by G. K. DeRosa
“Drake!” I called out.
Ryder sped by me, his movements still a blur as he disappeared into the woods. Behind him, he left the crumpled bodies of my attackers.
“Drake!” I shouted again, my gaze spinning around the encroaching forest. My chest tightened as I searched for his lilac cord. It throbbed dully, but it was there. Relief flooded my insides a moment later when Ryder emerged from the jungle of evergreens with Drake limping beside him.
I raced across the snowy glade, my heartbeats thundering across my eardrums. Wedging my shoulder underneath Drake’s armpit, I wrapped my arm around his waist. “Are you okay?”
Beads of sweat snaked down his forehead and lined his upper lip. Blood oozed from a large gash across his torso. His head lolled forward.
“He’ll be fine once we get him to the healer,” said Ryder.
Over Drake’s shoulder, I met my instructor’s weary gaze. “Thank you for coming,” I whispered.
“Always.”
Chapter 2
After dropping Drake off at the healer, I trudged up the stairs to my dorm. The nasty woman had threatened to have Cillian drag me out of there if I didn’t let Drake rest. After unsuccessfully arguing with the stubborn old hag, I finally gave in and allowed Ryder to escort me back to my room.
The walk back had been a silent one as were most of our interactions lately. When we reached my door, all I wanted to do was sink into bed and forget about how wretched the day had turned out.
But Ryder had other plans.
He wedged his hand between the crack and leaned against the doorjamb. “What were you guys doing out there?” I could tell he was trying his best to maintain control. Jagged shards of anger pricked the surface of his composed tone.
My legs felt like jelly, and I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a quick conversation. “If you’re going to yell at me, can I at least be sitting down for it?”
His lip quirked up ever so slightly. “Fine.”
I traipsed over to my bed and sank into the soft mattress. Scarlett’s bed was empty as it had been most nights since we came back from break. Apparently, she’d hit it off with an old flame from the academy while she was home in Nocturnis.
“So?” he asked, perching on the back of the couch adjacent to my bed.
I couldn’t tell him we’d been in the meadow making out and been so consumed in each other we’d fallen asleep. He knew something was going on with Drake and me, but there was no need to confirm his suspicions. Besides, the prince and I had agreed we’d take things slowly and not letting the entire team in on our new relationship was part of the deal. “We were out training and lost track of time,” I finally muttered.
He arched a dark brow. “Just lost track of time?”
My head bobbed up and down.
“That’s weak, even for you, Luna.”
I folded my arms across my chest and narrowed my eyes. “What does that mean?”
“You wear your emotions on your face: the sparkle of your eyes, the twist of your pouty lips—never play poker by the way, you’d be awful. Plus you forget”-–he pointed at his chest—“I can feel what’s going on in here.”
“So if you knew I was lying then why’d you even ask?”
He released a frustrated breath. “I know that me being back is hard for you. Believe me, it’s not easy on my end either, but I’d hoped that we could get back at least something of what we had. The friendship at least.”
My chest caved in, and my arms tightened around my body.
“I’m not asking to know if you and Drake are together. I know I lost that privilege a long time ago. And the thought of it—” His lips contorted into a scowl. “I just hope that one day you could trust me like you did before.”
“I do trust you,” I murmured. Or else I never would’ve called for him in the middle of the night.
“Good.” He stood and waggled his finger at me. “Because if you ever go out on the full moon again, I’m leaving your irresponsible ass out there.”
I couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Now do I need to check you for any cuts or scratches before I go?”
Flashes of his lips locked on my arm as he sucked the poison out the first time I got lost outside on a full moon filled my vision. Heat swirled in my core, traveling all the way up my neck and spread across my cheeks.
“No!” I squeaked.
A shadow of a smile crossed his lips, and I prayed to all the supernatural gods that he didn’t feel that lusty flare through the bond.
“Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow for training.” He spun toward the door and my gaze trailed behind him, his sculpted back muscles twitching below his tight t-shirt.
