by LJ Swallow
“I can’t do anything about that, Andrei. The result of this situation is a Winterfall witch exists who’s capable of taking on the Blackwoods and perhaps preventing whatever they’re planning, with our help,” he says evenly.
So. Fucking. Detached. The last remnants of my control leave as I draw my fist back and smack Tobias square on the jaw. He staggers momentarily before reacting with lightning reflexes, and I’m sprawled across the desk with him towering over me.
That’s not the biggest shock.
His face.
Tobias’s features have taken on the macabre mask of a hemia ready to attack. “What the hell?” I breathe out. “Is this another lie? You’re hemia. You told me you’re pneuma.”
“Fuck.” He steps back, rubbing his jaw, and his face settles back to normal.
I stay where I am, more confused by each passing moment. “Are you?” I demand.
“No. Hybrid. I’m lamia too.” He sounds weary as if holding onto the secret for years wore him down. “That’s how I killed the Winterfalls alone.”
Holy shit. “You killed thirteen people with no help?”
“If Maeve told you about the curse, you’ll know the story.”
I pull myself to sit and move behind the desk, putting solid space between us. If this guy is a hybrid vampire, he's powerful—more powerful than any of us, even Maeve.
“You didn’t lie to Maeve?” I ask.
“No. As soon as I saw Maeve this morning, I spoke to her. Theodora knows too—I met with her when I arrived back from Marie’s last night.”
“And Theodora is allowing you to stay?”
He rubs his nose and gestures around him. "I'm collecting the last items from the classroom. I'm no longer teaching."
"Good," I snarl. “Stay away.”
Tobias sighs. “You need to work through how you feel, Andrei. We can’t change the past, but we can work on changing the future.”
I shove him with shaking hands. “Get the fuck away from me.”
“I understand you’re upset because Maeve is distressed, but if you take me out of the equation, Maeve will be in more danger. The only certainty in all this is I have to stay with you all and protect Maeve.”
“Yeah? Well I’ll bloody protect her from you. If you touch her—"
“Touch her? I’ll be lucky if she speaks to me again.”
“Uh. The curse?” I say derisively. “You won’t be able to stop yourself if you're given the chance.”
Tobias places his palms on the desk and leans across to me. “And you, Andrei? Will you be able to stop yourself?”
I blink. Did Maeve tell him?
“No, she didn't. I saw your fantasy.”
“It isn’t a fantasy,” I snap back. “I love Maeve and would never hurt her.”
“As do I.”
“Yeah, right,” I scoff.
His face shadows and I swallow down what I want to say: he’s influenced by a curse—how he feels isn’t real. Can't be.
“Ask Maeve what happened the night Nikolai died. Then judge whether I love her or not. I protected her and always will, however much she hates me.” Tobias walks towards the door and opens it. “Perhaps talk to me again when you're rational, Andrei.”
I eye his bruised jaw, but I’m not apologising; instead, I throw in a parting shot. “Nobody could ever hurt Maeve as badly as you have.”
A shade of something I can’t fathom crosses Tobias’s face. “Perhaps. But don’t become the one who hurts her more, Andrei.”
Chapter Seven
ASH
Jamie's right. By the time I step outside the cottage, Andrei has disappeared leaving no sound in the still night. I jog to the top of the pathway that leads to the cottage and squint in the academy building's direction. Vamps excel at lingering in the shadows; if Andrei doesn't want anybody to find him, I won't.
Shifting from foot to foot, I glance between the cottage and the building. Should I check out Tobias's classroom?
I can barely take in what Jamie and Maeve told us minutes ago. Perhaps a good thing, because if I weren't numb with shock, I'd fill with anger and follow Andrei to confront Tobias. I've promised Maeve to dial back when the anger simmers, but this situation goes above and beyond.
Still, heated anger runs through my body, but I don't know where to direct this fury. Tobias? Yes.
