by Maya Daniels
“You should be okay.” I sound breathy, my voice huskier than usual, but I push through the nerves forcing me to blubber. “Your pupils look normal, not dilated. I mean, there is nothing normal about them, they look like freaking suns. Who the hell has suns in their eyes, right? But for a freak like you… I meant to say for a Daywalker, that’s normal.” Giving him a sharp nod, I pet his chest like stroking a horse’s ass, none too gently. “I did not damage you apart from bruising your jewels, which I should remind you that you agreed it was deserved.” Realizing I’m still slapping his pecs, I snatch my hand away.
“I told you she is weird when she’s nervous,” Fenrir murmurs to Cassius somewhere behind Zoltan’s back.
Using the Fae as an escape, I round on him, shouldering my way past Zoltan. He doesn’t move, so I kind of struggle around him, bouncing off his side and stumbling towards the Fae. Cassius looks ready to cry, his face as red as a tomato as he bites his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
He is a smart man.
“Who the hell made you an expert on Francesca Drake?” Scowling down my nose at Fenrir, my fists slam on my hips.
“I’m not, but at least I gave Zoltan a moment to wrestle his control back.” Jerking his chin, the Fae points behind me. “He was ready to turn full predator mode, and I’m not really sure you are ready to see him like that yet.”
Feeling like an idiot, I don’t dare to turn and look over my shoulder. Awareness curdles the blood in my veins like milk gone bad. Feeling Zoltan’s attention on me raises the small hairs on the back of my neck. Unwilling to show how much this whole situation unnerved me, I nod sharply at Fenrir and walk back to the armchair, avoiding the vampire’s gaze.
Zoltan tracks my movement.
“As I said, all of you are insane if you think what you just told me will convince me to stay here and help you out.” Now that I’m facing the other two, I notice that the Fae has turned his body fully towards me while Cassius looks ready to spring and tackle Zoltan.
A stupid part of my brain dares the sinful vampire to pounce on me. It’s not a surprise since I always act like I have a death wish. It’s a known fact.
“I don’t think he will attack me.” Saying it to no one in particular, I know I speak the truth. “I’m not afraid of him.”
“Stay quiet, Francesca…please.” Fenrir pleads with his eyes as well as his words. “Zoltan is the most dangerous of all of us when his control slips. Not even the Board dares to provoke him. It’s one of the reasons we are still breathing while poking where we shouldn’t.”
“You are scaring her more.” Zoltan’s voice sounds strained as he stiffly walks away, sitting back in his chair. “I don’t think that will help our case.”
Cassius looks from Zoltan to me and back, not able to cover the shock on his face fast enough. I guess he expected a bloodbath or something. Now that I feel how easily the air slides in and out of my lungs, I understand fully the peculiar situation I created. The tension lifting from the air makes me feel weightless for a moment.
“So, I don’t understand.” Getting Fenrir’s attention, I push everything else aside. “You have been doing this for a while. The Board, whoever they are, will not go against Zoltan, and you still think I can help you with something?”
“The Board doesn’t think it’s smart to provoke Zoltan. There is a difference.” With a sigh, the Fae shifts uneasily. “We can’t access the archives to see who has been visiting Sienna.” Fenrir doesn’t look happy admitting this.
“Okay.” Dragging the word out slowly, I wait for the rest.
“I think you will be able to access it.” Fenrir stiffens for a second but shakes it off, hopefully getting to his point before I do more stupid stuff. “Zoltan disagreed with me for a long time.” Avoiding my gaze, Fenrir stares at my forehead, I almost think I’m growing a horn.
Finally, his words register in my brain.
“Wait a minute.” The Fae clenches his jaw, pissing me off. “How long has he disagreed with you?” More importantly, I want him to tell me how long he’s been watching me.
“Five years.” Fenrir opens his mouth, but Cassius answers. “She needs to know the truth,” Ignoring Fenrir’s glare, the large man looks me dead in the eyes. “Five years we couldn’t agree if it would be smart to bring you here. Then Roberti’s name started being mentioned too often for our liking around here. Zoltan was the last to agree.” Glancing at the vampire, Cassius sighs. “He agreed not a full week ago.”
