Lock and Key

by Evangeline Anderson

  “But it is though,” I argued. “I don’t understand but it seems like I can’t get anything done unless I’m really upset and bleeding.”

  “I’m going to be really careful around on your next time of the month then,” Emma remarked. “I mean, think of the damage you could do then.”

  For a moment we were all silent and then the tension broke and I started to laugh. Kaitlyn and Emma did to and soon Avery was howling along with us.

  “Oh my Goddess,” he gasped, wiping at his eyes. “Everybody in the whole damn Academy better beware. The Norm Dorm has become the Crimson Cave where Princess Latimer reigns supreme!”

  “I’ll have you know, I hardly ever get bitchy around that time,” I said, wiping at my eyes—from tears of laughter this time. “I mostly just get blue and want to watch sad movies and eat chocolate.”

  “Oh, same!” Kaitlyn exclaimed. “Isn’t it the worst?”

  “The very worst,” Emma agreed. “Sometimes my cramps—”

  “Okay, all right…” Avery made a cutting gesture with one hand. “You know I love to bond with you girls but there are some things that are beyond even me. The point is, Megan,” he went on, looking at me, “Is that you can’t do any more Blood magic from this point on. You’ll get yourself in big trouble if anyone finds out.” He pointed a finger at me. “And I’m talking Censured by the Council trouble. Understand?”

  I sighed. “Yeah, I get it. Though I have to admit, for a minute there I was having fantasies of making Nancy’s next cake in Home Ec burn to a crisp.”

  “No, no!” Avery exclaimed. “Using Blood magic to settle your score with Nancy is like bringing a nuclear bomb to a knife fight. Seriously, Megan—you can’t.”

  “All right,” I grumbled. “I get it, I get it.”

  Avery shook his head. “Of course, the fact that you’ve been marked by Darkheart isn’t going to make any of this easier to conceal.”

  “Oh, that’s right—I forgot all about that,” Kaitlyn exclaimed. “What does that mean anyway?”

  “Yes, I’d like to know too,” I said fervently. “He seemed to think it means he owns me—he doesn’t does he? I mean, that can’t be right!”

  “Unfortunately, it is.” Avery spoke reluctantly, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

  “What? But that can’t be!” I protested. “He can’t just say that he owns me and make it so!”

  “It’s not exactly ownership in the form of you’re his chattel and he can do whatever he wants to you,” Avery said. “It’s more like you own each other but now he’s responsible for protecting you and providing for you.”

  “Huh?” Emma looked as confused as I felt.

  “It goes way, way back to the olden days of the Others,” Avery explained. “Back before the Edict was in place, when any kind of Other could mark and Blood-Bond with another.”

  “They could?” Emma asked, wide-eyed.

  “Oh, sure.” Avery nodded. “Before the Edict, all of that was legal and pretty common, too. They would have a bonding ceremony and the male would mark the female by putting a drop of his blood on her forehead and she would do the same to him. That tied them together, you see.”

  “That sounds…really permanent,” I said, feeling uneasy.

  “Not as permanent as an actual Blood-Bonding but it’s pretty indelible,” Avery admitted.

  “What’s Blood-Bonding?” Kaitlyn asked.

  “It’s a whole different ceremony—one step past the mutual marking I told you about. And it is permanent,” Avery said. “To bond with someone you give them a drop of your blood and they give you a drop of theirs and you say, ‘Blood of my blood, and Breath of my Breath. Nothing can part us now until Death.’”

  “Wow…” Emma shook her head. “It’s like some kind of freaky wedding ceremony.”

  “In a way,” Avery admitted. “But it’s not often done anymore—it’s kind of considered old-fashioned now. And it’s never done between different species of Others.”

  “Because of the, uh, “power couples,” we were talking about when you first told me about the Edict?” I said. The fact that it makes the Others who bind themselves together that way so much more powerful?”

