Surviving Plagues (Artemis University Book 3)

by Erin R Flynn

  “True.” He leaned in and ran his nose along my cheek. “I believe you mentioned I would be able to take that dress off you later as long as I was careful with it.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like why you came,” I agreed.

  “There was one other reason,” he admitted, taking my glass from my hand and setting it down on a passing server tray for cleaning up. His other hand slid in mine and he led me towards the dance floor in the middle of the ballroom.

  Where no one was dancing yet.

  “Really? You really want to do this more than just on our own after a date?” I checked.

  “I would have to turn in my Irishman card if I didn’t know how to dance at a party, agra,” he teased. “You game?”

  “Always. If you can lead, I’ll follow.”

  “If only you were always that easy,” he grumbled.

  I laughed so hard I almost tripped over the dress. I loved when my prickly vampire cracked jokes even if they were at my expense. He got us there right as one song was wrapping up and the band was starting into the next one.

  We got into position for a waltz and he started fancy, doing a swinging dip before pulling me up and leading us into some turns. I smiled at him when his eyes flashed shock. I couldn’t even fault him for wondering how I knew ballroom dancing more than just goofing around or swaying with the music when we danced after a date alone.

  Dancing was just always something I loved and easily picked up. It made sense now that I knew I was a fairy, having read that it was as natural as walking or breathing, especially to light fairies. As long as we were in tune with the music, place, and partner, we flowed into almost any dance with ease.

  Cool, right?

  I got lost in Darby, our bodies moving as if connected by much more than attraction. When he spun me out I kept twirling back and forth when he came to get me again, dodging him and laughing when he tried to reach me. I made him chase me a bit more before spinning back to be caught. He smiled as he pulled me close.

  Darby had that sexy geek thing down… But when he smiled, he was downright dashing. It was so rare and real that it would knock any woman over.

  Except then he frowned.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked quietly as we kept dancing, hating that something ruined our fun.

  He cleared his throat as he met my eyes. “Yeah, you’re not going to the bathroom or anywhere alone.”

  I glanced over his shoulder at all the people watching us and it took me a few clicks to figure out what he was getting at. “Oh, right, there are lots on campus who are your fans. I’ve told you that before.”

  Darby pressed his lips to my ear. “That is not the jealousy I’m getting, agra. And it’s a lot. You can’t sense it at all?”

  I shook my head. “I only seem to pick up a little bit of this and that but from people I care about. I haven’t had much time to work on any of it.” I leaned back and met his eyes. “What do you sense?”

  “Smell,” he muttered. “Vampires have the sense of smell better than sharks and several other animals. It’s how we’re so in tune with blood. Like people sweat more when nervous. You pick up on that kind of stuff when you learn what to look for.”

  “Got it.” It made sense. I wasn’t sure how jealousy would rank different than normal anger but he seemed rather sure. Maybe it was situational like there was no reason for people to currently be angry at me unless they were jealous?

  Darby bowed to me when the song was over, thanking me for it. I would have gone another but the look he gave me made it clear it wasn’t the time to push people. Why? What had we done this time?

  Enjoyed ourselves? Oh no, not that. We enjoyed ourselves even though people were trying to snub us. Perish the thought.

  “Glad to see those crystals you purchased from my store worked out so well for your dress,” Katrina Calloway greeted as we reached one of the buffets.

  I nodded, glancing around and seeing how much attention we had. “Is that what’s going on now? What’s the big deal with power crystals?”

  She gave me an amused smirk. “It’s the amount of power you have to fuel them and so brightly. They’ve been changing colors as well.”

  “Oh, Ayesha didn’t tell me they would do that. Cool.” I reached for a plate and started loading them up.

  Darby cleared his throat. “It means your power is adding layers of magic to the crystals. I was going to tell you later so you didn’t get upset. You’ve been turning them into much higher tier crystals.”

