“If you have no further questions, Miss Haylan, you’re excused.”
I felt a slight tremor in my bond coming from Slade. When I glanced at him, his brows drew together, and he gave a slight shake of his head. I didn’t need an exchange of words to know what he was trying to tell me. My guardians hadn’t been able to find a lead on Rose or Natasha. Even though I had come close, I couldn’t leave this room without alerting the council that something could be wrong.
After clearing my throat, I said, “I have a concern I would like to bring to the council.”
There was no way I could tell them that Rose was supposed to meet me in the human realm. They would hold me responsible for taking her with me in the first place. She was a rule follower and I would be blamed for corrupting her, even though she was the one who had begged to go. Traveling to the human realm wasn’t an option for all witches. We were at the academy for a reason—to learn to control our magic. While I had a handle on mine, others weren’t as fortunate, including Rose. One mishap in front of humans would have disastrous consequences. So taking her with me had been a huge risk.
“I believe something may have happened to Rose and Natasha. Rose and I were supposed to study the other night and Natasha and I were supposed to meet for breakfast. Neither showed, and they haven’t returned any of my calls. I checked around the dorms and no one has seen them.”
The council members exchanged surprised glances before finally focusing back on me. A shadow crossed over the high priestess’s face. Had I not been staring at her, I would have missed it. Did she already know that they were missing?
“We are aware that you spend quite a bit of time in the human realm. Which is understandable, given that it’s part of your training. Is there something more that you aren’t telling us? Did something happen to them in the human realm? You have a pass to cross the veil to the human side. Rose and Natasha do not.”
I felt the burn of tears in my eyes. The council blamed me for their disappearances. Which was why I didn’t want them to know that Rose was supposed to meet me at the bar. I couldn’t tell them about the tracking spell I did earlier or how I felt the pull of her life force. It was nowhere near where we crossed through the veil.
“The last time I saw them was here.”
The high priestess’s hardened gaze studied me as if her glare alone could gauge if I was telling the truth. Who knows, with her powers, maybe she had that ability.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Miss Haylan,” she said. “We will handle this from here. We hope that you keep this to yourself. We don’t want the other girls to panic until we know what we are dealing with.”
I thought for sure Melynn would have something sarcastic to say, especially since I was the last person Rose and Natasha were supposed to meet. When I turned toward her, she wasn’t even looking at me. Her eyes were downcast, and her hands were fisted on the table.
My magic prickled under my skin. Something didn’t feel right to me and my magic agreed. There was more going on here than the council was saying.
“Miss Haylan?” The high priestess’s curt tone snapped my attention back to her. “If there is nothing else, you are dismissed.”
I opened my mouth to say more, but Slade stepped to my side. He gripped my arm then steered me toward the door. I tried to escape his grasp, but his fingers only dug in harder as he pulled me along. Jax, Quinn, and Roark followed.
How could Rayna dismiss me so easily? These were my friends, and I wanted to help find them or at least know what they planned to do.
Under his breath, Jax said, “Not now, Samara. You know the consequences if you disrespect the council.”
My friends were missing, and I was being blamed. The council could go to hell for all I cared.
3
The council was hiding something from me. I still didn’t know what, but the more their words played in my mind, the more the power inside me stirred. Did they know more about what happened with Natasha and Rose than they were letting on?
Anger spiraled through me at the thought of something happening to my friends. They were two of the most rule-abiding students at the academy, and two of the stronger witches in the coven. For them to vanish with no one knowing what happened to them struck me as odd.
Our energy left a trail. The witches on the high council had the ability and knowledge to locate my friends, but I couldn’t shake this feeling that something was off. Their curious stares and grim faces shook me most. Part of me worried that they’d discovered my secrets and that they had been watching me. After my meeting, I had no doubt. If they found out I’d dabbled in ancient spells…
“Samara, are you going to answer my question?”
I focused again on Zander. He stood in the doorway of his house, his head cocked to the side as if he was confused. When I didn’t answer him for a second time, he motioned me to enter. I unfolded my arms from my chest and trudged past him, feeling as if I bore the weight of several realms on my shoulders. I guessed in a way, I did.
Once the door closed behind us, I stared at the couch he and I had cuddled on many times during our five-year relationship. I’d love to be curled up with him now, forgetting about everyone and everything. Peace filled me whenever I was in the arms of my wolf shifter.
“What brings you by?” he asked. “I didn’t think we were getting together until later this week?”
“I, uh, don’t know. I just…”
This time when I grew quiet, he smirked at me. “Still acting like a space cadet, I see. Where is your head, girl?”
The weight of my concern for my friends crushed me. My lips trembled. I sucked in a shaky breath just before Zander’s arms went around me. The warmth of his chest caressed my cheek as I snuggled closer.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “Don’t cry, beautiful. It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s worse than you think,” I mumbled the words against his chest, then took a deep breath. My head spun the more I tried to make sense of anything. The unease creeping into my life would only get worse if I pursued an answer, but I owed it to my friends to figure out what happened to them.
