by G. K. DeRosa
I rolled over and stared at Scarlett’s guitar-shaped clock over the entryway. Just past three in the afternoon, but the room was bathed in darkness. The black engulfed me, wrapped me in its peaceful, numbing arms. The light was too bright, too intrusive. It revealed the truth, and I couldn’t handle the truth yet. That Ryder was truly gone.
The dorm room door whipped open, smacking against the wall with a thud. I pulled the comforter up over my head and squeezed my eyes shut. The cover was no match for the heady scent of dark magic that filled my room. The air thickened, crackling with intensity. Without removing the blanket, I already knew who had come.
“Luna Hallows.” Goose bumps crawled over my skin at the commanding voice.
“What?” I mumbled against the pillow.
“Show yourself at once.”
With a huff, I threw the comforter aside and rolled toward my father. Today he was wearing the ebony skin and black suit of one of his Secret Service agents.
He fixed his intimidating eyes on me. “I understand you’ve been refusing to get out of bed, attend your classes, or train. May I ask why that is?”
“No, you may not,” I snapped and rolled back over to face the wall.
Garrix’s heavy footfalls resonated behind me. I could sense him only inches from my bed. “Well, whatever it is, you need to get over it.”
I ground my teeth together, his words a sharp reminder of what Ryder had said outside the club. You need to move on. “What if I can’t?” I mumbled into the pillow.
“Speak up, Luna.”
I jolted upright and seared my father with my own glare. “What if I can’t get over it? What if I don’t want to? What if I have no idea what I’m doing here anymore?”
Garrix’s dark brows pulled together, and a frown twisted his lips. “Is this all because of that demon instructor of yours?”
Heat swam up my neck and coated my cheeks, seeping all the way to the tips of my ears. How did he know about Ryder?
“Any fool could see you meant something to each other.” He paused and tugged at his shirt collar, loosening the tie. “But I refuse to believe that my daughter would allow something so trivial to derail everything we’ve worked so hard for.”
“Everything you’ve worked so hard for, Garrix. This blending of the human and supernatural worlds was your dream, not mine. Now I’m right smack in the middle of it forced to play a part I have no business playing.”
“That’s not true.” He lowered his bulky frame beside me. “Don’t you see how powerful you are? Don’t you understand what you’ve accomplished? It may be frightening to you, but the fact that Luxora, one of the warlords of the Underworld wants you, speaks volumes of your importance.”
“Kimmie-Jayne told you about her visions, didn’t she? You know why I matter so much to the dark lord?”
“I know of a vision of the future that could exist. Which is very different than what will happen.”
“So what? I’m just supposed to wait around until Luxora and her minions finally succeed in capturing me—or worse?”
“No. You’re supposed to hone your skills like you’ve done for the past year and be ready when she comes.”
My chest tightened. I forced my lungs to keep pumping as I pulled in ragged breaths. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”
“Too bad you don’t have a choice in the matter, my dear.” He lifted his arm, and I watched it move closer from the corner of my eye. His hand landed on my back, and he patted it once then twice. His movements were stiff and awkward, but tears pooled in my eyes nonetheless. Wrapping his fingers around my forearm, he pulled me off the bed. “Come. I have something guaranteed to make you feel better.”
Grabbing my coat from the chair, he wrapped it around my shoulders and magicked boots onto my feet. Great, we’re going outside.
Chapter 8
As my father and I walked through the corridor, we passed one of the Fae girls that made up Drake’s harem. Electra was willowy and beautiful with silky pink hair past her shoulders. My father wiggled his fingers at her. “You, come with us.” Tiny lavender sparks shot from his fingers, and the girl’s expression blanked. She spun around and followed behind us without a word.
“What are you doing to Electra?” I hissed.
“You’ll see.”
Once we were outside, he tapped the faery on the forehead and she slumped into his arms. Her breaths came in a slow, steady rhythm, and a big smile curled her dainty lips.
“My gift to you.” Garrix handed me the sleeping girl.
