“Yes.” His voice is a whisper in my ear. “But don’t blow your cover. I can’t keep this private.”
"Is it normal for us to fight like that?"
"You and Courtney? No. Until recently, you've been inseparable." I can hear his amusement at my expense.
"Why did she set me up?"
He flows around me, streaks of gray, black, and silver. "Stop following me with your eyes. Every question you ask has a price. You don't even know the cost and you're already racking up debt. Wait 'til we get where we're going."
I clench my hands over my backpack straps and roll his words over in my mind. For years, Dad has been using arcane magic and religious ritual to exorcise the dead. I never paid attention to his work and now I'm kicking myself. What price would I have to pay to have my questions answered? I don't have money and I doubt he wants any. There are other things a guy could try and demand, but he doesn't seem interested in that either.
We round a hedge wall and step onto a smooth path. Instantly, my fatigue fades and my muscle aches slip away. I breathe in slowly and stretch as my tight shoulders loosen. "I feel better. Where—" I stop myself from asking and see his amused glance. He’s turned solid again.
There's a long, tall wall, white and stark against the night sky.
"We're almost there. Be patient and you won't even have to ask your question." We walk up to a small door and he unlocks it with an ancient-looking key. It groans as he turns it and disengages the lock. I almost expected creaking hinges, but the door opens smoothly. "After you." He bows slightly and I hesitate. "Do you want me to help you learn defensive magic or not?"
I glance at the door and back at him. "Give me the key."
"You don't trust me."
"I don't trust anybody." I've seen too many monsters behind smiles and fake grief. Too many liars and thieves betraying their closest friends and family.
"Yet you follow me to a remote area without a second thought."
"I know this is dangerous. But the doc said you would protect me."
"You trust him?"
No. I trust part of him. The part that helped me when I was recovering. But that wouldn't help my case.
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
"Interesting. Well, here you go." He tosses the key and I catch it against my body. "Don't lose it. I have to return it before anyone notices it's missing." He strolls through the open door without a care in the world.
I hold it up. "You stole this." My voice is a half whisper and I glance around, half expecting someone to jump out at us.
"Borrowed. So if I were you, I'd get in here and lock the door behind me before Doc comes on duty and does his security checks."
I hesitate for a split second and then pull the door shut behind me. The lock engages easily and I turn around to find him already moving ahead. I slip the key in my skirt pocket and follow.
We pass through a hedge gate and I jerk to a stop. My mouth goes dry and I suddenly realize why I felt more energized and why everything has seemed weird since I arrived at the school. Ghosts. I never thought I’d miss their presence until this moment.
Ghosts are everywhere, roaming over graves and wandering around. Their auras are different than regular spirits, but the energy is still the same. They don't seem angry or full of hate, but then again, they haven't noticed me.
"What's got you spooked? This isn't your first time in a cemetery."
"You assume a lot about me."
He turns to stare at me, his gaze dark and unnerving. "I know a lot more about you than you think. We'll train here. There's a spot near the center of the cemetery where we won't be disturbed."
"Cute idea, using death magic at a cemetery. Are we summoning ghosts for defense? Maybe a haunting or two? Do you think the headmistress is scared of ghosts?"
He turns away with a laugh. "Questions have a price. Don't forget."
I sigh. "Of course, I won't forget."
He leads us to a giant gazebo in the center of the graveyard. It's large enough to house a few dozen people. There are no tables or chairs, but I can see where they may have once stood based on scrapes on the wooden floor. He focuses on the area around us and then steps up in the center. "This is the magic circle. It's a place you can't destroy."
"Magic circle." I repeated, doing my best to not ask a question.
"Sort of an arena for magic users. This place will be one you use often for training. Every element, every magic type in this Academy has a place like this. Your power will build faster here than anywhere else."
"Okay."
He smiles at me and gestures wide. "I see how curious you are. There are thousands of questions in your head, but I can't answer all of them."
"I'll take whatever answers you can give me."
"I haven't told you the price yet."
"Okay."
"Step into the circle. Leave your backpack outside."
I do what he says and come in. The feeling is immediately different. I can sense power rising up inside me. "What is this?" I hold out my hands. "That wasn't a question to you."
"It's fine. I'll gift you a few freebies. What do you notice?"
"My body feels lighter. And stronger."
"What do you mean by stronger?" He takes off his jacket and tosses it outside the circle.
"I mean I feel different." I stare at my hands and then back at him. "It's like—"
He smirks and unbuttons the cuffs of his white shirt, rolling the sleeves up to the elbows.
I let my hands fall to my sides. "What are you doing?"
"About to teach you magic defense. That's a question that counts. Time to pay the price."
In an instant, he moves, turning to smoke and landing beside me. A sharp pain hits my hand and I jerk away from him, falling back toward the entrance. The moment I hit the line, my body falls against a solid form. A wall. I turn and slap my hand against it. “This is—"
"It's a barrier. A physical one designed to keep very powerful and bad people locked up until they're caught by the NBI. You can't break it, not with your miniscule power."
