Dacia Wolf & the Demon Mark

by Mandi Oyster

  He shook his head. “Go back to sleep. I will keep you safe.”

  I lay on the couch and snuggled into Cody’s embrace. “Wish Aurelia woulda done this,” he breathed in my ear.

  I remembered all the times Mavros had called me to him, all the times I’d come back and seen the torment on Cody’s face, all the times he should’ve walked out but didn’t. “It would’ve been nice, but she wasn’t allowed to interfere.”

  “Yeah.” He sighed. “I know.”

  L

  Mavros stands in front of me, looking out at the lake. The waning moon is high overhead. His hands are in his pockets with his thumbs sticking out. “Your dragon won’t let you come to me.”

  The wind blows across the lake, and I shiver. Mavros takes his coat off and slips it over my shoulders. I nuzzle into its warmth. “That’s the point of having him there.”

  “Don’t you want to see me?” He looks genuinely hurt.

  Shaking my head, I say, “Not if you’re going to attack me. I imagine you won’t get away with not using your venom again.”

  “No.” His lip raises in disgust. “I’ve already been warned not to let it happen again.” He spits on a boulder. “Stupid dr—” He collapses, writhing on the rocky ground.

  I kneel beside him and use my magic to take the edge off of his pain.

  He looks up at me. His eyebrows are squished together, and his lips are pursed. “Why would you do that?”

  “I don’t like to see anybody suffer.” I stand up and brush the dirt off my knees.

  He rolls into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his legs. “Nobody’s ever done anything like that for me before.”

  “So, your controller—” I take a few steps away in case Mavros is ordered to attack me “—is a dragon?”

  He nods almost imperceptibly.

  “Malcolm?”

  He looks at me like I’m an idiot.

  “I knew that.” I shake my head and roll my eyes. “I just want to make sure you’re not playing me.” None of them seem likely, so I decide to throw their names out one by one. “Cash?”

  He moves his chin toward his shoulder.

  Since I trust her but haven’t read her aura yet, I ask, “Arianna?”

  His head turns to his other shoulder. “You’re running out of time.” A muscle ticks in his jaw, and he clenches his hands so tightly that the veins in his arms bulge.

  “Val?”

  Mavros screams and clutches his head. When he looks up at me again, his eyes are the flaming irises of the panther. Wild and dangerous. “Wake up,” he snarls.

  I jolted awake. Was Val the one controlling Mavros, or did his controller just figure out what was going on when I asked about Val?

  “Everything okay?” Malcolm’s voice startled me.

  I shrugged. “As okay as it ever is.” He seemed more relaxed than the last time I’d woken up. “Mavros quit calling?”

  He looked at me knowingly. “Probably about the same time you started dreaming about him.”

  “How’d you know?” I sat up and raked my hand through my hair.

  “I looked in your head when he quit calling for you.” He leaned forward. “I got out as soon as I saw him there.”

  I pulled my lip into my mouth to keep from saying something I’d regret. It felt like a violation of my privacy for him to look into my head while I was sleeping, but part of me understood why he’d done it. “So, why’d you get out?”

  “If he’d have felt my presence in there, I doubt he would’ve told you whatever it was that he wanted.” He stood and walked to the window. “Also, since you didn’t give me permission, I didn’t want to linger.” He pointed outside. “He’s still here.”

  “I learned it’s not you, Arianna, or Cash. When I asked about Val, he told me to wake up.”

  Cody rubbed my back. “Think it’s Val?”

  “Not really.” I lowered my head into my hands. “It could be, but I think it’s more likely that whoever is controlling him realized what was going on.”

  “Doesn’t seem competent enough,” Cody said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, but it could be an act.”

  Malcolm laughed, low and deep. “Not with Val. I’ve known him for a long time. It’s not an act, but his incompetence could make it easy for somebody to manipulate him.” He turned away from the window. “So, do you ever sleep through the night?”

