by Demi Dumond
I frowned. This was not good news. Caught between Headmaster Crowe and Professor Kiln was a bad place to be. It was where I found myself that first day, and it was where I was now. “Which one do you trust?”
“I trust Professor Kiln,” he said. “I’m fallen and the headmaster still gives me the creeps.”
“I’m with you there, but I wonder what that makes me?” I asked. “Why can I do forbidden magic?” He was already freaked out about the forbidden magic, so I decided not to tell him that it was literally taking over me. That wouldn’t help anybody.
And besides, I was resigned to let it take over, at least until I had saved the dragon.
“Kiln says not to change the dragon. She says it’s a very bad idea.”
It was my turn to stare at him accusingly. “You told her? What if he’s a former student, Malachai? What if he knew too much and somebody did that to him? If whoever did this literally killed a teacher and stabbed a vampire, they could probably turn somebody into a dragon.”
“Kiln can’t do forbidden magic, Keira. That only leaves the Headmaster.”
“Maybe,” I said. “If she’s telling the truth. But there’s only one way to find out. Look,” I said, “I know that dragon’s a monster, but I hear his voice in my head. He needs help Malachai. And who knows, he might have answers.”
“It’s a bad idea, Keira.” He was angry now, and he stood. “Kiln is trying to protect us. And that dragon isn’t. I think you made it mad. If you go out there again, you might get killed.”
“Kiln isn’t trying to protect anyone but herself,” I answered, crossing my arms. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go back to my reading.”
I waited for Malachai to argue with me again, but he didn’t. Instead, he got up and stormed out.
I sat there processing everything for a moment when Ivy came back out of her room. I wondered how much she heard.
“You’d better not be serious about that dragon thing. If you do forbidden magic again, I’m telling.”
“Great. A rat,” I said. “You realize that if you tell on me the headmaster is literally going to throw me into a dungeon forever.”
“Good,” she answered. “You’re dangerous, you belong in the dungeon.”
“You’re welcome, by the way,” I said to her, “I saved your life tonight. And the rest of the ingrate student body. Thanks, Keira, you’re the best. That dragon would have eaten us if it weren’t for you.”
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter,” Ivy said, ignoring the last part. “That dragon’s probably going to eat you anyway.”
She turned on her heel to head back into her room.
“Nice talk,” I called after her.
14
Keira
I stayed up all night reading the books I stole from Malachai. In my room, I felt the rumbling in my room of the restless dragon outside. I heard his jumbled thoughts in my head.
The little bit of sleep I got was fitful, restless.
I woke with my heart racing. And the more I remembered what I read last night, the more frightened I got. It looked like the only way I could do the spell that might turn the dragon back into a student, if that’s what he actually was, was to go out into the forest at night and do it face to scaly face.
In fact, the best possible shot I had at performing the spell at all was during tonight’s hunter’s moon. It would be so bright I could see in the dark.
That mean there would be nowhere for me to hide. Somewhere deep inside I knew that this was what the dragon wanted, but would he be able to keep the beast contained long enough for me to finish the spell? Or would I be burnt toast like Ivy suggested?
The one thing that was clear was that if I planned to try the spell, I needed protection. And there was only one person at the academy who had that type of muscle.
Rafe and his pack. They were the only ones who were crazy enough to go out in that forest at night. And I was probably the only one who could ask him to do it.
I felt terrible going to him and asking him for a favor after running off on him the other night. It felt like using him. And on top of everything else, I had already gotten him shot.
These thoughts were still distracting me as I sat across from Bree. We were eating breakfast at the cafeteria as usual. And I was zoning out, which wasn’t so usual. Bree noticed.
“Hey, are you okay?” She asked, leaning forward and breaking me out of my trance.
“What?” I asked. “Oh yeah, I was just up late last night reading. Um, homework. Reading homework.”
Bree stared at me.
“Okay, I hear it now. I admit, last night was intense, what with the dragon and the magic and me getting in trouble again. Then I got called into Headmaster Crowe’s office. And he threatened me again. The whole thing was a mess. Fine, I’m not okay. You happy?”
I set down my fork full of scrambled eggs and looked up at Bree. It was something I should have done earlier in my tangent, because of the two of us, she was the one who looked upset and disheveled.
“Oh my gosh, Bree. You’re the one who doesn’t look so good. Are you feeling okay?” I asked, concerned. Her normally perfect hair looked unbrushed and her clothes looked slept in. Her makeup was still perfect, so there was that.
“I didn’t sleep well,” she said.
“I get that. Do you need anything?” I asked.
She ignored my question. “So, you and Ian, eh?” She managed a weak smile.
“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that. He’s so hot and I helped him when he was, um, sick.”
“And the demon?” She persisted.
“Fallen angel,” I corrected.
“There are rumors about you two,” she said.
I frowned. When did this conversation turn from her looking like the cat dragged her into the cafeteria to a discussion about my love life? “We’re just friends.” I replied. “And barely that,” I lied.
“And Rafe?” she asked. That made me laugh out loud. Except she was starting to sound like Ivy and it irritated me. “What’s gotten into you, Bree? The Rafe thing isn’t even my fault. He’s got some crazy notion about me being his mate. How nuts is that?”
