by LJ Swallow
"Necromancy is illegal magic, not practised anymore. Those who could animate the dead were killed or imprisoned by Confederacy, to stop the magic passing along their bloodline. There's a possibility one exists. Somebody in the Dominion may be a necromancer."
"That's insane, Andrei."
"Is it? Then why is Vincent's mind empty? Once reanimated, there's no difference in how someone looks or behaves. They don't know what they are and hold the same memories and personality as when they were alive. The only difference is they're under another's control. They've lost free will." He pauses. "Their mind is gone."
"No. This can't be true."
"But it might be. The guy disappeared for years. Who knows what the truth is?"
I swallow. "If this is true, how could we prove it?
Andrei blows air into his cheeks. "We need to find proof. You need to get into Vincent's mind."
"Uh. No. We need to tell Tobias and ask what we should do." I chew my bottom lip. "Tobias told me he had a theory about Vincent but refused to share until he had more evidence. He could already suspect?"
"Possibly. I'll talk to him." He sighs. "I don't know what to say to Ash. What if he's in danger from Vincent?"
"Say nothing yet. Ash is drifting from us—we can't screw up by upsetting him without evidence. If we do, that could alert Vincent. And if he's not really Vincent, that could cause more problems."
Andrei pulls on his bottom lip. "Do you trust Ash?"
"Andrei! Yes," I snap. "What happened to me... I think it opened his eyes to the fact we need to stick together. He came to the infirmary. Stayed with the group after you left me."
Andrei doesn't respond, but his expression hardens.
"Andrei, we need to trust each other."
"Yeah." I narrow my eyes at his non-committal, unconvincing answer. "I don’t understand how nobody else has detected Vincent’s blank mind," he continues. "Powerful witches have looked into Vincent’s head and seen nothing."
My shoulders droop. "Maybe you did just meet a mental block."
"Maybe," he says doubtfully.
I straighten. "Hang on. Why was Vincent touching you?"
He waves a dismissive hand. "I had an argument with some witch, and she shouted out that I threatened to kill her. Vincent was around. Grabbed me."
He’s nonchalant but hiding something. "Who was she?"
"Just a chick who hangs around with Katherine. Lorna. She was bad-mouthing you."
Lorna. The day I discovered I’d made enemies at the academy by doing nothing at all hurt me, but is there any difference between me not accepting the supernatural world when I arrived and them not accepting me?
Lorna shuns me and is part of a group whose distaste I can feel across a room, but she’s never approached me.
"Oh. Her. Ignore Lorna. Don’t cause trouble, Andrei, please."
He reaches out and touches my face again. "I think she’s involved with what happened to you. Katherine needed a skilled witch to make that powder."
My mouth dries. "Do you have proof?"
"No." He’s distracted, running a finger along my cheek. If this is to comfort me, he does the opposite, because with the touch my body remembers his hands on me the other night.
"Then leave it. Tell Tobias and we can work together to find proof," I murmur as my cheeks heat beneath his touch.
A flashback from my vision bolts into my mind. Andrei.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He tips his head. "You’re pink, Maeve."
"Can I ask something weird? Do you have a tattoo?"
His mouth tips into a smile. "Why? Would a tattoo give me extra ‘hot bad boy’ points?"
I shove him in the chest. "Ha ha. Do you?"
Please say no.
"Yeah. I do."
"Where?"
He places a palm on his chest at exactly the point I saw. "A raven. Ironic, really, that Ravenhold is in my future."
Oh crap. I flick my eyes to where I saw the large raven on his chest.
"Why are your cheeks pinker?" He leans in to whisper, "Do tattoos turn you on?"
"Andrei!" I jerk away from him. "Don’t."
He runs his tongue along his bottom lip. "I don’t need a tattoo to turn—"
I clamp one of my hands over his mouth and his eyes shine with amusement. This is what I need. Andrei banter. Somebody treating me like a normal person.
Andrei speaks but I can't hear what he’s saying, and I press my hand harder over his mouth.
