“I’m not going with you.”
I turn on Awan, mortified. “What?”
He tilts his head toward The Ravenna’s main entrance. “Mason and Zach are up to something. I need to check it out.”
“You can’t go now!” It’s a shameful realization, but I almost wish Awan was a part of the circle, so I could use that to keep him around. “I can’t be a cat burglar without the cat.”
He pouts at my pathetic attempt at a joke. “Look, Mason is my best friend. Something feels off. Don’t you want me to watch over him?”
I huff, but of course I do.
“I’ll leave the protector with you,” Awan says. “Just step where he steps. Let him lead the way.”
“Ahem, what?” Seff cuts in, but Awan’s eyes are already sparkling in bronze.
The color saturates his irises in one mesmerizing sweep. His skin glows brighter and brighter until the protector pushes out of him and takes the shape of an intimidating mountain lion.
“But we can’t communicate with him.” I wish my voice didn’t sound so high-pitched.
“You’ll be fine,” Awan says, his eyes still strangely ablaze. “Now I have to go. Be careful, both of you.”
Seff and I nod, although I feel like I’m trying to swallow a frog whole. I scan the walls of The Ravenna, stomach lurching at the thought of scaling the elegant building.
I try to muster some resolve as I look at the translucent bronze protector. “Let’s go, kitty cat.”
“Don’t tease him,” Awan warns. “He’s been in a mood all day.”
I purse my lips, eyes closed for a long blink.
Great. That’s just my luck. Not only am I getting the part of Awan that’s not human, but it’s also the one with the bad attitude.
THE CHARM IS UP.
Charity’s text comes after five nerve-racking minutes of me pacing between Awan’s protector, who stretches his paws much like a real cat, and Seff, who’s stripping to his shorts.
“Do you have to?” I refuse to look at the wolf directly.
“Hey, I won’t risk ripping this shirt apart in the middle of a fight. It cost a fortune.” Seff places the bundle of his clothes next to Vanessa for safekeeping.
I pout and show him Charity’s text, then whisper to Vanessa, “We’re off now. Charity should be back in a minute. Stay together until we get back.”
Vanessa nods. Nerves creep up inside me when we leave her sitting alone, unable to see her immediate surroundings. But the charm and compulsion should keep people away.
I take a deep breath and focus on our bigger problem. “Right,” I say and swallow. “Up the wall we go.”
The protector darts ahead as if on command. Light and graceful, he pushes off the wall and leaps up on the balcony railing. Seff rolls his head, growls, and shifts. Unlike his first shift without a full moon, it’s almost instantaneous.
The furry white wolf follows the protector’s steps, quick and sure. Seff looks down at me from the balcony, and I swear, he’s mocking me. How did I get stuck on Team Animal Reflexes?
I tie the rope around my waist and throw the other end to Seff, who catches it between his teeth. I test my shoes a few times, but there’s no delaying this, so I start climbing.
Much less gracefully, not to mention very slowly, I make it to the balcony. We go up a level in this odd formation—protector first, wolf second, and little ol’ human-shaped me trying to catch up, even with the rope and Seff’s help.
I try not to look down the higher up we climb. When we finally reach the top level, my fancy sequin top is drenched in sweat.
Seff shifts into his human form, his sculpted abs and chest heaving as he paces his breaths. “Nice workout, right?”
“Speak for yourself.” I fight the roiling sensation in my stomach and peer into the luxury suite on the other side of the windows. “This looks like the master bedroom.”
Vanessa’s directions were correct. We’re on the right level, but we’re not facing the study.
“Lead the way,” I tell the protector.
He leaps as if our ordeal so far was nothing but a joyful game. From the marble railing, to the wall, and then up the ledge, the protector climbs to the roof. Seff shifts and follows with the rope between his teeth.
And then, not thinking of the death that awaits me if I slip, I grapple after them. I grip the rope and repeat the sequence of moves as best I can, but my flat soles slip. I lose my footing and dangle by the rope. This isn’t how I’m going to die. I trust the banshee instinct over the hammering of my heart in my chest. I swing myself enough to reach the wall and then, to grasp the ledge with one hand.
