“You seem to forget sometimes that I’m not yours to boss around,” he snaps at me. I cross the space to my desk and perch on the edge of it, facing him. Reece remains by the door, clenching his fist as he glares at me.
“Others are listening. You know someone is always listening.”
“And God forbid they find you’ve gone soft, huh?” Reece scoffs, rolling his eyes.
I can hardly reign in my own anger, but I do. I save it for later. “An outsider broke into our academy and tortured one of our students. For so long, I was doing good, Reece. We were doing good. No blood spilled, no lives taken... And right now, with that guy showing up, I can’t help but to think that things are about to get a heck of a lot messier.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
“We need to make sure that the students are prepared. We’ll be going up against vampires, Reece.”
“And you’re scared.”
I shake my head, betraying the truth. “You’re not a vampire, Reece. You’re fast and you’re tough and you’ve got a brain that spins out tactics faster than someone can fetch a paper to jot them down, but…”
Reece relaxes a bit, stepping forward. “And you’re afraid you’ll lose me.” A shadow of a smile appears on his lips. It softens my anger a bit. “You’re afraid that if the academy is attacked, I’ll give everything to protect it, even if that means - ”
I wave a hand, cutting him off because Reece no longer being by my side is not something I want to imagine. “That’s not why I brought you in here. We need to talk.”
In two long strides, Reece comes to stand before me. He has my face in his hands before I realize what’s happening and this time a lot of my anger slips.
“We don’t have time for this, Reece.”
I move to pull his hands away, but he grabs my wrists and puts them to my side. I let him, not shifting my gaze from his. He’s staring down at me just as intently. As usual, there’s that lust that’s never too far away. Lust that mirrors my own. But I see something else and before I have the chance to decipher what it is, I look away.
“That vamp. Did he know you?”
“I don’t know him. If he knew me, I don’t know how.” He says the words with enough punch behind them to be convincing. But the change in his eyes, the slight increase of his heartbeat, they’re more than enough to tell me that he’s lying.
“Reece,” I say calmly, despite the fire raging inside of me.
This time, Reece manages to steel his poker face. It’s so impeccable that had he employed it the first time he answered the question, maybe I would have believed him. “I don’t know him, Mariella. Where could I possibly know him from?”
“Then why did he ask you for help?”
“He was dying. He would have asked anyone for help. I just happened to be the first one he saw.”
I let it rest, knowing that prying the truth out of Reece will be a lot tougher than pulling my own teeth. The fact is, I trust him. With the academy, with my life…maybe even with my heart. So if he’s hiding something, I also need to trust that he has a damn good reason.
“Have you ever heard of the Tigerhearts?”
Reece rubs my wrists once before he pulls away. “I’ve heard the name, yes. They’re relatively new. But unfortunately, there’s really nothing more that I know about them.”
“Any incidences?”
“A couple. The coven downtown had to clean up their mess once or twice, but even that wasn’t so big as to make them a threat to anyone or to put them on anyone’s radar.” He folds his arms. “As I said, they haven’t really done much to get their name out there.”
“But we’re on their radar.”
“You’re taking former gang members and teaching them to be good. You’re giving potential member the chance to do something better with their lives. You’re a threat, it’s as simple as that.”
I mull over that possibility for a second. “Except it doesn’t feel as simple as that. What they did feels personal.” I shake my head. “I think they really do believe that we killed one of theirs.”
“Sarah and her friend?” Reece asks. “You think maybe when they were out –“
I suck in a deep breath. I don’t know what to think. They’re both dead, so it’s not like we can ask them if they know what’s going on.
“This more than sucks, Reece.”
“I see that look in your eyes, Mariella. It doesn’t belong there.”
Sometimes I hate that he can read me so easily. “What if we fail? What if all I am is a stupid, young, vampire who gathers up a bunch of even younger vampires, piles them in the same building, just to make it easy for them to get slaughtered in one go.”
“Mariella!”
“We’re waving a damn flag on our fucking rooftop, Reece. It’s not like we’re a tough target.”
“You’ve also won a lot more times than you’ve lost. And one student isn’t exactly the definition of a slaughter.”
I run my hands over my face. Self-doubt isn’t an attractive trait, but sometimes it’s the cleverer choice.
“I’ve won battles. But what happens when someone calls a war? When the enemy just shows up without warning?”
“You’ll win that too,” he says, with so much certainty that I’m almost inclined to believe it. “What you’re doing here is something revolutionary, Mariella. You can’t forget that. It’s not just about the young vampires who you’ve saved from a path of darkness, but the older ones who you’ve taken off that path. The ones who, despite your age, look up to you because they know what life was like before you helped them change it. They know just how little purpose there was to what they were doing. How many humans, how many vampires they’d had to hurt just to stay afloat.”
I know better than anyone what it’s like to live a life that seems to be worth nothing at all. To steal, to kill, to do whatever the hell it takes to stay alive. Just as that thought hits me. So does another.
“Once this is all over, I need to find my parents, Reece.”
“This is not the time to be going out on a tangent, Mariella.”
