“Here?” I echoed.
The captain pulled up a trap door on the roof and scooped out a leather satchel, handing it to me. I placed the strap around my neck and shoulder.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Safe travels,” he said. “But before you go, join me downstairs for a drink. You haven’t tasted ale until you’ve tasted the Whitethorn’s special brew.”
“I’m not much of an ale drinker,” I said.
He laughed heartily. “All the better. That means you’re ripe for conversion.”
We returned to the pub, where Gray appeared to be engaged in an intense conversation with the parrot.
“This is the smuttiest parrot I’ve ever met,” Gray said in disbelief. He pointed a menacing finger at the parrot. “Watch your beak in front of my friend. She doesn’t need to hear any of your inappropriate chatter.”
Captain Yellowjacket glared at the parrot. “Bittersteel, you’re supposed to be minding the bar, not aggravating the customers.” He eyed Gray’s empty pint glass. “Another?”
Gray nodded. He seemed surprised when the captain passed a drink to me first.
“He thinks I’ll be so impressed, I’ll become an ale drinker,” I explained.
“What’s your usual poison?” Captain Yellowjacket asked.
I brought the glass to my lips. “None. I don’t have much experience with alcohol.”
Bittersteel whistled. “In that case, have fun carrying her home tonight,” the parrot said to Gray.
I waved them off. “I’ll be fine,” I said. “A little ale won’t do any harm.”
Gray watched me gulp down several swallows. “A little won’t, but you might want to take it more slowly. It’s potent enough when you have a vampire’s tolerance.”
“Just because you’re older than me doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do,” I said. Sheesh. That sounded immature even to my own ears.
He took a swig of ale. “I wouldn’t dream of telling you what to do, Bryn Morrow. I only make suggestions.”
“That’s more like it.”
“I have a few suggestions for you, pretty lady,” Bittersteel squawked, but Gray silenced him with a hard look.
“I warned you, parrot,” the vampire said.
Bittersteel fled his perch and swooped out the open door. Gray quickly moved to close it behind him.
Captain Yellowjacket took the opportunity to lean forward and whisper, “Your travel companion…”
I jerked my head toward Gray, who was still poised by the door in case the parrot tried to return. “What about him?”
“Is he business or pleasure?”
The question stumped me. “Um, neither, I guess. Why?”
“We vampires read each other pretty well. If you want it to be pleasure, I think you could make that happen.” He winked at me with his good eye. “Don’t let the bad boy look fool you. The guy’s a gentleman. He’ll never make a move unless he’s sure you’re on the same page.”
I hiccupped and my hand flew to cover my mouth. “You can tell all that because you’re both vampires?”
“I can tell all that because I’m male and I’ve fancied a fine female or two in my day, especially one I suspect might be too good for me.”
“Thanks for the words of wisdom.” And the extra shot of nerves. Like I wasn’t already anxious over spending the night in the same room as Gray Mappleworth.
Captain Yellowjacket poured fizzy green liquid into a shot glass. “How about a bit of liquid courage, lass?” He slid the glass toward me. “Go on, it tastes sweet.”
I nodded and downed the magical alcohol. Whatever it was, it slid easily down my throat and settled warmly in the pit of my stomach. “Not bad. How about one more?”
Gray appeared by my side. “One more what?” He shot a quizzical glance at the captain. “What’s she drinking now?”
“A house specialty,” Captain Yellowjacket replied.
“I thought ale was the house specialty.”
“That’s the house brew.” He inclined his head toward the bottle of green liquid. “This is the house moonshine. We call it Skeleton Key.”
“Skeleton keys unlock any door,” I blurted, then hiccupped again.
The captain grinned. “So they do.”
Gray put an arm around my shoulders. “Like I said, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, Morrow, but I’m going to gently suggest that you’ve had enough to drink.”
My stomach churned. “No vampsplaining required, Gray. You’re right.”
He grinned. “Can I get that in writing? Or, better yet, in blood?”
