Darkblood Academy: Book Two: Supernatural Slayer Squad

by G. K. DeRosa

  As we walked through the quiet corridors, a million thoughts raced through my mind. What if Drake was right, and my powers did stem from dark magic? Raine and Aeria had pretty much said the same thing the first time they’d witnessed them. But Garrix didn’t seem evil—or bad even. I needed to find out more about this warlock thing ASAP.

  When we finally reached my room, Drake stopped at the door. The guys lived on the opposite end of the hallway. Though the floors were coed, they were split in half by gender with the bathrooms and common area in the middle.

  “You need to tell Ryder about this tomorrow,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. My lips must have curled into a frown because he chuckled. “I’m serious, Luna. Whatever is going on between the two of you doesn’t matter. This is important.”

  Heat seeped up my neck and coated my cheeks in crimson, rushing all the way to the tips of my ears. “There’s nothing going on with Ryder and me.” My voice cracked, and I cursed internally.

  “Whatever.” He shook his head. “Since only he and Cillian know your father’s true identity, they may be able to help you. I’ll continue my training with you, but it would be more productive for me to be in the loop.”

  “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

  “It’s your secret, Luna. If you decide to keep it that way, I’ll respect that, but when we get out there and start fighting the real demons, we’ll need all the help we can get.”

  An icy chill skimmed up my spine. “You think we’ll to have to fight them soon?”

  He nodded, his lips pressed into a tight line. “My brother, Elrian, told me things are getting worse in the human world. More and more Underworlders are slipping through the cracks in the wards, and it isn’t just the demons. He’s had to heighten security on all the portals in Fae too. Some of the nastier, lesser faeries have been creating their own mischief.”

  Goose bumps rippled over my flesh as I remembered the night of the full moon and those terrifying trolls I’d encountered. Not all the Fae were as beautiful or civilized as the prince.

  “Thanks for telling me, Drake. As if I wasn’t going to have enough nightmares tonight.”

  He chuckled before turning away toward his dorm. “Goodnight, Luna.”

  Chapter 9

  The next few weeks passed by in a blur of classes and training. Without the heavy weight of the devil’s mark, I finally felt free. No demons had shown up, and things were relatively quiet. I spent most of my evenings pummeling or getting pummeled by Ryder, and mornings were devoted to extra magic practice with Drake.

  I’d gotten much stronger physically and more importantly had gotten a better hold on my magic. Like the tides, it ebbed and waned with my emotions, but overall I had a firmer control. Cillian and Ryder still insisted it was safer for no one to know Garrix was my father, but I had been allowed to do some research on his familial line as Drake had suggested.

  When I’d mentioned the bloodline to the Fae prince a few hours ago, his eyes had widened into two pools of glowing lilac. We now huddled over the ancient textbook in the library with his finger tracing the ancestral line.

  “The Daemonium Sangri are as dark as they come, Luna. Their name literally translates to demon blood. Of all the warlocks in the realm, they’re the ones that carry the most pure demon blood and therefore the darkest and most powerful abilities.”

  Great. Why couldn’t I have been half-angel instead?

  His lips twisted as he skimmed the yellowing pages, his finger tracing the names. Drake might have been a prick sometimes, but he was smart. Now that he knew which line my father came from, I didn’t doubt he’d figure out exactly who he was.

  “Drake, you have to promise me you won’t tell the others about any of this.” I fixed my gaze on his. “Especially if you determine who my bio father is.”

  “I won’t, but I still think they deserve to know.” He slammed the book shut, and the smack of the massive tome echoed through the quiet library.

  “I promise I’ll tell them eventually.”

  He rose and flung his backpack over his shoulder. “I gotta get to my next class, but this information will be helpful for our next session. Now that I know from where your power stems, I can teach you the best way to manifest it and how to bottle it up.”

  Before he turned away, I reached for his hand. The moment our fingers touched I regretted the rash decision. Drake was not a touchy-feely kind of guy. Neither was I usually, but somehow the ice prince had wormed his way under my skin. “Thank you,” I finally spluttered. “All this extra time you’ve been spending with me, I really appreciate it. You’ve gone way above and beyond the tutoring Professor Malindra asked of you last semester.”

