Darkblood Academy: Book One: Half-Blood (A Supernatural Academy Series)

by G. K. DeRosa

  Chapter 25

  Ryder woke me before the sun was up, and then disappeared into his bathroom to shower. I yanked the covers over my head, not ready to face the day—or him. How could I have gotten my hopes up again? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Even if Ryder did feel something for me, which I was now pretty sure he did, he could never fully act on it. Not when he needed to keep his dark urges under such tight control. Not while he was my teacher, and I was his student.

  I was fairly certain Cillian would kill him. And what about Kimmie-Jayne? What would she think about me lusting after her former bachelor?

  I shook my head, pushing the pointless thoughts aside. It didn’t matter. Ryder and I could never be together. My chest constricted, and I couldn’t suck enough air in. Throwing the comforter off, I raced to the window and jerked it open. The chilly morning air was like a smack in the face. And exactly what I needed.

  Ryder sauntered out of the bathroom, a gray towel hung loose around his hips. Sleek black tattoos covered his chest and abs, climbing and dipping over every perfect indentation.

  I tore my gaze away from his sculpted torso and bit my lower lip. Holy demon babies, was he doing it on purpose? Or did he really have no idea what effect he had over me?

  “You okay?” he asked, moving nearer.

  My hand shot up before he got too close. I couldn’t think when he got in my personal space. “I’m fine. I just needed some air.” Can’t he put some clothes on?

  His full lips twisted into an irresistible pout. “We need to talk about—”

  “No!” I hissed. “I don’t need you to rehash all the reasons why kissing me was a mistake or how it can never happen again or that you’re still in love with my half-sister. Let’s just pretend like it never happened. That worked so well for us last time.”

  “Luna…” He stepped toward me, holding out his hand.

  Anger surged in my gut. I opened my mouth to shout no again, but a blue bubble appeared around me. Ryder’s figure blurred through the swirling translucent azure. It was hard to make out the details of his face, but his expression darkened before he spun away.

  A few minutes later he emerged from his closet fully dressed. My safety bubble had disappeared, and I sat huddled on his bed. The sun still hadn’t quite come up yet; faint rays of light peeked through the dense forest below. “Why are we up so early anyway?”

  “I have to meet the team, and I wanted to show you where we train.”

  My brows pulled together. “I thought you trained in the gym.”

  “That’s just for class, but we generally meet in the mornings at a more private location.”

  “Okay… Can I go back to my room to get changed?”

  He nodded. “I’ll take you there now.”

  I hopped off the bed and waited by the door as he slipped on his boots. Without lifting his gaze to me, he whispered, “I know you’re mad, and you have every right to be. There’s no excuse for my behavior, and all I can say is I’m sorry for hurting you. I don’t know why I can’t control myself around you. No matter what, I’m sticking by your side though, and I will see you through this. Even if you hate me for it.”

  My throat tightened, a knot of emotion making it hard to breathe. I didn’t look at him as he stood up and walked toward me. Or the rest of the way to my dorm room.

  I refused to play along with his mood swings. I was done lusting over the unattainable Ryder Strong.

  After a trudge through the bitter cold to a small stone building at the edge of the academy grounds, meeting Drake’s judgmental, icy glare was the last thing I needed this morning. He and the other Seven stood in the center of the training room, each decked out in workout attire. So the moment he walked up to me, I infused my voice with as much venom as possible and narrowed my eyes at him. “I know I effed up big time last night. I’ve already heard it from Cillian and Ryder; I don’t need a scolding from you too.”

  Raine quirked a brow, a shadow of a smile tilting her perfect lips up. “I’m starting to like this new side of the snarky little half-blood.”

  Aeria chuckled beside her as they watched our exchange.

  “I wasn’t going to scold you,” said the prince, crossing his arms against his chest. “I was simply going to reprimand you for not letting us in on the fun.”

  Ash sauntered over, dark shadows rimming his sunken eyes. “Dude, it wasn’t that fun.”

  Drake squeezed his friend’s shoulder and smirked. “Maybe not for you, little dragon. When you get a bit more powerful, you’ll see the fun will really begin.”

