by Cara E Holt
I glare at him as the words spill out of my mouth. “You are ridiculously hot, your eyes are amazing. I like that thing you do with your tongue.” I stick my fist in my mouth to attempt to stop any more words falling out of my mouth.
Drayce grins like a Cheshire cat. “Tell me more.” He commands, pulling my fist out of my mouth and holding my hands down at my side.
“I like how you hold my hand. I like your arse; it’s so firm and biteable.”
“Oh, this is so much fun.” He chuckles, making me throw daggers at him with my eyes. If looks could kill, Drayce Black would be nothing but ash right now. “Carry on Latimer.”
“I like your smile. I like you naked. I like kissing you.” I bite on my lip in my attempt to save myself any more humiliation.
“I like you naked as well my raven.” He grins as he leans in to kiss me.
Before his lips reach mine, I push his face away with my hand. “Not a chance arsehole. Now un-spell me and then I can turn you into something horrid.”
“Tell me what you want?” He asks in challenge.
“I want to knee you in the balls and then kiss you hard.” Damn truth spell!!
He laughs again and then his smile drops and he turns all serious with a sigh. “Want to know a truth? You make me feel like that every single second of the day.”
“You’d have a hard job kicking me in the balls Black.” I reply, and suddenly we are both grinning at each other again. “Remove the spell ice-man.”
“De dimittere spell.”
“I also think you’re a conceited, elitist, big-headed bastard.” I tell him as soon as I feel the spell lift.
He just grins wider. “Yeah, but I’m ridiculously hot.”
I roll my eyes. He was never going to let me forget this. “I will get you back for that Black.
He nods. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you Latimer.” He pulls the vial out of his pocket and dangles it between us. “Now tell me about this.”
“Well its blood, obviously.” I say somewhat sarcastically, and he sighs and waits for me to continue. “I found it on a leaf off that old oak tree. Whoever attacked her must have caught themselves on the branch.” I reach for the vial and he immediately raises it higher out of my reach. “I thought that maybe I.., or we, could do a tracking spell.”
“Glad you said ‘we’, because as kick-ass as you might think you are little raven, this is not something you can go off and do alone. You get me?”
I nod, pursing my lips and frowning. “Yes I get you.”
Drayce studies me. “What I don’t get is how you found this? Mistress Isolde said that they all tried revealing spells to find any evidence and nothing worked. Did you find this by chance or through using magic?”
“Magic.”
Drayce looks puzzled. “So why did your magic work, but not any of theirs?”
“I have no clue Jessica Fletcher. So are you in on the tracking spell idea?”
Drayce bobs his head side-to-side as if considering his answer. “I don’t know. We really should take this to Mistress Isolde.”
I huff. “Mr Procedures. Live a little Drayce. We need to catch this guy before he attacks any more students and gets the academy closed down indefinitely.”
Drayce twirls the vial around in his hand. “Okay, we do the tracking spell, but..,”
“Should have known there’d be a but.” I mutter, sighing.
“But, once we have done the spell and know where he is, we tell Mistress Isolde and let her decide what happens next.”
I sigh in disappointment. “Party pooper.”
His eyes sparkle with mischief. “I’ll make it up to you.” He tells me as his hand brushes across my stomach under my top and he leans into my ear. “I’ll do that thing with my tongue you like.”
I groan. Cauldrons tits! He was never going to let me forget the words I’d just uttered.
Meara chews on her lip and eyes the vial, whilst Thorin sits there quiet, saying nothing.
I throw my hands up in the air. “Come on guys, you’re leaving me hanging here!”
“I’m in.” Meara tells me, and I grin widely at her.
“I knew you’d say yes.” Then I look to Thorin. “Well?”
He looks from me to Drayce. “You okay with this?”
I groan and shoo his question away with my hand. “Yes of course he is. Just say yes Thorin.”
“Yes.” He replies flatly, not looking convinced at all that this is a good idea.
“Okay, let’s do this.” I announce, and I pull out a map I stole off Professor Jarvis’ wall.
I place the map on the dining table and then hand out three candles to everyone, keeping one for myself. We each light them and place them at each corner of the map. We all stand at each corner and Drayce takes the leaf out of the vial and holds it over the centre of the map.
“Ready?” He asks us all and we all nod and begin to chant.
“Blood of thee I do seek, come to me. Wherever ye hide, I shall see and as my word, so mote it be.”
We repeat the chant three times and then Drayce squeezes the leaf and the blood drips on to the map. The blood swirls for a few seconds in the centre of the map and then it moves, slithering like a snake across the map. Slowly it makes its way across the map towards me and then slips off the map onto the table and drips onto the floor and comes to a stop at my feet.
I look up confused at the others. “What the..,?”
Thorin sighs. “Elara this is your blood.”
I shake my head forcefully. “No it’s not. I swear.”
Meara looks at me and shrugs. “Maybe you passed that tree recently and caught yourself without realising on a branch?”
“No.” I insist, frowning. “That’s not what happened. This isn’t my blood guys.”
I look to Drayce who up to now has been stood quiet, watching me. He turns his attention to Meara and Thorin. “Thanks for trying this with us guys. If you don’t mind I need to talk to Elara alone.”
