Breed of Innocence (The Breed Chronicles, #01)

by Jordan, Lanie

  I stayed where I was for a moment. What had just happened? Or, rather, not happened. I still hadn’t moved and didn’t until Linc offered his hand again. His palm was warm.

  He pulled me to my feet and we kind of stared at each other blankly. Someone has to say something. The silence would do me in. After a minute, I cleared my throat and plastered on a smile I wasn’t sure was all that real. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, then started to retreat before he was forced to fake a smile or conversation.

  I made it three steps before I heard him mutter a curse and felt a hand on my arm. He spun me around. I opened my mouth to…say something, probably yell for the rough treatment, and then I lost all thought. His lips met mine and one of his hands went to my hip, holding me against him.

  My eyes went wide and that was the only movement I managed. When I’d finally recovered a brain cell or two, he pulled away. Against my cheek, I could feel his breath, soft and warm. I blinked once, and then twice more before my brain formed what I hoped would be a semi-coherent sentence. “What was that for?” I said, my tone breathless.

  He trailed a finger down the side of my face, gave me a half-smile that had my brain scrambling again. “Luck.”

  “Oh, okay.” I turned to the side, paused for half a second, and then twisted back and crushed my mouth to his.

  He staggered back with the same dumbfounded look I felt like I’d worn only moments before. “And what was that for?”

  “For being annoying.”

  That half-smile turned into a full one. “Sleep well, Hall.”

  I sent him a wicked grin. “I’m sure I will,” I said and left.

  *~*~*

  As promised, I did sleep well. Waking up was a completely different matter, though. For a second, I just lay back, smiling at absolutely nothing as I thought about Linc kissing me. And then I glanced at the alarm clock and my stomach dropped. The blue lights blinked at me. 8:45. Crap! I had fifteen minutes before I was supposed to take my Demonology exam.

  Sending the covers flying over my head, I jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom for a two-point-six second shower. I ran a brush through my hair and ignored the fact that I still had conditioner in it.

  Five minutes later, I was (mostly) dry, my teeth were brushed, and I was at the door. I paused. What was I forgetting? I took a quick glance around, spotted my ID on the desk and bolted back for it. I ran to the stairs and started up. I slipped once, cracked my elbow into the wall hard enough to leave it tingly, muttered, and kept going. You can show up broken—you can’t show up late.

  I slammed into the door of Demonology, my gaze going to the clock. Ten seconds to spare. Mr. Sheldon looked at me and shook his head. “I was wondering who would oversleep.”

  I grimaced and took my seat beside Linc. He made a face. “Don’t say anything,” I hissed.

  He smiled.

  Mr. Sheldon walked to the front of his desk and leaned his hip against it. “Here’s how this works. You have four hours to complete your exam. It’s broken into three sections and the first two are multiple-choice. Section one is on identification. You’ll be expected to identify various demon species based on visual and/or audio clues. Section two is on capturing and termination. That one should be self-explanatory. And the final section is the one most Prospects hate. Essays!” he said cheerfully. “You’ll be given a short list of scenarios and expected to write essays based on the information provided.”

  Half the class groaned when he said ‘essay.’

  Mr. Sheldon grinned. “You’ll notice the red tablets and earphones on your desks. They are similar to your tablets, except they have no internet connection and—” His grin turned sly. “—no way to get to the Demon Database. So, if any of you brought any mobile devices—phones, music players, tablets, etc—now would be the time to hand them over.” He stayed quiet a moment, then eyed the class. He held out his hand. “Mr. Reynolds?”

  The guy in question—Eric—glanced up. “What? I didn’t bring the tablet—”

  Mr. Sheldon pointed to the door. “See that black strip?” Everyone’s gaze went to where he was pointing. On the right side of the frame, there was, like he said, a narrow black strip. He took out his phone, held it up, then walked out. When he came back, little green lights lit up. “It detects certain things—in this case, anything capable of producing an internet connection. Now, you can bring me whatever it is you thought you were cleverly sneaking in, or you can receive an F and leave now. Your choice.” Despite the seriousness of his words, he smiled and his tone remained mild. “Take a minute to think about it.”

