The knights divided their attention, battling the dragon and Gwyneth, while still trying to protect Viola and keep me from the pendant. The dragon dipped low, tearing his talons over the battlements. One of the smaller towers fell in on itself, already weakened by fire and creeping ivy. The drag from its flapping wings nearly knocked a horse over. The knight went tumbling into the smoldering hay. Gwyneth stayed under the support of the gate archway. She was covered in soot and burns, but looked the happiest I’d ever seen her. She was actually smiling.
The dragon circled back, steam curling out of nostrils the size of caves as it took a deep breath to shoot more fire. This time when the horses bucked, Viola fell off. Constantine steadied his mount before sliding out of the saddle to reach for her.
This was my only chance.
Dragon’s breath baked the air until my throat was as parched as the rest of me was soaked. My silver cord flared painfully. I felt sure Isabeau was on the other end, pulling it as hard as she could. It actually yanked me through the grass. I knew it was a warning, knew I was running out of time. Still, I pulled back, staggering the last few feet. The pendant was within reach. I was so close now.
I hacked at it with the sword. The blade pinged off, leaving a scratch but not much else. I tried again and the force nearly shot it right back to Viola. It was sturdier than I’d assumed. The wood didn’t shatter to pieces like a cameo or a glass pendant would have and the decorative filigrees were made of iron. I scuffed the paint off, but the damage wasn’t enough to free me from Viola’s magical stronghold.
I scooped it up, searching frantically for another way to destroy it. There were little fires burning everywhere but none of them looked hot enough to consume the pendant quickly enough to prevent Viola from reaching it to put it out. Already, rain was starting to fall, hard as silver coins. Mud made everything slippery within seconds. Thunder rumbled, as if an angry dog crouched over us.
Dragon fire was the only thing that would burn hot enough, even in a deluge.
I slid through the wet grass, blinking the water out of my lashes and dodging panicked horses and flashing swords. The cut on my hand bled sluggishly, making the pendant slick. I had to get myself into a better position. I darted out of the protective shield of tree branches and ran as fast as I possibly could toward the dragon while everyone else was running away from it.
Everyone except Viola and Constantine, who were back in a saddle and so close behind me I could hear the horse snorting. The hooves were merciless, a constant hammer bearing down on me. Above us, the storm continued to crash.
Lightning tore through one of the dragon’s leathery wings. It bellowed in pain, fire erupting in one giant cloud, tinged with the acrid odor of charred flesh and blood. It spiraled, losing control and clipping the roof. Shingles and slate shot in every direction. Constantine launched his spear at me but it went wide as he concentrated on controlling his fire-maddened horse.
The dragon roared again, spewing more fire. It was close enough to singe the tips of my hair and turn my cheeks red, as if I was sunburned. I tossed the pendant up high into the flames and leaped out of the way. The heat from the fire made steam lift off my wet clothes.
“No!” Viola shrieked. “No!”
I landed hard, sliding down a hillock to the gatehouse where Gwyneth was hiding. My silver cord went so bright, it was like a moonlight path through the dark woods.
Now or never.
“Go!” Gwyneth shouted. “Now!”
“Come with me!” I shouted back, trying to grab for her hand.
She just shook her head sadly. “I can’t.”
And then she shoved me.
This time, I didn’t fall into one of Viola’s stored memories, but into a flash of silver, like lightning.
Chapter 23
Lucy
Thursday
“You have got to stop writing in the library books,” Tyson said.
“I will if you stop looking at me like I just kicked a kitten,” I replied, sliding the offending book away from him. “I couldn’t help it. Someone needs to edit these things.”
He sat back in the library chair. “Yeah, they’re called editors and they already did that.”
I snorted. “Please. I could drive a truck through the holes in your education.”
“We’re here about your education, not mine.” He actually lowered his forehead to bang it on the table. The librarian sent me a stern glance.
