Rule 9 Academy Series Boxset: Books 3-5 Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (Rule 9 Academy Box Sets (3 Book Series) 2)

by Elizabeth Rain

  In silence we all waited for the better part of a half hour before the scratching and digging from outside the cave ceased. We waited another half hour just to make certain the Juggat was gone and had well and truly given up on having us for dinner.

  That was when Emerald got up and paced. Elise eyed her with trepidation. “What is it? What do you see Emerald?” The daughter’s breath was coming in heaving pants as she walked back and forth, her eyes vacant and looking somewhere we couldn’t see.

  When she spoke it was eerie, as if she wasn’t there at all, but somewhere else. Maybe she was.

  “Coming, they are coming quick across the plains. Following the same scent the she-dragon did.”

  “Who is coming Emerald?” Elise asked, worry creeping into her voice.

  “They didn’t hide from the dragon’s, the Juggat’s didn’t chase them.”

  “Who is hiding?” Nicholas interjected, coming to his feet and shifting on the balls of his feet, preparing to move.

  “What’s chasing them?” I finished, totally confused by her disjointed conversation.

  Emerald didn’t answer, becoming more and more agitated and lapsing into silence. But it didn’t matter.

  Behind us came a growl of comprehension. “You led them right to us, your scent gave us away. The vamps are going to find us and kill us all.” The youngster began to cry again, sensing his parents’ distress.

  And then I knew. They hadn’t been running from the dragons. They were hiding from the Vampires. I whipped around and speared the male with a stony stare. “They attacked your village, didn’t they? Don’t be shy, I know you can understand me. Answer the question, dammit!”

  “Yes!” the female hissed from behind him, eyes blazing from her face. “They came in the night; it was a massacre. Everyone that could ran and hid. We all went in different directions and not all of us got away. I don’t know how many of us made it. Or didn’t.”

  I turned to Elise. “We’ve got to go now, while we still can.”

  We ran for the crack in the wall and began double timing it back to the outside, leaving the family behind. Maybe if we laid another trail, this one fresher, we could pull them away from the wolves in the cave. Because they weren’t hiding; they were simply sitting in a trap and serving themselves up to what was coming.

  We ran along the cliff face without bothering to see if we were being followed, and we weren’t quiet about it either. As terrified as we were, we didn’t want the vampires going inside that cave. We hit the other end of the cliff and the trail through the woods at a dead run.

  I expected the vampires we knew were coming to run silent, but the eerie screams that rose on the air and gathered into a pain-filled moan made the hair on my arms flatten into hard scales and sent a shiver of dread down my spine.

  Elise and Emerald both gasped when they heard it and glanced back, threads of anguish chasing across their features, and I knew. Jorta was in that pack of vampires, and he was hunting the same as the rest.

  We broke onto the second plain as darkness was falling and Emerald glanced back once more, her cheeks damp with tears. She reached up and put her fingers to her lips and whistled, the sound clear and haunting.

  And then she turned back and kept running. I had no idea what she had just done. If she was calling for the cavalry, they hadn’t come. But now I could hear the heavy breathing and the sound of multiple footfalls behind me. We would not make it.

  And then a tornado of wind raced past me, pushing me sideways and making me stumble with the force of it. A dank smell was in that wind, and then the screaming started. But it didn’t follow us. Something had hit the vampires, and hard.

  The portal, still a leap of faith, loomed ahead and we slowed to a halt.

  I remembered the last time when the Judge’s troops had been waiting for Nick and I to arrive. I had no reason to believe there wouldn’t be some of Fino Vas’ men waiting there once more. It made sense.

  “I think Nick and I should go first. Make sure there are no surprises on the other side.”

  Elise opened her mouth to protest, her eyes bloodshot with pain. Emerald interrupted.

  “She’s right. We need to wait. Something is waiting there; I can sense it.” She turned to Sadie. Is fifteen minutes enough time? I’m not sure Bale can hold them much longer than that.”