“So the hostility between the two of you,” pointing the finger in Fenrir’s face before turning it to Zoltan, I glare at both of them. “It was all an act? To what end? You didn’t want to be bored?” Shaking my head, I push that aside. It’s really not that important right now.
Wracking my brain, I’m trying to place the timeline together. I can’t remember anything important happening five years ago that would bring their attention to me. The last week, however, is a totally different story. I’ve been here two days already, and I was stewing in misery for four days before that because I got suspended. That is six days right there. The seventh, marking the full week, is when I was chasing the shifter through the streets of Sienna, and I saw those shadows.
My gaze locks on Fenrir. “You know about the shadows.” If my words sound like an accusation, that’s because they are.
“What shadows?” There is no way he could be acting. The confusion clouding his features is too genuine.
“He doesn’t know.” Zoltan’s voice makes me look at him finally.
Dread, mixed with some feeling I can’t name right now, pools in my stomach.
“But you do.” It’s not a question because the puzzle has come together, and it numbs my lips.
“I do.” There is not an ounce of apology on the vampire's face.
“It was you that night, wasn’t it? The one who saved me from it?” Not waiting for confirmation—not that there was going to be one—I push through, speaking my thoughts out loud. “You saw me that night, followed me as I was going after the shifter. That’s when you changed your mind and decided to agree with them.”
One small nod is all I get as he watches my face unblinking, daring me to say anything else. Fenrir, oblivious to the tension, rising up around us again, clears his throat.
“I was coming to at least get some of your blood the night I saw you at the bar.” Looking sheepish, he shrugs. “I wasn’t expecting you to be so… unfriendly.” I’m sure the word unfriendly was not his first choice.
“What does my blood have to do with all this?” I feel like screaming. Every time one thing becomes clear, they add in some other nonsense.
“We believe with the right blood, you can access the archives,” Cassius mumbles.
“You think my blood is the key? They already have enough half bloods. Doesn’t the Board have access to the records? It doesn’t make sense.”
“The academy is built on ancient magic we don’t understand. Only one member of the Board knows the truth, but he is so old that most of the time, the words coming out of his mouth are not even in a language any of us understand. The academy itself, using magic”—Fenrir clarifies, pausing for effect, I guess—”keeps a record of who is coming and going through the wards. None of us can access it.”
“And did you?” When the Fae looks at me with a frown, I ask the full question. “Did you get any of my blood?”
“Of course not. You wouldn't let me near you, remember?” Scoffing, Fenrir waves a hand. “It wasn’t too important. Cassius called as soon as you left the bar, telling me Zoltan agreed. I contacted Roberti immediately, setting it up for you to arrive as fast as possible.”
Turning my accusing stare from the Fae to Zoltan, I force my jaw to unclench itself. “He didn’t get my blood, but you did.”
“I did.” My heart is jackhammering at his arrogant, and unapologetic stare. “I had to make sure your blood was different from all traces left by the others that went missing.”
“And was it?” I kn
ow the answer, but I can’t help myself.
“It was.”
“Let’s just be grateful she hasn’t bled all over the place here.” Fenrir’s comment screeches everything to a halt. “What?” Glancing from me to Zoltan, the Fae pales. “It was just a drop, and you took it Zoltan.” Mentioning the fight with the demon guard and the ghoul, the accusation hangs in the air.
I know my ears were bleeding when I entered the academy grounds through the forest because my clothing is still stained from it when that horrible sound brought me to my knees. So that’s why Zoltan grabbed me, taking me out of the open as fast as his feet would carry him. There was no blood on my face, my neck, or my hands when I got to Fenrir’s room, which tells me the vampire cleaned me up while I was numb from pain. I can see him searching his memory while we stare at each other.
“I’m certain she didn’t bleed on the soil.” He does not sound sure at all.
My stomach lurches.
