by Rain Oxford
“As well as can be expected.”
“That wizard was ominous,” Henry said. “I think I prefer Langril’s level of eccentricity.”
“Yeah, so do I.” We explained to Darwin everything that had happened. Then we had a nice lunch. The atmosphere of the Center was different since our students had recovered. There was a lot of confusion among the staff as to what actually happened, so Remington was going to hold a school meeting and lie her ass off.
It was a nice ass, though.
“Earth to Dev,” Darwin said.
I realized Dorian was sitting on the table in front of my plate, staring at me.
“I still haven’t figured out who your wizard is, yet. I’m sorry; I’ve been very busy trying to stop the end of the world.”
When he continued staring at me, I released my power to hear his thoughts. “Perhaps you are my wizard after all.”
“I already have a familiar.”
“It could be that she will die soon and I am to be your next one.”
“That’s horrible to say.”
“What did he say?” Darwin asked.
“I feel a horribly urgent need to get you a healing potion. Since I am not claimed, however, I don’t have the power to do so. I suggest you be prepared for danger.”
“There’s always danger. I needed a healing potion last night, so maybe that’s what you’re thinking of.” Instead of answering, the cat vanished and my connection to him was lost.
“What was that about?” Henry asked.
“I’m not quite sure yet.”
* * *
While catching up on some paperwork in my office, my instincts fired up. I was familiar enough with the sensation that I knew exactly what I needed to do; I slipped on my vision ring.
I was in a child’s nursery. I saw Serena hiding in the closet with Eric in her arms, trying to keep him quiet without hurting him. She was shaking, on the verge of crying. Peter threw open the closet door, a dagger poised in his hand.
I nearly dislocated my finger ripping the ring off. I reached out for Darwin’s and Henry’s minds. “My office! We have to go now!” I grabbed the blanket off my couch that Jason had left. When Darwin and Henry arrived, I explained that Serena was being attacked and we needed to save her. We wrapped Darwin in the blanket.
We were told that only a person who had committed murder could make it through the shadow pass unharmed. Whether that was true or not, we had success taking Darwin through it before while he was covered up. Henry carried him and we traveled through the shadow pass as fast as we could.
I was actually dizzy when we exited the shadow pass. The well-lit nursery was disorienting, and had clearly exhausted Henry. Henry set Darwin down as gently as he could. Darwin squeaked. “Ow! You broke my arse!” He scrambled out of the blanket and rubbed his tailbone dramatically.
“If I had, you would be screaming,” Henry said.
Darwin pouted, but before he could retort, Serena threw open the closet door. Surprise and relief was all over her face. She held Eric in her arms. “I’m so glad you’re here. Peter was spotted barging his way into the mansion five minutes ago. It’s only a matter of time before he finds us.”
“Darwin, shift and guard her. Henry, shift and we’ll go after Peter.”
“I should be able to find him from his scent,” Henry said, stripping. Darwin stripped as well, neither of them caring if Serena was used to shifter nudity. I wasn’t even used to it. Once they were both in their beast form, I opened the door and Henry began the hunt. His jaguar was eager to kill. He sniffed the air for a moment before taking off running down the hall. I had trouble keeping up with him, and he wasn’t going nearly as fast as he could.
We passed through many hallways, startling a number of staff and council members who were in the way. Finally, we reached a living room, where Becky and two wolf shifters were surrounding Peter. The vampire didn’t look afraid in the least. Instead, he looked entirely deranged. His hair was greasy and sweaty, his clothes were wrinkled and blood-stained, and his eyes were bloodshot. In his hand was the dagger I saw in my vision. Then he saw Henry and me and glared. “You took her from me!” He pointed the dagger at me.
“Serena doesn’t want to be with you and she doesn’t have to be,” I said.
“You’re lying! She is mine!”
I pushed my power into his mind, which was unguarded. Without my chain, it was easy to make him sleep. With the barest command, he dropped.
Becky and the shifters looked at me. “That was anticlimactic,” Becky said.
“Sorry. Should I have let him stab one of us first?”
“It would have been less embarrassing,” one of the shifters said.
“Ignore them,” Becky said. “Thank you for your help. We appreciate it.”
“We’re going to go check on Serena. Do you think you can handle the vampire?”
She nodded. “We have a dungeon of sorts.”
Henry and I returned to the nursery to find Serena holding Eric in a rocking chair. The room was a stereotypical baby boy’s room, with sky-blue walls, soothing pictures on the walls, toys everywhere, a wooden rocking chair, a white crib, and a white cabinet. Beside the closet door was another door, which I suspected led to Serena’s bedroom.
“Peter shouldn’t be a problem again,” I said. Serena sighed with relief. Darwin and Henry shifted and dressed.
Becky joined us and asked us to stay for dinner. Since Henry had expended so much energy to get us here, we agreed. Becky even offered to have a driver take us back to the school.
“It would be safer,” Henry said. “Especially for Darwin.”
I nodded. “We would appreciate it.”
