“Not sure that’s going to happen.” Matteaus’ deep voice broke the hushed silence of the infirmary.
I yanked my hand away from Tuck’s forehead. “Why do you say that?”
“If he was going to get better, I would think it’d have happened by now.” He arched his eyebrow, then leaned in and whispered, “Something should be done about that.”
“Like what?” I lowered my voice to match his. “We’ve done all we can.”
“According to whom? If it were up to me, who was about to lose someone dear to me, I would do whatever it took.” He pointedly looked at my wrist. Though I wore a bracelet to hide the soulmate mark, I felt like he was examining it. The mark, a thin line of connected infinity marks with tiny silvery pearls in between each one, surrounded my wrist. I’d been hiding it since it first appeared. But looking at Matteaus’ now, I wondered if he somehow knew.
I tugged at the thin sheet covering my legs. “How come you can’t do whatever it takes now?”
Matteaus tilted his back and sighed. “I wish I could. The Creator knows I want to. But unless I’m ordered to, my hands are tied. Something about if I do it for you then how will you ever learn.”
“This isn’t like teaching someone how to cook. We’re talking life or death here.” I motioned to Tuck. “He is…” My breath hitched, and I cleared my throat. “Dying.”
“But he won’t, not if you do your research.” He made a show of looking me up and down. “And perhaps get cleaned up. You look like you just fought a dragon.”
I pursed my lips and gave him a sour look. “Helpful, very helpful.”
“I’ve already said enough. Do your research and you’ll know exactly what you need.” Matteaus gave me a little salute, then began walking toward the double doors. The doctor stopped him on his way out, and they murmured to each other, all the while glancing back toward the cot where Tuck lay.
When I turned back toward him, his hands were curled into fists while he ground his teeth together. I smoothed my hand down his cheek. “What’s going on behind those eyes of yours?”
Just then, his shoulders lifted up off the bed as he tilted his head back. A pained moan escaped his clenched teeth. I rose from the cot I’d passed out on last night and shoved it back into place. Then I turned and sat next to Tuck. “I’ll fix this. I promise.”
“How’s he doing, love?” Grayson strolled down the aisle looking fresh from a shower. His dark mahogany hair was brushed back from his face. I’d never noticed it before, but in the bright sterile infirmary I saw flecks of crimson in his chocolate eyes. He straightened the sleeves of his button-down shirt and smoothed his hand over his black dress pants.
“How’s he look like he’s doing?” I snapped. How was he so calm, taking the time to be showered and dressed like it was any other day?
“Hey, calm down there. I’ve come to relieve you, so you can get a shower and maybe some rest.” He looked me up and down. “You need it.”
I shot to my feet. “I’m tired of everyone telling me I look like hell when there are more important things to worry about.”
Grayson held up his hands in surrender. “Are you saying you don’t want to be my fake girlfriend anymore?”
“Ugh.” I wanted to slap him so hard he’d feel it in his baby fangs. “I didn’t want to be your fake anything to begin with.”
“Zinnia, you need to calm down and think. This one option might not have worked completely, but it has bought us some time.” He put his hands on his hips and looked down at Tuck. “Right now, everyone needs to be at their best, so if that means you get a shower and sleep for an hour, so be it.”
I froze and held my hand up to silence him. “What did you just say?”
“You need a shower?” He shifted from one foot to the other and looked at me like I had six heads.
“No, the other part.” I sucked in a breath. “There are other options. There have to be.” I glanced down at Tuck, then back up to Grayson. “If anything changes, you come and get me right away, okay?”
I hurried toward the door. Grayson called after me, “Where are you going?”
“Shower, then to the library,” I called over my shoulder.
“Keyword shower first, love,” he muttered.
Half an hour later, I was showered and dressed in a fresh pair of black leggings, a worn t-shirt and black hoodie. Now that the dragon had been freed and sent back to Alaska, New York was back to the crisp October fall weather I loved. Outside the walls of the academy, the blaring of horns resumed as if the freak snow storm that’d brought the entire eastern seaboard to a stop never happened.
