by KC Kingmaker
“Did you hear anything I just said?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good. For now, you will continue watching her.”
“Why?”
He threaded his fingers together on the desk. “Because Coralia is more determined to find her sister than anyone else at this academy. And you are the most agreeable of Hudson’s Glove, of which Myria was a part. If Coralia finds her sister, then through you, so will I. Does that make things a little clearer?”
It did. My mouth popped open and it took a moment for me to clam it shut. All semester I’d been wanting to know why Coralia interested Headmaster Cane so much.
It was because he wanted to find Myria Hargrave just as badly as Coralia did, apparently. Does that mean Myria has a greater purpose to the Academy than I thought? Why is Alaric so determined to find her? And how the hell am I the key to bringing this together?
I supposed I wasn’t. I was simply the tether that connected Coralia to the Academy and Headmaster Cane. Alaric needed to employ someone she could trust, and I was easy to talk to.
I felt used, and a bit betrayed on Coralia’s behalf.
How can I feel that way though? I knew all along that what I was doing was wrong and deceitful.
It likely hurt so strongly because Alaric had finally put it into words. He had laid it all out—or as much as he was willing to say. Which made me believe I was nearing the end of my deceptive little mission, or else he wouldn’t have given me the cookie crumbs to follow.
“Now then, you’ve already dropped the ball by working yourself up over all this,” the headmaster said.
My brow flattened. “What do you mean, sir?”
“Coralia managed to sneak off campus.” He waved a hand at my baffled expression. “Don’t worry, she won’t get in trouble. But she is in the infirmary. So is Dax Kilmeade.”
“W-What?”
He gave me a solemn nod. “They will both be fine. However, I suggest you head down there.”
“Yes. Right away, sir.” I wheeled toward the door.
“Hold on, Donovenn.”
Hand reaching for the knob, I tossed a look over my shoulder. “Yes, Headmaster?”
“While I have you, I’d like to know what you’ve learned about Coralia Hargrave up until this point. Report, Phantom.”
You mean what can you use against her?
No, I couldn’t think like that now. Not if Alaric was truly only concerned with Myria’s wellbeing.
Fair thoughts of Coralia sprouted up inside me: her throaty laugh, her narrowed gaze, her red-streaked hair. The undying loyalty she showed. Her bountiful curves and supple flesh when my fingers embedded in her body. The vanilla cloud of her scent that drove me into a frenzy when I inhaled her essence, just before sheathing myself inside her.
I drew a sharp breath, looking up from the ground to blink at the headmaster, dazed. “Where to start, sir?”
A NURSE AT THE INFIRMARY directed me to one of the back rooms, where I could hear familiar voices rising, unsettling my nerves.
I let myself into the room and immediately spied Coralia, no pun intended. Her eyes met mine and her face lit up. My stomach did a cartwheel, agony pumping through my veins.
“Venn!” she exclaimed, rising from her hospital bed. Before I could think of anything to say, she was hurrying over to me and wrapping me in a hug. “I’ve missed you.”
Her purring voice made the hairs on the back of my neck stand as she nestled her face in the crook of my shoulder. I put my arms around her, embracing her tightly, knowing it might be the last time I could do such a thing before I spilled all my secrets. “I wish I’d known you’d left.”
“It happened so fast. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long story.”
I took her to arm’s length and studied her beautiful features, every inch and plane of her smooth face. Before I could let the doubt and fear swallow me whole, I said, “Coralia, can we talk . . . in private?”
Confusion knitted her brow. “Of course.”
As she made her way to the hallway outside, I looked down at Dax, on the gurney in front of me. “Are you okay, brother?”
“Never better, Donovenn.”
I glanced up at Charli, sitting on the edge of the bed across the way. She gave me a tiny wave and I smiled at her with a nod.
Outside the room, it took all the willpower I had not to fidget.
Coralia started, eyes narrowing with a mischievous smirk. “Are you trying to find a janitor’s closet to take me to, Venn, so you can have your way with me agai—”
“Coralia, there’s something I have to tell you.” Believe me, I want nothing more than to do just that, hun.
