“What can I do?” I asked, wanting Rodrick to see the determination in my eyes. “How do I track down this location?”
“We must track down the svethulka if we can. And search for the original location where the curse was cast. When Dirk changed allegiances, those secrets went with him.”
I opened my mouth to speak and found myself without words. A memory flashed before my mind with perfect clarity. The vision I had of Dirk in my dreams was more significant than I ever imagined. He crawled out of that coffin beneath the ritual site in the forest with a long ivory wand in his hand. The same wand I saw in Margaux’s possession when she attacked us near the ritual site.
“I think I saw the svethulka,” I said. “The Vontex and I went back to the ritual site where Dirk and his luxra witchling cast the spell on me to link our lives.”
“You mean you disobeyed my orders?” Rodrick stood up from the bench and stared down at me.
‘Whoops.’
“Um…”
“You used the vixra tunnels with vixra blood against my consent?”
“We found answers. Answers that you neglected to tell me.” I stood up and stared right back at him, refusing to let him get away with making me feel small. “You said yourself once I catch a scent I’m unlikely to let it go. And I wasn’t about to let this one go. I had a vision of Dirk tormenting a luxra witchling that Adeline Prescott was searching for. A woman named Margaux Carville. Dirk somehow managed to convert her to the Dolch Erbe. And when we went back to the ritual site, she was there guarding it. I saw the wand in her hand. The same wand I saw Dirk holding in one of my dreams. It must have been buried with the original luxra witchling of the Dolch Erbe and passed onto Margaux Carville. Alina said there’s a chance that the original members of the inner circle are passing their consciousness into people so they can never truly die. It’s how they plan to finish their work. And if that’s true, Margaux has the Svethulka. We need to find her and capture her somehow.”
I stood there before him and waited for a response. One I was ready to take with dignity if he decided to scold me. I could only hope that having such valuable information might be seen as more important than punishing me or the Vontex for going against his wishes. If he was any sort of pragmatist, he would see reason.
He folded his arms before him. “Give me your word that you won’t relay what I have told you to the Northern Vontex,” he demanded. “Not even Lothar.”
‘Why did he add Lothar to the end of that sentence?’
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because Operation Shift is the business of the Eastern Vontex and the vixra witchlings trying to aid in the effort to break the curse. I don’t want the Northern Vontex intruding on their efforts. They must respect that their business is in the north. The fewer who know about the curse, the better. But since you’re not officially a member of the Vontex, you may help.”
I took a deep breath and released the tension building in my shoulders. The intensity in Rodrick’s eyes was making me stiff. Or maybe that was my effort not to melt right then and there. If it was taking me extra effort, I knew it had to wear on him too. Only he was more equipped not to show it.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“l need you to come to Paris with me. I’d normally make the trip on my own but two Blackatters with crowning magic stand a much better chance of surviving than one. I’m trusting you to do as I say. Especially since you’ve already proved your willingness to go against my orders. Do not cross me this time.”
I swallowed hard. If I went against him I wouldn’t get off easy this time around. “I promise.”
“I’m very familiar with Margaux Carville,” he said. “She’s the leader of a powerful luxra coven. And she had peculiar tastes in allies.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was the lover of a very old vampire named Alexei Ibragimov. He lives with her in Paris. If what you say about Margaux is true and she has indeed fallen to the Dolch Erbe, we need to find Alexei and protect him.”
“Why?”
“Because he was the vampire she intended to have help us with breaking the curse.”
“She was in on Operation Shift?” I asked.
“Don’t you remember me saying there were individuals already working on breaking the curse? She’s one of them. Along with Alexei. Which might be why she was made into a target. I’ll make all the arrangements. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. I’ll make the proper excuses for your professors and the Vontex.”
I somehow went from being eternally on the outside to feeling as though I knew too much. But it was worth it if I successfully got on a trail that would lead me to more answers about freeing Dirk from the Dolch Erbe’s long arms.
“I’ll escort you back,” Rodrick said, placing his hand on the back of my shoulder and leading me to the mirror inside his study. The spot where his hand lay on was warm long after he let down his hand and I was walking to the dining hall for dinner. Even through the leather of my trench coat.
I went to bed that night with my normal routine. I laid down the special mixture to prevent any dreams I had from controlling my magic, said the proper incantation, took a sip of the liquid silver Rodrick gave me, and slowly drifted to sleep.
Rodrick quickly entered my mind, doing everything in my dreams that he wouldn’t do in reality. Things I only remembered him doing when Devon was disguised in his form.
We were alone in a large bedroom with a four-poster bed. The sheets were white with long sheer material draping down from the bed’s high rails. A fire was burning in the corner with countless candles lit about the room. The window was open with the beauty of Parisian lights pouring in behind us. But neither of us cared about the fire or the view from the window. He was focused on me. His shirt was off, thrown to the floor without any reservations. I was in nothing but a white cotton nightdress.
