail.

  “Dead. She’s dead!” The cries of glee sound distorted and distant, but I know them to be true all the same.

  The sun has barely risen as I step out onto my balcony, looking down at the town square below as people dance and sing together. Rejoicing that the evil that consumed us all has been vanquished from this world.

  Two hundred years.

  For two hundred long years, we’ve been creating our armies, fighting this battle, and searching for the evil that is Nyx.

  I grip the railing, my knuckles turning white as I look around the streets.

  High rise buildings frame the cobbled square below. Little cafes, shops, and bistros line the pavement, with tables and chairs scattered around waiting for guests to take a seat, but they’re long forgotten now in favor of a more energetic celebration.

  I’ve never seen so many people dance before. Not in public, and certainly not in the town square. But I guess these extraordinary times mean people will temporarily lose their inhibition.

  The huge billboard attached to the building across from me flickers, the pixels quickly forming as Zeus appears on the screen.

  Our hero.

  Our leader.

  His smile fills the screen as the camera slowly zooms out, capturing the God from head to toe for us all to worship. With his almost white hair swept back off his face, and his pearly white teeth on full display as his blue eyes sparkle, he looks every inch the almighty God you'd expect him to be.

  Impeccable. Personable. Our savior.

  Adjusting the cuffs of his tailored shirt, he slowly lowers his hands into the pockets of his dark gray trousers, before he finally speaks. The noise from below is silenced as we all wait with bated breath for our idol to address us.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard the news,” he starts, pausing for dramatic effect before he continues. “The. War. Is. Over,” his voice booms, ricocheting off every wall as cheers erupt from below again. It’s almost like he’s standing right here in front of us, hearing the joy as he glances around and waits for the noise to settle before he speaks again. “With my bare hands…” He raises them up in the air like they’re his weapon before slowly lowering them into his pockets. “I brought Nyx to her knees in the early hours of the morning, and there’s nothing else to say, but the rest… is history.”

  “It’s over! It’s all over!” I hear someone below cry out, raw emotion in their voice as they chant the words on everyone’s minds.

  “In the coming days, arrangements will be made to make our lives much more comfortable going forward. I have plans for how we can work as one, united and triumphant, in the aftermath of this war,” he says, his smile infectious as he reassures everyone that the worst is behind us. “We all deserve harmony, peace, and structure moving forward. Simple things we’ve not had for so long. Now is our time, with Nyx and her entire bloodline gone, no evil will ever hurt our world again!” he booms, certainty in his eyes as he pulls his hands from his pockets and splays them out wide, almost like he’s embracing his people.

  I wet my lips, stepping back from the railing as his smile widens even further. “The Hexagon, a joining of all kinds, will oversee the new laws to protect and serve you. Always. I can’t wait to lead us to greatness.”

  Moments later, the screen goes black and the cheers pick up again. The magic in my chest swirls, excited, giddy, and desperate to unleash with the knowledge we will no longer suffer.

  Whatever the future may hold, it can only end with light and happiness now.

  Chapter 1

  Rhea

  Rage courses through my body as I march down the sidewalk. Fire burns under my skin as the red shiny target of my emotional chaos comes into view.

  That motherfucker.

  That damn m
otherfucking cuntish… cunt.

  “Rhea. Fuck, wait, Rhea!” he calls out from behind me, likely stepping out of his house with nothing but a sheet wrapped around his waist, but I don’t bother to turn around to confirm.

  He can choke on a bag of dicks, while he stays as far away from me as possible.

  My pulse pounds in my ears as my palms sweat from the desire to give him a physical response instead of a verbal one. I reach into my jeans pocket to retrieve my house key. Slowing my steps, determination takes over as I look down at my hand to find my mini Stanley knife keyring.

  Dante, that motherfucking asshole, bought it for me when we started dating ten months ago. He’s going to regret that by the time I’m done.

  “You mean everything to me, Rhea. I need you to be safe at all times.”

  Ha. Those were the words he’d uttered as he handed it over so long ago.

  What a whole heap of bullshit that is. Or maybe he should have been more specific with what he actually meant.

  “I want you safe at all times, especially while you’re working so I can fuck my neighbor.”

  I fucking hate how mad it makes me because I let my walls down for this guy. Well, I considered it, offered him nothing but my body, but there’s no respect in this. Not an ounce, and I, at least, respected him. Our embarrassment of a relationship, if that’s what you could even call it, is a complete shambles after what I just saw.

  “Rhea,” Dante hollers again, his voice getting closer as I stop beside his most prized possession; a shiny, red Porsche. I’m sure those obsessed with cars would scoff at my simple description of the vehicle, but that’s all it is to me.

  Turning to face the asshole shuffling toward me, with his gray sheet wrapped around his waist like a greek god, I almost chuckle at the absurdity.

  If only he was a God. Then I could have him wipe this shit from my mind or something.

  But we’re not in Paradise Heights where the supernaturals live their best life. No, we’re down here in Phoenix Valley among the rest of the mundane humans.

  The way his brown hair is ruffled, the dark stubble on his jawline taunting me, I want to reach out to him. This is, was, my favorite version of Dante; after sex. But that can’t count when it’s someone else who’s been running their fingers through his soft hair. Now the thought makes me recoil and I mentally slap myself for even wanting to touch him. I hate feeling weak because that’s not the type of woman I am.

  His gray eyes plead with mine, desperate for me to understand that he magically slipped, his dick falling inside her by accident, leaving him just as shocked as I am.

  No second chances.

  No forgiveness.

  No disappointment.

  I’ve lived by those rules for twenty-two years. I’m not about to change them for him.

  Not now.

  Not on my fucking birthday.

  But even if it wasn’t, I still wouldn’t bend my words-to-live-by and disrespect myself in the process. That ship set sail long ago.

