“Attention, all students!” Kayden announced as Kassius closed the cafeteria doors. “The Wild Hunt begins at moonrise! To honor Odin, we will continue an ancient tradition tonight. Fae, you are the hunted. Your job is to make it to the very top of the vamp student tower, where you will be marked safe.”
Mutters floated around the cafeteria as we tried to process what we were in for.
“They make it sound like a game,” Lily whispered.
“Stick with me,” I said. If I had to, I’d use my ice to protect her. We'd make it to the top of that tower. Did that mean the last one up was the sacrifice? Or had they already chosen their sacrifice and just didn't want us to know?
“Trying to hide is futile,” Kayden continued. “We will find you and we will take what is rightfully ours.”
“There’s something they’re not telling us,” Lily said once we made it to our dorm. Moonrise was in one hour according to the lunar calendar I’d found hanging in the library.
I nodded. “It was far too vague.” I could barely speak over the dryness in my throat as I shoved my homework under my bed. One of us likely wouldn’t live to hand it in to Lord Sullivan the next morning.
Who else would the vamps pick to sacrifice?
Lily and I waited around, too nervous to carry on a normal conversation. I rubbed my hand on her back but it did no good calming her down. She rocked back and forth.
At last, the ominous gong went off, reverberating through the castle. The festivities had begun. We were in a real life horror movie, but unlike the dumb heroines who always investigated the dark basement when the power went out, we had no escape.
Lily turned our light off. I could see nothing besides the stars and the moon that had risen over the horizon. The yellow orb peeked at us between the tall mountains.
Silence ruled. Lily held my hand. I might have to out myself to save us. I would to keep us from becoming the sacrificial lambs torn to shreds.
Ice gathered in my chest, and I welcomed it. I was not a lamb. I was a killer. If there was any time to use the darkness and evil lurking in my veins to my advantage, now was it.
In the distance, someone banged on a door. And then another. Hinges creaked as the vamps began their rampage through the school. At least a few of them were hitting the dorms first, trying to find us cowardly fae who didn’t want to make the sprint to the vamp tower.
“Lily, we have to try to get to the safe zone,” I said. Hiding was futile. We had to fight.
She tightened her grip on my hand. “They’ve already chosen their sacrifice. It’s probably a trap.”
A fae girl screamed as a male shouted at her. The words were muffled. I dragged Lily to the door and opened it, using the noise to mask our exit. Whoever was going to be sacrificed was going to die no matter what. But I didn’t have the heart to tell Lily.
Even those who weren’t going to die would suffer if they didn’t make it to the top of the vamp tower. The vamps might only be allowed to deflower one of us to keep our contracts high, but they could do other things to us. They could damage our bodies, break our souls, rip us apart, then mend our appearance with their blood, leaving our souls desecrated.
“No,” Lily begged, pulling against me.
“We have to go. Do you trust me?”
Her teeth chattered, her eyes were wide, but she gave a tiny nod.
“Follow me.”
Few knew about the passage to the staff tower that was hidden under the teacher’s desk in Home Decor. Did the staff tower have an entrance to the vamp tower? Maybe. Maybe not. But hiding in that passage might buy us time.
Or delay the inevitable.
Our corridor was clear, and we bolted down the red-carpeted steps to the main floor as the shouts and bangs continued behind us. Then Lily screamed, and I froze behind her on the landing. Three vamps, two guys and one girl, sauntered up the stairs at us. Their red uniforms blended in with the carpet.
“You have been hunted,” the girl said with a nasty grin. “Now give us something we want.”
The two guys stepped forward, a redhead and a dark-skinned vamp who looked like he worked out during all his spare time. They both flashed their fangs.
I stepped in front of Lily. How was anyone supposed to make it down the steps, let alone to the vamp tower? We weren’t. They were going to gorge themselves on us before ending the night in a kill.
This was foreplay to them for the grand climax.
I breathed in, letting the cold sweep through me.
“Blood. Or an article of clothing,” the well-built vamp said. “Choose or we choose for you!”
