I got a letter in the mail from my mother two weeks ago, informing me that there was a remote cabin three hours away waiting for me. Away from humans and supernaturals, it was meant to be my safe-haven, but I knew better. It was just another cage. I was too dangerous to other supernaturals. She didn’t want me running into any of my kind. I had a long life of loneliness ahead of me. At least I was able to take online college courses. Although, I was lying to myself if I thought I was ever going to be able to use those skills in the world.
“When we move to LA, I’m going to shave my head,” Reed declared with a broad smile as he twisted to face me.
I rather liked his shaggy red hair; it suited his green eyes and pink lips. But I always supported whatever decisions he made about his body. I understood what it was like to be trapped in something that didn’t feel like yourself.
“We should get matching tattoos, too.”
I smiled at the thought of ink peppering his freckled skin. It hurt me to lie to him, but my entire life felt like an act ever since I’d been exiled to live with humans. Reed knew me better than most, but it still only scratched the surface of my existence. I wanted nothing more than to go with him to LA and live a human life. I wanted to explore life outside of my mother’s grasp with my best friend, away from the hate and fear of the supernaturals, but that fate wasn’t meant for me. I was a Void. A girl could dream though.
“My first tattoo is going to be Betty on my arm with a heart around her,” I joked while brushing the dust off my black sweats that were too tight to be considered loungewear. I couldn’t actually get tattoos either. My body rejected them. My body rejected most everything. Drugs, alcohol, and people.
There was only one thing my body wanted. Power.
I looked down at my creamy skin as if I could see the dark magic trapped beneath. I was out of uniform, my crop top riding up so high it nearly showed off a good portion of underboob. I was so sick of the oversized uniforms that I promised myself that the moment I moved to the cabin, I’d go buck naked for a week straight, cold weather be damned.
Reed and I had busted ass to graduate a semester early. We’d stayed up late studying most nights, forgoing the forbidden parties in the dorm rooms, to piss off our controlling parents and grumpy headmaster by getting the hell out of this damn school. Both of us turned eighteen this year, which meant that the only thing holding us here was a diploma. We tested out of the easy courses and aced final exams. Even though I knew nothing awaited me after this, I still wanted Reed to get out of this hellhole where he was bullied daily and criticized for who he was at his core.
I guess, in many ways, we connected because we were both hated and ostracized for who we were, and we bonded because of our desire to get the fuck away.
“My first tattoo is going to be Molly in script over my heart. I wanna always remember where I came from. That poor girl survived a lot,” Reed replied while staring at the joint in his hand, rolling it between his fingers as smoke circled his wrist.
I smiled with understanding. Reed wasn’t the sort to shy away from the shit that bothered him. He wore it proudly on his chest, like armor.
I brushed my fingers over my amber amulet adorned in a silver cage. Closing my eyes, I tried to picture the future Reed painted while remembering why it wasn’t possible for me to escape. I was a Void. I was deadly to supernaturals and hated for it. My necklace was a reminder of everything I was capable of but also the only thing keeping me safe.
“I think that’ll be great. But you might have to explain it to future girlfriends. Girls get jealous when they think their boyfriend is holding a torch for an ex.”
Reed snorted and took another slow drag of his joint, holding it in his chest for as long as he could before coughing it out. I looked around the safety of our attic space. We’d hidden here so many times over the years. I’d been shipped off here when I was ten, and Reed came just a year later. I’d had zero friends. The girls had made fun of me when I woke up one night after a nightmare and started talking about magic. Reed had been instantly ostracized too for having a “boy” haircut and walking to his own beat. This attic space was our sanctuary from all the judgmental bullshit, and I’d be sad to see it go, but more importantly, I was sad to see Reed go. I took in the dust covering the floor and the tacked posters on the wall. I’d miss this—hanging out, just the two of us. Reed might not know anything about the existence of supernaturals, but he knew me without just seeing the Void, and that meant more to me than anything.
“I hope any girlfriends I have would know about Molly long before seeing the tattoo,” he replied.
