I Dare You to Break Curfew

by Eva Muñoz

  Gaige blanched and ran his fingers through his messy hair. “This is a mistake. A potentially big mistake. But, oh, I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance—”

  The door he used to enter the lab whooshed open again.

  A girl entered. A silver circlet on her forehead held her thick raven hair in place. Silver chains clinked across the front of her corset. She was by far the prettiest of them all. I had to blink several times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.

  “Gaige, I need help with my Organic Chemistry.” She stumbled to a halt. “Is that what I think it is?” The end of her question came out in a long hiss. She held up her hand to forestall Gaige’s answer. “It’s been a while, but I still remember that smell. What’s cattle doing breaking curfew?”

  “He was with Troyan—”

  “It was what?”

  Gaige waved his hands. “You didn’t hear what you thought you heard, Beatrix.”

  The newcomer glared at him. “Tell me what Troyan has to do with that?”

  “Please, no violence around the experiments,” Gaige pleaded.

  “Then. Start. Talking.” Beatrix’s words dripped venom.

  Like a startled dog barking, Gaige explained how Troyan had escorted me into the lab and back to the dorms the night before. He barely seemed to breathe. Beatrix’s heart-shaped face shifted from threatening to lethal. As she slowly turned her head to stare at me, her lips pulled back to show perfect teeth. A mountain lion about to pounce on an unsuspecting jogger couldn’t have been more menacing. Why was she so pissed about my breaking curfew?

  Apprehension spread through me. “Did I miss something?”

  “Only that you’re going to pay,” Beatrix said.

  “Okay….” I surveyed my surroundings. A potential fight in small quarters would hinder movement. Sweat dotted my upper lip. I had to stop myself from licking it. “But you have to tell me what I’m paying for.”

  “Catching Troyan’s attention.”

  My hands began to shake. I could feel her growing animosity from across the room. I couldn’t understand where it was coming from.

  “I’m going to enjoy killing you,” she said.

  Kill me? What? How did we get from me paying to me dying?

  Gaige grabbed Beatrix from behind and shouted, “Run!”

  “Why?” I pointed at Beatrix. She was practically frothing at the mouth. “I didn’t do anything to her.”

  “You have no right to Troyan,” she said.

  “I didn’t say I did.” I backed away. “Jeez, if you’re his girlfriend, then just say so. The guy is hot, but not enough for me to get in between all this crazy.”

  For a brief moment, shock crossed Beatrix’s face before her rabid anger returned. “I’m not just his girlfriend, you puny cattle.”

  “Me? Puny? I’m much taller than you.”

  “You’re dying tonight,” she said. The determination in the black pools of her eyes confirmed her promise.

  “Okay, I think you just stepped into insane. And why do you keep calling me cattle? Why do you want to kill me? Troyan saved me from expulsion, that’s all.”

  Her pointed chin jutted out. “If you knew Troyan like I do, you’d know he never saves anyone from anything.”

  “Camron,” Gaige pleaded. “I can’t hold her back any longer.”

  Not waiting to be told again, and having had enough of Beatrix’s brand of crazy, I wove around tables until I reached the door that led out into the hall, the spiral staircase to the library completely forgotten. The sharp stab of stiletto heels on marble spurred me forward. My height gave me an advantage.

  Whatever Beatrix had done to Gaige to get him to let her go made me pity the guy. I hoped he was all right, at the very least still able to walk. But as much as I was beginning to like Gaige, I had to set my concern aside and focus on my survival.

  I swerved around a corner and flew down the steps two at a time, heading to the first floor. At the landing, I veered left toward The Roast. My heart pounded loudly between my ears when I dodged between pillars separating the courtyard from the hall. The night air cut through me like razor blades. Every breath froze my lungs bit by bit. I should have listened to Troyan and stayed away. I hadn’t thought him warning me that I almost died last night had any truth to it. I thought he’d been trying to scare me.

  Oh, I was scared now. No doubt about it.

  I darted deeper into the courtyard toward the back garden. If I made it to the far wall, I’d be able to reach the gate. Beyond it: freedom. Safety. And access to a flight home because Braylin would surely expel me after tonight.

  In my panic my foot slipped and I face-planted. All the air in my lungs exploded upon impact. The cold, hard ground didn’t yield as I slid and rolled. Ignoring the bruising pain in my whole left side, I scrambled for a weapon, anything to help me survive until I reached the gate.

  With no branch or stone in sight, I clenched my fists. I readied myself to stare death in the face. The thought of my blood on the pristine snow had me thinking of my mother and how I would be joining her soon. Was that so bad?

  A palpable stillness settled in the air.

  Beatrix stood five feet away, staring at something beyond me.

  “Zaire,” she whispered.