“Oh, so that’s why he took a bullet for you,” Bree said, whistling. “That’s a pretty impressive list of guys considering it’s your first semester.”
“What about you and Clay?” I asked. Let’s see how she likes twenty questions about her love life. Then I realized that was the only question I had. Either her life was really boring or mine was a mess, and I figured it was the latter.
“Clay’s good,” she said. “He’s taking this whole dragon thing a little hard.”
“Is he?” I asked. “Why?”
“That dragon ate a student, Keira,” she whispered. “And now there are rumors you want to help it. It’s not right, it’s not natural. Don’t do it, Keira. People are going to get hurt.”
Damn you, Ivy, I thought. “Look,” I said, “it’s complicated.” A surge of anger swept through me. “And don’t talk to me about getting hurt, Bree.”
Once I thought about what she was accusing me of, I lost it. “Since when am I the one putting anyone in danger, anyway? This whole fucking student body tried to sacrifice me to that stupid dragon not that long ago. My friend was thrown into a dungeon. Malachai stabbed me in the back, and Headmaster Crowe doesn’t do a fucking thing about it except threaten me. If a student gets hurt-I go to the dungeon. If I use forbidden magic, even to save the entire student body, then I go to the dungeon.”
Bree’s eyes got wide. “What? I had no idea, Keira. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well I’m getting tired of everybody blaming me for all the shit that goes on around here. Maybe I should be starting some of my own. At least then I’d go down for a truth instead of a lie.”
As soon as I said it, I realized that was the direction I wanted to go. I was tired of being pushed around and manipulated. If I was going to get through this in one piece, I was going to have to trust
my instincts. It might be my only shot at surviving. Waiting around for the headmaster to have an excuse wasn’t going to save me.
“Feel better, Bree.” I got up without finishing my food. I grabbed my backpack and headed out of the cafeteria. I had extra time now since I was skipping half of my breakfast, and I was even more resolved to find Rafe and ask my favor.
It didn’t take long. I found him in the shifter lounge with Ivy and the others playing pool and listening to music. As soon as I walked in, I was met with glares and bared teeth.
That was fair, I had walked uninvited and unannounced. I raised my hands in surrender. “I come in peace.”
A deep voice snarled and told them all to knock it off. “If I ever see a tooth bared at her again, somebody’s getting an arm ripped off.”
My heart was pounding in my chest. I knew that Rafe meant what he said. That made this the most awkward lounge visit ever. If the pack hated me now, they were going to be much angrier after they found out why I was here.
“Keira,” Rafe said, flashing me that dimpled, boyish smile that melted me every time. “It’s great to see you down here!”
“Yes,” I said. “It’s certainly more fun down here than the mage lounge. Up there, it’s just a bunch of studying and cookies.”
Rafe laughed. I didn’t blame him; I was babbling because I was nervous.
He seemed to sense my anxiety. “Hey, let’s go to my office in the back where we can talk in private. And listen, despite what you heard and saw a minute ago, you can come down here any time you want and they’re going to be really, really nice to you from now on.”
“Sure, because you threatened them,” I said. “Not because they like me.”
He opened the door which said Pack Business on it and waved me in. The office had a desk, a cheap bookshelf, several metal folding chairs, and boxes of files everywhere. Who knew shifters did so much paperwork? Rafe cleared off a couple of the chairs and asked me to sit.
Then we both sat, and he looked into my eyes. I felt bad about the way last night ended and I knew he could sense that. But that wasn’t why I was here. Instead of asking, he patiently waited for me to speak.
I cleared my throat. “Look, Rafe. I hate to ask you to help me with this, I really do. Everybody else seems to think it’s a very bad idea, but tonight is the best shot I’m going to have.”
“Best shot at what?” He asked, smirking at me and leaning forward in his chair. “This sounds like it’s going to be good.”
“Okay,” I said. “Look, this is going to sound very strange. But the dragon. I think he’s a former student.”
“What?”
“I think the dragon is a human, and also a former student. I think he knew forbidden magic. Because he responded to mine. And I’ve heard him in my head ever since. He’s suffering Rafe, he needs my help. And if he was turned into a dragon because he had forbidden magic, he could help us.”
“Help us with what?” he asked.
“With the time bubble thing. The thing Malachai is talking about.” I leaned forward. “The fact that nobody has left here alive in decades.”
“That’s melodramatic horse shit,” Rafe said.
“I wasn’t sure either until I saw this,” I said, pulling out my obituary. I unfolded it and handed it to him.
“What the hell?” he asked. Then he looked up at me. His face had drained of color. “You died two years ago? Are you a ghost?”
Well, it was good to know that Rafe was the superstitious sort. I held my hand out for the newspaper. He handed it back, then I whacked him with it, lightly.
“No, I’m not a ghost. That’s my point. Malachai is an asshole, but I think he’s telling the truth about this whole time bubble thing. And we’re going to have to figure it out soon, or I’m dead. And so are you and everybody else here.”
“What do you need?” he asked.
“There’s a spell I want to do, but it has to be tonight, in the forest, under the hunter’s moon.”