At the sound of my stern voice, she paused, the devious playfulness fleeing her face. “Oh. What’s up?”
Anxiety made me sick to my stomach, bile rising up my throat. Moment of truth. “I . . . I don’t know how to say this.”
“Say what, Venn?” She took a step back, brow arching with concern.
“I haven’t been entirely truthful with you, hun.”
Her head slanted.
My words vomited out, hands circling in the air like a crazy person. “I—we—the thing we have. Believe me, I love it. I want nothing more than to continue it because it’s the best thing I’ve ever had, and—”
“Venn. Venn. Slow down. You’re not making any sense.” She put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Take a deep breath.”
I did. It was a good thing, too, because I would have hyperventilated had I not taken her suggestion. Bracing myself, I let it all fly. “I was commissioned as a spy before meeting you, love. By Headmaster Cane.”
“A spy? What do you . . .”
“He ordered me to get close to you. To learn about you. At first, I wasn’t sure why. I wanted to tell you all this time, but then we . . . you know. And it was so fantastic.”
The confusion plastering her face morphed into hurt, her bottom lip trembling. It broke my heart seeing her face fall like that. She took a step back. “You . . . were spying on me?”
I put my hands up in surrender. “At the start! Then I realized how much I truly cared for you. Believe me, Cor, we might have started under false pretenses, but everything that happened in the woods . . . that was all real.”
“Was it, Venn?” Her voice came out vicious. Lips firming into a line, her face contorted angrily. “You’ve got to be kidding me. All this time—all the late night Alchemy study sessions? The meals in the mess hall? Getting to know one another? It was all a lie?”
I gulped. My eyes burned. “It wasn’t all a lie, Coralia. I truly do love you.”
“Don’t.” She sliced a hand through the air. “Don’t say that word to me.” She wrapped her arms around her chest, squeezing hard like she wanted to escape. “Just what was that slick son of a bitch wanting you to find out about me, hmm?”
“The headmaster wants to find your sister. Like you.”
Her upper lip peeled back on a snarl. “I don’t believe you. If he wanted to find Myria, he would have by now. What else?”
I looked away, unable to watch the fury on her beautiful face, for fear I’d never get it out of my mind. “He—I thought he was going to ask me to do something else. But I refused. I told him I wouldn’t.”
“What did you think he—” She cut herself off, eyes widening. It was like all the puzzle pieces fell together in that moment, clicking into place. “Holy shit. He was going to order you to kill me!”
Passing nurses and patients in the hallway glanced at us, eyebrows raised.
I leaned forward, trying to quiet her rage and reach out to her. “No! He told me that was never part of the plan.”
She flinched back, only tormenting me even more. “Bullshit! I can’t believe this.” She put a hand to her forehead, reeling. “I can’t believe you. All this time, I thought I was falling for an honest, kind man. The first one I’d met here. And it was all a l
ie.”
“It wasn’t a lie, Cor—”
“Shut up. No. I can’t listen to your voice anymore, Venn. I can’t stand to look at you right now.” With that, she turned to the side, striking a dismissive pose.
My adrenaline began to settle as the truth of the matter washed over me. I knew this was the end, and there was nothing I could do about it. I had said my piece. Now I needed to leave Coralia alone, as painfully difficult as that would be. She needed to come to her own conclusions. I couldn’t stand in the way of that.
Nodding glumly, my shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Coralia. Truly, I am.” With that, I turned to leave.
A few steps down the hall, a voice stopped me short.
“Just where do you think you’re going?”
My gaze lifted from the linoleum tiles to the bearded face of Jace Hudson. Sunny stood over his shoulder. “Wrist Hudson,” I droned. “Can it wait? I can’t—”
“No, it can’t wait. Not while I have all of you together. I have an important announcement for the Glove, Venn, so get your ass back in that room.”
Chapter 37
Coralia
I COULDN’T BELIEVE I had been duped by Venn Gable. That I’d trusted him so fully. That I’d let him fuck me! The thought disgusted me now, after what he’d just told me.
