Lily paled and lowered her hand. Across the room, Peony grinned like she had just won one million dollars. My hand itched to slap her.
Sullivan continued. “Of course, every fae student must be guarded during this time. You will be each assigned a guard for the evening.”
My heart leapt with hope.
Would Thorsten volunteer for the role?
“Now,” Lord Sullivan said. “Open your books to page one fifty-seven.”
Douglas Abshire returned near the end of class, pale, and I knew Headmistress Cardinal still had her blood crystal. Lady Cardinal didn’t call the next fae until I had reached Courtesan Studies, which turned out to be a detailed, and very cringe worthy, anatomy lesson. I could barely focus.
By the end of the day, Lady Cardinal had reached the C’s.
She was on par to call on the L’s by Monday, giving me one more week to live. By dinner, I just wanted to run to the Outer Gardens and keep running off the side of the cliff. No, that was stupid. There was still a chance Thorsten could go with me to the outing, to the mystery party. And then what? The event would be as well guarded as the academy. There would be no escape.
Maybe, Thorsten would figure something out by Monday.
On the way back from dinner, I saw him hanging near a wall, close to a slightly green brick. He was facing the stone as if it held answers for him. Thorsten jumped when he saw me turn the corner. I flinched, shocked to see him there.
“There’s an outing on Wednesday,” I whispered.
He nodded. “I know. But they’re going to assign guards to students, so don’t get any ideas.” He turned the last few words into a growl.
My heart sank. There were a hundred plus fae students, and the school would have to bring in more guards to accommodate us all. They’d drug us for sure so we wouldn’t see the way out of the school.
“Go,” Thorsten growled, pointing behind me.
Hurt coiled in my chest. “I was just walking through.” I bit my lip. “Headmistress Cardinal—”
“I’m working on it!” he snapped.
More hurt shot through me at his dismissal, but I was past having pride. I desperately needed some reassurance. “What if—”
“You can’t be here.” He turned his arctic glare onto me.
I backed away. Thorsten had a point. This was a narrow, empty corridor. If someone happened to find us here, even standing ten feet apart, there would be hell to pay. So I turned away and hurried back up to my dorm.
The gong went off Wednesday night, and Lily and I rose from our bunks where we had been studying and straightened our skirts. “I’m nervous,” Lily said.
“So am I.” I rubbed her back. The fae students were to meet in the dining hall before leaving to go to the party, and I imagined they’d drug us there so our guards could carry us out without us seeing the exit. Would we know our guards before we left? That would make or break the night.
We went down to the dining hall, which was packed with uniformed fae, all chattering nervously amongst themselves. Virgie huddled with Peony and Kristen. Maybe Mei was her only shot at escaping the fate the twins promised. Could I blame her for going back to them after what I’d done?
Guards lined the periphery of the room. I rose on my tiptoes to see if Thorsten was among them. He stood near the edge, hands behind his back and chest puffed out like the other guards. I dared to let tingles of hope sweep through me.
“Students!” Headmistress Cardinal boomed, striding to the center of the room. “Cooperate with your guards, and you will be on your way to your first outing in no time!”
Quiet settled over the room, and fae servers, all in plain navy-blue uniforms, entered the room holding trays of clear drinks. I smelled something bitter and knew this was the method they were using to smuggle us out of the exit, wherever it was. When one of the trays came to me, I took a glass and hesitated.
“Drink up,” Headmistress Cardinal ordered.
The guards peeled themselves from the walls, ready to catch those who drank or subdue anyone who dared to act out.
To my dismay, Thorsten walked over to Peony, expressionless. She was his assigned student, probably thanks to Mei.
I eyed my glass.
“Drink up,” a female guard said to me. I turned to find a dark-haired, muscular vampire woman staring me down and nodding to my glass of sleepy potion.
“I...I’m nervous,” I admitted, letting my glass shake in my hand.
