by Tricia Barr
“Yes,” Malachai answered, pulling himself to his full height, his voice exuding authority. “We’ll try not to be long—one hour, tops. If you hear someone coming, take this key and lock the door. If worse comes to worse, you were just patrolling the halls and saw this room was unlocked.”
Nik took the key, gave Malachai a nod, and exited.
Malachai took a shaky breath, then turned back to Juliet. “Right. Okay, why don't we take the emotions you’re feeling right now and put them toward today’s lesson. I want to see what you can do using both your powers.”
“You mean use them at the same time?”
“Exactly. We know you can kick ass with your fire, and we have a pretty good idea what you can do with your ice. But what we don't know is how they work when they're one. Remember that globe of life you did? Let’s try that again, but this time mixing your fire in ice and vice versa. You think that’s doable?” He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
“Yeah. I can try.” It didn’t come out as confident as she wanted to sound, but she doubted she’d be able to get the hang of it right away.
Juliet sat with her legs crossed and rested her hands, palms open, on her knees. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but it took her longer than usual to center and silence her mind. Still, she stayed at it.
When she finally felt at ease, she probed for her fire, shivering from the warm comfort she found there. She made it flow from her chest to her fingertips. When she heard the familiar sizzle, she opened her eyes.
“Good. Now, release one of your hands, keeping the fire in one hand while you try to summon your ice in the other. It sounds harder than it is—not that I’ve ever been able to try, but from the research I’ve done, it shouldn't be too difficult.”
“Oh yeah? What did you find?” Juliet asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Some old books and stuff—not important, though. You need to focus.”
Juliet nodded. He was right. They didn’t have time to waste. Maybe he’d tell her more about it later.
Closing one of her hands, she drew its fire back into her body. She shut her eyes again and searched for the cold that now roamed inside. Just like the fire, the moment she found it, a satisfying comfort filled her—only this one made her feel valiant and powerful, unlike the fire, which made her feel safe and protected. She hooked onto the coldness and guided it through her shoulder and to her waiting fingertips.
She opened her eyes, not wanting to miss this next part. With another deep breath, Juliet willed the cold out. Frost escaped her fingertips. She let it fill her palm, cupping it in her hand while she stared at her father with wide eyes.
Malachai gave a nod, a gleam in his eyes, though he was still all business. “Incredible. Morph them both into spheres and we’ll decide which one to use.”
It was surreal. She couldn't believe how easy it was for her to work with both her powers at the same time. Her fire and ice were like magnets, pulling at each other even as she sought to keep them apart. She was curious to see what would happen when they collided. One step at a time.
Juliet wiggled her fingers and played with the fire and the frost until they both took round shapes. One of fire. One of ice. The frost ball gained weight as it slowly got colder. The frost cleared, the thick, heavy ball of ice in her hand looking like glass. Her fireball sat in her other hand, looking just like it did the last time she’d done this.
Remembering the next step, she handed the ball of fire to her father so she could begin to hollow out the balls. She knew the fire would come easily, since she’d done it before, but she didn't know how the ice would react. She studied the cold ball in her hand. With a tap of her finger on the top, a perfect hole appeared. She closed her eyes and focused, and when she turned it upside down, snow flowed out of the hole until all she held was a thin, hollow, sphere of ice. Afraid her dad would ruin it with his fire, she carefully placed it on the floor next to her feet.
She reached for the ball of fire and expertly made another hole, summoning the embers inside to fall out of it as ash.
Setting the fire ball on her other side, she took a handful of ash and thought of the picture she wanted to make. Juliet was still heartbroken over the scene in the Grand Hall, so she decided to bring back the breaking heart—this time it would be intentional. With the image of a heart splitting in half, Juliet picked up the ball of ice and filled it with the ash. After she closed the hole on the top, she set it back down.
Next, Juliet took a handful from the pile of snow and gave it the same image she’d just given the ash. She filled the hollow ball of fire with snow and closed the hole on the top.
She handed the ball of fire to her dad and took hold of the ice one. They were about to shake when the door clicked locked.
