“What happened then?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“I was about to kill the demon when Tanner showed up. He killed the demon and was hailed a hero by Claire.”
“Don’t tell me she didn’t think it was suspicious for him to be there in the middle of the night, when the book was missing, and there was a fucking demon on the loose?”
“Exactly,” she said, exasperated. “I tried talking to her about it today, and she cut me off, saying that Tanner would never do that.”
I scoffed. “Right.”
“So you agree with me. He’s suspicious, right? I have to investigate him.”
I didn’t like that. “Erin, I understand your need to find out more about what’s happening, but you should be careful. If Tanner is behind all that, then he’s not a good guy.”
Her face hardened again. “You've made it perfectly clear you don't care about me, Rey, so please, don’t concern yourself with my safety.” Like a petulant child, she crossed her arms and faced straight ahead.
I gripped the wheel of my car, until my knuckles became white, trying hard to contain all the words stuck in my throat. If I had a choice, I would never leave her side. I would be there with her, training her. I would be looking for this fucking legend with her, and I would be there when the demon attacked to protect her.
But it couldn’t be that way. In my mind, I sounded like a fucking broken record, but it was true. I knew Erin was in danger just for being who she was, but with me around her? It was double the danger. And if Randall found out about my feelings for her? He would manipulate me even more. He might even manipulate her. I couldn’t allow it.
She was better off without me and my tainted life.
The tension and animosity remained heavy the rest of the way to the half-demon settlement. Soon, I veered my car off the road, and parked when we had nowhere else to go.
Erin hopped out of the car and hugged herself against the chilly wind. “What now?”
“According to Randall, we head this way and should find it in less than a mile.”
“Fantastic,” she said, her tone sarcastic.
She trudged forward and I was glad she was wearing snow boots. At least her feet wouldn’t get cold.
What the fuck was I thinking?
Keeping a safe distance from Erin, I marched through the forest, sinking my boots in the snow. At least here the naked branches of the trees were so close that the snow wasn’t deep.
It was easy to spot when we got close to the settlement. The snow had been shoveled away, first as paths, then it spread as a small clearing appeared. A big bonfire sat in the center of the clearing, many tree trunks lined around it, serving as benches. Beyond it, small cottages lined the trees.
And between it all—talking, sitting, walking—were the half-demons.
Noticing our presence, they all froze and looked at us.
“Come on,” I whispered to Erin, walking into the clearing.
A man stood up from one of the trunks and took a few steps toward us. He was of average height, with dark skin and messy black hair. With the opulent fur coat around his shoulders, he looked big, stocky, but I could be mistaken.
“Who are you?” he asked, halting a few feet from us.
I halted too, and a moment later, Erin stopped half a foot behind me. “I’m Rey Lowe, and this is Erin Delman.” Technically, Erin was now Belmont. Delman had been a decoy her aunt had created to hide their real name. But no one knew about that yet, so we kept using her fake last name. “We’re half-demons like you.”
The man wrinkled his nose, and the nasty scar cutting from the corner of his lips to his ear became more noticeable. “Are you here seeking refuge? How did you find us?”
“Actually, we’re here to talk to you and make you an offer,” I said, aiming for a stable and diplomatic tone. To this man, I was a twenty-two-year-old half-demon, while he was at least ten years older than that. He probably thought he could intimidate me.
He tilted his head. “An offer?”
“We’re not only half-demons, but also half demon hunter,” I told him. “We study at the Blackthorn Hunters Academy. Our headmaster, Randall Boucher, knows about our heritage and he doesn’t mind. In fact, he would like to offer—”
The man scoffed loudly. “I don’t like Randall.”
Of course he had heard of Randall. Who in the supernatural world hadn’t? “I understand your sentiment, but you should hear the offer. Maybe it’ll change your mind.”
“Excuse me. What’s your name?” Erin asked, stepping forward, slightly in front of me. Her beautiful face was passive and her eyes twinkled bright.
The man regarded her with a scowl. “I’m Daermarn.”
“Hi, Daermarn, I’m Erin Delman,” she started with a faint smile. “I’ll be honest, I’m new to this whole thing. It was only about seven months ago that I found out I’m half demon hunter, and a half-demon. Even so, I can see this is an opportunity. Headmaster Randall trusts Rey and me, despite our heritage, which shows he cares about us. What the headmaster wants is to integrate half-demons into our society. It’s a chance for every half-demon to come out into the light and stop hiding.”
Daermarn watched Erin with narrowed eyes. “That is quite interesting, but what do we have to do in return?”
“Join the headmaster’s half-demon group, the Black Knight Unit, and work with us toward this goal,” Erin said, sounding like a saleswoman. I had to hand it to her. Her words were compelling and I could see Daermarn relaxing.
“That all sounds like a dream come true, but like I said, I don’t trust Randall,” Daermarn said. “I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
Erin’s eyes rounded.
On instinct, I channeled my magic, ready to put up a fight if they tried to hurt us.
“Stop being such a jackass, Daer.”
I turned to the new voice. Vaira walked into the clearing. “What are you doing here?” I asked, confused.