I shushed the ice begging to be released. This wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t worth exposing my powers.
“I…” Lily started, moving her lips in silence.
The vamps' plan was clear. They would either weaken us or make us strip on the way to the vamp tower. Both ideas were intoxicating to them. This was an all-night treat for the sickos. Fine, I could play that game. I lifted my foot and took off my shoe, handing it to the girl, who held out her hand, waiting until I gave her the second one. She rolled her eyes. “They always start with the shoes. Even the future courtesans. They’ve got a lot to learn.”
I didn’t reply, but simply waited as Lily took off her shoes and handed them over. True to their word, the vamps stood aside, letting us continue our descent.
Somewhere, someone screamed in pain. A male fae.
Unless he was very stupid, it appeared that some vamps had done the choosing for him.
Lily let out a mewling sound as she ran down the steps beside me. Most of the vamps seemed to have gone to the dorms first. We burst into the main room, the heart of the school, and stood under the grand chandelier. I eyed the entrance to the Outer Gardens. The temptation to jump off the cliff and into the lake below was high, but I wasn’t suicidal. No matter the time of year, we'd never make it.
Two more fae joined us in the main room. One was missing her gray blazer. The other had sacrificed her socks. They didn't look at us. Down the left corridor was the way to the vamp tower. There would be more waiting for us. The vamps would drag this out all night until we were all butt naked and completely humiliated.
“Onyx?” Lily’s voice trembled.
Instead of replying, I tugged her into the Home Decor room, but just as we were about to enter, a hulking figure appeared in the doorway, blocking the way forward.
“You’ve been hunted! Give me something I want. Both of you!” A vamp with large round earrings that widened his lobes eyed us hungrily. “It’s you,” he said to Lily and licked his lips. “The innocent. I should demand your blood, but the rules this year state you must have a choice until you have a choice no more. So your blood or a piece of your uniforms.”
So that was it. Once stripped, we’d become blood bags. Perhaps the vamps hadn’t chosen their sacrificial lamb yet and would simply pick the last fae who arrived in the safe zone.
My knees trembled. Hiding in the passage was no longer an option if there was even the tiniest risk that the vamps would find us. Our only hope was to make it to the top of the vamp tower as quickly and unscathed as possible.
I took off my socks and handed them to the vamp, but he made a face and snorted in disgust. “Try again.”
Not wanting to provoke him, I took off my blazer. Lily followed suit.
“That’s the spirit.” He snatched the blazers from us, staring at our chests.
I wanted to cross my arms, protect myself from his gaze, but that would probably only arouse him further. So instead, I put my socks back on, praying we’d meet a girl vamp next. The vamp grinned as I patted Lily’s back and urged her on.
At least the vamp tower wasn’t too far from the Home Decor hallway. There was nothing left to do but make a run for it. The slower we moved, the more likely we’d end up hunted again.
To my shock, no vamps stood at the entrance to the vamp tower. I thought of the big, round space at the top and shuddered. The richest vamps would b
e up there, and I hadn’t seen the twins yet. We ran up the spiral staircase and past the first floor, but when we got to the second—
“Hunted!” A girl with sleek black hair jumped out from the corridor and onto the landing. Mei. Her nasty grin was bright in the pale light cast from the oil lamps, and her eyes had those red lines of hunger. But instead of flashing her fangs, she waved a bucket of a gooey, black liquid in front of us.
The twins themselves flanked her.
“Onyx, give us something we want.” Kassius winked. “You owe us, remember?”
“Yeah. Where’s our feisty lay?” Kayden brought his index finger to his mouth as if thinking, then pointed at my crotch. “I’ll take your skirt, please.”
Mei didn’t say anything, simply raised her eyebrows with impatience.
A shudder went through me as I remembered how the twins had bitten into Virgie’s thigh, but then I remembered something else. The twins wanted me. They were playing with me, wanting to show me who was boss, but not planning to truly hurt me. If I played this right, I wouldn’t become the sacrifice.
“I’ll take your top,” Kassius pointed at Lily’s chest, though his gaze was on my breasts.
