“You’re finally getting better,” Gabriel said.
His sweet, noble voice appeared so unexpectedly that I forgot my ailments and turned my head. The blinding pain exploded in my head and I let it fall back on the pillow. I was not in my flat.
“Ouch.”
“It sounds about right.”
I wished to talk to him but not now. Even moving my jaw hurt. I’ll never again touch the wine!
“What?” I asked. It was all I could get out of myself at this moment without compromising my sanity.
“You went to the ball and did all I’d warned you about.” All of sudden, my heart turned into a piston of a sportscar. He knows about the garden? How? Even if it was him, how could he tell I was the one? I cracked an eye open as my body was flushed with adrenaline. The pain dimmed and I decided to take a shot.
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“Ryder found you unconscious.”
“And?” I asked with dread.
Gabriel didn’t answer which was worse. It could mean anything. The silence took hold in the room, which looked so rich that I had to be in a palace. This fact didn’t alleviate my worries. The alpha king hated me and I couldn’t imagine why would he allow his greatest enemy to rest under his roof.
“Is that all?” I asked annoyed when a splitting headache returned. Maybe he didn’t know about the garden after all.
“Why did you do it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the wine. A few more glasses and you’d kill yourself, do you understand?” he said the last words with a shaken voice I didn’t expect to ever hear from him. I glared at him in a way only a famished person could when eyed a candy. His paperwhite hair was strange, his strong, tall body was an unlikely match for his gentle facial features and mannerism. But when everything came together, it made a surprisingly well-mixed creature. And the longer I watched him, the harder it was to peel my eyes off him. But he was right. I went overboard with the wine, drinking myself into oblivion, what kind of stunt did I try to pull off yesterday? And what is he not telling me? If I slept with another guy … muh, I hope I didn’t go that far.
“I had my reasons,” I said with a streak of stubbornness in my voice. Maybe the near-death experience awoke my inner demons because I didn’t feel like taking shit from anyone else anymore. I will go to the alpha king today … or better tomorrow and ask him if he wants me to go back. If so, I’ll gladly go. But there was one issue with this plan.
I didn’t want to go back.
“Did you do it because of our conversation before the ball?”
It occurred to me then that it wasn’t any stupid near-death experience that has gotten me into his dangerous state of mind, this had come earlier. I wasn’t able to answer Gabriel if I wanted to be feared because I hadn’t known back then. I knew now. I craved the respect of others. Is this something bad?
I nodded. A lie that came too easily. A lie I should be disgusted with but instead, I was contented and proud that Gabriel believed it. Now, it was time to go on the offensive.
“Is there anything that can make this pain go away?”
When he glanced away ashamed, I knew what it was they’ve done to me. Punishment. My father used similar methods on me, always letting me deal with the consequences of my actions. His excuse? Shifters face the problem as the pack, the alpha faces the problem in solitude. No matter. Gabriel was not my father and I was no child. I wouldn’t take that kind of treatment from him … or anyone else.
“I will instruct the servants to bring you something to alleviate the headache.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’ve done it in the morning,” I snapped.
The door opened just before Gabriel managed to respond and no one else but Ryder entered.
“Oh, I see, you’re already on it,” he said with a smirk. “But shouldn’t you rest?”
He grabbed a chair and sat down, heaving a leg over a leg and keeping his fist under his chin. Mischief played in his red eyes. In the face of this, my rage began dissolving.
“Easy for you to say, it isn’t your head that tries to expand with every twitch.”
“Cora, you drank yourself until you passed out,” Gabriel said stiffly. His noble bearing was suddenly grating on me. I knew it was because of how shitty I felt but he should’ve known better. So did you, I told myself. With my anger weakening, I couldn’t keep up my posture anymore so I did all I could do to preserve my image. I sniffed and turned away from them.
“Oh, don’t be like this, Cora,” Ryder said with a giggle. “And you, Gabriel. How many times have you passed out from drinking?”
“Not a single time.”