“What?” I said. “I’m not the one giving myself a lobotomy.” Concentrating was even harder than usual. We wouldn’t know how Solange was doing until sunset and that was still hours away. I was relegated to tutoring to keep from going insane. Teasing Tyson was more fun. I nudged his shoe. “Come on, you love it. You’re into learning shit just for the sake of learning. And vampires don’t eat raw hearts.”
“What about Lady Natasha?”
“Please, she was batshit crazy. You can’t judge all vampires by her. That would be like judging all Helios-Ra by Hope.” Which, I had to admit, I’d done myself at first. “And hello, you’ve never met a crazy human?”
“I’m talking to one right now,” he shot back, his voice muffled.
I patted his shoulder encouragingly. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you by telling Jenna how smart and hot you are.”
“What?” He lifted his head, half-horrified, half-intrigued. “Why? What?”
I chuckled, flipping through the next history book on the pile between us. “Hey, get out! My grandma’s in here.” I goggled. “I had no idea she’d staked that many Hel-Blar in her seventies.”
“What do you mean about Jenna?” Tyson asked, lowering his voice so we wouldn’t be overheard.
“Aren’t we supposed to be studying?” I asked him primly.
“Lucy.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh, Tyson, you really are adorable.”
“Great,” he muttered. “I’m puppies and kittens.”
“I’m sure Jenna doesn’t think that.” I gave my most dazzling grin over his shoulder. “And here she comes now.”
“No.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “What have you done?”
“I just told her to meet me here,” I said, blinking innocently. “But I forgot I have to meet Hunter.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Hi, Jenna,” I said brightly, hooking my foot around Tyson’s ankle under the table so he wouldn’t bolt. I felt bad for nearly getting him and Jenna killed at that field party and I wanted to make it up to them. I wasn’t sure if Jenna returned his feelings, but I knew they’d never find out if he didn’t talk to her alone for more than three minutes.
“Hey,” she said. The wide bandage was gone, replaced by two neat stitches. She wore a Helios-Ra Academy T-shirt with the rising sun logo and yoga pants. “I heard you guys had quite a night.”
“Yeah, between the Hel-Blar and the Huntsmen, life is never dull,” I agreed. “But they have nothing on Tyson. He’s way tougher to outsmart.” I showed her the essay he’d marked. It was practically dipped in red ink.
Jenna made a sympathetic face, then took a closer look. She rolled her eyes. “Well, no wonder. Helios-Ra don’t wear spandex tights and capes. We’re not superheroes.”
“But you kind of think you are.” I winked. “I just wrote that to see if he was paying attention.”
“You wrote it because you’re a brat,” he muttered.
I beamed at him. “Now you sound like one of the Drake brothers.” I shoved my new crop of books into my knapsack. “But despite your sweet talk, I have to go. I was supposed to pass on a message to Hunter from Quinn,” I lied. I didn’t go far. I just hid in the next aisle, peeping at them between the books.
“How’s your head?” I heard Tyson ask her.
“I’m cleared for class again.” She rubbed her hands together gleefully. “I’m going to go watch the sparring match in the gym and then run a few laps.” It was saying a lot when my vampire friends weren’t my weirdest friends. Hunt
er and Jenna just loved running laps way too much. And Jenna, apparently, loved it more than Tyson. I mentally apologized to him. I’d been so sure they’d at least make really good friends.
Then Jenna paused, her red ponytails swinging. “Are you coming?” she asked him over her shoulder.
He practically concussed himself with his own bag in his hurry to follow her. I popped my hand out for a high five as he passed my aisle. He obliged, trying not to grin, and took off. I snuck out the back door, also grinning. I decided to go visit Hunter anyway since we had an hour to kill before the next round of classes. I knocked on the door.
“Go away,” Chloe yelled.
“It’s me,” I yelled back. She was notorious for scaring all the ninth-grade students who came to talk to Hunter, since she was their floor monitor. Half of them had memorized Chloe’s schedule so they wouldn’t run into her.
