Tucking into a roll brought me back on my feet again by some stroke of luck and maybe a few years of childhood gymnastics and tumbling lessons too. I yanked my coat sleeve from my wrist to expose the crucifix charm bracelet, keeping myself between the creature and Jordan.
The nos hissed at me. As we circled around one another, I caught a glimpse of the fight between the shifters. Both Gabriel and the bear were still on their feet, but they both looked worn and streams of blood poured down Felicity’s broad shoulders, staining her honey-brown fur. She heaved heavy, ragged breaths, and sweat ran in rivulets down Gabriel’s face. The wendigo turned on him, swinging its powerful claws.
Gabriel fired a bullet point-blank, somersaulted, and flew above the beast as a raven. As a man, he descended again in a vertical drop, shooting the whole way down in a spectacular display I couldn’t appreciate with a hungry nossie trying to get past my defenses.
Hissing, the nosferatu lunged again. I summoned sparks of light with my free hand, repelling it.
Where were the sentinels assigned to the city? There were supposed to be dozens of them around the university and Chicago area.
“How much longer can they survive, pretty fae?” He swayed left and right, practically salivating over us.
Gabriel cried out from behind us. My gaze darted left in time to see him striking the ground. Felicity snarled and stood over his limp body.
“Gabe!”
The nosferatu struck me. We rolled to the ground, but the snow cushioned my fall. I thrust my wrist up and channeled glamour into the silver.
Grandpa’s gift exploded with light, projecting from the silver in a tight white beam. It repelled him long enough to save my neck. The stink of him filled the air, burning vampire skin and snow and rotten breath in my face, the many holy symbols combined with my Sunlight spell searing through him.
His shriek stressed my hearing and cleaved into my skull. Gritting my teeth, I scrambled over Jordan to protect him again.
A blazing line of fire shot across the park, then more flames engulfed the deranged vampire from behind. He shrieked in agony, hit the ground and rolled, but when he leapt up to his feet and took off for the edge of the playground, a mage spell lit him up like a torch. I recognized Simon’s hulking form and had never been so glad to see the stern-faced man.
Sentinels surged over the area and surrounded the bleeding wendigo. Shotguns roared and silver spray sizzled across its mangy ribs. As it slumped to the ground, fire engulfed the beast and it went up in a blaze of magic.
* * *
It was close to midnight before Sebastian and Simon put us in the back of Gabriel’s truck and started the drive back. Until then everything had been a blur of scene clean-up, medical attention, and no answers. But with a half-hour drive ahead of us, I was determined to get something.
“That nos said something about bringing fae to his mistress. He meant Carmilla, didn’t he?”
Sebastian twisted around in the passenger seat to stare at me. Simon looked back through the rearview mirror.
“Do I even want to ask how you know that name, Miss Corazzi?” Simon asked.
“Probably not, but you didn’t answer my question.”
Sebastian chuckled. “Might as well tell them, or we’ll have another office break-in.”
I managed not to cringe. Beside me, Gabriel maintained an Oscar-worthy poker face.
“Fae have disappeared in disturbing numbers,” Simon said after a moment. “Mostly half-fae, graduates from the university, but there was one full fae reported missing by King Oberon recently. Our investigations have led us to the Hidden Court. I’m assuming Fujimoto has talked to you about that.”
“I know a little, yeah. Is that who attacked Jordan and Felicity?”
“Yeah,” Sebastian said.
Gabriel finally spoke up. “What about the Veil? Why couldn’t Skylar pass through?”
“Yeah, it was like trying to walk through sludge. Everything looked weird too. Dull and dark.”
“The Seal of Khonsu. It’s an Egyptian artifact designed to negate traveling through the Twilight in a given area. If you had managed to get another few yards away you would have had an easier time.”
“Is that one of the items that was taken from Gaspar’s office?”
“It was,” Simon replied. “Thankfully, we have it back in our possession again.”