“Fenrir!” Azgor’s bellow makes me jump a foot off the chair. “I have wonderful news!” Rushing over to us, the ghoul claps his hands happily. “The Board is having a party in two days to welcome your mate. Isn’t that the best news we’ve had in a long time?”
“I could be wrong.” Zoltan continues our conversation about me bleeding on the academy grounds, ignoring Azgor, who is still wired with excitement.
“Best news, indeed,” Fenrir answers the ghoul in a flat voice, sending dread to the bottom of my soul.
Chapter 20
The vast space with its high ceilings, feels oppressive and stifling. My rib cage tightens painfully under my skin as if wanting to crush my lungs and heart while I watch the excitement drain from the ghoul’s face. If the last two days are anything to go by in this place, I can’t begrudge him his happiness at the idea of a party. I would be too, honestly. Being able to let loose and push the stress and worry aside for a moment is quite tempting, but with my life on the line, the idea of fun just isn’t working for me.
“I feel like I’m missing something.” Azgor turns from Zoltan to Fenrir to Cassius, a frown pulling his eyebrows low over his eyes. “I don’t like it.”
“We were telling Francesca about the problems with the humans and the portal.” Cassius is the first to recover from the stunned silence. “I felt it important for her to be aware of the danger since she will be here for a while longer.” Elaborating, when the ghoul opens his mouth to argue, he waves for him to take a seat.
“On whose authority do you divulge crucial information about this institution? This”—Azgor’s hand swivels in my direction, encompassing my persona—“is not a typical situation. She is one of very few that will exit those gates. What exactly are the three of you trying to do? Get us all killed?” Jaw clenching and fists balling, he refuses the offered seat.
“Be it a day, or a lifetime, if the roles were reversed, you wouldn’t want to know?” Cassius challenges, the yellow eye narrowing slightly. “If it were my daughter, I know I would look favorably to whoever warned her.”
“But she is not your daughter. She is a guest, not yet bound as a mate to a Daywalker.” Azgor winces noticeably, and I look from him to Cassius, not understanding his reaction.
“And we know how much being bound to one of us can save a life, don’t we?” Although it was spoken casually, the pain and resentment are hard to miss in Cassius’s voice.
My lips part, the question surging up, sitting on the tip of my tongue, but Fenrir shakes his head slightly, stopping my words. I want to know. I need to know if the large man has lost his mate, if she perished here, and why she lost her life. Some crazy part of my brain prods at me insistently, as if it’s of utmost importance in this otherwise horrible situation. Or I might just be looking for a distraction from my own doomed fate. Respecting the warning the Fae gave me, fingers gouging holes in my shirt, I swallow the question. And through all this, Zoltan sits as still as a statue, his unreadable gaze entirely centered on me. I can’t deal with this.
It’s too much, too fast.
Hoisting myself off the armchair, I stop for a second, seeing Azgor jerk away from me. Maybe I jumped up a bit too fast. My ego would’ve been stroked by him getting defensive if I didn’t feel freaked out and dead inside at the same time. Being here with them, with everything sitting on top of me like an anvil suffocating me slowly, is almost akin to torture. I need time away from it all. Time to think without any of them following on my heels.
“I need to walk off some energy. I will be back.” Avoiding their gazes, I step away with my head held high.
“You need an escort…” I can tell Fenrir is already on his feet behind me without turning around.
“Let her go.” Zoltan’s voice carries through the space, and my feet only speed up.
Walking as fast as I can without it turning into a jog, their voices get more distant until I can’t hear them anymore. The hum from the dining hall disappears too, and I wander aimlessly through the building, the surroundings blurring into a fog. I thought that I wanted to think things through, but my head feels empty. Not even a stray word passes through my mind while my unseeing eyes stare ahead.
Twice I find myself turning around and walking away with difficulty from the hallways decorated in golden accents. Even when I feel numb, the pull at the center of my chest is like a hook lodged deep inside, railing me towards it. It might be the danger or some ingrained sense of self-preservation that jerks me out of the daze as soon as I find myself in front of it. Not wanting to tempt fate, I head for the opposite side of the building. Out of sight, out of mind.
