“It’s my fault Lukas was taken. I have to get him back,” she said to Ryan, one night with the moon full.
“Don’t talk like that. Never talk like that,” he said back, giving her a huge hug.
He was her confidant, her ally, and they focused in on their new abilities. They didn’t kiss. She knew that if they made out, she’d fly up in the air, in sight of the guards, and they’d come crashing down to earth. That was how she made it out of her room at night. She thought of their passionate kiss, and she was able to land less hard against the ground.
He would hold her hand and touch her hair. His eyes never left sight of hers. She could feel that she could trust him, and their secrets together kept them even closer as they spent the days studying together, learning the great secrets of her power, and spent secret nights developing them.
She could feel she was ready to let go of her past.
This wasn’t a boy who wanted to terrorize and torment her.
This was a young man who wanted her to grow with him.
“Naya,” he said one day in the library. “We’ve developed your powers. It’s time to research…the Kulikov brothers.”
Those words stung her. They hadn’t opened that section. It was too terrifying, and she needed to feel she had strength before she touched on it.
Ryan had tried to get her to open those sections before, but she had shaken her head, not able to bring herself to do it. It just made her think about Lukas being taken. She’d had a panic attack the first time they’d looked a week ago.
The last three weeks had passed so tensely, everyone on edge. The entire Academy buzzed. And yet, even with Lukas gone, the threat seemed to be in the past. People were allowed to be outside—during daylight hours after class, at least—and there would be less suspicion now.
“Okay, let’s do it. But first, we have to involve them.”
Ryan gave her a dark look. He wasn’t sure about bringing in Amy and Trevor. The more people that were brought in, the higher the risk was of being caught. They didn’t even want to think of what would happen if they were found with the book. Would it be Mrs. Belour who interrogated them, or someone in the army? Would they be whisked off to a military prison, never to return?
It was terrifying, and the men walking around in uniforms with high-powered rifles made it all too real.
Naya called Amy and Trevor to their secret spot by the river in the afternoon, after class but with the sun still high in the sky. She spilled out the words as she always did when her stress was high, talking about the book, her new abilities, and the possible connection of the book to the Wild-Lifers. After twenty fast minutes of Naya talking non-stop and her friends watching with wide eyes, they could only say one thing.
“Whatever you need us for, we’re in,” said Amy, stretching out her hand to the middle.
“We’re here for you. We’re going to crack this, together,” confirmed Trevor, putting his hand on top of Amy’s.
Naya put a trembling hand over the two of them, and when their skin met, she stopped feeling so scared. Her arm strengthened. Ryan put his hand on top, and she felt so safe within them all.
“I’ll read through the book. There isn’t that much about the brothers, but I’ll be in charge of it,” she said, holding on to the book with reverence.
Trevor piped in. “I’m going to talk with Alice Vanderlog. She isn’t too hot on me since she knows I’m your friend…but she can’t resist trading rumors. I’ll tell her we had a falling out and you’ve got a secret, and I’ll make something up to get her to trade what she knows.”
Naya winced. “Ugh. Well, whatever it is, I’m sure it can’t make people hate me more…”
“Are you sure you can do it, Amy?”
She looked Naya right in the eye. “I know I can. You might have a tutor, but I’m the best at potions,” she said, her voice becoming a whisper. The plan was for her to use the charming potion to convince the librarian to let her into the forbidden section of the library to find information that wasn’t available for the general student population.
Ryan would have to be the king again. After he beat the Wizards, he was seen as even more of a star, and despite people not wanting to get close to Naya, they couldn’t resist him. He would use his popularity to find out as much as he could from the student body.
“Just be careful. You don’t want people to realize what we’re asking about,” warned Trevor.
“I can handle it,” replied Ryan, his voice serious.
Naya breathed in, deep, barely believing what they were doing. If they did find information about the Kulikovs, what would they do? It didn’t seem like Arumrose was taking the threat seriously. All they wanted to do was guard the school. They hadn’t got back Lukas.
That was what terrified her. If they found information that could lead them to Lukas…
They’d have to go find him.
“We’ll meet Wednesday at lunchtime. At our secret place.”
14
Wednesday came in a flash.
They all walked to the river in silence. Everyone had a million things to say, but the words were stuck in their mouths until they sat by the river, and turned to each other.
All of their faces were white.
“There’s a lot of bad stuff about the Wild-Lifers,” started Trevor, shuddering as he talked.
“You…you guys won't believe what I found. It’s terrifying.” Amy had never looked so pale.
Naya held her hand up. “I think I know where Lukas is.”
That shut everyone up. “I read through the section on vampires. One page is missing.” She opened the book slowly, as if she was scared it might bite her, then showed them the last page before the rip. “It mentions two powerful vampire families. The Kulikovs and Thiliviels. Both used to work together to capture Grounders to take to secret locations outside the cities. The strongest of the humans were turned. They were all given vampire blood, which most of the host bodies were too weak to accept.”
“What…what do they do with the other ones?” Trevor asked the question while fearing the answer.
