by L. A. Sable
I stared up at him with eyes widened by both pain and shock. “You know how to make it stop?”
“There are many things that can be taught within the walls of the Proving Grounds.” His fingers brushed my cheek, so lightly that it barely qualified as contact. But that didn’t stop the terrible yearning inside of me from springing to life. “You can learn to control these very interesting powers and break Valentine’s control over you. All in one fell swoop.”
Control.
It was what I truly craved more than anything else and the one thing that I had never had. Not before Valentine and the emergence of my powers, or after.
I shifted way enough to put some space between us. “And you would guarantee my safety?”
“As much as I am able.” His gaze briefly skipped over me. “Although you may want to devote some time to study in self-defense. A number of people are very angry with you.”
“How long would I have before Valentine shows up?”
“Unclear. He almost always visits the school for the festival at winter solstice. End-of-Winter is weeks away and our best opportunity.”
I pushed to my feet, ignoring the terrible pain that rocketed through me. “If I do this, go to the Proving Grounds, then I want to study what everyone else does.”
An expression of displeasure briefly crossed his face. “Aren’t you interested in learning the extent of this terrible power you possess and how to harness it?”
“No.”
“And what if that power is enough to destroy Valentine?”
“Tough shit.” The compulsion had not begun until I allowed Valentine to take me. “Find another way. You can still use me as bait, but I want to study real magic. Spells, incantations, all the things I never got to learn as a kid. “
“Fine, agreed.”
Something shifted behind his eyes, a sign that his intent didn’t completely match the words he spoke. But it didn’t matter what he had planned, no one would force me back to that dark and twisted place.
“And maybe potions. I’ve always wanted to use a real cauldron.”
Darius snorted derisively. “I’m sure we can find something in the storage section for you. Most of our students have moved beyond the basics.”
He held out his hand to me, an expectant look on his face. I took it with some trepidation, but with the understanding that at this point I had no choice. I held no illusions that he stood a chance against Valentine, but this would give me time to figure out a plan. Valentine had led the Blooded for longer than living memory. Supernaturals were long-lived, but his seeming immortality was unprecedented. If he were capable of being destroyed, someone else would have done it by now.
I just had to ignore the fact that I was headed for the most dangerous place imaginable while I figured out my next move. The Proving Grounds was full of people who would happily see me dead.
But you know what they say.
Keep your friends close, but your enemies trapped on a fucking island with you.
Chapter Seven
Jinx
I had faced some of the more horrible things that the world had to offer. Monsters that slithered in the night and haunted dreams. This was just a school for entitled supernaturals to hone their skills and feel better than everyone else.
There was no reason this place should seem so dangerous.
At least that was what I told myself as the front gate of the Proving Grounds loomed in front of me. The boat rocked gently as it slowed into the small dock just outside the walls, nearly invisible in the fog. The steps leading up from the dock to the gates were carved into the wall itself and treacherous, with no rails to protect from the crashing waves below.
Instead of blood and gore, the monsters here were draped in perfectly fitting uniforms and dangerous smiles.
I tried to ignore the fact that West stood directly behind me, silent and watchful for the entirety of the boat ride. The school couldn’t be accessed via magical means, so we’d been forced to travel together while Darius took the helicopter reserved for faculty use. Or Headmaster Aquinas, as I should probably get used to calling him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I unobtrusively studied West’s profile. His face was the same, but I had to remind myself that I didn’t know him at all. The affable weasel shifter who’d set up my races had been figment. The real West was a stranger.
A stranger that I really wanted to kick the shit out of.
He wore the school uniform for males, a black button-down shirt with an oversized collar paired with black slacks. A royal blue vest and bow tie marked him as part of House Moon, the house for shifters. The curriculum was specialized based on species alignment and the students sorted into houses. Blue was the color for shifters. Witches wore purple, vampires red while other the rest were green. Instead of ties, girls wore long-sleeved dresses cut above the knee in their house colors, matched with a lacy white collar.
It was like something out of a Victorian fever dream.
“Is the weasel the only thing you can shift into?” I asked him, voice echoing off the stone as the boat crew tied us off in the little inlet that housed the dock. Sheer cliff wall surrounded us on all sides. “I’m surprised you managed to crawl so far up Darius’s ass with a form that weak.”
“It’s Headmaster Aquinas,” West murmured, voice mild. “Lack of proper address will cost you two demerits.”
“And I care because?”
“The bravado act is cute.” His eyes flashed in the dark as he turned to stare at me. “We’ll see how long you can keep it up.”
I refused to let him see my apprehension, what I refused to describe as fear even in my own mine. “Is that a threat?”
“I saw how scared you were when you found out the Blooded had come to town,” he replied with a smirk. “And so afraid of your power. This place is going to chew you up and spit you back out.”
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” I snapped at him.
“I know that you told the Headmaster that you refuse to use your power. All the months that I spent tailing you and you only ever used magic by accident. It’s pathetic.”