  “Who is Bale?” we all asked at once.

  Emerald turned back towards the cliffs and the shimmering portal. “My friend,” she whispered.

  Nicholas bent forward over my shoulder and whispered in my ear as I prepared to jump into the portal. “We need a distraction. On the other side.” His words tickled the side of my cheek and I shivered.

  “Already got us covered Seul.”

  He frowned. “You do?”

  “Sure.” And then I was running for the portal. I yelled over my shoulder as I leapt. “How good are your flying skills, Nicholas?”

  Nicholas ran after me, hesitating and then picking up speed again. “What?” he screamed, and then he jumped after me.

  Portals never failed to disorient me and make me dizzy. They didn’t stop me from calling my dragon, though. By the time I landed on the other side, I’d rearranged my pack about my neck and shed my human skin for bright bronze scales that glittered under the light of the full moon. The crackle of joints and the pull of bones re-melding and forming into my inner beast made me moan. But Niel was right. In my excitement, I forgot the pain. My dragon roared and my wings unfolded from where I’d had them tucked close to my sides. The tips brushed the ground and pushed the bushes back nearly flat as I stretched them, preparing to take flight. Behind me, Nicholas tumbled through the portal and into the dirt. He sat up and stared at me in wonder. “Oh, wow.”

  I stared at him with my predator’s eyes, the narrow slits unblinking. I opened my mouth, showing my teeth, and bellowed as I bent a front leg and bowed in his direction. And then he was up and running, taking a flying leap that landed him clumsily on my scaled back. He was still scrambling for purchase and trying to figure out how to hang on when my wings and feet moved. And then we were lifting off and taking to the night sky.

  Behind us, hidden but not unexpected, several vampire guards emerged from the shadows that had concealed them and gave chase, struggling to keep up.

  Moments later, Elise and Emerald emerged through the portal and rolled down the hill in a heap inside Drae Hallow.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I flew over the tops of the trees; the wind whipping past me and Nicholas screaming in delight as he held on for dear life.

  I’d never heard him so excited, and I would have smiled if a dragon did such a thing. Instead, I inhaled deep through wide flaring nostrils, scenting the air. We flew over stands thick with lodgepole pines, the sharp scent rising and stinging my nose with its crisp tang. The world dropped away before me and I rose and dipped, tasting the clouds on my tongue and feeling the brilliance of the moon against my eyelids when I closed them.

  I took my time, and still I arrived to the bright lights of Bitterroot ahead of us too soon with a chuff or frustration. I dipped, eliciting another less enthused scream from Nicholas as the ground rose to meet us quicker than he would have liked. My landing was not a 9.0. Instead, Nicholas fell forward over my shoulders and landed with a hard groan, and a rough tumble along the ground. I used the opportunity to duck behind a tree as I changed back and dressed from what I had in my pack before I stepped into view away from the trees. Nicholas was still sitting; picking splinters and leaves from his hands and hair and spitting out dirt. He dashed me an evil glare, all evidence of any sense of humor gone.

  “That was on purpose,” he accused me.

  My humor returned. “Not at all. If it were on purpose, I would have dumped you in the lake. Besides, I thought you enjoyed the ride?”

  He stood. “The ride was fine.” Was all he said, coming to join me as we continued towards Bitterroot on foot.

  “Where do you think she went?” He asked some mome
nts later, breaking the silence.

  “We should have discussed that detail before I jumped. My best guess is she will go to the only other place she knows of in Drae Hallow, the fire pit. I believe we left the vampire guards floundering along the path some two miles back. Like they thought they could keep up with me.” I grinned.

  “You’re boasting,” he accused.

  I nodded. “Oh, absolutely. What a rush!”

