Virgie shrugged. “Doesn’t matter when the outcome is still the same.”
I wanted to shake her, but instead, I balled my fists. “When Cardinal sells you to a crazy vamp to be his slave physically, sexually, and mentally, are you planning to go to him with a smile? Do you think pretending to be fine will make it any easier?”
Virgie lifted her chin, her dark eyes flashing with fierceness. “Do not call me weak. When I get a master, I’ll bring him to my side. Wars are best fought from the inside. You can’t influence someone who doesn’t trust you.”
I chortled. “They’re monsters. You can’t reason with a monster!”
“I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree and see whose way works out in the end.” She pivoted on her heels and left. I stared after her until she disappeared and then waited for another five minutes to make sure she wouldn’t return and spy on me.
Deciding that getting caught was better than returning to Preston empty-handed, I turned toward the vamp tower. The longer I was gone, the more suspicious my absence. On shaking legs, I made my way up the stairs, praying that I wouldn’t end up with lashes crisscrossing my back.
14
The vamp tower was located on the opposite side of the castle from our dorms. Preston had told me that since the twins were rich vamps their dorm was at the top, which translated into me climbing four sets of stairs. The tower itself was devoid of students, and I thanked the stars that the staff didn’t stay here. I ascended red-carpeted stairs identical to ours and passed closed, polished wooden doors. That part was different. The vamps’ doors looked thick, and the air here was warmer. I suppressed a groan. Of course, the vamps’ tower was built with more expensive materials and had better insulation.
Before I ventured further, I checked behind me, but the stairwell remained empty. Since wasting time upped the chances of me getting caught, I raced up the steps until I reached the top floor of the vamp tower.
I could see why the rich and famous took the top level. The stairwell opened into a round chamber with doors surrounding me. Red and black carpet made a swirling pattern on the floor, and the ceiling formed a cone above me. Lanterns hung from rafters, complete with balls of light dancing within them. Leaves and vines embraced the rafters, and the warmth of false sunlight fell on my face. The space looked as if Preston himself had snapped his fingers and worked his magic. How the plants were staying alive or what they were growing out of was a mystery, which only added to my fascination. What I would give to have skills like that. To know I was somewhat safe because my abilities were valued.
I shook my head, trying to get rid of my awe. I wasn’t here to admire the beauty of fae magic. I needed to get the blood crystal. Each twin had one, according to Preston, but I only needed one. I'd take both to spite them.
Since vamps only did summer prep if they got bad grades, the twins were currently the only students on this floor.
I opened door after door until I found one dorm with unmade queen-sized beds. I groaned. Seriously? They were getting these massive beds with soft mattresses while all we got were bunk beds with creaky springs? Ugh. Focus, Onyx.
Not having a clue where they hid their blood crystals, I started by lifting the mattresses. The twins’ porn mags lay scattered underneath, but no crystal. I opened the drawers of their dressers. Each twin had his own that was twice the size of the one I shared with Blair. I rummaged through underwear, tempted to throw everything on the floor and leave the place trashed. But I still had to wait until tomorrow to make my getaway. As the minutes ticked on and tension tightened my shoulders, I sighed and kneeled, sticking my hand under the dresser.
Thankfully, the space was free of cobwebs. Right up against the wall, I brushed my hand against a small object, maybe the size of a baseball, and pulled it out. A pinkish crystal gave off a faint glow in my hand like the one on Lady Cardinal’s desk had. A blood crystal. This one didn’t have a red center. For the first time, I really considered what I was holding in my hand. How did the crystal work exactly? Did the twins have to drink blood to activate it? Disgust rose in me, but I shoved it down, and tucked the crystal into my uniform pocket. I was tempted to search for the second one, but reminded myself that every minute I stayed, I was putting myself into unnecessary danger.
Thus, I made sure everything was as I’d found it, and left the room, closing the door behind me. As I whirled, a green, leafy snake lashed at my face.
