by Maya Daniels
Initiated
Daywalker Academy Book 4
Maya Daniels
Copyright © 2020 by Maya Daniels. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references, real places, real events, or real persons names and/or persona are used fictitiously. Everything in this story comes from the author’s imagination and any similarities, whatsoever, with events both past and present, or persons living or dead, are purely coincidental.
Cover design by Jessica Allain, Enchanted Whispers
Edited by Cassandra Fear
If you are unable to order paperback copy of this book from your local bookseller, you may contact the author at [email protected] or visit the website
www.authormayadaniels.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
From the Author
Also by Maya Daniels
“No one thinks of how much blood it costs.” - Dante
Chapter 1
“You have got to be kidding me!”
Snarling, my fangs drop from the freaking chaos in front of my eyes. Zoltan shoves me behind his back the second we step out of the portal, both of us ducking to avoid the blast of magic hurling through the air aimed at our heads. The wards of the portal prevent whatever spell is thrown from damaging our gateway to the human world sending sparks all over the place like some creepy fireworks show, burning like hell when it lands on my exposed skin. The frustrated growl coming out of Zoltan tells me he is not doing much better than me.
“What in the fates name is going on?”
My words come out shaky while I run to the line of trees in a half crouch, Zoltan yanking on my arm as he guides us there. From what I was able to see before my eyes bulged out of my skull, everyone in the Academy is in the clearing surrounding the portal. You can’t tell who is fighting whom, growls, snarls, and roars creating a constant hum around my head making me feel dizzy. The air is saturated with magic, tightening my skin while forcing my own power to swirl and pulse at the center of my chest. The only thing keeping me from losing my shit is the lack of white clothing that indicates hunters are in the middle of this clusterfuck.
A wolf comes out of the forest, snapping his head my way as he sails through the trees. He barely misses us. I jerk back and twist around, pulling Zoltan along with me at the last moment. The shifter lands gracefully on the ground but doesn’t leave to join the fight like I expect him to. He also doesn’t attack. The moon shines on his fur like liquid steel when he hunches down bearing his sharp canines. Lifting his muzzle at the sky, he howls, and the sound raises goosebumps all over my arms and legs. It’s a call, I just don’t know what kind. Is it to announce his presence, to let his brethren know he’s arrived? Or is it to tell them where we are? If it’s the latter, Zoltan and I are about to fight for our lives … again. I see the vampire tucking the damn book he was holding at the small of his back, covering it with his shirt.
Answering calls echo through the night, and the short hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention when a deep growl followed by a hissing purr reaches my ears. Glancing up, I can’t miss the panther poised on top of a thick branch above our heads, his legs bent as if ready to pounce. The quickening of my heartbeat is not lost on the feline, or on Zoltan. I clench my jaw but don’t feel too bad about freaking since the noise the panther makes is the same one a person may hear a second before their throat is ripped out. Sharp pain zips through my neck and shoulders. My head jerks up and I lock gazes with the predator. Green eyes like jewels glitter in the pinpricks of the moonlight, the large black body blending into the shadows like a ghost. My heart wrenches to the back of my throat and lodges there for a moment before I realize the shifter is not looking at me. His entire focus is aimed over our heads at the fighting that hasn’t paused for a second with our arrival.
“What the fuck is happening here?” Zoltan’s deep voice makes me jump out of my skin.
Being just inside the line of trees, the shadows give us enough cover not to be noticed. I watch the wolf step back to where we are standing, his eyes never leaving the battle. The panther drops next to me with barely a sound, nudging me further into the forest with his massive body. I’m clutching Zoltan’s hand for dear life while my mind short-circuits, unable to form a coherent thought if my life depends on it. Thank God it doesn’t. The hoots of owls spread over our heads and mix with the cacophony of flesh hitting flesh. A grunt sends a crackle of magic rippling through our surroundings and the wolf transforms in front of our eyes. Rolling his neck with a loud crack, he lifts from his crouch, taking his full human form once more.
“The Board riled everyone that didn’t join us in the human realm, feeding them stories that we are deflecting from the cause since we are following Drake. They were waiting for us when we got back.” The snarl of his animal is clear in his growled words. “Leo made us walk through the portal in large groups, so thankfully we lost only a few before we could fight back.”
“Who is feeding the Board these bullshit stories?” Relieved that we don’t have to fight these two, I snatch his arm and make him to look at me. “Roberti and Alexius are here?”
“Drake.” He thumps his fist over his heart, and mine stutters against my ribcage. “The Board was waiting, calling us traitors. I don’t know if someone filled their heads with it, or if they did it on their own.” His gray eyes turn on Zoltan and something passes between the two males—something that pisses me off.
“I see.” The one word wonder is back and I glare at him.
“Oh, great!” I clap my hands like a two year old. “Good for you, bloodsucker. I, on the other hand, don’t see shit.” Zoltan’s lips twitch and I want to slap the smirk off his pretty face. “Want to share?”
