by Mandi Oyster
“Can do,” Dan said. “So anybody up for a movie?” He plopped down in Cookie Monster.
“What about your stuff?” I asked.
“Tomorrow,” Dan said.
“Might as well watch a movie.” I rested my head on Cody’s shoulder. “I can’t do a whole lot anyway.”
Samantha curled up on Dan’s lap. “So, I’d like to know what happened first.”
I should’ve expected Samantha and Dan to want to hear all the details, but for some reason, I hadn’t. My hand trembled as I pulled it through my hair, trying to steady myself enough to delve into it.
Before I could say anything, Cody began. His voice shook, and his eyes were hollow, but he made his way through it. “So, Aurelia is trying to figure out what Dacia needs to do.”
“Sunday night, Arion wanted to see me.” A weight settled in my stomach. I stared at the lilac carpet. “Mavros attacked him.”
Samantha gasped. Her fingers dug into Dan’s arms. “Oh, no.” She shook her head. “Is he okay?”
Cody rubbed his hand along my leg. “Dacia held Mavros off and saved Arion.”
Samantha lifted her eyes to the ceiling. “Thank God.”
“How’d you stop Mavros?” Dan wiped the tears from Samantha’s cheeks.
I pulled my hand down my face. “I turned into an ice cube. He couldn’t touch me.”
“What made you do that?” Samantha asked.
“He … uh …” I pulled on my bottom lip with my teeth, and Cody’s grip on my thigh tightened. “He always feels so warm. He was lying on top of me, and it was instinct.”
Cody extracted himself, careful not to hurt me. He walked to the window, keeping his back to me.
Samantha watched him, then turned to me and mouthed, “Sorry.”
Dan glanced between us, frowning. He shifted as much as he could with Samantha on his lap. “At least you know something you can use against him.”
I felt like there was something I should know about turning to ice around Mavros, but whatever it was skittered away like cockroaches when the light flicks on.
Chapter 17
The Clock Is Ticking
Cody slept on a blanket on the floor beside the couch. I rolled onto my side and gazed at him. His lips were parted slightly. The lines of his face softened in sleep.
I reached down, grimacing as the scabs on my chest stretched, and traced my finger along his jaw.
“What?” His eyes shot open, and all of his tension returned. “You okay?”
I yanked my hand back. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Need something?” He jerked to a sitting position.
“Well”—I patted the couch—“my pillow could use a break.”
His lips curved up in a crooked grin. “Oh, can it?”
“Yes.” I squished it. “See how flat it’s getting.”
“You sure?” He tilted his head, looking from my hand to my face. “Don’t wanna hurt you.”
“Please.” Laying with him on the couch felt right, the way things should be. His first class of the semester started in a couple of hours, and it terrified me. My mind ran through a constant loop of all the things that could happen to him. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine.” He traced his fingers along my arm, careful not to hurt me. “Don’t leave while I’m gone. Please.”
“I won’t, Cody.” I squeezed his hand. “I’m still not over the last injuries. I don’t need any more for a while.”
“Need some strength?”
His offer tempted me. My body ached, and fatigue tugged at my eyelids. “No. You need to stay alert.”
I closed my eyes, savoring Cody’s warmth and strength. When I opened them again, Cody and Dan were dressed and ready for class.
Somebody knocked on the door. I lifted onto my elbows. While Dan opened the door, Cody stood beside me like a loyal Doberman.
“Hello.” Aurelia stepped into the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore.” I laid back down. “Tired.”
She perched on the edge of the couch and clasped my hand. Her energy rushed through my veins. “I will walk Cody and Dan to class. Then I will come back here to keep an eye on you.”
“No.” Cody crossed his arms over his chest. His stance widened. “She needs you here.”
“The room is blessed.” Aurelia let go of my hand. “Mavros cannot enter.”
“Last time we left her”—Cody said through clenched teeth—“she crawled to him.”
I pinched my eyes shut. That was not one of my proudest moments, and I feared I’d never live it down.
“Yes.” Aurelia stood. Her golden hair fell to her waist, sleek and smooth, never a strand out of place. “Dacia’s injuries had left her groggy. All of her energy was being used to heal her wounds. She did not have the concentration to fight Mavros. She does now. Plus, Samantha will be here to stop her if that happens again.”
“Please, Cody.” I folded my arm over my stomach, trying to get comfortable.
He knelt down next to my head, brushing my hair back. “It’s what you want?”
“Please. I won’t go anywhere.”
He kissed my forehead, then stood. “Let’s go then.” Looking into Samantha’s loft, he said, “Keep an eye on her.”
Samantha peered over the edge and saluted him. “Aye, aye, captain.”
I paced until Aurelia came back. My legs were weak and shook with every slow, shuffling step I took. Stumbling, I grabbed the back of the couch for support.
“Dacia—” Samantha descended her ladder “—they’ll be okay. Sit before you hurt yourself.”
I let go of the couch and resumed pacing. “I can’t. I should be with them, protecting them. Instead, I’m stuck here going out of my mind.”
