by Tricia Barr
“Excellent. Thank you, Kenzie, you’ve done well. The Sunroom seems to be back in working order. Beatrice, I trust you’ll have Leif cleared out shortly.”
“Yes, Draven. Thank you.” Beatrice bowed, but there was a stiffness there. Apparently she didn’t enjoy the whole ordeal any more than Kenzie had. But like the good little vampire she was, she didn’t question Draven. Kenzie would be screaming at the woman if she wasn’t doing the same thing.
Kenzie swallowed as she followed Draven out of the room. He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Kenzie. It was a watch, small, black, sleek. She tapped a button on the side of it and the screen lit up, several apps depicting everything from the time to messages.
“It’s a school watch. You can use this to keep up with your schedule, which will be uploaded to your profile as soon as it’s arranged. I request that all Initiates keep their watches on at all times while in the school. It’s invaluable, and I would hate for you to lose it.”
Kenzie had a feeling that wasn’t the whole story, but she nodded as she slipped it around her wrist. She’d seen some of the Initiates checking their smartwatches from time to time, but hadn’t thought much about the uniformity of it. “Thank you.”
“Of course. And I’ll let you break the good news to Adam.”
Kenzie smiled as convincingly as she could. “Sounds good.”
“The ingredients should arrive in a few days. We’ll make a grand show of it, announcing Adam’s ascension and your placement in the Initiate program after you complete the spell.”
“Okay. Cool.” So not cool. Kenzie needed to get out of here by then, but she didn’t think there was enough time.
“Until then.”
Kenzie caught the dismissal and left without a backward glance. This time, she was grateful for the long elevator ride. It gave her a little space to process, even if most of that process was numbly stuffing every feeling into a tightly-lidded box. She might have let out a good scream, too, just for the fun of it. Maybe.
Adam was waiting for her at the bottom, his face hopeful. Kenzie blinked and nodded.
Adam broke into a wide grin and picked Kenzie up, spinning her in a circle before planting a passionate kiss on her lips. Kenzie fought the urge to vomit, closed her eyes and pretended it was Wes on the other end. It did little to ease her conscience or fool her heart, but with a little practice, she could almost believe she wasn’t kissing a snake. Almost.
Chapter 23: Leif
Leif’s mind was like a bag of puzzle pieces that had been shaken up and sent through a shredder. He could focus on bits and fragments, but he felt so... broken.
Another piece of Gemma was absent. Leif had never considered it as a remnant of his betrothed before, but he did now. It was her daywalking enchantment—something he’d taken for granted all these years. She had gifted it to him so they could spend more time together. It was also what ended up getting her killed.
Now it was completely gone, like dust in the wind.
Gemma had come. Or was it Kenzie? Leif’s muddled mind couldn’t remember. The new memories that had been injected into his brain by Beatrice had him struggling to differentiate fact from fiction.
So it was that he’d been reduced to a monster once more, incapable of withstanding the sun’s rays. Although ever so briefly, his skin had sizzled and burned like meat in a skillet. Twice—that he could remember. The copper flowing in his veins made his regenerative abilities slow. Leif didn’t know how much time had passed since the enchantment had been stripped, but he could still see sores on his arms from where the light had scorched him. On top of it all, his face throbbed. He probably looked diseased from the mutilation. Draven’s Sunroom had never been a cause for fear before. But now, he could still hear the haunted, pained screams of his own voice ringing in his ears.
He’d been granted a bit of freedom since that harrowing experience. Beatrice had left her door open, telling him he was free to walk the citadel if he liked. His shackles contained a GPS unit, so even if he dared to leave Heritage Prep, they’d be able to find him. In his weakened state, he wouldn’t be able to get far. Chances were, he’d collapse from exhaustion and become a pile of ash when the sun rose.
Rainbow hadn’t shown his fur for some time, and Leif found himself helplessly alone. He hadn’t left Beatrice’s quarters, although that option was still there. He needed comfort, and the only possibility that came to his fractured mind was feeling the cool keys of his piano under his fingertips. He’d have limited mobility due to his handcuffs, but at least there would be notes to lose himself in.
