Night School

by Mari Mancusi

  21

  “Rayne!” I whirl around, my heart leaping to my throat as my eyes fall on Jareth—beautiful, sweet, adoring, wonderful, boyfriend Jareth—pushing through the cafe door and running toward me with all abandon. A moment later, I’m in his cool, vampiric embrace, his arms wrapped around me, squeezing me tight. I bury my face in his shoulder, bloody tears of relief raining down on his Batman T-shirt.

  “Oh, Rayne,” he murmurs. “I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead and I didn’t know what to—”

  “Shh,” I comfort, looking up at him. He’s got bloody tears in his eyes, too, and the love that radiates from them scorches me down to my core. I’ve missed him so much. More than I even realized. Because this is love. Real, honest, deep love between two people who trust each other more than anything in the world. Not some cheap, dirty lust brought on by a craving for blood. He lowers his head to brush his lips against my own and—

  Corbin clears his throat. Ugh. Speaking of ...

  I reluctantly break free from Jareth’s hug and turn back to see the Alpha has come up behind me. Guilt slashes through me as I catch sight of his agonized face. I guess all residue of the vampire scent has not deteriorated as I’d hoped. He hates me and yet he can’t help but love me. He’s fighting it, but it’s a brutal battle. And it’s all my fault.

  “I’m Jareth,” my boyfriend greets, stepping up to Corbin and putting out his hand. “Thank you for helping Rayne escape from Riverdale. I am forever in your debt.”

  Corbin scowls, refusing to take Jareth’s hand. He turns to me. “I just came to tell you that they brought over your Bloody Mary. Though sadly for you, I don’t think they used real blood,” he snarks bitterly.

  I give him an apologetic look. After Rachel sacrificed her vampire life for us, we used her map, along with the helicopter’s on-board GPS, to find the nearest town and started heading in that direction. Luckily, Corbin’s virtual experience made him a pretty good real-life flyer, with the exception of a rather bumpy landing I’m sure I got bruises from. (But considering the alternative, I’ll take them!) From there, I purchased a pre-paid phone card and called Jareth on his cell to let him know we’d arrived.

  Corbin slinks back over to the table, his shoulders hunched miserably. Jareth turns to look at me with questions in his eyes.

  “Uh, sorry,” I say. “Let’s just say Corbin here isn’t the biggest fan of vampires.”

  “I see.” Jareth watches him for a moment. “Rayne, can I speak to you alone?” he says suddenly.

  “Um ... sure.” I follow Jareth out of the little town cafe and onto the cobblestone street. There aren’t many people out and about in this predawn hour, but he pulls me into a dark corner anyway. Then he turns to me, accusation in his eyes.

  “You’ve drunk from him.”

  My eyes widen in surprise and the familiar feeling of guilt slams through me once again. “Uh, how can you tell?”

  “Because, my dear, it’s painfully obvious,” he replies, running a hand through his blond hair. “It’s also, I might add, going to be a painful problem.”

  I cringe at his disapproval. This is so not how I wanted our reunion to go. “I couldn’t help it!” I protest. “There was no Blood Synthetic on campus. At least none that I knew of at the time. And I was dying of thirst.”

  “You should have drunk from your sister then.”

  “I couldn’t. She’s got this Holy Grail crap in her bloodstream,” I remind him. “It’s like vampire poison.”

  “Well, then what about an animal?”

  “I tried to eat a few extra-rare hamburgers. I just threw them up.” I screw up my face, remembering. “Anyway, I don’t get it. What’s the big freaking deal? You drink human blood every day.”

  “Yes, from donors who are contracted and well-paid for their services,” Jareth clarifies. “In this day and age no one goes and glamours an unwilling victim, stealing their blood without permission. That’s completely against the consortium’s rules. You could be kicked out of the coven if anyone finds out what you did. After all, you’re still on thin ice from that incident back in England.”

  I scowl. Those stupid idiot English vampires who flipped their lids when I pulled out my stake. “It wasn’t like I was actually going to slay them,” I protest. “I was just trying to scare them a little for being such jerks.”

