by LJ Swallow
I chuckle to myself and shove my phone into a jacket pocket. My position in the gang as nightwalker has some uses. Maeve's night time, secret bodyguard
Recently, I’ve daydreamed about walking in the sunshine with Maeve. I’ve heard her talk about how much she loves the sun and her complain about the dreariness. I imagine how bright her blonde hair must shine and how warm the ground will be beneath her when she sits outside with the others.
And the thought makes me sick with jealousy and regret.
I never cared about or questioned my situation before now—I accepted my life as a hemia vamp. Since Maeve, immortality no longer appeals to me, and there’s no way to change what vampires are. Tobias’s curse confuses me. Has this removed his immortality? Could witches change other things about vampires? My muscles tense at the thought of Tobias. Maybe he isn’t immortal—something else he’s keeping to himself.
I push thoughts of Tobias out of my mind and sigh. Nights watching Maeve lead to too much thinking, and thinking depresses me.
Walcott’s door opens and I straighten to see who leaves. I’ve half a guess who, and I’m right. Yvette and Cody, who’ve also awarded themselves a guardian role. I watch them walk the academy dressed in black every evening I'm here. Sure, there are more guards around than usual, but they usually take a cursory stroll around the building before heading back to the important places—the perimeter and the entrance to the tunnels.
How long can Theodora keep the tunnel a secret? Not long. I bloody hope not, anyway. The situation needs dealing with.
The pair walk along hand in hand—how cute. I shake my head. What do they hope to achieve? Most Petrescu stay clear of Walcott, and those that venture out of the building do so for the reason I normally do—lovers.
Yvette and Cody don’t notice me; they never do. Are they seriously concerned somebody is stalking witches? With a shake of my head, I pull my legs against my chest, rest my head on the bricks and watch Maeve’s window. Not my business.
I’m unsure how long I daydream—night dream, hah—before I hear a thud and soft footsteps in the grass close by. I straighten, ready to run. If the Walcott Ninjas find me, they won’t hesitate to accuse me of shit.
Slowly standing, I creep to the edge of the building and peer around the corner. Sergei stands alone close to a tree, completely still and staring ahead. This is the third time I’ve seen him—usually with Arek—but he’s alone. I was positive the Kimberly-Sergei situation isn’t stalking, but Maeve’s strong opinion worries me. But, yeah, that situation in the potions classroom earlier was weird. Maybe they are in a relationship and had a fight?
No. The guy is practically a poster boy for ‘good boy hemia’—the kid would renounce his hemia life completely if he could. Is he the Petrescu equivalent of Yvette, watching out for his race to ensure they don't step out of line? Maybe that's why he hangs with Arek so much nowadays. I back off. I certainly don't want anybody to see me hanging around Walcott.
For a couple of minutes, I wait for Sergei to leave, but when I look around the corner again he’s still there, standing in front of the thick tree trunk, immobile.
A coolness trickles through my veins. What the hell is Sergei doing?
This time I keep a close eye on him; he’s obviously not paying attention to his surroundings, and if Yvette and Cody find him, there'll be trouble. A minute later, Sergei breaks from his reverie and without looking around he walks behind the tree, and into the dark. Half a minute after that, he edges back, glances around and blurs into the shadows.
My blood cools further at the speed he moved. Is Sergei running from something?
I hesitate before I make my next move. I’ve two choices—check out the spot Sergei loitered in or go back to Petrescu before Yvette sees me. I’ve nothing to feel guilty about, but if her theory is right and somebody is stalking Walcott students, I’m number one suspect.
Shit. I swipe a hand through my hair and step from my hiding place, blurring my way across the short distance between me and the tree. Placing one hand on the rough bark, I look around.
I don’t know what I expected to see, but I'm looking at something I don’t want to.
A girl lies on her side, immobile, curly brown hair splayed around her head and obscuring her face. My stomach churns as I crouch down to touch her lightly on the arm. She's cool and doesn’t move, but I don’t need to take a witch’s pulse to sense blood pumping, and I swallow in relief at the soft sound. As I lean forward to speak to the girl, I’m hit by the sweet scent of that blood.
