A second knock sounded.
“Come in,” Candice said.
I zipped up my backpack just as Mr. Chad entered the room. My skin crawled as his hungry gaze swept over me and landed on Candice. “Your master arrives at sunset to fetch you. Your next class will be on the fourteenth.”
“Thank you.” So Candice wouldn’t work here all the time. Good. I’d been banking on that.
Mr. Chad left the room, giving Candice no chance to ask him why she’d blanked out. I could only hope that she’d blame the vampire.
I rushed from the room before she could ask me any questions. My feet tingled with nerves as I ran up the steps to my dorm.
The door to my room was wide open. My mattress lay half off the bed, slashed down the middle. Fluff and feathers lay everywhere, scattered as if someone had eviscerated it. The drawers of our dresser had been flung open. Our clothes, some ripped, others dirty with footprints, were strewn all over the floor. I stepped into the mess. Lily’s mattress, too, had been yanked off her bed and cut open. Our dorm looked like a flock of chickens had fought with a flock of sheep.
The twins. They had visited, searching for the blood crystal.
Peony was onto me, determined to send me to the dungeons. If I hadn’t grabbed the blood crystal before lunch to wrench answers from Candice, I would’ve been caught by now and probably in the headmistress’s office. My knees quaked with the close call.
“Onyx?” Lily asked from behind me.
I whirled around, but she looked right past me at the disaster of our dorm, all color draining from her face.
“Where did Peony go?” My voice shook with rage and terror.
“She left the cafeteria. I tried to follow her, but the twins were blocking the door and catcalling all the girls.”
I gulped even though I had expected an explanation like this. “She’s riling the twins up. We have to get rid of her.”
“How? The vamps love her too much. She’s not like us.” Lily glanced past me. “How are we going to clean this up?”
“We’ll worry about that later.” I knew what I had to do. “I bet Peony will have the staff search our bags next for the blood crystal.” That was my chance to set her up, pay her back for all the kindness she had shown me since I had arrived at Nocturnal Academy.
“Onyx?”
I smiled at Lily. “Leave it to me.”
Peony was going down.
Chapter 12
The next day, I woke up with determination. Finally, I would teach Peony a lesson and save my own hide.
Our first class was History with Sullivan. Walking past Peony’s desk, I was about to drop the blood crystal into her bag, but hesitated. What if she discovered it and got rid of it? Worse, what if she put it into my or Lily’s bag when we weren’t watching and then we’d be caught with it? I gulped. I couldn’t let that happen. I’d have to bide my time until the teachers searched our backpacks. But what if I was too late?
I couldn’t wait around, hoping the vamps announced when they’d be searching our bags instead of ambushing us.
Did I have the nerve to set everything in motion myself? Go to the twins, after planting the evidence on Peony? No, that was cruel. She was an awful person, but by doing this, I’d be just as bad as her. I didn’t want to send her to the dungeons. I didn’t even want to watch her suffer, well, maybe a little, but not at the hands of Mr. Chad. I didn’t want anything awful to happen to Peony, but I was afraid that if I didn’t strike first, she’d be the one sending me to the dungeons, even if I got rid of the crystal in time.
My indecisiveness tormented me, and when the gong rang, signaling the end of class, I still hadn’t decided what to do and when. Should I frame Peony or chuck the crystal in the gardens?
How I wished Blair was here. But she wasn’t, and I wasn’t ready to go all in with Virgie and Lily.
Not paying attention to the lunch food, I put on my plate a bit of everything and plopped down at my usual table only to find an envelope with my name on it.
Heart pounding, I tore it open.
Meet me during the lunch hour at the 2B classroom to discuss your future.
I turned the note, but there was nothing more. The writing was unfamiliar. Flowery, yet elegant. I doubted it was from Peony or any of the vamps since there was no threat in it. Had someone discovered that I had manipulated Candice for information? Had she perhaps remembered? If so, had she decided to help me?
I read the note over and over.
“What’s this?” Lily put her tray down on the table.
