by Cali Mann
So, no, the ghosts weren’t gone. At least not completely. I hadn’t attacked anyone else, but it was only a matter of time.
Almost unconsciously, my feet carried me to the hospital wing. I searched for the only person who’d seemed like he might have some answers: Nurse Brar.
Now that I could see it with clear eyes, not worried about Adrian or ill myself, the infirmary had four interconnected rooms; a lobby, a room with beds for female patients, a room for male patients, and a triage center. Still, all of it was as empty as it had been last time I’d been here. Shifters didn’t seem to get sick or injured very often. But I had seen more than one nurse here and the doctor, so they must be around.
“Can I help you?” asked the older woman who’d helped to bandage up Adrian. Her hair was gray, with small curls that escaped under her nurse’s hat.
I nodded. “I was looking for Nurse Brar. Is he here?”
“He’s in the back, making beds.” She jerked her head toward a room to the left. “Go on back.”
“Thanks.”
I pushed open the door to the male infirmary. The same high windowed-walls, with row after row of empty beds. The windows were covered with blinds that filtered the light for air shifters.
Farther down, a few of the beds were occupied with what looked like sports injuries but nothing more. At the end of the room, Nurse Brar was making beds. A cart of supplies stood next to him, piled with white sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. It all looked so fresh and clean.
“Hello,” I said when he didn’t look up. I had tried to be quiet for sleeping patients, but his vampire hearing should have noticed me long before this. I frowned. Was he a spirit shifter too?
He startled and gazed at me. “Hailey, what are you doing here?”
“Tell me about my father.” My voice shook more than I expected.
Glancing up the aisle, he shook his head. “Not here. Can you meet me later?”
I sighed. “Yeah, where?”
“Meet me at the chapel at ten tonight.”
“That’s specific.” I frowned. I didn’t think I’d ever been in the chapel, though I remembered Professor Frank mentioning it when I first arrived.
“Shifters rarely go there and I know it will be quiet later in the evening.” He frowned. “Besides that’s after my shift ends.”
“Okay.” Turning away, I said, “Thank you for taking care of me, before.”
“Have you had any more episodes?”
“Yeah, a few.” I tried to shrug nonchalantly, but I’m pretty sure I failed.
Nurse Brar reached out and clasped my arm. “Your father wants to meet you.”
My eyes darted to his face. “Like in person?”
He nodded.
I didn’t even know what to think about that. Should I be excited to see my father or scared to meet another spirit shifter? Supposedly, he had mastered the madness, that should be enough for me to want to meet him, but I worried my lip. I glanced down the rows of empty beds and wondered how many of them I would fill if I went on a spirit shifter rampage. “Can he come to campus?”
“No, it’s not safe for him here, but I know—” His eyes darted toward the doorway, and I glanced at the older nurse who was peeking around the frame. Nurse Brar waved me away. “Go now.”
I swallowed and darted out of the room.
The temperatures had dropped again, and the wind had picked up, so I pulled my coat closer around myself. The episodes had been less since I bonded more tightly with Adrian and Terrin. As the Nurse had said, I needed to say close to my mates. But some mornings I still woke up to the ghost in the mirror.
Hurrying across the snowy grounds, I tripped over a root. I fell face-first into the drift, half laughing to myself. Rosie Posie was on the ground again, where was Brenton? I glanced around, but I was alone. I pushed myself to my feet.
I brushed the snow off my hands and stared down at the person-shaped hole I stood in. A shiver ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the weather. I was headed toward the grave. Spirit shifter. Evil. I blinked back tears and hurried on toward class.
Slipping into the room, I dropped into a seat next to Adrian.
He frowned.
I sniffed. “I’m okay,” I mouthed.
Adrian reached out and took my hand in his, squeezing it.
Turning toward the front of the room, I tried to focus on the Professor’s words. But inside I worried. I was a mad spirit shifter, and I was going to drag all the guys down with me. How could I help them survive my death? Sciro needed to make some progress on unwinding the spiral because I couldn’t see any other way this could go down.
