Nightworld Academy Box Set 1

by L. J. Swallow

  "I think it stops you getting close to people, Ash."

  He takes a deep breath and looks over my shoulder. "I don't have time for other people's problems. If I get too close to others, they want to spill their secrets and learn mine. I need to stay focused on my goal."

  "I understand, Ash." I reach out to take his hand. "But—"

  My heart sinks further when he snatches his hand away, still gazing over my shoulder. "Him."

  "Who? Jamie? We're not a couple."

  Ash throws me a confused glance and nods behind me. "No. Him. There's a dark-haired guy not in costume over there. Is that the one you're looking for?"

  I crane my head to the side and study the guy who stands in the school entrance. Tall. Dark clothes. The hairstyle is the same. "I won't be sure unless I see his face, and I can't march up to him and stare."

  "Find an excuse."

  I chew my lip. But what? As I move to walk away, Ash touches my arm. "I'm sorry I questioned your visions."

  "That's fine. We need to act on this. I want to get Tessa home and soon. I'll let Amelia know—she's with her."

  The guy twists his head from side to side and rubs his cheek. He pauses before stopping to ask one of the parent supervisors something. He's still too far for me to see, and I'm worried the guy will walk into the hall before I'm sure.

  The woman he speaks to replies with gestures, directing him and he nods and turns to continue our way.

  "Shit!" Ash grabs my arm and pulls me backwards. "Turn around."

  I oblige and he wraps an arm around my waist and shuffles us from the guy's line of sight. I'm blocked from view by Ash's frame and his broad back and shoulders create a barrier.

  "What's the matter?" I ask.

  Ash isn't touching me, nor is his behaviour predatory like Andrei's was, but he's close enough for me to smell his cologne and for his leg to touch mine. He strokes hair from my ear and leans closer. "I know him."

  If I couldn't sense Ash’s panic, I'd consider myself in a more charged situation than I am. I've wanted him this close, of course, a lot of girls have. Something in his shifter nature creates a powerful body and a physical drive, which he channels into his sports. There's a less demure part of me that would like to experience this side of Ash, even if it's just a kiss.

  "How?" I tense and hold my body away from him as much as possible.

  "I've seen him around the pub, at home." His warm breath hits my neck as he exhales in annoyance. "I told people there were hunters hanging around recently, but nobody believed me."

  "A hunter wouldn't follow you here." I tip my head to meet his worried eyes. "Would he?"

  "If he thinks he can get an easy kill, yeah, he would."

  Kill. I curl a hand around Ash's broad forearm. "Are you safe?"

  "None of us are." Ash darts a look to the left then moves closer, obscuring me from sight with his body. He doesn't move for half a minute, head cocked, as if listening. My heart thrums, senses engulfed by the awareness of how near his body is to touching mine

  As Ash turns his head to watch someone pass by, his rough cheek brushes mine and a sudden heat runs through my blood.

  He relaxes and steps back, eyes fixed on the man walking along the hallway, away from the school hall. I draw in a breath as the invisible grip on me releases.

  "Find Tessa and then we can all leave." He rubs his lips. "We need to get back to the academy. There could be others around."

  "Then we stay in the school building." He frowns down at me. "Ash, they wouldn't kill someone in the middle of a high school."

  "You don't know these people. If this guy is looking for me, there’s a reason. Find Tessa and the others." His eyes are dark as he looks after the man, not paying attention to me.

  "Will you wait here?" I ask. "I think he’ll be back because there’s nowhere for him to go along there, apart from the toilets."

  Ash gives a curt nod. "I’ll stop him if he tries to go into the hall."

  "Even though he knows what you are?"

  Ash tips his chin. "Especially because he knows what I am."

  But as I walk away, Ash’s eyes are fixed on the guy’s retreating figure. Something tells me Ash may not be here when I return.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  MAEVE

  I straighten my wig before heading back into the dance hall. Amelia, Tessa and friends maintain their spot in the floor's centre. Amelia dances wildly and I touch her on the shoulder.

