by K. G. Reuss
Then there was Shadow. For someone who I’d never really got to talk to or get close to, I missed him like crazy. The memory of his lips brushing against mine sent my heart into a spiral. Everything within me begged for him to come to me.
“Shadow,” I called out tentatively in my dark bedroom. “I-if you can hear me, I miss you. So much. I just want to see you again.”
A tear trickled from my eye as I closed them tightly. I had to sleep. It was really the only thing that took me out of the nightmare I was living in. I prayed tomorrow would bring more answers.
Seven
Everly
Trudging through the courtyard the next morning, my eyes heavy with exhaustion, I made my way through the throng of students. I kept my head down, desperately wanting to blend in or fade away—either prospect was appealing in my mind. I had workshops first thing in the morning. Four dreadful, stress-inducing days of whether or not I’d be marked good enough to attend here or if I was just a fluke. I knew they wouldn’t kick me out. But still, the thought that maybe I was nuts still lurked in the back of my mind, blanketing me in self-doubt. And if truth be told, self-loathing.
I was so lost in my morbid thoughts—workshops, missing Shadow, Eric, home—that I failed to notice where I was going. It was with an aching impact that I collided with a wall. Or at least I thought it was a wall until it spoke.
“Hey, beautiful. You OK?” the voice was soft, accented like a lot of other students and silky, caressing my senses. Large hands clasped my arms, keeping me from falling backward. I looked guiltily up to apologize, but the words got stuck in my throat. Nevron Blackburn, the vampire, was staring down at me with mischievous blue eyes, his full lips set in a sexy smirk.
I pulled away from him and briskly rubbed my arms where his hands had just been.
“L-Lo siento. S-sorry. I-I didn’t mean to run into you,” I stammered out, keeping my eyes anywhere but on him.
“It’s quite all right. I’ve been meaning to introduce myself to you anyway,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m Nevron Blackburn. Everyone calls me Nev.”
“Yeah, um, I-I know.” I cleared my throat, still averting my eyes. When I glanced down, I saw he had his hand extended for me to shake.
“I’m not surprised you know who I am,” he continued, sounding a little too cocky. But rightly so. The guy looked like a muscle-bound god. “You’re Everly Torres. One of the new students.”
His hand was still extended for me. Knowing I was coming off as rude, I reached forward and placed my hand in his. I thought we’d shake. Instead, Nev brought my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the top. His lips weren’t as cold as I expected considering I thought vampires were dead.
“Has anyone ever told you how incredibly gorgeous you are?” he asked, lowering my hand but not releasing it.
“Um.” I tucked a strand of my dark hair behind my ear, my eyes finally meeting his nervously. I didn’t know if making me a bumbling idiot was one of his abilities, but I was certainly living up to the challenge.
“You’re shy and sweet.” He leaned down to speak in my ear, making my body tense.
Please don’t bite me. Please don’t bite me. Please don’t bite me.
“That’s my favorite type.” His lips were a breath away, sending goosebumps through my body. “I bet you taste like heaven.”
“Blackburn,” Eric’s voice rang out. Nev pulled away from me and turned to face Eric as I let out a breath of relief. “What are you doing?”
“Checking out the menu,” Nev answered lazily, the smirk widening on his lips.
“Get to class,” Eric spat at him with venom in his blue eyes. In that moment, Eric didn’t look like the sweet guy who’d saved me or escorted me to Dementon. He was in control and no-nonsense, authority and power radiating from his body.
Nev looked like he wanted to say more, his eyes darkening as he took Eric in. I could sense a vast amount of dislike between the two. It made the situation that much more uncomfortable.
“Tell your general that I can see the appeal,” Nev remarked backing away. “Let him know I’ve just found myself very interested in what I see.”
Nev’s eyes moved to me, raking up my body. His lips curled up wickedly. He cast me a wink before turning and leaving. I swallowed, my body trembling from the strange encounter, and turned to look at Eric, who was glaring after Nev.
