by M Guida
“No. But you’re right about what one thing. I’ve got to get my dad to listen to me. He may be our only hope.”
“Fat chance.” His defeated voice failed to douse my determination.
We headed toward Anton's and I prayed that Dr. Greenwood hadn’t managed to finagle an invitation after all.
Armond, Cadye, Darius, Evan, and Kyle stood outside Anton’s tower looking defeated and miserable.
“We tried to join the meeting, but Anton wouldn’t let us in,” Armond said. “Gunnar’s already inside, though.”
“Crap,” Kyle said. “I don’t think it looks good.”
Evan clasped his brother’s shoulder. “I agree. Watch your step.”
That was the understatement of the century.
“Be careful.” Cadye gave me a quick hug and I held her tight.
“We will.” I released her and took a deep breath.
When we got to Anton’s, my heart sank like a stone. Greenwood was sitting in one of the Queen Anne red chairs with a Cheshire cat grin on his face. I wanted to scratch his eyes out. I had the Armageddon sword sheath against my hip and I brushed my hand over the hilt, itching to use it.
Dad and Anton were seated in the other two chairs. Montae stood with his legs braced apart, looking ready for anything. Gunnar sat on the couch facing them. Rusty was immediately next to him, forcing me to sit on the other side.
I wished Armond and the others were here, but no matter what happened. I knew The Sentinels would have Rusty’s, Gunnar’s and my backs.
Dad drummed his fingers on the armrest of the chair. “All right. Now, that we are all here, I want to know what the hell is going on.”
Dr. Greenwood sighed. “I’m afraid, Vincent, that your daughter and her friends have been interfering in my infirmary and preventing me from healing my patients.”
Okay, if he was going to throw us under the bus, I could play that game too. “Dad, kids are getting sick. Do you remember how bad I was when I was in there? I almost died. If Gunnar hadn’t healed me, I would have.”
Dr. Greenwood flicked his hand. “Nonsense, my healing potion would have worked. Gunnar ‘healing’ her may have prevented her from shifting into a dragon.”
Dad jerked his head. “Anton, is that possible?”
Anton turned pale and beads of sweat broke out across his forehead. “I…I…I don’t know.”
“Look at Headmaster Anton, Dad. He’s not acting like himself.”
“You’re being ludicrous,” Dr. Greenwood said. “Female hysteria, nothing more.”
Dad studied Anton. I thought he would immediately grill me on this, asking for proof. Instead, he turned to Montae. “Have you noticed anything amiss?”
“I’m afraid my reconnaissance outside Legacy has taken up much of my time, sir. The Defenders and I have been preventing any Dark Demons or Unseelie from entering the grounds.”
Dr. Greenwood sat taller in his chair. “I wasn’t informed of this so-called reconnaissance.” He cast Anton an accusatory look.
“I didn’t know about it, either,” Anton mumbled.
Dr. Greenwood cleared his throat. “Have you found, or had news of, Aibell’s medallions?”
Montae sighed heavily. “No. The trail has run cold. And we have no more leads.”
“That’s too bad," Dr. Greenwood said, but I swear he was hiding a smirk.
Dad cocked his eyebrow. “Montae, go check out the infirmary. And see Ashton is.”
Dr. Greenwood jumped out of his chair. “Why? He has no business going in there.”
Dad leaned back in his chair. “Do you have something to hide, Greenwood?” The laziness in his voice couldn’t sugar coat the threat.
Dr. Greenwood straightened his robe. “No, of course not.”
“Well, that’s all right, then, isn’t it? Oh, and Montae, I’m sure Armond is lurking around close by outside. Take him with you.”
“Armond can’t heal black magic,” Gunnar said quietly. “Only Hades and I can.”
Dr. Greenwood’s face turned pale. “That isn’t necessary.”
But Dad ignored him and looked at Gunnar. “You need to stay here at this meeting, but you may send the little dragon.”
Gunnar unbuttoned his shirt and yanked it open. I couldn't help but admire those six pack abs and even with my father right in the room I wanted to run my fingers over them again.
“Hades, come forth.”