“Oh. Come in, Lucy.” She was sitting on the edge of her bed eating chocolate. Hunter stood by the window, staring out at the pond with a weird look on her face. She forced a smile before going back to brooding. Since she wasn’t usually a brooder, I felt instant trepidation. Solange hadn’t been a brooder either.
“Please tell me you’re not possessed too,” I said. Hunter half smiled in response. Her eyes were a little red. “What’s wrong?”
“Her grandfather just hung up on her again,” Chloe explained.
“That sucks,” I said. Her grandfather was an old-school vampire hunter and as long as Hunter was dating Quinn, he refused to acknowledge her.
“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
“Still sucks,” I said.
She nodded. “Really does.”
“Shouldn’t you be eating chocolate?” I asked. “Guaranteed cure-all.” I motioned at Chloe. “Give her some.”
“She didn’t want it,” Chloe said. “And you can’t have it.” She stuffed the rest into her mouth, nearly choking.
Hunter chuckled. “I swear she’s going to choke to death on chocolate one day,” she said. “I feel sorry for whoever has to write her epitaph.”
Chloe swallowed. “Please, if I had a boyfriend as hot as Quinn, I wouldn’t need so much chocolate,” she said. “Making out would be my new preferred therapy for everything all the time. Stress, bad marks, splinters. Basically, why aren’t you kissing him right now?”
Hunter smiled, looking more like herself. “Because I’m in the sparring match in ten minutes.” She grabbed her gym bag. “So I should go.”
Chloe looked disappointed, as if Hunter had personally betrayed her. “You are wasting a perfectly hot Drake brother.”
She smiled wickedly. “I’m seeing him tonight.”
Chloe sighed. “Take pictures.”
Hunter glanced at me. “Does this happen to you?”
I thought of my friend Nathan and his crush on Nicholas. “All the time,” I confirmed. “You get used to it.”
“I guess I should go to the match and cheer her on,” Chloe said reluctantly.
“Careful, all that enthusiasm will wear you right out.”
She grimaced. “Since Dailey and her weird-ass drugs are gone, and Mom’s weird-ass steroids are out of my system, I just don’t care as much. I’d rather break through Bellwood’s personal firewalls and encryption codes. There are secret e-mails flying around the League,” she said. “And I want in.” She grabbed her laptop. “What about you? Want to watch Hunter wipe the floor with some guy twice her size?”
“Actually, that does sounds like fun,” I agreed as we headed to the front door. “But I’m going to the Drake farm.”
“What, all the detention we already have isn’t enough for you?”
“I have permission this time,” I said.
“It’s still daylight,” she pointed out.
I glanced at the sky. The sun wasn’t anywhere near enough to the horizon. “I know. I’ll just study over there.”
“Say hi to Connor. And don’t drink any coffee,” Chloe advised turning off onto the path toward the gym. “Your entire nervous system might explode.”
Since it wasn’t raining I drove my own car to the farm. Duncan had done a temporary fix on the engine so it only worked in dry, clear weather but it was better than nothing. My face hurt from my wide grin that I just couldn’t help. I was driving to the farm again. I could almost remember what it felt like to drop by for an ordinary visit or a sleepover. I was pulling into the driveway when my mom called.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, Lucky. I haven’t heard you this happy in a long time.”
“I know.” If I sounded any happier sunshine and lollipops would come out of my butt. “I’m at the farm.”
“I figured. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What’s up?” I asked, grabbing my bag and getting out of the car.
“I’m so glad Nicholas is back. I know you two missed each other a lot.” She paused.
I groaned. I knew where this was going. “Mom.”
“I just want you to be careful.”
I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me. “No more safe sex lectures,” I said. “I get it. I’m still finding all the condoms you snuck into my stuff before I moved into the dorms.”
“I don’t just mean that,” she said quietly, sounding uncomfortable.
Since repeatedly talking about sex didn’t make her uncomfortable I leaned against the hood of my car, frowning nervously. “Okay, then what?”