If Tuck wasn’t lying in a bed fighting for his life, I might even say the sun shining down on me during a bright fall day was perfection. But he was fighting for his life, and though I wanted to stop and enjoy the courtyard like so many of the other students were, I just couldn’t. I needed him to get better. Even now, I felt his turmoil in the pit of my stomach. It was a constant cramping pain no amount of Advil could cure.
I tossed my damp locks over my shoulder and marched from the library with the exact thing we needed. I pressed the book to my chest, holding it so tight I thought I might bruise my skin with the corner of it.
I was close to the middle of the courtyard in Evermore Academy when Beckett hopped in front of me. “What are you doing?”
He tossed his surfer blond hair back from his forehead, and those ocean-blue eyes of his sparked with life. We’d been through so much over the past few weeks, each of us fighting our own inner demons. On our last quest, Beckett nearly drowned, and before that, Grayson had been skinned by a siren. And now Tuck was lying there suffering whatever Alataris had done to him.
I was breathless and barely able to contain myself. “I think I’ve found something that’ll help us.”
A bright smile spread across his face. “That’s the first good news we’ve had in a while.”
“I know, right? Listen, can you get everyone together and meet me in the library as soon as possible?” I took a few steps back. “I really think we can do—”
I spun on my heels and slammed right into a pillar. No, not a pillar. Someone’s chest. The book fell to the ground, and I scrambled back. “I-I’m so sorry.”
When I bent down to pick it up, a large hand scooped it up before I could. When I shot to my feet, I looked up and up and up. The boy towered over me like Beckett and Tuck did. He was at least six-foot-three, with straight dark hair falling to just above his chin. The sunlight reflected off of it, making shine in ways I’d only seen in hair commercials. When he smiled down at me, his vivid golden eyes swallowed me whole. They were like two coins reflecting in the sun. I’d grown used to Tucker’s warm honey eyes. Now looking up in these gold eyes, I didn’t know if I should take a step back or start fanning myself.
He turned the book over and opened it to the page I had marked. “A black poppy prickle orchid.” His dark eyebrows rose high on his forehead. “That’s, um, some dark stuff you’ve got there. What do you think, Becks?”
He extended the book out to Beckett, whose jaw dropped open. “Cross, what are you...what are you doing here?”
Cross kept holding the book out. “Just came to see what all the fuss was about.” He glanced around the courtyard where other students stopped to stare at him, particularly the girls. He was sleek and slender, wearing leather pants, biker boots and a black V-neck t-shirt. A black leather jacket was draped over one of his arms, while he held the book out with the other.
Beckett stepped forward and engulfed the guy in a bear-like hug, clapping him hard on the back. “I’m so happy to see you, man.”
I moved back, giving the two of them a moment. When they finally broke apart, I cleared my throat. “Um, hi. I’m Zinnia.” I extended my hand out to him.
His fingers engulfed mine as he shook my hand. “Cross Malback.”
“Nice to meet you, Cross.” When he dropped my grip, I motioned to the book. “Can I have my book back?”
&n
bsp; “Oh, yeah.” He handed it over, then ran his hand through the silky strands of his hair. A deep chuckle escaped his lips. “Nice to meet me? Let me guess, you’re the new one to Evermore?”
I pressed the book back to my chest. “What makes you say that?” I didn’t want to be offended, but did I have newbie written across my forehead or something?
“No one says it’s nice to meet a Malback. Let alone me. Isn’t that right, Beck?”
“I don’t know about that. I’m happy to see you, bruh. It’s been a long time.” Beck reached over and took the book from my hands and opened it to the page where I’d placed my bookmark. “Zinnia, this is…something else.”
When he glanced up at Cross, the two exchanged a look but said nothing. I reached over and pulled the book out of his hand. “What?”
Cross cleared his throat. “A black poppy prickle orchid is usually used on the darker side of magic. More specifically by warlocks.” He narrowed his eyes at Beckett. “Isn’t that right?”
Beckett nodded. “I believe so.”
“I don’t care if it is darker. If this is the only way to save Tuck, then we are doing it.” I felt like a toddler about to have a tantrum just to get my way. “And what is the difference between a witch and warlock anyways? Aren’t they the same?”