Gray paid the tab and escorted me out of the pub. I made sure to hold firm to the satchel. If anything happened to the book, I had no doubt Anton would hunt me to the ends of the earth.
We finally reached Casper’s Revenge and I was proud to have made it back in the dark without tripping. My triumph was short-lived, as I stumbled into the room and immediately tripped over the bed.
“Good thing that satchel has a strap, or I’m sure you would’ve lost the book by now,” Gray said. “Of course, swinging it over your head like a lasso probably wasn’t the best move.”
“It was an awesome move,” I said, and attempted to do it again. I almost knocked over a lamp, but Gray averted the crisis with his quick reflexes.
“You’re so speedy,” I said, swaying gently. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”
He laughed. “Plenty. You haven’t spent enough time with me yet.”
“It has been fun, spending time with you,” I said. “I thought it might be uncomfortable, but it’s not.”
Gray frowned. “Why would it be uncomfortable?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.” I did know, of course, but there was no way I was admitting it out loud.
“Are you…afraid of me?” He sounded disappointed.
“Afraid? No! I mean, I was at first…when we met…” I trailed off, worried I’d say the wrong thing in my drunken state.
“Do you not trust me?” Gray asked.
“Of course, I trust you,” I yelled. “I wouldn’t be alone in a hotel room with you if I didn’t trust you.”
I gesticulated a little too wildly, throwing off my balance. Gray grabbed my shoulders to keep me from falling over. He straightened me, but his hands remained on my shoulders.
“You have very strong hands,” I said, trying to look at them out of the corner of my eyes. “It’s impossible to see them both at once.”
“You definitely overdid the alcohol,” he said, barely suppressing a grin. “It’s nice to see you lighten up, though. You always seem so tense.”
“Me?” My eyes bulged. “You’re like Mr. Intensity. That could be your superhero name.”
“I need a superhero name? Isn’t Gray good enough?”
“Gray is definitely good enough,” I said, my lips hovering dangerously close to his. “So good.”
“Kiss her, you well-mannered fool,” a ghostly voice yelled. Allan.
Gray’s head snapped up. “Out of here. Now.”
“Life is wasted on the living,” Allan said bitterly.
“I’m undead,” Gray shot back. “And I’m not kissing her when she’s full of alcohol. Leave this room now, or I’ll be reporting you to the Paranormal Innkeepers Association for inappropriate conduct.”
I blinked. “Would you kiss me if I were empty of alcohol?”
Gray released my shoulders and took a step backward. “That’s not what I meant.”
I took a step forward. “Would you, though?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t matter. You’re drunk, and the only thing I’m going to do right now is go to bed.”
“With me?” I asked hopefully.
“Not with you,” he said sharply.
“Because I’m not your type?”
“My type is sober,” he said.
“I can be sober,” I said. “Watch.” I placed a fingertip on the end of my nose and attempted to walk in a st
raight line. I toppled over onto the bed and laughed. “Okay, maybe not tonight.”
He glanced out the window. “I think it’s closer to morning.”
“What were you going to tell me in the tunnels?” I asked. I’d been dying to ask ever since he raised the subject.
He seemed perplexed. “The tunnels?”
“You said there was something I should know about you, but then that stupid troll ruined the moment.”
He grinned. “We were having a moment?”
I nodded. “We were.”
Gray’s expression softened. “I was probably going to tell you that I don’t make a habit of getting close to anyone.”
I flopped on the bed. “Me neither. Too risky.” I curled up on the bed in the fetal position. “I miss my mom. Do you ever miss yours? I mean, I know she’s not gone, but you don’t talk to your family, do you?” I closed my eyes. “Or they don’t talk to you. Same result, isn’t it?”
Gray pulled the covers over me. “I miss them sometimes, but I’ve learned to adapt, like you have. We do what we need to do to survive.”
I yawned. “Would you ever go back to the AMF?”
