“Can I help you?” Virgie asked impatiently.
Right. I needed to focus on why I was here. “Can we talk?”
“About?”
Behind her, Peony lifted her head, fixing her catlike, hazel gaze on me. As if sensing it, Virgie stepped to the side, glaring as she offered a cold invite into the dorm.
“What is she doing here?” Peony asked.
This would please her, but after killing Preston, I deserved to feel some shame. “Do you have any tips on our career paths?” Virgie was determined to run a brothel, and a position like that was better than being one of the employees. If anyone would know how to navigate shark-infested waters, it was her.
“Ready to be a good little whore?” Peony purred, leaning over the railing of her top bunk. “Is that what you’re asking about?”
I bristled, and my magic roared within me. I shook my hands, trying to rid myself of the ice running through my veins. Peony tensed and grabbed the railing tightly, her knuckles turning white even as she maintained her smirk. All she had to do was mention how my ice had killed her vines, and I’d be done for.
Despite knowing the danger of being in the lion’s den, I couldn’t stop myself from peeking into the lion’s jaw. “You should know,” I said hotly. “Why else would you hang around the twins?”
Peony leapt from her bed. Virgie took a step forward as if to position herself between us, but then retreated. Peony drew so close that her nose almost touched mine. Her sickly, strawberry-scented perfume hit me.
“Look, bitch,” she said in a low, dangerous voice. “If you’re looking for advice on what sex positions the vamps like or what lingerie turns them on, you’re asking the wrong girls. Got that? But don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll teach you what to do soon enough.” She grinned wickedly, and Virgie managed an inauthentic snicker. “Or maybe you’ve already got an idea from practicing with Preston.” Peony’s lips pulled back into a snarl. “You’re nothing to him. He’s just using you.”
I shuddered, and Peony’s grin widened. She thought that I was hurt by her insinuation that Preston only wanted sex from me. She had no idea he was dead and that I had killed him. Thankfully, I wasn’t a pureblood fae and thus could lie. If anyone asked me directly, I could make up a story unless they used a blood crystal on me.
Peony leaned against the wall and flicked a golden curl back, satisfied that she was getting to me, clueless about the real reason behind my distress. “Preston’s a royal. A prince. Royals only want powerful mates. He’s never going to go after some magicless, spoiled half fae. You’re simply a distraction. Preston’s going to seek someone with real magic and real potential. Why else did he come here from the depleted faeland? He’s out to find a bride, but it will be the worthiest among the students of Nocturnal Academy.” With that, Peony strode out of the room, holding her head high, like she was the queen of England. I gritted my teeth, not liking how much she knew about the faeland. Once she realized that Preston wasn’t coming back...if she put all the pieces together...no, I could not think like that. I had to pull myself together.
Virgie closed the dormitory door slowly behind Peony. She approached me, her face molding from fake amusement to real concern. “You’re fine. She’s gone. Breathe. In and out.”
My heart raced. A bit of frost formed tendrils on the window. No, no, I couldn’t let my magic get out of control now. I had to stay a magicless half fae if I wanted to survive.
Mercifully, Virgie’s brown eyes were on me. “Don’t sell yourself short. No pun intended. There are ways to navigate this world. Being a courtesan isn’t the only thing you can do.”
“I have no magic.” I stared at her, forcing myself not to blink. In the weeks, months, and years to come I’d have to repeat this lie countless times.
Virgie glanced at the door like she expected Peony to return at any second. “Did you hear Lily?”
I swallowed, hating myself. A lump in my throat bobbed up and down.
“There is other work. Answering phones. Organizing. Day errands. Even bookkeeping. None of them involve magic. If you ace your classes, act polite, and curtsy, you might have a chance. The vamps choose your major at the end of the term. There’s still time to prove that you’re good at something besides sex.” She gave me a once-over. “And try to look less interesting, more wallflower.”
Like Lily. “Do you really think I stand a chance?”
Virgie nodded. “You have a few months to convince them. Keep your attitude to yourself.” Virgie picked a piece of lint off my jacket. “The nail that sticks out gets hit. Remember that, and you might stand a chance.”