Peony drank her glass and practically swooned into Thorsten’s arms. Coldness crept into my limbs, and the first tendrils of ice formed in my glass. I turned away from my assigned guard as the room turned to falling fae and stern guards. Guards carried fae from the room, slinging them over their shoulders. Lady Cardinal watched everyone dispassionately.
The scene was eerie and only served to heighten my magic, my only defense. I needed to calm down. Snap out of it, but I couldn’t.
My glass froze, with frost covering the surface. If anyone saw what I’d done, I’d be hauled away for an early interrogation.
“Drink!” the guard ordered, seizing my arm.
I gasped as if in shock, and let her yank my arm back as she drew close. She pulled too hard, and I hit myself on the side of the head with the frozen glass before it stuck her temple. The stunned vamp guard released my arm. I swayed on my feet, blinking away the spots of pain and brought my foot down on the broken glass and shards of melting ice. “I…”
“She hurt herself,” Thorsten said in disgust. “Get her help.” He glared at the female guard, as he stormed over and shoved Peony at the female guard. “Take care of this one. I’ll attend to this mess.” He grabbed my arm none too gently.
A fae servant appeared in front of us with a second glass. Before I could freeze it again, Thorsten tilted its contents into my mouth. The last thing I heard before I passed out was Headmistress Cardinal’s stern voice. “Well done, Thorsten.”
9
Onyx
I awoke to a pounding headache and a sharp brake that sent the car I was in swaying side to side as if it was losing control. Were we about to crash? The vehicle stabilized, and I blinked my lids open to find that I was seated in a sedan—black, judging from the side mirror—and that we had stopped at a red light. The road ahead and behind was covered in a fresh sheet of snow and ice, which explained the tricky braking.
The outer world. I hadn’t seen it in months. We were between rows of fancy stores that had white string lights on. People ate in a restaurant with gold plated signs and real candles illuminating the windows. I had never seen this upscale area of Denver.
Then I turned my head. Next to me sat Peony, blinking heavy sleep from her eyes, while Thorsten drove. The female guard I had injured sat next to him, fully recovered. I cringed and closed my own eyes, pretending to sleep. The headache made me want to dive back into unconsciousness, despite the partial success of my plan. Clearly, I hadn’t done a good job because the female guard turned around with the squeak of the seat’s leather.
“You better not pull anything at the party,” she hissed, “or I’ll whip you in front of everyone.”
“I’m sorry. I was so nervous. I didn’t mean to. The drugs made me relive a traumatic experience.” That part was true. The guards in my apartment had drugged me while my mother just watched so they could haul me to Nocturnal Academy. I gave the guard my most innocent look, and after a few seconds of glaring, she turned back to stare at the road. I expected Peony to say something nasty, but she was still passed out. Since I remembered Thorsten shoving the drink down my throat and I doubted mine was weaker than hers, I could only assume that whatever had been done to her in the dungeons was still affecting her.
I studied her now-sleeping form. She was smaller than me and her arms were scrawny. Despite the make-up, I could see the dark eye bags, and her blonde locks hung limply on her shoulder. Her whole frame was emaciated, making the school uniform hang loose on her. Was this how she would be presented to her potential emplo
yers?
“Are we going like this to the party?” I motioned at my school uniform.
Thorsten gave me a stern look in the rearview mirror, his eyes matching the winter environment, but didn’t bother responding.
His partner sighed. “Of course not.” She turned around and scowled at me. “I thought you were at the top of the scoreboard after the Placement Tests.” She shook her head. “Why do all fae have to be so dumb? Or maybe it’s just the dumb ones that come to Nocturnal Academy. Am I right?” She laughed and turned to Thorsten. I wanted to punch her in the face. What a bitch. Peony would sidle up to her in no time.
“I have to watch the road, McKenna,” Thorsten replied tersely, and I could barely contain the smile that his words produced. He slowly accelerated through the intersection when the light turned green.
McKenna sniffed. “You’ll change in the car once we get there.”
Great. How comfortable. Would Thorsten watch on? I sure hoped not. The last thing I needed was to see Peony put on the striptease of her life in our backseat, probably clawing my eyes out in the process.
