by LJ Rivers
“The son of a bitch is in his flat. I injured his leg pretty badly, so he’s not about to go anywhere before the police show up.”
“You rang them?” I asked.
“Anonymously, but yes.” An edge of pride surrounded Jen. For someone who had been held captive for a day, she sure was quick to get back on her feet. Granted, with a little magical juice to help her along.
“Why would you save him, though?” Charlie wrapped an arm around me as we walked down the side of the lake.
“I didn’t want to become a monster, like him. Something. I don’t know, this voice in my head. It saved me, but I also felt like it wanted me to kill Greg. As if it had some sort of weird control over me. I’m not about to let anyone or anything control me ever again.”
“I don’t know about any voices.” Charlie smiled. “But that was one hell of a blast you left behind, Ru.”
“Lucky for us, it was contained to the boiler room alone for some reason,” Jen added, clearly picking up on my fear. “What I can’t understand, though, is how you ended up out here.”
“Not sure,” I murmured. “I think I may have got some help.” I had so many questions, I didn’t know where to begin asking, or who to ask.
“First order of business,” Jen said, tugging at the bottom of the jacket she was wearing. “We go home and change into something more comfortable.”
The jacket was too small for her, so she had it wrapped below her shoulders, though not actually with her arms inside the sleeves.
“I’m with you on that,” I said.
We managed to get back to our flat without too many goggling eyes on us, and all three of us changed into sweatpants and our uni jumpers. Being comfortable beat looking good at this point. We huddled up in Jen’s bed with our duvets, none of us wanting to be alone.
“Thank you for saving me,” Jen said.
“What are friends for?” Charlie squeezed her arms around Jen. “Besides, what would we do without you, hm? We would be completely lost.”
“True.” Jen laughed.
I stared at her in awe. Looking at her now, it was hard to imagine a large white wolf hiding inside her.
“So,” I said. “You’re a Shapeshifter.”
The laughter stopped, and Jen pulled her hands through her hair, making me think of the white fur of her other persona. “I am, and what exactly are you? I mean, I’ve known since I first smelled you that you were a Magical, just not exactly what kind.”
“She’s a Fae,” Charlie interjected.
“Fae, huh? Cool. Though, that fire of yours, is that a Fae thing? Don’t you all have nurturing kinds of powers?”
“Usually, yes,” I said. “The fire is something new.”
“Well, you’re one tough cookie, that’s for sure.” Jen leaned back on the wall, folding her hands behind her head. “Me, I come from a long line of wolves, intermingled with humans, of course.”
“About that.” There was something that had been bothering me, and Jen had said she would tell us later, so why not now? “Why did Rahul want to inject me with human blood?”
“It’s what he did to all of us. Well, excluding Diane.” Jen sucked on her teeth and sniffled. “She wasn’t even a Magical. Her only mistake was having me as her friend. When Rahul took me, she followed us and tried to take him on in the boiler room. A fight she was bound to lose. I couldn’t do anything because Rahul had injected me full of human blood and chained me up.” A glimpse of anger glinted in her eyes.
Waving a hand in the air, I found myself utterly confused. “So, wait, I don’t understand the blood thing.”
“Human blood to a Magical lessens our powers. Given enough, they can kill off our magical blood cells altogether, or even kill us in the process. Think of it as a reverse MagX.” Jen kicked the duvet off. “We, unlike humans, have a special set of blood cells, which is where the magic comes from. These blood cells are not supposed to survive in a human body but will provide them with powers for a short while until the magical cells more or less die. Sometimes, though, the blood is tainted, or the human takes too much. Then the human dies.”
My mouth fell open. “How the—how do you know all this?”
“My mum is a chemist of sorts. She has studied magical blood for most of her life.”
We fell silent as Charlie and I crawled underneath the same duvet. It dawned on me that there was still so much about magic and the magical world I didn’t know anything about, even though I had been raised by one of the original Fae descendants.
A police siren pierced the night and we all jumped to our feet at once.
“Let’s check it out,” Jen said.
“Won’t we look suspicious?” I asked.
“Babe, really, half the students will stick their nosy noses into this. We won’t be the only ones there.”
Jen was right. It would probably be like the last time we had a police visit on campus.
And it was. The students were flocking out to see what was going on. The front of the staff building was crowded with students and staff, everyone trying to get a glimpse of why the police were there. A group of officers was already rolling out a band of yellow tape to stop people from stepping into what appeared to be a crime scene. Three police cars and an ambulance were parked outside.
I peeked past a couple of guys in front of me, not tall enough to see over their heads. My body stiffened as two paramedics carried Greg out on a stretcher, deservedly in handcuffs. Officer Paddock ascended last. He shifted his gaze around the crowd, and somehow his eyes locked onto mine. Should I run? No, that would look wildly suspicious.
Paddock exchanged a few words with the paramedics and the other officer before he ducked under the yellow tape and pushed his way through the crowd to us.
