by W. J. May
“Uh-oh,” Lily whispered with a grin. “There’s going to be trouble.”
Aria stood bolt upright beside her, planting her hands on her hips with a furious scowl.
“As well there should be,” she hissed, watching as her little brother joined the others and started heading their way across the grass. “Why does he always think he’s invited?”
“...because he is invited.”
“And why exactly is that?” she demanded. “He’s young, he doesn’t have powers, and he regularly makes me want to set myself on fire!”
“...he’s your brother.”
“Like I said.”
The trio of boys joined them a second later. The others had already forgiven the intrusion and James was wedged between them with a breathless grin—a jet black beanie stuck over his hair.
“Hey, guys! So what’s the plan?”
Aria glanced at the beanie before her eyes narrowed with a glare. “We were going to do a little late-night patrol around some of the cottages,” she answered rudely. “But I don’t seem to remember anyone inviting you—”
“We’d be happy for the help,” Lily said pointedly, throwing an arm around his shoulders. In times of sibling conflict, she was usually the one to step up in the boy’s defense. “Come on, James.”
He flashed a smug grin at his sister before following the rest of them through the trees.
Sometime that morning, Carter had ceased his need to punish the children with theatrics and called off the constant patrols. Everyone who was in the infirmary that night knew Alexander was the one who’d attacked Jason in the woods—there was no longer a point in keeping agents up at all hours of the day and night searching for the person who did it. Ironically enough, it was an agent himself who’d convinced him. When Carter had found Michael Jeffreys training in the Oratory the night before, instead of watching the woods, he acknowledged the absurdity of it and relented.
The investigation into the murder of Professor Dorf still continued, but most of that was happening either off campus or behind closed doors.
...or with a group of teenagers in the woods that night.
“You know, all of this is based on a pretty big assumption,” James murmured, stepping quietly as they headed towards the cottages. “That Dorian was the target, instead of Dorf.”
It was a good point, though none of them was saying it. It also happened to be one of Aria’s least favorite things about her brother—his annoying tendency to point out things like facts.
“So leave,” she said coldly. “If this is such a waste of time.”
Benji flashed her a look, and she amended with a sigh.
“What I meant to say is...please leave.”
The others chuckled under their breath, but James didn’t seem to mind. It seemed by now to be a foregone conclusion that he and his sister would be locked in a mortal struggle until the end of time. He held back a tree branch for the others before snapping it into her face.
“I’m serious,” he continued calmly. “What makes you think it’s Professor Locke?”
“A lack of other options,” Jason replied. “It either was Dorf, a man with no enemies who barely ever left the school—”
“In which case this is all over,” Benji interjected.
“—or it was someone else. They went to the history building. That means someone was either looking for Dorf or Uncle Luke. And while our parents might have a thousand enemies, I can’t see anyone attacking them in the middle of campus. Let alone in a hand-to-hand fight.”
Aria nodded sharply, flashing her brother a dirty glare. “Hence the patrol.”
“Yeah, but Dorian doesn’t teach history,” James insisted. “Or at least he didn’t at the time of the murder. How could anyone know he’d be promoted to fill the spot?”
The others shared a quick glance. In their eagerness to do something proactive, they occasionally forgot about those pesky facts themselves.
“Yes, but he was never supposed to be a librarian,” Lily added suddenly, latching on to this point. “He used to teach history at his old school. If anyone from that part of his life held a grudge and knew he’d come to teach at Guilder, it makes sense that they’d start by looking there.”
James nodded, mulling it over. “So are you guys planning a trip to Sussex?”
Aria looked up at him in surprise. “Why we would do that?”
“Sussex is lame,” Benji added matter-of-factly.
James rolled his eyes, stopping with the rest of them when they came to the edge of the trees. “You guys just said that if the target really was Dorian, then the attacker is someone from his old life. Which was in Sussex.” They blinked back at him. “Do I need to spell this out for you?”
Benji and Aria shared a quick glance before he shoved James with a playful grin.
“We’re just messing with you, kid. Of course we’re going to Sussex.”
...we are?
“We were just waiting until all the drama died down at school,” Jason added quickly.
...we are!
“Don’t be an idiot,” Aria nodded stiffly. “We were always planning to go.”
Mental note: go to Sussex.
The boy nodded quickly and turned back to the cottages, squinting in the darkness. Benji and Jason stood on either side, exchanging a swift glance behind his head, while Lily melted back to Aria’s side. Trying not to grin as she whispered in her ear.
“That’s why James is always invited along...”
CONSIDERING THE LEGACY of their parents, the friends didn’t know much when it came to surveillance. There were things their families talked about, and things they didn’t. Most of what they were planning for the night was based on movies and spy shows on TV. It would be safest to simply watch from a distance, they’d decided. Rely on Arie and Benji to listen in. Keep an eye on the rest of campus for anything unusual. It was going to be easy. No one would ever know.
