Page 8 of Monster's Melody

Elliot blushed and Jahrdran laughed.

“It’s because he’s my mate.”Mikaela leaned into Elliot, a look of pure happiness on her face.

“It’s a side effect of being a chameleon dragon,” Elliot said.

“Hold on, I remember now,” Kasi said.“It’s why Lydrel Zowen’s wings were made of shadows.Because he spent so much time in the Shadow Realm, they not only blended with the shadows, but they started to become them.”

“Yeah, but in this case, I’m not actually becoming a leopard, I’m just taking on the colors of my mate.”He kissed Mikaela and she practically swooned on the spot.

Damn.I really need to find my own mate.

“So where are we taking this hunt?”Jahrdran asked.

“To the basement!”Mikaela cried.

An hour later, we were all a little overwhelmed and a lot defeated.

“The problem is there are too many hidden tunnels and passages,” Mikaela said.

“Not to mention a ridiculous number of areas we can’t even access,” I said.

“Like the archives room in the library,” Elliot said.

“And the shadow libraryinsidethe archives room,” Kasi said.“A shadow library only shadow-beasts can access.”

“I bet even if we found the wine cellar, it would only be accessible to the professors,” Elliot said.

“My question is whether the professors would really have a wine cellar beneath the Academy in the first place,” Jahrdran said.“They have to know there’s a chance the students might stumble across it.”

That was a good point.After all, students had been discovering off-limits tunnels and passages pretty much the entire life of the Academy.“Well, where else would they have a wine cellar?”

“Maybe somewhere students wouldn’t go?”Mikaela suggested.

“It’s an Academy,” I exclaimed.“Wherearen’ttherestudents?”

“The professors’ wings,” Kasi said.

“Oh, hell, no,” Jahrdran said.

“The professors’ wings are all upstairs on the residential floors,” I said impatiently, “and Headmistress Blackthorn was very clear when she called it a cellar.”

“Maybe it’s under the moat?”Elliot suggested.“Or in the forest.”

“That seems awfully dangerous,” Mikaela said doubtfully.

“Then you really won’t like my next suggestion.”

“Which is?”I asked.

“Beneath the stables.”

“Where thedragonsare?”I demanded.

“Well, can you think of a better security system than fire-breathing dragons?”Elliot asked.

I really couldn’t.“Good point.”

“You’re right,” Mikaela said.“I don’t like that suggestion.”