  With a grunt, Ash shook the Fae’s arm off. “Whatever.”

  “All right, kids.” Ryder clapped his hands, drawing our attention toward him. “As I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, our little Luna was attacked on campus again. Until we can get that mark off her chest, we can expect these attempts to continue. The good news is, it gives you guys more of a chance to practice demon killing.”

  A chorus of whoops shot out around me.

  I scanned the training room while Ryder spoke to distract myself from ogling his body in that tight t-shirt and those loose hanging sweatpants. A dazzling array of metal weapons lined the walls—from nun chucks to crossbows to gleaming swords. I didn’t think there was a single weapon in existence that wasn’t in this hidden arsenal. Beside the weapons, tall bookshelves climbed the walls filled to the brim with ancient texts and small glass containers, beakers and bottles. Ingredients for potions? Most likely.

  The dip in Ryder’s voice drew my attention back to his speech. “The abacor demon that crashed the party in the woods last night won’t be an easy kill. Unlike the other two demons who’ve come, this guy is more than just vile goo and brawn as Ash can attest to.”

  “We heard you almost tore it to shreds,” said Triston, his lips spreading into a wolfish grin.

  Ryder nodded, but his jaw tightened. “Almost. But as you can see, it still managed to get away. Abacors are smart, upper-level demons and more than anything, they’re powerful. I need you all on high alert today when you’re on the hunt. It’s doubtful he’ll come out in broad daylight, but you’ve all been excused from your classes for the day. I want this beast caught before bedtime. You guys got it?”

  “Yes, sir,” they all shouted in unison.

  “I need you guys to break up into two groups, and I want a nice balance of power. You’re going to need to work together to vanquish this guy. It won’t be like the marai demon. Drake, Scarlett and Triston: you’re team one and Raine, Ash, Aeria and Raf: you’ll be team two.”

  Raine twitched beside me, and I knew exactly what she was thinking because the same thought was racing through my mind. Ryder still didn’t know how we’d defeated that demon.

  I nudged her in the arm. It was time to come clean. Everyone in here was a darkblood like me—possibly—so there was no reason to keep it a secret any longer.

  Raine waggled her fingers at Ryder when I made no move to interrupt him. The less I had to talk to him, the better.

  “Yes, Raine?”

  “There’s something we left out of our marai demon debrief with Cillian.”

  His dark brow lifted. “Okay. So what happened?”

  “I whipped up a little alternative magic spell and used Aeria and Luna as energy magnifiers to vanquish it. That little half-blood’s power packs a pretty big punch. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  Aeria’s head bounced up and down, confirming the story. Heat rushed to my cheeks as a shadow of what I’d felt that night tingled through my veins. It was strangely satisfying to hear Raine speak so highly of my power and confirm what I’d thought had been mind blowing.

  Ryder scratched at his chin, the rasp of his nails against his day old scruff magnified in the tense silence. I could feel the others’ heavy gaze burning into the side of my face, only intensifying the heat creeping across my cheeks.

  “That’s pretty big news, Raine. Thanks for enlightening me on this newest development.” His dark eyes shot to me for a
second before settling back on the rest of the team.

  Whatever. Maybe I would’ve told him if he hadn’t been such a jerk after kissing me. Again.

  “Can you go over all the details, please?”

  She recounted exactly what happened, from the surge of power that exploded through us when our hands joined to the full incineration of the nasty winged-monster.

  “So Luna’s a darkblood like one of us?” asked Ash, sparks lighting up his emerald eyes.

  “Seems possible,” Ryder answered.

  “Who is your father anyway, Luna?” Drake leaned forward, craning his head around the others to drill me with his frosty gaze.

  My eyes jumped to Ryder’s, unbidden. Cillian had thought it best to keep my father’s identity a secret, but maybe it was time for the truth to come out. At least within this secret circle anyway.

  Ryder cleared his throat, releasing a breath. “Her father is a high warlock. His name isn’t important right now, but suffice it to say that Luna’s inheritable magical abilities are numerous due to her parentage.”

  “That’s pretty freakin’ cool,” said Scarlett, shooting me a smile.

