Lyssa tensed at the physical contact, but she returned the gesture, which was good. After her few comments about her father, I wanted to have a deeper conversation with her, but we needed more time than we currently had, so it’d have to wait, unfortunately.
Gemma, Talon, and Lyssa took one platform to Magic Hall, while the rest of us waited for another to go downstairs.
Peyton was practically shaking with excitement, but Finley was bouncing between being happy to be included and fearing what we were about to see.
My hand wrapped around her elbow. “It’s going to be okay. Whatever we find, none of it is a reflection on you.”
“I’m a vampire. When one of us betrays the greater good, we are all marked as a threat. It’s not fair, but it’s my reality and I’m trying to deal with the fact I might soon be a target.”
My head shook at what she had to deal with, and I felt ashamed to admit I’d been afraid my first year in school to even go into the vampire hall. I’d tried to blame it on my human side, but regardless, I’d passed judgement, believing what I thought I knew instead of fact.
It wasn’t okay.
“We’ve got your back. You have a team behind you now, and no matter what we find or what people learn, we will stand up for you and any vampire who needs it. We won’t let whatever this monster has done divide us.”
She leaned her head against my shoulder as the platform arrived and whispered her thanks. Peyton stole her from me, and I was okay with that. They were closer, just like Gemma and I were, and there was no jealousy between the four of us.
We just had to make sure Lyssa had her place and we didn’t let anyone feel like they didn’t belong, because we were all equally important to our group even though we were polar opposites of each other.
I never would have thought a witch-vampire hybrid, elf, vampire, and wolf shifter were real just a couple years ago. Now, I was the dragon shifter who was friends with them.
When we arrived downstairs, we headed for the exit. It was nearing ten, so a majority of the students were already in their dorms. I had zero worries we’d run into problems on our way out, and I turned out to be right.
“See? That was easy,” I said, poking Enzo in the ribs.
“Yeah. So far, anyway,” he grumbled in reply while watching the barrier for the arrival of the rest of our group.
“What are we going to carry them in?” Peyton asked, and I was suddenly very interested in the answer as well.
“Talon should be grabbing something to respectfully cover them, and then I’ll transport them back to the barrier one at a time. When we’re all back here, we’ll take them straight to the infirmary,” Enzo answered.
By the time I was able to process the fact we’d be carrying dead bodies back into the academy, the rest of our group arrived and distracted me from being consumed by the sadness. There had already been too much death, and the reality was there would likely be much more of it before any of this was over.
“Marek and Jules stayed behind to let the council know and will keep an eye on the perimeter while we’re gone, in case it’s an elaborate trap for us to leave the school unprotected,” Headmaster Stone said when they arrived.
He was wearing his normal robe attire, and he looked very much the leader I knew him to be, but it was his eyes that got to me. The depths continued to be riddled with despair as more and more of those he was charged to protect were harmed or killed.
“Let’s go, then. Everyone, keep your eyes open and no talking. It’s only about a ten-minute walk from here,” Enzo said.
We moved like a team that had been working together for months, not days, each of us silently finding a spot to watch and doing our part to keep everyone safe.
When we arrived at the barn, the door was still open, and Enzo halted us. “I’m not saying you girls can’t come in, but we need to split up. Half of us need to go in and the other needs to stay outside in case whoever was here before has come back.”
“We’ll stick with our same groups we split into earlier. Those with me can spread out around the perimeter,” Talon said, which made me feel better.
I wasn’t keen on watching the headmaster fight a vampire if one had returned. He might have been powerful still, but I wasn’t sure that’d make a difference when someone was coming at him faster than the speed of light.
Enzo agreed and grabbed my hand before giving direction to the others. “We need to clear the bottom half before going to the loft, so we’re not cornered. Peyton and Finley, use your senses to do just that and we’ll go in behind you.”
With Finley’s speed and sense of smell, along with Peyton’s strength and tracking, I wasn’t worried at all about them going in first. That was why we made such a great team. We all had something to bring to the table.
Without hesitation, we all did as assigned, moving in different directions while covering as much as we could in the quickest time possible.
There was a sense of dread hovering over me. I wasn’t ready to see the bodies, and knowing life had been taken in the barn we stood in was beginning to freak me out.
“Someone’s been back. I had been doing scans for dark magic while we were out, and what I’m picking up now was not present before,” Enzo whispered, and I instantly tensed.
“Are they still here?” I asked while connecting with Chelle in case a shift was in my near future.
“Not sure, but Peyton and Finley will let us know soon.”
Another minute later, Finley blurred into appearance before us, hair completely wild from moving so fast. “They were here within the last half-hour, but not anymore. Peyton is trying to track the scent; I think Gemma and Talon followed after her.”
Damn it. We weren’t supposed to be splitting up like this. That’s when bad shit happened.
“Can we go after them?” I asked.
“They’ll be fine. We need to get the headmaster in here and see if the bodies in the loft are the missing students or humans. Unless someone has pointed ears, you can’t tell if they’re supernatural once their dead. There’s no aura or scent to go off like usual, and I don’t recognize them, so we need Alistair to confirm.”
