by LJ Swallow
“Is there anywhere, uh... private close by?” I ask Zeke. “A place people might hook up.”
“What?” he splutters. “Now?”
I laugh loudly enough that it catches attention. “No, Zeke. Somewhere Ivan might be with Oriana.”
“Oh. Yeah. End of the hallway outside this one.” Zeke points. “Y’know, what if Ivan and Dorian are both having fun with Oriana? Do you really want to see that?” he asks cautiously.
Dorian and Ivan in a threesome with Oriana isn’t something I want to picture. “I don’t believe they are. Something is happening between Dorian and Ivan.” Zeke arches a brow. “Not that! I’ve seen them together and the first day he arrived, Ivan mentioned Blackwood magic. What if Ivan is using Dorian to escape?”
“Yeah? You think Dorian would break out of here without you? He needs your blood, remember?”
“He could get other witch blood on the outside.”
Zeke pushes hair from my face. “But not yours.”
“Not tonight; he’d have a fight on his hands. Wait here. Follow me in ten minutes if I don’t come back, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll find Ethan. He won’t be far.”
I sigh, picturing the two storming the room and dragging me away from danger. “We’ll spend some better time together later,” I say and wrap my arms around his waist. “Maybe both of you.”
Zeke’s expression is priceless. “Uh...”
“You suggested it,” I say and bite my lip in amusement. “I’ll ask Ethan what he thinks.”
Dorian reappears in the doorway. “Look, no need to worry. I’ll speak to him in the hallway.”
I decide to add to people’s reason to gossip about me and walk up to Dorian and drag him back out through the door.
He stumbles as I shove him towards a quieter corner, not far from the foot of the stairs that students pass up and down.
“Why, Eloise, you’re rather forward tonight. Adding me to your harem? Just a heads up. I don’t share.” He moistens his lips. “Although I did enjoy the little kiss we shared.”
I bark a laugh. “Don’t make the moment sound romantic. You only wanted my blood.”
“Do you believe that?” He cocks a brow. “I’d like to get my mouth on more than your blood, and you’re a liar if you say you don’t want me to.”
“Your ego is insane, Dorian.”
“Then why have you dragged me into a quiet corner?”
I ignore him and cross my arms. “Where’s Ivan?”
He pulls a face at my abrupt question. “Somewhere with Oriana.”
“Doing what?” My voice rises a pitch with panic but Dorian laughs at me.
“What do you think they’re doing? Are you jealous?”
“Seriously?” I scoff.
Dorian rests his head on the wall and looks down at me and I’m suddenly aware of my pulse beating against my neck. The intense, natural attraction between vampire and witch underpins what we are, but the charged atmosphere around us goes beyond that. We crave each other’s power, and neither of us can hide—we’ve seen each other’s barriers and torn them down.
“I have a proposition for you, sweet Eloise,” he murmurs in velvet tones.
I hate that my heart skips out of rhythm at his downright seductiveness. “No.”
He pouts. “I haven’t told you what I want yet.”
“I will not have sex with you, and you will not drink my blood. Ever.”
For a long moment, his eyes linger on mine, accusingly. Liar.
“Remember the day you asked if I’d help you escape, if I found a way?” He tugs the corner of his bottom lip with his teeth. “I have and I will.”
His stoic expression cuts my laughter short. “You’re serious?”
“I’ve discovered a whole different side to myself,” he says with a smirk. “Ivan has—"
“No!” I half-shout. “No, no, no.”
“Whoa. Settle down. The guy taught me a Blackwood spell, that’s all. We can all leave.”
I gawk at him. “You think I’d join you and Ivan in a happy little spellcasting session? Haven’t you learned I’m not stupid?”
Dorian reaches out and tangles a lock of my hair around his index finger. “And neither am I. Ivan has an agenda—he wants to take you. My suggestion? Involve your lovers and spoil his plans.”
“What’s this spell?” I ask with suspicion. “Ivan may break the wards channelling the witch magic, but he can’t ‘magic’ us off the island.”