Ignoring me, Vaira walked to Daermarn. When she was in arm’s reach, he clasped his hand around her waist and tugged her close. “I’m not being a jackass,” Daermarn said, his voice softer.
Wait …
Vaira glanced at me. “I’m here because Daermarn is my partner.” Then she looked at him. “I’ve talked to Randall and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I believe him. He wants to help us.”
“You believe him?” Daermarn asked incredulously.
Vaira nodded. “I do. And you should too.”
He frowned at her, but didn’t say anything. It was as if they could communicate through their eyes, their minds. Were they soulmates?
I glanced at Erin, who stood stiffened by my side, waiting for an answer. My soulmate was by my side, and she didn’t even know it.
“All right,” Daermarn said, capturing my attention. “I'm not taking part in this, but I’ll let my people decide for themselves. If they want to join this Black Knight Unit, I won’t stop them. However, I want immunity for our town.”
I frowned. It wasn’t in my power to grant him immunity. “I’ll talk to Randall and make the request.”
Daermarn nodded. “Sounds good enough. For now.”
With Vaira on his arm, Daermarn turned to his people, who had all gathered around the bonfire while we talked, and he explained the offer. Vaira chipped in, saying she was a part of the Black Knight Unit and she believed in it.
In the end, half of the settlement agreed to join. Vaira went around, collecting their names on a list for us and delivering the silver coin amulets. Then, a while later, she handed the list to me.
“Thank you,” I said to her as I took the list.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “This wasn’t free, Rey. You owe me a favor now.”
Fuck. “I should have known.”
She nodded at Erin, then walked back to the rest of the group.
Clearly dismissed, Erin and I made our way back to the car. During the drive to the academy, Erin remained silent, lost in her thoughts. Min
e swam over words of what to say. I wanted to tell her she had done well, that she had swayed Daermarn, and even if Vaira hadn’t come along, she would have persuaded him to allow his people to join our cause.
But I didn’t. Instead, I held my fucking tongue, knowing that the more I told her, the more I talked to her, the worse it would be.
For her and for me.
As instructed, we went directly to Randall’s office at the Aster building once we got back to the academy.
Randall was waiting for us, eager to hear about the deal. “So?” he asked, his fingers steepled over his desk.
“We were able to get half the settlement to join the Black Knight Unit,” I told him. Erin and I stood on the other side of his desk, like two rigid statues.
“Only half?” His tone wasn’t happy.
“Unfortunately, the leader Daermarn doesn't trust you, but he allowed his people to choose. Half of his people sign up for the unit,” Erin said, once more sounding calm and wise. “Unless he gives in, I doubt there will be any way to convince them all to join us.”
Randall stared at Erin, his eyes hard. Focused. Alert. He had noticed how she wasn’t questioning why Daermarn didn’t trust Randall, and she didn’t seem worried about it either, which probably made him worried. I knew he wanted her under his thumb. Both of us for that matter.
“Daermarn made a request,” I continued. “He asked for immunity for himself and the rest of the settlement. Otherwise, his people will withdraw from the unit.”
Randall grunted under his breath. “Fine. I’ll grant them immunity. But I’m not done with them. We’ll schedule another day when you two will go back and convince the other half to join us.”
I bowed my head slightly. “Yes, sir.” I took a step back, ready to turn and leave.
“I have another job for you two,” Randall said, looking from me to Erin and back to me. “I want you to find Zachary—and dispose of him.”
Erin inhaled a sharp breath.
I frowned. “Dispose of him?”
“Yes,” Randall said, annoyed. “He’s becoming a threat and risks exposing the unit before we’re ready to reveal it to our society.”
“But—”
“You two have magical deals with me,” Randall continued, cutting Erin’s protest before it even started. “Contracts, you might want to call them. If I tell you to do something, you do it. And right now, I’m telling you that Zachary is a liability. He needs to be found and disposed of. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” I spoke first.
“You can go now.” Randall lowered his gaze to the papers on his desk.
I turned to walk to the door, but Erin remained in her spot, glaring at Randall with her hands closed into tight fists. I grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the office, before she did or said something she would regret.
She resisted at first, but then she let me drag her into the cold night. Once the chilly wind hit our faces, she woke up. With a knot between her brows, she tugged her arm free from my grip.
“You weren’t serious, right?” she asked. “We aren’t going to kill Zachary, right?”
“Erin …”
She took a large step back, her frown deepening. “He didn’t really do anything wrong. We’re the ones who messed up his life.”
“I know that, but it’s an order from Randall,” I explained. “We can’t resist it, not for long. And if we try to resist it, he’ll manipulate us even more. I bet that if you move against his wishes, he’ll expose your true heritage before you’re ready.” I knew Randall had talked to her about it, and they planned on telling everyone that she was a half-demon when he introduced the Black Knight Unit. “He’ll also punish, or even kill me for disobeying him. After all, he owns me now.”
Her lower lip trembled into a small pout. “This isn’t fair.”
I scoffed. “My life hasn’t been fair. Not even once.”
“Don’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
She fixed those intense golden eyes on mine. “Because then I feel like hugging and comforting you.”
Holy fuck.
Trying hard not imagining how amazing it would be to have her hold me and comfort me, I cleared my throat. “Anyway, there’s no way around it. We’ll have to kill Zachary.”
