Blood Witch (Paranormal Hunter Academy Book 1)

by Rae Hendricks

  “Senses mean nothing when you have the advantage.” His eyebrow raises at me, and my giggle morphs into desire. We have never done more than kiss even though he has seen me in just a bra and panties now during our fight. We haven’t even talked about it, but I think we are close. There’s always that tension there now like a bottle cap under extreme pressure or like we are always at the cusp of taking things too far. I don’t know how I feel about it, if I would regret it if I just gave in and let whatever happens happen. But he always stops it.

  Kagan nibbles at my ear before whispering into it. “I think we need to get up and get inside before the whole student body comes out and sees you losing your virginity.”

  The word virginity coming from his mouth makes me laugh, which I believe he meant it to, trying to kill the mood for both of us so we can get up.

  He stands up and offers me his hand, and I take it. He pulls me up, and we dust the snow off our clothes, the cold suddenly getting to me. “Let’s get inside,” I agree, starting to shiver. Night is coming quickly, and the temperature is dropping. There is still no end in sight to winter even though it feels like it has been going on forever. It is March now, so I guess it has. Looks like the groundhog will be seeing his shadow this year.

  “I can’t believe we are about to be separated again,” I whine as he walks me to my room. I have already decided that Jake is coming home with me for Ostara, but there will be no such luck with Kagan. My uncle would never accept my boyfriend staying with us. It is already bad enough I am going to have to tell him now I have a boyfriend and convince hm that Jake is not him.

  “Maybe we can see each other over the break. I think my father will actually get to be home. I would love for you to meet him.”

  I had been leaning in for another kiss as we approached my door, but I pull back, eyes wide. “You want me to meet your father?”

  “Yes, isn’t that generally what you do is take your girlfriend home to meet your parents?” he asks with amusement in his tone.

  “Then, maybe you can come meet my family. Jake is going to be with me anyway. You can come for our Ostara party.”

  “Hmm…more dancing, then?” he asks, feigning disgust.

  “You like it even though you suck at it,” I tell him, the nerves building up in me at the thought of being in the same house as one of the Magistrate. I don’t know how he will react to his son dating a Blood Witch, especially one that has caused them so much trouble already. But if we are going to stay together, I have to face the man some time. “Okay, I will come meet your dad, but you have to come to Ostara then,” I bargain.

  “It’s a deal.”

  My door opens of its own accord, interrupting us, and I see Jake is there, his eyes pouring out tears which are interestingly enough, not red with blood. I guess his human blood prevails. But none of it matters as my best friend is sobbing. I immediately pull him to me, knowing it must be bad for him to be waiting in my room, and Kagan mouths a goodnight to me. “Oh my god, Jake, what’s happening? What’s wrong?”

  “It’s my mom,” he sniffles. “My stepdad called to tell me that they found her before she could leave. The Magistrate has her, Riley.”

  Chapter 19

  I walk him back into my room and shut the door before anyone can come out to see what’s the matter. He doesn’t need the stares right now. I take him to my bed where I lay his head in my lap and stroke his hair while he tells me all of the awful details he knows so far.

  I don’t say a word as he tells me, and I sure as hell don’t voice any opinions.

  I know that this has been coming for a long time. His mother was making things worse for herself by running, and for her family, but saying that isn’t going to comfort him.

  One of the reasons I was allowed to survive and redeem myself was because we went straight to the Magistrate and didn’t try to hide or run.

  That had been my first thought, but I am glad my uncle found me and made me do something else. It is because of that that I am alive right now and helping my best friend through this tough time. I never would have even met him had I not been surrendered to them.

  The law is something that has to be followed even when we don’t like it.

  “He told me that they came by yesterday asking questions. Phaidra and Bianca did. They even asked my stepsister, though she has been kept mostly in the dark like me. They don’t want her involved. My stepfather…they threatened the two of us. Said that if he didn’t give up her plans and location that they would charge both us kids as accessories too. I am an adult so I would either be imprisoned or likely killed because of my demon blood. They assured him it was only my mother they wanted because it was time to pay for her crimes against humanity.”

  I lean my head back against the headboard and close my eyes, unable to imagine what kind of position that must have put his stepfather in, to have to choose either the safety of his wife or his children. I respect the Magistrate and what their purpose is, but I am unsure about the methods being used here. I begin to think their desperation must say something about Jake’s mother and her behavior. Do they have good reason to suspect she is feeding on blood or otherwise harming people and witches? That would be the only reason I could think of for them to be so aggressive about this.

  This is his mother, though, and that image shouldn’t be tattered if it can be helped.

  He continues with a shaky breath. “He didn’t tell the full truth so she would be harder to find. She would have time to run if he warned her. He thought she could still get out of the country fast enough and he could follow later. But they found her anyway because her phone was dead; never got the message.”

  He sniffles, and I hand him a few tissues from my nightstand, so he has plenty. “Did he say if they know what they are going to do with her?”

  “It sounds like she will be held pending a hearing that is happening the day after we get out for Ostara. I hate to ask this of you, Riley, but will you come with me, they want the family present to give testimony both for and against her? I don’t think I can face this alone.”