“How much do you know about Blackwood blood magic?” he asks and winds my hair tighter until his finger turns white. “How much do you know about why they’re exiled?”
“Not a lot,” I admit, “but Ivan isn’t Blackwood.”
“The family are teaching a select few witches their magic, and with my Blackwood blood, Ivan’s spell will be stronger.”
“And my blood? Again, I’m not an idiot.”
Dorian pulls himself from the wall. “Fine. You asked. I’m offering. You’ve until tomorrow to decide.”
“What?” I stare at him. “That soon?”
“Yeah. Ivan doesn’t hang around.”
“Is he taking Oriana with him?”
“Maybe.”
I hope not, for her sake.
“I’ll ask the others.” I catch his disgusted look. “What?”
“You need permission from your puppy dogs? Honestly, Eloise.”
“I’m not leaving Zeke and Ethan, if there’s a way out. And if Ivan wants me to go with him, they’re coming too.”
“Yeah. He’s cool with that.”
I blink. “What? Dorian, this sounds more suspicious with every word you say.”
“I find your distrust hurtful,” he says softly, in that voice again.
“I don’t trust Ivan,” I say and hastily add, “or you.”
“Again and again, you underestimate me, Eloise. I’ll easily deal with a witch upstart.”
I blow air into my cheeks. “And I can deal with you. If I leave, I go with Ethan and Zeke. I don’t want you touching me.”
He drops my hair and runs his fingers across my face, eyes darkening as he pulls down my bottom lip with his soft thumb. “Eloise. I already touched you here.” My traitorous body flares to life and he places his index finger on my chest. “And inside here.”
As Dorian’s mouth moves towards mine, I stumble backwards. He won’t do this again; I’m a means to an end for him. I place a hand on his chest. “Nice try.”
With a shake of his head, Dorian sidesteps me. "Talk to your friends. I think it’s time we all became besties."
“You’re weird, Dorian.”
He chuckles and pokes my nose. “I’m many things, Eloise. The world needs reminding and I’ll happily show them.”
Chapter Twenty-One
ETHAN
I walk back into the room and wince against the music pounding into my head. Zeke stands where I left him, but without Eloise.
“Zeke?” I stride over. “I hope you didn’t let Eloise follow Dorian.”
He crosses his arms and leans against the wall. “We need to trust her judgement.”
“Around Dorian?” I scoff.
Zeke didn’t see her with Dorian that night—the look on her face as he almost took her blood. Raul is right; there’s something between them that affects her thinking, and he won’t loosen that influence. I know she’s spoken to Dorian a couple of times despite staff watching them, but mostly they exchange looks in lessons or the dining hall like lovestruck teens. Perhaps they don’t realise they’re doing this, but it’s obvious to me.
And now Dorian linked himself to the guy who abused Eloise, and the tiny part of acceptance I had for him disappeared. He’s associating with the guy who abused Eloise. What happened to his ‘assaulting girls is wrong’ so-called moral code? Whatever the pair are planning, it won’t end well for the academy.
Each time I see Ivan, the dragon stirs, and I imagine finishing the job I started. I’d do more than
break his fucking face if I could hide my actions from others. After I attacked him, I was confused why Ivan didn’t tell people. The reason hit me when I heard about the chaos in the dining hall. Implying a random shifter attacked him gives Ivan what he needs—discord that he can build on.
I don’t think he wants a war; I believe this is a distraction for what he’s really planning. Inciting trouble between shifters and witches—or vampires—doesn’t take much. Most of the recent shifters arrived after attacking the other races and their discord grows.
I’m not surprised; the vamps and witches treat shifters like an underclass, even though they have seats on the Confederacy council. Someone will take advantage of this situation soon and easily recruit troops.
The Dominion will look on, laugh, and rise from the ashes and broken bodies surrounding them.
“Eloise needs us to look out for her, but she’s strong, Ethan,” Zeke says.
I scowl. “Which way did she go?”
“She followed Dorian.” Zeke catches my sleeve as I immediately make to leave again. “Eloise is more likely to get information out of him alone.”
