“I feel it. And I know you sense it too…something isn’t right.”
Archer turned away an indicator to Sanaya that she had indeed made her point.
“How about this,” Eve said trying to ease the tension that was now suffocating the group. “I think it is time that you start building your team. Why stand on ceremony and wait for her to choose? It is obvious the first person you would choose is Maya, and I’m afraid that were hindering your gifts. Classes have been cancelled until further notice, but for you Sanaya-and you too Maya, your training can continue. We have one strong Guardian potential that recently arrived-well two and we should add them to the group which would make three Guardians plus the Slayer. We need four more to give us the standard seven to make the protective formation around her, so that way, should whatever reason none of us are available-“
“I’m not liking this,” Archer fumed. “Not at all.”
“Me either, “added Tia. “There are at list fifty Guardians on site at all times. There are more than enough of us to hold the line of defense on this campus.”
“But let’s say that the master decided to use everything he had against us? Then what? Demons don’t burn in sunlight. Neither do werewolves. We have no idea what may come and fifty Guardians with an assortment of gifts may still not be enough. She is immune to vampire bites. But what she will not be immune to yet is not a risk I am willing to take and I am sure none of you are willing to bet on it either.” Eve folded her arms against her chest. Her glare, a silent dare for each one of the Guardians to challenge her on this topic, and when no one said anything, she smiled.
“Maya is not ready either,” Tia grumbled, eyeing her charge with concern.
“That is because you people are afraid of what she can do,” Sanaya added. “You guys brought her here with the hope that she will become an asset yet, you do not allow her to test her-“
“Her mother was a powerful Voodoo priestess Sanaya, in case you forgot. Your best friend has the ability to summon demons at will which could be-“
“To her advantage.,” Eve countered. “If she can summon them, that means she has some control over them which would be helpful during a fight.”
“None of this sounds like such horrible ideas,” Tatsu murmured. “The most powerful gift is choice. Everyone here is capable of utilizing their God given talents to benefit the dark side. I too have questionable gifts that made my father question if he should put me out of misery.” She winked at Maya before continuing. “So let us use all of our strengths for the benefit of something good instead of forcing our youth to suppress them.”
Everyone began to mumble their own opinions, but it became clear that Eve’s proposal made sense, Archer begrudgingly agreed to it. Sanaya still wasn’t sure what all had been decided. She understood that they were going to continue her training, this time including Maya and she was almost certain that the strong Guardian potential they were talking about was King. Her stomach did backflips at the idea of his name. Tia and Lois escorted them to the gym, along with the two assassins while Eve went to retrieve the other potentials she felt would make an excellent addition to her team. Archer still had not answered her question about Halo managed to set foot on campus without torching.
Tatsu and Asim took their positions on either side of the gym, while Maya and Sanaya took a seat on the first row of the bleachers while they waited for Eve to return.
Sanaya examined her best friend closely, and for the first time since they’ve known each other, she noticed the confident glaze that beamed from Maya’s doe like eyes. She had been recognized, and that was all she needed all along which made Sanaya smile. It was about damn Maya appreciated who and what she was. They should have done that a long time ago.
“Looks like you’ve got a team Naya,” Maya beamed.
“It surely does and I am so glad to have my best friend forever as a part of it,” Sanaya beamed back.
The two friends sat in silence, allowing their new reality to set in. Finally, Sanaya thought to herself. They are going to let us actually do something.
Chapter Sixteen
Ronan awoke in his lair, surrounded by the bodies of his victims, his body consumed with uncontrollable lust. He had not been able to make contact with is slayer in a few days, and the separation was eating away at his sanity. Smooth chocolate skin that had yet to be touched by the gentle hand of a lover; lips he desired to punish with his… in all of his 500 years of existence, no female had ever sent him into this much misery. But then again, he had never encountered a Slayer before. Her scent hadn’t ripened yet, but even in its infancy, it was still enough to make him want to bury himself between her legs and never come out. She was fire…pure fire and the Guardians had her! He will level that campus to the ground if he needed to get her out. He shuddered again. Even his own palm would not ease the ache in his loins. He wondered what kind of sorcery the Guardians used to block him from her. She wasn’t strong enough just yet to build a mental wall that thick to keep him out.