Beckett shifted from one foot to the other, kicking something on the ground. “No, not really. Witches deal in magic, the light kind. But warlocks, well they are all dark magic.”
“Like Alataris?” Dear old dad. Yet another secret I had to keep. First my soulmate mark, then my family. If anyone looked close enough, they’d see it plain as day. What would they all think? Would they trust me? Would Tuck? A ball of dread sunk in the pit of my stomach. What if they turn their backs on me? What if he did?
Again, they shot each other another look. Was I missing something? Cross tossed his jacket over his shoulder. “Exactly.”
“I don’t care. This is the answer we’ve been looking for. If we grind up the right pieces of the flower and put it into this potion I found and use it on Tuck, it’ll remove any essence of evil in him.” Hope was a dangerous emotion to have. It could make me think anything was possible. But in the end if it didn’t work, the disappointment would be that much worse.
“Yeah, but this potion could also kill him. That flower is as poisonous as it could be helpful.” Cross motioned to the book. “And the amount of dark magic needed to make it work would take someone very powerful. Isn’t that right, Beck?”
I looked from one to the other and back again. “How do you know all this?”
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the prodigal bad-ass son. What brings you out of private tutoring and into Evermore Academy?” Patty Pinch Face sauntered up to the three of us with her two brainless followers behind her: Carrie, who had a forehead a helicopter could land on and short frizzy black hair, and Laura, the other follower, whose words were limited to “that’s right” and “yeah, Patty,” had stringy dull blond hair. Each of them followed Patty around like a dog begging for treats at the table. If it wasn’t so annoying, it’d be sad.
A half mocking smile pulled at Cross’s lips. “Patricia Bowergaurd.” He rolled his eyes. “A pleasure, as always.”
Patty pursed her lips and moved in closer to him. “Cross, it’s good to see you. Maybe stop by my room later.” She placed her hand on his chest. “We’ll hang out like we used to.”
With two fingers, Cross plucked Patty’s hand away from his chest. “Let’s leave history where it belongs…in the past.”
Patty’s lips curled into a sneer as she looked at me. “Don’t tell me you’re into this one.” She motioned to me. “A queen not even worthy of the name.”
I stepped forward, about to say something, but Cross moved between us. “Queens are born, Patty, not bred. Even if they were, I doubt you’d make the cut.” He made a show of looking her up and down. “After all, class can’t be taught…clearly.”
“Ouch.” I giggled. “Better run along before he really tells you the truth.”
Patty spun away from us and marched to the other side of the courtyard with her lackies in tow.
Cross sighed. “Sometimes the sins of our past should stay there.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Beckett patted Cross on the shoulder, then turned toward me. “I’ll gather everyone in the library. Meet you there in five minutes?”
“Sure. Actually let’s meet in the infirmary. I want to check on Tuck.”
Beckett gave me a small salute, then strode away, leaving us alone.
I glanced around at the other students watching us. “Apparently, there is a lot about Evermore I don’t know.”
“Yeah, and before anyone else tells you, I might as well get this out there.” Cross met my eye. “My father is Dario Malback…Alataris’ right-hand man.”
I sucked in a deep breath and wanted to turn away from him. How could I trust anyone that close to Alataris? But then I remembered just because the blood ran in his veins didn’t make him evil. If that were the case, then I’d be just like my father. I threw my shoulders back and looked up at him. I hadn’t noticed it before, but Cross too was holding his breath.
“Good thing who our parents are don’t define who we are, right?” I gave him half a smile, hoping to reassure him.
“You say that like you know what it’s like to be from the wrong side of everything.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I do.” Before he could ask any more questions, I took a step back. “I gotta go. But maybe we’ll catch up later.”
“Yeah, catch you later.” When he turned from me, I could’ve sworn I saw something dark behind those gold eyes.
Perhaps the apple didn’t fall so far from the tree in his family after all.