“She didn’t do it, did she?”
Neither sentinel answered.
“Did she?” I insisted. “You two can’t really believe Professor Gaspar would hurt one of us.”
Simon sighed. “It doesn’t matter what we believe. We have to go by the evidence.”
“There’s also a witness,” Sebastian said.
“It wasn’t her,” I insisted in a quiet grumble. “Someone framed her and took a bunch of her belongings.”
Gabriel touched my knee, but the weight of my guilt had become too much of an oppressive force, leading me to wonder if I should have reported my sighting weeks ago.
“What would happen if a student was found recruiting for the Hidden Court?”
Indecision tore me apart, because hell if I knew whether or not I should report what I had seen to the administration. As a vampire, that meant Matt Sinclair would be killed, whether he’d harmed anyone or not. I didn’t want his death on my conscience, and for all I knew, he’d seen the light and come to his senses.
It just wasn’t fair that the rest of us got to go on with our magickless lives while vampires were laid to rest, a pile of ashes who never got to regret their poor choices.
Simon studied me through the rearview mirror, heavy brows drawn tight together. “Recruiting?”
“Have you seen something, Skylar?” Sebastian asked.
“I’m just asking, what would happen if there were students talking about it together.”
“I suppose it would depend on their level of involvement. Do you have something to tell us?”
I’d sat on the information so long it made my palms sweat. Gabriel made a quiet sound in his throat that reminded me of a grouchy parrot, but I ignored him.
“I saw a meeting a few weeks ago. There were some night students outside the gym discussing the Hidden Court, but I didn’t know what it was then or what they were about. I just knew they hated my kind.”
Simon dipped his head. “We thought they might try something on campus, but we were looking for attacks, not meetings.”
Silence fell over the two sentinels for a while, quiet looks exchanged between them that seemed to convey a thousand words.
Could mages communicate with telepathy? I’d have to ask Ben or Holly.
A few tense moments passed until Sebastian sighed and raked his fingers through his dark hair. “We can’t promise any students involved won’t suffer a few consequences, but anything you tell us will remain confidential. How’s that?”
“No one will die, right? Or get Bound?”
“I doubt death will be on the table over a meeting, but ultimately, it wouldn’t be our decision, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want innocent students tangled up with the Hidden Court.”
“We’ll do our best to get anyone some clemency.”
“I’ll give you names,” Gabriel spoke up. “A couple of guys and I happened by their meeting.”
“Jesus,” Sebastian growled, the word rumbling in his chest. “You too?”
“Some friends dragged me out, man. You know I don’t believe that shit.”
Sebastian and Gabriel glowered at each other for a while, the werewolf in the front seat appearing more feral by the moment, like if they weren’t in a moving vehicle he’d probably thrash Gabe on general principle for even being within a hundred yards of the meeting. “If I could strangle you from here, kid.”
It only took a minute for Gabriel to rattle out a list of names, though he grimaced a few times. Becoming their informant must have cut him to the quick, but I couldn’t tell if it was because he’d ratted on his friends or parted with
so much information for free.
I touched his hand and took up for him. “He really told them it was all bull and stupid. Honest. The whole meeting was just a bunch of vampires and shifters mad about how they’re treated.”
“Bloody mess if you ask me.” Simon released a pent-up breath. “This will stay between us. For now. But I’ll be monitoring everyone mentioned.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Isaac, Justin, and Stark knew better. So do you. Fuck, all of you knew better.”
“Look, I’m sorry, man. We just wanted to check it out.”
Sebastian bitched at Gabriel the entire drive, turning more paternal than I expected any of the professors to behave.
A while later, we pulled onto campus grounds. Simon drove around to the garage and parked in Gabriel’s assigned spot. Once he killed the engine, both men turned to look at us.
“I’d like to ask that you keep everything we’ve discussed to yourselves. Until this whole mess is sorted out, no one can be trusted,” Simon said.