“Nothing.” I quickly stuffed my face with food, knowing it would look more suspicious if I left without eating. Even though the note could very well be a trap, I needed to follow it. If no one was waiting in the classroom, I’d simply leave. If someone was waiting to attack me, I could use my blood crystal. I still had it, and I didn’t see anything wrong with using it a second time before tossing it for good.
I pushed away my half full plate and rose. “I’ll see you in PE.”
“Where are you going?” Lily’s forehead puckered with concern.
I gave her a tight smile. “Headmistress Cardinal wants me to sign the report you made about what happened to our dorm.”
“Oh.” Lily bought my lie. She was still so new to this world, she actually believed someone cared about our room being vandalized. She had followed an old school protocol she’d dug up and written a report, which she’d taken to the office. It made me sad for her. Sooner or later someone would rip her eyes open to reality. How I wished she could remain as innocent as she was now.
“All right. Thank you. I’ll see you later.” She gave me a warm smile that made me feel like a piece of trash.
“Later.” My two-inch Mary Janes clacked against the corridor as I made my way toward classroom 2B. My heart raced, and sweat dripped down my nape. There was one way to find out if the note had come from an ally or a foe.
I paused in front of 2B, took a deep breath, and opened the door slowly. The room was dark and my eyes struggled to adjust. My note sender was already in the classroom, sitting at a central desk, not hiding, but still a shadow. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, my mind whirling. The classroom came into focus, but I remained by the door in case I needed a quick getaway. There were several people I could’ve imagined sending me the note. The twins for one. Definitely Candice. Even Thorsten, but the tall woman in front of me with raven hair was a surprise.
“Come closer, Onyx. I won’t bite.”
I didn’t trust Ms. Rutherford, but my curiosity was winning so I walked toward her, waving the note. Hesitation turned to anger and icy prickles danced on the tips of my fingers. “Ms. Rutherford.” I waited for her to explain. At least she was right about one thing. She wouldn’t bite unless she was that into the vampire-wannabe scene.
She smiled. “I understand you have been distressed about the Placement Tests, my dear.”
I swallowed hard, unsure how to reply. I didn’t like this fae, but I was also desperate for help. And why did she care about my fate? If anything, she wanted me to fail. “I don’t want to end up a courtesan,” I stated, deciding that wasn’t too incriminating. Did she know about my stunt with Candice?
Ms. Rutherford smiled. “Of course not. No woman would want her body to be used by men and be nothing more than a plaything.” There was no sympathy in that smile.
Well, that wasn’t helpful. I eyed the door. “Do you have any advice on how to be placed into a different role?” Yes, I was desperate. Ms. Rutherford had humiliated me, but she was a female fae who had escaped being a toy. And she had connections to Lady Cardinal if the rumors were true.
Ms Rutherford examined her black nails. “Let’s see. You seem rather clumsy.”
Heat rushed into my cheeks, and I balled my fists. True, I had pushed over the pitcher of water, but her forcing me to mop it up with my skirt had been totally unnecessary.
Ms. Rutherford must’ve noticed my anger because she tsked with di
sapproval. “You made a choice that day. You chose not to show your magic, and I chose to show you what your life will be like if you only rely on this.” She motioned her hand up and down my body.
Icy rage gathered within me, only to freeze when I processed her words. Magic. She knew I had magic. No, it was impossible. She was making a guess, and I had to prove her wrong. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I don’t have magic. I won’t become a garden fae, but I was hoping I could become a secretary. I’m smart. I have top scores in history.”
Ms. Rutherford chuckled mirthlessly. “Girls like you don’t become servants.” She swung her legs around and rose, then strolled over to me until she stood just two feet away, towering over me. “You have too much untamed fire within you. What are you, dear? An elemental fae?”
I swallowed hard. Blair was a fire fae. I had always thought everyone in the academy had been so hard on her because she had a difficult time controlling her magic, but what if it was because they didn’t like her magic? And was I a rare elemental fae, too? Ice wasn’t an element, but air, earth, and water were.
Ms. Rutherford brushed a purple strand of my hair behind my ear, her nail scraping my flesh. I wanted to snarl at her to keep her hands to herself, but reminded myself that I’d have to endure her for at least the next two terms. I had to play nice.
