Dacia Wolf & the Demon Mark

by Mandi Oyster

  I wiped my fingers and mouth on a napkin, then said, “What?”

  “Well, uh—” she rubbed the back of her neck and stared down at her plate “—you’ve got all these things you can do.” Her hair fell in front of her face, and she gazed at me through it. “So, do you have a kryptonite?”

  Dan smiled at her. “I asked that, too. That’s how we came up with cookies.” He held his hand up. “Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.”

  “Very specific.” Bryce rubbed his hands together like a madman. “I’ll have to remember that.”

  “Seriously, though.” Cassandra leaned over the table. “Is there something we should keep away from you?”

  I shook my head. “Demon venom is really hard for me to recover from, and I would do just about anything to keep my friends and family safe.”

  “Yeah.” Samantha huffed. “Earlier this year, she killed herself.”

  Cody’s face twisted with pain, but he didn’t say anything.

  “You killed yourself?” Cassandra’s eyes widened.

  I shrugged like it was no big deal. “Yeah.”

  “So how are you here?” Bryce held his fork in front of his mouth. Rice and meat dropped off of it onto his plate.

  “Death gave me a choice.” I stared at the center of the table. I didn’t want to look into anyone’s face. “I chose to come back. Aurelia had told me the world would need me.”

  Cassandra folded and unfolded her napkin. “How’d you do it?”

  “I plunged a dagger into my heart.” Phantom pains shot through my chest at the remembered action. “I was dead for about two hours.”

  “No more.” Cody put his hand on top of my leg. His fingers trembled.

  “If there’s some everyday thing out there that would weaken me, I haven’t found it yet.” I spun my glass around again, focusing all of my attention on it. “If I use too much, too fast, I get exhausted. It happened when Cody and I were in the ca—”

  “Dacia.” Cody moved his hand on top of mine. “Too many ears.”

  Heat crept up my neck and onto my face. “Right. Sorry.”

  Cassandra leaned her chair back on two legs. “It would be so cool to have your powers, to not have to take crap from anyone.”

  My eyebrows lifted, and I said, “Really?”

  “You didn’t have to take crap from me.” She waved her hand and laughed. “You could have turned me into a frog or something.”

  “Hmm.” I rubbed my chin. “I haven’t tried that before. Wanna be my guinea pig?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Literally.”

  “Ha-ha, funny.” She looked at me like she wasn’t quite sure if I was serious or not.

  I lifted my hands, then stood up and grabbed my tray. “I never get to have any fun.”

  When I walked past Diana and Olivia, they were deep in conversation with a few other students. Diana glanced up at me and started to push her chair back. “I’m just going to my room,” I said quietly enough that she would hear it but her companions wouldn’t. “I have plenty of guards.” I nodded at the five dragons trailing behind me.

  She nodded and relaxed into her seat. Thanks.

  We stepped outside. The heavy cloud cover kept the campus lights from dispersing. It was nearly as bright outside as in. The air was chilly, but for the first time in days, it wasn’t windy. I shoved my hands into my pockets and trudged back to the dorm.

  “So, when are you all going home?” Dan asked. “My parents want me back by Wednesday night.”

  Will he be okay? I sent the thought to all of the dragons.

  Cody pointed at himself, then me. “We’re staying.” While Russ answered, I will go with Dan. I will not let anything happen to him.

  Thank you. The relief in my thought was evident.

  Samantha stopped and cocked her head. “Should we stay?”

  I will keep Samantha safe. Arianna’s lyrical voice answered my next question.

  I shook my head. “You’ll be safe, but I can’t take this home.” When I spun around to urge Samantha on, I saw movement in the trees. “Guys”—my voice turned into a fierce whisper—“we gotta get outta here.”

  The dragons immediately surrounded us. “What is it?” Malcolm’s tone was feral.

  “Bad feeling.” I started jogging, and everyone else followed suit. “Something in the trees.”

