by Ivy Hearne
“Don’t panic. Curses are really specific kinds of spells. They’re a little more vicious sometimes. But curses are simply performed in different ways from other spells.” He gave my shoulder a little pat. “It’s nothing to worry about. I’m simply glad you’re here. Something is going on with you. And it’s not anything physical, either. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right back.”
I would have followed his instructions, if not for the fact that I glanced up at his face just as he was turning to leave the room. Until that moment, he had been wearing what I would have described as a professional face—smiling but giving away nothing. As he turned, though, I caught a glimpse of his expression as it shifted from professional interest to abject terror.
I counted to ten before I slipped off the table and tiptoed to the door. Turning the handles slowly, I opened the door a couple of inches. I didn’t see or hear anyone hallway outside, so I opened the door wider and slipped through. A few steps down the hallway toward the receptionist desk, I heard Dr. Bernie speaking.
“I don’t know what it is, but it’s not visible. There’s something wrong with her, though.”
Sliding up next to the door of the office, I tried to peek inside, but the door was almost closed, a scant inch between the door and its frame.
Still, I was certain his conversation was about me. He had acted like everything was fine, and then walked out to call someone I didn’t know to examine me without my permission, without even consulting me about it. My heart began beating even faster, thumping out a tattoo rhythm in my chest, and the muscles of my forehead tightened in a band, as if being squeezed from the outside.
I have to get out of here. I need to think of someplace to go where no one at the Academy could find me.
Except maybe Souji.
Keeping my steps as silent as possible, I moved quietly down the hall, preparing to face the receptionist with a smile and a wave, acting as if the doctor hadn’t wanted me to stay. But luck was with me, and she wasn’t even at her desk.
What had possessed me to ever think I should get checked out by a medical professional?
That’s right, the voice inside my head soothed. You don’t need anything from the doctor.
The voice was sounding more and more like my own.
Now. I just had to figure out how to hide from anyone else who came looking for me.
Including Souji.
Chapter 3
The well house. That’s where I needed to go. It was a tiny, mostly abandoned building made of stone at the far end of campus, right where the Hunters’ Academy ended and the forest that covered the rest of the Colorado mountain we lived on began. It was also where a doppelgänger had hidden me and Mr. Jamison away while he took the teacher’s form and infiltrated the Academy.
And now, I was convinced Dr. Bernie was trying to do something equally nefarious.
I still didn’t know exactly to what end the Lusus Naturae were hunting me, but that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was getting away from the doctor.
When I got there, the door was padlocked shut.
I put my hand on the lock, trying to access what little magic I might carry within myself, hoping I could unlock it. Closing my eyes, I pulled at the place within me where I sometimes found my magic, willing it to work with me.
Nothing happened. I tugged at the padlock with a low curse.
I turned around to make sure no one was nearby, watching me. The woods behind the well house were dark, shaded and silent. And most of the rest of campus was out of sight, hidden by the few buildings I could see.
I need a way to get into this well house.
Either that, or I needed another place to hide. I wasn’t sure which I would prefer.
I kicked the door hard, irritated by its sturdy construction.
If I knew who I could trust, I might get someone else involved.
But after months of being harassed by the Lusus Naturae, I was beginning to be convinced that anyone could potentially be an agent for the monsters who wanted to take over the world.
I tried to push out a call to Souji using what I had been assured should be my remarkable psychic abilities.
He didn’t respond. He was supposed to be my partner. Why was it that every time I was in trouble, he was nowhere to be found?
A couple of images flashed through my mind of Souji showing up to help me with Shane, the tutor who had ended up trying to kill me. And then another of Souji leaping out the Colorado forest to attack the Santa demon who had been feeding on local children in the nearest town and had turned his attention to me.
It was as if my own mind was trying to convince me, or maybe just remind me, that Souji was on my side.
That doesn’t mean I can always rely on him. The voice inside my head spoke so clearly it was as if I had heard it out loud.
I paced back and forth, my boots crunching into the late spring snow.
I had to get away from campus. If I couldn’t trust anyone—and the incident with Dr. Bernie made it clear that I couldn’t—then I needed to get away from everyone.
If I’d been thinking ahead, I would’ve stuffed my backpack full of supplies and been ready to take off into the woods. But even as frantic as I was feeling, I knew that freezing to death in the snow is not the answer.
I glanced back at the campus, frowning. Did any of the buildings have basements? I needed a place I could hide.
The upper-level students’ dorm had a passage that could magically transport me back to Kansas. I didn’t know how to work it, though. It was how Mina, the tiny fae recruiter who had tracked me down, had brought me through to the Academy in the first place.
But maybe I could find a way to make it through that passage, anyway. Maybe I could use it to disappear into the real world—the world away from the Academy.
And then what? If I walked away from the Hunters’ Academy, away from the battle between the two supernatural sides, would the Lusus Naturae keep hunting me? Or would they leave me alone as long as I stayed out of their world?