“What the—” I started before the vine struck my cheek, leaving a stinging line. I backed off as the vine coiled, trying to catch me in a noose. Then as if frustrated, the plant uncoiled and went limp.
“What are you doing here?” Peony emerged from the stairwell, flicking her long blonde curls back as her malicious, catlike eyes drilled into me. I glanced behind her, expecting to see Virgie or Lady Cardinal, but Peony was alone.
Had Virgie ratted me out? Probably. That bitch.
I shrugged casually and hoped I was pulling off the blasé facial expression. “I got bored. There’s only so much Shakespeare talk one can handle.”
Peony’s hazel eyes flashed. “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” She advanced, probably expecting me to back off, but I did no such thing.
Instead, I took a few steps forward. “What are you doing here? Getting ready to put on some lingerie to wait for the twins?”
“Don’t you dare imply that I’m a skank just because I’m popular!” Peony’s gaze shifted behind me, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration.
The air shifted, and I realized that something bad was about to happen. I tried to jump aside, but was too late. Three vines lashed down from the ceiling and wrapped around my arms and my torso. Their grip tightened and cut off the circulation in my hands. Pain and tingling followed as the plants pulled me up. I dangled helplessly in the air. The only good thing about this situation was that the blood crystal remained in my pocket.
As the pain intensified, Peony walked to stand below me, a nasty grin on her face. “Listen carefully, you gutter trash. Back off from Preston.”
Despite the pain, I managed a smile. “Is this what this is about? Unrequited love?”
Her eyes moved sideways, and another vine whipped through the air, landing a blow to my thighs. I screamed in agony. How had Blair managed to endure the whipping with so much dignity?
“Preston doesn’t care about you. You’re no one to him. He simply thinks that you’re easy.” Peony stared me down. If she thought her little speech had any effect on me, she was mistaken. She was jealous. A desperate, pathetic liar.
Peony tilted her head. “Good. I see my words are finally sinking in, and you understand who’s in charge.” She flicked her finger, and a vine crawled up my leg, pulling my skirt upward, exposing the flesh on my upper thigh. Peony admired the bruise from her lashing. “I could let you go, but I really want to make sure that you learn your lesson.” Her wicked grin widened. “Wait until they find you like this. The twins are going to love this view.” She gave a manic giggle. “Think of this as practice for your future, Onyx. I’m doing you a favor.”
Was she insane? I was immobilized and dangling from here. Anyone could see up my skirt. Worse, I wasn’t too high up that I was protected. The twins could easily pull down my underwear, and then...I slammed the door shut on that thought. I couldn’t allow myself to think like that.
Hot shame and humiliation washed over me as Peony turned to leave. She had much more magic than I had expected. I tried to thrash, but pain erupted in my shoulders.
Peony cackled, self-satisfied. “They’ll never let you go.” Her eyes hardened. “Remember, this is nothing compared to the full extent of what I can do. Next time you step out of line, the repercussions will be much more severe.”
My rage turned to ice, sending a deep chill under my skin, or maybe that was the vine around my torso cutting off my blood flow. But no. Peony’s eyes widened, and her breath formed a cloud in front of her face. My whole body tingled with excitement. I wasn’t completely helpless. A thi
n layer of ice formed underneath Peony’s feet, and she backed off to the stairwell and gripped the railing, almost stumbling. The smile dropped off her face. Instead, her mouth and eyes widened in fear.
The vines’ grip loosened on my arms. I could move. The whispers of withering surrounded me, and the leaf beside my face wilted before my eyes, frosty fingers spreading over its veins.
Suddenly, it released me completely, and I crashed to the ground. Pain erupted through my ankles and knees as my legs collapsed under me from the five-foot fall.
“What the!” Peony pressed herself into the railing as if I were Satan himself.
I pushed myself off the carpet, forcing my legs to straighten. They cooperated as adrenaline took over. I faced Peony, who glanced up at her precious killer vines and back to me with those same wide, confused eyes. The icy sensation left me, and the urge to flee took over. But first, I needed to make sure she wouldn’t rat me out and that she knew that I was not her puppet. I had to take advantage of her shock. “Tell no one,” I said, jabbing my finger into her chest, “or you’re next.”