* * *
Later that night, I stopped by the library hoping to catch Sciro but no one was around. I ducked my head in Professor Ward’s office but even he was out. I sighed and headed to the chapel to meet Nurse Brar.
When I opened the double doors, I gazed around the large room. Long pews lined up in front of the altar. Narrow stained glass windows were cut into the walls, depicting saints and blessings. I could use some blessings right now that’s for sure.
I slipped into one of the back pews to wait. When we’d come back from break, I’d thought things were finally going to settle down. I mean sure, the guys and I had a few things to work out, but I’d thought it just might be okay.
But now, I didn’t know. They knew my secret, and they knew how much danger it put them in, and they acted like they didn’t care. The mate marks weren’t a guarantee that everything would be alright. In fact, just the opposite.
“Hailey,” Nurse Brar whispered, sliding into the pew next to me. He wore jeans and a tee-shirt instead of his white scrubs. He looked younger, more like someone my age, in this outfit.
“Nurse Brar,” I said.
He grinned wide, his fangs showing. “You can call me Doug.”
“Douglass Brar?” Those two names didn’t seem to go together at all, nor with his Asian Indian looks. Warm brown skin and wavy black hair that flipped up at the end.
“My parents had a sense of humor.”
“I guess so.” I chuckled, lacing and unlacing my fingers in my lap. A cool breeze whipped through the chapel. The stone walls and glass windows weren’t the best of insulation.
“I expect you’ll want to learn about your father,” he said, his voice turning serious.
I nodded, staring at my clasped hands.
“He’s a spirit shifter like you,” Doug began. “He’s been in hiding most of his life.”
“Who is he?” I asked.
Doug’s smile cracked. “I can’t tell you that. He can’t be exposed.”
My brow furrowed. “I would hardly turn him in.”
“Of course not. But it’s just safer if you don’t know for now.”
I grunted. That hardly seemed fair, but I suppose he was being careful. If I was caught, no use in my father being dragged down as well.
“How did I end up with the Coopers?”
“Their child died, so when your dad asked them to take you in they agreed.”
“But I look like my mom?” I twisted a lock of my black hair around my finger.
“Margaret’s sister, Abigail, was your mother.”
“Is she still alive?” My voice broke. I didn’t know if I wanted her to be or not. If she was, why did she give me up? If she wasn’t, it was just another name to add to my list of dead loved ones.
He frowned and then said, “No, I’m sorry.”
Another name for the list then. I swallowed. “How does my dad stave off the madness?”
Doug pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and straightened it on his knee. Then he handed it to me.
“My tattoo,” I said.
“Do you know what it means?”
“It represents the elements and balance, I think.”
“Yes, spirit brings the other elements into balance.” He grinned. “And the other elements balance spirit.”
“What does that mean?” That’s what the boo
k Sciro and I had looked at had said. I knew there was something there, but I just couldn’t see it.
A loud crash came from the doorway by the altar and we both jumped to our feet. Our gazes clamped on to the front of the chapel. I couldn’t see any sign of life.
The sound of running feet echoed through the chapel and then the bang of a door.
We looked at each other. Doug pressed his lips together into a thin red line. He laid his hand on my arm. He whispered, “Your father wants to meet you.”
“When and where?” My eyes darted to the front of the chapel. Had whoever it was really gone?
He flipped over the drawing of my tattoo and showed me the directions he’d written there. “Do you know where I mean?”
“Yes.” I stared at the scribbled date across the top, Friday at midnight. Less than a week and I was going to meet my father.
“Now go,” he said, glancing toward the altar. “I don’t know how much they heard and if they’ll come back.”
“Thank you,” I said. “You are taking a big risk for us.” Seemed like all I did lately was get people into trouble.
24
Brenton
I leaned against the wall outside Professor Alexander’s office. The voices inside were loud and familiar. I slammed my fist into the rock behind me. It echoed in the hallway, but the stone stayed solid.
