Grave Secrets: A Dementon Academy of Magic Novel (The Everlasting Chronicles Book 3)

by K. G. Reuss

  “Yeah, I heard he asked her to The Limits this weekend,” Brandon supplied, flopping down into his seat.

  “What?” My head snapped up, and I looked at him. “Where did you hear that?”

  “Well…” Brandon took a drink of his bottled water before continuing, “Some of the guys were talking about it in history. Apparently, Ambrose asked her too.”

  I let out a low growl. It was common knowledge I didn’t like Ambrose or Blackburn. Knowing Ever was on their radar made the red I was seeing earlier a fierce crimson.

  “Nice.” Damien nudged me. “Ball’s in your court, Gen.”

  “Eric,” I said, ignoring Damien. Eric glanced back at me with raised eyebrows, his sandwich poised near his mouth. “Why don’t you take her to The Limits?”

  “What?” Eric’s brows crinkled as he stared at me. His sandwich fell from his hands and landed on the table. The guys let out soft peals of laughter.

  “You want Craft to take her out?” Jared snickered. “You do realize Eric is one of the most awkward guys around girls, right? Remember that time we were at the Harvest Ball last year, and he was making out with that werewolf?”

  “I remember!” Adam piped up amid the laughter. “He told her that her eyes were the color of chocolate chip cookies, and he bet she tasted just as sweet! Remember how he apologized over and over to her after she slapped him?”

  “He was able to finish the job though if I remember correctly,” Damien added with a chuckle.

  “I did seal that deal,” Eric retorted, his cheeks flushed. “I couldn’t get rid of her for weeks.”

  I let out a sigh and ignored the guys’ laughter.

  “Eric, ask her if she’ll go with you. I mean, if she wants to go. Just put it out there for her. The last thing we need is her getting tangled up in Blackburn and Ambrose’s mess.”

  “So, you want me to take her out and then spend the evening with the regular students?” Eric’s voice was dull as he gawked at me. “How the hell am I going to do that? I’d ruin everyone’s fun if I just showed up. They’d all be too scared to do whatever it is they normally do at those things.”

  “Drink, make-out, more,” Damien supplied.

  “I got with that hot caster named Celeste at one before I was in Conexus,” Jared stated.

  “The one with the tattoo on her back?” Adam asked.

  “Oh, buddy, that ain’t the only place she has a tattoo.” Jared chuckled. I rolled my eyes at the guys.

  “Anyway…” I interrupted story time, glaring at the other guys before turning back to Eric. “Just go for a few hours. Ignore what people are doing. I mean, unless someone’s going to get hurt. Then you step in.”

  “Wait, why does Eric get to hang out with someone outside Conexus?” Jared narrowed his eyes at me. I hadn’t told them what was really going on with me and Ever. I’d only told them she was important because she was a whisperer. I knew this day would come. I promised myself I’d tell them everything at the meeting.

  “Because she needs looking after,” I stated. “She’s the first whisperer in a long time. And we’re in a war. The last thing we need is her getting snatched up by the Cipher.”

  “But you’re acting like this is personal,” Adam jumped in. “Like it’s totally obvious you like her, man. Why send Eric in to hang out with her? Why don’t you just go do it yourself?”

  “Yeah, Gen.” Damien grinned at me. “Why don’t you do it?”

  “Shut up,” I muttered, trying to stall for time. Everyone knew about my betrothal via a message from the Order sending their congratulations right before the school year started. Instead of applause and well-wishes, the announcement was received with looks of sympathy and words of encouragement. Adam had been the one to suggest just dying to get out of it. With a deep breath, I said words that were bitter on my tongue, words I hated, words I was desperately trying to find a way out of, “You know I’m betrothed to Amara.”

  Brandon scoffed at me. “Like you want to be caught up in that hornet’s nest. I’d be hopping on the next chick to get out of crazy town if I were you.”

  “Yeah, go knock up a caster or something,” Jared added. “Daddy dearest wouldn’t want an illegitimate grandkid running around. You’d be able to marry the girl. Any girl. Pick one. Anything is better than having to deal with Amara for eternity.”

