by Tricia Barr
Kenzie let her magical connection drop, then took her salad bowl to her dorm room and threw it in the mini fridge. Yeah, she couldn’t bear to waste even that.
She went to the bathroom next. One look in the mirror and she knew she’d made the right decision. She still hadn’t taken the time to really clean up. And there wasn’t much she could do in a rush, but at least she could make herself a little more presentable.
Kenzie snorted when she realized seeing Leif hadn’t elicited that response. Though, he was in about the same condition as her. Still, even covered in grime, he was still as handsome. And still just her friend.
She splashed some water on her face and ran her wet hands through her hair to try to tame the pieces still sticking up from sleep. Had she really been walking around like this? With a shake of her head, she ran back to her room and grabbed her jacket.
Her stomach rumbled, and she hoped Wes was planning on getting some food at Mack’s. Her mouth watered as she remembered the chili cheese fries she’d shared with Kol last time she’d been there. The salad could wait. She hoped.
She practically flew to the entrance of the Dome, but stopped cold when she reached security. She approached one of the guards, who gave her a wary look.
“Any chance I can get an access badge so I don’t have to use my magic to break back in?” she asked.
“You’re planning on returning?” he asked her.
Kenzie snorted. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy. So, what’ll it be?” She held out her hand, looking at the guard expectantly.
The man sighed, then turned and rummaged in a drawer. He handed her a card, and she flashed him a smug smile. “This is a guest badge. You won’t get a permanent one unless it’s cleared by the director.”
Kenzie gave a curt nod. “Understood. Thank you, soldier.” She saluted, then turned on her heel and headed for the train. Although she couldn’t see the man anymore, she had a feeling he was shaking his head. She smiled. Yeah, this place definitely needed a rogue selkie. Maybe she could get one immortalized in stone.
She watched out the windows as the train slid through the tunnel, heading back for land. She didn’t want to leave the Dome behind just yet, but this wasn’t for good. She had a guest badge, after all.
When she finally reached the cold streets of Chicago, she zipped her jacket and folded her arms across her chest. She made her way toward Mack’s, but stopped when she heard feet running her way. Her breath caught in her throat as she turned to see Wes coming for her. Granola had never looked so good.
Wes caught her in his arms and swung her around, then set her down, meeting her gaze, his eyes asking for permission. Her lips parted in response, and she gave the barest of nods.
And then Wes’s warm lips were against hers, and she forgot how to think, how to breathe. For all that she’d missed Wes while at Heritage Prep, she hadn’t realized just how empty she’d felt without him. His kiss seemed to fill her until she thought she’d explode into a million fireworks.
They pulled apart, breathless, and Wes took her hand as they continued down the street.
“Hello to you, too,” Kenzie said, a soft smile on her still buzzing lips as she looked sideways at Wes.
Wes snickered. “Sorry. I just... I missed you.”
Kenzie squeezed his hand, and Wes beamed. “So, how’s the cat life going?”
Wes threw back his head and laughed. “That would be your first question.”
Kenzie shrugged. “Hey, it’s not my fault you picked a cat person. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it. Any day, anywhere.”
He looked at her again, but Kenzie’s eyes were trained on the ground. She took a deep breath. Better she tell him now, than wait for him to find out some other way. Unless he already knew, thanks to Draven’s little broadcast... “You should know, I did some stupid stuff at Heritage Prep.”
“You were going undercover. I understand.”
Kenzie shook her head. “There was this guy that I met before I went. We only got together a couple of times before I found out he was an Initiate. He was... he was spying on a vampire I was helping, and he was using me to get information. Among other things.” She mumbled the last sentence, hoping she wouldn’t have to repeat herself, hoping he didn’t catch her meaning.
Wes’s shoulders slumped. “How bad was it?”
Kenzie took a steadying breath and closed her eyes, glad that Wes hadn’t retracted his hand. Yet. “He was at Heritage Prep. He asked to have me assigned to him when they turned him. He fed off me. More than I care to admit.” She shivered, and Wes’s fingers tightened around hers, giving her strength. “And... well, he wanted to pick up our relationship where we left off.”
