Rule 9 Academy Series Boxset: Books 3-5 Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (Rule 9 Academy Box Sets (3 Book Series) 2)

by Elizabeth Rain

  Kimmy looked up at him, squinting in the bright light as she changed out another slide. “So, any idea on how to fix it?”

  His mouth drew into a flat line. “I was able to mix the AB- in with the afflicted samples and we got lucky. Along with its unusual properties compared to the rest of the blood supply, it hastens the healing. I estimate that it would reduce the time needed to recover down from weeks to a matter of days at least.”

  Sitting back from the scope, her frown matched his. “Well, that’s good news isn’t it? I hope that will be enough time.”

  “It’s the best chance they’ve got,” he agreed.

  She considered. “Why didn’t you use Emerald’s blood. The healing properties…” Kimmy began.

  Jerry’s expression turned stubborn. “You know why. Too risky. If people found out what I suspect she is? Her chances of a normal life would be gone forever. She’d become an experiment for exploitation.”

  Kimmy shot him a level look. He was right. “Well then, we use what we can. We still need to transform it into something that can be administered to a horde of hungry vampires all at once.”

  Jerry nodded, grim. “Right. I’ve been looking back over my notes on how we accomplished that with Sadie’s blood. I know their genetic make-up is different, but I’m hoping I can still use some of the same ideas. For one, whatever we come up with, it can’t be something that’s injected. We have to be able to get it to the masses all at once. Inhale it, ingest it…”

  Jerry looked nervous and hopeful all at once, as if there was something more.

  “What else, Mr. Waverly,” Kimmy prompted.

  He shrugged and blew out a worried breath. “Well, there’s the time factor that wasn’t there before. If you look at the time stamp on those slides, you’ll realize they are several hours apart. The antigens in the AB- blood will heal it absolutely, but not immediately. We won’t see the effects for possibly a day. It works, but slowly.

  You see, what we developed for Sadie? It was a one off and worked on contact. This won’t be that. Even if we develop a way to administer it to them en masse and it works? It won’t be right away. The Cerebral Cortex needs time to recover and repair itself. So not only will we not know if it’s working for a couple hours, but we will need to contain them until it does and not get killed in the process when we administer it. We’ll need an escape plan for after.”

  Kimmy straightened the rest of the way, removing the last slide. “Well then, I suppose we’d better get at it then. The Magical world waits for no one.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Lucas needed to have a word with his son, and a certain young lady who seemed to hold all of his attention lately. And had stolen a good deal of his common sense, it seemed.

  Cell service was spotty in between Drae Hallow, the town of Breathless and Shephard’s Mountain. But a text would often work where a call would not. Nick answered him back almost immediately and Lucas gave a grunt of satisfaction, grabbing a light jacket from the hook by the door and giving Wendy a buss on the cheek as she worked in the kitchen, whipping up something for supper that was guaranteed to wake up his taste buds… and pack on the pounds. “I’ll be back by dinnertime; I need to track our son down. This whole mess requires some answers, and as usual, I suspect those kids may be a good place to start.”

  Wendy sent him a troubled look as he walked out the door, giving the red sauce on the burner a wicked stir; certain it involved Elise and her daughter. She wondered if her husband realized how deep the trouble went.

  #

  Lucas lifted his hand and knocked. The Major answered the door with a polite smile and stood aside for him to enter. Hanging his jacket on the rack by the wall, he nodded to the elder werewolf, “Major Tuttle.”

  “Good to see you. You’ll stay for a bite, of course. Karen isn’t the cook that Kimmy is, but she does a mean Chili just the same.”

  Lucas hesitated. “A small bowl. Wendy is fixing my favorite homemade chicken primavera tonight and I want to save room.”

  In the main room, everyone was already seated. From the look of things, Sadie and Nicholas were both well into their second bowl. Both looked up and waved a spoon at him by way of greeting. He noticed that they appeared to be the only ones there. Unusual when the Tuttle house was usually alive with the chatter and good natured arguing of a large family of teenagers. “Where is everyone else? This is a light table for you, Major.”