  His shoulders lifted nonchalantly. “What can I say? Your powers are a bit of a mystery, and there’s nothing I like more than a mystery to solve. Plus, you’ve started to grow on me, human. But if you repeat that to anyone, I’ll deny it with my last dying breath.”

  I laughed as he walked away, my eyes trailing his tall, well-muscled form. As weird as it was, Drake had become one of my best friends at the academy. I’d never admit it to the cocky prince, but he was right up there with Cinder and Ash.

  Ryder’s presence filled the room the moment he stepped foot in the library. I hated that I knew he was nearby before he even crossed my vision. It had only gotten worse since my power strengthened. It’s like his blood called out to mine, and now that I knew more about my darkblood, maybe it did. Maybe the tiny demon part of me recognized his demon.

  Ryder’s arms came over my head and snatched the book out from in front of me. His dark brows furrowed as he scanned the old leather-bound cover. “Ooh, Warlock Ancestral Lines, some light reading, huh?” He smirked and that stupid dimple lit up his face.

  “I figured it was about time I learned the truth about my dark warlock half.”

  He folded his big body into the chair next to mine.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about the demon stuff? You had to know about Garrix’s bloodline, didn’t you?”

  He nodded, his jaw tightening. “There was no point in freaking you out. Not when we didn’t know if you’d inherit any of his magic, let alone the dark, scary stuff.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ve told you the lengths I’ve gone through to suppress my demon. It hasn’t been easy, and I didn’t want to lie to you. I was hoping you wouldn’t have to deal with it.”

  “Is that why you’ve been extra nice to me all this time? Protecting me and what not? Because I have a tiny bit of demon like you?”

  His hand reached for a stray lock of hair, and he swept it behind my ear. I held my breath as his thumb grazed my cheek. “That’s one of the reasons,” he breathed. “Even before your powers surfaced, I sensed something there, but I wasn’t sure.”

  I lifted my gaze to meet his as his fingers fiddled with my hair. His irises were so profound, I could get swallowed right up in them. And I wanted to—that was the worst part.

  “Hey, Luna.” Desmond appeared from behind a tall bookshelf, and Ryder dropped his hand so quickly he nearly took a few strands of my hair with him.

  “Hey,” I said sheepishly, tucking my hair behind my ear. Things had been a little weird between us since that night. He’d tried to ask me out on another date, but I’d come up with a lame excuse.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you on that second date.”

  I squirmed beneath Ryder’s dark gaze boring into the side of my head. Why did Desmond always have the worst timing for this stuff? “Uh-huh,” I muttered.

  “How about tomorrow night? They’re showing another cheesy chick flick on the quad.” He winked.

  “She can’t,” interjected Ryder. “She’s got training with me.”

  I elbowed him in the gut under the table, but he didn’t even flinch.

  “Oh, okay.” Des scratched at the scruff on his jaw. “How about the next night then? We can do dinner or something.”

  “She’s busy every night for the foreseeable future,�
�� Ryder growled.

  “Ryder!” I turned to Desmond and offered him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, things are a little crazy right now, but hopefully they’ll settle down soon.”

  “Okay, yeah, no problem. I guess I’ll see you around.” He hitched his backpack over his shoulder and walked away.

  The moment he was gone, I spun at Ryder, shooting him my best evil eye. “What is wrong with you?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You are not the boss of my social life. I can date if I want to.”

  “Not if interferes with your training and therefore, your safety.” He ground his teeth together, a slight growl reverberating in his throat.

  “How is a little bit of fun going to interfere with my safety?”

  “I’m not stupid, Luna. I know you didn’t tell me everything that happened the night that you knocked the vamp kid out. Your powers are fueled by your emotions, and something else must have happened that you conveniently omitted.”

  Right. Like I was going to tell him about the kiss or the bite. I didn’t want him to murder Desmond.