  We shared a smile and he picked up my hand in his. Maybe he’d forgiven me for the untimely landing. We skirted a weaving pattern through town just to be certain the vamps weren’t faster than we’d expected, pausing on the bluff overlooking town, the lights winking up at us. From there we headed towards Rule 9 and the Fire pit and amphitheater carved out of the forest some distance from the academy.

  Elise and Emerald were waiting for us. Elise sat on one of the benches, her daughter’s head in her lap as she slept. I couldn’t blame her. Exhaustion pulled at my own feet.

  Nicholas offered to carry her and at first I thought Elise was going to refuse, but then she nodded. The child barely moved when he picked her up, her bright head lolling against his shoulder. Something warm sparked inside of me at the sight, but I refused to give it a name as we headed towards Jerry’s. I had dibs on his couch for the night.

  #

  It was well past midnight when we knocked on Jerry’s door and waited for him to answer. My own bedtime had come and gone, but I knew he kept late hours in his lab most nights.

  Still, it took him long enough to come to the door, blinking owlishly at us through his glasses before he opened it the rest of the way and ushered us in. He looked beyond us into the gloom before closing and locking it firmly. How was it that people seemed to always think somebody was chasing us?

  Nicholas immediately lay Emerald on the comfy couch and covered her with the convenient throw on its back. Rats.

  “Would you like some tea? Coffee?” Jerry offered.

  I headed towards the kitchen. Elise and Nicholas opted for water, and I tossed them a couple bottles from the fridge. “I know my way around Sirris’ coffee Keurig. We’re fine.” I nodded to the bag I’d slung off my shoulder and laid on the coffee stand. “Vials are in there. We had to make a change though,” I got down a coffee mug. “We weren’t able to capture a vampire for a sample. We took several of the bags in the blood bank though.”

  Jerry was already unzipping the pouch and removing the small tubes and used syringes. He frowned at the full bag of blood.

  Elise moved in and politely removed it from his hands. “Sorry, that’s ours. You have a sample in there, but this is our lunch. Mind if I store it in the fridge? It tastes better cold.”

  I had to turn away to hide my amusement at the horrified expression on Nick’s face. I placed a pod of dark roast in the machine and closed the lid with a snap, hitting the switch. I listened in satisfaction as it gurgled to life. Heaven.

  Jerry hefted the vials and looked at us, considering. “Would you mind if I left you kids to your own and got started on these? I want to get them under a scope and see what we have.”

  Elise answered before we could, “No, the quicker we have some answers, the better.”

  He paused at the top of the stairs going down and looked at Emerald and Elise. “You’re prepared for the possibility there aren’t any?”

  She stared at him with liquid eyes. “No, I’m not.”

  The door closed softly behind him and I poured my coffee with a goodly amount of cream to mute the bitter taste. I moaned after the first sip.

  Nicholas moved behind me, opening cupboards and peeking inside. “Do you supposed he’d miss a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? I’m starved.”

  He hauled things out and we ate standing in the kitchen. “I think we should get some sleep while we can. Elise and I can share Sirris bed in the loft. Sorry, Nick, that leaves the recliner for you, but it’s comfortable.” He popped the last bite of his second sandwich in his mouth and reached for his water bottle and drained it. “Suits fine, I could sleep on a concrete floor about now.”

  I headed for the ladder with a nod. Sirris’ pillow was calling my name.

  #

  I should have been able to sleep until noon, but a shadowy figure I couldn’t identify chased me through my dreams and I sat up breathing hard when morning was still just an invitation, the first pink fingers creeping along the windowsill and into the kitchen below.

  My heart was still thundering as I threw my jeans on and stuffed my feet in my shoes. Beside me, Elise continued to sleep like the dead. She hardly seemed to breathe. The thought was startling as I crept down the stairs into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. The recliner was empty, but Emerald continued to sleep, small arms thrown over her head in childlike abandon. I made an extra cup and took it with me onto the front porch.

  Nicholas looked up at me from the patio chair where he sat watching the dawn come in. He took the cup with a grateful nod and took a sip.