“It’s easy to get carried away when you’re so happy, when you’re celebrating. But you’re still too young to make decisions that will affect your entire future.”
“Are you sure this isn’t the sex talk?”
“People talk about being together forever,” she explained. “But in your case, it’s not just talk.”
“Oh.” This wasn’t the sex talk. It was worse. It was the vampire talk.
“You’re too young to risk your life to live forever,” she continued. “Please don’t do anything rash.”
“Mom, are you asking me if I’m going to let Nicholas turn me into a vampire?”
“I’m asking you to think long and carefully.”
It’s not like I hadn’t thought about it. Of course, I had. But it was always something to think about for later.
“It’s dangerous,” she continued. “It could kill you.”
“Mom,” I interrupted her because she sounded like she was about to panic. “You can relax. I don’t want to be sixteen forever.”
“You say that now.”
“And I mean it. Being carded for eternity doesn’t appeal.” I bit my lip. “I can’t promise I won’t ever make that decision, Mom,” I added. “But I can promise I’m not making it right now.”
She exhaled so forcefully it sounded like there was a hurricane trapped in my phone. “Okay,” she said. “Okay. Thank you.” She laughed, sounding both relieved and anxious. “Oh honey, talking about condoms is so much easier.”
I snorted. “Maybe for you.”
I hung up and went up the pathway to the farmhouse, shaking my head. It was so familiar to see Bruno standing on the front porch with his bald head, tattoos, and dangerous weapons, that I just had to hug him.
“Lass,” he said in his Scottish accent. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“I brought homework,” I said. “Can I just sit in the living room until Solange wakes up?”
“Sure,” he said, running his big hand over my hair. He pushed the door open and when the dogs came barreling at us, I crouched down for another hug. This one was considerably furrier. “Guard,” he ordered them, pointing at me. Boudicca and Byron followed me to the library end of the living room and lay down around my chair. They followed me into the kitchen when I went to make tea and even insisted on coming into the bathroom with me.
For a while I just sat there looking out the window at the fields and the line of trees beyond. My tea grew cold and Byron started to snore. I went back to my books, trying to find references to �
�Dawn.” Not much to go on. Most anti-vampire zealots associated themselves with a sun motif. Even the Helios-Ra used the sun in their crests and logos. I checked the Drake collection but they had even less information and it was just as boring. I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until Bruno touched my shoulder.
“Lucy,” he said gently.
“Mmfwl?” I blinked blearily, wondering why it was so dark in the living room. Bruno grinned and leaned over to switch on one of the Tiffany lamps. The light had a purplish hue as it glowed through the blue-and-red glass.
“Solange is awake,” Bruno said.
Chapter 24
Solange
Thursday evening
I woke up to most of my family staring at me intently. Thank God Aunt Ruby wasn’t there or I might have had a heart attack. I shifted, wondering what felt different. Another shift in my bed and I realized two things: I was in my own bedroom and I didn’t feel the usual searing hunger threatening to break me open.
“Easy,” Uncle Geoffrey said when I tried to sit up. I was hooked up to an IV full of blood, which explained my curious lack of homicidal bloodthirst. He was giving me a transfusion, the way he still did for Christabel.
Only I was chained up.
The chains rattled as I sat up against my rose-embroidered pillows.
“How do you feel?” Uncle Geoffrey asked, sounding clinical and detached. No one else had even spoken yet, they were all too busy staring at me. Mom’s eyes were suspiciously bright. Dad stepped forward with a small key.
“No, don’t,” I said. “Not until I’m sure.”
“That’s the Solange I know,” Mom said softly.
Then she burst into tears.
To say we were stunned is an understatement. Frankly, rabid badgers could have crawled through the window in matching tutus and performed ballet pirouettes and we would have been less surprised. “It’s really you.”
“I’m fine, Mom.” It was the same thing I’d been saying for weeks leading up to my birthday, back when I was still myself. She must have recognized the litany because she lowered herself onto the edge of my bed and squeezed my hand.
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