  Cassandra didn’t make it very far before stopping and grabbing her side. “This—” she gasped for breath “—isn’t my thing.”

  Cash picked her up in a fireman’s carry, and we kept going. As soon as we stepped through the doors, he set her on her feet. The air from the heater blasted down onto us, blowing our hair around our faces.

  She ducked her red face to hide her embarrassment. “Thanks.”

  “What did you see?” Malcolm stood beside me, holding my upper arm.

  Val stood on my other side, leaning his head in close and sniffing me. I’d gotten so used to him doing it that it didn’t even bother me anymore. While the other dragons seemed human enough, he reminded me of a pet.

  I rubbed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I can’t be sure, but it looked like long, silver hair.”

  Chapter 40

  Ultimatum

  Cody slept soundly. His breathing had evened out and the tight grip he’d had on me since lying down together finally relaxed. The glow from the campus lights crept in through a crack in the curtains. Malcolm sat in Cookie Monster, watching me watch him.

  How can I beat him? I sent the thought to Malcolm without meaning to.

  He folded his hands in his lap and gazed at them. I don’t know if any of us can. Aurelia is trying to get the elders to stand against him, but—he pinched his eyes shut as if this was painful for him—they have grown weak. For too long, they’ve hidden themselves away, thinking the legends of their great deeds would forestall any conflicts. None of us anticipated a struggle from within. He looked up at me, and his bronze eyes were filled with regret. I am sorry. You have seen nothing but the worst of dragons. We were not always this way.

  Maybe. I smiled at him, hoping to assuage some of his guilt. I also got to see you and Aurelia. Arianna saved my friends when she didn’t have to. Cash gave me a chance even though it went against everything he believed. Russ and Val have been honorable and trustworthy.

  He flashed his fangs at me. And what was your first impression of me?

  I thought you were scarier than Hell.

  I am. He allowed a little of his dragon nature to peek through. His pupils turned to slits, and his teeth lengthened. And, even I don’t know what to do about Argentum.

  Dread slithered up my spine, and goosebumps followed in its wake. As long as Argentum lived, he would be a danger to me, but I couldn’t kill again. I couldn’t.

  D

  “You don’t have to do it, Dacia.” Mavros stands with his back to me. The snow swirls around us. The lake is buried under drifts, and the tops of the mountains can’t be seen through the clouds. Everything is gray and white.

  I take a step forward and sink up to my hip in the snow. “If I don’t kill him, who will?”

  “Me.” He turns around. His face is as beautiful as the first time I saw him. “Summon me. Order me to kill him. I will follow your commands. I will serve you for eternity.”

  I stop struggling to pull my leg out of the drift and stare at him. Is he the answer I’ve been looking for? If I summon him to Earth, will he betray me? “I want to trust you, Mavros, but can I?”

  He walks toward me and extends his hand, helping me to my feet. He stands in front of me and brushes my hair back. His touch is gentle. “Only you can decide that.”

  “Even if I wanted to, I don’t know how.” I shiver, and he wraps his coat around my shoulders.

  “The dragons can te
ll you.” He steps back. “I only wish to spare you the pain. Can your conscience handle another death?” Wings sprout from his back. “The choice is yours, Dacia. I will not take that from you.”

  “Dacia.” Malcolm’s voice was low and urgent. He grasped my shoulder, shaking it.

  I put my hand over his. “I’m awake. What?” I sucked in a deep breath and smelled warm summer nights and sulfur. I snapped my eyes open. Mavros’ coat was draped over me.

  “Is he back?” Malcolm growled. “What does he want?”

  “Crap.” Tossing Mavros’ jacket to the ground, I sat up. “He wants me to summon him so I don’t have to kill Argentum.”

  “Don’t do it.” Cody’s voice was hoarse but adamant.

  I sat with my elbows on my knees and my head held in my hands. “I didn’t say I was going to.”

  “Thinkin’ ‘bout it.” He ran his hand down my back.