And so he forced himself from the couch he’d been sitting on. His legs were weak, and he nearly lost his balance.
“What... did I do?” he mumbled, shaking his head in an effort to clear it. The action did little to help, and no answer came to solve his lackluster question. “I don’t deserve this.”
He placed one foot in front of the other, then did it again. He found that as he continued the process, it got easier. Soon, he was in the hallway.
Looking both ways, he wondered which option to take. His own quarters were in a different tower.
As he stood just outside Beatrice’s room, somebody wordlessly passed by him. Leif brought his blurry eyes up to see if he recognized the person, but they were already turning the corner and heading down the dark staircase to his left.
His heart plummeted. How was he going to manage stairs?
“Are you okay?”
The sudden voice to his right made him jump, and he had to grasp the doorway to keep from falling over. The effort was almost more than he could bear, and his arms flared from their achy burns.
As Leif struggled to control himself, his eyes rested on the girl who’d spoken. She had blue-black hair and sky-blue eyes. He didn’t have to dig too far in his mind to recognize her. “It cannot be,” he mumbled. “The siren?”
The girl looked him up and down, a pitying look crawling upon her face. “Kenzie said...” she trailed off. “What are they doing to you?”
He closed his eyes, trying to focus on her words. They seemed so distant, like a voice carried on a wind through a canyon.
“Myreen, you shouldn’t be here,” he said at last. “Draven...” He knew what he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t form on his lips.
Myreen waited for him to finish what he was saying, but he couldn’t.
“What are they doing to you?” she asked again. This time, she came to him and tapped his bonds.
He found himself laughing, and not just a little. It sounded manic in his own ears. When he stopped, he saw that he’d frightened the girl. Holding his shackles up. “This... is what they do to traitors.”
“Okay, that’s something,” Myreen said.
“I helped Oberon... protect the siren,” he said, remembering the splintered memory of Oberon in the restaurant, asking him to join Draven and work as a double agent. But yes, Beatrice had told him that Myreen had come to Heritage Prep. She was working with Draven. Everything had been a waste—helping the shifters, giving Kenzie the grimoire. In a matter of months, he’d thrown his life completely away.
“Oberon,” Myreen said with wonder. “He was kicked out of the school for working with vampires. But you were the vampire working with him all that time, weren’t you?”
He nodded, but didn’t have any idea how the girl could possibly know about that. And Oberon had gotten kicked out of the school? The world was moving far too fast for Leif to keep up.
“Kol’s dad was wrong about him,” Myreen said, her eyes growing distant.
Leif had no idea what Malkolm Dracul’s father had to do with anything, but didn’t have the focus to think too hard about it.
“You need to get out of here,” he said, the words falling lazily from his lips. “Draven... wants to do terrible things with you.”
“I need to get out of here?” she said. “No offense, but you seem to be a lot worse off than I am.”
Shaking his head, Le
if said, “You don’t understand. Draven is going to use you. Whatever he’s promised you, however he’s making you think you should spend any time here...” His head swam, and he couldn’t finish the sentence. Leif shook his arms in agitation; if only he could rid himself of his shackles.
“What’s your name?” Myreen asked, her soft voice helping to iron out his thoughts, if only for a moment.
“Leif,” he mumbled. At least he remembered his name. At least somewhere inside he was still an individual. Draven and Beatrice hadn’t stripped that away from him. Not yet.
He met her blue eyes.
Myreen stared at him for a few moments, then checked the passageway for eavesdroppers.
In a whisper, she said, “The same Leif Kenzie mentioned?”
Kenzie. Gemma’s relative. The girl who’d reverted him back to an average vampire.
“I thought I knew Kenzie,” Leif said, looking down at the burns on his arm. “It turns out she’s on Draven’s side.”
Myreen shook her head. “No, she wants to help me escape. And Kol. And you.”