People pass me, their faces foggy, and I’m grateful that I don’t bump into anyone crossing my path. Not that I would know if I did. I know nothing and feel even less right now.
“What did you get yourself into this time, Franky?” My lips are so numb they barely move.
I realize I have exited the building the moment a cool breeze ruffles the hairs that have escaped my braid, and they float around my face, tickling it. Blinking fast, my vision clears, showing me the vast open space surrounding the academy, the forest stretching in the distance. Yellow eyes pop out in the darkness, guards of demons and shifters prowling the grounds. That same ancient magic I felt when I came here prods at me, like a tentative caress on my skin. My heart does a painful thump against my ribs, and a shiver like ghostly fingers trails up my spine.
I want to turn around and run back inside where I’ll be safe. Where this ancient thing that even the Daywalkers can’t understand won’t find me and try to lure me with its gentle touches. My feet inch forward, the sound of crunching gravel following like a cheerleader in my wake. Energy churns inside me, spreading through my limbs, and my fingers tingle as if they are coming to life after being numb for too long. The humorless laugh passing my lips sounds too strange to my own ears, yet I keep walking, powerless to do anything but answer the call.
The sound of tires crushing the uneven ground pulls me out of it, breaking the connection and snapping me out of the trance. With my chest rising and falling because of my fast breathing, my eyes dart around, finally seeing the silvery blanket the pregnant moon casts on everything around me. Dread overrides all other feelings when I know that I’ve walked almost halfway to the accursed forest where her damn traps are waiting to end me the moment I go anywhere near it, or fates forbid step foot between those trees. What am I even doing here when I know now that I was intentionally lured for some crazy plans three Daywalkers have cooked up?
That ludicrous thought that the building itself is safe was simply insanity talking, as well. No place on these grounds is safe for me, and I need to find a way to get the hell out of here. Roberti needs to know what is going on. I have no doubt he will find a solution and fix this. He always does. No matter how much I’ve screwed up and how bad I test his patience, Andrius Roberti has protected me most of my life.
He will protect me now, too.
That thought does not sound as assured and as comforting as it used to. The o
ne person that I know I can turn to for help doesn’t bring the same assurance I always get at the times I feel I’m in a tight spot. All these people plotting around my life have made me paranoid. It’s the only comfort I can give myself as I burst through the large open doors, stumbling inside the academy panting while trying to inhale short gasps of air. With my hands on my knees, I ignore the strange looks the few passersby give me as I catch my breath. I hope all of them will go away and disappear so I can be alone.
Not wanting to stay here long in case Fenrir decides I’ve had enough free reign, with trembling legs, I take the wide stairway two at a time to the upper levels on my right. If nothing else, it will at least take the Fae longer until he can find me. Perking up slightly at the thought, I breathe in the scents of herbs and incense that saturate the air on the second floor, not staying long enough to fully enjoy them as I continue climbing up.
The third floor smells like misty books and ink on paper, the scent bringing me peace like nothing else. Inhaling it deeply, my feet slow down when I look around to take it all in. Releasing the curved banister I’ve been using to pull myself up, my feet barely touch the floor as I gingerly explore the level. Many doors stand closed on either side, even across the open space on the opposite side of the building. No heartbeat or sound can be heard, and I find myself stopping at a large arched window, the sill extending inwards, caving in wide enough for me to take a seat. Not willing to allow myself to get in more trouble, like opening one of the doors and causing some disaster no doubt, I climb on it. Propping my chin on top of my knees that I hug to my chest, I stare at the moon in the cloudless sky.
The silver glow streams through the glass, bathing my face. Flames dance around me on the walls, their orangey glow combined with the calming scent relaxing my coiled-up muscles, and I sag deeper into my hidey hole. Closing my eyes, I tilt my face to the side so I can feel more of the moon on my skin. With a deep sigh, I can’t help but wonder how the sun might feel against my skin, the bright warm rays gliding over me and warming me like nothing ever has.