I sigh. “We agreed not to let her out of our sight.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want you weighing in with your fists again.”
“Yeah? Would you have much more control?”
Zeke looks the other way and his eyes glow brighter in the dark. “I’d join you in pulling both Ivan and Dorian apart if she’s threatened.”
“Good.”
Zeke doesn’t reply and his attention switches back to the doorway. Dorian and Eloise stand together and my temper flares as I look at his perfect, smug face. Eloise isn’t close to him, but the pair stand together like a power couple. Again, I’m not sure that they realise this, but there’s a strange synchronicity between them.
They don’t part, but instead walk over to us. I stiffen, all but grabbing Eloise’s arm, as he pauses in front of us and his mouth twitches into the familiar arrogant smirk.
“Hello, boys. I have something to tell you.”
Zeke pulls himself tall and I narrow my eyes. “About Eloise?” he asks.
“About all of us.” He gestures at the door the pair walked through. “Should we talk?”
“Is Ivan involved?” I growl at him.
“A little.”
I tug Eloise towards me, and she frowns. “Ethan. Dorian told me something, and we need to listen to him.”
“Listen to him?” exclaims Zeke and laughs.
“Something that could help Eloise and also dispose of Ivan.” Dorian inclines his head. “Let’s talk.”
I follow Dorian as he strides away, mostly because Eloise does, and I don’t want her alone with him again. He leads us to an unused room at the opposite end of the hallway. Inside, several chairs are stacked against the flaking wall and two wooden desks with metal legs are in the centre of the room.
Zeke doesn’t walk in and neither does Eloise, who’s beside him. I flank her other side and cross my arms.
Dorian sighs. “Eloise, sweetest girl, you tell them, as your pets evidently don’t like talking to me.”
“Don’t call me that,” she snaps, and I smile at her biting back.
“Uh. You attacked me recently. You’re intent on hurting Eloise. That’s why we don’t like you around,” Zeke says and looks to Eloise. “I only agree to listen to you because Eloise wants me to.”
“Is that your life now, Ezekiel? Do you make all your decisions based on what a girl wants?” Dorian grins. “Be careful.”
“Dorian,” Eloise says tersely. “Pissing off the guys who already dislike you won’t help. Tell them about Ivan.”
“Ah.” Dorian perches on one of the desks. “He knows how to escape Ravenhold, but the spell needs mine and Eloise’s help.”
I gawk at Dorian. “You’d work with Ivan?”
“I don’t like the little shit any more than you do,” says Dorian. “I’ll kill him once he’s helped us.”
Eloise’s mouth falls open. “You never told me that.”
“Eloise, you honestly should listen.”
I hate the way he talks to Eloise. How he looks at her. What he wants to do to the girl wrapped around my heart.
“And what if this ‘escape spell’ is bullshit?” I ask gruffly. “Why should we trust you?”
“You don’t need to, but as Eloise would be rather upset if I hurt either of you, I won’t.”
Zeke steps towards him. “You couldn’t take us both on, arsehole.”
Dorian rolls his eyes at the ceiling. “Again, you people need to remember who I am. What I am.”
I scratch my cheek. Do we forget that this charming savage is deadlier than anything else in the world? Why the hell would we unleash him? “You could kill Eloise and us. Drain her blood; take her power.”
“I wouldn’t need to kill Eloise to take her blood. She wants to give herself to me.”
“Not true!” she protests.
“Such denial.” He hops down from the table and as he moves towards her, I step in the way. He shakes his head and his blue eyes shine with menace. “Ethan, I give you my word that I will not touch Eloise or her blood without her permission.”
“Your word?” I choke out.
With another shake of the head, he steps back again. “This is the plan: I use Blackwood magic with Ivan’s assistance. Eloise agrees to fuel the magic with her blood. We all leave.”
“Firstly, no fucking way, and secondly, what magic? Do you think you can teleport from the island?” asks Zeke with a sneer.
“Why, yes. That’s exactly what we do.”
I make a scornful noise. “The guy is bullshitting you, Dorian. That magic doesn’t exist. Has he shown you?”
