It took several more minutes for Jackson and Caleb to finally drag Cala over the finishing line on their final lap. The poor girl looked like she was ready to collapse. The warriors always tried to push the trainees to their very limits, but Cala was way past her limits and she hadn’t given up or given in. She’d held her own and made it to the very end, with the help of Jackson and Caleb by her side. Although Aisline could tell that she felt like she was going to pass out at any minute, the sense of achievement was written all over her face, making her beam.
With a shy smile of thanks to the boys, Cala was tired way beyond the ability to speak. She turned and caught Rhian’s eye. Her twin sister glared at her. Rhian stood off to one side, bundled up in layers of designer clothing, refusing to partake in the training and turning her nose up at everyone else in the two classes. Talk about bursting her bubble. But Cala turned away and looked for Aisline, determined to revel in the satisfaction and joy she felt for a little while longer. There was no way she was going to let Rhian spoil this.
Cala could feel herself getting stronger and pulling away from her sister. Sure, she still had a hell of a long way to go with regards to her level of self-confidence, but she was getting there. Training on her own and tentatively making friends was doing her the world of good and it was obvious that Rhian didn’t like it. That wasn’t much of a surprise really, seeing as Rhian had Cala at her beck and call all of her life, feeling her pull away was more than a little annoying. They’d come here, met their father and now Cala was moving away from her, gaining independence. She was proud of herself and wouldn’t let Rhian ruin this for her.
Ash called over to Cala and was glad when the girl walked over to her. She didn’t want Rhian dragging her down. She was right to feel proud of herself for achieving what she had done and it wasn’t fair of Rhian to try and take that from her. It was clear that Cala had felt on top of the world when she finally crossed the finishing line. Rhian could be such a stuck up princess and if she didn’t want to make the most of this opportunity, then that was her problem. She shouldn’t try and take it away from her sister. Cala may not be particularly fit or agile or have very good coordination, but she was trying her best. Ash gave her props for that.
“I’m going to go and fill up my water bottle, do you need anything?” Ash offered, getting Cala to walk further away from Rhian and closer to Jackson and Caleb.
“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” Cala replied shyly even though she was too exhausted to move.
Ash smiled and turned to walk away, calling over her shoulder, “You did really well today. You should be proud of yourself.”
Cala blushed and grinned to herself, trying to hide behind her hair. She wasn’t used to any form of praise. Growing up, her mother had all but ignored her in favour of Rhian, no matter what she did to try and gain her approval. Here at the academy, people were constantly talking each other up and encouraging one another. It was a strange concept for her to get used to.
That was why she was trying so hard at the academy now. When their mother had dropped the bombshell that this strange mark was some kind of warrior thing and that she was going to drop the girls off to live with their father, Cala saw it as a way to make a new start. She wanted to make Kelton proud from the moment she met him. He was a great man and respected by everyone she encountered. It meant a lot to her that he liked her and saw that she was trying to fit in, trying to be like him. Even if she couldn’t do it as well as the others, she wouldn’t give up. This was a great opportunity for her and she was determined to grasp it with both hands, no matter how much of a cow Rhian was to her. This was her thing. Finally she had something of her own.
Rhian wasn’t making any of that easy, though. She was acting like a spoilt brat as per usual. Always wanting to hog the limelight, making sure that no one even noticed Cala. It was hard to deal with, but seeing as she had dealt with it her whole life, it was nothing new.
However, she was hoping for something new here. A new life. A new Cala. Rhian was making that all but impossible, reminding her of her place, at her side to do her biding like a little lapdog.
“Are you okay, man?”
Cala turned around at the sound of Caleb’s concerned voice. He was stood next to Jackson, who was looking decidedly pale and unwell. All the colour had drained from his face, making him look as white as a ghost.
“What’s wrong with him?” she asked Caleb. Jackson had been good to her, helping her through the gruelling course and encouraging her when she didn’t think she’d be able to make it another step. She was instantly worried that it was somehow her fault that she was in pain.
“I don’t know.” Caleb said with a frown. “Jackson? What’s wrong? Talk to me, man.”
“I think we might need help. He doesn’t look well.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Caleb tried to shake Jackson a little, trying to get a reaction from him.
“Do you want me to get one of the warriors?” Cala asked.
“I don’t know what we should do. Jackson? Come on, man!”
Jackson didn’t reply, but doubled over with severe stomach cramps, groaning uncomfortably.
“Shit.” Caleb muttered, trying to hook an arm around Jackson to help him walk. Cala walked along next to them, looking worried, as they steadily made their way over to Master Warrior Dixon. “We’re gonna need some help.”
“Sir?” Caleb called out.
Master Warrior Dixon turned and quickly approached the three of them, concern etching his features.
“What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Caleb said.
“Jackson?” Dixon peered into his face. “When was the last time you fed?” He knew that look straight away. Jackson was always pushing himself to far, stretching the boundaries and trying to work through the hunger. However, it wasn’t often that he let it get this bad. This was the worst Dixon had seen him.
“Sir?” Caleb asked.
“Jackson!” Dixon tried calling his name, but he was too overcome by stomach cramps to respond.