I always liked how he referred to his alternate ego like she was a separate entity, similar to how I felt about my power—the Void. It was a part of me but still autonomous from me. It was deadly and dangerous. I’d always considered myself a pacifist, but the supernatural community saw differently.
I leaned forward and kicked his boot before snatching the joint from his hands. “To Molly,” I said with a half grin before taking another worthless drag. The smoke filled my lungs and then disappeared up against rafters.
Handing it back, Reed replied with enthusiasm before inhaling. “To Molly!”
The trap door opened as we laughed, and brunette hair appeared, ruining the camaraderie of the moment. A frowning face popped up, and I watched in amusement as Poppy Rhodes’ nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell. Reed scowled the moment Poppy situated herself on the platform near the stairs. She was in uniform—she was always in uniform. The white button up top was fastened all the way to her chin, and the pleated, plaid skirt hit her knee. I bet she slept in the damn school’s attire, all the way down to our standardized knee highs.
“Headmistress is looking for you, Devicka,” she said while looking at me and avoiding Reed’s gaze. It was awkward, to say the least. They’d had a hot moment in the girl’s bathroom three months ago and had been avoiding each other ever since. Poppy was controlled by...well, control. She didn’t like outlying variables. She liked everything just so. She liked following a plan. And being attracted to Reed was something she wasn’t quite sure how to cope with.
“When isn’t she looking for me?” I replied coolly, though a sense of anxiety gathered in my gut.
With graduation just around the corner, I wasn’t in the mood for any last minute demerits or lectures. I’d barely survived as it was. It was hard juggling the need to take risks with my desire to finish school and get out of here. Knowing her, she’d fail me on an easy subject just to keep me under her thumb for another semester. My mother would probably tip her for it, maybe buy the school a new wing.
Poppy shook her head, her eyes oddly lit up with excitement that I wasn’t used to seeing from her. “You don’t get it. There’s some hot guy here saying he’s friends with your mother. Everyone is talking about it,” Poppy rushed out with a smirk, and I had a feeling the only reason she was here was to report back on who this mystery guy was. Being at an all-girls school made my classmates dick-crazed. I was sure everyone was snapping photos and drawing hearts around the poor guy’s name.
A hot guy? My mother? That could only mean one thing. I cringed.
I stood up and fluffed out my blonde hair that flowed down to the middle of my back before tightening the drawstrings on my sweats. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“I’ll come with,” Reed said before a thump sounded behind me.
I turned around to look at Reed and laughed when I saw him sprawled out on the floor, his tongue flopped out. He was trying to lick his lips but kept hitting his chin. “That’s okay. You should probably stay here. You’re high as fuck.” I snickered, though the sound felt forced. I was glad we decided to let loose tonight; otherwise, he would’ve insisted on coming with me. He always had my back, and I had his.
“You’re probably right,” he replied before rolling his neck and stretching out onto the floor. He jutted out his hips before spreading his thighs apart to rest his hand between them. Poppy stared at him
, licking her lips before shaking her head. Yeah, she had it bad.
“Okay,” I said, bending down to peck a kiss on his forehead. “See you later.”
“See ya,” he said, breathing out another puff before waving me away.
I bumped Poppy’s shoulder on my way over, motioning for her to descend the stairs. She eagerly placed her Mary Janes on the steps and scaled down, and I followed after her, closing the trap door behind me.
I was so preoccupied with getting to the ground that I didn’t notice scraping my palm against a rough patch of wood until blood started trickling down my arm. I winced at the pain. “Dammit.”
“You okay?” Poppy asked once my feet were firmly planted on the ground. She gave me a cool once-over as I cradled my hand against my chest, accidentally smearing more blood against my shirt and skin.
“Just a little cut,” I gritted out. If I took off my necklace and let my Void out, I knew it would heal. But I would rather stay another semester at Coxcomb’s than risk Mother or one of her associates catching me without it on. The council would have a hissy fit.
“You gonna go change before seeing the Headmistress? It’ll be a demerit if she sees you strutting around like that,” Poppy said, nodding at my outfit.