Nik was trying to warn them.
Malachai took Juliet’s hand and ran to the door to listen to what was happening on the other side.
“I– I– I was just patrolling this hall,” Nik said, stuttering, his voice muffled. “The door was unlocked, so I fixed it.”
“Under whose orders?”
“Um...”
“This is a penalty for you, private.” The guard cut him off before he could answer. “Just because you’re the general’s assistant, doesn’t give you a pass. Report to him immediately.”
Their footsteps faded down the hall.
Juliet wiped away a tear. “What are they going to do to him? This is all my fault.”
“Nothing he can’t handle, hon. He’ll be okay.” Malachai sounded guilty as he guided Juliet away from the door. “Let’s take a look at these, but then we should get going.”
Juliet nodded, unable to form words. She wanted to go after Nik, but it didn’t make sense for her to get caught, too. It wasn’t like she could do anything about it, anyway.
In her misery, she took the ball of ice and shook it. Behind the shiny surface, a broken heart bloomed from the ash and grew into flames. When it broke in half, snow fell from the cracks.
“Whoa,” she whispered, momentarily forgetting everything else.
Malachai shook his head, apparently speechless.
He shook the shiny orange globe in his hands next, and out of the snow, a heart made of ice materialized and split in half leaking thick, red lava.
“Whoa is right. This has to stay between us.” Malachai looked dazed as he studied one ball, then the other. “Aside from... Well, at least this was a successful lesson. Good job. Let’s meet in the morning to discuss a safer way to do this. You always make me proud, Juliet.”
Juliet hung her head to hide the warmth in her cheeks. It had been so long since he’d said those words to her.
“I’ll take these for safe-keeping,” Malachai said as he gently pried the ice sphere from Juliet’s hands. “Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to tell me? Something about being manipulated?”
“It’s just that...” Juliet hesitated, unsure if she could tell her father everything. Their relationship was by no means repaired, and she still wasn’t sure she trusted him not to go all Dracul Lackey on her again, but maybe he could help. “It’s just that the general at least has the ability to influence others, if he wanted to. You don’t think anyone is acting... out of character, do you?”
The blank stare on Malachai’s face was answer enough.
“Never mind. It’s stupid.”
“No. Not stupid. Just, don’t mention this to anyone else, okay? I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”
“Thanks.”
Juliet’s memory of the fire and ice globes was the only thing that helped distract her enough to get her back to her room in one piece—well, that and her father’s proud words.
She told her heavy heart that she would find Nik tomorrow. She just hoped he’d be okay until then.
Chapter 32: Kenzie
Kenzie sat in her Vampire History class, her leg jiggling, her eyes glued to the ebook in front of her, yet seeing nothing. The teacher, Wilhelm Klotz, was
going on again about how they’d defeated shifters, how they’d won against shifters, how the shifters were beneath them. Kenzie wanted to gag. Or leave. But she held her spot, trying to keep up appearances. Chances were, this would be her last day here, anyway.
At least the vampire teaching the class still retained much of his German accent. His voice always sounded so soothing. It kind of made her want to sleep—which would be severely unwise, considering he was of the Klotz sire line. It seemed Draven kept the retired sires content by employing them. Smart.
All the sires except the Beaulieus, apparently. They chose to keep a lower profile. But Kenzie wanted to put that line right out of her mind.
Instead, she glanced at the watch on her wrist. Five more minutes. She could last, right?
“And that’s how La Framboise Island was defeated,” Mr. Klotz said, while several Initiates studiously took notes. Kenzie chewed on her lip, glancing again at her watch.
“Ms. MacLugh, do you have somewhere to be?” the teacher asked, and Kenzie’s head shot up, her eyes wide.
“No, sir.” She looked down at her bouncing leg and stilled it, then smiled at Mr. Klotz. “I’m sorry. I seem to have a bit of excess energy today.”
“Perhaps you would like to take some time to burn it off in the Combat Training Room?”
