The boys threw each other around for twenty minutes, but by now it had become pretty obvious that they were evenly matched. For as strong and fierce as Cole was as a Werewolf, Dresden was a skilled weapons master, and somehow he’d procured his dagger. From where? She didn't even want to imagine. She waited until they were both heaving with exhaustion before straightening back up and placing her hands on her hips.
“You guys done now?” She asked them as she tapped her right foot.
Thoroughly shamed, they both nodded reluctantly.
“Right, well, I’m off to bed. Please don’t follow me.”
They watched her leave in silence, but the moment she left the room, a crash sounded out behind her. Rolling her eyes, she forced herself to keep moving.
Eleven
The next day was hard. All she could think about was Harlow and if she was safe or not. She’d called her that morning only to be greeted with a “Hey it's Harlow, can’t come to the phone right now, if this is is Blue, you know the drill.”
It was then that she’d really started to panic. It was a system they’s had since they were younger. Before solo missions, they each changed their voicemail, ending with “You know the drill.” Just in case something were to end badly. Blue did know what to do. If within twenty four hours she didn't hear from her sister, she’d know something was incredibly wrong, and she’d go looking.
Standing on the edge of the treeline, Blue watched as her classmates swung from ropes in the trees, vaulting onto high wooden platforms and climbed the walls while caked in mud. They called the class “Team Building.” They gathered along the edge of the forest, where tall trees stood thick and sturdy against a small field of mud, barbed wire and pits. The obstacle course changed every class session, the intention was to keep them on their toes and prepare them for any and all situations.
Today she was partnered with David, Ronnie, Jasper, a boy named Cade and Jewel Hobbs. They were to circulate the obstacle course as a single unit, proving to the instructors that they could function in a Slayer team. Blue hated Team Building class, despite knowing how necessary it was.
Jewel refused to meet her eyes and made sure to keep a good ten foot proximity at all times. Blue ignored the sulky girl for the most part, but soon she hoped her old friend would get the hell over it so they could get their jobs done. Everyone knew that one weak link could spell disaster for an entire team.
“Three, go!” Called out Mrs. Slater, whose stink eye still had yet to leave the back of Blues head.
Blue snapped to it, taking off alongside her temporary team and bounding for the rock wall. The wall was too high up for a human to make it, but with one swift leap, she was at the top and vaulting over the edge, landing in a thick pit of mud and grime. Jewel was the next to land, followed by Cade and Jasper. It was hard to tell who was who at first, given the fact that they were covered from head to toe.
A hand struck the back of her head, sending her face into the mud and the mud up into her nostrils. She came up sputtering as a strong hand yanked her arm up, hauling her to her feet.
“What the f…” She muttered, but she didn’t have to wait and guess who'd pushed her. She could hear Jewels laughter from up ahead. ‘Bitch’.
“You okay?” Asked Jasper as they slogged through the guck.
“I’m fine, but she won’t be for long.” Blue promised evilly.
Jasper just chuckled. “Hold your horses there Slayer, lets get through the course before you kill her.”
“Oh, I’m not gonna kill her, I just want to make her suffer a little.”
He yanked playfully on her ponytail “That's the spirit.”
Soon Ronnie and David had caught up. Jewel and Cade had taken off up ahead, apparently forgetting the definition of team building. Blue blamed Slater for her unfortunate placement. It was no secret that Jewel despised her, even if the girl did technically have cause to. Still though, Blue couldn’t help but wonder how the brilliant girl she used to know could be so blind. How could she not see that Blue was hurting too? Just as much a victim as everyone else. But they’d never see it that way. People tended to take their hurt and pain out on the most available target, and the way it all went down was messy and complicated.
“David, go first!” Called out Jasper as they reached the edge of a wooden platform overlooking a dip in the forest floor.
Davis didn't hesitate, he leapt into the air, latching onto the ropes which dangled from the trees overhead and made his way from one to the other until he was almost to the other side of the chasm.
“Ronnie!” Jasper called out next and she leapt off as well.
Next was Blue. She jumped off of the platform, hands wrapping around the thick rope, but where a human would struggle to get past the burning of their palms, to a Slayer, the harsh material only felt like soft rubber. She held on easily, flinging herself from one rope to the next with finesse. She really did love the obstacle courses, they reminded her of her days as a free agent with Harlow by her side.
Sometimes she felt a pang in her chest when she let her mind wander to the good ole days. For how much she had always dreamt of attending Arcane, she never really understood just how much she’d miss what she already had. Harlow was her teammate in every way that counted, and she’d left her there in Vancouver, all alone to carry on by herself.
Reaching the end of the course, she was surprised at how easy it was. Her heart rate was steady, her breathing nice and even and not a single drop of sweat coated her skin. If anything, she felt invigorated and refreshed.
“That was badass.” Came Jaspers voice from just over her shoulder. She didn’t startle, because she knew he was there.
“Easy peasy.” She slapped her hands together as if it were nothing and Jasper chuckled, filling her stomach with flutterly little wings.
“Where are you headed right now?” He asked her as they walked back to the school ahead of the rest of groups four through eight as they finished the course.
“Uh, lunch?”