I saw Maeve broken and smothered by the world I try to pull her away from when we're alone. I couldn't breathe as her devastation crushed me—somebody hurt the girl I love, and I instinctively wanted to break the man who broke her. But I can’t let that fury loose, because if I shift, I risk more than a life as a mid. I’d transform into the guy Vince wanted me to be. Out of control. Unthinking. Violent.
Exactly the guy Maeve doesn’t want me to be.
I fight against losing my shit, even though Maeve’s distress sends vengeful anger roaring through me, because right now she needs her Ash, not Vince’s.
If I confronted Tobias, I’d face a man capable of slaughtering numerous witches in a short space of time, and this isn’t somebody to screw around with. If Tobias’s secret is out, he’ll take measures to defend himself. How far would he go?
Huh. Maybe the meditation classes work after all.
Or maybe the thought I’d let Maeve down, or worse, frighten her, manages to hold back the furious urge to fuck Tobias over.
Andrei left and I followed, knowing Jamie could comfort her. I wavered before I walked away, but I know she'll react as badly to all of us smothering her as she would to violence.
I drag a hand down my face. Andrei can confront Tobias. He'll do less damage than I would—or take less.
No. Maeve needs me. I turn back.
The trees lining the pathway block out the half-moon above, but I don't need that light to see my way. I'm a few hundred metres from the cottage door when I hear voices nearby. Did Jamie and Maeve leave already?
The light shines behind the thin curtain at the downstairs window, and I cock my head. No. I can hear their quiet voices too. I focus my hearing to locate the direction the other voices come from. Not close to the cottage, but they're on the academy grounds.
Hiding.
Dominion?
The thought jerks me into action and I run to the edge of the trees, half-hidden behind a thick trunk as I tune my senses. These are Clive's and Remi's voices, low and urgent.
I detect their footsteps too, soft, which means they're on the lawns. The sound changes as they step onto a hard surface. Moving from behind the tree, I look around. A few hundred metres away, light shines from the sports hall doorway, just for a moment as the pair slip inside. I delve into my pocket for my phone. Eleven p.m. I left a Gilgamesh party to meet the others tonight and Clive and Remi were there; it’s unusual for them to leave long before the time the party finishes.
I stealth across the campus grounds, onto the lawn between the path and sports hall, on alert for more shifters joining them.
Nobody else approaches as I reach the doorway Clive and Remi walked through.
Before walking into the unlit building, I listen. The low voices continue their conversation, interspersed with chuckles. Are they meeting girls here? Yeah, I bet they are, and my paranoia has taken over after Maeve’s news tonight. Sitting on the low bench outside, to the left of the door, I wait in the dark and strain to hear what the conversation is about.
Nothing. What are they doing?
The door hinge creaks despite me trying to sneak into the sports hall, and I pause in the unlit building. The pungent smell of sweat and cleaning fluids winds around my nostrils and I wrinkle my nose.
Either they're hiding, ready to accost me, or they've left.
I sneak over to check the main hall first, but nobody sits on the benches and chairs surrounding the wooden-floored space we play indoor sports and thrash the other houses. The door to the storage cupboard at the side is closed and I can't imagine the pair hiding in there.
One scout around the changing rooms and sp
orts hall answers my question. They left.
An old indoor swimming pool exists at the rear of the building, left over from time before this became an academy. The concrete rectangle is drained for obvious reasons—vamps are terrified of water, and elders and parents decreed it should be blocked off. I snuck inside one night with some mates, curious whether the swimming pool exists or is something more. We were disappointed to find a concrete hole in the ground surrounded by cracked white tiles.
There's another way in and out of the building, through the pool area, and that's securely locked and chained. Shifters can't pass through solid wood, so that's not an option.
Weird. Where did they go?
As I make my way back to the main door, I spot bottles on the floor. Crouching down, I pick one up. The empty brown bottle's contents smells like beer. Another clear bottle beside it has a sweet alcoholic smell—the type that girls tend to drink.
Maybe they did meet girls, but that doesn't explain where the pair are.
A third and fourth bottle are upended on the floor beside them, beside two Gilgamesh blazers. These brown bottles are smaller, closer to the size used to store the more concentrated ingredients or potions in class. I take a sniff and recoil at the liquorice and aniseed smell, which overpowers even though the bottle is empty.
