“Ryker, bro,” Rocco rumbles, approaching his brother cautiously. “You can’t just kill a man, even if you hate what he’s doing.”
“This isn’t a man,” Ryker asks, not moving a muscle to release Silas. “It’s a cockroach.”
Rocco sets a gentle hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I don’t think you get to make that call,” he says. “And you don’t get to decide when someone’s life is over. Not this someone. Come on. Let him go.”
Ryker glares at Darius another second, his nostrils flaring before he drops Silas like a sack of dog shit. He strides past him, past me and Darius and everyone else and out of the room. Blonde Bella huddles closer to Thorn, and Brunette Bella stands alone, frozen in place and alone. She stares at Silas, who lays on the floor in the puddle of his own piss, whimpering and sniffling and holding onto his bruised neck.
I have no idea what just happened, if Ryker is pissed at Darius because he somehow found out about what passed between me and the professor or if it’s something that has nothing to do with me. I don’t know if it has something to do with the scars on his chest and his past. I just know it’s not only about Silas. As slimy as he is, Silas hasn’t done anything to earn Ryker’s deathly hatred. As much as I want to believe Ryker’s defending me, I know it goes beyond that.
“So, is that true?” Elowen asks, biting at a hangnail as she turns to face Topher. “Are you the one who questioned Silas last time?”
“I questioned him,” Darius interrupts. “You have no reason to suspect Topher of anything but offering assistance in the interrogation.”
Offering. He offered to help. Is he really as bad as everyone suspects? I mean, he does practice Dark Arts. And why would he volunteer to help Darius with something he has no reason to be involved in? Did he lie and protect what was in Silas’s head, helping him hide my father?
“What’s going on?” Asher asks me, looking bewildered by the whole scene. “Did Ryker say Mr. Stephens is a demon?”
“I’m afraid so,” I say. “I’m going to search the property. I know every inch of this place.”
“I’ll come with,” Asher says, hurrying along beside me. “Shit, I can’t believe someone so hot is evil. That’s just my luck, too. I’m glad nothing happened between us. I mean, can you imagine?” He shudders dramatically.
“You’re probably better off looking elsewhere,” I agree.
“I hear they have black cum,” he whispers, glancing over his shoulder to make sure only our people are there and not Topher. “Oh my god, can you imagine having that little surprise sprung on you when you weren’t expecting it?”
“Ew, TMI,” I say.
“It’s true,” Brunette Bella says, sounding slightly bored as usual now that she’s snapped out of her trance.
“Shut up,” Blonde Bella hisses at her friend.
“What?” Brunette Bella asks. “It’s not like it’s a secret. Asher already knew.”
Blonde Bella huffs in irritation but doesn’t answer.
We search every inch of the mansion from the attic to the basement and every room in between. When we step into my dad’s room, it’s all I can do to keep it together. Rocco steps up behind me and wraps his arms around me, holding me together when I’m falling apart. For once, he doesn’t say a word. Neither does Asher or Thorn. Even the Bellas are without snarky comments and put-downs. After glancing around the room, I swallow back my tears and back out, giving Rocco a grateful smile before continuing our search.
When we’re done with the house, we search the outbuildings and property, but there’s no sign of my father. By the time we finish, the others are waiting by the car, having interviewed the staff yet again.
“I don’t get it,” I say, sagging against the bumper of Darius’s SUV. “Why would Dad leave me the cards if they weren’t trying to tell me something?”
“You have cards?” Topher asks, looking way too curious, as always.
“Yeah,” I say. “My mom’s deck. She was a psychic.”
“I know,” he says, which does not increase my trust for him. I mean, to be fair, a lot of people know about my case, as she’s kind of infamous.
“Why do you care about her cards?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Maybe your father didn’t leave you a card,” he says. “Maybe she did?”
“What are you saying?” I ask, swallowing hard. “That my mom is warning me from beyond the grave?”
Bella snorts with derision, but Topher only spares her an annoyed glance. “Yes,” he says slowly. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“She can do that?” I ask, not daring to hope.