19
Erin
Like Rey had said, I could feel the headmaster’s orders deep in my bones, demanding to be answered. Because of it, I looked for Zachary, but not very hard. Since we got the orders to kill him two weeks ago, Zachary hadn’t been seen on campus and his wife didn’t know where he was. So while Rey ran around, trying to find him, I focused on the preparations for the Spring Hunters’ Ball, which was coming up soon.
One morning, I was supposed to meet Thierry to check if all the guests had gotten their invitations and start the RSVP list, but he didn’t come. Instead, he sent me a note saying he could do that by himself, and I should help with the decorations.
Feeling like I had been dumped, I went to the ballroom on the first floor of the Aster building—it was an impressive oval room, large and tall, with long dark framed windows, smooth beige stone flooring, and black vines and thorns chandeliers. The academy crest, probably taller than me, hung from one of the walls. The room was opulent and oozed importance; I could imagine the place filled with tables and chairs, and people dressed in fancy gowns and suits.
In the middle of the room, Ava sat at a big round table, going over a list of the materials spread out around her.
She glanced over the clipboard in her arms and instantly frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“I was sent to help with decorations,” I told her, though all I wanted was to pretend I hadn’t heard that and walk away.
“There isn’t much to do now,” she said, her voice tight. “I won’t start decorations for another week or so.”
I could see why, since the ball was still two weeks away. “Is there any other way I can help?” If I had a choice, I wouldn’t spend one more minute around her, but I really didn’t want to be called out later for being assigned the tasks and not delivering them.
“No, there’s nothing.” She glanced down to her list. “The fabric and other supplies I’ll need arrived for the decorations, so now I’m making sure the order is all here.“ She put the clipboard down, and started rummaging through the boxes on the tables, looking for something. The large table was so crammed, one of the boxes slid to the floor.
I picked it up. “For the record, I don’t like you either, but I think you could use a hand. Tell me the item name and number, or whatever, and I’ll find it.”
She stared at me for a moment. “All right. I’ll let you help me, but no talking!”
I shrugged. “Just the way I want it.”
She grunted before rattling out the number and model of some paper, and I dug into the boxes, searching for it.
To my surprise, Ava was able to keep quiet while we worked. And we kind of worked well together. She told me which box I would find the item, the item number, and I separated it into another pile, and she checked the item off her list.
I frowned, just now realizing she was working alone. “Where’s Doreen?”
“Busy,” she said before telling me about another roll of fabric.
I found it a second later and fished it out of the box. “So odd. Thierry didn’t give me an explanation, but since he’s not here, I bet he’s busy too.” I placed the fabric roll on the pile of checked items. “Do the hunters have something going on?” Suddenly, Ava lowered her head and her shoulders shook. I froze. “Are you crying?”
Ava shook her head, but it was obvious she was crying. I stared at her for another moment, not sure what to do. Then, I fished some tissue from my tote bag and offered it to her.
I might not like her, but I couldn’t ignore such earnest crying either.
She took the tissue paper from me. “Thanks,” she muttered, before blowing her nose.
I sat down beside her. “Wha
t’s wrong?”
“It’s Harvey,” she said in a low voice. I rolled my eyes. Really? She wanted talk to me about Harvey now? But her next words shocked me to the core. “He’s missing.”
I held my breath. “What?”
She lifted her blue eyes to me. “I went to his dorm room last night to talk to him, but when I got there, his door was half-open and there was blood on the floor. I called the guards. I was sent away, but Doreen told me to be quiet about it.” Her lips trembled. “She said that they don’t want to start a panic. School is supposed to be safe, and if students start vanishing like that, parents will start yanking kids out of the academy.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I muttered, thinking.
“Right? I understand Doreen’s reservations, but there’s something odd going on. When Brianne fell from the tower last semester, we all knew about it a few minutes later. This time, it has been over twelve hours and no one knows about it yet.”
I frowned. It did sound odd. “When was the last time you saw him?”
She sniffed, trying to stop crying. “Yesterday morning, during class.”
I thought about my schedule. I didn’t have any afternoon classes with him yesterday. Could he have disappeared then?
“I’m having trouble just sitting here and working on this while our friend is missing,” I said.
“That’s why this shit is taking so long. Because I can’t focus.” She dropped the clipboard on the table. “What do you suggest we do?”
“I say we go investigate this ourselves.”
One corner of her lips tugged up. “I like that idea.”
Now that I knew about Harvey's disappearance, I felt an urge to do something, and yet, the academy went on as if nothing had happened. While Ava and I walked to the Snapdragon building, the other students walked to and from the Statice and Orchid buildings, coming and going to classes. Professors, most who probably knew what was going on, ushered everyone inside as if they would get bad marks for being late.
But I had seen a few more guards than usual patrolling the pathways between the buildings.
When we got to the third floor of the Snapdragon building, the right side of the building, where Harvey’s room was located, was closed off. A guard stood in the hallway, telling people that there was a problem in one of the bathrooms and they were working on it.
The Hunter Secret (Rite World: Blackthorn Hunters Academy Book 2) Page 13