The door to the office popped open though and Professor Alexander poked his head out. “Come on in, Brenton.”
With a sigh, I pushed off the wall and marched inside. Because his office sat on a corner, the inside was larger than it appeared from outside. Professor Alexander had a large mahogany desk, a roaring fireplace, and a small sitting area. Perched on the green velvet couch was my mother and lounging next to her, my father. Both of their expressions were tight and worn.
I stood next to one of the green wing-backed chairs that faced my parents. The low table in front of them held a golden coffee service, and Dad poured himself another demitasse cup. Not that my father ever needed anything to wind him up.
“Have a seat, Brenton,” the professor said, his voice pinched.
I dropped into the chair. Leaning forward, I reached for a cup and Dad gave me a no-fucking-way look. I shrugged and leaned back. Let the screaming commence.
“So,” Professor Alexander said, stirring his coffee. The cream sat on top like a thick layer of mud and all the mixing in the world wouldn’t budge it. “When did you discover your form was a dragon?”
Not where I’d thought he’d start. Interesting. “Maybe a week ago.”
“And that’s why you’ve been missing class?”
I pressed my lips together and gazed at the lip of the table. Someone had scraped it with something and the scratch ran two or three inches before it disappeared. I was pissed as hell at Hailey and I really should throw her under the bus, but she was my mate. No matter how mad I was at her, I couldn’t. I muttered, “Yeah.”
“And trying to set fire to your teachers?” sneered Dad.
Unsurprisingly, he was not impressed with my dragon powers. He was just pissed he’d been dragged down here to deal with my misbehavior. “It happens.”
Dad growled, and my mother winced.
Professor Alexander frowned, steepling his fingers. “We’ve been working on your control for weeks now. You should be able to handle the anger without lashing out.”
I raised my hands in an I-don’t-know gesture. “Who knows? The anger comes and goes.”
“Fuck that,” Dad said, his face reddening. “You’re a McKinnon.”
“We expect better,” my mother said, her voice bordering on simpering. She adjusted herself in her seat and I noticed she favored her right shoulder.
Fucking bastard. He needs to pick on someone his own size. Heat roared through me and steam blasted out of my nostrils. They all reared back, staring at me.
“It’s true,” Mom said, her hands shaking. “You told us but I didn’t believe it.”
“There hasn’t been a dragon in the Mayward line in generations,” Professor Alexander whispered.
“Of course he’s a bloody dragon,” my father said, crossing his arms over his chest. “He’s got my genes in him too.”
I raised an eyebrow at him, but it didn’t do anything to the self-satisfied smirk across his face. Leaning forward, I opened my mouth as if to huff and he scuttled toward my mother’s side of the couch. I laughed, low and dark. About time the old bastard showed some fear of someone.
“Brenton, you need to learn control more than ever now,” the professor said. “Your powers could truly injure someone.”
“Like Professor Roth,” Mom said quietly.
“Or anyone else at Thornbriar Academy.” Professor Alexander gestured broadly. “What you did to Professor Roth was uncalled for and inappropriate.”
Dad glared at me like he wanted to take his belt off right here and now, and mother just looked sad.
I shrugged. “What do you want me to say? That I won’t do it again? I probably will.”
“Listen here, mister,” my father said, lurching to his feet. “I pay too much for you to go to this damn school and slack off. You will learn some control and you’ll stop mouthing off.”
“Or what?”
Dad turned beat red. With his temper, no one would have expected him to be a water shifter. Not that water animals couldn’t be vicious, like a shark or an eel or a piranha. I liked to think of him as a slimy eel, but his form was a shark, with rows of sharp teeth. He’d thought it funny to chase me when I was a child, nibbling at my heels.
Professor Alexander raised his hands. “Let’s all calm down here.”
“Yes, let’s,” Mom said, reaching out for my father’s arm.