“Boring.”
The door slammed the next second and without looking back, I knew who entered. I couldn’t smell him as the wine has done something to my sense of smell, but the aura he cast hit me like a wall of icy water.
“Are you two lost your mind?”
“What do you want, Rocco?” Ryder asked. “Are you again running an errand for Imperia and decided to find a scapegoat to bully? Tough luck, anyone here can beat you.”
The sting the sentence contained was so powerful, I felt Rocco’s inner howl of agony.
“What did you say?” Rocco’s voice turned my blood to ice and my skin to gooseflesh. I expected fury from him, not the whisper. It possessed all the coldness in the world.
This is all wrong. I should’ve hated Goldfury and yet, I don’t … with exceptions. Now, I should be happy that the brothers are willing to fight over me and I am not.
“I said—”
“This is enough, Ryder,” Gabriel interrupted him. “This isn’t a laughing matter. Rocco’s one of Top Four now and he must maintain his reputation.”
“Cora’s a High-Rank, so?”
This is more than wrong. This is completely messed up. Gabriel should stand in my defense. Unless … it was him in the garden and he doesn’t know it was me. But then, why I felt nothing in his presence.
“No one tells she isn’t strong but you should refrain from ridiculing Rocco.”
“You’re on his side now?”
“I am on no one’s side. We’re brothers and all the world should see when they look at us is the unity. Especially in the light of recent events.” What recent events? Does he mean the attack on the Second Ring?
“You can have this discussion later. Now father wants to see you both,” Rocco said and left, slamming the door once more. Asshole! I only hope he isn’t the one from the garden. This would be a disaster. After all, it might not be a Goldfury, though my instinct insisted that it’d been one of them.
“I will send a servant with painkillers,” Gabriel said.
“Rest, you little drunk bird,” Ryder added and followed Gabriel outside.
I kept my mouth shut all this time. The headache returned and the promised servant with the painkillers didn’t appear. Soon, against my will, I fell asleep and spent another night in the palace.
Chapter 24
Obviously, my stay there didn’t last long. A bunch of rude servants charged in the next morning and chased me away. I almost hit one of them. My fist only stayed put because the servants claimed that aggression against them was equal to an attack on the alpha king himself. I had no idea if that was true, but losing a head over such a stupid thing was … stupid.
My flat welcomed me with its cold embrace and stark outlook but it felt more comfortable than the opulent bedroom in the palace. As I rummaged through the fridge, a sudden realization punched me in the stomach. Today was Sunday. Tomorrow the academy would officially start. I didn’t feel ready at all. Nonetheless, my worries were soon swept by another bout of thoughts about the secret garden and mysterious kisser. They nested in my head and refused to go away. I needed to know, who it was and why he’d said that the most beautiful moment in my life was wrong. What can be wrong with a sense of belonging and trust? There were holes in my understanding. The kiss did something to us, something I h
ad no clue about.
Food lost its taste and I ate on autopilot. Once done with the dinner, I checked on the timetable. It was magically changed based on the result from the initiation ritual. I had twice the number of classes on my plate now. And that was only the beginning of the trouble. In between some classes, I had added ‘other duties’. What in the moon’s name is this?
A knocking on the door rocked me out of the trans. I froze, smelling the scent from another night. The fur on my neck bristled and my wolf came to the skin of teeth from shifting. I kept it there as I approached the door. It was midday and the area I lived in wasn’t particularly secluded so I didn’t really expect an attack. I pulled a door open with a sudden motion not giving a shifter on another side time to react. No one there though. The strong scent was coming from the letter on the ground. I reached for it then, alarms in my head began blaring. I was in a magical world and remembered Gabriel’s warning. Clans used assassins to get rid of the rivals and without solid magical preparation, I was easy prey. What if the letter was magically poisoned or cursed?
I returned with two wooden forks. It took me a moment to open the letter and I certainly did draw some attention. Nothing happened to the forks so I threw them away. Just in case. Then I read the letter.
