Blue Blooded (Arcane Academy Slayers)

by K. M. Raya

  “Number of casualties?” Ronnie asked with a tremble of fury in her voice.

  David blinked at them. “One hundred and fourteen humans... most of them teenagers. They came from nowhere and everywhere.”

  Anger rolled through her body. ‘All those humans…’ She felt sick. It was a Slayer’s job to protect the humans from the monsters in the night. It was bred into their very DNA. “There must be a nest somewhere…” she mused aloud as she began to pace the room. She thought most of the nests were near California after being driven out the past few years. She wasn’t aware any had moved back in to the area.

  “That's what the general consensus is,” David agreed.

  “I knew something was starting…” Blue grumbled. “I never should have left the city. Harlow's out there by herself while I’m stuck here going to freakin math class!” The more she thought about it, the more frantic she became. Whipping out her phone, Blue called Harlow only to reach her voicemail. “She’s not answering... that’s not like Harlow; she’s attached to her phone and always picks up for me.”

  Ronnie came over and laid a hand on her shoulder. “It doesn’t mean anything, Blue. Not yet. I’m sure she’s just busy. Give her some time and if she doesn’t call back soon, then we’ll worry.” Blue knew her friend was right. She was jumping the gun. Still though, she couldn't help but feel the little niggling of doubt in the back of her mind.

  “Harlow Graves is just as much of a Slayer as the rest of us,” David tried to reassure her. He rubbed a small, comforting circle on her back. “She had a good few years of training at Arcane and another ten in the field. Don’t doubt her skills just because you aren’t there to help her. I’m guessing she’s fine and you’re worrying for nothing.”

  She lost some of the tension in her shoulders. “No, you're right. It's just… we've been a team for so long and I hate the thought of her being out there without me.”

  “I think you're forgetting who the older sibling is, girl,” teased Ronnie, making Blue crack a small smile.

  Harlow may have been the eldest, but she knew that her sister was soft in all the ways that Blue was hard. She'd been sheltered from the worst parts of their lives while Blue had been thrust right in the middle of it all, forced to do unspeakable things... things she’d give anything to forget.

  *

  The school was buzzing with the news from Portland. With Arcane being only fifty miles from the densely populated city, every Slayer on campus was on edge.

  Not a single person had forgotten about Savannah Crow or the fact that her change had gone unsolved, even after many more weeks. People still watched Blue with accusing eyes everywhere she went. Rumors circulated around and for the most part, she tried to ignore them. She avoided Jewel as well, not wanting to rile up her old friend turned mean girl, even if it did physically hurt to look at her sometimes.

  Back when they were younger, Blue and Jewel would pretend to lead a Slayer team of their own, always working together and having each other’s backs. They had been inseparable and vowed to stick together forever. The fact that JJ could barely stand the sight of her these says only twisted the knife lodged in her chest even further. Guilt was there too, always hiding in the back of her psyche. It was misplaced, she knew that, but it was just as potent as it had been all those years ago. Logically, Blue knew that none of it was her fault, or even Harlow's. Her sister hadn't even been present, but Blue had seen it all—the blood, the gore, the loss…

  “Alone again, I see. Can I count on this becoming a pattern?” asked Jasper as he flopped into the chair next to her as she ate her breakfast of soggy fruit loops. She rolled her eyes, forcing herself to eat another bite, though it tasted like dust in her mouth.

  “Ah, come on, I thought we were friends?” He pushed out his full bottom lip and Blue huffed out a laugh reluctantly. Jasper was irritating on the best of days, but damn it if he didn’t have gallons of charm.

  “Did you need something? I can't imagine you're over here for the company. Don't you have a graveyard to stalk somewhere?”

  Leaning back casually, Jasper ran a hand over his buzzed brown hair and got comfortable in his seat. “I could ask you the same thing, my little graverobber…” He smirked. “Actually, I did come here for a reason, believe it or not.”