Rodrick had me pinned up against the wall with his hand trailing down my cheek, my neck, then down my side until it caressed my bare thigh. He brought up my leg to wrap around his waist, opening me up for him as he placed his lips on mine. I didn’t resist him. He tasted of mint and smelled of rich musk. My hands ran down his back, feeling his body press into mine and wanting him to come in even closer. I got what I wanted as he deepened the kiss. He played with my hair, untying the band I had pulling it back until my long locks fell down. Then he ripped the nightgown over my head and lifted me up in his arms, taking me to the bed and laying his long muscular body on top of mine. It had been ages since I felt a man like this, wanting me, and pressing into me until I couldn’t resist him. I had no reason to believe that if Rodrick decided to throw caution to the wind and do exactly this to me, there was little I could do to stop it. I would let him have me in a heartbeat. Curse or no curse, Blackatter or not, Rodrick was one of the sexiest men I had ever laid eyes on.
My eyes opened and I sat up straight in my bed, feeling my crowning magic tingle over my body. I absorbed it back in and made sure it didn’t do any damage. That didn’t stop the heat inside of me from taking a few minutes to cool off. I could still feel Rodrick’s touch and the pressure from his body on mine. This couldn’t have been a normal dream. It might have been a vision. And if that were the case, I was in deep trouble.
I was going to make a journey across the channel to the continent with Rodrick, the Dean of L.I.T. To Paris no less. The city of romance and light. If there was ever a time to practice discipline it would be now. I thought my exams would be the ultimate test of my abilities. Far from it. I had to get through this trip alive and somehow resist Rodrick at the same time.
‘It was only a dream,’ I told myself. ‘It wasn’t a vision. It couldn’t have been. Rodrick wouldn’t let something like that happen. He’s much more controlled than I am.’
11
Being homeschooled by my mum for the majority of my youth made me uniquely unprepared for the type of studying I would need for the months I spent at the private school my father chose f
or me and Dirk when we came back to England. Over time, I learned various techniques from a personal tutor. Even so, nothing could have prepared me for the level of intense studying L.I.T. would require. Mostly because written essays and exams were only a small fraction of the work. The academy was for practical training. Theoretical studies weren’t the biggest priority over being able to control one’s senses and shifting.
Alina was the exception. And I was grateful. I could spend hours in the library with numerous historical texts in front of me, feeling the paper in my hands as I slowly turned the pages and read the words of lycanthrope that came before me. I nearly had my essay for her class complete when the chair next to me scraped against the library’s tile floor and Lothar sat down next to me at my study table in the far corner, disturbing my focus as he folded his hands before him and stared daggers at me.
I moved uncomfortably in the chair and pretended not to notice that he was being exceedingly rude. I flipped a couple of pages as I continued skimming the primary sources in my essay. Lothar took the book out of my hand and closed it. Then he placed it just out of my reach.
“Do you mind?” I scolded him in a low voice.
“No, I don’t.”
“What are you doing?”
“Maybe I should sit here and let you figure it out. Especially since you’re the one who told me you didn’t want to keep secrets.”
That got my attention. I set down my pen and glared right back at him. “What are you talking about?”
He sat there in silence like an insolent child, refusing to tell me what was wrong. Something about his scent had changed. It was more aggressive than usual. He was irritated with me. That much was clear. I thought back on everything that happened in the last few days and came up completely empty as far as what I could have done that annoyed him so much.
‘Except maybe having naughty dreams about Rodrick. He can’t know that! Can he?’
I blinked a few times, trying to get the image of Rodrick’s body against mine out of my head.
‘Focus!’
He leaned in toward me and spoke in a very hushed voice, knowing that the few lycan in the library would hear if he wasn’t careful. Whatever was on his mind, he didn’t want everyone knowing.
“Why did Rodrick send me a note excusing you from your witness participation in the Vontex this coming weekend?”
I shuddered slightly and hoped to God that he didn’t notice. I should have known this was coming. Rodrick did tell me he would get me away from my classes and other responsibilities for our trip to Paris.
“Well?” he urged me to confess, seeing the reluctance written all over my face.
‘Guilty as charged.’
“I can’t say,” I whispered back to him.
“You can’t say? You told me not to keep secrets from you and now you can’t say what’s going on? Unless Rodrick is taking you on a special trip to the Alluring Forest to practice more with your crowning magic, you have no excuse to miss this weekend.”
“It’s not my secret to tell,” I whispered back to him.
“But you could tell Rodrick?”
I took my leather messenger bag from the side of the chair and started tossing my things inside a bit rougher than necessary. If I couldn’t study properly in the library, my dorm room would have to suffice. I reached for the book I was using before he snatched it away only for his hand to clamp down on mine the second I grabbed it. His skin sent hot prickles up my arm.
“I need you to tell me what’s going on, Riley,” he said.
“This is childish,” I scolded him. “Give me the book.”