“What is it? What’s wrong with him?” Cala asked quietly, confused by the situation.
“He needs to feed. He hasn’t taken enough blood lately.”
“Oh.”
“Here,” Dixon stepped forward, “Let me take him to the donors.”
Caleb kept his arm tightly around Jackson’s waist. “It’s okay. I know where we need to go. I’ll take him there.”
“Are you sure about that?” Dixon knew that this would probably be the shifter’s first encounter with the donors and he didn’t want a difficult situation made out of it.
“I’m sure.” Caleb nodded.
“I can help.” Cala offered.
Caleb nodded to her as he started to move towards the mansion, to the closest door that would take them to the donor’s quarters. As they moved further away from the rest of the trainees, Cala rushed to catch up with them.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ve got to get Jackson to the human donor’s. He needs to feed.”
“What do you mean? Blood? Now?” Cala made a face. It was one thing living among the vampires, but it was a whole other thing to think about what they had to do to survive. It was gross.
“Yes. He needs blood now.” Caleb said blankly. He didn’t like to think about the whole process, either, but this was his friend he was talking about and if Jackson needed his help, he’d be there for him.
They walked on in silence with Jackson wedged between them, making very slow progress up the stairs. He was starting to sweat under the strain of lugging Jackson along. He wasn’t a small man and Caleb knew he could rib him later about eating too many pies. Caleb paused when they finally got to the doors that led to the human quarters. Taking in a deep breath, he knocked on the door.
“Is this it?” Cala asked. She’d never been here before. Why would she? She wasn’t one of the vampires and didn’t need blood. Plus, Rhian didn’t like to assoc
iate with humans. She thought they were beneath her.
“Yep. This is it.” Caleb hadn’t been here either, but he knew enough about the mansion to know where to find them. It made him feel a little queasy to be bringing Jackson here, knowing what was going to happen.
The door was instantly opened up by a girl who looked about the same age as them.
Caleb’s eyes widened in shock. She looked so normal and pretty, not what he expected a blood donor to look at. Sure, he knew that they’d been at the Christmas celebration dinner, but he hadn’t really taken any notice of them. There’d been so many people there, the place had been jam packed. Normally, the trainees ate in shifts, seeing as there was so many of them, but Aisline had done her planning and managed to squish everyone in. Caleb had no reason to take an interest in the humans. He’d never had much contact with them when he’d been growing up and he didn’t have a vested interest in them now, not like the vampires.
Even growing up in the pack, he’d never really had much interaction with the human population, what with the pack keeping to themselves. So, his idea of a blood donor was something much more seedy and dirty. This girl was actually extremely attractive and smiled at them in a friendly manner.
“Um…” Caleb didn’t know how to broach the subject. This was way out of his comfort zone.
“Don’t worry. Master Warrior Dixon called to tell us you were on your way. Come on in.” she smiled.
Caleb hesitated before walking over the threshold. The place looked lavish, even more so than the rest of the mansion, if that was even possible. He’d heard that the human donors were well cared for, but this was beyond anything he’d imagined. Again, it was the thought of the donors being chained up in a dungeon, ready and waiting for the vampires to feast on their juicy necks. Stupid, he knew that, especially after getting to know them all. The guys were not like that at all, but he couldn’t help the traditional thought of vampires that he’d grown up with.
“Can you bring him in here, please? I don’t think I could carry him in myself.” The girl grinned at the both of them. She didn’t seem phased by the process in the least, even if they were. Caleb felt awkward and Cala looked like she was ready to pass out at any moment.
With a deep breath, Caleb followed as she directed and placed Jackson carefully in a plush armchair in what appeared to be a comfortable and informal living room.
“Do you want to wait for him? It could be a while.” The girl glanced at Jackson, who barely seemed conscious.
“Um. No. Um. Okay.” Caleb stuttered uncomfortably.
The girl smiled sympathetically. “You’re the shifter, aren’t you?” Caleb nodded stiffly. “Don’t worry. I’ll call one of the warriors to let them know when he’s ready to leave. I understand how awkward this must be for you.”
“It’s not awkward.” Caleb said quickly.
She laughed. “You don’t have to play the badass warrior with me. I’ve known a few shifters and I know this isn’t the ideal life for you. Or the ideal place to be.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He replied reluctantly.
“Don’t stress. I’ll make sure Jackson’s fine. You go back to whatever you were doing.”
Caleb breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” He turned quickly to leave, nearly knocking Cala over in his haste. He didn’t realise that she’d followed him in, she’d been so quiet. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
He just wanted to leave. It wasn’t the girls fault, but he was uncomfortable with the whole blood situation. He knew that they had to do this to survive, but seeing it looking so normal and commonplace? Caleb hadn’t expected that and it weirded him out even more.
This hadn’t changed his view of Jackson or any of the others that he had made friends with in his time at the academy, but it did remind him just how different they were to him. How different he was to the rest of them. All he wanted to do was get back to his room, take a shower and spend some time on his own to get his head together.
