Black Sun Academy: Witch Hunter (Volume Book 1)

by R. J. Rogers

  “Alright, mom.” Dominic hugs her close to him for a moment and I can see her relax a little. “I’ll take Ali to her apartment, we’ll be back in a little bit alright.” She nods at her son and then Nic and I dash out the door.

  Chapter28

  Nic and I burst through my apartment door, (not literally) and look around the room trying to figure out what items I should pack up. I feel a panic attack trying to force itself upon me and find it hard to breathe. Placing my hand against my chest, I bend over at the waist trying to catch a breath. Dominic walks up behind me, spins me to face him and wraps his arms around me. As his skin touches mine, I can physically feel myself becoming calmer. “Thanks,” I whisper against his neck.

  He leans back from me, taking my chin in between his thumb and index finger and tips my head back before firmly placing his lips upon mine. My body instantly relaxes into him and the kiss. Smiling against his lips I ask, “what are you doing, Nicky?” Dominic growls against my ear which in turn makes me weak in the knees.

  “I secretly love when you call me that,” he states and then kisses me in the nook between my ear, jawline and neck. If I was weak in the knees before, I have turned into a complete puddle now. Both for saying that he actually likes when I call him Nicky and for the place he is currently kissing me!

  I push him away from me a little and say, “thanks for the distraction. My emotions were starting to get the best of me. We better get some things gathered before we forget why we are here and get back to your mom before she adds us to her list of worries.”

  It takes five minutes for us to grab stuff that I think I might need while away from my apartment before climbing back into his car and driving back to his home. Pulling into his driveway, my anxiety wants to kick back up, but I do my best to keep it at bay as we head back inside.

  “Mom,” Nic shouts once we enter the hallway. “We’re back. Where would you like Alina to put her things?”

  “Oh, I’m so glad. I was starting to get worried,” Mrs. Salvino claimed standing up from the couch. “Um well, with grandma here, she’ll have the spare room… I guess put her things in your room and then you and Dev can bunk together, and she can have your bed.” Nic says okay but I see a mischievous glimmer in his eyes that says otherwise to this arrangement.

  He leads me up the staircase and then down the hallway a couple of doors before claiming, “this is my room.” I smile at him and hesitantly step past him and into his room. I stare in astonishment. His room is immaculate. Not a speck of dust anywhere to be seen, clothes all hung and or folded and put in their proper spots. Oh lord, don’t tell me he’s O.C.D. I think to myself and a chuckle escapes my lips.

  “What’s so funny?” Dominic looks at me curiously.

  I shrug my shoulders, “nothing really. I’m just shocked to see a guy’s room that is so neat and tidy. Ell, her brother who is like fourteen, his room constantly looks like a tornado has struck it.” Nic puts his hand against his chest, pretending to be offended by my words.

  “Well, excuse me for liking a clean and tidy room.” He says dramatically. I roll my eyes and bump his arm with mine with a ‘whatever’ at the tip of my tongue but he is already speaking again so I leave it unsaid. “I have a couple empty drawers in that dresser over there if you’d like to store your things.”

  Both of my eyebrows raise at these words. “Do you now? And why would you have empty drawers? Do you have girls over often needing somewhere to store their things? Hmmm?” I cross my arms over my chest waiting for his answer because really, who keeps ‘spare’ empty drawers?

  “Whoa. No way, love. I just like to keep my clothes hung up, not folded and in drawers.” I give him a look that says, ‘not quite sure if I believe you or not but will let it alone for now’. Arms still crossed I try to stand my ground, not because I don’t believe him. I really do but I love the way he squirms! Oh crap, it’s going to be a losing battle, he’s figured out what I’m doing and is now tickling the shit out of me!

  “No. No. No. Uncle. UNCLE!” I screech in between laughter. Thankfully he releases me, and I sit down on the edge of his bed. “So, what do we do now,” I ask still a bit breathless from laughing.

  “Let’s head back down stairs, see what everyone is doing. I’m sure the family will be wanting to have a meeting to discuss exactly what has occurred. Don’t need anyone to get the wrong idea while we’re up here.”