“You are a bloodsucker, too.” Zoltan’s blue eyes darken, the smoldering gaze reminding me of what happened in the shower not that long ago. Butterflies erupt in my lower belly, making me squirm.
“Half …” Sounding breathless, I can’t hide the damn reaction my body has to him.
His nostrils flare.
“The Board has the vampires and a good number of others on their side.” The shifter clears his throat angling his body away from me to hide the jutting erection between his thighs.
Oh, great. Thanks to the jerk gloating at me, I’m throwing fuck me vibes like there is no tomorrow, at least if his growing smile is any indication. Perfect timing Franky, like always. My inner voice couldn’t sound snarkier if it tried.
“All the vampires are backing them up?” Zoltan’s voice is low and he doesn’t take his eyes off me. A muscle jumps in his jaw.
“Not all. After Astara came through a good chunk have our back. Silas’s son and his lackeys are still fighting and will never stray from what that old fool says.” With great difficulty, I look away from the vamp just as the shifter frowns, his head tilting to the side as if he is trying to hear something. “Perfect, Leo is comin
g this way. I’ll go help the others out.”
With a sharp nod at Zoltan and another thump of his fist over his heart aimed at me, he shifts and bolts out of the trees. I hiss, startled when something brushes against my arm. The panther nudges me to the side and shoves his head under my hand. I forget the large cat is here and I have a predator as silent as death standing next to me. This is why you’ll die one of these days, for not paying attention. The voice in my head reminds me of my shortcomings.
“Is this another of the plans you made without letting the rest of us know?” I round on Zoltan, and if I sound bitter, it’s because I am.
I still haven’t forgiven him for planning to be captured and giving that asshole Roberti the pleasure of turning him feral. The jerk can act tough and like he is invincible as much as he likes, but it doesn’t change anything. He didn’t know my blood could cure him. None of us knew, and if it wasn’t for Myst—regardless how lacking her tactics were—we would’ve lost him. One of us would’ve had to kill him. The sight of Zoltan’s red eyes burning with bloodlust and his beautiful face twisted in a snarl is seared into my retinas for eternity. My blood curdles just thinking about it. Seeing him flinch like I slapped him soothes me, but only just. Definitely not enough.
“I knew nothing of this …” Zoltan’s long fingers press on his forehead, rubbing it harshly as if trying to relieve a headache. “ I suspected it might come down to it, I just hoped I was wrong.”
Waving a hand in his face, I prompt him to keep talking, the fingers of my other hand scratching under the panther’s jaw with a mind of their own. My insides vibrate from the deep, satisfied purr coming out of the shifter, who body checks me when I snatch my hand back. The panther’s upper lip twitches into a snarl, his long teeth gleaming in the moonlight when the head twice the size of mine tilts up to display the displeasure. A line forms between Zoltan’s brows and a thoughtful look crosses his face.
“Well?” Ignoring the jitters coursing through me, I shove the panther’s head away and rub under his deadly jaw again. “What does that mean, Zoltan? I’m not planning to hide here like some sissy while they’re trying to kill each other out there. Fighting the hunters is enough to keep all of us busy for a while without being at each other’s throats.”
“Those that were fighting by your side in the human world want to follow you, Francesca. You! Not the old simpletons that can’t see anything other than their own noses.” His eyes stay on the shifter for another long moment before turning his blue gaze on me. My lungs feel tight like there isn’t enough air to inflate them when he says my name with that slightly unidentifiable accent of his. “The Board is not known to willingly share the power they have over everyone. You can’t tell me it didn’t cross your mind. You are too cunning not to have thought of it before.”
Hell yes, I’ve thought of it. It’s been drilling holes in my head since the night Roberti sent me into the gaping mouth of the hungry beast that is Daywalker Academy. I just stupidly thought that with the hunters almost decimating us twice that the old fools were more worried about keeping us alive. Keeping us still a secret to the humans, that should’ve made them more worried instead of how much influence they have over the rest of us. That pink tutu I threatened Soren with sounds more and more like a great possibility. He could’ve warned me if nothing else. A throbbing heartbeat starts at my temples, numbing my head.
“I wouldn’t say cunning.” Grinding my teeth, my nails dig harder under the panther’s chin and the asshole snaps his sharp jaw at me until I flinch away. “I’d say prepared so I can keep my head on my shoulders. Those like me need to have eyes in the back of our heads if we want to continue breathing. That’s survival 101 in Sienna for you, pure blood. Not cunning.” He narrows his eyes at me when I smile, more of a bearing of teeth than anything else. I’m learning tricks from the shifter purring next to me real fast. “You and Fenrir on the other hand …” My shoulder jerks up in a shrug. “Can you say the same?”
“They can’t.”
Leo steps out from between two trees, luckily with sweats hanging low on his hips. His hair is sticking out every which way in tufts, five slashes are rapidly healing on the right side of his torso, and his left arm is twitching from the residual magic still sizzling on it where he’s been hit by a spell.
