“No, but it was bad. I ended up passing out for a few hours,” I admitted. “When I woke up, the pain was gone.”
“What about the memories?” she asked. “Did you get the answers you were looking for?”
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on one memory. I pictured myself by the river during the moments before Cassius used compulsion on me. All I saw were fragments. Some were new, but they weren’t in any order. “I think my mind needs time to make sense of it all. I have to be patient.”
She bit her bottom lip. “How did you leave things with the alpha?”
That was harder to explain. “When I woke up, I was in Sacha’s arms. He may have held me the entire time. I don’t know.” Her mouth fell open. No doubt, Kiera was picturing the two of us in some kind of romance novel scenario. “I can say that things felt different.”
“Different how?”
“I was comfortable in his arms. I expected there to be some awkward energy between us, but it wasn’t like that at all,” I explained. “I know this might sound weird, but the blood connection has brought us closer.”
Kiera nodded. “You shouldn’t be surprised. I told you the blood connection would create a physical bond.”
“I’m not surprised,” I remembered the conversation we had about the effects. “I guess I thought it would be different. Like, the attraction would be physical.”
“If you feel comfortable around him, that’s a type of attraction,” she clarified.
I yawned. “I don’t want to think about it anymore.”
She sat up and stretched. “We should both get some rest. I’ve been waiting up for you this whole time, and now I wish I went to sleep.”
I sat up and rose to my feet. I was too tired to change into my pajamas, so I just took off my shoes and tucked into my covers. “Why didn’t you go to sleep?”
“I tried,” she chuckled. “But I was dying to know what happened.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I teased.
“No,” she corrected as she turned off the light. “I’m nosy.”
The next day I got some exciting news.
Cassius had returned to his dorm. As soon as my courses ended, I raced over for a visit. The boy’s dorms were set up exactly like ours. The dorms were in a tower on the top levels. I climbed the steps and then strode down the long hallway, reading the last names engraved on each door plate. Once I got to the end of the walkway, I found his room, and I knocked three times.
I heard a rumbling from inside, and then footsteps. Cassius opened the door, and a smile grew on his face. “I was wondering when I’d see you again.” He maneuvered out of the way. “Please come inside.”
My mouth hit the floor as I scanned the area. Cassius had a room the same size as ours, but he had things we didn’t like bookcases built into the wall, plush furniture, a cedar canopy bed with matching dressers and end tables, and a large flatscreen television that hung from the ceiling. Also, he had no roommate. He was court-ordered to be here like the rest of us but still living like a prince.
“Man, you’re slumming it in here,” I said, sarcastically. “If I were you, I’d file a complaint.”
“My father arranged all of this,” he informed. “I told you I was the favorite son.”
That reminded me of the purpose of my visit, and I got right to the point. “Do you think you can smuggle in a laptop?”
“Maybe.” He watched me curiously. “Why?”
“I have all of the equipment I need to break into the network, but I need a laptop,” I explained. “I broke into the library while you were in the infirmary, but I got caught. Since then, they’ve increased security. There’s no way I can get in there again.”
His eyes widened. “Who caught you?”
Technically, Sacha. “The headmaster, but he’s not suspicious.”
He straightened his back and gazed at me with an odd expression. He looked like he was impressed. “How did you pull that off?”
“Sacha caught me first.” Saying his name sent simmering heat racing through my veins. “Then the headmaster caught us both a few minutes later, and I kissed him. The headmaster thinks we went in there to make-out in private and gave us detention for two weeks.”
Cassius burst out laughing. “You’re creative. I’ll give you that, but what did Sacha have to say about all of this?”
There was no need to get into the blood connection or anything else that’s happened since then, so I just offered what he needed to know. “We’ve come to an understanding.”
He paced around the room, making a clucking sound with his tongue.
“What?” I asked. “If you have something to say, you should say it.”
I watched him saunter over to his living room area and plop down into one of the plush couches. “You should be careful with Sacha. I don’t know him personally, but I’ve heard some interesting gossip.”
I sat in the ottoman next to him. I’d listen to whatever he had to say, but it’s well-known that vampires and shifters didn’t get along, so anything he said I took with a grain of salt. “What have you heard?”
“I’m sure you know that he killed his father to become the alpha of his pack.”
I nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard that.”
He leaned closer. “Do you know why he’s here at the academy?”
I didn’t, which caught me by surprise. In all this time we spent together, I’d never asked Sacha about his crime. “No.”
“Since he became the alpha, he’s had a difficult time controlling the transformation,” Cassius explained. “Alphas are powerful, and it takes a certain skillset to keep an even keel, but after his father died, there was no one left to teach him.”
That made sense. Rival packs wouldn’t line up to teach Sacha how to be a good alpha when they’d rather kill him and claim his pack as their own. “You still haven’t said what he did to end up here.”
“I heard that he lost control during a full moon and killed over a dozen humans in a small Russian village called Esso.”
I put my hand over my mouth. “That’s terrible.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “The council had to send reapers out there to get rid of the evidence, and make sure it never hit the national news.”