Meara gives me a sympathetic smile as she nods and Thorin follows her out of the room. Drayce turns to face me, a worrying frown on his face. “There could be another explanation.”
I look up at him expectantly.
He looks hesitant. “I’m sure I’m wrong, but maybe you share the same bloodline as the attacker.”
A cold shiver runs down my spine as I digest what he I suggesting. “You mean.., you think I could be related to this monster?”
He remains quiet, but nods in response. “No. There must be another explanation. There’s no way that is the answer.”
“It would explain why they keep leaving cryptic messages for you.” He suggests and gives me an apologetic look as soon as the words are out of his mouth.
I step back and sit down on one of the dining chairs. “It’s not possible.”
Drayce walks around to me and crouches in front of my chair. “Think about it. It’s not that crazy an idea. That stone they left awoke your vampire side. He said he was coming for you, plus, we don’t know who your real parents are.”
I drop my head and look at our joined hands. “So you’re asking me to accept that not only am I some freak of nature hybrid, but that I am also related to some psychotic dark supernatural who likes draining witches of their powers?”
Drayce lifts my chin with his finger, making me look at him. “You are not a freak of nature.”
I don’t get to reply as there is a knock at Drayce’s dorm door and with a quick squeeze of my hand he gets up and answers it.
“Oh hi.” I look up to see Lorelai stood there. “Mistress Isolde asked me to tell you she needs to see you both in her office.” She gives me a strange look and then turns and skips away.
“That girl is strange.” Drayce comments as he closes the door and turns his attention back to me. “We’ll talk about this more later on, okay?”
“Can’t wait.” I reply with a deep sigh.
Ten minutes later we enter Mistress Isolde’s office and both
Drayce and I stop in our steps when we see his father sat there.
“Dad?”
“Please take a seat both of you.” Mistress Isolde says with a tight smile. Whatever news was about to be delivered, it was clearly not good if it had demanded a member of the council to be present.
Drayce ushers me into a seat and sits beside me and we both look expectantly at Mistress Isolde.
“As you both know, this is the fifth attack on a student now. This monster whoever and whatever it is, has managed to get past all our wards and carry out the attacks undetected. To do that, they have to be very powerful. We cannot keep you safe here right now, Elara.”
“You’re expelling me.” I state rather than ask.
“No, no dear, of course not.” Mistress Isolde rushes to reassure me, and offers me an apologetic half-smile. “The council thinks it is best if the school closes early and gives students an extra week off for Samhain celebrations.”
“You both will come and stay with me at our home where we have the highest security and the best trained guards there are.” Drayce’s father explains.
Drayce nods with a frown. “The school will re-open after Samhain holidays though?”
Mistress Isolde gives a tight and unconvincing smile. “Of course. Your father has put together a team who are working on the investigation. The best of the best, who I am sure will get to the bottom of this and find the culprit.”
“What were the runes for?” I ask. The question had been burning in me since we entered her office.
Isolde sighs and takes her seat behind her desk. “Runes as you know were an ancient Wiccan tradition of seeking answers. The runes give a message.”
“Which was?”
“The time has come for the truth to be revealed, destiny waits.”
“Cryptic.” Drayce comments, his jaw tense. “Was the latest victim drained of magic?”
Mistress Isolde nods. “Tragically yes. The girl’s family are beside themselves.” She clasps her hands together and puts on a brave face. “That will be all for now, the two of you go and get back to your studies.”
Like a Unicorn is to Glitter.
The next morning a full academy assembly is held and Mistress Isolde announces that the school will close for Samhain holidays this Friday instead of next. There are lots of grumbles and complaints from students but Mistress Isolde shushes them and moves on with other academy news.
“Everyone is saying we won’t be back here in two weeks. That the school will remain closed until the attacker is caught.” Norah says as we sit on her bed in her dorm room.
“Then we had better hope they catch them in these next two weeks then.” I tell her as I pick at the nail varnish on my nails.
Norah grins, her sulky mood suddenly gone. “So you’re hanging out with the Black family for Samhain holidays huh? I’ve heard their house is stunning. It has twenty-five bedrooms!”
I laugh. “Great, so I’ll constantly be wandering lost down corridors. If I don’t ring you one day you know why, it’s because I’m hopelessly lost in the Black mansion.”
She waggles her brows with a cheeky grin. “I’m sure Drayce will enjoy showing you around all the bedrooms and christening them.”
I laugh. “Maybe getting lost won’t be so bad after all then.”
“You are so addicted to his penis.”
“Whose penis are we addicted to?” We both turn to find Xan stood in the doorway. “I hope you were talking about me then?”
Norah snorts. “You should be so lucky, besides don’t forget I’ve had your penis Xan. Been there done that.”
Xan grins and wiggles his hips. “Happy to give you another ride Norah.”
Norah scoffs and suddenly takes interest in her nails. “I’ll pass thanks.”
“Your loss.” He comes into the room and sits beside me on the bed. “Hey gorgeous.”
Grinning, I lean into him and nudge him. “No flirting Xan.”
He rolls his eyes and places his arm around my shoulder. “I’m a serial flirt, I can’t help it.”