“I understand that it can be scary to show your magic in front of others, especially when it’s different.” Ms. Rutherford attempt at looking compassionate translated into a grimace. “But now that it’s just the two of us, certainly, you can show me what you can do.”
I shook my head. “You must’ve confused me with my old roommate Blair. She was an elemental fire fae. I’m not even pure fae.”
“Is that so?” Ms. Rutherford turned her back to me and paced the classroom. Good, I had planted seeds of doubt in her mind.
Having the feeling that I wouldn’t get anything useful out of her, I headed back for the door. “I’m afraid I must leave. I don’t want to be late for my next class.”
“Not so fast.” Ms. Rutherford whirled around, extended her palm, and a green vine with thorns shot for me. Before I could jump aside, it wound around my torso like a lasso, stinging, pushing my arms flat against my sides. The thorns cut into my exposed skin, making pain erupt everywhere. I struggled to breathe, which only made the burning, sharp pain dig in harder.
“What the fuck?” I seethed, holding back a scream.
As I thrashed, Ms. Rutherford ambled over to me, lowering her hand and letting the other end of the vine drop to the floor. “Would you like to change your answer now, Onyx? I would advise you to cooperate.” Her obsidian eyes flashed. What was her deal? She was seriously crazy. Had Peony put her up to this? Or maybe Ms. Rutherford hoped to get a promotion from the vamps if she handed me in.
“I don’t have magic,” I gritted out as a fresh line of pain raked across my arm. “Very impressive vines, though.” I tried to reach for the blood crystal I had put into my blazer’s inside pocket, but couldn’t with the stupid vines. More pain shot through me. I gritted my teeth, holding back my magic, refusing to let Ms. Rutherford back me into a corner.
“Perhaps you need more of an incentive.” Ms. Rutherford snapped her fingers, and green flowers shaped like shells, complete with thorny mouths sprouted from the vines. The shells opened to reveal a dangerous pink cavity inside. Venus flytraps? No, it couldn’t be.
Ms. Rutherford yanked my hair hard, ripping out what felt like a handful.
“Ouch!”
Smiling, she threw the chunk of hair at one of the flowers. The flower opened and the pink center gulped down my hair with a faint, acidic sizzling sound before it opened up again, excited to be fed more. A tremor rocked through my body. This was really bad.
“I suggest you start talking unless you want to lose all of your beautiful hair.”
I gulped, swallowing the tears as my scalp throbbed with sharp pain.
“Good, I see you’re finally taking this seriously. I’m glad. I really wouldn’t want to poke out your eyes once I ran out of your hair and feed them to my darlings.” She let out a maniac, high-pitched laugh. “No one would want an eyeless courtesan. You’d end up just a blood bag.”
She was right. Absolutely right. I had no other options. “Fine. I have powers.” As I spoke, weakness gripped my knees.
Ms. Rutherford stopped laughing, training her eyes on me. I had her full attention now.
“But it’s really not impressive.” I gave her a weak smile that said, “Look how harmless I am,” as I gathered my coldness into my chest. As I did, the tight vines loosened, ready to flee the death I could unleash. “You see, my magic mostly responds to your magic.”
“What are you talking about?” she hissed as I unleashed every ounce of ice in my veins. The bindings around my torso froze with a faint sound like cracking, then tumbled to the ground along with the giant Venus flytraps.
Ms. Rutherford gasped. “You’re from the Winter Court.”
My legs carried me away before I could register what she was saying. I grasped the door handle, but something whispered up the door like a snake, snapping at me. Another vine. It scraped the top of my hand, drawing pain. I pulled my hand away from something that looked like a bunch of bright orange caterpillars with teeth. My skin throbbed and burned as pain spread under my skin. Poison? Did I have more magic to kill them?
The air shifted behind me. I whirled. Another set of vines shot for me from Ms. Rutherford’s hands. I dodged them, letting them lash at a desk instead.
But the vine behind me struck, coiling around my legs and wrapping around my torso. I struggled for breath. My hand continued to burn. The poisonous caterpillar flowers climbed towards my throat, ready to bite and inject their venom.