  I nodded. “Only because I don’t want to kill Argentum.” I shuddered at the thought of having more blood on my hands. “I can’t.”

  “We’ll find a better way.” Malcolm walked to the window. “I won’t make you kill him.”

  “I couldn’t summon him if I wanted to.” I leaned back into Cody’s touch. “He told me the dragons could tell me how to do it if it’s the path I choose.”

  Cody’s chin was on my shoulder. He tilted his head and whispered, “Gotta be a better way.”

  “That’ll have to be a last resort strategy.” Malcolm pulled the curtains together, blocking out most of the light that had been seeping in. “We’ll tell you if it comes to it, but for now, get some sleep.”

  L

  Cody woke me up when he got back from his class. I’d only gotten a few hours of sleep because I was terrified of what I’d dreamt. Even though Mavros had chosen to go back to the Abyss, guilt still consumed me. If he hadn’t fought Argentum’s commands, I would be dead. I couldn’t forget or deny that, but I didn’t know if I could trust him enough to let him loose on the world.

  Through Professor Granite’s lecture, I doodled in my notebook. Argentum’s human and dragon forms both came to life on my paper. The dragon had rheumy eyes, but the human’s were clear, hard, and determined.

  I stared down at the images, trying to figure out what to do. He wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t convince him I wouldn’t become like Draconian.

  Cody reached over and flipped the page. A clean white sheet stared back at me. He slid the pencil out of my hand and slipped his fingers into mine. He looked into my eyes, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think he could read my mind.

  I turned my attention to Professor Granite. He stood in front of the class, writing mathematical formulas on the whiteboard. As far as I was concerned, it might as well have been Greek. I hadn’t been keeping up on my studies this semester, and it was beginning to show.

  The dragons surrounded the four of us as soon as we stepped outside. The sky was a brilliant blue. White, puffy clouds floated across it. Melting snow dripped off the tree branches.

  Val’s shoulder bumped against me as we walked, and even though he was closer than the others, he was still vigilant. Like they’d done in the beginning, they didn’t move aside for anyone. When we were all inside my room, they relaxed.

  “Was he out there?” I walked over to the window and peeked through the curtains.

  Cash shrugged. “We don’t know, but we’re not about to take any chances.”

  “Are the other dragons still watching over me?” I turned and faced them. “The four that saved me that day.”

  Arianna tilted her head to the side. “I don’t see why they wouldn’t be.” She looked at the other dragons. “We have been kept separate from them for a reason.”

  Samantha cleared her throat. “I need to get food before class. Does anyone want to come with me?”

  “It’s food.” Cody shrugged. “I’m in.”

  Dan looked at me. “I guess we better go with them.”

  “Yeah.” I smiled. “Somebody’s got to keep an eye on them.”

  The walk to Sedum started just like the one from class. Malcolm walked in front of me. Suddenly, his muscles went taut, and he growled. We stopped moving, and the dragons took defensive positions. I stood on my tiptoes and tried to peer over Malcolm’s shoulder. When that didn’t work, I ducked down and looked between his body and his arm. Tye strode toward us. He seemed relaxed and confident, the Tye I’d thought of as a friend.

  He lifted his hands to shoulder height. “I’m not here to hurt anyone.” He took a couple steps closer and stared into my eyes. “Argentum wants you to come to his cave tomorrow night.”

  This time all the dragons growled and flashed their inner beasts. Cash stepped forward. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “If it doesn’t, Argentum will bring the fight here.” Tye dropped his head to his chest. “Innocents will suffer.” He stepped back. “I made a mistake, Dacia, and I’m sorry. I thought you’d be like him. I see now that I was wrong.”

  I pressed my hand against Malcolm’s back, trying to get him to step aside, but he didn’t budge. “Let me read your aura, Tye. Stand with us.”

  “I can’t.” He shook his head and lifted his hand. “They’ll never forgive me.”