  “How about Ever? Knock boots with her since you like her so much. Make beautiful ghost-whispering, shifter babies,” Adam suggested. “And stop lying to yourself about it.”

  “Knock it off,” I grumbled. The idea of being able to marry Ever lit my heart up. That fire was quickly extinguished by the truth of my engagement to Amara and the fact Ever and I could never be together in any form of the word. “This is Eric’s mission. Not mine.”

  “Just seems to me that someone is bound to get hurt,” Adam stated pointedly.

  Damien nodded from beside me. I scowled at my friends. “It’ll probably be you,” he offered.

  He was right. I knew I’d get hurt. I was only just starting to feel the pain of not being with her. This was more than that though. My own father had threatened me about her. I couldn’t let harm come to her. There was no way I’d do it.

  “Just ask her,” I grumbled at Eric.

  “Didn’t you and Amara get it on at one of those parties when you were supposed to be chaperoning?” Brandon asked innocently, bound and determined to give me a hard time.

  “Oh, we got it on in a lot of places,” Amara’s honeyed voice simpered. I hadn’t heard her approach. She sat down beside me. Chloe, Amanda and Sloane filled in the remaining empty seats. “Even your bed, Damien.”

  “Gross.” Damien turned up his nose. “I hope you changed the sheets after.”

  “Nope.” Amara’s red lips turned up into a smile. “Neither time.”

  “Is she serious?” Damien looked at me. “Tell me she’s not serious.”

  “It was only twice,” I muttered.

  “What the hell?” Damien pushed his bag of chips away, a scowl on his face.

  “Eric?” I asked, ignoring everyone’s laughter again.

  “Fine,” he relented. “But you’re going to owe me for this.”

  “No, I won’t.” I cast him a sad smile. “You’ll have fun and thank me for it later.”

  He shook his head and stared down at his hands. It wasn’t until we were ready to go that the look on Eric’s face caught my attention. He was once again smiling at Ever from across the courtyard. And she was smiling back.

  I pretended like I hadn’t noticed. They were just friends. And this was what I wanted to happen. Right?

  Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure.

  Nine

  Raiden

  “You look uncomfortable,” Sloane commented as she came into the room behind the other members of Conexus. It was time for our meeting. For my confession. I was going to lay it all out on the line for them. No more secrets.

  I grunted a response as she passed by. When everyone was settled in their respective spots throughout the living room, I drew in a deep breath and cleared my throat.

  “I have a confession,” I began, picking up our ceremonial goblet. Using my dagger, I pricked my finger and let a drop of my blood fall into the magical cup. I passed the blade and chalice around the circle. Everyone stared at me with either raised brows or curious expressions on their faces as they pricked their fingers and offered their blood. I whispered the necessary words to bind us all in a spell of silence. I hated blood magic, but this was a necessity. Adam leaned forward in his seat while Damien gave me an encouraging nod. “I’m the Reever.”

  “What?” Jared shouted, wide-eyed, while the cacophony of disbelief from the other members echoed throughout the room.

  “How do you know?” Adam demanded. “When did you find out?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Chloe exclaimed as Amanda shook her head, her mouth open.

  Once everyone had quieted down, I continued, “I know because the missions that me
, Damien, and Eric were going on a few months back were because I was saving the Mancer… Everly Torres.”

  I waited while more of their disbelief was voiced. I cast a look at Amara who was staring at me, horror-struck, her lips parted, her eyes wavering. I shook my head sadly at her. “I’m sorry.”

  I knew she was going to be upset. I thought she’d storm out of the room. Instead, she seemed just as stunned as everyone else.

  “I’ve been pulled to Everly since we were both children.” I launched into the entire story of me and her, telling them everything they needed to know and ending my tale with my father’s threats. I even added everything I knew about a traitor within the Order feeding information to the Cipher and how someone had been systematically taking out any suspected whisperers. When I’d finished, I waited for their reactions.

  “I knew it was more than you just liking her,” Adam said, knowingly nodding at me. “You’ve been with lots of girls. But you’ve never been the way you have been the past few months.”