“Are you OK?” Eric asked, his attention finally coming to rest on me.
“Just shook me up. First encounter with a vampire and all that,” I replied, trying to force a reassuring smile onto my face.
“You’ll have that, especially with Blackburn. Guy is a grade-A tool,” Eric stated darkly. “Stay away from him. His family is old blood with ties to the Cipher. He’s dangerous.”
I didn’t say anything as I stared back at Eric. His face softened after a moment, and a smile crowded out the frown that had been there.
“You ready for your workshop?”
“Not really.” I let out a breathless laugh. “I’m really nervous, actually.”
“Not unusual.” Eric shrugged. “But you’ll be fine. I actually came over here to walk you to the first workshop.”
“Oh,” I said as he nodded his head for me to follow him. I ducked my head when I noticed all the stares we were getting. Of course. Conexus didn’t associate with the rest of us. This definitely had to look weird to everyone. “You didn't come to rescue me? Again?”
“That too,” Eric answered solemnly as we walked. “You looked downright uncomfortable.”
“I was,” I admitted with a chuckle, glancing at him. “I just had my first vampire encounter.”
“Thoughts?”
“I can handle not ever having it happen again,” I answered. Eric looked like he wanted to smile but was forcing it down, forcing his face to be impassive and stern. The only thing that gave away his humor was the slight sparkle in his eyes.
“Are you always this way?” I asked as we stopped outside the training center where the workshops were being held.
“What way is that?” he asked, raising a brow at me.
“I don’t know.” I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Like distant. Not yourself.”
“Maybe we could talk about it later,” Eric replied, looking directly at me. “Just us.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I want to hear about your first few days. Help you unwind. I can meet up with you later in the week, and we can get to know one another better. The first few days back are always really hectic for Conexus.” There was a twinge of the Eric I knew in his voice.
I nodded my head, excited at the prospect of maybe finding out if he was Shadow. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Great.” His face never deviated from the stone-like appearance he had fixed in place. “I’ll stop by your dorm after classes Thursday. In the meantime, I’ve got to help out here.”
“Will we be working together?” I asked hopefully. He studied me for a moment before shaking his head.
“Doubt it. I believe they have you in a caster workshop first thing. I don’t think you and I will work together until Thursday’s psychic workshop. Today, you’ll be with Sloane and Jared. Or maybe Adam. I can’t remember the schedule. Everyone is in there though.”
“Oh… OK.”
“You seem disappointed.” He cocked his head at me.
“Just a little.”
“I don’t know why I like that,” he murmured. His voice was so low I had to strain to hear him. Before I could answer, he seemed to gather himself. “We should go. Good luck.”
His hand came out and squeezed mine, surprising me. Without a word, he released it and moved ahead of me, students scampering to get out of his way.
“Good evening, everyone!” a muscle-bound guy with olive skin and dark hair boomed out, silencing the nervous group. His hazel eyes swept over us quickly. “My name is Adam Morris, Conexus Marshal, first class elite.
“I’m Sloane Monroe, Conexus Marshal, first class eli
te.” Sloane had a voice that carried. I had no doubt she was a fiery girl. Her dark eyes displayed her passion as she spoke. I felt sorry for her. Harper had said she’d been taken into Conexus after the declaration. No choice.
The thought sickened me. Honor, my butt! There was no honor in forcing this on people, especially kids. It reminded me of some weird government program I thought only existed in the fantasy books I read. I ground my teeth and tried to focus on what they were saying. I didn’t need to get into any more trouble considering I’d bailed on orientation, and Eric had been kind enough to remind me I’d more than likely find myself standing in front of Headmaster Brighton and General Hawthorne if I screwed up again. Guess I’d used my Get Out of Jail Free card already.