“Ladies,” Paddock said. “Care to join me?”
We followed him back under the yellow tape and to his car where we were out of earshot of prying spectators.
The icy cold stare of Paddock’s eyes shifted between us. “I see you found your friend.”
“Turns out, she was at a mate’s place, phone battery dead and all,” Charlie said. “We were worried about nothing. The missing girls put us on edge.”
“Rightly so,” Paddock said. “You can rest easy now, however, as I can already confirm that the evidence we’ve found is enough to put that leech of a man—” He angled his head towards Greg, who was receiving medical attention at the ambulance. “Behind lock and key for a very long time.”
Uncomfortable, I took Charlie’s hand. “Thank you, Officer Paddock,” I said. “May we leave now?”
“You may.”
We hurried away from the scene and away from the crowd, heading for the lake. A thought struck me, and a sudden fear rose in my chest.
“What if he tells them about you, Jen? Or me, for that matter.”
“Oh no,” Charlie exclaimed. “What if he does?”
A few leaves rustled in the wind, sailing down onto the water.
“I don’t think he will,” Jen murmured. “I mean, he could, and that would be catastrophic. Still, I don’t think so. I may or may not have threatened to sic a pack of wolves on him if he said anything.”
“Jeannine Lune!” I said, gawking.
She shrugged. “I’d be more worried if and when he is set free, but if he dares to show his face again, the wolfpack might pay him an actual visit.”
Her confidence washed over me, and without knowing why, I believed she was right. Either way, it was too late to do anything about it now. I had decided to save his miserable life, and it was the right decision. Rahul, on the other hand, was gone, burned to nothing but ashes most likely. I glanced at Jen. That was something she would have to live with, and I didn’t envy her one bit, but it had been self-defence, and I would make sure I told her that until she believed she had done the right thing. Whatever came next, we would deal with it then. If nothing else, we had delivered the culprit, and it was over. At least the mystery of the missing girls had been solved.
/>
Me, I had a whole lot of other mysteries to deal with.
“Hey,” someone called from behind the white willow.
“Duncan?” Charlie asked.
Duncan stepped out from behind the tree, his hands in his pockets and his chin hanging to his chest.
Charlie ran over and flung her arms around him. “I’m so happy to see you’re safe.”
“You’re not mad?” He sidestepped out of Charlie’s arms.
“Of course I am.” Charlie slapped him amicably on his shoulder. “But I can be happy that you’re alive at the same time. I’ll be mad at you later.”
He gave us all a half-smile and fell in step as we walked back to Craydon Court.
As angry as we might be with him, I was also feeling guilty about ever suspecting him of being a killer. Apologies would be served all around.
Not tonight, though. Tonight we were safe, and together.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Early mornings were quiet on campus. Brady’s wasn’t open yet, and most students were probably still in bed. The wind brushed my face as I ran, Maroon 5 singing about “Girls Like You” in my ears, which I gladly took to heart. It had been a couple of days since Greg Barrows was arrested, and we hadn’t heard anything from the police on the matter after our little chat with Paddock. Perhaps the janitor had kept his mouth shut about Jen and me after all. The explosion in the boiler room had been written off as an accident due to poor maintenance, and no one had said anything about Rahul.
Then there was poor Diane. Her parents had arrived yesterday, and Brendan had gone to talk to them as I couldn’t bring myself to do it after her lifeless eyes had haunted me in my sleep. Also, I felt like an idiot for having been jealous of her. On my bed at this very moment lay a special fencing outfit, with a ruby embroidered on the chest and my name on the back. It wasn’t up to competition standards, according to Brendan, but he wanted me to have something special for when he was going to teach me some moves, and Diane had helped him to arrange it. That was what they had been discussing when Professor Kaine spotted them. I had never thought about trying fencing in my life, but now I wanted to. Both because of Brendan, and because of Diane.
The White Willow University gates whisked past me as I picked up the pace, leaving campus behind me. After about five minutes, I turned left into Richmond Park, as the band in my headset finished the song aptly named ‘Closure’.
I slowed my run and jogged down to the riverbed, where I stretched my limbs for a few minutes before taking off my shoes and socks to sit. The water enveloped my feet as I sank them below the surface. I fished out my phone and swiped open the caller section to find Brendan’s picture. It was way too early to give him a ring, but what the heck. He deserved it for bailing on us, even if I was kind of glad he had.
It rang for a while, then went to voicemail. Yep, too early. Swiping down the list again, I pressed the picture of Mum. She was an early bird like me.
Sure enough, Mum picked up at the third ring. “Good morning, love,” she said brightly.
“Mum,” I said. “It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“You’re out running?”
“I am.”
“I’m happy to hear that you’ve not stopped doing the things you’d do at home. Running has always cleared your head. Your dad was the same way. Although, there are other things I’m not so happy about.”
Her tone changed from warm to strict, and I already knew what was coming. It had been all over the news yesterday. I had simply been too much of a chicken to tell her anything. Sitting here by myself like this, though, I felt more at ease, and I also had some questions only Mum could answer.
