Fullblood Academy: A Vampire Academy Mild Bully Romance (Vampires of the Sanctum Book 1)

by Phoenix Chaos

  There was nothing beautiful about its true nature, however. It was a home for monsters.

  I stopped in front of Cassius’s room.

  The same mark that was on my tie—the side view of a bat superimposed over a fleur-de-lis—had been engraved in bold on the door.

  Out of spite, I dragged my knife across it, slicing it in two. I hated to know that such monsters existed. They had too much power and they abused it, taking students here against their will.

  I gripped my knife tightly, then pulled a sharp breath into my lungs. This was a bad idea. I should back out of it, head to my room, and maybe even talk to Grey about the plan before doing anything stupid. But my objective was so close, and the sun was out, which meant that this was a good chance. Such opportunities shouldn’t be wasted. They were few and far between.

  I turned the doorknob. It clicked. Cassius didn’t lock his door.

  So much for security, I thought.

  I steadied my nerves and pushed the door open. The hinges didn’t make a sound. As quietly as I could, I stepped in. I held the knife in my hand. Surprisingly, Cassius had his curtains drawn. Sun poured in. I stuck to the areas where the sunlight shone, traversing the room as carefully as I cou—

  A heavy force pushed me backward. The back of my head slammed against the wall.

  Cassius bared his teeth at me.

  And with me, he stood in the sunlight. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, exposing his skin to the bright rays.

  How was this possible? He was a vampire, and vampires weren’t supposed to be able to survive the sun. Cassius had his hands fastened around my wrists. I was trapped under his weight, too small and weak to fight against his superhuman strength.

  “You’re not allowed in here,” he said in a raspy tone.

  I saw his fangs peeking out from his lips. His eyes looked even more crimson in this light, redder than even the pupils of those vampires in the alleyway. A drumming sound began in my ears. He was going to kill me this time. There was too much hunger in the way he looked at me.

  Cassius raked his gaze down my face, then spotted the knife I was holding.

  “A whitesun knife?” he asked. He snatched the weapon from me and regarded it. “These things only work on the lowbloods. You won’t kill me so easily. I haven’t even gotten to know you, and you already want me dead. Typical.”

  “Why are you not burning?”

  Cassius cocked his head. “Burning?”

  “The sun.” I looked over his shoulder.

  For the first time, I saw him smirk, and the mocking in his expression sent anger thrumming through me. He chuckled, looking at me as he would an idiot. “Fullbloods are immune to the effects of the sun. Fearing the sun is something normals and lowbloods have to be worried about. Not me. The purity and vitality of our blood makes me almost impossible to kill.” He tensed his jaw, glaring at me. “Why are you sneaking into my room with a whitesun knife, dear Verity?”

  Dear. He’d called me that. The endearing term was laced with venom. “I… I need something from you.”

  “What is it?”

  I nibbled my lower lip. Should I tell him? What good was it to let him know, anyway? It wasn’t like he’d give me what I wanted.

  Cassius wrapped his hand around my neck and slammed me against the wall again. I winced. “I need your heart,” I blurted out. “It’s the only thing that can save my sister. She was bitten by a lowblood.”

  Cassius lowered his mouth so that it hovered over mine. I thought he might kiss me, but instead, he flashed me his sharp teeth, pulling his upper lip up while releasing an animalistic, bone-chilling growl. He didn’t sound the least bit human. I was dealing with a creature of the night. My attraction to him was a lie, his beauty merely a means for him to draw his prey in.

  “Nobody dares cross me,” Cassius said. “It’s like asking for a death sentence.”

  “It was worth the risk. I love my sister.”

  Cassius’s nostrils flared. He growled again, louder this time. “Love?”

  “I care for her more than anything else in the world.”

  “Love is a lie.”

  “I don’t know where you got that idea, but it’s not. It’s the one thing that keeps most people fighting.”

  “They are fools, then.”