Heat flooded into my cheeks and tears gathered in my eyes, but I took off my skirt, leaving me in just my panties and white shirt.
“Here you go, handsome.” I handed the skirt to Kayden, grateful that my breathless voice could be interpreted as flirty and not terrified out of my mind.
Lily backed into the wall, and Mei tsked disapprovingly while Kassius advanced on Lily with a hungry growl.
“Just give him your shirt,” I said tightly as ice surged into my limbs.
Kassius grabbed the collar of Lily’s shirt and ripped it down the middle, sending the buttons flying before yanking it off her.
“No!” Lily crossed her bare arms over her lavender bra and nearly flat boobs.
Mei giggled. “Don’t worry, it’s not like you've got much to show anyhow.”
Kassius snorted. “Very disappointing. Someone won’t command a high contract at all when she fails all her Independent Study classes.” He leaned forward and licked Lily’s neck, his gaze focused on me.
I wanted to slap Kassius as more tears brimmed in Lily’s eyes. Stab him, but I couldn’t. Not now. Maybe if it had just been the twins, but not with Mei standing here. She wasn’t distracted. She was as sharp as a dagger. She’d figure it out.
Talking of Mei…where had she gone?
I turned just in time to see her lift the bucket.
I lunged at Lily, shoving her to the ground, but it was futile. Tar rained down on us, the thick, warm mass covering and swallowing us. I shut my eyes and brought my palms in front of my face, shielding it.
Mei laughed cruelly. “Better run, little sheep!”
I grabbed Lily’s arm, hand slipping on the thick fluid. “We need to go.”
She just stared at me, breathing quickly and shallowly. Mei and the twins backed away, ready to ambush the next victims.
Using my upper body strength, I pulled Lily up. “We’re almost there,” I hissed and dragged her up the steps, trying not to overthink how the tar had managed to cover me from head to toe besides where it actually mattered—my breasts and crotch. My hair clung to me, and the stupid, vain part of me hoped it was salvageable.
Lily wheezed next to me. “I want out. I just want out!”
“We’ll be fine. If they were going to rape us, they wouldn’t have tarred us.” At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
“I hope you’re right,” Lily whispered.
More vamps waited for us on the third-floor landing. They held slashed pillows. Feathers. How unimaginative. Of course, the sudden onslaught of feathers stuck to us, making us look like livestock. Just like chickens ready to go to slaughter at any moment.
But at least we had reached the top. The staircase opened up into a round room with red carpets and rafters above. Vines curled over the beams, blocking the view of the tower ceiling far above, and there were no vamps waiting up here. A few fae girls had made it before us, and they were just as sorry of a sight as we were. One was completely topless but still had her skirt on. Tar covered her chest. The other one must’ve sacrificed her underwear, because she held her skirt down low with her feathered hands.
We were in the safe zone.
All we could do was wait.
As the minutes trickled by, more fae made it to the top. They were all panting and disheveled. Most stared at the floor. Some were crying.
The large, round room slowly filled. The male fae didn’t fare any better than we had. One had lost his pants, probably taken by one of the vamp girls. Others spotted bruises and scratches. Their eyes were empty, their shoulders slumped forward.
People huddled together. No one spoke. Humiliation hung in the air.
Kirstin and Peony climbed the steps close to last, and the vamps had been no more kind to Peony than to us. She was in a matching set of lacy red underwear, but tar had splattered her blond curls, and her eyelid was ticking with nerves. Kristin was covered from her waist down with tar and feathers, her highlighted hair kindly spared by Mei in exchange for her spying duties.
Peony noticed me watching and glared back at me, eyes sparkling with malice and delight. That’s when I realized that almost all of the fae were crammed in the safe zone.
Except for one.
Lily grabbed my hand, her teeth chattering. “Where’s Virgie?”
5
Onyx
Vomit rose in my throat. Virgie was the last one. She had lost the game. She’d be sacrificed.
With bated breath, I watched as the vamps dashed up the staircase. They were laughing, smacking each other on their backs, chatting giddily. No remorse, no compassion whatsoever. Several of them held bras and panties, tokens of their victory while others had dried fae blood on their chins and shirts. One vamp guy was even using a bra as a bandana.