"Don't say anything," I warn as I move my hand away. "I want to tell you something too."
Eyes still filled with amusement, he nods.
"Thank you for not treating me like somebody special."
His brow furrows and he drags my hand away. "What?"
"You treat me like Maeve, not the future-sighted, mind-controlling witch with powers the Dominion and Confederacy would fight over. When I’m with you, I can forget all this for a while."
He shrugs, Andrei-style. "Takes a misfit to know one. No judgement here."
But I judged him. "Thank you."
We face each other in a way that would be challenging or awkward last term, but despite everything that’s happened to me today, this is the calmest I’ve been. Andrei doesn’t have Tobias’s pneuma powers, but his laidback attitude towards my situation has the same effect. He soothes me and I’m drawn closer.
"Why thank me?" he asks.
"Because I judged you and you still accept me as a friend."
"I judge me."
"I know, and you shouldn’t." I take another step closer, his honesty dragging me to him again. "I don't judge you anymore. We have more in common than I first realised."
He rests his head against mine and I fight against the images from earlier, frightened he’ll see them in my mind. Standing together, we’re caught in our weird place again.
Andrei tips my chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Something else we have in common? Some people don't want us around because we’re dangerous. I don’t think many understand how that feels."
"I know." I shiver as his thumb skims my bottom lip.
"I understand, Maeve, and I will always be here when you need."
The last couple of days, I’ve imagined what would happen if Andrei kissed me again, because there always was going to be a next time. I pictured the sexual tension flooding out again, and into another slammed-against-a-wall, breath-snatching moment that would be over as quickly as it began. So, when Andrei gently presses his lips to mine for just seconds before withdrawing, I’m as stunned as if he had kissed me until I was breathless.
Andrei’s face remains close, his breath against my lips, hands remaining on my cheeks. Waiting. I tip my head and meet his mouth, curling a hand around his neck to pull him closer. Andrei circles an arm around my waist and holds me as his lips press harder against mine.
The warm pressure of his mouth moves from tentative to firm as I eagerly respond, pressing myself into him. Andrei’s grip on my waist tightens and he slides his hand into my hair. Mouth harder against mine, Andrei parts my lips with his tongue, exploring as I push my tongue against his.
Andrei’s hands don’t wander but hold me tightly, as if I might fall if he lets go. I crave his touch, to slide my hands against his skin, and my body tingles at the thought.
He pulls away, suddenly, and dark eyes meet mine. "I can see something that worries me, Maeve. Am I looking at your thoughts or a vision?"
I blow hair from my face and admit, "Both."
"You know that would never happen between us."
"Sofia told me my visions were hallucinations. My fears manifesting."
"I’m not sure if that makes things better or worse."
The arousal doesn't drop and won't as long as his hands are on me. I stare at his mouth and want him to help me forget today.
"Don’t push me away," I whisper as he turns his head from my kiss.
"You wouldn't say that if I let you into my mind and you saw what was in my though
ts."
The edge to his voice sends a new shiver through me. "You’ve blocked me?"
He nods. "But if you tried, you could break through."
Blazing eyes meet mine and the temptation builds. The longer he stands here holding me, his body warming mine against the cool night, the stronger the urge to read his thoughts.
I swallow. "No. I won't invade your mind, Andrei."
He mutters something under his breath and kisses me again. Andrei’s lips are soft but firm and he grips my hair with his other hand, tugs my head back, and kisses me. The gentleness has gone, and his mouth claims mine as he delves his tongue deeper into my mouth. Andrei pushes me against the wall and switches back to the slow, teasing kisses, but the sweetness does nothing to take away the burning need he’s ignited.
My lips smart as he pulls his away and peppers kisses across my cheeks, and downwards. I squirm as he nips my ear and his lips continue their exploration, sending tiny shivers of pleasure through me. His mouth stays against my pulse point longer than I’d like, lips hard against my skin. An instinctive need to protect myself takes over and I wriggle from Andrei’s grasp.
The moment I shrink from him, he steps back and looks at me with barely disguised horror when I hold my fingers to my neck.
