My blood runs cold. “No. That’s too soon.”
“Oh, and there’s more. They demanded that Calvin receive the same training as you do.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t get all the information with all the simultaneous shouting that was going on. Eavesdropping is a lot harder when everyone is talking at once. But I did hear them mention Bloodstone. My guess is that Calvin will be joining you there.”
“That’s absurd and completely unheard of. Only those destined to become High Witches can attend Bloodstone. This is not fucking Hogwarts. This is a school for vampires, for fuck’s sake.”
“I know. You don’t need to shout in my ear. But thanks to the fiasco that was your visit to the Nightshade Market, the Belmonts have leverage now.”
“Solomon will never agree to it,” I say, but I don’t believe my own words.
“Maybe not, but I thought you should know. At least now you won’t die of shock when you bump into Calvin.”
This is going to end up terribly. Calvin and Saxon can’t be living under the same roof. Saxon will kill Calvin and start a conflict that King Raphael can’t afford. Oh my God. That’s it. If there’s one person who can stop this madness, it’s the king. Bloodstone is part of his domain.
“What were you doing in the market last night anyway?” I ask, just remembering that she wasn’t supposed to be there.
“I was looking for an ingredient, but not for a love potion.”
“What was it for then?”
“Please don’t get mad at me. I’m trying to brew a potion that will make Calvin repulsed by you.”
“What?” I yell, giving myself a headache.
“I figured that if he couldn’t stomach you, he’d call off the engagement.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, counting to ten in my head. Poor Miranda doesn’t know that being repulsed by me won’t deter the idiot. “I appreciate the effort, but I don’t think it will matter much to him. He already loathes me.”
“You seem resigned to marrying the guy. What about Saxon?”
“We are … I don’t know. It’s complicated. Thank you for letting me know about Calvin. I have to get ready.”
“Wait. Don’t hang up yet. I wanted to ask you something.”
I don’t really have the time to chitchat with my sister, but considering she got in trouble to save my ass, I owe her that much.
“Fine. What is it?”
“What’s the deal with Vivienne’s brother? He’s cute.”
“Oh no. Don’t even think about it, Miranda. Rikkon is not someone you should be even remotely interested in.”
“But he’s your friend’s brother.”
“Yeah, and he’s also a recovering junkie with a bad case of memory loss.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t ask about him again. Jeez.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m under a lot of pressure here.”
“I know. If I hear more, I’ll let you know. Talk later.”
I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve a sister like Miranda. Risking my mother’s wrath to help me goes beyond sisterly duties. I do hope her ill-conceived attempt to save me from Calvin ends there. It’s a dead end. But I can’t worry about that now when I have to find a way to speak with the king. I suppose I could ask Lucca to arrange the meeting.
I get ready as fast as I can, not only because I’m late for a lecture with Solomon, but because I must get this new problem taken care of immediately. After that, the next item on the agenda is to call my mother and ask if they’re moving the date of my wedding forward. If it’s true, then I have to find a way to break off my engagement and help the warlocks catch Elena in a month’s time.
It turns out, all my hurrying to get ready is for nothing. When I reach Solomon’s office, none other than Calvin is walking out of it. He smiles in a chilling manner when he sees me.
“Good evening, darling.”
I stop in my tracks while vises of dread take hold of me. “Did you come here to see me? I said I didn’t like surprises.”
“Oh no. I didn’t come for a visit, but I do have a surprise for you. I’ll be joining you here at Bloodstone. Isn’t that grand?”
I stare at him without blinking, not even daring to breathe. How could they have made this decision so fast? And why did Solomon agree to it when he knows Saxon and I are mated?
“Oh my God. I think I’ve shocked you into silence. I should do that more often.” He chuckles.
“When are you starting?” I ask.
“Tonight. I’m moving in tomorrow. It’s a pity that we can’t share the same apartment, though. But rules are rules. Solomon made it clear couples can’t live together while here. It’s okay, we’ll have plenty of time when we’re married.”
