They talked about the dance, what they would wear, and how people would react to them being together officially as a couple. The night was amazing, but it had to end—and they returned to the Academy happier than ever.
The next day they spent together with their friends. Amy and Trevor couldn’t be gladder that the two finally decided to risk it for each other. All of them relaxed together, Amy and Trevor with their boyfriends, not uttering anything about the Wild-Lifers or the kidnapping. For a few days, they just needed an escape from the stress, to pretend that everything was normal and perfect.
Plus, they had to put the final touches on their outfits, as the dance was in two days.
Friday night, Naya met with Amy. She’d already had a dress for the Autumn Ball, but since the theme had changed from autumn to winter, she wanted something else. Naya postponed meeting Ryan that night. The day was a long one, because Naya already had a dress packed away, that her mom had hidden in her luggage, so it was much more fun for Amy who got to try on what seemed like a hundred dresses.
They walked through all the stores of Middle Rose. Though it was icy cold outside of the Academy, through some magical means it felt cool but not icy. They even went to the farthest reaches of Middle Rose. While Naya liked all of the dresses, none of them had the “wow” factor, or so Amy said. Naya thought that was crazy, since Amy had such an amazing body she could make a trash bag look fashionable, but she bit back her thoughts and suffered through store after store.
“Nay! Are you there?”
“Yes…yeah! You look beautiful!” Naya snapped back to the store, but all she could think of was her new boyfriend.
Amy raised her eyebrow, and Naya realized that she was wearing a bright, rainbow-colored dress that looked like it was made for a carnival. “This is practically a clown costume, Nay. I wore it to prove a point. I know your head is in the clouds, but could you please help me? This dance is important to me.” She put her hands in front of her like she was praying, making her signature puppy dog face that no one could refuse. “Pretty please?”
“Okay…of course.” They hugged. “Plus, the sooner we’re done here, the sooner I get to go see Ryan,” said Naya with a grin.
“Hey!” answered Amy, and they laughed, continuing with their endless quest.
A few hours later they finally found it. The dress was a beautiful white flowing silk gown, backless. It seemed like something a princess would wear. As happy as Amy was, no one was more joyful than Naya. It was time for her to see Ryan.
She was skipping to their place near the river when she felt a sharp pain in her heart. She buckled, holding herself, looking around for something—anything that could have caused it. It faded to a dull pain, but she felt awful.
She walked towards the riverside and felt a chill. By the river, the magic of Arumrose faded and the icy chill of winter was intense, but this was deeper. This was a chill you felt all the way into your bones. The air felt thick, like she was wading through a pool. Thoughts swirled in her head but she couldn’t stop herself. Something was wrong. She sprinted, her vampire instincts fighting against the inhibitor shots to make her faster. She just needed to see Ryan, and everything would be alright.
He wasn’t there.
Naya tried to push down her anxiety that was boiling up. She tried to calm down. It was probably a last-minute football practice—the final game had been rescheduled for after the dance, and he must have been called in.
Minutes turned to hours.
She felt like she was frozen by the riverside, her breath frosting in front of her, unable to leave without him. She felt that if she went away from their special place without Ryan, he would disappear from her life, as hard to hold on to as the memory of a dream when you wake up in the morning.
The river flowed, and she muttered a spell half by instinct that made warming sparks of light flow around her while her birthmark flared up. The cold had a different feel to it, almost unnatural. Darkness took her and she stayed there like she was in a trance, until finally the sun peeked up above the horizon. It was dawn.
She shivered, pulling her eyes from the waters. Ryan hadn’t come. She stood up, turning and walking back to her room, feeling like someone was watching her.
When she arrived, Amy was pulling off her night mask and gave her a cheeky look at the hour that she was returning that turned to concern when she saw the expression on her face. Naya was pale, with deep sadness, and there were no words. Immediately, Amy hugged her with all her strength, and Naya cried with deep, raw pain.
“Don’t cry, Nay. He’ll show up or I’ll make him appear himself. Maybe he went out with the football guys or…”
It wasn’t like him to do something like that. Not when they had promised to meet.
She waited for him to show up, to explain himself, but he didn’t.
To distract her from her thoughts, Amy and Trevor gave her the whole spa day, just the three of them like the first weeks. They were laughing as Amy put avocado masks on their faces. However, every laugh Naya made was a cover up for her internal pain. Soon, it came time to dress up. This was the hardest part. She was dressing up for Ryan, but there had been no sign of him. She was apprehensive about going. If he didn't show up, everything would be horrible.
She imagined going to the ball and him not showing up.
She would be humiliated. Some stupid thought in her brain imagined he had been tricking her the whole time just to set her up for one final heartbreak.
“If you don’t go, we don’t go.” Trevor held hands with Amy, showing their solidarity for her.
“No way! You’ve been dreaming about this for so long—plus all those beauty treatments. You guys are going!” Naya felt hysterical.
“We won’t go without you, Nay. It’s the three of us, or none,” continued Amy, resolute.
“What about Tommy and Kevin? They have feelings too!”
