by M Guida
Students had cleared the halls and returned to their classes, including Professor Griffith. Only Anton remained. He staggered as he moved, and looked like he was about to fall over.
“I’m all right, girls. I just need to get back to my quarters.” We both rushed over to him and each of us grabbed an arm, but like Rusty, he didn’t pull away. He was shaking. Cadye and I glanced at each other nervously.
I wasn’t sure if it was fear or something else. He was such an ancient and fierce vampire. What was going on? What could make a vampire this sick?
Cadye and I helped him down the stairs and out into the courtyard. At least he could walk. Poor Rusty was still dragging his feet as Gunnar and Armond helped him toward Pack Tower.
Anton’s quarters were closer and we helped him inside. He collapsed into one of his Queen Anne chairs.
Concern came over me. “Headmaster, can I get you something? You don’t look at all well.”
“In the kitchen, there’s some tea Dr. Greenwood has been giving me to help with my ailment.” He rested his elbow on the armchair and held his forehead. “If you could brew some for me, I’d be most appreciative.”
“Sure. Cadye, stay with him, will you?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
Anton’s kitchen was cluttered with stained tea cups in the sink and had a strange odor. It was as if this tea was the only thing he was surviving on. Brown and red tea leaves were in a baggie on the counter. I found a kettle and filled it with water, then put it on the gas stove burner. Anton didn’t have a microwave. His European background meant that he considered putting a teabag into a cup of water and heating it in the microwave a mortal sin.
Maybe he needed more than tea. Blood? I opened his refrigerator. Inside, it looked like any other refrigerator with milk, eggs, cheese, fruit, and vegetables…except for the blood bags. Hunger like I’d never experienced consumed me as I stared at them.
No, dragon.
I pulled out one of the dark red bags, opened the top and squeezed a little into a cup. Some droplets fell on my finger, and before I knew what I was doing, I was licking them off. The minute I tasted the blood, I moaned with delight. It was delicious. I wanted so much more.
Damn, dragon.
“Ebony, are you almost done in there? Anton’s not looking too good.” Cadye called from the other room.
The kettle sang and steam puffed out. I immediately put the bag of blood back into the refrigerator, cursing myself for giving into my damn dragon’s craving. I put some tea leaves in a stainless steel mesh ball, but not before I tucked a brown and red leaf into my bra. I wanted to find out what the hell was in this tea.
“Here we are,” I said brightly, as I brought the cup into the living room.
Anton looked like he was having a hard time keeping his head up.
“He really doesn’t look good,” Cadye said. “I think we need to get Armond over here.”
“Go get him. I’ll stay here.”
“I’ll be right back.” She disappeared out the door.
I gently put my palm on Anton’s back that was drenched with sweat. “Here, you are, Headmaster. Please, drink.”
His eyes fluttered open and he clasped the cup with his shaking hands. He took small sips at first, then drained the cup as if he was starving to death.
“More,” he mumbled.
“More tea?”
He shook his head. “Blood. I need blood.”
I rushed back into the kitchen and snagged a bag out of the refrigerator.
Just as I was giving it to him, the door opened behind me and I turned around smiling, expecting to see Armond and Cadye. Then fear froze my smile.
Dr. Greenwood closed the distance between us and ripped the bag out of my hand. “He can’t have this, do you understand? It makes him sick. He can’t drink cold blood.”
He grabbed my arm and dug his fingernails into my flesh so hard that he punctured the skin. Pain gripped me.
“Ow, you’re hurting me. Let go.”
“You will not interfere with me and my patients.” He dragged me across the living room and tossed me out. “Now, get out.”
He slammed the door in my face. Blood dripped down my throbbing arm. He definitely wasn’t a doctor, but what the hell was he?
Chapter 21
I stepped away from Anton’s door, holding my bleeding arm. Sharp stings pulsed through me as if I had stuck my arm into a wasps’ nest. My stomach turned woozy and I felt faint. I needed to sit down—but not on these steps. I needed to get out of the sun.
