by Bonds, J. J.
“What?” he barks. His face softens a touch when he sees Nik. He leans into the door jamb trying to look more casual and less prick-like. “So you’re back. Did you get it then?”
“Yeah, and we need your help one more time,” I tell him, consumed by the knowledge wrested from Jacobs’ mind. I can hardly think straight. I pull the hard drive from my bag and press it into Blaine’s hand. He needs to get started right away. “I need you to decrypt this and transfer the contents to The Dwyer Group.”
“Anyone in particular you want to send it to?” he asks. I nearly die of shock. His words drip with sarcasm, but at least he’s not arguing. That’s a first.
“I don’t know. Call them and find out,” I suggest. He’s a smart kid. I’m sure he’ll figure it out. “Just start working on the encryption.” He starts to shut the door and my hand shoots out involuntarily, holding it in place. “Thanks, Blaine.”
He gives me half a smile and closes the door.
“On that note.” I turn and head for my own room, barely aware that Nik is still following me.
“Want to talk about it?”
“About what?” I ask, not even sparing him a glance. There’s nothing to talk about, at least not with him. I’ve got to get to Aldo.
“Whatever it was you saw back at The Brownstone?” he prompts. “Judging by the dramatic exit, I have to assume you were successful.”
“I was,” I tell him as I unlock the door to my room. I’m torn. My first loyalty is to Aldo, but Nik has been with me all the way. He put a lot on the line to help me, to help Shaye.
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.” Oh, man does this suck. He’s not going to understand. I wouldn’t. “I mean… I can’t.”
“Whatever you saw, it must’ve been very important.” He rests his hand on my shoulder and when I look at him, it cuts to the core. He thinks I don’t trust him. Not fully, anyway. The hurt is written all over his face. I see it in the flash of his eyes, in the arch of his brows, in the way the corners of his mouth turn down. I even hear it in his voice. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
I draw a deep breath, heaving my shoulders in frustration. There’s no time to sort out my emotions right now. I’ll have to rely on my instincts, and they say I can trust Nik to the ends of the earth. I can trust him with my life. Only it’s no longer just my life that’s at stake. What I saw, it puts us all in danger.
“Might as well come in then,” I relent, unable to bear the idea of hurting Nik.
The room is dark. The curtains are drawn, blocking out the night sky. Shaye’s in bed snoring softly when we enter. She’s got the covers pulled up over her head, but she stirs as we sit our bags down. I go to the side of her bed, feeling the urge to check on her. I want to see for myself that she’s okay.
“You’re back.” She smiles sleepily. She doesn’t look any better than she did when we left. Without treatment, her days are numbered. I choke back a sob, relief flooding through me at the knowledge that we now have the cure. She’s going to make it. She has to. “How was your trip?”
I know what she’s asking. Did we get the hard drive? Has Philips’ research been recovered?
“We got it.” She sits up, clasping my hand. I’m moved as her eyes well up with tears.
“Really? You got it?” The look of gratitude on her face makes everything we’ve been through worth it. Especially the expulsion.
“Yes, really,” I say, giving her a quick hug. I draw back and smooth her hair down tenderly. She has a wicked case of bed head. “Get some rest. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning. I’m going to call Aldo and see what he can do about arranging treatment for you.”
It’s not a lie. It’s just not the whole truth. She has enough to worry about right now. Besides, the less she knows about the rest, the better.
By the time Aldo’s phone rings, Shaye’s once again well on her way to dreamland. I don’t envy her snores, but I do wish I could fall asleep so easily.
“Katia?” Aldo sounds upset. Pratt’s clearly gotten to him. “You are in big trouble, young lady!” he bellows. Eesh. Maybe I should have returned one or two of his phone calls.
“I can explain,” I plead, “if only you’ll listen.”
“Katia! There is no excuse for what you’ve done!” He sounds exasperated. I tend to have that effect, but not usually on Aldo. “You are going to be expelled from Crossroads Academy! Not to mention the fact that I was beside myself with worry. Even Anya didn’t know where you’d gone and you weren’t answering your phone!”
“But…”
“No! No, ‘buts’,” he says, cutting me off angrily. “I trust you to behave like an adult and you have let me down. You are too important to be acting so rashly. It is dangerous for you to behave this way. You must think of things other than yourself!”