“And you had to. To keep up your cover.” He supplied the words, a hopeful note in his tone. He was giving her a way out, a way to sweep everything that had happened under the rug. And while she wanted to do that, she knew she couldn’t lie to him. If he really wanted a relationship with her, then he needed to know just how flawed she was.
Mack’s came into view, but they stopped, neither looking at each other.
“Maybe? I don’t know what would’ve happened if I refused, but as guilty as I feel for indulging, a part of me wanted it. Especially when he became a vampire. When he fed on me...” She swallowed, the bittersweet pleasure of Adam still fresh in her memory. She put a hand to her neck. “But that’s no excuse. And all the while, I couldn’t help but think that I was betraying you. I didn’t know if I’d make it out alive, let alone see you again...”
“Kenzie,” Wes said, tugging on her hand.
She stopped and looked at him for the first time since she’d started her story. Once more, he surprised her with the depth of understanding in those caramel eyes, the depth of feeling.
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. Believe me when I say that I know what it feels like to sacrifice for the greater good.”
Kenzie searched his eyes. “What happened with you?”
Wes’s lips wrenched into a half-smile. “I was forced to switch sides.”
Kenzie nodded. “And how is that going?”
Wes sighed, running his free hand through his hair. “I’m making progress. It’s not easy having to change your whole belief system overnight.”
“What will you do?”
“What I’ve been doing. Taking things one day at a time. Work. Train. Try to keep myself from going nutso.” He smiled at her, and the sight sent a shot of warmth through Kenzie.
“Come to the shifter school with me? They could probably teach you a thing or two about your inner cougar.”
Wes lifted his free hand in a playful claw and swiped it at her. “Rawr.”
Kenzie snorted.
“I don’t know. Would they really take an ex-hunter under their wings?”
Kenzie shrugged. “Not sure, but they were against a selkie enrolling. That didn’t stop me.”
“I don’t think there’s a force in the world that could stop you.” Wes caught her up in another kiss, and she let go of his hands to better wrap them around his neck and never let go.
Kenzie’s stomach grumbled, and she could feel Wes’s smile against her lips.
“I should probably feed that wild beast before it gets out,” Wes said, pulling back enough so she could see his face.
“I never turn down good food.”
***
The food at Mack’s was just as good as Kenzie remembered, maybe even better. They long overstayed their welcome, talking about everything. Kenzie finally got the chance to spill all her regrets, and Wes confessed he’d been in contact with the hunters, trying to figure out a way to make sure Kenzie was okay.
Kenzie couldn’t help but remember her conversation with Leif just a few hours ago. He said she’d find a love like he had with Gemma. Looking into Wes’s face, beaming at her, her own cheeks sore from steady smiling, she wondered if this was it. Could it really be this easy? She hoped so. Wes was an incredible guy. Ev
en if they weren’t really meant for forever, she felt lucky he’d noticed her all those long weeks ago on the L.
Kenzie’s eyes grew wide when she realized just how much time had passed. The sky was filling with sherbet hues.
“I should get back to the Dome before it gets dark.”
“Yeah. I should probably get back to my place,” Wes said, his countenance losing some of its sparkle. He got the bill and paid, and they headed back toward the subway entrance, their hands entwining once more.
They lingered on the sidewalk, neither saying anything, though Kenzie felt like her heart might crack if she let Wes go. “Come with me?” she asked once more.
Wes shook his head. “I want to, Kenzie, but only because I don’t want to let you go again.”
“Then don’t let me go. I’m a selkie, after all. You never know when we’re going to disappear in a puff of smoke.”
Wes laughed. “You’re a magic user, not an illusionist. Wait, you can’t do that for real, can you?”
Kenzie lifted a brow. “I wouldn’t test me if I were you.”
He leaned toward her, his nose touching hers, his lips tantalizingly close. “Then I’ll have to find a way to keep you coming back for more.”