“Dark magic isn’t just evil,” he says. “I know there’s a misconception. But it’s not about that. It is about death. The spirit world. People in that world communicate with the living all the time, though most people in this world aren’t receptive to hearing what they have to say.”
“And you are?” I ask, sounding more resentful than I mean to. It’s just that my mom’s been gone for almost three years, and I’ve never had any visitations or anything. If she’s able to communicate, why didn’t she? If she did, and I have so much potential for magic, why wasn’t I able to hear her?
Darius moves to stand beside me, resting a comforting hand on my shoulder. I trust him completely, and he trusts Topher completely. That makes it a lot easier to trust Topher, though he’s barely more than a stranger.
“I practice the Dark Arts,” he says, shooting Darius a grateful look. “I have open communication with the dead and the spirit world. Eventually, you will, too, Jade.”
“What do you think my mom is telling me?” I ask. “It doesn’t really matter if she or my dad left the card. It’s still the same card.”
“What was it?” Topher asks.
“You know how to read cards?”
He smiles slightly. “Yes.”
“How?” Thorn asks, crossing his arms and frowning at Topher.
“I’ve lived many lifetimes,” Topher says evenly. “I’ve dabbled in a lot of things.”
“The card on top was the Master,” I say. “My father’s master, and mine, would be Silas. If my mother left the card as a clue about Dad, I don’t see how it changes things. And if she left it as a clue about herself, well, Silas was her master, too. Unless she’s talking about Lilith…”
Topher’s face goes tight, and he nods grimly.
“What?” I ask, glancing between him and Darius, who looks like a light is dawning in him, too. I can’t stand not knowing, so I shoot to my feet and repeat the question.
“There’s another master in your life,” Topher says slowly.
“Who?” I demand.
“My master.”
“Headmaster Orville,” Thorn says, a scowl on his face. “A demon master.”
“If he’s evil, and he’s your master, that means… You’re evil,” Elowen says, stepping away from Topher.
“No,” he says, holding up a hand. “I swore not to do harm when I came to the school. I stand by that.”
“But your master could compel you to do otherwise,” Ryker growls.
Topher doesn’t answer, which is answer enough.
“He could compel you, too,” I say, remembering the conversation about them being forced to guard me. “If it’s really the Headmaster, he can compel any of you, right?”
I don’t want to scare anyone, but I feel like I have to stand up for Topher. He’s been teaching me for over a month and has never done anything even remotely shady. Plus, he’s on our side for now, and he’s a very powerful person to have on our team.
The sorcerer’s shoot each other alarmed glances.
“Okay,” I say. “Okay, let’s not point fingers. Why would the headmaster want my father?”
“He doesn’t want your father,” Ryker snaps. “He wants the same thing Silas does. To control you through your love for your father.”
“He’s already got me on campus,” I say. “Why would he need to kidnap my dad?”
>
“Did you not hear what I just said?” Ryker says.
“We don’t know anything yet,” Darius says. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” I say, heading for the car. “If my dad’s there, I have to get him out. Now!”
With that one clue, I have an idea where he might be. My fraying nerves go haywire, and I’m shaking with adrenaline. I have to save him.
“You did get his grandniece suspended,” Blonde Bella says, crossing her arms. “Maybe he wants to pay you back for being such a meddling twat.”
“What are you all standing around for?” I demand, yanking open the door. “Let’s go confront Headmaster Orville.”
Chapter Eighteen
We arrive at a large, white stone house with a boxy shape and high windows, tucked away behind the school and an area of palms that I always thought was the edge of campus. Turns out, Headmaster Orville lives on the very back of the property, set apart from the school but overlooking it from afar. As soon as the car stops, I leap out, not even waiting for Darius to shut off the engine before I’m racing for the door. My heart is beating double-time. Dad is here. I’m sure of it. I can feel it.
“How are we going to play this one?” Rocco asks me, jogging to catch up. “You got a plan?”
