Wolf Blood: Lunar Academy, Year One

by Snyder, Jennifer

  I glanced at my cell. The text messages had been from her. There were three. The final one asked where I was and said she’d be waiting in the dining hall at the same table we were at earlier. Nora was with her.

  “We have to get out of here, then. We need to pack our shit and go. This group is serious, Axel,” Lee shouted. “I still don’t know exactly what they’re up to, but I’m positive it’s not something I want to be involved in.”

  “Shh, keep it down. We have to get Faith and Nora first. They’re in the dining hall. I can’t leave them behind. They’re as much involved in this as I am.”

  As soon as we entered the student center, I made my way back to the dining hall and spotted Faith and Nora at our table. Faith noticed us first. Her eyes widened when she spotted Lee.

  “Oh my God, where have you been?” she asked once we were closer.

  “Apparently, I’ve been holed up inside the boiler room for who knows how long.” Lee grimaced.

  “We can’t stay here, and it’s damn sure not safe to talk here. Come on.” I nodded toward the doors before starting that way again.

  “Where are we going?” Lee asked. “They’ll be looking for us. Soon.”

  “I know. The first place they’ll look will be our room, so we need to get there fast and get our things. Then we’ll head to the girls’ room and get the hell out of there.”

  “According to you, they already took my stuff. What am I supposed to do?” Lee asked.

  “I don’t know, but I need to grab some of my stuff.”

  “Maybe we should split up. Then we can meet somewhere. It’ll be faster,” Faith suggested.

  I glanced at her. “No. We stick together. They’re dangerous.”

  I refused to argue with her on this. Plus, I didn’t want her out of my sight. Neither did my demons. I had to make sure she stayed safe.

  When we reached our dorm, I used my ID card to let us in. I took one step into the room and froze. All of Lee’s belongings were back where they had been.

  “What the hell?” I muttered as I stepped farther into the room.

  Lee scratched his head. “Uh, I thought you said my stuff was gone.”

  “It was,” Faith said. “I saw it.”

  “Then, how did it get back so fast?” Lee asked.

  “No, the question is why,” Nora insisted as she closed the door behind her. “They wouldn’t have gone through the trouble to bringing your stuff back—which had to have been done by magic, since the scent is still in the air—unless they were planning on letting you stay, right?”

  My stomach twisted. Were they planning on getting rid of me, then? My gaze drifted to my side of the room. Everything was still there. “Apparently, they aren’t planning on getting rid of me either. I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I,” Nora insisted.

  “Do you remember anything?” Faith asked Lee. “Did you overhear anything, or figure out anything more about them? If you didn’t, maybe they decided you weren’t as big a threat as they originally thought.”

  “Still, they wouldn’t let us go,” I insisted as I reached for my duffel bag from inside the closet and began shoving clothes inside. “We all know too much now.”

  “Not really,” Lee insisted. “I mean, I figured out my uncle was right about the secret group existing. I recognized the tattoo, exactly like I’ve been saying. I also know there are a few others on campus that are being recruited. Or at least I think they are. Ryan Grayson is one of them. Him and this girl I have a class with, Nadia Hazel, they came to me about a week ago, maybe two, asking if I knew anything about the group. Apparently, word got around that I was obsessing over something having to do with a tattoo and a group. That’s why I think they came for me. I was drawing too much attention to them. I think my meeting with Ryan and Nadia was the last straw. I’m not saying they tipped off the group, but I am saying I was being watched exactly like I thought, and when they saw them come to see me, they didn’t waste much time after before they came for me themselves.”

  “If that’s all you know, then Faith might be right,” Nora insisted. “Especially since we don’t know anything more than you. Maybe they figured that out somehow.”

  “I’m not taking any chances,” I insisted as I moved to my dresser and begin cleaning it out. “You three shouldn’t either.”

  “I know the group has something to do with humans,” Lee said, ignoring me.

  They all seemed to be ignoring me when I claimed we still needed to get the hell out of here.

  “Something to do with humans?” Nora repeated.

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t say this group is anti-human, but I do think they feel superior.”

  “Superior to humans?” I asked Lee as I shoved my last pair of boxers into my duffel bag while glancing at him.

  “Maybe. Probably.” Lee scratched his head. “I didn’t get to look too much deeper because they nabbed me. The last thing I remember was Pete and this girl named Miranda from our house knocking on our door. After that, all I remember is waking up to Axel pouring water on my face.”

  “Yeah, still not sorry about that. I had to get you up somehow, like I said.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Lee grumbled.

  I opened my mouth to say something else, but a knock at the door had my lips clamping shut. My heart sped up.

  “Shit. We’re out of time,” Lee insisted.