  I blinked up at Cassius, not sure where he was going with this. I stiffened at the look I saw on his face.

  Hurt.

  Cassius was hiding something terrible from his past. An event that’d managed to scar him irreversibly. The pain he displayed nearly made me want to soothe him, but that was just foolish. I shouldn’t have any thoughts of soothing his agony. He deserved every last ounce of the pain he suffered. Monsters like him shouldn’t even have the ability to feel pain.

  Cassius, while plucking the knife out of my hand, had freed one of my wrists. I took that opportunity to throw a punch at his side. It was a bad idea. He caught my wrist before I even had time to swing my fist at him, and my violence merely caused his rage to grow.

  “Stop testing my patience,” he said, pushing me back against the wall. “You won’t last long in the Sanctum if you continue crossing my path. I can crush you. I can wreck you. I can make sure that you never recover.”

  He was doing it again, staring at my neck as if it were a prize. He ran his tongue over the upper row of his teeth, and it was almost as if my body called out to him. Take my blood.

  What was wrong with me?

  Cassius rested his head in the crook of my neck. I shuddered, waiting for a sharp sting, for pain to shoot down my spine.

  He vanished.

  I gasped, taking in deep breaths as the rhythm of my pulse grew uncontrollable. I scanned my surroundings for signs of him, and across the room, I saw a vague shadow in the darkness.

  “Leave,” Cassius said. “I will deal with you after I get proper rest.”

  I searched the area for my knife, but Cassius had stolen it.

  “Leave!”

  His command boomed throughout the room, shaking me to my core.

  I yanked the door open and scampered out of his chambers, useless and weak.

  Ten

  Cassius

  How dare she!

  No one had dared enter my chambers without permission—not even Miles, my most trusted subject—for as long as I could remember. But that girl did, interrupting my sleep with her bold ignorance and foolish overstepping of boundaries. I should have killed her right there and then. It was within my right to. If I’d done that, I wouldn’t have to suffer her sight or scent or Janella’s memory again.

  I paced down the hallways of the school, looking through classrooms and observing the students. I couldn’t go back to sleep once the little wench left, even though the sun being out made me more tired. I was still reconsidering my decision to spare her.

  Why did I?

  Maybe it was her and that stupid talk of love. Her foolish belief in it both infuriated me and gave me hope. Hope? Why was I experiencing such a useless emotion? Emotions only served to slow me down.

  I stopped at the courtyard. There, I saw her, leaping across an obstacle course with her pathetic, sluggish human speed. She dressed lightly, in the gym attire the Sanctum supplied. The short shirt revealed her midriff, and her tight shorts hugged her ample thighs tightly. Her scent called to me, even from this distance.

  She must have been a curse from the universe, sent down to test me. Why did I keep stumbling upon her when all I wanted was to avoid her at all costs?

  I should bend her to my will.

  Wreck her completely.

  I was tearing my eyes from the wench when I heard a small shriek. At first, I thought it might have come from her, and my basic instinct encouraged me to ensure she was safe. Was it my past with Janella that gave me such foolish motivations? A second after, I noticed it wasn’t her who had shrieked, but one of her fellow classmates—a small blond girl who had stumbled in the middle of the obstacle course and hurt her ankle.

  I didn�
��t care about the blond girl, but Verity didn’t hesitate to come to her aid. She kneeled down in front of the girl, offering her back, and allowed the girl to hop on. Verity carried her. I saw her asking around for directions, and soon after, she was on her way toward the infirmary, her walking quick by human standards.

  I paused, watching as she disappeared around the corner.

  Would Janella have done that? She was always taking care of herself. She would have let her closest friends burn in fires before she got hurt. Janella had taught me that no one in the world would love you if you didn’t care for yourself first. In the end, neither of us managed to keep our love. Loyalty was dead in Janella’s eyes.

  The courtyard bored me after Verity left, so I took my leave as well.