  “Damn right we won’t.” Russ’ voice was animalistic.

  “But I will.” I raked my fingers through my hair.

  He backed away. “They’ll kill me.”

  “Tell him I’ll be there.”

  “No, Dacia.” Cody grabbed my arm. “You can’t.”

  I pulled away from him. “I have to. I can’t let anybody else suffer because of me.”

  “He’ll kill you.” Dan’s voice was panic-stricken.

  I huffed and shook my head. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Sorry.” He squeezed Samantha’s hand.

  The dragons relaxed as Tye backed into the trees. We walked into the dining hall, but I’d lost my appetite completely. The smell of food made my stomach roll. I walked straight back to our table and sat down with Cassandra and Bryce.

  “Not eating?” Cassandra pointed her fork at me.

  “No.” I closed my eyes and pictured Mavros like I’d seen him in my dream. “Not today.”

  “Everything okay?” Bryce asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing’s okay.” I pulled my hair back, clutching it. “I dreamed about Mavros and woke up with his coat covering me and my room smelling like him. If I don’t go to Argentum tomorrow, he’ll come here. I don’t know how to beat him. I can’t kill him. I can’t.”

  “Oh.” Cassandra set her fork down and pushed her plate forward. “So, what are you going to do?”

  “Try not to die.”

  She moved next to me and put her hand on my back. “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah.” When Malcolm and Cash walked past, I patted the table. “Sit here, please.” As soon as they sat down, I asked, “So, what does it take to summon him if I need to tomorrow?”

  “We’ll be with you.” Malcolm cut into one of the bloody hamburgers on his plate.

  I folded my hands behind my head and leaned back into them. “Tye didn’t say I could bring you.”

  Cash lifted his shoulder to his ear. “He didn’t say you couldn’t either.”

  Cody sat down next to me and slid a plate of cookies in front of me. “They’re fresh.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled at him but didn’t touch the cookies.

  When Dan and Samantha came over, Cassandra moved back to her seat. She clutched Bryce’s hand but never took her ice-blue eyes off of me.

  Diana strolled toward us. Her hands were tucked into the pockets of her blue jeans, and she looked like she had just been told her best friend had only days left to live. She stopped across from me. “We will stand w
ith you if that’s what you want.”

  “No.” I looked across the room at Olivia. “This isn’t your battle.”

  “I’m sorry I tried to force you to go to our sanctuary.” She lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry I couldn’t see through to your soul. I should’ve realized how strong you were. I should’ve seen that your heart was pure.”

  “Thank you, Diana. That means a lot to me.” I picked up one of the cookies and ripped it in half. A gooey ribbon of melted chocolate clung together, and my mouth watered.

  Diana turned to go back to her seat. “Be careful tomorrow. Come back.”

  Chapter 41

  Weighing My Options

  Skipping class was never something I’d dreamed I’d do, but since coming to college and facing monsters, it was something I’d done all too often. Samantha wasn’t happy about it, but I was skipping again. I needed to figure out how to stop Argentum, so when everyone finished lunch, Arianna walked to class with Samantha, and the rest of us went back to my room.

  Aurelia teleported in as soon as the door was shut. I looked from her to the other dragons. “I contacted her,” Malcolm admitted.

  “How can I stop him?” I plopped down in Cookie Monster and dropped my head into my hands. “Please tell me you know a way.”

  Val sat on the floor next to me. Pulling his legs up to his chest, he laid his head against the side of my chair. His desire to be close to me didn’t bother me like it had at first. While the other dragons acted like guard dogs, Val reminded me of a puppy that just wanted affection.

  Aurelia perched on the edge of the couch as close to me as she could get and pulled my hand from my face, holding it in hers. “We can try to capture him again. We had been working with the Nephilim to figure out a better way to contain him. Though, it seems we are out of time.” She leaned back, dropping my hand. “The elders are not being as helpful as they should. They fear that anything they say to the Nephilim will eventually be used against them.”