Fuck no.
What has Sergei done?
I dig both hands in the front of my hair torn what to do. Why the fuck does this shit always happen to me? Holding one arm across my nose and mouth, I move her hair.
Kimberly.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Kimberly?” I whisper. “Are you alright?”
Yeah, Andrei. Dumb question of the fucking century.
She mumbles something and moves an arm; I glance around, convinced Yvette will spring from the shadows and accost me at any moment.
Or for Cody to kick the shit out of me.
“Kimberly?” I whisper more urgently. “Do you need help?”
Yep, again, high on the dumb question scale.
She groans and tries to push herself up, as if I’m discovering her collapsed, drunk and on the way back to Walcott. Maybe she did. Some do after secret drinking sessions.
Behind trees with a hemia close by? Nope.
Run.
And then what?
Somebody will see Andrei Tepes running from Walcott and then find a witch semiconscious and bleeding.
Kimberly groans and flops down again. How long do I have?
Hands shaking, I pull out my phone and dial Maeve’s number. Once. Twice. By the fourth time, my adrenaline’s high and she hasn’t answered.
I slump against the tree. Jamie? Ash?
My phone rings and I answer in a startled second. “Andrei?” comes Maeve’s sleepy voice. “Why are you calling?”
“You have to come here,” I whisper.
“I don’t know. You know how I feel about Petrescu building—"
“No. Behind Walcott.”
“What? Why are you there?” Her tone sharpens as my words wake her sleepy brain.
“Long story, but there’s a girl here. Kimberly. I think she’s hurt.”
“Andrei,” she breathes out. “Who by?”
“Can you please just come? Yvette and Cody are wandering campus and if they find me, I’m fucked,” I urge. “I can’t stay and risk being seen with her, but I don’t know how bad she is and can’t just leave her here.”
Maeve’s impressive string of swear words surprises me. “Wait there.”
The call ends and I stand up, picking at the bark as I watch for Maeve, my heart thumping as I watch out for Yvette too.
Finally, Maeve appears, dressed in grey sweatpants and a grey hoodie, hair mussed from sleep. I reveal myself and beckon her before slinking back behind the trunk.
Maeve drops to her knees the moment she sees Kimberly. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” I mumble as Maeve tries to rouse Kimberly.
“Kimberly?” Maeve ducks her head to look at Kimberly’s face. “Unconscious.”
“She moved a few minutes ago. Turn her over.”
Maeve's fearful eyes look back at me. “What if she’s dead?”
I suck in a breath. “Maeve. She’s a witch. I can hear her heart beating strong, but I can also smell blood. She's bleeding.”
Blinking, Maeve looks back to Kimberly. She struggles to move Kimberly, who flops onto her back with a sigh, eyes closed. Maeve moves Kimberly’s hair and recoils.
“Is she bleeding badly?”
“There’s blood. Not a big wound.” She chokes the words and her disgust flows to me.
I shove hair from my face. “Whoever did this to Kimberly was careful.”
“Careful? He left her behind a bloody tree!�
� Maeve’s voice rises and I stiffen in panic. “You should leave,” she adds flatly.
“I know, but if somebody sees me...”
“Did you see who assaulted her?”
I moisten my lips. “Sergei was nearby but I didn’t see the attack.”
Maeve stands. “Sergei?” she exclaims. "I told you something weird was happening with him and Kimberly."
Kimberly groans again and her eyes open. She blinks in confusion as she pushes herself to sit, one hand immediately going to her neck.
If Sergei attacked Kimberly, blanked her mind with mental magic and the first person she sees is me, I’m fucked.
Before either me or Maeve can speak, her scream shatters the quiet night.
“Kimberly! It’s okay.” Maeve drops to her knees and clutches Kimberly's other hand. Maeve turns her head to me and mouths ‘go’.
Kimberly's frightened whimpers join her panicked breathing as her huge, tear-filled eyes meet mine. “What did he do to me?”