She stepped in front of me, reaching for my hand. “You need to get better before you can help anyone.”
I sat, resting my head against the back of the couch. My pulse pounded against my wounds. “So, never?”
Sitting beside me, she said, “You’re getting better.”
“But I need to be better now.” I pressed my hand against my chest, willing my body to heal.
A knock on the door sent my heart racing. “Is … is it him?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“Let me in,” Aurelia said.
I slumped down. Relief drowned the fear, but the rush of adrenaline left me trembling.
Aurelia sat next to me, holding both of my hands in hers. “You need to get your strength back. You should have sensed my presence.”
Releasing a deep sigh, I closed my eyes. “I haven’t sensed anyone lately. I’m not healing fast enough.” I tugged my hand through my hair. “I’m useless.”
“No, you’re not.” Samantha’s voice was harsh.
Aurelia squeezed my fingers. “Using your power takes energy.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes. Why’s she telling me this? I already know it.
“Your powers are being exerted as you heal. You are unintentionally using them, which leads to exhaustion.”
Samantha sat down in Big Bird, propping her elbows on her knees. “That actually makes a lot of sense.”
Aurelia pumped her energy into me until she had to leave to get Cody and Dan. While her strength poured into me, my exhaustion faded. My arms and legs regained some of their strength. Before my energy could dwindle, I got ready for class. I threw on a t-shirt, but my bandages could be seen through it. I pulled a charcoal gray Phlox University hoodie on over the top. It was too warm for a sweatshirt, but I didn’t want people gawking at me.
By the time Aurelia brought Cody and Dan back, I was lying on the couch again, fighting sleep. Cody lifted my head and sat down. “Sure you wanna go?”
“I should.”
Aurelia knelt in front of me, once again taking my hand in hers. This time when she pushed her strength into me, my eyes jolted open. A tsunami of vitality surged through me. “Why so much?” I asked.
“I need to research while you are in class.” She kept a firm grip on my hand. “Before you run into him again, I need to get this figured out.”
“Will she be strong enough?” Dan’s hazel eyes narrowed in concern.
Aurelia nodded. “I will be back in time to walk to Shakespeare with Dacia.”
“Glad you’re here.” Cody’s fingers entwined with mine. “And, not just because I’d hate that class.”
Leaning my head back, I looked into Cody’s eyes. “I figured you’d like Shakespeare. He’s history. Isn’t that your thing?”
“He doesn’t make sense.”
Dan shook his head. “Not to me either.”
“Well, in all honesty—” Aurelia let go of my hand and stood, straightening her cream-colored slacks “—I really liked the guy.”
“You knew Shakespeare?” I sat up slowly to avoid causing more pain.
“I have known a lot of people in my lifetime. He was a quiet, reserved, inquisitive man. Life and its sorrows fascinated him.” She started for the door, looking over her shoulder. “If I am to get back in time to go with Dacia, I need to leave now.”
With those words, my skin felt cold and clammy, my insides churned, and I was lightheaded. A sense of unease filled me at the thought of Aurelia leaving campus. From past experience, bad things tended to happen when she did. Hopefully, not this time, I thought to myself.
Kalmia Hall was one of the closest buildings to the dorms, but I felt like we were crossing the entire state. Cody carried my backpack for me, claiming I needed to save my strength. None of us talked.
As we walked past a group of students, I heard a couple of guys talking. “Yeah, I heard about that. I think she must be crazy.”
“Probably, I mean who’s ever heard of a black panther in this part of the country, let alone one that big.”
“If there was one, you’d think it’d be out there”—he pointed to the trees—“not hanging out around the dorms.”
“Well, that was interesting,” I said to no one in particular.
“What, Dacia?” Dan asked.
“A large black panther has been spotted hanging around the dorms.”
“Mavros.” Samantha covered her mouth with her hand. “He’ll leave everyone else alone; won’t he?”
“I don’t know.” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “I don’t know what he wants. He wants me to join him, but for what?”
“Hopefully, Aurelia’ll find out,” Cody said, taking the words out of my mouth.
I sat through Scientific Computing without hearing a word Professor Granite said. He was a middle-aged man with a salt and pepper mullet, matching mustache, and gray eyes who’d taught a few of my other classes.
By the time we left, my strength was waning. I tried to hide it from the others. I didn’t want them to worry.
Cody held my hand on the way to Sedum. Without meaning to, I siphoned off some of his strength. “Sorry.”
“Take what you need.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
I wanted to relax into him, but I expected Mavros to appear at any moment. With my energy sapped, there was no way I’d be able to protect myself, let alone my friends. When Dan pulled the door to the cafeteria open, I slumped with relief.
“You okay?” he asked as I walked past him.
I shook my head in disgust. “I’m stupid.”
Samantha’s face scrunched in a look of bewilderment. “What?”
I swung my arm in front of me in an all-encompassing gesture. “Just because we’re inside, I shouldn’t feel safe. Last time he attacked, I was inside.”