“We need Eloise’s blood for the spell,” says Dorian in exasperation. “So, no, not yet.”
“Blackwood blood magic can create temporal spells,” says Eloise softly. “Their ability to alter the physical world goes beyond an elemental witch’s. This spell exists, but only a select few can cast it.”
“Yes, and I’m a Blackwood.” Dorian says in exasperation. “I’m not interested in arguing with a shifter and mid, I’m merely informing you what will happen and that you may accompany us if you want to. Or…” He waves a hand. “Stay here. Who knows what the Confederacy have planned for us next?”
“Or what Ivan has planned,” I retort.
“Trust me.”
This time I downright laugh at the guy, and he scowls.
“The Confederacy brought us together for a reason; we all know that. Shady shit is happening at Ravenhold. I’m not fucking stupid—somebody planted Ivan here, but I’m taking my opportunity,” says Dorian. “Join me. Leave and take on the people who brought us here.”
“Work with you?” This guy is insane.
“Haven’t you noticed our lives centre around the Trinity witch? I think now is the time for a truce and a united front.”
“Wow. Just wow,” breathes out Zeke.
“You almost stepped onto a boat with Francesca,” Eloise says to Zeke. “Why did you trust her?”
“I didn’t,” he says sharply.
“What?” I choke out but he refuses to say more.
Dorian moves to the door. “I’ve said what I wanted to. We’re leaving tomorrow evening.” His lips purse and he reaches into his pocket and holds out a folded piece of paper to Zeke. “As a gesture of goodwill, I have this for you.”
My brow tugs as I look over Zeke’s shoulder and read the words:
oh for when I know to sever no one free
“What does this mean? Are you threatening Zeke?” I demand.
“This is something of mine I never give to anybody else. If you come with us and we become separated once we leave, those words will help you find me.”
“Us? Eloise? Have you already made the decision?” I ask her in horror.
Eloise chews a nail, and her silence answers me. She has.
“We are strong,” says Dorian. “With you, w
e will be stronger.”
Zeke folds the paper and tucks it into his pocket. “You might be right, but ultimately the decision is Eloise’s.” He looks at me and I nod. “She’s the centre of our world and I’ll go with and protect her.”
Okay, everybody in this room is insane. “I don’t know much about witches, but I do know the Blackwoods are incomparable. They could be waiting for us on the other side,” I say.
Dorian cocks his head. “Then the monster they created will show the Blackwoods exactly what he’s capable of doing to them.”
He saunters from the room. Is he arrogant enough to believe he can single-handedly take down whatever waits outside these walls?
Eloise stares after him and I already know the answer.
He doesn’t think that, but Dorian knows exactly how he can—he uses us.
Do I want to be part of his plans? I close my eyes. Do I have any choice if I want to keep Eloise in my life—and safe?
Chapter Twenty-Two
ELOISE
At breakfast, I sit with Oriana and watch Dorian and Ivan together. Zeke and Ethan sit together and expect me to join them, but I’m concerned about Oriana.
Muesli turns to mush in my bowl as I poke around at the flakes with my spoon. Oriana doesn’t speak as she eats hastily, glancing at Ivan every few mouthfuls.
“How was your night?” I ask her.
She blinks at me. “Yeah. Good. I saw you slink off with your guys. Did I do the right thing staying away from the room last night?”
Not if you were with Ivan.
“I hope Ivan treats you well,” I say and watch her face for any hints that he doesn’t.
“He’s a nice guy. I can’t see the problem with him. He has some weird kinks but—”
I choke on the muesli. “Please don’t say any more.”
She lowers her voice. “Ivan is teaching me more runes too, even though he’s stopped teaching others.”
“Do you know what they’re for?”
“Protection against shifters.” Her eyes shine with pride. “Did you hear Kai and Andy kicked off at the party last night?”
My heart skips. Again? “Did anybody get hurt?”
“Don’t know. They were dragged off to see the new counsellor guy and they’re not at breakfast.” She slurps milk from her spoon.