  “Well, you’re wrong.” I inched closer, getting right in his face. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

  He shook his head, scooting back. “Whatever, Luna. Fine, don’t tell me, but I still don’t like you dating that guy.”

  I threw my hands in the air and huffed. “Then please, do tell me who am I allowed to date?”

  “No one,” he snarled, the yellow completely eclipsing the bottomless black.

  I shoved my chair back, the screech of the wood against the floor shattering the library’s peaceful silence. “Unbelievable,” I muttered as I leapt to my feet and dashed between the towering bookshelves.

  “Luna, wait!”

  Ryder’s footsteps pounded behind me, but I kept running. This damned library was like a maze. I turned the corner and instead of finding the exit, I hit a dead end. I spun around and Ryder was on top of me. His hulking form pressed me against the wall, his corded arms caging me in.

  “Let go of me,” I whisper-hissed.

  “No.” His massive chest bored into me, his knee squeezed between my thighs.

  I glanced up and instantly regretted it. His fiery gaze locked on mine, and my insides quivered. “What do you want from me?” The tremble in my voice betrayed me, and I hated it more than anything.

  “Everything.”

  His lips closed over mine before I could object. Not that I could have anyway. My traitorous body molded to his, giving in to his tantalizing touch. His hands roamed over my back, slipping lower until they cupped my butt, his fingers dangerously close to the hem of my short skirt.

  I groaned against his lips as his mouth devoured mine, completely consuming me with each caress of his tongue. Why did we always end up here? Especially when I knew what came next. I pushed the dark thoughts aside and allowed the frenzy of heat overtaking my body to engulf me.

  His lips moved over mine, the desperation relenting now that we’d had that first forbidden taste. I dug my fingernails into the back of his neck and twirled his silky dark hair between my fingers. Everything always felt so right when we were together—until it inevitably went to hell.

  A loud ding tore Ryder’s lips from mine. His hazy eyes refocused as he backed away, searching his jeans’ pockets.

  I sagged against the wall as the scorching heat rushing through my veins tapered off. Folding my arms over my chest, I waited for the talk—the ‘we can’t do this, it’s forbidden, blah, blah, blah.’

  Only it never came. Instead, Ryder flashed me his phone and muttered, “We have to go. Cillian called an emergency meeting with the team.”

  “Oh you mean, the Supernatural Slayer Squad?” I kept trying to make it stick, but no one called us that except for me. I wasn’t giving up though.

  He chuckled, revealing that cute dimple I loved-slash-loathed. “Yeah. We have to go now.” Taking my hand, he led me through the winding bookcases.

  Neither of us said a word until we reached the small stone building at the edge of campus. Ryder released my hand before we walked in, and though I’d expected it, it still stung a little.

  Cillian was already inside with the others. His eyes narrowed in on Ryder as we walked in, but he didn’t say anything. I was starting to worry the observant angel was on to us.

  “What’s going on?” asked Ryder.

  “We have a visitor.” Cillian motioned toward the corner, and a figure coalesced from the shadows.

  I didn’t know how I’d missed him when we first walked in. Cillian’s scrutinizing gaze had distracted me. That flowing silver hair was not something you could miss, even when it was neatly tied back in a low man bun.

  Ryder’s eyes lit up, and he quickly crossed the space between him and the familiar ex-bachelor.

  “Logan, nice to see you man.” He shook his hand, and the two began speaking excitedly as I moved to stand beside Scarlett.

  “Man, I don’t know how Kimmie-Jayne was ever able to choose between all those hot bachelors,” I whispered to Scarlett. Shaking my head, I stared at the massively hot guy conversing with Ryder. From what I’d seen on Hitched, the gargoyle’s body was as hard as stone and equally unyielding. He was so big and wide, he dwarfed my demon instructor in comparison. And Ryder was anything but small.

  Scarlett looked at me like I was some star-struck teenager.

  “Yeah, I definitely would’ve kept that gargoyle hottie around longer,” Aeria chimed in.

