by R L Medina
“Rose.”
My body jolted at the sound of my name. Gathering every scrap of courage and calm that I could, I took a steadying breath.
“Wish me luck,” I whispered to the Brady and Shiloh.
I didn’t wait to hear all their responses. The doors opened, and I stepped through. A wave of nausea hit me full force as I entered the massive room.
There was a stage that took up half the room and pedestals where each council member stood, peering down at me.
Giant, marble statues lined the carpeted walkway. Their blank stone eyes drilling into me. A chill crawled up my spine. The whole architecture of the room was built for intimidation—and it worked.
It was terrifying.
“Step up to the podium, Miss Vasquez,” Headmaster Rutherford commanded.
Taking longer strides, I hurried to obey. My throat had gone dry, and I regretted not accepting the water Shiloh had offered me.
“Miss Vasquez.”
My eyes snapped to the headmaster. Did I already miss a question?
Shit.
“Umm. Yes, headmaster?” I gripped the sided of the podium, my fingers turning white.
“Please state your name. Your full name.”
I squared my shoulders. “Rose. Rosita Reyes Vasquez.”
Using my father’s last name along with my mom’s felt strange now that I knew who my birth father was—Julian Peña. Ironic that Reyes was the same name of the wolf pack I was actually related to.
The stony faces of the council members stared back at me, bringing me back to the present. Not a single one cracked a smile. It was probably part of their motif. Intimidate and interrogate the students. I guess they didn’t play bad cop good cop games here.
“And your connection to Rosa Vasquez?”
“She was my mother.”
Murmurs filled the room. Everybody started talking at once. I couldn’t hear what they said, but I doubted it was good. I knew my mom’s reputation.
25
“Is it true that you falsified your relation in order to gain admittance at this academy?”
My jaw dropped. “What? No.”
“She had nothing to do with that. I enrolled her under the guise that she was related on my wife’s side,” Tío Javier spoke up.
The headmaster whipped toward him. “You knowingly placed our students at risk by allowing a witch entrance? A Luna Negra witch at that?”
A lick of anger curled inside me. “I am not a witch.”
He ignored me and stared at my tío. “Is it not true that your sister was forever excommunicated from the OG and that all future heirs of hers would also be forbidden?”
I stumbled back at the words. What were they saying? That I would be thrown out?
“She is not her mother. She has proven her loyalty to the GRIMMs.”
My eyes widened. Tío of all people defending me.
“Is it not true?” he demanded. His face was reddening. There was a mad glint in his eye. I could see it now. He was desperate to win this. To put my tío in his place—off the council. It was just as Tío feared.
“It’s true,” Tío admitted.
No. Icy fear shot through my veins. They couldn’t do this.
“There is something here that you are all failing to see,” a woman spoke.
Everyone fell silent.
Her eyes roamed the room and landed on me. “If the Luna Negra want her so badly, they’ll make another attempt. This could be the trap that we need.”
A shiver crawled up my neck.
Tío whipped toward her. “That is too dangerous.”
She waved a hand at Tío. “Listen, we will keep the girl here in school and monitor her movement. They’ll be looking for a chance to strike. I say we set up our own trap and catch them in the act.” She grinned, so obviously proud of herself.
The headmaster scowled. I couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t getting his way, and he was pissed about it.
“No. No. She cannot be trusted here. What if she is their spy?”
“A spy they’ve tried on multiple occasions to kidnap and kill?” The woman’s tone brooked no argument.
The others murmured their agreement.
“She’s just a girl. She hasn’t even completed her first year at the academy,” Tío protested.
The lady nodded. “We will train her first and then we will send her out on a decoy mission. They’ll think they’ve caught you alone, and that’s when we strike.”
Others murmured their approval. Tío Javier tried to speak but was silenced by the others. His eyes met mine, and I saw the regret and fear that plagued him. He’d already lost his sister.
Fire burned inside me. They were already planning the next mission when we hadn’t even found Grayson yet.
“What about Grayson?”
They blinked at me.
“Where is he? We have to find him.”
“We are doing everything to locate Mr. Chapman,” the headmaster answered.
“Why didn’t the GRIMMs come sooner?” I couldn’t hide the accusation in my tone.
“She’s right. There shouldn’t have been such a delay in getting agents to the scene. What happened?” Tío voiced his own suspicion.
“There was a glitch in the report. It didn’t get to us in time,” a guy answered.
Tio’s brow furrowed. “Someone stalled it?”
“That’s a possibility, yes.”
“And you think, I’m the mole?”
My eyes widened. The mole? Tío?
He barked a harsh laugh. “Why would I do anything to help those witches?”
The man’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You’ve broken GRIMM law before. For your sister.”
Tío turned to him, face a mask of calm. “Never to help Luna Negra.”
“Your sister was one of them!” The man’s face reddened.
Tío didn’t flinch. For once, I was actually glad to see his stoniness and severity. He was a pillar of strength and pride.