Being away from the pack wasn’t easy for him, or his brother, Rees. They had to take time off every so often to go back and spend time with the pack. It helped to keep the connection open and they needed that. Being away from the pack that they’d grown up with was difficult. Patrick, their pack leader, likened it to the call of the warrior mark. The mark urged you on, increasing your need to fight and protect. The call of the pack was similar to that. They needed to be close to their family members, especially if they felt the need to shift. There was no way he could do that at the academy.
Shifting hadn’t been something he thought much about when he’d been growing up. After all, to him it was as natural as breathing. It was always there, lurking in the back of his mind. Now, he had to concentrate on keeping the wolf within. Caleb wasn’t a big shifter, preferring to keep to his human form, but being surrounded by vampires made it more difficult to deny. Hence why they had to return home at regular intervals.
They walked back to the others in silence. Caleb, Jackson and Cala had worked well in a team, but he didn’t know what to say to her when it was just the two of them. They were all as quiet as each other, which didn’t make it easy to start a conversation. Cala seemed ridiculously shy around him and Caleb just didn’t know what to say to her. He was glad when the others came into sight, and they were back in the group again.
Chapter Eleven
Ash ran a hand over her forehead, swiping the stray strands of hair out of her face. “What is it?” she asked Rhian through gritted teeth.
Rhian had been sat staring at her for the last ten minutes and it was really starting to get on her nerves. It wasn’t just off-putting, it was downright annoying. She was here to train and work through the session that Master Warrior Dixon was putting them through. It was exhausting and she really didn’t like feeling like she was being put under a microscope by Rhian.
It was even more infuriating because she was sweating along with the rest of the guys and generally looking a complete mess, whereas Rhian was sat on her backside, looking like a super model as per usual. What the hell was wrong with that girl? Was she just afraid of breaking a nail? And, if the witch was finding it quite so easy to fight the pull of the warrior mark, why was she still there at the academy? It was obvious that she didn’t want to be there, so why didn’t she do them all a favour and just leave? Ash certainly wouldn’t miss her.
“Excuse me?” Rhian replied, turning her nose up and looking at Aisline like she was something the cat had dragged in. She’d decided to focus more of her time on making Aisline’s life a misery and it was satisfying. The girl was a paranoid wreck. One glance in her direction, and she thought you were talking about her. One glance at her boyfriend and she thought you were trying to muscle in. Well, on this occasion Aisline was right. Rhian loved messing with her. It was brightening her days in this godforsaken place.
“Why do you keep on staring at me like that?” Ash asked. She refused to be intimidated by Rhian, which she was sure was the girls’ intention. Aisline had grown up around girls like her and she had never let them get the better of her, so she certainly wasn’t going to let Rhian get to her now.
“I’m staring at you?”
“Yes. You’re staring at me. What’s your problem?”
“Why do you think I’m staring at you?”
“Mainly because your eyes are burning holes in my back.” Ash rolled her eyes. “If you’ve got something to say to me, just say it. I haven’t got all day to waste, unlike some.”
Rhian smirked. “Why would I have anything to say to you?” She loved talking in circles around Aisline. The girl was so easy to wind up.
Aisline narrowed her eyes in annoyance. The girl was really starting to get on her last nerve. Rhian had been acting like that from the moment she’d first set foot in the academy, but it had got so much worse lately. It was like she thought she was too good for this life, like she was better than the rest of them. Ash couldn’t stand that attitude. They were the protectors, the warriors. Eac
h and every one of them was working to the bone to be the best that they could be so that they’d be prepared when they were out on the street. It wasn’t just the Lamia Matris that they protected from the Lamia Mortuorum; everyone was protected. Human, shifter or witch. They were there to protect them all. It was a privilege to be part of this group, a privilege that Rhian refused to acknowledge.
Ash didn’t know what her problem was. She didn’t think it was because she wasn’t Lamia Matris. She seemed to have that kind of attitude with everyone she encountered, regardless of race. Each and every person she came across was dirt on her shoe. Perhaps it was the way she was brought up? She’d come across many of those types of girls in her life, the one’s that looked down on her for not wanting to many a rich husband and be taken care of. That just wasn’t her.
Oddly enough, she seemed to also look down on her sister. Cala was trying her best to work with this new situation and refused to act like a spoilt princess like her sister. Unfortunately, nothing she did was good enough for Rhian and Aisline felt so sorry for her. It was strange to see how different the two girls were. Being identical in appearance didn’t mean they were the same through and through. Although, even though they looked the same, the way they held themselves was infinitely different. Rhian had all the confidence in the world, but Cala looked like a puppy that’d been kicked one too many times.
The room had gone quiet, watching the exchange between the two girls. At least it was a little bit of light relief and a distraction from the gruelling training. Ash turned to glare at the rest of the group as she turned from Rhian and they all hustled back to their training partners. The glare was enough to tell them all to mind their own business.
Ash stormed back over to Trey to finish up, pounding the hell out of the pads he was holding with a strength that even rocked him on his feet, and Trey was built like a man mountain. She had that much pent up anger and aggression in her that it felt like she could take on any of the warriors and beat the hell out of them. It wasn’t easy to concentrate when she could feel Rhian’s eyes on her the whole time, although the anger she was feeling spurred her on.
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