“It’s painful isn’t it?”
Ronan whipped his head around to address the intruder and when he found that it was Daemon, he materialized himself a Tom Ford business suit, and masked his victims away using illusion. He took a seat on the leather sectional, crossing his legs which did little to ease the erection that was painfully obvious.
“What are you speaking of Master?” Ronan denied coolly.
“The Slayer has gotten under your skin,” Daemon cooed. “As a matter of fact, you want to fuck her so bad you can taste it. I told you to leave her be until it was time. You’ve been all in her head…you’ve tasted her fears and desires…and it doesn’t help that she’s a virgin that it just make the desire burn so much more doesn’t it?”
When Ronan did not answer, but shuddered, Daemon chuckled.
“I don’t know if I should exterminate you for disregarding my command or…if I should reward you with my assistance. That unsanctioned turned breeched their barriers, but we need to be sure that it may have something to do with the turn being unsanctioned and her Guardian traits still be recognized as a member of the Light or, that the Pope has been a very busy man in the dark realms.”
Ronan tried to focus his energies on something else, like laying siege to The Academy instead of the lusty images of an underage and not fully matured Slayer but there was no use. He groaned and shamelessly moved his hand to his groin.
“You know,” Daemon continued. “I honestly pity you. Really. I do. But, you foolish syncopant did you ever think about why you have not been able to commune with her even on the astral plnae?”
“Of course I have!” Ronan snapped, still stroking himself. “But, the answer eludes me.”
“Perhaps because she has already found her Guardian soul mate, and his bond is blocking you.”
Daemon chuckled as Ronan snarled in frustration, while at the same time copulating with the air. He shook his head as Ronan’s hips thrust into the invisible lover.
“She is too young to have found such wonder,” he gritted through his teeth. “Those wretched Guardians have done something to-“ He shuddered as he came violently to Daemon’s dismay.
“The sad part is,” Daemon added. “I may not have to exterminate you myself. The Guardians will do it for me.”
“I will kill each and every one of them,” Ronan vowed. “She will be mine.”
“Suit yourself. I have to cover my own tracks anyways and you have given me the tools to do so.” Daemon turned to leave. “Do what you wish, but do not say I did not warn you.”
Daemon dematerialized back to his lair Louisiana leaving the sexually frustrated and foolish vampire alone.
“She will be mine,” Ronan vowed as need filled his body once again.
King had just barely gotten out of the shower when there were several loud knocks on his door. He emerged from his bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist to answer. He was surprised to find Archer’s woman, Eve and Congo standing in his doorway weari
ng serious expressions.
“Yeah?”
“First of all, never greet a lady with just ‘yeah’,” Congo said with a glare. “And second, put some clothes on. Your training begins now.”
“I thought classes were cancelled,” King began to protest.
“They are. But unless you prefer for another classmate to take his place by the Slayers side, then-“
King didn’t let Congo finish his sentence. “I’ll be dressed in five minutes.”
“Make that two,” Congo growled.
King closed the door and ransacked his room for a pair of jeans, Timberlands, and a loose fitting T-shirt. He emerged from his room two minutes fully dressed, and his locks hanging freely down his back. Eve took one look at him and smiled. Congo just shook his head but lead the way to the gym.
“So what’s going on?” He asked Eve who walked casually by his side.
“Change. She is ready to hunt and has proven that on more than one occasion. But she cannot hunt alone. It is one of the many divine principles that surrounds the Slayer Legends and as much as all of us would love to be the ones to hunt alongside her, she needs her own team of Guardians.”
“But why me? I just got here.”
“I think you know why King,” Eve sighed. “It has been quite obvious since you arrived that a bond has formed between the two of you. Would you rather someone else accept the job-“
“Hell no!”
“Boy, watch your language,” Congo snapped without turning around.
“My bad. But no.”