Rose and Natasha were my motivation for being here with Zander. They were the reason I was about to break so many rules and why I would ask Zander to do the same. I had to do this, and not for selfish reasons. Everything in me said what happened to my friends wasn’t a one-time occurrence, that it happened before, and it would happen again.
I eased away from Zander’s chest to look in his eyes. “Rose and Natasha are missing. I’m worried something terrible has happened.”
“Seriously?” His eyes grew wider when I nodded. “Damn. I hadn’t heard. I assume the council is searching for them. Right?”
I shrugged. “They say they are, but I don’t know. Something just doesn’t add up. I just left a meeting with the council, and it feels like they’re blaming me for Rose’s and Natasha’s disappearances.”
Zander’s head jerked back and his brows folded. “That’s a bold accusation, Samara. Are you sure they’re accusing you?”
“They haven’t accused me of harming them as much as saying my behavior may have jeopardized my friends.”
“I see.” Zander pursed his lips and shook his head. “How much trouble are you in?”
“I have no idea.”
“Is this because of Thomas?”
“No,” I snapped.
When he winced at my reaction, I took in a few deep breaths and reined in my anger. I wouldn’t take this out on Zander. He was worried about me. Deep down, I knew that was why he’d brought up my human boyfriend.
“I was crossing over to the human realm long before I met Thomas,” I said. “It’s been part of my training.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t involved with a human back then. Now you are. Someone could have followed you, Samara.”
My chest tightened as my anger increased. “Great. So you agree with the council.”
I turned and marched toward th
e door. I was halfway to it before strong arms wrapped around me.
Zander buried his face against my neck and squeezed me tighter. “I’m sorry, Samara. I never said I agreed with the council, but I see their concerns. Still, it doesn’t mean you caused Rose or Natasha’s disappearances.”
He eased his arms away from me and turned me to face him. His fingertips caused my skin to heat as he stroked my cheek. The moment he cupped my jaw, I pressed my cheek against his palm and did my best to relax.
“You’re not the only supernatural that’s been assigned to learn about the outside world,” he said. “It’s been part of my training too, as it has been with many others. Every supernatural makes a choice on how to interact with people once they step inside the human realm. One person can’t be held responsible.”
“So you don’t blame me?” The tension in my shoulders eased. I should have known that Zander would stand by my side.
“No. They’re trying to scare you so you’ll do the right thing. Your power protects the realms. No human can penetrate the veil without a supernatural’s assistance.”
He was right, but did I dare tell him the rest? A few months ago, I’d noticed a shift in the veil’s energy field which protected the supernatural realms from the human one. While I didn’t think a human could find any portals, I sensed a weakness in the barrier between our worlds. Old magic could keep it intact, but it was forbidden to practice it. New magic wouldn’t be enough to save us if the veil broke. Neither would I.
Thomas wasn’t my only reason for wanting supernaturals and humans to find peace amongst each other. Granted, I didn’t want to hide my relationship with Thomas from my coven, but I had no choice. I hated lying to him and wished that I could tell him who and what I was. But there was a bigger picture to see. If we made amends with humans and revealed ourselves to them now, we had a better chance of a peaceful transition. If humans learned about us because the veil broke, we’d face greater opposition, led by one motivating factor. Fear.
Breaking our embrace, I turned toward the window and crept toward it. “The council urged me not to pursue this any further. They want me to focus on my studies, but I can’t.”
“What about getting someone to help? Maybe Slade, Roark, or one of your other guardians can search for your friends while you focus on your classes. I’m willing to give them a hand if they need it. There aren’t many trails we wolves can’t track.”
“My guardians are searching, but I can’t sit by and pretend this isn’t happening.” I glanced away from the window, back in his direction. “There’s no way they will allow me to help them. I’m already on their shit list.”
Zander’s brows folded. “What did you do?”
He wouldn’t like my answer, but I couldn’t lie. “I saw Thomas last night, and they busted me.”
Disappointment filled his golden eyes. He’d warned me about meeting up with Thomas and breaking the rules of the Pararealm. It made what I was about to ask him more difficult. Still, I needed someone in my corner, just like Rose and Natasha needed someone in theirs.
“Go ahead, Zander. Tell me how disappointed you are in me. I see it in your eyes.”
“It’s not disappointment you see. It’s concern. This human consort of yours doesn’t even know you’re a witch. You’re risking everything for someone who may not accept who you are.” His gaze lowered to the floor as he slumped his shoulders. “I’ve learned to share you, Samara, but I’m not willing to lose you. If this human can’t accept who you are…”
“There’s more at stake, Zander.” I left the window and joined him near the edge of the sofa. “This isn’t just about my personal feelings toward humans. It’s about creating peace and educating people not to be afraid of what they don’t know. It’s about living in harmony.”
When he grew quiet, I reached for his hands and laced my fingers between his. “Imagine if wolves and witches were not allowed to be together. What if we hadn’t been assigned projects in school to learn about each other? What if we feared each other to the point we hid our existence? It was the war on supernaturals so many centuries ago that united all of us, but what if we were never given a choice?”