Panting heavily, I feel my knees shake as I make it up the side of the roof. I’m only allowed a minute to catch my breath while Seff leans over to count the windows. According to Vanessa’s instructions, the study windows are four to the left from the master bedroom.
I tie the rope on a marble ornament on the roof. Thankfully, Seff will be human for this stunt.
He takes position behind me, arms under mine so we both grasp the rope for the descent. Suddenly, I’m very aware of his bare chest against my back, but I push the feeling of awkwardness aside. There’s no time for that now.
We dig in our feet when we reach the window frame. The study is dark and empty on the other side of the glass. I rest some of my weight against Seff, one hand still grasping the rope, but I turn the other with its palm toward the window. I focus, having practiced the move these past few days, though I got it right even that night we got stranded at Elmwick Academy during the blizzard. The sound barrier covers the door to the study, so I give Seff a nod.
He elbows the window. The glass cracks and falls, leaving a large, gaping hole in the window. Seff boosts me, and I get inside, legs first and slowly, still focusing on holding the sound barrier in place.
The broken glass crunches under my ballet flats, but I hold the barrier in place as Seff sneaks inside. Awan’s protector leaps in last, his beefy tail pointing up.
Seff and I freeze, listening for a sign that the guards might have heard us. Only the protector waves his tail and yawns, as if this is all very boring. I fish my phone out of my cross-body bag. From the texts I’ve missed, it seems that Charity has found Vanessa.
Ask Vanessa if the guards heard us, I text to Charity.
She says you’re in the clear.
I heave a relieved sigh and let the barrier drop, so I can use both my hands to search. Seff browses the shelves while I go through the desk drawers. Awan’s protector paces in front of the door, and from time to time sits on his hind legs and watches us.
“This would go faster if Awan were here with us,” I complain, though the protector doesn’t seem to notice or care.
It takes us about five minutes to go through every compartment, shelf and drawer in the room. They’re empty or hold trivial items such as loose papers, a daily planner, and checkbooks.
The feeling that we’ve taken this insurmountable risk in vain gnaws at my insides. What if, despite Vanessa’s curse, Vaughn left no incriminating evidence behind?
I press the heels of my hands against my eyes, feeling stupid. “We’re not going to find anything in here, are we?” I look up just in time to see Seff smirk.
“I wouldn’t be all that sure.” He holds the silvery laptop he must have taken from the leather briefcase at his feet.
“Fire it up.” It’s hard to hide the excitement in my voice. “Let’s hope Vaughn is one of the middle-aged people who use 1234 as their password.”
“Or their birthday,” Seff says, matching my enthusiasm. “We could get that on social media.”
The laptop screen flares up, but it doesn’t prompt for a password.
“A fingerprint scanner?” I gasp. Vaughn may be a fan of simplicity, but he isn’t as lazy as I’d hoped.
My phone buzzes.
Charity texts in all caps. THEY HEAR YOU!
Like a mechanism clicking into place, my hearing focuses on the footst
eps on the other side of the door. There isn’t enough time to leave or hide. The lock clicks just as I signal Seff to leave the laptop on the desk.
The door swings open to reveal two hunters dressed in all black. All instinct screams at me to let out the power swirling in my lungs and unleash chaos, but I bite the inside of my cheek.
That wasn’t supposed to happen on this mission. We needed to be ghosts.
That only leaves me with one option. I haven’t tried humming since that fateful day Dad and I moved to Elmwick. But Mom used to be able to do it, so I will myself to believe that I can too.
My hum starts as a monotone chant which vibrates through the air. The two guards only grin.
Seff lowers his hands from his ears when my hum dies off. “They’ve got ear plugs.”
I let out a growl. They must have placed them on after they’d heard us. That means Vaughn isn’t just expecting another break-in. He’s expecting me.
“All right,” I say. “I tried this the nice way. Time for Plan B.”