Hades peeled off his chest and landed on the floor with an intriguing look at his master. Dr. Greenwood hid behind Anton as if he were afraid and I couldn’t help but smile.
Dad grinned. “It’s good to see you, little one.”
Hades twitched his tail and nuzzled my dad’s leg. Dad scratched his ear affectionately. Why could he be kind to Hades but not to Gunnar?
“Now, boy, go with Montae and Dr. Greenwood.”
Hades pulled back his upper lip at the mention of Greenwood.
Dr. Greenwood pointed. “I don’t want that thing in my lab.”
Dad stopped petting Hades and narrowed his eyes. “You don’t have a say in it, Greenwood."
My eyes widened. Was I imagining it, or did Dad actually suspect Greenwood? I wanted to ask him, but not in front of Anton.
After the three of them left, Dad turned his attention to me. “Now, I want to know what part of me telling you not to date Gunnar you did not understand?”
“Dad—“
“Don’t ‘Dad’ me, Ebony. I was very clear. I was abundantly clear. And I was clear to you, too, Gunnar. From what Anton has told me, you two have been meeting in secret. Don’t try and deny it.” His cold tone killed all my hope of him ever seeing Gunnar as anything but the enemy.
I braced my shoulders. “You can’t tell me who to choose, Dad. Gunnar isn’t Ryker.”
Anger flared in his eyes. “Let me make this clear once more to everyone here. Any more sneaking around and I will have Gunnar locked up in the Hollows.”
My heart nearly broke. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” He held up a single finger. “One more secret meeting and Gunnar has a one-way ticket to the Hollows. My daughter will not mate with a Dark Demon.”
Gunnar hung his head.
“And as for you, Rusty…if you can’t to do the job I asked you to do, then I’ll find someone else. Do I make myself clear?”
Rusty nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Dad, this can’t be happening. Dating me should not be a crime.”
Anton, Rusty, and Gunnar were strangely silent. I felt like I had just been dropped down a dark deep well, spinning out of control toward the bottom.
Chapter 24
I glared at my Dad. I was so pissed, I felt like my horns would stay out permanently. He was being grossly unfairly. No one would stand up to him because he was the Golden Phoenix—not Rusty, not Gunnar, not even Anton. I was so screwed.
The door opened and Hades flew in. He immediately put his head on my thigh, as if he knew something was wrong. Montae came inside with Ashton, who was so weak he could barely stand.
“What happened?” Dad stood and ran over to help Montae carry Ashton in.
Dr. Greenwood rushed in behind them. “He took a turn for the worse while I was gone. I knew I shouldn’t have left him to come to this meeting.”
I glared. Blaming everyone but himself, as usual.
Rusty, Gunnar, and I got off the couch, so Ashton could lie down.
Dad pushed Ashton’s sleek hair away from his eyes. “Montae, what happened?”
“It wasn’t good, Vincent. He barely had a pulse when we got there. Armond couldn’t heal him, and Hades wouldn’t let Dr. Greenwood near Ashton.”
Dad’s eyes filled with rage.
Ignoring him, I knelt and petted Hades’ mane. “Good boy.”
Dr. Greenwood looked down at Ashton, but I couldn’t see one glimmer of compassion in his eyes. “I would have been able to save the boy.”
Montae gave him a harsh glare and threw out his arm. “What
are you talking about? The Prince was getting steadily worse on your watch. If it wasn’t for Hades sucking all that disgusting black junk out of him, the poor kid would have died, and then we would have a real mess on our hands.”
Gunnar edged closer to Ashton. “Was it dead dark demon blood?”
“I don’t know,” Montae said. “But it stunk to high heaven. I’ve never understood how Hades can consume that stuff.”
Gunnar was staring at Dr. Greenwood, who looked less than happy. “Hades feeds on evil, especially anything from the Dark Demons or the Unseelie. Once consumed, the evil is destroyed.”
I looked worriedly at Anton. He just sat in his chair like a bump on a log and didn’t react, staring off into space.
Dad glanced over his shoulder. “Anton?”
Anton blinked. “Yes?”
Dad studied him. “Are you all right?”