Meet me at midnight at Wolfric Square. Gabriel.
This was an obvious trap. What if it isn’t? After all, Gabriel didn’t return to see me out or sent a servant with painkillers. Maybe he is in trouble?
It still didn’t fit him to send me a letter like this. Or … he was the kisser and he decided to reveal the truth. No. This is wishful thinking.
*
If this was a trap then my flat was under observation. I sneaked out through the window that overlooked a dark yard. My wolf had never been this tense and I had never been this stupid. I had no idea where Wolfric Square was and the streets were empty, no one I could ask about the way. Tomorrow was the big day and everyone wanted to be fresh and ready – except me. I went against the tide. Not for the first or the last time.
With a few lucky guesses, I managed to stumble onto the square just before midnight. No. I didn’t plan to walk into the trap. I hoped to see if the letter really came from Gabriel. If that was the case, he would wait here.
He wasn’t.
It was a trap. Moon’s shit.
“I knew it will bring you here.”
I spun toward the source of the hoarse voice. I hadn’t heard it earlier. The man was tall but his stature was narrow. His face was hidden beneath a massive hood.
“Why not kill me at my flat? Why lure me here?”
His chuckle was soft and hollow. I sensed no amusement or malice in it.
“Your flat is under heavy surveillance at all times, Diremoon. Even this letter seemed like a risky endeavor. If they intercepted it, someone in the palace may have pieced together the puzzles. We don’t want that.”
Surveillance. Diremoon. Puzzles. What has my father sent me into? He must have some basic inclination what was waiting for me here. He’d never seemed an ignorant person blinded by his fantasies. Why hadn’t he questioned the summons? Did he truly believe that some on Shifter Island made a mistake and summoned me instead of him?
“Who are you? And what do you want from me?”
“A war is coming, girl. And you’re the final piece we must put in place to ensure Goldfury’s demise.”
“So that’s your plan? You desire to de-throne Goldfury.”
“No,” the man replied calmly. “We desire to return Shifter Island to its primal state. The alpha king and his cronies seek power, which is too great for them to wield. It will bring destruction to both, this and mortal worlds.” He sounded reasonable, way too reasonable. He said things I wanted to hear. So, shouldn’t I play along?
“How can I help you to bring them down?”
His scent changed immediately. Either he was smarter than I thought or he believed my intention to go ahead with his agenda. He half-turned, then whispered, “Keep visiting the bookstore and always buy the recommended books. We’ll send more instructions.” With that, he turned completely and started walking away.
“Why me?” I called after him.
Shadows swallowed his silhouette and with it, his scent vanished as well. If there were other people around, they masked their scents with magic. I stood in the dark square for another few minutes wondering about what I got myself into. Being a part of a war wasn’t my plan. Especially, going after the Goldfury brothers. I hated Rocco but it didn’t mean I wished to see him dead. As for the alpha king, well, it’d be better for everyone if that one went away. At least now, I know that the bookstore owner is their pal.
Run? My wolf’s own voice spooked me. The urge to shift into a wolf was at an all-time high. It would be so nice to just forget about the problems and run with nature. And then land in the palace garden? No. I’m sorry my wolf, but we must wait until they let us out of the town.
Chapter 25
Monday arrived with merciless punctuality. I haven’t managed to get a minute of sleep. If not a mysterious kisser then a stranger from the square walked inside my head as if it belonged to them and maybe it was the case. I dragged myself from the bed, got my school uniform on, filled the bag with books, and rushed to be on time. My first class was Wolf Control. I’d been convinced that my control was unmatched, but it clearly wasn’t. I lost it once.
I wish I could tell more about the design of the academy but its complexity seemed crafted with one goal in mind. To make me lost. Even with a map, it turned out difficult to navigate. Some corridors weren’t on the map!
“Hey! Diremoon!”
My eyes bulged and I instinctively searched for a place to hide. Heads swiveled around, eventually stopping on me. Eureka didn’t care at all. Her smile was wider than ever.
