Nightworld Academy: Term Four

by LJ Swallow

  "Apart from Maeve," says Ash.

  Nobody speaks.

  He gestures at me. "She is. We all know this."

  My stomach twists until I feel sick. The pressure my magic puts on me starts again. If we fail, it could be my fault.

  No, Maeve. Tobias. I meet his eyes and he nods. "Together," he says. "Maeve is stronger when we're together." He nimbly climbs over the wall. "Stop this idling."

  "Yes, sir," says Andrei sarcastically and stops Tobias in his tracks. The fury on his face is enough to pull us all into line.

  The long, damp grass beneath our feet soaks my trainers as I split from Jamie and Andrei. A nearby screech sends my adrenaline sky high as I spin around, expecting a shifter attack.

  "Owl, Maeve," says Ash softly.

  "Could it be a shifter?"

  "Possibly," says Tobias with too much casualness for my liking.

  "Omigod," I breathe out.

  "Hence, the need to hurry." He strides ahead.

  We catch up and Ash stops as we get to the two barns. He points at the one on the left. "That's where the prisoners were."

  A huge padlock hangs from a chain wrapped around the handles on the barn door. Grass grows through the rocks at our feet but there're no signs of recent footprints.

  "Ash." Tobias gestures at the padlock.

  With a sharp nod, Ash rips the padlock from the chain. Each time Ash demonstrates the brute strength he hides behind his gentle exterior, I'm both attracted to and scared by him.

  I close my eyes and inhale, steeling myself for what might be inside. Half of me wants to find people; the other half prays nobody is in there, because what state will they be in?

  Tobias pauses and I catch his apprehension. "Ash, can you wait outside on look out, in case anybody's nearby? Or if someone's inside here waiting to attack, they won't know there're three of us at the barn." Ash frowns. "You're physically strongest. You keeping watch makes sense."

  "Fine," he mutters.

  The door opens with a slow creak as Tobias pushes on the wood.

  Am I truly prepared for what I might see inside?

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  MAEVE

  The barn stinks of excrement and fear, the stone floors strewn with rotting straw and boxes piled up around the corner. There's little light save for the moonlit sky outside, and I struggle to make out much. I squint at a shape in the corner, easily recognisable—a motorcycle.

  "Tobias," I whisper. "I can't see."

  "Shit. I didn't think to bring a torch. I forget your eyesight isn't the same as mine."

  "I thought you were always prepared," I mutter. "I can't cast witchlight."

  A shuffling sound close by alerts us and Tobias swears and moves around a pile of boxes, out of my sight. Do I close the door and lose my light or leave it open and risk somebody seeing us?

  "Is everything okay?" asks Ash, peering into the barn.

  "Mostly."

  He jerks his head. "Is anybody in there?"

  "Yes."

  Tobias speaks, tone flat, and I hesitate before edging my way around. A man sits on the floor, arms chained together. He's gaunt and his hair streaked with something dark—blood or mud? I have difficulty making out which in the poor light. The frozen mask of terror on his face will haunt me for the rest of my days.

  "That's the hunter." I startle at Ash's voice, unaware he's joined us. "Isn't he, Tobias?"

  Tobias runs a hand down his face as we all stare at the silent man. "No. He can't be. Andrei killed him."

  "Well, I guess he didn't," I say in shock.

  The man who tried to kill Ash on Halloween now fixes his frightened gaze on him.

  "How long have you been here?" asks Tobias. The man's mute, wide-eyed terror remains and he shakes his head. "Have you been silenced?"

  "Shifters can't do that," says Ash.

  "No, they can't wipe memories either." Tobias presses his fingers against his temples. "This is definite witch or vampire involvement."

  "But Vincent hates witches," I say.

  "If he is Vincent."

  Ash says the words we all think—ones unthinkable in front of him a few weeks ago.

  "Have you been silenced?" repeats Tobias.

  The man nods.

  "Fuck." Tobias squats down and outstretches a hand to touch the guy who scrambles away from Tobias on his backside. "I won't hurt you."