  I reach out and squeeze his hand. “Of course, I will be there.”

  Jake ends up falling asleep in my room, and I don’t have the heart to wake him and send him out. I have never seen anyone enforce rules in regards to our rooms or sleeping co-ed, so I let it go.

  Just before I fall asleep myself, another note slides under my door with the sound of skidding paper, so I get up to see what it’s all about.

  To whom it may concern,

  Riley Graywood will be released from suspension on Monday for good behavior. Please resume previous schedule.

  It is simply signed with the school’s seal, and I smile at the fact that I am at least getting my freedom back. I don’t want to know if someone has pulled strings for this or if it is real. I just want to enjoy it, so I relax and think about what it will be like back in classes and away form that pestering demon.

  ***

  For two more days I had to deal with Dru and the way he kept asking questions and pushing my buttons, trying to get me to believe that I am not in possession of a single drop of demon blood. I am convinced now that he is insane, but it doesn’t matter anymore because I am now back with the general population.

  I have now had all my classes and lunch completely free of both Katy and Dru, which feels pretty damn good if I do say so myself. All that’s left is Hunter Athletics, which I am prepared for since I have been training with my amazing boyfriend again, preparing to kick some demon ass. Who knows, it might be Dru’s ass I’m kicking one day. Lord know he is not going to eb able to land himself in general population, so he will probably be kicked out eventually. Once he runs out of chances.

  “Have a good time in class,” Kagan says with a wink, wrapping his arm around my waist one last time and planting a sweet kiss on my cheek. I beam at the fact that I get to show him off as being mine at this point. It just gets better and better with him, and I hope I don’t do anything else to scr
ew this up.

  “You too. See you later.” I wave as he heads off the other way, hopefully not making him late for his own class, before I go onto the field.

  What I see has my fists clenched at my sides. At the head of the field, next to Coach Grinaldi, is Dru. How has he been allowed out of suspension? He has hardly been in there, and he is a demon! An annoying as hell one at that.

  “Oh, good, you’re here,” Coach Grinaldi says in his strong Italian accent. “Since you are the one left without a partner, I think it might be a good idea to pair you up with our new classmate. Dru just got a last minute release for suspension.”

  Dru grins at me like a Cheshire cat, and I grimace back. Not only am I going to have to see him in class now, but he is going to be my combat partner?

  I have done enough to set this class behind, though, so I just nod and accept it, saying expletives under my breath as Dru follows me out to a spot on the field. Evidentially, the athletics class has gotten into actual hand on hand combat. I am guessing the real reason I am paired with him is because he is durable if I go into a rage and burn someone again. I don’t feel the need to be so careful then as I wait for the class to officially start and try to get a read on him and what strategy he might use.

  I am hoping he is as cocky as he looks because then I can catch him off guard. “Do I want to know how you managed to get out of suspension on the same day as me?”

  “Just a little good luck, I guess,” he snickers.

  “I am not buying what you’re selling,” I tell him. “I am on to you. Something fishy is going on here, and I am getting to the bottom of it so they’ll ship you off and get you out of my hair.”

  “You just don’t want to hear what I have to say. You don’t like that you’ve been lied to and a demon is the one telling you the truth,” he quips.

  Finally, we get the go ahead, and I am instantly in fight mode. I concentrate on my senses, relying on instinct and gut reactions based on what I see and hear and feel around me just like Kagan has taught me. I am going to prove a point with Dru today. I don’t know why it has become so important to show him my strength, but now I want to more than ever.

  He swings, and I dodge, bobbing and weaving. He tries to come at me with a somersault, showing off his physicality as a demon, but I can avoid him by simply not staying in one spot. It’s like it’s all for show.

  I skirt around him and try kicking out my leg to connect with his abdomen, but he catches it, throwing it back at me with such force, I almost lose my balance and fall over. If I end up on the ground, though, I know he will have won.

  “You know, some would consider this foreplay,” he says with a cackle.

  I try not to react, but I do find the joke a little funny because I know what he means. For Kagan and me, at least, this could easily be foreplay. I don’t know if I can handle another admirer here, so I choose to believe it’s just to get a rise out of me and nothing more. Dru is good looking, a hottie like most of the girls in suspension called him, but that’s only because of what he is. Being a demon gives this look of beauty and mystery to someone which draws you in. Dru is certainly no exception. His personality is what gives it away though, but I can’t help but compare my own recent snarkiness to his.

  The way I am starting to warm up to him gets on my nerves, and I strike out at his chest as the same time as I try to swipe under him with my leg. He jumps backward over me and grabs my arm, holding me in place. His grip is too tight to get out of, and I am reminded of one key piece of information provided to us in Demonology recently.

  Younger demons have an impossible strength that can’t be beat. It lasts for about a quarter of a century. Dru is a baby in demon years. Now, I am really lost as to why he has come to the academy instead of mingling with his own kind where he will be treated as an equal.