  I apparently needed to work on my whispering-around-supe skills. “I wonder what he’s doing here.”

  “He’s the rep from the Gargoyle Guardian Council,” said Raine, leaning in. “He’s been coming around more recently to talk to Cillian.”

  The name rang a bell from Hitched. The gargoyles were part of the Sons of Heaven. They were the humans’ protectors here on earth. If Logan was here to talk to Cillian it couldn’t be anything good.

  Cillian clapped his hands, and the hushed whispering stopped. “All right team, I know you’ve all seen Logan around, but now it’s time for the official introduction.”

  Logan flashed a quick smile, his steely silver eyes the coolest color I’d ever seen. “I wish I were here under different circumstances, but unfortunately, it’s not a social call. Cillian’s been keeping me abreast of what you’ve accomplished here at the academy, and I’m very impressed. Things in the human world have been quickly escalating, and my gargoyle brothers aren’t enough to keep the Underworlders contained. Ryder and Cillian believe you’re ready for a real world run, and I’m here to deliver the details of your mission.”

  A rush of excited whispers swirled around the squad. This was it; this was what they’d been training for in the past year. I was not quite as thrilled. With my erratic and possibly super dark powers on the fritz, unease clenched my gut.

  “Let’s do this,” said Drake, a deep lavender gleam in his eye.

  “You all are familiar with the six warlords of the Underworld?”

  Everyone nodded but me. Damn, I really needed to catch up on my supe history. A conversation with Cillian flickered at the edge of my mind. He’d mentioned one of the warlords could’ve been the one to send the relix demon to mark me.

  “Luxora is the most powerful of the six. According to rumblings we’ve picked up from the Underworld, she’s been inciting her minions to sneak into the human world to spite her father.”

  “Her father?” The question popped out before I could stop it. Everyone else seemed to know what was going on, but I was hopelessly lost.

  “Lucifer,” muttered Ryder. “For as long as I remember, it’s been my half-sister’s mission to piss off our father at every turn. She wasn’t pleased when he spurned her mother, Eve.”

  “Wait, the Eve? As in Adam and Eve?”

  Ryder nodded. “The one and only source of original sin.”

  Wow. One of the warlords of the Underworld was Lucifer and
Eve’s daughter? And Ryder’s half-sister? Man, no wonder they made a reality TV show out of this.

  “Anyway, there’s a big supernaturals’ rights convention slated for tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. According to my sources, Luxora is planning something big. I’ve got all my available guys in the area ready, but we could definitely use the extra backup.”

  Cillian patted Logan’s shoulder, and the smack reverberated across the training room. It sounded like he hit a wall. “They’ll be ready,” he said, a glimmer of pride reflected in his clear blue eyes.

  Ryder nodded. “We’ll spend the day going over tactics. If you can spare the time, Logan.”

  “Of course. That’s why I’m here.”

  “What about classes?” Scarlett raised her hand.

  “You’re all excused from your regular classes for today and tomorrow,” answered Cillian. “You’ll spend today training, and you’ll leave for the human world first thing in the morning.”

  A mix of excitement and panic coursed through my veins. I leaned against the wall for support as the rest of the team chattered animatedly.

  “You okay?” Ryder appeared beside me, his dark eyes searching mine.

  “Sure. First big mission in the human world to take on Lucifer’s daughter and her underlings—no problem.”

  He reached for me but pulled back at the last moment. “I swear I won’t let anything happen to you.” The intensity pulsating from his bottomless black irises made me believe him. “And if it’s any consolation, I doubt Luxora will actually be there. She’d rather sit back and enjoy the view while her followers do the damage.”

  “Not really helping.” I wrapped my arms across my chest. “Are you and this sister close?”

  He lifted a shoulder, his gaze not quite meeting mine. “I wouldn’t say close, but I have had a few encounters with her. Like I’ve said before, I have more half-siblings than I can count. Most of which I’ve never even held a conversation with.”

  It was weird that was one thing we had in common. “What’s a warlord like anyway?”