Virgie continued staring at the mountains outside. Doubting she’d say anything else to me, I left, closing the door softly behind me. Dragging my feet down the stairs, I made my way to my own dorm.
Lily was already waiting for me, sitting on her bunk. “How is she?”
I took off my stockings and blazer and offered a sigh. “Virgie and Peony were close. Virgie’s shaken that Peony was taken like this.” My own voice cracked. There would be no hiding this. “I took the blood crystal from the twins in summer prep. It was part of another dumb plan to escape. So I had to get rid of it in a hurry.” I waited for Lily to back off, tell me I was a monster, but she stayed quiet.
Finally, I looked up. There was no judgment only sadness on Lily’s. “Good people sometimes make bad decisions,” she said softly,
I sank down to the ground, not bothering to hide how low I felt. “I’ve only been here for a few months and already I’ve done...some very bad things.” I had failed to protect Blair. I had killed Preston. And now I had damned Peony. I was poison. I was death.
Lily joined me on the floor and put her arm around me, pulling me into a hug. “Tomorrow is a new day, and a new chance to be the person you want to be.”
A tear ran down my face as the dam of numbness broke. “How do you not hate me?”
Lily smiled and held me out at arm’s length so we were looking right at each other. “Because, Onyx, I see the good in you. There’s so much of it. You’re your own toughest critic.”
I shook my head, hiccupped, and wiped at my eyes. “No, that’s Sullivan.”
This earned me a chuckle.
Despite Lily’s assurance that I was no monster, I tossed and turned the whole night. My dreams filled with dripping poison and ice daggers. Blackness and evil laughter. My eyes were heavy and my head pounded as I rose the next day. I didn’t fight the pain. Instead, I welcomed it. It was fitting and distracted me from the nasty thoughts running through my head.
Our first class was once again with Sullivan. He had assigned us each a famous vampire to present in front of the class, and today it was Virgie’s turn.
“Miss Virgie, please tell us all that you’ve researched about Lord Skitelli.”
Virgie walked to the front of the room and smoothed her skirt. Her walk wasn’t as confident as usual, but by the time she reached the teacher’s desk, she had plastered a charming smile on her face. “Lord Skitelli was the first vampire to create fast fashion. He figured out that trends needed to move fast, and that the cheapest and quickest way to keep up with fashion was to have a factory nearby with cheap labor.”
Lord Sullivan leaned back in his chair. “And how did he procure this cheap labor?”
Virgie stiffened. “He found unwanted fae. He employed them.”
Lord Sullivan gloated. “Yes, indeed. He took the ugly and useless ones and gave them jobs that even they could fulfill, allowing them to stay hidden so that their ugliness wasn’t commented on.”
Virgie clutched her hands together tightly, her fingers turning white.
“How else did Lord Skitelli make use of the fae?”
Make use. We were nothing to them. We were things to make money off. Tossed aside when we became worthless.
Virgie cleared her throat. “His courtesans modeled his newest fashions. He brought them to events where they mingled with other courtesans and spread the word about his designs.”
Lord Sullivan nodded. “Yes, how very kind of him.”
This is what my life would be like if I lucked out. I’d get to be an obedient lapdog, expected to jump with joy when I was allowed to be the accessory on a vamp’s arm during a night out.
The gong rang, and I shot out of my seat. I had enough of Lord Sullivan beating us down minute by minute. Mr. Chad might ogle my body, but at least he left my mind alone.
Virgie also seemed eager to get away from Lord Sullivan. She grabbed her bag and hurried out the door.
“Hope I don’t embarrass myself in PE again,” Lily muttered.
“You’ll be fine.” I was about to add something else reassuring when the twins pushed past us, entered the corridor, and caught up to Virgie.
I tensed. We were the only people so far down the corridor, all having rushed out. The other students were taking their time packing.
“Hey, sexy!” Kassius slapped Virgie’s ass, and Kayden pressed his mouth against her neck.
“What’s up with you guys?” Virgie’s voice trembled as the twins pulled her to the right, around a corner, and away from the main corridor.
