Supernatural Taskforce Academy: Mission One, Scorpion Blood

by J. L. Weil

  Gasps and murmurs filled the room instantly, while I struggled to breathe, and Melody watched me. What the hell is he doing here?

  “Just call me Scorpion,” he told the class in that throaty voice of his, smirking like he’d known them his whole life. When his pecs flexed under the fitted t-shirt as he waved, I swore I heard the girls swooning around me. It required control not to flash my fangs at them, and stamp “mine” over his forehead.

  The professor nodded, glancing at the room again. “You may wonder what a human is doing among us, well, the council has enrolled him here.” The murmurs stopped; everyone was shocked by the revelation. “He’s been invited to train with us, and learn about the academy, so the Aereum expect us to treat him accordingly.”

  “Thanks,” Scorpion offered, smiling at the everyone again.

  “Just take any seat available,” the professor instructed, and he nodded.

  I shrunk in my seat, cursing under my breath, and fully expecting to have his intense gaze fall on me. Scorpion moved along the aisle, clutching a rolled-up notebook, a pencil, and a newly printed class schedule, but as he walked toward me, my eyes searched for his.

  He didn’t glance at me. Not even by mistake.

  The muscles of his jaw strained as he passed me, though, his whole body tensing. He continued down to one of the shared desks the classroom had, my gaze following his every step.

  “Hey, may I please sit here?” he asked politely, wearing his signature dazzling smile, and the triplet curse—otherwise known as Jemma, Jewel, and June—grinned at him. The mermaid sisters.

  “We’d be delighted,” they sang in unison, and he took the only seat left available, next to Jewel. At least I thought it was Jewel. It didn’t really matter which heinous sister it was. If they so much as breathed on him, the world would be minus three mermaids.

  “Page 152, Higher Demons,” Professor Roman instructed, turning on the digital screen behind her.

  Fire ignited in me when I saw Jewel offer her book to Scorpion—who didn’t have one yet—getting all over his personal space to show him the page. She bit her lip as she looked up at him, and still, he didn’t turn toward me. He was pissed.

  The pencil in my grasp snapped under the pressure when I finally looked forward, and Melody’s lips quivered as she gave me a knowing glance. “Shut up.”

  My fingers fumbled with the pendant around my neck as I let my thoughts drift from the lecture. In a natural procession, my mind went from the world ending to daydreaming about the human with flirty eyes and an equally deadly smile, to imagining all the ways I was going to end those mermaids.

  Stupid bitches where going to die a painful death.

  Damn Ethan James for making me feel.

  That afternoon, Melody and I headed to the commons where Oliver, Jacob, and Tricksy were waiting for us. We often hung out there during our down times, as did many of the students. My butt had been planted onto one of the couches for less than a minute when Catina sauntered in, looking like a lost kitten. I caught the tip of an onyx tail swaying behind her, and I made a sound in the back of my throat.

  Too bad the academy didn’t have a restriction against pets.

  “Is that her?” Melody asked, eyes tracking Catina as she gnawed on her lip.

  I nodded.

  “Holy crap! Look at the power waves radiating from her aura. You can actually see them.” She glanced at me, seemingly mind blown, then leaned forward. “Catina!” Tricksy called over, waving her hand in the air.

  “I thought you were my friend,” I glared at Tricksy, gritting my teeth, but there wasn’t any heat behind my words. I was just being me, giving Tricksy a hard time as usual. If Tricksy hadn’t beat me to it, I would have waved Catina over myself.

  The newbie witch pivoted toward us, a smile of relief dropping over her features at the sight of familiar faces. She was dressed in one the academy uniforms, a plaid shirt and polo T-shirt of pink and black, with the STA emblem on it. Catina had this punk rock-Barbie vibe about her.

  “Let me take a shot in the dark. You’re lost?” I scooted over on the couch to make room for her between Oliver and myself.

  “Is it that obvious?” she asked, plopping down next to me, an expression of forlorn on her pretty face. Zero busied himself under the table, sniffing the new space.