Well, for starters, Solomon lied. Lucca and Vivienne are living together. I suppose I have to thank him for that. Still, bile fills my mouth. If Calvin doesn’t stop talking, I’m going to barf all over his clothes.
“I’d love to stay here and chat, but I’m late for a meeting with Solomon,” I say.
“Sure, sure. I don’t want to get you into trouble with the headmaster. God knows how much mayhem seems to follow you, right, darling?” His eyes take on a threatening glint. He must be talking about last night’s incident.
“What are you insinuating? If you have something to say to me, get on with it.”
He opens his mouth to reply, but he’s interrupted by Solomon, who steps into the hallway. “Ah, Aurora. I see that you already heard the news.”
“Yeah, sure have. Are we still having a meeting or what?”
“Naturally.” He turns to the Lord of Doucheville. “Well, Calvin. Good luck.”
I completely ignore him as I enter Solomon’s office fuming, and immediately begin to pace. I’m so angry that sparks of magic leak from my fingers. Solomon closes the door softly and, at a leisurely pace, heads for his chair behind his desk.
“How could you let that snake enroll here?” I start.
“I had no choice in the matter. The order came directly from the king.”
“What? King Raphael sanctioned this? Is he crazy?”
“Child, you’d better learn to control your temper if you hope to last as the High Witch.”
“I don’t want to control my temper,” I yell. “And right now, being the High Witch is not a priority anymore.”
“You’d better not say that near your mother.” He arches his bushy brows.
“Fuck her. This is her fault too.”
“No, Aurora. Your irresponsible actions last night triggered all this. Your reckless behavior put us all in an extremely delicate situation. King Raphael can’t lose the support of the Council of Witches.”
“You don’t need to repeat what I already know. And my behavior yesterday wasn’t reckless. You know why I went to the Nightshade Market. Or have you forgotten already that Saxon and I are mated, and fighting the bond is driving us both insane?”
“You didn’t have to bring an entourage to procure that ingredient. Not only have you exposed the nature of your relationship with Saxon, but you also risked Vivienne and Rikkon’s secret. If the wrong people find out they’re Nightingale royals, keeping them safe will be impossible.”
He’s not wrong about that. I swallow the angry retort that’s on the tip of my tongue. It sucks balls being chastised by the headmaster as if I were a small child, but my ego will have to deal with it.
“I admit I made a bad judgment call last night. But you know that Calvin’s presence here could have worse consequences for King Raphael.”
“Declan and Ryker came to see me after their meeting with you and Saxon. They offered to break your bond and you refused.”
I know exactly where he’s going with that, but I’m not going to be coerced into doing things I don’t want to anymore. I’m nobody’s pawn. Lifting my chin higher, I say, “Yes, I did. And I’m not changing my mind.”
He leans
back, linking his hands over his round belly. “Then you, my dear, have to find a way to keep your mate from killing your fiancé.”
“Some headmaster you are,” I grit out, not hiding the contempt in my voice.
“Save the attitude for someone else, Aurora. I’ve already kept Calvin from moving in with you. That’s the best I can do. Now, enough on this topic. Let’s get on with your lessons.”
I’m so furious with Solomon that I could just storm out of here. But I can’t let my anger prevent me from soaking up as much information from the familiar as possible. Knowledge is power, after all.
“What’s on the agenda today?” I cross my arms.
He slides a small book across his desk. “I’d like you to get familiar with this.”
The leather cover is scratched and dry, and the golden symbol etched on it is almost entirely faded. I can distinguish only the letter B.
“What is this?”
“Just an overview of one of the most notorious and savage families of Bluebloods in the entire history of vampires. The Bouchers.”
I open to the first page, cringing at the art depicting a vampire female bathing in blood. The drawing is in black and white, but the severed heads hanging above the bathtub, dripping blood, clues me in that the liquid in the tub is not water.
