“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sacha.” I turned around and started climbing the steps toward the top landing. Without looking behind me, I said, “Try not to trip over your ego on your way to your dorm.”
“My ego is intact,” he chuckled. “Yours, on the other hand, seems to be a bit bruised.”
I wanted to get up in his face, push my finger into his chest, and tell him that he was wrong. But I didn’t because he’d know I was lying—damn shifters and their magical libido. There was an attraction between us, whether he wanted to admit it or not, but that wasn’t my focus. I was going to find out how he got through the block in my head. Something happened back there, and I wasn’t going to stop until I found out what it was.
And how to make it happen again.
Chapter Sixteen
Monday morning started with a six o’clock yoga session.
According to our instructor, these positions were going to help me align my mind and body with nature. She used a lot of words like spiritual awareness, higher consciousness, and individual improvement. Unfortunately, all I felt was aches and pains from all this body contorting crap. The yogi life wasn’t for me. Now, these comfortable stretchy pants, that was another story. Those I would keep.
When the torture was over, I hit the showers. Warm water rushed over my head, and I closed my eyes. Sacha was in the front of my mind. The kiss, meant to trick the headmaster, ended up something else altogether. Even now, my skin hummed from the memory of his touch. I remembered the moaning sound he made during our kiss, and my body sizzled all over again. I couldn’t deny I was attracted to him, but I couldn’t act on it, either.
I’d come here with a mission, and that was all that mattered.
But I couldn’t dismiss Sacha completely. Something happened when we kissed that opened a block in my mind. I had to find out what he did. Whatever it was, he didn’t mean to do it. The more I thought about it, it seemed to scare him. Regardless, I had to find the answer, which meant I had to get close to him. I wished we knew more about shifters and their abilities. They had done an excellent job over the centuries of keeping their secrets to themselves.
The rest of my courses went by like a blur. At three in the afternoon, I headed over to the headmaster’s office for my first day of detention. I had no doubt the most aggravating, egotistical alpha shifter I knew would be there waiting for me. The next few hours were going to suck, but I had to find a way to make peace with him so I could get the information I needed. I knocked twice and then opened the door. As expected, Sacha sat in a chair across from the headmaster sneering at me.
The headmaster looked pleased with himself as he said, “You’ve arrived just in time. You can head outside to the barnyard shed to get the supplies you need. You’ll be weeding and mulching the flower beds.”
“Which flower beds?” Sacha asked. “They surround the entire academy.”
“All of them,” the headmaster replied. “I figure it will take you about two weeks to complete the job. Two hours of work each day should be enough punishment.”
“Great,” Sacha grumbled. “Follow me, reaper.”
I rolled my eyes. “I know where to find the shed.”
I didn’t wait for him as I made my way toward the front of the academy, and out the main entrance door. The afternoon heat was high for this time of year. I expected it would be in the seventies, but it felt more like ninety, even in the shaded areas. I wished I had thought to bring sunscreen with me. My skin never tanned, so I’d be red as a tomato before detention was over. As I rounded the corner, I saw Sacha standing in front of the shed.
It was a lot larger than most residential sheds. If I didn’t know what it was from a distance, I might assume it was a small house. Cedarwood covered the exterior, including the large barn doors. Some kind of metal that rusted in spots over time covered the slanted roof. They kept all of the lawn mowers in there as well as the gardening equipment, but it was large enough to hold farm animals.
“I thought you knew the way?” he asked, smugly.
Being kind to him long enough to get the answers I needed would be harder than I anticipated. All I wanted to do was take a shovel and smash it into the back of his head. “Just get the gardening tools, and let’s get this over with.”
“Fine by me.” The barn doors were open, but there were boxes and equipment stacked up everywhere, making it impossible to see if anyone was inside. Sacha shouted, “Is anyone in there?”
“Yeah,” An older man in his sixties appeared in a pair of overalls and a brown stained shirt. He eyed us both. “What do you need?”
Sacha glanced at me, then back to him. “We’re here to serve our detention.”
“Oh, right,” the older man acknowledged. “They told me you were coming today.”
We stood in silence as we waited for him to collect the supplies we needed. After a few awkward minutes, he returned with two shovels and two bags of garden tools. I took mine and peeked inside: two trowels, gloves, small pruners, and a gardening fork. Sacha examined his bag and said something in Russian that didn’t sound very friendly. The older man went back inside the shed and returned with a rusted wheel barrel that creaked as it rolled.
“What is that, contraption?” Sacha asked.
The older man scratched his head. “It’s a wheel barrel.”
Sacha got closer to take a better look. “Why do I need this barrel?”
I put my hand over my mouth, trying my best not to laugh. It seemed like this detention was going to be a lot more fun than I first imagined.
“There’s a large pile of mulch around the corner.” The older man pointed behind him. “After you finish weeding, shovel as much as you can into the wheel barrel and spread it over the flower beds.”
Sacha stared at the wheel barrel with such intensity; it made me wonder what he was thinking. “And what exactly is mulch?”
