“Felt her? What the fuck does that mean?” Mitch stepped even closer until his side was pressed into mine, though I didn’t think he was aware of it. I didn’t move away. Instead, I leaned back, appreciating the support.
“Sebastian is claiming that since January is his sire, he can always sense January’s presence, like a homing beacon. He’s drawn to her.”
“What?” I whispered as my stomach roiled.
“And, you believe him?” Mitch asked. “My brother is full of shit.”
“Only Mr. Yates believed Sebastian, and he only believed it because having January at that club supported one of his conspiracy theories.”
“That I’m helping the Supernaturals with all of the attacks?” I asked.
“Yeah. That one.” Professor Sharp pulled out a gum wrapper, spit out a wad of bright green gum, and shoved in another. “The problem is that Mr. Yates had the Hawthorn Group examine all of the surveillance tapes of Gregory Hall, and there’s no record of you leaving. Also, he talked to an informant who claims that there was a blonde human at the Pitchfork Clubhouse talking to the son of their leader. The officers are on their way, January. If Mr. Walters can get here in time, we’re hoping that he can assert your right to a lie detector test, but Mr. Walters is an hour away and might not make it in time. If they arrest you on treason, January, I don’t know where they’re going to take you or if I’ll be able to reach you. Please tell me you have something for me now.”
The lecture hall spun around me, and I grabbed onto Mitch’s shoulder for support. If I was strapped to that lie detector, Mr. Yates would have all the evidence he needed to implicate me in these murders. I was at the Pitchfork Club bargaining with the son of the owner. I have been passing information to Supernaturals. I was actively plotting against the Hawthorn Group.
“Gina Roberts saw me,” I said through numb lips. “So did her butler.”
“Oh, thank god. Call her now.”
My stomach dropped. “My phone is in my locker.”
A banging resounded on the door, making us all jump and spin toward the side of the classroom.
“This is the Hawthorn Group. We need you to open these doors, immediately, Rachel Sharp.”
Mitch spun toward me with his phone in his hand, on the screen were the words Aunt Gina. “Take it.”
As soon as I grabbed the phone from him, Mitch was charging toward the door and pressing his hands against it as if he could hold it closed.
My heart galloped in my chest as I pressed the receiver to my ear.
“Mitch, honey?” Gina answered, and she already sounded fucking drunk.
“Gina, it’s January. I’m getting arrested because Mr. Yates thinks he has evidence that I was at a demon clubhouse last weekend, and Mr. Yates thinks that I’ve been working with the demons on these attacks. I need you to tell the Hawthorn Group that I was with Justin all night, and you saw me there.”
“January, you have to understand why I can’t help you,” Gina slurred. “We can’t bring attention here. You know that, sweetheart.”
The banging stopped, and the handle on the door rattled as someone unlocked it. The door pushed open, but Mitch gritted his teeth and slammed it closed.
“I’m going to hang up now,” Gina said into my ear. “There’s nothing I can do--”
“Don’t you dare hang up. Listen to me, Gina. I don’t know how they’re going to interrogate me. They are definitely going to do things to get answers from me. You need to get in contact with Mr. Yates right this moment and tell him the truth—I was with Justin all night. You saw me there.”
The line went dead, and my heart sunk deep in my chest.
Over on the other side of the classroom, the door was slowly pushing open, even though Mitch was doing everything in his power to stop it. His face contorted as he strained.
A hand slipped through the door, holding what looked like a taser. I barely had time to cry out when two probes stuck in Mitch’s chest, and he fell back against the wall, his whole body shaking.
I ran toward Mitch, but soldiers in black tactical gear charged in the room, surrounding me in seconds. Hands roughly grabbed my arms, yanking them back, and I was pushed to the ground. Metal binds locked around my wrists, and I cried out, but someone shoved a rubber ball in my mouth and pulled a strap around the back of my head, securing it in place. Pain seared through my jaw as they pulled the strap too tight, and the buckle yanked at my hair. A foot pressed into my back, and the pain made my eyes water.
