Dacia Wolf & the Demon Mark

by Mandi Oyster

  “Why?”

  “I’ve seen your memories and Russ’. I’ve felt your auras.” I stood in front of him. Up close, I could see that black scales covered his arms and neck. “Arianna saved my friends after I freed her from Draconian.”

  “The others?” His tongue was black and forked.

  I knelt down in front of him, taking his hands in mine. His fingers were scaled. They were tipped with sharp talons. “I need you to calm down. There isn’t room for your dragon here.”

  “The vow is sacred.” Smoke rolled out of his nostrils. “If one of them is breaking it, they deserve death.”

  I sent calming energy into him, hoping it would work like it had when Aurelia had done it to me. “I know but not here, not now.”

  Some of the scales on his neck disappeared. “The others?”

  “Val is creepy.” I shrugged. “He licked my arm earlier.”

  “Did he taste your blood?”

  “I don’t know. He might’ve.” I tried to remember, but I didn’t know for sure. “I don’t really think he’d betray me, though. Cash scares me, but he stood up for me against the Nephilim. Tye seems trustworthy. He’s been really nice since he’s been here. I don’t know anything about the four who chose to remain unseen. It could be one of them. If Mavros would’ve shown me one of their faces, I wouldn’t have known who it was.”

  Malcolm’s features had returned to normal. “I don’t even know who the four other dragons are.” He let go of my hands. “I need to contact Aurelia and see what she knows.” He leaned back and closed his eyes.

  I sat back down on the couch with Cody.

  “You believe him?” he asked.

  I rested my head on his shoulder. “I don’t know what to think.” Aurelia trusted my guards. They had protected me in Althea. They’d shielded me from the Nephilim and kept me safe when my magic failed. If I couldn’t trust them, who could I trust?

  Chapter 13

  Keep Your Friends Close

  On the way to class, I studied all of the dragons surrounding my friends and me. Malcolm had stationed Val as far from me as possible. I wondered if he’d discovered whether or not Val had tasted my blood. A chill ran down my spine at the thought of it.

  I looked away from Val, not wanting to think about it anymore, and focused on the others. All of them seemed to genuinely care about me and my friends. Even Cash had shown less animosity toward me lately. I scanned the skies, wondering if the other dragons flew above us, if they were invisible, or if they walked among us in plain sight but unbeknownst to us.

  Tye stepped closer to me. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” I looked up into his green eyes and saw his concern for me. “Why?”

  “You seem a little somber today.” He squeezed my shoulder. “I know last night was rough on you.”

  I snorted and slowly shook my head. “Most of them are. I used to love to sleep, not so much these days.”

  “Maybe someday you will find peace.” He smiled at me, and hope fluttered in my belly.

  “Thanks, Tye.”

  L

  After class ended, we went to Sedum Hall for lunch. Cassandra and Bryce joined us. “So,” Cassandra said, “there are more of them again. Are things not going well?”

  “I don’t know.” I shoved a forkful of pasta into my mouth. “I have …” I looked at them, wondering how much I should really say and realizing Samantha and Dan didn’t know what had happened last night yet. “I have premonitions.”

  “Really.” Bryce leaned toward me. “That’s so cool.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It might be if I knew which were just regular dreams and which were prophecy.” I took a drink and decided I might as well tell them what I knew. The dragons would be able to hear every word I said, but they were always watching, always listening. “If last night’s dream was a premonition, they”—I nodded at the dragons’ table—“will let them”—I waved at the Nephilim—“take me … soon.”

  “Why?” Samantha set her fork down and glared at the dragons.

  Cody wiped his mouth. “Don’t know.”

  “I don’t know if that’s why so many of the N—” I caught myself, remembering I hadn’t told Cassandra and Bryce what creatures followed me “—of them started following me again or if they forgot they were afraid of Cash.”

  Cody looked at Dan and Samantha. “Mavros attacked her.”

  “What?” Samantha asked.