Would I be able to support myself? I couldn’t go anywhere that was too obvious—not back to my old school, not home to my parents. And without money or connections, I would be doomed to fail. The Lusus Naturae would find me and they would finally get what they wanted from me.
No. That would only be putting off the inevitable.
That thought jarred me. Was it really inevitable? Was I destined to be captured by the other side and used for whatever nefarious ends they had in mind?
A soft, low growl behind me made me freeze in my pacing. Slowly, I craned my neck around to see who was behind me.
I blew out a breath of relief. It was Souji. Thank goodness.
“I am so glad you’re here,” I said. “I had a headache, so I went to the doctor. Well, actually, I still have a headache. But anyway, the doctor was weird. I’m pretty sure he was trying to get someone to... I don’t know. But he made a phone call and it was wrong. I’m pretty sure he’s with the Lusus Naturae.”
Souji listened to this rapid-fire speech, his ears pricked up, tilting his head first to one side and then to the other.
“And if you’re trying to talk to me, I can’t hear you. I don’t know why. My telepathy—any psychic powers I have—all seem to be on the fritz again.
Souji sat down in the snow, his jet-black fur shining in the sun, making a beautiful contrast to the whiteness of the snow around him.
I batted at the padlock. “So I was thinking that if I could just unlock this door, I could hide down there while I figure out what to do.”
Souji shook his head. Then he stood again, this time jerking his chin up toward the woods, as if to tell me which way were going.
As he began walking toward the forest, I hesitated for a long moment, then finally fell into line behind him. “Okay, okay. Wait up. I’m coming.”
We didn’t get very far under the cover of trees before we came upon Souji’s brother Reo standing in a clearing, obviously waiting for
us.
As we moved into the clearing, Souji stopped before I noticed, leaving him several steps behind me. It also conveniently blocked my easiest path back out of the clearing, so I whipped around to glare at my hunting partner accusingly. “You call your brother to meet us? What would you do that?”
“He’s worried about you, Kacie.” Reo took a half step toward me, his hands held up in front of him as if to show me he had no weapons.
Like that matters in someone who can shift into a panther with teeth and claws on a moment’s notice.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I just suddenly realized how obvious it is that the Lusus Naturae have infiltrated the Academy.”
“Who do you think as their agent?”
You, for one.
When I didn’t answer, Reo continued. “That’s my job here. The Council sent me to find out what’s going on, why the Lusus Naturae have been able to get to you here. I understand why you feel the way you do—there have been too many attacks on you for you not to be defensive. Still, I’d appreciate it if you would tell me what you suspect.”
When Rio had begun talking, I’d crossed my arms over my chest. By the time he was finished, they were wrapped all the way around my body, and I was hugging myself tightly as if to hold all of me together.
“Dr. Bernie was trying to call someone in to examine me. He told me everything looked fine, and then he left to go call someone else. I’m sure he’s with the Lusus Naturae.”
Rio frowned. “No surely not. I’ve known him for years.”
His tone in disbelief made me take a step back. “I knew no one would believe me.”
Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. I wanted someone to be on my side.
Without warning, I bolted into the woods.
Chapter 4
Running from one panther would’ve been a stupid move. Running from two was absolutely insane.
I saw one of the brothers race past me in a blur of black fur. I had just enough time to see him come skidding to a stop not far in front of me, when the other hit the center of my back with his paws and the full force of the two-hundred-pound jaguar slamming me to the ground. It knocked the breath out of me. But I was probably better off than I would’ve been if he’d used his claws.
I lay in the snow gasping for breath, not even able to stand or even look all the way up, because the cat continued to sit on my back to hold me down.
I did, however, see bare feet in the snow crunching toward me.
Guess the other panther shifted to human.
“Hold her until I get back,” I heard Reo say.
So it was Souji on my back.
The bare feet crunched away, and I saw the moment he turned back into his panther form.
After I caught my breath again, I tried to convince Souji to let me up while his brother was gone. “You see it, don’t you? Reo wants to take me back to the Academy. The Lusus Naturae will catch me for sure then. You can’t let him do that. Please.”
My so-called partner didn’t respond.
It was probably only about three or four minutes, but it seemed like forever before Reo came back, fully dressed and wearing shoes.
“Come on,” he said, hauling me up by one arm as Souji stepped off my back. “Let’s get you back to the doctor’s office and see if we can find out what’s wrong with you.”
That’s when I really started to fight. I punched and kicked, swinging my fists impotently when he held me out at arms’ length. Twisting around in an attempt to break his hold on me, I came face-to-face with Souji’s bared teeth.
He let out a slow growl, and I froze.
“Now,” Reo said, “you can continue to fight against us, but you’ll be the one who gets hurt. Besides,” he continued, pulling out zip-tie cuffs and locking my hands together behind my back, “you won’t get far in these.”
I didn’t stop struggling the whole way back to the doctor’s office—even though I knew it was useless.
“SHE’S NEVER BEEN LIKE this before,” Reo said to the doctor.
