Vampires and Werewolves: GRIMM Academy Book Two

by R L Medina

  “Thank you!” I smiled at her and turned on my heel before the others could outvote her.

  My shoes slapped against the tile loudly as I sprinted for the door.

  Thrusting open the door, I stepped out into the lobby.

  “I’m not expelled.” I beamed.

  “Really? I’m so glad,” Shiloh gushed.

  Brady gave me a skeptical look. “Not expelled? They let you off that easily?”

  “Well, I’m suspended. For a week.”

  I waited for the others to face council. We were all suspended, even Javi, for a week, but still expected to make up for the schoolwork we would miss. The last thing on my mind was school. Instead, I spent the week, returning to the burnt house and hoping for a sign of Grayson. Each day that passed without news made me shrink further into my shell.

  Where are you, Grayson?

  By the end of the week, Javi was back on his feet, most of his cheerful, chipper self returned though there was a haunted look in his eye every now and then. One that I imagined I shared as well. You couldn’t go through what we had and walk away totally unscathed.

  To celebrate his recovery and our last day before we returned to campus, we convinced Tío and Tía to let us go to the Beach Shack, provided the school guards patrolled the beach.

  Shiloh sat in front of me, worry creased in her brow. I pushed the food around on my plate and tried to work myself up to eating it.

  “Where’s Gloria?” Javi broke the silence.

  He glanced around at the shack. Shiloh tore her eyes from me and looked at him.

  “She’s gone. I don’t know where, but she’s been gone for a while now. Something about a family emergency.”

  “Huh. I didn’t know she had family here.”

  Brady grunted. “She doesn’t. Must be some old coven friends.”

  I half listened to their conversation, not really caring what they were talking about. How could we sit there in the shack and go to class, pretending everything was okay, when Grayson was gone? He needed us.

  “The shrimp isn’t as good as when she makes it.” Javi made a face.

  “I’m sure she’ll be back soon,” Shiloh answered him and turned back to me.

  “Aren’t you hungry, Rose?”

  My lip curled. “Not really. I think I’m going to head back to the house. But you guys should stay and enjoy your food.”

  She and Javi exchanged a look.

  “We’re not going to let you go back by yourself.” Javi frowned.

  I sighed. “I just don’t feel like being here right now. I… I think I need to be alone. At least for tonight.”

  Pity swam in their eyes making me burn. How could they give up on Grayson so easily? Didn’t they want to believe he was alive?

  Brady shook his head. Out of everyone, I think he shared my pain most. Grayson grew up with him and though he never admitted it, Brady thought of him as a brother. He’d been spiraling back into his old habits, but that night was the first he’d come when we invited him. A sign that maybe he was starting to heal. I felt guilty for not reaching out to him, not doing more. I knew Grayson would have wanted me to, but I could barely contain my own grief.

  Blinking the tears from my eyes, I stood and motioned for Javi to stay.

  “Really. I’ll be fine.”

  Javi jumped to his feet. “Rose, you were just kidnapped by the coven. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  Shiloh’s eyes darted between us, her fingers drummed nervously. “Let us take you back to the house and then we’ll let you have some space.”

  “Fine.”

  I didn’t have the energy to argue anymore. Brady dug into his wallet to pull out enough cash to cover our bill and tips before motioning us out. The voices of the other diners and the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen echoed around me.

  Numbness spread through my limbs as I followed them outside. It was November and though the night air was chillier, there was still a warmth there. The beach was unchanged as ever despite the changes in all of us.

  “Do you… think you’re ready to come back to school tomorrow?” Shiloh broke the silence.

  I paused and turned to her. “No, but I have to. I have to be ready to fight the Luna Negra when they come back.”

  We fell quiet.

  “I couldn’t find anything else about shadow magic at the school. I’m sorry.” Shiloh spoke again, her face fell.

  I squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. I’m going to find him.”

  Brady scoffed. “He’s dead, Rose. Don’t you think it’s time to accept it?”

  His words were sharp and deadly. If it weren’t for the pain hidden beneath them, I would have been angry.

  “We don’t know that for sure.” Shiloh’s soft voice followed.

  Brady turned his blazing eyes to her. “Then you are all idiots. He’s dead. Grayson is dead.”

  He turned back to me. “Stop fooling yourself. He’s not coming back.”

  Dead. Dead. The words rattled me. No. I wouldn’t let them in where they could hurt me. I refused to believe them.

  “I’m not giving up.” My voice was steel.

  Hard and impenetrable though inside I was quaking.

  Javi wrapped an arm around me, worry creasing his forehead. “Let’s go back to the house.”

  I let him guide me to his car, Shiloh following.

  “You won’t find him. You’re wasting your time,” Brady cried after us.

  He didn’t follow. Tears blurred my vision.

  “He’s in pain. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s not ready…” Shiloh’s worried eyes swept over me and glanced to where Brady stumbled away.

  “Then he shouldn’t have come,” Javi bit out.

  She frowned at him as he unlocked the car. “He’s our friend, Javi. I’m going to make sure he gets home. You take Rose back.”