When the door shut behind him, I stretched out across my bed and sighed. Would I ever be able to be in a room with Ryder without him affecting me like that?
Doubtful.
“Oh my gods, I can’t believe Ryder had to save you guys! That’s so embarrassing,” Cinder whisper-hissed from her desk across the row.
Professor Arcana was making us watch a public service announcement type video from the Etrian Assembly. With the attacks in the human world still on the rise, all Azarian citizens were being forced to watch the super cheesy mandatory screening.
My bestie and I had zoned out a while ago, along with the majority of the class, and I was catching her up on last night’s riveting events.
“I know,” I muttered under my breath. “If he didn’t know we were hooking up before, he definitely does now.”
“So is that all it is—hooking up?”
I shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t call Drake my boyfriend. We haven’t even had the talk yet.”
“But his faery harem has definitely backed off,” my friend added. “I saw him shooing away Electra and the others just this morning.”
A twinge of happiness spread my lips into a smile. Those girls were ruthless when it came to their Fae prince. If he’d gotten them to back off, it was pretty monumental. Then the dark cloud of reality settled in as Raine’s words from last semester echoed across my mind. Drake will marry the princess of Spring Court, and both of us will simply be academy flings.
“But he’s still betrothed to Miranda,” I huffed.
Cinder’s eyebrows rose. “So you have considered the future with the prince? If this was just a hook up, it wouldn’t matter who he was promised to.”
“It’s not like I want to marry him, Cin, but the fact that there’s someone else waiting in the wings is weird. It’s like dating someone who already has a girlfriend.”
“That he doesn’t even like,” she countered.
“Still…”
The lights flickered back on, putting an end to our conversation and Professor Arcana moved to the front of the classroom. “I know this information seems redundant, but given the precarious balance we have attained with the humans, it’s essential we all follow the rules set forth by the Assembly. Does anyone have any questions?”
A hand shot up in the back, and Cinder and I swiveled around. The pretty Fae twirled a lock of pink hair around her finger. “Is it true that students at the academy are being trained in secret to fight against their own kind to protect humans?”
My eyes widened, and I swirled back around to catch the professor’s jaw drop. He cleared his throat and ran a hand over his graying beard. “Now where did you hear such a thing, Aribel?”
“From Julias Darkhen.”
Ugh. My hand tightened into a fist as thoughts of the prince’s conniving cousin flashed across my mind. Not only was he Drake’s cousin and biggest rival, he was also the heir to the academy. His great grandfather had created the fine institution centuries ago. He and his father sat on the board and had tried everything in their power to fire Cillian from his headmaster position after Luxora attacked the school last semester.
Now here he was spilling secrets into the ear of a student. What was he up to?
“Perhaps you misunderstood, dear.” Professor Arcana quickl
y dismissed her inquiry. “And in any case, I was referring to questions specifically about the video and our rights as Azarian citizens when traveling to the human world.”
Another hand shot up a few rows in front of me: a young warlock I recognized from my Advanced Spellcraft class. “Why can’t we come and go as we please? I thought that was the whole point of opening the borders.”
“You can,” said a vampire in the back. “Or at least you will be able to once you can open portals. It’s not really fair to the rest of us. Why does the Coven get to have free rein on travel?”
“Remy, I’m afraid you are mistaken,” the Professor answered patiently. “The Coven Council is under equally strict scrutiny as all the other houses.”
A chorus of dissenting murmurs rolled over the class.
“That’s not true,” said a girl in the front. “I won’t mention any names so no one gets in trouble, but I know a lot of warlocks who travel between the realms all the time. And not only that, others pay them to be portalled in.” Her cheeks rosied, and she picked at her fingernails. “Just last week a group of us went to the hottest new club in Los Angeles.”
Excited chatter swirled all around as students began to regale each other with their secret escapades into the human world. Nearly every one of them had been illegally at least a few times.