  I run my tongue over my teeth, keeping my face neutral as I stare at him with eyes void of emotion. I can feel people watching us, but I don’t tear my gaze from him. It probably includes the woman he was just fucking, wanting a front row seat to the drama she just caused.

  Whoreish… whore.

  Twirling the mini blade in my hand, I flick the switch over as I turn to look at his shiny, red, fucking Porsche.

  “Please, Rhea, let me—”

  He doesn’t utter another word as I lean forward, tracing my fingertips along the top of the hood, down the fender with the blade in hand, making it look like I’m about to key his car. But instead, I slightly crouch and swing out to my left, piercing the sharp edge into the front right tire.

  I want him to taste a touch, even a pinch, of my anger, and this will at least release some pent up rage inside me. Before he’s really caught up with the situation, I’m taking a step back, and repeating the motion again, relishing in the symphonic hissing sound that surrounds me.

  “Fuck, Rhea, stop! What are you doing to my girl?” he growls, storming toward me, one hand around the sheet and the other clenched at his side, but I slip around the back of the car, repeating the same motion once more on the back left tire, before finally stepping away and looking at my handiwork, a satisfied grin appearing on my lips. “Rhea!”

  Now he’s angry.

  Good.

  Always leave the last tire, Rhea. Don’t let this fucker get away with not paying anything because of insurance.

  Standing tall, I meet his gaze over the roof of the car, outrage shining in his eyes as he gapes at the mess I’ve just made of his precious girl.

  You and me both, asshole.

  I crack my neck, making sure to keep the raw anger off my face, my eyes uncaring, before pointing the blade at him. “I don’t ever, ever, want to see you again.” The sharp bite is noticeable in my tone, but he doesn’t respond, still gaping like a fish out of water, his eyes bouncing from me to the car.

  Finally looking away from him, I take in the row of small, cookie cutter houses, his fucking side piece hanging out of the upstairs window as her mouth drops at the scene I just made.

  Fuck her.

  I offer a two fingered salute with a manic smile as my heart thumps wildly in my chest.

  It’s times like these I wish I knew someone with powers, someone to make all of this go away. By death or just wiping my memories, right now I’d consider either, but that’s not the case.

  Instead, I stand here, as broken as ever on the inside.

  My eyes fall closed as I take a deep breath, letting the usual feeling of bitterness and disappointment wash over me, basking in it, before I blink my eyes open again.

  “Rh—”

  “Ever,” I interrupt, not letting Dante mutter another fucking syllable of my name.

  Turning on my heels, I cut across the quiet street, the sound of a horn ringing out as a car almost hits me, but I don’t pause my stride because I’m past caring.

  I used the last of the cash I had on me to take the bus over here. It’s not everyday I get to leave early, but since it’s my birthday, Vinny took pity on me, letting me go without closing the diner like I was supposed to tonight. A complete surprise, nothing in comparison to what just took place before me, but a shock all the same.

  The thought of birthday sex had me climbing on the bus with an extra bounce in my step, but apparently Dante was already celebrating, with someone else.

  Fun, with a capital F.

  Swiping a hand down my face, I pull my old, worn earphones out of my pocket, wiping them off before slipping them in, plugging the cord into my phone and pressing play on my latest moody playlist.

  I’ve got a forty minute walk home so I may as well entertain myself on the way.

  Pulling the hair tie from my wrist, I run my fingers through my long brown hair that falls to the middle of my back, scooping it up into a messy bun on top of my head. The hot sun beats down on me in my uniform; jeans and a blue and white striped shirt. It’s not exactly hot weather friendly.

  I don’t look back, leaving the more affluent part of Phoenix Valley behind as I cut through the small rundown portion of town.

  Apparently this place was beautiful once upon a time; you wouldn’t know looking at it. And now? It’s just… sad.

  Battered. Beaten. Tainted. Forever bruised.

  A bit like me, I think with a sigh.

  The year I was born was the year the war ended. Thank the Gods. I already suffered enough in the remnants of the chaos to have to live through the war too. I dread to imagine being in the middle of it all. I was clearly the outcome of some sexual celebrations, only to be tossed aside, more like abandoned, by my parents. I became another lost soul of the orphanage in town from the day I was born.

  Sometimes I wish they had just ended the misery for me then. Instead, I’ve had to survive in Phoenix Valley, a world that still looks nothing like they promised to restore it to. They being the G
ods and other supernaturals that ruined the world for humans in a bid to end a greater evil. Repairing their own lives, while leaving us to rot.

  Whatever.

  They’ve clearly never had to live a day in our shoes. The shiny high-rise buildings that once offered a stunning landscape continue to stand half-demolished, ruined, and uninhabitable. Making everyone move out to smaller areas of Phoenix Valley.

  As I pass the bus stop, I take the next right, getting closer to the older part of town and my shoebox apartment. We’ve taken back what we could as a collective, almost like evolving from cavemen to modern men again, but instead of thousands of years to do it, we’ve had twenty-two.

  Paradise Heights is worlds apart from the mess and rubble that still lines the streets of Phoenix Valley. It’s visible if you look up at the sky and tilt your head to the left, offering you a glimpse at what could be. After the war, the supernaturals decided to save the land that was the most salvageable, suspending it in the air, and making it exclusively for them.

  Fuck us neanderthals, right?

  Gods created armies of angels, demons, vampires, and fucking werewolves, then gave them a safe haven, while leaving us with nothing. Nothing but misery, despair, and hopelessness.

  When I was younger, I would imagine what it would be like to live such a lavish life. Looking down at the humans like ants, inconsequential, and a constant visual view of hell to them. Seeing glimpses on the television, and hearing stories sent my mind into overdrive.