  “No.” Cody lay back down, pulling me with him. “She doesn’t, so I don’t.”

  I smiled at Malcolm. “Third time’s a charm.”

  Chapter 15

  Damon

  Malcolm rested his head on the back of the chair. Even so, his eyes were open, and he was vigilant. “Aurelia will not tell me who the other four dragons are.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “She is not allowed to.”

  “So how do we know if we can trust them?” I wandered to the window, wondering if I’d see Mavros in his human form gazing up at me.

  Malcolm squeezed my shoulder, and I jumped. His footsteps had been silent on the carpet. When he didn’t laugh, I wondered how bad whatever he was about to say would be. “Last night, she called them to meet with her and the elders. They have been cleared. Their intentions are pure.”

  I turned to him, pulling my hand through my hair. Just as I was about to ask him who he thought it might be, Cody said, “So who?”

  “We’ll find out.” Malcolm shot me a sympathetic smile before looking over his shoulder at Cody. “The six of us are to meet with the elders while you’re in class.”

  “No.” Cody shook his head and stood up. His hands were clenched at his side. “They’ll take her.”

  Malcolm held his hands out in front of him. “We will escort Dacia to class before leaving. Then the other four will keep an eye on her. If anything goes wrong, yell for help.” He looked into my eyes. “You’ll be all right. The elders want to get this over with before whoever it is finds out there’s a witch-hunt.”

  D

  My regular guards walked with me to Creative Writing while the others went to Speech. Gray clouds covered the sun. I pulled my coat together and shivered. The Nephilim flocked behind us. With each passing day, they grew braver. They were more willing to aggravate the dragons. The one with the honey-colored ponytail walked alongside Val, edging closer until Malcolm growled.

  “Sebastian.” Diana’s voice cut through the chilly air, and he backed away after throwing a snide grin my way.

  Tye held the door to Stellaria Hall open, allowing me to lead the way into the classroom. As soon as I sat down, the dragons left. The Nephilim looked at each other. A couple of them edged closer to me, but Diana looked over her shoulder and shook her head. I wondered if she could sense my other guardians or if maybe she suspected it was a trap.

  Even though they stayed back, I kept an eye on them. I didn’t trust them to keep away from me if they noticed my guard was down.

  While I watched them, Damon strolled into class like he hadn’t missed a day. My breath caught in my throat, and my pen fell to the floor. His brown hair was tousled, his grin was cocky, and his eyes were filled with mischief. He swaggered past the Nephilim and smiled at me.

  My heart fluttered. I didn’t love him. I didn’t want him, but I missed his friendship, his carefree attitude, and his sense of humor. A friend I’d mourned was back from the dead, and my heart reacted differently than my head.

  Seeing Damon here could mean nothing but trouble. Cody was already on edge with Mavros around. I didn’t need his alter ego screwing things up.

  He strutted up to me and leaned against my desk. His cheek nearly touched mine. “Miss me?” His breath caressed my ear.

  “Yes.” The word came out huskier than I would’ve liked.

  He brushed a strand
of hair off my face, letting his fingers linger. Then he sat next to me, throwing his arm over the back of my chair.

  “Why are you doing this?” I fought back the tears pricking my eyes.

  His fingers tightened on my shoulder. “No choice.” His voice was rough, and he ground the words out through clenched teeth.

  I wondered what he was or wasn’t allowed to say to me.

  He sat close to me throughout class, twirling my hair on his finger, brushing his leg against mine. I should’ve gotten up, switched seats, or pulled away from him, but I figured he’d just follow me. He had orders and no choice but to obey them.

  When class ended, I stayed seated, waiting for the other students to clear out. The Nephilim didn’t leave, but they also didn’t come any closer. The watched us, disgusted by Damon’s presence. Or maybe disgusted with me for talking to him.

  I turned to him. “Can I read your aura? Can you let me in your head? Or is that against the rules?”

