The Kerrigan Kids Box Set Books #1-3

by W. J. May

ARIA STAYED EXACTLY where she was, never blinking, never moving. Despite the throbbing pain in her head and the intense cold creeping up her legs, she was only barely aware of the world around her. There was a violent scuffle. Something that sounded almost like a bear?

  She never saw it. She had eyes for only one man.

  The tatù might have been working slowly, but it was working. Jason’s suit was still in tatters, but the skin beneath it had begun to repair. She watched as his chest stitched itself together, and the giant gashes trailing from his chin to his navel began to slowly fade away.

  It was utterly surreal.

  She could feel his body as well as her own. Each breath. Each beat of his heart. It was as if by healing the damage in him, she was repairing herself as well. As if their connection went beyond kith and kin, to something deeper. Something that had always been waiting, deep inside.

  He pulled in a sharp gasp, eyes fluttering open in a daze.

  “...Arie?”

  There was a pause in the rhythm of her hands. For a moment, the light around them flickered. It was so quiet, she couldn’t be sure she’d actually heard it. So weak, it was hardly there.

  “I’m here,” she breathed, clasping his hand. “I’m right—”

  Only then did she realize how utterly exhausted she was. A wave of deadening fatigue took hold and she fell in a pile beside him—pressing her cheek into the thin layer of ice covering the grass. The world tilted, but didn’t disappear. All at once, she realized something else was happening.

  There was a bear. And Lily was fighting it...with a stick?

  She tilted her head to the side, wondering if she was dreaming. The lovely girl was leaping back and forth in her ball gown, waving a torch between them, dancing just out of reach. It was only a matter of time before the unthinkable happened. But at least for now she was safe.

  If only the same could be said for the others.

  Her little brother was backing slowly into the clearing, his hands lifted in the air, his lips fluttering with quiet supplications. Though Aria couldn’t hear what they were. She twisted her head, trying desperately to see what he was looking at. Then her body froze with sudden dread.

  There wasn’t just one tiger. There were two.

  And both were heading straight for Benji.

  No!

  James did his best—considering he was a young teenager with no weapons or powers. At the last minute he let out a yell and charged the beast with his bare hands, but the tiger leapt lightly over his head, aiming for the man throwing lightning bolts on the other side.

  The fight between Benji and Alexander was getting bloodier the longer it went on. Sometime in the last few minutes the tiger had managed to get in a strike or two, but it was clear that Benji was dominating. Never had Aria seen such a look on his face. The man was incensed—eyes locked on the tiger, though his mind was still swimming with images of his mangled best friend.

  He didn’t see the other tiger leaping towards him. He didn’t hear James’ cry of warning until it was already too late. His hand was lifted high, about to call down another blast of lightning, when the tiger streaked out of the darkness, closing its jaws around his unprotected arm.

  He let out a shout, more surprise than pain, then whipped around to see what had grabbed him. In the same instant the tiger yanked him right off his feet, dragging him out of the trees.

  “No!” Aria screamed. “Benji!”

  Alexander was standing in the middle of the clearing, panting softly, trying to catch his breath. The tips of his ivory fur were singed and smoking. His snowy paws were tinged with blood. He met Aria’s gaze for only a split second before drifting to the boy lying by her side.

  Jason’s eyes were open, but he wasn’t registering anything around him. While the night would be forever burned into the others’ memories, most everything past that initial moment would be lost to him in shock. His hand drifted to the scratches raked down his body. His head lifted weakly, then fell back onto the grass. When he let out a quiet moan, the tiger took a sudden step.

  For a split second, Aria was terrified he was going to attack again. Jason was in no position to defend himself, and she doubted she could even lift her arms. Her eyes widened as he stalked towards them in the snow, unseen by the others.

  Benji was gone. James had taken off after him. Lily was still doing her best to ward off the bear. There was no one left to see what was happening. No one powerful enough to make it stop.

