by Coralee June
Our eyes met, and his dropped down to my lips before rising again. I didn’t know how to do this. I didn’t know how to react to attention like this. The only times I’d ever been with a guy were when Reed and I had snuck out of Mrs. Coxcomb’s School to hook up with humans. This was different. Banner knew what I really was. He knew my power. It was strange to have such an immediate connection with someone, but he was the only person who shared the same ostracizing experiences as me.
“Come on,” he said, clearing his throat. “Let’s get you there so that you can rest.”
I faced forward again, happy that I actually had someone to lean on. I’d been so starved of touch and common decency from supernaturals, that I melted against him. I couldn’t help it. I wanted to soak up the affection while I could.
My whole life, I’d been an eraser. I erased my mother’s love. Hell, I’d erased my whole damn life. Just by walking in the room, I erased people’s smiles and sense of safety. And whenever the council made me, I erased people’s powers, too, and that meant I took away their entire identity. I obliterated everything in my wake, sometimes in devastating ways. But for once, right now, I didn’t feel like I was erasing anything. I didn’t feel like a Void—a word that was usually spat out like a curse. Right now, I just felt like a girl. A girl being held by a guy who wasn’t an oblivious human or hate-filled super.
As we made our way down the path that led to the feral cabin, Banner’s fingers on my waist dipped under the hem of my shirt, his fingertips brushing along my skin, causing goosebumps to rise up.
“You did good today. You were focused. Strong.”
I laughed at that. Right now, I felt anything but strong. “Look at me. I’m about a minute away from collapsing. I’m not strong.”
“You are,” he insisted. “Stronger than you think.”
A shy smile curved my lips. “I never would’ve thought I could do any of that stuff if you hadn’t helped me.”
“Sometimes, we just need one good person in our corner, and then we can do anything.”
Maybe it was my exhausted state, but I felt the words slip out of my mouth before my brain could stop them. “Are you planning on staying in my corner?”
We stopped, and I realized we’d made it to the front of my cabin. He turned so that we were facing each other, and he tucked some of my tangled blonde hair behind my ear. My eyes roved over his face, and I itched to reach up and brush my fingertips over his jaw. I wanted to run my hands through his thick black hair. I wanted to know what it would feel like if I pressed my lips against his. I wanted to know the weight of his body over mine. I wanted to know what it would feel like to kiss a super without the taste of enmity on his tongue.
Slowly, he brought his hands up to cup my face, and I shivered at the way his cool hands circled my jaw. My chest pressed against him and my nipples pebbled, making my already strained shirt feel even smaller. Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he leaned forward and gently placed a kiss against the corners of my eyes. It was soft and reverent, his lips cooling my burning eyes. “I think I’m going to like your corner, Miss Cainson. I might be in it for a while.”
My eyes fluttered open at his low, husky words, and I swallowed hard. “Good.”
His lips tilted up, his eyes crinkling with pleasure. Then he dropped his hands and stepped away, and I immediately felt the loss of his cool, comforting presence. “Rest,” he said as he started to back away. “I’ll see you for lessons tomorrow.”
I nodded, only going into the cabin once he turned and walked away. I knew as soon as I was inside and had my forehead pressed against the closed door that I was in big trouble.
There was a new hunger inside of me, and it had nothing to do with the Void.
I woke up to a fist pounding on my door. I sat up in bed, clutching my chest, trying to remember where the hell I was. Wooden walls, floor, and ceiling. Bed covered with a drab gray blanket. A little wood stove across from me, a small kitchenette at the other end, a desk in the corner, and a tiny bathroom I could see from here. Oh, and claw marks everywhere.
The feral cabin.
I ran a hand down my exhausted face. After Banner had dropped me off at the cabin, I’d dragged my sweaty self into the bathroom, took an ice-cold shower, and then I’d collapsed in bed.
When the knocking on my door started up again, I got to my feet, my entire body feeling sore from controlling the Void all day.
I yanked open the door with a scowl, only to come face-to-face with a guy I didn’t recognize. “What?” I snapped.
When I blinked some of the sleepy bleariness away, I realized that he was uniquely gorgeous. Tanned skin, white hair, captivating silver eyes, and a face that could be in a magazine. He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit with a bright orange tie, an odd color choice in contrast to what he usually wore, the black academy uniform.
He cocked a brow at my tone before his eyes flicked down my body. Immediately, I looked down and realized that I was only wearing a thin tank top and a pair of panties. Mortified, I quickly backed into my cabin and hid behind the door. “Who are you?”
His lips quirked a little, and he did a little bow, keeping his eyes on me as he lowered. “Hyde Marr, at your service. Necromancer Paragon. Sex god. Zombie king. I have about seventeen other titles, but those are the most important ones,” he said with a sly smile before straightening. “If I had known you were this pretty, I would have cut council business short. All the others made it seem like you were awful, but I’m starting to feel lucky that I drew the short straw today.”
I glanced at his neck where the necromancer mark sat proudly. He’d added his own adornments too, a tattooed rose circled the X, as well as some Roman numerals. “You’re late for the ball, Cinderella, and Judge Braxton is asking for you. Although, Headmaster Torne told me to advise that you stay here. What a predicament, hmm?” he added before walking inside of my cabin, brushing past my shoulders in the process. I prepared for the Void to lash out against its cage, but it didn’t. My amulet was still and dark. The training with Banner had worked. I hadn’t felt hungry since I fed from Gritt.