“Ew. Who the hell is this?”
“A first-generation Blueblood. Her name is Madeleine Boucher. I believe you’ve met her already, haven’t you?”
I lift my gaze from the page, meeting Solomon’s intense stare. “I have?”
He raises an eyebrow. “You were clever to use a concealing spell to spy on your mother and me, child. Unfortunately, nothing those rogue mages produce will affect me. You were in the catacombs when we imprisoned Madeleine again.”
“You knew and you didn’t rat me out?”
He smiles. “You see? I’m not such a terrible headmaster after all.”
I switch my attention to the book again. The following pages contain text, but there is more disturbing artwork sprinkled throughout the book. “What happened to these vampires?”
“The Nightingales’ departure affected vampires in different ways. While second-generation and regulars must hibernate to recover their strength, first-generation vampires are slowly losing their minds. The Boucher family was the first one to succumb to the madness.”
My blood turns ice cold in an instant. King Raphael had gone mad in the vision I saw. So that’s why. I seek Solomon’s gaze again.
“The creatures trapped in the catacombs are ghosts, not vampires.”
“They’re not ghosts. They’re specters, which is far worse than your generic poltergeist.”
“But how did they get like that?”
“We’re still trying to figure it out.”
“That lady looked possessed by a demon. Do the warlocks know about them?”
Solomon nods. “Only the head of the guild, Zachary Morel. He helped us with the wards.”
“What about the king? Does he know about this?”
He furrows his eyebrows. “What kind of question is that? Of course the king knows.”
I shut the book, taking a steadying breath. “Is he already showing signs of change?”
“Not yet, but Tatiana is.”
Ah, hell.
26
Saxon
I wake up with a big smile on my face, and a much bigger evening wood. The memory of Aurora naked on that couch pleasuring herself is not something I’ll likely forget for a long time. It begs a repeat, but only when I can fuck her senseless after. Not being able to be near her is agony.
Speaking of agony, it seems the effect of the potion is already wearing thin. I can definitely feel the bond’s tug and the uncomfortable sensation that comes with it. I get out of bed and head for the shower. It has to be a cold one, and paired with a hand job.
Five minutes later, I’m ready to face another cumbersome day in the institute. If it weren’t for Aurora, I’d beg Lucca to simply be done with it. Pretending everything is normal just for appearance’s sake is not how I roll. I miss the ages of blood and chaos when we could deal with our frustrations in the best way possible—on a battlefield. Now conflicts are solved behind closed doors via treaties and diplomacy. Well, there’s Jacques, itching for violence. He’s bad news, but secretly, I do want him to go savage. I’d like nothing more than to kill the bastard.
But Aurora has to remain at Bloodstone for another nine months, so that’s my sentence too. I hope those two warlocks can find a solution for the blood vow. Staying cooped up in the institute won’t be as bad if I can be with her.
I’m smiling again. I’ve never felt this way before and I’m a little freaked out to be honest. When I step into the living room, my roommates are already up. Ronan is actually escorting his breakfast out of the apartment while Vaughn is playing a video game with Rikkon.
My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven’t eaten in a while. I’ll have to resort to blood bags because there’s no way in hell I can drink from another human. I just want Aurora’s blood. I pluck a blood sucker from the bowl in front of me and stick it in my mouth. Normally, blood has to be kept chilled, but there’s enough chemicals in the lollipops to keep it from going bad.
“What are you smiling about?” Ronan asks as he returns to the kitchen.
“Nothing.”
“Right. I take things with Aurora went well last night.”
“Yeah. Better than I expected.”
Rikkon pauses the game and turns to me. “Did you hear anything about her sister?”
Immediately, my mood sours as I go into protective mode. Aurora is my mate, and therefore, I also feel responsible for keeping her sisters safe.
“What do you want with her?”
His eyebrows arch a little while his jaw slackens. “I was just checking if she’s okay. She did lie to cover for you.”