“She is sitting right here,” I interjected.
Both Reo and Dr. Bernie turned to look at Souji, and I wished for a moment that I was inside their little circle, that I was the one communicating with Souji, instead of the evil doctor.
Why didn’t anyone believe me when I told them Dr. Bernie was in league with the Lusus Naturae? Were Reo and Souji in on it, too?
Please don’t let that be true. I didn’t know if I believed in a god—not the same way I now believed in magic, that was for sure—but I still found myself sending up little prayers. Maybe something out there would listen, eventually.
In the meantime, I couldn’t trust anyone, and I had to get out of here as soon as I could.
These damn handcuffs would make that difficult.
If I’d been someone else—almost anyone else at the Academy—I would have been able to magic them off. Or rip them off with shifter strength or freeze them until they were brittle and shattered.
But I apparently didn’t have any magic of my own. I could barely use what psychic powers I did have.
I was, however, smart enough to get out of this. Right?
Shifting a little in the chair they’d pushed me down onto when we’d arrived in the medical office, I tried to think of a way to escape.
“Okay,” the doctor finally said, after the three of them had spent several minutes conversing silently (rude!). “I’ll be right back.”
Ugh. They had dispatched him on some errand, and I didn’t know what it was.
From the front office, I heard Dr. Bernie murmuring to Janice, the receptionist. A few seconds later, she gathered up her things and left.
Are they getting rid of any witnesses? That can’t be good.
The front door opened again, and I heard voices—Dr. Bernie’s and another one that I almost recognized.
When the door opened, I realized I had been hearing Ms. Hush.
Oh, no. Please tell me she’s not involved in this, too.
The realization that everyone I had trusted was plotting against me made tears well up in my eyes. The only thing that gave me the strength to blinked them back was the knowledge that if I could get away, I can make sure they never had the chance to do this to anyone again.
Ms. Hush stepped closer, glancing from Dr. Bernie to Souji to Reo.
Then she knelt down in front of me on one knee, peering up into my eyes. When she reached out her hand to touch my face, I flinched.
Ms. Hush frowned. “Yes. It’s a good thing you brought me to see her. I don’t know exactly what this is, but it’s nothing any of us wants. We need to take her to my office.”
Everyone in the room glanced at each other. I don’t know why Ms. Hush had spoken aloud, if not to strike terror into my heart. But I didn’t object to being moved. My best chance to get away would be when they were moving me.
“Are you sure moving her as a good idea?” Reo asked. “She fought like...well, like a wildcat on the way over here. And I know what fighting like a wildcat is.”
His brother chuffed in panther amusement.
“You might be right,” Ms. Hush conceded. “I’ll go get my supplies. I’ll be back soon.”
Dammit. My best chance to escape had evaporated.
I guess I’ll just have to fight my way out.
Chapter 5
When Ms. Hush showed back up a few minutes later, she carried a patchwork shoulder bag, stuffed full of items that she began pulling out and setting on the exam table. There were candles, and jars of powder, and one jar of amorphous, blobby things that could very well have been eyes of newt. I knew the wraith, recognized these supplies. She had used many of them to draw a monstrous slug-thing out of my head. But of course, that made me wonder why she had taken the bug out of my head at all. If she was still working with the Lusus Naturae, why had she left their psychic block in place?
I watched her warily. Any minute now, she was going to do something terrifying. I was certain of it.
As all the males in the room started to file out, I finally broke my silence. “Please don’t go,” I begged them. “Don’t leave me alone with her. Please don’t let her do whatever it is she’s about to do to me. You don’t understand.”
Reo shook his head at me, his eyes sad. “Kacie, we understand perfectly. You’re the one who doesn’t understand. I hope you forgive us for this soon.”
The voice in my head started screaming for me to get away.
As Ms. Hush poured a circle on the ground out of various ingredients in her jars, I began thrashing, trying to pull my hands out of the zip-tie handcuffs Reo had put me in. When that didn’t work, I lifted myself up out of the chair and bolted toward the door.
“Get her,” Ms. hush said calmly. Reo wrapped his arms around me as I dashed by, lifting me up and carrying me, kicking and screaming, back into the room.
“Let me go!” I bucked hard, trying to loosen his grip on me.
“Coach Pack trained me in hand-to-hand, too. I know all your moves,” he said calmly.
“Put me down, you jerk.”
“You got it.” He dropped me down until my feet touched the floor.
“Perfect,” Ms. hush said.
In one smooth motion, Reo let go of me and took a step backward while Ms. Hush closed the last bit of the circle with me inside.
Magic shot up around me to close over my head like a dome, creating a kind of bubble and trapping me. Even with my hands tied behind my back, I tried to escape, throwing my shoulder against the wall of my new prison. It was an invisible but absolute boundary.
Ms. Hush made some complicated motion with her hands, and all sound from outside the bubble disappeared, too. Not enough that they could talk to talk to each other silently, they also had to make it so they could talk out loud to each other and I couldn’t hear them.