Monster Unleashed: Blood Moon Academy Book 3

by Demi Dumond

  I slowed down as we neared the Headmaster’s office. Ian and Malachai stood on either side of me. I could feel Rafe right behind me, and Ivy too. Never in my life had I feel as protected as I did right now. And yet I knew we were all in danger.

  The students around us got antsy, staring back at where they had seen the monsters. They had figured out it was only a matter of time.

  The Headmaster stepped out of his office and smiled. The students saw the Headmaster and ran straight for him. I wanted to warn them, tell them that he was the bad guy. For heaven’s sake, they had to be starting to figure that out for themselves by now, but no.

  They surrounded him, peppering him with questions. And the whole time he was staring me down, ignoring them completely.

  Refusing to back down, I returned the stare. In my mind’s eye I didn’t see the face he was wearing now; I saw the horrible being that he was hiding from the others. There was no way I was ever getting that image out of my head.

  Until the smirk crossed his horrible face. That’s when I knew the others were in danger.

  “Get away from him,” I shouted like a mad woman. I had no idea what he was about to do, but I knew it wasn’t going to be good.

  Just as the other students mobbing the Headmaster shot me confused looks, the Headmaster held out his hand, fingers splayed, in the direction of the crowd. Students went flying across the room into the wall. I clutched the sweater-bag with the book of spells in it tighter to my body, hoping he didn’t know what it was.

  He noticed it immediately, his eyes snapping to the makeshift bag like a predator on prey. His eyes got wide. Then he grabbed a random student, a girl, and held her against him. She struggled against him, but he held her firm. I looked around at the other students and saw the shock and horror on their faces.

  “Give me the book,” he said, holding out his hand to me, a gesture that made every student within range dive out of the way. He didn’t throw any of them around this time, though. He clearly just wanted the book.

  Well, too fucking bad. I felt bad for the girl, I really did. She was in my third period history class. And despite the fact that the entire school once tried to kill me, I couldn’t remember a single time where the two of us had tangled.

  I shook my head no while keeping my eye on the Headmaster and hoped he was bluffing with her, but the one thing I absolutely could not do was hand over the book. I clutched Professor Kiln’s sweater closer against my chest as Rafe and Malachai closed ranks beside me.

  “Okay,” the Headmaster said. His hand changed to the terrible claw that I had seen from his true form when I was trapped in the kill room with him. Only his had changed, though, nothing else.

  I heard gasps as students saw the hideous claw. He raked a sharp, jagged finger down her back. She screamed, and even from as far away as I was standing, I could see blood pouring out of the wound.

  Asshole. Professor Kiln had said that the Headmaster would keep things normal for as long as possible, but that whole strategy was right out the window.

  Without even thinking, I pointed my finger at the Headmaster and released what was inside me. It happened so fast that I had no control over what came next.

  As it turned out, what was inside of me was hatred, rage, and anger. My magic didn’t come out cute purple or purplish black this time. It came out in red and black streams and hit the Headmaster with a thunderous blast.

  The girl he had injured and everybody else within six feet of the Headmaster were thrown aside. The Headmaster was knocked backward, but not very far. He went down on one knee, and a plume of smoke rose from his tailored shirt, giving me a grim sense of satisfaction.

  Then he turned toward me and unleashed a fiery plume of his own. My mind raced. I was standing in a crowd and there was nowhere to run. I stood my ground waiting to get blasted, shielding the book of spells. Then I saw a blur of motion in front of me. Shit, it was Malachai.

  He jumped in front of the blast. I saw the stream of magic and heard the crackle in the air as it hit his body. Then he thudded to the floor. There was a second of silent pause and then all hell broke loose.

  Students ran screaming in all different directions before generally heading toward the front lobby of the school and exiting there.

  The Headmaster, in danger of being trampled by his own students despite the show of magical strength, ducked back into his office. And then I heard the rumble of monsters down the hallway. We were about to get overrun, and not by students.

