Renewed: House of Shadows Book 3

by Michelle Areaux

Eden nodded, seeming to understand. “Oh, sorry,” she said.

  “It’s ok,” I added.

  I needed to support Eden because she had been there for me more times than I could count.

  I drank two more glasses and ignored the stares from everyone around me. Before the end of lunch, I remembered why I was in a hurry to see Donovan. I mean, besides the point that he is insanely dreamy.

  “Donovan, I want to take you on a movie date tonight,” I said, turning my focus back to my...whatever Donovan was to me.

  His face lit up and I loved how excited he looked. It was refreshingly adorable.

  “I would love that,” he gushed.

  “Perfect. I will meet you in the movie theatre room at eight,” I said, leaning over and kissing him.

  After lunch, I went through the rest of my day and didn’t worry about Zane, dead Witches, or the changes that were looming ahead. All I focused on was getting my classwork completed and seeing Donovan later. Everything else just didn’t seem to matter.

  Chapter 11

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  In the calm of the night, I find my solace. Stalking through the woods with Eden, I had never felt more at home with myself and nature before.

  With additional security trailing closely behind us, Eden and I run at lightning speed through the darkened forest. Only, with my night vision, thanks to being a Vampire, I am able to see as though it were daylight outside.

  Eden and I tackled a large deer, feeding off its warm blood. Once we were finished, we thanked the animal for providing us food and giving up its life for us to live on. It was something I had watched Eden do once before, and I thought it was a pretty cool idea.

  Now, as we venture back to the academy, I find myself deep in thought. I had my date with Donovan in less than an hour. I needed to rush and get showered and changed before meeting him in the theatre room.

  “What are you thinking about?” Eden asks me, as we walk together.

  “I just want to make sure my date with Donovan goes well,” I say. “I feel like our relationship has been nothing short of difficult. Everytime we turn around, there is something ready and willing to prevent us from being together.”

  Eden nods as I talk. “I can’t help but agree. You all definitely haven’t had an easy road. But, I have a feeling that you all will be able to be together now,” Eden finishes.

  I sure hope she is right.

  ***

  Thirty minutes later, I am showered and dressed in a pair of comfortable black lounge pants, and a red House of Shadows t-shirt. One of my favorite things about being with Donovan is that I don’t feel the need to get dressed up to be around him. I am comfortable just being myself with him.

  I entered the movie theatre room and smiled as Eden left the candy I asked her to get. She had told me Donovan’s favorite treats-- Snickers and Cheetos, and I had asked her to put them in the room.

  I hear Donovan enter and feel his arms wrap around my waist. Pulling me into him, I revel in his embrace.

  “Thanks for asking me out,” he says, his voice light.

  Turning in his arms, I face him. I run a hand through his dark hair and smile. “I just wanted to do something nice for you,” I say, kissing him.

  “Just being with me is enough,” Donovan sighs.

  My heart dances inside my chest at his words. I swear, Donovan could make even the coldest of hearts melt. He was so kind and caring with a swagger that couldn’t be matched.

  “Well, I am going to make sure that nothing else gets in our way of being together. Tonight, we have this movie theatre all to ourselves. I had Eden get you your favorite candy and I have Marvel movies for you to select from,” I say, pointing to the candy by the lounge chairs.

  Donoan’s eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning. “This is awesome,” he beams.

  To be honest, Donovan typically has a brooding face that rarely cracks more than a smirk or a grin. But right now, I am totally loving his silly smile.

  We move to the comfortable chairs and I begin one of the superhero movies that Donovan loves. We hold hands and snack on the junk food and it is nothing short of heaven.

  Leaning over, Donovan wraps an arm around my shoulder. “This is perfect,” he whispers into my ear.

  “Anything for you,” I say, snuggling closer to his side.

  Just as Superman goes to save the day, the lights in the room suddenly come on and a voice clears behind us.