Real fear dug into my chest and I held my hand where blood seeped from a paper-thin cut. "I thought you were supposed to guard me."
He takes his finger and licks the blood from it. Sharp claws gleam under the moonlight. "Guarding you is one thing. Teaching you is another."
"The cost of asking questions then..." I trail off.
"For every question you ask, you have to give me blood. The more involved the question, the deeper the cut."
"Why?"
He flashed to me again, and I couldn't dodge before my other hand was sliced neatly.
I cry out and jump away, but he's already back where he started, licking his claw.
"I will answer every question you have."
"People will notice what you're doing to me."
"See, this is why it's better for me to teach you than anyone else. The rules of the Nightborne Academy state that we can't harm one another. Since this is teaching, it's within the acceptable parameters of the rules. It's how your sister injured Rendall. It's how I can make you bleed. It's also how your sister was murdered." His eyes gleam red in the darkness and the stark reality of the situation slams into me. I agreed to go to a remote location with a guy because I trusted that he wouldn't hurt me.
"Protection must have a different definition here." I stare at him in anger.
"Teaching you how to defend yourself is protecting you. Or you could wait around for Courtney to get you trapped and killed by your own stupidity."
I clench my jaw. "Ignorance isn't stupidity."
"Oh? You're so wise in the world, traveled all over, have seen the worst people can do to one another. So why do you trust me so completely?"
"I don't know." How does he know so much about me?
"I can tell you. You just have to ask."
"Fine. Let's establish the rules then."
"I thought I already set them."
"I need to ask
a few questions to see if I can understand this new world. Agree to give me three free questions. They will be for clarification purposes only."
"Okay. I can do that."
"First question. How will you know when to stop?"
"Answer. You will stop me when you can't take it anymore."
"I don't know if that counts."
"Next question." He's grinning at me like he's about to feast.
"What are you?"
"Rude question. How does it relate to the rules?"
"I need to know what I'm up against, so I know how to bargain. You make the rules, I need to understand the terms. You are a huge part of that. You take my blood, so there must be a purpose behind it."
He nods. "Fair enough. I'm a blood furie, spelled with an i and an e."
"What—" I froze before asking the question.
His laughter grates on my already frayed nerves. "I'll expand. I feed off a very specific type of human blood. You're like a delicacy to me and it's been too long between feedings. Don't worry, I only need a little bit now and then." His teeth gleam in the moonlight as he smiles.
I clear my throat to hide my panic, but my entire body is covered in chills. "Last question. Can I walk away at any time?"
He tilts his head and considers my question. "Yes. You can leave right now if you want. I won't stop you." He gestures to the barrier behind me and I feel a change in the air. "When the time is up, and you're supposed to meet with your next tutor, you can go. Just make sure you don't ask so many questions that you can't continue with your day."
"I assume I'll be sent to the infirmary after this."
"If you're stubborn, that's a fair assumption. I will be required to take you."
"Then let's start with a simple one."
"Wait—" he interrupts me. "Take off your jacket. They're expensive and hard to replace this time of year."
I narrow my gaze at him. The aura around his body grows darker with each taste of my blood. I can see smoke moving around him, pulsing as though it's alive.
"Or would you rather I aim for your face, hands, and legs? Cuts on the arms and torso are easier to hide."
"You're confident in my pain tolerance."
"No. I'm confident in your endless curiosity." The smoke smooths around him.
I slide the jacket off and toss it toward the barrier. It hits the wall and crumples to the ground.
"Last chance to walk away." I see his smoke aura pulse. Is he agitated? Nervous? Excited?
"I'm ready."
His smile disappears. "You'll have twenty minutes to ask me the questions you want. During that time, I will teach you what you asked. So make sure you pay attention. There are no repeat lessons." The aura is smooth again. Honesty. Or at least confidence.
"I thought we had until my next tutoring session."
"You're already bleeding too much. I need to set aside time for an infirmary visit."
"Fine."
"Ready when you are." He crosses his arms.
"Why did you really bring me here?"
A sharp slice across my left bicep makes me cry out and I grip the bloody line with my hand. He's already back on his side, licking his claw. His aura is raw and rolling around him, obviously irritated at my question. "Next time, choose a less involved question. It's hard to reknit muscles and tendons. They're somehow never quite the same."
I gasp and realize blood is still pouring from the wound.
"Does it hurt?" He's smirking at me, but the aura still pulses with agitation.
"I'm fine." I glare at him and clench my jaw. The wound throbs and I’m already sick of this game. "Answer the question."
"That question has three answers. I brought you here to teach you a lesson about trust. Trust no one here. The second reason is to introduce you to the one place where you should build your power. The third—" His smile widens. "I wanted to see how good your blood tastes."
I blink at him slowly and hold my hand tighter on the wound, willing it to stop bleeding so much. "I don't believe you. The third reason is a lie."
He tilts his head as though considering my reply. "How do you know I'm lying?"
"My secret." He already knows I can see his aura and it doesn’t even occur to him that it can be used against him. I grin. Every time he lies, the smoke around him, his dark aura pulses. Just like a ghost. He's more like a spirit than a human. One that powers up using blood. My grin widens at his irritated expression. "Tell me the real third reason or your agreement is null."