“They’ll understand. They know what you’ve been through, and they’ve been some of the only people who defend you every time someone calls you a ‘two-kind’ or says you should be handed over.” Amy and Trevor reached out and held her hands tight. “We always go together.”
They hugged Naya and she felt cared for, despite what happened with Ryan. What could have caused his sudden change of heart to ghost her?
Whatever. It was his loss—right?
No one seemed to have heard from him, and Naya hoped deep in her heart that this was some kind of strange trick, and that he would appear at the ball with a big smile so she could punch him for making her wait all night for him. Even with her frustration, she knew she’d jump into his arms and kiss him when he finally did show up.
Naya shrugged. “Let’s get ready, then,” she said, and her friends jumped with joy.
She tried to forget about Ryan as they all got dressed up. As Amy promised, she was on makeup duty, pulling out her special pink case with dramatic flair. Naya ran her hands over her dress, feeling her mother’s choice and influence, and when she paired it with her heels it was perfect.
They all looked great, but there was no sign of Ryan. There was a knock at the door—but it was just Trevor. He gushed about how great they looked, but she wished inside it was Ryan, even if he had that guilty, secretive look like he had during the last announcement from Mrs. Belour.
At the ball’s entrance, Naya stared at the door with ornaments all around. It was beautiful. It was like a dream…
And he wasn’t there.
It was cutting her in half that Ryan wasn’t at her side.
“Together,” said Trevor, stretching his hand to her.
“Together,” she said, and held Amy’s hand as well. The three of them walked through the door. It was breathtaking. There were small lights like snowflakes illuminating the hall, and the decorations were whites and blues with cotton clouds. The DJ was a shifter who graduated the year before, who was known as an amazing DJ. It was all perfect—expect that he wasn’t here.
She felt so pathetic
looking around for him. He must have decided at the last minute he didn’t want to see her, right? The three of them danced together, and for a second, everything was normal. She did silly moves, not caring who saw her, when a slow song came on.
A song meant for couples.
She sat down on a chair near the door while her two best friends danced with their partners, and her eyes got wet as the betrayal hit her like a dagger.
The lights flicked off.
The music stopped, and instead, there were screams. She couldn’t breathe. Something rough and ragged was on her mouth, dragging her down. She opened her mouth to scream, but she knew it was helpless as something powerful dragged her. She could feel herself bouncing on a broad shoulder, kicking and fighting, trying to pull her vampiric instincts up and failing.
This was no normal run. It was a sprint that only a shifter could do while in werewolf form…
Or a vampire.
Her fangs extended as she fought against the inhibitor shot, and everything got intense and focused, when she felt a hard prick against her leg as she found the control to use a spell. Too late. She felt dizzy, and she tried to mutter words, her birthmark warming then fading as everything went black.
15
She blinked, her head hurting. Dizzy but regaining control. They are underground, somewhere barely light, and her ankles and wrists ached from the heavy iron chains wrapped around them and pressing her against the wall. There were at least ten other wizards, passed out, fellow students from Arumrose chained up just like her.
She wanted to scream but she didn’t dare bring any attention to herself. She tried to use her powers, muttering spells over and over, but nothing worked.
“It’s useless,” came a cracked, hoarse voice. “Don’t waste your energy, sweetie.”
“Lukas? Professor Lukas? Is that you?” She turned her head. He looked so thin and disoriented. The professor who prided himself so much on his appearance had his hair all askew, his face gaunt. Underneath his eyes were dark bags. He would never let himself look like this.
“What have they done to you?”
“Darling…we’re in their farms.”
She felt the world crumble.
She would never get a chance to see her parents again, or her friends. What would her mom and dad think? Running around the room was a clear pipe that she couldn’t look at for too long or she’d get queasy.
“They know about us. They’ll come for us, professor, I promise,” she said, trying to sound strong.
“Promising that which you cannot give is a bad habit, my special child,” said a male voice, cold and arrogant.
“Who are you? Why did you bring me here?”
“I am Baltus Kulikov, two-kind. You should know that name.” He laughed, but it was a cold, empty laugh. “I gave them time to hand you over. They thought they were safe. Fools. Stupid, stupid fools.”
“They know what you did! They will come for us!” She screamed out her defiance, and he gave her a hard backhand to the face, making her feel dizzy again.
“Shut up, insolent child!” Then he ran his finger against her neck, licking his lips. “I can’t wait to taste your blood…the blood of a marked wizard, a two-kind… With that blood, no one will stop me, not even your little friends from the Academy.” He turned, facing a pale guard. “Start the extraction.”
Vampires funneled in, masks covering their faces, masks that had long pale tubes that ended in needles. Each one stood behind a wizard. Some of the students were coming awake, too late—the needles jabbing into their arms.
The vampires rolled their eyes back as blood was pulled from the hostages to their own bodies. A big vampire slunk behind Naya, and she tried to turn her head to see him, but she couldn’t.
“I’m sorry,” came the whisper in her ear.
Then came the pain. She let out a piercing scream as the needle jabbed into her arm, and suddenly she felt like her blood was boiling in her veins. The blood went to the vampire behind her, and half went into that clear pipe above that was sloshing with blood. Baltus himself ran a long IV to the main pipe, feeding his own blood with the potent mix of every wizard and witch that was held captive.