  Thinking it is probably Brie trying to damper my date night, I roll my eyes at Donovan as we both turn in our seats.

  However, it’s not Brie I see standing in the doorway.

  Nope. This is a girl I have never seen before and from her dark purple and silver uniform, I am certain she isn’t a House of Shadow’s student.

  Donovan’s face drops and I hear a low growl escape his lips.

  “What?” I ask, confused by his change in attitude.

  “Oh come on, Donovan. Aren’t you happy to see me?” the girl asks.

  My head snaps back to Donovan. How does this chick know my boyfriend? Then it dawns on me. Her uniform. The smug look on her face.

  “Is she…” I can’t even finish my sentence before the girl takes a step inside the room. With her arms folded across her chest, her hips sway with ease.

  “I am a Witch, if that is what you were going to say. Let me introduce myself, I am Sabrina, Donovan’s ex-girlfriend,” she says.

  My eyes grow wide as saucers as I stare at this bewitching girl now interrupting my perfect date night with Donovan.

  “Why are you here?” Donovan asks, through gritted teeth.

  Sabrina saunters over and stands in front of us, blocking the movie on the large screen. “Haven’t you heard, your daddy invited us to join this school,” she says, scowling. “Apparently, you have made enemies with your own kind,” she finishes rolling her eyes.

  I look at Donovan, confused on how he could have ever dated someone so nasty.

  “We are aware that your school is joining ours. What I meant was, why are you in here?” Donovan asked, his tone sharp and nasty. I had only ever heard him speak like that to Zane, which told me he didn’t have any positive feelings toward Sabrina. That, at least, gave me some relief.

  Sabrina narrowed her gaze on us before she responded. Folding her arms across her chest, she said, “I thought I would come say hello. Looks like I interrupted something, though,” she said, smirking a bit.

  I didn’t like how she turned her perky little nose up at me. Anger rose inside of me and I could feel my body reacting. An urge to leap off this couch and snap her neck registered through me. Sensing my turmoil, Donovan grabbed my hand.

  “Ok, you said hello. Now, I think it’s time for you to leave,” Donovan stated, with a fierce authority.

  “Fine. I will see you two later,” Sabrina said, wiggling her fingers at us as she walked away.

  Once she exits the room, I feel the tension lift. However, Donovan still seems perturbed by Sabrina's presence at The House of Shadows.

  I fall back into the chair and low out a deep breath. “Wow,” I say.

  “She is incorrigible,” Donovan seethes.

  “How in the world did you date her?” I ask.

  I know it may not be my place, but I just have to know. They seem so different-- like oil and water.

  Donovan closes his eyes briefly before saying, “Sabrina has a way of fooling people. She placed a charm spell on me. Apparently, even when she is nasty, whoever has the charm spell placed on them, can’t see past the good in her. I fell for her magic, not her personality,” Donovan finishes.

  “Wow, that’s terrible. She tricked you,” I say, disgusted that she would do that. I mean, Donovan is a total hottie, but to trick him into dating her, is just wrong.

  “Yes, once the spell wore off, I saw who she really was. That’s when we broke up,” Donovan tells me.

  “She’s pretty,” I note, feeling a bit inse
cure. Sabrina had fire red hair, green eyes, and a perfect figure.

  Donovan’s face softened as his hands cradled my face. “Sabrina can’t hold a candle to you. She might be pretty in a superficial way, but you are beautiful in a classic way that no one can compare to,” he says breathlessly.

  I tried to ignore the swirling sensations that Sabrina being here caused inside of me.

  “You are too sweet,” I said, loving his compliment of me, but still feeling a bit insecure. Donovan and Sabrina had a past. Now, all I wanted was his future.

  “Let’s forget about Sabrina. This night is supposed to be about us,” Donovan said. He ran over to the wall and flipped the light off again. Cuddling beside me on the couch again, he started the movie and held me close.

  For the rest of the evening, we watched movies-- just the two of us.