“I know. I meant to give you a ring yesterday,” I lied. “There was just a lot of stuff going on, and I had a paper to hand in. My first one.”
“Mind telling me about the so-called Willow murderer I’ve been reading about. I was close to jumping on the first train down the moment I heard about it. I knew it was a bad idea sending you to London.”
“I know, Mum, and I get it. But I’m here now.”
I understood better than she knew, a lot better than I had before as well, but I wasn’t giving her the whole truth. That would get me shipped back to Cheshire before I could spell the word Magic.
“The culprit was caught, though. He’s gone. Nothing to worry about anymore.”
“He killed three girls, sweetheart. You can’t blame me for worrying.”
“I don’t, I’m just saying it’s over. He’s gone, and I’m really settling in. I’ve found great friends here, the kind of friends I’ve never had before. You’ll love them, I know you will.”
Hesitating, I wondered how much I should share. It wasn’t as if Mum would spill anyone’s dirty laundry. She was a master of keeping secrets. “And in fact, Jen, she—well, she’s a wolf.”
“What? You mean she’s a Shapeshifter?”
I pulled my feet out of the water to let them dry on the grass, before falling back to face the sky. “Yes. A quite impressive one, too.”
“Then I suppose she knows about you as well?”
Crap. I hadn’t thought that far. “Yes, Mum. She does, but it’s not like I told her, she could smell it on me apparently.”
Mum chuckled. “Shifters are cunning like that. But Ruby—” Her tone changed again. “Shifters are also known to be reckless, stubborn creatures. I know she’s your friend, and you like her, but even so, I must advise caution. The wolf-shifters especially have a rather—violent history.”
“I promise. Jen is cool, though. You’ll like her, I know you will.” While I was on the truth train, I decided to ride it for a bit longer. “Mum—”
“What is it, love?” It was as if she could sense the anxiety in my heart.
“Something’s been happening to me lately. I keep hearing this voice in my head, and I’ve been seeing a man.”
Mum’s breathing quickened on the other end. “Seeing a man? You mean Brendan?”
“No, not that kind of seeing. More like a shadow—or a man in the shadows. It’s hard to explain. Whatever it is, it appears friendly, but I don’t know, it kind of scares me, too,” I admitted and held my breath for a moment. That might have been oversharing.
Mum sighed heavily into the phone. “Ruby Guinevere Morgan, you listen very carefully to what I have to say. Do not, under any circumstances engage with this—thing. Stay as far away as you can. If it talks to you, don’t answer. If the shadows reach for you, walk away. And if you find yourself unable to do so, call upon your Fae powers, shield yourself, and the shadows will retreat. I promise.”
“You know what it is?”
A long pause ensued, where all I could hear was Mum’s breathing. What must have been a minute went by before she spoke again.
“I do know what this is, and I wish I could tell you more, though this is not something we can talk about over the phone. I promise to tell you everything when you come home for vacation or when I come to visit you in London. Whichever comes first. For now, just remember what I’ve said. It may appear friendly, and it may whisper strange things in your ear, but do not believe a thing it says. Stay away from it. I don’t think it would physically harm you, but it can do a lot more damage than that.”
I thought I had heard her scared when we talked about the Academy, but this? This was beyond even that. It was clear she needed reassurance on the matter, so I decided to give it to her. And I would try my best to keep this particular promise.
“Ok, Mum. I promise.”
We spoke for a while longer, both of us trying to ease the tension that had built increasingly throughout the beginning of our chat. I had more questions to ask her, like why Rahul seemed to think my blood was so special, but Mum seemed completely out of sorts after my mention of the shadowy figure, and telling her about Rahul would mean telling her about the boiler room, which was definitely a big no.
So we chatted about Kit and the clinic. Nice and normal things. Then we hung up.
&nb
sp; I put my socks and shoes on and was walking back to the path when it felt as if something was breathing down my neck.
I took a sharp turn. There it was again, on the other side of the lake, watching me. Tendrils of silver and black licked the air around the shadowy figure inside. Mum’s warning sent alarm bells through my mind, and yet, there was something about the shadows that drew me towards it. I had made a promise to Mum, however, so I tore myself away from the spot and ran.
Daring a glance over my shoulder, the shadow was still there, so I kept running until I could no longer see it when I turned.
Whatever it was, Mum had better tell me everything.
THANK YOU FOR READING!
Did you enjoy this book? It would mean the world to the author if you could spare a couple of minutes to leave a review!
Review here!
Sentries of Camelot
Ruby Morgan, Book 2
The Ruby Morgan Universe
Main Series:
Essence of Magic
Sentries of Camelot
Virtues of Purity
Tears of Pestilence
Knights of Avalon
Other works in the Ruby Morgan-verse
Harvester Academy – A Ruby Morgan Prequel
Scream of Death – A Ruby Morgan Novelette