Since worrying about Peony wouldn’t get me anywhere, I stared out of the window. We had turned and left the upscale area behind. Or the drugs had simply left my system, leaving me able to see reality without a veil over my eyes. I now recognized the stores and restaurants I had passed so many times before. The Book Worm. The Hot Cocoa Corner. My heart clenched at the sight of downtown Denver. Even though I was still mad at my mom for selling me to the vamps, a weak part of me searched for her on the streets, begging to see a glimpse. Was she well? Did she regret her choice? Had she tried to find me?
But the streets were mostly empty. It was January. Most people were huddled up inside, and the few stragglers meandering the streets looked like college students. For all I knew, Mom had moved away and spent the money from the vamps on a new start. Or maybe she had run through it within weeks and was back to working at the burger joint.
Either way, I wouldn’t get to see her. Maybe not ever again. And I didn't want to.
Thorsten pulled into a vast parking lot next to a huge, unlabeled warehouse that I guessed to be decked out inside to the nines for the vamps. Signs warned people to stay out. The warehouse itself was gray and rusted around the edges, and the parking lot had seen zero attention from plows or road salt.
“McKenna, keep an eye on them,” he snapped. His jaw tightened as Peony moaned in her sleep. “And wake that one up.” Thorsten opened the car door and slammed it shut, then walked to the trunk. He grabbed two garment bags from it, threw open McKenna’s door and shoved them at her. “Make sure they don’t rip the clothes.”
Not waiting for a reply, he slammed the door and walked a few feet away from us, keeping his back to the limo. He watched as other limos parked in rows. We had circled to the far side of the warehouse, away from the street.
I wondered what McKenna thought of his show of not wanting to see us fae change. Did she think it odd or did she respect him for making it clear how far we fae were beneath him? She was unreadable in that respect.
McKenna pinched Peony. “Wake up!” Peony yawned but didn’t open her eyes. McKenna slapped Peony hard, and I flinched. Shocking, how after being so long around the vamps, they could still surprise me with their cruelty.
“What?” Peony finally blinked her hazel eyes and cradled her cheek.
“Get dressed.” McKenna thrust a garment bag at each of us.
Peony glared at me and opened her mouth, probably to accuse me of slapping her, but then thought better of it and unzipped her bag. A lime-yellow, silky dress spilled from it. How fitting for a fae that had plant magic.
I unzipped my own bag, unsurprised to be met by a high slit, scarlet dress. Of course, they’d dress a whore in the color of seduction. Quickly, I shucked off my blazer, white shirt, skirt, and stockings and put on the dress. Not only did it have a slit that went to my mid-thigh, it was also extremely low cut. I eyed the distance between the parking lot and the building. A one-minute walk where I would be exposed to the unforgiving elements before I was shoved into the building to play pinup girl.
Next to me, Peony looked more respectable. Her floor-length dress didn’t show any leg or cleavage. It was high-cut, only revealing her back.
“Do we get shoes with those?” Peony tilted her head and smiled sweetly. Ugh. She was doing as I'd predicted.
McKenna growled and threw a gym bag at us. Peony reached in first and pulled out golden stilettos. I took the black sandals, hating the strings at the top that were meant to crisscross my calves. I supposed I should’ve been glad they didn’t pick over-the-knee PVC boots for me, but given the frozen street outside, I would’ve gladly taken some more protection.
“Do we get any jackets?” Despite still being in the car, goosebumps had formed on my arms. Even I, a winter fae, was affected by the cold.
McKenna snorted. “Nope. Wouldn’t want to cover up the goods.” She nodded at my chest. “Now, get out.”
“What about hair and make-up?” Peony shrieked, smoothing out her blonde locks.
McKenna shrugged. “You had plenty of time to do that at the academy.” She got out of the car and threw open Peony’s door. Since mine was locked, I had to wait for Peony to slide out before following. Thorsten walked next to my left, McKenna flanking our group on the right side. Running would be pointless on ice and heels, even without two vamps guarding us.