My scalp prickles. I've no clue what this is, so I slide the bottle into my pocket to ask Jamie later. My unease shoots into apprehension when I spot more clothes discarded close by, shoved beneath the bench, out of sight unless someone is crouched down. Like me.
Fuck no. I don't need to be the smartest person to add up what's happening here.
Moistening my lips, I stand and shuffle along the wall, back against the exposed brickwork, and continue my search.
Nothing.
Man, I make a crap detective. With a sigh, I move back towards the entrance.
The door shuts behind with a thud as I step outside, and I look at the ruby goal posts close by. Life was simpler before all this shit started—Maeve, Vincent, presences under the academy. Do I wish none of that happened and my focus was still on matches and girls? Yeah, but I'd put up with everything to have Maeve in my life.
Maeve. I pinch my temples. How can anybody deal with the shit she goes through? I wanted to offer her comforting words earlier, but I'm not eloquent enough to speak without saying trite or unhelpful things. Scared I'd upset her, I kept my mouth shut and vowed to support her in other ways.
Chasing these morons around isn't supporting her, that's for sure. Time to head back to the cottage.
Something in the shadows alerts me. A figure stealths amongst the trees, low to the ground. Hairs lift on my arms—this isn't a human form. Shit. Their decision to shift isn't unusual amongst older Gilgamesh kids, and the academy turns a blind eye if they're close to shifting age and stay on campus. I don't agree with this, as there's still a chance the kids could become a mid. But if people are dumb enough to risk that for a few hours of fun, that's on them.
As I step away from the cover of the building to return to the cottage, the shape moves again. Closer.
Great.
"Alright, I followed you," I call out.
A snuffling noise joins the movement and my shifter senses finally kick in as the pheromones confirm this isn't a person—or an animal. I stand my ground as the snuffling grows closer, pale yellow eyes appearing and shining in the dark. A low growl emanating warns me to back off. I've seen enough dog-like creatures larger than humans to know exactly what I'm looking at.
I can also detect exactly who.
"Remi. What the fuck are you doing?" I ask harshly.
He bares his teeth and saliva drips down his jaw, and I return his challenging stare.
"Why the hell are you shifting? Do you want to risk life as a mid, you moron?"
Our gazes remain locked and Remi sizes me up, his growl becoming a snarl. Sure, his claws and teeth could cause serious damage, but if he attacked me, there'd be no more secret shifting for the gang.
"Calm down, mate. Where's Clive?"
Clive's family are bear shifters; he's likely the same. If they head off campus, and are spotted, Remi could be mistaken for a large dog if he's quick, but Clive couldn't hide his form. They'd be in the shit if caught, because there aren't any bears or wolves in England.
Remi dips his head and sprints across the field towards the woods, and I chase him. He's bloody fast, but I keep him in sight. Just. He blends into the woods and I pause, turning slowly in a full circle. Clive is nearby; I can smell him.
"I said, I'm not scared of you," I retort. "I don't give a shit if you want to turn yourself into mids. Your parents might though, especially you, Clive."
Is there any point talking? They're not the brightest guys when they're human, and their minds morph into animal along with their bodies.
"Where are you going?" I continue with scorn. "You'll be captured and taken to a zoo. Then how will you explain yourself?"
A bear twice the height and several times the weight of me lumbers into the small clearing, padding purposefully towards me. I tremor runs along my spine as I sense Remi behind. Apprehension edges further. No. They wouldn't dare hurt me.
But the pair love this. Between them, they circle me, their stance increasingly menacing as they smell my adrenaline.
I grasp at my choices: attack or defend.
A howl shatters their silent goading, the sound scaring me more than their behaviour. Shifters take on their animal sounds too—that's what led me to Maeve the day of her initiation—but this isn't on campus.
And this isn't one howl, either.
"How many of you shifted?" I ask, faltering. "Who's organising this?"