Anton rubbed his brow. “Of course I am. Shouldn’t the boy go back to the infirmary?” His tone was fuzzy and confused. Vague.
Rusty, Gunnar, and I all looked at each other in alarm. He was far from all right. It was as if he were locked in a trance that he couldn’t get out of. This wasn’t the Anton we all knew and loved, not in a million years.
Dr. Greenwood flashed a sinister smile that chilled my blood. “Yes, I think that’s best.”
Ashton’s eyes fluttered. “No, I don’t want to go back there. Please.” I could detect panic and fear in his voice.
Something had happened in the infirmary, something bad.
Dad took Ashton’s his hand and squeezed. “You won’t. I promise. Montae and Rusty will take you to your room.” He looked at Anton, Gunnar, and Dr. Greenwood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk with my daughter alone.”
That was the last thing I wanted, but I squared my shoulders and followed him down the hallway to my temporary room in Anton’s quarters. He opened the door and I brushed past him, not looking forward to the tongue lashing I was about to receive.
He sat in the chair next to my bed and motioned for me to sit. I took a deep breath, trying to fill up my starved lungs, and sat across from him. He just kept looking at me very seriously.
Finally, I couldn’t take the suspense anymore. “What? What is it? Are you planning to bring me home with you?” I blurted out.
“No, I want to know what exactly has been going on. Tell me everything.”
I folded my arms. “Are you going to believe me?”
He leaned back in his chair. “Just tell me.”
I repeated what I had said earlier about the sick students, and told him about Nora’s strange, cursed crossbow that we thought was meant for me. Lastly, I mentioned our suspicions regarding Anton and Dr. Greenwood.
He didn’t make a comment, just sat quietly for a minute. Then he asked carefully, “Why do you think you haven’t been able to shift?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t have anything to do with Gunnar. I’m sure of it.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But the only way we will know for sure is if you stay away from him. If you do, and you still can’t shift, then we’ll know it’s not him. Ryker and Cormac are on the move, Ebony. Gunnar’s sister Kara is in the thick of things. Are you sure Gunnar’s not in league again with his father, or his sister?”
I narrowed my eyes. “How can you even think that? Armond healed Gunnar. He’s not evil.”
Dad gave me his famous you’re-not-listening glare. “Blood is thicker than water, Ebony. I believe Gunnar will do anything to save his sister, even betray all of us.”
I wanted to scream, but somehow managed to keep my tone at an even check. “He’s never mentioned a word to me about wanting to save Kara. What makes you think this?”
“Because of the things we’ve heard from the Unseelie and the Dark Demons we’ve captured and locked up in the Hollows. They roll over on each other to save their own skins like you wouldn’t believe. However, they did shed a little light on Aibell’s medallions.”
My eyes widened. “Really? What?”
Dad glanced at the door and then lowered his voice to almost a whisper. “The missing medallions are really stones, and they are not just dragon stones. Each stone represents one of the supernatural bloodlines. We don’t know all the names of the stones except for the one that Gunnar and his sister share.”
I frowned. “Share?”
“Yes, we have learned that Gunnar’s mother split the Midnight Stone in half to keep the Dark Demons from getting all of its power. She gave one half to Kara and the other to Gunnar.”
A chill ran down my spine. “So, is Gunnar in danger?”
“I don’t believe the Unseelie and Dark Demons know this…Not yet.”
“How did you find this out?”
“I can’t tell you. It could put your life and Gunnar’s life in danger.”
I folded my arms. “It’s always secrets with you.”
He grinned. “True. I can tell you that two of our Defenders have a lead on the wolf stone. But the other stones…damn, it’s so frustrating. It’s a race between us and our enemies to find them.”
He got up and sat next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders tenderly. “I love you, Ebony. Just like I do Raven and your mom. I couldn’t bear to have anything happen to you. Montae will stop searching beyond Legacy for the stones and will return here.”
I rolled my eyes. “To spy on me?”
“No, to protect you, and everyone here. If it’s any consolation to you, I do believe there is something very, very wrong with Anton. He’s not himself at all and I need to find out what’s going on. I need someone to watch him.”