  “Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted.

  I nodded. “Dreams interrupted mine. I’m glad I couldn’t remember them.”

  He patted the chair next to his and I accepted the wordless invite.

  “Do you think he’ll figure it out? What’s making them sick?”

  I had wondered myself. “Not sure. I hope so. Something about the whole thing has been bugging me.” I shared. I continued when he waited, his blue eyes intent on mine.

  For a moment, I stared at the dark stubble along his stubborn chin and wondered what a good morning kiss from Nicholas Seul would taste like.

  I pulled my wayward thoughts back.

  “I think most of us are fairly sure that somehow they were poisoned. We might not know the details, but that seems reasonable. As for why not Elise and Emerald? Well, remember they take a special type? She mentioned its rare and it was in that last cabinet. What if the whoever contaminated the other bags was interrupted before they could finish the job? It’s possible, isn’t it?”

  Nick inclined his head. Encouraged, I went on, “What bothers me is the why? What purpose to turning a peaceful clan of vampires into a band of raving lunatics that would feed on their own mother? And one more thing. What happened in the basement with the three that attacked us. Something called them off. Don’t you want to know why?”

  Nick shrugged. “It could have just been they scented something better or heard some of the others heading out to hunt and joined,” he offered.

  I stared at him. “But you don’t think so.”

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t”

  #

  Mid-morning arrived and our vampire guests continued to sleep. We checked on Jerry and he all but booted us out on our ear. He was working but not yet finished analyzing the compounds and isolating the anomalies in each sample.

  “Mind if we run for a visit to the Tuttles? I haven’t seen Thomas in a while. He said he was going to be busy over break.” Jerry looked up at me at the mention of my dear absent friend.

  “Sure, you can do that. But be careful about any unexpected surprises. Let him know you are coming.”

  I frowned as we left the house, mulling over the cryptic words. What an odd thing to say.

  The Tuttle farm lay less than a mile away, a little further up the mountain away from the town of Breathless. We entered the yard and it surprised me when I didn’t see anyone moving about.

  The Major himself answered the door when I knocked, his face breaking out in a wide smile as he held the door open. “Well now, this is nice. Are you hungry? We just sat down for a late breakfast. There’s plenty.”

  Nicholas’ stomach growled loudly in response. “I could eat.” He admitted. I laughed. When could he not?

  Three eggs, a double rasher of bacon and some of Kimmie’s specialty Potatoes O’Brien later and Nicholas sat back from the table with a groan.

  I stared at the empty spot where Thomas usually sat. We’d been told that he was temporarily occupying the hidden room in the barn. �
��He needed his space for a while.” The Major admitted. His expression didn’t invite further questions. I remembered back to our summer on Greylock Mountain and how close he’d been to his change then. It had been my first time as well, and I remembered the first pain and fear that had come with it. Werewolves were dangerous when they first went through theirs, and I knew they had designed that room specifically for that purpose.

  I finished my second cup of coffee and looked at him.

  “Would it be possible to visit him?”

  The major considered. “Probably be alright. Fact is, you can take him his breakfast. But make sure you knock first and identify yourselves.”

  I watched in alarm as Kimmy dished him up a plate of five eggs and an equal mound of potatoes and bacon. I was sure he would never eat all that.

  #

  Inside the barn we lifted the latch to the sheep pen and they bleated at us in alarm as they moved out of our way. We knocked loudly on the concealed door. A harsh grating sound echoed from the other side, and I looked at Nickolas in alarm. Had Thomas just growled at us?

  The door slid open and I gasped, blinking. Thomas had never been a neat freak about his appearance and he’d carried a bit of a spare tire on his stocky frame that had made him the butt of some not so kind teasing in the past. The extra weight was gone. But he’d taken his lack of hygiene to a whole new level. He seemed hairier than before, and the pudginess of youth had been replaced with rigid muscle pulled tight over dark skin.