Wolf Blood: Lunar Academy, Year One

by Snyder, Jennifer

  “Which do you think Miranda is part of—the good group or the evil one?” Nora asked in a whisper. She’d let go of my wrist when we stepped around a cluster of girls blocking the sidewalk. “I can’t even believe she’s part of a group at all. She’s so quiet. And nice.”

  Miranda slipped behind the Wolf Bound dormitory and disappeared. My wolf bristled. I understood. Not having her in sight any longer meant there was a chance she’d grabbed the upper hand and could be waiting to attack on the other side of the building.

  She had given me a suspicious look at the library. I thought I’d been careful at the flower shop, but maybe I hadn’t been careful enough. Could she have spotted me there too? If so, then she would definitely be waiting on the other side of the building for us.

  Shit.

  I forced Nora to a standstill. “We need to come in from the opposite side. I think she’ll be expecting us to follow her this way.”

  “Right. Okay.” Nora’s face scrunched up. “Maybe we should split up. You go one way, and I’ll go the other.” She reached out for my wrist again. “No. Wait a minute. Then she would just attack one of us. It would be a minute or two before the other could help.”

  I loved that she’d finished her thought before I could tell her how bad an idea splitting up was. “Exactly. Let’s just stick to going in the opposite direction she did. Together.”

  Nora nodded and then linked her arm through mine. We crossed in front of the Wolf Bound dormitory, both of us keeping our eyes peeled for Miranda in case she was close by watching and waiting. I couldn’t sense anyone’s eyes on us. It didn’t mean there wasn’t anyone watching us, though.

  Adrenaline spiked through my system.

  When we reached the opposite side of the building, I drew in a breath and unlinked my arm from Nora’s, preparing to fight should the need arise. My wolf snapped at me. She wanted me to set her free. My vampire strength rushed through me at the same time. While I knew neither side of myself would put me at an advantage against Miranda, considering she was from the same house as I was, I was still glad both sides of me were just as ready as the other in case she attacked.

  I glanced at Nora. Her fists were in front of her, ready to swing should Miranda be waiting. The two of us stepped around the building at the same time. I wasn’t sure what I expected to see, but an empty space wasn’t it.

  Miranda wasn’t back here.

  “Where did she go?” Nora whispered.

  I glanced around. “I’m not sure. Maybe in through the back door?”

  I wasn’t sure if that was where she’d went, but I figured it was possible. We inched closer to the French doors off the back of the dormitory. If the building was anything like Wolf Blood’s, then those doors led to the main lounge. While I didn’t understand why Miranda might use the back door instead of the front door, I didn’t discredit the possibility.

  “What should we say if someone asks what we’re doing here?” Nora glanced at me. Anxiety rippled off her in waves, causing my wolf to feel even more uneasy about this entire situation.

  “We’ll think of something if it comes to it.” I had no freaking clue what excuse would make us look the least suspicious. And really, it all depended on how confrontational the person who spotted us happened to be.

  I peeked through the glass doors to the main lounge. There were people sitting on the couches, a couple of guys at the pool table mid-game, and a girl in the recliner. There wasn’t any sign of Miranda, though.

  Where the hell had she gone?

  I stepped away from the doors when I noticed the girl sitting cross-legged on the recliner with her laptop looking at me.

  “Okay, she’s definitely not in there,” I said. I grabbed Nora’s arm and steered her away from the doors.

  “Where could she have gone, then? We weren’t too far behind her. She didn’t have that much of a head start. If she ran in there, someone would have stopped her to ask what she was doing. It’s not even her dorm house.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” I glanced around the grassy area behind the dormitory. There were no greenhouse buildings or maintenance sheds out here. It was a patch of grass and then the start of the woods a little distance away. There was no place for her to go besides inside the dorm house. Unless… “What if she went into the woods?”

  Nora glanced in that direction. “It’s possible.”

  I scanned the woods as well. There was no sign of Miranda, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t darted to them when disappearing behind the building and worked her way deep inside.