  I sighed, attempting to banish the girl from my thoughts, but the more I tried to, the more she appeared, running through my mind like a buzzing pest.

  I made my way back to my study. When I entered it, my father was there, waiting for me.

  Now was not a good time for me to meet Endar. My mood had already been soured enough. “I don’t appreciate people entering my premises without my permission,” I said.

  Endar had brought blood into my study. He was drinking from his canister. I smelled the liquid even as I stood ten feet away. It was sweet, but the blood was not as intoxicating as Verity’s.

  Endar made himself comfortable, sinking into the leather couch next to my bookshelf. “I’m your father,” he said. “I should be allowed to do as I please around you.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said without a hint of apology, “but that kind of thinking is old. Outdated. I don’t subscribe myself to it. Say your piece and get out.”

  Endar snorted. “No need to be so harsh. You’re testier than usual today.” He pushed himself from his seat and cocked his head at me. “Is something bothering you?”

  “Since when did you care if anything bothered me?”

  “I’m your father. Of course I’m concerned about your wellbeing.”

  I rolled my eyes and walked over to my desk. I picked up a random tome, not caring about its contents, and flipped it open. I skimmed over the insignificant words to distract myself from my father. I used to do this a lot as a child. Hundreds of years later, I did the same thing whenever my father was around. Old habits were difficult to kill, even for vampires.

  “You know what I’m here for,” Endar said.

  “The queen,” I replied. “I’m not going to mate with anybody. Fullblood or not.”

  Endar flicked his thumb over his nose. “We think that she’s somewhere here on the premises. When picking out the humans for the Sanctum, we looked for certain markers.”

  “Markers?” I asked, arching a brow.

  “Certain scents that indicate vampiric interferences in their lineage. Background checks. Where the candidates came from and the like. Signs of possible vampiric influences.” Endar waved his hand dismissively. “There’s a good chance we’ve found her; we just need her to show herself.” Endar pulled a briefcase from under his legs and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. “I have this.”

  I hadn’t noticed the briefcase until now. “And that is?”

  “Vials of potions, created by a spell from the witch that hid the queen.”

  “Hm.”

  Endar flipped open the briefcase, then pulled out a vial with a bluish liquid in it. He elaborated even though I hadn’t asked him to. “The fullblood female we’re looking for belongs to the Elvira bloodline.” Supposedly, the Elviras had perished when the hunters took out most of the fullbloods twenty years ago. The vampires called that event the Ravaging.

  “You mentioned that,” I said. “The last time you visited.”

  “Did I? I must be getting on in years.” He smirked at his own joke, then returned his attention to the vials. “During the Ravaging, the witch transformed that fullblood into a human, hiding her from the hunters with her special spell. This, now, is how we can reverse it.” Endar picked up a vial. “Since it was her magic that hid the fullblood, the witch’s magic can reveal it. I need your permission to feed this to all the students of the Sanctum. The potion will take a while before coming into effect, and we want to find the potential queen as quickly as we can.”

  “Are there negative effects to drinking it?”

  Endar shook his head. “Not that I know off.”

  “Then go ahead. I don’t care what happens to the students.” Except for one of them.

  “Good. I’ll just need documentation with your seal of approval. The council has bestowed administrative powers of the Sanctum to you, and your consent is still required for us to carry out such activities.”

  I sighed, pulled open my drawer, and took out my scroll, pen, and seal before scribbling Father’s instructions hastily onto the sheet of paper.

  “You’ve always been such a good son,” my father said, watching me as I carried out his bidding.

  A good son? He only viewed me that way because I hadn’t dissented. My agreeableness was not due to my obedience, but from me being too tired to argue. Edrik always had more energy. He’d challenge Father at every step of the way, and Father absolutely detested him for that.

  “Do you still think of him?” I asked, wondering why Edrik abruptly came to my thoughts.

  “Who?” Father asked.

  “Your other son. My twin. The one who fell to the hunters during the Ravaging. Your memory isn’t failing you that much, is it? Perhaps vampirism isn’t suited for you.”