“Today, we’ll be observing you as you demonstrate whether or not you have any caster or lock abilities within you. I know what you’re thinking.” Adam looked out at us, a wry smile on his face. “You’re thinking you can only shift. Can only catch glimpses of the future. You can change on a full moon. You crave blood. All of those things require magical abilities. You might just have a bit more than those, making you able to be caster werewolf or whatever else runs through your veins. So, that’s what we’re here to find out.”
“Our wonderful professors will be administering the test. We’ll be coming around to see how you’re doing,” Sloane added, clearing her throat. “Conexus is simply here to gauge your potential. As you know, our particular group recruits from within the walls of Dementon. We’re always looking for new members. No pressure. This isn’t one of our tests. We’re just shopping right now. With that being said, let’s get down to business, shall we?” She gestured for the teachers to take the floor. They started droning on about how we had to center our minds and feel the magic within us. My attention wandered across the room. Eric, Raiden, and Damien were demonstrating fighting stances with some new students. Eric and Damien walked around, correcting people. But Raiden was staring right at me with his piercing aquamarine eyes.
I quickly looked away. I didn’t want to be on his radar any more than necessary. I was sure I’d already made quite an impression when I’d walked out on him.
“Let’s begin!” Professor Hall exclaimed jubilantly, finishing her spiel, her graying bun wobbling on her head.
I grumbled, moving to stand at the candles on the pedestal in front of me. We each got our own group of candles to work with. I glanced around, wondering what I was supposed to be doing. I wasn’t exactly paying as close attention as I should’ve been.
“You simply focus, Mr. Brenner, and light the candle up,” Professor Hall instructed a stocky guy with messy, brown curls across from me.
“Not to be rude, Professor, but I come from a long line of werewolves. Not one of us has anything magical about us aside from what we are. I’m telling you I can’t do this,” the guy explained, his dark eyes wide with honesty.
“We all must try,” Professor Hall tittered back with a forced smile. I bet she had that argument a lot with students. I went back to staring at my candle. Twenty minutes into it, I still didn’t have a flame, but I did manage to manifest a fantastic headache. The whole magic candle bit wasn't working for me. I was getting ready to join Mr. Brenner, the werewolf, in a crusade to prove neither of us could light the candles.
“Um, what do you want me to do?” I implored for the third time as Professor Davis, a middle-aged balding lock with a soft midsection, frowned at me.
“It’s very simple, Miss Torres,” Professor Davis explained with a strained smile. “Try to focus your mind on lighting the candle. See the flame in your mind. Deep breaths… Deeper. Focus.”
I crinkled my nose as I tried to concentrate. All I could think about though was how silly it all seemed. And how maybe I should’ve gone to those mother/daughter meditation classes Mom wanted to join. There was clapping and whoops of excitement, and I peeked out of the corner of my eye to see a small, willowy girl with a blonde, pixie cut being praised for lighting not just one candle but three.
“Showoff,” I muttered, going back to staring hard at my candle, the dull throbbing from my headache chiseling away behind my eyelids.
“It’s not about the focus,” a low, silky voice murmured in my ear. I gave a start and let out a surprised whimper. Raiden was standing by my shoulder. He leaned closer, taking my breath away. His scent—sweet, clean, with an intoxicating swirl of something spicy—engulfed me, making me draw in a deep breath. God, someone could bottle the way he smelled and make a fortune. It should be a crime to be so handsome and smell so good but have such a stick in the mud personality.
Professor Davis cleared his throat and moved on to the lanky guy next to me who also couldn’t light his candle.
Raiden’s smooth voice caressed my ear, “It’s about the desire.”
My knees quaked at his words. Should words be able to undo someone like that? The knot which had formed in my belly at his arrival was unraveling fast, a feeling that left me rattled and confused. And wanting. Oh, man, did I want to wrap my arms around his neck and inhale the way he smelled until the day he died. I blushed at the thought. Stress. Stress was making me think awkward things.