  Jareth suddenly puts a finger to his lips and I turn to see Magnus, on approach. All talk of Rayne’s bad behavior must cease in front of the master. “Rayne!” he cries, his face wild and frightened and his long brown hair tousled as he hurries toward me. “Are you okay?” He grabs me and pulls me into a big hug. Which is awkward, considering, on the whole, I don’t think he likes me all that much. I’m too much of a troublemaker for a law-abiding vampire like him.

  “Magnus, you’re crushing me,” I mention.

  He releases me, looking sheepish. After all, this is no way for the master of one of the largest covens on the Eastern Seaboard to behave. “Tell me everything you know,” he demands.

  I do. I tell him about our parents’ shocking news. About being brought to Riverdale. About Sunny being stolen away by the fairies and replaced by an evil changeling. About me being brought to Night School and Slayer Inc.’s evil plan to take over the otherworld.

  I don’t, however, mention the little Corbin detail. There’ll be time for Rayne to get in trouble later. Or never. I’d be okay with never, too.

  Magnus swears under his breath. “This is terrible news,” he says. “I knew something was up there—that’s why I sent Rachel in the first place—but I had no idea it was such a large-scale operation. And now that they’ve got your blood ...”

  “We must launch an all-out attack against them,” Jareth declares. Now that he’s co-master of the Blood Coven with Magnus, he gets a say in these kinds of things. “They have to be stopped before they can perfect their formula and start creating these vampiric Sidhe.”

  “Indeed,” Magnus says, nodding his head distractedly. “But first things first: We must rescue Sunny from the fairies.” At Jareth’s disapproving glance, he adds, “I made a promise to her in Vegas that she would always come first. And I intend to keep that promise.”

  I look at him with sudden admiration. If only Sunny were here to hear him say those words. The girl would be over the moon.

  “That said,” Magnus adds, “you’re welcome to start gathering your troops. As soon as we free Sunny, we’ll make Slayer Inc. our number one priority.”

  This seems to appease my boyfriend a bit. “Very well,” he says. “But breaking into fairyland is going to be no easy task,” he reminds Magnus. “They live at the edges of the world in another dimension beyond our own. To even get there, we’d need fairy magic to part the curtains between the worlds.”

  Magnus scratches his head. “Do we know any fairies?” he asks.

  “Hello?” I wave my hands in their faces. “I’m a fairy, remember?”

  The two of them turn and look at me doubtfully. “So, how do you break into fairyland then?” Magnus asks.

  “Well ... I don’t know,” I admit. “But I’m sure I can—”

  “It’s not something you can just go and Google, Rayne. These secrets have been kept by the fey folk for thousands of years.”

  “But I’m fairy royalty. Surely if I knock they’ll open the door!” I suggest, knowing my answer sounds weak, even to my own ears. But still, I have to try. I mean, it’s my sister that we’re talking about here. I can’t let her languish in fairyland, away from her true love.

  “Well, then what about this?” I ask. “What if we at least head to Ireland—to the town closest to where Tír na nÓg is supposed to be? And then we can see about finding a fairy guide at the very least, if I, myself, can’t figure out a way to do it.”

  He seems to consider this for a moment, then grunts a grudging assent. “Fine,” he says. “I guess we have no other choice but to try. Let’s head out to the airport. There’s no time to waste.”

>   “Um, what about Corbin?” I ask, motioning back to the cafe where he’s eating his predawn breakfast. “We can’t just leave him here. Slayer Inc. might find him.”

  Magnus frowns. “I don’t know,” he replies. “I don’t like the idea of having someone trained by this subset of Slayer Inc. tagging along with us. Especially when we’re away from home and without proper security. What makes you think he won’t get a call from his bosses instructing him to sneak into our hotel rooms and stake us in our sleep?”

  “Because those bosses tried to kill him,” I remind the vampire. “And they destroyed the lives of his friends. There’s no way he’d go back to them now, knowing what they’re capable of.” But even as I’m defending him, I wonder. I remember the hatred in his eyes when he talked about the vampires who killed his parents ...

  But still. He deserves a chance to make good—especially after what I put him through.