The pain in my chest eased, and along with it, so did the frost on the window. It melted away, forming a few droplets that failed to catch Virgie’s attention.
“I guess I can try.” I had to give it my all. If there was no escape from Nocturnal Academy, I had to find my spot in this new world where vamps reigned. Really, it wasn’t much different from the human world or the faeland. The rich always ruled. The poor always submitted. I fell into the second camp and needed to make the best out of it.
4
Classes started the following day. Lily didn’t try to talk to me as we got dressed, buttoning up our white shirts and putting on our black skirts, stockings, and gray blazers, but she followed me around like a shadow as I headed for the breakfast buffet. Her gaze burned into the back of my head as I grabbed my tray and wove through the white tables and under the chandeliers. I picked a seat near a painting of Paris. Lily sat down at my table and snuck glances at me between bites. I planned to ignore her, but after my first cup of wordless coffee, I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Can you please stop staring at me?” My voice came out cold, and Lily flinched, which added to the guilt weighing heavy on my chest.
“Sorry. It’s just that I have no idea how to get to class. Everything is so new.” She glanced down at her lap. “I promise I’ll stop bothering you once I get the layout of this place.”
I chuckled, and she glanced up, her eyes wide in confusion.
“The academy is huge. It will take you weeks.” At the slump in her shoulders, I added, “I’ll show you around.” The idea of Lily getting into trouble because of me made my stomach turn. “Just don’t expect us to be friends.” As soon as the words came from my mouth, I felt like the Asshole of the Year, but it was necessary. I stabbed my fork into my scrambled eggs. Best to disappoint Lily now so that she couldn’t get attached to me.
Lily chewed on a piece of toast. “I get it. You don’t like me.” She pushed a strand of her mousy brown hair back, something she did at least every ten minutes. “I’m sorry if I’m boring compared to your last roommate.”
I finished my coffee and pushed away my plate. “I need to get to class.”
Peony. That bitch was whispering into the new girl’s ears. I didn’t want to know what else she had told Lily. I inhaled deeply to stop myself from screaming and rose from the table, needing to get out of the cafeteria. Lily fell into step next to me as I stalked down the hall toward our first class of the day. History. Lord Sullivan’s class.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Save it.” I whirled around. “Personal questions are off limits. I’ll help you find your way around here, but I’m not your friend. You got it?”
Lily shook her head, then nodded slowly, her face falling.
We reached the classroom that for the first time was full, and I paused at the threshold. During the summer, 90 percent of the students had been fae. Now, however, there were nearly as many vamps as fae in the class. A small sea of gray and red clothes spread out before me. Unfortunately, the only two available seats were in an area surrounded by vamps.
And worse yet, near Kassius and Kayden, the cruel twins. I swallowed hard. Kayden flashed me a savage grin, fangs glowing under the globe lights of the chandelier.
Peony whipped her crossed, heeled foot at me. “We saved you two seats.”
Virgie snicker
ed. Both were of course sitting in the front row, safe from any vamp attacks besides Sullivan himself. Peony had conspired with the twins. Awesome. Ice filled my veins, and I breathed in and out slowly, urging my power to calm. Thankfully, it obeyed.
Sullivan chose this moment to stride into the classroom, shooting me a death glare. “Take your seat, Miss Onyx. And you, Miss Lily.”
I hurried to a free desk, and Lily plopped down behind me. Kassius and Kayden sat to our left.
“New friend, Onyx? You sure go through them quickly.” Kassius chortled, and his twin joined in.
My pulse raced in my ears. Ignoring them, I got out my history book and started reading a paragraph of Chapter Seven. Sullivan had finished up Chapter Six during summer prep, but it never hurt to read the next chapter in case he decided to quiz me.
