No one speaks for a long minute.
“Good,” I say at last, glad it’s dark in the car so they can’t see my face. “You guys can figure it out amongst yourselves, and then you can come tell me what’s going to happen. I’m not going to talk about it again until you do.”
I cross my arms and sit back, and no one speaks again until we pull up to Dad’s apartment a few minutes later. We all climb out, and the guys are too busy readying their weapons to comment on my little rant. I’m glad we have something to distract us. Heart hammering with nerves, I hurry to the door and twist the knob. Nothing happens.
I pull out Cleo, who helpfully transforms into a sledgehammer.
“Key, Cleo,” I urge. “I need to unlock it, not damage property.”
With a shimmer of magic, she turns into a key. I rush into the apartment, Thorn and Rocco beside me. I hear Darius call out in warning, telling us to slow down, but I’m already in the living room. The empty living room. I turn in a slow circle, staring at the blank walls and dingy carpet and the couch that came with the furnished apartment. There’s nothing else to see.
“What the hell?” I breathe, rushing into the kitchen. Thorn stands in the doorway, his hands in his pockets, looking awkward and wary.
“I’m sorry,” he says as I stand there taking in the empty room. No toaster on the counter, no dishes in the rack, no clock ticking loudly from the wall. The counters are wiped clean, the sink is empty, and the walls are dingy and bare. All that remains is the sad table that was here when we moved in after Mom died.
“He moved,” I say, turning to face my guards. “How could he have moved out and not told me?”
“Well, he told you he was living with Silas,” Rocco reminds me.
Thorn shoots him a glare.
“I know,” I say. “I just… I didn’t know he moved out completely.”
Somehow, seeing the empty house makes it more real. It hits me, really hits me, that he’s gone. Not just from here, either.
“Come on,” Rocco says, taking my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Wait,” I say. “I want to see my room first. I know I didn’t live here that long, and I already got all my stuff when I moved out. I just…”
I pull my hand from the sorcerer’s and head down the hall, holding back tears. I stand in my doorway staring at the bare, single bed and the dresser with broken handles. Cleo throbs gently in my hand, urging me into the room even though its depressing.
“What do you want?” I whisper to her, but of course she doesn’t answer. I wander around the room, then stop in front of the dresser. I already know it’s empty, since I took my clothes when I moved to the Academy. I don’t know why it feels like a betrayal that my father moved on, too.
I stand before the mirror, staring at my pale, stricken face. Cleo is urging me to do something, but I don’t know what. I can just feel a pull from her, an urgency, as if she’s my intuition telling me there’s something here for me, that it’s not over, and I shouldn’t give up. Idly, I pull open the top drawer of the dresser. It’s empty, as I left it. I sigh and push it closed with my hip.
“What do you want, girl?” I ask Cleo, holding her up. She sings in my hand, pulling me to stay. I open the closet, but it’s empty, too.
“What are you looking for?” Thorn asks from the doorway.
“We’d better go,” Rocco says, glancing at the window. “There are some shady people in your neighborhood.”
“Yeah, okay,” I say, stuffing Cleo in my waistband. I start toward the door, then stop and yank open the middle drawer in the dresser. Empty. Cleo must be wrong this time. I pull open the bottom drawer, anyway, not expecting to find anything more than I did in the first two. A small silk bag sits in the middle of the empty drawer. I grab it out and stand.
“Let’s go,” I say. “Before the others get attacked.”
“I think it’s too late,” Rocco says just as a commotion starts outside the front door.
I take off running, yanking Cleo from my belt as I go. This time, she transforms into a sword without me even asking. I burst through the doors to see Professor Darius and Ryker fighting off a pack of emaciated vampires with red eyes and clothes hanging in tatters. I feel bad for the bloodsuckers, but I’m not about to become their next meal. When one of them shrieks and leaps at me with fangs bared, I don’t hesitate to swing my sword. It slices through her neck with a satisfying finality, and her head rolls across the concrete and into the ditch.
