Standing there now, fingers wrapped around the rod iron gates, she just had the feeling she was in the right place. The gate opened easily, there was no lock and no warning for trespassers so she concluded that she was free to wander. Some of the headstones looked brand new, and she could see that the dates were fairly recent. The flowers laid over the tops of the stones looked days old and would need to be changed out soon. But others further back were obviously years, decades and maybe centuries old.
For some reason, a feeling of peace and contentment settled over Blue. Maybe it was because there was nobody around to cast judgement, or blame her for things she never could control. No, in the graveyard there were only ghosts. Every now and then, a head would peak over a headstone, or the tail end of a long dress would flit around the corner. She knew they were watching her, but they never meant any harm.
Spirits had no hold over the physical world. They couldn’t touch you or hurt you like they could in movies, but they could observe you. Spirits tended to be endlessly curious, but also shy. She tried not to bother the ones she saw in public though because she knew from experience that the second you gave them any attention, they were almost impossible to get rid of. She did pity them sometimes. They were trapped forever in their ghostly state simply because of the circumstances of their death.
When a Slayer, Werewolf or other magical non human passed on in a violent and untimely way, they would never move on if their bodies were buried in the Earth. If their physical selves were tied to the dirt, their spirits would be also, until they were able to find peace...which never happened. It was the main reason that Slayers were cremated or lit on a pyre after death. If the physical selves were burned and scattered, their spirits would rest. Too bad it took centuries to figure that out. Instead, the world was crawling with spirits who wandered the streets for eternity.
She’d been there for close to an hour when something caught her eye. There was a building off to the edge of the graveyard that seemed achingly familiar. It was seemingly made of onyx, with veins of white running through the dark rock. The mausoleum was two stories tall with massive stone ravens perched on the corners of the rooftop where a gargoyle might usually be. She’d seen this building before.
Sure enough, as she neared the entrance, she could just barely make out the last name carved into the stone over the door. ‘Graves’ stood out beneath the twisting vines which wound their way up the dark walls and beneath the heavy covering of cobwebs. Her heart picked up it's pace, just being in the presence of so much family history was almost overwhelming. After ten years of being alone with nobody by Harlow by her side, her sense of family was severely lacking.
To her astonishment, the door creaked open with only the lightest of touches. Her hands were shaking as she opened it up wider only to reveal a dark room of cold stone and dust. It was more spacious inside than she remembered from her childhood, probably because she was alone this time. Blue caressed the plaques which adorned the walls of the mausoleum, behind which, the urns of her ancestors remained. Her fingers drifted over the fine lines of each name and date, leading all the way back to the early 1600’s. The Graves family line was a long one, a legacy of Slayers who had always been at the very height of society.
Finally, she reached the back wall were two unmarked plaques sat, covered in dust and cobwebs. There were no carvings or dates, no names to immortalize it's inhabitants, though there were none to be honest. No, her parents had not been buried with the rest of the Graves. Their bodies had turned to dust in a whole other way. Tears pricked her eyes once more but again she shoved that feeling down. She’d had years and years to mourn them, more than enough time to grieve and move on. Though their deaths still felt like a vice grip around her heart, she no longer felt like she was suffocating without them.
One by one, Blue lit the old candlesticks which were almost fresh looking. Clearly nobody had been to visit the Graves’...well, graves, in a long time. The flickering little flames illuminated the dark room, giving it the illusion of warmth. The mausoleum really was a beautiful building if you could see past the macabre nature of it. It was built with care and a steady hand, showcasing exactly how wealthy her family really was.
There were dozens of family plaques spanning ten high and ten wide. She knew from what her mother had told her, that it expanded into the next room as well for future generations. Someday she’d rest in this very room. It should have freaked her out, but in a way it only brought her a sense of peace.
A gust of wind blew her hair from her shoulders and her whole body tensed up. She pulled her stakes from her holsters, gripping them tightly with steady hands. Whipping around, her eyes honed in on a dark figure, hovering by the doorway and illuminated by the moonlight. Blue relaxed her shoulders. It wasn't a Vamp, the moonlight would have turned it to dust. Fun fact: Vamps burn in the moonlight too. Since moonlight is only created by the suns rays that bounce off of its surface, those UV rays will still harm them, only at a much slower rate. While the sunlight means instant death for a bloodsucker, moonlight is more of a process. There's a reason the vermin tend to live underground, only surfacing when the cloud cover is nice and thick.
“What are you doing here, this is a private space.” She warned the shadowy figure.
“Last time I checked, a cemetery was public property.” Came a very recognizable voice, just as the boy with the short brown hair and jade green eyes from her standoff with Jewel stepped into the light.
“I’ll ask you again, what are you doing out here?” Blue stepped forward, fingers wanting to grab her stakes. “Did you follow me?”
He laughed.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Graves. I saw you come through the gates. I’ve been out here for a while but I didn’t want to bother you, but when you didn’t come back out I figured I’d make sure you were still alive in here.” He joked, crudely.
“I’m a big girl…” She couldn’t remember his name.