I shook my head, pushing her back to him. “What are you talking about?”
“Go, be free! Take her body and do what you want for a few hours. You don’t have to be Luna Hallows when you could be anyone.”
My skin puckered, my flesh itching to be freed. My heart beat more rapidly at the insane idea. “Cillian’s going to kill me if he finds out I skinwalked in another student’s body.”
“Then make sure he doesn’t find out.” He pointed toward the stables as Electra snoozed in his arms. “We can leave your body with your unipeg. Take this one for a spin, and you’ll see how much better you feel.”
I squeezed my arms against my chest. “This is ridiculous.”
The buzz of Garrix’s phone yanked both of our attentions to the humming device in his jacket pocket. Tugging it out, he scanned the screen and frowned. “I’m sorry, Luna, but I must be off.” He held the girl out to me once again. “Are you going to listen to your father or not?”
I could already feel the binds that tethered my essence loosening. They longed to break free, to be rid of this body and all its misery. I accepted the sleeping faery from my father, and a devious grin split his lips.
“Have fun, Luna!” With a flick of his wrist, a portal opened in the middle of the vast white blanket surrounding us. He waved and disappeared into the swirling vortex.
For a slender girl, Electra sure weighed more than I’d expected. There was no way I was dragging her all the way to the stables. Instead, I opted for a utility closet off the ground floor. At least my body would be warm in there and not at risk of being trampled by a vengeful Zeus.
Propping Electra against the closed door, I sat down beside her. My skin prickled as heat swarmed my veins. The snap of a cord breaking startled me it happened so fast. My essence floated up over my body and dove into the faery’s.
The moment I entered her lissome form, I felt lighter. Free. I maneuvered my way around until I filled every part of her. She was a Winter Fae like Drake. Her magic swirled around me, mingling with my own. This girl didn’t have a care in the world. She’d grown up in luxury; her parents were a high lord and lady of the Winter Court. No wonder she was always hanging on the prince’s every word.
A bell rang out as I crossed the main hall, signaling the end of classes for the day. As students spilled out of classrooms, I kept a close eye out for any of Electra’s friends. The last thing I needed was getting caught in her body.
I rushed up the stairs to the fifth floor to look for Cinder. She’d come by my room dozens of times in the past few days. I knew she was worried about me, and maybe I could calm her thoughts. Or maybe not. Though my bestie knew about my skinwalking abilities, she’d never seen them in action. I didn’t want to freak her out.
I waffled as I paced the foyer of the fifth floor. Yes, I’m doing it. I turned the corner and smacked into Drake and Zephyr. Each guy grabbed one of my arms to steady me as crimson flooded my cheeks. Crap. If anyone would figure out what I was up to, it would be Drake.
“Are you lost, Electra?” Drake’s lips twisted into a grin.
“Yeah, the Fae level is up two more floors,” said Zephyr.
I hadn’t had many interactions with the Fae girl, but I knew she was a total flirt, especially when it came to the prince. “I was looking for you, Drake.” I twirled a pink curl around my finger and batted my long, sooty lashes.
He arched a brow, and then turned to Zephyr. “Yeah, why not? After the day
I’ve had… I’ll see you later, shifter.”
Crap. That wasn’t supposed to happen.
Drake placed his hand on my lower back, and a tingle of energy zapped through his fingertips. His eyes lifted to me for a second, the crease between his brows deepening. Shaking his head, he led me toward the stairs.
My heart jackhammered in my chest as I stared at my feet the whole way up. What if he recognized me somehow?
He held the door open to his room and ushered me in, watching me from under hooded lids. The moment the door swung closed, he stalked toward me, sparks of lilac lighting up his irises.
I chewed on my lower lip as he approached, my nerves on high alert. “So… you want to watch a movie or something?”
He grunted and quirked a brow. “If that’s what you want to call it, Electra.” He flicked his wrist at the widescreen TV, his gaze never leaving mine and it flickered to life.
Oh, no. No. No. No. Drake’s hooking up with Electra?