“We found the stolen research,” I blurt out abruptly. So much for easing into it. I just can’t stand hearing Aldo angry at me. Of everyone in my life, I owe him the most, and he’s usually the most understanding. Not tonight though.
“You? Found it?” he asks, the disbelief evident in his tone. “How?”
“It’s a long story,” I say carefully. “But you can tell the Linkuri to stop looking for Philips. He had nothing to do with the theft.”
“He wasn’t involved?” Aldo doesn’t sound convinced. “Katia, they have him on video.”
“It’s complicated,” I tell him anxiously. I start twisting my hair and Nik grabs my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “Philips was framed. By a shape shifter, but he was just a hired hand. This isn’t really about the cure for otrava de sange.” It occurs to me that I don’t even know what they’re calling this wonder drug. Not that it matters. All that matters is that it works and that Shaye is cured of the terminal blood disease.
“The theft, it’s just one small part of something a hell of a lot bigger,” I continue. I should focus on the facts. “Have you heard of The Order of the Red Dawn?”
“I’ve heard rumors,” Also admits. “But we’ve never been able to confirm their purpose or even their existence.”
“Well, they’re real,” I tell him. “Real serious about overthrowing the Elder’s Council.” Aldo’s sharp intake of breath confirms his shock. Nik looks equally disturbed. He drops my hand and leans forward balancing his elbows on his knees. He runs his hands up over his face and through his hair. His eyes are grim and his mouth is set in a hard line. Both men are quiet for a moment. I give them time to absorb the news. Perhaps these are the dark days Aldo spoke of last summer.
“How can you be so sure?” Aldo asks eventually, breaking the silence. “My best men have come up empty handed time and again. How did you discover this information?”
“Dumb luck?” I give Aldo a quick download on the last four days activity. He listens quietly and I’m grateful he doesn’t interrupt. I need to get this off my chest and share it with someone who’s in a position to actually do something about it. Still, I’m not sure if it’s shock or common courtesy that keeps him silent. Surely he must have a million questions, or, at the very least, a desire to reprimand me again for being so reckless.
“Aldo, they’re planning a revolt,” I tell him breathlessly. “It’ll be a bloodbath.”
Epilogue
“Is this okay?” Nik asks pulling back. No! It’s definitely not okay, I want to shout. On what planet is it okay to stop kissing me when we’re going hot and heavy like this? He can be such a tease sometimes.
“Is what okay?” I ask, groaning as I roll back on the bed. Geez, Nik. Overthink much? I grin in spite of myself. His blue eyes shine down on me, dancing with laughter. In the afternoon sun they look warm, almost a cobalt blue. It might be my new favorite color.
“Us? Being here like this?” He leans over me, caressing my cheek gently. His finger trails dangerously close to my mouth and I contemplate nipping at it. I’ll bet he tastes as good as he smells. Mmmm…. Lavender and spice. “Do we have to worry about being interrupt
ed?” His voice is thick with emotion. I think it might be lust.
“Nope. Shaye’s on her way to Europe for treatment.” I place my finger on his chin and turn his head toward her side of the room. “Notice the total lack of dirty laundry?”
“Ah, the animal farm is gone too. How did that ever escape my notice?” he teases. “Excellent news though.”
“Tell me about it,” I reply. “It’s great for Shaye, but Keegan’s having a rough time of it. He really wanted to go with her, but it was totally out of the question. Shaye’s family would go batshit crazy.”
“They really have no idea?” Nik asks, looking skeptical.
“Search me. Shaye says they’re clueless and I have to believe she’s probably right. I mean, if they had any idea, I’m pretty sure Keegan would be out of a job.”
“So he’s back at Crossroads then?” Nik asks as he stretches, arching his back and looking oh-so-sexy. “That’s news to me.”
“Sorry. I meant to tell you,” I apologize as I snuggle closer to him, filling the open space that’s creeped between us. “Everything just happened so fast. Keegan got back yesterday. I guess he wanted a chance to say goodbye to Shaye before she left this morning. He was beside himself. I’m pretty sure that even if The Shadow hadn’t been able to pull herself together, Keegan would have left her to fend for herself once he heard Shaye was heading off for treatment.”
Nik nods as if to say he understands. I guess he might. In Keegan’s shoes, he might’ve done the same thing. “What about everything else?”
“You mean The Order of the Red Dawn? Aldo had suspicions; we just put a name to them. I should have known too.” I sigh. Why can’t foresight be twenty-twenty? “I overheard him talking to Viktor last summer. I just didn’t understand at the time.”
