“She resisted my truth spell.”
Jordan made a frustrated sound and dropped my arm. “It has to be that bloody bracelet. Take it off.”
“But—”
“Just do it, Mei. Are you really going to rest easy at night not knowing what she’s capable of? If she’s an unhinged Darken, she could slit our throats with a single thought while we sleep.”
Mei squeaked in fright, but fumbled to remove my bracelet anyway. “Fine, but get your vines ready in case she goes psycho when I remove—” The second my bracelet slid off, she stiffened above me. Instead of pushing her away, I watched with morbid fascination as her eyes glazed over and she intoned, “In three days’ time, an event shall occur. Three shall go out, but only one will return. Tread carefully, for only two shall survive. They have no need for three alive.”
“What in the—?” Jordan sputtered, her green orb nearly fizzling out. “Mei, get off her. She’s—”
“Noah!” I screamed as loud as I could before the vines could gag me again. Both girls froze, then whipped their heads toward the door as it burst open. But it wasn’t Noah who framed the doorway and flicked on the room’s overhead light.
It was Headmistress Mayweather.
Mei immediately scrambled off me and the vines quickly slithered away. Blinking rapidly against the brightness, I took in the headmistress’s thunderous expression as she assessed the situation.
“What is the meaning of this?” Her tone was razor sharp as she fixed her gaze on Jordan. The crow on her shoulder released a displeased caw. At least, it sounded that way.
Jordan straightened from her position by my bed. “I . . . it was a misunderstanding, headmistress. We tried to wake Kenna from a nightmare and must have startled her. We apologize for the outburst.”
Say what?
Mei, her face as white as a sheet, nervously wrung her hands but remained silent.
Clarice studied the two girls for a lengthy amount of time, long enough for them to squirm on the spot. Finally, she said, “Lying is not tolerated at this institute. Both of you, report to my office in the morning. Kenna, please collect your bracelet and come with me.”
I didn’t need to be told twice, all too willing to escape these two psychopaths. I was off the bed in a flash, releasing a quiet sigh of relief when the door snapped shut behind me. Instead of Noah, though, Malcolm loomed directly outside. He fell in behind me while Clarice spun on her heel and took off down the hallway.
No one spoke as she led the way, her shoes clipping smartly against the wooden planks. I padded behind her, still barefoot and in my pajamas. At least everyone was in their rooms this time of night. Questions welled on the tip of my tongue, namely about her earlier meeting with who I hoped was Kade. I gnawed on my bottom lip to keep my mouth from opening, nervous about the heated temper still pouring off her.
The lights had been dimmed, but cast off enough light to see by. Still, shadows eerily surrounded us. Combined with the crow who kept peering over its shoulder at me and the hulking man bringing up the rear, I struggled to tamp down my nerves. I actually wished Noah was here right now to break the icy silence.
Entering a stairwell, we descended a floor, then another, traveling down hallway after hallway until I was thoroughly lost. Just when I was about to break the silence out of sheer desperation, the headmistress stopped at a tall set of double doors, producing a ring of keys before fitting one in the lock. It scraped loudly against the metal, setting my teeth on edge. With a flick of her hand, the doors swung inward all by themselves and she stepped through.
“Come on in, Kenna,” she finally spoke, anger no longer detectable in her voice. The crow startled me by taking to the air in a flurry of flapping feathers. A soft orange glow lit the dark room as Clarice turned on a desk lamp, revealing the bird alighting on a perch in the room’s left corner. “This is my office. You’re safe here. Malcolm, the doors?”
I looked over my shoulder in time to see the man shut the doors with a reverberating thud before taking up a post along the wall. Gulping, I turned back to the headmistress, who had come to stand in front of me.
“Here, let me help you with that,” she said softly, reaching for my bracelet. I thought about pulling back and telling her that I didn’t want to wear it anymore, but she swiftly snatched it up and clasped it to my wrist before I could. “There, all better. Now, please be seated. We have a lot to discuss.”