The reapers must’ve done an excellent job because I’d never heard about it, and something like this was a big deal. “How did he end up in America?”
“He fled Russia after the incident, but was tracked down by reapers.” Cassius shrugged. “It was cowardly if you ask me. He should’ve owned up to his mistake and paid his penance.”
An ache bloomed in my chest. I wanted to believe what Cassius was telling me, but I had this strange feeling that there were some missing parts of this story. Sacha was a lot of things, but he did not come off as a coward. He seemed to care about his pack genuinely, and he had helped me when I needed him most. I wanted to find out more, but I would go to the source instead of listening to the gossip.
“He’s here now, so he’s paying his penance,” I injected. “And we have a way to control him here so that nothing like that ever happens again.”
“Is that so?” he challenged.
I thought of the stables with their cement walls and thick metal chains. “Yes, it is.”
“Tell me,” he requested. “Do you remember the escaped shifter you were chasing the night we met in the woods? Did you ever discover the identity of the shifter?”
I hadn’t thought about the shifter since that night. After I’d woken up in the hospital, I had focused on clearing my name and protecting Cassius. I cast aside everything else. I thought back to the fragment of memory I had from that night. The black wolf with the fiery red eyes appeared in the front of my mind. “Are you suggesting the wolf we were looking for was Sacha?”
“I’m not suggesting anything,” he countered. “I’m telling you it was Sacha. I told you that alphas are powerful. The biggest cages in the world can’t hold them.”
I should’ve put that together. Caroline had said we wer
e looking for an alpha shifter. It made me wonder what Sacha remembered from that night. “That’s why you’re warning me to be cautious around him. You think he’s dangerous.”
“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I believe the shifters are organizing a rebellion. Shifters are wild creatures. They don’t particularly like rules, and if you know your history, you’ll recall they were the last faction to sign the covenant.”
That was true. They were hesitant to sign, and it took years for my grandfather to get all of the packs to agree. “And you think Sacha is the leader of this rebellion?” I raised my eyebrow. “Sacha, the same shifter who never wanted to be an alpha. I can’t see it.”
“You may not be able to see it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true,” Cassius argued. “All I’m suggesting is that you monitor what you say around him.”
Cassius had no idea how impossible that would be. Now that there was a blood connection between us, there was no telling which of my thoughts or memories Sacha had accessed. A cold chill raced up my spine. Was that the reason Sacha agreed to give me his blood? Did he do it to gain access to my mind? If that were true, he would know all about the inner workings of the reapers and my training.
Had Sacha tricked me into giving him everything he needed to destroy us?
It was now more important than ever to get the surveillance video, prove Cassius’s brother's guilt, and get the hell out of here as quickly as possible. I moved closer to him. “Can you get me a laptop?”
“I’ll need a couple of days, but I believe I can.”
Relief spilled over my shoulders. “In the meantime, don’t leave the academy for any reason,” I insisted. “You’re safest inside where the guards can monitor you. No more naked ceremonies in the woods.”
He let out a long sigh. “No more fun, you mean.”
Something else occurred to me while we were speaking. One important question I forgot to ask. “The night of the ceremony, where did you get the blood in the vile?”
A look of surprise fell over his face. “The blood bank.”
“That’s strange,” I replied as I recalled the conversation I had with Tony in the infirmary. “They have no record of you getting blood that day.”
“I get blood every day,” he insisted. “Someone has tampered with the system.”
That did make sense. Vampires had to consume blood every day to manage their urges. Otherwise, they would be dangerous and put everyone here in harm's way. “Once I get into the network, I’ll see if I can find evidence of tampering,” I promised. “For now, focus on getting me the laptop. I’ll take care of everything else.”
As I was turning the doorknob to leave, he rose from his seat and made his way toward me. “Before you leave, I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done.”
I chuckled. “You’re recovering from an attack. If anything, I should apologize to you.”
Cassius took my hand in his, and his cold palm gave me a chill. “I should’ve asked you for help instead of causing all this mess.” He kissed the back of my hand. “Truly, I am grateful to you for all that you’ve done.”
“We’ve both made mistakes.” I gently pulled away. “But we can work together to make this right. Agreed?”
“I agree.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Sacha waited beside the shed for me.
He seemed a bit more relaxed than usual as he leaned against the barnyard door in a white cotton t-shirt and black cargo shorts. As I approached, I notice he had already retrieved all of our gardening tools, shovels, and the wheel barrel. He had a grin on his face that should’ve warranted a smile in return, but I was conflicted. The conversation I had with Cassius this afternoon made me question Sacha’s intentions.
Could he be the mysterious leader of the rebellion my father warned me about before the trial?
Staring at him now made the idea seem impossible. If anyone wanted to start a rebellion, they would need to convince others to follow them, but I’d never heard of anyone doing that at the academy. The only supes that followed him were his pack. I couldn’t assume they were part of a rebellion, either. Once I got closer to Sacha, his appearance changed.