She felt like her life was being sucked out of her, but that voice saying he was sorry was so familiar. She could feel she was losing too much blood, and her dizzy vision went black again.
She woke up, moaning, and looked down at her arm. There was an ugly mark from the syringe. Those last words she heard…
It was Ryan.
She had been such a fool. All along, he was seeking power, just like before. He had pretended to love her to get information for his master. He was a disgusting, narcissistic creature who had only got worse.
The voice used to bring her joy.
Now, it was again the cause of her greatest agony.
“Sweetie, you’ll get through this. Be strong. Don’t cry. They feed on our fear. They say…they say it makes the blood sweeter. You can do it, it’s only once every two days.” Lukas’s voice was weak, but his spirit was still strong as he did everything he could to console his favorite student.
“It’s Ryan…he’s here. How could he do this? How could he betray me?” She tried to fight back the tears that threatened to course down her cheeks. She didn’t want her blood to taste better.
“He came recently…I’m sorry, dear, but he can’t be trusted. I was shocked to see him too…everyone can be corrupted. Baltus promises power beyond your wildest dreams. It could have swayed any with greed in their heart.”
She clamped her eyes shut, trying not to remember all those precious moments that were false.
“I was such an idiot to think he loved me. He was just using me…getting information for his vampire lords. He used me to find out how much of a powerful witch I was…and then to get to the book.”
Lukas was silent for a moment. “Did he see the book I gave you?”
She looked down, filled with guilt. “We’re in danger,” continued Lukas, hushed.
The book had spells and information about using wizards’ blood to enhance vampires. If it was in the vampires’ hands, they would gain so much power it would shatter Arumrose and there would be a great rift between the school and the government. No wizard or witch would ever be trusted again. They would be viewed as pawns of the vampire lords.
No wonder they tore up Lukas’s office looking for it.
Hours passed—was it day or night? She always felt tired, like she hadn’t slept a wink. People kept waking, looking like they were trapped in a nightmare, and sobbing feebly before they drifted back to sleep in the darkness.
There were always guards. Whatever the vampires had done to stop their magical abilities, they were taking no chances.
Ryan entered the dungeon, this time without a mask to hide his features that used to be handsome and now looked so ugly to Naya’s eyes. His blond hair reflected the scant light of the dungeon and Naya stared at him with hatred.
She felt sick that she had ever felt love for him, when she was just a fool, used by him in his quest for power.
“Traitor!” She screamed it out, but her throat hurt—she hadn’t had water in so long she felt like she was on fire.
“Shut up, worthless witch,” spat out Poly, the second vampire guard. He didn’t even call her a “two-kind,” not even thinking that she was part vampire, as if it was too good for her.
“You’re a monster! How could you do this to me? I hate you!” She cried out in agony, her heart shattered.
Poly rushed her, moving in a blur as only a vampire could. He pulled her head back, ready to slam it against the wall.
Ryan yelled out. “No!”
“Leave her. She’s worthless.” He looked at her, and she felt the contempt in his eyes. “She’s just a girl I played with. I bullied her in high school and wanted to see if I could make her love me, as a joke. When I found out she had the book…I used her.”
“You never changed! You deserve to be alone!” she yelle
d out, tears dripping from her eyes.
He laughed, slow and cold, looking at her without horror. “I’ll watch them. They won’t give me any trouble,” he said to Poly, who left the dungeon.
Ryan stood by, still, watching a blank spot against the wall while Naya screamed until her voice gave out and she collapsed in sleep.
When she woke, he wasn’t there anymore. She never wanted to see his face again—and certainly she didn’t want it to be the last thing she saw before she died.
Something needed to be done.
She needed to get her powers back.
A tall, authoritarian figured entered the room, escorted by two vampire guards.
“Good day, my dear friends,” he said, speaking like a snake, so smooth, so deadly.
“We’re not your friends!” Naya tried to yell, but her broken voice cracked. He turned, looking at her, and his face was filled with hatred as he grabbed her neck.
“Who dares speak to me like this?” He sniffed in, and his yellowed eyes rolled back. “Ohh, my precious two-kind. Your blood made the brew so delicious.”
“I’m not yours! I’m going to kill you,” she gasped out, and stared down the horrifying creature, finding a strength she never thought was there. Betrayed by Ryan, alone without her friends, she pulled every ounce of her own strength up from reserves she didn’t know she had.
He squeezed.
She couldn’t breathe, and she could feel her heart pounding, knowing that her veins must be standing out irresistibly to the deadly vampire lord. His yellow eyes turned red and fangs protruded from his ancient mouth, unable to resist drinking her blood straight from the source—even if it would kill her.
“Leave her alone, Ezequiel!” Lukas screamed from behind her, and his voice strengthened her even though she knew he was chained. “Take me instead!”
He let go, and she fell limp against the chains, and the vampire moved with vampire speed to Lukas, grabbing his neck and clamping down with his teeth.
The Mage-Blood Test: A YA Paranormal Romance (Arumrose Academy Book 1) Page 19
