Right.
“What do we do now?” Ava asked in a low voice.
“We need a distraction,” I said, looking around.
“I can come up with something.” She headed for the stairs. Like a C-rated movie actress, Ava pretended to trip right on the first step. She yelled and half-climbed and half-rolled down the rest of the stairs.
I watched in shock as she really went for it. She might not be that much of a bad actress after all.
Then, the guard took a step forward, watching us.
This was my chance. “Holy shit, my friend is hurt. Please help.”
The guard hesitated, but finally he walked to me, then rushed down the stairs to help Ava.
Without wasting a second, I ran down the hallway and into Harvey’s room.
I gasped, a hand over my mouth.
There was blood on the floor and in his bed. Some of his books were overturned, and some pens and markers were scattered around the place.
Harvey hadn’t simply disappeared. He had been taken.
I inhaled deeply and summoned my magic—like I had learned from one of the books Claire found for me. I opened my senses and let the air around the room talk to me.
I felt it then. Demonic magic sparkled in several places in response to mine.
Whoever took Harvey was either a demon or had some sort of demonic power.
20
Rey
I had spent the entire fucking night investigating with the guards and the handful of Blackthorn Hunters who had been on campus.
And despite knowing it had been a demon who took Harvey, I didn’t find any more clues.
Tired to the bone and starving, I headed to the cafeteria late in the morning, when I knew the lunch crowd hadn’t arrived yet, snatched some food from the kitchen while it was being cooked, and sat at a corner table to eat.
My plan was to refuel, doze off for a few minutes in my bed, then resume investigating.
I was halfway done with my plate when Erin and Ava entered the cafeteria and headed straight to me.
I frowned, instantly suspicious. What the fuck were the two of them doing together?
They sat down, Erin to my right and Ava to my left.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We know Harvey is missing,” Ava said.
And just like that, I lost my appetite. “I told Randall you would be the first to notice that and this secrecy wouldn’t last long.” I pushed my plate away. “What do you know?”
“We know it was a demon who took him,” Erin said. “I could feel demonic magic in his room.”
This was getting worse. “How did you get into his room? A guard was posted there.”
Erin and Ava shared a glance.
“I improvised,” Ava said, pointing to the bruise on her hand. “Anyway, we know you’re investigating his disappearance and we want to know more about it.”
“We want to help,” Erin said. Her golden eyes softened. “Please.”
How could I resist when she looked at me like that? I let out a long sigh. “I also detected demonic magic in his room, but I’m not sure if it was from a pure demon or a half-demon. My guess is that whoever took him, teletransported out of the academy but—”
“Right,” Erin muttered. “Some higher demons can teletransport.”
“—I can’t track him. I’ve tried, but the spell I know doesn’t work. It’s like whoever took him put a hex on Harvey that prevents him from being tracked.”
“If we can’t track him, how will we find him?” Ava asked, obviously shaken with all of this.
“We’ll find a way,” Erin said, her words sounding true, as if she really believed in it. Or as if she too had to believe in it. “We need ask Claire. She's read all the books at the academy, and more. She might know of different tracking spells, more powerful ones that will work despite a hex.”
Ava nodded once and shot up. Erin was next.
I shook my head. “If anyone finds out I’m letting you help me—”
“We’ll tell them we forced you,” Erin said quickly.
“Why don’t we worry about this later?” Ava asked. “Our priority is finding Harvey. After that, I’ll be okay with any punishment.”
She was right. Who cared about rules and punishments when there was a life on the line? First, we find Harvey. Later we could worry about all the other fucked up things.
I stood with them. “Let’s go.”
“Any idea where Claire is?” Ava asked as we walked out of the cafeteria.
“Her class must have just finished,” Erin said. “At the Orchid building. Usually, we meet up between buildings and come to the cafeteria for lunch together.”
“Lead the way,” I told her.
Hugging her jacket tighter, Erin walked around the Statice building. There was a cold breeze blowing every few minutes, but other than that, the weather was finally starting to look better and less chilly. But I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes too high yet. After all, here in Colorado, it could snow well into May.
We walked past the courtyard and toward the main door of the Orchid building. Then Erin skidded to a stop, her eyes round.
Ava and I halted with her and followed her line of sight.
A few yards from us, Tanner jabbed his finger at Claire’s face. “Are you fucking serious?” he yelled. The students walking by paused to stare, but no one did anything. “You’re so fucking stupid!”
Beside me, Erin balled her hands into fists. “That little douche.” With a murderous glint in her eyes, Erin took a step forward. I clasped my hand around her wrist and held her back. “Let me kick his ass!”
Tanner continued yelling, “I don’t know what I saw in you. You’re ridiculous!”
Claire cowered before him, her eyes full of tears.
“No, leave him to me.” I dropped Erin’s hand and turned to the fucking douche, who would get his ass handed to him in a flat three seconds.
But before I could do anything, Harper ran into the picture, and with a battle cry, landed a beautiful flying side kick to Tanner’s ribs. The douche fell on the hard stone pavement with a cry. Cursing Harper and her mother, he shot up, ready to retaliate, but Harper was ready for him.