“And no more strolls through the city, even if you’re together. I’ll be recommending to the provost that everyone go out in groups to check on their charges until this shit is under control,” Sebastian added.
“Absolutely,” Gabriel agreed.
“Of course,” I added.
“Excellent. Get some rest, and try not to worry too much about the Hidden Court.” Simon passed over the keys then left the truck. Long after the two sentinels hurried away, Gabriel and I remained within the warm cab, though a heavy silence hung between us and anxiety shredded my stomach to ribbons.
“Are you mad at me?”
“What? Shit, I’m mad at myself for letting Edmund and Stark talk me into checking it out. And for not speaking up about it earlier. You shouldn’t have had to do it.”
“You were protecting your friends. Your people.”
“If any of my people want to seriously consider going darkling, they’re not my friends anymore, Sky. It’s not just gross. It’s wrong.”
The tight knot that had been squeezing around my heart loosened. “I don’t want you to be in trouble.”
“You heard them. For now they’re gonna take a wait-and-see approach. Monitor everyone. Sebastian will probably run my ass hard in class, but he knows me. He knows I wouldn’t let him down like that, so I’ll take whatever punishment he doles out.” He paused a beat then nudged me in the side with his elbow. “Which means I’ll run you extra hard in our lessons.”
“Damn. The price of honesty.”
“Yep.”
With the air cleared between us, we climbed out of his truck. Gabriel grunted and held his side.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good. Felicity took all the aggro.”
“I saw him hit you though. Are you sure you don’t have broken ribs again?”
Gabriel tugged up his shirt. It had come untucked during the fight, and hauling it up exposed the green-tinged color stretched over his ribs. The bruise looked a day or two old already. “Nothing’s broken. He mostly knocked the wind out of me.”
I placed my palm against his flat stomach and frowned. He sucked in a breath but didn’t shy away. His bare flesh was so warm beneath my hand, the muscles chiseled and defined. “This doesn’t look okay.”
“It will be after a few hours of sleep. C’mon, I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”
“No. I think, just this once, I’ll walk you back to yours. No arguing.”
“Sky—”
“No arguments.”
Surrendering, Gabriel walked alongside me from the parking garage and out onto the campus path. A few night students glanced at us in passing, whispered, and texted rapidly on their phones.
There were fewer of them in the lobby to his apartment building, a few juniors and seniors able to afford living in the upgraded digs. All of them looked like shifters. The building must have been a favorite for their kind.
A werebear stepped forward to intercept us. “Sup, Gabe. What happened to you?”
“Wendigo out in Lincoln Park.”
“No shit?”
“Yeah. You’ll hear all about it tomorrow.”
Before they could interrogate him further, the elevator arrived. We rode it to his floor.
“Need me to tuck you in?” I teased at his door while he fumbled out the keys.
“I think I can make it to my bed, thanks.”
“All right. Get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow I guess.”
“Hey, Sky?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re a great ward. The sentinel who gets you after PNRU is going to be lucky.”
Warmth and pleasure flushed my cheeks. I dipped my chin to hide it. “Thanks. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind, you know?”
“Still. Thank you for being you, I guess. G’night.”
“Hey, um, I have something I want to give you first.”
He raised both brows. “Yeah?”
I reached into my purse and removed the Valentine’s Day chocolate. “Honmei-choco is the right term for close friends, right?”
He blinked at me. “How’d you know that?”
“There’s this thing called the Internet.” I offered out the box. “Anyway, I hope you enjoy them. Get some sleep.”
And just like that, I hurried back down the hall to the elevator, too afraid to stay and see what he might say.
20
When Midterms Pack a Punch
A campus-wide announcement went out the Monday following our Valentine’s night escapade, proclaiming that anyone caught recruiting for the Hidden Court henceforth would receive swift and merciless disciplinary action. The wording led me to think Binding—or in the case of vampires, staking—was in the cards for whoever they caught.