  As I made a quick round of introductions, I could see that my friends were dying to ask her a million questions. To save her from the interrogation, I plucked her class schedule out of her hands. “Let’s see what torture the academy has set up for you.”

  “You’re going to give her the wrong impression, Renna,” Tricksy complained, offering Catina a genuine smile of friendliness. “It’s really not that bad. It’s actually an honor to be here. You’re lucky.”

  I snorted, scanning the list of classes—most I had already taken. My eyes were on the printout when a hush descended in the room, and I didn’t have to look up to see who strolled through the commons. The warmth rushing through me was answer enough.

  Crap.

  I wasn’t prepared to face him again, especially after he took off the second our History of Supernaturals class ended, disappearing on me. It didn’t help that I’d been avoiding my feelings all day. And avoiding him. This was one confrontation I wasn't looking forward to having.

  Scorpion’s shadow passed in front of me as he sat on the recliner beside Jacob. His husky voice danced around me when he greeted Catina, and reluctantly, I lifted my gaze. Scorpion flashed her a dimpled grin and my stomach flipped. Holy gods. My eyes dropped to his poetic lips. I needed to be saved from whatever spell this human had cast over me. I wasn’t a girl who giggled or got gaga over a guy, yet here I was, nearly blushing to my tits because he smiled.

  And it wasn’t even for me. That stung.

  But really, what had I expected? I had left after the most intimate experience of my life, without so much as a goodbye. Such a stupid mistake. What the hell was wrong with me? It was no wonder I was getting the cold shoulder from him.

  It sucked. I didn’t like it. Not at all.

  Seeing Scorpion now, I wanted more than anything to close the distance that spanned between us. One step forward. Ten steps back. Was I really going to let my own stigmas about what was right and wrong get in the way?

  So, I had feelings for a human? Why was that so wrong? Or bad?

  I might be able to control my bloodlust, but controlling who I was attracted to didn’t work the same way.

  His emerald gaze shifted to me, it was barely a second, but time seemed to slow. The fire in his eyes blazed, not only with anger but hurt. And even then, the air between us filled with raw tension. It felt steamy, in a way that everyone around us could feel the heat. He didn’t balk under my stare, but he stood from the chair immediately.

  “I’m sorry, I’d like to join you but I borrowed a book, and need to catch up on what I’ve missed before I can give it back,” he offered to the others and walked to a table a few paces away, opening Jewel’s book and his notebook, then began taking notes.

  I knew it was her book because it had glitter stickers on top—everywhere—and a sign that read “mermaid life”. What was this, 5th grade? It should have said “sea hag.”

  My friends' eyes followed him, then turned to watch me, waiting to see what would happen next. Perhaps not just my friends, but the whole academy. I felt on display for everyone to judge, and it was making my skin itch.

  I sunk lower in the couch.

  Strutting after him, Zero jumped up onto Scorpion’s lap and made himself comfortable, purring in utter bliss as Scorpion began to stroke his coat. The feline eyed me smugly.

  My fangs flashed; I was about two seconds away from testing my appetite for cat blood. I swore the cat smiled at me, twitching his tail as if to say, I dare you.

  Why you little—

  I sneezed.

  A round of bless you’s came from the room.

  This was getting ridiculous. I couldn’t think with this cat around
.

  I almost kissed Catina when she spoke, breaking the weirdness that had descended on our group. “What a pretty necklace.” She extended her hand out to touch the pendant hanging from my neck. Her finger glazed over the symbol and a sudden hum filled the air, like a siren’s song, alluring and beautiful.

  My eyes connected with Scorpion’s when his head whipped toward me, and I saw his lips turn into a frown, making me think I wasn’t the only one who heard the angelic voices. He called my name, but I couldn’t hear his voice, not over the increasing song. The words were not of this world, but ancient and forgotten.

  Panic seized my chest.

  Something was wrong.

  I glanced down at the Awen, seeing it flare to life as Catina held it in her grasp, her fingers glowing white, swirling with the amber light of the pendant as if the two sources of magic were dancing.