My breath caught. I knew what the twins were capable of and in typical Onyx fashion, I couldn’t stand aside. Lily and I exchanged glances, nodded, and followed the trio down the mostly unused storage corridor.
The air smelled of dust, and half of the lights were out. Students didn’t come down this narrow hall often, only to grab cleaning supplies if they were punished with mopping the floors or doing the dishes. Three dark figures lingered near the end—the twins had moved quickly—and the one in the center thrashed.
Lily and I ducked behind a large rolling trash bin and I peeked around it.
“We missed you. We were hoping you’d spend some time with us.” Kassius grabbed Virgie’s hand and twirled her. The move resembled a judo fight rather than dancing.
“All the vamp girls are so boring. Stuck up. We’re looking for someone more fun.” Kayden pressed her against the wall and forced his mouth onto hers.
Bile rose into my throat. Virgie’s umbrella was gone. Peony wasn’t here to work her toxic charm on the twins.
“We should get Thorsten,” Lily whispered.
I nodded, heart racing, as cold tingles gathered on the edges of my fingers. “You go.”
“What about you?” Lily’s eyes widened in alarm.
Virgie squealed in distress as Kayden worked his hand up her side.
“Go.” I gave Lily a gentle shove. “Now!”
She bit her lip, but walked as fast as she could, not daring to run and alert the twins.
“Come on, why don’t you spend some time with us? We promise we’ll write you an excuse note for all the classes you miss.” Kayden undid the top button of Virgie’s shirt. I shuddered with rage, knowing firsthand the panic she was feeling.
Virgie ducked out under Kayden’s other arm. “Maybe some other time. I really don’t want to mess up my Placement Tests.”
Kassius chuckled cruelly. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure that you become a top whore.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her in, running his incisors over her neck. Virgie let out a moan. Was she conflicted? Or was she just putting on a show? I didn’t want to mess things up for her by intervening when I wasn’t needed.
Kayden stepped behind her. “Have you ever had a threesome?”
Virgie let out a throaty laugh. “No, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to until someone buys my contract.”
“Don’t be such a stickler for rules.” Kassius gripped the front of her shirt and ripped it, sending several buttons flying.
Virgie gasped.
“You owe us some fun after what your bestie did!” Kayden’s fangs flashed. He jerked Virgie’s neck sideways.
Damnit! He was about to bite her. Where was Thorsten?
Kassius knelt and pushed up Virgie skirt, exposing her femoral artery, high up on her thigh.
They were going to do more than rape her. Virgie might not survive if they drank too much of her blood.
It was only when I extended my hands that I realized how much ice I had gathered. My fingers hummed with the need to release the energy. My body quaked with primal rage. I could blast the twins good, but I had to be careful. They couldn’t know it was me. And I couldn’t injure Virgie.
“Guys, don’t! Let’s do this some other time when—” Virgie’s protest turned into an ear splitting shriek as both sets of fangs pierced her skin.
Shit. Shit! I stepped out from behind the trash bin and lifted my left hand. Floating ice formed before my palm with the so
und of strained glass, gathering my sweat and all surrounding humidity. The air dried out. Spikes. Like the ones that had killed Preston. I breathed out and gave in to my instincts.
Three spikes shot at Kayden’s head, whistling as they sailed through the air. Whack. Each one shattered as they struck Kayden’s skull. He fell back, stunned, rubbing his head as blood spurted from Virgie’s neck.
A tingle of satisfaction filled me. More blood ran down the side of Kayden’s temple as he slumped against the wall, losing consciousness. I raised my right hand, gathering sweat, vapor, and my own breath. Another chunk of ice formed, not as neat as the daggers, and I fired it at Kassius, who was in a feeding frenzy and hadn’t yet lifted his face from Virgie’s thigh. The ice dagger struck him just as he let go off her and glanced up.
The second twin stumbled away from Virgie and dropped to the ground, knocked unconscious. I rushed toward Virgie, who was a trembling mess. Blood ran down her neck and leg. “O...Onyx?”