  “So which team do I get to be on?” I finally asked.

  Ryder tsked. “Sorry mini minx, but you’re benched for this mission. You’ll be spending the day with Cillian.”

  “What?” I drilled my stubborn instructor with my most hateful glare. “But Raine and Aeria just told you that I have real powers. I should be out there helping.”

  He shook his head adamantly. “Absolutely not. If you’re out there, I’ll just be worried about you.” He snapped his jaw shut and raked a hand over his face. “I’d be concerned with your safety. The others have been training for almost a year now. You’ve just been thrown into this whole new world. The best place for you is safely tucked away in the headmaster’s office.”

  “This is BS,” I growled under my breath. “You can’t make me stay there in some misguided attempt to protect me.”

  Ryder erased the distance between us, his massive body looming over me. Darkness twisted his expression. “Oh yes, I can. I can ground your ass for the rest of the semester if I want to. I’m your instructor.”

  I glared up at him, fury uncoiling in my chest like a venomous serpent. Man, I loathed him right now. “It’s not fair.” I hated how whiney I sounded, but it was all I could come up with without spilling my real feelings in an avalanche of spiteful words.

  After another heated moment, he stepped back and I could breathe again. From my periphery, I caught all eyes on us, and it was all I could do to keep the heat from spreading across my cheeks and tinting them fifty shades of red.

  “I can take her to Cillian’s,” offered Drake.

  “No,” Ryder barked. “I’ll take her, and we’ll meet up in the main hall. Team one you’ve got the exterior grounds first and team two you’re inside. I’ll patrol on my own, covering both areas. Security is aware of the threat, but they’ve been ordered to inform me immediately if they spot the abacor.”

  The Seven nodded, their expressions grim, like soldiers ready for battle.

  “Pick your weapon of choice while I’m gone. Nothing flashy, remember we’re trying to keep this low key. There’s no reason to cause a panic at the school. The rest of the students have no idea what’s going on, and we’d like to keep it that way.”

  Ryder stepped beside me, his hand making a move toward my lower back. I squirmed away before he made contact and marched toward the door. From the corner of my eye, I swore Drake smirked, having caught the awkward exchange. But I couldn’t be sure.

  “Good luck, you guys,” I called over my shoulder as anger ate away at me for not being included. For now. The moment Cillian’s back was turned, I’d make my escape. That abacor demon was mine.

  Chapter 26

  My foot tapped on the hardwood floor of Cillian’s pristine office, my knee unable to stop bouncing. I stared at the clock hung over the headmaster’s desk, the sluggish tick-tock of the second hand taunting me with every millimeter it crawled. Cillian hunched over his desk, his bright eyes intent on the computer screen. Every so often, he’d lift his gaze to me and throw me a reassuring glance. I had to repress the urge to snarl at him.

  I huffed out a breath, crossing my legs to stop the bouncing. Again my skin itched as if I spent another minute inside it, I’d explode. It was an odd feeling that came over me time and again. It had been less than an hour since Ryder dropped me off, but time had moved at a snail’s pace since I watched him walk out the door.

  As if last night’s rejection hadn’t been bad enough, now I had to deal with his brutal rebuff regarding the mission. Wrapping my arms around myself, I fully indulged in my pity party for one.

  Cillian cleared his throat and settled his brilliant azure eyes on me. A few months ago, it would have had my insides in knots, but now the hot bachelor had become my headmaster, and I saw him in a completely different light. He was still gorgeous though—I wasn’t blind.

  “I haven’t forgotten about that mark,” he said, his gaze dipping down to my chest. “I’d hoped Ryder could have gotten the answers we needed from the Underworld, but since he didn’t, I’ve begun to research other avenues.”

  Unbidden, my fingers trailed along the puckered, heated skin. “Thanks, Cillian, I appreciate it.”

  He stood, his long legs eating up the space between us until he stopped just in front of me. His lips twisted into a half-frown, and the crease between his brows deepened.

  “Yes?” I finally said, when the silence got awkward.

  He exhaled a long breath and clasped his hands behind his back. “I want you to feel completely comfortable with me, Luna. I know you had a rough start and trusting others may not come easily, but I want you to trust me. With anything. Do you understand?”