“They were chained up and their blood was drained slowly, so they survived. The vampires keep them there, in the dark, tied up and taking their blood…feeding them, keeping them alive.”
“Like milking a cow?” Amy’s face was horrified.
“Yes. They call the places grounder farms.”
Everyone was silent, equal expressions of terror on their faces as they first imagined being chained in a dark, cold dungeon—then pain as they realized that Lukas might be there.
“That’s not all. These brutal vampires learned that paranormal blood gave them more energy, strength, and vitality. It was more difficult for vampires to catch witches and wizards, however. This is when the Thiliviel family came to power. To show their devotion to the Kulikovs, they infiltrated the paranormal world, pretending to be allies.”
Naya tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. All of her friends were staring at her, rapt in attention. “Witches and wizards started to disappear. When they realized they were being preyed on, it was almost too late. The vampires had grown in power from the paranormal blood and were hell-bent on enslaving the entire paranormal races. Wizards and witches were desperate for something that could fight them off, a powerful weapon, and the bravest of them inked spells on their own skin, even though many, many died, burnt to death from the power of the spells. Only those who survived the inking process were able to fight off the vampires and force them to retreat into exile.”
The pages of the book seemed to be staring up at her, as if the book had life.
“The shifters were responsible for discovering the Arumrose, which could inhibit the dark urges of vampires and slow mage-abilities. Arumrose was created to protect the rose, and the US government must have stepped in at some point after this book was made. That rose allowed vampires to use their powers for good, instead of being lost to the blood-lust. The last page was something about the l
ocations of the Grounder farms and where they suspected the vampire families were hiding, but it’s ripped out. Anyways…this book is so old, it might have changed by now…”
“But vampires love tradition,” finished Amy.
“Do you think…” Ryan’s lips went back, and he had anger in his face.
“I strongly believe Lukas is at one of those disgusting farms.”
“What are you doing here?” Mrs. Belour’s accusing voice hit them. She had a hair band in her hand—a bright pink one that was Amy’s signature style. She must have found it as she walked, and noticed something with her witch senses leading to the river. “You’re off the Academy limits!”
The book lay open between the four of them, and Naya snapped it shut.
Mrs. Belour snapped her fingers. The book seemed to resist, as if it had its own power. “Levit,” she whispered, and before Naya could grab it, it darted into her hands. She looked at it suspiciously. It seemed too big for her hand.
“Tricky clue, show us the true.”
The real cover started to appear. “Imagitarium,” said Naya under her breath, using the spell that had let her walk into the face of a military guard and stand there as if everything was fine.
Her three friends couldn’t understand it. They all had their mouths open, until Naya gave them a glare that silently told them to act natural. It was hard with their adrenaline pounding.
Mrs. Belour blinked, confusion on her face, looking at the book. “Strange…I…good, you’re studying,” she said, sounding a little unbalanced, and levitating the book back to Naya. “Go back to the Academy. I won’t have you come here again. If I catch any of you off the grounds…at this time…it’s for your good. I’ll have to isolate you. Now come. We have an important meeting in the dining hall.”
Mrs. Belour strode off, not waiting to see if they would follow.
“How…” said Trevor.
Naya winked, pointing at her birthmark, and they sighed in relief.
They entered the huge cafeteria. The entire student body was there, and they filed in the back. Naya could hear the whispers of “two-kind” and saw their glares, but she felt calmer with her good friends around her.
Mrs. Belour took the stage. “Thank you for coming at short notice.”
Her words were bland, normal, but Ryan started to shake. He bit his lip, as if he was guilty of something.
“Hey, you okay?” Naya whispered into his ear.
He nodded and smiled, all his nervousness disappearing. “Everything is fine.” He took her hand, and she felt cold sweat.
“The book is safe, and so are we,” she whispered, low enough that only he could hear with his vampire senses. It was like having a secret language between the two of them.
“Yeah.”
She hugged his arm, placing her head on his shoulder to help him feel stronger. It was out of character for Naya, and she felt awkward with the public display of affection, but she knew he needed it.
“While we have not been able to locate Lukas, the government is working with our staff tirelessly to find him. We have revised our safety standards and secured the academy. While sadly, the autumn has waned, I am pleased to announce that we will have a Winter Ball this Saturday.”
The students clapped and cheered, throwing papers in the air like it was graduation. After being imprisoned for a month, without being able to leave their rooms, this was the best news they could get.
Naya smiled up at Ryan.
“That will be all,” said Mrs. Belour, and students filed out. She felt less angry stares at her. It was as if people were forgetting everything that happened, even though there were a million rumors about the kidnapped teacher.
Just like that, it was just the four of them in the dining hall.
“So, what now?”
Naya tried to lighten the mood. “I know you’re dying to start a beauty treatment for the ball,” she said. Everyone laughed but Ryan. “I think we all need a little break until after the ball. I don’t know. What do you think, Ryan?”
She could feel something was off with him, and she wasn’t asking permission—but trying to see if there was something deeper she needed to worry about. He gave a curt nod.
“Yay!” Trevor and Amy high fived, and started to gush about all the things they needed to do to prepare for the ball,
“As for us…” Naya took Ryan’s hand again.
