by K. G. Reuss
I let out a soft moan that I couldn’t control as he pulled my finger into his mouth, his tongue sliding against it as he suckled. The storm of tingles in my belly grew as he drank as much from me as he could from the tiny wound. My back was practically arched on the couch in ecstasy. I was so deep into the euphoric feelings that I couldn’t make out the muttered words Marcus was saying.
“N-Nev,” I choked out as his sharp teeth raked against my finger. “S-stop.”
He let out a frustrated growl before releasing my finger. If I thought that small amount of blood would help his eyes lighten, I was wrong. If anything, his eyes had grown to a fierce black, the darkness nearly covering his entire eyeball.
“I can’t wait for you to say yes,” Nev said, wiping at his mouth. “You’re a tasty treat.”
I let out a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. “When will I know about seeing them?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll send a fire message off as soon as I can,” Marcus answered, moving to sit on my other side. “You’ll know as soon as we do. Claudia is doing a big gig right now. She’s hard to reach. Impossible, really. We can’t communicate with her until she communicates with us. We were hoping this would already be resolved without all of these meetings.” Marcus tsked at me. “Now, let’s get to the other piece of business. The sleeping charm. Good thing you have Wick outside to make sure you make it home in one piece. You look like you’re dead on your feet again.”
“I am,” I muttered, glancing at Nev who was appraising me silently, a starved look in his eyes.
“You still owe me a date, Ever,” he said. “You said at the dance you’d hang out with me.”
“I think this counts.”
He chuckled softly. “It doesn’t. We’ll get together soon. Alone.”
The way he said that sent a thrill of shivers down my spine. Maybe having him feed off me alone wouldn’t make it seem so weird. Having Marcus watch was uncomfortable.
Are you nuts? You can’t let Nev bite your neck!
Damn that euphoria talking. It really was a drug.
“Let’s do the charm. Curfew is almost up.” Marcus took my hands and began stringing together a muttered spell. The familiar feelings his words brought swept over me, making my eyelids heavy. When he was done, it was Nev who steered me out the door.
“Do you have any news on anything?” he asked as I sagged against him in exhaustion.
“Nothing,” I mumbled. “And you guys have my head confused. I don’t know who’s good and who’s bad anymore.”
“We’re all a little wicked on the inside. It’s just a matter of perspective.”
“That’s not helpful.”
Nev laughed softly as we rounded the corner outside to find Damien leaning against the building looking bored out of his mind.
“I made you feel good tonight, Ever. I can make that a reality every night.”
“Are you propositioning me?” I raised a tired brow at him.
“Maybe. Are you interested?”
I bit my lip and glanced up at him. “No. I-I can’t be.”
“But you are.”
“Never.”
“You know never is both our names together?”
“Um, not quite,” I shook my head.
“Close enough. So just go with it. I think it’s meant to be.”
I let out a soft laugh. “You think so? Never means no way.”
“Not in our case. So what do you say? Let’s give it a go.”
“Maybe,” I murmured, not sure where the words were coming from. The effects of his mouth on my finger were still coursing through me.
“That’s all I needed to hear. Just say the word, and I’ll be there.” We stopped in front of Damien.
“About damn time,” he huffed, his eyes sweeping over me and Nev.
“Perfection takes time, Wick. You wouldn’t know anything about that though, I suppose.”
“Piss off, Blackburn.” Damien yawned, looking bored as he shoved off the wall he’d been leaning against. “Ever, you have Ambrose do his voodoo?”
“Yeah,” I answered tiredly. “I’m going to fall asleep if I don’t get home soon.”
Damien held an arm out to me, and I took it gratefully.
“Ever. Remember,” Nev called out to me as Damien steered me away.
“Never,” I answered, glancing over my shoulder at Nev. His lips turned up into a smile, his dark eyes glinting like cat eyes in the moonlight.
Thirty-Nine
Raiden
I’d spent the past few weeks rolling around the things Ever had said to me when I’d been in her bedroom as Shadow. With Eric telling me about her grandma going here, I was beyond curious. Taking the time to dig into what she’d said, I’d come up with nothing. A week ago, I contacted Brighton, asking him for information on Ever’s grandma and her attendance at Dementon.
Of course he had to get back to me at the worst possible time. I wasn’t sure what had come over me. I’d nearly kissed her. I hadn’t fought with myself over it. I wasn’t even thinking. I just knew I wanted it and let my body do the work, shutting my brain down.
I should be trying to break the news of her honorary membership to Conexus to her, not trying to kiss her.
I don’t even know what I would’ve done if I had kissed her. Then what? There had to be a ‘then what’. You didn’t just kiss someone for nothing to happen after. In a way, I was grateful for the interruption. In another way, I hated it.
Adding to my mounting frustrations was knowing she was out there with Ambrose. At least Damien was with her. That gave me some peace of mind.
“General.” Brighton gave me a curt nod as I stepped into my office back at the house. Ceres, his hellhound, came to me and nuzzled against my hand. I gave her a quick pat on the head and sat down.
“You have shit timing,” I said, scowling. “Let’s hope whatever you want doesn’t add to my bad mood.”