His breath tickled her nose, and Kenzie inhaled the delicious scent. “Chili cheese fries. Mmmm. That’ll do it, sir.”
Wes’s lips brushed hers when a rumble traveled through the city, followed by monstrous roar. Kenzie and Wes broke apart, staring at each other with wide eyes.
“What the hell was that?” Wes asked.
Kenzie shook her head. “Nothing good. I’ve only heard that sound once before—as we were escaping Heritage Prep.”
A panicked scream came from down the street, the direction they’d heard the sound coming from. Wes grabbed Kenzie’s hand as they ran toward it. When Lake Michigan came into view, Kenzie let out a gasp. Long, tentacled arms were disappearing below the surface, suckers the size of Kenzie’s body lining each snake-like arm.
“Is that—?” Wes started.
“A kraken,” Kenzie finished. “And it’s headed for the school.”
Chapter 47: Kol
Kol clicked the door behind himself and Myreen and met her smile. Life was uncertain. It was inevitable that Draven would retaliate for their escape, but that didn’t matter much to Kol.
The curse was broken.
He loved Myreen and she loved him back, and now that she was finished having her moment with Juliet, it was his turn to have a moment.
Through her dark eyelashes, the twinkle in her blue eyes lifted to his. A coy smile played as she grabbed both of his hands and drew him nearer.
He wrapped both arms around her before kissing her again. She twined her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. He broke their kiss with his giddy smile.
“Alone. Finally,” he said. Kol lifted his hands to brush the hair from her face and twisted a lock of her silky blue-black hair around one of his fingers.
“Yes, finally.” She giggled, then backed away toward his bed, pulling him with her, until she sat on the edge.
Kol sat beside her, but needed to be touching her now that they were finally together and hooked an arm around her shoulder, pulling her tight against his chest.
“What do you think will happen now?” she whispered, her words laced with worry and trepidation.
Kol blew a breath upward, throwing the hair from his eyes—he was in need of a haircut—then fell backward on the bed with his arms crossed over his face. “I don’t want to think about that right now,” he said. A fight was coming. That was certain. Whether Draven attacked now or in a year was all a matter of Draven’s chosen strategy and the level of his patience.
Kol ventured to guess it would happen sooner rather than later. But either way, Draven wasn’t attacking at the moment and Kol didn’t want to discuss what will happen now just yet.
He felt the weight of Myreen press into his chest and the softness of her lips on his before he moved his arms to return to where they belonged—wrapped around the girl he loved.
“Then let’s not think about it right now,” she said, breaking away only long enough to say the words before kissing him again.
Kol reveled at the insane reality that he was somehow experiencing what generations of Dracul’s never knew: reciprocal love. He had a hard time wrapping his head around the notion. A small part of him even waited to wake up and realize it was all just a dream. They broke apart and she laid against his chest for several minutes.
“What’s this?” Myreen shot up and took a book from the shelf before plopping back down on the bed. “Frost Boarding House?”
It was the heavy history book Kol borrowed from the library to learn more about Aline Dracul. Part of him wished he’d spent more time at the possible location of the property when he and Char scouted it out before moving in on the vampire citadel, but he’d been bitter and broken-hearted. Still, he felt a little guilty for cursing his ancestor. She lived her entire life with unreciprocated love and now he didn’t have to. No Dracul would ever have to again.
“I was researching.” Kol tried to sound bored about it, like it was for some history assignment. He remained lying on the bed to sell it.
She pointed an eyebrow at him. “Researching?” Myreen was no fool.
Kol sat up and gave her a quick peck on the lips before removing the book from her lap and flipping through it. “Can’t put anything past you,” he teased, flipping to the page with the picture of Aline and pointing to her. “That,” he said. “Is my ancestor.”
Myreen looked at him with confusion right as his tablet pinged. He lifted it to see a message from his mom.
“What is it?” Myreen asked.
“My mom is here,” he said. “She wants to see me.”