I didn’t know exactly what I was threatening her with, but it must’ve worked because Peony pressed to the side of the stairwell to let me pass. I stormed down the steps, the blood crystal heavy in my pocket. Something very eerie had just happened, and I had a bad feeling that I would pay for it later. Halfway down the steps, I glanced back at the chamber to find that the three vines that had grasped me now hung from the rafters, dead and wilted. Peony continued to stare at them in disbelief. I swallowed hard, knowing that as awesome as it had been to finally put Peony in her place, I could never tell anyone what had transpired. Not even Preston.
15
I slipped back into the cafeteria, my heart pounding, feeling as if all eyes were on me and everyone knew what I had done. Terrified my face would give away that I had not only stolen from the twins but also destroyed part of the interior in the vamp tower, I didn’t dare to look at anyone until I slipped back into my seat. It took a minute of sitting or so before I dared to glance around. No one was paying me any attention. I exhaled and slumped deeper into my chair. I had pulled it off.
“We should do a musical!” somebody yelled behind me, and I jerked before calming down. Clearly, the school play discussion hadn’t concluded. Everyone faced the staff at the front of the room. Virgie sat near the door. Peony was still missing. The dreadlocked fae walked back into the room, and no one batted an eye. The staff must’ve expected that during such a lengthy discussion, people would have to use the lavatories.
“No, that’s way too complicated. A theater performance is best,” a girl whined.
Preston checked his armband watch. “It seems that we won’t reach a conclusion today.” He handed out papers. “Please write down your preference and state three pros and cons for your choice.”
Lady Cardinal shot him a nasty look, and he walked over to her and whispered something, at which she gave a tightlipped smile. Ugh, he probably had to promise her that the students’ preference didn’t matter, and he was just pretending to involve us to boost morale.
When the stack of papers reached me, I took one and passed the rest on, noticing that the twins were no longer in the cafeteria and that Peony hadn’t returned. Shit. What if they had witnessed my exchange with Peony? What if they saw what I had done to her vines? Peony had been terrified, but the vamps wouldn’t be. They would punish me, especially if Peony failed to recreate her handiwork. I swallowed hard. Was I like Blair? Accidentally destroying things in my path? No, it must’ve been something else, not me. I didn’t have magic. Maybe the blood crystal had made the vines wilt or maybe the twins had their own magic in place in case the fae plants acted out against them. Yes, that had to be it. Peony’s aggression must’ve triggered some protective mechanism placed around the twins’ room.
“Don’t be so obvious. At least write something down,” somebody hissed from behind me, and I turned around to face Virgie, who stood there, giving me a hurry-up-look. She’d moved without me noticing.
I brought my pen down to the paper and wrote Jekyll & Hyde. It was the first play that had popped into my mind. I scribbled unique under pros and difficult to set up under cons. Virgie took it upon herself to collect the papers, and when she stood in front of me, I gave her an insincere smile. “Ratting me out didn’t get you anywhere.”
Annoyance entered her dark eyes. “What are you talking about?”
Really? She was going to play stupid? “Peony.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t tell her anything. She slipped out, saying she needed to check on something.”
To check up on me. I searched Virgie for any signs that she was lying, but she didn’t even look away. Was she telling the truth or simply a good actress?
She took my paper and said softly, “Be careful.”
I swallowed hard and glanced away. She couldn’t know what Preston and I were up to, right? As she moved away, I met Preston’s gaze. His green eyes were filled with alertness as if he was ready to break out into a sprint right this second. I gave him a tiny nod, and his shoulders dropped an inch. He said something else to Lady Cardinal and then called the meeting to an end, taking the papers from Virgie, who stayed at his side shamelessly as he gathered his folders.