  Avery nodded. “Blood-Bonding allows those who bond to share their powers while doubling their strengths and halving their weaknesses. But it only works like that when two different species of Others bond. That’s why it’s not done anymore—everyone bonds with their own kind and since, in that case, you don’t get anything out of Blood Bond except being permanently tied together, people don’t do it much. It’s kind of like…getting married with no prenup or any option for divorce.”

  “That’s interesting,” I murmured. If there was that much power to be had from a Blood-Bond between members of different Other groups, no wonder my ancestress Corinne and her Windermere Coven had outlawed it. Such power would have been able to contravene any authority—making such couples a real threat to the establishment. And the more powerful the parties involved, the greater the threat.

  “Is Megan going to get into trouble because of taking Griffin’s mark?” Kaitlyn asked, looking worried. “Because like she said, she didn’t know what he was doing and she never asked for it.”

  Avery frowned. “Well, there might be some blowback if anyone finds out it’s his mark on her since he is a different kind of Other than she is. But number one, it was justified—Darkheart was doing it to protect Megan from Sanchez. And number two, it’s not a complete marking. I mean, he marked her but she didn’t mark him back. And it’s certainly not like they Blood-Bonded. I mean, they’re not bound together for life or anything.”

  “Whew!” I exclaimed but inside I felt a strange mixture of relief and…was it really regret?

  I told myself this second emotion made no sense. Of course I didn’t want to be bound to anyone for life—especially Griffin who was being Censured by the Council and who I had only just met yesterday.

  God, was it only yesterday that all this had started? My life was moving just a little too fast for me lately. I was beginning to feel like I was riding in a speeding car with no doors or windshield and if I wasn’t careful I was going to fly out!

  “Just keep it quiet,” Avery advised me. “Only people who are looking for the mark will see it. It would only stand out if you marked Darkheart back. So right now it’s kind of like a flesh-colored Band-Aid, you know?”

  This didn’t do much to ease my worries but there didn’t seem to be much else I could do but follow Avery’s advice and keep both my Blood magic and my new ties to the tall Nocturne as quiet as possible. I wondered if Sanchez would spread the word—hopefully not. Maybe his shame at having been marked by me would keep him from wanting to bring up the subject of what he had seen between me and Griffin.

  “Okay,” I said unhappily. “So I’ll just keep my head down and try not to cause trouble?”

  One corner of Avery’s mouth quirked up into a grin.

  “Yes, do try to go a whole day without having a public fight with the Weird Sisters or shame-marking another Drake or getting yourself claimed and marked by any more Censured Nocturnes or anything else like that—okay?”

  “She hasn’t done anything with the Faes yet,” Emma remarked. “You have to give her that at least.”

  “Don’t tempt her,” Avery said sardonically. “You never can tell—maybe there’s a Fae prince in disguise here at the Academy, just waiting to sweep Princess Latimer here off her feet.”

  “Hardly,” I said dryly. “And even if there is, I’ll pass on him. You take him, Emma.”

  She laughed. “As snooty as all the Fae are? I don’t think so.”

  “Anyway, nothing that has happened to Megan has been her fault,” Kaitlyn said staunchly, defending me. “She just…happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Oh, I don’t believe that one bit,” Avery said dryly. “I don’t mean I think you’re to blame, Princess,” he said to me. “I just mean, I don’t believe that
things happen by chance—not at Nocturne Academy. Something is working behind the scenes—something big is coming. We just have to find out what it is before it bursts out and steamrolls over all of us!”

  “But what—?” I began.

  But just at that moment, the right front pocket of Avery’s stylish retro smoking jacket suddenly split wide open. His invisi-bag—now visible again with all its bright colors—came tipping out of the torn pocket, growing as it came. Out of it spilled what looked like a whole grocery cart full of food and cooking supplies.

  We watched in shock as a dozen potatoes, a bunch of carrots—their green feathery tops still attached, about a pound of onions, a bushel of apples, a bunch of pears, and several packets of spices along with some cans of stock as well as a pound of butter went rolling across the floor. A bag of fresh rolls came next and then a large new roasting pan, a mixing bowl, and an instrument I thought was a potato masher. To top it off, a huge, plump chicken that looked almost as big as a turkey flopped to the floor at Avery’s feet, still sealed securely in its plastic wrapping.