  I put my finger to my lips and set my duffel bag down. “You two get in the closet.” I pointed to Faith and Nora.

  “Not a chance. If you’re going to fight them, so are we,” Faith insisted. She folded her arms over her chest and dug her heels into the floor.

  She was stubborn as hell. It was one quality about her I loved.

  “Fine. Brace yourself for a fight, then, because I’m not going down easy.” I flashed them a grin and popped my knuckles before reaching to open the door.

  I expected to see Pete or Fletcher on the other side, but instead there was a girl. She had long dark hair with purple tips and brown eyes. She wasn’t familiar to me, but I could tell right away she was from Wolf Bound.

  “Can I help you?” I asked.

  She opened her mouth, and I thought she was going to say something, but instead she lifted a closed fist to her mouth, splayed her fingers open, and blew on green dust resting in the palm of her hand. Before I could move out of the way, it worked its way into my nostrils and then seeped into every pore as it suffocated all of us standing inside the dorm.

  A dark haze slipped over my vision as the girl stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. I fell to my knees, choking on the dust. My gaze sought out Faith. She was on the floor too, choking like me. My wolf howled as my vampire fought his way to the surface. It did no good though; whatever she blew in my face had stripped away my mobility. I was frozen, falling prey to the dark haze sweeping over my eyes and pulling me down into blackness.

  I locked eyes with Faith. She was scared. So was I, but I was also pissed. How could I have pulled her into this with me? What the hell had I been thinking?

  History was repeating, and again all I could do was watch it unfold, unable to stop it.

  The girl with the dark hair spoke. Not to any of us, but to someone on her phone.

  “It’s done,” she said in a low tone. “They won’t remember a thing to do with the Elite now.”

  Faith

  I grabbed my purse and jacket from the back room before reaching for my timecard, ready to clock out.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Lync asked.

  “I asked three nights ago if I could leave early tonight. Axel and I are meeting with some friends at Nachos,” I said. Was he shitting me? I’d said this to him multiple times, so he wouldn’t forget. Lync always seemed so lost in his head.

  He flashed me a grin. “Chill. I’m just kidding. I remember. I’m not that old and senile yet.”

  I rolled my eyes. Old and senile? The guy was barely twenty-five.

  “Have fun. A
re you going to the end-of-semester dance tomorrow?”

  I arched a brow. “How do you even know about that?”

  He didn’t go to Lunar Academy. He never had, because he couldn’t. He was human. At least I thought he was.

  “I hear things. Especially since you college kids are my best customers.” He winked.

  “Keeping tabs on academy parties. That’s not creepy,” I deadpanned.

  “Whatever. Get out of here.” He chuckled. “Your boyfriend is waiting at the door. Tell him I said if he doesn’t quit standing there looking so hateful, I’m going to have to hire him as a bouncer, so he doesn’t make this place look so rough and tough, and scare my clientele away. That way he’d at least make them feel safe.”

  I glanced at Axel. He was propped against the wall near the entrance, dressed in his leather jacket and a pair of worn blue jeans. He had his biker-looking boots on too. My heart fluttered, because damn he looked good.

  “I’ll tell him he needs to at least come sit at the bar when he’s waiting on me instead of standing at the door,” I said as I waved to Axel before heading in his direction.

  “I’m kidding. Don’t tell him that. I don’t need him coming after me.”

  I flashed Lync a grin. “Fine, have a good rest of the night. I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

  Thank goodness this place was closed on Sundays and Mondays. It gave me a three-day weekend where I didn’t have to work or go to classes. I loved it.

  Especially now that I spent every second I could of my weekends with Axel.

  “Yep, see you Tuesday,” Lync called after me.

  When I reached Axel, I stood on the tips of my toes and gave him a kiss before pulling on my coat. “Hey. You’re here early.”

  “Only because I’m starving. I was hoping Lync might let you off early if he saw me over here.” He flashed me a wicked grin.

  “Yeah, about that. He said you need to stop doing that because he’s afraid you’ll scare away his customers. You might have to be hired as a bouncer if you plan on standing there while I work.”

  “I don’t know about that. Working at a bar isn’t my thing. Drinking at one is.” He dropped his arm over my shoulders and steered me out of the bar. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Think Nora and Lee are already there?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “Good. I hope they got us a table in the back.”

  “I’m sure they did.”

  I didn’t mention that I’d sent Nora a text asking that she please get us a table in the back because I knew how much Axel liked sitting there. I also knew how much my next words would freak him out. “So, about tomorrow night… I decided I want to go to the end-of-season dance.”