“They wouldn’t have me,” he said.
“Because you left?”
“Because one of these days, I’m going to kill the demon that murdered Riya,” he said. “It’ll be vengeance, pure and simple.”
“I guess as a bureaucratic organization, they kind of frown upon vigilante justice, huh?”
He smoothed back my hair. “They tend to disapprove, yes.”
“Why haven’t you killed him yet?”
“I’d have to find him first,” Gray said. “He stays in the underworld. It’s not a place I’d go unless I absolutely had to.”
“You could plan a trip, like we did here.”
He chuckled. “We didn’t exactly plan this trip, Morrow.”
“Oh, I guess not. It’s been such fun, though. Like a weekend break.” I yawned again. “You can sleep next to me if you want. I won’t try anything, I promise.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “It’s not you I’m worried about,” he whispered. “Sweet dreams, Morrow.”
15
After my weekend away, the dining hall seemed louder and busier than normal. I already missed the peaceful sound of the ocean.
“Okay, Bryn. We've given you enough time to confess." Dani fixed me with a hard stare. "It's time to come clean."
My heart thumped wildly in my chest. What did she know? Whatever it was, did she really want me to discuss it in the middle of a busy dining hall? Maybe she assumed that would be safer than confronting me in the privacy of our room.
"What can I say? I'm a huge fan of vegetable sprouts." I popped one into my mouth and chewed for good measure. "I didn't want you guys to find out and ostracize me.”
My roommates continued to stare at me, unwilling to play along. My blood ran cold.
"Come on, Bryn," Mia said. "It isn't every day one of us escapes for a weekend with a hot vampire. Let us live vicariously through you."
My stomach plummeted. This was about my weekend in Starry Hollow with Gray? Slowly, I began to relax.
"Nothing much happened," I said. As disappointing as that was.
Dani pointed a finger at me. "You said nothing much happened. That implies something happened, even if it wasn't major."
Cerys leaned forward eagerly. "Was there physical contact of any kind?"
My thoughts immediately conjured up an image of Gray's face looming in front of mine. His soft lips on my forehead.
“Like I said, it was nothing much."
Mia sank back in her seat and sulked. "I can't believe our own roommate isn’t going to tell us. I'm beyond insulted."
Dani rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let her have her integrity. We'll just go back to watching movies and living vicariously through actors more attractive than us.”
“I don’t understand why you didn’t ask one of us to go with you,” Mia said.
“I do,” Dani said. “Sorry, girls. If it’s the choice between you and a scorching guy for a sleepover, I’m going with the guy.”
“It wasn’t her choice, remember?” Cerys said. “It was Gray’s errand. He asked her to go along.”
Ah, yes. My white lie. I felt a smidge guilty, but then I thought of the red healing stone in my drawer and the small lie seemed worth it.
A tray floated down onto the table next to me, quickly followed by Robin. His healthy meal made my vegetable sprouts look like ice cream.
“My favorite witches," he said brightly. “You should know that I’ve made excellent progress on my term paper today. What are we celebrating over here? Everyone seems in a cheerful mood."
"Bryn was just about to tell us the sordid details of her weekend away with Gray," Mia said.
I felt Robin tense beside me. "Weekend away? Why this is the first I'm hearing about it?"
"I didn't realize I had to run my schedule past you," I said.
Robin fiddled with his cutlery. "Of course not. I wasn't suggesting any such thing."
"It was a business trip," I said vaguely.
Robin's brow lifted. "You’re assisting him now? Is that wise, with your busy training schedule?"
"I'm beginning to think ‘wise’ is not in my vocabulary," I said.
"We’re pretty sure there was kissing involved," Dani said. "We can't get confirmation, though. We may need to call Gladiola over here. She's good at digging up the details of a story."
Robin gave me a serious look. "I don't need to tell you…"
Good thing he didn’t need to tell me, because he didn't get to finish his sentence.