Leif wagged his head back and forth, as if a giant weight were tied around it. “She took the grimoire and used it against me.”
“She’d never turn her back on a friend, let alone hurt one,” Myreen said, her voice soft.
Lies. More lies. Kenzie had even tricked Myreen.
“You can’t trust her, Myreen,” Leif cautioned. “She won’t hesitate betraying you.”
The siren bit her lip and looked to the side. Leif wondered if she was seeing him as a drugged-up, disillusioned freak. And he wasn’t getting through to her.
“You must find a way to get out of here,” he said again. He had no desire for self-preservation. But he’d seen Myreen in action. She was the siren from the prophecy Oberon had told him about. “The shifters are counting on you—no, the world is. You have to get out and find a way to stop Draven before he enslaves everybody.”
Myreen’s eyes grew wide, and she took another look around before saying, “I’m scared, Leif. This place... I feel like I’m being watched all the time. But leaving Heritage Prep isn’t so easy. Did you know I have a brother, here in the school?”
“Lies,” Leif said. “All lies. Draven will do anything—say anything—to keep you here.”
She shook her head. “Ty—short for Tyberius. He’s my half-brother, and he’s only ten years old.”
An image of the boy he’d crossed paths with a few times since returning to the citadel popped into his mind. Leif assumed that Draven was using the boy for evil purposes... but was he actually the vampire leader’s son? The Denholm Heir?
“Then take him with you and get out of here,” Leif said. His mind had become clearer during the conversation—likely a rush of adrenaline, or whatever the vampire equivalent was. “If your brother becomes a vampire, he will be extremely dangerous.”
“What if Ty doesn’t want to leave?” Myreen asked. “The school is all he’s ever known. And Draven—my father—he’s really good to Ty.”
It seemed so odd, hearing Myreen refer to Draven as her father. In these short moments, he’d discovered just how opposite she was of him.
“When I first arrived, I thought I’d hate it here,” Myreen continued. “But the cruelty and evil I thought would be all over this place... it’s not.”
Leif narrowed his eyes. “Have you seen your father’s trophy room yet?”
She gave him a confused look.
“Ask him about it sometime,” he said. “It might change your view on just how cruel he can be.”
A worried look filled her face, and Leif was relieved to see it. Whatever light Draven had cast himself in, Myreen needed to know it was fake.
“Has Draven told you about his vision for the future?” he asked. “About vampire-shifter hybrids?”
Myreen nodded slowly. “I know about that, yes.”
“It’s not going to end there,” Leif said. “He’s going to take your blood and make himself the greatest abomination the world has ever seen.”
“So I should just run and hide so he can’t use me?” she asked. “Run and hide like my mom did?”
“No,” Leif said. “Like I said, you run and find a way to stop Draven. Use your siren abilities and save the world.”
As if it were that easy. Leif had no idea how it all worked. He came from a simple time, and had never met a siren before.
She crossed her arms, and her shoulders slumped. Myreen looked so conflicted, and Leif could tell at once that she wasn’t one to run when things got hard.
“Running won’t work forever. Draven will never stop searching for you. So if you decide to stay, then you will have to figure out how to stop him here, in the heart of his domain.”
Myreen brought her eyes back to his. “Can he be stopped?”
He stared at her for a few moments, then nodded. “Oberon believed with all his heart that you are the only one who can. He believes in you.” He reached out and pointed both of his index fingers directly at her. “And I believe in you.” And he did. He truly believed it. After all his doubting of Oberon’s words, Leif believed that Myreen was the siren.
Even though she looked so fragile, standing against the wall, hugging her arms closely to herself, he could see it in her eyes. Raw determination. Myreen was full of untapped purpose. And Draven would pay the price for thinking he could bend it to his will.
A half-smile formed on her face. “You and Oberon are a lot alike,” she said. “I can almost hear him saying the things you’ve said.”
“I consider that a compliment,” Leif said. “Oberon is a good man.”