Gesturing at a seat behind her, she rounded a gleaming mahogany desk to settle onto a high-backed chair. I hesitated, studying her face closely, but the anger from earlier had vanished completely. Darting my eyes around the room, I crept forward on silent feet, grateful when my chilled toes landed on a rug.
The room was massive, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves spanning both ends. A mural decorated the ceiling high above, difficult to make out in the dim lighting—celestial-themed, maybe. Arched windows loomed straight ahead, dark and exposing us to the outside. I suppressed a shiver, wishing there were curtains covering their length.
When I was situated in the chair, Clarice propped her elbows on her desk and leaned forward with a sympathetic twinkle in her eye. “First, I apologize for how the girls treated you. They will be thoroughly questioned and disciplined accordingly. Are you injured?”
I blinked, resisting the urge to touch the tender corners of my mouth. “Um . . . no.”
“Did you use your abilities on them?”
My heart tripped nervously. “I-I don’t think so. It all happened so fast. Am I in trouble?”
Clarice waved away my concern. “Of course not. You did nothing wrong. But Jordan Holt’s and Mei Chang’s reckless actions could have caused someone grave injury. Removing a witch’s talisman, whether it be used for protection or simply good luck, is highly frowned upon and for good reason. These objects are often tied to the balance of nature, and stealing or destroying them can cause devastating consequences.”
She shook her head with a sigh. “I should have known they couldn’t handle the mystery of your arrival. I’m afraid witches, especially Oracles with their prophetic gifts, can be highly superstitious at times. Until things calm down, you will stay in the room adjoining my office. It will afford you privacy and protection.”
I opened my mouth to protest, then shut it. If ostracizing me brought them peace of mind, then so be it. As long as I received answers and permission to leave this place in three days’ time, I could deal with being the freaky new girl. “Was it Kade?” I blurted instead. “The drothen outside the wards. Was it Kade Carmichael?”
As soon as I said the words, I knew that I’d made a mistake. The headmistress sat up straight and Malcolm shifted behind me.
“You know his full name?” Clarice asked, clearly shocked at the news. Crap. I thought she knew. I thought Aunt Tess had told her everything about the last two months.
I cleared my throat. “Yes. I mean, we attended the same school this fall. I got to know him pretty well.” My stomach dipped uncomfortably at her widening eyes. “You didn’t know?”
Sighing, she removed her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. Tess failed to mention that detail. Or maybe she didn’t know. I’m surprised Bill Andrews didn’t figure that out though. I’ll have to give him a call.” She looked up at me again with an assessing gaze. “I can imagine that after your upbringing, you’re tired of being kept in the dark. Am I right?”
Wow. Okay. This woman already knew me way too well. I couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing. “Yes,” I replied honestly, curious where she was heading with this.
“Well, I don’t like being in the dark either, so let’s promise each other something. You don’t keep secrets from me and I won’t keep secrets from you. I want to help you, Kenna. I want you to realize your full potential so that you can go out into the world someday with confidence. But that won’t happen unless we can trust each other. So how about it. No secrets?”
I slipped a hand down to pinch my thigh, relying on the pain t
o center me, to help me make the right choice. I didn’t exactly trust her. Then again, I may not fully trust anyone ever again after the many ways I’d been betrayed lately. But if I agreed, this woman might give me the tools needed to survive the crazy supernatural world thrust upon me. If I agreed, maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t feel so helpless and lost all the time.
“No secrets,” I finally said, to which the headmistress smiled approvingly. Warmth filled my gut at her expression. I wasn’t used to positive adult attention.
“Glad to hear it,” she said, settling her glasses back onto her nose. “In that case, yes, the vampire called Kade Carmichael was indeed outside our wards earlier today. I spoke to him at length and we’ve come to an agreement.”