“Not today,” she snarled before she did a back wheel kick that hit him squared in the chest, then a series of punches on his stomach.
Students formed a circle around the three of them. Erin pushed through the crowd, trying to get to her friend, and I went for Harper and Tanner. As much as I liked the fact that he was getting what he deserved, I knew if this persisted, Harper would be in trouble for it.
Dodging their attacks, I was able to wedge myself between them. “Stop it!” Harper let go instantly, but Tanner lunged at her. I put my arm out and stopped him though. “I can immobilize you,” I said in a low voice. “But I think you don’t want me to do that because it’ll be embarrassing for you.”
He glared at me, visibly agitated.
A couple of feet to the side, Erin hugged Claire. Ava stood quietly by them.
I had been able to stop the fight, but not soon enough.
Professor Crimson marched past the crowd. “All of you! Go back to your schedule right this instant!” Mutters rose among the students as they slowly dispersed out and left the scene. Then he turned his deadly stare to Tanner and Harper. “You two are in big trouble. Come with me.” Next, he looked at his daughter. “Claire Breevort! You’re in even bigger trouble.”
“But—”
Crimson cut Erin a nasty stare, shutting her up. “Unless you want to share in their punishment, I suggest you stay out of this.”
Erin seemed like she wasn’t done with it, but Claire held her hands. “It’s okay. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Wiping her tears, Claire followed her father away, along with Harper and Tanner.
“That was crazy,” Ava muttered.
“It’s unfair to Claire,” Erin said, upset. “She did nothing wrong.”
“I know,�
� Ava gasped. “What about Harper? She really beat Tanner up!”
“It was wrong,” I said. “I was going to do the same, but it was still wrong.” Erin looked at me, her eyes suddenly soft. What had I done? I averted my gaze before I said something stupid. “Anyway, Claire is gone now.”
“Shit,” Erin muttered, staring in the distance, to her friend who was entering the Aster building with her father. “Do we have any other leads or clues so we can do something while we wait for Claire’s punishment to end?”
Ava scoffed. “Her punishment hasn't even started. I doubt it’s going to end anytime soon.” She lifted the sleeve of her jacket and checked her wristwatch. “And I have class soon. Not that I'm in the mood for class, but I failed an assignment this last week and I need to make up for it.”
“We can wait,” I said. “Go to class. If Claire isn’t back by the time it's over, we’ll come up with something else.”
“All right. Later,” she said, before walking away.
I turned to Erin. “What about you?”
She took a few steps to a wooden bench lining the courtyard and sat down. “No classes until later.”
I sat down beside her. “So we just wait?”
She shrugged. “What else can we do right now?”
“Nothing,” I muttered.
Erin twisted to the side and leaned back on the bench, resting her arms on the back, and lying her head on her arms. “I’ll just close my eyes for a bit, then.”
I frowned at her. “Didn’t sleep well?”
Eyes already closed, she shook her head. “Haven’t slept well in months.”
I wanted to ask her more about it, but I stopped myself. When was I going to learn that I couldn’t keep asking her those kinds of questions? I couldn’t hide my interest in her when I did.
I kept quiet and, in a few minutes, Erin’s breathing slowed and her muscles relaxed. She really fell asleep, right here on this cold bench with the occasional chilly wind. At least the sun was high and a little warm today.
An urge to bring a blanket to cover her and to pull her closer to me so she could be more comfortable lying on my shoulder hit me hard. I had to curl my hands and stare out, trying to think of anything else but the beautiful girl beside me.
The girl with the sweet rose scent that filled my nostrils every time she was nearby. The girl with a perfect nose and the faint freckles over it. The girl with the long lashes, the delicate brows, the pink, plump lips. The girl with the luscious black hair that now fell down her shoulders and back like a curtain. The girl who I wanted to touch and kiss and take care of more than anything else in the world.
I reached up and hovered my fingertips over the features of her beautiful face, trying to commit them to my memory. The end goal was to let go of her completely. To walk away and not look back. I knew that was still far away because until I was sure she was a hundred percent safe from the Supreme Demon, I wasn’t going anywhere, but before I left for good, I wanted to stare at her for many, many hours, so I would never forget how breathtakingly beautiful she was.
Although, it wasn’t just her beauty that took my breath away, or how hot she was with her lean body and right curves. It was everything about her. She was kind and caring. She was a good friend and a good student. She worked harder than anyone I knew to catch up with everything at the academy and be able to stay here. She tried to keep herself upbeat even though she knew her fate was gruesome.
And she never gave up.
Sometimes, I wished she wouldn’t give up on me—even though I pushed her away so fucking often. At some point, her insistence that there was something between us would wear me out and I would give in.
That was one fucking idea.
No, no. I was working so hard to not put her in more danger; I wasn’t going to mess it all up now.
I scooted a foot to the side, putting more distance between us, and looked at the Blackthorn tree. It still amazed me that the tree had given an original Dawnblade to Erin. It had to be a hidden meaning to that, but what?
Suddenly, Erin jerked in her sleep. Concerned, I turned back to her. A second later, she frowned and a tremor ran through her body.
