“I hate lying to Thomas. He loves me, but senses that I’m keeping something from him. There have been so many times that I’ve wanted to tell him who I really am.”
Slade’s grip on my hand tightened in warning. “You know that you could never do that. If the council ever found out, you could be banished. I shouldn’t need to remind you of the fact that you would be putting Thomas’s life in jeopardy. As it is, you dating him already puts him in danger.”
I hated to admit it, but Slade was right. I’d had this very argument with myself a dozen times. I said I loved Thomas enough to die for him, but I also loved him enough to let him go.
“You’re right,” I whispered.
Slade’s brows shot up in surprise. “Excuse me, but I think I must have misheard you.”
“I said you’re right. Don’t get used to it, and if you tell the others, I will deny it.”
The deep rumble of his laugh brought a smile to my lips. I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t laughed much lately.
My gaze lowered to our joined hands. I hated that I was causing conflict between us. My reckless behavior made their duties as my guardians that much harder. At this point, what choice did I have? I didn’t think they would support the risks I was taking to find my friends.
The only thing that eased my guilt was knowing that I had Draven and Zander watching my back. And after the warnings I’d received last night, I knew the ancestors were watching out for me, too.
Warm fingers cradled my chin as Slade tipped my head up. “Something else is bothering you. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
I guessed old habits die hard. I had just promised myself that I would make an effort to confide in my guardians and here I was, still keeping secrets. Should I tell Slade about the ancestors? My magic pulsed inside me, warmth flooding my veins in agreement.
I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose, then slowly exhaled through my mouth. Here goes nothing. When I opened my eyes again, Slade’s concerned gaze was on me. That was all of the encouragement I needed.
“The day that I found out Rose and Natasha were missing,” I said, “I heard voices. At first, I thought it was Rose and Natasha messing with me. But I searched my room and no one was there. Then Zander showed up, and I didn’t give it much thought. I hadn’t heard the voices again until last night. It wasn’t until then that I realized it was the ancestors.”
“Are you positive it was them?”
“Yes. They said, maiorum. The way that my magic responded to them confirmed it. They were trying to warn me. I’m still not sure about what.”
“What did they say?”
I glanced up at the sky as I tried to remember what they said to me. “The first time it was something about listening to them, being careful and watching out for false tongues. Last night they said danger and think wisely.”
I wasn’t about to tell him what danger they were speaking of. If he knew that Zander and I had tried to break into a restricted part of campus, Slade would put me under house arrest.
He scrubbed his hand over his face before focusing on me again. “We need to talk to Roark, Quinn, and Jax about this. If the ancestors are intervening, then something is definitely wrong.”
“I think they were talking about Rose and Natasha.” I shook my head as the tears began to flow again. “Rose would never leave on her own without telling me.”
Slade’s arm wrapped around my shoulder and he pulled me tight against him. His chin rested on the top of my head. “We’ll find them. The council is using all of its resources to track them.”
I buried my face in Slade’s chest. My tears soaked his shirt. I couldn’t let him know that I held little faith in the council. They were involved somehow. I just didn’t know to what extent.
“I need you to promise me that you will remain on campus until we figure this out,” he said. “Focus on your classes and stay off the council’s radar.”
I nodded. Better to give a vague answer than to tell a lie.
I couldn’t make him a promise I had no intention of keeping. The council was hiding something, and I was determined to figure out what it was. No matter the cost.
6
I checked the hallway one more time to make sure no one was around besides Draven and Zander. Most of the students were in classes at the main campus. Since Rayna had adjusted my schedule, I didn’t have anywhere to be at the moment, which left me ample time to search Rose’s room.
The door creaked open when I turned the knob and pushed. I glanced around, noting how nothing seemed out of place. Rose kept a neat and tidy room, unlike mine that had clothes and books everywhere. I had more important things to do than clean.
Zander entered last and eased the door closed. His eyes darted around the room but hesitated on the balcony. He studied it a few more seconds, then approached Draven and me.
“So what’s the game plan?” Zander regarded Draven before focusing on me. “Or is there one?”
I shook my head. “I don’t have a plan. Just look around and see if you can find anything unusual. Witches don’t vanish without a trace.”
“You’re right,” Draven added. “The coven might banish witches who break rules or commit crimes, but I’ve never known anyone to go missing.”
His words stung my heart. If I got caught, they could strip the ancient power from me. Thankfully, the power chose each successor. Certain council members, like Melynn, would love to get their hands on it.
Tough shit. It chose me, and after everything I’d learned lately, there was a reason I was picked for this prominent position. The longer I thought about it, the more I realized it was because I wasn’t the council’s puppet.
Recte vos.
I smiled at my ancestors when they told me that I was right. Their guidance proved more helpful each time they spoke to me. I wished they could tell me where my friends were, but if that were possible, they would have already done so.
The afterlife was mysterious. No one truly knew what happened when we transitioned from our physical bodies and our souls passed into the next plane. One day I would find out, but hopefully not anytime soon. I had missions ahead of me that could change the fate of the coven, as well as the realms.