At the confirmation, a torrent of emotions rushed through me. It took all of my willpower not to leap out of my chair and demand she tell me everything she knew. To hide my internal reaction, I pinched my thigh harder, desperate to keep the tears of relief at bay. “What was the agreement?”
“That he won’t inform Ambrose, the vampire king, of your whereabouts as long as he’s allowed to see that you’re alive and well.”
At that, my heart skipped a beat and I leaned forward way too eagerly. “So, I can see him?”
Her mouth pulled into a frown. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t agree to his terms. Vampires are expert manipulators and I can’t trust that he won’t find a way to kidnap you the moment he sees you. For all I know, the princes are hiding nearby, ready to attack the wards. To ensure this school’s safety, I set terms of my own. That you be given a cell phone to communicate with so they may know you’re being well taken care of.”
I tried to hide my disappointment, knowing that she was probably right and wanting to see Kade was dumb. Of course they would kidnap me—or kill me, if my aunt was correct. Still, I struggled to keep my voice even as I asked, “And he accepted your terms?”
“Yes, but only temporarily. They still need you to break their curse, and time is of the essence.”
I straightened. “My aunt thinks they don’t want me to break it. That they only want to kill me.”
That I’m meant to destroy them all.
Clarice’s lips thinned. “Tess is part of a secret organization that strives to protect humans from what they consider the supernatural threats of the world. At the moment, their sights are set on eradicating all vampires. The last thing Tess wants is for a Syphon to break the century-long curse placed upon them. Once the curse is permanent, vampires will be forced to expose their true forms day and night, making it easier for them to be found and killed. It’s no secret that witches and vampires have been feuding for centuries, but I don’t believe they want to kill you. I truly think they want you to break the curse.”
When she paused, I jumped in. “What if you’re both right? Or wrong, depending on how you look at it. What if some of the vampires want the curse broken, and others don’t? Which means that some want me dead while others do not.”
Which could mean there was a slim chance that Lochlan didn’t actually want me dead. I tried not to let foolish hope rise within me at that thought.
Clarice nodded, a small smile returning. “You could be right. But the question is, what are we going to do about it?”
I blinked. “Uh . . . you’re asking me?” Aunt Tess never asked for my opinion, let alone listened when I had one.
“You’re the key to solving this problem, Kenna, if you so wish. You can stay here for as long as you like under Thornecrest Academy’s protection, but if the curse becomes permanent, the world will succumb to war. If that happens, I fear vampires won’t be the only supernatural casualties.”
Goosebumps rose on my arms and legs. “You think humans would hunt witches?”
“They’ve done so in the past. It’s easier for us to hide what we are, but if vampires are made real to the world, all supernaturals will become suspect. It’ll only be a matter of time before scientists figure out how to detect the inherent magic inside us. When that happens, I fear a massive witch genocide will occur.”
I leaned forward in my seat. “But we—humans have evolved. They wouldn’t do that. We could talk to them.”
Clarice gave me a pitying look. “I’m sorry, dear, but people have always feared what they can’t understand. Humans are used to being on top, and our powers will seem threatening to them. Time will never change that. To ensure the continuation of our people, we must protect ourselves. The vampire’s curse affects us all, which is why I’d like to set up a meeting with a few of our elders, if that’s okay with you. We could all use some wise counsel at a time like this.”
My head spun and I reached up to massage my temples. “So you’re saying that I should help the vampires break their curse? But didn’t my aunt bring me here so the three princes couldn’t get their hands on me?” I grimaced, not liking the sound of Lochlan being spoken about so objectively.
“You misunderstand, Kenna. I don’t want you in the Demonic Trinity’s clutches any more than she does. It’s true that countless witches have died at their hands, including Syphons, which is why Tess trusts me to look after you. But she’s human. She can’t possibly understand what exposing vampires would do to the rest of us. Which is why, if you and the elders agree, I’d like to propose we meet with the vampire king and his sons on neutral ground. If we strike a mutually beneficial agreement with them, we could all get what we want without blood being spilled.”