Things were getting out of control, and I was worried the supe slayer squad would be the ones called to step in.
Chapter 3
“Nicely done, Luna.” Ryder’s breathy voice did funny things to my insides as I straddled him on the mat. He grinned up at me, and I prayed my naughty urges weren’t bleeding through the bond. “I’m glad to see Calliope didn’t let you get soft during my absence.”
I popped up to my feet needing to put some distance between our heated bodies ASAP. Drake’s gaze bored into the back of my head the entire time I’d been sparring with our old instructor. I returned to his side as Ryder continued with some more one-on-one examples. For some reason, he’d been choosing me a lot lately.
“Will Calliope be doing any more of our training?” Drake asked. “Perhaps she should work with the females.”
Ryder’s lips twitched as he folded his massive arms over his chest. Black tattoos peeked from beneath his tight t-shirt, swirling across his muscled biceps. “She may step in on occasion, but as I no longer teach at the academy and she does, my schedule is a bit lighter than hers.”
“So we’ve got you all to ourselves?” Raine crooned.
My head snapped back at her flirtatious tone. Really?
“That’s right.” He shot her a megawatt smile, and my teeth ground together.
The creak of the training room door opening sent my head spinning to the sound. Cillian marched in, his ethereal wings trailing behind him. One look at the dark angles cut into his face, and I knew whatever he was here to tell us wasn’t good.
“What’s up, uncle?” Ryder’s brows furrowed as if he sensed it too.
“Sorry to interrupt, but Luxora’s been spotted in Nocturnis.”
Ryder’s gaze darted to mine and he swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing before swiveling back to Cillian. “So when do we go?”
My heart leapt to my throat. Since the dark lord escaped from the SIA detention center three weeks ago, she seemed to have completely vanished. A part of me had hoped she’d stay in hiding for longer. With the SIA agents on her trail, I’d stupidly felt safe from her reach. Drake’s fingers gently brushed against mine. I snuck a quick glance up to meet his eyes, and he shot me a reassuring smile.
“As soon as we hear back from the SIA team. They’re assembling their agents as we speak.” He ticked his head to the squad. “Are you all up for another round?”
The usual chorus of whoops and yeses was missing, instead a few mumbles filtered through the room. I couldn’t blame them. We’d barely made it out of the Underworld in one piece. Aeria and Triston had taken the worst of it, each spent almost a week recovering in the infirmary. Stabs of guilt wracked my chest, piercing jagged holes across my insides.
Ryder stepped up. “Hey guys, what’s going on?”
“You were gone for awhile, man,” answered Triston. “You haven’t had to deal with her like we have.”
A growl rumbled in Ryder’s chest. A flash of citrine pierced his irises, and his jaw ground down. He loosed a breath, and his murderous expression softened. “I’m sorry, and you’re right. I haven’t been here for a while. Maybe I should’ve started out with an explanation when I returned, but the truth is, reliving the past few months is just about the last thing I want to do. I will say this though. I have been dealing with my half-sister plenty. And during that time, I discovered some things that may help us defeat her.”
“Like what?” Drake asked.
“I’m fairly certain that the source of her power comes from Malis.”
“What’s that?” I interjected.
“Her pet snake.”
Cillian’s brows furrowed as he stepped closer to Ryder. “Really? That’s interesting. And now that you mention it, in the centuries I’ve known Luxora, I’ve never seen her without that damned reptile.”
“Same,” said Ryder. “In theory, Luxora should be no more powerful than me. We share the same father, and both have human mothers. If anything, I’d be stronger since my mom was turned demon before I was born and that dark magic seeped inside me. So how has she managed to maintain her status as dark lord of the Underworld?”
“Someone more powerful spelled the snake,” answered Cillian.
“That’s my guess.”
“So we kill Malis, Luxora loses her powers, and we’re home free.” I glanced at the rest of the team, but no one looked quite as hopeful as I felt.