  I glanced at Amara again. Still, she was holding together rather well.

  “What’s the plan, Gen?” Jared asked, looking around the room. “What do you need us to do? Because you know we’ll do it. If she’s who you say she is and you’re who you say you are, you’ll need extra eyes on both of you. We’re here.”

  My heart swelled with both pride and relief as I took in my members all nodding their heads, pledging themselves to the cause. Everyone except Amara. She was quiet in the back of the room, her mouth twisted down into a frown, her eyes downcast.

  “For now, I just want to keep her safe. That includes from herself.” I quickly filled them in on her past, which caused most of the girls to tear up when they heard she’d tried killing herself more than once. “And anything Cipher related. That includes Blackburn and Ambrose.”

  “What’s the deal with Eric?” Brandon asked, voicing what I knew everyone was wondering.

  “Eric has been assigned to befriend her. He’s also been assigned her trainer. He’ll be keeping watch over her,” I supplied.

  “You know what I mean,” Brandon added pointedly. “You’ve got him doing more than that. What’s the deal?”

  Leave it to Brandon to be blunt.

  “I don’t want her getting caught up in a lot around here,” I explained.

  “You mean you don’t want her to be with anyone else,” Amara snapped at me. Everyone’s heads swiveled to look at her then back to me. “You’re hoping that something gives so you can be with her.”

  I didn’t say anything. Anything I said in denial would be an outright lie. Sure, I wanted to be with Ever, but I knew the deal. But until something did come up, it couldn’t happen. And who knew. Maybe she thought I was a tool and would want nothing to do with me.

  “I just want her safe and happy,” I answered softly.

  “Whatever. It’s bullshit,” Amara snarled at me. “Our wedding is arranged. We are getting married!”

  “We are,” I nodded, speaking through grit teeth. “And there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. So, why are you snapping at me over it? You know you’ll get what you want. A crown. Me. A title. An entire world to rule. Could you just once stop focusing on yourself and your selfish wants and look at the bigger picture here? I’m not going to be with her. She and I won’t ever be together. This is more about keeping her safe, so all hell doesn’t break loose!”

  There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

  “Eric is making sure she’s taken care of,” I continued, breathing hard. “And now that you all know, I want you to make sure she’s safe when Eric isn’t able to be there.”

  There was a general murmur of acknowledgement and consent before I cleared my throat, wanting to move on. Talk of Ever made me ache inside. I’d caught more than one sympathetic look from my members.

  I decided it was time to address the other elephant in the room before I completely lost it. “Let’s move on. We have other things we need to go over. So, here’s what we know,” I forged on. “Wraiths are in surplus all over the damn place. They’re attacking smaller Special villages. There are reports of more hauntings. And there was a rotwraith attack on Ever a few days ago.”

  “Rotwraiths aren’t a joke,” Damien added, looking around at everyone in the group. He shot me a quick look, knowing I needed a change of subject. We’d known each other so long that a lot of understanding happened between us without either of us speaking. The same went for Eric.

  “I had a rotwraith nick my ankle last year,” Chloe recalled in disgust. “It almost took me out just from the scratch.”

  “Well, Everly Torres was full on bit by one,” Brandon said, leaning forward on the couch. “And it nearly did take her out.”

  “Too bad it didn’t,” Amara bit out nastily.

  “Amara,” I warned.

  “Oh, come on. Say what you’re here to say,” Amara spat. “We all know the heightened numbers and recent attacks aren’t just because a coincidence. There’s a reason behind it. It’s because the war is getting bigger. The Cipher are getting stronger. And it’s because of her. Everly. You just said she’s the Mancer. You should just throw her to the wolves and let them finish what they started.”

  “Speaking for the wolves, I’m going to have to disagree,” Chloe interjected. “We aren’t interested in eating Gen’s future bride.”

  “I’m his future bride,” Amara hissed, fists clenched, teeth ground tight. “Our marriage is arranged—”

  “Knock it off,” I snapped. “I’m not throwing Ever anywhere—”

  “Except maybe your bed,” Adam snickered. He and Damien shared a fist bump. I knew they were trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t helping. I glared at them.