“Wow, that actually hurts…It's Jasper, by the way. Jasper Knightley.” He crossed his big arms across his chest, broadening his already wide stance. “Thought I’d made a bigger impression.”
“Sorry to disappoint, I was sort of preoccupied with a student being staked through the heart on orientation day.” She returned his stance.
She studied him. This close up, she could see the distinct twisting of what looked like black tattoos, just peeking out from the sleeves of his dark grey shirt near his wrist. This intrigued her, he seemed a bit young for so much ink. But Slayers never really did fit the whole typical teenager profile.
“So...What exactly are you doing out here so late? You're missing dinner, you know.” He pried as he watched her.
“Not that it's any of your business, but I just needed some space to think. That place is too crowded.” She confided though she didn’t really know why.
“I hear you. I come out here a lot myself.” He unfolded his arms and began to walk around, eyes tracing over her ancestors names on the walls.
“Damn, you have a huge family.” He whispered, eyes never leaving the wall.
“Not anymore I don't, there’s exactly two of us left these days.” Blue muttered.
Jasper turned to her then with something like regret in his bright eyes.
“Shit, Graves, I’m an ass.” He told her and she had to crack a smile.
“Don’t sweat it Knightley, my feelings aren’t made of glass.” She waved him off despite turmoil unfolding in her stomach.
She really was one of the last, and that scared the hell out of her. It was moments like these where she began to understand the pressure she and her sister were under. She began to realize why Harlow was so desperate for them to rejoin society. If they couldn’t, then the Graves line could very possibly die right along with the two of them.
Her eyes came back into focus only to find that Jasper had moved in closer than before. Only about a foot of space separated their bodies in the dark, confined space. The infuriating boy brought his hand to
her face and lifted her chin ever so slightly and she let him. Again, she couldn’t explain why she was okay with this.
“I lost you there for a few minutes…where’d you go?” His eyes bore into hers with an intensity she didn’t understand.
Batting his hand away from the intimate touch, Blue cleared her throat before answering.
“I’m fine. I told you, I just came out here to get away. Things were going just fine before you barged your way in here.”
He stared at her for a moment. His handsome face was serious as his eyes traced the angles of her face in the firelight. Up close, she could pick out each freckle that dotted his tanned skin and somehow it made him look even more striking. He looked like a man.
“See something you like?” He teased.
Turning the tables on him she smirked. “What if I do?” She whispered.
Stepping closer, Jasper brought his big body flush with hers, the hardness of his abdomen pressed against her chest. He was so much taller than her that her head barely reached his shoulder blades.
“Do you?” He asked. His voice was husky with a slight gravelly quality to it. She could visibly see his pupils expand as he watched her closely.
Instead of answering him, Blue rose up onto her tiptoes, bringing her face closer to Jaspers as he lowered his to hers. She knew she should stop this right now. Kissing him would only complicate her life and it wasn’t what she was here for. But something pulled her towards him. It was a feeling deep in her belly that tingled the more she watched him. She’d never had the opportunity to be with someone in that way. Sure there had been a few sloppy kisses with human boys here and there, but nothing as intense as Jasper.
His soft lips grazed hers ever so slightly when out of nowhere there was a commotion outside the mausoleum. Something heavy crashed into the door, causing dust to rain down on their heads. In an instant, Jasper and Blue has their stakes in hand as they flew out the door and into the night.
The clouds had moved in with the coming storm and covered the full moon, making the cemetery almost pitch black. Her Slayer eyes easily adjusted to the darkness, letting her see exactly who was causing all the chaos. Two nasty looking Vampires perched on the tops of broken headstones as they faced down a man wielding nothing but his sharp claws. Cole Harlan stood before her, shirt off, hair wild and a snarl on his handsome face. Blood dripped from a scratch across his cheek.
Cole turned to her and frowned as his gaze flitted between her and Jasper. His now golden eyes seemed to narrow ever so slightly at how closely Jasper stood at her side. He didn’t say a word though, he only turned back to the Vamps with a snarl before launching forward, turning into a wolf mid air.
Seven
The office was dimly lit, much like the rest of the school. The mahogany desk was heavy and old and the plush chair beneath her was so large, it seemed to swallow her up as she sat there waiting.
A woman swept into the room, all business and a no nonsense attitude as her dark brown eyes locked with Blues. The woman had grey hair but her face looked no older than her early fifties or late forties. She didn't look mean, per say, but she was...severe.
Thank you for being here Ms. Graves, I trust you are making yourself comfortable here at Arcane?” She asked in a robotic type tone that made Blue realize she didn’t actually care if she was comfortable or not.
“Yes, thank you Headmistress.” She replied politely.
“Please, call me Merriweather.” She placed her hands on her desk, lacing her thin fingers together as she studied Blue.
“About the...incident last night, how are you feeling now?”
Blues eyes widened for a moment before she schooled her expression.
“Uh, fine...I guess. I mean, it's not the first Vamp I’ve encountered so I really don’t see what the big deal is.” She told her honestly.
Merriweather's lips flattened into something resembling a smile but looked more like she smelled something unpleasant.