  “Okay, you proved your point, now let go. It feels like you’re crushing me,” I tell him, trying to yank free. He only holds me tighter, turning my arm over to expose the more sensitive flesh on the flip side. His sharp nail runs a trail up my veins, giving me a pleasurable sensation I really don’t like that he can evoke form me. This is too intimate for us. “What are you doing?” I ask him.

  “Showing you something.” His voice is so soft and tempting, like I imagine the original serpent’s would have been. I get how so many people fall into a demon’s clutches.

  He continues to stroke up and down my vein, and my whole body tingles. I grit my teeth as I force myself not to make a move, any show that what he is doing feels good.

  Then, with one swoop down, he presses in and rips my flesh open like it has a zipper, blood pouring out from the fresh wound.

  He tips my arm over so the blood runs towards his own arm, and I want to throw up. “Watch,” he commands, and I can’t look away as my blood hits his flesh and sizzles before bursting into white flames, leaving him screaming and writhing in pain.

  Chapter 20

  I don't have to search for Kagan as he is already running my direction, everyone being told to get inside. But I can’t go in there. I know it is a safety precaution because they are afraid what Dru will do now that I have injured him. I am shocked at the fact that I am more worried about if he is going to make it out of this okay than I am about the safety of everyone else on campus. When I first met Dru, I couldn’t stand him, but that doesn’t mean I want him to die. And he is the only one who has been helping me get to the truth about myself. I think I know what I am now, but I don’t know how it’s possible or how everyone has been so wrong about me this whole time.

  I practically collapse into Kagan’s arms, not able to handle all the information that my brain is trying to process at once. "I need to get out of here," I tell him. I can’t go back to class. I need to find out what is wrong with me and how this could have happened."

  "Slow down," he tells me, leading me to the furthest reaches of campus so we can sit down in the grass. I don’t know if we could get in trouble for this, but I can’t worry about that right now, I can only face one issue down at a time. "Now, tell me what happened. All I know is that we were told to clear out the fields and go on lockdown. Someone said something about a demon. Does this have to do with Dru?"

  I have only mentioned Dru a few times because I didn’t want Kagan to get involved or to worry. Dru has always been a problem I thought I could handle on my own.

  "Yes, it is Dru, but it’s all my fault. Kagan, I am not a Blood Witch, and I am so confused."

  "Wait, what do you mean you’re not a Blood Witch? I don’t understand."

  "I didn’t want to say anything," I choke on my words, realizing yet again I have hidden something from Kagan. Surely I should have more trust in the guy I am dating. I make myself promise that I will tell him everything from now on no matter how small or no matter how bad it will hurt him. I think holding things back from him is hurting us more than anything else could. "Dru has been trying to convince me that I am not one. I thought it was just a joke or a trick, but now it all makes sense. I am so terrible at the demon-related classes. Sun makes me feel strange, but I haven’t ever gotten sick from it or any burns. I know I have been careful, but you think there would have been something." I pause, letting it soak in. I search his eyes as it dawns on him.

  "I didn’t realize that angels also cry blood until Adriel told me, and now, when Dru drew blood from me during athletics, he proved his point. My blood hurt him. Demon blood and witch blood don’t hurt a demon. Only angel blood does. But why would someone try to turn me into part angel?"

  I finish, and Kagan is looking off in the distance, but his hand has mine firmly held. I take it as a comfort and give him time to collect his thoughts. "I don’t know, but I don’t like the sound of it. I think it’s best we get a hold of my father, even if we have to go to the headquarters to see him. If I can get a message to him about what’s going on, he will have to see us. I don’t think this is something we are going to be able to figure out on our won."

  "Okay," I agree,
"but what about Dru?"

  Kagan looks down at the cut along my arm to see that it is healing up. It just looks like one big scratch going down, not like it was ripped open and bleeding. "There wasn’t enough blood to kill him, I don’t think, but that was a risky move on his part. He knew what he was doing. We will have to check on him when we get back." Kagan pulls out his phone and begin typing frantically as I pull myself up from sitting as well. I feel as if I have been wrapped in concrete as I follow him to the gates, glad that everyone is in the building so they can’t stop us. What must they be thinking about me right now, though? Or are they more worried about the scary demon that’s supposedly going to kill them all even though he almost died himself?

  I am starting to understand why my uncle is not that into witch society.

  "I am seeing if my father will send a car for us. We need to be waiting out front," Kagan says, and I begin to follow him out, him using his code to get out.

  I shouldn’t be surprised to see my own personal stalker standing outside the gates, waiting for me, but I am. I truly thought he meant it when he said he would stay away until I could let him go. And for a moment there I had forgotten about it. I had gotten wrapped up in my best friend and my boyfriend and thought that the silly crush I once had on an angel was a story to look back at and laugh about. Seeing him like this refreshes those feelings I had all over again, and just as before, parting has only mad his power over me grow.

  I am not anywhere close to being over him.

  "Adriel, has my father sent you?" Kagan says, not suspecting what I am. He is here for me. He must have been watching the school somehow, always knowing when I was in trouble. I should be furious, but it warms my heart that he has been taking care of me from afar even when I thought we were over before we even began.