  Then the commons disappeared, sweeping me into an inky darkness that snuffed out the divine voices. Although, I couldn’t see or hear another soul, I knew I wasn’t alone. I sensed Catina, her scent, her magic. It wrapped around me like a blanket that would have otherwise freaked me out.

  Through the blackness emerged a tiny ember of light, like a sliver of the moon. Flickering, I focused my swimming vision until it cleared, and I blinked. Sweat beaded over my skin, the temperature rising in the air around me.

  What the fuck?

  What had started as a kernel of fear grew into something that robbed me of breath. I twisted my head, taking in my surroundings. I was inside a mountain, black rock caging me in from all sides. Turning in place, my feet crunched over the ground and I recognized the sound—bones snapping. The floor of the cave was littered with human remains, bones of the fallen, scattered between streams of pulsing lava.

  I flashed my fangs and hissed, the instinct to fight surging within me. My hand went to reach for my bracelet, but something squeezed my hand in response, a calm touch. I practically jumped out of my skin, squealing like a pig until my eyes slammed into a familiar face.

  Catina.

  My whole body sighed her name. I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t crazy.

  I squeezed her hand back just as the scent of Sulphur overwhelmed my nose. The sound of nails scratching stone, of unearthly moans and growls, and the bubbly of hot lava rushing over the earth filtered through my ears.

  My eyes shifted over Catina’s shoulder and my stomach plummeted as clarity sunk in. I’d seen this place before. The Gate of the Damned.

  A massive black door loomed behind her, and in horror, I watched the thick crack slither up along its center, inch by inch, moving toward the large gold seal with ancient runes that kept the Damanta imprisoned. It still glowed with the power of the gods, but its magic seemed subdued somehow. With each day that went by, the demons on the other side fought against it, chipping away the one thing that separated them from the living.

  If the seal broke, if they managed to get free…

  I shivered.

  We had to stop it. But how?

  As if the gods heard my silent pleas, the crack halted and the pressure in my chest eased up a fraction.

  But my relief had been premature. The threat was far from over.

  From our joined hands, a white glow seared the darkness, casting the Geata an Damanta in a halo of light. It was as if the pendant was challenging the evil who raged beyond the gate. Magic singed between us, fueled by our terror and anger.

  Something far worse than death laid beyond that door. Something primal. Something terrifying. Something capable of destruction like this world had never seen.

  Instinctively, I backed up, taking Catina with me.

  Haunting whispers of sin, of corruption, and vengeance lured through the crack, working its way into my head. The murmurs tapped on the shield of my mind, looking for a way in to trap me. Not today, assholes. My gaze flew to Catina, alarm racing to the surface above all those other emotions. She didn’t have a protective charm or experience in blocking shields. Her mind was wide open for any unnatural thing to take control.

  Shit.

  I clutched her hand fiercely. “Catina!” Again, and again, and again, I called. She didn’t answer.

  My brain scrambled for a solution. If I broke our connection, we could lose each other in this vision, or whatever this was. It was imperative that we stuck together. I’d gone through enough supernatural shit to know it was the only way to find our way back.

  The jarring sound of banging in the cave brought my attention back to the gate. My eyes widened when the crooked fissure slithered up, reaching the large golden seal, and the runes on it began to throb with light. Something slammed against the door the next second, an enraged roar accompanying the hit, and red light slipped through the opening. Everything trembled around us.

  Dark magic was at play.

  Loud cracking spilt the air, like an explosion, and my breathing stopped as the fracture spread through the seal, until its runes stopped glowing.

  Tugging on Catina’s arm, I spun away, desperately searching for a way out of this pit. But I made a grave mistake the moment I turned my back on the mystical door. A hand shot out from the widened crack, snatching my ankle. Razor sharp nails tore through my boot like it was nothing, digging deep into my flesh.

  I cried out in pain, but somehow managed to keep my fingers entwined with Catina’s. Ignoring the searing cuts and the scent of my own blood, I wrenched my foot free, and slammed it down on the hand covered in thick fur. It slithered away back to the door.