I step forward, lurching over a bent knee. A move Mom used to flip two police cars on their sides. The scream bursts out of me and ripples out in a targeted funnel that knocks both guards down.
Before I’ve run out of breath, Awan’s protector leaps up on my left, toward one guard. At the same time, Seff launches, shifting in mid-air, flying toward the other.
It’s a sight to behold. And we—a force to be reckoned with.
Chapter 32. Mason
“BUSTED,” AWAN SAYS.
I find his expression hard to read—is he angry or amused? The glowing eyes steal the focus away, so I can’t tell.
“All right, all right,” Zach says. “We’re leaving.”
“Where did you find that story?” Awan walks over with the palm of his hand held up, but I don’t deliver the booklet to him.
“In a secret hiding place, it seems.” I wait for Awan to request the booklet again, but his hand falls to his side.
“Mrs. Gianni mentioned something similar in class one time. She said some believe that the legacies had the power to link to anybody in the old days, but she never mentioned these other powered ones.”
“It could be just a story,” I say, though a swooping feeling in my stomach tells me that’s nonsense.
The story wouldn’t be hidden away if it were inconsequential. And it sounds eerily connected to everything Father told me about hunters like the two of us.
My attention shifts to Awan’s amber eyes again. “Where’s the protector?”
“With Cami.” He shrugs innocently.
“What is she up to?” Zach cuts in.
I use the distraction to pocket the booklet.
Awan makes a face at him. “Like I’d tell you.”
“If she’s planning another break-in, please dissuade her.” Zach leaves it at that and walks out of the room. “I assume we can exit the way you came in, lion?”
Awan stays where he is, by the entrance to the library. “You’ll have to return that booklet first.”
“No can do.” Zach might sound nonchalant, but his hand slides under his hoodie for a weapon.
“You don’t want to fight me.” Awan steps up.
I’m still getting used to this tough guy act from him. With his legacy powers unveiled, he acts as if he can’t be harmed, like some weird, sparkling superhero.
Zach lets out a dry laugh. “Without the protector, you don’t scare me much.”
“Maybe he’s on his way,” Awan drawls. “They’re almost done.”
Zach perks up, his expression shifting, all cockiness wiped away. “I’m not kidding, if Cami is trying to get into the suite again, it’s a mistake.”
“Why would a hunter like you care?” Awan snaps back.
“Listen to me.” Zach’s voice turns urgent. “There’s no time to explain, but I assure you I don’t mean your banshee any harm. If she goes into the suite for whatever reason, she’ll get herself into a trap.”
“Not for whatever reason,” Awan says. “To get proof on your murderous father. You hunters think you’re above the law, don’t you? Killing and imprisoning legacies as you see fit. It’s time that stopped. We’re tired of being your targets.”
Zach ignores him and turns to me. “Mason, I’m dead serious. This is very bad. If Cami’s in there, she’s only making things worse.”
“She can take care of herself,” I say with all the confidence I can muster, but I’m itching to sprint out of here right now.
“No, she can’t,” Zach insists. In the murky Elmwick Academy corridor, his face hides in shadows, but I feel his gaze on me. “I told you that the hunters’ meeting tonight is about her. They’re voting on what to do with her. If she steps out of line tonight, my father will surely be able to push his proposed solution.”
Cold sweat beads down the length of my neck. “Which is?”
“To take her out like they did her mother.”
A spooky silence hangs for the briefest of moments.
“Aaagh!” Awan bends over in pain. “What the fric, Cami? This was supposed to be a stealthy mission. No screaming.” He shakes it off, fighting the influence of the protector. “Okay, they’re in trouble.”
As one, we run down the stairs and out of the Academy, following Awan up a magnolia tree and over the fence. I sprint, using every bit of muscle memory and endurance built in Andreev’s trainings.
We only slow down when we turn onto the street to The Ravenna.
It’s swarming with hunters. Awan pulls on his hood, so it hangs over his forehead, hiding his face. The hunters flood to the entrance, forming two neat lines, and wait for Vaughn’s orders. He exits his black limo with a murderous glare, examining the midnight sky above.