Nik takes my hand in his, rubbing my palm with the soft side of his thumb. He always knows just what to do to make me feel better. Crossroads wouldn’t be the same without him.
“So what happens now?” he asks, curiosity lighting his face.
“The Elder’s Council is trying to unravel the whole thing, but who knows?” I prop myself up on an elbow so that we’re face to face. I could stare at Nik all day. “I mean, you heard Aldo. They couldn’t even confirm the existence of The Order of the Red Dawn before. We just got freakishly lucky.”
“From the sound of things, we could use a little more luck,” Nik says insightfully. “There may be some tough times ahead.”
“Starting right now,” I reply, shoving Nik off the bed playfully. “I’ve got dish duty. Let’s go, Yoda.” Nik laughs and it’s an honest sound, rumbling deep from within his diaphragm.
We head for the dining hall, hand in hand. It’s hard to believe Aldo was able to convince Pratt not to expel me after all. I’m sure there was a large financial donation involved. Rumor has it Pratt’s building a wing named after himself and I’m pretty sure Aldo’s paying for it. Even more un-freaking-believable is the fact that Nik got off scot- free. It’s totally unfair. On the other hand, the entire student body is still paying the price for the stolen midterm exams, so I won’t be alone in the dining hall. I’ll just be the only one pulling a double shift. The fun never ends at Crossroads Academy.
As I reach for the door to the dining hall, it bursts open, and Jade storms out looking uber-pissed. I step back, trying to get out of her way. I’ve seen that look before. I think I’ve even caused it once or fifty times. I wonder what’s got her so worked up, but I don’t care enough to ask. Nik does though and Jade’s more than happy to unload her baggage on us.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, whipping her head around and putting her hand on her hip haughtily. Oh, yeah. She’s in full bitch mode. “That dick, Trey! That’s what’s wrong!”
“Ooh-kay,” Nik says, dragging the word out. I’ll bet he’s sorry he asked. Before we can make a break for it, Jade elaborates angrily.
“Turns out, he only dated me to get access to the profs exams!”
I want to correct her and point out that the word she’s looking for is ‘used’, not ‘dated’, but it seems kind of harsh. She’s upset and if what she’s said is true, Trey really is an ass. Hooking up with her just to get his hands on the exams? Talk about low. Even I wouldn’t wish that on Jade.
“Told you he was bad news,” Nik says triumphantly.
“Really not the time for ‘I told you so’,” I say, jabbing him in the ribs with my elbow. His gloating is so unattractive.
“Whatever,” Jade says, her heart shaped mouth relaxing from its prior scowl. “I took care of it. Since the little bitch didn’t see fit to share the stolen answer keys with me, I reported him to Pratt.”
“How noble of you,” I say, rolling my eyes. Only Jade.
“What?” she asks defensively. “No way in hell was I going to spend the rest of the year scrubbing floors for his pretty ass. There are plenty of other hot guys at Crossroads.”
The way she’s eyeing Nik, it would seem she’s already chosen her prey. I grab Nik’s arm and drag him into the dining hall. Before the door closes, Jade throws a parting shot.
“By the way, Nikolai, he totally admitted to cheating at Halloween.” She laughs musically, shifting into flirt mode as she bats her brown eyes innocently. Only there’s nothing innocent about the way she’s got her skirt hitched up to show off her ridiculously long legs. “Trey went out to the maze the weekend before and memorized the route. You’re still the best, Nikolai!”
Hell’s bells! As if I don’t have enough to worry about with The Order of the Red Dawn planning a revolution, now I have to worry about Jade trying to steal my boyfriend too?
Glossary
Consiliul de Batrani: Elders Council
De sange pur: Pureblood
De sange vechi: Old blood
De sange amestecat: Mixed-blood
Foamea: Hunger
Otrava de sange: Blood poison
Pazitor: Guardian
Sete de sange: Blood lust
About the Author
J.J. Bonds is an independent author who writes young adult speculative fiction. Red Dawn is her second novel in the Crossroads Academy series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her love of all things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious dogs.
To find out more about J.J., visit www.jjbonds.com or www.facebook.com/jjbondsfanpage.
Also by J.J. Bonds
Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)
Credits
Cover art and design by Rachel Rivera of Parajunkee Design.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Red Dawn
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
Glossary
About the Author
Also by J.J. Bonds
Credits
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