My hands went up in surrender. “All I’m saying is that nobody cares and you’re just causing yourself more grief than necessary by not exploring what could be. Tomorrow isn’t promised.”
She adjusted her robe and nodded before going to her butler box. “Coffee?”
And that was the end of that conversation. As awkward as it was to think about my aunt and my dragon DNA donor together, I also remembered Jules wasn’t my aunt by blood, so there wasn’t anything wrong with their feelings. I just wouldn’t be calling her Aunt Jules anymore if they actually got together.
“Yes, coffee, please. Oh, and a chocolate muffin, too,” I finally answered.
She ordered food, then excused herself to get dressed while we waited. Breakfast came while she was still busy, so I set the table and began to whistle a random tune until she finally emerged.
“Someone’s a little eager this morning,” she mused, seeming happy to finally be talking about something other than herself.
“Well, can you blame me? I need to know we’re all on the same page. It’s been driving me crazy.”
Her hand covered mine on the table. “You can rest easy. Between what I had to say, followed by Phox, and then Amalia, we’re all on the same page, and we will be moving forward with the plans that Phox proposed to us last night. The council sends their apologies for not taking you more seriously before.”
Ha, I bet they did.
“So, what now? I know Phox pushed for us to go to New Orleans, but how do we make that happen? It’s the only place Malina hasn’t been. I don’t see why she would all of a sudden.”
“Marek has an idea for that. Something he’s been working on that he hasn’t revealed yet. A theory he’d like to test once more before telling us about it.”
Sipping my coffee, I wondered when he would have had time to work on said theory but decided it didn’t matter as long as it was successful.
We continued to talk about how the council meeting went, and I learned they wanted us to leave within the week. My stomach twisted with equal parts dread and excitement.
Just when we were almost finished, there was a knock at her door. “Expecting anyone?” I asked.
“Nope, but then again, I hadn’t been expecting you at the crack of dawn either.”
She stood to answer the door, and as she did, Enzo’s voice boomed from the other side. “I know you’re in there, Raegan, and yes, you’re in trouble.”
She raised a brow at me. “You left him sleeping in bed, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.” I grinned.
She shook her head and opened the door. “Break anything in my room and I’ll break your nose, elf.”
“As long as she’s here and in one piece, then we don’t have anything to worry about. I’ll dish out her punishment later in private.”
Jules shuddered, and I sighed. Last time he’d “punished” me, I’d been left hot and bothered on the stairs. I’d have to avoid that at all costs.
“I thought we were going to come see Jules together?” He glowered at me.
“Well, I couldn’t sleep, and you looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to disturb you.” That was a lie and he knew it, but he let me get away with it. Really, I had just wanted some alone time with my aunt, and he’d given it to me for as long as he could handle.
“Whatever you say, Dear. Now that I’m here, I’m assuming since Raegan hasn’t stormed in on the council members that everything went as we hoped?”
Jules nodded. “Yes, we’re all in agreement about what to do next.”
“Good. Well, I have something to add, but I was waiting to see what the council thought of the situation before I mentioned it.” Enzo took a seat, and I eyeballed him.
“Something you failed to tell me first?”
He grinned. “Yep. You would have been the first to know, but you weren’t there when I woke up.”
Damn him. He had a point, so I couldn’t argue. I considered doing it anyway but decided hearing what he had to say was more important than being a pain in his ass like I loved.
“Anyway, when Malina was there yesterday, she’d opened a portal in hopes of taking Talon. As I mentioned before to Raegan, we at least stopped her from doing that, but while it was open, a vampire almost came through from wherever it originated. A vampire I’ve seen before.”
My hand had just reached for my chocolate muffin, but it stopped mid-air as my head slowly turned toward him and my eyes shot daggers his way. “Excuse me? This was something you could have told me last night. Me leaving this morning had nothing to do with it.”
“You were already stressed, and I knew more information was only going to make it worse. Now that we know what we’re doing, I figured I’d share.” He shrugged casually like I wasn’t about ready to choke him.
“Well, are you going to tell us who the vampire was?” Jules asked, clearly annoyed with our stand-off.
“I don’t know his name, but we saw him in New Orleans once when Amalia was showing us around the quarter the second day. The guy with the nasty scar on his cheek.”
That dude had been hard to forget, because he’d frightened the shit out of me. His scar should have healed cleaner than it did with his supernatural abilities, but it hadn’t, and Meme refused to talk about it when I asked.
“So, what was he doing?” I asked, no longer upset that he’d withheld information. Honestly, I wouldn’t have slept at all if I’d known so it was probably better, but I wouldn’t tell him that. He could figure it out on his own.
“He mostly seemed to be watching us, but when I thought he was going to try and come in, I blasted the portal with a shit ton of energy, and it closed on him. Shortly after that is when Malina left, but she didn’t open another portal, she just sort of disintegrated.”
Jules stood and grabbed her phone off the counter. “We need to call Amalia. That’s Vincent. He’s never caused problems in the quarter before that weren’t easily dealt with. Though, he’s made it known he wasn’t happy with the hierarchy many times before.”