  ~

  “Mr. Hopkins, me and Ms. H. need to have a word with you.” Ella said tapping on his arm trying to get his attention. They were at the back of the auditorium where they found James waiting for his wife to finish a discussion with the president up near the stage.

  Looking at them and then back to his wife he says, “what can I do for you ladies.” A distraught look on his face, James runs a hand through his hair causing a disheveled appearance to his normal regal look before sighing loudly. He attempts a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “We would like to speak with you about your daughter,” Ms. H. whispers. This catches his ear and he quickly ushers them out a side door and into an empty hallway. Looking back and forth between the two, Mr. Hopkins waits anxiously for one of them to start speaking.

  Placing a hand on his arm, Ella blurts out, “Ms. H. knows where Alina is sir.” James looks to Natalie in shock, “you do? But how? Where is she? Is my baby okay?”

  Ms. H. smiles at hearing the concern in his voice and then nods, “she is safe but to keep her staying safe, I need your help. Will you help us James?”

  “Of course. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t share the views of my wife. I love my daughter and would do anything to protect her!” He nearly shouts.

  Natalie looks around, afraid James has drawn attention to them. Seeing that the hallway is still empty she begins talking, “so currently what we need to do is hinder the hunter’s from planning any type of attack against the Coven so that the Coven can organize a plan of defense and get Alina to safety if need be.”

  Excepting her words at face value, James nods before saying; “meet me at my office in an hour, I think I know what we can do to stop them in their tracks. I need to figure out a way to excuse myself from Beth and company first.” With everyone in agreement, they all discretely part ways with hope in their hearts to be able to save Alina.

  *

  As the town hall clock chimes 10 p.m., low voices could be heard coming from the basement stairwell of the offices of Mr. Hopkins. “After much consideration and contemplation, I’ve come up with a plan, sort of.” James spoke urgently to Ella and Natalie. “If we were to knock out the electricity and all source of power that keeps the academy up and running, this would most likely put them at a standstill for deriving any plans. This is only a temporary solution mind you. Once they figure out how I knocked the power out, it will be very simple to fix and get switched on again”

  “That’s an excellent idea Mr. Hopkins!” Ella exclaims excitedly. A thought popped into her head seconds after stating that, “is there any way to make it more permanent? We could figure out a way to start a fire. That would put them out of commission for good!”

  James thinks about what Ella suggested for a moment before responding; “if we did so, we’d have to figure out a way to have the fire start after we have left the premises… how would we go about delaying the reaction time for when the fire starts?”

  “I have just the answer to the question, James.” Natalie offers a smile. There are a few components that I have in my class room. If these items were mixed together they would cause an explosion. So, if we place this concoction near burnable material, there’s our delayed reaction we want as well!”

  “But won’t the explosion cause unwanted attention?” Ella asks while chewing on her finger nail, nervously.

  “That’s the best part,” Natalie adds excitedly. “Though the explosion will be loud, it won’t be loud enough for anyone outside of the building to hear it.”

  “Okay then,” James rubs his hands toget
her as he looks between Ella and Natalie. “Now that we have a solid plan the only thing I ask of you Natalie, is that once we accomplish this, you take Ella and I away from here. I need to see my daughter, make sure she is okay.”

  “Of course, James. No need to even ask such a thing. When were you thinking would be the best time to implement this task?”

  “I think early morning would be best. This way, no one will be awake to notice the power outage or the fire right away and should also help us leave without anyone realizing we are gone.

  Chapter29

  The Salvino house has finally gone quiet. Around 1 a.m. everyone had finally decided to call it a night and head off to bed. Currently I am lying in the middle of Dominic’s queen-sized bed, wrapped up in the softest satin sheets and black comforter set ever, staring blankly at the ceiling. My brain is overwhelmed by thoughts and I feel it trying to shut down. Sensory overload per-se. I flip to my right side then my left, finally landing on my back once more. I sigh, frustrated. I know I need to sleep but, “blah.”