  Javi huffed. “Shy…”

  Before he could argue, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek and flounced away. I blinked in surprise. Javi watched her go, a small smile on his face.

  “Since when are you two…”

  He looked back at me and flushed. “We didn’t want to make a big deal of it. Not with everything… going on.”

  My heart twisted. He meant Grayson. I’d been so obsessed with finding him and learning about his shadow magic that I hadn’t noticed my cousin and Shiloh.

  “Oh. Well. I’m happy for you.”

  A part of me wasn’t. The selfish part of me that was jealous he had Shiloh, but Grayson had been ripped from me. I shook the thoughts away. No. Javi and Shiloh deserved to be happy. So did Brady. Sadness filled me.

  “Thanks.” He ran his fingers through his hair and averted his gaze.

  He opened the door for me, and I slid into the passenger seat without a word. The drive to the house was short and silent. Tía’s eyes held sympathy when she greeted us, but she didn’t ask why we were home early.

  “Oh, Javi. The package arrived. It’s in Rose’s room.” She smiled.

  Javi flashed her a smile and turned to me. “Let’s go.”

  His excitement made me nervous, but I followed. It was my room after all. At least for one more night. Then I would be back at campus.

  We got to my room and there it was—a small, black box on my bed.

  “What is it?”

  “Open it and find out.” Javi waved his hand over it.

  I walked over to it and picked it up while Javi’s eyes lit up as he watched. A rush of warm air swirled in the room, making my skin tingle.

  Magic.

  26

  My stomach fluttered with nerves. I knew what it was. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready for it yet. A new conduit. With a steadying breath, I pulled the lid off and lifted the ring out of its velvet nest.

  There was no stone. Just a wide band of black with silver inscriptions written along it.

  “I know it’s kind of plain, but it’s super powerful. My parents spent a fortune on this.”

&nb
sp; Javi pointed at the small script. “This ring was made with a combination of stone, silver, and fire magic.”

  His eyes were wide with excitement. I forced a smile on my face and nodded as he explained the inscription. It was a permanent enchantment that could only be removed if the conduit was destroyed.

  “The ring makes it impossible to track you. Even with a tracking spell. You won’t exist in this realm.”

  I stared at him, his words startling me. Being invisible to the witches was a good thing, but what if I was in trouble and the GRIMMs needed to find me?

  “Not unless you want to be found. You can take the ring off,” he added, seeing my apprehension.

  “Because it’s made of the three elements, those will be the ones you’ll be drawn to when you need to cast.”

  I glanced at the ring. Fire magic. I saw Grayson’s face flashing in my mind, disappearing behind a wall of flame. My stomach churned. I didn’t want fire magic.

  “And the other enchantment…” Javi’s eyes drilled into mine, “You can’t be compelled. Not by anyone. Or any spell. Most of the agents get special training to fight compulsion and weapons against it, but your ring will work automatically without you having to use magic.”

  My head snapped up to meet his gaze. The significance of it made me tear up. I swallowed the lump in my throat and threw my arms around him.

  “Thank you.” My voice sounded small and vulnerable.

  Something I never thought I’d be okay with, but with Javi, it was. He was family.

  I released him and slipped the ring on my finger. It was cool against my skin, but a warmth spread through me.

  Powerful, but would it be enough to stop the coven?

  The next day was dreary and gray. On lockdown at the school, I decided to spend the day in the training facility with Professor Cassiano. If I was going to see more action, I needed all the skills I could muster.

  When I arrived there, the professor just blinked at me. Though I felt as if I’d proven myself, he still watched me with his wary eyes. Soul searching eyes that always seemed to be weighing and judging me.

  His eyebrows knitted together. “You’ve gotten sloppy with your footwork.”

  I scoffed. “It’s not like I had time to practice while I was running for my life.”

  “Hardly an excuse, Miss Vasquez. When one finds themselves in a high-risk situation, that is when one finds if their training has been sufficient.”

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Well, I guess mine clearly wasn’t.”

  He clicked his tongue and shook his head as if I said the wrong thing. I’d forgotten how annoying he was.

  “Did you forget everything I taught you?”

  “No.”

  His eyes bore into mine. “Well, I should hope not. I am a highly sought-after mentor and I don’t take on just any student.”

  “Why did you take me then?” I bit back the rest of the snarky comments that came to mind.

  “I wanted to see if you were anything like your mother. She had great promise.”

  My mouth dropped. What? All the time we’d spent sparring and running drill after drill, and he’d known who I was? Who I really was?

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?” I glared at him.

  He sniffed. “Why didn’t you?”

  “You know why I couldn’t. The GRIMMs hated her.”

  A sad smile spread on his face. “No, Miss Vasquez. They loved her. Spoiled her. Indulged her.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah, loved her so much they erased her very existence from here.”

  “It was the only choice we were left with.”

  I sucked in a breath. “You? You were the one who did it?”

  “Me and some others.”

  “Did you know the whole time? Who I was?”

  “Yes. Unlike the others, my memories remained untouched.”

  “But they remember her too.”

  He shook his head, “They remember her existence and what she did, but they don’t remember her. Who she was to them. I do.”

  My heart twisted. “Who was she to you?”