“Do you think he’s the one who took the students?” I asked.
Jules nodded. “It’s certainly probable. If Malina was able to convince him she’d put him toward the top of the food chain, I’d bet everything I own that he gladly became her errand boy.” She pressed a few buttons on her phone and then rested it on the table.
“Everything okay, Jules?” Amalia answered the video chat, but it wasn’t her face that came into view. All we could see was greying hair and the top of her ear.
“Yeah, but we’re on a video call. Look at your screen,” Jules said.
We all held our laughter in as she began to curse her phone. “This old lady doesn’t do technology. You’re lucky I even have this mini-computer. Anyway, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your pretty faces?” When Enzo snorted, she added, “Yes, Enzo, you have a pretty face, too. Though, it’s a little more manly now with the beard you’re trying to grow, so good on you.”
My stomach ached from the laughter that erupted from my body. I loved this woman more than chocolate, and that was saying something.
“Uh, thanks, Amalia.” Enzo backed away from the camera and let Jules and I take over when we stopped laughing.
“We think we know who the vampire is that took the students from up here and he’s from the quarter,” Jules said.
“Do I need to be sitting down for this?” Amalia asked.
“Probably not. You won’t be surprised. Enzo said he saw Vincent with Malina last night. We didn’t know this information when we spoke with you before.”
Amalia narrowed her eyes, and then lowered her voice as she stepped into an alley from the looks of the brick behind her. “I’ll send some people I trust to check out his normal hideaways. I know you’re still missing two of your own, so have Alistair send me their photos and we’ll see what we can turn up. If he brought them back to New Orleans, we’ll find them.”
“Thank you. How did everything go this morning with the other lea
ders?” Jules asked.
“Hasn’t happened yet. I was actually headed to the meeting spot now, but it will be fine. You all just let me know when you’ll be here, and I’ll make sure we’re ready. Malina made a mistake messing with our young. I made sure it didn’t divide us, and she’ll stand to regret her decisions by the time I’m done with her. So will Vincent.”
My lips turned up. “Thank you, Meme. One of us will let you know when we have more information. Let us know if you find Vincent.”
“I will, darling. Now, I need to go. Love you all.”
Instead of hanging up, she simply stuck the phone in her pocket, making us laugh some more, but I didn’t want to frustrate her, so I hung up on our end and handed Jules her phone. “What now?”
“Now, we prepare. Everything is set in motion, and it’s time for final trainings and making a game plan everyone can agree to,” she answered, and Enzo grunted.
“Good luck with that,” he added.
I was thinking the same thing but didn’t add to it. There was no point. We were doing this. One way or another, we’d be facing Malina soon.
I’m ready. Like Amalia said, she’s going to regret the day she came after you, Chelle said in a menacing tone that had my whole body shivering.
Letting my dragon out when she was so pissed off didn’t seem like the best idea if I wanted to maintain any type of control, but I’d use her when the time was right. We’d do this together.
“Alright, you two. I need to get ready if we’re all done here. Seeing as how I was so rudely interrupted this morning, I need to do a few other things,” Jules said.
“Right. That’s why you weren’t dressed yet,” I laughed, needing to give her more shit about Marek, even though she previously said nothing was going on.
She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, it’s Monday. Go meet with your team before class starts. You don’t have much time left for polishing your skills. Marek will be pushing you hard, as will Emmett, on the things you’ve already learned. There’s no point trying to teach anything new at this point.”
“Agreed. We’ll get going and catch up later.” Enzo tugged on me, but I pulled back my hand and gave Jules a hug before we left.
“I’m so thankful for everything you’ve done for me, and I hope you know how much I love you,” I whispered in her ear as I held her tight.
“I love you, too, and I’d do it all over again just to keep you safe. Everything else aside, that’s the most important thing to me.”
We parted ways with emotions high. Considering we were leaving soon, and we truly had no idea how things were going to work out, it was best to make sure we said everything that needed to be said every chance we had. The thought reminded me, I still really needed to speak with Marek. We had some things to clear up sooner rather than later.
Enzo dropped his arm over my shoulder once we entered the hallway. “You okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just getting real now. This is it. Everything else before this was just a trial run, but according to Phox, there will be a clear winner this time around, and there’s a chance it won’t be us. That’s some scary shit when it feels like I’ve only just found all of you. I’m not ready for any of it to go away.”
He squeezed tighter. “And it won’t. We’re going to beat Malina. I won’t let her take anyone else away from you if I have any control over it.”
A smile formed on my face, because I knew that’s what he needed. Enzo needed to see me strong or he’d lose his shit, too, and we couldn’t afford for both of us to fall apart. So, I straightened my shoulders and kept walking by his side. All the while, I knew he had no control over any of it. Whatever was going to happen would ensue regardless of what we wanted.
Even though I was dying a little on the inside, I made a mental vow to remain as positive as I could for the next week or so before we left. I’d take the time to make sure those closest to me knew what they meant to me, and most of all, I’d make sure Enzo was happy and mentally prepared for what we’d be facing.