  Dan’s eyes widened. “When?”

  “Last night.” I set my fork on my plate and lowered my voice. “He made me go to him.”

  “So, are you okay?” Samantha fiddled with her bracelet.

  Cassandra leaned closer. “What do you mean?”

  Cody nodded at Samantha. “No venom.”

  “He made me teleport out to him when he was here before.” I lifted one shoulder and met Cassandra’s ice-blue eyes.

  “That doesn’t make sense.” Dan leaned back in his chair. “He must’ve told the truth about not wanting to hurt you.”

  Samantha shook her head. “Don’t fall for it for a moment, Dacia. You can’t trust him.”

  I leaned as far forward as possible and whispered. “I really can’t trust anyone. It seems that he may have been summoned by someone close to me.” I sat back. “That’s all I can say right now.” I picked up my fork and started shoveling in my lunch. I needed to eat to keep my strength up, but I’d lost my appetite. I hated thinking about being kidnapped and caged. I hated thinking that somebody I trusted would betray me.

  One of the last things I wanted was to turn into a cynical person who trusted nobody. I would never be naïve and innocent, but I hoped I could look at people and see the best in them and that I could trust them until they proved otherwise.

  “So”—Bryce tossed his napkin onto his tray—“you all up for a game of basketball or do you have classes this afternoon?”

  “I’m out,” I said. “I’ve got Shakespeare.”

  Bryce groaned. “What a horrible class.”

  Dan and Cody laughed and held their hands out to Bryce for high fives.

  “I’ve got class, too,” Samantha said.

  I looked over at the dragons. “Who wants to stay with Cody and Dan and play basketball?”

  Malcolm glanced at his companions and said, “Arianna will go with Samantha. I will go with Dacia. The rest of you can play.” Is that okay with you?

  Yes. That leaves one dragon I know I can trust with each of us. Thank you.

  I finished my lunch and stood up to leave. Cody reached for my hand. “Be careful.”

  “You, too.” I looked at the others. “Have fun. I’ll see if you’re still playing when I’m done.” I brushed my lips over Cody’s and walked off with Malcolm.

  When we were halfway between Sedum Hall and Quartz Building, Malcolm said, “Be careful what you say. Dragons can hear quite well.”

  “I know.” I resituated my bag on my shoulders. “I was trying to word it carefully. The trouble is they’re always around.”

  “You can make an area soundproof if you want.” He guided me away from some other students. “I can show you after class. It might not hurt to do it to your room to keep Marcy from overhearing Cody and for times when you want to be intimate.”

  Heat flooded onto my cheeks, and I looked away from him.

  Malcolm chuckled. “It is too easy to embarrass you, and the scent—” he sucked in a deep breath “—is intoxicating.”

  Feeling exposed, I folded my hands over my stomach. “Does it …” I broke off and tugged my hand through my hair. “Never mind. Do you know if Val tasted my blood?”

  “No.” Malcolm flashed his fangs at me. “I have enough willpower not to be tempted. If I didn’t owe you a great debt … maybe.”

  “Ho
w’d you … Never mind. What about Val?”

  “He says he did not.” His pupils elongated before turning round again. “Do not let him. He has no willpower.”

  “I didn’t realize what he was doing last night until I pushed him away.”

  He nodded. “What did you do with the bloody shirt?”

  “Tossed it in my trash can.”

  “Burn it when you get back.” Keep your blood away from all of the dragons until we figure out who is controlling Mavros. Trust no one.

  “Yeah, Mavros and Tye have both told me that.” I chewed on my lip. “What did Aurelia say?”

  He shook his head. “She hasn’t yet. I will tell you as soon as I hear from her.”

  D

  When class ended, we found the others in the gym. Justin Serpent, one of the guys Cody had played basketball with when we first started going to Phlox University, had joined their game. Cassandra sat against the wall reading a book.

  I walked up to her. “Not a basketball player?”