I run my lips against his neck, loving the way he shivers at my touch. It’s nothing more than a distraction, but even though his body reacts to me, his sense of logic isn’t far away. “You’re actually going to go through with it?”
“With what exactly?” I murmur against his neck.
“With trying to find your parents.”
I stop. I pull away. “Why are you so against me trying to find them, Reece?”
“I think we should focus on this gang first. See how much of a threat they are. I’m sure your parents can wait.”
“Because it’s not like they’ve been spending their lives worrying about me?” I throw the question at him and the way it hits him doesn’t surprise me much.
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what exactly are you saying?”
“I’m saying, the Academy is your family. They come first!” He’s not wrong, but that doesn’t mean he’s telling the full truth because with those words, he’s saying a lot more than what I already know. Yes, the Academy comes first. It will always come first and I’ll go to the end of the world fighting to ensure that eventually, no vampire is left to fend for themselves, thinking they’re nothing more than a monster. Feeling like they don’t belong in this world. But this isn’t about that. For as long as I can remember, Reece has been against me finding my parents. He’d never said it in so many words, but he doesn’t have to.
Finally, I let my shoulders drop, allowing my own poker face fall in place. “Fine. I’ll drop it.”
Chapter Eight
I’m sitting behind my desk. I’d had this office decorated, filled with all the crap someone in my position should need, but haven’t touched the majority of it. Now, as I sit, waiting for Joe to show up, it’s the stapler that earns my interest. I press it together. Again and again. Metal clanking lightly against my desk as the staples are released.
<
br /> By the time Joe knocks on the door, the second round of staples is empty. I swipe the mess onto the floor and sit up straight.
“Miss Mariella,” he says, easing the door open. He’s in uniform. A blue blazer tight around his arms and a crisp yellow shirt beneath it. “You wanted to see me?”
“I did,” I answer and motion for him to take a seat.
Slowly, cautiously, he walks over. I get his hesitance, really, I do. Being in my mid-twenties means that it wasn’t the easiest feat trying to get people to see me as an authority figure. But by the time I’d robbed the third gang of its members, promising to offer the member a better and more fulfilling life, respect came. What has Joe all tight with confusion is the fact that this is the first time he’s ever seen me in my office. It’s a bit of a running joke, really. The fact that if someone were to pass me in the halls, they’d think I was just one of the students here, save for the fact that I’m not dressed in uniform.
“Sarah and Jessica,” I say. “We need to honor them and…I’ve never organized a funeral before so I’m going to need as much help as possible.”
Joe looks at me wide-eyed and I know exactly what he’s thinking. We’re both in the same boat when it comes to not knowing what to do.
“I’ll take care of all the hard bits,” I continue, “but I do need you to get word out to the other students that we’ll be honoring them tonight. Say as little as possible about what happened to Jessica. I’m assuming rumors are going around in regards to Sarah. Set them straight as best as you can, but…don’t lie. I’ll address everything once I can wrap my head around what the hell is going on.”
“Yes ma’am.” He swallows, the tight knot of his Adam’s apple hard to miss. I’m throwing a lot at him, I know that. But somehow it feels like having another student get the word out is the best idea. Makes them feel like we’re not really trying to hide anything. Which we aren’t, right?
“And Joe, if any of her friends are willing to say a few words –“
He nods. “Ma’am? Can I ask you a question that might seem a little out of line?”
“Go for it,” I say, reaching for the stapler again, before sliding it right back into its place. Now’s not the time to show weakness.
“Why me?”
“You get along well with your dorm mates and class mates. They respect you. Coming from me, it’ll all just seem like throwing dirt on an open wound.” I pause for a moment. “Which it kind of is. But I think they’ll feel a little more comfortable knowing that what happened isn’t something that they’re not supposed to know about. Having the information come from another student will make them feel more comfortable…I think.”
“And if they ask why Sarah was killed?”
“You tell them you don’t know.” He doesn’t seem satisfied with that answer, but he also doesn’t push the issue. I straighten my back against the chair. “This isn’t me hiding the truth, Joe. I also haven’t got a fu-“ I catch myself and take a deep breath before choosing more appropriate words. “I don’t know why Sarah was attacked.”
Joe frowns a bit. “We have to do something.” I can see vengeance in his eyes.
“First, we bury Sarah,” I say quickly. “We can’t let her body rot in the infirmary and she deserves a proper burial.”
“Understood,” Joe says with a nod.
Again, I reach for the stapler. This time, I do take it into my hand.
“Second, we’re going to find the Tigerhearts. And we’re going to speak to the boss.” Out of line. Completely out of line. But the words are out before I can stop them.
Joe leans forward a little, though I doubt he even notices. “We…?”
“You included,” I say. “You’re smart, quick, your grades are good which means you’ve been paying attention. Paying attention means you should know how to handle yourself.” The look of vengeance dims, trading places with a look of pride. “We won’t be on the attack. We’re simply going to ask questions.”
“Ask questions?! They tortured and killed one of our own!”