He didn’t need my stress on him. I already knew he would worry enough for the whole damn school.
Chapter 15
Sixteen days had passed, and it was just about the middle of October. Fall had officially set in, and the trees were beginning to shed their colorful leaves while the breeze blew through. The weather was crisp, students were enjoying the brief glimpses of sun we still saw, and on the outside, everything seemed great.
Though, if one looked deeper, past the fall décor and school festivities, they’d see the tension lying just beneath the surface of anyone who actually gave a damn.
We had expected to receive word back about an attack on Drakken the week prior, but there had been no communication from the dragons. That was either the best thing ever or the worst.
The council had met with the students again, warning them of our departure and offering an early break to those who wanted it. Nobody was going to be forced to stay at the school if they didn’t want to be there, but thankfully, most of the students were made of stronger stuff.
Only a handful went home, mostly those who lived closest to New Orleans. The majority of that group had wanted to be involved in whatever way they could to protect their families, but just a handful of fourth-year students were chosen to be a part of the front lines with us. They were training separately from our group after their normal classes.
My birthday was at the end of the month, not that my twentieth birthday was really anything to celebrate, but I’d completely missed my nineteenth when Enzo and I were in Drakken. It would be nice to not be fighting a psychopath during it, but I wasn’t holding my breath.
Phox had told us we’d have three days to get to New Orleans from the time we heard news of the attacks in Drakken. It wasn’t much of a warning, but knowing it was close helped us to prepare for a moment’s notice.
“Are you gonna tell me what has you looking so pensive over there?” Gemma poked at my side.
We were done with Marek’s class and waiting for the guys to bring us lunch before heading to Professor Melnier’s room, but they were taking their sweet time. Though, the sun was just poking out from the clouds, so we were lying in the grass enjoying its warmth, which made waiting for sustenance more tolerable.
“I was actually thinking about my birthday and how I missed it last year. Does that mean I’m not actually turning twenty this time around?” I teased, keeping the mood light. I’d done an award-winning job at not bringing the heavy stuff into any conversation except for the few chats I’d had with those closest to me. Even then, I had mostly just done my best to make sure they knew I was there for them and how much they meant to me.
I’d accomplished that with everyone but Marek. I was well aware of the fact we were running out of time before we left, but I was being a chicken-shit and didn’t try to deny it at all.
Gemma laughed at my birthday comment. “Not a chance in hell, but good try. Your teens are almost a thing of the past. Don’t worry, we celebrated your birthday last year by thinking you were dead and drank enough bottles of alcohol for all the guests you might have had if you actually had a party.”
I cringed, remembering how badly that had gone when JayLeigh failed to tell any of us there was a massive time difference while on Drakken compared to Earth. Hence, the reason it was taking so long for us to hear back about Malina.
“Let’s worry about any sort of plans when it’s closer,” I said, trying to brush off any thoughts of a party. If we were all still together on my birthday, then that would be celebration enough. It was the only thing I would be asking for.
“So, two weeks away isn’t close enough? I’ll check in next week then.” She rolled her eyes, but thankfully let the subject drop.
Finley showed up and sat on the grass next to us while licking her lips. “They’re giving me the good shit since it’s getting closer to leaving,” she hummed.
“Yeah?” Gemma laughed and I joined in.
“You seem as happy as someo
ne who just got laid,” I joked.
“Maybe I did.” She shrugged as she stretched out next to Gemma.
“You have a new beau we don’t know about?” Gemma asked first.
Finley nudged her teasingly. “Yeah, like I’ve had any time for men since I started training with you crazies. I might as well be considered a nun, and that’s not a good thing.”
I felt for her. Supernaturals were very physical beings. I’d been lucky to have Enzo this whole time. Otherwise, I might have been just as sexually frustrated as her.
“Food’s here, so no more girl talk,” Enzo called from a few feet way.
After walking in on our period schedule talk the week before, he’d learned his lesson about not announcing himself when he joined us.
Half his plate was already gone, and there was nothing left on Talon’s. “A little hungry?” I teased to both of them.
“We’re growing boys. What did you expect?” Talon replied while handing Gemma her food.
He was right. We should have known better and just gone with them. That way, we could have been eating a lot earlier, but enjoying the outdoors had seemed more appealing at the time.
We dug right in, because we only had another ten or so minutes left before heading to our next class, and we needed every bit of energy we could consume.
I was only four bites in when JayLeigh appeared. She’d been tamer as of late, but she was strictly Team Phox while I was still irritated with the dragon seer, so we hadn’t seen much of her while they worked on whatever it was they did.
“Good afternoon,” she said with more friendliness than usual.
“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.
“Why does something have to be wrong?” she asked instead of answering me.
“Because you didn’t insult one of us as soon as you arrived, or give us shit for being lazy and eating, or something equally asinine.”
She narrowed her eyes, glancing at each of us. “Fine, but just remember I tried to do this nicely.”
“Do what nicely?” Enzo leaned forward, instantly on guard.
Daring Provocation (Shadow Veil Academy Book 3) Page 11