  Chapter Three: Secrets

  I SAT up and followed Beatrix’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first. A statue?

  My brain refused to snap together coherent thoughts. I hadn’t realized I’d fallen so close to one of the courtyard benches until I stared up at the stranger who sat on one. He was strikingly beautiful. Blond hair tumbled over his forehead. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat, like he had become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in disarray.

  Because of his ivory skin and frozen position, I mistook him for something carved from marble. Then he sighed—a lonely, breathy proof of life. The boy on the bench was Lucifer before he fell from heaven. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.

  “Zaire,” Beatrix said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous. It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with.

  He leaned on his hands and crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky. His movements spoke of elegance and control. I had encountered many people with breeding before, but his demeanor took on the air of arrogance and self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it.

  I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted. Zaire tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me. I expected pitch-black irises, like the others, but blue ice stared back at me.

  “Human,” he whispered.

  He reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Troyan’s, caused warm sparks to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its tip. He might as well have licked me from the way goose bumps rose on my skin. Zaire’s curious gaze held mine.

  “Leave us,” he said. Not to me.

  “But—” Beatrix protested.

  He spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling thunder in the distance. The consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.

  Footsteps retreated behind me.

  Zaire reached out again.

  It took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He smiled. Timid, I smiled back and took his hand. Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.

  “What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.

  I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Camron.”

  Zaire ran his thumb over the back of
my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Camron.”

  My cheeks warmed. My head reeled. I couldn’t understand why I felt drawn to him.

  From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me away. I found myself behind a towering figure yet again. Relief washed over me the second I recognized the blue-black silk for hair tied at the nape. Beatrix hadn’t come back to finish me off.

  Troyan’s large hand wrapped around my wrist. Again. All my awe and wonder at meeting Zaire melted and morphed into uncompromising annoyance.

  “What are you doing here?” Troyan asked.

  I didn’t know he was speaking to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I rolled my eyes in insolence.

  “Camron.”

  The ruthless way he said my name wasn’t enough to cow me.

  “You owe me answers,” I declared like I owned the place.

  “I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Ignoring my indignation, he faced Zaire, who remained seated on the bench. “Why is he with you, Zaire?”

  “I wasn’t going to taste him, if that’s what you’re implying,” Zaire said. “Although, he is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us alone to explore each other.”

  “The sins of the father….”

  Zaire’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”

  Troyan’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist. I winced.

  I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Troyan when he questioned them. This was different. A command of subjugation.

  “Kneel.” Zaire’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.

  Without letting go of my wrist, Troyan knelt down on one knee and bowed his head, his free hand flat over the center of his chest.

  “Your command has been obeyed,” he said in a formal tone I hadn’t thought he possessed.

  Zaire nodded once.

  Troyan stood up and pulled me toward the school. Not having the time to thank Zaire for saving me from Beatrix, I risked a glance back. Zaire smiled at me. It spoke of whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared at a later date. A part of me wanted to “explore” as he called it.

  Troyan strode on, with me in tow. We hustled through the north end of the school toward the Braylin greenhouses. This was getting old.

  Having had enough, I snapped out, “Troyan!”

  In a smooth motion, he let go of my wrist and turned to face me. His arresting expression stopped me in my tracks. He looked about to throw a punch. The words Not the face died on my lips.

  “Troy—”

  “Do you know how close you came to dying… again?”

  My fingers crumpled into tight fists. “Why are you so obsessed with the idea of me dying?”

  “You should care more about staying alive than I do.” The control he had over his voice didn’t match the seething anger in his eyes.

  My throat dried. He had no heat in his tone, which made him seem more dangerous. Honestly, I preferred yelling so I could yell back. I didn’t know how to react to quiet menace.

  “Why are you here, Camron?”

  “Answers,” I said. “You can’t just expect me to ignore what I discovered. If you want me to keep your secret, you need to give me answers.”

  “I thought we had an agreement.”

  “I didn’t promise you anything.”

  Troyan crossed his arms like a bouncer refusing entry to a club. Again that intense gaze drilled into me. I lifted my chin against his intimidation. No one refused when I asked for anything. People parted when I passed. Everything I wanted, I got.

  A corner of my lips twitched. “Last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened. What did you save me from? Who are you, Troyan? Why can’t we know that you go to school here?”

  He shook his head. “You humans and your need to know. Positively annoying.”

  I frowned. “Why do you keep saying ‘human’ like you’re not? And I take offense to being called cattle, by the way.”

  “You are in way over your head.”

  “And how did you find me anyway?”

  He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “More questions?”

  “They won’t stop until I get answers. That’s how it works.”

  No matter how menacing he looked, I wasn’t about to let him intimidate me. I’d handled my fair share of intimidating people. My father chief among them.