  “Oh boy, this is thrilling,” she drawled sarcastically. Still, he smiled at her, making her heart thump just a little bit faster. He really was a handsome devil. She had to fight it when she kept glancing at his lips… remembering the delicious way he tasted. He looked better than he had before if it was possible, with his freshly shaved face, highlighting that amazing jawline of his. His strange eyes glimmered as he ran his gaze over her form. She felt every second of it.

  “I was wondering if you would be my date to the banquet after the Trials…” Somehow, he sounded nervous. She would have laughed if she hadn’t been so caught off-guard. A cold feeling ran through her.

  She sat there for a moment with no words. That was definitely the very last thing she had expected him to ask her. “The one in December? The one that isn’t for another three months?” She was deflecting, trying to shove away unwanted memories of the last time she’d been allowed to attend that particular banquet.

  His smile turned up a notch and his green eyes sparkled. Blue had to look at the space between his eyebrows because every time they made eye contact, all she could do was remember the feel of his lips on hers and smell his rich, leathery scent all around her. Shaking herself out of teen girl world, Blue forced a laugh. “You’re a little early, don't you think? What if we hate each other in three months.”

  “All the more reason for me to hang around, right? I mean, if we have three months to fall madly in love, why not set a goal?” Reaching out, he took it upon himself to grab her glass of orange juice and kill it. “Besides, I wanted to lock it down before some other sad sack has the chance to beat me to it.” He winked.

  “What happened to no strings?” she asked, remembering what he’d promised her out in that graveyard.

  He snorted. “Again, I’m not asking you to marry me. I just wanted a date before someone else manages to snatch you up.”

  “Trust me, Jas, I’m pretty sure you're the only one in line for a date with the school pariah. I’m not exactly popular around here.”

  His face was unreadable for a moment before he scooted his chair closer with an audible screech that had others glaring over at their table. “You called me, Jas…” He smiled even wider. It made his eyes crinkle at the corners. “Does this mean we're going steady?” He batted those chestnut lashes like an idiot. ‘Damn he was fucking charming…’

  “Nice try, bud. Hate to break it to you, but I'm not really in the market for a boyfriend at the moment.” She shrugged and resumed her now even soggier cereal.

  “That's alright, take your time. But someday, you'll realize we're soulmates.”

  “Not likely,” she muttered, forcing herself not to smile. “I still don’t get why you’re wasting your time on me. Everyone else pretty much hates my guts around here but you act like it's no big deal what my family did. You defended me that first day without even meeting me. I don’t get it, are you messing with my head or are you for real?”

  His teasing face became serious for a moment as he seemed to be contemplating his next words. His eyes bounced between her multicolored ones. “I’m really not fucking with you. I actually dig you a whole hell of a lot, and to answer your question, I’m not really the sort of guy who gives a shit about dumb ass rumors. I like you, and I don’t think you’re a bad person just because something tragic happened.” He reached out and took her hand in his, causing warmth to spread up her arm and through her chest.

  He stared down at their entwined hands and rubbed the pad of his thumb along her finger. “My family moved to the community when I was seventeen. We lived in Canada for most of my life until my mom got a letter from the school requesting my older brother Marcus’ attendance.” His greenish eyes darkene
d ever so slightly, and she instinctively knew this was a sore subject for Jasper.

  She squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to tell me... it's okay,” she assured him honestly and he exhaled a long breath.

  “Nah, it's fine... just hard sometimes, but it's not like it's a secret or anything.” He looked around for a moment. “Hey, do you want to take a walk with me before class?”

  Thinking about it, a walk sounded pretty awesome right about then. Blue nodded her head and stood, but Jasper had already grabbed her empty bowl of mush and tossed in the trash for her. They ignored the stares of disapproval cast their way as they made their way through the room and out the back doors of the kitchen. It was the same path she had taken the day she’d gone for a walk in the graveyard.