Brighton tossed a manilla folder onto my desk and sat back, staring at me.
“What’s this?” I flipped through the old pages, frowning.
“The information you asked for. On Claudia Hastings. It’s all there. She attended school here many years ago. A gifted fae psychic with a bid for Conexus. In fact, she was so good, she was considered for running her own group after graduation.”
“Really?” I gave Brighton a surprised look. “Why haven’t I heard of her before?”
“Because she died, General.”
“What?” I stopped flipping through the pages and quirked an eyebrow at Brighton in confusion. “How is that possible?”
He fidgeted and glanced down to Ceres who whimpered.
“She didn’t want to be part of Conexus.”
“No one wants to be part of Conexus unless they’re either nuts or glory bound,” I grumbled. “And it certainly doesn’t explain how she could’ve died when Ever is in existence.”
Brighton looked at his hands for a moment before letting out a sigh. “She was in love with another. Being in Conexus didn’t afford her to love outside her rank. She chose to die in such a way that she could live her life with the one she loved.”
“She… faked her death?”
“She was meant for more, General. She wanted to go under the radar.”
“What’s more in the world than being a part of Conexus?”
“Being a part of the Cipher.”
My mouth went dry, my heart thudding unevenly in my chest. “What? Ever’s grandmother was Cipher?”
Ceres whined again, her large, luminous eyes staring up at me, a paw on my thigh. I frowned down at her, a dull roar in my ears. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Not everything is as it seems, Raiden,” Brighton’s voice was soft. I focused my eyes on him, the use of my name causing me to swallow.
“It seems pretty cut and dry to me, Headmaster. Her grandma was a rebel. A fugitive. No matter how young she was, she still broke our laws. If the Order ever finds out about this, it’ll be anoth
er reason for Ever to be brought before them. How-how could this have even happened?” I got to my feet and paced the room while both Brighton and Ceres stared at me. I paused and looked to Brighton.
“And how do you know she was Cipher if she was never captured?”
“Because. She was my friend.”
“You knew about this the whole time and didn’t tell me?” I stared in disbelief at him.
“As I’ve said, she was my friend.”
“It doesn’t matter if she was your friend! What she was made you guilty by association! Were you a part of it too?” I demanded, my chest heaving with the deep, ragged breaths I was drawing in.
Brighton frowned at me. All he had to do was say yes, and I’d take him into custody. It didn’t matter if he was Cipher fifty years ago or fifty seconds ago. A crime was a crime in our world, and being Cipher was one of the biggest.
“No. I wasn’t,” his voice shook as he glanced at Ceres who gave a growl. I glanced between the two of them as they stared one another down. Brighton seemed to pull out of his reverie, because his gray eyes focused on me. “But you have it wrong, General. I really think you need to investigate what’s going on. We both know about the teen Natties being systematically killed. Being tested to see if they were true whisperers. To see if they were the Mancer. We’re at war. And both sides would do anything to win. Even harm innocents.”
I ground my teeth at Brighton. “While the Order has its… quirks, I do not think I need to call my loyalty into question. I don’t always agree with the Order, but we want the same things.”
“And what things are those?”
“The vampires dead. They killed my mother. They don’t deserve our compassion. They have none for any of us—”
Ceres let out a loud bark, a growl slipping past her lips as she glared at me. Ceres always liked me, but the way she was looking at me right then had me narrowing my eyes at her.
“I advise you to call down your beast,” I hissed to Brighton.
“Ceres means you no harm. She’s just a gentle soul who wants your happiness. You won’t find that by eradicating a race based on a history that you think you know.”
I glared at Brighton. “I was the one to find my mother’s body. I saw the holes in her neck, the tears in her skin, the blood… so much blood.” I shook the ugly image out of my head. “Whatever the Order decides in regards to the vampires, I’m on board with.”
“And what of Everly?”
“What of her? She’s training to take care of herself.”
“Are you going to tell her about her grandmother?”
I grabbed the file on her grandmother and shoved it into my desk.
“No. She has more important things she needs to focus on. A lying, treacherous family member is not one of those things.”
“I see,” Brighton said, getting to his feet. “Will you be telling the Order?”
I ground my teeth together for a moment. Everly would be hauled in for questioning, first by the Order before it was handed down to me to gain information.
“No,” I whispered. “I won’t be telling them.”
“Makes you wonder what side you’re really on, doesn’t it?” Brighton moved to my door, me glaring after him, and opened it.
“I’m on the side of keeping her safe,” I snarled at him.
“Then you may want to re-evaluate who you report to, General. Have a good night.”
And with that, he and Ceres left me standing there, wondering if maybe I should be looking into Headmaster Brighton as a possible Cipher member.
“How was the meeting with Ambrose?” I grunted when Damien walked in the door later that evening. I’d spent the past hour rolling around what Brighton had said. I knew the Order had its shady moments. I wasn’t denying that. And I was already worried for Ever’s safety in regards to them. Now, I was going to stress even more considering her family had Cipher ties. It was no secret that anyone with ties to the Cipher was hauled in and interrogated. I seemed to be doing a lot of that as of late. The last thing I wanted was Everly’s pretty eyes shedding tears as I threatened her. I shivered at the thought.