The news quickly replaced the buzz about our fight in the city, which was both a blessing and a curse. Each day as I went from class to class, more people gathered in their own little cliques. People eyed each other with suspicion and the word on everyone’s lips was “Who’s with who?”
Then the arrival of March melted the quad into springtime, replacing slush and snow with fragrant blossoms in every tree, bush, and vine. Pilar even invited all of us girls to go home with her to Barcelona, and I looked forward to practicing my Spanish during the upcoming break.
Students who had celebrated Professor Gaspar’s replacement by Mrs. Hansford regretted it by the time midterms arrived. The woman plied us with Arcane Lore homework and assigned essays every week. As little as she allowed us to use practical applications, I almost expected her to show up wearing all pink and plaster the classroom with cat posters.
“You know that saying ‘better the devil you know?’ I think I understand it now,” Liadan said when she dropped into the seat beside me in the study room. I’d reserved one in the library, because they lacked Wi-Fi signals and we’d quickly learned studying anywhere else provided too many distractions.
Pilar scowled. “Even the devil would find Mrs. Hansford intolerable.”
Liadan raked her fingers through her red curls then fell back against the couch. “I feel so feckin’ overwhelmed. How in the hell are we to memorize all of these glamours?”
I sighed. “This isn’t even the final exam, Lia. If this is difficult, imagine how much we’ll be drowning when May is here.”
“Two more months,” Pilar said, appearing grim. She hadn’t applied more than foundation, for once too stressed to undergo her complete beauty regime. “We have less than two months to prepare for our final exams.”
“Yeah, it’s getting tough. Gabriel and I scaled back our training sessions to once a week.”
Ben yanked open the door and poked his head in. “There you guys are.” He plopped into the chair beside me, eyes bright with mischief and unspoken secrets. Mages loved secrets, and Ben had become a professional at collecting them. Unlike raven shifters however, he couldn’t keep them.
“What’s going on? You look like you have gossip,” Pi
lar said.
“I don’t gossip,” he denied vehemently. “I spread the news.”
While Pilar rolled her eyes, I imagined Ben at the helm of his own student paper. Apparently, the university didn’t have an active one since the last editor-in-chief graduated.
“Well, out with it then.”
“Tricia O’Keefe disappeared from school today,” Ben said.
“Who?” Liadan asked.
“She’s one of the vampire mages enrolled at PNRU,” he replied. “Dude, she was in our Magical Artifacts class last semester.”
The hairs on my arms raised. “I remember her. Really quiet and usually a few seats behind me.”
“She’s some kind of super prodigy who tested into advanced courses the rest of us freshmen aren’t privileged to take. She was supposed to give a demonstration on telepathy in class today but never showed, so Mr. Bedivere sent me to go get her. Well, her room was empty. I mean, she’d packed up everything.”
“That’s the third night school student this semester,” Lia said.
I shivered. “Running away just isn’t worth it if they’re going to send sentinels to drag us back.”
Pilar crinkled her nose. “Or Bind your powers.”
“Yeah,” Ben agreed. “Holly and I were looking forward to that demo too. I wonder why Tricia left.”
“Maybe she grew tired of being picked on,” Pilar said. “Those idiots never gave it up after Halloween, remember? Maybe she felt threatened and has gone home for a while until the vampire hate dies down a little. People have been really mean lately after what happened to Dedrik and the attack in Lincoln Park.”
Pilar made a good point.
But Tricia had also been an enthusiastic member of the crowd at the Hidden Court recruitment meeting. Of course, I kept all theories to myself and changed the subject, reluctant to drag my friends into that hot mess.
Twisting in my seat, I glanced behind us through the enormous window dividing the study room from the rest of the library. “Speaking of Halloween, where is Holly? We haven’t seen her around much lately. It’s like she dropped off the planet after the big party.”
The Hidden Court: The Paranormal University Files: Skylar, Year 1 Page 25