  “I don’t like to sweat.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder.

  “Want a couple more?” I asked when Tye was throwing the ball in.

  He looked at me and said, “You better join my team. They’re skins.”

  Malcolm pulled his shirt over his head, tossed it on the floor, and ran onto the court to join Cody’s team. While I took my hoodie off, I let my eyes rove over Cody, Malcolm, Cash, Val, and Justin. The dragons were built like bodybuilders, and Cody and Justin were lean, sculpted muscle.

  I shook my head and ran in. As I did, Tye threw me the ball. He ran alongside me as I dribbled down the court. Dan cut through the lane, and I passed to him. He turned and shot. Cash jumped up, swatting the ball out of the air.

  I raced down the court after it, but Cody got there first. “All right?” he asked.

  I nodded. “You?”

  “About to score.” He smiled mischievously.

  I planted myself in front of him and stretched my hands straight up into the air.

  He crashed into me, and I fell back, sliding across the court on my butt. Cody looked like he might break. “Sorry, Dacia.”

  “Part of the game.” I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet.

  Dan and Bryce ran up to us. “Definite charging foul on that one.” Bryce smiled at me. “Welcome to the team.”

  Samantha and Arianna came in and sat by Cassandra. I held the ball out. “Want to play?”

  “No.” Samantha looked at the teams and shook her head. “You’re on the wrong team, Dan.”

  He blushed and pulled his hand through his hair. “You sure?”

  “Yeah.” She held up her book. “Homework.”

  I looked at Arianna. “Do you?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’ll sit this one out. Make sure nobody’s cheating.”

  Since everybody else in the game was six to twelve inches taller than me, I let Bryce throw the ball in. Even though the dragons had more stamina, the teams seemed fairly well matched.

  The physical activity helped release some of my tension. Malcolm kept Val away from me as much as possible, stepping in to guard me or sending Val to block Tye or Russ. When Val neared me, he breathed in deeply and moved as close to me as he could. His eyes widened with pleasure, and one of the other dragons knocked him away.

  Sweat must have been an intoxicating smell to dragons, too. I wondered if there was anything that wasn’t or if everything I did amplified the scent of my power.

  After our game, we all went to Sedum Hall for ice cream. We pulled two tables together and sat compatibly. Bryce, Cassandra, and Justin sat with the dragons laughing and joking, and I wondered how they’d feel if they knew what they were. Bryce and Cassandra suspected they were other, but they had no idea that they were the top of the food chain.

  When we got back to the dorm room, I walked straight over to the trashcan to burn my shirt. I dug through it twice, not believing it wasn’t there.

  Malcolm. My thought was frantic, and he appeared in my room within a second of my thinking his name.

  Cody, Samantha, and Dan looked at him, then at me. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung open. Malcolm held his finger to his mouth. “Are you okay, Dacia?” He looked confused. You were panicked.

  I pointed at my trashcan. “It’s gone.”

  He walked over and sniffed the air. “Val.” He disappeared.

  “What’s this about?” Dan asked.

  “Last night, Val licked me.”

  Samantha stared at me with a dazed look. “Why would he do that?”

  “Okay.” Dan chuckled. “That’s weird.”

  “I had blood on my arm, and apparently it’s powerful and tempting.” I paced away from them. “Malcolm wanted me to burn my shirt when we got back”—I pointed at the trashcan—“but it’s gone.”

  Malcolm reappeared in the middle of the room, holding Val by the back of the neck. “Where is it?”

  Val cowered. “It smelled so good. I had to have it.”

  “What did you do with it?” Malcolm growled.

  Val exposed his throat to Malcolm, then rubbed his head against him.

  “Where?”

  “In my cave.” Val’s voice was soft. He trembled and kept his gaze on the ground. He rounded his shoulders, making himself appear smaller, submissive.

  Malcolm’s grip on Val’s neck tightened. “Take me there now.”