“Take that, bloodsucker,” I yell, swinging at another one as he creeps up behind Darius. Darius spins his staff in a blur of shimmering magic, and it’s all I can do not to stop and watch the mesmerizing dance of his weapon as it twirls and slices through the air. And then he stabs the snake head into the gut of a hulking shifter that’s so big it must be on some kind of steroid, and the spell is broken.
I dodge away from another creature, one whose species I’m not even sure of. It has a humanoid shape, a hairless head, and skin with the pallor and moistness of a frog’s belly. Its eyes glow red as it pulls back its colorless lips and hisses at me, revealing a row of jagged, broken teeth. It swipes at me with elongated fingers tipped with silver, razor-sharp nails.
“Not today, asshole,” I say, swinging Cleo in a smooth, controlled stroke just like Ryker taught me. If I could take down my bastard teacher, I can sure as hell take down this mutant. It’s quicker than I expected, darting back and then diving for my legs like a football player going in for a tackle. Rocco’s club meets it halfway, slamming into it with a sickening crunch. The creature sails across the road, smashing into the building across the street.
“Let’s roll,” he says, grabbing my arm and manhandling me toward the SUV while Ryker holds off two vampires with his sword, and Darius faces off with the injured roid-infused shifter.
“Don’t push me around,” I bark. “I’m not helpless. I can fight just as well as the rest of you.”
“Just get in the damn car,” Thorn says, opening the door and scooping me up. He slides into the car with me kicking and flailing in his arms.
“Let me go,” I yell, lurching for the open door as I see Ryker go down under the vampires.
Rocco slams the door in my face, hurls a vampire over the building, and yanks Ryker free. Darius smacks the werewolf in the side of the head, and it hits the ground with the force of a giant. In a flash, the three men pile into the SUV with us, and it takes off.
“Wait,” I yell. “I dropped something!”
“What?” Darius asks, looking at me in the rearview.
“I dropped a bag back there,” I say.
“Is it worth risking our lives to go back for it?” Rocco asks.
“Fucking vampires,” Ryker swears, sounding as irritated as he would if a mosquito bit him. He swipes a hand across the side of his neck, and it comes away bloody.
“Are you okay?” I ask, leaning forward. I could have helped him if the other two hadn’t been shoving me out of the way like I’m some damn damsel in need of protection. I have Cleo for a reason. And Rocco is right. The loss of Mom’s cards leaves an ache inside me, but losing one of my sorcerers would destroy me.
“I’m fine,” Ryker snaps. “I’m sure as hell not going to sit on the sidelines while everyone else does their job.”
“What the hell was that?” I ask Rocco, glaring at him. “I could have helped out there.”
“It won’t help anyone if you’re dead,” Thorn says.
I turn to him. “You agree with this asshole stuffing me into the car?”
“This asshole just saved your life,” Rocco says. “What even was that creature that attacked you?”
“That alien mutant thing?” I ask. “I don’t know. I figured you knew.”
“I think it was some kind of demon,” Professor Darius says. “I’ll have to do some research before I know for sure.”
“That means Lilith sent it, right?” I ask. “If it’s from hell, or the spirit world, or whatever you want to cal
l it?”
“It’s possible,” Darius says. “I don’t want to speculate before we know more.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Back to school,” Darius says.
“What? No. We’re supposed to be finding my dad.”
“We will,” he says. “But it was irresponsible to take you off campus like this. I’m going to drop you off inside the protection of the campus. You need at least one of your guards with you at all times until we’ve found your father. Two would be better.”
“I need to find him,” I say, leaning forward in my urgency. “He could be hurt.”
“If someone took him to draw you out, he’ll be safe until they have you instead,” he says. “I’ll drop you off and then go directly to Silas’s. I promise.”
“You can’t shut me out of this,” I say, panic edging my words.
“I can and I will,” he says, pulling into the parking lot at the Academy. He shuts off the engine and turns to me. “This is for your protection, Jade. That’s always my first and foremost concern.”
His voice is soft, and that’s what does me in. Before I can stop them, tears blur my vision.