She pulled at him. “Then we should go.”
“Not yet. She’s with my dad. She said to come down in five minutes.”
Myreen turned back to the book.
“The curse,” Kol continued like it was explanation enough, but could tell it wasn’t. “Aline was the reason for it.”
“Why?”
Kol shrugged. “I dunno. No one is really sure why, but some selkies—Kenzie’s relatives actually—”
“Right, she mentioned something about that,” she mused.
“Yes. Kenzie’s relatives were the ones who placed it, but I didn’t know that until later...” he paused, thinking about the day he’d gone to her and the stark contrast he’d felt in a matter of seconds when he thought the curse was broken, and then not. “Knowing Kenzie was a selkie,” he continued. “I went to her, hoping she could remove it.” He smiled, now he knew the curse had been broken this entire time. Myreen was just hurt and angry at him for some things Eduard said.
“And she did,” Myreen said.
“And she did,” Kol repeated.
Myreen flipped to another page. The one with the picture of the Frosts and their daughter, Camilla.
“That’s Leif!” Myreen shouted pointing at the other man on the page. The man beside Jane Frost who looked like he was in his twenties.
Kol narrowed his eyes and looked closer. Sure enough, it was the very vampire who had escaped from Heritage Prep with them. “Huh...” he mused. His academic mind reeled with the implications and possible knowledge a vampire as old as Leif Villers would know. He might have to interview the man someday.
“The stories he could tell...” Myreen said, as if reading Kol’s mind, then looked at the clock on Kol’s tablet. “It’s been five minutes. We should go down to see your mom.”
Kol smiled at his beautiful girlfriend and leaned forward to kiss her quickly. “Yes we should,” he said, loving that she’d said we.
***
Victoria held Kol in a crushing embrace the instant he walked into Oberon’s office—his father’s office at the moment.
“I saw the video,” she said, a sob choking her words. “I thought he was going to—” She buried her face into h
is side, gripping him with white-knuckles.
“I’m okay, Mom,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. Kol glanced over her head at Myreen, expecting a smile, but her expression was sober. Maybe she was thinking about the video too. “I’m okay,” he said again to both women.
Victoria Dracul pulled away to look up at Kol. “I heard they ripped off some of your scales?”
Kol swallowed and nodded. He hoped there wasn’t a video of that, but it was practically common knowledge. Dragons didn’t lose their scales easily. Every dragon he knew—save himself and Char—still had all of theirs. Including Eduard.
Draven had taken three from Kol.
“Why are you here, Mom?” he asked. “Draven might attack any day. You should’ve stayed home.”
“While two of the men I love are here?”
Eduard walked in when she said it and her eyes shot to him and followed his movement until he stood beside her.
“Besides, you’re only seventeen, Malkolm,” she added. “And you were t-tortured.” Her voice caught with a new sob.
Eduard lifted an arm to wrap around the shoulder of his wife of twenty-five years. She leaned against him as she wiped away the tears. It took all of Kol’s power not to react to this strange interaction between his parents. But he couldn’t help the small smile he offered his mom when only she was looking at him.
“Which is why you are leaving with me,” she said, straightening.
Kol turned to Eduard. “Who, me?”
Eduard met Kol’s gaze. “Yes, you will leave with your mother.”
“But you’ll need me!” Kol said. “I’m more experienced and capable than most of the students here!” he argued. “You can’t expect the shifter army to defeat Draven and his vampires, can you?”
Kol could see the struggle in Eduard’s eyes. He did want Kol to stay and help with the fight. He agreed with what Kol said.
“It’s what your mother wants.”
Kol’s jaw nearly scraped the floor.
A loud boom reverberated the walls and everyone flinched. It took two seconds for Kol to glance at his father before the two of them bounded from the room to find the commotion outside of the office. When Myreen let out a frustrated noise, Kol grabbed her hand and dragged her with him. He could hear the clack of his mother’s heels close behind them as they raced from the office and down the hallway.