  They disappeared and within minutes returned. Malcolm held my shirt out to me. “Burn it. From now on, burn anything that gets your blood on it. No matter how insignificant it seems.”

  I grabbed my shirt and lit a fire in my palm. Blue flames engulfed the shirt. Both Val and Malcolm sniffed the smoke. Val reached forward, and Malcolm smacked his hand down. “Control yourself, Val.”

  “I try.” Tears pooled in Val’s blue eyes. “She smells so good. I want to keep her safe, and I want to be close to her. I don’t want to hurt her.”

  I dumped the ashes into the trashcan and stepped closer to Val. “It’s okay.”

  He put his arm over my shoulder and smelled my hair.

  “If you want to protect me, you have to stay away from my blood.” I rubbed his head.

  He leaned into my hand and nodded. “You smell so good.”

  “Okay, Val.” Malcolm pulled him off of me. “Go back to Aurelia’s room now.”

  Samantha looked at Malcolm. “Aren’t you going to go, too?”

  “He’s with me.” I put my hand on Malcolm’s arm. “He can keep me from going to Mavros when he calls.”

  Dan nodded. “Well, welcome to the club.” He turned to Cody. “You ready? Russ said he’d head over with us.”

  Cody pulled me into his arms. “Nothing stupid, okay.”

  “Never.” I brushed my lips over his. “Be careful.”

  Russ waited in the hallway for them. As soon as they left, Malcolm said, “If you ladies want to shower, I will send Arianna down with you. She should be able to keep Dacia safe from Mavros.” He grinned at me, and I knew he was going to try to embarrass me. “If you’d rather, I can turn invisible and guard you.”

  I swatted at him. “We’ll take Arianna.”

  “You know”—his features blurred—“I could’ve chosen a female form.” A beautiful black woman stood in front of Samantha and me with long hair braided in cornrows. She put her hand on her hip and winked at me with Malcolm’s eyes. In a more feminine voice, she said, “You could’ve called me Melony.” She laughed and turned back into Malcolm.

  “That’s creepy.” Samantha shoved clothes into her bathroom bag. “So, what made you choose this form?”

  “Nobody’s ever asked me that before.” He pointed at the chair.

  “Sit wherever, whenever.�
� I pointed to the fridge. “There are drinks in there. If you’re going to be here, you might as well make yourself comfortable.”

  “Thank you.” He nodded at me as he sat. “This body was the first non-dragon form I ever took. It came to me naturally when I was trying to become something else, so this is the alternate form I am meant to take. It takes less concentration and less magic for me to hold this form than any, other than my own.”

  I thought of the first time I’d transformed into something else. I’d unintentionally turned into Mavros as his dragon. Aurelia told me that if other dragons knew I’d transformed into one, they’d kill me. She’d wanted to, and she was protecting me. Since they had no qualms about becoming humans, I didn’t understand why it would bother them so much, but if the first shape dragons took was their preferred form, what did that mean for me? “Would the same be true for me?”

  “I’m not sure.” He tilted his head. “But, it seems like it would.”

  I grabbed my bag and walked to the door. “You’ll be here when we get back?”

  “Until you don’t need me anymore.”

  Chapter 14

  Watching Me Sleep

  Malcolm’s low growl woke me up. “What is it?” I rubbed my eyes. With the campus lights shining in, he was illuminated enough for me to see.

  Cody sat up, curling his arm around me, but didn’t say anything.

  “Mavros has been calling you for over an hour.” Malcolm didn’t look at me, just stared at the window. His hands clenched the arms of the chair.

  The room was chilly. Shivering, I rubbed my hands over my arms as I walked to the window to look outside. Sure enough, a large, black panther paced restlessly, gazing up at my room. “I haven’t felt his call. Thank you.”

  Malcolm grinned at me but said nothing. His straining muscles made me realize that it must take a massive amount of energy or concentration for him to do this for me.

  “Do you need anything?” I placed my hand on his arm. “Energy? Water?”