Me.
"Andrei. Go. Before somebody finds you," urges Maeve.
As I back away, I stumble over a tree root and steady myself. Maeve holds Kimberly's face and speaks in low, cajoling tones, but she isn't calming down.
I turn and sprint along the edge of the tree line, staying undercover and in the shadows. Looking around to ensure there’s nobody nearby, I prepare to run across the open space towards Petrescu.
Somebody grabs the back of my jacket and the material tears as I attempt to bolt. Knees slam into the back of mine and I sprawl forward onto the ground.
“Why are you in such a hurry, Tepes?” asks Cody, voice low in warning.
Yvette crouches down in front of me and grabs my hand. “Whose blood is this?” Her mouth twists in disgust but there's triumph in her eyes when she looks at me. “Anything you want to tell us, Andrei?”
Yeah, I’m fucked.
Chapter Twenty-Six
TOBIAS
The knocking grows louder, until I realise the sound comes from outside my dreams. Every fucking night I dream of Maeve, to the point I’m convinced her taking over my mind is part of the curse.
I’m relieved the sound interrupts the pain.
Nobody visits me in the day, let alone night, apart from the one time Ash did. I hoped that might be the start of forgiveness for me, but I haven’t seen him since.
I’d leave campus, but I’ve nowhere to go. Okay, that’s a lie. I’d leave campus but I can’t face going until Maeve speaks to me again. Even once. Would she listen to me?
I’m also scared to leave her alone.
I’ve too much spare time and spend my days researching everything, Jamie-style. I can’t find answers to my two biggest questions: how can I help Maeve and where is April?
I’m looking into Vincent too, but there’s little to find outside of the Confederacy investigations the first time he disappeared. Nobody in authority appears bothered that he vanished again, even though I told them about his activities on the moors.
I attempted to follow Clive and Remi one night, but they climbed into a white van a few miles from the academy and I didn’t follow further. I have the van’s licence plate number but no access to records. Again, I passed this to the authorities, who claim they can't find the owner's name.
Other times, I search for information on the Winterfalls but find nothing. I’m relieved in a way; I don’t want reminders. Most of our society’s history can be found in books, not online, and I can't exactly use the academy library.
Has Jamie found anything to help? How is Maeve coping?
The incessant knocking continues, and I haul myself out of bed then pull on a pair of black sweatpants. The floor is cool beneath my bare feet as I pad across to greet my unwanted late-night visitor.
“Alright, I’m coming,” I call in frustration. “Don’t wake the whole building.”
The lock clicks and I open the door.
My heart almost stops.
Maeve.
Am I still dreaming? Her expression is as wild as the day I found her hallucinating in Petrescu, but she wears more clothes this time. I drop my eyes from the grey, zipped hoodie to the matching sweatpants.
She has grass stains on her knees.
Neither of us speak and I’m suddenly uncomfortable that I didn’t pull on a T-shirt too, because Maeve obviously is as she shifts her eyes away from my naked chest.
“What’s wrong, Maeve?” I ask, reaching inside to find Professor Whitlock, even though he’s long gone.
“Andrei needs your help,” she blurts, and her pink cheeks redden further. “I didn’t know who else to ask.”
Fuck. I rest my shoulder against the doorframe. “Does he know you came to me?”
Her messy hair moves as she shakes her head. “They took him.”
“What?” I ask and straighten again. “Who?”
“Witches. Someone attacked Kimberly, and Andrei was seen close to Walcott like the day the vampire attacked Lorna. Andrei didn't do anything. He found her. Called me,” she stammers out. “Yvette and Cody dragged him away and I don’t know what they plan to do.”
I rub a hand down my face trying to put together her garbled words. “Dragged him where? It’s the middle of the night.”
Maeve reaches out as if about to grab my arm but puts her hands behind her back instead. “Somewhere on campus maybe. I don’t know.”
This is insane. “Let me catch up. A witch was assaulted and now other witches are assaulting Andrei?”