  “Oh, him. Edrik.”

  I nodded as I signed the papers.

  “Never.”

  A lump lodged in my throat. Edrik deserved to be treated better by Father, even in his death. My brother had always secretly longed for Father’s affection and approval.

  “Edrik died for the vampires,” I said. My brother had always protected me growing up. Father had made us go through much hardship. He wanted us to become strong warriors, capable of taking on the responsibilities of a fullblood.

  “Did he?” my father asked. “Or was it for that girl?” He waved dismissively. “I can’t remember her name.”

  “Janella,” I said.

  “Ah, yes.” Endar tutted. “You were both always so obsessed with her, catering to her needs more than our family’s. Janella this and that and everything. Frankly, I’m quite happy that she’s gone.”

  I clutched my pen so tightly that it snapped in two. I’d already finished writing the letter, and so I finished it off with my seal, rolled it up, and tied it with string. “Here,” I said to Endar. “This was all you came here for, am I right?”

  “Yes,” Father said. “Thank you for doing my bidding, son.”

  “Just leave. I need some time with my own thoughts.”

  “Don’t you think that you might be having too much of that?”

  “No.”

  Endar snatched my scroll from me, spun on his heels, and headed to the exit.

  When the door clicked behind him, he left me alone in my cold, dark, lonely room, memories of Edrik fresh in my mind.

  Eleven

  Verity

  Lessons had begun today, and I was late for my first one. It had been gym class, which was in the courtyard. A blond girl—the same one who’d bumped to me before I attended our first assembly—had tripped, fallen, and sprained her ankle. I’d learned from Grey that her name was Vixie. I considered leaving her to moan and complain on the ground. Everyone else had the same sentiments, judging from the way they stood aside and didn’t seem keen on lending any helping hands.

  Still, here I was, sitting on the bed opposite her, looking at her glare menacingly at her cast. I’d carried her all the way to the infirmary. It hadn’t been too difficult. Vixie had a waiflike frame and was surprisingly light. The infirmary housed at least twenty beds, and like the rest of the Sanctum, its interior was archaic, finished with dark brick walls and gothic embellishments. It was manned by a single nurse. Her sharp features, red lips, and dark hair made
her appear very much like a vampire. After putting Vixie’s ankle in a cast, she’d left us alone.

  “I can help you to the next class,” I said. “Looks like that thing is going to give you trouble walking.”

  Vixie peered from her cast to me. I thought she might warm up to me, considering I’d helped her and all, but she said, “I don’t need your help.”

  “It might make things easier—”

  “I don’t need help from lowlifes like you. You shouldn’t even touch me.”

  Was this girl serious? Her rudeness left me speechless. I tried chalking up her abrasiveness to age. She didn’t seem older than twenty, which might leave her lacking in the maturity department.

  “A ‘thank you’ would be nice,” I said.

  All I got in response was a turn of her nose toward the ceiling.

  “Where’d you learn to be this entitled?” I asked.

  “Entitled?” Her frown deepened. “I’m just stating fact. Look at you. You’re not pretty or smart or thin. You’re never going to amount to anything. Not in the human world, and not amongst the vampires, either.”

  “Since when did you become the judge of everything?”

  “I know how to climb to the top. That’s where I belong. Where I’ve always been. They dragged me from the human world to here, and I’m going to make my way up there once again.”

  Her haughtiness was like nails on chalkboard. How could anybody be this conceited? And since when was thinness a prerequisite for success?

  She screwed her nose up. “Trying to be helpful won’t ever make you enough, either. So stay away.”

  I looked at the clock above her head. We had another ten minutes before the next class, and Vixie wasn’t going to make it on time without my help. I considered offering another hand, but asking again would make me too much of a doormat, so I stood and headed toward the exit. She could take care of herself. I didn’t want my kindness to be taken for granted.

  “Where are you going?” she asked from behind me.