I weaved over to a bench that was overhung by aspens and pines overlooking a small rose garden filled with red, yellow and white blooms. It was a romantic little cove but more importantly, it was shaded. I sat, too tired to go any further, trying to figure out what to do. The usually-crowded courtyard was empty; lunch was over and students had gone to their last class. Normally, I’d go to the doctor or Anton about my arm, but both those options were off limits now. Hopefully, classes would end soon, and either Armond or Gunnar would come by.
Even though I was shaded, beads of sweat broke out across my forehead and I struggled to breathe. I rested my eyes just for a minute. I thought about heading to my room or cafeteria, but both seemed so far away.
“Ebony.” Someone rested their hand on my shoulder gently. “Are you okay?”
I recognized the masculine voice. It was someone I cared about, but I couldn’t place it.
I opened my eyes to look into a beautiful sea of blue. He put his palm on my forehead. “You’re burning up.”
I was panting so hard I could barely get the words out. “The sun…it’s hot.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not the sun. What happened to your arm? You’re bleeding.”
I tried to remember but my mind was all jumbled. “Dr. Greenwood—”
“Say no more.” He gently put his palm on my arm. Something pulled inside me and my woozy stomach settled. Warmth blanketed the stinging sensations, calming them, and I could breathe again.
My vision focused and my mind cleared. I realized it was Gunnar sitting next to me on the bench, stroking my arm. “You…you healed me again.”
He kissed my wrist. “Always.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “Greenwood’s nails. They were poisonous, weren’t they?”
He ran the tips of fingers lightly over my back. “I’m afraid so, but Greenwood gave himself away by using them on you.”
I lifted my head. “What do you mean?”
“Greenwood’s not a doppelgänger. Doppelgängers mimic the powers of the person they are imitating. They don’t develop new powers.”
“And Greenwood doesn’t have poisonous nails, you’re right. What do you think Greenwood is, then?”
“An Unseelie, perhaps. Or if he’s a Dark Demon, well, there’s only one of those that can shape shift. And the same one Hades hates the most.”
I shivered and edged closer to the comforting warmth of Gunnar’s body. “Ari.” I lowered my voice, afraid Greenwood was skulking around the little clearing. Ari was one of the most terrifying Dark Demons to me. He might not throw fireballs like Faas, but he could shape shift and he practiced dark magic—spells he had learned from the Unseelie.
Gunnar suddenly lifted me into his arms.
I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “What are you doing?”
He kissed my forehead gently. “Taking you to your room.”
I looked up at his determined face. “But you can’t go in there.”
“No? Watch me.” He spread out his wings and flew into the sky, cradling me protectively against him.
I was too tired to object further and liked being sheltered in his arms. My eyes fluttered shut, and I slept.
When I opened them again, I was in my bedroom with a blanket tucked around me. The light had darkened. A bandage was wrapped neatly around my wounds, but I was disappointed to see that Gunnar was gone.
As usual, Victoria wa
sn’t here. My stomach growled and no matter how much I wanted to stay snuggled in bed, it wouldn’t let up and emitted another loud protest, demanding I make my way to the cafeteria. I didn’t feel like wearing my uniform and changed into a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. The brown and red tea leaves I had taken from Anton’s kitchen and put in my bra tumbled out. I carefully wrapped them in a tissue and put them in my desk drawer so I could examine them later. Right now, food was my highest priority. I pulled my hair into a ponytail. My arm was sore but not sore enough not to hinder my movement.
Luckily, the cafeteria was always open. I just hoped I didn’t run into Dr. Greenwood or Anton. If only I could shift into my dragon, I wouldn’t feel so vulnerable.
Some students sat at the picnic tables but they were mostly older students in Evan’s and Rusty’s class, and I didn’t know any of them.
The cafeteria was pretty much empty, including the Royal Table. Tonight was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cherry pie for dessert. My mouth watered at the smells. The dragon inside me was demanding rare chicken again, but I ignored the craving and took what the cook gave me.
“Kinda of late getting here, aren’t you dearie?”