  He took a step closer. Then another step after that. Silent as a ghost. An unfathomable expression in his eyes. Without looking away for an instant Aria reached out and took Jason’s hand, wrapping her fingers tightly through his. She doubted he’d even notice. But it was all the tiger could see. He stared for another moment, then lifted his head suddenly and took off into the trees.

  Aria stared after him in shock, too overwhelmed to move.

  The seconds crawled by like hours. Every minute felt like years. Then, all at once, a series of distant shouts rang through the trees as a dozen footsteps pounded towards them. There was a tiny gasp as the bear vanished. Lily dropped the torch, which promptly extinguished in the snow.

  Just a few seconds later, the glow from an array of flashlights began darting through the trees. Aria winced weakly, squinting into the light of the glaring beams, before they lowered in unison and she saw half of the junior class standing in front of her.

  Tiffany, Oliver, and Milo were standing near the front—looking a little tipsy, like someone had spiked the punch. Catalina and Lisette were just behind, elbowing their way forward.

  They’d surged forward at the same time but then stopped at the same time as well, staring out over the clearing in absolute horror. A dozen pairs of eyes shot in a dozen directions, but none of them seemed to know where to land. Was it the mangled teenagers, or the fact that the ground was covered in ice? Or was it the fact that the ice was drenched in blood?

  No one said a word. No one tried to answer the silent question. Instead they simply stood in a shivering mass of tuxedos and ball gowns, trying to keep grounded, frozen in fright.

  More people were running up behind them. Typical faculty robes. Aria could see Luke’s face among them. No doubt her parents had been called and weren’t far behind.

  “Aria?”

  Catalina took a shaky step forward, clutching something in her hand. It took Aria’s eyes a moment to focus on the blur of spikes and sparkles before she realized it was a crown.

  “What are you doing here?”

  A rather odd question. One that probably would have made a lot more sense the other way around. But no one seemed to notice. They couldn’t stop staring at the blood.

  “We came to find you,” Catalina whispered. “You were named Winter Queen.”

  Chapter 2

  That was the last thing Aria remembered. The sight of that sparkling tiara dropping to the ground. Everything else was just flashes—so hazy and blurred there was a decent chance her shell-shocked mind had simply made the whole thing up.

  Her head had dropped weakly to the grass, and by the time she lifted it again the area was swarming with people. The alarm had been sounded and every person currently on the campus of Guilder came pouring out onto the lawn. Agents were sealing a perimeter. Students were being herded back to the dance. Lily was sitting just a few feet away, wrapped in a blanket. But it didn’t look like anyone was questioning her—she’d yet to regain the ability to speak.

  “Jason,” Aria murmured, twisting her head. “Someone needs to—”

  But someone already was. Apparently, the children weren’t the only ones on campus that night. Several parents had been asked to chaperone the winter dance. And, in light of recent events, there had been several over-zealous volunteers...

  “Jase!”

  There was a flash of golden hair, then Gabriel was kneeling beside them.

  It wasn’t the first time the man had stumbled into a nightmare, and he wasted no time. One hand flew automat
ically to Aria, blindly checking her pulse whilst the other ripped open his son’s tattered dress shirt, searching for the source of all the blood. What he saw confused him.

  “This is the only place he’s injured?” he murmured, glancing at Aria for the first time. “I don’t understand. There shouldn’t be so much blood.”

  The scratches running the length of Jason’s body were ghastly, but no longer deep enough to place him in such peril. Of course, with the amount of blood he’d already lost...

  “I healed him,” Aria panted, trying to push up beside them. It was the first time she’d said it out loud. It was the first time she’d really registered it herself. “I mean, I tried...”

  Gabriel’s eyes flashed to her face, lingering there ever so briefly before he turned swiftly back to his son and lifted him gently off the blood-stained snow.

  “That’s what happened to you?” he asked briskly, ripping off his jacket and pressing it like a bandage to Jason’s chest. “You don’t have any injuries yourself?”