  Eric took his minute. His face contorted and he said something under his breath that even I wouldn’t repeat. His chair scraped along the floor as he slammed out of his seat and stormed up to the front of the classroom. He pulled a small phone from his pocket and all but slapped it into Mr. Sheldon’s palm before retaking his seat.

  “Thank you. You’ll get it back when all of your exams are completed. And Mr. Reynolds? If you try this with any of your other classes, you’ll be taken to Director Greene.” Mr. Sheldon placed the phone in one his desk drawers. His eyes went to the clock. “Okay, ladies and gents, earphones in, tablets on, and you can begin. Follow the prompts. You have four hours.”

  I put the earphones in and turned the tablet on. After verifying who I was, I began to read. The questions went from easy to hard. What type of demon feeds off its victim’s blood? with a picture of puncture marks on the victim’s neck, to What type of demon makes this sound? with an audio file that had my ears ringing. A Squealer demon. Like I’d ever forget that. They sounded like a dozen swarms of locusts amplified.

  I finished the first section and moved on to the next. It was similar to the first, but there weren’t as many easy questions. Which of the following are used to terminate a vampire? to Which of the following is effective when capturing a Rattler demon? which was a trick question, because there was nothing (currently) available that could actually contain them. They had acid-like venom that ate through everything.

  The essay section was a pain. It wasn’t a simple matter of, You encounter a vampire, how do you contain it? It was more, You encounter a vampire. There is a victim bleeding to death on the floor, you have no weapons, and your only exit is blocked. How do you proceed?

  I was tempted (only for a second) to write, Well, why am I trying to fight a vampire when I have no weapons?, but I was pretty sure that wasn’t the answer they were looking for.

  I finished all three sections with an hour to spare, so I went back over my answers. It’s as good as it’s gonna get, I decided, and turned the tablet off.

  Mr. Sheldon noticed and raised his eyebrow. I shrugged.

  When the time was up, Mr. Sheldon walked around the room and collected the tablets before taking them back to his desk. “Okay, ladies and gents. Demonology 101 is finished. Your results won’t be available until next Monday afternoon. Your scores will be emailed at that time, or, if you’re anxious, you can try cornering me that morning.” He shook his head when no one moved. “Go! You’re free!” He laughed.

  Everyone jumped from their seats and booked it out the door. I waited until the rush of people was gone, then started out with Linc at my side.

  “How do you think you did?” he asked.

  “I don’t even want to think about it.” And I didn’t. “We have a week until we find out. If I start thinking about it now, I’ll just worry.”

  He didn’t bother hiding his eye roll. “Like you aren’t going to worry, anyway.”

  I started to deny it then stopped. “Maybe, but it’s out of my hands for now. Let me just worry about the other tests for a while.”

  He nodded. “I’m going to go grab some gym time, so I’ll see you in a bit, alright?” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Unless you care to join me?”

  “Ha.” I smiled. “I’ll catch ya later.”

  I watched him as he ran off. Once he was out of sight, I shook my head and turned arou
nd. My shoulder bumped into someone and, instinctively, I winced and said, “Sorry!” The only person I ever seemed to bump into was Felecia.

  Instead of finding Felecia like I’d expected, it was Tasha. She rolled her eyes. “I’m almost insulted.”

  I snorted. “Habit, sorry.”

  We hadn’t really spent that much together since I’d started, because of all my hiding-in-my-room-studying, but she’d quickly become my second favorite person at the CGE.

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, but then a slow smile raised her lips. “You know, you’ll be the youngest P2 is CGE history if you pass. It’s kind of a big deal to the rest of us.”

  “I’m going to kill Linc.” He had to’ve said something to her, because he’d been bugging me about it for weeks, and I still had no idea how he even knew. Was there a Prospect registry or something?

  Tasha laughed. “Don’t worry. We’re all rooting for you.”

  I groaned again. “It’s not that big of a deal. I’ll be the youngest by like, a month.”