“I see, well to be honest with you, it's not so common around here. You see, Arcane is protected by the very best Guardians and rarely has a Vampire sighting. They tend to steer clear of the wolves at the borders…” She clicked her nails on the desk slowly. Clearly she had something else to say.
Blue just stared, waiting for her to just spit it out so that she could get back to her room and prepare for Self Defense class.
“It seems strange to me, that the Vampires attacked precisely where you were at that specific moment.” She squinted at Blue, making her bristle.
“What exactly are you insinuating? Are you trying to ask me if I’m the reason the Vamps were here?” She all but growled.
“Oh child, no. I'm simply curious as to the timing. As I said, Vampire sightings are rare around these parts.”
She’d had enough.
“Not to be too blunt here, but I’ve been on campus for less than a week and already I’ve seen instructors stake one of their own students on orientation day, and watched one of your Guardians mid fight with two Vamps… I had nothing to do with either and I don’t really appreciate the suspicion. You invited me here and I showed up.” She huffed angrily. She was becoming breathless. “Is this going to happen every time something goes wrong? Am I going to be questioned about everything?”
Merriweather stared at her for a long moment. Her shrewd eyes looked right on through her as if they could see far more than she was letting on. Despite Blues outburst, the headmistress remained calm. It almost pissed Blue off. The audacity of the woman was incredible. After all her family had contributed to the school and the community as a whole, they treated her and her sister as if they were criminals by association.
“As long as you keep your nose out of trouble, we shouldn't have a problem, am I right, Ms Graves?”
“Am I excused?” She asked through gritted teeth.
Merriweather looked pleased with herself as she gestured at the door. “By all means…”
It was all Blue needed to hear. She was up and out of her seat before the old shrew could utter another word of insult.
The hallway was full of students, bustling around every which way, heading off to their respective classes. She had about ten minutes until she was needed in Orozco's class so she ran to her dorm to change. She dressed in a fitted pair of running shorts and a dark red cropped tee. She’d learned from the last few sessions that she would be sweating like a pig on a hot southern day if she wore her sweatpants. Luckily, she had no qualms about showing her body. She knew she looked good, abs rock hard and arms toned to perfection. No body issues whatsoever. So why were her insides tingling with anticipation? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with a certain Werewolf she knew she'd be faced with in the coming moments. No way…
✽✽✽
Class had already started by the time she made it there. Orozco paid her no mind, no doubt aware of her meeting with Merriweather.
The second she entered the room, she could feel his eyes on her. Cole stood to the side of a couple of students as they spared on the mats. His attention, however, was locked on Blue. As she met his eyes, she couldn’t help but remember the way he had looked in his wolf form. He was beautiful. She remembered the black silkiness of his fur, contrasting with the yellow glow of his wolf eyes. Despite the fact that he’d been biting a Vampire in half at the time, she wanted to run her fingers through all that fur and nuzzle her face into it.
Shaking her head, she snapped herself out of that particular train of thought. As if he could hear her embarrassing inner monologue, Cole smirked, still watching her every move. For the first time, she felt self conscious. ‘Is this how regular human girls feel all the time?’ She wondered. If so, it sucked tremendously.
For the next hour, she spared with various students, albeit against their will. Apparently nobody had an interest in ‘touching the skin of a Vamp lover.’ For the life of her she couldn't wrap her head around that one. Of all the things to accuse her of, why would they choose to pretend she took the side
of the very creatures that ruined her entire life? Deductive reasoning didn’t seem to be a strong suit among Arcanes pupils.
Blue plummeted to the mats and hit her knee hard. The blow had come from behind her and she was on her feet again in less than a second. Turning around she came face to face with Cole. His now very dark brown eyes challenged her while his lips twisted into a grin showing her a glimmer of white fangs. How could she say no?
Without warning, Blue launched herself at him. With a grunt he went down, not expecting her to retaliate so quickly. He rolled them to the side, flinging her body off of him but she corrected herself before she could go sprawling across the room. Her stance was perfect— a slight crouch with a twist to her torso, ready to leap any which way should he attack head on. His eyes lit up in delight. She wondered idly how long it had been since he’d met a formidable opponent.
“What’s taking so long, dog boy? Got a tree to go pee on somewhere?” She taunted and his smirk only grew.
“Oh, baby girl, you have no idea who you're talking to.”
“I’m no ones baby girl.” She muttered as he lunged low, swiping for her legs.
Her eyes honed in on his fingers which had transformed into claws. He was strong, she could tell. For a Werewolf to half shift, it took an incredible amount of concentration and sheer willpower. Usually, when the wolf took over, that was it. They could shift back and forth, but to shift only his fingers was a blatant display of strength that she would be wise to take heed of.
“We’ll see about that…” He promised and for a moment, it made her pause.
‘Is he flirting with me?’ She wondered, but before she could think on it any further, Cole leapt into the air, kicking her in the shoulder before landing behind her and pushing her to the floor. She could hear the other students around her cheering him on and it pissed her off. They wanted her to fail. Even now they called out insults and laughed at her, despite how well she held her own.
Blue Blooded: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Arcane Academy Slayers: Book 1 ) Page 5