  I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what any of this means. Ayesha just said they’d be cool and go with the winter wonderland theme and sparkly vibe we were going for.”

  “There is no way she is charging those crystals like that,” someone said from across the buffet, several women standing at her back.

  “You doubt my merchandise or purveyors?” Katrina replied, her tone making it clear that would be stupid.

  “No, of course not,” the woman quickly answered. “We thought them costume, but if you vouch for them, of course they’re real. We’re saying she had to have gotten them a while ago and—”

  “I didn’t,” I cut in, glancing between them. “The dress came today with all of it put together. I gave them less than two weeks to take what was a fifty-dollar secondhand but designer gown and turn it into this. It’s a prototype for their new business. I told Katrina they wanted crystals and to charge my card for whatever. Why is this an issue?”

  “Five of those little quartz crystals are a hundred dollars,” Katrina explained, nodding when my eyes went wide. “Think of them as mini reservoirs, however they also help focus a certain type of power for certain spells where reservoirs are benign. So you get different crystals if you’re working with earth magic or say when Dr. Craftsman works with runes.”

  “Okay, I guess I’m with you,” I sighed. “I haven’t even had a chance to read on crystals at all.”

  “Yeah right,” that woman accused.

  I glared at her over the buffet. “You have no idea the struggle it’s been so don’t tell me what I’ve had time to do or not.” I ignored whatever she might have said next and focused on Katrina. “So I did something to the crystals? That’s why they changed color?”

  “May I?” she asked as she moved her hand closer to one. She waited until I nodded before touching it. She closed her eyes and was quiet a few moments before they popped open and she dropped it. “My, my, you’ve been having fun tonight.” She glanced at Darby. “How many colors did you see them change?”

  He cleared his throat. “I believe four.”

  “You missed one. Those are now tier six crystals focused for any spells or magic rooted in joy or light,” Katrina explained, sighing when I just blinked at her. “You just made each crystal worth thousands of dollars by powering them up and leaving your power open to them while you enjoyed the evening with your partner. All the fuel you consumed probably helped as well.”

  I glanced at Darby. “And that’s the jealousy you were feeling?”

  “Part of it,” he muttered, giving me a look that there was more to it.

  I shook my head. “Yeah, cool, I get it, that’s nice money but everyone here is rich. So it’s about power.” I gave a disgusted glance at the group of women. “Then get good. Don’t be jealous, petty, and bitchy because I can do something your power can’t or whatever, just get better.”

  “How dare you—” she started but I wasn’t done yet.

  “If you want to be jealous, be jealous for a valid reason,” I snapped, staring them all down. “I won the physical training playoffs at Artemis University again, the final this time. I’m the first female to ever have won it. I’m the first female to have won both the midterm and final ones. I’m the first freshman to be placed in Physical Training III—male or female.”

  “So?” she drawled, giving me a look as if that wasn’t something to brag about.

  “So,” I pushed, “I was given a better education than all those elites because a Rothch
ild trained me. You want to be jealous? Be jealous that the dragons have their training on lock and Hudson Vogel was right there with me. Granted, I’m willing to work harder than most of the other students, but I’ve also gotten a better education.

  “That means a better chance of survival in a cruel world where shit happens every day. The next crap might not be some stupid prank we think came from another school but something serious from the Underground because one of their bigwigs was caught. Power can grow and tricks can be learned but learning to survive is a skill that needs to be taught.”

  “I doubt Coach Khan is taking it well that you won,” Mrs. Vogel said from further down the buffet.

  I rolled my eyes. “He thinks I’ve slept with everyone I’ve fought.” I nodded when she blinked at me, several others as well. “I’m not even kidding. Every time I win any match or sparring, that is his first thought. I must have slept with that person and they let me win. His brain cannot process a woman beating a man in any way but that.”

  I flinched when Darby burst out laughing, slowly looking at him over my shoulder to try and figure out what tickled him so much.