  His eyes lit up, and he nodded. “I’ll direct you.”

  I stared into his obsidian irises and hoped he wouldn’t try to control me. His memories were dark and hard to decipher. Mavros held my limp body against him. My head rolled back, and his tears ran onto my face. He screamed into the fading light. The memory ended, and I saw him fighting to tell me who controlled him in my dream. I felt the pain that rippled through his body when he defied orders. I tried to veer away from his chosen memories, but he steered me to the ones he wanted me to see. It went against everything in him to permit the dragons to pull him away from me, but he shoved his hands into his pockets and allowed them to manhandle him.

  The emotions tied to his next memory stunned me. I saw Damon and me sitting together on “our” bench. His arm was slung over the back of it, and my head was on his shoulder. A wave of contentment crashed over him, threatening to drown him before he realized what it was.

  I pulled away from him. “If that’s how you felt, why’d you tell me I meant nothing to you? Why’d you threaten my friends?”

  There was a sadness in his eyes I’d never seen before. “I’d never experienced that, and at the time, I didn’t see it for what it was.” He looked down at his feet, and I followed his gaze. He wore black boots just like the ones in my dreams.

  Was Samantha right? Even after what I’d just seen in his memories? Was he playing me?

  “I was obsessed with staying on Earth. Then when I held your dying body in my arms, I realized what I’d lost.” He folded his hands behind his head and leaned back. “It was too late. I couldn’t save you.”

  His story tugged at my heart. I wanted to believe him, but after everything that had happened between us, how could I?

  “I need you to leave.” His eyes pinched shut, and he winced. “Now!” He practically roared the last word.

  I grabbed my bag and sprinted past the Nephilim into the hall, pushing through students on their way to class. “Excuse me. Sorry,” I said as I dashed for the doors. Outside, there were four unknown dragons waiting to protect me.

  Over the noise in the hall, I heard Damon’s voice. “Dacia, don’t go.”

  I slowed, compelled to stop, to turn around and go back to him. I closed my eyes and tried to picture Cody’s face. I held the image in my mind for only a moment before his features morphed into Damon’s. As I turned, someone bumped into me hard enough to break Damon’s hold on me. Before he could regain it, I darted for the doors and thought, Help!

  Running outside, I was met by a wall of flesh. I bounced back and looked up at the tallest woman I’d ever seen.

  “Where is the danger?” Her voice was low and commanding.

  I stared into her luminous green eyes and pointed over my shoulder. “Damon … Mavros is trying to control me.”

  She slipped behind me, protecting my rear. I was instantly surrounded by four people. The dragon to my right pressed his hand against my back, forcing me to move at his pace. The dragon in front of me had blue spiked hair. His shoulders were broad, and his tight shirt clung to his muscles.

  We jogged toward the dormitory. Students dodged to the side when they realized the dragons weren’t going to move for them.

  Dacia, please come back. Damon’s desperate voice echoed in my head.

  The dragon to my left growled. “He’s in her head.”

  I need you, Dacia, please.

  His voice tugged on me. The urge to go to him began to overwhelm me.

  Images of Damon and I flashed through my mind. I saw us walking through campus holding hands, lying together under the stars, eating picnic lunches by the lake. I stopped running, and the dragon behind me dodged to the side to avoid plowing me over.

  I turned, and the woman picked me up, tossing me over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Then she ran.

  My body bounced against her shoulder, snapping me out of Mavros’ hold. She sprinted to the wooded area between Quartz Building and Kalmia Hall before teleporting to my room.

  My stomach lurched when we came to a halt. She lowered me to the ground, and I looked around the room. Cody and Dan sat on the couch holding their video game controllers, staring at us.

  “Thank you,” I said to the dragons. “I’m sorry I made you show yourselves.”

  A dark-skinned man with blond hair bowed his head. “We are here to protect you at all costs. Do not concern yourself with us.”

  “What happened?” Cody stepped behind me and slid his arm around my back.