Ah, hell. I totally forgot about that. Some protector I am.
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked with Rora yet.”
“Rora?” Vaughn pipes up. “Is she your girlfriend or something?”
“She’s my mate, so don’t even entertain any ideas about her.”
He lifts both hands. “Dude, relax. I’m not an asshole who goes after someone else’s girl. But I am surprised. I thought you were some kind of Casanova.”
Ronan snorts. “Casanova. The correct term is manwhore. Saxon’s dick precedes his reputation.”
“Sounds like someone is jealous of my legendary size,” I say through a grin.
“Not likely. Just be glad vampires can’t catch STDs.”
“Really? We can’t?” Vaughn perks up from the couch.
I give him a droll stare. “Dude, you’re practically immortal. The only things that can kill you now are sunlight, heart extraction, or decapitation.”
He twists his face into a grimace as he touches his neck. “I’ll make sure to stay away from sharp blades then.”
“No can do. We’re hitting the tatami in ten minutes and we’re training with swords tonight,” Ronan chimes in.
The door to our apartment opens, and Manu enters as if she owns the place. Tonight, she’s wearing a deep-red leather catsuit that leaves nothing to the imagination.
“Good evening, losers.”
“Where’s the hero convention, Manu?” I ask.
She fires her death glare in my direction, but my good mood has returned, so all I do is smile broader.
“I’m going to Havoc tonight. I don’t need to attend any classes, unlike Lucca.”
“You should be training with us,” Ronan retorts.
She gives him an annoyed glance. “Why, when I can practice with the Red Guard?”
Ronan’s stare becomes darker. Manu loves to insinuate he’s not as lethal as he thinks, which is bullshit. He could be one of the famous elite warriors if he hadn’t pledged to protect Lucca. I try to stay out of their bickering most of the time. Watching from afar is entertaining enough, but tonight, I
can’t help but be a brat to her too. There are no victims here. We’re all a bunch of assholes.
“And where is your familiar tonight?” I ask, just to piss her off.
“Don’t know. Probably visiting his annoying sister. She did come by during the day to see him.”
“What was she doing here?” Ronan’s tone changes, showing a hint of worry.
“How am I supposed to know? I was asleep. I pay the security guard to keep me informed of visitors. Besides, shouldn’t you sense when Cheryl is near?”
“Why would Ronan be able to sense her?” Vaughn asks.
We all ignore the new vampire. Trying to explain the Ronan-Cheryl factor is too fucking hard, plus it always puts Ronan in a foul mood.
“Oh, by the way, Sax. Thanks for letting me know you were mated to the High Witch’s daughter. I love being the last to know.”
“I was trying to avoid the unnecessary drama.”
She flips her long white hair back and puts her hands on her hips. “I’m not dramatic.”
“Yeah, yeah, Lady Gaga.”
Her eyes turn to slits, and I brace for something horrid to come out of her mouth. “Go ahead, keep making fun of me, asshole. But while you’re here sucking on your lollipop, your mate’s fiancé is busy enrolling at Bloodstone.”
“What?” I jump out of my chair so fast it tips over.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” She smirks. “See how it sucks to be kept in the dark.”
“Manu, quit being a bitch,” Ronan retorts, but I’m out of the apartment before I can hear her reply.
Letting the bond guide me, I run in Aurora’s direction, which leads me to Solomon’s office. A quick whiff tells me Calvin was here at the same time as she was. Uncontrollable jealousy takes over me and it awakens the bloodlust. I’m going to rip Calvin to shreds. I’d take off to hunt the mage down if I didn’t sense Aurora inside Solomon’s office.
The door opens and the headmaster steps outside. “Saxon, you’d better come inside now.”
Instead of answering him, I hiss like a rabid animal.
“Sax?” Aurora’s voice pierces through the red haze, and like a balm, it calms me down a little. But not enough to make it safe for me to be around her.
Wild Thing: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 2) Page 16