And yet, a traitorous part of me still wanted to feel his touch. My body yearned to feel his hands on me, exploring my skin while his lips smashed against mine.
I needed time to think. Alone.
I had to stuff down my thoughts for another time, because Jace Hudson entered the room with Sunny’s tall form behind him, and the two of them stole my attention. When Venn slunk in behind the two of them—making the room extremely crowded—I seethed and shot him an evil glare.
He looked dejected, unable to meet my wrathful eyes. It pulled at my heartstrings to see him so downcast, after I’d known the man to be such an upbeat presence.
He brought it on himself, dammit.
“I’m glad to see you’re all alive and well,” Jace said from the front of the room. His frown wasn’t aimed at me, and I turned to see Charli shrinking in the background. “Miss Fairfax,” the professor said, “if you would be so kind as to give us a moment alone.”
“Oh, no prob,” she squeaked, and rose to her feet with Brucey perched on her shoulder.
“I’ll go with her,” I said, standing. It would give me time to—
I ran into Jace’s outstretched arm, barring me from leaving. “No, Miss Hargrave. You stay.” He nudged his chin to where I’d just been sitting.
“Why? This sounds like Glove business.”
“It is.”
“Well, I’m not part of the Glove.”
“Even so. You’ve been a part of the goings-on of late. Too much so, I might add. Take a seat.”
Grumbling to myself, I gave Charli a helpless smile as she left the room. She took up so little physical space that her absence didn’t do much to alleviate the cramped, stuffy feeling of the infirmary room. There was too much man surrounding me: Dax reclined on the bed, quiet as usual; Sunny standing next to Jace with a surly expression, like he was co-captain; Venn in the corner, clearly wanting to be there even less than me.
“Sunny has debriefed me regarding Asberald City. While I’m disappointed the three of you went there alone, unprepared, it didn’t come without its benefits.”
“Are you thanking us or reprimanding us?” I blurted. My temper was still hot.
“Both.”
I fumed. “When you say the three of us, are you talking about Genevieve? Or Dax?”
“Dax was supposed to be there. You and Sunny weren’t. I’m talking about Miss Jade.”
“Who is now missing.”
“Who is now missing,” he echoed. “Can I speak, Miss Hargrave? Or would you like to continue interrupting me?”
I shut down and wilted from his stern glare. Professor Hudson wasn’t one to be trifled with, and his huge presence scared me. He wasn’t Venn—I couldn’t blow up on him or take my anger out on the professor. “S-Sorry.”
He grunted. “After speaking with Headmaster Cane and making him understand the gravity of the situation, he agreed with me. My Glove’s final assignment has been designated.”
Venn cut in. “So soon, sir? Midterms just happened.”
“I know. Unfortunately, this is an assignment where time is of the essence. It cannot wait.” His eyes lingered over to Dax’s prone form and gave the wounded shifter a lopsided smile. “I want to congratulate you on a job well done, Dax. You’ve served the Academy well.”
“Serving the Academy is my job, sir.”
Of course Dax would say something like that. I rolled my eyes, creases scrunching my forehead. “What’s he talking about, Dax?”
“When I tackled the demon in front of you, I embedded a magical tracking device in his hide,” he explained.
“We’ve been able to trail the demon’s trajectory through the Shadow Plane,” Jace added.
Spirits hang me on a clothesline, I thought, anger throbbing in my veins. Even Dax saving me came with an ulterior motive?
“Don’t look so disheartened, Miss Hargrave. We believe the demons will lead us to Genevieve’s location. And perhaps even your sister.”
My ears perked up. “R-Really? You think they’re alive?”
“We don’t know. Which is why this mission is a timely one. If you succeed, however, you’ll excel to the Phantom class.”
I didn’t give a shit about that.
“Hold on,” Sunny said in his deep, rich voice. He pushed off from the wall. “She’s coming with us? That’s a bad idea, Jace.”
“It’s not my idea,” the Wrist replied.
I leered at Sunny. “Why is it a bad idea?”