* * *
After dinner, Serena asked me if there was any way she could repay me for my help. “There’s no need,” I said.
“Unless you have any special books on familiars,” Darwin said.
“Are you having trouble with your familiar?” Serena asked me.
“I don’t think so. I have a gargoyle familiar and I never questioned our bond. However, there is a cat familiar named Dorian who has been hanging around the school. He was called and can’t find his wizard. Now he thinks it might be me.”
She frowned. “My husband once met a familiar who couldn’t find her wizard. He created a potion. I’m pretty sure I remember what book he used and where it is. Meet me in the East wing, second floor study at eight-thirty.” With that, she excused herself from the table.
* * *
I explored the mansion a little before going to the study a few minutes early. On the way, Juliet stopped me and asked me if she could get me anything. “You left before I could bring you coffee.”
“Maybe some tea,” I said.
She smiled. “I’ll bring it to the study for you.” She disappeared down the hallway.
I entered the study. It was a cozy room with wall-to-wall bookshelves, a writing desk, a fireplace, a black leather couch, and a huge window. The fireplace was lit and crackling. I started skimming through the books, but the vast number of them made it a challenge.
Not ten minutes after I got to the study, Juliet brought a tray-table with a pot and a single cup. “Does Serena drink tea?” I asked.
She nodded. “Sorry. I’m being very ditsy today. I can’t seem to wake up. I’ll bring her a cup as well,” she said, starting to take the entire tray. I took it from her gently and set it down. “Grab yourself a cup as well and join us.”
She seemed surprised by that. “I’m just the help.”
“Do it anyway. You look like you need a break.”
“Thank you. I think I do.” She left.
A moment later, Serena arrived without Eric. She went to a shelf and pulled a book down. “It’s in here, but I’m not a hundred percent sure which one he used.”
“If I can’t figure it out, Darwin can,” I said, taking it. “Thank you.”
“Please, sit,” she said, sitting on the couch. It would have been awkward to keep sta
nding, so I did. “What’s it like working at the paranormal school?” she asked.
“Hectic.”
“I heard some of the teachers tried to kill the new headmistress.”
“I’m surprised. I thought the school was more secretive than that.”
“Three men can keep a secret if two of them are dead. I also heard you saved her life.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I was considering asking her to give me a job.” Her sad gaze swept the room. “I’ve always disliked politics. There really isn’t anything left for me here. I don’t want Eric to grow up at the council.” She looked at me. “But then I heard of what happened. I’m afraid I have a low threshold for violence.”
“The school probably isn’t the place for you, then. I’ll keep an eye out for something, though.” I was about to stand when she completely surprised me; she kissed me. Despite the fact that she was a good kisser, there was no spark. There was something special about her, but it wasn’t passion. I gently but firmly pushed her away. “I have a girlfriend.”
Her face flushed with shame. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sorry if I gave off any signals.”
“No, it’s my fault.” She put her face in her hands. “I’m trying to force myself to get over my husband’s death and I misinterpreted my gratitude. I don’t find you… I mean, you’re attractive, but I’m not… I’m not emotionally available, either. I shouldn’t have done that.”
I probably should have patted her back or shoulders, but it was too awkward. “I’m going to go hide in my closet for a month now.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“I just…” She shook her head and left.
I felt like an asshole.
I got up and poured myself a cup of tea, then drank it down like it was coffee. Before I could have a second cup, Darwin arrived. He sniffed the air and frowned. “Why does it smell like awkwardness in here?”
“That has a scent?”
“Everything has a scent.”
“I’ll explain later.” I flipped open the book and saw that it was an old potions book. The further I got into it, the more uncomfortable I became. I had to sit when the room started spinning. A bad headache came on fast and strong. My heartbeat pounded loudly.
“What’s wrong?” Darwin asked.
I shook my head. “Maybe dinner didn’t agree with me.” I knew it had to be something more serious, but I was struggling to stay conscious.
Darwin picked up the teacup and sniffed it. “Bitter almond… fuck. You’ve been poisoned with cyanide. I’ll get help. Don’t die.” He ran from the room, shouting for help.
Chapter 17
I woke in a dimly lit room. The bed was comfortable. I was not. I felt like I had the worst flu. However, I was coherent enough to see Darwin in a chair and Henry asleep in his jaguar form on the floor. When I sat up, Darwin grabbed the glass of water off the nightstand and Henry’s head popped up.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I was poisoned.”
“You were. You’re lucky Becky is better at magic than she thinks; she whipped up a potion faster than anyone I had ever seen. When you’re ready, she wants to see you. So does Serena. We just thought it would be better if you weren’t bombarded as soon as you woke.”
“Thank you.”
“You might feel like shit and you definitely need rest, but you’ll live. You’ve got to stop scaring me like that, though.”
“Where is Rocky?”
“She never showed up.”
I focused on the bond between us and felt her push me away. Either she was furious with me, or she didn’t have the strength to come to me. I hated that. Her life was my responsibility and I had harmed her during the fight with Vitalis.
“Juliet has been arrested,” Darwin said.