“Tell me young Guardian, what is it about her that draws you?” Eve kept her gaze focused ahead of them as they walked along the narrow, concrete path.
“Other than the obvious?” King began. “She’s smart. Strong. She ain’t like a lot of the girls from my way…She’s cool, down to earth, sees what I see…she can fight…” A smile spread across his face at the image of her facing off with Halo. “Man she can fight. She isn’t conceited or nothing…not out there trying to hook up with every dude that’s checking for her…and she seems to be all about me.”
Eve raised an eyebrow. “She seems to be about you?”
“No, she is all about me.”
“Then I trust you will take your duties as her Guardian seriously,” Eve stated as they arrived at the gym. She nodded to Congo who went in ahead of them. “I trust that you understand that your role as her Guardian is much more serious than the direction you two seem to be headed. She is young, 17 and will not be 18 for another few months. Like you, she has lost a lot, and as she matures, she will lose even more. I trust that you have her best interests at heart and that you understand that you stand between the Darkness and her…and most importantly young man, I trust that because as you say, she is not like those other girls from where you are from, that you will not treat her as such.”
“She’s more than that,” King said quietly before looking away.
“Good.” Eve placed her hand on his shoulder. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that and I believe you-until you prove me wrong. Now get in there and train. You have a lot to learn and a small window to learn it.” She motioned for him to go inside before sending a silent prayer that this kid lives up to his expectations. The world needed a slayer, but as fate would have it, the slayer needed King.
It was almost six o’ clock before they were finally dismissed from training, and Sanaya could not be any more thrilled. With only four hours of sleep coupled with the grueling practices involving them fighting as a single unit, she was ready to keel over any minute. On top of all that, her heart did a million leaps in her chest the moment King walked in and smiled at her. Of course their happy reunion came to an end when Archer came and began his drills. And man were they drills…King did well holding his own when he sparred with Congo. Maya may need to go to the medical clinic to have her bruises tended to because Eve was brutal. And then there were the four other students that Eve felt would be a good fit for her team: another first year student, named Lisa; a second year student who called himself Bullet; and then there was the red haired girl named Charlie and to her dismay…Trent. Congo suggested that all of her new team members spend some time sparring with her to test her strength so that they would know and understand what kind of Guardians she would need. She tried to go easy on Maya, and her best friend held her own for a brief moment until Sanaya snapped her head back and blood lust set in; and of course Archer had to intervene. He told Maya that she is going to need tons of strength training and Pilates exercises before he felt she was strong enough to go out into the field. King managed to block a lot of her attacks, but he was no match for her speed. Trent got the snot kicked out of him. Charlie ended up unconscious. Bullet should have reconsidered a name change. And Lisa fought well…until her shoulder was dislocated. And that was just the beginning…
By the time Archer had them practicing drills where they had to work together using their abilities, things went from bad to worse. Maya’s eyes started rolling to the back of her head exposing the white of her eyes and an ominous voice took over and Tatsu and Asim had to rush her to the nearby chapel to see if she needed an exorcism. Lisa-once her shoulder was popped back into place-went into a trance and Archer had to slap her a few times to get her to snap out of it. Trent proved himself valuable with his ability to mimic voices- which is a vampire trait, however, he and King kept trying to face off and Congo threatened to beat both of them unconscious if they did not pull it together. Charlie lost her opportunity to participate because she was still unconscious when it was time for the drills. And Bullet found himself tangled in his own tactical charge of energy. It was all one big catastrophe, and as Sanaya limped away with King and Eve to her room, she regretted having even approached the subject of wanting to help. She dreaded tomorrow’s training.
Eve led the away, allowing them to walk side by side. King took her hand into his, and she tried not to blush.
“I missed you,” He said, his voice a near whisper.
“I missed you too… you were great out there. I can tell you’ve had to do a lot of fighting on your own…”
“Yeah, I had to learn how to defend myself and quick,” he said, his brown eyes locked onto hers. “How are you feeling? Archer and Eve kicked our asses.”
Sanaya laughed. “Hell yeah they did. I knew Archer could go hard, but this time he showed no mercy.”