  The man makes a noise halfway between a choke and a cry as Tobias's fingertips make contact with the side of his head. Tobias's brows tug in concentration. "Recent memories blocked. He doesn't know how he's here."

  My stomach turns at the thought of what's happened to this man, and I sense conflicted emotions in Ash—he held a gun at Ash and at all of us.

  "Can you find anything from his memories?" I ask.

  "They're muddled. I can't find memories of the night he attacked us either, and that makes no sense. Why would somebody block those memories?"

  Frustration edges in and joins the fear and disgust already filling my head. "Nothing ever makes sense!"

  Tobias stands again, eyes still on the chained man. "No. But things are coming together."

  "For you, maybe, but the situation is clear as mud to me," says Ash harshly. "Shifter wars, people attacking Maeve on campus, framing Andrei...and there's the visions."

  I moisten my parched lips. "You think this is all Dominion?"

  "Yes. I should be able to break through this block and can't." Tobias pulls himself to his feet, lips pressed together.

  The man rests his head against the barn wall and mumbles to himself as he stares upwards, eyes glazing. "Can we free him?" I ask. "This is horrible."

  The chains around his hands are locked with a padlock smaller than that on the door; I look to Ash, who could easily break them. But his conflict remains as he stares down at the man who wanted him dead.

  "Tobias?" asks Ash. "How dangerous is he?"

  "He's weak," I protest. "Check him for weapons—I doubt he has any, and he can't hurt us in this state. Help him. Or at least let me find him some water."

  They hesitate and for the first time in weeks, I'm horrified by their behaviour. This man is as good as a prisoner of war, and if we are decent human beings, we'd help him.

  But one of us isn't human, and two of us are half-human.

  "Wait there," I say. "I'll get water."

  "Not on your own," snaps Tobias. "Ash—wait here."

  Ash looks between us and the man grunts in fear again as he stares at Ash. What is Ash thinking? I take his hands. "Look at me." He turns his head and the darkness in his eyes frightens me. "Promise me you won't hurt this man. Promise me. Don't make yourself into something Vincent wants you to be. You resisted hurting a hunter before."

  Ash nods, the gesture slight enough for anybody to miss. Giving his hands a squeeze, I drop them and turn to Tobias. "Let's go."

  Tobias walks beside me in silence as our shoes crunch across the gravel towards the farmhouse. We stick to the shadows, and I'm close enough to sense something that frightens me.

  Unease.

  "What do you think is happening here?" I ask him.

  "Someone wanted us at the farmhouse tonight. I always knew that." He stares ahead as he speaks.

  I stop in my tracks, hairs lifting on the back of my neck. "And you brought us here, knowing we're walking into danger?"

  "No, Maeve. You all decided to come here even though you knew how dangerous this could be." He halts too. "You doubt me, don't you?"

  I shake my head but he's too close to me—psychically and physically— and I can't hide my true thoughts.

  "I'm disappointed in you, Maeve," he says stiffly.

  "I just walked away from a man chained up, starving and terrified. My two worlds collided again. At this moment, I wish I was home in my room and safe." I swallow down the lump in my throat. "Yes, I'll stay strong and do what I need, but I will always hold onto my human values too."

  His face softens and he nods. "Please understand t
hat I will never let harm come to you, Maeve."

  I smile and shake my head. "Despite all your hot and cold responses to me, I believe you."

  Tobias's eyes remain on mine for a few seconds and as I begin to connect to his thoughts, he closes them and looks away. "We will get the man some water and ask Jamie and Andrei if they've discovered anything."

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  JAMIE

  The farmhouse looks like a place people visit to spend time isolated on the moors; a holiday 'away from it all' surrounded by silence and nature.

  If this is a holiday home, the usual guests probably don't break their way in, as we do now.

  I rest against the side of the stone-built house as Andrei scouts the perimeter to check and listen. At vamp speed, he's quick and unnoticed, and he confirms that there's nobody inside to notice. Andrei locates a window with a broken latch and opens it with the ease of somebody practiced in the act. Does he sneak into Maeve's room like this?