“Welcome to fall term, students.” Lord Sullivan’s monotone voice was all but welcoming. “As you can see, we have a lot of new faces. Please welcome James Soundheimer, Derek Smithson.” He rattled off about twelve more names. Since the vamps only gave a curt nod at their names, I had no chance to remember them, not that I was trying very hard. My focus was on getting excellent grades and finding decent employment. Socializing with the vamps wouldn’t lead anywhere good. It was best to stay polite, but cold, so that my openness wouldn’t be mistaken for permission to do with me whatever they wanted.
“Now that everyone is introduced, please open your books to page ninety-eight. We’ll be talking about the Dark Ages. Who can tell me why the time period between the fifth to fifteenth century is called the Dark Ages?”
I stared at my book, hoping Sullivan wouldn’t call on me.
“Onyx.”
I groaned inwardly.
“The Dark Ages got their name because Europe experienced an economic and cultural decline after the Roman Empire fell apart.” I knew that would be the correct answer in a human school, but the nasty smirk on Sullivan’s face told me that once again, I hadn’t given him the answer he desired.
“Wrong. A minus for Onyx.” He pointed at Peony. “Miss Peony?”
She dropped the golden curl she had been twirling around her finger and straightened. “I believe it’s because the vampires retreated from mainstream society, leaving humanity to struggle.”
Sullivan nodded. “Correct. A plus for Peony. Now, everyone read the first two pages of the chapter. We will then discuss what you’ve learned.”
I forced myself to read the nonsense, even though I wanted to slam the book shut. Of course, the vamps had rewritten that part of history as well. According to them, they were the best thing that had ever happened to both humans and other supernaturals. I doubted that vampires had ever contributed to the human economy and society as the book claimed or that they had been hunted by humans for their wealth. Much more likely that a few humans had banded together to hunt vampires after they realized what parasites they were.
Despite my wrong answer, I managed to avoid detention and get unscathed to my next class, which was PE. No one said a word as we entered the changing rooms and got into our leotards that left very little to the imagination. Only the vamp girls spent time near the mirrors, checking out their own perfect forms in the tight-fitting uniforms. The fae girls, Lily included, kept their distance from the vamps. At least we had different colored uniforms: fae in gray and vamps in red. That made it easy for one team to avoid the other.
Lily silently followed me to the gym, which featured a polished wooden floor and could easily fit two basketball courts. The shutters were closed over every window.
Mr. Chad threw a basketball toward the boys as soon as we entered. “Go and practice your skills.” He waved them out of the way. I envied them for getting to play ball while the girls would probably have to do stupid gymnastics. But I cringed now as the vamps took the ball and instead of getting it in the hoop, played smack-a-fae. The fae weren’t as strong as the vamps, especially in the academy where they were surrounded by iron. The air filled with whooshing sounds as Kayden and Kassius threw basketballs at the fae with dreadlocks I’d seen in summer prep, then turned their aggression on a black-haired fae guy who attempted to catch the ball by letting vines spring from his fingers. Vamps circled in on him, and he lost his concentration. The next ball smacked him straight in the stomach, making him keel over. Soon, a few fae boys were on the ground while others stood off to the side with bruises and abrasions.
Mr. Chad didn’t do anything. Instead, he watched us, the girls, as we set up the mats to do our tumbling. My skin crawled. Lily grimaced as she helped me slide a mat across the floor. The other fae looked just as uncomfortable. Slowly, I noticed the uneven gender balance. Most fae were female, while most vamps were males. There were over twenty female fae here, and only five fae guys. The opposite was true for the vamps.
I pushed two mats together where Virgie was standing and whispered, “Why are all fae girls and all the vamps boys?” Since I had grown up with my human mother, there were a lot of things I didn’t know about my new world.
Virgie rolled her eyes. “Didn’t they teach you anything?” At my raised eyebrows, she hissed, “Vamps are made, and a lot of sires prefer males, believing them to be stronger.” She bit her lip. “As for us, the iron in the human world affects male fae worse than female fae, so more females survive. It’s ironic that we, the sturdier gender, are seen as weak and less desirable for leadership.” So far, he seemed like the only neutral teacher
I nodded, more worried about the practical consequences of such selection.