Finley nodded before speeding off to get Lyssa and Headmaster Stone. Enzo began to make his way to the stairs before glancing back. “Honestly, if I didn’t have to move the bodies, I wouldn’t come up here, but I’ll leave the choice to you. If you want to join me, feel free to do so, but we could also use someone to watch for the others coming back.”
The prideful part of me wanted to say I could handle seeing the bodies. It wouldn’t be the first time I had, nor would it be the last, but something about knowing they were innocent people who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time made it harder to fathom.
I wasn’t prideful enough to do something that would scar me for life.
“I’ll wait for the others down here, but if you need me, don’t hesitate to ask.”
He nodded and continued up the ladder. As I was exiting the barn, the others were coming in and Lyssa held the bags to cover the bodies.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Keeping an eye outside in case anyone comes back. Enzo already went up to the loft.”
Finley and Alistair continued on, but Lyssa stayed with me after giving the bags to Finley. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.” I shrugged and kept walking. “What way did they take off?”
Lyssa pointed to the west, away from the school. That was good for everyone else at Shadow Veil, at least. “Are you okay?” she asked, her face creased with concern.
“Of course I am. Why?”
Her hand circled around in the air. “Your aura. It’s changing so much, I can’t really get a read on you.”
How had I forgotten she could read others?
“Just don’t like the thought of pointless deaths, and us being separated isn’t helping. I understand why Peyton took off to follow the trail, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”
&
nbsp; Her mouth opened to respond, but Enzo appeared before us first.
“Two of them were the missing students, but the other two were humans,” he said solemnly.
“So, we still have a chance to save the other students?” I asked.
“Possibly, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. What the killer did up there, it wasn’t humane.”
My skin crawled, and bile rose in my throat, but I held my shit together for the sake of the group. My friends were out there tracking the psycho, and until I knew they were safe again, I needed to remain in control.
We’ll find whoever hurt those children and then let me finish what they started, Chelle sounded in my mind, and I had never agreed with her more.
Chapter 8
Once we were back at Shadow Veil, Enzo, Talon, and Headmaster Stone took the bodies to the infirmary, while the rest of us went to the meeting room where the council wanted to talk about what had happened.
I was hopeful Marek and Jules would be present as well. I hadn’t seen Marek since we first arrived back and Jules only in quick passing. Even though it had been just a couple days, I was missing my family, especially after seeing the bodies wrapped in the sheets.
It reminded me once again just how short life could be.
Gemma stepped next to me and looped her arm through mine. “I can’t believe we didn’t catch the psycho. We had been so close.”
Thirty minutes had passed before Gemma, Talon, and Finley returned to the barn. Our plan had been to wrap the bodies while waiting, and then Enzo would still take them back to the academy, but if the others still hadn’t returned once he had finished, we would go looking for them.
Thankfully, they’d shown up while Enzo was teleporting the last student.
“We’ll get him next time,” I said confidently, even though we had no idea who he was.
Finley swooped in on my other side, while Lyssa and Peyton squeezed in on Gemma’s side.
“Damn right, we will. I don’t need this dirtbag causing problems for my kind,” Finley announced, seeming more self-assured about things than she had been when we chatted earlier.
The five of us walked through the hall together like a force to be reckoned with. We didn’t separate until we reached the platform to take us up to the council meeting room. Once we arrived on the correct floor, we moved back to our united front stance.
I’d had very few friends I could count on while growing up, but glancing around me, I knew I’d finally found my place in this world. I’d found my people.
Entering the already open door, I was surprised to see Phox still around. I thought for sure she’d have been long gone already, but she was standing there talking with Marek like she had nowhere else to be.
Jules came into our line of sight, and I hugged her first. “I’m glad you all are okay,” she said once we pulled apart.
“Of course, we are. Nobody can touch all this awesomeness,” Gemma replied with a smirk while gesturing to the five of us.
Apparently, our girl power was noticeable to more than just me.
“Regardless, there is a murderer out there and we all need to be cautious of where we go and when.” Jules glanced back at Marek and Phox, then addressed me. “You should go see him. He’s asked about you several times.”
Nodding, I smiled at her and told the others to save me a seat before heading toward Marek.
Phox glanced over first and smirked. “I’m surprised you’re not passed out after today.”
“And I thought you’d be gone already. Looks like we’re both disappointed tonight,” I retorted in good fun.
“Touché. I’m leaving now, actually. I just needed to check in and confirm a few things before I took off. Now, that’s done and I’m ready to go. JayLeigh’s waiting for me, so you two have fun.”
Marek grabbed her arm and lowered his gaze on the dragon seer. “Be safe,” he warned.
She nodded curtly and disappeared.
“Why does she need to be safe?” Last I’d heard, things were okay in Drakken. If they weren’t, then it was something he should have shared a hell of a lot sooner.
“No reason in particular. Sometimes we all need the reminder, though, especially with all that’s going on around us. Don’t you agree?”