That’s when they saw the three shifters hiding in the trees.
As it turned out, they weren’t the only ones on patrol...
You’ve GOT to be kidding me!
“Hey!” Aria hissed.
The trio noticed them at the same time, jumping in alarm before rolling their eyes and turning together in a quick huddle. Sofia was gesturing desperately back to the dorms, whispering under her breath. But Alexander shook his head, marching arrogantly through the trees.
“Well, hello there,” he greeted them with a twisted smile. “And what brings you fine people out this evening?”
The friends were nothing but annoyed, but James stepped forward with a gasp.
“What are you doing here!” he demanded, not bothering to hide his emotions.
Aria stared at him in surprise, then realized the last time he’d seen Alexander the shifter was being held between two guards in the middle of the infirmary. The time immediately before that Jason had been bleeding, she’d been sobbing, and the tiger been about two seconds away from ripping a lightning-wielding Benji in half. Needless to say, James had not gotten over it.
“It’s all right,” she soothed, placing a hand on his arm. “He was out with us the other night when we realized the target might have been Dorian. He knew we were going to keep an eye on things. I just didn’t know he and the others would be patrolling, too.”
She’d expected this to help but James ripped his arm away, whirling around in shock.
“He was out with you the other night?!” he repeated in dismay. “What are you talking about, Arie? Why are you even speaking to him?!”
Alexander raised his eyebrows with the hint of a genuine smile. “Feisty kid.”
“Shut up!” James cried before the others could leap in themselves. “You shouldn’t even be here, all right? The only reason you’re still at this school is because my friends and I aren’t talking.”
He took a step closer, staring at the tiger with a total lack of fear.
“And that could change at any time.”
Aria slipped into a strength tatù without realizing, placing a hand squarely in between them. But Alexander only smiled. For once, there was nothing menacing about it. In fact, it was borderline affectionate. The smile that only an older sibling could ever truly master.
“You’re a good brother,” he said softly. “And a good friend.”
James stopped short, completely thrown off balance. Standing behind him the friends froze in unison, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Only Sofia smiled, bowing her head quickly to hide it.
“I’m not trying to do anything to upset your sister,” Alexander continued calmly. “And I’m highly aware that my position here is at the mercy of your friends. The only reason the three of us are out tonight is to try and limit the faculty homicides at Guilder this year to one.”
There was a beat of silence.
“Oh—like you care about Professor Locke?” Lily snapped, arms folded tightly across her chest. “I agree with James—they should just leave.”
“When I’m the one suspected of murdering his predecessor, yes, I care very much what happens to Professor Locke,” Alexander fired back. “And why do you care about motives anyway? In the end, we all want the same thing.”
“I care because there are limits to how far we’ll take things,” she answered coolly. “We know firsthand you have no limits. And that’s not the kind of person we can trust.”
He took a step closer, staring down with a sneer. “So don’t trust me. You don’t have to. The only thing you have to do is make sure that librarian isn’t strangled in his sleep. And my friends and I can help you with that.”
“Back off,” Jason said quietly, eyeing the distance between them. He might not have been a shifter, but the guy’s power was as deadly as any other. Maybe even more. “Only warning.”
Alexander gritted his teeth, trying in vain to rein in that violent temper. But Lily wasn’t making it easy. For every inch he retreated, she made up for it tenfold.
“We already decided—”
“And it wasn’t your decision to make, princess.” His eyes flashed as they swept over the whole group. “Now, who do you think stands a better chance of catching this guy? Three people with no advanced sensory ink whatsoever, or three shifters—”
“There are five of us,” Benji corrected coldly, coming to Lily’s side. It took quite a bit to strain his patience, but Alexander had crossed that line long ago. The sight of him so close to Lily was enough to send him over the edge. “But only three of us would get expelled if we’re caught out here, so why don’t you and your friends get back inside before I forget to lower my voice.”
Sofia flinched, but for once he wasn’t looking. The silent treatment in history class, combined with everything else that had happened the last few days, seemed to have cooled whatever affections might have been stirring.
Alexander took a step closer, cocking his head with a grin. “You know, if I didn’t know any better I’d swear you were hoping someone attacks the little teacher tonight. Just so you can get the credit for dragging the guy in.”
Aria’s fingers clenched as she prepared to literally punch the grin right off the guy’s face. But Benji only smiled, shaking his head like he was attempting to teach an obstinate child a lesson.
“See, that right there is the difference between you and me. I’d never wish for bad things to happen to good people. I’ll simply be ready if they do.”
A muscle twitched in Alexander’s jaw.
“And you think I’m one of those bad things?”
Benji’s lips curved in a slow smile, the center of his eyes flickering with an electric glow. “I think, one way or another, we’re about to find out.”
Just like that, the two groups were divided—charged with the kind of tension that had led to that first confrontation all those nights ago. Eric’s arms flexed with anticipation, like he was already summoning the bear within, while tiny sparks began dripping from Benji’s hands into the grass.