I flinched away from him as the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up, sending a blistering feeling down my spine. We were being watched.
I eyed the corner of the library to see McKenzie sitting at a nearby table with several books sprawled out before her. She was pretending to be focused on them. I knew better. She was listening. Maybe she didn’t get every word but a few would be enough for her to put the pieces together. She might know now that I was being permitted to go along with the Vontex. An activity few people were permitted to do before actually becoming one. And she already thought I was receiving special treatment. Which was true. But it wasn’t because I was extraordinary. It was because I was a danger to others unless I got control of my crowning magic.
I yanked the book away from Lothar and placed it in my bag.
“Don’t walk away from me,” Lothar demanded. “I’m still your superior within these walls.”
“We’re not alone in here,” I said.
I walked down the aisle of books and back toward the door. He followed me. I heard the door slam into the wall as he thrust it open when I didn’t hold it for him. The second it closed behind us he reached for my arm and made me turn around to face him.
“Whatever you’re doing with Rodrick needs to stop,” he insisted. His voice was deep, demanding, and forceful. He wanted to have his way as though I was his to command. And I didn’t like it. “These lessons you’re having with him are preoccupying your mind and probably affecting your studies. He might be doing more harm than good. I already told you that he can’t always see the forest for the trees. You need to remember that.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Can you?” he asked. “You already set your old dorm room on fire, got kidnapped, and fell into the arms of a man who shifted into Rodrick’s form.”
“Wow, I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me.”
“Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me you don’t enjoy it?” he snarled down at me. I could feel his grip on my arm getting tighter. As if he thought squeezing it would make me listen harder.
“Enjoy what?”
“Your lessons with Rodrick,” he said, leaning in a little closer. I could feel the warmth of his breath hit my skin. “You look forward to them. Is that why you’ve had a sudden change in priorities?”
I nearly shrank away from him. As it was, he was making me blush. Something that abhorred me almost as much as it annoyed me.
He nodded as though he just got the confirmation he was looking for. “That’s it, isn’t it? Well, let me remind you that the Vontex is extremely serious work. Work that saved your life and could have ended it just as quickly. I took a chance on you. One I don’t want to regret. I’ve made bad calls in the past and I don’t want you to become one of them.”
‘Are you suggesting you should have killed me the night you found me?’
I stepped away from him and pried my arm out of his hand. I could still feel the heat of his touch like a radiator through my clothes, tempting me with submission. He was using his position above me in the hierarchy of the academy against me. And his position as an alpha lycan. It might have been his right to do so but for whatever reason, I thought perhaps he and I had evolved beyond such tactics. We had an understanding with one another. I would follow his instructions and he wouldn’t belittle me when I made a mistake. Well, at least not to the point of embarrassing me.
The rush of his oppressive glare dissipated when I realized what he was hiding beneath it. And when I did, my jaw nearly dropped in shock.
“You’re jealous,” I said, not quite able to believe the words leaving my mouth. “This isn’t about the Vontex. You think I’m prioritizing Rodrick over you.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous.” It was the first time since he sat down next to me in the library that he allowed his gaze to leave mine. The slightest hint that I was right had just been handed to me on a silver platter.
“You are. You’re jealous of him. And you’re trying to make me feel as though I’m ignoring my duties with the Vontex. I’ll have you know that I’ve always taken my time with the Vontex very seriously. And what’s worse is I think you know that. You’re letting this pettiness cloud your judgment.”
A vein on his forward bulged. Lothar clearly wasn’t used to being called out on whatever rubbish came flying out of his mouth. Or at least
he wasn’t used to someone seeing through his words.
“You’re the last person in the world with the right to tell me that my judgment is the least bit clouded,” he hissed down at me. “You’re only here because of your less than spectacular judgment.”
“That wasn’t my fault! Devon did this to me deliberately. Professor Addair taught us how to use our scent to our advantage against prey. I know that’s what Devon did to me. I didn’t stand a chance. And why do you keep using that against me?”
The second the words left my mouth I understood the reason. My entire body went rigid at the thought.
“Of course,” I said. “Because Devon took Rodrick’s form. That’s why.”
“Are you honestly going to tell me that you’re not attracted to him?”
I admired his boldness and despised that he was directing it at me. Most English guys took weeks just to ask for my cell phone number. Lothar, on the other hand, asked me right out if I was attracted to Rodrick. A question he already knew the answer to before asking. He just wanted to hear me say the words. I wasn’t about to give him what he wanted.
“I spent my first week here attracted to every man I laid my eyes on.” I yanked my hand away and dug into my pockets. “It’s part of being a werewolf and a lycan. You know that.”
He came closer to me, daring me to lie with his squinting eyes and letting me know he would see through my answer if I tried deceiving him. His scent struck me once more, forcing a crisp sting to hit my senses and tempting me to obey his every command. His position as an alpha was practically a weapon against me in more ways than one.
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