He had a point, but I still felt like I was missing something. Maybe it had more to do with what Phox saw and not what may have happened. I tried not to stress about it since we had more pressing matters to discuss at the moment.
Marek reached a hand out to gently grasp my elbow. “How are you? Did you enjoy New Orleans? We didn’t get to talk much the night you got back.”
A sigh escaped me at the reminder of New Orleans. “It was the best. I wish we hadn’t had to leave. It was nice being normal for just a little while, if you know what I mean.”
He smiled lovingly at me. “I’m glad. I promise you’ll make it back there again and hopefully to Drakken under better circumstances as well.”
“How are things over there? Your proxy taking good care of the people?” I asked, because if things were falling apart there, he needed to go. We couldn’t have both worlds going to shit at the same time.
“Things are fine. Ethaniel is doing a fine job in my place. He’ll officially become my second-in-command once I’m back, since the position is now open.”
That reminded me about their prisoner. “Is Onyx still breathing, or did he get the punishment he deserved?”
Onyx’s betrayal to his king had cost more than one dragon their life and allowed Malina to enter a world she never even should have known existed. Hopefully, his followers had been dealt with as well, but only time would tell for sure.
“His sentencing is postponed until I’m back. While Ethaniel can handle many matters in my absence, this is not one of them,” Marek said wistfully.
“Do you miss them? I don’t want you to stay here if you’re not doing okay.”
“There’s no doubt I miss my people, but for them, I haven’t been gone all that long. A couple weeks, really. It will be fine. I’ll go back as soon as I know you’re safe.”
The fatherly stare he bore into me chipped away at my heart. Not that I had intentionally kept him at bay; it was just odd to think of him as my dad. I had already had a father, an incredible one at that. I never wanted to replace the one I’d grown up with, but I also didn’t want to miss out on getting to know the man whose blood flowed through my veins.
It was a fine line to walk, but I was slowly figuring it out.
Headmaster Stone walked in then with Enzo and Talon right behind him. With their arrival, I knew it was time to take my seat, so to help bridge the gap between me and Marek, I gave him an awkward half-hug with one arm and said we’d talk soon before I went to sit with Enzo next to our friends.
Gemma had saved me a seat as previously promised, and Enzo took the one next to me. The room quieted soon after, and the meeting began.
Headmaster Stone stood to address us. “As you all have heard, we had four students miss all of their classes today. All four of them ran in different circles of friends, but all of them were first-year students. Two of them were found tonight, brutally murdered by a vampire.”
Apparently, not everyone was completely caught up to speed, because Fiona gasped, and when my eyes landed on her face, she was fighting back tears.
“Alongside the bodies of the students were two human ones. We do not know where they were from or how they were taken, but we will use some of our outside resources to make sure they end up where they need to tomorrow. Their families deserve closure.”
“What about our students? What about the families of those confirmed dead and those still missing?” Alexander asked.
“I am personally taking responsibility for notifying the families. Their children were under my care, and I will take responsibility for what’s happened,” the headmaster said solemnly.
“Nobody blames you, Alistair,” I spoke confidently as a thought began to form in my mind that should have been th
ere a lot sooner. “Whoever did this is probably associated with Malina. She’s run out of resources and is likely trying to cause a diversion in order to prevent her from being attacked first.”
Marek nodded, but not many others seemed to agree with where my thoughts were headed.
“How could we not believe this was connected?” I continued. “Malina had the upper hand. She almost won, yet she hasn’t shown her face since she ultimately failed. We took away her dragon connections, killed her righthand man, and captured many of those she’d recruited to fight for her.”
Bennett spoke next. “Raegan may have a point. We were just saying in our last meeting how it makes no sense Malina hasn’t been back since May. She’s had three full months to plan her next move. This could be it, and she’s hitting us where it will hurt most. If we continue to lose students, we won’t have an academy to protect any longer.”
“So, what are you suggesting? That we close the school in order to keep everyone safe until she’s found? This institution hasn’t been closed in over a century. I can’t imagine sending all of these students home when they’ve only just gotten here,” Headmaster Stone said as his shoulders began to droop in defeat.
Fiona stood next. “We don’t need to send them home, but I think we need to finally open up to them and be more transparent. They should have the choice and know the risks if we really think this could be Malina.”
I groaned. How could there be any doubt this was Malina’s doing? There wasn’t an ounce of uncertainty within me. Once the thought formed, everything else began to make sense.
“Easy, Rae,” Enzo whispered in my ear, and I realized scales had appeared on my arm. Thankfully, I was pretty sure he was the only one who saw as I began to calm down.
Are you okay? I asked Chelle. The scales had been all her doing.
Harming our future is the most despicable act Malina could have done. I should have connected it sooner, she replied, frustration filling her voice.
Don’t blame yourself. Just focus on a way to stop her and help me convince everyone else it’s the right lead to follow. Something tells me not everyone around this table is as certain as I am.
Daring Provocation (Shadow Veil Academy Book 3) Page 6