He shoved her away and she fell back against the sofa. She grunted at the impact, protecting her shoulder. Her mousy brown hair fell across her face. I might have gotten my powers from her and from her family, the Maywards, but I got my looks from my father.
Fury ignited within me, and I tried to shove it down. He’s been doing this my whole life, and she lets him. No matter how many times I offered to help her escape, she refused. She said he needed us. I squeezed my hands around the chair arms, waiting out the storm.
“You can control it when you want to,” Professor Alexander said softly.
I shot a glare at him. Part of me wanted them to kick me out right now. Then I’d be away from Hailey. But, I glanced at my red-headed father, then I’d be in a whole different kind of trouble.
“This is your warning, Brenton,” the Professor said, steel coating his voice. “Control your power or we will have to ask you to leave.”
“You can’t expel a McKinnon! I won’t stand for it!” Dad exclaimed.
Professor Alexander turned his eyes on him. “Yes, we can.” Then he looked back at me. “But I don’t expect we’ll have to.”
* * *
The next day, I walked into breakfast determined to do better. Who was I to let some chick get in my way? Mate, my dragon whispered but I ignored him. When I saw Hailey sitting between Adrian and Terrin, I ignored her.
Turning my back to them, I piled my plate high with bacon and eggs, ignoring the fire that churned in my gut. I sat down on one of the benches and realized I was somehow facing them again. Hailey ran her hand along Terrin’s arm, and her head fell back in laughter. I growled.
A female hand landed on my arm. “You don’t need her. She is a waste of space.”
“Don’t touch me.” My eyes met Greta’s blue ones.
She jerked her hand back, but she didn’t leave. I had to give her props for that, especially if any of the fire that was roaring inside me was reflected in my eyes.
Greta’s blond hair was tied back in pigtails today and her uniform blouse was unbuttoned an extra button. I should want this, what is freely offered and not taken by someone else. Well, at least at the moment. She was no virgin.
Lifting my hand, I grabbed a fistful of her blond hair and kissed her hard. Her
body melted against mine, eager, but I felt nothing. Her lips were like kissing asphalt—cold, dry and lifeless. Releasing her, I stood. My lips moved to say, fuck off Greta, but I caught sight of Hailey and smirked.
She scowled at us frozen. Her teeth bared, and her fangs prominent.
I leaned down and squeezed Greta’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
Greta licked her lips. “Any time, Brenton.”
With a grin, I turned and walked away, leaving my breakfast on the table. Fuck, it was worth being hungry.
25
Hailey
I glared at the pile of papers waiting for me at my usual table in Tutoring Assistance. Fucking Brenton. I didn’t even know why it pissed me off so much. Who the hell cared who he kissed? Apparently whatever part of me was mated to him did. When he’d kissed Greta, anger had rolled through me, unlike anything I’d ever felt. It still bubbled inside, desperate to make its way out. I squeezed my hands together.
At least the library was empty and Professor Ward’s office door was shut tight. I dropped down onto the green chair. Couldn’t I be satisfied with the guys I did have? What was this constant craving?
I’d drunk a second blood bag after breakfast, and I still only felt barely able to face anyone. I stabbed a pencil against the paper. Professor Ward had left me math problems. As if knowing how to do any of this was going to help me to survive.
Brenton got a special mentor. How did I get one of those? I snorted. Like they existed for spirit shifters. I had to try to dig all my information out of books, sneaking around instead. I glanced toward Professor Ward’s closed door. Would he answer my questions? I scowled. Before or after he called the Council.
No, my only option was to meet with my secretive father. Whose name I didn’t even know. What if he was the spirit shifter who’d attacked the Council? Kaiden Hartsman? What if I was daughter to a murderer? I stabbed my pencil through the paper again, and the tip broke off on the desktop. Dammit.
Dragging myself out of my seat, I headed over to the pencil sharpener on the wall. Through the door, I could hear Professor Ward at his desk. The ring of a telephone and his gruff voice. I slid my pencil in the sharpener and started to turn the old fashioned handle.