"Did you think I was about to bite you?" he asks.
I drop my hand, unaware I’d responded that way. Drawing in a shaky breath, I shake my head.
"You did," he says hoarsely.
"No. No, I didn't."
"Don't lie." I brace myself for his anger, but he’s hurt. Swearing beneath his breath, Andrei moves back from me. "I would never hurt you, Maeve. Ever. And the stars help anybody who hurts you, because they’ll fucking regret it."
I slump down the wall a little. "Sorry. I panicked."
With a shake of his head, Andrei pushes his hands deep into his pockets. "This is why what I see in your thoughts could never happen."
"I know." The truth pains me as much as the hurt I see in his face.
"I don't mean sex, Maeve." I blink at him. "You see a different Andrei to everybody else. You care and that hurts."
"I don't understand."
"We should stay friends." He gives a harsh laugh. "Friends don't bite each other. They don't complicate things with emotions and shit."
Emotions and shit. "You don't want to feel?"
He shoves hair from his face. "I don't want to hurt. I can't let you hurt me."
"Andrei." I attempt to hug him but his whole body tenses. "You can’t stop me caring."
Andrei holds me by the shoulders and his saddened eyes search mine. "I’m not sure how long I can hide in the dark with you." Rubbing his lips together, he holds my face. "I’m sorry," he repeats. "Don't hate me."
My hope that he’ll stay and talk things through disappears with Andrei as he rushes away. I slump against the pillar, shaking with anger and frustration. Tears prick my eyes that he’d run from me, say such harsh things. Push me away.
I glance after his retreating figure.
He wants more and is frightened because I want this as much as he does. The guy is a vampire who readily admitted he wants my blood. But he also told me I meant more.
Chapter Thirty-Five
MAEVE
I spoke briefly to Amelia last night, once I returned from my encounter with Andrei. Luckily, my upset over that was masked by her believing this was all due to the visions. She agreed to let me rest before talking about everything I saw today, but I could see the worry in her face. I couldn't have spoken to her if I’d tried, because I was exhausted by the rollercoaster I spent the day riding.
My reassurance things aren't as bad as they seem is blown apart when I describe the visions to the group. I sit on a bench beside Amelia, outside the academy and away from anybody who can hear, with Jamie and Ash standing in front of us. Tonight, there aren't any jokes or laughter.
The sky streaks orange as the sun sets behind the moors, ready to drop us into the night, where the danger in our world intensifies. I shiver against the temperature dropping too, my blazer and uniform barely keeping out the cold.
"Tobias is right," says Jamie. "Sofia can't possibly believe you're hallucinating."
"Why would she say that?" asks Amelia.
I rub a hand across my mouth. "She’s in denial or—"
"Or she knows something," adds Ash, gruff. "She could be involved. Tobias said not to trust anybody." He’s in an odd mood tonight, more distracted than usual. Has Vincent threatened him again?
Amelia looks at him in confusion. "Theodora trusts her."
"No, Theodora said she only trusted Tobias," puts in Jamie.
Ash humphs. "Yeah, and there’s everybody pointing fingers at my brother. What if she’s the Dominion spy?"
"She is not!" protests Amelia. "She’s loyal to Walcott and the academy."
I stare at my shoes. I don't want to be the one to say this, but could Ash be right? No. This is Vincent causing more disharmony.
"I have to find out what’s beneath the school," says Jamie through gritted teeth. "I’ve looked everywhere in the library and there’s nothing about the building before the 1840s. No plans."
"Theodora doesn’t think anything is down there and she’s older than the academy," I say.
"Well how do you explain a vision about a huge fire and big hole under the academy?" snaps Jamie. "The ground won't just open up unless something is there already."
"Like what?" asks Amelia.
"If I knew that, I’d tell you!"
I reach out to Jamie and grab both his hands. "Jamie. I know this is stressful, but we’ll find the answers."
"How?" he demands. "Nothing happens, apart from your weird visions, and none of those make sense. The academy isn't helping you learn more."
