Mark of the Dagger (The Marked Series Book 1)

by Rae, Stella

  "I want to make you and dad proud," Dani said.

  "Wrong answer," he kicked out, and the blow landed in her midsection. The force of it knocking her back, the momentum forcing her to roll backwards landing on her knees. Without a second thought, she was back on her feet.

  "Why are you doing this Dani?" Joe asked again.

  "Because I want this," she said with a kick and missed. "I want this for me and be damned if you care,” she said sarcastically and hit again. That got a couple laughs from Nadia and Alex. She saw Blue eyes smirk out of the corner of her eye.

  "But really because it feels right," she said seriously. While they continued fighting, Dani told him about the dream she had just before she was marked. She told him about how right it felt to hold that sword and that she wanted that feeling again.

  When she was finished with her story, her uncle stood there staring at here with a shocked expression on his face. She took advantage of his momentary lapse in focus and charged. The force of her attack carrying him to the ground. As she sat on his chest she smiled down at him. The force of their decent seemed to clear his head and he gave her a rueful smile. "That didn't count you little cheat."

  "Not my fault that you stopped dead in the middle of a fight, you ought to know better. You know what would happen if you did that on the outside?" she asked in her best Joe imitation.

  He shook her off and stood. "Shut up," he said to his two dearest friends who were laughing maniacally.

  "I told you she would best you," Alex said.

  "Come on Alex, I'll take you next buddy," Dani replied.

  "Now don't go getting overconfident just because you cheated. Come on, I want to show you something," he said suddenly.

  Dani looked from Joe to the others in confusion. "But we still have another thirty minutes of training left," quietly she added. "Am I in trouble?"

  "No," he said on a laugh. "You deserve a break, come on," he said trying to lead her out of the gym.

  "No, I can't. Uncle Joe I can't afford to be taking any breaks."

  “Dani,” his tone changed to one he used when dealing with her more insubordinate classmates. She released an aggravated breath knowing there was no point in arguing with him about it. But Lordy, how she hated that voice!

  She looked at him through narrowed eyes but acquiesced all the same. It would do no good for anyone if she were to start an argument in front of the other students. Uncle or not, while they were on this campus he was a teacher first. One that deserved her respect.

  They were quiet on the walk to his living quarters. When they entered his room she sat on his big overstuffed leather chair while he dug around for something under the bed. This was the first time she had ever been in his room and she stared around curiously. It was big as rooms went. The teacher's quarters were almost exactly like the kids. Though he had enough room for a chair, love seat and entertainment center. There were pictures of her and her mom, her grandparents and a few of Joe in places all over the world. There was a copy of her favorite picture hanging over his TV; the one of her, her dad and Joe. It brought a smile to her lips when she saw it.

  The lucky man had his own private bathroom. Lucky, she thought. She hated the communal bathroom even if it was only shared between her and the occupant of the room to her right.

  “I want one of those,” Dani said pointing to the mini fridge on the other side of his sofa.

  "What?" he replied still half under his bed.

  "A fridge. Can I have one in my room?"

  "Nope, teachers only," he laughed. She rolled her eyes.

  A minute later he pulled out a green box as long as her arm. She didn't say anything until he laid it in her lap.

  "What is it?" she asked.

  "Open it." After a moment’s hesitation she did. There, lying in the lined green velvet case was the sword from her dream. She gasped with delight running her fingers along the Ruby and Emerald hilt. It was even more spectacular in person.

  "It's beautiful," she said looking at Joe. "This is the sword I dreamed about," she told him in case he didn't know.

  "I figured, that's why I'm showing it to you," he sat down in front of her, leaning against his bed. "You haven't seen this sword since you were three. Do you remember it?"

  She jerked in response. "Oh my God. This was Dad's wasn't it?" she asked reverently. When he nodded she added, "I remember it now, but before my dream I hadn't ever thought about it. Even after the dream I didn't place the connection."