Kenzie snorted, but at the look Mr. Klotz was giving her, she wiped the smirk off her face. “Thank you, sir. I’ll consider it.”
Mr. Klotz’s eyebrows raised, his lips tight, his eyes narrowed.
Kenzie looked around the room; all eyes pointed at her. She gave them a nervous smile, then, as best she could, she buried her crimson face in the ebook.
The bell rang, and Kenzie let out a sigh of relief. She threw the tablet in her bookbag and shouldered it, joining the crowd as they headed for the door.
“Ms. MacLugh. A moment, if you will,” Mr. Klotz said.
Kenzie stilled, pivoting on the balls of her feet to give Mr. Klotz her full attention. “Yes, sir.”
“Ms. Morton is requesting you see her before you retire for the afternoon.”
“Oh. Okay, thanks.” Kenzie turned to leave.
“One more thing, Ms. MacLugh.”
“Yes?” Kenzie pasted on a smile, but only turned her head to acknowledge him.
“Let her know I’d be particularly interested in her current creation.” The way he smiled at Kenzie, like a snake who’d found its meal—made her skin crawl. To be honest, a lot of the vampires looked at her like that. But she smiled back and gave him a curt nod before leaving his class—for what she hoped was the last time.
She took the stairs two at a time to the Combat Training Room, where she knew Ms. Morton would be, as that was her area of expertise. One of the few instructors who were not of the sire lines, Ms. Morton was more than skilled at combat. She’d sparred with other vampires during training sessions, and the results were always mind-numbing. No one could beat the woman, not the burliest man or the slyest woman. Old or newly turned, she could trounce them all. Kenzie had a feeling only the sires could best Ms. Morton, and even then, it would probably be a close contest.
Kenzie walked into the Combat Training Room, looking around warily. Only a few dedicated students remained, and some of them regarded her with disdain. Kenzie was pretty sure she was failing this class, but her magic made her valuable enough for it not to matter much. Not to mention she was assigned to a vampire. That’s what all these people wanted—the chance to show themselves worthy of joining the ranks of the bloodsuckers.
On some level, Kenzie got it. This was the only supernatural existence that earned a person immortality. But she couldn’t get past the fact that it turned them into monsters.
Well, most of them.
Kenzie’s gaze found Ms. Morton, and she took a step her way, but the combat instructor was by her side in an instant.
“Kenzie. Let’s talk in my office.” Ms. Morton put a hand to Kenzie’s back and guided her out of the training room.
Kenzie nodded, more than happy to leave, but her heartrate kicked up a notch at the thought of facing Ms. Morton alone. Kenzie had the sudden, awful idea that Ms. Morton had found out she’d gone to visit Leif yesterday. Would Kenzie be punished for that? Thrown in the dungeons? Tortured and beaten?
“There’s no need to be so nervous. You’re not in trouble.” Ms. Morton guided her into a room down the hall and shut the door behind them—which did nothing to put Kenzie at ease.
Ms. Morton sat behind a mahogany desk, motioning that Kenzie should sit in one of the leather-clad seats opposite her. Kenzie gulped as she perched on the edge of one of the seats, letting her bookbag fall to the floor but keeping the straps in her hands. “What did you need?”
Ms. Morton laughed. “Seriously, it’s going to be fine. I’m sorry to keep you in suspense, but bloodmixes are highly sought after in this place.”
Kenzie nodded as she stifled a gag. She waved her hand at her face, trying to get herself under control, throwing Ms. Morton an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I’m hemophobic,” she said, once she felt able to do so.
Ms. Morton smiled, her head cocked to the side. “And yet you chose to associate with vampires.” Loose white curls spilled around her face, her features positively radiant. Kenzie wondered how much of her beauty came from being a vampire, and how much she’d been born with.
Kenzie shrugged. “What can I say? I like to live on the edge.”
“I can see,” Ms. Morton said, eyeing Kenzie’s perch.
Kenzie chuckled and scooted back, though she still didn’t bother to lean fully on the chair.