  Troyan’s lips disappeared into a white line. His stare traveled from my face to my shoulders, and legs, before returning to my eyes. I honestly felt naked for a second before he said, “The fire in you will eventually burn you. Obviously, you have no idea what you are up against, so let me enlighten you: I could kill you without a second thought and eat your flesh for dinner.”

  My heart stopped. I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Bile rose up my throat. I swallowed, shaking uncontrollably now.

  Troyan unfolded his arms. “Good. Finally some sense in you. You should be frightened.”

  “I’m not scared.” My voice trembled, which earned me a raised eyebrow. “Th-th-the curfew. That’s why it’s enforced. Because you would actually eat us?”

  “Humans.” He hissed the way Beatrix had. Like I disgusted him.

  I curled my fingers into fists and opened my eyes. “You won’t.”

  “What?”

  I sucked in as much of the cold night air as I could, shocking my lungs into some semblance of calm once I exhaled. The trembling subsided when I said, “You won’t eat me.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because you wouldn’t have saved me if you didn’t care.”

  His expression grew unreadable. He moved as if to speak, but the bell’s din cut off his reply. He looked around, uncertainty in his features. Then without another word, he took my wrist again.

  “Can you stop doing that?” I yanked away so hard I thought I’d fall flat on my ass.

  “If you want answers, follow my lead.” He moved forward in ground-eating strides.

  Cold sweat dotted my brow as I scrambled to catch up.

  “So,” I said, “where are you taking me this time?”

  He glanced over his shoulder and said, “The solarium. No one ever goes there. You need to hide until I can figure out what to do with you.”

  Not what I expected. Not the dorms?

  My silence prompted him to continue, “Needing to save your life all the time is a habit I want to break. Last count is three in less than forty-eight hours.”

  “Three?” My forehead creased. “It’s just Eli and Beatrix, right?”

  “Zaire.”

  “He didn’t seem all that bad. Actually, I think he saved me from Beatrix.”

  “You should stay away from him. Zaire does not do anything without purpose.”

  His words hit me like a slap in the face. The easiest way to get me to do something was to forbid me to do it. I groaned. I was putting myself in harm’s way left and right. Whatever happened to my self-preservation instincts?

  Soon we reached the octagonal, glass building of the solarium. It gleamed between four greenhouses. Fruits and vegetables grew in two, while flowers and herbs grew in the other two. The secluded location of Braylin forced the campus to be sustainable. Deliveries could take weeks at a time. To ensure the food supply remained constant, the students and faculty developed an elaborate farming system. Everyone took reduce, reuse, recycle to another level around here. I had even heard about a barn and a milking shed somewhere on campus, but I never really had the time or the impetus to locate them.

  The solarium, on the other hand, had no other use than to be decorative. With the lights on, it resembled a large crystal with plants inside. We entered it and I relished the warm air, rubbing my freezing hands together. Troyan strode to a marble table with cushioned iron chairs. Peppered throughout the octagon were ferns, orchids, and other pot
ted plants and flowers. A hammock and an empty birdcage were on the far right, while to the left, a rattan bookcase held an assortment of novels. Soft light bathed everything golden yellow. Why hadn’t I found this place sooner?

  “This is amazing,” I said.

  “Is this your first time here?” Troyan asked.

  “I’m strictly a library guy.”

  “If you had kept your promise, this predicament would never have happened. Now, I have to find Beatrix and see what kind of damage control I have to perform. No one can know you are here.”

  “Are you going to use the Silence?”

  His eyes widened a fraction.

  “Duh. I’m not senile.” I smirked. “So, what is it?”

  “You are not afraid anymore. This is bad.”

  He was right. It was hard to stay scared when Troyan was around. He made me feel safe, like nothing could harm me because he would maim it first. I dropped my gaze and shrugged.

  “Ever heard of ignorance is bliss?”

  “Too late for that,” I said. “And the full quote is ‘Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.’”

  “So you would rather know than be happy?”

  “There is no happiness without the truth. I could go on all day. You might as well give up.”

  His brows came together, creating the perfect picture of consternation. “The Silence is a command given by someone with authority, to keep information between subordinates upon pain of death. Eli and the five others with him will not speak of what happened last night without my consent.”

  “You’re of a higher rank than them?”

  “Out of everything I have said, you picked that one thing to focus on?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. “Why do you have to be such trouble?”

  “Admit it, you like it that way,” I teased. Definitely wasn’t afraid anymore. Maybe I was in shock.

  “Gaige will wait with you until I return.”

  “Why didn’t you just bring me to the lab then, save him the trip?”

  Troyan just stared as if I should know the answer.

  I scowled. “How long do I have to hang out with the twitchy mad scientist?”

  “Not more than two hours.”