I looked up at him. “You want me to stay here and spy on him?”
He gently turned my shoulders, making me look at him. “Yes, but if it gets too dangerous, go to Montae. Can you do that? Will you promise me?”
I held up a finger. “On one condition.”
He dropped his arm and scrubbed his face with his palms. “If this has anything to do with Gunnar—“
“Yes, it does. You can’t just assume he’s evil like his father, or even his sister. How do you know those Unseelie or Dark Demons are telling the truth?”
He got up and walked over to the door. “I’ve given you my answer, Ebony. Stay away from Gunnar. Your infatuation with him is blinding you to the truth.”
I lifted my chin. “As your hatred for Ryker is blinding you.”
Without a word, he left me sitting on the bed. I wanted to scream, not sure what to do. How could I possibly stay away from Gunnar? He was all I ever thought about. I slammed back onto the mattress. Tears slid down my face and I grabbed a pillow, burying my cries. Dad had just torn my heart in two.
Sleep finally overcame me and I feel into a restless dream…
I was walking down a stairwell into a dark, cold corridor where torches flickered, casting shadows on the stone wall. Fear seized my beating heart and I could scarcely breathe.
Someone called out to me from behind a steel door.
“Find us, before it’s too late. He’s looking for Aibell’s Blood Stone, the vampire stone. Be careful. He’s desperate.”
Suddenly, I awoke. I was back in my dark room and my trunks were stacked against one wall. I couldn’t shake the dream. It had been so real. Was one of Aibell’s stones really here at Legacy? And was it the vampire stone? I remembered that Phoebe said Dr. Greenwood had said he was searching for something, but why would the vampire stone be hidden here at the school?
I needed to call another meeting of The Sentinels. I didn’t care what my dad said, Gunnar was a Sentinel whether he liked it or not. My stomach growled and I realized I hadn’t eaten dinner. I quickly brushed my hair and got ready to go to the cafeteria.
When I walked into Anton’s living room, Dad and Anton were sitting on the couch. Anton didn’t even look at me. He just sat there, staring straight ahead. The vacant look in his eyes made me break out in goosebumps.
Dad smiled at me, as if everything was no
rmal. “Did you have a nice nap?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I didn’t want to tell him about my dream, especially with Anton sitting there. This was so frustrating because when Raven was here, she had been able to tell Anton everything.
My stomach let a loud growl and my cheeks turned hot.
Dad chuckled. “Hungry?”
“Yeah.” I headed for the front door. “I’ll grab something at the cafeteria.” I was hoping I could tell The Sentinels about the stones.
“No, we’ve sent your dinner here. We’ve kept it warm for you.”
I stopped right before my hand grabbed the doorknob. I really was stuck in a prison. A beautiful, luxurious prison to be sure, but a prison no less.
I reluctantly followed Dad into the kitchen to get my plate. Right away, I noticed that the strange leaves and tea were gone. I didn’t know if Dad got rid of it all or if Dr. Greenwood had.
Dad got some hot pads and pulled my plate out of the oven and my mouth watered—prime rib, asparagus, and a big baked potato with cheese and bacon. My favorite.
He put it on the counter and I pulled up a stool. Prime rib wasn’t an option in the student cafeteria. He got out sour cream and horseradish sauce and a half an iceberg lettuce dripping with blue cheese dressing and bacon bits. I had just gone to Heaven.
He sat next to me. “Dig in before it gets cold.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I sliced into my medium prime rib and popped it into my mouth. I tasted the blood, and it was divine. Strange, I had prime rib a hundred times and had never concentrated on the blood.
Dad gave me a big grin. “Good, huh?”
“Yes, it’s delicious. Thank you”
I totally concentrated on the meat before I went for the other dishes. Luckily, Dad didn’t seem to notice, because he was too busy talking about the goings on at Havenwood. I was only half listening until he mentioned my mom.
“Where is she?”
“She’s helping out with the Defenders, just like me. I’m supposed to rendezvous with her tomorrow night.”
Mom was the only one who could get Dad to change his mind. “Dad, if I wrote her a letter, would you give it to her? I really miss her.”