Chapter 4
Zinnia
“What is with over-sized dog?” Brax crossed his arms over his chest while staring down at Kumi with his feline green eyes. Last night he’d been in his pajamas. Now he was back into his army fatigues, with a black long-sleeved thermal shirt that fitted to his massive body and black cargo pants with pockets filled with only the Creator knew what. Tiny holes marred the torso of his shirt, giving everyone a glimpse of his skin.
Tell him he stinks. A mixture of kitty litter and puppy piss. Kumi’s words drifted through my mind as though they were my own.
I will not. I turned toward Brax. “She’s keeping watch over Tuck. Anyone else decides to lay a single hand on him and she won’t hesitate—”
To rip your balls off. I wanted to snicker at her sassy attitude, but I kept it to myself. I didn’t need anyone else knowing I could hear her thoughts. It was a bit much on the weird scale, even for me.
Stop it. Kumi blew out a sigh at my feet and laid her head across her paws. Nova sat on the cot next to Tuck. She held her hands over his torso with her eyes closed. Purple sparks flew from her fingertips, bounced off his chest and landed back in her palms. I wasn’t sure what she was doing, but I was captivated. The rest of the crew sat in the other cots surrounding him. We were in a loose circle with Tuck at the center.
Niche held the book I’d found in her hand and was thumbing through the pages quickly. “This really is interesting, Zinn.”
“I thought so. We have the chance to stop this hex and save him.” I gazed down at Tuck, watching as he thrashed on the cot. “Every moment we hesitate he gets worse.”
Nova dropped her hands. “I agree. He’s there, but he’s fighting. I can feel his soul… He’s struggling.” She tucked a lock of her white-blond hair behind her ear, then tugged her elbow-length gloves back into place.
I knew it in my bones he was struggling, but to hear it out loud sent a chill down my spine and I was growing desperate to save him. “We have to go now.”
Brax leaned over and extended his hand toward Kumi. “So soft.”
Kumi’s lips pulled back from her teeth, and a low growl rumbled deep in her chest. Hands off, bub. I’m not a house pet.
You could be a little nicer. T
hese are my friends. I wanted to walk over and place Brax’s hand on her soft fur. Yet I stayed where I stood, in the middle of them all, waiting for Niche or someone to tell me they would help me do this, help me find the way to save my Tucker. No matter what the cost. I held my hand out to stop him. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”
Brax hesitated only a fraction of a second before he reached out and put his hand on her head. “Big puppy, da?” He was almost transfixed by her softness.
Did he just call me—a Kumiho, a devourer of men—a puppy? Her ears pressed flat against her head, and she snarled at him even louder.
Careful or they’ll lock you in that room again. Besides, he’s not going to hurt you. Kumi stopped growling at him and sat still as a statue while the big Russian ran his fingers through the midnight fur on the top of her head over and over again. A soft smile played on his lips. “See? Big dogs are not afraid of me.”
Dog? Really? When I looked down at her, she rolled her eyes but kept on sitting still.
Nova moved closer to me. “You didn’t like riding Cerberus, but you have a Kumiho as your familiar. Tell me how that makes sense?”
“My what? And Cerberus was a three-headed giant wolf dog with teeth the size of my body. He was kind of scary. Kumi is pretty.” I didn’t want to say it out loud, but there was something deep in me that instantly trusted her. Like we’d always been together and always would be.
“Your familiar. It’s rare for witches to have them, but it appears you do. This is an animal who helps us, guides us, protects us, and keeps us company through our lives. Usually it’s a cat or a dog, not a mythological creature. But hey, you’ve never done anything the traditional way.”
“True enough.”
Niche turned the book around for all of us to see. “Look at this.” She held up a picture of the flower I’d found. The orchid was black as night with vivid purple veins running through the petals. Each petal curled back from the yellow poppy seeds at the center of it and was tipped with a sharp point like a thorn at the end of it. “To get the ingredients to help Tuck, we will need the whole flower. It’ll have to be dissected just so, otherwise the poison within the veins and the seeds will seep into his body and kill him. Even more difficult, it’s located in the Amazon, where very few supernaturals will dare go. We might live four times longer than humans and are twice as strong, but there are real dangers there that could hurt or kill any of you.”
Wicked Hex (The Royals: Witch Court Book 3) Page 3