  I sucked in a deep breath and pinched my eyes shut. Cody wouldn’t like the answer, but there was no way to sugarcoat it. “Damon.”

  His fingers tightened on my waist, but otherwise, he didn’t show any emotion.

  The doorknob jiggled, and Samantha walked in. She stopped, surveying the room. “Fun day?” She closed the door and stepped up to the dragons, holding her hand out. “I’m Samantha.”

  The black man took her hand first. “Jax.”

  “You may call me Mara.” The female dragon nodded. She must’ve been 6’8”. Her dark hair was pulled into a fishtail braid.

  The next dragon was shorter and stockier than the others. My thoughts instantly turned to the red dragon that had chased me through the forest in one of my nightmares. He rolled his neck. “I suppose Mortimer will do.”

  “I can’t tell you why, but I’ve always liked the name Seth.” The last dragon stepped forward and shook Samantha’s hand. His voice was softer than I expected. It didn’t match his muscular frame and blue hair.

  Dan waved at them from the couch but said nothing. Cody shook each of their hands. “Thanks for getting her away.”

  “He is not the problem,” the female dragon said. “We must figure out who controls him. Once that person is defeated, Mavros will return to the Abyss.”

  “This is the first time he’s tried to control me.” I sat down, slumping forward. “He warned me to leave. Told me he couldn’t resist much longer.”

  “Why?” Cody shook his head. “Why do you believe him?”

  “He showed me his memories.”

  Cody sat on the couch and held my gaze with his. “Think they were real?”

  I nodded almost imperceptibly.

  Pain lanced through his eyes. “He lies.”

  “I know.” I dragged my hand through my hair and told them about the memories I’d seen. I didn’t tell them about the remorse I’d seen in his eyes.

  Samantha sat next to Cody. Her voice was soft. “He’s playing you.”

  “No.” Seth shook his head. “I saw him mourn her death. I watched from the mountaintop as Dacia plunged the blade into her chest. His howl was heartbroken.” He sat down. “He held her body until the Abyss called him back. I had never seen a demon grieve before that moment.”

  Cody leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t beli
eve this.”

  Seth grasped the arms of the chair and growled. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “I would not lie.”

  “He knows,” Dan said. “It’s not you he doesn’t believe.” He tilted his head like he was trying to figure out what to say. “The situation has him baffled.”

  The dragon relaxed his grip. “I see.”

  “Is she safe here?” Mortimer asked. “Shall we go back to our posts?”

  Mara tilted her head like Aurelia did when she was communicating with Arion or the other dragons. “Yes. We must keep watch.”

  “Stay safe.” Jax turned invisible. “Do not hesitate to ask for help.”

  The other dragons followed his lead. I felt it when they teleported out of the room. “They’re gone.” I stood up and walked to the window, half-expecting to see Damon standing outside. “One of my guards must be controlling Mavros.”

  “Why?” Samantha asked.

  I turned and looked at my three closest friends. “As soon as they found out they wouldn’t be in class with me today, they must’ve sent Damon in. It was the opportune time to have him try to control me.”

  Dan sat beside Samantha and draped his arm over her shoulders. I wanted to go to Cody, but I was afraid he wouldn’t want anything to do with me.

  Dacia, come back to me.

  I spun around and looked down. Damon stood in the shadow of the trees.

  Come out here to me.

  “Cody.” My voice was strained, and he felt the urgency in it.

  He jumped up and wrapped his arms around me. “He here?”

  “Yes.” I felt like a fish on a hook about to be reeled in.

  Cody pressed his lips to mine and pulled me against him. The hook slipped, and Damon tugged harder. I slid my hands under Cody’s shirt and up his back. He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He pressed me against the wall and deepened the kiss.

  Dacia, help me. Damon’s voice was strained.

  I held Cody as tightly as I could and teleported us to Cougar Lake. Damon’s pull on me completely disappeared.