“Shit,” Rafe said. “My guys love running in the woods, but with recent events, they’re avoiding the area. And that’s under normal circumstances. If we go out under a hunter’s moon, we’re all going to be sitting ducks. Or even worse, roasted ducks.”
“I know it sucks,” I said. “But you and your pack are my only hope. There’s no way anybody else is going out there with me tonight. I hate to put you in this situation, Rafe, but if you don’t help me, I will go alone.”
Rafe’s expression fell. “You’re asking me to put the pack in danger,” he said.
“Technically, all of us are already in danger,” I answered. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d go alone, and by the look on his face, he understood.
He thought about it a moment. “We’ll go,” he said. “We’ll protect you, Keira.” He shook his head and his face melted effortlessly back into a grin.
“To tell you the truth, I’ve been bored at this academy for quite a while now. And every weird thing that’s gone on here lately has one thing in common. You at ground zero. Everybody else just wants the status quo.”
He leaned in close. Close enough for me to feel his hot breath on my face. It had an intoxicating effect. An animal attraction from the very core of my body tried to take over.
I fought it even though I knew that he could tell he turned me on. I felt a spreading moisture between my legs.
He thought I was his mate, and I didn’t agree. But it was still dangerous for me to be this close to him. I felt my breath hitch.
He wasn’t whispering to try to get in my pants, though. His face filled with concern. “I have a problem too, Keira. I can’t feel my pack anymore,” he whispered. It felt like a confession. “None of us can. We’re separated from everyone we knew outside the academy. There’s a ceremony we can try at the same time as your spell. If there’s even a slight hope that this will work, we’re in. The whole pack.”
I understood what he was saying. I knew how many brave lives I was putting in danger for my plan, and I felt terrible. I felt better knowing it was going to help the pack too, but I wasn’t sure if that part was just to make me feel better.
“There’s a chance that this will all blow up in my face and the headmaster will take me out,” I blurted out.
“Yeah,” he said, “but there’s also a chance we win, right? Especially when you have a guy like me on your side.”
He thought about it. “Just make sure you wave a metal detector over your demon friend if he tags along.”
I risked a quick kiss on Rafe’s cheek. “I’ll make sure he plays nice,” I said as I jumped up and ran out the door.
Not even the edgy looks from Ivy and her friends could dampen my mood now. I was picking up allies, and unlike Malachai, Rafe had already proven he’d stand with me.
15
Rafe
I paced for a few minutes after Keira left. I knew she felt the pull of our mating bond. And she came to me all on her own. It was progress. I had no choice except to take care of her.
And I had to put the pack in danger to do it. She had a point that we were probably all dead anyway, at least she was willing to put up a fight. I was willing to fight anybody to get me and my wolves back to the pack in the outside world. I just needed to know whose asses to kick. And judging by her track record, Keira would figure that out in a hurry.
At least now we could do what needed to be done. I snarled, months of pent-up frustration surfacing. And what about the dragon? With a hunter’s moon there would be no place to hide. I thought about it and then broke into my widest grin. We don’t hide.
We make sure it knows exactly where we are. Assuming Keira needs the dragon’s presence to do a spell on it, I knew exactly what to do. I could hear the rest of my wolves whining in my head during the entire conversation. I knew they were restless, and now I knew just how to make them feel better.
I went outside and gathered my best wolves. “Okay,” I said, “new plan. Tonight, we have a bonfire, wolves. Just like the
old days. I need you to go out and gather firewood for tonight. Go in groups of three or more. Stay close to the academy. Alert me if you see anything suspicious. Tonight, we will run and howl.”
Without a word they nodded and disbursed. With any luck at all, tonight was going to be epic. And it would do double duty. With a big enough bonfire and Ivy’s shaman heritage, we might be able to contact our outside pack.
16
Keira
After visiting Rafe, I went into Professor Kiln’s class with a spring in my step.
I smiled at Malachai on my way past and he scowled back at me. Apparently, he still didn’t agree with my decision about the dragon. Well, too bad. He wasn’t awakened every night by the moaning of a miserable dragon inside his head. This shit had to stop if I was going to be able to concentrate.
I sat down and prepared my paper and pen for today’s lecture. As usual, Professor Kiln swept into the room. Only she looked more put together today.
Her pointy hat was straight on her head, she wore a pretty purple dress I had never seen, and she was wearing four-inch-heels that gave her an even more imposing height. With the hat added in, she had to be at least six-foot-four.
And there was a spring in her step too. I wondered what was going on. Maybe she got laid. Either way, I found myself leaning forward to find out what today’s lecture was going to be about. Even the air felt electric, like something important was about to happen.
Then I noticed the oddest thing of all about Professor Kiln. She had only hauled one book into class. Usually she came in balancing at least half a dozen or more.
She put the one book on the desk. Then she turned to all of us, leaning on it like she couldn’t bear the thought of walking away.
She wore a stereotypical ate-the-mouse expression. Everything taken together, today Professor Kiln was starting to freak me the fuck out.
“Okay, class,” she said. “The bad news is that today there is a test.” She waited for the collective groan to pass before continuing. “The good news is that you all will get an A+, and this test will count for double points in your final grade.”