I grabbed her and pulled her toward PE. She’d be safest with the others, and she could calm down in the changing room. At least the blood flow was slowing.
“I look like I’ve started my period,” she muttered with a relieved laugh. “Shit. This hurts.”
As I dragged her down the corridor and back around the corner toward the gym, a figure hurried toward us. More ice gathered within me, but just as I was about to release it, the blond guard stepped out of the shadows.
“Thorsten,” I breathed. My stupid body wanted to collapse into his and press into his hard chest. Ugh, maybe that’s why he had rescued me all these times, conditioning me to trust him.
“What happened?” His gaze landed on the blood on Virgie’s thigh, nostrils flaring.
I squared my shoulders. He was a vampire. He should’ve known how Kassius and Kayden would react after being betrayed by Peony. He should’ve kept an eye on them.
“The twins tried to rape Virgie. She’s fine. They’re unconscious.” And with that, I pushed Virgie into the changing room. Thorsten could deal with the twins. He was not my friend. He did not care about us. He was a vampire with his own agenda. I needed to remember that unless I wanted a repeat of the Preston situation.
Chapter 15
In the changing room, I helped Virgie clean up the blood on her neck and thigh. She insisted she could do it by herself, but her hands were trembling so badly, I ignored her protests. Even though I could tell that getting into her leotard was the last thing she wanted to do, I rummaged through her bag and pulled it out. Mr. Chad wasn’t a stickler for rules, but if we missed all of PE, he’d enjoy punishing us. Virgie had been bitten enough for a day.
“I know you’re shaken, but at least you’re not bleeding anymore, and I don’t think they took too much blood. You shouldn’t be too dizzy or anything else.” I quickly changed into my leotard, then helped her out of her blazer.
“Good. One thing’s going right for me.” She craned her neck to examine herself in the mirror. “This is going to leave a mark.”
“You’re not the only one who’s been marked.” I examined my wrist, remembering the mixture of pain, disgust, and gratefulness I had felt for Thorsten removing Ms. Rutherford’s poison.
“People are going to talk.” Virgie seemed to finally realize that we needed to hurry and slipped out of her skirt and blouse, then pulled on her leotard. “Some fae let themselves get bitten to get a higher rank with the vamps.” She shook her head. “Blood whores. I don’t want to end up like that.”
“You won’t. The twins won’t bother you again.” Peony had protected Virgie before. Now the job had fallen to me, and I’d take it seriously.
With robotic movements, Virgie walked past me into the gym, her face empty. The girls were warming up while the boys had been once again left to their devices to play a ball game on the other end of the gym.
Mr. Chad was frowning at his folder. When he looked up, Virgie and I had taken our places next to Lily. A low grin spread over his face as he took us in, probably all forgetting about the curriculum he was supposed to teach. “Today, we are going to work on your flexibility. Girls. On the floor. Bring your legs as far apart as you can into a V, and stretch your hamstrings. This will aid some of you when you move on to exotic dancing later in the year.”
Mei crossed her arms, glaring at him.
Mr. Chad motioned to her and the other few vamp girls. “You may work on your endurance by running ten rounds and then doing push-ups followed by ab work.”
Mei dropped her arms by her sides and broke into a jog, the other vamp girls following.
Ugh, could they rub the inequality any more into our faces? I sat down with the rest of the fae girls as Mr. Chad positioned himself far back enough to watch all of us, and as we went through our stretches, he licked his lips. Knowing what was on his mind, I leaned over, grabbing my right toes and holding the stretch for thirty seconds. He counted slowly, and poor Lily beside me could barely reach past her knee. At the beginning of our stretches, the male vamps and the few male fae stopped playing ball to ogle us, but soon grew bored and resumed shooting hoops. Judging from the loud thuds and grunts, the vamps were once again engaging in their favorite pastime—wiping the floor with the male fae.
Mr. Chad ignored them as always. “Switch sides,” he said. “Lily. Work on this. Lean far to the left and into the pain if necessary.”
She seethed beside me, but didn’t dare to look up, which was a good thing since Mr. Chad had a thing about picking on her.