“There’s one flaw in your assumption,” said Raine, popping her hand on her hip. “The snake wasn’t with her when she was at the SIA detention center. So if she’s so powerless without it, then how did she escape?”
“She must have had help,” said Zephyr.
Ryder and I exchanged a quick glance. “Nicodemus,” we said in unison.
“While I’d love to continue this discussion at another time,” interrupted Cillian, “we need to move now if we have any hopes of tracking Luxora down.” He paused, his deep blue eyes scanning the team. “But I won’t force anyone who isn’t ready to go. I know our last encounter with her was a difficult one, and not everyone has fully recovered. With the magically inclined, emotional scars bury themselves deeper than physical ones. No one here will think less of you if you choose to sit today out. Is that clear?”
Most nodded, but no one said a word.
I stepped forward and lifted my wary eyes to Cillian. My apprehension was mirrored in his deep blue gaze. “Just tell me where to open the portal to.”
Drake moved beside me, then Zephyr, Scarlett and Raf. Raine and Aeria exchanged a few whispers, then the queen witch stepped forward. “Aeria’s staying,” she announced.
Triston glanced at the siren then at the six of us, deep grooves of indecision lining his forehead. “Ah, screw it.” He moved forward and took his place beside Raine.
“Thank you,” said Cillian. “All of you.” His serene gaze roamed over each of us before settling on Aeria. She twirled a long lock of azure hair around her finger, her eyes locked on the wispy ends. “Being honest with yourself and your limitations is what’s best for you and the team as a whole.”
She nodded, keeping her gaze down, and a twinge of guilt swirled in my gut. I hoped our little adventure to the Underworld wouldn’t result in any permanent damage.
Cillian’s phone buzzed, and he quickly scanned the screen. “Logan’s got the coordinates where she was last seen. He’s forwarding them to the SIA agents too. They’ll meet you there.” He flashed me the cell, and my magical GPS flickered to life. A small sphere bubbled in the palm of my hand. Tossing it into the middle of the training room, it whirled into a full size portal.
Ryder’s brows knit. “I thought Luna couldn�
�t open these up on campus grounds.”
“You’ve been gone a while, Ryder.” I smirked. “I can pretty much open portals wherever I want now.” The team grabbed their weapons, and I motioned for them to step through the spinning vortex.
“Good luck!” Cillian and Aeria’s voices were a mere whisper swallowed up by the whoosh of churning winds.
A few seconds later, the portal spat us out in a narrow alley. The mystical permanent darkness that cloaked the vampire realm made it feel like the middle of the night, instead of mid-morning. I squinted to scan the long backstreet. A pair of dim streetlamps and a waning sliver of moon provided our only light.
“So where exactly did Carmen Rosa’s vamps see Luxora?” asked Drake.
“Around the block.” Ryder took the lead and the seven of us trailed after, our weapons clanging alongside.
“Where are the SIA agents?” Triston asked.
“Not sure, but we should at least locate Luxora if we can.” He squeezed the shifter’s shoulder, and the tightness in his jaw abated.
As we sprinted through the quiet streets, I searched for the cords around my heart. Each of them burned brightly. Even Aeria’s azure one pulsed from all the way back at the academy. That binding spell my father had placed on us really had been a lifesaver. Drawing on our combined power had gotten me out of major trouble more times than I could count.
“Why is it so quiet?” I whispered to Scarlett.
“Even though Nocturnis is spelled for constant darkness, vampires are nocturnal creatures and prefer to be out and about during the evening hours. Most shops, grocery stores, banks, etcetera don’t even open till the afternoon.”
“That’s pretty crazy. So it must take a while to get used to life at the academy, huh?”
“It’s definitely a transition. Kind of like really severe jet lag.”
Ryder stopped, and we all halted behind him. Pressing his finger to his lips, he ticked his head down another alleyway. Out of all the supes, I’d learned vampires had the best hearing and vision, which meant sneaking by them was nearly impossible. Without using magic, of course.