“What happened to you?”
“A long story.”
“Good. A boring class ahead of us. You can entertain me.”
Ignoring rude stares, we made our way to the class. Eureka’s map was working fine. So the sabotaging me has already started. I told her tidbits and she said to wait with the rest for Ava. She’d gone to see that her sister was properly treated by staff and students. I felt sorry for Ashley. Being a Low-Rank sounded like a curse to many people.
With the working map, we made it with a few minutes to spare. The door to the class was opened and most desks were unoccupied. They were arranged in a ‘U’ with the larger desk made out of dark wood at its top. I dreaded what was the space for.
Eureka picked for us the farthest seats from the teacher’s desk.
“We can talk here,” she said and we raised a wall of intense silence around us. She wanted to wait for Ava and I didn’t know how much should I tell them. That man from Wolfric Square was a no-go zone. He could have his spies in the academy. But much the same could be said about the alpha king. I couldn’t reveal my encounter with the mysterious kisser as well.
“To be honest there isn’t much to say.”
Eureka gave me a strange expression, which seemed to tell – “I don’t buy your bullshit.” Luckily, the class began filling up and the appearance of the teacher took away my willingness to have a conversation.
He had a long black mustache, it reached his waist, while his beard was short. Bushy eyebrows placed above the terrible eyes. One eye was milky, a relic like a scar running from his forehead through the bridge of his nose, then across his eye to end up on his chin. He wore a velvet black tunic opened on his large, hairy chest. A long black hair added to the image of a feral man.
In a low voice, he called for the order. Although he had only one working eye, it seemed to see through us. There was still a minute before the class officially started. When Rocco entered, I coughed in shock and the female part of the class sighed. The ginger chick that followed him made me gag though. She kept her face high, glaring at us with predatory eyes. Their brown color lacked vibrancy.
Ava dashed into the class last, almost bumping
into Anais Venturo.
“Sorry,” Ava said offhandedly, turning to us. Anais Venturo’s hand took a grip over Ava’s arm and the ginger bitch whispered something into Ava’s ear. It made my friend pale.
“Take your seats,” the teacher said in a low, coarse voice unaccustomed to speak. He completely ignored Venturo’s behavior. My wolf rushed to the surface and I began standing, but Eureka somehow sensed what was coming and stopped me.
“Don’t, Cora.”
I dropped back on the chair. Anais Venturo saw this and glared at me with a challenge. Instead, I took a page from Ryder’s book and offered her a sweet smile. That worked like a charm.
“Watch your back, Moonless,” she called.
“Silence,” the teacher growled, then he stood up and his lone eye swept the room. “To avoid future misunderstandings. Because of the nature of the class. I have permission from the alpha king to punish you as much as I see fit, short of killing you. I want this to soak into your bones. If I say jump, you jump. If I say bark, you bark. Understood?”
Good thing I wasn’t a diabetic. The sweetness caused by the pure indignation and rage on Venturo’s and Goldfury’s faces was too much. The teacher waited until these two acknowledged his words. I could hear the grating of their teeth. Eureka chuckled, but Ava remained deadly pale.
“What’s up?”
She glanced at me, then slowly began regaining her natural colors.
“I am a son of the alpha king,” Rocco smashed his fist against the table. “I will follow orders of my father and no one else.”
“What about you?” he aimed the question at Venturo. “Are you a daughter of the alpha king too?”
“I am a daughter of Vastim Venturo, a man who doesn’t take an offense lightly.”
Vastim?! Was she speaking about the soft, snake-like speaking man from the garden? If she was, then I underestimated her. Even the alpha king addressed the man with respect.
“So you are. Is there anyone else who wants to make a similar claim?” the teacher asked, his face severe. No one spoke up, we sensed a trap in his words. A moment passed and the silence grew insufferable. “Okay. Let’s discuss what’s just occurred and we can move on.”
Bewitched: A Paranormal Academy Romance Page 13