  Her mouth opened, as if she were about to say something else, but my glare stopped her cold. “Ah, yeah. So…” She looked around. “Um, where ya headed?”

  “Café,” I replied, still glaring. “I’m gonna grab some food.”

  “Want some company?”

  “Sure. But only if you don’t mention the exams or the youngest P2 thing. And only if you promise to seek some retribution for me and kick Linc the next chance you get.”

  With her fingers pinched together, she ran them over her lips like they were a zipper. “Done. My lips are sealed. And also done. Kicking Linc would be my pleasure,” she said with a mock curtsy, then led the way as we made it down to the café.

  We grabbed our food and sat down at a table near the entrance. “You know,” she started, stuffing a fry into her mouth, “Felecia and her gang are livid over your exams—er, them.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Why would she care? It’s not like she’s not already a P2.”

  “Yeah, but you’re forgetting stuff. One, you skipped the probationary period,” she started, unfolding a finger from her fist. “Two, you joined P1 way early.” She unfolded another finger. “And three, now you’re finishing in less than half the time of anyone else.” She raised a third finger, and then she waved them at me. “Felecia used to be the top dog around here—with an emphasis on the dog, if you ask me—and now you’re kind of, well, it.”

  “How am I ‘it’? Other than hanging out with you and Linc, I’ve kept to myself the entire time I’ve been here—especially the last few months.”

  “That’s partly why.” At my baffled look, she laughed. “Here’s the breakdown. To start, Greene went and personally picked you up—he picked you.” She started with the finger thing again. “That pissed her off before she even knew you. When she tries to fight you to show you who’s boss, you serve her ass to her like lunch. Linc’s warned me about the demon fiasco, so we won’t mention that,” she said, her tone cold. “Instead, we’ll go into the now of things and how you’re about to be the youngest and brightest CGE star.” Her tone was filled with mock-awe. “Our little girl is sure growing up.”

  “You’re terrible,” I said with a laugh.

  Tasha nodded happily and ate another fry. “Seriously, though. Even when she first joined, she always thought she was the big thing around here. I guess now she realizes she’s just your average Prospect.” She grinned. “Which is how it should be.”

  “But I’m not trying to stand out.”

  “Which is why you do.” Picking up another fry, she shook it at me. “You didn’t come in here with the I’m-gonna-be-a-big-bad-hunter ego that most do. You don’t try to fight to prove anything. Even when she did and still does. Even when she attacked you for no good reason and then left you to deal with a demon—and yeah, we know all about that too. All she’s managed to do is bury herself deeper and deeper. All those things she did to stand out, you’re doing the opposite of and standing out more. She can’t take it. She’s still the center of attention—it’s just not in a good way. You stole her spotlight and, from what I’ve been hearing, it’s about time. You’re like, the Prospect role model now.”

  I banged my head on the table. “I don’t want to be anyone’s role model.”

  “Well, that’s just tough, ‘cause you already are.”

  Why was I always the last to find out these things? And why would anyone choose me as a role model? I didn’t come here to make friends or stand out. I came here to train, to learn, to hunt.

  I mean, I was glad I’d made friends. It definitely made things better around here. But I still didn’t want to be anyone’s role model. That was just…insane. It was me, for crying out loud. I had issues. Lots and lots of issues.

  “I can’t be,” I argued. “That’s just…no. Role models have to do stuff. Like socialize. I don’t socialize. I’m a hermit. Hermits aren’t role models. It’s a rule somewhere, I know it is.”

  “I think it’s pretty cool,” she said.

  “Then you be the role model,” I mumbled. I glanced down at my plate. I hadn’t even touched the pizza I’d gotten.

  “Hey, I would if I could.”

  I looked up, grinned. “Maybe I can start a fight with you for no reason and then you can kick my ass.”

  Her eyebrow raised and she tapped her chin. “Has potential. We’ll talk about it for P2.” She winked at me.

  Shaking my head, I glanced up at the clock. “I should go and study for…some test I don’t know when is.”

  Tasha nodded. “They should just tell us and put us out of our misery. But I’ll catch ya later.”

