She patted my foot. “How are you feeling?”
“Getting stronger every minute.”
“Good.” She turned to the others in the room. “The Lycans have arrived.”
My eyes went to Liam. His whole demeanor changed; every part of him was tense and rigid. “I thought they weren’t supposed to be here for another week?” I asked, looking at Dr. Han.
“Because of what happened with Jackson, the Council requested their services sooner.”
“This is a mistake,” Liam said.
“What we need to do is get the Auras to where they can protect themselves.” I tugged at the IV tube in my arm. “When can I get this thing out?”
“I’ll go get Abigail,” Tessa said and left the room.
“I better go too,” Dr. Han said. “Our guests will need a proper welcoming, even this late at night.”
May stood up. “I’ll go with you. You know, to check these guys out.” She looked back at me and winked.
“We’re not done talking, May,” I called after her. With her back to me, she raised her hand and waved.
When everyone had left, Liam closed the door and sat down next to me. “Are you really feeling better?”
“I am, really. My skin stings a little, but it’s not bad.”
He exhaled. “Good.”
We sat in silence for a few moments. My mind went over that night again. Poor Chase. I felt sick remembering the way he had died. “The Shadow,” I said. “How are we going to fight it?”
“I know. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Only your Light seemed to affect the Shadow, but there’s got to be another way to hurt it. Some way we can kill it.”
“Let’s hope.” I didn’t want to die or have anyone else die destroying it. I stared down at my hands. Something else weighed heavily on my mind.
“Did you see him?” I asked, knowing he’d know exactly who I was referring to.
It took him a few seconds to answer. “Yes.”
I looked up, afraid of what I might see on his face, but he revealed nothing. “And what do you think? Where has he been all this time?”
“I don’t know, but it concerns me.”
“How so?”
He looked toward the window. “Because I think you’ve seen him before. The night we captured Jackson.”
I startled. “How do you know about that?”
“I heard you call his name. Am I wrong?”
“I wasn’t sure what I saw that night. Besides, that was private. You can’t do stuff like that.”
“I was worried about you.”
“Maybe you’re worrying too much.” I looked him square in the eyes.
He glanced away. “If you really saw Christian in the forest, why didn’t he come to you? Why is he still with the Vykens?”
“First, I don’t know that I did see him that night. And second, if I did, then there’s a good reason why he hasn’t returned.”
It was his turn to look me in the eyes. “Or maybe he’s one of them now.”
I shook my head. “Impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because even if Cyrus bit him, he would fight it like us. I know it.”
“What do you mean ‘if’? Of course Cyrus bit him. It’s the only way he could’ve survived. And if he was fighting the poison like you say, then why isn’t he here, sitting next to you instead of me?”
“There’s a reason, I know it.”
He glanced at Christian’s necklace around my neck. “Just consider it.”
My heart ached just thinking about the possibility. I would rather Christian be dead then turned into a Vyken, fighting the constant darkness. I scooted back into bed. “I’m tired.”
“Do you want me to stay?”
“No. Abigail will be here soon, and then I’m going to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Liam stood and went to the door. “Whatever happens, Llona, know that I’m with you, however you need me.”
“I know. Thank you.”
Liam left the room, leaving me alone. My mind turned over all the recent events. Despite the fact that I’d seen Christian and the appearance of May’s father, I had to keep focused on my number one goal: to get Sophie and the others back. Before I closed my eyes, I added one more goal to the list: teach Auras to fight whether they were willing or not.
EIGHT
Abigail came into my room at seven in the morning. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did, thank you,” I answered, although I hadn’t slept at all after she had removed the IV last night. It had taken most of the night, but I had managed to formulate a plan and was anxious to get started. “Can I go down to breakfast?”
Abigail pushed a thermometer into my mouth. “I guess if you feel up to it. I still can’t believe you healed this quickly. You can’t even tell you were burned, except for maybe a little redness on this arm.”
I glanced down at my left arm just as the thermometer beeped. Abigail removed it and then proceeded to take my blood pressure.
“Part of it was thanks to you and Mrs. Crawford. Thanks for healing me.”
“We only helped with the minor burns. I’ve never met an Aura who can heal this fast.”
I shrugged like it was no big deal, but inwardly told myself to relax, to keep my heartbeat from racing while she listened to my chest. Very few people knew I was half Vyken, and I wanted to keep it that way.
“So have you seen them yet?” I asked when she was finished.
“Seen who?”
“The Lycans.”
Abigail removed the blood pressure cuff. “All normal.” She rolled it up. “I saw one of them this morning. Intimidating creatures, they are.”
“Do you trust them?”
“They haven’t done anything to me that shows they can’t be trusted. You look good, Llona. You are free to go. However, I would like to see you in a few days.”
I sat up and swung my legs over the bed. “Sure thing.”
“Go ahead and get dressed and come to breakfast.”
She went to the door, but I stopped her. “Hey, did anyone find out who took your phone?”