But what about what I want? I desperately thought, yet didn’t dare voice. I turn eighteen in a couple of days! But that fact didn’t seem to matter at the moment. My throat constricted, panic overtaking me at the realization that becoming a legal adult might be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
I wasn’t just a teenage girl trying to find a small kernel of normalcy in her life anymore. In fact, my life might never be normal, all because of this stupid curse.
I cleared my throat, blinking rapidly against the burn in my eyes. “Do you know how to break it? The curse, I mean.”
“Unfortunately, no. The witches—a group of powerful elders, actually—who cursed the three princes and their entire kingdom for their brutality toward our kind, died in order to complete the spell. Any clues as to how to break it died with them. All we have is the original prophecy that was woven into the spell. The first part has been figured out, but the latter half about a sacrifice and choice given has not. There have been countless studies and predictions over the years, of course, but no one can know for certain. Personally, I believe only the three princes and Syphon they seek can figure it out.”
At the dire news, a bone-crushing weariness stole over me. I sank back against the chair with a sigh. “Can I have some time to think things over before I make a decision?”
“Of course,” Headmistress Mayweather said, standing from her chair to round the desk. Approaching, she rested a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “I know I’m asking a lot from you, Kenna, but you’re the only one who can complete this task. In the end, I believe you’ll do the right thing for your people.”
No pressure, I wanted to scoff. All I could do was nod though, too exhausted for much else.
She gestured to the right where a closed door was carved into the bookshelves. “You’ll find a small bedroom and adjoining bath through that door. The only way in or out is through my office, which will be guarded by Malcolm. You can rest easy tonight.”
She started to leave and I tried to hold my tongue. Tried to be the grateful, subservient girl she oh-so-obviously wanted me to be. But I couldn’t. I blurted before she could step from the room, “Can I call Kade now?”
Her heels stopped clicking against the wood floor. Silence reigned. I didn’t dare turn around, afraid to find that her earlier anger had returned. Eventually, the sound of her shoes resumed, thudding softly against the rug. “Of course,” she replied, and a black phone slid into my line of vision, along with a phone number scribbled on a scrap of paper.
With trembling finger
s, I reached for the device and paper. When I gripped the cool metal, though, Clarice didn’t immediately let go. I glanced up to find her carefully studying me. After a moment, she quietly said, “Please use this wisely, Kenna. Remember, no secrets.”
I gulped, nodding quickly, and she relinquished the device. Turning sharply on her heel, she swept from the room, Malcolm following her to no doubt guard from the hallway. The crow remained on its perch though. Was it sleeping? I waited until the doors sealed shut, waited until deafening silence enveloped me. Then scrambled for the side door.
Yanking on the door handle, I stumbled inside the room, feeling for a light switch. The second the bedroom was lit, I secured the door behind me and fumbled to turn on the phone. The tremble in my fingers had worked through my hands and arms, until my whole body shook. I cursed my sloppy attempts to tap the buttons, exhaling loudly when I finally succeeded in placing a call on the fifth try. Pressing the phone to my ear, I held my breath as I listened to the rings.
One ring.
Pick up.
Two rings.
Pick up, pick up!
Three rings.
PICK UP!
Crackling sounds suddenly came from the other end. My heart leapt into my throat.
But I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t prepared for my reaction when I heard the deep, familiar voice say, “Little Kenna?”
5
KENNA
I was sobbing.
Like the chest-heaving, aching-lungs kind. The kind I pretty much never let myself do.
But his voice. My friend’s voice—the friend who’d betrayed me with his silence—unlocked a dam of emotions I’d been holding back all day, and now couldn’t seem to stop.
“H-how? How did you find me?”
“I took off in Loch’s car shortly after you did. I’m an excellent follower. If I’d known you were being taken here though, I would have intercepted.”
Curse Touched: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (A Touch of Vampire Book 2) Page 5