“Anyway, I was hoping to get a sample from you. It wouldn’t be much, since I know most of your resources are required by Adam, but a little would go a long way toward making this batch special. Leif and I have a lot to celebrate.”
Kenzie’s ears perked at this, and she slid forward again. Right now, she’d do just about anything for Leif. The thought that she might be able to help him, even just a small amount, made her willing, almost eager, to donate to the mix. She nodded, though she had a feeling Ms. Morton already knew—and that she’d have gotten what she was after whether Kenzie agreed to it or not.
“How do we...?” Kenzie spun her finger in the air, then lifted her hands into a shrug.
“I’ll be extracting it the human way.” Kenzie paled, and Ms. Morton rushed to add, “If you’d like, I might be able to influence you to make this situation a little more comfortable.”
“You want to bite me first?” Kenzie asked.
Ms. Morton laughed. “No. I was planning on hypnotizing you. I’m surprised that hasn’t already been done, considering you’re a contributing Initiate.”
Kenzie adjusted in her seat. “Oh. I hadn’t even considered that.” And she wasn’t sure she wanted to. A vampire messing with her mind? “That’s all you would do, right? Make sure I don’t gag or something?”
Ms. Morton chuckled. “A cautious one. But yes, that’s all I would do.”
“If you’ll allow me to verify?” Kenzie waited for Ms. Morton to nod, then lifted her palm toward the woman and said, “Fírrineth.” Green light shot from her palm into Ms. Morton’s chest, rippling outward from where it hit.
Ms. Morton looked down, rubbing where the magic had disappeared. “Interesting. What exactly did you do?”
“It’s a truth spell. You won’t be able to lie for the next half hour or so.”
“Good to know. As I’m sure you’ll want to hear again, then, I’ll only alleviate your hemophobia while I have you under my influence. Unfortunately, the effects are only temporary. I don’t have Draven’s powers.”
Kenzie nodded. Maybe it was stupid to trust the vampire, but she figured it couldn’t hurt. And Ms. Morton was telling the truth.
“That’s a neat little spell. What would happen if I changed my intent?”
Kenzie shrugged. “I don’t know how it works, but I trust it.” Mostly. Though now she couldn’t get the thought out of her head tha
t Ms. Morton was going to mess with her.
“Go ahead and sit back.”
Kenzie took a deep breath and settled in. “Okay. Fire away.”
Ms. Morton began speaking, but the words flew past Kenzie’s understanding, creating a comforting lull. A prick in her arm made her start, but as she looked down at the vial filling with blood, there was no uncomfortable sensation. It looked like liquid rubies, or a strawberry glaze. Kenzie smiled, then looked up into the face of the angelic woman hovering over her. She reached out her hand to touch one of the delicate white curls, but the woman vanished. Kenzie stared at the void a moment longer before her world snapped back into focus.
“There, that’s done.” Ms. Morton was sealing the spot with liquid bandage, and Kenzie hissed at the accompanying burning sensation. “You’re welcome to pick up some juice and snacks from the kitchen if you’re feeling hungry. We wouldn’t want our star selkie passing out.” She winked at Kenzie, who ducked her head. “You know, Adam speaks very highly of you.”
“Does he?” Kenzie was surprised. Adam always seemed so selfish in his intentions. To think he thought of anyone other than himself was shocking, not to mention that he’d spoken of her to others. Although, maybe that was to brag?
“You have to know. I mean, he wanted you as his Initiate.”
Kenzie felt her face heat, and all the urgency to leave came rushing back. She didn’t want to think of Adam as anything other than the snake she knew him to be. The physical attraction was too hard to ignore if she didn’t. “If that’s all,” she said as she stood, heaving her bag onto her shoulder.
“Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kenzie.”
Kenzie nodded, but left before her body had a chance to betray her. She didn’t want to hear anything else about blood or Initiates or Adam. She wanted out—needed it, really—and she had a date with the one woman who could help make that a reality.
***
Kenzie sat in Myreen’s room, checking out the lush, red-and-black decor. The room looked like something from a magazine, a canopy bed and a large flat screen television the most notable pieces.