“Something has to be here,” I mumbled the words to myself, then I glanced at my two lovers. “Draven, will you search the bed and closet? Zander, will you check around the sitting area and end tables? I’ll check Rose’s desk and bookshelf.”
While they went in opposite directions, I made my way across the room to Rose’s desk. Hopefully, she had written something down in her planner.
Much like everything else inside her room, the desk was tidy. All of her books were on the shelf or stacked neatly beside a picture frame I’d given her a year ago on her birthday. The picture inside was from the same day when we were celebrating at one of the bars in the main hub of our realm, Center City.
Once I found her planner, I opened it and checked all of her appointments from two weeks ago until the last day I saw her. Aside from class project due dates and dates to meet up with friends and professors, there was nothing unusual.
Going back to the last time I saw her, I double-checked her notes to make sure nothing looked out of place. Luckily her handwriting was easy to read. On the last day, I saw her, she’d had two upcoming projects and her lunch date with me. Then she had a meeting with Professor Xavier to discuss the spell she was working on for finals.
Rose had messaged me later that night to let me know the meeting went well. That exchange had included making plans to meet in the human realm for our girl’s night out. Only, she’d never showed. So where did she go after her tutoring session?
After I closed the planner, I rifled through the papers and folders she had stacked inside a cove on her desk. Nothing stood out, as most of the papers were graded exams and quizzes. The harder I searched, the less hope I had of discovering anything to help us find Rose or Natasha.
“I didn’t find anythin
g under the bed,” Draven announced as he walked out of the closet. “And all that’s in here are clothes and shoes. I even checked pockets and shelves to make sure she hadn’t hidden anything. Still nothing.” His head turned toward Zander, who placed a stack of magazines back on the end table. “What about you?”
Zander shook his head, and his shoulders slumped. “I’ve come up empty-handed too. I tried tracking any unfamiliar scents, but Rose’s is the only one I can smell, which means she was the last one in this room. Shouldn’t the council have come in here by now to search?”
His words were like two-ton weights on my heart, dragging it down into a pit of despair. How could there not be any other clues to Rose’s whereabouts and why hadn’t the council been here? There wasn’t even a trail to follow, except for the one that led to the restricted area.
Rose would never go into that part of the building. Even when I expressed my curiosity about what was behind those double doors, she always told me they scared her. It didn’t make sense for her trail to end there, and knowing that it did had my gut churning.
“Draven, are you absolutely certain that no students are permitted into the restricted area in the main campus building?”
“Samara, I’ve lived in this coven since I was born. No student was ever permitted in that area.”
“Don’t you find that strange?” Zander crossed his thick arms over his chest and gave Draven a hard look.
“The students have always respected the rules,” Draven explained, “and my mother said the staff and council wanted an entrance into their quarters that no students could access. They want their own space. What’s the big deal?”
Zander’s face flushed. I noticed his hands fisting and walked closer to him. He glanced at me once I approached, then he hung his head. His hands relaxed, but I could sense his resentment.
Although he accepted Draven in my life, it was moments like this when their true feelings came to light. Certain situations arose that left him wanting to beat some sense into Draven. Of the two, he was twice as protective of me. Maybe it was the wolf in him. He was a natural born alpha, and he wasn’t about to take shit from anyone, especially a mage.
“Draven,” I said softly, “what if I told you that last night, when we ran into each other in that section of the main campus, Zander had tracked Rose and Natasha’s trail there. It went past the doors, but we couldn’t access them to see where it led.”
“Impossible.” He flung his arm toward the door. “I’m not exaggerating when I say that no students go into that section of the campus. If Rose and Natasha went in there, then they would have been banished from the coven for trespassing.”
His logic didn’t make sense. If they had been banished, his mother, as well as the rest of the council, would have known that Rose and Natasha weren’t missing. Then again, I’d noticed weird vibes from the council the other day. It had felt as though they were hiding something from me. Was this it? Had they banished two of my friends from the coven?
“I don’t believe Rose or Natasha would do anything to warrant such drastic measures,” I assured Draven. “I think banishment is a harsh punishment for going into an area that’s just for staff. What worries me is that maybe one of them stumbled onto something they shouldn’t have. It’s possible that the one responsible reached out to the other, and now they’re either being held captive…or they’re dead.”
Draven shook his head. “Samara, the coven doesn’t hold captives. Once a witch has broken a rule or committed a crime, she’s sentenced and extradited.”
I poked my finger against Draven’s chest and frowned at him. “I already told you, Rose wouldn’t do anything to cause her to be expelled or extradited. She’s the most rule-abiding witch I know, and Natasha isn’t much different.”
Draven stared at my finger until I removed it. He didn’t meet my gaze at first. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the ground. When he finally glanced up, I noticed his throat wobble. “Do we ever truly know people? Is it possible that we can hide sides of ourselves from the people we care about to protect them?”