This conversation was never going to end. It was painfully clear that Sacha was about as far out of his element as one person could be. “You lay it on top of the flower beds, and it helps keep the moisture inside.”
The older man smiled at me, relieved he didn’t have to answer any more of his questions. “You should start at the academy’s entryway and work your way back,” he suggested. “That will keep you out of the sun for most of the afternoon.”
“Very well,” Sacha replied as he threw his gardening tools inside the wheel barrel. At first, he struggled. He hadn’t realized that he had to pull up on the handles before rolling, but after a few seconds, he figured it out. I probably should’ve told him how it worked, but I was enjoying his struggle a little too much.
As he rolled away, the old man said, “Good luck, you’re going to need it.”
When we reached the flower bed, I slipped on my gloves and dropped to my knees. I began pulling out all of the dead flowers, sticks, and weeds. I threw what I’d collected into the wheel barrel. Sacha eventually sat down next to me and mimicked what I was doing. He was close enough that I could feel the heat coming off of his body. “You don’t need to get so close. If you want, you could work at the other end of the bed.”
“Is the closeness bothering you that much?” he asked. “Is it difficult to control your urges around me?”
I sat back on my heels and turned to face him. “Are you kidding me? You can’t possibly believe what you’re insinuating.”
“You can’t hide from me, reaper,” he chuckled. “I told you I could smell emotions when they are strong enough, and all I’ve ever smelled on you is lust.”
I tugged off my gloves and smacked him on the arm as hard as I could. He didn’t even flinch. “You’re such an asshole. You know that, right?”
His eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “Didn’t they teach you that violence won’t solve anything?”
I growled and stood over him. “You might not like that I’m a reaper, but you were into that kiss, and you know it.”
“I don’t know where you come up with these fantasies.” He returned
to pulling weeds. “It’s sad to see you this way.”
“Your hands were all over me,” I argued. “Or was that my imagination too?”
He hit the ground with his fists and then stood. The intimidating glare he shot me wasn’t going to make me stand down. I stood firm. “Why does this matter so much to you, reaper?”
Heat burned in my chest. “I don’t care about the kiss. I want to know how you brought back one of my missing memories. If you tell me the truth, I’ll leave you alone.”
“I can’t tell you what I don’t know,” he insisted. “Now, if your tantrum is over, I’d like to get back to work.”
He was going to make this difficult, but I wouldn’t give up. For now, I got back to the weeding. I ripped dead flowers and bushes out of the ground aggressively, pretending they were parts of his body. Before long, we had completed one flower bed and filled our wheel barrel. Sacha returned to the shed and poured the collection of weeds into a large compost trashcan.
When he finished, we filled the wheel barrel with mulch, and I showed him how to cover the flower bed evenly. I had to admit we did a good job. We returned the wheel barrel to the older man, and he told us detention was over for the day. I turned to Sacha and was about to say something when he pivoted and strode away. Pissed didn’t begin to describe how I felt at that moment.
He was lying right to my face. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was going out of his way on multiple occasions to tell me how disgusting he found me, and then teased me about my attraction toward him. Thanks to his sense of smell, I couldn’t deny it. I let out a growl, and I thundered back toward the academy. Supes watched me in the hallways with curiosity. They were probably wondering why I was sweaty and covered in dirt and grime.
Once I made it back to my room, Kiera took one look at me and started laughing. “What happened to you?”
“The headmaster had us weeding and mulching flower beds,” I grumbled. “I’ll be gardening every day for two hours over the next two weeks.”
She covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her growing smile. “Can I come to watch you?”
“Absolutely not,” I replied sternly. I grabbed a water bottle and downed half of it. “It’s embarrassing enough.”
Kiera plopped down on her pink comforter and crossed her legs. “You never did tell me what you were doing in the library that night.”
I wasn’t ready to tell her anymore about my investigation than she already knew, so I had to weigh my words carefully. “I thought there might be a book that could help me. One that they kept locked away.”
She straightened her back. “Which book?”
“There are books in the guarded section that break down each of the vampire clans,” I offered. “I thought there might be a clue in there about Cassius.”
“Why don’t you ask him instead?” she questioned. “I’m sure he’d tell you.”
“Have you heard anything about him,” I asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction. “Has he recovered?”
She nodded. “It took a while, but after a blood transfusion, he woke up.”
“Is he back in the dorms?” I asked.
“No, they’re keeping him a while for observation.”
That was probably best. As long as Cassius was in the infirmary, the reapers would guard him. “Did they say when he’s going back to the dorms?”
“No,” she replied bluntly, and then she pinched her nose. “You’re starting to stink up our room. Why don’t you take a shower, and then we’ll go get dinner?”
I shook my head, smiling. “Thanks a lot.”
She held up her arms. “The truth hurts sometimes.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I collected my toiletries and headed over to the showers. It felt good to wash all the dirt away, but I couldn’t get my mind off of Sacha. I rolled my eyes. What was I going to do about this? Sacha was bullheaded. How was I going to convince him to tell me how he got through the blocked memory? There had to be some kind of compromise or maybe something I could do for him in exchange for the information.