  “This is about keeping our people safe. Ever included. We’re going to check out these haunts Sunday night. It’ll be quick. We’ll capture what we can and take them back to Xanan. Maybe we can interrogate them.”

  “Ghosts can’t be interrogated.” Sloane sighed. “Not even you, head of F.I.R.E. and Conexus general extraordinaire can do that. You need a whisperer.”

  “We have one of those—oh wait. We don’t.” Damien looked pointedly at me. “We could have one of those if Gen would pull the stick out of his ass and bring Ever into Conexus.”

  “Like hell!” Amara shouted at the same time I said, “She’s not joining.”

  “Let’s think about this,” Amanda piped up from her perch on the arm of the couch, glancing at me. “Hear me out. We do need someone who can communicate with the dead. And wraiths in all forms are hard to catch. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There are a ton of creatures out there who’d love to sink their claws into Everly. They just haven’t found her yet. The one factor in all of this is Ever. Ghosts will talk to her, and the other creatures want her. She’s the perfect person to have for this. And maybe we don’t need to induct her. Can't we… I don’t know… have an honorary member?” She looked at me with wide eyes. Everyone shot looks at one another.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Adam murmured, nodding.

  “You want to use her as bait?” Sloane asked skeptically, an eyebrow raised.

  “Well, not entirely,” Amanda shrugged. “More like bait for the wraiths and as someone to speak to the dead.”

  “I like it,” Jared proclaimed, looking at me for my verdict.

  “Me too. Bait means food. Maybe a rotwraith will eat her.” Amara smirked, folding her arms over her chest. I threw her a dirty look which only caused her to scowl.

  “No. Not happening.” I shook my head. There was no way I was bringing her in, member or not. It was too dangerous. I could only imagine the heart attack my father would have if he knew it was even a consideration from my members. Or the one I’d have if I took her on a hunt. The thought made me sick. I wasn’t even sure how our powers worked together yet.

  “Where’s Eric?” Chloe asked, looking around. “He’ll know what to do.”

  “Eric’s with Ever tonight,”
I stated. Chloe raised her eyebrows at me.

  “What does that mean?” Amanda demanded. I caught Sloane’s eye and cleared my throat.

  Before I could reply, Amara spoke up, “It means he’ll be between her legs by Hallow’s Eve.”

  “Amara,” I shouted, balling my hands into fists. My blood was pumping, the sound of it roaring in my ears. I could feel my eyes darkening to black. They burned whenever it happened. They only ever did that when I was furious. Damien immediately noticed and jumped to his feet, getting in front of me before I could grab Amara and give her a good shake. The good guy inside me knew I shouldn’t, but the volatile beast within me was chomping at the bit to shake some sense and compassion into her. She glared at me defiantly.

  “Easy, Gen. Let it go. Eric won’t do that. Neither will Ever. She’s a good, sweet girl. You know it. I know it. Amara’s just angry. Chill.” Damien pushed me back a bit, and I released the breath I was holding.

  “I think we need to get more information on the prophecy,” Sloane’s soft voice pulled me away from my murderous thoughts. I let the tension leave my body, and Damien took a tentative step back before going to his chair.

  “While I get that we’re trying to protect people, I feel like we’re going in blind,” Sloane explained, looking around at everyone. “We’ve been fighting this war for years. Even the Order is starting to get crazy. I mean, F.I.R.E.? We’re killing people. Gen, how many have you, Damien, and Eric killed because you had reason to believe they were siding with the Cipher? How much more blood needs to be spilled?” She pleaded at me with her big, brown eyes.

  “You’re such a hippie, Sloane,” Jared said. “You want peace. There’s no peace. You know that. When one war ends, another one will start. That’s just how things are.”

  “That’s no reason not to try and fix it,” she snapped at him. He shrugged at her helplessly. She was right though. We only knew what we’d heard about the prophecy of the Reever and Mancer. Those scrolls were hundreds of years old and buried deep within the Citadel in the restricted area. I wasn’t even sure if I could get my hands on them.