  Aria sat up straighter, embarrassed to have split his focus. “Yes. I’m fine.”

  “What about your head?” he demanded, never taking his eyes off his son. “You’re slurring.”

  It was impossible to hide anything from the man. She didn’t know why she’d even tried.

  “I cracked it on a rock, but that was ages ago. I really am fine.”

  Gabriel nodded once, but the second he’d seen both she and Lily were alert enough to be talking his mind had turned to other things. Years of living in a hellish prison beneath the ground had trained him well for such moments. His hands never shook, his confidence never faltered.

  After waving away the on-scene medic, he proceeded to conduct the preliminary examination himself. Taking vitals, pulling back eyelids, running his hands over every inch skin to check for damage that may have gone previously unnoticed. Once he came to the inevitable conclusion that his teenage son had simply lost an extraordinary amount of blood he snapped his fingers like some imperial dictator, summoning the cowering medic back to his side.

  “We’ll have to do a transfusion. I’m O-negative. Universal donor. He can have mine.”

  The medic nodded swiftly, not daring to disagree. “If we can just get him to the infirmary—”

  “Do it right now.”

  For a split second, Aria’s famous uncle looked even more terrifying than the tiger. But on this point, even the trembling medic was unable to agree.

  “Sir, I simply don’t have the necessary equipment.” He spoke quietly, but was firm at the same time. “Between that and the risk of infection—”

  “Fine,” Gabriel cut him off. “Get someone with a speed tatù to carry him.” His eyes flashed impatiently around the clearing. “Where’s Tristan—”

  “It’s a shame we don’t have Benji,” Catalina murmured, one of the only students to have remained in the clearing. “He must still be at the dance.”

  There was a beat of silence.

  ...holy smokes.

  Aria froze in sudden horror, then turned to look at Lily. Their eyes met in the darkness as both girls came to the realization at the same time.

  “Benji’s not at the dance,” Lily gasped, springing to her feet. “He was dragged away!”

  The others flew into panic, but Gabriel went abruptly still.

  “What do you mean?” he asked sharply. “What do you mean he was dragged away?”

  At that very moment Luke swept into the clearing, having just corralled the rest of the students back to the dance. He didn’t yet know what had happened in the woods, or which children were at the center of the drama. But a single look at his face said he should have guessed.

  “Who was dragged away?” His skin paled a deathly shade of white as his eyes swept over the clearing, failing to see a particular face. “...where’s Benji?”

  Gabriel stood up slowly, still holding Jason in his arms. A silent look passed between him and Luke. Just a second later and they would have gone out together. But at that moment, the crowd of agents parted and two new people limped onto the scene. The older was sporting a strange array of cuts and bruises, while the younger was still clutching a large rock in his hands.

  “We’re back,” Benji panted, raking back a curtain of messy hair. “Where’s—”

  There was a violent collision and he let out a painful gasp, struggling to breathe under the strength of his father’s embrace. It lasted several suffocating seconds before Luke pulled away, shooting a quick look at James then taking his son by the upper arms.

  “What happened?” he demanded, memorizing every scratch. Every smear of blood. “Tell me right now. Who did this to you?”

  A sudden silence rang over the clearing. It was the question everyone had been waiting to ask. But Gabriel stepped in between them, still clutching his broken son in his arms.

  “Later,” he said shortly. “Ben, can you take him to the infirmary? Quickly?”

  While Benji was clearly exhausted, he nodded immediately—paling slightly as his best friend was passed gently into his arms. Only then did he look up and see the others. Lily, still trembling in a blanket. Aria, half-kneeling on the icy ground.

  “Is everyone...” He trailed off, feeling the first aftershocks of what had happened. “Are you guys okay—”

  “Benji,” Gabriel insisted.

  “Right. Sorry.”

  He was gone in a flash, taking Jason with him. Gabriel followed without a second’s thought, pausing only long enough to shoot Luke a parting glance. After so many years living as family, they no longer needed to speak. A single look would suffice.