“Lame, as expected. She did great making it quick. Also, it was at Nevron’s place.”
I growled and shook my head. That girl…
“No issues then?”
“None except it looks like Blackburn has gone off blood again. We’ll need to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t bloodlust and drain half the student body.”
“Noted,” I muttered, disgusted at Blackburn’s idea of a good time. I hated the idea of Everly hanging out with him. He was dangerous for so many reasons, his bloodlust just one thing on a laundry list of many.
“So…” Damien grinned at me, following me into the kitchen where I pulled a bottled water from the fridge. “You and Ever, huh? Finally got the balls to do something?”
“No,” I lied, swallowing down the butterflies that came to life in my guts at the mention of almost kissing her. “Why? Did she say something?”
He smirked at me, folding his arms over his chest. “Maybe.”
“It’s not like that.” I shook my head at him. “Nothing happened. I’m sorry if I made her think otherwise. I just lost myself for a moment and almost made a terrible mistake.”
Damien let loose with a laugh. “I’m just playing with you, man. She told me nothing happened.”
“You asked her?” I demanded, the whirlwind in my guts picking up pace.
“Of course.” Damien shrugged, moving past me to get his own water. “I know what I saw. I know if I hadn’t come in when I did, you’d have acted on your impulses and be worried about what to do next. But hell, maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe you’d have gotten off your ass and told her you’re Shadow.”
“Maybe,” I mused. “Or maybe I would’ve just made everything worse.”
Damien tipped his bottled water at me and winked. “I’m going with you making it worse.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“So what did Brighton want? Anything good?”
Sighing, I nodded. “Ever’s grandmother was Cipher.”
“What?” Damien practically showered me with his mouthful of water.
“It’s true.” I wiped a sprinkle of water off my cheek. I hated knowing. Knowing and not reporting it put my loyalties into question. If the Order ever found out that I had knowledge and never said anything… well, it wouldn’t be good. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You can’t tell the Order. If they find out, she’ll be hauled in for interrogation, which means me, you, and Eric will have a not-so-fun night with Everly. I’m going to be honest, man. I don’t think I could do it.”
“Nor I,” I murmured, running my fingers through my hair. “So we keep this quiet.” I glanced over Damien’s shoulder at the sound of a creaking floorboard. When I didn’t see anyone, I turned my attention back to him.
“Deal.” Damien finished his water as I leaned on the counter, deep in thought. I wanted to see Everly. I needed to. We had unfinished business, and it wasn’t just the near kiss. I had to give her the honorary membership.
“I’m going to head to bed. Professor Dillard has me shifting for the class tomorrow. He wants me to do a few different ones as a demonstration. I know they’re going to wear my ass out, so I need some sleep.”
“You taking requests?”
Damien snorted. “Last time I took a request, I was asked to shift into a fluffy kitten. Not that I minded all the ladies petting me, but the guys were asses. I’m pretty sure I earned the nickname pus—”
“That’ll suffice.” I laughed, stopping him from finishing his sentence. He shot me a grin before bidding me good night. I warred with myself for a moment before I decided to sleep as well.
Tomorrow. I’d tell her tomorrow.
Forty
Everly
“Miss Torres,” Raiden’s deep voice called out to me as I trudged across campus with my bookbag slung over my shoulder. I stopped my stom
p and turned to see him approaching me, black robes billowing and students scattering away from him.
“Please tell me you’re canceling training tonight,” I said the moment he was next to me.
His eyes swept over my face quickly, worry reflecting in them. Something had changed in him over the past few weeks. Something that made me want to reach out and clock him while simultaneously pulling him in for a soul-searing kiss.
Ugh! Stop being a damn weirdo! You’re doing it again!
“You’re exhausted,” he murmured, his fingers brushing against my cheek. Warmth flooded every fiber of my body at his touch. I found myself leaning into it despite telling myself to not open that can of worms.
He must have had the same thought because he pulled his hand away quickly and cleared his throat.
“I need to speak with you.”
“OK. Does it have to be in private?” My stomach twisted in knots at what he could possibly need to talk to me about.
“Yes, I think that would be best.” He gestured for me to follow him. I caught Abby and Harper coming toward me. They halted in their tracks, their eyes filled with concern. I shot them a tight smile.
“How’s Eric?” I asked as we strode through campus. It felt weird to walk in silence. My brain was screaming at me to say something, anything.
“Eric is doing well. Busy.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Depends on how you look at it.” Raiden shot me a quick look before taking my arm and pulling me into a dark corner of one of the campus buildings. The tall bushes hid us from view of students, much to my relief. Of course, coming out of there might be an issue if anyone saw.
“This is weird,” I muttered, staring up at him.
“I’m sorry about that. I just really need to speak to you, and since you don’t possess the mind melding ability the rest of us do, and I don’t want to be openly casting, this is the next best thing.”
“A dark corner behind some bushes? As if there aren’t enough rumors going around,” I grumbled.