Jealousy reared its ugly head within me, but I shoved it down. Preston was good looking. Of course, he’d get showered with female attention. Since we had kissed only once, I had no claim on him. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to be with him. That was something I could think about once we were in the fae realm.
I met his green gaze, and he nodded to the door, telling me silently to leave. Knowing that staying behind and trying to talk to him would only attract unnecessary attention to myself, I headed to my bedroom. The full moon wasn’t until the next night, and as much as I wanted to hear reassurances, I couldn’t risk anyone seeing me with Preston before that. We were so close to escaping.
The next day limped by. Since Blair had been my only friend, I went to the library, my thirst for knowledge propelling me through books. Preston had made me promise to contribute to the faeland, and I intended to. Without magic, my biggest asset was my knowledge about the vamps and the academy. If I could find out any weaknesses in their ways and politics, I could help with a plan of attack.
I read and read and while I learned a lot about vampire society, mostly that they were old-fashioned pricks who loved hierarchy, money, and boring genealogy, the books didn’t mention anything I could use against the blood suckers.
Exhausted, I finally entered the cafeteria to grab dinner. I loaded my plate with fish and chips and sat by the window, wondering how Blair was faring. Hopefully, she wouldn’t break under Gregory until I came for her. How long would that take? What if Preston didn’t know where this Gregory asshole lived?
“Hey,” somebody said.
I snapped my gaze up to find Virgie in front of me. Was she following me everywhere?
“Mind if I sit?” When I didn’t reply, she sat down and took one of my chips, moaning as she chewed on it.
“Did you come to steal my food?”
She chuckled. “No.” Then her face grew sober. “You’re planning something.”
I sighed and crossed my arms. “Not this again.”
“Don’t go through with it. After Blair, the security has become much more stringent.”
“And you know this how?”
“The twins told me.”
I scowled, and she grimaced, almost looking apologetic for being friends with them. I stuffed a big piece of fish into my mouth and with my mouth full, said, “Don’t worry about me.” Maybe my awful table manners would send her the message to leave.
“I talked to Preston yesterday.”
That got my attention. Doing my best to keep a neutral expression, I only said, “So?”
“He’s been acting strangely lately.”
I threw up my hands. “And how is this my concern?”
Virgie leaned f
orward. “Stop lying. I know you’re planning something with him.”
My heart dropped into my gut, and for a long moment, I didn’t say anything.
Virgie shook her head. “He took a liking to you from the very first class. I don’t understand why, but if I were you, I’d be very careful.”
Anger rushed through me. So that was what this was about. “Jealous that you and Peony aren’t his favorites?”
Virgie leaned forward and hissed, “I’m trying to help you. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that he’s willingly working at Nocturnal Academy?”
No, because I knew he was planning to bring it down and free the fae. I rose. “Thanks for the chat.”
Hurt crossed Virgie’s face, but then she hardened her face. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I snorted and wanted to tell her to stop pretending like she cared about me, but instead walked away. I didn’t need drama. Not when the full moon was only hours away.
On my way out of the cafeteria, I took a sharp right into the dim corridor and crashed into a broad chest. Strong hands came around my shoulders, gripping me.
“Let go off me!” I shrieked. I prepared to attack, but the hands dropped.
“Relax, I was just...Never mind.”
The guy was just steadying me. My throat went dry as the man stepped into the light, which revealed his ash blond hair and blue eyes. It was the vamp who had saved me from discovery.
He must’ve recognized me as well because a shadow crossed his face. “I’m sorry about your friend.”
Great, so he must’ve put two and two together and realized that I had been Blair’s escape partner. Was he planning to blackmail me later by giving me fake pity now and extract a confession? If so, he didn’t know who he was dealing with. I raised my chin. “Are you sorry? Or do you think she got what she deserved?” Vamps valued rules and order above all else.
The vamp didn’t reply. He kept a stony expression that made the blood roar in my ears.
The Nocturnal and Fae Prison Academy Boxset [A Complete Paranormal and Fantasy Series Boxset] Page 9