He huffed. “I know that...what I meant to ask was would you like to have lunch with me today?”
She turned to Japer only to see a faint blush on his tanned cheeks. ‘Is he nervous?’ She couldn't imagine why.
“Sure, why not. I guess it would be sort of awkward for me to say no at this point right?” She teased.
“Pretty much.”
They walked side by side, close enough for his arm to lightly brush hers here and there, warming her skin and lending a strange sense of safety and comfort she hadn’t realized she craved. The dining hall was mostly empty, a few tables towards the middle of the room held one or two people each, doing homework or shoveling food into their faces before scurrying off to their next class.
They took their seats towards a table by the back wall, just under the light of a high window. They were serving sandwiches today and Blue mentally cringed. For how fancy the school pretended to be, their food service was severely lacking at times. She dug in with vigor, practically swallowing the tiny sandwiches whole. Her body was coming down from the high of action and she hadn’t realized just how famished she was until that first bite.
Jasper sat too close, she could feel the heat of his body like a blanket all over her but she dared not complain. He only picked at his food, content mostly to stare at Blue unnervingly, to which she really tried to ignore.
“You're making me uncomfortable Jas.” She told him with a mouth full of bread. He grinned.
“I like watching you eat.”
She cringed visibly. “You realize how creepy that sounds right?”
“Don’t care. I like watching everything you do. You fascinate me.”
Raising an eyebrow, Blue wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“Is that so? Well I feel sorry for your social life then, I’m really not that interesting.” She went back to eating.
“Somethings wrong.” He observed with a slight frown. His jade eyes were stormy and bothered.
Blue sat back
with a huff. Clearly he wasn't going to let her eat in peace.
“I’m worried about Harlow. She hasn’t answered any of my calls.” She confided.
He sat back in his seat, matching her pose. “Why would that worry you? My own mother only calls only once a month, maybe she’s just busy?”
“You don’t understand.” She said, shaking her head. “Harlow isn’t like that. We check in weekly, but I haven't heard from her. She wont answer any of my texts…”
“I’m worried she did something stupid, like take on the Seattle Vamp attack on her own or something. Trust her to do something idiotic without telling me first.”
Jasper looked contemplative. “Is this a regular thing you guys do? Go rogue?”
Anger filled her and for a moment, she felt like lashing out, but she knew his question was valid.
“We weren't rogue, Jasper. We were exiled. But that doesn’t make us any less Slayers.” She crossed her arms, a defensive move. “We still had jobs to do, even if the Conclave cast us aside like garbage.”
He smiled softly, causing her to release a breath of relief.His large hand enclosed around hers and he squeezed her fingers with his.
“I really admire that, you know.” He said , surprising her.
“You do?”
“Of course I do! The Conclave is filled with old gossiping Slayers who should have retired a long time ago. What they did to you and your sister was wrong. I’d expect nothing less from the two of you, I know that if I were in your shoes, I’d have done the same thing.”
She smiled. “Glad to hear that. I’m still worried though.” She pulled her phone out, dialed Harlow's number and slid it towards Jasper. “Listen.”
She watched him as he listened through Harlow's voicemail. His eyebrows dipped even lower and she could see the confusion there in his eyes.
“What’s the drill?” He asked her, handing the phone back.
“Well, usually we worked as a team when we went out on missions, but every so often one of us would go solo. Mainly for the smaller jobs. But every time one of us went at it alone, we’d let the other know by setting up that exact voicemail. The drill is that if we don't hear from them in the next twenty four hours, it means something went wrong.”
Jasper looked impressed. “That's pretty smart.”
“I thought so.”
Blue glared at her phone for a moment. Willing it to ring, but knowing in her heart that it wouldn’t. Something in her gut was just telling her that Harlow was in danger. She hoped she was wrong.
A shadow loomed over the table just then and Blue didn’t need to turn around to know that Cole had joined them. He just stood there behind her chair.
“Are you planning on sitting any time soon Fido?” She asked with a smirk that matched Jaspers. She loved messing with Cole. He was way too serious sometimes.
Cole grumbled before pulling out the chair on the other side of her and plopping down into it. By now, Blue couldn’t help but notice other students in the dining hall giving them curious stares. She knew Jasper and Cole weren’t friends, or ever acquaintances really, and why were they hanging around a Graves? She knew why.
“What's pretty smart?” Asked Cole. His deep voice rumbled over her skin, making her shiver. Even from where she sat, she could smell the earthy scents, wafting from his clothing.
“Huh?” She asked dumbly. She’d been completely dsstracted.
Rolling his eyes with a knowing smile, Cole repeated himself. “What's pretty smart?”
“Oh, I was just telling Jas about my sister. She's got another twelve hours until I really start worrying.”
“You think she’s gone after the Vamps in Seattle?” Cole asked.
“Wow, what a guess.”
“I do pay attention, Blue.” Folded his arms across his chest.
She waved away his attitude. “Whatever, yeah, I think she went after the nest. It's what we would have done had I not come to Arcane. If I know my sister she’s gotten herself into some kind of situation.”
“I see that calculating look in your eyes. You can’t go after her, you know that right?” Cole warned.