  I did my best to tune out all of the noises and distractions and knelt next to Malachai. “You have to wake up,” I whispered, placing my hands on his chest. I shook him slightly and put my head on him to check for sounds of breathing, but that was impossible to do with all the screaming and running going on around me.

  “We got him, Keira. Let’s get out of here before it’s too late.” It was Rafe. He and Ian each grabbed an end of Malachai and lifted him up.

  I risked a glance down the corridor behind me. The monsters weren’t here yet, but it wouldn’t be long. I could hear the footfalls and the screeching and the dragging.

  We followed the mob of students through the lobby. I paused only slightly when we passed the Headmaster’s door. I wanted to go in and blast him some more, or at least scream at him. I also wondered what the hell he was doing in there. But I had no choice but to keep going, keeping a tight hold on the book.

  We exited out into the fresh air. A cool breeze played against my face as the late afternoon air hit me.

  The rest of the students were continuing around the front of the building into the familiar gathering place of the courtyard. That’s when I remembered what happened to me when I stepped in the fountain water.

  “Stay away from the fountain,” I yelled, but most of my shout got lost in the noise.

  Ivy appeared next to me. “They know to stay away from the fountain, Keira. Now, what’s the plan?”

  38

  Headmaster

  Curse that little brat Keira and her friends. I closed the door to my office, shutting out the noise. Then I placed a spell on it. No more interruptions. I wanted to gut her before I killed her, not I just wanted to kill her. And I’d better act fast before it’s too late.

  Pacing back and forth, I knocked over the chair opposite my desk. It didn’t make me feel any better. I picked it up and threw it at the window. It crashed into the glass, which shattered but didn’t break. That’s when I realized there was no need to destroy my own things. I needed to think.

  Crossing to my desk, I threw myself in the chair and closed my eyes. It’s all gone, all of the work I did, all of the magic and energy and death I had invested in. I exhaled. Then I allowed my mind to follow the thought. It’s done. What’s done is done, there’s no sense losing composure.

  Ah, a moment of sweet clarity. The only way. I kill them all, every single living soul. I’m still in the time bubble. I still have my guards on the outside and my lifeline to the blood I need on the other side. I’ll kill them all and start over. Keira doesn’t get a special death and that’s okay. She doesn’t deserve one.

  That made me feel much better. Then a thought hit me like a gnat buzzing at my face. The book. She has the book of spells with her. That means she has the items in the boxes too.

  I’d have to act right now. The spell isn’t quick, I had that going for me. And her dumb fallen angel is hurt, that’ll also slow her down. I smiled. Caring for people. It was such a common downfall. One I was much better off for being rid of. Otherwise, such clear thinking in the midst of a crisis, what I was doing right now, wouldn’t have been possible.

  That’s when the herd of monsters went by. They howled, screamed, and pounded on the walls. And then everything went silent again. They were gone, having followed the students out of the building.

  In theory, that horde would be enough to distract Keira from completing the spell. It would probably be enough to kill them all eventually while I sat in here smoking a celebratory stogie.
>
  Except Keira was my adversary that so far had refused to die. And they did have a dragon on their side. Hmmmm.

  A pounding on my door interrupted my chain of thought. Irritated, I got up and threw the door open. I fully intended to kill whoever had the nerve to interrupt me, but it was Smythe.

  I swallowed down my murderous rage for now, forced a smile, and stepped aside. “Good man, did you get it?”

  Smythe entered, a small satchel in his hand. He had cuts on his arms and legs and the cloth of his pants and shirt were sliced open. He was a dreadful sight. I almost commented on it before changing my mind since in the end, I didn’t really care. As long as he got what I sent him for.

  “It wasn’t easy,” he said. “But I got it.”

  I reached for the satchel. He pulled it back.

  Rage grew again, the emotion bubbling over with magic and power. It demanded violence, blood and death.