“Yes. I think. I don't know.” She wraps her arms around herself. “Why didn’t they take Andrei to Sofia or Theodora?”
“I don't know. And this is Yvette and Cody? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Tobias. Please come with me and look for Andrei.”
Shit. I’ve seen the two witches prowling around, the times I’ve taken walks to escape my claustrophobic rooms. I can’t let go of my role of watching what happens around here. I’ve also seen some of the hemia vamps wandering around, but I didn’t think anything of it—Sergei attacked hemia for straying in the past and presumed his presence was to police them the way Yvette and her friends do.
“Wait there. I’ll get my shoes.”
Maeve's eyes meet mine and as I turn away her thoughts slip through: and a shirt.
I’m shaking like a bloody teenager whose girl he’s obsessed with spoke to him. I’d hoped one day she’d come to me again, but not like this. Shoes and shirt on, I take a deep breath and return to Maeve.
She walked back into my life but didn’t walk into my rooms.
Maeve stumbles over her feet in the hurry to get across the grounds. I have no problem keeping up, but she’s not with me. All I can see in her mind is Andrei; the only emotion is fear.
We reach a tree behind Walcott and she stops, stares down and drags hands through her tangled hair. “Kimberly was here. This is where Andrei found her. I tried to soothe her and Andrei ran and then they took him. I was scared to leave Kimberly in case somebody came back and hurt her more. What if that was the wrong choice? What if they hurt Andrei because I looked after Kimberly and not him?”
I struggle to keep up with her confused story. “Where’s Kimberly now?”
“Walcott. I took her back and came straight here.” She looks up with wild eyes. "The witches won’t be strong enough to hold Andrei, will they?”
I close my eyes. When will Maeve understand a witch’s magical strength?
“Everything will be fine, Maeve,” I lie, because I no longer trust pupils won't hurt each other.
Was this planned? Or an unfortunate coincidence?
Maeve told me she wasn’t with Andrei before Kimberly's attack and I hope to hell that he hasn’t slipped without my influence over him. Andrei refuses to see or speak to me, but he was always an obstinate kid. I tramp through the woods that border the fence line, doubly pissed off about Theodora removing me from my position. If I were watching Petrescu, I could’ve picked up on this.
Theodora thinks she h
as the issue under control, but what if whatever the hell is down there has begun to influence the vampires? Why else would Sergei attack—if this was him and not Andrei?
Maeve stops abruptly. “How can you?” she half-shouts. I pause too and frown at her. Are we having this conversation now? “How can you think Andrei did this?”
Her mouth pulls into a thin line and the stone-cold distance returns to her eyes.
Our mental link hasn’t broken.
“I don’t, Maeve,” I say softly, “but we can’t always help thoughts crossing our minds.”
The annoyed expression doesn’t leave and neither does her growing distress. I ache to take away some of that, to touch Maeve’s cheek and tell her everything will be alright. Hold her.
Tell her how fucking sorry I am.
But now isn't the time.
I swallow hard and nod at the route through the trees. “I doubt they left campus. They must be around somewhere.”
“Do you think we can find them?” Maeve’s voice holds hope for the first time.
“Yes. I’ll find them. Don’t panic.”
Maeve’s eyes tear and I’m the one who panics, because if she breaks down in front of me, I won’t be able to hold back from holding her.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ANDREI
My head fucking hurts.
And if I move, the fire will too.
Through the flames, Yvette and Cody stand and watch me. Their silence scares me more than their threats when they dragged me here.
Cody caught me off guard and my fight against him ended with a blow to the head hard enough to send me spinning into oblivion.
My first thought once I rejoined the world was ‘where the fuck am I?’ and the second was an instinctive fear to get away from the fire crackling around me.
“Have you lost your fucking minds?” I call to them. “You do know there are a shit load of trees around us? You'll set fire to the academy!”
Silence.
“You’ve made your point. Let me go.”
Yvette steps closer and her eyes narrow to slits. “You need dealing with permanently. Hemia are sick, aberrations that should be removed from the world.”