“Says who? She’s my sister, I can’t just not do anything.”
Cole scooted his chair closer and she could feel Jasper grasp her thigh under the table. The room was becoming stifling.
“It's a death trap in Seattle. Reports have been coming in and more and more humans are being turned every hour. Those kids at that high school? Over a quarter of them were not just killed, they were turned.”
Blue frowned. “Why arent we being told?” The school was keeping things from the students and it was pissing her off more and more.
Jasper spoke up this time “They don’t want students going rogue.”
Blue backed away from him suddenly, pushing further into Cole. “You knew about this too? What the fuck, Jas? Why didn’t you say anything? You knew I was worried about Harlow!”
His eyes were filled with regret. “I’m sorry, but I knew you’d just go after her. Harlow's a big girl, Blue, she can handle herself.”
Blue stood from her seat, pushing her chair backwards and letting is clatter to the floor.
“You don’t know shit about what my sister can handle! She’s my responsibility and I just abandoned her! This is my fault!” She choked.
Jasper and Cole stood up but she shrugged off their hands. People were watching their spectacle with wide, eager eyes. Eager for gossip.
“Listen to me, baby girl, your sister is probably fine, watch, she’ll probably call you tonight. She still has twelve hours right? Just wait and see what happens before you do something crazy.” Blue scoffed, she knew he’d been eavesdropping.
Blue laughed bitterly. “Crazy? Saving my sister is crazy? Fuck you both!”
She turned to storm from the room, silently pleading with them not to follow. Before she crossed the threshold of the room though, Cole called out to her.
“Don’t you do it Blue!”
But she was already gone.
Twelve
She had just slammed her bedroom door behind her when her phone rang. Blue fumbled with it, excitement and relief filling her as she read Harlow's name across the screen.
“You better have a good excuse!” She shouted into the phone, only to hear nothing but static.
“Harlow! Answer me, where are you?” She pleaded.
Still, there was nothing but rustling and what sounded like white noise.
“Answer me goddamnit! Harlow!” Blue yelled as she placed her in her bedroom.
Suddenly, her bedroom door flew open to reveal a worried looking Dresden on the other side. He must have heard her screaming from all the way down the hall. Either that or he’d followed her.
“I don’t know what to do Dres! She won’t answer me!” Blue panicked as he strode into the room and took her into his arms.
She was shaking, phone still pressed to her ear. Out of all the horrors she’d seen in her life, the mere thought of Harlow being in real danger was almost enough to cripple her. She was all the family Blue had left. She couldn’t lose her.
“Shh, calm down baby, let me see the phone.” He cooed in her ear. He was trying to calm her down, but it wasn’t working.
Still, she handed him her cell phone with shaking hands and watched as he brought it up to his ear.
“Harlow, if you can hear me say something.” He commanded, but from the look on his face, he wasn't getting results either.
“When was the last time you spoke to her?” He asked Blue.
“Last week, we usually call eachother once a week and today should have been our check in. She’s in trouble Dres, I can feel it!”
Handing her phone back he placed his hands on her shoulders and walked her over to her bed and sat her down.
“Okay, lets just think about this. You can’t go storming into Seattle, not like this. We need a plan. We need help.”
“Why does everyone keep telling me what to do?! Do you even understan
d how long I’ve been out there on my own? I'm not a fledgling Dresden! My sister might be dead and I'm just sitting here doing nothing!”
She stood and paced in front of him.
“I'm not telling you to do nothing, but Seattle is a battlefield right now. Human police barely know what to make of it and Slayer teams have already been dispatched.”
“So that means we should just, what? Twiddle our thumbs and go to math class? Are you kidding me? This place is just as dangerous! Look at what happened to Savannah! I don’t care how dangerous it is, I’m going to find Harlow. Tonight!”
Blue walked to her chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of black leather pants and a long sleeved black shirt and vest. Dresden watched her in silence as she dressed. Pulling her daggers into the holsters, Blue methodically counted her weapons, hoping it would be enough.
“I can’t let you do this.” He told her in a sad, resigned voice.
Blue huffed out a laugh. “Oh really? And why’s that?”
He stood, approaching her slowly and she stiffened.
“I can't watch you get hurt.” He sighed. “Look, I may have been an ass to you in the beginning, but only because I was confused. I can’t watch you run head first into danger like this. I won't.”
“It's not your choice, I’m sorry.” She whispered, locking her dagger into her boot.
Using his finger, he lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. His face was stern, but worry filled them. He was close enough that she could feel his breath fan out over her skin. It was closer than she’d even been to him before.
“I’m sorry...you know why I have to do this. I don’t have a choice. Harlow's everything to me.” She whispered.
“I understand, but there has to be a better way.”
Instead of responding, Blue did something that surprised her. Sealing her lips to his, she felt the guttural groan leave his mouth and travel into hers. His arms snaked around her as he pressed deeper. His tongue clashed with hers, caressing her in all the right ways and she couldn't help but sigh. Her worry for her sister was potent, but she knew she needed to soak up this moment. There was no telling what might happen once she reached Seattle.
Blue Blooded: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Arcane Academy Slayers: Book 1 ) Page 9