“Us? This is new.” He got closer to her. “I love it.”
“Meet me outside my room at midnight, after everyone is asleep,” whispered Naya, so soft only he could hear it, biting her lip nervously.
“Anything for you,” answered Ryan, giving her a kiss on her tiptoes that made her feet lift an inch off the ground.
Naya needed to prepare, but not for the dance. She had to prepare for something she’d been waiting for without realizing she wanted it. As the day went on, she felt nervous butterflies in her stomach and a smile that wouldn’t fade from her face.
Ryan made her feel this happiness she had never felt before, this stable happiness that kept building and building. She knew it was the foundation of something beautiful. The past is the past. She knew she had to enjoy now, the present with him.
At midnight, she snuck out of her room with her backpack, opening the door softly.
“Good luck, Nay,” said Amy, yawning in bed.
“You scared me!”
She grinned. “Did you really think I was sleeping? All I can think about is the dance! Now go have fun.”
With her approval, Naya opened the door to see the cutest guy she had ever met waiting for her outside.
“Ryan…you look incredible.” He had known this was something important, and dressed up in a black blazer with a grey shirt and a pair of navy pants that fit him perfectly.
“Nothing compared to how beautiful you are,” he answered, looking Naya up and down. She’d picked a skirt with an oversized sweater tucked in, along with her usual sneakers. She didn’t dress up like she did in that slinky black dress, trying to be something she wasn’t, and somehow she could feel that he liked her even better this way.
“Come with me,” she said, taking him to the balcony at the very end of the dorms. She opened up the door and they went out onto the balcony together.
She grabbed his hand, and sparks flew, and they lifted up in the air. Both of their eyes were wide as their love made them float in the air. They flew off the balcony and into the cool night air.
“Look out! It’s Mrs. Rodriguez!”
Mrs. Rodriguez looked up, shocked, when Naya cast a spell to confuse her and make it seem like the two of them floating in the air was no scarier than a bat in the air. The sparkling lights intensified with her magic and she brought him to the river.
They had been using this place to discuss secret plans, but at its core…
“Our place,” said Ryan, his heart warm as they touched down gently in the grass near the river.
“Yes. Our place.” She opened up her backpack that she had carefully placed the important objects into, feeling them with her fingers.
“You made this place so special. When you faced my hatred and you did everything to help me get through such a frustrating, stressful time. When you handed me the roses, it truly became our place.” Candles lit up next to them. She’d hidden them the day before, but it felt like the sparks dancing from them lit them up without her even casting a spell.
White petals flew up from the candles, dancing in the sparks of her magic. She hadn’t expected this. There was a light snow on the ground, but the magic kept them warm.
“You made this place beautiful. You made it perfect.” Ryan could only look at her, lost in the moment.
She took three roses out of the bag. “Ryan, I know our past is messy and complicated. Back then, my days were happy when I didn’t see you.”
A shadow of guilt passed through his eyes. She wanted to release him of it. “Now I can’t stand the days when you’re gone.” She smiled. “I can’t
explain it, but you’re the reason my days are perfect. My heart goes a thousand miles a minute when I see you and…I know it took me a while, and I hope it’s not too late…”
She held the roses out to him.
“I want to give you what you gave me. I want to give you my honesty, my love, my soul.”
He took the roses, his hands shaking with the power of the moment, and kissed her with all his strength. They flew up in the air, surrounded by Naya’s magic lights. Her lips burned with his love. They fit flawlessly together like they were meant to be united. His hands wrapped around her, care and desire, and he pulled her close to him like he wanted the moment to last forever.
They both felt that the connection was unique. Naya pulled away softly, pressing against his lips, and they descended slowly to the ground. With his help, she had learned to control the magic. Their foreheads met, and she bit her lip as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“It will never be too late, Naya,” he said to her, hugging her tight. “You were worth the wait, and everything I said before has only grown.” She smiled, playing with his hair. “I mean it, Naya. You are the best thing that could ever have happened to me.” He gently brushed away a strand of hair that was covering her face.
“You’re stubborn, compulsive, and you always think you’re right.”
Her jaw dropped. “What!”
He laughed. “Let me finish, okay?” She nodded and frowned, her brows furrowed. “And that makes you so determined. You’re also the most caring person I’ve ever met. You will always go the extra mile to help the ones you care about. You’re intelligent, and even luckier for me, incredibly hot.” She laughed at that, feeling her cheeks redden. She could never get used to the handsome guy complimenting her. “But the best thing about you? It’s your heart. There is no one as compassionate and kind as you.”
He swallowed, and steeled himself. His eyes closed.
“I love you, Naya.”
“I love you too, Ryan.”
His eyes shot open. He had been aching for that answer, and it felt like a dream for both of them.
They spent the night talking, laughing, and kissing. Naya felt so protected around him and she felt this determination that with him at her side, they would be able to find Lukas. Right now? It was time to enjoy each other.
The Mage-Blood Test: A YA Paranormal Romance (Arumrose Academy Book 1) Page 18