I processed his words, unsure how to respond. I wasn’t sure if we were still discussing my friends, or me. Something about the tone of his voice said there was more on his mind than he was telling me. Maybe it was just the fact that if my theory was right, it meant his mother or the council was in the wrong.
I fisted my hands at my sides, willing myself to maintain control. “I know Rose pretty damn well. I’m willing to bet that she did nothing wrong. Something bad has happened, and I’m not going to stop until I figure out what.”
Neither Draven nor Zander said anything else. I pivoted toward the door and marched to it. We’d struck out on finding any clues in Rose’s room. I doubted Natasha’s would be any different, but if I didn’t hear something about them by tomorrow, I’d break into her room, too. I’d do it alone if neither of my boyfriends wanted to help.
Jerking the door open, I waited for Draven and Zander to exit the room before joining them in the hallway. I caught a glimpse of remorse in Draven’s eyes, but I was too angry to deal with him right now. There wasn’t much time left before classes switched and some of the students came back to their dorm rooms.
“I have some things to do before my next class,” I said. “I’ll catch up with you two later.”
Draven opened his mouth like he was about to say something. My body tensed at the thought of him saying anything else about my friends’ disappearance.
He must have noticed, because instead of speaking, he pressed his lips together, then nodded. “Call if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a few days for our date.”
“Sure.” I kept my answer short and sweet, feigning a smile for his benefit. He kissed me on the cheek and nodded at Zander, then made his way toward the staircase.
“You okay?” Zander’s voice soothed me as I shifted my focus on him. I lifted my lips in a lazy smile when he caressed my cheek.
“I’m fine. There’s a lot on my mind, and I’m letting everything sink in. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
His thumb glided over my cheek as he shook his head. Golden eyes devoured me when he pulled me into a tight embrace. “I’ll always worry about you, Samara. If something happened to you because of this, I’d never forgive myself. You’re everything to me. You realize that, don’t you?”
Closing my eyes, I nodded. I didn’t trust my voice to answer him verbally. A lump grew inside my throat, constricting it. Zander’s lips brushed against mine in a tender kiss. I wanted to lose myself in him and the moment. An ache thrummed inside me, and it was desperate for something to fill the void.
Instead, disappointment filled me when he pulled back. I opened my eyes just as his head rested against mine and he blew out a long breath.
“I gotta head out. We have a pack meeting tonight, and I’m the one who has to bring dinner for everyone.” He patted his back pocket where he kept his money. “This is going to hurt.”
“At least you’re not at the bar, buying drinks.”
He chuckled at my reply and nodded. When his smile faded, he gave me a respectful bow. “My soulmate and forever love, I will miss you. Promise to text me before you go to bed?”
“Of course.”
One last sweep of his thumb over my cheek warmed my heart. My frustrations lightened, and when he disappeared down the hallway, I was genuinely disappointed to see him go. It was just as well. I had things to do, and if he stayed, I knew we’d end up in my bed all night.
My face heated at the thought, but I pushed it from my mind and turned toward my room. I was halfway to my door when I spotted someone walking down the hall.
Emma.
Great. Hopefully, she was on her way to her room and not interested in chatting with me. I didn’t have time for her questions or accusations.
Just as I reached my door and wrapped my hand around the knob, I saw her out of the corner of my eye. She didn’t walk past me like I hoped she would. She came to a dead stop and
folded her arms over her chest.
“Skipping class again?” she accused. “Let me guess. You were off visiting your human boyfriend.”
“Emma, I told you not to listen to rumors, and what I do is none of your damn business.”
“It’s the council’s business from what I hear, and as a member of the Council of Peers, I have a responsibility to this coven to make sure you’re not breaking any rules.”
“You’re right. I have spoken with the council. They changed my schedule to more advanced classes. I had a free period, which I spent with my boyfriends.”
“And how do your supernatural boyfriends feel about you dating a human?”
She was baiting me, but I wasn’t about to bite. Whatever caused her power trip, I wasn’t about to stand around and be her verbal punching bag.
“This conversation is over.”
I twisted the knob on my door. I barely pushed it open when Emma grabbed the frame and blocked me with her arm. “You’re going to put all of us in danger. You may have already endangered your best friend and mine. Is this guy worth it, Samara?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Emma. I’m not the only witch with a pass to the human realm. Humans can’t enter our domain without supernatural help, and I assure you, I’ve never brought a human to any place in the Pararealm.”
“But your powers keep our realms intact. It keeps us safe. If your guard is down because you’re screwing around with some stupid human, anyone could crossover.”
Shaking my head, I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a sigh. “Emma, you don’t know as much as you think. If a human crossed the veil, I would sense it. No one has been in our world who doesn’t belong.”
Her expression went unchanged as she looked me up and down. She lowered her arms to her sides, but instead of stepping back, she leaned closer. “I hope for Rose’s and Natasha’s sakes that you’re right.”
This time, she backed away and turned to leave. She hadn’t made it far when I spun around. “Emma, have you ever considered that maybe someone in the Pararealm has it out for witches?”
Paranormal Academy Page 88