“And so are you,” said Myreen. “Leif, I’ll do what I can to help you get away.”
He appreciated the sentiment. “I’ll accept any help, but don’t you dare put yourself in danger because of me. Your life is far more important than mine.”
She laughed softly. “I think Oberon would argue that every life is important.”
Myreen placed a warm hand on his shoulder, and he nearly lost his balance. Again, he was reminded of his weakened state, and he thought about asking her to help him to his quarters. But the conversation had taken a lot out of him—and had ignited the small embers of hope.
“I’ve got to go,” said Myreen. “I don’t think it would go over well if they found me talking to you.”
Leif nodded back toward Beatrice’s quarters, realizing he hadn’t gotten as far as he’d thought. But it still looked like a long way in his weakened state. “Would you mind helping me get back to my prison before you go?”
“Of course.” Myreen hesitated before grabbing him—by his better arm, thankfully—and escorting him along the short hallway that felt like a thousand miles to Leif’s legs. Upon reaching the purple and silver room, she helped him to the couch.
“Thank you very much,” he said. “Maybe someday I won’t appear so pitiful.”
“You’ll be free soon enough,” Myreen said. “I promise.”
Seconds later, he was alone in Beatrice’s room again. But he didn’t feel quite so hopeless anymore.
Could the girl help him? Leif believed there was nothing she couldn’t do.
A jolt of fiery pain shot through his arms as more copper released into his wrists, slipping him into the gray mistiness of sedation, until all darkened to black again.
Chapter 24: Juliet
Nik wanted her to keep a low profile.
Like that could happen.
No matter how much sleep she got, or how much she trained or meditated or tried to do anything to calm herself down, as soon as something dumb happened, Juliet’s fingers would begin to spark and sizzle. And with what was happening at school and with her friends at the hands of Draven, it seemed like everything was completely out of control. Definitely not helping.
She went her whole life not knowing she was a phoenix, and now, when she’d finally gained control over it, it changed on her again. She felt helpless. If she had to use her power for anything, it
would probably fail her. That broke her. She was afraid for herself in more ways than one, and it was showing.
She’d thrown her hair up in a messy bun, but it only brought attention to how pale and drawn her face was. She refused to attend any of her classes looking like this. Besides, she couldn’t risk a fiery outburst right now—or in her new case, an icy one.
She might have gone little overboard with Nik’s advice to stay low. It was certain to catch up with her at some point. She wasn’t sure what would be worse—being punished for not attending her classes, or for simultaneously burning and freezing something or someone.
When she heard loud and forceful knocks on her door, she thought her time was up. She cautiously walked to the door and opened it with wide skittish eyes.
“Juliet. Are you ill? What is the meaning of this?” Malachai stomped into her bedroom, then turned to face her. “You look... terrible.”
Juliet let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and closed her door. “No, I'm not ill. I think.” She went back to her bed and flopped on it, burying her face in the pillows.
“What does that mean? If you're not sick, why are you missing so many classes?” His tone lowered, becoming less tense. The bed sank beside Juliet as her dad sat.
Juliet sat up and wrapped the blankets around her shoulders.
Malachai raised the back of his large hand to her forehead and held it there. It was awkward because it felt like a maternal thing, not something he’d usually do. But then again, lately, she hadn't given him a chance.
“Um, well can I trust you?” She was dead serious, but she wanted it to sound playful. It didn't.
“Of course you can. What kind of a question is that?” Malachai's eyebrows scrunched. He was clearly worried.
She couldn't figure out what to say, how to explain what was happening to her, so she showed him. She slithered her hand from under the blanket and took a reluctant, deep breath. Her fire waited beneath her heart, and it obeyed her call.
Like sparks, the warmth traveled down Juliet’s arm to her fingertips. When the flames escaped, she felt that familiar surge of pride. But like a turned faucet, the warmth switched to cold. It started in her body first, so she knew it would change her flame any second. To get a good look at her father’s reaction, Juliet gazed into his eyes.