  “Sorry, sorry,” he gasped, but then started laughing again. “I’m—sorry, it’s not—it’s just—” He sucked in big breaths of air and gave me a worried look.

  “I’m not mad, just trying to figure out where your brain went.”

  He nodded as he wiped his eyes under his glasses. “Of course you’re not sleeping with all those guys, I mean, we’ve not even…”

  “Yes, I know we’ve not had sex yet,” I purred, smirking at him. “Go on.”

  “It’s just, Izzy is…” He burst out laughing again and I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Izzy is what?” Mrs. Vogel asked, raising an eyebrow as she glanced between us.

  “Has a sixth sense or something,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I know she doesn’t have like cameras in the room but it’s this gag almost that every time he so much as kisses me while we’re studying she walks in the room. It’s like clockwork. Or two minutes after we fall asleep on our books and she comes in so it always looks like all we do is make out or take breaks.”

  “And it’s so the opposite,” Darby defended, not realizing how that sort of sounded like he was complaining. “She studies so hard and constantly. We study for hours and I take two seconds to sneak a kiss for a break and that’s exactly when Izzy walks in. I’m just… Izzy’s radar would go wild and overload if Tamsin was involved with anyone but me, much less all the guys she’s sparred with.”

  “Yeah, her head would explode,” I agreed with a snort. I smiled at Mrs. Vogel. “And Khan is completely convinced he’d beat Melody.” I nodded when her eyes flashed shock. “I mean you would have a better chance convincing the sky wasn’t blue than a woman could ever beat him in sparring, even a Rothchild. It could not happen.

  “His brain is not wired to accept it. His head would explode. His thoughts are very clear that he is not able to conceive of a way I could beat an opponent in sparring other than I’ve had sex with them and they’ve let me win. He watches the same matches as everyone else and no one else has thought it or accused me in their thoughts but him.

  “It’s why he sees no reason to train women—or vampires. He thinks vampires are as weak and useless as women. Actually, they’re lower than female feline shifters. That’s the only time women go above men. Female feline shifters rank above male vampires but overall both are useless.” I nodded I wasn’t kidding when her eyes held a sliver of doubt. “I’m completely serious. His mind is terrifying.”

  “I believe it,” Darby defended. “He accused me of using outside charms or magic to get as far as I did in the last playoffs as a vampire. And so fast given I was ‘completely useless’ in the beginning of the semester.”

  “What changed?” a man down the buffet asked.

  “I’ve been attending Melody Rothchild’s training seminars,” Darby answered. “Two of the three sessions a week and she outlined a program for me. I was Physical Training I as a junior at the beginning of the semester and now I’m Physical Training III next semester where I should be. She’s a fantastic teacher. I was amazed how a dragon shifter knew how to train a vampire with their speed as well as she did.”

  “Yeah, you’re fast and getting faster,” I griped.

  “You still took me down,” he threw right back.

  “It took me longer and if I don’t figure out how to get faster I might not be able to much longer. Luckily you still have some tells for me.”

  “If you were nicer you would tell me what they were.”

  I snorted as I went back to loading my plate. “I’m not telling you how to beat me when I work harder than you. I run six miles five days a week plus some obstacles and a crap ton of exercises. You keep up with that and maybe you deserve my help.”

  “No, I don’t want it that badly,” he admitted after a moment, several people chuckling at his response. “You’re insane to do that on top of what we have to.”

  I shrugged. “I like knowing I’ll always be able to run away from a fight if I need to.”

  “More like you always run towards any fight you believe in or if someone needs help,” he muttered, giving me an amused look like he dared me to argue.

  Instead, I just popped some tasty appetizers in my mouth.

  26

  “Do you have a moment?” I asked Mr. Rothchild when I managed to find him. Darby hadn’t wanted to let me go off alone but we’d been close and I promised to be just a few minutes.

  “Yes, but only a moment,” the dragon told me before turning from the other guard he’d been speaking with. “What can I do for you, Ms. Vale?”