My calves hit his bed as Drake closed the distance between us. His arm snaked around my waist, and his lips crashed into mine. My entire body tensed at the unfamiliar lips and icy taste of the prince. But only for a second. A moment later, I was matching his tongue’s caressing strokes and entwining my fingers in his short hair.
It was Electra’s body reacting to him. Not mine. Or at least that’s what I kept telling myself.
After a few breathless minutes, Drake pulled away, his curious gaze lingering over me. He gently pushed me down onto the bed, and I froze as his body hovered over mine.
His lips dipped to mine once more; they were more gentle this time, the desperation of the last kiss vanished. My mind raced and guilt wracked my chest. What am I doing? But I couldn’t stop… Did I even want to?
Drake’s lips fluttered down my neck dropping kisses to my collarbone. He finally groaned and sat up, piercing me with those icy lilac eyes. “So how far exactly are you going to let this go, human?”
I jolted upright, shoving Drake off me as a wry grin curled his lips. Lips that had been all over me a second ago. “You knew it was me all along?”
“Of course I did. The moment I touched you. We’re all linked, or have you forgotten?”
Heat flushed my cheeks, and I was certain I was fifty shades of red. “Why can’t I ever feel you?” I spluttered. Probably not the smartest thing to say considering I’d literally just been feeling him up.
“Because I know how to block you—all of you.”
Raine had been right.
I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling very exposed in Electra’s skin. “If you knew it was me, then why’d you kiss me?”
He shrugged. “I was curious what you were up to. You’ve been catatonic for days so you caught me off guard. Then when you didn’t stop me, I wanted to see how far you’d go.”
I groaned. This was beyond embarrassing.
He cocked his head at me, pushing back a lock of platinum hair that had tumbled over his forehead. “I should be asking you the same question. Why did you kiss me back?”
I pulled my legs into my chest, resisting the urge to crawl into the fetal position. This was so not a discussion I wanted to have with the ice prince. “I don’t know,” I finally murmured. “Maybe I just wanted to get lost in someone else’s body for awhile.”
“You could’ve gotten lost in mine whenever you wanted.” A mischievous grin split his lips. “All you had to do was ask.”
I punched him in the shoulder, and he chuckled. “That’s not what I meant,” I hissed.
He crossed his legs and turned his body toward me. “Listen Luna, I know you’ve been through a lot lately. I may not understand this skinwalking thing, but if it makes you feel better, I’m all for it. Maybe next time, try to do it off campus.”
I nodded, staring down at my tightly clasped fingers.
“I’m glad to see you finally out of bed—well, your bed anyway.” He paused, running his hand over his silky comforter. “Are you all right now?”
I finally lifted my gaze to his. “I think so. Thanks for being so cool about all this. It’s beyond embarrassing. I’d appreciate it if you would keep this to yourself. Cillian would kill me if he knew I was taking over other students’ bodies.”
“Yes, I figured as much.” He stood and walked over to his closet, disappearing inside. The rustle of clothes being removed made it clear he was changing out of his uniform.
When he emerged in a casual t-shirt and jeans, I couldn’t help but ogle his long, lean muscles. He actually gave me a smile instead of his normal sarcastic expression.
“Why are you nice to me, Drake?”
He lifted a shoulder, nonchalantly. “Am I?”
“Um, yes. You’ve helped me almost from the first day I arrived at Darkhen. Even when you supposedly hated me. You’ve spent countless hours training me, and my magic never feels as strong as when it’s around yours. I would’ve never won the unipeg race last semester without your training. And most of all, you’ve been a friend to me.”
He eyed me curiously. “You’re not going to try to hug me now, are you?”
I shook my head, smiling.
“Come on, let’s get you back into your regular body and go grab some dinner at the hall.” He pulled me up off the bed. “It’s weird talking to you like this.”
I let him take my hand and lead me out of his bedroom. As we walked down the corridor and met a dozen girls’ curious gazes, I smiled. Maybe I’d never really understand the prince, but for now I was okay with that.