  Major Tuttle shrugged, but he didn’t look happy. “No, Kimmy is helping in Jerry Waverly’s lab as she is most days now. Krissy is on a date in town with a bunch of other kids. Todd and Terry are in town too. And Thomas… has been gone up the mountain now for several days. We’re all worried about him. He’s going through his change, but he should have been back by now. I think he’s gone after Sirris. Not that that makes much sense at all. He’s not a fish.” The Major firmed his mouth and grabbed a roll and massacred it with a knife and butter, agitation in every move.

  Lucas said nothing. His own offspring kept him plenty busy as well. He stared at his tall son, bent over his lunch and absorbed in his meal. A lock of overlong dark hair fell forward and got in his way. Something tightened in Lucas’ gut. When had his son started to need to shave? It seemed like yesterday he was holding his first staff and it was taller than he was.

  Sadie looked up and caught his eye, unsmiling. He thanked Karen politely when she handed him a small bowl of chili, though he wasn’t particularly hungry.

  He waited until he had both their attention, tapping the side of his bowl for emphasis. “I just came from a rather strange council meeting. We needed to go over what happened in Bitterroot the other day. So far the infirmary is nearly full, and not all there may recover. I had an unexpected, and unwelcome, visitor during the meeting.”

  Nicholas jerked, frowning. “Well, it wasn’t us. We were right here.”

  “I know that. I never said it was you. Pay attention.”

  Nick scowled but lapsed into impatient silence. Beside him, Sadie’s lips twitched as she remembered another time when it had been their little group listening in where they shouldn’t.

  “Judge Fino Vas joined us. He seemed adamant that we be informed of what was happening in Wyndoor. We’ve had the pleasure of his presence twice now. First to warn us of the possibility of rogues breaking into Drae Hallow, and a second time to inform us he told us so.”

  Sadie and Nicholas wore twin expressions of alarm and confusion.

  “I know we talked earlier about the danger of being involved in vampire business. I also suspect you didn’t listen. The judge is unusually interested in the whereabouts of Elise and her daughter. I have a tough time believing he is bent on just capturing the one that got away. I don’t trust him. He seems to be on the up and up, real concerned over the wellbeing of the citizens of Bitterroot and keeping us safe. Which is why I don’t buy it. Judge Vas gives does not give a sense of the warm fuzzies. But he’s dangerous. If he catches you anywhere near Elise or her daughter—”

  “—Emerald,” Sadie added helpfully.

  “What?”

  “Her name is Emerald. With her mother Elise, they somehow escaped what happened to everyone else in Wyndoor Castle. Every other vampire there went bat shit crazy, pun intended. She came to us for help,” Nicholas finished.

  “If Fino gets wind that you’re involved in helping them at all, it puts you right in the middle of his jurisdiction and in grave danger. It is strictly forbidden for us to interfere in Vampire affairs. Stay out of what doesn’t involve…” Lucas started, fear making his voice harsh.

  “It does, sir.” Sadie interrupted, sitting her spoon down and reaching for her napkin. “It involves us all. Fino is right about one thing. Rogue vamps, whatever the reason, coming into Drae Hallow or anywhere in fact is all of Drae Hallows problem. But I think there are a few things you don’t know; that he hasn’t told you. And I for one would like to know why.”

  Lucas stared at Sadie, his expression thunderous. “It’s vamp
ire business!” he protested stubbornly, willing it to be true.

  “No father, it’s everyone’s business, Magical and human alike. There’s more you don’t know,” Nicholas added, voice flat.

  Sadie went on, “I—we, think they poisoned the vampires in Wyndoor Castle. The vampires going rogue was no accident. It was intentional. Think about it. What better way to cause widespread panic in the masses.”

  Lucas gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “To what end. There’s no purpose…”

  The Major, who had been listening in but had said little, spoke up. “Unless… Makes the vampire population look bad doesn’t it?” he observed thoughtfully, fingers plucking absently at his beard.

  Lucas nodded, picking up the thread. “That’s right, which would make no sense at all. Especially not if it involved the Judge. It wouldn’t paint his people in a good light at all.”