"I make the rules."
"I don't care. You're not going to kill me. You're probably not the one who killed my sister. So, what do I have to lose?"
A claw slices my forearm through the starched fabric of my shirt. He stands close to me, close enough that I can see red glowing embers in the depths of his pupils. "I could cripple you, drain your blood and magic to within an inch of your life, torture you until you beg to die, leave you scarred and hideous. There are much worse things in this world than death."
"You won't do those." I blink slowly at him.
"Fine. Ask your next question."
"You haven't answered the prior one."
"Which statement was a lie?"
"You wanted to taste my blood."
"But that's true." His aura pulses around him.
"Yes, but not the reason why you brought me out here."
He sighs and draws his claws back. I watch his fingers reform under my gaze, pulling back into human-like digits. Grayson shoves his hands in his pants pockets and stares at me.
Blood slips between my fingers, sliding down to the ground, every splash a pulse of his aura. No, he didn't bring me out here to taste my blood, but now that he has, he's focused on it. "You promised blood in exchange for the truth."
"Do you always believe everything someone promises you?"
"If you promise it, I will."
"Why?" Because the more blood he drinks, the stronger the aura around him, and the easier it is for me to read his underlying emotions. "I'm going to make a bet with you."
"What's the bet?"
"I bet that you'll give up before I will in this exchange. If I win, you owe me the truth about why you really brought me out here."
"And if I win?"
"I tell you how my power works and why I can tell when you're lying."
"Deal. But don't cry to the headmistress when I wreck your body."
"No problem. The doc will heal it anyway."
"He's not a miracle worker."
And I’m willing to bet that you're not willing to push it that far. Not that I'd tell him that. "I'm taking a risk here. I know that." I don't understand people. I can't figure them out. I don't understand why they do what they do, but ghosts and spirits are home territory. If he really is like one, then I can trust my instincts. A voice of logic in the back of my mind whispers that I'll die if I'm wrong, but he’s already irritated me by tricking me out here.
"What kind of person was Lacey?"
The red in his eyes gleam bright and the smoke around him blasts out.
Pain rips across my right arm, deep like the other one. I hiss and glare at him.
He puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes softly. "Stop asking difficult questions. Simple questions are paper cuts. Multiple level answers are like this. Learn the rules, Elizabeth."
Hearing my name fall from his lips sent shivers down my spine. I still couldn't stop the question from popping out. "You're not going to lick your fingers?"
His claws lightly dig into my skin as he slowly smears the blood on my once pristine, starched shirt. "Your sister's name tainted that one. I owe you an answer." A claw pierces my skin just above the collarbone, a pinprick of pain. "That one was for the licking fingertips question."
"Lacey." I demand as I glare at him, recalculating my brilliant plan. Twenty minutes of this is impossible.
His pupils grow until they cover his entire eye, the red in their depths a flame I can't look away from. "Lacey was cocky. She walked
into a trap, knowing the stakes, expecting to walk away."
My heart pounds in my chest as pain increases from his claw puncture. Pressure pushes me back against the barrier and I shudder in fear.
His breath touches my cheek. "And you're making the exact same mistake."
14
I clench my jaw and draw in a shaky breath, determined to get my blood's worth in the answer.
"That isn't enough of an answer for you to cut me this deep."
"Fine." He releases me from his claw and pulls it to his mouth to lick it carefully, meticulously. "Your sister knew the system inside and out. She was unstoppable when she wanted something. But everyone has a weakness and you were hers."
"You think she walked into a trap because of me." I huff out a breath of impatience. Verifying the visions from before isn't why I'm out here, though I guess I can’t ignore it now if Lacey’s memory, Courtney, and Grayson all point it out. "I figured that out already. Tell me something I don't know."
"Okay. Hurting Rendall was an accident. They were both baited into the fight and the unofficial word is that Rendall and Lacey were given stimulants to make them more aggressive and cause their powers to go out of control."
"Why didn't she heal him?" I wince, immediately wishing he wouldn’t attack. The expected swipe of his claws never comes, and he just stares at me instead.
The aura around him pulses hard and jagged and his face grows pale. "Healing isn't one of her abilities."
Was he pale because he was lying? Was there more to the story? "The scar is a burn scar. Did she cast it directly on him or use transference?"
A small swipe of his claw. Then a second one. The pain blooms at the same time his aura stabilizes. Interesting. Does that mean he has to follow our agreement or he's left in pain? Trapped by his own rules?
"She sent his power back at him. We thought it was a reflection spell. He hit her with the fire spell, but he ended up burned instead." His aura has completely smoothed out. He's not lying and, if anything, the color in his cheeks are livelier than before.
"I don't know if she could reflect attacks, but I know intimately how she transfers wounds to others." I tap a finger to my lip. "She should be able to heal a transference wound. Why would she leave him scarred?" I hold up my hand immediately. "That was a rhetorical question. It doesn't count."
Nightborne Academy Page 9