She turned around, shaking her head. “I’m afraid not. Lesson learned, I guess. I thought I was in a school where I could trust people.”
“Me too,” I whispered, but she was already out the door.
I waited a few seconds before I stood up. My head swayed slightly from lying down for so long, but as soon as the dizziness passed, I took a firm step forward. The pain I’d experienced the last few days was something I never wanted to think about again.
Showering quickly, I went over again all the things I needed to do today. Each task wasn’t going to be easy, but when was that ever my life? I hurried downstairs, thinking of what I had to do first.
I stopped just outside the dining room, listening to the sounds from within. The girls were quieter than usual, and I wondered why. Maybe they had heard what happened. Maybe they were nervous. Good. It would only make my job easier.
“Hold up!” a voice said behind me.
I turned around.
May and Tessa were walking toward me, smiling.
“We came to see you in your room this morning, but you were already gone,” Tessa said and gave me a hug.
“How are you feeling?” May asked.
“Much better. Is Liam around?” I was kind of surprised he hadn’t been there when I woke up.
“I haven’t seen him,” May said.
I followed her and Tessa into the dining room. All eyes turned on us, but it didn’t bother me at all. I wasn’t alone.
The room felt warmer than usual, probably on account of the morning sun shining through a single row of large windows near the ceiling. The smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafted up from the kitchen. Of all the restaurants I’ve ever eaten at, none compared to the cooking of Lizen women.
Before I could sit down, Ashlyn approached me, her arms folded to her chest. It wasn’t that long ago when Ashly
n was very vocal about her feelings. She absolutely hated me for trying to change things at Lucent, but ever since the school was attacked and her friend Valerie was taken, we’d grown closer. She was one of the few to join the Auran Sparring class, or, as Kiera liked to call it, the “Kick A. S. Class.”
“Is it true?” Ashlyn asked. “Jackson’s really gone?”
I pulled her to the side, away from listening ears. “Someone here helped him escape with Vykens. We tried to get him back, I swear.”
“But that was the only chance we had to find Valerie!”
“I know it seems like that, but I’m working on another plan.”
She wiped her eyes, at tears that hadn’t quite fallen yet. “What?”
“Something Jackson said. I’ll tell you about it later. Have you seen any Lycans this morning?” They were essential to my plan, one I wasn’t ready to share with anyone quite yet.
“I saw a couple outside, very scary. They look like they want to eat our faces off. I can’t believe the Council is using them.”
“That’s why we need to get more Auras fighting.”
She nodded. “I’m working on it, but it’s hard, you know? They still believe the Council can keep them safe.”
“Don’t worry. I might have some new recruits by the end of the day.”
“How?”
“Just be ready. I’ll need your help when the time comes.”
“You got it.” She left me and went to sit at the table with her friends. Because Ashlyn was one of the most popular girls at Lucent Academy, I really thought having her in the sparring class would make others join, but it didn’t. It seemed only the ones who had suffered somehow were willing to take control of their lives and not rely on others to solve their problems. The whole rock bottom thing, I guessed. By tonight, however, I hoped to make them all see how close that bottom was.
I didn’t seek out the Lycans immediately, because I was starving. I ate everything brought out to me, even asking for more. All the while, I listened to Kiera telling me about how Dr. Han had moved our sparring class into a bigger room and had given us all sorts of equipment to help us with our training. I couldn’t wait to see it. And I hoped tomorrow the room would be packed.
“Where are you headed after this?” May asked.
“I should go to class, but I’ve got to take care of a few things first.”
“Do they even care if you go anymore?”
I finished the last of my milk. “Dr. Han said to go as often as I could.” I lowered my voice. “So what did you decide to do about your father?”
She glanced away. “I haven’t made up my mind.”
“Don’t. At least for a little while. Maybe Liam can talk to the Deific about him, see if they know anything.”
May didn’t agree, but she didn’t disagree either.
I wadded up my napkin and gathered my dishes. Before I could take it to the kitchen, a Lizen girl was at my side taking it from me. “Thank you,” I said.
I turned to Tessa. “Do you have school later?”
She nodded.
“One of these days we need to have a girls’ night out.”
“Hear, hear,” Kiera said, standing with the rest of us.
We all walked toward the door, May and Tessa making future plans. Before we went into the hall, I held Kiera back. “I’m planning on giving a lesson tonight during dinner.”
Her nose scrunched. “What kind of lesson?”
“I don’t want to give you specifics to, you know, keep you out of trouble, but be prepared. Maybe wear your hair back.”
She laughed. “It sounds like fun.”
“Fun probably isn’t the word people would use to describe it, but it won’t be boring. And hopefully when I’m done, we’ll have some new recruits for our class.”
“Good. We really need it.”
We were nearly to the elevators when I caught movement outside the window. It wasn’t the movement that captured my attention but the size of it. I gasped.
“Something wrong?” Kiera asked.