  I tried to enjoy the moment, but a looming sense of dread settled in my mind. I just hoped it would go away soon.

  Chapter 12

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  “Morning sunshine.”

  I had been enjoying a nice rest when Eden’s too perky voice rang through our room.

  Rolling over in bed, I saw Eden standing by our bedroom door. She was holding two pieces of paper in her hands and she was fully dressed in her House of Shadows uniform.

  “What are you holding?” I ask, realizing Eden was trying to get my attention.

  “Our new schedules,” Eden beamed.

  “Great,” I mumbled. I sat up in bed as Eden brought mine over to me.

  “Did you hear, the Witches arrived last night,” Eden stated.

  “Yes, I am aware. Donovan received a not so happy, blast from his past,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

  “Wait, what?” Eden asked, looking up from her schedule.

  Nodding, I placed my schedule on my bed. “Sabrina interrupted our date night,” I said.

  Blowing out a breath, Eden rolled her eyes. “She is so nasty, of course she would try and ruin your date night,” she growled out. “What did you all do?”

  “Donovan got really upset, but he got her to leave. We managed to enjoy our date. I am just so tired of all of our dates getting ruined,” I wined.

  “I know. Eventually, things will get better,” Eden offered.

  I hoped she was right.

  I glanced down at my new schedule. I needed to embrace the fact that the Witches, including Sabrina, were here now. Like it or not, everything was about to change for all of us. My classes were mostly the same, except I now had two spell caster courses added to my day. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew I better get ready so I could find out.

  ***

  Eden and I emerged from our bedroom and were immediately met by two security guards. I knew Donovan would add more detail for me, even though I had thought it was a ridiculous idea.

  “Are you ready?” Eden asked, glancing my way.

  “As ready as I'll ever be,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

  As we walked down the hall, I felt a sense of deja vu and it felt nice. Having the security trail behind me as other Vampires turned to stare at me, felt normal again. As crazy as it sounded, I preferred normal.

  Gripping my schedule in my hand, I followed Eden to our first class of the day with the Witches. Per the Dean’s suggestion, the Witches were settling into their rooms on the opposite side of the academy. We would all mix in our classes, but for the time being, we would have separate sleeping quarters. Knowing I would be far away from Sabrina was a relief.

  We found our first class and I was happy that I would have Eden by my side. We walked inside and I noticed everyone seemed very tense and awkward. Usually, students were talking and walking around the classrooms until the professors arrived. But today, there was a different vibe in the air. Everyone was on edge and the Witches arrival was welcomed, but still something we would all have to get used to.

  Eden and I found two seats in the back of the room and quickly made our way through the desks to get to them. I had no idea what to expect from a Witch as a professor, but something told me it would be very different. As Eden and I got situated in our seats, a few more students piled into the room. As I looked up from my backpack, my eyes locked on Sabrina.

  “Are you serious?” I asked aloud.

  Looking over at me with a curious expression, Eden asked, “I didn’t say anything.”

  “No, that,” I said, pointing over to Sabrina. There was no way I could pretend like I hadn’t seen her. I was a terrible liar and no one would believe me that I forgot who she was. This was my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.

  Spotting us, Sabrina grew a wicked grin and then swayed her hips so everyone looked, she made her way to the back of the room. She sat down in front of me and her lavender scent infused with spices assaulted me.

  Turning, she waved at us like we were old friends. “Hi Eden,” she gushed. She only smiled at me, for which I was glad. There was no way I could talk to her politely after she had intentionally tried to destroy my date last night.

  “Sabrina, what an unpleasant surprise,” Eden said, rolling her eyes.

  “Oh, come on. You can’t really still hold a grudge against me,” she said, her eyes sparking with mischief.

  “You mean, how did you use magic on my brother to get him to like you? Yeah, there is no reason why that would still bother me,” Eden shot back.

  I liked to see this sassy and spunky side of Eden.