“Well you need to start trying, especially with girls with a ring on their finger.” I look up to find Drayce stood in the doorway, his jaw clenched tight, staring at the arm Xan has over my shoulder.
Xan lifts his arm off me and holds them up in the air. “Relax Black. I’m just being friendly.” He winks at me and then Norah as he saunters past Drayce. “See you ladies soon.”
Drayce glares after him. “He tests my patience.”
“Oh relax.” Norah chides. “Trust me he isn’t any competition. Elara here is hooked on your penis like a unicorn is to glitter.”
“That so?” He asks me with a smirking grin.
Sighing, I stand up and ignore his question. “I’m going now, before you inflate his head any larger. I’ll speak to you tomorrow, okay?”
Norah pouts and pulls me into a tight hug. “I miss having you as my roomy.”
“I know.” I reply, giving her my sad face. “We’ll have a girl’s night before we leave for the holidays and do face masks.”
Norah grins. “Deal, but not that green mask you used last time, it smelled of troll’s feet.”
Drayce shakes his head and eyes us both like we are weird. “What is it with you girls and things smelling like trolls feet?” Drayce offers his hand out to me. “Come on Latimer, we have library detention.”
I groan as I take his hand and allow him to guide me out into the dorm halls, I had forgotten about library detention.
An hour later we are still putting back the mass of books that students have returned or left out to be put away.
“How many books do you reckon are in here?” I ask him as I look around the walls that are filled floor to ceiling with books.
Drayce shrugs as he places two books back on a shelf ten rows up from the floor. “At a guess I’d say four thousand.”
I sense movement from the corner of my eye and I could swear I saw someone up in the restricted section of the library. That area was strictly reserved for the professors. Leaving Drayce to what he is doing, I make my way over there and jump when I find Lorelai just outside of the gates of the restricted section.
“Lorelai. What are you doing here? The library has been closed for an hour?”
She twirls her hair tightly round her fingers and shrugs. “I must have lost track of time and dozed off.”
I nod, looking behind her at the closed gates, they were definitely still locked. “Well you should probably go.” I tell her awkwardly, gesturing with my hands over my shoulders to the exit.
She nods and gives me a strange tight smile before she moves past me. “Happy Samhain, Elara Latimer.”
I turn and watch her as she glides quietly out of the room, her blonde curls bobbing as she went. She was one strange girl. I head back over to Drayce who is still busy cataloguing books.
“I just found Lorelai near the restricted section in the library.”
Drayce climbs down the ladder and hands me a pile of books. “Your turn. I’m going to sit here and look up your skirt.” He grins, as he takes a seat and gestures towards the ladders.
“You’re a dirt bag, Black.” I tell him with a roll of my eyes, and I start to climb the ladders. “Why do you think she was back there?”
“Who?” Drayce asks me, as he lies back on the desk and grins up at me. “Sorry, I was distracted by the view.”
I shake my head at him and continue to climb. We weren’t allowed to use magic to put the books back; it was part of our punishment that we had to do it the non-magical and annoyingly slow way.
Drayce pops his shoulders. “Maybe she had been making out with someone up there.”
I shake my head firmly. “No she was definitely on her own. Don’t you find her strange?”
Drayce laughs. “A lot of the girls here are strange Latimer, a bit like you.”
I shake my head, my face serious. “There’s something not right about that girl Drayce. I can’t quite put my finger on it.�
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He yawns, clearly bored with my conversation. “Can you use those fingers to put those books back then we can get out of here please?”
“Yeah, yeah.” I tell him as I climb the last rung and put the books back where they belong. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had been up to no good up there.
The Samhain celebrations have been brought forward given that the academy was closing early. There had been a suggestion that the celebrations might have been cancelled all together, but luckily they decided to go ahead.
I had decided to get ready with Norah in my old dorm rooms despite Drayce’s protests that it wasn’t safe. Norah using her magic, helped me do my hair so it was done in loose curls and was finished off with a wreath made from leaves of orange and the colours of the season. My dress was burgundy and velvet and was full length, stopping just around my ankles. The bodice of the dress was fitted and the arms had long balloon style sleeves.
Norah whistles as she takes my finished look in. “Girl, you look beautiful. Drayce is going to be wiping drool off his chin when he sees you in that dress.”
I smile as I twirl around and look at myself in the mirror. “I love this dress.” I turn to her. “You look amazing too Norah.” And she really does. Norah wears a dress in a deep purple that clings to her tiny frame, it has a sweet heart neckline and swishes as she walks.
There is a knock at the door and Norah claps her hands together excited and rushes to open it. I don’t hear anything she says, losing all coherence when I see him. He stands there in his suit, that fits him so perfectly. He’s in a grey tailored suit and his dark hair is styled off his face, but one rogue piece hangs down onto his forehead. He looks like he belongs on the front of GQ magazine. How could one guy look so perfect? I watch his eyes take me in from my feet to my head and I’m no mind reader, but I think he likes what he sees.
“Will I do?” I ask him nervously.
He swallows and walks towards me, stopping in front of me. “You look breathtaking little raven. Perfect.”
“You scrub up well ice-man.” I tell him with a wink.