  I started for them. Nora followed. When we reached the edge of the woods, I stepped through. Nora grabbed my wrist.

  “Wait a minute, are we going in there to look for her?” she asked.

  “I think this is where she went. To do what, I don’t know. But my guess is, it has something to do with Lee and the secret group. Are you coming?”

  Nora released her grip on me and glanced at her feet, causing my eyes to dip there. She wiggled her toes in her pair of thin flip-flops. “I’m not dressed for hiking in the woods. Plus, I’m allergic to poison ivy.”

  “Are you serious?” What wolf is allergic to poison ivy? Typical human afflictions didn’t affect us.

  Well, this was true most of the time.

  There was a guy in my essentials class—a Wolf Blood—who was allergic to garlic. His revelation of that had everyone laughing, including the professor, since it’s nothing but an old vampire myth.

  “It’s embarrassing, but yeah. For whatever reason, when I’m in my human form I’m allergic to poison ivy, sumac, and oak. It’s something I learned the hard way. Trust me.” Nora scratched her arms as though just the thought of it irritated her skin. “When I’m in wolf form, I’m fine, though. I can roll in it and not have an issue.”

  “So, maybe you should shift.” I arched a brow and flashed her a grin. She didn’t seem to think the suggestion was funny.

  “And break a rule? No, thanks.”

  “Are you sure? It would kill two birds with one stone—you wouldn’t get poison anything and you’d probably be able to catch a whiff of Miranda’s scent. Then we’d know for sure if she came into the woods, and if she’s in here alone.”

  The thought of someone else being with her sent a shiver up my spine.

  “It’s broad daylight. I’d totally be caught,” Nora insisted.

  “Okay, then just wait here. I’ll be back in a second.”

  “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go in there alone. I don’t think Miranda is a giant threat—she seems like too sweet of a person—but one of the things we both know about the supernatural world is that looks can be deceiving.” She carefully stepped over some low-lying brush and made her way into the woods. “I’ll just watch my step.”

  “Okay, but I still think shifting is a better idea.”

  “Why don’t you do it, then?”

  “Because, I’m not the one worried about getting an itchy rash.” It wasn’t even close to the truth.

  The truth was, I was afraid to shift and allow my wolf control. I didn’t know if I’d be able to rein her back in. My adrenaline was high, and my wolf was too uneasy in this situation.

  It was best if I remained in human form and kept control.

  As Nora and I walked deeper into the woods, neither of us spoke. There didn’t seem to be any sign of Miranda, but there was a whiff of something unfamiliar lingering in the air here. Nora locked eyes with me the instant she sensed it too.

  “Magic?” I whispered.

  “Yeah, but Wolf Bounds aren’t supposed to use magic outside of the classroom. It’s a rule.”

  A rule that didn’t matter to someone.

  If Miranda was with whoever it was, I didn’t think we’d find her anytime soon. While I didn’t know exactly what type of magic hung in the air here, I knew I didn’t want to be a part of it. Not with Lee’s disappearance and some secret organization on campus.

  “Let’s get out of here,” I suggested
as I turned back.

  Nora didn’t argue. Instead, she headed back the way we came without a word. Soon we were back to the edge of the woods near the Wolf Bound dormitory making our way around to the front of the building. When we reached the sidewalk, I pulled out my cell and shot off a text to Axel.

  I lost Miranda. Something strange is going on in the woods behind the Wolf Bound dormitory. I think she’s working with someone who’s using magic beyond the classroom.

  Nora picked up her pace, leaving me behind. I glanced behind us, thinking someone was following us but didn’t see anyone suspicious.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked as my wolf bristled.

  She made a face. “I have to pee so freaking bad. All this excitement has my last bottle of water rushing right through me.”

  I laughed. And then pulled out my cell again to send another text to Axel.

  How are things going with Pete? Any luck on finding out anything else?

  When he didn’t respond right away, I shoved my cell into my back pocket and tried to keep up with Nora as we speed-walked back to the Wolf Blood dorms. The girl was fast when she had to pee.