“Good job, Virgie. Excellent, Onyx,” he said with hunger in his voice. “Two very well-suited ladies for your roles.”
I snapped my gaze up at Mr. Chad, a part of me wanting to freeze him into an ice statue. I’d had enough of rapey vamps for one day, and my temper was short. Virgie shot me a warning look, which melted some of the ice in my veins, but did nothing to leash my sharp tongue.
“I’m going to ace my classes,” I gritted out. “And I’m going to work my way up in a vamp corporation.”
Mr. Chad appeared above me and smirked cruelly. “Onyx, Onyx, Onyx. Only one fae wins independent status per class. One in one hundred. Unlike you, Onyx, many fae train all their lives for this opportunity.” As he walked away, he added, “Peony had the most promise.”
My jaw dropped, and my neck prickled as people stared at me. Virgie gave me an I-told-you-to-shut-up look. I bit my lip. Had I just incriminated myself further? Would people suspect me of planting the blood crystal onto Peony? I glanced around the hostile faces. Several fae here were pureblood, and a few girls, including Kristin, narrowed their eyes at me. In this environment, my ambition made me a target. I needed to lay low, not invite more jealousy and competition.
One in one hundred. Mr. Chad’s words replayed over and over in my head as I did the splits first on my right, then my left side.
My chances to use my mind and not my body were just above one percent.
I turned to Virgie. Smart, beautiful, and strategic, she had accepted her role of courtesan not because she was brainwashed, but because she knew how the system worked and that it didn’t make sense to chase impossible dreams.
I had avoided this world all my life, which put me behind every fae here. How foolish of me to think that I might be the exception.
I didn’t speak much at lunch. Virgie came over and sat with us, and to my relief, the twins were gone. I wondered what Thorsten had done with them, but did it matter at this point?
“Onyx. You’re quiet,” Lily said. “Are you upset over what Mr. Chad said?”
“Of course, I am,” I snapped.
Lily winced, and I felt shitty for taking my anger out on her. It wasn’t her fault that Mr. Chad and Candice had painted a picture so bleak, the night looked bright in comparison.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
Maybe I deserved such a fate. Maybe I should accept it as everyone was telling me to do. With so many people working against me, what chance did I have, even if I managed to get top marks? Mr. S
ullivan’s class and gym were one thing, and so was German, but Ms. Rutherford would never let me pass. Even if she didn’t get another chance to interrogate me, she was out for blood.
I was doomed.
Needing some fresh air, I pushed away from the table when Virgie said, “Thank you for earlier.” She shot a cautious glance at Lily. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Peony never told you about it?” I guessed she was saving my secret for a big reveal at the worst possible time for me. Too bad she wouldn’t get to spill the beans now.
Lily glanced between Virgie and I, trying to understand what we were talking about.
I had held on to my secret for so long, but now, I could no longer. I was tired. And it didn’t matter anyway. I had no chance to lead a life worth living. “I have magic.”
Lily’s pale eyebrows shot up. “You do?”
I nodded. “I can summon and control ice.”
Virgie’s jaw dropped. “Ice? That’s what you knocked Kassius and Kayden out with?” Her throat bobbed up and down. “But that’s—”
“A power of Winter Court fae,” I finished for her. “Please. Neither of you can tell anybody. I didn’t know until, well, recently.” I bit my tongue. If I told them about Preston, I could make them complicit in keeping his death a secret. I couldn’t do that, no matter how much I longed to unload my problems. But there was something else I could confess. “Ms. Rutherford knows about my power. Peony must’ve told her, and now she hates me.”
Virgie pushed her barely touched plate away. “You attacked Peony with ice?”
I nodded, well aware that Virgie could use my secret against me. It was because of me that Peony who had acted as her protection was gone and the twins had attacked her.
“You can trust us. We won’t tell anyone.” Lily squeezed my hand.
“No one.” Virgie gave me a little smile and extended her little finger for a vow.
“Are you kidding?” I asked, but took her finger and shook it before doing the same with Lily. The silly gesture made me feel lighter for a moment before the hopelessness of my situation once again sunk in.
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