  Andrei's night eyesight gives him an advantage as I squint at my surroundings. The place smells musty from the damp, and a rotten smell makes the surroundings more unpleasant. I bump into the corner of a bed and steady myself as Andrei clicks on a lamp.

  "Quiet, dude."

  "I couldn't see," I protest.

  Andrei places his finger to his lips and cocks his head. "S'okay, I'm sure the place is empty unless a spell is warding someone."

  "Comforting," I say with a sigh.

  "Wait here. I'll take a look." Andrei moves across the carpeted floor to the closed door.

  "No. Together."

  He shrugs. "Whatever."

  We move from room to room. A second, larger bedroom is empty, apart from a neatly made double bed and single dresser. We discover the kitchen is the source of the rotten smell as an unemptied bin overflows. Following a brief look in an equally unclean bathroom, we reach a small door leading to a basement. I'm not keen on heading down, but Andrei hops down the narrow stone staircase two at a time and disappears around the corner.

  "That's weird," he calls back.

  My stomach lurches. "What is?"

  His head appears from the shadows. "The cellar is empty. Totally nothing here. Clean too. Come and see."

  "I think one of us should stay up here," I say and glance around. I'm not convinced we're alone; somebody could be lurking around. Have the others found anything at the barn?

  "Fine." Andrei trudges back up the steps. "Nobody's here."

  "Right, we'll go to the barn." I step into the cramped lounge room, towards the front door.

  "No. Wait here. Tobias wanted us apart for a reason. We can watch, in case they need help." Andrei walks to the grimy window beside the front door and peers into the darkness. "I can't see anything apart from Ash standing outside."

  I perch on the edge of an armchair—partly because I'm unsure what the stain is on the cushion. Andrei stays by the window, hands in pockets as he stands sentry. Tonight, the vampire's skin is ever-so luminescent in the night, something associated with recent blood feeding. Has Andrei filled on blood for a reason?

  "Does drinking cow's blood bother you?" I ask.

  Andrei turns his head and stares at me. "Why the hell are you asking me that?"

  "Curiosity. I know you eat food too, so I'm confused why you need the animal blood."

  He laughs. "I thought you were world expert on all things supernatural."

  "I don't know much about the blood born."

  Before Andrei stepped into our lives, I rarely mixed with Petrescu unless I needed to. I told myself this wasn't deliberate, but look how quickly the races turned on each other after Lorna's death. Is prejudice ingrained in us all?

  "I didn't need any until last year. Now I'm older, I need blood and less food," he says. "Blood only once..." He trails off. "Once I turn."

  "Another year?" I ask.

  "Yeah. If I survive that long. Death or immortality—I can't decide which I prefer."

  Immortality. The concept always fascinated me even though I've no desire to live forever—I'm happy to be alive at the end of each day.

  "Can blood born make other vampires? Can you?"

  Andrei's stare intensifies. "What the fuck, Jamie? You know that's illegal, apart from those who get special permission, if they pay enough money to the right people."

  "Right." I scratch my head. "I also heard that blood born vamps can have kids—before they turn completely. Is that true?"

  "So many questions." Andrei walks over and looks down at me, eyes shining with amusement. "I'm not sure whether you're asking me to turn you, or if you want to have my babies. Either way, the answer's no."

  I scowl at his teasing. "Curious minds want to know."

  "I'm not dumb. I know why you're asking. No, I won't turn Maeve and we're being careful, Uncle Jamie." He's cold, warning me to shut up. "We're not supposed to have a relationship, so the last thing we want to do is make things worse by making babies."

  I cringe at the idea of both. "But if she ever asked you for either of those two things?"

  Andrei drops into the dilapidated armchair opposite me. "You're an intense guy, Jamie, and I know how much you love Maeve, but think about who you're talking to. I'm nineteen, my mother's the Dominion leader, I spent a couple of days in Ravenhold accused of murder. I've also lost control and taken blood before." My mouth falls open. "Not from Maeve! What I'm trying to say is, life's complicated enough without adding in any of that shit."

  He's right. "Sorry for the dumb questions."

  "I get it. You're looking out for Maeve." He cocks his head. "Have you two taken things further yet?"