“This is uncalled for. January is a minor and a student at this school. You need to wait for her lawyer to arrive.” Professor Sharp called out. I couldn’t see her past the mass of bodies, but I thought she was calling over from the general direction where Mitch had fallen.
“No, actually we don’t,” a familiar voice said. The crowd of soldiers parted, but I smelled Mr. Yates’ acidic cologne way before I saw his tall, slender form. His flinty eyes were full of victory as he strode through the room, stopping just before me. “January is a dangerous Supernatural officially under the guardianship of the Hawthorn Group. There is more than enough evidence to arrest her for conspiracy and treason. Under the circumstances, I wave her right to counsel at the moment. Take Mr. Holter in for questioning. This doesn’t concern you, Rachel. Leave, or you’ll also be arrested.”
Several soldiers wrestled a dazed Mitch out the door in handcuffs, and I heard him cussing and fighting as they dragged him away.
Professor Sharp widened her stance and crossed her arms. “My guardianship papers should have gone through by now. The council signed off on it last week.” Professor Sharp pointed into his face. “And as her guardian, I say that she has a right to wait for her lawyer before you take her anywhere.”
“There must have been a mix-up, Rachel. Your guardianship papers haven’t been processed yet.” Mr. Yates waved a hand at the soldiers around me. “Get her up. We’re going.”
The door to the classroom pushed open, and a blonde head popped in. My eyes were watering so much that I couldn’t make out the details of the girl’s face.
“Mr. Yates,” said a somewhat familiar voice. “Oh, okay. I need to talk to you.”
“Go back to class, Miss Cleary,” Mr. Yates snapped. He went to grab the door, but Parker slipped under his arm and into the room.
“So…” She circled a hand in the air, “I was passing by the office while you guys were talking to Principal Chambers, and I happened to overhear that you guys are blaming January for being at the Pitchfork Club last Friday night, and I just wanted to say that I was in there, talking to one of my contacts, and I didn’t see January. I was there for most of the night—and trust me, she would have stuck out in that crowd.”
Silence followed Parker’s statement as Mr. Yates glared at the girl, looking like he was seriously considering decking her.
Parker threw a thumb over her shoulder. “I have proof that I was there. Demons attacked my car as I was leaving, and it’s clawed up to hell. Also, you know—there’s the information I got while I was there.”
“Why are you lying for her?” Mr. Yates demanded.
“I would have absolutely no reason to lie for that girl.” Parker gestured to me. “Except for the fact that hundreds of demons saw me at that club, and I know who January’s father is. If it gets out that January was arrested because she was blamed for something I very publicly did, with more than enough evidence that it was me at that club, I don’t love my projected lifespan. So, I’m coming forward before I get torn apart by a horde of vampires.”
“So, you’re saying that her father is behind your confession?” Mr. Yates’ black brows shot up.
“Um, no. That’s not what I said.” Parker came just short of rolling her eyes. “My own conscience is behind my confession. January’s father is a vampire. Meaning, he’s nocturnal. There’s absolutely no way you can make an argument that he convinced me to confess for January.” She pointed a finger down at me. “So, are you going to, like, release her? Becau
se that looks really inhumane and painful, and I think she’s crying. I mean, I confessed to being the one at that club. I can show you my car with demon blood and scratch marks all over it. What kind of person are you, Mr. Yates? Are you just someone who beats defenseless teenage girls for fun? Are you a creep, Mr. Yates? Are you getting some sort of sick gratification from hurting her? Should I call my dad? Maybe I should call the council? I have serious concerns.”
Mr. Yates held up a hand and gritted out, “That’s enough from you, Miss Cleary.” He inhaled a loud breath through his teeth. “Release Miss Moore.” When no one moved, he snapped, “Release her now.”
The soldiers were much gentler as they unlocked me from my metal cuffs. The buckle tugged at my hair as they removed the strap from my head, but the soldier behind me took a moment to untangle me before they pulled it away.
I rubbed my cheeks and moved my aching jaw back and forth.
One of the soldiers offered me a gloved hand, but I got up on my own.