  “Look,” I plead to Magnus. “He saved my life. Without him, I’d be stuck at Night School and Sunny would be stuck in fairyland and you guys wouldn’t have a clue as to what happened to us. Because of him, I made it out, Sunny will be okay, and you have a fighting chance to defeat this subset of Slayer Inc. before they take over the world.”

  “Fine,” Magnus relents, still not sounding like he’s going to be signing up for the Corbin fan club anytime soon. “He can come. But technically he’ll be our prisoner until we can figure out what to do with him. One false move and we will take him out. No questions asked.”

  “No problem,” I say, relief washing through me. “You won’t have to do anything, I promise. He’ll be so well-behaved you won’t even notice him.”

  “Well, then,” Jareth says. “If that’s settled, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to fairyland and rescue your sister!”

  22

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re going to land in a few minutes.” I yawn and stretch my arms over my head, reluctantly opening my eyes. I smile as they fall on Jareth, who’s kneeling above me on the private plane’s cushy, velvet-covered bed (I so don’t sleep in coffins!), looking down at me with his beautiful, loving eyes.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, handing me a squeeze bottle of Blood Synthetic. “You slept like the dead.”

  “Stands to figure, since I’m a vampire and all,” I tease.

  He grins. “That’s my Rayne.”

  He lies down beside me and takes me into his arms, pulling me into a comfortable embrace, his body pressed against mine. I deeply breathe in his rich, dark scent. I’ve missed him so much. My heart feels as if it might literally explode with love.

  He strokes my back, his gentle hands running over my feathery wings, which have grown almost to full size. Luckily they also tuck in very well and with my shirt on, you can’t really notice them.

  “I was so worried,” he whispers, his mouth brushing up against my ear. His toes intertwine with mine. He nuzzles my cheek, as if he’s still checking to see if I’m really here, in the flesh. “When Rachel called and said you were in danger, I almost died.”

  “It’s a good thing I’m such a kick-ass, don’t-need-a-guy-to-rescue-me type of girl, huh?” I tease, but at the same time I can feel the tears well up into my eyes. The fact that he put everything on pause, just for me, is beyond wonderful. For all our past fights and difficulties, he loves me. More than anything in the world. And I need to appreciate that with all my heart.

  Because I feel the same way about him.

  The moments spent with Corbin now seem a pale imitation, a parody of romance on the weakest level. A mere lusty need, not a deep, mature love like I have with Jareth. The thought now of Corbin’s lips on mine only serves to make me sick. I wish I had never touched the guy. I wish I could forget it ever happened. I wish I had never drunk anything but the synthetic as long as I lived. Then I wouldn’t know how the other stuff can be.

  I let out an involuntary sob.

  “Don’t worry, my dearest,” Jareth murmurs, misunderstanding my tears and wiping them away with a gentle thumb. “We’ll find Sunny. And she’ll be fine. She’s their queen, after all. Hell, she’s probably being treated like royalty right about now. All the nectar she can drink.”

  “But she doesn’t want that,” I remind him, grateful to switch topics. “Sunny just wants to be human.”

  “I know,” Jareth says, planting a fond kiss on my forehead. “And that’s why we’re going to get her back. We’ll bring her back to the Blood Coven and all four of us can live happily ever after.”

  “Mmm,” I say dreamily. “That sounds amazing.” I tangle myself deeper into his arms. “Happily ever after for everyone,” I murmur as I plant my lips on Jareth’s and we begin to kiss.

  “Ahem.”

  The sound of a clearing throat causes us to break away. I look up. Corbin’s standing at the door, looking really uncomfortable. He shifts from foot to foot. Instinctively, I put a little space between Jareth and myself. “What’s up?” I ask.

  “Sorry,” he stammers. “Magnus told me to tell you to buckle up for landing. We’ll be on the ground in six minutes.” He turns quickly and walks away.

  I glance guiltily over at Jareth, who’s looking at me with worried eyes. “I’m really not sure it was the best decision to bring him along,” he says in a low voice. “He has much anger inside of him. And for good reason, too.”

  I hang my head and grab the blood substitute, taking a swig. Yuck. This stuff is disgusting. How have I been drinking it for so long?

  “I know,” I say. “I feel terrible about what I did to him.”

  “He’s also got a lot of power and training,” Jareth adds. “He could be dangerous.”

