Blood and Tears (all 9)

Chapter 17

I looked at the group of strangers who had appeared. At first glance, I noticed that they were gold level since their ties were that color. The second thing I noticed is that they seemed to carry themselves a bit differently than the other nobles in this Academy. They had watchful eyes of those who came close and were always wary.

At second glance, I noticed the men who spoke, and, wow, they were handsome. They seemed a bit rougher than Gabriel and his family but no less attractive. The male in front was tall. Hair that glimmered like onyx fell down to his waist like a waterfall. A lock of hair on the right side of his head was tied with string that held a feather. It was a big feather, around six inches long. It was a bright blue that reminded me of lightning. Almond shaped eyes smiled at me, and the color of his eyes were like dark coffee beans. Alluring and beautiful.

To his right were two men. The first one was one that I would say was a nerdling like Kota. He had short cropped, sun-kissed blond hair, and he was also tall. His eyes were a very nice cerulean blue, and his face was a touch unshaven, almost unnoticeable with his blonde hair. his skin had a gorgeous tan as if he'd spent a lot of time outside. He seemed to carry himself in a confident way but also with a happy eagerness. He smiled, showing perfect white teeth as the crest of his cheekbones tinted.

The man behind the cute one was someone his exact opposite. He had thick brown hair, cropped short but left a little long in the front near his face so he had a little bit sticking up. Brown eyes, a couple of days' worth of unshaven growth around his strong chin. Underneath his white shirt, I could see tattoos that inked his skin. He had two earring studs in his left lobe, and a lip ring.

To his left were three men. The first man was captivating with his mismatching eyes. One of his eyes was blue like a rich sapphire, and his other eye was green like a fresh leaf in spring. His soft brown hair was a little longer on top, brushed to one side at the crown, and cut close around the nape of his neck. It was soft-looking but not as soft-looking as Nathan's. His shoulders were broad and filled in his shirt nicely.

The man behind him had caramel skin. He had a wide jaw and deep set eyes. His eyes were a cool, dark brown that held a seriousness. It wasn't as blank as Mr. Blackbourne's but it was a seriousness that meant no nonsense.

The last man to the left shocked me. He looked almost exactly like the nerdling, but he carried himself differently, with a swagger. At my looking at him, he tilted his head with a curious smile played on the side of his mouth. At his smile, I noticed his blue eyes. They seem different than the nerdling's. It was the same blue shade, but dimmer. Sad. Wounded. Embedded so deep inside him that it seemed overwhelming.

"So you guys are close to Gabriel and the others?" I asked them.

The first man with long black hair spoke. "Kind of. I'm Axel Toma, the crown prince of the kingdom of Eldian."

Eldian was a kingdom that bordered us to the south. It consisted of most of the land next to the sea. That kingdom has a large army and natural resources that made Arcadia thankful to have this kingdom as an ally.

I stared at him. "What kind of shifter are you?"

He smiled as his eyes flashed a bright white-blue, the same color as the feather in his hair. "My kind are rare. I'm a Thunderbird."

I held in my shock. Thunderbirds were one of a few shifters that only appeared within a certain bloodline. They are masters of the sky and storms and can generate powerful claps of thunder with a flap of their wings. The beak of a thunderbird can shoot out bolts of lightning and are also capable of summoning huge storms, create forceful winds and bolts of lightning.

"Name's Marc Weiland, sweet pea." The man with mismatched eyes smiled, making someone behind me grumble. "I'm a griffin."

I glanced at Nathan whose last name was Griffin. It was a bit funny that the one whose name ended with Griffin was actually not a griffin. Nathan saw the humor in my eyes and rolled his eyes.

The dark-skinned man spoke next. His eyes became a bright yellow. "I'm Kevin. I am death."

I raised an eyebrow at him, and a smile appeared on his face. He chuckled. "I'm a grim reaper."

I nodded at him as the man with sad eyes behind him spoke. "I'm Brandon Henshaw, a mer."

His nerdy doppelganger was the next to speak. "I'm Corey Henshaw, and I'm also a mer."

And finally the last person of that group spoke. He spoke in a gruff tone like he talked a lot and had an accent that was different than Silas'. "I'm Raven."

I smiled. "Just Raven?"

Marc rolled his eyes. "His last name is Ravenstahl, but everyone calls him Raven."

"What's your first name?"

Raven gave me a predatory smile that made me shiver. "That's secret. I'd have to kill you if you knew."

Something about him made me look at him. Once I knew what caught my attention, my expression seemed to war between settling in a frown or in surprise. "I'm surprised they still let your animal alive."

His smile changed from a predatory smile to a pleasant smile that could make girls faint, and his lip ring moved with the pull of his lips. "You know what I am?"

I looked at Victor. "Why do you guys keep saying that?"

Victor seemed confused before laughing at the question he asked me when I discovered he was a devil. "That's because it's a bit difficult to differentiate what a shifter's form is. Most of the time, a person's other form is not based on their ethnicity or certain descriptions."

"Ah!" I exclaimed as I nodded before turning back to Raven.

Raven sighed as if he had to explain this several times. "I not dragon but wyvern. I smaller than dragon and have two legs."

I smiled at Raven's explanation which was true. Wyverns only had two legs while dragons had four legs and a pair of wings. Wyverns' front legs were merged into their wings and they were indeed smaller than dragons. They were also not as powerful as dragons since their magic wasn't "free" but were higher than most.

Raven looked at me. "Who you? Vernon, my wyvern, is telling me that you seem similar."

The six looked at me in anticipation. I smiled. "I'm Sang Armani, and I'm a bat."

Kevin was the one to speak. "A bat? But you're a pink rank."

I shrugged. "I have a lot of power."

Raven pouted. "I thought you were like me." His eyes lit up. "Are you fruit bat?"

North growled. "She is not, now go away."

Raven laughed, lunging at North, catching him around the neck, and swooped in, pecking him on the cheek. "You are jealous of my magnify."

North wrestled away from him, scowling and scrubbing his cheek. Corey sighed. "Magnificence, not magnify, Raven. We've talked about this before."

Raven shrugged. "too many letters. Magnify is short and on point. Right?"

I smiled as groans came from both teams.

A/N: I hope you guys liked the update. What do you think of the toma team's animals?

To your questions in previous chapter, I have decided to do another Blood and Tears with the following men as love interests: Owen, Sean, Kota, North, Victor, Nathan, Luke, Gabriel, Silas, Axel, Marc, Brandon, Corey, Raven, AND kevin. So it will be #all15 . BUT i will start this story later since i feel like adding another book is too much for me.  I will start blood and tears v.2 with all15 in a few months. Thanks to those who voted. 

Update 5/5/20: I changed Kevin's shifter from vampire to grim reaper.