  Whatever Smythe was playing at, it was going to get him killed if he wasn’t lucky. “What exactly do you think you’re doing? Hand it over at once.” I held out my hand again, barely keeping my breathing in check.

  “First, give me the amulet. You are a man of your word, are you not?”

  I covered my mouth with my hand, hoping to conceal from him the twitching of my lower lip. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to keep from killing Smythe where he stood. Not only was he impertinently standing there disobeying a direct order to give me the object in question, he was questioning my honor.

  It was more than I could take. And to make it even worse, he had me over a barrel. The very specific, very powerful magical object in question could only be used properly if handed over willingly. I had barely considered the amulet he asked for when we met earlier, and I had since had reservations.

  That amulet could give him enough power to make an opening in the time bubble. Judging by the look on his face, Smythe had done his homework.

  I had changed my mind about giving him the amulet, deciding to lie and say I couldn’t find it and offer him something worth far more money in its place. Today’s generation cared far too much for money, it was a weakness easily exploited. But Smythe had now rendered that option impossible.

  The situation had become untenable. I calmed my rage with the thought that Smythe would have to die now like all of the others. He had made his choice and was now expendable. That was good for me. I could give him the amulet and use him as cannon fodder while I killed all the other students. Then finish him off before he had a chance to use it anyway.

  I forced a smile onto my face. “But of course. I’m sure these dramatic theatrics weren’t even necessary. I’ll get you the amulet right now.”

  Crossing back to my desk, I opened a tiny drawer on the end to get a key that I then inserted in a hidden safe underneath. Smythe, greedy little prick that he was, watched the whole thing. If he weren’t going to die, I’d have had to order a completely new desk and lock and change everything around.

  “A-ha.” I pulled the heavy bronze amulet out of the drawer. As soon as I touched it, I felt drawn to its power. I hadn’t been this close to it since acquiring it at knifepoint from the man I had hired to steal it for me from a museum. The red jewel that was set off-center in the circle glinted like it was on fire. It whispered to me that it had secrets to tell. I wanted to hand it over even less than I did before.

  I snapped out of it, however, and held it out to him, but not close enough for him to grab it. I wasn’t a sucker.

  “Together,” I said. He offered me the bag, and I handed him the amulet. As soon as the crushed red velvet bag with the golden string touched my skin, I knew that everything was going to be okay.

  I untied the string and peered inside. The diamonds inside glowed and sparkled with fire and energy. Diamonds was the wrong word of course. These stones, in the hands of a common street urchin, would be utterly worthless. Tossed aside in the nearest dumpster bin. But they were not of this world and were worth far more than money. Power always is.

  Satisfied, I looked up to see that Smythe had placed the amulet around his neck. It now glowed a faint golden color that made the skin of his face look even more pale and sickly. It wasn’t a good look for him at all.

  Then I caught his scent, and it was mixed with fear. It sent my predatory instincts into overdrive. Since the plan was now to kill him anyway, I let my mind go all the way to its logical conclusion.

  I imagined what his dead and decomposing flesh would taste like. Sublime. I had to repress a shudder of exhilaration. Then I caught myself and realized that he was staring, his eyes wide and mouth open in horror. In a flash of worry, I wondered if the amulet had amplified his powers even more than I expected.

  “What?” I asked him.

  “Wh-what were you just thinking about?” he asked stammering back at me.

  “Nothing, I assure you,” I lied, placing my hand over my heart. “Now you have what you want, and I have what I want. It’s time to take the fight to them.” I turned my attention back to the diamonds in the small bag in my hand.

  “What are you going to do with those?”

  I curled my lips up into a smile, feeling the dark power rising inside of me. “A bunch of little monsters like the ones outside will provide enough of a distraction for us to divide and kill them all.”

  He nodded.

  “A large monster will take out the dragon,” I continued. “Let me be absolutely clear. The new plan is death to all. No survivors. If we’re going to start fresh, it’s the only way.”