  “I guess we can’t all draw them in with a human,” Sabrina spit back, glaring at me before turning back around in her seat.

  I opened my mouth to lash out, but Eden placed her hand on my arm. “Don’t bother. Sabrina isn’t worth the time or energy. She is worse than Brie,” she said, shuddering at the thought.

  Speak of the Devil. As I sat stewing over Sabrina, I saw Brie make her way into the room, too. Great, was the universe trying to play a cruel joke on me? This was exactly what I didn't need; my boyfriend's evil ex-girlfriend and my enemy in the same class.

  Seeing Sabrina, Eden couldn’t help but laugh. “Man, you must have really done something wrong to have Karma hitting you like this,” she chuckled.

  Shaking my head, I tried to fight the urge to get up and run out of the room. “Be careful, maybe I will learn how to turn you into a toad,” I said, narrowing my eyes at Eden.

  “Good luck,” she giggled.

  Thankfully, our professor walked into the room and everyone grew silent. Like it or not, I would have to learn how to deal with two very different kinds of witches.

  Chapter 13

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  As class began, our professor introduced herself. Mrs. Martin had been working at the SpellCaster Academy for over fifty years. With long, silver and black hair, she appeared to be in her twenties, but from her work experience, I knew she was much older than she looked. She would be teaching us basic spells that even Vampires could use. While ours wouldn't utilize magic, they would create scents and odors that could repel or change the course of an enemy following us.

  For once, I was interested in my class.

  “Would anyone like to perform one of their spells?” the professor asked the class.

  It was clear her question was meant for only the Witches in the room.

  Of course, Sabrina raised her hand.

  “Sabrina, thank you for volunteering,” Mrs. Martin clapped.

  Sabrina got up and offered me a sly grin. I had to hold my fists at my sides to keep from getting up and hitting her.

  Standing in the front of the classroom, Sabrina smiled as she began to recite something I didn’t understand. With her eyes closed, she extended her hands and continued to recite over and over again:

  “Lorma exodus.

  Vile of enemy

  Scent of forest

  Change my course

  To those dearest.”

  Sabrina slowly opened her
eyes and the room began to fill with the scent of wild animals.

  Everyone clapped as Sabrina stood grinning like she had just won the Nobel Peace Prize or something.

  “Great job, Sabrina,” Mrs. Martin said. “Now, what Sabrina did was create a course changing scent. If you are ever being followed by an enemy and need to change your scent so they can’t detect you, this spell will confuse them. They will think they lost track of your scent and picked up on an animal nearby. Vampires, you will learn how to create these odors in your Biology class this semester,” she stated.

  Sabrina made her way back to her seat, but not before winking at me and mouthing, loser, before sitting down.

  I unfurled my fingers from my sides and went to stand, but Eden thankfully stopped me.

  Part of me wished now that I hadn’t confided in her about Sabrina and that I could have just attacked that Witch like I desperately wanted to.

  A few more Witches in the class showed off a few more spells that would protect us if we were being hunted. As they showcased their skills, I couldn’t help but let my mind wonder. Zane knew my scent as a human, but would he still be able to track me as a Vampire? I knew the rumors of Zane returning with an army were causing alarm at the academy. I just prayed that he didn’t follow through with his threats.

  When class was finally over, Eden and I quickly packed up our notebooks and made our way into the hallway. My student iPad needed to be charged so I could use it later for Biology. I would have to run back to my room at some point to get my charger.

  “Hey, I need to go to my room really fast,” I said to Eden.

  “Ok, I will go with you,” she said.

  We went to turn toward the stairs, when a neon yellow flyer caught my eye. In big, bold words: All Plays will be canceled until further notice. The Theatre Department will be on lockdown.

  “No,” I cried out.

  “What?” Eden asked.

  I pointed to the sign and as she read the words, I saw understanding dawn on her face.

  “Audrey, we knew that changes were coming,” she stated.

  “I know, but it still sucks,” I whined.