Chapter 9
The next few weeks passed in a haze of classes, training and a handful of missions. Sometimes I functioned on autopilot, just going through the motions, but every day I felt better and stronger. I dubbed this time period L.A.R. – life after Ryder. There had been L.W.R. – life with Ryder, but I forced myself to forget about that moderately happy phase in my life. I’d come to accept the fact that he wasn’t coming back, and I needed to move on.
“Luna?”
“Huh?” I glanced up at Ms. Mikalson, the sexy succubus still bringing back unwanted memories of my old instructor. Had she been in contact with him?
“I said I’d like to speak to you after class.”
“Oh, okay.” In a fog of my own thoughts, I packed up my backpack and waved at Cinder. “I’ll meet you at lunch.”
“Okay, but don’t be too late, I’m starved.”
Raf appeared, wrapping his arm around my best friend’s shoulders and a huge smile lit up her face. There was no need to rush now. She’d probably end up making a detour to his room for a quick make out session before lunch.
A twinge of jealousy pricked my heart. I was beyond happy for my friend, but I wanted what she and Raf had too. I didn’t have the best track record with guys at Darkhen so far, and with everything going on, I’d sworn off men for a while. Maybe it was time I got back in the game?
Ms. Mikalson waved me over as I hitched my backpack over my shoulder. I hadn’t been paying much attention to her Demon History class lately. I hoped she wasn’t pulling me aside to tell me I was failing.
“What’s up?” I asked as I reached her mahogany desk.
“You have training with Calliope next, right?”
“Yeah, after lunch. Why?”
“I wanted to speak to Cillian, but he’s away from campus for the day. Perhaps you can share what I’ve found with your new instructor. She doesn’t seem particularly fond of me.”
I suppressed a grin from crossing my face. And suddenly, I liked Calliope a little more. “Sure, what’s going on?”
“I still have a few friends back in the Underworld and rumors are there’s something big going down in the human world soon.”
Luxora had been quiet for the past few weeks. The missions we’d been sent on were minor skirmishes, nothing like Madison Square Garden or D.C. It made sense if she’d been keeping a low profile while plotting something major.
“Do you have any details?” I asked.
She press
ed the textbook she held into her chest. “Nothing solid yet, but I have my friends looking into it. I hope to have a location for you guys at least.”
“Okay great, thanks. I’ll let Calliope know.” I turned to walk away, but my body spun back of its own accord. This was totally against the rules of L.A.R., but the words spilled out anyway. “Hey, Ms. Mikalson, do you ever hear from Ryder?”
She shook her head, a hint of sadness shadowing her expression. “No, I haven’t, Luna. Not in a long time.”
I nodded and fiddled with my backpack strap. “Thanks anyway. See you tomorrow.”
As I walked down the packed hallways, thoughts of Luxora filled my mind. It was hard enough not to think about Ryder on a daily basis but when his evil half-sister was brought up, it was impossible.
I still didn’t understand why she hadn’t made her move. It had been months since my attempted kidnapping. Had her oracle’s visions of me changed? What was she waiting for?
As I sauntered into the banquet hall, Cinder popped up and waved me over to our table. Since she and Raf became an official thing, the supe slayer squad had added an unofficial member. I was thrilled because it meant getting to spend more time with my dragon bestie and not having to keep secrets from her.
I slid into the seat beside her, her pink, chapped lips confirming my earlier guess about her and Raf. “What did Ms. Mikalson want?” she asked as she popped a fry into her mouth.
“More rumors about another attack on the human world.” I lowered my voice so only our table could hear.
All eyes turned to me. “Did she have any details?” asked Drake.
“Not yet, but she’s working on it. It’s Luxora…”
“That crazy warlord has to be stopped,” said Cinder. “Can’t you guys go after her or something?”
I couldn’t help but smile. That’s what I’d been saying for months now. It was the dark lord’s fault Ash had been killed, she and her minions had tried to kidnap me, and I’m not sure how but I had a feeling she was manipulating Ryder somehow.