“Yeah, I took a nap after class and I guess I overslept.”
“Well, we still have plenty, but we ran out of corn on the cob.” She handed me a plate with a chicken leg and a thigh, mashed potatoes and gray, green beans, and a cherry pie à la mode.
“Thank you.” Instead of sitting where Rusty always insisted I should, I took a seat at the Royal Table. No one else was there so I didn’t think it would be a problem. Unfortunately, right then the door opened and Rusty walked inside with Evan.
He looked better but his color was still a little too pale, and as soon as he saw me a deep scowl spread across his face.
“Why are you sitting there? You know you’re not allowed to sit at the Royal Table.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Says who? You?”
“No.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Your dad—the Golden Phoenix.”
“Well, he’s not around, and I’m the only one sitting here.”
“You don’t want Gunnar to get into trouble, do you?” Evan asked softly.
I looked between them. Two against one. No fair, but Evan had a point and it spurred me to move. The last thing I wanted was for my dad’s wrath to come down on Gunnar for something as stupid as me sitting at the Royal Table. I reluctantly moved to my usual spot and waited for my keepers to return.
Rusty sat down and I swear he must have cleaned out the kitchen with a breast, wing, leg, and a thigh, a mountain of mashed potatoes and gravy, and a huge piece of cherry pie loaded with whipped cream.
I cocked my eyebrow. “Hungry much?”
“Shut up. I feel like that damn little dragon sucked out everything I had eaten for the last week. I’m starving.”
I dipped my fork into my mashed potatoes swimming in gravy. “He also saved your life, dude.”
“I know, I know, everyone keeps reminding me. Don’t you start rubbing it in too.” He picked up his chicken breast and sank his teeth into it.
Evan only had a glass of soda. I frowned. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I already did. Sleeping Beauty here was too busy catching some zzz’s earlier and I was starving.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rusty grumbled.
I finished off my potatoes. “Rusty, did you ever find that spell book?”
Rusty finished off the breast and grabbed the chicken thigh. “I was kinda busy almost dying, Sherlock. I wasn’t hunting for it. Why are you so interested in it, anyway?”
I looked over my shoulder and then leaned closer. “Since hardly anyone’s in here, I’ll tell you. I found some of the leaves in Anton’s kitchen that Dr. Greenwood had been giving him for his tea. I want to see what they are. We need to know what leaves he’s using so we can figure out the spell. But unfortunately, you’ve lost the spell book.”
Rusty stiffened. “I didn’t lose it. It’s missing.”
Evan laughed. “So, the spell book just wandered off by itself? Oh, I know—maybe it flew.”
“Shut up. Maybe you took it.”
Evan’s eyes widened and put his palm on his chest. “Why would I take it?”
“I don’t know. Because you’re an asshole.”
I cleared my throat, hoping to break up their spat. “After dinner, I thought I’d go to the library to get another spell book.”
Rusty groaned. “The last thing I want to do is go to the library. I just want to crawl into bed after all this.”
I pushed my cleaned plate away. “I can go to the library by myself. I don’t need a chaperone.”
He looked at me suspiciously through hooded eyes. “You're not planning to have another secret rendezvous with Pretty Boy, are you?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. I’m just going to go and check out a spell book and go back to my room.” I moved my hands toward the table. “That’s it, Rusty. No secret rendezvous.”
“We’ll go when I’m finished.”
My mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
I looked to Evan for support, but he just shrugged, gave me an I’m-staying-out-of-this look, and went back to get another drink. Rusty ignored me and paid attention to his plate—and boy, did he take his sweet time with it. Anger surged through me and my horns grew. I had to count to five hundred forward and backward six times before he finished. I was ready to strangle him.
When we were finally walking to the library, I wouldn’t even look at those two, I was so pissed. If my horns had grown any longer, I’d have turned into a bull and charged them.
The dark-haired librarian, Professor Hobbs, sat behind a desk, wearing a black robe embroidered with red roses. She smiled at me. “Hello, you three. What can I do for you?” She laughed. “Don’t tell me you want more books."