Dan grabbed Samantha’s hand and pulled her into the lunch line. “Every minute without him is one to be grateful for.”
i
True to her word, Aurelia returned to the dorm in time to walk with me to class. When she showed up, I was slumped against Cody, taking his strength.
“Take more.” He mumbled. “Done with class. You need it.”
I pulled away. “I’ve taken too much.”
“Me and Sam would be happy to help.” Dan flipped his thumb between the two of them.
“I will lend her my strength on the way to class,” Aurelia said.
I kissed Cody on the cheek. His eyelids fluttered but didn’t open. Grabbing my backpack, I asked Aurelia, “Did you have any luck?”
“Yes.” She lifted my bag off my shoulder. “After class, I will discuss it with you all.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. You walking with us, Samantha?”
“Yeah.” She kissed Dan. “Stay here with Cody.”
“No problem.” He held her waist. “I’ve got homework to do.”
My mind was wandering when Dr. John Rowan walked into class. I had seen him around campus, but I never knew who he was before. He was a tall, thin man in his mid-forties. He had brown hair with some gray starting to show in it. He appeared stern, but when he smiled, he looked affable enough.
During class, I found myself more concerned about what Aurelia would say than what Dr. Rowan was talking about.
“Dacia, are you okay?” Aurelia asked when we left the building. “You seem distracted.”
I tugged my hand through my curls. Loose hairs clung to my fingers. I let them fall, blowing away in the wind. Students strode across campus. Some sat in the grass, enjoying the warm fall day. They laughed, biked, rode skateboards, napped in hammocks, and I was trapped, caged by my fear. “I am. I’m terrified of what you’re going to say.” We walked to Primrose Hall to get Samantha. “After Draconian, I thought I’d have more time.” I watched my feet. “I’m not ready for this.”
She squeezed my shoulder. A burst of energy lifted my head and quickened my pace. “Thanks.”
“I hoped you would have more time, too.” She lowered her hand. “However, it seems like evil is drawn to you.”
Samantha strode toward us. As soon as she joined us, we turned around to go back to the dorm. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
I nodded, then focused on Aurelia. “Is this how it is for everyone like me?”
“Everyone must walk their own path,” she answered without looking at me.
What aren’t you telling me?
Now is not the time, Dacia.
“It’s never the time,” I mumbled.
When we got back to my room, I fell onto the couch next to Cody. His eyes drifted open. The irises rolled back, and then closed again.
“Is he okay?” I held my hand against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “I must’ve taken too much.”
She held onto his hand. “Try to wake him now.”
“Can you keep doling out your strength like that?” Dan’s nose wrinkled, and he leaned forward. “You’ve been helping Dacia and now Cody.”
“I have plenty to give.”
I ran my finger along Cody’s jaw.
“Back already?” Cody’s eyes opened, and he sat up straight. “Everything okay?”
“Class is over.” Dan closed his book. “You slept the whole time they were gone.”
I dropped my head. “I took too much.”
“You needed it.” He rubbed his eyes, then focused on Aurelia. “What’d you find out?”
Samantha put Dan’s books on the floor and sat on his lap.
Aurelia stood at the window, staring outside. “Mavros is a greater demon, one of the strongest to have ever stepped foot on this planet.”
“Lovely.” The word slipped from my mouth unintentionally
.
Aurelia turned and shot me a grief-stricken imitation of a smile. “He cannot stay on Earth without binding himself to a mortal woman.”
Dan pulled Samantha against him, probably grateful she wasn’t Mavros’ target. “At least you know your role now.”
“Yeah.” Samantha’s eyes shone with sorrow. “No wonder why he’s trying so hard to win you over.”
“But why me?” I asked.
“To make my life a living Hell.” Cody’s voice hardened a little more with each word.
Dan’s hand never stopped moving along Samantha’s arm. “Because you are one of the few people who could stop him.”
Aurelia nodded at him. “Quite possibly.” She sat down next to me, feeding me her strength.
“I’m okay.” I tried to pull my hand away, but she held it tighter.
“You must heal soon.” She patted my leg. “Mavros, like all demons, can only return to Earth once every 999 years unless summoned. The last time he was here, he killed Elizabeth. After her death, he was banished to the Abyss. If he cannot win you over in the allotted amount of time, he will once again be cast out.”
Cody perked up. “Allotted amount of time?”
“Forty-five days.”
I felt my eyebrows raise and my mouth twist into a humorless grin. “So, all I have to do is stay strong until he gets sent back, and this will be over.” I pulled away from Aurelia and paced in front of the couch. “That sounds too easy. There has to be more to it.”
“I doubt he plans to leave you or your friends alive if you turn your back on him, Dacia.” Her pupils slitted, and for a moment, I glimpsed the dragon beneath the surface. Anger and hurt rippled her features. “His vengeance will be swift and deadly.”
“Not good,” Samantha said.
Dan tightened his grip on Samantha. He pinched his lips together, and the dimple on the right side of his face sunk in. “So, how does she beat him?”
“I do not know.” Her form settled. Her eyes almost appeared human again. “He has only been defeated once, and it was not by a human.”