  "The guy's here," I say when she turns.

  Amelia nods and I turn to Tessa. "I need to leave soon. We have a long drive back to school. Ash says he can drive you home."

  "It's okay," she calls back. "Bradley can."

  Crap, we need to accompany her. "I could say hello to your parents while I’m in town."

  She gawps at me. "My parents? Why?"

  "Uh. I don't know. Tessa, please. Will you come home?"

  She blows hair from her face. "Another half an hour? Come and dance."

  Amelia's face glows with perspiration and the green make up slides down her cheeks.

  The introduction to an older track we love, and always danced to in the past, plays and Tessa bounces up and down in excitement. Her request is a demand as she catches my fingers and drags me into the group. I'm not a great dancer, or in the mood, but I'm with Tessa and nobody nearby is a threat. One song won’t hurt.

  Pulled into the moment, we move to the music, singing along to the lyrics. I'm filled with a happiness missing in my life recently, where the world is reduced to silly songs and good friends. A simple night that would end with ordering a pizza and heading home to sit up chatting and laughing.

  No vampires, no hunters, and no blood.

  I blink as stupid tears build behind my eyes and look upwards at the spotlight strobing in the mist. My vision blurs and I wipe at my eyes, but this isn't tears.

  The ice-pick headache comes swiftly and the images as sudden.

  I'm watching the scene with Jamie again, but this time he's somewhere different. Bodies jostle into me and I'm dragged from the sights and sounds around. He's unharmed, but I sense the danger around. There's no fog or blood, only Jamie standing outdoors somewhere.

  I hold my fingers to my temples, forcing the vision to stay. Amelia touches my shoulder, but I focus on shutting her out, on giving myself wholly to the future. I follow Sophia's instructions and pull the vision around me like a blanket, willing this to be more than snapshots.

  Instead of looking at Jamie, I focus on where he is. Lawn. Pathways. Bricks. He’s walking alongside a building. I attempt to place myself in the scene and glance from side to side, but the stupid images won’t expand outside of Jamie. Something's familiar, but I can't place my finger on what.

  Jamie walks forward and people talk around him, but my vision refuses to show me who. He walks past a notice, pinned on a board that flutters in the breeze. A poster advertising a Halloween dance. I suck in a breath tasting the sweetness from the dry ice and focus harder on the surroundings I’m envisioning.

  This is my old school.

  This school.

  Jamie steps into the dark and close by someone shouts out. A noise like thunder rips through the air.

  "Maeve!" A voice yells in my ear and reality twangs back to me like an elastic band hitting me across the face.

  I was closer to seeing what happened and almost had the answer. I almost shout at the person who disturbed me and Amelia protests at how hard I grab her, but when she meets my eyes her expression changes from annoyance to shock. I shake my head and pull her harder across the dance floor.

  Tessa still in view, I stammer out what I saw.

  "Jamie's here?" she gasps. "He can't be. Maybe what you’re seeing isn’t tonight."

  "When else would it be? This all fits."

  She blinks at me. "How? He wasn’t in the vision you had about tonight."

  I rub my forehead and the realisation sinks into my stomach. What if this is all the same vision, and I’m not here b
ecause of Tessa. Is this where I see Jamie die? What if he followed us?

  Amelia doesn't reply, merely looks at me in disbelief.

  "We need to take Tessa to Ash then find Jamie."

  "If he’s here, Amelia." She wipes perspiration from her brow. "Where's Andrei?"

  "No idea. He said he went for air."

  "Maeve! What if—"

  "He won't touch anyone."

  Amelia swears and my brows shoot up. This girl rarely swears. Our conversation halts as Tessa stumbles over. How she never spilled that drink in her plastic cup is a miracle.

  Tessa's life has changed as much as mine—she's with a new crowd who are a mile apart from the people we hung out with together. We're legally allowed to drink, but school rules are no alcohol, even for a night like this.