  He glared at me. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am.” Not really, but I wanted to see him squirm. “I didn’t go to the last one, and I heard a few of the upper-class girls chatting about how this one is always the prettiest. Supposedly, there are white lights and ice sculptures. It’s a winter wonderland theme. Might be fun.” I shrugged a shoulder to keep my joke going and glanced up at him. His face had paled. Dances weren’t his thing. He’d said so more than once over the last couple days.

  “If you want to go, I guess we can.” He scratched his neck.

  “I’m joking. I seriously have no intention of going.” I laughed. “Just wanted to see you sweat.”

  He growled and then tickled me as we entered Nachos. I laughed and wiggled away from him, but it did no good. He still came after me.

  “Look at the two of you, acting all happy and shit,” Lee said as he eyed us with a wide grin.

  “Seriously, what’s gotten into you guys?” Nora asked. “You’re both always so moody looking.”

  Axel pulled the chair out opposite Nora and motioned for me to sit. “This one decided she would pull my leg about the dance and make me think she wanted to go.” His eyes looked menacing, but the curve of a smile twisting at his lips softened them, making him look sexy as hell.

  “I really had him going. He was sweating hardcore,” I teased him as I sat.

  “I don’t know about the sweating part, but she did have me going.” Axel situated himself beside me. “Anyway, did y’all order yet?”

  “Just drinks,” Lee answered.

  “And cheese dip. Large, of course,” Nora added with a smile.

  “Of course,” I agreed. No one came to Nachos and didn’t get cheese dip. It was legendary.

  Someone bumped my chair. “Oh, sorry. These tables are tight in here.”

  I glanced up and saw a girl I remembered from around campus.

  “Miranda, hey,” Nora greeted her with a smile. “Did you get those new banners I sent you this morning?”

  “Yeah, I loved the blue one. It really makes the book you reviewed pop.” She tossed a smile back to Nora and then pulled out her cell. “I was thinking of tweaking this one though. Here’s what I came up with. Sorry, I forgot to email you back.” She leaned over and flashed Nora her phone. When she did, I noticed a tiny black tattoo behind her ear.

  “Cool tattoo,” I said.

  Her fingers lifted to touch it. “Thanks.”

  “Tattoo?” Lee asked. “Can I see?”

  Miranda looked to the guy she was with, and I swore hesitation flitted through her eyes. Or was that panic? “Yeah. Sure. It’s nothing really.” She shifted so Lee could see.

  “Nice,” Lee said with a nod.

  “Yeah, I like what you did with the color scheme. We should totally use your banner instead of the other one,” Nora said.

  “Thanks. I think so too.” Miranda pocketed her cell. “Well, have a good night.”

  “You too,” Nora said.

  Miranda and the guy she was with walked away, just as our waiter came with Lee and Nora’s drinks. Once he left with mine and Axel’s order, Lee shifted his attention to Axel.

  “Wasn’t that Pete with her?” he asked.

  “Yeah. Guess that’s the girl he’s been making moan like a porn star on a nightly basis.”

  I slapped Axel’s shoulder. “Ew. Gross.”

  “Seriously,” Nora chimed in, backing me up as the guys laughed. Her attention then shifted to Lee. “And why did you want to check out her tattoo? You’ve never cared about tattoos before.” Irritation rippled through her words.

  Lee shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking of getting one lately.”

  “You want a tattoo?” Axel asked as he leaned his elbows on the table. “Since when?”

  “Since the last fight when I beat that guy’s ass.” He took a sip of his soda and gave us all a look that said he was still super proud of himself for his takedown.

  “The guy was like four inches shorter than you and twenty pounds,” I said, remembering how Axel had described him.

  “So, I still took him down.”

  I cracked a grin. He was right. I saw the guy the next day in the student center. He’d had a nasty black eye. Apparently, one punch had been all it took.

  “So, what are you thinking of getting?” I asked Lee.

  He smoothed along his jaw. “I’m not sure. I’m thinking—”

  “I swear, if you say the name of one of your stupid comic characters I’ll hurt you,” Axel insisted.

  “That was my first thought, but now I think I want like a boxing glove or something that represents fighting.”

  The sensation of someone staring at the four of us prickled across my skin. When I glanced up, I spotted Miranda and Pete standing at the cash register. They were still waiting to pay, but their eyes were fixed on us. Miranda smiled and then both of them looked away. Unease twisted in my gut and my wolf bristled. There was something about the two she didn’t like.

  The waiter came with our drinks then. When I glanced back at the register, Miranda and Pete were gone. Nora said something, and my attention shifted back to my friends and my boyfriend as I shoved whatever it was I felt toward Miranda and Pete from my mind. They didn’t matter. What did, was thi
s new family I’d created for myself at Lunar Academy.

  Thank You

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  The Lunar Academy will continue with Wolf Bound, Year One coming in October!