  Sadie nodded. “No, it wouldn’t… unless a certain someone were to step in when all hope was lost and rescue the innocents—act the hero. I imagine the civilians, human and Magical alike, would all be awfully grateful to have order restored out of all that chaos.”

  “There are an awful lot of holes in that theory, Sadie Cross,” Lucas Seul stated harshly.

  Nicholas stared at his father, thoughtful. “You said that Fino has been asking questions about Elise and her daughter, right?”

  Lucas shrugged. “Yeah, so.”

  “Well, why hasn’t he asked about Jorta and Ab’et? They escaped his clutches too. Why all the concern for the weakest of the prisoners that got away and not the others. Does he somehow know that they are a non-issue now?”

  Sadie added, “Something else, Mr. Seul. The portal itself. Elise had to find an alternative way in to Drae Hallow. The portal they used is located five foot in the air straight out from a drop off of several hundred feet. How did those vampires, insane with blood lust and lacking any ability to reason, take that sudden leap of faith?”

  “Something lured them in…” The Major finished the thought, grimly.

  Sadie and Nicholas both nodded and Sadie whispered, “That’s what we think. I don’t believe any of this was random. I think it involves the Judge up to his eyebrows in whatever is going on. Why the sudden interest in everything the council is doing? How can getting his hands on two vamps from another dimension that he has no real jurisdiction in be so important? Something else is going on and it smells rotten. I don’t think we can afford to ignore it. Whatever it is, I think it involves every one of us on both sides of Shephard’s Mountain and we should all be worried.”

  “Well then, if that’s all true and I admit it has some kind of sick merit, then you need to let the guards and the adults handle it. None of this takes away from the fact that the Vampire Nation is nothing to fool around with. If they catch wind you are aiding and abetting Elise, and escaped criminal in their eyes, they’ll add you to the list of the condemned,” Lucas finished.

  Sadie glanced at Nicholas, rigid and stubborn beside her. She gave a sigh. If he hated the first part, then he was really going to have fun with the rest of it. “That’s not all. We’ve been working with Jerry Waverly to develop some kind of antidote or such to reverse the process. As we speak, he is working round the clock with Kimmy. If we can turn it around, we have a chance of reversing the whole mess. Elise and Emerald have gone on ahead back into Wyndoor to meet up and gain the aid of the Demon wolves if possible. The vampires have been attacking them as well, scattered their families and homes. We are hoping there are enough left of them willing to fight with us. We’re also trying to prove our suspicions regarding the Judge. We think he’s involved, but we need proof.”

  Lucas glared at both kids. “Wait, what do you plan to do with this antidote if Jerry comes up with it?” The waiver in his voice said he already suspected the answer.

  “We are going back in and joining Elise and her daughter; and hopefully a few others to deliver it to the rogue vampires in Wyndoor. Jerry is working on a way to mass administer it, much like what he did when he synthesized Sadie’s blood to poison the Macu and the Demon wolves,” Nick admitted.

  Lucas opened his mouth to forbid it and then abruptly snapped his mouth shut. “It won’t do me any good to tell you I forbid such foolishness, will it?”

  Both kids shook their heads sadly. Nicholas sent a pointed look in Sadie’s direction. “As someone very special has taught me, we can’t escape who we are. Heroes aren’t made from the bravest. They are driven from the ranks of those that do what’s necessary and damn the consequences. We’ve all been through Wyndoor and faced the risks there, we know what we’re heading into. I believe we are better equipped than most to survive it.”

  Nicholas lifted the slim hand he’d been clasping beneath the table and raised it to his lips, planting a hard smack on the back of it. Sadie blushed, but didn’t pull away.

  “We have to do this, not just for Elise and her family. And I will not spout some nonsense about being some do-gooder intent on making a difference in the world. I’m not that noble. But I believe we’re doing this for humans and Magicals alike. I think we’re all in danger if we don’t.”

  Lucas ground his teeth in frustration. “At the very least, I’d like to be able to help on this end. However, I have a sneaking suspicion I, and the other members of the council, are being watched. I have to be careful about what I say and do. Judge Vas has shown up twice uninvited to our council meetings. I upped the security to prevent any more unwelcome intrusions.”