  Rolling back to my left side again, I stare at Nic’s bedroom door and jump as I hear knocking coming from the other side of it. “Um, come in.” Hesitantly I utter the words and watch nervously to see who enters. Slowly the door swings inward as if the person is doing their best to avoid making any kind of noise. I see Nic peek his head into the room, smiling at me. “You jerk,” I whisper loudly to him. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack sneaking in here like that?”

  “Ha, ha, ha,” if he keeps laughing like that he is bound to wake someone! I try to give him that wide eyed look of ‘shut the freak up’ but it goes unnoticed because he is slipping in between the space he has created when opening the door as I do this. And then as quietly as he can, he presses the door shut behind him. “I just wanted to check on you, make sure you’re alright,” he finishes with a concerned look in his eyes and worry in his voice.

  Moving my body, I make room for him to be able to crawl in beside me and then pat my hand against the mattress to let him know I want him to join me. He pads across the dark brown carpeted floor barefoot and removing his shirt as he does so, leaving him in just his grey sweat pants by the time he walks to the bed. I sigh in appreciation of his male gorgeousness, admiring his six pack abs, toned chest, my fingers itching to be ran across it all. Slipping in between the sheets, he props his head on his hand and looks longingly into my eyes. Our eyes flitter back and forth as we stare at each other and then I can’t stand it any longer, “What?” I ask as he continues to stare at me. A lopsided grin graces his lips which causes a stupid grin to plaster itself on mine and his eyes seem to sparkle like light blue topaz in the light of the moon.

  “Have I told you how beautiful you are?” His grin turns to a full-fledged smile that he shares adoringly with me which make butterflies flutter inside my stomach.

  “Yes,” I whisper with a smile; “but I don’t mind you telling me again.” While saying this I have scooted closer to him and am looking back at him with just as much love in my eyes for him as he is showing me. Leaning into him, I brush my lips against his and breathe him into me. I want to memorize every little thing about him, from his scent, to the way he tenderly caresses my cheek with his thumb. I turn my head and place a kiss against his palm and then turn back to receive a kiss from him. The kiss is tender at first but intensifies between us quickly. As things heat up between us, clothing is discarded and tossed aside. I’m a little scared, a little nervous but Nic eases my fears away as his hands explore my body. His lips leave a trail of kisses down my neck and across my collar bones. A shiver runs the length of my body and I decide it is my turn to touch him, kiss him.

  He allows me to take my time exploring him but as I come to kiss him on the lips once more, he flips me on my back and takes control again. As our bodies finally merge, becoming one our souls reach out to each other, entwining as well. Our soul bond has tangled around us, encasing us in blue-white flame, wrapping us in our united power. We look around us in awe and wonder. The energy flowing between us only heightening the experience of our connection. We smile at each other and then I wrap my arms around his neck and bring his lips back to mine for another kiss.

  ~

  “Alright, once I disconnect these cables, the power will go out. I need you to be ready to mix those chemicals exactly the way Ms. Harris said to, Ella.” Mr. Hopkins shouts over his shoulder to Ella where she stands waiting to administer the two liquids. She nods her head before sending a message via text to Ms. H. “Okay sir, Ms. H. will be waiting out back in one minute.” Staring at her phone, Ella waits for the go ahead from Ms. H. before shouting, “now!”

  James hits a button and machines around the room grow quiet, shutting down and then pull two large cables from against a wall. Ella dumps the contents together and turns to James expectantly. James Hangs back for a second longer, wanting to make sure the power grid goes dark before turning to Ella and saying, “alright, let’s get out of here and find my baby girl.”

  Ella looks at Mr. Hopkins and smiles proudly at him before they dash out of the electrical building and into the faint early morning light. Alina always wondered if her parents truly loved her, and Ella couldn’t wait to see her and tell her that she at least knew her father loved her unconditionally. As they were about to go out the exit doors, Ella and James could hear the faintest of booms. Both smiled smugly to each other, feeling very proud of themselves as they continued walking outside.