I felt the familiar heat rising under my skin as I stared him down. “You know nothing about my power.”
“Show me.” He rose to his full height, towering over me with a goading smile on his face that was practically a snarl. “I’ve heard the stories, everyone has. I’d love to see the real thing.”
Consume him. I pushed the dark voice away with an effort, ignoring the desire that curled in my belly at the thought of unleashing my magic. “Piss me off enough and maybe you will.”
“That sounds suspiciously like what a coward would say.” His gaze pierced through me, dark eyes like fathomless pits. “I don’t care what Headmaster Aquinas says, as far as I’m concerned you’re not worth the flesh you’re wearing.”
We stared each other down for a long moment. Bravado was all I had left at this point. “Well, you’ll always be a weasel to me, West.”
He had the nerve to laugh, revealing too white and too sharp teeth. “Say that again once we get inside. And it’s Acolyte West to you.”
“What, you can’t shift into a rodent and come at me right now?”
West regarded me with narrow eyes even as a small smile played along his lips. “We aren’t allowed to use our powers outside of the walls while in training.”
“I’ve seen you shift.”
“I had special dispensation.”
“To trick me, just like a weasel. Or a snake. That’d be a good second form for you, if you’re strong enough to hold more than one which I doubt.” It wasn’t like I ever really trusted him, but the betrayal still stung if just because I was mad at myself for not seeing through his act. “And what the fuck is an acolyte?”
“The best student from each house is declared an Acolyte, sort of like a prefect or house advisor.” His expression was invisible through the fog, but there was a dark note in his voice. “We’re empowered to enforce di
scipline within the school.”
“Discipline? What does that mean?”
An anticipatory smile played along his lips. “I’m sure you’ll find out very soon.”
I didn’t like the sound of that and fell silent as fearful thoughts dancing through my head. Darius had assured my safety as a condition for coming here, but I also understood that he only meant the pain of death. He wouldn’t stop me from getting hurt.
I’d never been a real part of the supernatural world. As a child, I’d been hidden away for fear of what might happen to a witch with no magic who came from a family with many enemies. My time spent with Valentine had been something that could barely be described. And now I’d been thrust into the very epicenter of it all, with no way to know what might be coming at me next. I had absolutely no friends here, and a significant number of enemies.
Maybe I should have just let Cynth kill me and gotten it over with.
West abruptly turned and leapt over the side of the boat, landing on the wooden dock with a loud thump. I glanced over the rail to see him already rising from his crouch and glaring up at me with daring eyes.
Since I didn’t exactly have the physical prowess of a shifter, my only choice was to wait for the boat crew to unload the gang plank which took several minutes.
He didn’t wait for me and was already halfway up the steps cut into the cliff face by the time my feet hit dry land. Asshole. I was sure he hoped that I would go chasing after him like an idiot. Taking a steadying breath, I mounted the steep steps slowly, making a point of appearing unhurried.
I was only slightly winded when I reached the iron gates that had already been opened for us. Stone pathways under arched canopies ran along the grounds, but even with the bit of light remaining daylight it was difficult to see much in the shadows of the impossibly tall trees growing around them.
West lounged against the trunk of a weeping willow, expression bored. He was probably only waiting because he’d been instructed by Darius to see that I got settled in the dormitory. As I drew closer, I realized that he wasn’t alone and a cluster of other students stood with him.
Oh, fuck.
I recognized them and there was nothing pleasant about the realization.
Bastian Deville’s family owned a Paris fashion house. They could weave an enchantment into a piece of clothing so strong that a woman would blind herself before being seen in anything else. He was one of the few Fae in attendance at the Proving Grounds, which meant his family traced their bloodlines to the lower court of Faerie. Nobody had seen a high court Fae in generations, they rarely left the Summerlands. He looked almost entirely human, but the bluish tint to his skin and the unnatural silver of his hair was what gave it away. Still, Bastian had enough arrogance to share.
Behind him were three girls with identical sneers on their pretty faces. The Three Fates, as people liked to call them, were the youngest daughters of three of the most powerful witch families on earth, save mine. Primrose Blackworth, Amaranth Mortem and Maeve Crowe. They were the circle that I would have run with if my magic had manifested in childhood like it was supposed to. The Three Fates were weaker as a coven without a fourth and they’d never forgiven me for that.
When they saw me coming, all three of them abruptly turned and flounced away in the direction of the castle. So much for a warm reunion.
And that was when I noticed Cynth standing in the shadow of a tree, glaring daggers at me. A cold shiver worked its way down my spine and I forced myself to push the feeling away. I couldn’t let him see that I was afraid, any sign of weakness would make me an even bigger target.
He moved so quickly that I couldn’t track the movement, stopping right in front of me. Only the swish of his hair was evidence that he hadn’t simply disappeared from one spot and appeared in another. “I hoped I’d see you again, witch.”
West pushed himself off of the tree, getting between us just before Cynth could do whatever he was thinking. “You heard what Headmaster Aquinas said. Her blood-price has been paid.”
