Night Shade Academy

by Kelly Carrero

  I quickly grabbed hold of the flames and drew them back inside of me, as I stumbled to the side, trying to distance myself from him, but at the same time trying to see if he was okay, and how badly I’d hurt him.

  I felt sick to my stomach. “How bad is it?” I asked, barely able to form the words.

  He twisted to the side, moving so I couldn’t see his arm. “It’ll heal.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “Don’t worry. It’ll heal.”

  Fear ripped through me, my mind going crazy imagining the damage I’d done. “Please tell me you have skin.”

  He choked on a laugh. “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “The fire?”

  He shook his head. “Make me laugh when I’m hurting so bad.”

  “See. You are hurting.” I scuttled closer to him, aching to heal his wounds but halting when I saw the panic in his eyes.

  I was gutted. But this wasn’t about me. He was hurt, and he needed medical attention. Either that or one hell of a spell, and I wasn't aware of one.

  “Can you walk with me? Or do you want to stay here while I get some help?”

  He raised a brow and gestured to the fact that he was still standing and able to move. Then his gaze drifted down my body. “But you might want to cover up before we head back.”

  Looking down, my eyes widened, and my cheeks flushed when I saw what little was left of my clothing. My shirt and pants were in tatters, giving Hunter a sneak peek of what I hoped would one day come.

  “I brought an extra shirt for you just in case.” Hunter pointed to his bag.

  “Thanks.” I raced over and grabbed it. Not bothering to peel off what was left of my clothing, I slipped on his shirt that came halfway down my thighs, my chest swelling with desire when his lingering smell assaulted my senses.

  I breathed in deeply, allowing myself to go where I shouldn’t then shoved the thoughts to the back of my mind, where they would remain until it was safe. I picked up the bag and slung it over my shoulder, jogging over to him. “Let’s go.”

  The walk back was painstaking. With every one of his breaths, a wince followed. I’d done more damage to him than just his arm. “This is why you need to get me more advanced spells.”

  “So you can set me on fire then fix me?” he joked.

  I glared at him. “Too soon.”

  We walked in silence, and it wasn’t until we’d almost reached the building that I stopped. “I think we should look into Familiars.”

  He turned around to face me, and I caught a glimpse of his arm, skin peeled back, and clothing stuck to his flesh. How he was able to maintain his sanity was beyond me. I was sure I would’ve been screaming this whole place down if I had an injury like that.

  And I’d caused it.

  I was responsible.

  Realizing what I was looking at, he repositioned himself. “It’ll heal. And about the Familiar, we’ll discuss that later.”

  Unable to talk for fear I was going to be sick, I nodded.

  “How about you come over to my place for dinner tonight? Might do you some good for a change of scenery.”

  I still wasn’t allowed into the dining area because it wasn’t a controlled environment. Without teachers and small classes, he was afraid what might happen if the other students tried anything to get me worked up.

  As much as I wanted to see Hunter’s place, I said, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” I gestured to his arm.

  “I promise I won’t push our boundaries.”

  I smiled. “Shouldn’t I be making something for you, considering…”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that I’ll be fine? Bishop will have this fixed in no time.”

  “And probably put me on lockdown again.”

  “I’ll tell him it’s my fault. I pushed too hard. I got reckless.”

  A sigh escaped my lips. “Okay. But stick to the rules.”

  He nodded.

  Just like Hunter had said, he was almost completely healed by the time I arrived at his place for dinner.

  I walked inside, expecting to find him still burned. But true to his word, his arm was almost completely back to normal. The skin was still pink, but there was now a covering of new skin, not the raw flesh it had been earlier.

  Noticing my stare, he held up his arm. “Told you I’d heal.” He closed the door behind me, bringing me farther into his home. It was almost identical to mine, but he had twin couches, whereas Kayla and I had a single. “Don’t suppose you want to let us have one of those?” I gestured to the couches.

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Something told me he had absolutely no plans on giving it to me. And the more I thought about it, the better the idea of it remaining here was. After all at my place, we were almost never alone, but here… Here we needed distance, so I could attempt to control my hormones.

  He took a seat on the sofa facing the TV, not bothering with the dining table, a guy true to my heart. I hated eating in formal settings. My idea of a good night was sitting on the couch, eating food, and watching TV.

  Okay, so maybe I wasn’t being totally honest. Hell, I wasn’t being honest at all.

  Taking a seat on the other sofa, I tried to convince myself that it was my truth—at least until I learned to control myself.

  Dinner consisted of risotto, cannelloni, salad, and a big chunk of apple pie for desert. By the time I’d finished, I was completely stuffed, content, and ready for sleep.

  I was just about to call it a night when Hunter said, “I’ve got something for you.”

  Vaguely intrigued, I asked, “What is it?”

  He reached behind the couch and picked up a thick, leather bound book, then handed it to me. “I finally took a chance.”

  My eyes lit up with excitement. “Is this from the vault?”

  Hunter nodded, a worried look in his eyes. “This book needs to stay with me. It is not to leave my apartment, understand?”

  “Understood.” I ran my fingers over the edges of the book, hope of what it might contain building inside of me.