  “Alright Natalie, get us out of here.” James speaks hurriedly as he and Ella climb into her black SUV.

  ~

  As the early morning light tries to filter in between the dark red curtains hung in Dominic’s bedroom, I groan, squeezing my eyes tighter shut in hopes of alluding my mind to the fact that a new day is upon us, briefly having forgot last night’s mind-blowing experience, it had been so wonderful that my mind had come to terms that it couldn’t have possibly been real, it must have been a dream. I lay still on the bed as my brain takes the time to sort out fiction from fact. The crazy part, the facts feel more like a fantasy than having actually occurred. I smile to myself and then slowly open I eyes.

  Nic is just starting to stir when I look at him. I take a couple of mental photos of how he looks at this exact moment. His soft black sheets are covering our waists’, his arm is draped across my waist as well, hanging off my back. I look at him longingly wanting nothing more than to feel his bare chest under my hands, to run my fingers across his rippling muscles again. “Hey love,” he says as he opens his eyes and looks into mine. “What time is it?” He whispers.

  I shrug an ‘I don’t know’ but offer my suspicion, “6 o’clock, maybe.” Dominic flips his legs over the edge of his bed, grabs his shirt and tosses it over his head. I watch as he grabs his grey sweat pants and slips them on too. “What are you doing?” I ask curiously because I am totally ready for a replay of last night’s events!

  “I’m always the first one up. So, I usually go down and start a pot of coffee so that it’s ready by the time everyone else starts to wake up.” He looks back at me and smiles. “Do you want to come down with me?”

  Um, no! I want you to get your butt back in this bed and show me how much you love me again! “Uh, yeah sure, that sounds good. I’m going to throw some clothes on, but before you walk out that door, could you please come kiss me, so I don’t feel like some piece of meat?”

  Nic chuckles at my statement but comes back, leans down and kisses me anyway. I try to pull him down with me but unsuccessfully so. “I love you, you dork,” he says to me and just misses the pillow hitting him as I chuck it at his head. I can hear him laughing on the other side of the door and smile myself. God, I love him!

  *

  “And you’re sure this is where she is staying at the moment?” James questions Natalie as he raises his hand to knock on the Salvino’s front door. He raps his knuckles against the wood and then steps back, anxiously waiting for someone to answer. No one comes so Ella in a lack
of patients decides to ring the doorbell. The sound of the bell echoing throughout the house was definitely the ticket to getting someone to open the door.

  “Hello, may I help you?” Mrs. Salvino says as she opens the door hesitantly, her gaze falling upon the two random strangers standing on her door step. A baffled expression settles on her face before she looks behind the two strangers standing in front of her, she notices Natalie standing on her stoop as well. “Natalie? What are you doing here so early in the morning?”

  “Hi Lisa. I will tell you, but may we come in first?”

  “Oh, of course.” Mrs. Salvino exclaims opening the door wider at the same time, so the unexpected guests could enter. “Come in, come in.”

  “Thank you, Lisa.” Natalie says with a half-hearted smile. “I would like to introduce to you Mr. Hopkins and Ella, Alina’s father and best friend. They just helped me stop any planning the Hunter’s Association may have been doing this morning by cutting their power source/electricity and starting a fire.”

  Mrs. Salvino’s smile grows wide at these words. “Well then, welcome, welcome. I think you will find Dominic and Alina in the kitchen pouring coffee if you would like any.”

  James drops the few items he was holding in his hands and quickly begins to make his way through the hallway until he stumbles into the kitchen. He can hear Alina laughing as he enters and freezes mid step at seeing her with HIM. “Alina?”

  My head flips around lightning quick at hear my dad’s voice; “Dad?” I say in astonishment. My coffee cup slips from my hands clattering and then shattering on the tile floor, just missing my bare feet. “Dad! What are you doing here? Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you so much!” I run around the counter and fling myself into his arms, griping him in the tightest hug I can muster. Movement behind him catches my eye and I shriek out, “Ella! Oh my god! What are you guys doing here?” My eyes are about to pop out of my head they have gone so wide in shock!