“Enough.” One of the women sighed. She rubbed a hand over her face, “Fighting isn’t going to help. We need to run an investigation. We will find this mole. It’s not the first time we’ve had a traitor in our midst.” Her eyes shot to Tío.
If she was hoping for a reaction to her jab about my mom, she didn’t get it.
“I want to lead the investigation. The mole must be found as soon as possible. We cannot allow Luna Negra anymore advances. Even now, I fear the consequences of our inaction too steep.”
“You?” Headmaster Rutherford scoffed.
The lady held a hand up to him. “We will consider your request.” She turned to me. “Miss Vasquez, do you agree to these terms? That you will continue in your studies and do your part in capturing the coven?”
“Fine. I’ll do it.” I heard myself speak.
She nodded in approval. The headmaster’s eyes blazed with fury. I fought the urge to shrivel under his gaze.
“But the others are innocent. They should not be punished for helping me. And… I… want to help look for Grayson.”
Headmaster Rutherford stiffened. “We have all the agents we can spare trying to find him.”
“There is, however, the matter of Miss Vasquez breaking the school rules. Using portals without permission. She’s missed much of her schoolwork as well,” someone else spoke up.
I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. After everything I’d been through, they wanted to punish me for such asinine things? Really?
My heart twisted as I thought of Jimena and the others. They’d been planning their war for so long. The GRIMMs, they weren’t ready.
“Miss Vasquez, you will not be expelled.”
My eyes widened in disbelief.
Before I could answer, the woman held up a hand. “However, you will be suspended. One week.”
I opened my mouth to argue but stopped myself. One week of suspension was reasonable. After listening to more of their argument, I was ready to sneak out and face the consequ
ences. I glanced at the clock and sighed. Were the others still waiting for me?
“Are we boring you, Miss Vasquez?” the headmaster asked, in that tone where you weren’t sure if he as slightly annoyed or amused. It was the same one Brady used.
My head snapped up to meet his. “No, Headmaster Rutherford. I was just wondering how much longer before you agreed on my punishment. My friends are waiting for me.”
The woman cleared her throat. “You may go, dear. Your uncle will give you all the specifics.”
“Thank you!” I smiled at her and turned on my heel before the others could outvote her.
My shoes slapped against the tile loudly as I sprinted for the door.
Thrusting open the door, I stepped out into the lobby.
“I’m not expelled.” I beamed.
“Really? I’m so glad,” Shiloh gushed.
Brady gave me a skeptical look. “Not expelled? They let you off that easily?”
“Well, I’m suspended. For a week.”
I waited for the others to face council. We were all suspended, even Javi, for a week, but still expected to make up for the schoolwork we would miss. The last thing on my mind was school. Instead, I spent the week, returning to the burnt house and hoping for a sign of Grayson. Each day that passed without news made me shrink further into my shell.
Where are you, Grayson?
By the end of the week, Javi was back on his feet, most of his cheerful, chipper self returned though there was a haunted look in his eye every now and then. One that I imagined I shared as well. You couldn’t go through what we had and walk away totally unscathed.
To celebrate his recovery and our last day before we returned to campus, we convinced Tío and Tía to let us go to the Beach Shack, provided the school guards patrolled the beach.
Shiloh sat in front of me, worry creased in her brow. I pushed the food around on my plate and tried to work myself up to eating it.
“Where’s Gloria?” Javi broke the silence.
He glanced around at the shack. Shiloh tore her eyes from me and looked at him.
“She’s gone. I don’t know where, but she’s been gone for a while now. Something about a family emergency.”
“Huh. I didn’t know she had family here.”
Brady grunted. “She doesn’t. Must be some old coven friends.”
I half listened to their conversation, not really caring what they were talking about. How could we sit there in the shack and go to class, pretending everything was okay, when Grayson was gone? He needed us.
“The shrimp isn’t as good as when she makes it.” Javi made a face.
“I’m sure she’ll be back soon,” Shiloh answered him and turned back to me.
“Aren’t you hungry, Rose?”
My lip curled. “Not really. I think I’m going to head back to the house. But you guys should stay and enjoy your food.”
She and Javi exchanged a look.
“We’re not going to let you go back by yourself.” Javi frowned.
I sighed. “I just don’t feel like being here right now. I… I think I need to be alone. At least for tonight.”
Pity swam in their eyes making me burn. How could they give up on Grayson so easily? Didn’t they want to believe he was alive?
Brady shook his head. Out of everyone, I think he shared my pain most. Grayson grew up with him and though he never admitted it, Brady thought of him as a brother. He’d been spiraling back into his old habits, but that night was the first he’d come when we invited him. A sign that maybe he was starting to heal. I felt guilty for not reaching out to him, not doing more. I knew Grayson would have wanted me to, but I could barely contain my own grief.
Blinking the tears from my eyes, I stood and motioned for Javi to stay.
“Really. I’ll be fine.”
Javi jumped to his feet. “Rose, you were just kidnapped by the coven. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Shiloh’s eyes darted between us, her fingers drummed nervously. “Let us take you back to the house and then we’ll let you have some space.”
“Fine.”