  Axel

  My head hurt like hell. Dots speckled the edges of my vision as I swung my head from left to right.

  Where was I?

  The place was dimly lit and hot as a fucking sauna. It smelled like sweat and something else. What was that? Air freshener? Had someone recently sprayed something to try to cover up the stench of the place? There was something else—another scent mixed in—but I couldn’t name it.

  The hair on the back of my neck lifted as two sets of eyes settled on me. Wherever I was, I wasn’t alone.

  A chair scraped against the concrete floor, catching my attention. I spun to my left to see who I was dealing with and felt a sharp pain shoot through the side of my face.

  Why was I in so much pain? What the hell had happened?

  An old fire extinguisher a few feet away caught my eye. That was the source of my pain. I knew it. Pete had hit me with a damn fire extinguisher. My demons fumed. I lifted a hand to rub against my throbbing face, but soon realized I couldn’t. My hands had been tied together—my feet too—with rope. Magical rope. That was the other scent I’d noticed. Magic.

  Shit. This wasn’t good.

  “Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused by following me?” Pete snarled from somewhere behind me. Like I’d sensed before, he wasn’t alone. There was someone else with him. I could feel their eyes on me.

  Someone stepped from the shadows in front of me. It took me a second, but I recognized him. He’d sat in on a couple of my classes. He wasn’t a professor, but more of a teacher’s assistant. He wasn’t assigned to any professor in particular. Instead, he seemed to bounce around doing whatever the professors needed him to do.

  He was their bitch. Plain and simple.

  “Don’t come at him just yet,” the T.A. insisted. He held up a hand to Pete. “Let’s see what he knows first.”

  He stepped closer and narrowed his eyes. I knew he was waiting for me to spill my guts to him, but there was nothing to spill. I didn’t know shit about what I’d stepped in. The only thing I knew was that they had Lee.

  I glanced around, trying to figure out where I was. Was this still the boiler room? It had to be. There were pipes and steam… and a fancy wooden desk? What the hell? That seemed out of place.

  “He knows more than he should. That’s the problem,” Pete insisted. I shot him a look from over my shoulder, regretting the quick movement as soon as the white-hot pain stabbed through the side of my head. Pete moved to sit on the edge of the desk.

  Was this the T.A.’s office? What was his name? Wasn’t it Fletcher?

  I’d never had any run-ins with him, but I knew Lee had a time or two. They nerded out over something together a while back. My mind drew a blank on what it had been. I blamed the hard hit to the head with a fire extinguisher. I glared at Pete. What an asshole he turned out to be.

  “Well, come on, then. Tell me what you know. Tell me why you were snooping around,” Fletcher pressed. He paced in front of me with his hands clasped behind his back. “What about Pete is it that interests you so much you’d follow him down here?”

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass about Pete,” I spat.

  Pete slammed his hand down on the desk, drawing my attention to him. “You were looking for your nerdy friend, weren’t you?”

  His sneakers squeaked across the concrete floor as he moved to stand. He walked toward me. When he reached me, he gripped my shoulders tight and jerked me around, twisting my lower back at an odd angle.

  “Well, you found him. Bravo,” Pete growled as my gaze landed on Lee.

  He was on a cot in the back corner of the room. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he was still breathing. He was okay, just sleeping. Or maybe he’d been knocked out like I had been.

  “What made you go searching for him?” Fletcher asked. He’d come to a standstill in front of me. “You two didn’t even seem to have anything in common.”

  “What do you want with him? Why take him?” I asked, ignoring his question and instead asking my own.

  “You can’t answer a question with a question, but I’ll let it slip this once.” Fletcher tsked. He glared at me over his pointed nose. The dude had witch-like features. “Your friend was looking into things he shouldn’t. Same as you. Haven’t you ever heard the saying curiosity killed the cat? Well, in this case it just might kill the wolf.”