  “I think his sudden interest in what the council is doing just supports our theory. One escaped prisoner just isn’t that interesting, unless her showing up alive and healthy screws with his agenda. Otherwise, why all the fuss?” Sadie murmured.

  Lucas pushed his bowl away and threw his napkin down. “Why indeed.” I believe Fino Vas bears the Council’s own scrutiny. Whatever he’s up to, it’s not legal.”

  Kimmy nudged Jerry awake, marveling that he was the only man she knew that could manage to fall asleep sitting straight up on a stool without ending up on the floor. “Mr. Waverly, Jerry!”

  “Wha…?” he sputtered, blinking bleary eyes at her and shaking his head.

  Kimmy rubbed at her own gritty eyes. She’d been fighting sleep for at least an hour as they worked on perfecting a way to deliver the antidote to a group of diseased vampires all at once. She looked at the counter, strewn with dirty beakers and used slides and various paraphernalia. She looked at her phone. It was 3:30 in the morning and she’d been up since 6:00 a.m. She bet Jerry had been up longer.

  “Look, we gotta get some sleep or we’re useless. We can finish this tomorrow. It’s almost done, anyway. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna bunk over in Sirris bed the rest of the night. I’m way too pooped to try to walk up a mountain in the dark at this point.”

  Jerry looked at her, still blinking pathetically. “Sure, okay. Don’t let me sleep too long. Get me up at 7:00.”

  Kimmy nodded. “Sure, I’ll do that,” she lied.

  She watched him stumble up the stairs and hoped he at least remembered to remove his shoes before he did a face-plant in the middle of his bed. She looked around at the mess and gathered glassware and used slides. She’d at least organize things a bit so they could start fresh in the morning. And then she planned to be right behind him.

  #

  The sound that woke her up wasn’t natural. Kimmy’s werewolf hearing was far keener than any human. She blinked in the dark, waiting for her vision to adjust to the bare sliver of light that cut the absolute darkness coming in through the kitchen window below. From her loft bed, eyes slitted, she had a splendid view of the dark open space of the main room. In alarm, she watched the sliver of light widen from as the front door inched open. It was locked when she went to bed.

  Three shadowy forms slunk into the room. Kimmy wasn’t sure what they were, but they weren’t human. They were too quiet, for one thing. They gathered close and whispered directions. She didn’t catch it all, but her sharp ear
s picked up the gist of what they said. It was enough to make her blood run cold and her fingers lengthen beneath the warmth of the blanket into a fine set of nailed claws.

  She remained still until they had moved beyond sight of the loft where she hid in plain sight if any of them had bothered to look up. Using the slight noise from the opening of the basement door, she slid from the bed, the floor cold beneath her toes as they made soundless contact. She was a wolf in human skin. Being quiet was what she did.

  But so was whatever had invaded the cabin. She had to strain to hear the footfalls descending the stairs into the lab below.

  But that wasn’t the most pressing problem. As silent as a cat, snuck down the ladder, skipping the third rung that always squeaked beneath her weight.

  The third shadow had separated from the others and was slinking down the short hall, towards Jerry’s closed bedroom door.

  Heart hammering in her chest, Kimmy stalked the much taller figure, snatching the large glass paperweight from Jerry’s desk on her way by.

  The tall intruder was just edging the door open when he must have sensed her presence behind him and turned. Kimmy blasted him square on his forehead with the weight, the hit more than enough to kill any mortal. He slipped to the floor with a thunk.

  Kimmy whirled and ran to the basement door, slamming it shut and locking it. The sudden flurry of sound from below told her they didn’t have much time. The door wouldn’t hold what was down below for long. She ran back down the hall, stepping over the fallen figure on the floor and bursting into Jerry’s room.

  He lay where he’d fallen, face down in the middle of his bed with his shoes still on. “Jerry! Wake up, we have to go,” she yelled, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him rudely.

  With a shout he sat up, looking around in alarm. His eyes landed on Kimmy’s, frantic with fear.