We heard the screams before we saw the creatures. There were two of them—each had the body of a leopard and the head and neck of a snake. One ran and leapt on an adjacent table, scattering trays and food everywhere. They seemed to be looking for something.
“Goddess of the Moon,” Cerys breathed.
We abandoned our table and pushed it down in front of us as a barricade.
“What are they?" I asked.
The creatures continued to prowl around the dining hall, their forked tongues testing the air. If they were hungry, they’d come to the right place.
“I could be wrong, but I think that they’re serpopards,” Robin said.
“There are two parts of that sentence that sound wrong to me," I said. "First, that you would ever admit you could be wrong. Second, what in the hell is a serpopard?”
We watched as the two creatures divided and conquered the room. They reminded me of velociraptors in the way they moved—at least velociraptors as portrayed in the Jurassic Park movies.
"They’re Egyptian," Robin said, perplexed. "It’s my understanding that they've been extinct for centuries."
Egyptian. Oh, no. I could think of one very good reason why extinct Egyptian monsters were here. I’d delivered the book straight to Anton, but, of course, the serpopards didn’t know that.
"I think your understanding might be a little off," Dani said, as one of the serpopards headed in our direction.
"I'm sure someone has gone for help," Cerys said. "I saw a few trainees escape."
“They won’t anymore,” Dani said, as the other serpopard placed itself between the interior of the dining hall and the main doors.
“We really need to revisit the whole ‘no wands in the dining hall’ policy,” Mia said.
“That’s a rule?” I asked.
The others looked at me excitedly. “Why?” Cerys asked. “Do you have yours?”
“No, I just didn’t realize it was a thing,” I replied. Not that I needed my wand to do magic. I tried to think of the best course of action.
The other serpopard pushed off the table with its front seat, while its elongated neck attempted to reach us over the top of the table. I had to be the reason they were here. It was my responsibility to lure them away and keep everyone else safe.
The serpopard came closer, its snake eyes watching us.
The forked tongue slipped in and out and I caught the frightening view of its fangs. They appeared sharper and longer than any vampire’s fangs I’d seen so far.
“Watch out," Robin said. "It's preparing to strike.”
I didn't know how he knew that, but there was no time to ask. The room was fairly dry, and I attempted to call the water from Lake Mercer. Maybe it was because of the thick academy walls, but I didn't seem able to summon my water magic, not to the degree that I needed to defeat to two serpopards. The creature turned its gaze to Mia. I had to act now.
I jumped to my feet and ran, hoping that the creature would behave like a true predator and chase me. I called to the air as I ran, and felt the magic rise within me. A blast of fire singed the creature’s tail and I realized that Dani was taking the opportunity to attack from behind. It seemed that I wasn't the only one with abilities that extended beyond the wand. With Dani’s powerful lineage, though, it didn't surprise me.
Unfortunately for me, the creature’s injury only seemed to anger it. It hissed and spit. I had a feeling it was more than just saliva flying from those fangs.
The clattering of trays caught my attention, and I realized that the students were throwing trays and plates at the serpopards. A room full of AMF trainees, and they had to resort to death by dinnerware. I couldn't decide whether it was resourceful or pathetic.
I blasted the creature with air, just enough to put some distance between us. There had to be water I could draw from in the dining hall, even if it was simply the liquid from our cups.
“Bryn, look out!" Dani’s voice reached me too late. The other serpopard had snuck up behind me. I felt its fangs sink into my shoulder, drawing blood. I cried out in agony and tried not to contemplate the type of venom these creatures produced. If they were believed to be extinct, there was likely no anti-venom available.
I stumbled forward, and the other serpopard took advantage of my momentary weakness and plunged its fangs into my side, My blood sprayed the serpentine face and it recoiled.
“Get away from me, you foul beasts!” I wasn't sure why my speech had suddenly turned into something out of Shakespeare play, but I chalked it up to pure panic.
Outclassed: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Warden of the West Book 2) Page 13