“Kick ass and take names,” I say. “All I care about is getting my dad out alive. If they’re holding him hostage, I’m not really into negotiations.”
“Kill first, ask questions later,” Asher says, sounding nervous. “That sounds like our Jade.”
“Sorry, were you wanting to have tea and ask civilly if he’s kidnapped anyone recently?”
“Why don’t I do the talking?” Darius asks, slipping ahead of us to the front door.
“If he has the man in question, he’ll know why we’re here the moment we ring the doorbell,” Topher says. “It’s after midnight.”
I glance around, only then realizing how late it is. It took us a while to search Silas’s property, but I hadn’t realized how long we’ve been out looking. Palms sway in the night breeze as we make our way along a lit walkway to the front door, and the moon hangs low in the eastern sky.
“Another reason to get right to the point,” I say, yanking Cleo free.
“Can I just wait in the car?” Brunette Bella asks with a yawn.
“Go,” I say, not caring what she does right now. I’m interested in one thing only—saving my father.
I silently thank Cleo as she transforms into a key without me even having to ask. I slide her into the knob and turn. The door swings open, showing a spacious white-tiled foyer with potted plants decorating the sparse room. In the center of the room, with a sword clutched in both hands, stands Bella Lu.
“Get out,” she yells, her short hair tangled and her lips pulled back from her teeth in a snarl.
“Bella,” Blonde Bella says on a gasp. “What the fuck? I’ve been calling you for weeks, leaving voicemails. I know you got suspended, but you just ghosted us!”
I can hear actual anguish in her voice, and I feel sorry for the witch for a second. I don’t know how I’d get through my days without Asher, and I’ve only known him for one school year. They’ve been best friends all their lives.
“Oh, I got them alright,” Bella Lu says. “I heard all the gossip. But you just went on without me like nothing happened! But it did. She stole my boyfriend!”
She points her sword at me, but all I can do is gape. This bitch is straight up crazy.
“First off, I didn’t steal anyone,” I snap. “And are you really worried about whether I’m sleeping with Ryker right now?”
“Bella, what are you doing here?” Brunette Bella asks. “Why didn’t you go home to your parents?”
“My parents disowned me,” Bella snarls. “No daughter of theirs is getting suspended.” She aims the last words at me, jabbing her sword in my direction like she did the last time I saw her, when she nearly killed Ryker.
“Bella,” Darius says gently, stepping forward with his palms open, showing her he has no weapon. “Who’s taking care of your magic? You know someone is supposed to be siphoning that while you’re not training.”
“I am training,” she hisses. “I don’t need your stupid school, and no one is siphoning my magic. It’s mine!”
“Does Headmaster Orville know you’re here?” Darius asks. I realize then that he doubts Topher’s story, too. He thinks maybe Bella took my father. I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s clearly unhinged, and she has a personal vendetta against me.
“Get back,” Bella Lu says, swinging her sword in an arc in front of her, warding us off. “You’ll never get through me alive.”
Now it’s my turn to step forward. “Do you know where my father is?”
“You can’t come past these stairs,” Bella says, stepping onto the bottom of a staircase that winds up and disappears from view on the second floor. “He has protections on this house, and you’re uninvited guests.”
“Where is he?” Darius asks.
But I don’t have time to calm her down with chitchat about her great uncle. I want my father back. “Tell me where he is,” I say, a note of warning in my voice.
“Leave me alone,” Bella says, spinning on the stairs and starting up.
On the third step, she freezes. She lets out a shriek of fury as her body is jerked around to face us as if by an invisible hand.
“Ask her again,” Topher says softly behind me.
I glance back to see his creepy black eyes lit up with some internal glow, a hellfire I’ve never seen before. I shiver and turn back to Bella. I’m not sure what will happen when I use the dark magic he’s taught me, but if there’s one person I don’t mind testing it on, it’s her.