“Ben—stop,” Jason commanded.
He hadn’t sacrificed all credibility with his father only to have a repeat of the same damning fight. A chill swept over the clearing, almost like someone had thrown a curtain over the stars and moon, as his own tatù rose to the surface. He struggled to control it, holding Benji back.
“What did you expect?” Benji murmured, almost to himself. A faint glow was circling around his body, flooding from those electric eyes. “He did it once, he’ll do it again.”
Jason flinched as a shock traveled through his friend’s body, but didn’t relax his grip.
“You swore to me—”
“I swore to protect you a long time before that,” Benji interrupted swiftly. In his mind, there was no decision. The decision had already been made. All that was left to do was pick sides. “Arie.”
He said it with no hesitation, already anticipating her reply. He didn’t see the conflicted look that washed over her face—the way Jason turned and the two of them locked eyes.
They’re going to fight, she said telepathically, trying to win him over. You know it’s going to happen—there’s no stopping it. All we can do now is make sure we’re on the winning side.
Jason stared at her a moment longer, then shook his head.
“Lily,” he murmured, “think you can work that ink again?”
Her dark eyes flickered over the clearing but, whether or not she’d be able to freeze those tempers before they boiled over, she didn’t seem inclined to try. Instead she reached into her vest and extracted a pair of silver knives she’d gotten for her birthday, giving them a ready twirl.
“You promised,” Sofia whispered, staring at the back of her brother’s head. The words barely carried past the next tree, but he heard them. “You promised me no more fights.”
A flicker of hesitation tightened Alexander’s features, but he kept his eyes on Benji.
“And you promised me they were different.”
“Enough!” Jason shouted. “This isn’t happening, all right? It’s not why we’re here!”
Be that as it may, it was clearly happening.
“James, go back to Joist,” Aria commanded.
He threw her a disbelieving glare. “You’ve got to be kidding—”
“Now, Jamie.”
“Don’t worry about James,” Benji breathed, lifting his hands. “This will only take a minute.”
Three cries pierced the night as the boys lunged at each other. But one noise overpowered them all—the sound of shattering glass echoing in the darkness.
Both Alexander and Benji froze just inches away from each other. Then they turned with the rest of them towards the tiny cottages dotting the periphery of the school.
“Dorian,” Aria whispered, paling in horror. “That came from his house.”
They were on the move a second later, all eight of them sprinting out from the safety of the trees. The lights were off, save for a faint glow coming from one of the windows, but there was no time to make a plan. Without a second’s pause Aria kicked down the front door and they raced into the house, hands raised, powers flashing, sliding to a stop in front of the kitchen...
...where Dorian stood with a broom and a pail.
“Aria?” he gasped in shock, staring at the rest of them. A broken tea cup lay in pieces by his feet. “What on earth are you all doing here?”
A sudden silence swept over the room.
Aria’s mouth fell open, but she couldn’t think of a single word. The man dropped a glass, and next thing he knew his door had been kicked into the adjacent hall. There was no explaining it, no way to justify what the eight of them were doing out of bed let alone in his house. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she went out on a dangerous limb. She decided to tell the truth.
“...we were trying to save your life?”
Chapter 13
The door was fitted back on its hinges. The broken tea cup was swept up and the pieces were thrown into the bin. Two minutes later the eight teenagers were standing i
n a silent line in the living room—heads bowed, hands folded, bracing for whatever judgement might await.
“...well, this is awkward.”
Aria peeked up through her lashes to see Dorian sitting in a chair across from them. His legs were folded, his fingers were drumming on the armrest, and it looked like he was trying very hard not to smile. When he caught her looking, he leaned down to catch her eye.
“My mother always warned me about touching broken porcelain, but I never realized it was a life-threatening offense.”
The others shot each other a quick look, not knowing if they were expected to stay silent or laugh. At that point, Aria decided to go out on another limb...and lie.
“We were working on our research papers,” she said lamely, hoping Jason and Alexander would take the hint and speak up. “Our question was about security—”
“And you were worried about mine?” Dorian interrupted lightly. “And you chose to investigate this security in the dead of night?”
The man might have been kind, but he was no pushover. In a strange way, he reminded her of Carter—able to see through to the heart of a matter no matter how hard they tried to hide.
“The killer snuck on to campus in the dead of night,” she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. “It made sense to investigate how things were set up at the same time—”
“Aria,” he cut her off again, more gently this time. “You were trying to save my life. Direct quote.” He took off his glasses, staring up at her. “Tell me what’s going on.”
She glanced again at the others, but could think of nothing to do. They had been caught red-handed, and he clearly wasn’t letting them go without telling the truth. The words hung in the air a moment before she took that final step off the ledge with a quiet sigh.
“We think someone’s trying to kill you.”