“None of us can say that. That’s why they want to follow you, Drake. You are not power hungry, and that’s refreshing.” A confused look flashes through Leo’s green eyes when he looks at the panther glued to my side, but it’s so fast I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t staring at him. “Zoltan.” He nods at the now-glaring vamp.
“How many did we lose?” Zoltan is all business now, whatever is bothering him now pushes aside, though I have no doubt I’ll hear all about it later.
“None.” Leo rubs the back of his neck, his eyebrows disappearing in his hairline. “They are not trying to kill us, just incapacitating before we get dragged in the lower levels.” His cheeks puff out when he blows a deep breath. “I’m thinking someone has been feeding the Board bullshit and they are not sure who to believe. It’s the only reason we are not getting maimed and killed. Unless …”
Him and Zoltan stare at each other, the sound of the fighting filling the space around us. Even the panther bristles along with me at the two males. All these unspoken, or half spoken things are fraying my nerves. More secrets, more puzzles and riddles that have proven to bring death and nothing else. The same shit Soren has been pulling since the day I met him.
I’m tired of it all.
“You three stay here. I’ll be right back.” I try to sidestep the panther, but the shifter only moves with me, as graceful as a dancer who is preventing me from leaving the cover of the trees. “Do you mind?”
Scowling at the damn animal, I knee it in the rump. His long tail flicks around, slapping my thigh like a whip. Yelping, I jump away from it when it comes the second time. Zoltan’s feral growl causes the panther to crouch low, placing its long muscular body between me and the vamp as if the shifter is trying to protect me from him. My eyes dart around while I try to figure out how to best fight the cat if it attacks Zoltan. I freeze when I see Leo standing without worry and scratching his head in confusion.
“Don’t just stand there.” I snap at the wolf shifter. “What the fuck is wrong with this one? Is he going to attack?”
“If I didn’t see him standing next to you while you were scratching him like a house pet a second ago, I would’ve said yes.” The panther hisses at Leo menacingly, and my heart skips a beat from the sound. “But he is not joining the fight so he can protect you.”
“Of course he wants to protect me since he is a male.” I hip check the damn cat out of my way. “I’m going to help the others. You can hide here until it’s all clear.”
I only manage to move about a couple of feet before a heavy weight slams between my shoulders and pitches me forward. With just enough time to protect my face, my arms take the brunt of the impact when I faceplant on the forest floor. All the air exits my lungs with a loud oomph, twigs and sharp rocks digging into my skin. Hot air puffs the tiny hairs on the side of my face when the panther lowers those deadly teeth too close for comfort. His entire body is stretched on top of mine and leaves me gasping for air.
“I’d say he made his point.” Zoltan sounds too amused and I vow silently that he is going to pay for this.
“It’s not smart to go out there, Drake.” Leo’s bare feet come in my line of sight before he lowers on his haunches to peer down at me. “The Board is asking us to hand you over if we want them to stop attacking.”
“Lovely,” I gasp out, still fighting for air.
“They’ll have to go through me first.” My whole body turns cold at the promise of pain in Zoltan’s voice.
Chapter 2
My cough only makes Zoltan audibly grind his teeth and clench his fists harder, his knuckles turning white. It does nothing to cover the choking laughter bubbling in my chest. Leo’s constant snorting while
he does his best to keep himself in check is not helping matters, either. Even the panther glares at me, those glittering eyes turned into slits while we dodge magic, claws, and snapping jaws through the clustered bodies fighting around us. If they think over two-hundred pounds of cat sitting on top of me can stop me from coming to help, they know better now.
The panther growls deep in his chest, his left ear flicking.
The same ear I twisted in my grip when I pinned him on the ground after wrestling for the longest two minutes of my life. The damn shifter is all muscle, and I’m lucky he gives up fast since he doesn’t want to hurt me. There is no doubt in my mind that those sharp jaws would be feasting on my flesh if he was not on my side. His green gaze narrows further like he knows what I’m thinking, and I swallow thickly. Don’t provoke the grumpy cat, Franky, I chide myself, bending back and going almost horizontal when a steam of bright orange magic zips in front of my face an inch from my nose.
“Well, this looks like fun.” Huffing, I follow behind Zoltan, the panther sticking to my side and Leo taking the back. I have to compromise if I want out of that forest without fighting all three of them. “Never a dull moment. Keeps you on your toes.” I continue blabbing to cover the nerves that are wracking chaos inside me.
Zoltan grunts.
We are back to Neanderthal times, where not even one-word answers or comments are necessary. I might be an ass for being stubborn, especially after everything that happened in the last day or two, but I can’t in good conscience wait things out while others are being hurt because of me. If Zoltan can’t understand that, I have misjudged his character and there is nothing left for us to discuss. I cringe when his fist connects to a vampire’s jaw, snapping his neck in the process. The body drops like a rock at his feet but Zoltan plows on, his anger a palpable thing between us. Am I so naïve that I believe he cares about others as much as I do? Is he only protective and considerate of me because of what I am? Does he not care if anyone else lives or dies? Or maybe this is a power play of his own making, one he has been weaving like a cobweb while we are all focused elsewhere?