  I waved, then got up and dumped my tray with only a minimal amount of guilt over the wasted pizza. Linc would probably maim me if he found out.

  As I headed out of the café and started for my room, I spotted a group of people standing around the elevators. There was a faint pounding sound and muffled voices coming from inside.

  Maybe one of them is Felecia, I thought hopefully.

  I could have taken the other elevator, but I didn’t want to risk it, so I took the stairs instead as I made my way to my room. Just as I neared the top landing of the fourth floor, I heard voices and stopped. Immediately, I recognized one of the voices as Director Greene’s. A few seconds later, I recognized the other voice and barely contained a groan. Felecia.

  So much for my wishful thinking.

  I started to move back down the stairs. I barely made it two steps before I heard my name and stopped cold. Frowning, I listened closely, thinking that maybe I’d misunderstood. But I hadn’t. Greene said my name again.

  I crept closer, then peeked around the corner. He and Felecia were standing right outside my door.

  “Do you understand, Miss Fitzgerald?” Greene asked her, wearing an angry expression I hadn’t seen before—not even when he’d found me in the South Tower after the demon escape.

  Felecia nodded. “I do.”

  “I want Miss Hall contained.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Turning away, I flattened my back against the wall. My heart started to pound and my breath quickened. I had to force myself to stay calm, because I was afraid I’d hyperventilate.

  What I had done to make Greene want me ‘contained’? Had he changed his mind about letting me stay? Had I failed that badly? A million other thoughts and questions entered my mind at once but I couldn’t concentrate on any of them.

  A part of me wanted to step forward, to turn myself in, and find out what the hell was going on. But instinct had me staying put and moving only to position myself so I could hear them more clearly without being seen.

  “She stole some research,” he went on, “and cannot be allowed to leave the premises.”

  A malicious smile crossed Felecia’s face as she nodded. “I’ll find her and make sure she doesn’t get out.”

  “I don’t want her harmed, Miss Fitzgerald. I need to get the information back. She’s undoubtedly hidden it by now.�
�

  My eyes went wide. I hadn’t stolen a thing from this place! The only research I had was my own and he couldn’t mean that. Could he? I’d read the rules, and while sharing the information with outside people was a big no-no, they said nothing about taking notes. Wasn’t I here to learn about demons?

  Keeping my back against the wall, I inched away from the corner, away from the voices. So much for being safe here. I grabbed the railing and tiptoed back down the stairs until I was halfway to the next floor. After that, I took them two at a time. By the time my feet touched the second floor landing, I was running. I rounded the corner and Linc appeared. I was going too fast to stop, so I ended up running straight into a wall to avoid him. I bounced off and hit the ground hard. A second later, I was back on my feet, taking only half a second to rub my back.

  Linc grabbed my arm before I managed to make it two steps. “What the hell is going on?” he asked me in a hushed whisper.

  I glanced up the stairs. There was no one there, but that didn’t mean they weren’t close. “I don’t have time to talk, Linc,” I hissed and brushed past him.

  “Jade.” He grabbed me again. “What did you do?”

  “Why do you assume I did anything!” I winced at my rising tone and forced myself to take another breath. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Everyone’s looking for you—agents, and even some P2s.”

  “What? Why the Prospects?” That made no sense. If Greene really thought I’d stolen something, and he was that concerned I’d escape with it, why send untrained Prospects after me?

  Linc shrugged. “Maybe for the same reason he sends them to Doc? He thinks it’ll be easier.”

  Well, whatever. I hadn’t done anything, and not only did I have to hide from Felecia, now I had to avoid agents and other Prospects.

  I would have banged my head on the wall, but that would’ve brought me unwanted attention. “Someone’s setting me up,” I said, managing to keep my tone level and low this time. “I just heard Greene sicing Felecia on me, claiming I stole some research or something.” How could I steal something I didn’t even know where was? The South Tower was the likeliest place, since that’s where Greene said they kept the research, but there were over a hundred rooms there, if not more. I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking for anything. And after the whole demon-escape thing, I wasn’t in any hurry to go snooping. Greene had to know that.