The muscles in his jaw clenched as he thought about my words. At least I hoped he was thinking about them. It was the only way I knew to put this in a perspective he could understand.
A few seconds later, he squeezed my hand gently. “I couldn’t imagine living in a world without you, that much I do know. I just hope you’re right about everything else.”
“Trust me. I’ve thought about this all my life. Now I have the opportunity to make a difference.” I closed the small amount of space between us and returned to his arms. “I can’t do this alone, Zander. I need your help.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to ask your guardians for help?”
“I can’t. Their duty is to protect me and the power I control. Right now, they think the best way to do that is to keep me on campus, even if they have to lock me in my room. I have to find my friends, Zander. Wouldn’t you want them to look for me if I was the one missing?”
“Of course I would.” He brushed my cheek with his thumb and looked into my eyes. “You know you have my loyalty, always. I’ll do whatever I can to help, Samara.”
“Even if it means helping me go against the rules? If we’re caught, you could get in trouble with your pack.”
He didn’t bat an eye as he nodded and grabbed both sides of my face. “Had you asked me this five minutes ago, I might have said no. After hearing how you feel…” His throat wobbled as he swallowed. “If you feel there’s a reason to investigate what happened, even if it goes against the rules, I will do whatever it takes to help you.”
I released the breath I’d held then drew in another. His answer relieved my mind. I didn’t doubt he would help me, but it had to be for more reasons than his love for me. It had to be because what I was doing was right.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
“I need you to do what you do best. Track people. After using an old family spell, I think I may have found enough of Rose’s energy to get us in the right direction. Hopefully, you’ll find a trail that will lead us to her and Natasha.”
“It sounds easy enough, but how do you plan to do this without your guardians figuring it out—or worse—tipping off the council?”
“Don’t worry about the council. I’ve dodged their prying eyes many times since arriving at the academy. It’s my guardians who aren’t easily fooled.” I raised my arm and touched the witch’s knot tattoo on my wrist. “You know that my connection to my guardians thrives through this tattoo.”
“Yeah. So what’s your plan?”
“I’ll tell you after you promise me one last thing, and this will be the hardest secret to keep.”
His chest rose and fell as he sighed. “I promise.”
I rubbed over the tattoo one more time before meeting Zander’s eyes. “You can never tell anyone I found a way to cloak myself from my guardians.”
4
The sun sank behind the farthest building at the academy. Time was almost up.
My feet throbbed from the amount of ground Zander and I had covered. Over the past two hours of searching for Rose and Natasha, we’d dodged council members everywhere we turned. Those conversations weren’t the only ones we avoided. We had to rush past a few friends we knew could talk for hours. One we couldn’t avoid which put us behind schedule. If we didn’t find something soon, we would have to abandon our search for the night.
I couldn’t be late for my new lunar magic class, not after my meeting with the council. The fewer reasons I gave them to check on me, the better off I would be. Their prying eyes were unwelcome, especially after the vibes I’d felt during the meeting.
By the time Zander and I reached the main building where most of my classes were held, we found empty hallways. Day classes were over, and short of a few professors planning their next lessons, the building was empty. It was the reaso
n Zander and I had saved it for last.
As we crept down the hallway, my ears rang. I pressed my fingers to my temple, hoping the noise would pass. Instead, it grew louder.
I fell a few steps behind Zander. He led us past the potions lab, observatory, and several more classrooms before the ringing ceased. A door closed in the distance, drawing our attention to a room at the end of the hall. Someone was headed our way.
Before I could see who it was, Zander pulled me out of view. He backed me into a recessed doorway that led to the herbs and plants room. We stood in silence, our bodies pressed together, as we waited for the person to pass us.
It was hard to focus on anything but the feel of Zander’s body. My senses went into overdrive. Every breath he took made me more aware of how little time I’d made for him lately. We hadn’t slept together in weeks. I craved him, and when all of this was over, I’d satisfy that need.
Footsteps echoed through the hall. Each one grew louder until someone wearing a cloak walked past us. I couldn’t see who it was, let alone if it was a man or woman. With hurried steps, they disappeared down the hall and out of sight.
Verum insidiatur.
I glanced at Zander. “What did you say?”
His brows pinched. “I didn’t say anything.”
Was he joking? Someone had just spoken. In fact, it sounded like several voices speaking at once, and the words uttered had come as a cryptic message: the truth lies in wait.
For a moment, I thought the cloaked person was still inside the building somewhere and their voice had echoed back to us. Yet when I moved away from the doorway and searched the hall, I saw no one.
The harder I thought about it, the more I realized the voice sounded a lot like the one I’d heard the other day when I’d used old magic.
“Did you hear something?” Zander stared at me with his big, curious eyes, but I didn’t want to worry him.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “My mind’s playing tricks on me. I’m stressed because we’ve found no sign of Rose or Natasha, and I’m almost out of time. My late class starts in less than an hour.”
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