“But I have to find him,” I cry.
“Go inside with your guards,” Darius says gently. “Get some sleep if you can. I’ll come and tell you what Silas says as soon as we’ve had a word. I promise.” He takes my hand and squeezes, and I wish more than anything that I could kiss him right now, feel his kiss like the seal of a promise. But I can only squeeze his hand and nod before he lets go.
Thorn opens the door and steps out, pulling me with him. He keeps his arm around me and steers me toward the dorm. I bow my head to hide my tears, allowing him to lead me. My legs are numb, and my mind is blank. Only my heart is alive, full of an ache I’m scared to express. If I let it out, this chasm of pain inside me, it might swallow the whole world.
Rocco jogs ahead and opens the door of the dorm. “Ryker’s going to get the vampire bites fixed up, and then he’ll join us,” he says as we step through. I hadn’t even noticed the third sorcerer was missing. I want to say something to Rocco, but I can’t think of the right thing. He’s good at making me laugh, but I’m past that now. I’m too stunned for humor.
When we get to my room, the three of us stand there for a second. Thorn and Rocco stare at each other, some silent communication seeming to pass between them. Then Thorn’s arm tightens around my waist. “I’ll sit with you,” he says. “Rocco will stand guard the first shift.”
Inside my room, I fold over onto my bed and lie there. Thorn kneels to remove my shoes, then pulls me onto the bed and covers me with a blanket.
“What do you need?” he asks softly, tucking the covers around my shoulder.
“Nothing,” I say, closing my eyes.
Nothing he can give me. I need my dad to be alive. For him to be okay. For Silas to be dead. For Darius not to be scouring the city for him in the middle of the night.
Thorn sinks onto the edge of the bed. For a moment he doesn’t speak. Then he flicks his fingers, and the light goes off. He lies down behind me, pulling me into his arms and curling his body like a spoon around mine. He nestles his chin into my shoulder, his arms strong and tight around me like a protective shell that could shield me from the news that I’m sure Darius will bring back. He may have tried to reassure me, but his insistence that I not go with him only makes me more sure that something terrible has happened to my dad. Something he didn’t want me to see, that he wanted to protect me from.
“I’m here,” Thorn says, pressing a kiss to the back of my neck as he holds me.
He doesn’t say or do anything more, but somehow, it’s enough.
Chapter Thirteen
“For fuck’s sake,” snaps a voice, yanking me from my warm cocoon of sleep. I blink my eyes open and twist to see a tall, angry sorcerer standing over me. Thorn’s arms tighten around me, and his face presses into the back of my neck. He stayed with me all night. My heart fills with warmth at the realization.
And then I realize that he did exactly that—stayed all night. Early morning light filters through the window, showing a grey day outside the window.
“Darius,” I cry, scrambling upright in the bed.
Thorn groans and tries to pull me back down with the arm still looped around my waist.
“He came back a few hours ago,” Ryker says. “There was no news, so I decided to let you sleep. He didn’t get anything out of Silas. He says he wants some other guaranteed way to control you since your father is gone, but Darius told him to go fuck himself. That’s it.”
“There must be something we can do,” I say desperately.
“We can get more sleep,” Thorn mumbles behind me.
Ryker’s scowl turns fierce. “If I’d known you weren’t sleeping, I wouldn’t have bothered waiting to tell you,” he says, glaring at his friend. “She needed sleep, not to be fucked.”
“If we’re not fucking, it’s none of your business,” I say. “Remember?”
Ryker looks like he’s about to put his fist through a wall. “I remember,” he grits out through clenched teeth. “Now get up. It’s time to practice.”
With a sigh, I throw the blankets off, not missing the change in Ryker’s expression when he sees that both of us are still fully clothed. I’m not going to think about that, or the flicker of relief inside me that I didn’t hurt him. Oh, god. Why do I even care? He obviously doesn’t give a single fuck whether he hurts me. Disgusted with myself, I head to my closet to grab out a uniform.