  “I want to kill Kiln.”

  Smythe said it so matter-of-factly that it took me by surprise. I looked up as fire flashed in his eyes. Sure, I was still angry at her betrayal earlier, but she was the one exception I was prepared to make. Even without our history, she was a hell of a teacher and would be impossible to replace. But teaching these modern cretins wasn’t really the point anyway. “Fine. I get to kill Keira.”

  39

  Keira

  I looked around the courtyard. The bedlam and noise out here was barely any better than inside. “There,” I said, pointing to an empty area in the grass. “Put Malachai down over there.”

  Rafe and Ian set him down. They wore looks of concern on their faces but also looked relieved to be putting him down.

  I threw myself on the ground next to him, setting the book down in the grass next to me. I brushed my fingers on the side of his neck, feeling for a pulse. My other hand went to his chest, pressing harder than I probably should have trying to feel him take a breath. I fought off tears as I willed him to breathe. You have to be okay, Malachai.

  The next minute or so was the longest of my life. Then I felt it. A weak, thready pulse. He started breathing again. I watched his chest expand and contract in rhythm.

  Ivy put a hand on my shoulder. “He’s strong, Keira. He’s going to be alright. The question is, what do we do now?”

  Ivy was right. I looked around. “You guys all still know who I am?”

  “Of course we do,” Ian answered.

  “Good,” I said, smiling for the first time today. “That means that the Headmaster and Smythe are distracted enough to not be focused on you guys forgetting me. I say we pop this stupid time bubble and be done with it.”

  “Yes!” Rafe yelled. It came out half scream, half howl.

  I dug the book out of the ugly sweater bag I had fashioned in Professor Kiln’s room. It was positively vibrating with magic. Maybe this was going to work after all.

  An explosion rocked the courtyard, the noise echoing over the walls and stunning me for a moment. It hadn’t come from the exit near the lobby though. It had come from the double doors beyond the broken fountain.

  I turned my head to see what the hell was going on. What I saw was more or less the last thing that I expected. It was a very bedraggled looking Professor Kiln. She half hopped, half glided over the pool of fountain water until she hit dry grass and her feet touched back down onto the earth.

  And by
feet, I mean bare feet. She wasn’t wearing any shoes. And she wasn’t wearing a hat either. Her black skirt was torn, her hair hung out of the ponytail in several strands blowing wildly in the breeze, and her left arm was bleeding. What the hell happened to her?

  As soon as she landed, she came running over to me. Her eyes flicked from me to Malachai lying injured in the grass, to the makeshift bag that no longer contained the book, and finally back to me.

  “Is that my sweater?”

  I blinked at her.

  “What happened to Malachai?” she pressed.

  “The Headmaster threw dark magic at him. Well, he threw dark magic at me and Malachai got in the way. He’s breathing again, and he has a pulse, thank goodness. What happened to you?” I asked her as the others just stared.

  “I was trying to keep that jackass Smythe from getting his hands on even more power that he wasn’t smart enough or responsible enough to use.”

  “Did it work?” Ian asked.

  “No,” she answered.

  “Um, what does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means that we have no idea what’s coming next.” Her eyes flicked to the book. “There’s no time, girl. You need to cast that spell. Whatever is coming is not going to be good. It probably won’t even be stable. Our only chance at survival is getting out of here as soon as possible.”

  I opened the book, finding the right chunk of pages that contained the spell. I flipped through to the page that I had bookmarked and tried to concentrate.

  As it turned out, that was the exact moment the monsters from the lower level made their way out of the building and into the courtyard.

  I looked up. The sounds coming from the group of hooligan monsters were enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life. Guttural, piercing, loud, low, and vibrating parts of my chest that I didn’t know existed. Those things definitely did not belong out here in the real world.

  As if that weren’t bad enough, they were even more frightening looking out here in the fading light of day than they were mostly concealed in the basement.