  "That will be yours one day. I've been saving it for you, but I'll have to hold on to it until you have had your training." Her eyes filled and she blinked rapidly to keep them from falling she nodded.

  "I can't really explain it Uncle Joe, but in my dream...”Dani took a deep breath to calm herself enough to explain what she was feeling and hoped that he wouldn't think she was crazy. “In my dream the sword fit so perfectly, and it was this total feeling of elation when I lifted it." She shrugged.

  "I understand completely. That sword was meant to be yours one day. It was the same when I found mine. Like a reuniting of old friends that felt right, perfect. It felt like coming home," he said.

  "That's exactly it." She ran her hand lovingly across the sword one more time before shutting the case. "Thank you for showing it to me."

  "Welcome," he said standing up. "The day your mom called and told me you had been marked I had this made for you." He was rummaging through his nightstand drawer. "I wanted to wait to give it to you until you decided if you were staying or not. I think we have established that you are not going anywhere." He turned back to her with a smile and a small box.

  When she opened it, she saw a ring made of black tungsten. On the front was carved the family insignia: A warrior in mid-evil armor pointing his sword toward the crescent moon. She smiled “It's just like yours and dads." She slipped the ring on the index finger of her right hand. The same finger Joe and Jake wore theirs and gave him a hug. "It fits!"

  "Well, you have been working hard and you deserve it."

  "Thanks Uncle Joe. This means a lot."

  Early the next morning Dani was in bed, twisting her ring round and round her finger. Sleep was evading her once again. As she laid there staring at the ceiling, she thought of her time here the last two month. Even adding in the fact that she still hadn’t made any friends, she thought this move was completely worth it.

  Physically, she had never looked or felt so great. She had muscles for the first time in her life, her legs were toned and her stomach was completely smooth. She had the ideal body, a body she knows she never would have achieved on her own now that she knew how much work went into it.

  Mentally she was a little drained though it was getting better. She hadn't had as many sleepless nights as she had when she first arrived. She learned to ignore the rumors and taunts as best she could. She also learned to talk to Joe when things got too rough for her to handle.

  She wasn't as proud a person as she used to be and knew how to suck it up and ask for help, even when she doesn't want to. Had it not been for her uncle’s little talk out in the woods, she probably would have quit by now. But she would only admit that to herself.

  With a sigh she sat up, knowing she would never get back to sleep; she had too much energy left over. You would think that all these extra workouts would wear her out. Sometimes they did but there were other times like tonight when they had the opposite effect. Now, she was just restless. She laced up her tennis shoes, not bothering to change out of her pajama pants and tank top.

  Dani snuck out of her dorm room and down the hall as quietly as possible. From what she could tell, the spells in the dorm were only to keep the boys from the girls’ side and vice versa. There was nothing locking the students in. Not that she noticed, and she snuck out a lot.

  At the front door, she turned to make sure it closed quietly. Once it did, she backed up a few steps and ran into something solid. With a little yip, she turned around to see a girl standing on the porch in f
ront of her.

  "Shh,” the girl said on a snicker. "Where are you sneaking off to?" she asked Dani.

  "Geez, you about gave me a heart attack." Dani put a hand on her chest as if that would keep her heart from exploding outward.

  "Sorry," the girl said, not sounding sorry at all.

  Dani took in a deep breath of night air and felt herself calm. She looked at the girl with black corkscrew curls and said, "It's all clear in there. No one is awake." And she started to descend the steps. It wasn't until she was on the bottom step that she noticed the beams of flashlights bobbing on the path about twenty yards in front of her. She stood frozen.

  Within seconds, corkscrew girl was down the steps, grabbed Dani by the arm and pulled her to the other side of the building. Keeping them both hidden from the older hunters making their nightly rounds.

  "Oh my God," Dani whispered. It came out on a nervous laugh.

  "Girl you need to learn to be stealthy."