Cynth’s lip curled in a snarl, revealing sharp teeth. “She killed my brother.”
“He tried to kill me first,” I spat at him. “I had a right to defend myself.”
Cynth scoffed. “He took a little blood.”
“And a piece of my soul.”
“He should have taken all of it,” he snarled in reply. “Left you a mindless husk, it isn’t as if you could serve less of a purpose.”
“You should take a lesson from him, then.” I made a point of pushing into his personal space, making it clear that I wouldn’t show him even an ounce of fear. “You come in swinging, make sure it’s with a kill shot. Otherwise, I’m coming back at you with everything I’ve got.”
He took a step closer, bringing his face so close to mine that our noses practically touched. “And how much is that, exactly?”
“Enough.” West used his larger frame to force the vampire back
Bastian watched it all with an expression of mild interest, not moving to join in or intervene. He seemed to find the entire thing endlessly amusing. “And here I thought it would just be another boring year at the Academy. I love fireworks.”
“There’s not going to be a show here.” West put his hand at the center of Cynth’s chest, but didn’t push, just enough to keep the vampire from rushing forward. “If you’ve got a problem, then take it up with the Headmaster. He says we need her.”
Cynth’s eyes narrowed as he continued to glare at me. “You really expect me to believe that this pathetic witch is capable of taking down someone as powerful as Valentine? We don’t need her.”
I was a little surprised that West seemed to come to my defense since I didn’t think he cared one way or another. But I wasn’t exactly surprised by the next words out of his mouth.
“And maybe you’ll get a front-row seat for when Valentine tears her heart out of her chest.”
“Thanks, West,” I said with a grunt as I stepped out from behind him. Cynth wouldn’t do anything to me, at least not in front of witnesses like this. As little as my family cared about me in general, they’d come after him for the blood price if he killed me. And I’d had about as much as I could of alpha male posturing. “Can someone just show me how to get to the dormitory while you guys figure out who’s coming for a piece of me first?”
Bastian sauntered up to my side, moonlight reflecting with a slight shimmer on his skin as he moved out from under the shadow of the tree. “Follow me and I’ll show you where to lay your head. Although, I make no guarantees someone won’t try to slit your throat while you sleep. Like one of the Fates, for example.”
I didn’t need another invitation to get out of this situation even if I didn’t exactly trust Bastian’s motives. Cynth glared daggers at me as I slipped past him but made no move to follow. It was obvious from his expression that this was far from over.
“What do you know about me and the Three Fates?” I asked, falling into step beside him on the path.
“Just that they spent years of childhood hearing about you would become some great power and lead them into a new renaissance for witch dominance of the supernatural world.” His accent carried a faint lilt, reminiscent of brilliant green isles and a much older land than this one. “And then you had the nerve to never come into your power. Doesn’t seem like they ever got over that betrayal.”
I didn’t point out that none of that was actually my fault. “Betrayal is the word they like to use for it.”
He raised a delicate eyebrow that was so silver, it almost seemed blue in the light. “It probably doesn’t help that when your dormant powers finally arrived, you disappeared into the ether with Valentine. But now that you’re here, it’s caused quite a stir.”
His mention of Valentine made something in my mind click into place. “I take it you’re the Acolyte for House Aether.”
His lip quirked. “Guilty as charged.”
“That must also mean you’re part of the plan to take down Valentine
.”
“I follow my brothers in the mystic arts.”
“And all of you are Blooded in training. I suppose that loyalty doesn’t extend to your fearless leader.”
“Loyalty is a security blanket for the weak. The Blooded have no use for it.”
I’d spent enough time among the humans that words were jarring, even though they weren’t unfamiliar. “You actually believe that?”
“The Fae can’t lie.”
“But they can dodge answering a question, sort of like you just did.”
The smile that touched his lips was mischievous. “Would you like a tour? We can take the scenic route.”
“No—”
Before I could raise a real objection, he was already leading me toward the imposing castle with its towers like dark spires piercing the air and thick stone facade that was practically medieval.
We entered the main hall through the high doors that could be barred with a wooden plank thicker than I was. The interior was much like I remembered it, like something out of a Gothic nightmare — all velvet hangings, heavy damask furnishings and paneling so dark it was nearly black.
Bastian made a point of going in circles and I was certain that we passed the same set of fixtures several times, though he denied it when I asked. After a while, I got the impression that he was deliberately wasting time. When we finally reached the hall that led to the dormitories, it was deserted. That was unsurprising so late in the evening, but an unmistakable sound floated from somewhere deeper in the castle.
“What is that noise?” I asked.
But Bastian had already disappeared into the darkened interior, forcing me to follow him or be left behind. The sound only grew louder, echoing loud enough that I knew he had to hear it.
Sharp moans, punctuated by frantic screams. The kind someone made when they were caught between pleasure and pain. Accompanied by the slapping rhythm of something hard striking yielding flesh. I felt an answering thrum deep in my belly, and pushed the sensation away with an effort.