  The air was much clearer that morning, the blue sky above them had not a single cloud in sight and the sun shone brightly—rare for that time of year. Fall was present and with it came the dying of the trees and the danger that came with the heavy cloud cover. They walked in easy silence, side by side and Blue couldn't help but feel incredibly comfortable next to Jasper. His presence was steady and reassuring, even if she barely knew him. He felt like someone she could trust, and trust was a rare thing for a Graves.

  “So, your brother…” she prompted and for a split second, she watched him wince. “I-I’m sorry, I’m being nosey…” she tried to backtrack, but Jasper placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. His palm coasted along her arm until he caught her hand in his and held on tight.

  “It’s fine. I brought it up in the first place. Sometimes it just takes me a minute to process. It's been years but it never seems to get any easier.” She looked into his eyes but had to tilt her head up because he was just that tall. With the sunlight filtering in from the tree cover, it made his dark brown hair look ever so slightly red, just like those long, dark lashes of his. He was distractingly handsome.

  The continued walking, hand in hand. “Marcus loved this place,” he said after a few moments of silence. She kept quiet, content to let him speak. “He loved the action, the danger... always had. Even though my mom hated it.” He smiled fondly. “Mom’s just human, so she didn’t understand, but she always supported us.” They wound their way down the familiar cobblestone path. “We were adopted... back when Marcus was only five and I was an three. I don’t know anything about my birth family. Mostly because I never really asked. I know their names and stuff, but my mom was all I needed. She knew what we were when she took us in, but I think she stayed away all those years because she wanted to keep us safe. We trained with an old friend of my birth parents', but it wasn’t until that letter that mom moved us back here.”

  Jasper’s eyes were far away, lost in memory. She soaked it all in, finally getting a feel for the man behind all that snark. He was a complex person, and she was realizing slowly, how incredibly strong he was if he was able to open up to her like that. “Marcus was so excited when he got that letter freshman year of high school. Mom didn't want to let him go, but we all knew she’d never hold him back from anything. We moved to the states and settled near Portland while Marcus attended Arcane. He barely made it a few years before…” He seemed to choke on his words for a moment.

  Blue grabbed his arm reassuringly with the hand that wasn't squeezing his palm. “Before what?”

  Jasper cleared his throat. “They got him in the sewers.” Blue could feel a growl rumbling in her chest. Her hand fisted at her side. “It was supposed to be a stake out; a training exercise to find one of the smaller nests and report back, but the bloodsuckers were waiting for him and his partner.” He looked to his feet, jaw clenched. “He never made it back… barely any fucking time in the real world and Marcus was gone already. I had to beg mom to let me come here, but she’s still not happy about it.”

  They were silent for a moment. Contemplative. “Jas, I don’t know what to say. I want to say I’m sorry, but I know what it's like to hear it. It doesn’t help, so I won’t.”

  He smiled sadly, looking down at her in appreciation. “Thanks. I mean it. Sometimes I don't need a sorry; sometimes I just need to hear myself say it out loud.”

  They came to a stop at the gates of the graveyard. It seemed to be their spot now. In all honesty, despite the vamp attack the last time she’d been there, she still preferred the dark, dreary graveyard to being at school filled with everyone who despised her. Looking out over the headstones, they watched as spirits floated nearby, not doing anything in particular other than wandering around aimlessly, doing whatever it was that spirits did to keep themselves occupied.

  “Was his body ever found?” she asked Jasper, biting her tongue immediately. She really needed to stop the word vomit.

  “Yeah, they found him the next day, washed up along a river embankment. We had him cremated that same day. He’s at rest now at least, so there's that…” He leaned against the black wrought iron gate, resting his tanned, tattooed forearms over the edge while he watched over the spirits.

  “What's with the tatts?” she asked, unable to help her burning curiosity.