  “Oh! What happened?” I exclaimed.

  Avery shook his head.

  “Damn invis-bag. There’s a time limit on the magic—it can only hold so much and be compressed so long before it all comes…well…spilling out.” He waved a hand at the pile of groceries on the floor. “As you can see.”

  “Oh my God, Avery—what were you going to do—start your own cooking school down here?” Emma asked. “I mean, look at all this stuff!”

  “I was going to try a new recipe, that’s all,” Avery said sulkily.

  “But don’t you think the cafeteria ladies are going to miss their stuff?” Kaitlyn asked, bending to pick up the roasting pan and the potato masher.

  “I was going to put it back the next time I went ‘shopping’,” Avery said. “And they have so many things they never use in there. It’s a crime really—they shouldn’t be allowed to have all these implements if they don’t know how to utilize them correctly.”

  “Translation: you would like to open a cooking school,” Emma said, grinning at him. “Come on—we might not be the cafeteria ladies, but you can still teach the three of us if you want to.”

  “I’d love to learn how to cook over a spit,” I said, immediately interested and glad to feel like we were getting back to normal. If coking dinner in the Dungeon could be considered normal, anyway.

  “Not me, please.” Kaitlyn drew back a little. “I, uh, don’t like to get too close to the fire,” she added in a low voice. “But I wouldn’t mind watching, if that’s okay?” she asked, looking at Avery.

  “You can do anything you want, Katydid,” he said gently, smiling at her. Then he turned to Emma and me. “All right—supper is a little late getting started, but better late than never. Come on, girls—let’s get cooking!”

  As we gathered the ingredients and headed for the fireplace, I tried to push all my worries away and just enjoy this time with my new friends. Things were going to be okay, I reasoned with myself. The mark Griffin had put on me was only visible to those who were looking for it. And at least now I could speak his name without the key necklace half-choking me to death.

  Which made me realize I still hadn’t told my coven-mates about the necklace and the key set with Blood stones. Or the fact that Griffin wore a matching one with a lock set with the same stones. I opened my mouth to speak, but the chain tightened warningly around my neck.

  I frowned. So it was okay to talk about Griffin but the magical necklaces we both wore were off limits?

  What the hell, key? What’s your problem?

  Beneath my nightdress, it moved just a little and I had the feeling it was waiting…biding its time. But waiting for what?

  I didn’t know but I had an uneasy feeling I was going to find out.

  33

  The next morning as we came up out of the Dungeon, I glanced around apprehensively for Griffin. But to my mingled relief and disappointment, the tall Nocturne was nowhere to be seen, though I thoroughly scanned the entire Dining Hall.

  Avery seemed to be thinking the same thing because he sniffed and shook his head.

  “Huh—so much for your Blood Knight escorting you everywhere,” he remarked.

  “My what?” I asked, frowning at him.

  “Oh, it’s just an old Other legend.” He shrugged. “Never mind. Come on—who wants breakfast?”

  Breakfast was awful as usual but thanks to the fact that we’d all eaten roasted chicken and veggies around midnight, we were still full and nobody minded starting the day with just coffee and tea.

  Emma was feeling especially perky due to drinking two black coffees instead of one.

  “This is what I always have for breakfast after one of my late nights,” she explained, taking another gulp of the black, bitter brew and puckering her lips cheerfully at the taste. “Though usually I’m beat from staying up late working at the I Scream and last night I was taking a class in the joy of cooking from Monsieur Avery, of course.”

  She nodded at Avery who made an elaborate bow.

  “Why thank you, Madam Emma.”

  I laughed at both of them and took a sip of my own coffee. Though she didn’t say so, I guessed that Emma had either called in sick or traded shifts with someone else to be with Kaitlyn the night before. Which was extremely unselfish of her, considering how much she and her mom needed the money. But coven-mates stuck together and last night, Kaitlyn had needed all of us—just as I had, I supposed.

  It was good to have friends.