“Is that who taught you how to fight?”
“Yup.”
“You fight like a damn cage fighter shawty. Chill out on us would you?” King teased with a grin. “I thought I was in the ring with Muhammad Ali and not my girl-“
“I’m your girl?”
Her smile was so big and bright, her touch warm and inviting, King wondered how in the world did her peers not recognize her for the diamond that she is? And there was much more to her he wanted to explore; so much more that he was certain that it would take a couple of lifetimes before he managed to reach the bottom of her ocean. And she was only 17… yes he would wait for her. It was no big deal-well, it was but he could suck it up. He’d already been with a number of girls before and none of them were special. They offered and he accepted and when the time came when she decided to offer her body, her treasure as a gift to him, he would do everything in his power to honor her. So he could wait…and as a result, he may end up a better fighter.
“Yeah,” He answered finally. “You are. I see that sucka Trent still trying to take you from me and that is never going to happen.”
“So is this about Trent or is it-“
He silenced her question with a gentle kiss on those soft lips of hers. She gasped and silenced that too. Eve kept walking. He knew she knew but he didn’t care. Whatever this was between them, he never wanted to end. She was his and always will be. At seventeen, she was old enough to choose. He could see into her mind, sense her fears, her questions…he dug a little deeper as he deepened the kiss and yes, there it was…her heart knew. She knew even when she could not ar
ticulate it she knew. He gently pulled away, blown away not only with his discovery but with the young goddess that made up Sanaya. He pulled her in close and going based on her dazed expression, he could argue that she was weak on her feet and needed the support.
“Come on you two!” He heard Eve shout from the steps of his building.
They moved as a single unit, a step up from what they were during training, moving quickly until they met Eve who stood at the top of the steps frowning.
“Listen here you two,” Eve began. “Sanaya, you and I are going to have a serious heart to heart and King, I have already said my piece…” She stopped when she realized the young couple had completely tuned her out and was focused on each other’s gaze, locked in a private moment.
“Oh for the love of Pete,” Eve grumbled. “I will personally separate you two if-“
“Alright Eve,” Sanaya muttered. “I get it.”
Eve sighed and ushered both of them inside. She was kind enough to allow them a moment to say goodnight. Dinner would be served in their respective rooms to give each student time to recover from their injuries. Eve watched as King expertly kiss Sanaya once more, pulling away and taking her breath away along with it and she had to give it to the young man. He had skills. However, the last thing she needed was her Slayer distracted by the nasty little bite from the love bug. No wonder Archer wanted to kick his ass.
She watched the young couple part ways like it was the last night they would see each other and when King closed the door behind him, Eve mentally prepared herself for the conversation that was about as comfortable as a trip to the Gyno’s office for a routine pelvic exam. If she didn’t, then Archer would and that was the last thing either of them needed. Especially not now.
Sanaya refused to think about her hour long conversation that was forced upon her by none other Eve, Tia, Lois…hell even Tatsu felt compelled to add her two cents in about sex, men, the changes taking place in her body and the dangers of her own erotic power. Things took a turn for the worse when the topic of pregnancy came about and the last thing she wanted to think about was having anyone’s babies. Not now. Tia expressed that she should hold off on exploring this bond with King. She said, “Sanaya you are so young. You need to know what is out there. Never make a man your entire world.” For Pete’s sake she just met King! And yes, she felt things for him that went beyond a hard core crush or infatuation. There was something intimate about him being in her headspace-way more intimate than sex. Eve stressed that she needed to remain focused: King had to prove himself worthy to be her Guardian. To be her boyfriend was one thing, but to take that sacred oath to put her life above all others including himself was another. And, Eve declared that he is not just proving himself worthy to be her Guardian: he must prove himself worthy of her heart. Things really went down the crapper when they asked her about her virginity and when she admitted begrudgingly that King was the first guy she’d ever kissed, she damn near fled the room when they swooned all over the living room. Maya had just walked in when the swooning took place and she too made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
The Vampire Hunter's Academy: The Darkness Page 13