  "That's personal." I don't talk to the guys about my situation with Maeve, and Andrei can think what he likes. One thing's sure, I haven't stopped thinking about the kiss I shared with her.

  He chuckles. "That's no. Just curious whether the witch bond makes you want to rip each other's clothes off at any opportunity."

  "Some of us have more control than you," I say stiffly. "I'm not selfish. I'm staying away from Maeve."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "Nothing," I mutter.

  "Are you jealous? Because if you are, you'll need to be jealous of Ash and Tobias too."

  I'd considered how intimate she's been with Ash but not Tobias. "Are you kidding me? Tobias?"

  "Not yet, but it's coming." He smirks. "No pun intended."

  Does Maeve seriously like guys like Andrei and his dumb comments? Maybe they don't talk to each other much because they're too busy doing other things.

  "I'm not jealous. My relationship with Maeve is different to yours, that's all."

  Andrei rubs his fingers across his lips and his smirk disappears. "Thank you for taking care of her, Jamie."

  "I always will and so will you."

  "You saved her life."

  "That's a no brainer, Andrei."

  He laughs. "Yeah. She's special. Really fucking special."

  And in that moment, I see past Andrei's front to the guy Maeve loves, and I drop my concern that he'll grow bored of Maeve once he's had his fun. But if he hurts Maeve emotionally or physically, I'll hurt him in return.

  And I can now, because he couldn't harm me. I touch the Blackwood pendant beneath my coat and Andrei watches the movement.

  "Blackwood magic fucked up Matt's life," he remarks.

  "I'm not Matt."

  "You're not as powerful a witch as he was, and Matt was influenced. Does the pendant talk to you? Y'know, with your psychometry?"

  "No. Don't be ridiculous."

  "I'm not." He crosses his arms and looks directly at me. "Tell me the truth. Have you found the Blackwood grimoire? The one Matt had?"

  I bite the inside of my mouth as Andrei's energy moves towards me. "Yes," I say without meaning or wanting to. "What the fuck, Andrei? Stop using your magic on me."

  "Shit, Jamie. Does Tobias know? Maeve?"

  "I only looked once and then I took the grimoire back." I tap the side of my head.
"Take a look. I'm telling the truth."

  "Did you learn a spell?" he asks. "Please tell me you didn't."

  The pendant heats against my skin. Because my emotions triggered the heat, or because the pendant knows we're talking about the Blackwood?

  That's a ridiculous idea. Sure, I read the book, but didn't become obsessed the way Matt did. "Kind of."

  The pendant heats further as the stony silence grows between us. "What spell, Jamie?" he snaps. "Don't you remember what Matt did and the shit it landed him in?"

  "One to empower and extend the pendant's protection, okay?" I snap back. "To people who are with me."

  Andrei's eyes narrow. "How?"

  "An incantation. No blood sacrifices at dawn, don't worry."

  "This isn't funny, Jamie."

  I stand and walk to the window. Outside, the surroundings remain quiet and void of people or noise. "I agree. Nothing about this situation is funny."

  "Take it off." I jerk my head around at Andrei's demand. "Take the pendant off."

  Instinctively, my hand moves to curl around it. "No."

  "Why not? Because you can't?"

  "Of course, I can!"

  "I swear you're not telling me the whole truth. Prove to me the pendant has no influence over you." Andrei steps towards me, palm outstretched, and in a panic I step away from him. "Give me the pendant."

  "Why? Do you want to learn Blackwood magic?"

  "I'm a vampire. I can't."

  "I need this right now, Andrei. I don't feel safe without the pendant."

  Pursing his lips, Andrei steps back, and as he does light from outside the window crosses his face. "Shit."

  He tugs me to one side and rests against the wall beside the window. "A car."

  My heart rate sky rockets and I blindly look around. What do we do? Where do we go? Andrei blurs and appears across the room by the door to the kitchen. "In here. The car is out the front."

  I dart into the disgusting-smelling kitchen after him. "What do we do?" I whisper. "You're okay; you can run fast."

  "Depends who's in the car." Andrei swipes his fringe from his face.

  "What about Maeve, Ash, and Tobias?" I whisper.