  “No.” I shake my head stubbornly. “He’s a good guy. I swear. He’s just hurt because of the whole blood thing. He thinks he’s in love with me.”

  “Oh Rayne,” Jareth says with a deep sigh. “How do you always manage to get yourself into these kinds of situations?”

  I shrug, grinning impishly at him. “Just lucky, I guess. Just like you’re lucky to have me!”

  He laughs and grabs me, playfully wrestling me into submission. “Am I?” he asks, tickling my ribs. I squeal and giggle in protest. “Am I lucky to have you?”

  “YES!” I cry. “Now stop! We’ve got to follow FAA regulations and buckle up for safety. Seatbacks and tray tables and all that.”

  He snorts and stops tickling me. “Oh fine,” he says in a mock huff. “Be that way!” Jumping off the bed, we head into the main cabin to take our seats for landing. As we descend, I glance out the window at the expanse of green below me.

  “Don’t worry, Sunny,” I whisper, dragging a finger down the glass. “We’re coming. We’re going to save you. No matter what.”

  We land at a small airport, outside a little town called Donegal, which is complete with requisite ancient castle, lively pubs, and quaint shops. Because the sun is just coming over the horizon, we’re forced to stop for the day at a little bed-and-breakfast in the center of town so the vampires can get their sleep on. Even Jareth, who technically can go out in the sun, decides to take a little nap. He’s been trying to get back on schedule with his fellow vamps now that he’s co-master of the coven.

  I, however, having slept on the plane, am restless. Pacing the room until Jareth finally suggests I go out and explore, so he can get some sleep. I acquiesce and head out to the local pub to see if I can find out some information about Tír na nÓg, the fairy land my parents came from.

  I decide to try a place called the Olde Castle Bar, which is predictably across from the castle itself. The place looks ancient from the outside, with rough stone walls right out of medieval times, but inside it’s cozy and cheery, with simple furniture and wall hangings. I pull up to the bar and order a pint, giving the young bartender, who can’t be more than my age, a wide smile.

  “You here on holiday, are you?” he asks in an endearing, thick Northern Irish accent as he hands me a frothy pint glass in exchange for my coins.

  “
Not exactly,” I say, taking a sip. Ugh. I forgot they serve ale at room temperature in these parts. “Actually, it’s more like a quest.”

  “A quest, eh?” he repeats with a laugh. “You’ve come to see the fairies, then?”

  I raise my eyebrows. “You know about fairies?”

  “Sure I do,” he says with an amused gleam in his eye. “Ireland’s a magical place after all. And we have our fair share of the fair folk, for good or ill. Every night we leave milk and honey out for them, so they don’t cause mischief.” He glances around at the older patrons in the bar. “We’ve got mischief to spare as it is at the Olde Castle Bar.”

  I slump in my seat, suddenly realizing he’s just teasing me. What was I thinking? “Have you heard of the island of Tír na nÓg?” I ask, changing tactics. “We’re trying to get there.”

  This time the bartender just breaks out into a loud guffaw. “You’ll be trying a long time, lass,” he says. “Seeing as it doesn’t exist.”

  I do a double take. “Wait, what?”

  He shakes his head patronizingly. “It is an isle of legends, but appears on no map you’ll find. And you’ll only get lost if you try searching the sea.” He offers me a sympathetic smile. “Why not give up your quest for fairies?” he suggests. “There’s a lot more to see in Donegal, after all. We’ve got fabulous views from the craggy cliffs, and castle tours start daily at ten.” He grins. “Of course, you’re always welcome to while your hours away here at the pub. The fairies know we need the coin to keep them in their milk and honey.”

  I scowl and am about to thank him for his time and leave when an old woman interjects into the conversation. “Now, now, Collin,” she scolds. “You’ll be talking a girl’s ear off if she gives you half a chance.” I turn to my right to see the craggy-faced, white-haired little woman who has sidled up beside me at the bar. She smiles at me and I realize she’s missing more than a few of her teeth. “Come sit beside me, dear, and drink your pint,” she urges, “I get lonely taking tea by meself and I promise I won’t blather on like Collin about our local tourist attractions.”