Remi lifts his head and howls in return. Yep. Totally, he's totally fucking dumb to wolf howl on campus when students and professors are awake.
"Vince?" I ask. "Do you know where he is?"
I stumble back as Clive rears onto his back legs and my heart stops for a beat as his curved claws extend. Yeah, I'm a shifter but since my parents stay out of the society, I've not encountered anything like this before.
My fear satisfies Clive, who drops back onto his forepaws. Another distant howl, this time north, beyond the academy. The pair turn from me and sticks and stones crush beneath their feet as they retreat into the woods, moving faster than a normal bear or wolf would.
I can't leave this situation now. Drawing on the reserves I have, I chase after them, the branches scraping my face as I deftly jump over small rocks on the ground. They're out of sight, but I lift my head to pick up their scent. I reach the academy fence line. No obvious gaps. Wards keep people out, but don't keep us in.
In frustration, I slam a hand against the metal railing, doubly pissed off when I hear the howls echoing through the night, moving away from the academy and towards the moors.
Chapter Eight
ANDREI
Shaken and confused by my encounter with Tobias, I rush back to the cottage, my heart pounding and anger not dropping. The windows are dark and I can’t sense anybody inside.
Crap. They left.
I rub my forehead. Is Maeve in her room? Thanks to my stupid decision to confront Tobias, I've let Maeve down when she needs me. I've no choice but to add to the evening’s shitstorm by heading to Walcott and finding her. Head bowed, I slink up the stairs and along the hallway, avoiding looking at any students walking by me. Yeah, Andrei Tepes, Mr. Popular with witches.
I swear that if some Walcott kids had their way after Lorna's death, I’d be in Ravenhold or burned alive, maybe both, because I'm guilty. The poisonous attitude isn't dropping and in normal circumstances I’d retaliate, but right now, petty student politics don’t interest me.
My life is way more complicated than that shit.
I reach the door to Maeve’s room and rap on the wood. I’m surprised when the door opens seconds later, only half-surprised to see Jamie. He shoves his hair from his face.
“Where did you go?” he whispers.
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“You know where,” I say tersely and push past him.
A small lamp on Maeve’s nightstand casts a soft light around the room. Maeve lies with her back to the world, covered by a thick duvet, hair splayed across her pillow as she faces the wall.
I perch on the edge of Amelia’s bed. “How is she?” I ask quietly.
He points to the cup beside her bed. “I gave her something—a slumber elixir. I don’t think Maeve would sleep otherwise and she needs to.”
I bite my lip and nod.
“Andrei, I hope you didn’t attack Tobias.” Jamie closes the door and rests against it, hands in his pockets.
“Nah. I’ve no chance against him. He'd kick my arse.” I take a quick glance at Maeve. “You know the truth about him, right?”
“The Winterfall deaths? Yeah, I was there when Maeve told us.”
“No, the hybrid thing.”
“Huh?”
“You ever heard of a vamp who’s hemia, pneuma, and lamia?”
His lips purse. “No. Is that possible?”
“Apparently, yeah, because Tobias is.”
Jamie's mouth drops open. “Holy shit," he rasps. "I wondered how he managed to kill all those witches alone. I half-doubted he worked alone, because the murders included hemia attacks, not only pneuma.”
We drop into silence and I stare at my boots. All those witches. Maeve’s family.
“You know what confuses me?" whispers Jamie. "Maeve knew Tobias killed the Winterfalls—he told her before she discovered who she is. Why didn’t Maeve lose her shit with him then?”
"This curse, probably," I mutter. "Some kind of bullshit bond that stops her thinking straight."
Jamie blows air into his cheeks. “I’ve no idea why she trusts Tobias so much.”
I make a scornful noise. “Yeah, well that changed.”
He watches Maeve sleep for a few moments before speaking. “I worry she’ll forgive Tobias for this.”
“What?” I ask in horror. “She won’t.”
“Like you said, there’s a hold. The curse. I don’t know... When I first saw Maeve, she seemed more upset with the lies from her aunt and parents than with Tobias's murders.”