I squared my shoulders and held my head high. The cold wrapped around me. My own element made goosebumps rise on my exposed flesh. After the Wild Hunt, I had enough humiliation for a lifetime. I would not go into this party cowering. I was Onyx Logan, a descendant of the Winter Court.
Peony almost slipped on the walk across the unsalted parking lot. I managed to keep my footing. I turned my focus away from the cold, which helped, while Peony’s teeth chattered.
Thorsten reached the warehouse door first and held it open like a gentleman. Peony walked in first, and I followed, not having much choice, even though I hated having McKenna at my back.
As expected, the inside was much fancier than the outside. The wide space was decked out with velvet couches and dark wood tables. A fae sat at the piano, playing a complicated, classical piece. Bartenders that looked like models concocted cocktail creations while juggling and performing tricks. Fae waiters swirled through the room, carrying trays of canapes and bottles of blood.
And vamps were everywhere. The younger crowd hung out by the bar. Kassius and Kayden stood amongst guys and girls who looked like the hottest, most dangerous college students in the universe. They had a fae in their midst, one slightly older than me, and passed her around like a bottle of wine. Kassius bit her first and sucked on her for a few seconds before pushing her at Kayden, who greedily reopened her wound. And all the while, she forced a smile. She had bite scars all over her neck and wrists.
Bile rose. If I got unlucky that would become my fate. I glanced away, toward the fancy tables that were occupied by older vamps who hopefully had more self-control and decorum. Many were going over some papers. It looked like they were doing business, but then a vamp turned to his courtesan, a black-haired fae in a low-cut, see through dress, and bit her neck hard. He suckled for a few seconds before returning his attention to his business partners. Great, we were nothing more than food and entertainment for them.
Someone like Virgie might be okay with that, but there was no way I would be able to hold in my ice if I was treated like this, day in, day out.
“Don’t stand around. Line up.” McKenna shoved me, making me stumble. Thankfully, Thorsten stepped forward so that I could grip his shoulder, instead of falling face-first to the ground.
“Go up the stairs,” he said sternly.
“What is going to happen?” My pulse quickened, and I no longer felt cold, but rather hot.
“You’ll be fine. They just want to look at you first.” He refused to look at me.
Like at a display of cows or horses. I swal
lowed hard.
“You’ll survive,” Thorsten’s voice vibrated with sincerity. My gaze dropped to his lips, and I wished I could taste them. When I glanced back up into his arctic eyes, his pupils were huge. Was it the vampire in him, reacting to my accelerating heartbeat? Or was it the man in him? Did he find me attractive too?
“Are you deaf? Go!” Peony sashayed past me and up a metal staircase that I had missed.
Not needing any more reprimands, I turned away from Thorsten and followed Peony to discover that the other fae were already upstairs. There were too many lined up for me to see Lily or Virgie and it was dark. Another guard took my shoulder and guided me up another small set of stairs, as if I were going onto a stage. The lights in this room were dimmed, but I could see over a railing to the first floor and most of the party. A vamp guard walked the line of us, checking off our names and glancing over our attire. Once he checked Peony and I off his list, he spoke into his walkie talkie. “Everybody’s here. We’re ready.” The speaker on the other end mumbled something I didn’t catch. “Copy that. Lights in five.” He smiled at us. “Fae, get ready.”
I opened my mouth to ask what we were getting ready for, but clearly, Q&A wasn’t part of the equation because he started to count down. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”
A bright light came on with a click, blinding me. I had to blink several times to adjust my vision, and that’s when I realized that each of us was standing on a round pedestal. In fact, we were on a catwalk, on a giant U that surrounded the vamps below us. How else would they fit a hundred fae students?
“Please welcome the latest class of Nocturnal Academy!”
The vamps turned their gazes up at us eagerly. I waited for the host guard to say something, but he didn’t. The vamps continued staring. Were we supposed to perform? I glanced around and that’s when I spotted the electric boards behind us. Each one read Attributes at the top. Wonderful. This was getting better by the moment.
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