  "Yeah, I'll learn that next," Dani said, and the girl snickered.

  "I'm Jan by the way," she introduced herself. Dani started to do the same, but she was cut off. "Yeah, I know who you are." Dani's heart sank. Jan would most likely hate her on principle too.

  "Oh," Dani said

  "I live across the hall. I haven't been able to introduce myself to you, you're always busy or either not in there."

  "Oh?" Dani asked in a lighter mood. "I figured you were going to say that you knew who I was and shouldn't be here and blah blah blah, like everyone else." She rolled her eyes.

  "Say what? That you’re the mixed blooded girl? That you’re the first mixed blood to get marked? That you are a DuPont? Those are all true right?" Jan shrugged. "Who cares? You are who you are and you can't change it. And I doubt you would if you could right?"

  "Thanks," Dani said. "That’s the nicest thing anyone here has said to me."

  "Wow that must suck '‘cos I wasn't being nice, I was being honest."

  With a laugh Dani said, "Yeah, anyway I'll let you sneak back inside. Coast is clear now and I want to go to the pond." She turned and started walking away. Over her shoulder, she called. "Good Night, Jan."

  She went to the pond, this time not to run but just to think. She walked over to the tree just on the shoreline. It was a good climbing tree, she thought. The lowest branches looked sturdy enough to hold her weight.

  With little reservation Dani grabbed the closest branch. She hadn't climbed a tree in years. In fact the last tree she climbed, she fell out of and broke her arm. She paused before she could pull herself up, not really wanting a repeat of that incident. But she decided that she wouldn't go too far up and even if she did fall, Adele could fix her right up. With that thought mentality, she could be reckless all she wanted, though she wouldn't. But she did need to get out of sight in case any more hunters walked this way. They wouldn't think to look up for students and she doubted that they really expected to find any kids out of bed this time of night anyway.

  She settled herself against the trunk of the tree about ten feet off the ground. That wouldn't be such a bad drop. She loved watching the sunrise and didn't think there was anything more beautiful. When she would write her stories, whenever there was a sunrise, something amazing always happened. The heroine would meet her hero, or the villain would die, or the dragon that couldn't, could. It all depended on the story. But this was always her favorite time of day.

  Looking out across the pond toward the mountains, she could see the sky just beyond start to lighten. She knew that within thirty minutes it would be a painting of pinks, purples, and gold. With a sigh of anticipation, she settled back into the tree more comfortably, shut her eyes and thought about her mom and Mia.

  Dani talked to her mom every night on the cell phone Sarah got her. She actually looked forward to those conversations. She tried not to talk about how everyone treated her here, instead tried to reassure her mom that she was happy. And technically she was, so she wasn't lying. Even if she was lying, it was to ease her mother’s mind, so it didn't really count. At least that was how she saw it.

  She didn't talk to Mia as much anymore. Mia thinks she is at some private school that focuses on literature, to help Dani succeed in a writing career. Plus with all the extra work Dani was doing, she didn't really have time to talk.

  Dani felt bad for that and she truly missed her, but she knew this would be one of those sacrifices when she chose this path. She also had to sacrifice her dream of going to college and becoming an author. But she replaced it with another dream, one that would be just as fulfilling. And who knew, maybe she could still write on the side, even use the knowledge she had now and incorporate it into her stories.

  "You really shouldn't sleep in trees. It can't be good for the back. Plus, you could get hurt."

  The voice from up above startled Dani so badly that she jumped, which was the wrong thing to do because she ended up falling out of the tree. She couldn't catch a handhold before she fell and landed hard on her back on the ground.

  Dani closed her eyes as she started to see stars. "Oww," she moaned putting a hand to her head. When she thought the stars would be gone and the world would stand still she opened her eyes. The sky was blotted out by a face, she couldn't tell who it was because his features were still a little fuzzy. "Quit spinning please," she moaned.