“It’s a shield, people,” he shouts at the hunters. I spot Andreev and the elites among them. “Find the burn points and take it down.”
I turn away, hoping Vaughn won’t see me or pay attention to me in the crowd. Chances are he won’t be thrilled to find me here.
Zach rushes over to his father. “What’s going on?”
I purse my lips to hide the surprise. So he’s going to pretend he doesn’t know?
“The banshee couldn’t resist,” Vaughn says. “She’s sneaked up in the suite again, but this time, we were expecting her.”
As I strain to hear their conversation, other hunters take bottled water from the limo and spread out in search of the burning herbs keeping this shield active.
Awan stands behind me, trying to seem inconspicuous in the sea of hunters.
I turn halfway to him and whisper. “You can’t be here.”
“I need to warn them,” his reply comes out breathy and low.
“Get this to Cami.”
I pull out the booklet from my back pocket and hand it over. Zach would have my head if he knew I was doing this, but even though I don’t fully understand if the story in the booklet could be true, the one thing I’m certain of is that Cami needs to be warned. She needs to know what might be in store for her circle.
“You sure?” Awan takes the booklet but halts at my side.
“I trust you more than I trust any of the hunters, no matter what’s gone down between us,” I say in a quick rasp. “This information will be safe with you.”
Not that Zach won’t retell the old story to his parents, probably starting a witch hunt for every last one like me, but at least the legacies will hear this story too.
Awan gives my shoulder a little squeeze, then moves away through the crowd of hunters.
I check on Zach and Vaughn out of the corner of my eye, but it seems they missed our exchange.
“Over here!” Andreev shouts. A group gathers around him, spilling water on the ground, then letting out a victorious shout.
A ripple goes through the air as the invisible charm, protecting the hotel like a dome, withers out.
“It’s down,” Andreev shouts over at Vaughn, then regards his crew. “Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go.”
&n
bsp; “Load your weapons with vervain,” Vaughn yells instructions as he pushes toward the entrance. “The cold one will be their first line of defense.”
“How can you be sure it’s the banshee up there?” Zach asks.
“I equipped my guards with ear plugs against her, but also installed an alarm. It beeped us over when it detected her scream.”
Zach’s mother catches up to her husband and son, blowing past me. She holds the corner of her amethyst dress so she can move faster. “I’ll take care of the human staff and get them out of range.”
Vaughn inclines his head her way as a nod of appreciation. “Capture the charmer and the viper if you can find them.” Then, he regards the two lines of hunters. “We enter in strike teams. One after the other. Nicker nut grenades first. Fighter squad second, loaded with wolfsbane arrows. Let’s move.”
I whirl around in the crowd pushing me ahead with it. Where did Awan go?
We push through the gate, and the hunters split into two squads, smoothly as if they’ve practiced it multiple times before. Vaughn leads a file toward the hotel, while Mrs. Hastings signals the rest to search the gardens.
And no one really pays attention to me.
Vaughn has barely reached the steps to the lobby before a hunter shouts, “Freeze! They’re here.”
He’s turning the corner to the parking lot. The first group whirls around. All hunters converge on the sound. I glance at Zach, and we sprint over, pushing through the crowd.
Awan’s head pokes out behind a silvery Volvo. I bite my tongue not to swear. He managed to stay hidden on a street jam-packed with hunters, but now he slips? It doesn’t make sense.
The hunter who spotted him walks ahead in small steps, crossbow raised for a shot. “Step away from the car.”
Awan raises his hands in surrender, but I narrow my eyes at him. The hands are too small and gentle. They don’t fit him. Thin scars run in a fishnet pattern all over them. I gulp in shock. It isn’t Awan. It’s Charity.
“How is she doing this?” I whisper to myself, but Zach catches it.
He pushes the hunters in front of him apart to get a better view, but it’s too late. The first hunter takes his next step, which scrunches like he’s stepped on sand, grating it against the asphalt. But it isn’t sand.
Suspension (Elmwick Academy Book 2) Page 22