No one apologized, they just walked out, leaving me alone with Parker and Professor Sharp. We stood there, locked in silence, as if all of us expected that the soldiers would come storming back in.
The door slammed open, making my heart leap in my chest, but it was only Mitch. He crossed over to me, and his gaze passed over my face.
“They fucking bruised up your jaw.”
“It’ll heal, maybe,” I said as I ran my fingers over my rapidly swelling cheeks.
“I’m heading to the office to excuse you all from your classes for the rest of the day. You can lock yourself in if it makes you feel safer,” Professor Sharp said as she held out a key to me. “Wait here, but please let me in when I get back. I’m going to get your supplies, and then I’d like to talk to you.”
“Professor Sharp, I’m sorry, but I really need to head to class,” Parker said, “Can you write me an excuse slip?”
“Yeah, sure, Parker.” The purple-haired professor rushed over to her desk and scrawled something on a form. As she handed it over to Parker, she said, “Thank you for coming forward. What you did was really brave.”
“I wouldn’t have felt right not coming forward.”
Professor Sharp nodded and rushed for the door.
The moment she was gone, Parker’s blue eyes flicked over to mine. She strode over to me and held out a thin silver chain with a blue stone in the shape of a teardrop. “Gina is freaking out that you’re going to slip and spill the beans. So here, it’s your very own anti-surveillance necklace. You’re welcome.” When I didn’t reach for it, Parker said, “It’s not going to bite you.”
I wanted to take it, but I still hesitated. “You told me that the Hawthorn Group would find it extremely suspicious if I wear one of those.”
“I think we’re way past that, fangface. Also, this is legal magic, so they can’t technically stop you. Trust me, everyone on the Elite Council has one of these on them at all times.”
I wrapped my fingers around the ridges of the jewel. “Thanks.”
“Make sure you talk quietly, though. That right there was my old backup, and it only muffles conversation. If you talk as loud as we are now while you’re under surveillance, they will still hear you.”
I took the necklace and secured the clasp before I tucked the charm under my shirt.
“Oh, and January…” Parker leaned in and whispered into my ear, “My debt is fully repaid.”
“Yeah, I know.” Knots formed in my gut as I watched Parker leave. I had needed that favor from Parker to break Justin out of his house, but she’d just saved me from treason charges that would have landed me in a cell if I was lucky. There was no argument that I could make to claim that Parker still owed me.
I locked the classroom door behind her and took a seat on the stairs that lead up between rows of seats. Mitch landed beside me a second later, and I immediately leaned into his side, and somehow knowing I needed it, he swung an arm around my back.
“You okay?” he whispered.
I shook my head. “No. Are you? You hit the wall pretty hard.”
“No.” He ran his hand through his dark hair. “No. I mean, I’m fine from the wall, but that was fucked up. Some babysitter I turned out to be.”
“You just got tased, beaten, and arrested because of me.” I laid my head on his shoulder. “That’s not right. I know you made a ridiculous promise to Justin, but I’m just dragging you further into my mess, and it has nothing to do with you. You shouldn’t wait until I’m safe to leave here. If you want to go, you should just go.”
He leaned back and peered down at me, his brow wrinkling. “Go? What are you talking about?”
“The other day…” I lifted my head. “You told me you were planning to leave Brightside and never return.”
“I was drunk.” Mitch shrugged. “I didn’t mean that.”
“No, you weren’t, Mitch. We were sitting at that picnic table. You were sober, and you told me you wanted to leave here and never come back. Those were your words.”
His brow wrinkled. “Well, I didn’t mean it. What’s the big deal?”
The big deal was that Justin and I were plotting to abandon Mitch here, and he wasn’t even hoping to go find a better life.
I leaned in and lowered my voice. “You have a chance to escape all of this and have a normal life. You could forget Sebastian and the Hawthorn Group even exists.”
“January…” Mitch leaned down, coming so close that I could smell the mint on his breath, “My brother is planning to kill you. He’s claiming that he knows where you are at all times. You really think I’m going to take off and leave you to face him alone?”