But Sacha wasn’t my only issue. After getting caught in the library after hours, they would be watching the area, or at the very least, increase the security. I had to get my hands on another laptop, and then figure out how I was going to solve the riddle of those numbered network files. Maybe it was time to admit I couldn’t do this alone. Cassius was a prince. Perhaps he could smuggle in a laptop for me?
Cassius wanted to prove his brother’s guilt more than I did. That meant I could trust him to some degree. I’d never forgotten he used compulsion against me, and was the cause of all my problems, but now we were on the same side. Perhaps he had connections I didn’t. Once he fully recovered, I’d find a way to meet with him in secret and see what he could do to help. Keira had proven herself already. I could trust her to continue to watch over Sacha’s pack.
I turned off the water, wrapped the towel around me, and made my way back to our dorm room. It was time to put my trust in her. She was sitting on her bed, reading a comic book when I returned to our room. I kneeled in front of her bed and leveled our eyes. “Do shifters have any secret powers attached to memories?”
She startled. “Wow, that came out of nowhere.”
“After I kissed Sacha, I had an important memory return,” I explained. “A stolen memory. But Sacha claims it had nothing to do with him. Is he lying?”
Kiera waved her arms wildly. “Wait. What? You kissed him? Why have you withheld this super important detail?”
“It didn’t mean anything,” I dismissed, but I wasn’t sincere. It certainly felt like something at the time. “It was nothing.”
Biting her lip, she asked, “Was he a good kisser?”
I sighed. “Okay, can we move past the kiss and get back to the stolen memory.”
“Right, right,” She stared down into her lap as if she were avoiding eye contact. “I’ve never heard of any shifter abilities having to do with memory, but I’m not an alpha, so who knows.”
Now she was lying to me. Whatever this ability was, it wasn’t something any of them was willing to admit. “You can trust me, you know. I won’t tell anyone your secret. I only want to get my memories back.”
“I wish I could help you, but I can’t.” She stared at me with guilt in her eyes. “I can only tell you that it’s not something I can do. I don’t know any shifter who can.”
That meant it was an alpha gift. “Do you think Sacha can?”
Keira shrugged her shoulders. “There’s only one person who can answer that question.”
Sacha.
Chapter Seventeen
Shawn Mendez woke me up the next morning.
Unfortunately, it was only his voice coming out of Kiera’s alarm clock. I sat up in my bed and stretched. When I flexed my arms, I whimpered. All of the muscles in my upper body were sore. I wasn’t out of shape, but I hadn’t done any yard work in years. I let out a grumble when I realized I’d have to do it all over again this afternoon. And I wouldn’t be alone. My detention partner would be there to make the experience that much more intolerable.
I got out of bed and opened the curtains. The sun was already high, and the skies were clear of clouds. I glanced down at my arms. My skin had a new shade of red this morning. I predicted I’d end up with a sunburn, and I did. I’d have to find some sunscreen today, or I’d get sun poisoning before I finished the two-week detention. Just one more reason this day sucked even before it began.
Kiera growled, and I turned my head. She took a swipe at the alarm clock and missed it. I grabbed it off the end table and turned the music off before she had a chance to throw it against the wall. “You’re no fun,” she groaned.
“Hey, I saved you from having to clean up the pieces,” I replied, smiling. “You should be thanking me.”
“I will do no such thing until I’ve had at least one coffee,” she retorted. “And a plate of sausage links.”
I shook my head. “Get dressed, and we’
ll go get breakfast.”
She tugged her covers off and maneuvered into a sitting position. “That sounds like a great plan.”
We made our way down to the cafeteria fifteen minutes later. Kiera filled two plates with an assortment of food before she sat down at our table. Most of the supes hadn’t come down for breakfast yet, so we got some privacy. I ordered an omelet filled with ham, sausage, and Canadian bacon. I figured I’d need the protein since I’d be working on another flower bed this afternoon. I was finished my breakfast before Kiera, so I sat and watched her eat.
“You’re quiet this morning,” she observed with a mouth full of food. “What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing much,” I replied as I rubbed my sore shoulder. “I’m dreading another two-hour detention this afternoon.”
“You look sore. You should probably stretch before you go,” A cheeky grin grew across Kiera’s lips. “A nice tumble in the grass with Sacha might do the trick. I’d bet it’s better than a full-body workout, and definitely more fun.”
“Not going to happen,” I dismissed, shaking my head.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t dismiss the kissing altogether.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Sacha is a serious smoke show. I mean, would it be so bad to have a little fling with him?”
My mouth fell open. “Hell, yes, it would be bad. Smoke show or not, Sacha is a shifter, and I’m a reaper. No way that could ever work out, plus he made his opinion of me crystal clear. And don’t forget he sent his pack to watch me because he thinks I’m hiding some big secret.”
“Still,” she paused, slyly. “There could be another explanation for all the back and forth between you two.”
I crossed my arms. “What?”
“Have you read any Shakespeare?” she asked in between bites. “Hamlet, specifically?”
I’d never read Shakespeare. Reapers didn’t have much need for it. “What does Hamlet have to do with me?”
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