I didn’t have the energy to argue anymore. Brady dug into his wallet to pull out enough cash to cover our bill and tips before motioning us out. The voices of the other diners and the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen echoed around me.
Numbness spread through my limbs as I followed them outside. It was November and though the night air was chillier, there was still a warmth there. The beach was unchanged as ever despite the changes in all of us.
“Do you… think you’re ready to come back to school tomorrow?” Shiloh broke the silence.
I paused and turned to her. “No, but I have to. I have to be ready to fight the Luna Negra when they come back.”
We fell quiet.
“I couldn’t find anything else about shadow magic at the school. I’m sorry.” Shiloh spoke again, her face fell.
I squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. I’m going to find him.”
Brady scoffed. “He’s dead, Rose. Don’t you think it’s time to accept it?”
His words were sharp and deadly. If it weren’t for the pain hidden beneath them, I would have been angry.
“We don’t know that for sure.” Shiloh’s soft voice followed.
Brady turned his blazing eyes to her. “Then you are all idiots. He’s dead. Grayson is dead.”
He turned back to me. “Stop fooling yourself. He’s not coming back.”
Dead. Dead. The words rattled me. No. I wouldn’t let them in where they could hurt me. I refused to believe them.
“I’m not giving up.” My voice was steel.
Hard and impenetrable though inside I was quaking.
Javi wrapped an arm around me, worry creasing his forehead. “Let’s go back to the house.”
I let him guide me to his car, Shiloh following.
“You won’t find him. You’re wasting your time,” Brady cried after us.
He didn’t follow. Tears blurred my vision.
“He’s in pain. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s not ready…” Shiloh’s worried eyes swept over me and glanced to where Brady stumbled away.
“Then he shouldn’t have come,” Javi bit out.
She frowned at him as he unlocked the car. “He’s our friend, Javi. I’m going to make sure he gets home. You take Rose back.”
Javi huffed. “Shy…”
Before he could argue, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and flounced away. I blinked in surprise. Javi watched her go, a small smile on his face.
“Since when are you two…”
He looked back at me and flushed. “We didn’t want to make a big deal of it. Not with everything… going on.”
My heart twisted. He meant Grayson. I’d been so obsessed with finding him and learning about his shadow magic that I hadn’t noticed my cousin and Shiloh.
“Oh. Well. I’m happy for you.”
A part of me wasn’t. The selfish part of me that was jealous he had Shiloh, but Grayson had been ripped from me. I shook the thoughts away. No. Javi and Shiloh deserved to be happy. So did Brady. Sadness filled me.
“Thanks.” He ran his fingers through his hair and averted his gaze.
He opened the door for me, and I slid into the passenger seat without a word. The drive to the house was short and silent. Tía’s eyes held sympathy when she greeted us, but she didn’t ask why we were home early.
“Oh, Javi. The package arrived. It’s in Rose’s room.” She smiled.
Javi flashed her a smile and turned to me. “Let’s go.”
His excitement made me nervous, but I followed. It was my room after all. At least for one more night. Then I would be back at campus.
We got to my room and there it was—a small, black box on my bed.
“What is it?”
“Open it and find out.” Javi waved his hand over it.
I walked over to it and picked it up while Javi’s eyes lit up as he watched. A rush
of warm air swirled in the room, making my skin tingle.
Magic.
26
My stomach fluttered with nerves. I knew what it was. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready for it yet. A new conduit. With a steadying breath, I pulled the lid off and lifted the ring out of its velvet nest.
There was no stone. Just a wide band of black with silver inscriptions written along it.
“I know it’s kind of plain, but it’s super powerful. My parents spent a fortune on this.”
Javi pointed at the small script. “This ring was made with a combination of stone, silver, and fire magic.”
His eyes were wide with excitement. I forced a smile on my face and nodded as he explained the inscription. It was a permanent enchantment that could only be removed if the conduit was destroyed.
“The ring makes it impossible to track you. Even with a tracking spell. You won’t exist in this realm.”
I stared at him, his words startling me. Being invisible to the witches was a good thing, but what if I was in trouble and the GRIMMs needed to find me?
“Not unless you want to be found. You can take the ring off,” he added, seeing my apprehension.
“Because it’s made of the three elements, those will be the ones you’ll be drawn to when you need to cast.”
I glanced at the ring. Fire magic. I saw Grayson’s face flashing in my mind, disappearing behind a wall of flame. My stomach churned. I didn’t want fire magic.
“And the other enchantment…” Javi’s eyes drilled into mine, “You can’t be compelled. Not by anyone. Or any spell. Most of the agents get special training to fight compulsion and weapons against it, but your ring will work automatically without you having to use magic.”
My head snapped up to meet his gaze. The significance of it made me tear up. I swallowed the lump in my throat and threw my arms around him.
“Thank you.” My voice sounded small and vulnerable.
Something I never thought I’d be okay with, but with Javi, it was. He was family.
I released him and slipped the ring on my finger. It was cool against my skin, but a warmth spread through me.
Powerful, but would it be enough to stop the coven?