I stopped in front of the elevators. “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I bolted to my right, toward the doors leading outside. I pressed on them and used my arm to shield my eyes from the early morning sunlight. After a few seconds my vision adjusted, and I moved into Lucent’s massive courtyard and looked around. A few girls were already on the sidewalk heading to class. Near the bell tower I found what I was looking for—a Lycan. Even from this distance I could see he was massive.
I took a deep breath and crossed the lawn to him. He was facing the outer wall, but as I drew closer, his body tensed, and I knew he was aware of my presence. His hair was black, as black as the long jacket that barely seemed to fit over his large frame.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
He turned around slowly, but it still wasn’t slow enough to keep me from stumbling back when I saw his face. It wasn’t hairy like I naïvely expected it to be; on the contrary, his skin was tanned a deep brown, and he had sharp, commanding features with thick, arched eyebrows, high cheekbones, and a jaw line that was as distinct as his high forehead. These pronounced features made him look like a monster out of a fairy tale.
He turned away as if he knew his appearance was frightening.
“What do you need, Aura?” His voice was deep, so deep I half expected to feel the ground rumble.
I gathered some strength and stepped forward. “Are you in charge of your kind?”
“No one is in charge. We work as a collective.”
I cleared my throat. “Right. Well, I need something and hoped you could help.”
“We are here to protect Auras. Nothing more.”
“That’s what I need help with.”
“Explain.”
“I’m trying to teach Auras to defend themselves against Vykens.”
For the first time, his eyes met mine. “You are Llona?”
I nodded, surprised he knew of me.
“We agree with what you are trying to do. No race should be powerless.”
I smiled, liking him immediately. “What’s your name?”
“Petros.”
“So, Petros, will you help me?”
“What do you need?”
I straightened to make myself taller for what I was about to say. “I need two Vykens by tonight. Alive.”
NINE
I hurried away from Petros and back to Lucent. He hadn’t given me an answer but promised he would discuss it with the pack and get back to me.
Inside Chadni Hall, the school was busy with students heading to classes. I wove my way in between them and headed to Dr. Han’s office. On my way, I removed my phone from my pocket and checked my messages. There weren’t any. This surprised me as I expected to see at least one from Liam. We frequently texted each other throughout the day. Usually dumb stuff, but still.
I pocketed my phone, an uneasiness growing inside me, and knocked on Dr. Han’s office door.
“Come in,” he said.
I opened the door. Dr. Han was with Mrs. Crawford, looking over a mess of papers across his desk.
“Am I interrupting?” I asked.
“We were just finishing up,” Mrs. Crawford said, swiping a long curl of brown hair away from her face. She came to me and gave me a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“A lot better. Thank you.”
She pulled away and looked at me. “We’re going to get Sophie back. You know that, right?”
I startled at the comment. “How can you be so sure?”
She lowered her voice. “I’m a little bit psychic.”
“Really?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Before you say anything, Llona,” Dr. Han said as he gathered papers in front of him into a neat sack, “we don’t know anything about how Jackson escaped or where he’s at, but we’re working on it.”
I tightened my lips, wishing he knew more. “I hope we’ll know soon, but there’s another reaso
n I’m here. I had a thought last night and wanted to go over it with you two, Liam, and the twins. Can we meet later today?”
Dr. Han opened a black book. “I’m available at one.”
I turned to Mrs. Crawford.
“That’s good for me,” she said.
“Have either of you seen Liam or the twins?” I asked.
“I spoke with Aaron earlier today. They had a meeting with the Deific this morning, but were coming back around noon.”
“And Liam?”
“I’m not sure.”
“I haven’t spoken to him either,” Dr. Han said. “Would you like me to call him?”
“No, thanks. I can do that. Oh, and, um, I never got the chance to say sorry for storming from the Council’s meeting.”
Mrs. Crawford laughed. “I’m surprised you made it as long as you did.”
I glanced at Dr. Han. He was smiling too.
“So you’re not disappointed?”
“I admit I would’ve liked to see things go differently, but considering the circumstances, I think you conducted yourself very well.” He interlocked his fingers. “But know this, the Council truly cares. They want Sophie and the other Auran girls found and have done things you don’t know about to try to accomplish this.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “They tracked Cyrus’s expenses for the last several years and just yesterday came across a warehouse he purchased about five years ago.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Where?”
“In Albion, less than an hour away.”
“Then let’s go! Right now!”
He raised his hand to silence me. “They’ve sent someone to watch it, but just for a few days. At least until we can tell what it’s being used for.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe it. This is the first huge break we’ve had and you’re not going to act on it?”
“We will, but I won’t risk any more lives. Do you understand?” His voice was firm.
I didn’t trust myself to say anything out loud.
“It’s three days of surveillance, Llona. As soon as we get an idea of what possible dangers there may be, we’ll go in, but I want to make sure we do it with enough manpower.”
I clenched my jaw and nodded, thinking of Liam. He’d want to go.
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