“Yeah, Ebony’s a speed reader," Rusty grumbled.
He was so pushing it. I focused on Professor Hobbs. “Actually, I wanted some more books on spells that use natural ingredients, please.”
Professor Hobbs frowned. “That’s so funny you should ask for that.”
“What? Why?”
“I’m sorry, but they are all gone. Someone took them from the library without checking them out.”
Rusty put his palms on the desk and frowned. “When did this happen?”
Professor Hobbs looked through a ledger. “Come to think of it…” She looked up. “…right after you two checked out yours. Naturally, I’ve put a search out, but nothing has turned up.”
Evan, Rusty, and I looked at each other uneasily. This was off the charts weird.
“But tomorrow you could check with some of your professors. They may have some books you can borrow.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Professor Hobbs. I’ll do that.”
After we got outside, I looked at both of them. “Don’t you think that’s strange that this all happened right after we had our meeting in the library?”
Rusty motioned between him and Evan. “That’s great, girl. You’re fucking blaming one of us now?”
“No, of course not. But something isn’t right.”
Rusty grabbed my arm. “Come on. We’ll walk you back to your dorm.”
Up in my room, Victoria was back and sat on her bed, studying, but she didn’t even look up when I walked in. Weariness and disappointment overwhelmed me and I didn’t want to study. I quickly got ready for bed and crawled underneath the covers, turning my back to Victoria.
I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep…
Gradually I realized I was tossing and turning, unable to open my eyes or lift my limbs, and smelling something light, fresh and floral. My mind couldn’t place the scent at first but when I inhaled again—yes, my brain registered it—Lavender. I also got a whiff of Winter Sumac, a white flower from the Starlight Kingdom—
Crap, it was the Stuulis Mixendo spell.
Someone was using it on me, and unlike Professor Griffith had
claimed, it was neither calming nor soothing. Far from it.
Fear snaked over my skin and then seeped down into my blood and bones, chilling them to the marrow. My eyelids felt like they were glued shut and my arms and legs felt like they were pinned to my bed. Beads of sweat drenched my body making my pajamas and the covers stick to my hot skin.
Clomp Clomp Clomp
But my ears were still working perfectly. Soft footsteps moved around my bed, far too heavy to be Victoria’s.
SHFFF SHFFF SHFFF
I couldn’t be completely sure but it sounded like someone was opening and closing my dresser and desk drawers, riffling through my clothes, my papers. I could hear their breathing. No, not breathing—more like a hiss.
I wanted to open my mouth to scream but my lips were stuck shut and refused to move. All I could do was tremble beneath my covers.
Clomp Clomp Clomp
The footsteps stopped right next to my bed. Someone was watching me, hovering over me. I could feel their breath on my hot face. My heart thundered louder and louder even as my breathing became shallower and shallower.
Please, Gunnar. Hear me. I need you.
Chapter 22
CREAAK CREAKK
Whatever it was, it was opening either my closet or bedroom door, I couldn’t tell which. The footsteps shuffled around on the hardwood floors.
CREEEEEK CREEEEK
Again, it sounded like a door again opening and shutting, but I wasn’t quite sure.
Then silence.
That was worse than anything. I didn’t know if it was watching me, debating what to do with me, planning on killing me in my helpless state, or what.
Gunnar, help me.
My pleas were pointless. Gunnar couldn’t read minds. Although, sometimes I had heard of fated mates having a certain special mental connection. Sometimes I thought Lucien and Raven did, but Gunnar and I hadn’t mated. We’d only kissed.
I strained to listen to the hissing or the footsteps, but I couldn’t hear anything above my thundering heart.
Swoosh Swoosh Plop
Something sounded like it landed on the floor. More soft footsteps padded around. A heavy weight sank onto my bed and something carefully and gently crawled up my frozen body. Something soft nuzzled my neck like a warm furry blanket then the something wet licked my cheek. Something clicked inside me and the evil spell was broken.