“Professor Davis said, ‘it’s focus,’” I parroted hoarsely, wondering why he’d decided to come over. Perhaps he hadn’t terrorized me enough. Maybe he was the type of guy who liked to see how many buttons he could push on someone before they slammed their fist in his face. Heaven knew he’d definitely pressed a few of mine already. Including the ones that demanded I breathe him in, my arms around him. And maybe my legs.
Good grief, Ever! Get a freaking grip! He’s just a guy. A guy who keeps glaring at you like you broke his favorite toy.
“Professor Davis lacks creativity,” Raiden replied with a soft chuckle. “Watch.”
I stepped aside so that I was beside Raiden. There was a lurch in my guts to reach out and touch him.
What the hell is that about? Keep your hands to yourself, Torres! The guy hates you! He’s here to humiliate you! Remember his attitude in orientation?
I let out a small, surprised gasp as the flame sprung to life on the candle. It danced brightly.
“You’re a lock?” I asked in disbelief. I didn’t take him for one. All the ones I’d seen sort of fit the picture I had in my mind for them—regal with sparkling eyes. His eyes definitely didn’t sparkle. They looked exhausted and dead. And bored. Like he was simply being inconvenienced by just having to be in the presence of us lowly newbies.
“No,” he supplied, his face blank.
“Then how did you—”
“I am capable of many things, Miss Torres,” his voice was still low, his aquamarine gaze making my knees wobble. He was a bad ass and knew it. There was no doubt about it. “And I’m sure you are too. I’m interested in seeing what you’re capable of.”
“I don’t think candle lighting is really my thing,” my voice shook even though I was desperately trying to get it to sound strong and even—maybe even nonchalant and indifferent. Raiden had a way of making me feel like I had to step up my game to even be considered for conversation with him. Like I wasn’t cool enough just being me.
“Then maybe snuffing out the flame is,” he stated evenly, his voice almost bored sounding. “Try it.”
I looked to the flame and tried to focus again, wanting him to go away so the butterflies hammering on my stomach lining would simmer down so I could breathe without my face flushing.
What did he say? I had to desire it? Man, did I want it. Bad! Anything to make his overwhelming presence go away.
“You have to believe it as well,” Raiden added softly. “Want it. Believe it. Make it so. You know there are incredible things in the world. You’ve experienced them. This isn’t make-believe, Miss Torres. This is real. This is your reality.”
My gut clenched at his words. This was my reality. I didn’t want this. I never asked for it! I took a step back.
“I-I can’t do this—”
“You can,”
Raiden’s voice was fierce, making me jump. “Miss Torres, don’t run.”
I paused and looked at him, my fight or flight ready to kick in. He seemed intent on his belief in me. Almost desperate. The fear of being able to put the flame out made me want to throw up. It would confirm this nightmare.
“Don’t be afraid. You must try. Even if you fail, make the effort.”
“You’re one to talk,” I muttered, pulling in a deep breath and stepping back to the candle. The guy seemed like he never made an effort to smile or crack a joke. His room was probably painted black with the skulls from his hunts nailed to the rafters.
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing,” I grunted, wanting him to go away. There was something about him that had me on edge. An almost familiar need kept brewing in my core. It both thrilled and terrified me. And God knew I didn’t want to make an ass out of myself by making the weirdness apparent. Plus, he hated me. He hated everyone. It was evident in the way he carried himself and spoke.
If I put the flame out, he goes away.
I wanted it. I wanted him to leave me alone. I wanted the strange feelings inside me to go away.
I pushed all my desire out, and in a wisp of smoke, the flame extinguished, leaving behind the burned smell of wax and wick.
“Excellent,” Raiden commented. He didn’t smile. His face remained impassive as he nodded to Professor Davis.
“Now ignite it. If you can extinguish it, you can ignite it.”
“What if I don’t want to?” I challenged him, feeling tired. Magical candle snuffing seemed to drain me.
“Do it anyway,” he replied tightly, no room for my protests in his demeanor as he stood staring back at me, his hands behind his back like a tried and true soldier. “And please make it quick. We need to talk.”