“What? She didn’t do this.”
“She served you the tea, right?”
“Yes, but she’s way too innocent to do something like this.”
“She admitted to doing it.”
That made me pause. “Why?”
“Because you are the son of John Cross. She was apparently a serving girl here when John was alive and he tortured her. She thought you were the same.”
“I need to talk to her.”
“She begged them not to let you near her. She had the audacity to act like you were the monster after she poisoned you.”
“That doesn’t make sense. My instincts aren’t wrong about people.”
“They didn’t warn you about the tea.”
I pressed my palms against my temples to try to fend off the headache. “You’re right. They should have. Even before I knew I was a wizard, my instincts have always been solid. I didn’t feel any warning against the tea. Juliet couldn’t have blocked my instincts like that.”
“Who could?”
“I don’t know right now. I still feel like shit.”
“Well, get some more rest. We’ll figure something out.”
* * *
Monday, September 5
The next afternoon, Becky insisted on going with us. We had a wolf shifter driver as well, so it was cramped in the car. Serena hugged me, careful to keep it platonic and gentle. She acted like I was deathly ill. “Please let me know if I can do anything for you.”
“I’ve survived a lot worse than this.” On the drive, I told Becky that I wasn’t convinced Juliet poisoned me.
“I didn’t believe it at first, either, but she outright admitted to it,” she said.
“Maybe she was forced to say it was her. Maybe she was forced to slip poison in my cup. Where did she even get it, anyway? I didn’t think cyanide was that easy to attain.”
“Actually, a number of cyanide poisonings are accidental,” Darwin said. “Plastics such as nylon and polyurethanes release cyanide when burned. The seeds of apricots, apples, peaches, and some other fruits contain a compound called amygdalin, which contains a cyanide portion.”
“So someone slipped apple seeds in my tea?”
“No. The cyanide you were poisoned with came from a lab.”
“There is a lab in the council mansion,” Becky said. “Every member of the council has access to it because we get our potion ingredients from it. Non-members, including Juliet, don’t have access to it.”
“She could have gotten it from the room of a council member, though,” Henry said.
Becky frowned. “Then the council member should have reported it missing. You have a good point, Devon. I’ll continue looking into it. I won’t let anyone hurt Juliet until we know what really happened. In the meantime, though, I think it’s best that you don’t see her.”
I knew she was right. Even if Juliet was innocent, if she felt me in her mind, it could cause more damage. I knew Becky had a good heart and would fight to uncover the truth.
“We need help building a prison that can hold any paranormal.”
“That sounds dangerous. What if there is corruption in the council again?”
“We try not to expect the worst case scenario.”
“Contact Marcus Sinclair at Stephen’s coven. He’s an expert in security. Your prison and your mansion could use his help.”
“Thanks. We’ll give him a call. Maybe you could help out on your summer break. You can drop by the prison, read some minds, do your cop bit, and keep corruption out of the council.”
“Summer break is a long ways away, but I’ll consider it.”
I was about to doze off when my instincts fired up with enough force that it actually felt like I was being burned. I took over the driver’s mind in an instant. “Stop!” I yelled.
Tires squealed and seatbelts locked, but the sedan skidded to a stop. A split second later, a rusty brown Hummer ran the perpendicular red light in front of us. If we hadn’t stopped, it would have hit us going eighty miles an hour. After a few minutes of silence, I released the driver’s mind.
Becky was shaking with anger and the driver was shaking from the sh
ock. “Maybe I should drive,” Henry said.
“You aren’t upset by that?” Darwin asked. “Feel free to emote.”
“We survived, thanks to Devon’s instincts. We should be grateful of his powers. Being pissed does no good.”
The driver started driving again, slowly.
“Did that Hummer look familiar to either of you?” I asked Darwin and Henry.
“You mean did we notice that it was the same Hummer that was sitting in front of the mobile home Hotreo and Zondel stored their victims in?” Darwin asked. “Yes. I noticed.”
“I didn’t get that good a look at it,” Henry said.
“You know who was driving that?” Becky asked.
“Not for sure, but we have a hunch.”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they were here,” Darwin said.
“I agree, but if they were intentionally trying to kill us, that means they knew exactly where we would be and when.”
“How could they?”
“Either someone is spying on us, someone close to us is telling them, or someone can see the future better than I can.”
* * *
When we got to the school, I had a very long shower and then went to Remington’s room. As soon as she opened the door and saw me, she hugged me. “Where have you been? You disappeared.”
I hugged her back. “I didn’t mean to. I went to the wizard council to save Serena, because Peter went after her. I ended up getting poisoned.”
She pulled back. “Should you be standing? Are you still recovering?”
“I’m fine. I’m ready to get back to paperwork for a few days, though.”
* * *
I didn’t know if it was a dream or vision, but it was horrible. I was walking through the school grounds. Everyone was dead— teachers, staff, students, friends… everything was dead. Even the trees were mangled, mutated, and black. It was night and only the full moon illuminated the miserable scene. There was black goo coating grass and many of the bodies.