“It’s Saturday,” Thorn says, grabbing my pillow and shoving it under his head with his own. He rolls onto his side, his arm sandwiched between the pillows, and smiles at me. “Come back to bed?”
My heart flutters at the sexy, sleepy smile on his face and the messy state of his black hair. There’s nothing I want more.
“No,” Ryker says sharply. “You need to be ready when Lilith shows up. You can sleep when you’re dead. Today, you need practice.”
I sigh because he’s right. Isn’t he?
As I quickly shower off and get dressed, a jumble of thoughts swirls through my head. How can I find out where my dad is? If Silas doesn’t have him, who does? If Silas does have him, then what is he trying to gain by lying? He knows the Academy isn’t going to send me back to him until I’m done training. He even agreed to that himself, since he wants me to master my magic for him.
Secondly, if I can’t find him, what am I going to do? I can’t just go about my routine like he’s not missing. I don’t know how I was able to sleep last night, but my body seemed to take over and give me what I needed even when my brain thought it was impossible. Is this how the world works without my dad in it? I just go on like nothing happened?
It doesn’t seem possible, and yet here I am, brushing my teeth like I do every morning. I wind my wet blonde hair into a bun, then hesitate before pulling on my clothes.
What if Ryker is wrong?
What if fucking is exactly what I need? After all, he’s the one who took all my magic. If I’m going to face Lilith, I don’t need more swordsmanship lessons. I need my magic back.
I kick aside the jeans and sweater I chose while in a daze, take a deep breath, and open the bathroom door.
My gaze falls on the bed, but Thorn is nowhere to be found. My sheets lay in a rumbled tangle, but only Ryker stands in the room, tapping his foot impatiently. When he sees me, he freezes, his eyes widening and then raking down my body with ruthless efficiency. Suddenly I want to run to the bed, to crawl under the blankets, still warm from my sweet sorcerer’s body, and hide from Ryker’s brutal gaze.
“What are you doing?” he asks. The door slams shut behind him with a bang. We’re alone. I’m trapped. Naked and alone with a man who despises me for what I am, and probably wants to punish me for getting his lover expelled. Now he has no one to take out his aggression on, and I’m standing in front of him like an offering.
“I thought Thorn was here,”
I said stupidly.
“He left.” Ryker’s cold blue eyes rake over me again, lingering on the swell of my bare breasts. My nipples harden under his gaze, and I feel a dangerous thrill trembling in my lower belly. Ryker swallows hard.
“I want my magic back.”
“Go get dressed.”
“That’s probably what I should do,” I say, growing bolder. He can’t tear his eyes from me. “But if I want to be ready for Lilith, I need my magic. And I think we both know more practice isn’t going to bring it back.”
Ryker swallows again, then strides toward me. I can’t help but cringe back, even though I invited him. He grabs me by the arm, spins me around, and marches me into the bathroom. My clothes lay discarded on the floor in front of me, and Ryker stands behind me, so close I can hear his heavy breathing. I bend slowly to retrieve my shirt, peeking over my shoulder at Ryker when I’m folded in half in front of him.
Ryker looks like he’s about to choke on his own breath.
“Oh, fuck it,” he says, yanking the shirt from my hands and tossing it aside. “I was trying to do the decent thing, but you obviously don’t give a fuck about decency.”
He plows me against the wall, his lips crashing violently against mine. His tongue plunges between my lips without prelude, and he groans into my mouth as his body pins my naked one to the wall. When my ass hits the cold tile, I let out a shriek of surprise, and Ryker rips his mouth from mine.
“What?” he asks, his eyes blurry with lust. “I thought you wanted your magic back.”
“It’s cold,” I say, arching my back to get my skin away from the wall.
Ryker stares at me a minute, and then he laughs. It’s just a small laugh, barely more than a chuckle, but it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him laugh. It’s warm and genuine and changes his whole asshole demeanor. I can almost see the man he would be without the incessant pressure to succeed, to be the best, to be perfect.
Academy of Sorcery: Term 2: Fallen Master Page 11