  I nodded, chewing on my lower lip as heat warmed the tips of my ears. Did he know about my dark magic?

  “I care about Kimmie-Jayne deeply and you, as an extension.” His lips curled into a sheepish smile. “I’d like it if you considered me an older brother of sorts—a much older brother.” He chuckled to himself.

  Cillian was like a bazillion years old. He’d never even divulged the exact number on Hitched. Apparently, angels were weirdly secretive about their ages.

  “Okay,” I finally said, incredibly confused by this conversation. Was he trying to get something out of me or was he really just being nice?

  He crouched down so his eyes were level with mine. “Coming into powerful abilities is a difficult time for any supernatural. The internal battle between light and dark can be all consuming, and I don’t want you to fear coming to me. I may be an angel, but I’ve behaved less than angelic on more than one occasion. I know Ryder has taken it upon himself to mentor you, but if there’s ever a problem, you can always talk to me about it.”

  Something about his tone when he mentioned my instructor had crimson coating my cheeks. Oh God, what if he knew?

  Three sharp knocks at the door had us both spinning toward the entryway. And thankfully, it put an end to this crazy uncomfortable conversation.

  Darby peeked his bald head through the crack, scraggly white tufts shooting up like weeds. “Sir, there’s been a development.”

  My eyes shot open, and my head whipped back toward Cillian.

  “About the abacor demon?” he asked.

  The old man shook his head. “No. One of the first year’s conjured up a spitfire demon and half of the students in Professor Marston’s class have been badly burnt. The healers could use your help.”

  “Of course.” Cillian hurried toward the door, his magnificent wings bursting from his wide shoulders. Before he shut the door behind him, he spun back. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay put. You’ll be safe here.”

  I nodded, schooling my expression into a blank mask while my insides danced a little jig. This was my chance to break out of here.

  Plastering my ear to the thick timber, I waited until Cillian’s footst
eps fell away. The scrape of chair legs against the floor plummeted my soaring hopes. I’d anticipated Darby going with him, but no such luck.

  I slumped back against the door, my shoulders sagging. Now what? The massive picture window behind Cillian’s desk caught my eye, and I scampered across the room. Leaning over the windowsill to the frozen tundra four floors below, I quickly scrapped that idea.

  Another quickly took shape along the outskirts of my mind. The words of the cloaking spell I’d never been able to master flickered in my subconscious. It was a good thing I’d been so bad at magic my first few months here that I had all the time in the world to memorize dozens of enchantments.

  Hovering by the door, I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered the mystical words under my breath. “Nascondem, ascondem oblivis.” After a few more chants, I glanced down at my uniform shirt and skirt, the bright tartan hue screaming, “Here I am!” Damn, it didn’t work.

  Gritting my teeth, I drew in a long, cleansing breath and tried again. Warmth spread through my veins and hope flickered in my gut until I opened my eyes. Still totally visible.

  Blast it!

  I stomped across Cillian’s office, cursing my fickle magic. Why couldn’t it just come when I wanted it to? I trudged past a mirror, and my head whipped back to the ornate framed glass. Gingerly walking toward it, my eyes widened with every step. Either I’d just died and come back as a vampire, or my spell worked!

  I wasn’t even sure about the no reflection vampire myth, which meant… I was free! I darted to the door, gently turning the antique brass knob. Holding my breath with every click and squeak, I inched the door open. From the crack, Darby’s hunched form coalesced across the way, along with that of a very large security guard.

  Crapcicles! I hadn’t counted on a guard. And I had no idea what kind of supe he was—besides a humongous one. Unlike the students, security didn’t wear handy dandy little pins from their corresponding houses. I eyed the bulky man standing behind Darby’s desk trying to assess his supernatural status. If he was a warlock, he might be able to see through my cloaking spell. But those bulging biceps and thick thighs didn’t exactly scream warlock—not to be racist or anything. My gut said werewolf or some other shifter, which meant heightened sense of smell and sound. I wasn’t exactly sure how much this spell cloaked… dammit!