Maybe that makes me a psycho, but I didn’t survive the streets of post-apocalypse Jacksonville by being a sweet little puppy. I pull on that darkness now, on the part of me that did the things she had to do to survive, the part of me that has no mercy for little fuckwits who try to kill me and then kidnap my father when she’s punished for her crime.
“Tell me where my father is,” I say, my voice low and deadly.
“I have no—”
“The power of dark compels you,” I growl.
Someone behind me gasps. Bella’s eyes go wide, and her mouth gapes open.
“The power of dark compels you,” I repeat like a chant. “The power of dark compels you.”
I hear Topher’s murmur of approval, and the shuffling of feet behind me, but no one stops me. I hold Bella in my spell, a surge of addictive power rising in me like a column of unstoppable wind, a tornado of darkness and light swirling inside me. I push myself to the dark eye of the storm, my eyes locked on Bella’s face as she gasps like a fish out of water.
“The power of dark compels you.”
“The power of dark compels you.”
“The power of dark—.”
“He’s in the basement!” Bella yells, then collapses onto the stairs like she’s used every drop of her energy and can’t even stand upright. “Bella said in the voicemail that you were going out with Rocco that night, so I knew you wouldn’t be able to stop us. I knew Silas would send a stupid demonling the second his janitor disappeared. But it would take the gross little thing a lot longer to find you if you weren’t home. And it did! He was already locked up safe here by the time Silas’s minion found you.”
“You bitch,” I snarl, stepping toward her.
“You’re the bitch,” she says. “You think I don’t know what you and Ryker were doing in his office that day? I had to stand out there with everyone else and hear you! And everyone knew I was his girlfriend. I was humiliated!” She shrieks the last word, looking like she’s ready to try to murder me for the second time.
“If you think being embarrassed is cause for murder and kidnapping, you need serious help,” I say. “I’m not even sorry I got you suspended. You almost killed Ryker. And now you’re going to pretend you’re all worried
about him? Bitch, please. You don’t care about anyone but yourself, and you never have.”
Bella launches herself at me, but this time, there are a half dozen people to stop her, to wrestle her to the ground. I don’t wait around to see if she’s okay. I race for the door that Cleo is pulling me towards. Someone shouts my name from behind me, a warning, but I’m beyond listening.
Dad. I’m coming, Dad!
I grab the knob and twist, but nothing happens. Suddenly, at the worst possible time, tears spring to my eyes. Dad is down there. Just a door between us. He’s there, and I can’t get to him.
But fuck if I’m going to break down now. It’s no time for being selfish or self-pitying. No time for tears. I suck them up and grab Cleo, ready to make a key again. But instead of a key, she transforms into a chainsaw.
I look down at her, dismayed. “Come on, girl, don’t fail me now,” I whisper. “You’re the best thing I’ve got going. The only thing I’ve got going for me.”
She buzzes with pleasure in my hand, soaking up the adoration. But she doesn’t change into a key. Instead, she thinks I’d prefer a sledgehammer.
Behind me, Bella Lu starts shrieking like a banshee at being restrained.
“Oh my god, shut up,” Blonde Bella huffs at her. “You’re going to damage my ears, and I’m not about to wear those hideous hearing aids when I’m older.”
“You’ll never get in there,” Bella Lu yells at me, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. “My uncle will be here any second, and he’ll butcher every one of you for this. You used dark magic on me, you psychotic demon fucker!”
“Hey,” Brunette Bella says.
“She’s not talking to you, idiot,” Blonde Bella retorts. “Now shut up about that. No one wants to know about you slumming it with dark magicians.”
“You always ask me about it,” Brunette Bella says, sounding wounded.
I ignore them and turn my attention back to the knob.
“There’s no lock,” Thorn says, appearing at my side and voicing the words just as I see the same thing. The knob is smooth and round, with no lock on it or beside it. Now that I’m focusing, I can feel the crackle and shimmer of magic all around the door. Fuck. There’s no way to unlock it except, presumably, with magic. Even I know that the one who laid the spell almost always wins in a battle of magic.
Academy of Sorcery: Term 2: Fallen Master Page 16