“But what if Sebastian was no longer a threat? Do you really want to stay here? You’re miserable here.”
He leaned back and squinted at me with a ‘what the fuck?’ look. “What are you my fucking therapist? No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, really? Because, last time I checked, happy teenagers don’t drink their feelings every chance they get.” As soon as I said the words, I regretted them. His inner demons weren’t any of my business, and it wasn’t my place to convince him that he was unhappy. I shook my head. “Forget that I said anything. It’s none of my business.”
“You want me to leave Blackburn Academy?” Mitch crossed his arms. “Trying to get rid of me, Dirtbag?”
“Of course not.” I shrugged, shook my head and then shrugged again, somehow unable to act cool.
“You do.” He stated it like a fact. “Which is surprising since you keep telling me how much you care about me.” Mitch held his hands out, “And… by the way, I’ve quit drinking since Justin’s party. Thanks for noticing.”
What?
“Oh. I’m sorry, Mitch. What is that—nine days?”
He stiffened. “Yeah.”
“Congratulations. Honestly. But, Mitch, even though you quit, all the reasons to escape are still here.” I gestured out. “We’re never going to fix this, and you, actually, truly have a chance at a normal life.”
“We both will have a normal life, January, when we graduate—”
“Do you really think they’re going to let me head off to a university?” I threw a hand out in the direction of where the soldiers had just pushed me down and gagged me. “If you’re staying because you told Justin that you’d protect me… you can’t. You can’t protect me from this. I’m just going to be taking you down with me.”
Without warning, Mitch’s arms wrapped around me, and I leaned into his embrace.
“You’re not going to die, January,” he gritted out. “Is that what this shit is. You want me to leave so I don’t die with you? Because… I am never… ever going to let that happen again… not while I can stop it. Not when I…”
His words felt like a blade slicing through my chest. “I’m not Marisa, Mitch. I’m a dangerous predator that doesn’t need you to die for her.”
“Fuck.” He pulled away, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “You think I don’t know you’re not Marisa. Y
ou have to know…” Mitch’s gaze came down to meet mine. “I helped Sebastian control you. I helped him trap you.”
“No, you didn’t. You never did that.” I wiggled my fingers in front of his face. “I absolve you of all your guilt. Now go and have a wonderful life away from all of the evil here. You deserve so much better than what this world has given you. I will give you all of the money Sebastian transfers over to me—”
“No, you won’t.” Mitch scoffed. “I don’t want a penny of my family’s money. January, what’s really going on here?”
I licked my dry lips. My gut twisted like Mitch caught me in a lie, and I guess it was a lie of omission. I closed my eyes and admitted, “You know the other night when something laid bodies out in front of my dorm that said play with us?”
“That was Justin?”
My eyes snapped open. “No. Is that what you’ve been thinking?”
“Maybe.” Mitch sucked on a tooth and shook his head. “It was one of the possibilities that I came up with. My mind can come up with some wild shit.”
“I should have told you as soon as I found out, but this isn’t my secret to tell, and you’re too damn stubborn to talk to him.” I looked around at the empty classroom and the locked door. Biting my lip, I turned back to Mitch. “So, you know the strzyga demons we’ve been learning about in class?”
“Sure.”
“Well, actually, the textbooks have it all wrong. They’re apex demons from the Arctic. And, they usually have no interest in other demons or Supernaturals or humans, except when another strzyga demon invades their territory.”
“So, there’s a whatsit demon invading their territory now?” Mitch only looked more confused, and it was very likely because I was explaining this all wrong.
Leaning into his ear, I whispered, “Justin. The strzyga demons killed those people to write that message for Justin.” I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. “Last weekend, he tried to sacrifice himself to those demons to stop the killings. Gina Roberts paid Parker Cleary to sneak me out of here. Then I went into that demon clubhouse and got Justin out. Long story short, Justin is now chained up in his cellar, and the strzyga demons are still after him. Henry is using spells to keep them away.”
Broken Elites (The Vampire Legacy Book 3) Page 19