"Give me a chance," I protest. "I’ve only been here a few weeks."
"Maybe Sofia is blocking her?" suggests Ash and crosses his arms.
My mouth drops open. "What? She’s helped. Not as quickly as Jamie would like, but at least I know how to channel them better."
"Jamie, this was different. Maeve was drugged. Of course, her visions make no sense." Amelia pats my leg. "I know how terrifying the experience was, but this might’ve given us more clues."
"Yeah, clues as to who’s against the academy."
I bite hard on my lip to avoid making comments about him accusing a witch.
The sun tips over the horizon and I startle as somebody joins us from the gloom. Andrei slings an arm around Jamie’s shoulder. "What’s happening, happy gang?"
Our eyes meet and when he looks back impassively, I know Andrei still means what he said last night. Has he told Tobias his theory about Vincent yet?
"I was talking to the others about my new visions, Andrei." I repeat to him the same story I told the others, and he listens without interrupting.
"Huh," he says when I finish.
I blink. "Huh? Is that it?"
Andrei crosses an ankle over his knee. "What else can I say? Listen, do you guys still want to go out tonight."
Whoa. Talk about change of direction.
"Andrei, didn't you hear what Maeve just told you?" asks Amelia. "Be tactful."
"What can I say? There’s nothing we can do, so let’s keep to our plans."
I clench my jaw. "Not tonight. I’m not in the mood."
Andrei drops onto the nearby low wall. "Not even for a little harem bonding?"
"Harem?" interrupts Amelia.
I grit my teeth at his behaviour, as if he’s emphasising he won't be the Andrei who hides with me. "It’s Andrei’s idea of a joke. Ignore him. We’re all friends. Drop it."
"Touchy." He waves hand. "C’mon, Ash, I know you enjoy a good evening out. I’ll make sure you’re safe."
"I don’t need you to keep me safe," he retorts. "I can't go, anyway."
"What the hell? Why?" Andrei throws his arms in the air. "Anybody would think you don't like to have fun."
"Strangely enough, I’m not fee
ling ‘fun’ right now," I tell him.
He cocks his head and lets slip a smile. "But it’ll be dark, Maeve. You have fun in the dark."
"Not anymore, I don't." I hold fast against his teasing undertones. "Apparently."
"What’s with the cryptic conversation?" asks Ash with a frown.
Andrei opens his mouth to speak and I interrupt. "Andrei being his usual charming self."
He shakes his head. "Jamie? Amelia?"
Amelia sighs. "I promised Matt I’d talk to him tonight."
"Make it another time?" Andrei suggests. "You’ve known about this night for a couple of weeks."
"He’s only allowed phone privileges once a week. I never know when until the day before." Her mouth turns down.
That settles the situation for me. "Another night, Andrei."
"What the fuck? Guys!" he protests and stands.
Amelia stands too. "I have to go. I have something to do before I talk to Matt."
I smile at her. "Say hello from me."
"He’s never met you," puts in Andrei.
"I can still be polite," I retort. "You should try it some time."
He chuckles at riling me again.
"I will." She leans over to hug me, squeezing tight. I pat her back. Amelia’s support means a lot to me, and I kick myself I almost lost that last term.
"Thanks."
Her eyes shine as she picks up her bag. "I’ll see you later."
Ash chews his lip as he watches Amelia walk away. "I don’t understand why she bothers with him anymore. If he’s at Ravenhold, he won’t be out again in a hurry and she can’t visit him."
"They’ll find a way. Star-crossed lovers and all that," puts in Andrei. "We know Ravenhold kids leave the island, don't we? Tobias, for example." He huffs again when nobody responds. "Why can't you come tonight, Ash? You were up for it."
"I’m headed out for a night with Gilgamesh kids," he says and his eyes shift to the right. "Organised by Vincent."
I straighten. "What sort of night?"
"A house bonding session." He scratches his nose. "Sorry. I’d like to go with you but I can't be in two places at once. Next time?"
"I bet he has insider knowledge about the last challenge and wants to teach you how to win," says Jamie harshly.