I hold a hand up. “Are you done?” When he sags in his seat, the fire in his eyes dimming, I continue, “Something tells me that they think they have a reason for doing what they did. We need to know what we’re up against and there’s no way to find that out if we go in guns blazing.”
“But we will be retaliating?”
“Most definitely.”
That promise brings a smile to Joe’s face. A smile that I wipe away when I make the stupidest decision possible. Burning a hole in my back pocket is an address I printed out before I’d changed my course of action. When I slip the paper out and hand it to Joe, I know for a fact that the decision isn’t one made with common sense.
“Once you’re done with all of that, I’ll need another favor from you,” I say. Confusion mars his face. So much so that I almost change my mind. But he’s already unfolding the paper, whispering the address with hesitation. “It’s where I grew up,” I say. Most of the students here already know my story. Foster kid, rebel, rogue who managed to pull her shit together and founded the only Academy that accepts vampires who are viewed as ‘lesser than’.
Joe shakes his head at me, the confusion not leaving his eyes. There are words on his lips, but they’re not words he allows to be set free.
“I need you to ask them who left me there,” I say. When the look of confusion still doesn’t leave his face, I add. “My parents, Joe. I’m trying to find my parents.”
He folds the paper just as small as I had done and slips it into his jacket pocket before swinging his backpack around his shoulders and heading for the door. Before he creaks it open, I call out to him one last time. “And Joe. This isn’t something everyone needs to know about,” I say. “Not even Reece.”
He smiles at that. “Yes ma’am,” he agrees, then disappears into the hallway.
Chapter Nine
As soon as I leave the office, the noise bombards me. I take a moment, easing myself into the usual practice of blocking out all the noise. The only thing I listen out for is the sound of Reece’s voice. Bad as it sounds, when I do hear him, I charge in the opposite direction, pass a group of fledglings crowding up the hallway. Bits and pieces of their conversation make it to me. They’re wondering about Sarah. Wondering about Jessica. Wondering whether or not the two incidences are related. When silence falls, I know that the person who asked the question about Jessica is about to be told what happened that night. Despite the fact that I know I only did what needed to be done, I still feel a flash of guilt.
I keep my head down, charging through the halls like a woman on a mission, pushing through the front door with enough force to take it off its hinges. Outside, the sun is high in the sky, the campus bursting with life – but not the kind it usually accompanies. Crowds of born vampires gather to mourn those we have lost. Attached to their navy-blue blazers, is a small black ribbon. I can feel the tears prick behind my eyes and the need to escape for just little while consumes me even more now.
By the time I’m at the edge of the forest, I take off into full sprint, swerving past trees and shooting through the open areas without so much as a pause for breath. Here, on the outskirts, far enough away from the Academy that they won’t be disturbed by the students, but close enough that they’re always accessible are two humans that I’ve turned to more than I care to admit. Two humans I need more than I care to admit. Once the Academy grounds were bought, it was a no brainer that I’d make a part of it theirs.
I stand outside the cabin, just at the foot of the steps and suck in a breath before stepping up to the door. Even from out here, I can hear just how alive it is with chatter and laughter. I ball my hand into a loose fist and knock twice before entering.
“Ah, she finally comes to see us after years of neglect.” Nelson raises his hands, his usual form of greeting paired with his regular broad smile. He still has the same boyish smile, the same glint of happiness in his eyes, that he had when we first met.
Hellen doesn’t smile at me the way her brother does. Instead, she regards me with a look of concern. “You look upset,” she says, weaving her fingers in and out as she continues braiding Nelson’s hair. She’s the serious to Nelson’s cheerful but together they make an unbeatable duo. She watches me as I draw closer, arms crossed.
Hellen and Nelson — my two donors. I met them a few years ago, after they’d witnessed me ripping into a human, starved and with no choice but to satisfy my craving. Instead of being shocked and horrified at the sight of me, they had been ecstatic. Apparently, they always knew vampires existed and after years of searching they finally found one.
Of course, in my uncontrollable state, all I had wanted was to feed on them as well. Despite the fact that they had never met a vampire before that night, they were definitely prepare to fight one. I could have taken them down, I know, but I was too impressed to bother. Instead, I spoke to them, grew intrigued by them. That was the night our friendship started and not long after, they proposed the idea of being my personal donors.
At that time, I was against it. I loved the hunt, loved the kill as much as I did the blood. I’d been wronged by humans and it was a hell of a feat to convince myself that they didn’t deserve every bite I sunk into their necks.
I had already known Reece at that point. He was a constant presence, having offered me a place to stay. Despite the attraction that blazed like wildfire between us, I was cautious of him. Needless to say, when he’d caught wind of Nelson and Hellen’s offer, he moved heaven and earth trying to get me to take them up on it. Eventually I listened. Eventually, I learned.
“It’s only been a few weeks,” I say to them, coming to stop at the chair I normally sit in when feeding. “But I suspect I have quite a night ahead of me so I’m going to have to fill up.”
“Exciting!” Nelson exclaims, clapping his hands together.
Rogue Academy: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Academy Romance (Rogue Vampire Academy Book 1) Page 6