“No,” she whispered. She trembled again.
I clasped her shoulders. “Erin, wake up.”
She jerked against my hold and said louder, “Please, no!”
I cupped her face. “Erin, wake up!” Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back, almost falling off the bench if I hadn’t held on to her arms. “Hey, it’s me.” Her breathing came out in little gasps and her eyes darted side to side. “Erin, look at me.“ Her eyes found mine. I leaned closer. “You’re fine. Everything is okay now.”
Her shoulders relaxed and her breathing slowed down. She slumped forward and I caught her in my arms. Forgetting about all the logic, I pulled her to me and held her tight.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her face tucked into my neck.
Holy fuck, how I wanted to be like this forever. “For?”
She pulled back, making me agonize on the inside, and shrugged. “For freaking out on you.”
“That’s nothing,” I told her. She was still seated right beside me, her hips pressed to my legs, her shoulder just a few inches from my chest. “Though I’m worried now. What was that?”
She stared at the tree in the middle of the courtyard. “I’ve been having nightmares since that night.”
“That night?”
“Yeah, that one. When Asmodeus told me who my father was, and Randall killed him.”
I frowned. Not because she had mentioned my father, but because I was curious about these nightmares. “What are they about?”
“Brianne and Cindy,” she whispered. “They come to me, looking mostly like zombies, and they ask for help. I try going to them, I try helping them, but I never can. Demons come and kill them right before my eyes, while they scream for me, and then the demons come for me. I know they are nightmares, but they are so real and terrifying. I can never go back to sleep after that.” That was why she wasn’t sleeping well, then. Her golden eyes filled with tears. “I just want them to stop.”
Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my arm over her shoulder and tugged her to me again. “It’s okay, now.” Her head rested on my shoulder. “I’m here and I won’t let anything happen to you.” My hand on hers, I ran my thumb over her wrist, where the mark still marred her skin. “After we find Harvey, I’ll help you find out how to stop the nightmares.” Erin stilled against me. “What’s wrong?”
Slowly, she rose her head and locked her eyes on mine. “Nothing,” she said, her voice low. My eyes flickered to her lips. It would be easy to kiss her right now. All I had to do was erase the inch between us. Just like that. “There’s nothing wrong when you comfort me like this. In fact, everything feels right. There’s a connection between us, Rey. I know it and you know it.”
I gulped. I couldn’t deny it. The connection between us was bigger than life, but I also couldn’t tell her that. Reluctantly, I leaned back and shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’ll tell you, then.” Her brows slammed down. “A twin soul bond mark appeared above my chest a few months ago. Supposedly, the guy I shared the soul bond with has the same mark. And I think that guy is you.”
“You’re mistaken,” I said, trying to keep my tone deadpan. “I don’t have any marks on my body.”
She narrowed her knowing eyes at me. “Can you prove it?”
I channeled my magic, a tiny sliver so she wouldn’t be able to detect it, and covered the mark up. “Above your chest, you said, right?” Erin nodded and I started unbuttoning my shirt. I pulled it open and showed her my bare torso with no marks in sight. “See?”
“It can’t be.” Erin’s eyes rounded, as if she was in shock. “If it’s not you, then who is it?”
This was too fucking much for me. I stood up, in need of space from her. Hadn’t I just hugged her? “I don’t know.”
“How a
m I supposed to love someone else if I can’t seem to let you go?” she mused, her voice low.
Love.
She had said love.
Did she love me?
The thought made my heart skip a beat. Fuck, this was all so messed up. “I’m certainly not the one you’re looking for.”
Her shoulders sagged, as if she gave up.
I didn’t say anything for a moment, but I really thought about telling her another lie so I could wait for Ava and Claire somewhere else. Somewhere away from her.
Erin shot to her feet, her eyes on her wristwatch. “Ava should have been back by now.” She glanced at the Aster building. “And what about Claire?”
Glad for the change in subject, I said, “Claire is probably in detention of sorts now. Why don’t we go after Ava first?”
Without looking at me, Erin nodded. In silence, we crossed the courtyard right in the center, walked around the Blackthorn tree, and halted at the entrance to the Statice building, when Ava’s friends, Stella and Ruby, walked out.
“Have you guys seen Ava?” Erin asked them.
Stella wrinkled her nose at Erin, and Ruby flipped her hair as if she didn’t matter.
Irritation snaked through my chest. “Answer her. Where’s Ava?”
The two of them looked at me, wary, but not disgusted.
“She's in the restroom,” Stella said.
“How long ago was that?”
Ruby looked down at her watch. “About ten minutes ago.”
Erin frowned. “Didn’t you go after her?”
Stella shrugged one of her shoulders. “She never goes after us, why would we go after her? We've waited for her this long. When she’s ready, she'll find us in our next class.”
Wow, Ava called these girls friends. Perhaps they really deserved each other.
“If you want to talk to her, why don’t you go find her?” Ruby asked, her tone clearly annoyed.
“I’ll do that,” Erin said, walking past the two girls and into the building.
The Hunter Secret (Rite World: Blackthorn Hunters Academy Book 2) Page 14