I looked down at my clothes and shrugged. “It’s nearly lights out. I can say she caught me mid-sleep, and these are my pajamas. I’m not getting changed for a late night summoning.”
Poppy rolled her eyes. That was the problem with her; she followed the rules a little too closely. I saw the desire to be more in her eyes though. “Okay, I’ll uh...see you around,” she said before spinning on her polished heel and heading toward the dorms, her skirt billowing up with a swish on each step.
I stared at her retreating back for a moment before turning in the opposite direction and heading down the dim hallway toward the front office. My flip flops slapped against the cold tile as I walked, making the noise echo around me. Class portraits were framed and lining the walls, each photo filled with fake smiles and gloomy skies. When I finally made it to the front, Headmistress Coxcomb—or Mistress Cock, as Reed and I liked to call her behind her back—was pacing the floor in front of her office. The moment her blue eyes landed on my casual strut, she frowned.
“Where have you been? I summoned you an hour ago,” she hissed as spit collected on her wrinkled lips.
Mistress Cock was elderly and chronically traditional. She always wore a black business suit and one-inch pumps. She kept her long, gray hair in a coiled updo pinned as tight as her rigid rules. I knew the moment she realized I wasn’t prim and proper because her scowl deepened. “What are you wearing?” Her eyes roamed over me, and I pulled my hand behind my back to hide the bleeding, praying that it was dark enough to cover the crimson stain on my shirt. Knowing her, she’d make me scrub the laundry for the next week.
“My pajamas. I was sleeping.”
“Don’t lie to me, Miss Cainson. You weren’t in your room!” she sneered while crossing her arms over her chest.
“Maybe you weren’t looking hard enough.”
We had a silent standoff, each of us straightening our postures to see who would break first. Humans had a sixth sense about supernaturals. They knew in their blood when they were the prey. I think that’s why she gave me so much hell over the years. She knew that I was a threat, but couldn’t explain her fear of me without looking weak. She liked the power she held over her students too much. She liked putting people under her thumb and pressing until they bled. I’m sure it was why Mother picked this school in the first place.
“We don’t have time for this. Someone apparently important is here to see you. Some kind of diplomat from America. If you want to look like a foolish girl while meeting him, that’s on you.”
A diplomat? That’s what they were gonna call it? I wanted to roll my eyes. Instead, I bit my tongue.
I knew what they wanted. I was being summoned. My amulet started to vibrate against my skin as if in preparation to work overtime to keep my powers at bay. I hadn’t been near a supe in six months. Every time I was around one after a long hiatus, my power came back with a starving vengeance. I dreaded it.
Trying to hide my dismay, I nodded once. Mistress Cock seemed to enjoy the way my face had drained of blood, because her expression turned cocky. “Are you in some sort of trouble, Miss Cainson? Maybe I should sit in on this meeting.” She was practically glowing at the opportunity to finally put me in my place.
“That won’t be necessary,” a cool voice said.
I hadn’t even noticed her office door crack open. My amulet buzzed even harder, and I started to tremble as it worked overtime to hold the cravings back. My mouth went dry. My entire body suddenly felt starved. I drew my brown eyes to the man standing in the threshold who was full of delicious, dark power, and I wanted nothing more than to drain him dry.
I dropped my eyes to the ground, trying to force the cravings at bay. If he saw the hunger there, he’d see my weakness. I had to get myself under control. I wanted to run in the other direction, but what good would that do with a supernatural who had super-speed? I should’ve stayed in the attic with Reed. Shuffling my feet, I followed him into Mistress Cock’s office and flinched when the door slammed shut behind us.
I took a steadying breath and clenched my teeth, trying to get my intense cravings under control. He tsked under his tongue like he found me lacking. “You don’t seem nearly as impressive as everyone claims. Are you shaking?” the smooth voice asked with a chuckle, making me snap my eyes back to his. He regarded my face with a hum before his nose picked up my scent. “You’re bleeding,” he said with a scowl, not giving me a chance to even take in his appearance. He flashed forward toward me, quicker than I could blink, invading my space with his cinnamon smell. His nose was on my neck in an instant, sniffing me as my pulse thudded.