  His hand absently traced over the black ink on his wrist as he smiled at a private joke. “I guess I went a little nuts after Marcus died. I was obsessed with becoming the badass that I always remembered my brother being.” He laughed at himself. “I wanted to be bigger, badder than he was so that someday, I could kill all the fuckers responsible for taking him from me. I guess tattoos just seemed like a good outlet for a while.”

  Blue laughed openly at the confession. “Well, they suit you.” She winked. “You've got the whole hot, brooding bad boy thing locked down.”

  “You think I'm hot?” he asked with a wicked grin. “Sexy, even?”

  “Now you’re putting words in my mouth, buddy.” Blue rolled her eyes.

  Jasper pulled away from the fence, turning towards her and caging her body against the wrought iron posts. Her heartbeat picked up and she was almost afraid to breathe. She didn't know what it was about these guys that suddenly turned her into a massive pile of goop, but she wasn't sure she ever wanted it to stop.

  “You've got to stop calling me buddy... I don't feel very buddy-like right now, do you?” His voice was gravelly and lower than she was used to.

  She watched his pupils dilate and his jaw go rigid. The muscles in his arms tensed as they caged her body between them. Jasper towered over her like a giant, making her feel small and dainty but she loved it. She’d been a tough girl her whole childhood, it was sort of nice feeling like a real girl for once.

  Jasper brought one of his large hands to her waist, placing his palm on her hip bone and adding a bit of pressure. Her skin tingled where his fingertips grazed the slightly exposed skin of her abdomen. Skimming his hand up her torso, she let a shudder visibly roll over her and watched as his eyes darkened even more. Dipping his head down, his lips caressed hers and they felt like silk between her own.

  He tasted like sin and felt like fire as she pushed into him further. His hands had gone from her sides to caressing her face in an instant. The kiss grew more frantic and more intense when suddenly, he was lifting her up with ease and turning her around so that her back was pinned to a nearby tree.

  His lips left hers, but only for a moment while he kissed down the side of her pale neck. He growled under his breath, cursing slightly when she let out a breathy moan. She was humming with pleasure as he pinned her against the bark. Her Slayer skin was strong enough that the feel of the scratchy bark didn't irritate her and she was never more grateful for her durability than in that moment.

  Raking her fingernails over his scalp, she continued to trail her hands down his neck and over his shoulders. Gripping on tighter, his hips ground into hers urgently, causing her to toss her head back without a care in the world. He was a mad man, possessed by his lust for her and she loved it. In the back of her mind, she knew they were being watched, but the spirits hardly counted. If anything, they were getting a hell of a show to break up the monotony.
She wanted to fuck him on the forest floor, to ride him hard and fast until she was screaming. She couldn’t get enough of him, and she was positive the feeling was mutual.

  “Well, isn't this just the cutest,” came a voice she wanted to hear the very least in the entire world at that moment.

  They broke apart with long, aggravated groans. Jasper gently lowered her back to the ground, both of them breathing hard. Jewel stood there watching with her arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping the soil beneath her boots. Next to her stood that same unfamiliar blond boy from the other day, but on her other side stood... Dresden. His brown eyes looked almost black as he watched her, his jaw was ticking and hands were fisting at his sides. There was a fury there and she could hardly muster the strength to look away. His black hoodie was pulled up, but his light hair spilled out of it, falling over his shoulders softly. Half of his face was shrouded in darkness, but those eyes were impossible to miss.

  “What do you want, JJ?” Blue called out to her once best friend.

  Jewel rolled her eyes, ignoring the nickname. Blue only used it to goad the bitch. “Trust me, Graves, there's nothing I want from you,” she sneered, her dark eyes filled with hatred and disgust.

  “It’s time to go, Jewel,” ordered Dresden as he reached out a hand to grip Jewel’s wrist. Narrowing her eyes on that grip, Blue couldn't help but feel a sickening swirl of something foreign in her gut. Seeing Dresden’s fingers on JJ was almost enough to make her physically sick and it confused the hell out of her. She didn’t even like the pretty boy.