  26

  Hunter shifted closer to the couch I occupied but still remained far enough away that it didn’t send my insides into a hot mess. “I didn’t have much time, but I tried to find the most relevant book for you. It contains information on Shadow Walkers, most of it unknown to us.”

  I opened the front cover, my breath hitching when I saw the drawing of a Shadow Walker: half Demon, half Witch, with the face of a wolf, and horns of a Demon, his legs morphing into shadows from the thighs down.

  Without thinking, I touched the top of my head.

  “You don’t have horns,” Hunter said. “It’s an artist’s rendition of the Shadow Walker, showing his many faces.” When I looked at him, confusion written all over my face, he added, “You do know about the face thing, don’t you?”

  “That I have Demon blood?”

  Taking the book from me, he shook his head and flipped through the pages, landing on one before returning it to me. “He was called a Shadow Walker because he was able to take the faces of those from the other factions. He could walk amongst the others, as one of them. He fooled those around him, pretending to be someone he was not. He played tricks on everyone around him, making people turn on each other, not knowing what was real and what was him.”

  I was pretty sure I was seconds away from passing out, and I had to remind myself to breath. I was terrified to ask the question looming in my mind, but I had to know. “Is that…” I swallowed hard. “Is that face thing something I can do?”

  Hunter shrugged. “I guess it’s something you should be able to do, but exactly how you’d figure out how to pull off something like that is going to be hard.” He stared at me for a few moments then said, “Try it out.”

  “No,” I spat. “With my luck, I’d probably end up looking like a freak for the rest of my life with a mooshed up face made up of a mixture of creatures or people. One brown eye, one b
lue, monobrow halfway across my face, wolf snout—”

  “Okay, I get the picture,” he said with a laugh. He leaned back and mumbled, “And how vain you are.”

  My eyes widened, and I gently whacked his knee, quickly pulling away to avoid any consequences. “I am not vain. I’m the least vain person I know. I mean, I don’t even care if my clothes burn, and I have nothing left to wear.”

  “With a body like yours, you don’t have to care.”

  That damn fire inside of me came to life, and I scooted down the other end of the couch to get as far away as comfortably possible.

  Realizing his mistake, Hunter cleared his throat. “Sorry. Now, where were we?”

  I racked my brain, trying to remember what we were talking about. “We were talking about changing my appearance, which I don’t see any reason for me to try. I don’t want to deceive anyone. I’m happy being me.” I frowned. “Without all the Shadow Walker stigma attached to me.”

  “Maybe Nova’s suggestion about getting you a Familiar isn’t such a bad idea.”

  A shiver ran down my spine. “I know I said earlier about getting one but… I’m not sure I want another evil entity living inside of me.” I’d become used to seeing them on Nova and a few other Darks, but that was different than having one on me.

  He grabbed the left over apple pie off the table and took a bite. “They’re not evil, as in the kind of Demon used to make the original Shadow Walker. These are more level A ones. Or maybe even level zero-point-five. They allow you to connect to their energy, in turn grounding what is already living inside of you.”

  “If they’re so good then, why do you have only one? Nova has three.”

  “Who says I don’t have more?”

  “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “He’s only small compared to the wolf, but he packs a punch.”

  Horrified, my gaze swept over him, wondering how I’d missed seeing it when I’d spent so many hours with him.

  “Want to see him?”

  It took me a few moments to agree.

  Hunter stood and undid the button of his jeans, revealing his V-line that I so wanted to run my fingers over.

  I swallowed hard as he peeled the hem of his jeans down an inch, revealing a tiny spec on his hip. “That’s just a mole,” I said.

  “Look closer.”

  A few steadying breathes later, I was able to inch closer. I narrowed my eyes at the tiny mole-like spec that suddenly began to move. “What is that?”

  “It’s a scorpion,” he said. “He must like you because normally he scoots off and hides.”

  “Can you feel him move?”

  Hunter nodded, as he pulled his jeans up and fastened the button. “At first it’s a little strange, now it’s more like a hair brushing over your skin. Just think about it.” He returned to his seat. “A little familiar might be all you need to control your fire when I touch you.”

  “Screw being able to control it for other reasons. That right there is every bit of motivation a girl needs,” I said, sarcastically.

  By the look in his eyes and the smirk on his lips, he knew I was lying. It really was all the motivation I needed. And it wasn’t just having the benefit of touching and whatever else took our fancy, it was that I might finally be somewhat normal, without having Bishop fear I would bring the school down in a hissy fit. It would allow me to blend in a little better.

  Plus, it was only a small one. I would get used to it. I would learn to ignore it. And I could get rid of it when I learned to control myself on my own.

  But I wasn’t going to tell him my decision tonight, or let him think it was because of my infatuation with him that I was doing this.

  I had to maintain what little respect for myself I had.

  Eventually, I said, “I’ll think about it.”

  And that’s all I did that night. I barely slept because I was wracked with nerves about getting an evil entity attached to me. By the time morning came, I was a jittering mess.

  I told Kayla about my decision and was surprised by how supportive she was. Hunter was right; it should’ve been her that was the Shadow Walker, not me.