Virgie still hadn’t reached the top. Maybe she had gotten lucky, managed to find a hiding place the vamps didn’t know about.
But then Kayden and Kassius appeared, and my hope was dashed. In between them, they were dragging Virgie. Her head hung low, and she showed no signs of resistance. Her shirt was torn open, and her bra was missing, allowing everyone to see her breasts. Her legs were bare, only a black thong covering her privates. She was the only fae not covered in tar and feathers, her body kept pristine for the vamps’ pleasure.
“Let us be very clear, little fae—” Kayden flashed his fangs at all of us, “—that it is us who make the rules, not you.”
Kassius grabbed a chunkful of Virgie’s silky hair and tugged her head up. A guttural scream shot from her throat, and her eyes rolled back. Her throat moved in and out with her quick breaths.
“This one will be a lesson for all of you.” Kassius dragged Virgie closer to him, and she whimpered.
Ice gathered in my veins. What had these monsters done to Virgie already? I’d never seen her this terrified.
Kayden grinned widely and paced up and down in front of us. “You see, we made a handsome contract for this slut.” He jabbed his finger into Virgie’s sternum. “Daddy was going to gift her to us for our nineteenth birthday.” In a flash, he was next to Virgie, gripping her chin hard. “But this ungrateful skank had the audacity to go above our heads and talk to our dad, trying to make a deal with him.”
Kassius snorted. “She wanted to run a business for him. She actually thought she could whore other fae out while she sat prettily around, waiting for a rich vamp to marry her.” Kassius swung his hand far out and backhanded Virgie so hard, her head snapped back. She let out a blood-curdling scream. I dashed forward, but Lily’s small hand gripped my wrist, stopping me.
“Onyx, no! You’ll only make it worse.” Lily’s eyes swam with new, unshed tears as she dug her fingernails into me.
I took one breath and then another. She was right. If I defied the twins, they’d only get further enraged. Perhaps they would
claim two victims or drag out Virgie's torment. I couldn’t take them on openly. Subterfuge was the only way to go.
“Virgie will be punished for her audacity and insubordination!” Kayden pinched Virgie’s breast hard, and the vamps cheered. The fae sat there, unmoving, frozen with fear. I wanted to shake them. Our numbers were as big as the vamps. Sure, the vamps had superior strength and agility, but we had magic. Even Peony could be a big help with the vines and plants hanging overhead. If only we banded together. But that was a thought for another day. There was no time to try and rally them now. Today, I was on my own.
Kassius ran his finger down Virgie’s throat. “To imprint on her for once and for all what her place in our society is, we invite every male and female vamp—” he winked at Mei, “—to punish or have their way with her before we all drain her dry!”
The vamps hollered.
The ice in my veins continued to gather to the point that not releasing it made my fingers ache, and yet, I had to hold it in. There were too many witnesses. A little bit of ice wouldn’t stop the vamps from finishing the Wild Hunt. And I couldn’t get them all.
With a racing heart, I knew it was time to put into practice what Candice had been teaching us for the last few weeks.
I took a step forward and raised my hand demurely.
Lily was shaking her head vigorously no. Kristen wrinkled her nose and whispered something to Peony, who was beaming, probably hoping I’d get myself killed. She cared nothing for Virgie. Virgie was only a pawn to her. A blizzard roared into my head, but I tensed, holding it back.
“Excuse me, Kayden and Kassius, may I ask a question?” I batted my eyelashes and pushed my chest out.
Kassius stepped forward and brushed his finger over my lips, showing me and everyone else who was in control. “Ah, Onyx, would you like to have some fun with Virgie’s body too?” He glanced at his twin. “Perhaps after all of us have their fun, we could let Virgie pleasure some fae before draining her?”
Kayden chuckled. “The night is young, so I don’t see why not!”
The Nocturnal and Fae Prison Academy Boxset [A Complete Paranormal and Fantasy Series Boxset] Page 28