  "Fine, sulky face. Let’s leave." Tessa hooks an arm through mine and we move towards the doorway, Amelia following.

  "Why did you come here tonight?" I ask. "We haven't been to the Halloween event for years."

  She shrugs and pulls out her phone instead. "Oh, cool. I have twenty likes on my post."

  I roll my eyes and turn around. "Amelia, we have to find Jamie."

  Pulling her phone out, she types a message. "He better bloody hadn't be here. I'll text him."

  "My thoughts exactly," I mutter.

  "What's happening?" asks Tessa.

  "One of our friends is here. We didn't know he’d planned to come tonight, and I need to find him."

  "Oh." Tessa rubs the corner of her eye. "The missing guy from your new group? Is this the hot, clever dude?"

  Shut up, Tessa.

  Amelia chuckles. "Jamie? Yes, him."

  We step through the door to where Ash should be, but there’s nobody apart from someone tidying up the stray cups and decorations knocked to the ground.

  "Crap." I look in both directions, but the hallway is empty. "Ash has gone, Amelia."

  Her amusement drops. "Gone where?"

  "I don't know! He said the guy was a hunter."

  Amelia’s voice rises in pitch. "A hunter? Here?"

  I suck in a calming breath. "Has Jamie replied to you?"

  She shakes her head.

  I swear and slump against the wall. "This is a mess."

  "A drink will make you feel better," pipes up Tessa. "Do you want to go to the pub?"

  Since when did that become Tessa's answer to everything?

  "What do we do?" I ask Amelia.

  Amelia straightens. "I’ll text Ash too. He needs to get his backside here and so does Jamie."

  "What the hell has got into people?" I mutter.

  ASH

  The hunter may think he's found his perfect excuse to kill me, but he's also risking his life.

  In the last few weeks at home, a group of strangers appeared at the pub every night. Not unusual since Hillendale is a tourist spot, but October isn’t a popular time of year. I asked our barmaid Marie to find out who they were—they're a group staying at the caravan park on the outskirts of town. Ramblers enjoying a holiday in the Yorkshire countryside.

  But I never believe or trust anybody strange who walks into our pub. Not since a hunter took and killed my brother. I swore revenge, and tonight I have a chance. This hunter might not be alone, but we can take them. They’re only human. I don't care which hunter dies, as long as one does, and if I don't kill him, he'll try to kill me.

  The guy walks along the school hallway with his shoulders straight and at an even pace, nodding hellos to people. His strides are purposeful, and he glances around before taking a side exit from the school building.

  My phone alert sounds and I pull it from my pocket. Amelia.

 

  Jamie?

  Holding the phone in my palm, I creep out of the door and watch as the hunter steps into the dark outside. I'm about to reply when a second man appears. It's impossible to view him clearly, but they talk long enough to show they know each other. The pair continue their way along a pathway leading towards a large rectangular building.

 

 

  I look between the screen and men not wanting to lose them.

  I step away from view and rest against a brick wall to reply.

 

  I smile at Amelia's last words.

 

  If these men are stalking me and think they can win, they won't; I bet they decided to follow the shifter on Halloween for sport.

  Unfortunately for them, they'll meet more than me. Between the four of us, we'll win.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  MAEVE

  The panic that’s built over the last ten minutes peaks when Amelia relays Ash’s message to me. "Ash would kill a hunter? How does he know there isn't more than two guys?"

  "Ash isn’t thinking straight." Amelia stares at her phone as we usher Tessa to the car park. "Still no response from Jamie. Crap, I hope he isn't here."

  "Should we look for him?" I ask.

  She wrinkles her nose. "No. We can't split up—I’ll message again but Jamie would reply if he were here. I’m more concerned about Ash."

  "He wouldn’t kill someone in the middle of the school, would he?" I glance at a bored Tessa, who’s uploading pictures from the night to Instagram, then lower my voice. "Will he shift into something else?"