Ms. Rutherford laughed. “You’re nothing but a child. Do you really think you stand a chance against a three-hundred-year-old, pureblood fae?” She advanced at me, her eyes bottomless pits of anger. “I knew it was you. Right from the moment I saw you, I had a bad feeling about you. What did you do to Preston?”
Chapter 13
My knees wobbled, and my stomach heaved. Shit. Ms. Rutherford was here because of Preston. In less than a week, she’d put together a lot. Soon, she’d figure out the rest. I was totally screwed.
“I don’t know where Preston is!”
“Half fae liar,” Ms. Rutherford hissed. “He never returned to the faeland!”
A knock sounded from the other side of the door. “What is going on in there?” Thorsten asked.
I held in my sigh of relief, unable to believe my luck.
Ms. Rutherford’s eyes widened as she faced the door. She opened her hand and the vines around me loosened while the toxic flowers on the door handle disappeared. “Onyx and I were discussing her abilities,” she said calmly, straightening her skirt.
Thorsten entered the room, his gaze briefly wandered over me before focusing on Ms. Rutherford. “In the future, you’ll only discuss matters with Onyx in the class. Nocturnal Academy does not allow students and teachers to interact privately without the permission of Headmistress Cardinal.” He paused before adding, “Students have complained about the noise in this corridor. Misbehaving or trashing the classrooms won’t be tolerated either.”
Ms. Rutherford forced a smile and shoved with her foot the remainder of her dead vines under the teacher’s desk, hiding the evidence of her torture. “Understood. I apologize. I’m still new here and learning the ropes.”
Maybe the rumors about Ms. Rutherford having taught here were false, then. As a pureblood fae she couldn’t lie. The mystery surrounding her kept deepening.
Thorsten crossed his arms, eyeing my cuts. “What exactly were you doing in here?”
A tingle of satisfaction came over me, even as I realized that this put me deeper into Thorsten’s debt. Oh well, I was already in a bottomless pit I’d probably never crawl out of. At least I got to watch Ms. Rutherford squirm.
Ms. Rutherford pursed her lips,
giving me a pitiful expression. “Miss Onyx tried to attack me.” She paused dramatically. “I was asking her about her abilities. She tried to leave and when I stopped her, she lashed out.”
That was technically the truth if one twisted and turned it a bunch of times and omitted a lot. Tears of anger gathered in my eyes. “Are you kidding me?” I held out my hands. The bite from the caterpillar flower continued to burn so much I wanted to scream.
“Miss Onyx needs to learn to control her emotions.” Ms. Rutherford kept her gaze on Thorsten.
Thorsten reached out his hand. “Yes. Show me,” he snapped.
I extended my hand, and he took a closer look at my scratches and the bite on my hand that had turned to a swollen, puffy mess with red lines spreading up my forearm. He wrenched me closer, flashing his fangs. “Onyx will be punished for attacking a teacher, but let me be very clear: You will not talk to any of our students alone outside of class unless you have explicit permission from Headmistress Cardinal.”
Ms. Rutherford gave a tight nod, but didn’t leave, probably waiting for Thorsten to drag me away.
Thorsten grabbed my injured hand and lifted my wrist to his mouth, his fangs flashing.
I swallowed hard and readied myself for the pain. He was collecting his payment, and there was nothing I could do about it.
A new round of agony flashed in my wrist as Thorsten’s incisors cut into my skin. Ms. Rutherford started to say something, but her words vanished into the screaming agony in my wrist. I let out another scream, thrashing, but Thorsten held me in place. Pressure built in my wrist, and my hand went cold from the lack of blood. My ears rang. Just when I thought I’d pass out, he released me.
My arm fell to my side, a dead weight, the pain still pulsing through me.
“Be on your best behavior, Onyx.” Ms. Rutherford strolled past me and into the corridor, a smug expression on her face.
Ms. Rutherford’s clacking heels faded and then vanished, leaving me and Thorsten alone. I should’ve run, but my feet were rooted to the ground.
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