What the fuck was my mother doing sending a godsdamn vampire?
I finally lifted my head. “Looking for this?” I asked while holding my hand up. The blood was still freshly flowing from my palm, coating my skin with sticky warmth. This was a risk, testing his ability to hold back despite the treat I offered. There weren’t many vampires that could restrain themselves. It would make any vampire instantly hungry. I understood hunger all too well. I was constantly starving. But unlike vampires, it wasn’t blood that my immortality craved. It was power.
“You like tempting vampires?” he asked while eyeing my hand. I recognized his disgust at his own cravings, had even felt the guilty hatred within myself more times than I could count. I didn’t like that my hunger took over my better judgment. I craved control, and the darkness was something uncontrollable. “Too bad you’re just a dirty Void,” he sneered before grabbing my wrist and flicking his tongue out to lick the wound. Vampires had healing properties in their saliva. It allowed them to drink from humans without leaving a mark. Their venom had other abilities...like the ability to induce mind-numbing lust and pleasure.
“Can’t handle the temptation?” I grimaced as his tongue traveled over my skin.
“You don’t tempt me,” he replied, as I watched the puncture in my palm seal shut. He quickly pulled away and wiped his mouth with his hand, like he wanted to erase the taste from his lips. I’d never been tasted by a vampire before. Even though he hadn’t used any venom on me, the sight of him licking my palm had been almost sensual.
I swiped my hand on my sweats, trying to act nonplussed. He made his way across the room to the roaring fireplace which was crackling with warmth. He wanted more, I could tell. But to him and every other supe, I was like a disease. He wanted nothing to do with me. He fought his basic instinct to sink his fangs into me and drink more of my blood because of what I was—deadly.
My eyes moved to take in his appearance, and I looked at his angular face. He was about my age, maybe a bit older, with a sharp nose and steely eyes filled with loathing. Thick eyelashes cast shadows along his hard cheeks and dark scruff covered his jaw. He was taller than I was.
The cloak he wore hid his body, but I sensed he was just as chiseled as every other vampire in existence. They were always painfully strong. A perk of their power. The man was hot and dangerous. I could feel his power in the room like a heavy blanket over my shoulders.
“Who are you?” I asked, reaching up to grab my amulet.
“Render Tillson, Vampire Paragon for the council and now, your babysitter,” he said with a frown while looking me over. He ran a hand through his dark hair before casting his gaze on the amulet perched between my breasts.
My blonde brows shot up in surprise. There are only four paragons in all of America, chosen by the council leaders, one of each: vampire, shifter, elemental, and necromancer. The four most powerful supernatural breeds. As a paragon, he was being groomed at Thibault Academy to one day take over as a council member and lead the other vampires. The fact that he was even here was a big deal, and dread filled me like a boiling pot of water.
Now that the temptation of blood was gone, he was taking me in. Hot brown eyes lingered on my bare stomach and fluttered up to my chest where dried blood sat on my cleavage. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to come back over and lick that too, and that image set fire in my body. My desire for power wasn’t limited to the Void apparently. My libido craved it too.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Your particular skills are required. There’s a vampire in my community that got cursed with bloodlust. She killed forty people. The council has ordered for you to take her vampirism away.”
I frowned while clutching the necklace around my neck even tighter. Render eyed the large piece of jewelry with disdain and distrust, his grayish eyes growing dark at the spelled orange gem nestled in an ornate silver design. My father found it the year after my Void powers came out. It kept away my urge to feed, but every time I took it off, the hunger came back with a vengeance. Last time, the pain of it had nearly knocked me out. Suppressing my shadowed powers had consequences, but not wearing the necklace was worse. I was a danger to any supe I came across. One brush of my skin and I could ruin them, suck them dry of their powers and leave them as empty husks. Last time I just had to stand near my victim. My powers were growing more difficult to contain, and I didn’t like to test its boundaries.
Vivid Avowed (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 3) Page 41