  Amelia rubs her eyes and more green make-up coats her hand. "Ash can't shift until he’s nineteen, but he will switch to fight mode if he’s threatened. Young shifters can easily fall into a primitive state where thinking switches off. You’ve seen how Ash is about his brother’s death. He’ll attack."

  "Crap."

  "That’s one word to describe the situation." Amelia’s on edge, which worries me as much as the situation. Her calm, controlled persona isn’t here.

  "We need to find him." I turn to Tessa. She can’t witness any of this. "Tessa, we should leave now."

  We step outside the school and huddle together under the covered area between the building and the car park. Have the guys lost their minds?

  I startle as Amelia’s message alert sounds. "Jamie." She scans the words. "He is here."

  "What the hell?" I breathe out. "Give me your phone."

  Without waiting, I snatch it from her and type furiously.

 

  Some relief sneaks in. At least he’s not outside in the place I envisioned.

  I step into the car park and gaze around, mind racing with questions. Tonight was supposed to be a simple trip to help my friend. But my life isn’t simple anymore, and I didn’t think this through. I’m reckless and no better than Ash who’s blindly running after hunters.

  "Where are you going?" calls Amelia.

  "He must be around somewhere. What car does he drive?"

  "Jamie doesn't have a car."

  I turn back. "Then how did he get here?"

  A figure steps from the shadows and I shrink back at how sudden and close the person is. His expression is an angry mask, and his blue eyes intense.

  "I could ask you the same question, Maeve."

  Tobias.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  MAEVE

  I shiver. Not because of the wind causing goose bumps on my arms but in fear what will happen next.

  Tobias looks down at me. "Did you miss the part where we told you I pay close attention to your movements?" he says.

  I gape unable to find words, then glance at a worried Amelia. Tessa who’s sitting on the bench beside her looks up. She whispers something to Amelia who replies in a low voice.

  "Maeve," says Tobias tersely. "Would you care to explain your stupidity?"

  "This is my friend
from the vision. I came here to—"

  "I know what you came here for. Jamie has explained. I’m asking you to explain your stupidity. The Dominion are aware of who you are. Hunters watch the academy. You know all this, yet you leave the place. Believe me, there will be serious consequences."

  My cheeks heat because he’s right. "You don't understand, I—"

  Tobias holds his hand up, palm outwards to quiet me. "We will talk later. Right now, we need to find Jamie and Ash, and leave."

  "And Andrei," puts in Amelia.

  "What?" Tobias’s response is sharp, and his face darkens further. "You brought the vampire with no self-control?" he growls at me.

  "No, he invited himself," I reply. "He threatened to tell someone we were leaving campus."

  Tobias sneers. "You are naïve. All of you. You claim to be adults and behave like silly children."

  "Do you know where Jamie is?" I ask, ignoring his insult.

  "Yes. He’s in my car."

  "Alone?" I half-shriek. "What if he leaves? I saw him again. In the school. Here."

  He straightens. "What do you mean ‘saw’ him?"

  I lower my voice so only he can hear. "Walking around the school, in a vision."

  Tobias swears. "Get to the car with me and explain yourself. Amelia, sit here with Maeve’s friend."

  Tessa has broken away from staring at her phone to gawking at Tobias. "Who’s this?"

  "Amelia will tell you," I say.

  Me and Tobias walk over to his car. Jamie sits in the front passenger seat, his face drawn but perks up when he sees me. He climbs out and drags a hand through his fringe. I look him over and my chest tightens; he’s dressed exactly the same as the future I imagined—dark jeans, thick green jacket and black and white Converse. A ring.

  "I didn't tell Tobias. He knew. I came to stop you leaving, but you’d gone. Tobias caught up to me at the gate you jumped over," he stammers.

  "How did you know?" I ask Tobias.

  He crosses his arms. "You weren’t at the witches Samhain celebrations and I knew about the party from listening and watching. It wasn’t hard to join the dots, Maeve."