The easy-going smile shifted into a confused expression. Was he trying to read my thoughts? Should I avoid thinking about what Cassius said while he was around? I wish I knew more about this new connection we had. But more than anything, I wanted my memories to return so I could begin to put my life back together. All of these empty spaces of time in my mind put me on edge.
“Where are we working today?” I asked, focusing my thoughts on our project. “Should we finish the flower beds at the front of the academy?”
“What’s wrong?” he asked bluntly. “I sense a change in you. Last night you were relaxed and hopeful, but now I only sense tension and uncertainty.”
I couldn’t deny that his new ability weirded me out. I wasn’t used to being an open book, nor did I want to be. It was going to take some time to get used to this. “I went to see Cassius this afternoon,” I admitted. No point in trying to hide it when he’d know if I was lying.
“Why did you go see him?” he asked.
Oh, right. I’d never told Sacha about Cassius, and the role he played in all of this. “Can’t you answer that question yourself?” I countered, pointing to my head. “You’ve got that all-access pass now.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” he explained. “As long as your memories are jumbled, I won’t be able to make sense of them. Your dreams may be the only exception, and I saw something last night.”
“You were in my dream?” I questioned. “How is that possible? I don’t remember anything.”
“It was only a fragment. Maybe something you’ve already seen,” he offered. We strode side by side as we headed toward the front of the academy. He stared straight ahead, pulling the wheel barrel. I kept my eyes on him. “I was back in the same forest I got a glimpse of last night, except this time, I saw a river. You were there too, wearing one of the black reaper outfits with some gear and weaponry. I think you were on a mission.”
“You could be seeing my last memory before I woke up in the hospital.” My voice heightened with excitement. “The night Cassius used compulsion on me.”
He stopped and turned to face me. “Cassius used compulsion on you?”
I stopped breathing for a second. I couldn’t believe I freely admitted that to Sacha, and how easily it just came out. Was this part of our connection too? Was I incapable of lying to him? “Yes,” I confirmed, seeing no other option. “What else did you see?”
“And you’re friends with him?” he questioned. “How is that possible?”
Now I was full of conflict. If Cassius was right, I could blow my entire mission by revealing everything to Sacha. But did I have a choice? This connection between us might give it all away with or without my help. I stared at Sacha for a long moment. Maybe I was the biggest idiot on the planet, but everything inside of me was screaming that he could be trusted; that he was a good person. “There’s a lot you don’t know,” I revealed, taking a chance on him. “Cassius did it because he needed my help.”
Sacha crossed his arms. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”
His stare pierced into me like a laser beam, and I knew all of his attention was on me. I told him everything I remembered from the moment I woke up in the hospital to my grand plan and failure to find the surveillance footage. I did skip the part where Cassius accused him of being the rebel leader. There was no chance of that going well for anyone. The longer I spoke, the angrier he appeared. His hands dropped to his sides and fisted, while his face reddened.
“He’s responsible for all of this, and somehow, you call him a friend?”
“I never said he was my friend,” I explained, although I wouldn’t say I disliked him. If I had to label it, I’d say we were co-workers. “I’m duty-bound to protect him. I would do the same for you if needed.”
Sacha shook his head as he began striding t
oward the front flower beds. “Okay.”
I kept pace with him. “Okay, what?”
“Okay, I’ll help you,” he replied like I’d asked him to do something.
“Your blood was enough,” I insisted. “It’s all good from here.”
“You said that you tried to get into the network, but couldn’t find the right folder,” he reminded me. “I have someone in my pack who’s a computer genius. A computer hacker would be a better way of describing him. Anyway, if Cassius can get you a laptop, I know Alexei can find what you need.”
I wanted to believe him, but my mind kept returning to what Cassius said. This indecisiveness was going to drive me insane. “Why are you offering to help me again? You’re not making any sense.”
He let out a long sigh. “If there’s something you want to say, then say it.”
“I don’t get you, Sacha. A few days ago, you were accusing me of being a spy for the council. You had members of your pack tracking my every move.” I strode in front of him, blocking his path. He came to a stop. “Somewhere along the way, you did a one-eighty, and now you’re Mr. Helpful.” I crossed my arms. “You’re like the king of mixed messages.”
He released the handles of the wheel barrel hard, making the wheels creak. “Okay, if you want me to lay it all out, then I will. You’re right. I’m confused. I’ve spent my entire life feeling one way about reapers, and then you show up and contradict everything I thought I knew.”
“Are you complaining that I’ve made it difficult for you to hate me because that might cause my eyes to roll completely out of my head.”
“No, it’s not like that,” he growled in frustration. “I’m glad you’re not what I thought you would be. I’m all over the place because of what happened in the library. Something triggered inside of me when we kissed. I thought I could push it down, and it would go away, but it gets stronger by the day.”
The corner of my mouth tilted upward. “Are you saying you have feelings for me?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know.”
I threw my hands up in the air, dumbfounded. “I’ve never met anyone as stubborn as you. After admitting all of that, you still can’t—”
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