  My cell chimed with a text. I knew it was Faith. Shit. I didn’t want them to connect the two of us. I didn’t want her in danger.

  What if she already was, though?

  “He was digging too deep, so you tried to erase him. Well, good luck trying to erase me too.” They were bold words, but they were the truth.

  How many students could they take and use the ruse of them dropping out before someone caught on? Things would look suspicious if they tried to do the same to me too, especially since Lee and I were roommates.

  Fletcher paced again. I glanced at Pete. He moved to lean against the desk again, chewing on his thumbnail.

  “He’s right,” Pete insisted. “We can’t do the same thing we did for Lee to hide his disappearance. It’ll look too suspicious. You know who will get onto us then. You know how things have to be for—”

  “Don’t say another word! We don’t know how this will pan out, which means we don’t need him learning anything about what we’re involved in from either of us,” Fletcher was quick to say.

  My mind circled back to what Pete had been about to say—was he going to say he or she? Not that it would matter much whether the person in charge of this group was male or female, but it could be a good piece of information into helping solve this puzzle.

  Was it the woman I’d heard him talking to before?

  My cell chimed with another text, the sound of it seemed to spark anxiety in both Fletcher and Pete. While the two of them went back and forth over what they should do next, I worked at the knots on the magical rope holding me in place. Whoever had tied them didn’t know the trick behind them. It wasn’t long before I was free. When that happened, I wasted no time attacking Pete first. He was closer. One knee to the stomach and a double-fisted crack to the back of the head and he went down. I lunged for Fletcher next. He tried to reason with me, but I wasn’t listening. One right hook and he crumbled to the ground, out cold.

  My feet pivoted, and I lunged in Lee’s direction. The ache in my head intensified, but I ignored it. I nudged Lee when I reached him, trying to wake him, but it didn’t do any good. He was sound asleep. A bottle of water on Fletcher’s desk caught my eye. I grabbed it and twisted the cap off before splashing it on Lee. He bolted into a sitting position and smoothed his hands over his face.

  “What the hell, dude?” he shouted.

  Relief trickled through me at the sound of his voice. He was okay. “I had to get you up somehow.” I shrugged. “Come on. We need to get out of
here.”

  “Where are we?” Lee glanced around.

  “The boiler room. You got yourself in some serious shit digging around.”

  His eyes bulged. “What? Digging around what?”

  I headed toward the exit. Was he serious? Had they done something to his mind? “Um, the tattoo you were so freaked about ring any bells? The secret group you mentioned, maybe? They came after you, man. They kidnapped you.”

  His jumped off the cot and was at my side in an instant. “You’re joking, right?”

  “No. I wish I was.”

  His hands smoothed over his face. “Oh, shit!”

  “Yeah. I came home to our room empty of your stuff and Pete telling me you’d dropped out.” I grabbed the metal knob on the steel door to the boiler room. It was cool to the touch as I twisted to swing it open.

  “No way.”

  I glanced both ways, making sure the coast was clear before stepping into the hall. “Dude, I seriously couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. Thank goodness I didn’t buy into it.”

  Lee ran his fingers through his hair as he followed me through the exit. Before long, we were standing in front of the building, making our way down the sidewalk. We garnered some attention thanks to our speed-walking, but we needed to get the fuck out of here before Fletcher and Pete woke.

  “How did you know?” Lee asked as we maneuvered through a group of people on the sidewalk.

  I glanced at him and flashed a smile. “They left your prized possession behind. It’s still in the closet. Still in its plastic case. Plus, Faith found a piece of paper with some names of people you’d been checking out it seemed.”

  “Faith?” Lee arched a brow as a goofy grin spread across his face.

  At the thought of her, I reached for my cell in my back pocket. We were supposed to have checked in by now with each other. I imagined the text messages that came through before I took out Pete and Fletcher were from her. I hoped nothing had happened to her.

  “Yeah, Faith. And, we’re not talking about her right now. We need to figure out what our next move is, because they’ll come for us as soon as they wake up.”