“No offense, princess, but you’re a liability.” His arms crossed over his burly chest.
Ah, so he has just been putting up with me because he had to. Now the truth comes out. The rage knotted in my stomach was threatening to explode into a full-blown meltdown. These sons of bitches! All three of them! Just when I’d started falling for them!
“During the attack, you froze,” Sunny said.
He wasn’t wrong. “I recovered.”
“Still. Genevieve, Dax, and I had to take time to make sure you were all right. To protect you.”
“Are you saying that’s the reason Vivi was taken? Because you were distracted trying to protect me?”
He gave me a half-lidded, bored stare. “No.”
“I think you are,” I challenged. And do you want to tell your precious Wrist why you were distracted by me? Could it be because you have feelings for me? Urges? Like when you happily fed on me like a leech?
Sunny didn’t take the bait. He turned to Jace. “She’s not ready. That’s all I’m saying.”
I jolted up from my seat. “I was startled, sir. I apologize for it, but it won’t happen again. If this group is doing something involving my sister’s disappearance, I have a right to join them.”
“Coralia also drew a massive shadow manipulation around one of the demons,” Dax said, surprising me by coming to my defense. “Though it didn’t hold him for long, it gave me enough time to regroup after I’d taken this wound.”
At least there’s one admirable man in this fucking room . . . when he feels like it.
“I agree with Dax,” Venn piped up. “I think Coralia will do great. She’s ready.”
I couldn’t look at him. Though I appreciated Venn getting my back, his words in the hallway were still too fresh.
Jace gave us all an annoyed stare, taking a look at us from one to the next. In a dry voice, he said, “I’m loving this Fellowship of the Ring situation. Truly. But my job isn’t to herd kittens. My job is to relay your orders. Coralia will join the mission because Headmaster Cane believes she is integral to finding Myria Hargrave. If she is still alive.”
Pride swelled inside me. “Thank you, Wrist.”
“I’m not your Wrist,” he
snapped. “Like you said, you’re not part of my Glove. You’ve rooted yourself to my troop, so it can’t be helped. I’m not doing this because I do or don’t trust your instincts and drive, Miss Hargrave. I’m doing this because I was ordered to.”
Well, at least Jace didn’t mince words. Though they hurt, it was nice to hear an honest statement from someone—a statement I didn’t need to read between the lines to understand. “That’s good enough for me,” I said. “What’s the mission?”
“Our locator has tracked the demon deep into the heart of Asberald City. So far, we’ve only skirted the fringes of the city, so we’re not positive as to the dangers that might lie ahead. We may call in an expert to help.”
The professor pulled a rolled parchment from behind him and rolled it out on the empty gurney where I’d been resting. Sunny, Venn, and I huddled around it. The parchment was blank, its edges frayed, looking like an ancient scroll. Jace brushed his palm across the surface. In its wake, foggy blackness clouded the parchment like spilled ink. Buildings I recognized rested in the blackness.
“This is a shadowmap,” he said, though Venn and Sunny didn’t seem shocked to see such a thing. “Combined with Venn’s fae mind-link, the shadowmap is how I will remain in contact with you throughout the engagement.” As his hand roamed over the black cloud, the dark blot shifted and moved with his fingers, until it showed other buildings from Asberald City.
The shadowmap was like a crystal ball for shadowblades.
Fucking wicked.
Jace pointed down at a specific section of the map. Over his shoulder, he asked, “Dax, will you be ready in a few days?”
“Yes sir. I should be ready before then. My wound is nearly healed.”
“Good.”
“Ready for what?” I asked.
Jace Hudson continued pointing at the map. “You will go to this facility, to where the demon fled. That is where the locator led us.”
As he turned to me, his solemn expression cut through my entire being. “Your mission, Miss Hargrave, is to eradicate any demon in the facility, so they’re not able to proliferate outside Asberald City. Meanwhile, you will gather information on what’s inside the building. Rescue Genevieve if you can . . . your sister if she’s there . . . and kill the rest.” He stood to his full height, folding his arms. “Keep the demonspawn contained.”