  Luke would stay with the children. Gabriel would look after his son.

  The others stared silently towards the school as his silhouette grew smaller and smaller on the shadowy lawn. Benji and Jason had long since vanished, already safe in the infirmary, leaving the mess in the campus forest behind. And it was a mess.

  Aria glanced about the clearing, taking in everything with a silent sweep of her eyes. It would be impossible to guess what had happened without including several small acts of God. The trees in a semi-circle around them had been scorched and blackened. The grass was long and wavy in some parts, while others had been frozen solid in a blanket of ice. Wide gashes had been carved right into the ground from the claws of the beasts they’d been battling. And everywhere was soaked in blood.

  “Tell me what happened,” Luke said quietly, as soon as the others were out of sight. The woods were coming to life around them, but for just a fleeting moment the four of them were alone. “How did Benji get those scratches? Why was Jason on the ground?”

  Aria opened her mouth to answer, but found herself at a loss. Despite having lived through every excruciating second, a part of her mind still couldn’t believe what had happened.

  A school boy fight. Had a school boy fight really escalated into all of this?

  “Did you recognize them?” Luke prompted softly, hyper-aware they were running out of time. “Did they say anything? Or was it someone you’d never seen?”

  All at once Aria realized the reason for the agents, the reason half the school had emptied out onto the frosty lawn. It should have been obvious. She should have seen it from the start.

  They think it’s the same person who killed Professor Dorf.

  She and Lily shared a panicked look, putting it together at the same time. James kept his opinion to himself. But he glanced nervously at his sister, waiting for her to take the lead.

  “This isn’t...”

  She trailed off, staring over Luke’s head to where Maize and Windall were rushing towards them. Both were already holding their weapons. Both were out for blood.

  “What is this?” Lily asked shrilly, seeing the same thing. “Shoot on sight?”

  Luke glanced behind him, then shook his head.

  “Those are tranquilizers.” But he glanced at the agents again before gently helping Aria to her feet. “Let’s get you all inside. We can talk whe
n your parents get here.”

  No sooner had he pulled her upright than James rushed to her other side—taking her silently away from his uncle and supporting her all by himself. She glanced at him in surprise, then gratefully accepted the assistance. Her strength was spent. She could barely take a step.

  “Uncle Luke,” she whispered. “This had nothing do with Dorf. This was just a fight.”

  Luke raised his eyebrows slightly, probably at the word just, but said nothing to contradict her. Instead, he nodded sharply then cocked his head towards the school.

  “I need to speak with a few people. Wait for me just outside the trees. Do not go anywhere on your own; stay with the crowd of people. I’ll be there in a moment to walk you inside.”

  The three friends obeyed silently, sticking close together as they moved through the milling crowd. For once, everyone’s eyes weren’t on them. The attack was still fresh. People were still scanning through the trees. For a moment, Aria was terrified what they might find.

  “This feels wrong,” she whispered to the others, watching as the agents divided into groups to search the rest of the grounds. “They don’t even know what they’re looking for—that it’s a bunch of students, not some killer on the loose.”

  James said nothing, but Lily’s face hardened.

  “Is there a difference?” she asked coldly, staring out at the trees. “That psychopath could have killed Jason—murdered him right in front of our eyes. The bastard deserves everything that’s coming to him. And it’s coming...you can be sure of that.”

  A shiver ran across James’ shoulders as the night played back in his mind.

  “Do you think they’ll find him?” he asked quietly, staring across the lawn. “He and the others, they just took off. But it’s not like they could get through the gate.”

  Aria tested her weight gingerly, then leaned back into his arm.

  “If he’s smart, he’ll have already shifted and gone back to the dance. But Lily’s right—it’s only a matter of time before they find him. The ground is covered in claw marks, and Jason...”

  ...Jason was clearly mauled by a wild beast.