  Kaitlyn herself was still looking a little wan and uncertain as she sipped her tea. I could see her growing more and more apprehensive as our breakfast time elapsed. I had seen her packing her tennis shoes and gym clothes in her satchel that morning with obvious reluctance and I knew she was dreading a possible repeat of yesterday’s PE class from Hell.

  At last the bell chimed and the busy Dining Hall began to clear out.

  “Well, time to go,” Avery said, sighing and downing the rest of his cream and sugar coffee. “Come on, girls,” he said, putting out an arm for Kaitlyn and me to take. “Since Megan’s date has left her high and dry—thank goodness—I am going to escort you to first period.”

  “But the locker rooms are clear across the castle from your first class,” Kaitlyn protested. “You’ll be late and get demerits!”

  “Who cares about demerits when I have two such lovely ladies to escort?” Avery asked gallantly as Emma waved goodbye and headed out of the Dining Hall towards her first period class.

  “You’re really sweet, Avery, but we’ll be okay,” I said. “I’ll make sure Kaitlyn doesn’t come to any harm.”

  He shook his head, frowning.

  “Until you can get around whatever barrier is holding your magic in and Flame up on purpose instead of just by accident, you can’t protect Kaitlyn or yourself. I’d better come with you, Megan.”

  “Not necessary. I will protect Megan and by extension, her friend.”

  The dark, cool voice was familiar to me by now. I turned without a trace of surprise to see Griffin standing there. He was wearing his black uniform jacket and a tie for once—like all the male students were supposed to wear—and of course, his dark glasses.

  Avery scowled.

  “I wondered where you were, Darkheart.”

  “Just waiting for the four of you to finish breakfast,” Griffin said courteously. “I knew Megan would be safe with her coven and there was no point in intruding until then since I cannot eat breakfast myself. You may have noticed, my kind don’t eat.” He gave a humorless laugh. “Hell, some of us don’t even drink.”

  I wondered what he meant by that as the key began to burn against my skin. It made me look for the outline of the thick black padlock around his own throat, but of course it was hidden by his starched white shirt and blood-red tie.

  “Shall we?” He put out an arm to me, much as Avery had done.

  Feeling like I was doing something somehow su
bversive, I took his arm and looked at Avery.

  He sighed and threw up his hands.

  “All right, fine.” He poked a finger at Griffin. “But you’d better take care of them. Both of them.”

  “Of course. That’s what I’m here for.” Griffin put out his other arm to Kaitlyn who looked at him with one wide-eye from behind her curtain of hair.

  “I don’t bite,” Griffin told her. “I can’t. No matter how much I might want to,” he added, looking at me.

  Which wasn’t very reassuring, I felt. Not to mention pretty confusing. What did he mean he couldn’t bite? He was a Nocturne—they were all about biting, weren’t they?

  Kaitlyn didn’t seem reassured either. She looked at him uncertainly until Griffin said in a gentler tone, “It’s all right, little sister. I swear I won’t hurt you. I only want to keep you and Megan safe.”

  This seemed to decide Kaitlyn. Finally, timidly, she took Griffin’s arm, still looking down at her shoes. I wondered if she felt as dazzled by his perfection as I did. That fallen angel face of his could be hard to take even when he was being sarcastic. When he was gentle and kind, as he had been for just a moment, it was somehow even more disarming.

  “Thank you for trusting me.” Griffin nodded at her. “All right then, ladies, let’s go.”

  34

  It was a short trip to the girls’ locker rooms with Griffin as our escort. As I had observed before on my first day, the other students just seemed to part before him like the waters of the Red Sea parting for Moses. Though I wasn’t sure that Bible analogies fit in the world of Nocturne Academy.

  But however you wanted to put it, the fact was that we got to the locker room with plenty of time to dress out and get into line.

  Not that I wanted to. And I could tell from the stooped set of Kaitlyn’s shoulders that she was dreading it as well.

  “Well, here we are.” Griffin nodded courteously at the thick wooden door that led to the locker room. “Go on, ladies. And Megan, I’ll see you after class. Or maybe even a little before then.”