  “There is a matter I would like to discuss with the Rothchild clan before winter break ends,” I answered, noting the quick flash of surprise in his eyes before he schooled it. “But Mel thinks it’s a mistake because it will turn into members of your family jumping on me as if everything that happened was my fault.

  “Or it’s my fault she doesn’t return home. We know both aren’t true and I’ve argued that your clan couldn’t be that petty and miss the chance to have a real relationship with her again. However, she’s worried and doesn’t want to risk it. I think it’s worth the risk though.”

  “Why?” he asked after a moment.

  I sighed. “Honestly?”

  “Yes, I’d prefer that,” he drawled, his lips even twitching slightly.

  “Because I don’t give a shit if you all hate me.” I shrugged when his gaze said he didn’t buy that. “I don’t particularly like you, Mr. Rothchild. You hurt my sister and you keep hurting her by not fixing this. So I really don’t care if you all blame or hate me.

  “But you would all be stupid though if you didn’t see the woman she’s become and weren’t proud of her. And I don’t think you’re that kind of stupid. Not to have survived even what little I’ve heard of to keep the Vogels in power and all the crazy you deal with. If you all pull your heads from your asses about the past and see her, I think you’ll see she’s a woman you should be proud of.”

  “She won’t ever come home, will she?” he asked quietly after several moments.

  “Mr. Rothchild, I say this fully knowing my upbringing was shit and I have no idea what normal or a healthy family life is like—but you can have the place you grew up and your family will always be your home and it not be where you belong. And I don’t think Mel knows where she belongs yet for the long haul.

  “I think she knows the Vogels are safe and taken care of and wants to explore what else the clan’s duty is.” I nodded when he gave me a curious look. “Your daughter fully believes in protecting those who need it. I’ve always known that long before I knew she was a dragon or about your clan. She protects people because she can. I was one of them, but she needs to fly free to do it.”

  “Will what you want to ask of us help keep her safe doing it?”

  I nodded. “I think it will keep us all safer.”

  �
�Then we’ll take the meeting and I’ll make sure no one is idiots about the past. One day it’s something we should all discuss—calmly—but you need not be part of that.”

  I nodded and turned to leave. “That’s part of Mel’s issue coming back here with me. I had such a rough everything and she had a good family life even if it went off the rails. She doesn’t want me to hurt anymore and thinks if your family won’t give me a chance to be adopted in like she did it will hurt me. It won’t, but it will crush the last grain of faith she has in your family if they do behave that way.”

  “You’re as protective of her as she is of you. I don’t understand that.”

  “You don’t have to, Mr. Rothchild. You just have to accept it.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll try.” He turned and walked away without another word.

  I let out a heavy sigh. That went better than I’d expected but not as great as I’d hoped. He was a tough nut to crack for sure, but it wasn’t just him. Mel’s mom or even her siblings hadn’t reached out to her yet. All of them seemed to take the lead from him and it was… It hurt her and I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “You look like a dream I don’t want to wake up from,” Hudson said quietly from behind me.

  I glanced at him over my shoulder before slowly turning so he got the full effect. I smirked when he swallowed loudly and his eyes raked over me, flipping on my telepathy. “Shouldn’t you be saying that to your date?”

  His gaze snapped to mine. “That’s just—”

  “Yeah, I heard.”

  “Is that why you wore this?”

  I frowned, adjusting my neck since I didn’t like how close to hitting the nail on the head he was. “No, I wore this for my date and to make sure I made the right kind of impression if this was going to be my first splash into supe society.”

  “So there’s no reason you’ve been ignoring me?”

  I raised an eyebrow at that. “I’ve not been ignoring you. I’ve answered your texts.”

  “Fine, avoiding me. I haven’t seen you and I’ve been trying to.”

  “I’ve been busy, Hudson. Plus, we both had a date on the books so I figured you were focused on that. You know, since you didn’t even mention it to me.”