  “So, what are you going to get?” Kayla asked, as she handed me my coffee in my sustainable travel mug. We were late to class because we needed a second coffee to help process my decision.

  I held the door open for her as she walked into the hallway. “I don’t know if I get to choose. For all I know, a familiar chooses me, and I could get stuck with a big assed troll or something.”

  “Are trolls real?” she asked, as I let the door close behind me and adjusted the bag on my shoulder.

  “Knowing my luck, they are.” I frowned as three teachers rushed past me, followed by another six, seven, ten. Each and every one of their worried gazes piercing mine, something that hadn’t happened since they’d first found out I was a Shadow Walker.

  “What the hell’s going on?” I asked, hoping at least one of them would stop to tell me.

  None of them did.

  When the last of them had disappeared from sight, we looked at each other then bolted in the direction they’d gone.

  Rounding the corner, we found more than a dozen teachers with their faces smooshed against the window, their gazes pointed down.

  We glanced at each other again then shoved our way between them, pressing our foreheads against the glass.

  My stomach churned as I stared at the scene below us. “What the...?”

  27

  Hundreds of dead crows were littered across the oval lawn, surrounding a giant pentagram burned into the ground.

  “Zalia. Get away from the window, now!” Bethany’s voice boomed through the room.

  Unable to rip my gaze away, I stared at the crows, as an unfamiliar sensation stirred inside of me.

  “Zalia,” Bethany snapped, her hand closing around my elbow. “You need to come with me.”

  “Hands off, shrew,” Kayla said, making me laugh at her attempt at standing up to an authoritative figure.

  Eyes wide, I whipped my head in Kayla’s direction, shaking my head, telling her not to get involved. The last thing I needed was for Kayla to make things worse—even if she was trying to protect me.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I’ll go with you.”

  Kayla frowned, and I could tell she was two seconds away from punching Bethany or doing something just as stupid in her endeavor to save me.

  “It’s okay,” I reiterated. “Find Hunter.”

  Kayla nodded, visibly relieved she didn’t need to get physical.

  “Hunter is already aware.” Bethany tugged on my arm again.

  Anger bubbled inside of me, and I knew if I didn’t get it under control, then I was going to prove to her how easily I could’ve made those markings in the earth.

  I shook my arm free and gave her a warning look, which to my surprise, she accepted.

  Bethany turned on her heel and headed toward the elevator, glancing over her shoulder to make sure I was following.

  I mouthed to Kayla, “I’ll be fine.” Then I caught up to Bethany as the elevator arrived.

  She refused to make eye contact with me the entire way to Bishop’s office and absently wiped her brow on multiple occasions, which had my nerves on edge, afraid she knew about my little fire problem.

  Hell, who was I kidding? She already knew about my fire issue after what I’d done to Hunter.

  Bishop’s office was ice cold, tempting me to call on the inbuilt heater within me, because it was almost unbearable.

  As usual, he was sitting in his chair behind his desk. His laptop was open and various photos of the crows and the lawn markings were strewn across his desk. “Any idea what happened here?”

  I shrugged, a frown forming on my face when I spotted the cannister that had housed the class D Demon sitting on the bookshelf behind his desk. Yet another reminder of how dangerous I was. Refocusing, I said, “I only saw the crows a few seconds before Bethany turned up.”

  Be
thany scoffed. “You can’t believe her. She’s the only one around here with the means and the ability to pull this off.”

  With a horrified look on my face, I said, “You can’t be serious?”

  “You’re damn right I’m serious. I saw the way you looked at me upstairs. You were losing control.”

  “You were pissing me off,” I said, a little too loudly. “Tell me, do you man-handle all your students that way.”

  “I didn’t—”

  Bishop sighed. “Where were you last night between ten and seven this morning?”

  “I was with Hunter at his place then I came home and went to sleep.”

  “And can anyone verify that?”

  “If you’re asking if Hunter stayed, then no. And Kayla was asleep in her room.” I shook my head in disbelief. “You know with all the technology available these days, I can’t believe you don’t have any cameras. Because if you did, then you’d know it wasn’t me. I was asleep, then I woke up, got ready, came out of our apartment with Kayla, and saw all the teachers rushing to the window.” I turned to Bethany. “I mean, how do we know it wasn’t you who did it?”

  Horrified by my accusation, her mouth dropped open. “Why would I do that?”

  “To get rid of me. You don’t trust me, and this could be an easy way for you to convince Bishop and whoever else the powers might be to send me away.”

  “I would never—”

  “And neither would I.”

  Bishop swept the photos into a pile then handed them to me. “Do any of these mean anything to you?”

  Reluctantly, I took the photos. “This is a waste of time.” I looked through the photos, flipping through one after the other, looking at dead crow after dead crow. “Nothing.” I handed them back to him. “I don’t even know any spell that uses that kind of magic, or did you forget I only learned I was a Dark a few months ago?”

  “We’re acutely aware.” He placed them into a folder, handing them to Bethany. “We need to keep this between us for now.”

  Horrified, she said, “You can’t be serious. We are not equipped to deal with the likes of her.”

  I felt like saying I wasn’t equipped to deal with myself, but I thought better than to add more fuel to her fire.