The vamps were zigzagging across the other side of the gym, their basketball game looking more like a wrestling fight. Shoes squeaked. Their testosterone was out of control. They were like caged animals who finally had been released. Kassius nailed a vamp guy across the head with the basketball so hard I heard a crack. A shudder seized me. If I ended up being a mistress to one of them, I didn’t think I’d survive it. They would chew me up and spit out my bones.
“Chop, chop.” Mr. Chad clapped his hands together. “I want you all to start with two cartwheels, followed by a straddle jump, then segue into a split.” His speech attracted the attention of the vamp boys, and they dropped the ball, stalking over toward us like panthers circling the gazelles.
I swallowed hard.
“They’re not going to watch us, are they?” Lily’s voice trembled. I grabbed her hand, cursing myself immediately. I shouldn’t give her hope that we might become friends. Letting go of her hand, I said urgently, “Do your best. Mr. Chad will make you repeat it until you get it right.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m not good at sports.”
“It will be fine. Just try.” I took a step away, creating plenty of distance between us. Showing Mr. Chad or any other vamp that I had a soft spot for Lily would only put her into unnecessary danger.
Since Lily went right in front of me, I had a full view of her struggles. Her first cartwheel was so low, she lost her balance. Her second and third attempt weren’t much better, and she landed on her behind.
A vampire booed, and another one snickered while Mr. Chad’s face darkened.
Lily tried a few more times before Mr. Chad yelled, “Moving on to the straddle jump!”
Lily’s jump looked nothing like a straddle jump, her legs not anywhere near forming the shape V.
“Can you at least do a split?” Mr. Chad shook his head, his nose screwed up as if he was smelling something rotten.
Lily maneuvered herself into a half split, and a pop followed as she grimaced in pain. I cringed, hoping she hadn’t pulled a ligament.
Mr. Chad shook his head with a smug smile. “Minus. If you don’t improve, I’ll have to fail you.” He was a creep, and I was certain that if Lily had been curvier or at least batted her eyelashes at him, he would’ve told her to meet him in his office alone afterward to “discuss” her future. He probably wanted to fail her so that he could spend more time watching big-chested girls like Virgie jump up and down.
“Onyx, did yo
u fall asleep?” Mr. Chad snapped, and I realized all eyes were on me.
I forced my mouth into a smile as Lily shrunk and scurried off to the side. The last thing I needed was for him to hate me too.
Shooting Mr. Chad another smile, I ran and did two cartwheels. My straddle jump was pretty good as well. There were only a few inches between my fingers and toes. I slid into a split thanks to my natural flexibility.
“Nice. I bet she can do all of the Kama Sutra,” one of the twins chuckled behind me, and my elevation at having performed well disappeared. I wanted to melt into the floor. I got off the mat, trying my best to ignore the cat calls while keeping a lid on the cold gathering in my heart. Ever since I had defended myself in the portal, my magic had stayed close to the surface. I could only hope that it wouldn’t get worse with time.
“You did so well.” Lily gave me a wide smile. It was sweet and I hated wiping it off her face, but we needed to be realistic.
“Yes, I guess I’ll make for an entertaining prostitute.”
“That’s not what I meant—” Lily began, but was shushed by another fae, a girl with blonde stripes in her dark hair. Relief swept through me. Not only because the other fae had shut down the conversation, but also because talking during classes would end in a detention or worse.
Our third class of the day was Home Décor. Since it was all about using your magic to entertain the vamps by making plants grow and beautifying rooms, I sucked at it. My magic didn’t create. My magic killed. I swallowed hard as I remembered Preston’s and Peony’s shock when they had seen my ice.
I was an abomination. My magic was seriously messed up. I’d been trying to shove the thought aside all day, but I could no longer hold it back when I was supposed to pretend to be magicless for two hours. I increased my pace, and Lily had to jog to keep up.
Peony knew my secret. She could unleash it at any time or hold it over my head for eternity.
The Nocturnal and Fae Prison Academy Boxset [A Complete Paranormal and Fantasy Series Boxset] Page 13