  “My mentee. My most promising student.” He smiled wistfully. “You could never hope to have the same skill with a blade that she did. Everything she did was so connected to magic. She could have been the next greatest wizard.”

  His words rattled me. Wizard. Did he know something about the wizard from her letter?

  “So, why did she join the coven instead?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she thought they were the only ones who could help her delve into the most forbidden magic, hone her craft.”

  I sighed in relief. He didn’t know about the werewolf. No one did and no one could. I couldn’t even tell Javi.

  Mistaking my sour look, Professor Cassiano sighed. “You’re worried about your friend? Mister Chapman?”

  Pain pinched me. Grayson.

  Taking my silence as an answer, Professor Cassiano nodded and folded his hands in front of himself. “You believe he’s dead?”

  My eyes shot to him. “No. Don’t say that. He’s not.”

  “We all have to die some time, Miss Vasquez.”

  Heat spread up my neck. “He’s not dead.”

  He gave me a thoughtful hmm. “You are holding onto the hope he’s still alive. That you can still save him. What if you can’t?”

  My fists curled. What the hell was he trying to do? Get me to admit Grayson was gone, and it was my fault?

  “I will save him.”

  A small, pitying smile spread on his face. Anger burned within me. I wanted to wipe the look right off his arrogant, uncaring face.

  “I’m not just going to give up on him. I don’t care what you or any of the others think.”

  He cocked his head to the side as if I was the most interesting specimen. His superiority fueled my anger. I pushed the emotions away and steeled myself.

  “Do you know anything about a wizard?”

  He blinked. “Wizard?”

  I nodded. “My mom left a note before she… died. The wolves were supposed to help, but none of them remembered a wizard.”

  Professor Cassiano gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Los Reyes? What do they have to do with a wizard?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged.

  His eyes followed me. Not believing me or did he know something?

  “They couldn’t help you?”

  I shook my head no and met his gaze. “Do you know anything about wizards?

  “There hasn’t been a wizard in years. Whoever gave you that information was mistaken.”

  His voice hardened, a glint of steel in his blue eyes. My mouth dropped at his harshness. It was a simple question so why was he acting so weird about it?

  Before I could press the matter, he dismissed me, and I couldn’t get another word out of him. I spent the rest of the day in and out classes, trying my best to ignore the stares and whispers. I hadn’t exactly been miss popular before, and now that the truth was out, the other students openly hated me. None more than Javi’s old friends.

  I stuck with Shiloh and Javi as best as I could, but it was hard to be the third wheel, especially when my mind was still on Grayson. Brady didn’t show up for classes, having given up completely. He avoided Shiloh’s calls, and me, the coward that I was, couldn’t find the strength to face him.

  If Grayson was dead, like he believed, it was my fault. Why would he want to see me?

  The first day back was over quicker than I expected, and I was grateful. When Shiloh tried to coax me to go out with her and Javi, I was adamant to stay.

  Nodding in understanding and promising to be back soon, she left. I ate dinner alone in silence and poured over the latest textbooks I’d found on shadow magic, hoping for a clue.

  Before long I was drifting in and out of sleep, but the grief was still there. The sorrow I’d been carrying since Papi’s death had grown since Grayson.

  “Rose,” a familiar voice called from far away.

  I blink
ed and sat up, head spinning. The books were spread out before me and moonlight shining in through the window.

  “Rose. It’s me.”

  A figure stood in the middle of the room. My heart twisted at the sight.

  “Grayson.” I shot to my feet.

  He smiled. Was this real? I pinched myself and winced in pain.

  “Grayson!” I threw my arms around him, only to find empty air.

  His form wavered and floated out of reach. An icy rush of fear filled me.

  “Grayson. What happened to you?”

  Don’t say you’re dead.

  His smile faltered. Dread struck me cold.

  “No, I’m not dead. I’m just not here with you. Physically.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “I’m casting. My subconscious into yours. It’s called dream walking.”

  “So, you’re okay then?”

  He nodded.

  Relief flooded me. A strangled sob escaped me. “But why didn’t you come sooner?”

  His face was stricken. “I couldn’t find you. I’ve been looking. Trying to make my way to you.”

  I sucked in a breath and wiped furiously at the tears. “Where are you?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t get back to my body. I think… I think I’m injured. Maybe with the coven?”

  My fists curled. “We’re going to find you. We’re going to get you back, Grayson. Let me get Javi and the others.”

  “No, wait, Rose.”

  I paused.

  “Don’t worry about me right now. If I’m in here, the witches can’t block our communication. This is the perfect opportunity for me to be a spy. I just have to find my way back to my body.”

  My eyes widened. “What? No! If they find you, they’ll kill you, Grayson.”

  “No. They won’t. I’m… valuable to them.”

  “What?”

  His eyes darted away and back to me. “I’m the first GRIMM to be successfully programmed.”

  I gaped at him.

  He sighed and reached out for my hand. It hovered on top of mine, but I couldn’t feel anything.

  “You remember how I told you I had a conduit when we were trying to get out?”

  A bitter taste filled my mouth. “Of course, I remember. You… tricked me into thinking we were both getting out of there.”