  There was a light chuckled followed by "I told you, you shouldn't sleep in trees. Accidents like these are bound to happen." Dani opened her eyes and saw a pair of the most beautiful, intense blue eyes she had ever seen. The same blue eyes that were constantly watching her during her practices. The same blue eyes that she found out belonged to Jr. Trainer Samuel Johnson. He was out of school himself but he wasn't sure where he wanted to go so he stayed on at the school to assist the trainers in any way he could.

  And he was one of the best Demon Hunters of his year. Not just for this school but all over the world. He had earned a lot of metals and to be only eighteen, he had a lot of kills under his belt.

  Dani squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. Of course, he would be the one to witness the most embarrassing moment of her life. The Greek God of Mount Claussen. The most beautiful Demon Hunter here and the youngest, most respected, at that.

  The fall she just took would shame any dignified Hunter. She could only imagine what he must be thinking. If only she could have gotten her feet under her to land more gracefully. She was totally caught unawares. And she hated that that happened. She would slap herself if her head weren't spinning.

  "You’re hurt, here let me help you up," he said gently reaching to take her arms. She accepted the help up then shook him off as he put a steadying hand under elbow.

  "I can stand on my own thanks," she snapped. She was embarrassed, so she reacted the only way she knew how. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

  "You were the one sleeping in the tree. I was already up there and I needed to get down. You were the one blocking the way. It's not my fault that you didn't make sure you were alone. Out in the real world, you would have to be more aware of your surroundings than that to stay alive," he said in a reasonable voice which only aggravated her more.

  "Oh, for Christ’s sake! I wasn't sleeping. I was thinking, and I don't need a lecture about safety from you. As if it's any of your business." She started to stomp off to her dorm.

  "Sure could have fooled me," he muttered.

  "What were you doing in the tree in the first place? You should be in your room sleeping like a normal person. Besides that, you should know better than to go so far up. And don’t deny it, you had to be way up there to have been so we camouflaged.” She cut him off before he could deny it. What she said was truth because she looked up before climbing and saw no hint of him.

  Dani kept walking, her embarrassment fueling her anger as she knew he was following her. Instead of answering her he grabbed her arm to spin her around before she reached her porch. Furious at being man-handled she was ready to punch him but when she saw the way he
was looking at her, her breath stuck in her throat and she knew she looked like a deer caught in headlights. No boy had looked at her with such an intense expression. To say she was a little frightened would be an understatement.

  "Are you sure you’re not hurt? I should take you to the infirmary," he said gripping her arm a little tighter.

  "I'm fine," she said, and hated the breathlessness of her voice. "It wasn't that far of a drop, I can handle ten feet," she said making her voice stronger.

  "Of course you can," he said and his eyes darkened. She couldn't tell if it was from anger or something else or if he was being sarcastic or not.

  She didn’t know Samuel personally, but she had heard stories about him around campus. And of course she noticed him around too. Who wouldn’t? The man was gorgeous. He was always one of those people sitting on the sidelines watching her and Joe’s training sessions.

  She didn't know this boy at all, and within five minutes of being in his company he got her back up. She didn't like that one bit. "Like I said, I can handle myself. Now I don't care who you are or what you've accomplished in your short life, but you've no right to handle me this way. Now release my arm before I make you." Big talk coming from her, especially considering who she was talking to, and the fact that she was scared witless. "And if it weren't for you I wouldn't have fallen in the first place. You could have at least let your presence be known when I started climbing the tree." To her surprise when she jerked her arm away, he let it go.

  Before he could say another word to her she ran inside. She didn't see that he stood staring after her with an incredulous expression.

  Chapter Six

  The episode outside cut into her track time so she decided to skip it all together. She quickly showered, dried her hair and applied makeup. Dani wasn't sure why, but she was in the mood to put an effort into her appearance today, something she hadn't done since her first week of school. She put on black skinny jeans, a black spaghetti strap shirt that showed an inch of midriff, a white see through sweater with white heels.