  “Let go!” I yelled at Catina. “Let go of the pendant!”

  She didn’t budge. She didn’t blink. There was nothing in her eyes but a dull blankness.

  Now what? Think. Think. Think. I had to find a way to reach her.

  My nose twitched. Not now. I sneezed.

  Catina blinked. Well, that was one way to get her attention. Not really what I had planned, but I wasn’t about to question the method, however weird. If stayed here any longer, we might never return, our souls lost.

  “Let go of the pendant!” I ordered again, urgently glancing toward the Gate of the Damned. I fully expected a hoard of demons to burst out at any second, even though the top half of the door was still whole. The banging ceased, but an eerie silence engulfed the cavern. Even the lava stopped swirling and sizzling at our feet. I didn’t like it.

  “W-what? I don’t—” Catina gulped, finally hearing me.

  My eyes bore into hers. “We’re not really here. This is a vision, a projection. Our physical bodies are back at the academy, but you need to release my pendant now. The one around my neck. Do you understand?”

  “If I’m not really here, how do I—”

  “Just do it!” I screamed, the pain in my ankle throbbing.

  Suddenly, I crashed back into my body with a jarring force that had me greedily sucking in the cool air, pacifying the burn in my lungs.

  Scorpion was kneeling in front of me, his fingers framing my face. “Renna,” he called desperately, and this time, I heard the sound of his voice. I blinked, focusing on him, and the sharp relief in his emerald eyes led me to believe he had been calling my name repeatedly.

  Holy shit.

  A group had formed around us, the inner circle being my friends. Somewhere in the commons, someone shouted to get a teacher. “I’m okay,” I said, reassuring Scorpion before I shifted my eyes to Catina beside me. She was staring at the pendant swinging between my breasts. “We’re okay.”

  “You scared the shit out of us,” Tricksy snapped. “Don’t do that again.”

  “As if I have any intention of apparating again. It just happened...” But why? All I knew was that it had something to do with Catina’s magic, and that of my pendant.

  “You’re bleeding?” Scorpion asked, half shocked, half scowling. He lifted my ankle, examining the three slash marks on the leather, exposing my skin.

  “It’s nothing,” I muttered.

  “Those look like claw marks,” Oliver piped in, staring at my leg
in that geeky way of his, that told me he was putting the pieces together quicker than the rest of us.

  “Did you see that?” I whispered, my eyes pinned to Catina’s, and in them, I saw a reflection of the same fear and understanding I felt. The Aereum had given her just enough information about the threat to entice that look of burdened recognition, and now that she’d seen the Geata an Damanta with her own eyes… shit got real.

  Her heart was pumping something fierce in her chest. “I wish I hadn’t. What was that?”

  “The end of the fucking world,” I replied, raking a hand through my long dark hair, just as a wave of nausea came over me. “I think I’m going to throw up.” My head whirled, and I dropped my forehead to Scorpion’s shoulder. His hand gently rubbed my back as he cradled me, helping me breathe. I guessed that even pissed at me, he couldn’t help but want to protect me.

  “That is some serious magic you have flowing in your veins, girl,” Tricksy whispered, looking at Catina totally awed, like no one else had spoken.

  Oliver ignored her, staring at his arm before lifting his gaze to Catina and me. The air was charged with such magnetic magic, it caused the hairs on our arms to stand straight. “What just happened?”

  With his question, clarity surfaced in Catina’s eyes. “The seal has been broken.” Her voice was flat, and I wasn’t even sure she understood the severity of what she was saying.

  I swallowed, not bothering to lift my head. “We need to tell the council,” I muttered.

  16

  SCORPION

  “Can you heal her ankle?” I asked Tricksy with urgency, seeing Renna’s blood seep from the gashes visible through her torn boot.

  She rested against me while forcing slow breaths through her nostrils, but I suspected that whatever had clawed at her might be poisonous. She seemed as distraught as I was when the Spider Queen stung me.