I watched Hyde, taking in his broad back and long legs. He moved in a lyrical way, light on his feet, a bright energy surrounding him that felt odd considering he had such a dark power. He lifted his nose up and sniffed the air.
“What ball?” I was worn out from practicing with Banner and couldn’t imagine dealing with angry supes and navigating the formal politics of our community tonight.
“The ball is something Judge Braxton hosts for the paragons. It’s supposed to encourage community and let the networking supers rub elbows with the paragons and council members. Lots of people from all over come. But really, it’s just a good reason for the powerful to get their long, hard, throbbing egos stroked in public and to meet all the impressionable young minds of the academy,” Hyde replied with a grin before continuing his search around the room. “Did you know you’ve got a dead animal in here?”
I inhaled, sniffing the stagnant, musty air with a grimace. “It was the least of my worries. I’m more upset about the lack of hot water and the rusted springs in the mattress.” I quickly moved to the pile of clothes resting on a worn dresser and got dressed in jeans and a baggy long-sleeved shirt as he observed the room. I put on my combat boots and brushed my hands along my shirt. It was my only option since the other uniform outfit was so disgusting. If I was going to stand out, I might as well dress the part.
Hyde ran his fingers along the wood walls and crouched low in the corner where there was a gnawed hole, likely put there by rodents. Using his long fingers, he dug around for a moment and pulled out something and cupped it in his palm.
“What are you doing?” I asked as he stood and glided over to me, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Showing off,” he replied with a wicked grin, revealing his bright teeth. “I hear that’s all paragons are good for these days. I’ve got to make a good first impression, right?” He had a quirky way of speaking, a drea
miness to his tone.
He moved to stand right in front of me, opening his hands so I could see what he was cupping. Ivory white bones in a haphazard array were splayed along his palm, along with dirt and unrecognizable grime. “A rat. Harmless. They live short, meaningless lives. Such a shame, really,” he murmured while stroking the bones with his thumb. His eyes flashed up to mine.
“Is this the part where you compare me to a rat?” I asked while staring at the sad collection of bones in his hand. I was so used to emotional torture and hatred that I could see where this conversation was headed a mile away.
“If that’s how you choose to see it, then sure. But even rats can be extraordinary with a little effort.”
He lifted up his hands and started blowing on the bones, his breath a red hue of misty, sparkling magic. I’d never seen a necromancer in action. I knew that the weaker ones could bring small animals back to life, only momentarily. Some stronger ones could bring back humans, but they were just a shell of the body, a zombie of sorts. They didn’t have memories of their former lives, and they only lived to serve their necromancer. But the strongest necromancers could bring bodies back to life with their consciousness and memories intact. And it was that level of power that allowed a necro to turn bones into flesh, too. It took a ridiculous amount of power, and it was rare. But here Hyde was, doing it right in front of my eyes.
I watched in awe as the bones rearranged themselves accordingly. Blood vessels and muscle appeared. Then fur. It was the color of snow, highlighting his red nose and pink feet. Then the rodent started moving slowly, the long nails on his palms twitching. His snout began sniffing the air, and I watched as his lungs started expanding, gasping for air as his body started to work. Lastly, his eyes opened, the beady red bulbs taking in the world around him before nuzzling in Hyde’s palm.
“Wow,” I said, leaning closer. Hyde lowered the rat and smiled at him, stroking his head with his index finger before stretching out his hands and offering the rat to me.
“Figured you could use a friend,” he said before tilting his head to the side and openly staring at me. His silver eyes flashed with mirth and amusement as they trailed up and down my body.
Lifting my hands up, I created a platform and touched the tips of my fingers to his, amazed that once again, the Void didn’t seek out his powers or rattle the cage of my amulet. The rat immediately ran from his hands to settle in my palm, cuddling up to me the moment he was steady. “He’ll serve you well,” Hyde replied with pride.
“Thanks. He’s cute, in an undead sort of way,” I observed while taking in his white fur and the X proudly marked on his neck, marking him as a resurrected. Running my thumb over his snout, he sniffed me before getting cozy. I smiled, feeling silly for being so excited about a pet rat.
“It’s the least I could do, considering I’m about to feed you to the wolves,” Hyde replied in a dark tone before placing his hands in his pockets. “Let me know if you want me to resurrect more little forest animals for you. You could sing as they clean this shitty shack.”
I laughed. It was a genuine sound, and so foreign that I surprised even myself by letting it out. “I think I’m fine with just Cheddar here,” I replied before setting the rat down on my bed. The little thing curled up into a ball and let out a relaxed breath, snuggling his whiskered nose into the blankets.
The curious necromancer clapped his hands loudly and twisted them up with flair before snapping. “Well, come on, Void. Time to face the ball music.”
He spun on his boots and headed out the door, impersonating a guitar solo as he went.
I quickly followed after him, shutting the door to my cabin. “I can’t go like this!” I called out breathlessly as I jogged to catch up with him. What was with all these paragons moving so quickly? “Can’t you just say that you couldn’t find me?” I pleaded.
He looked over at me as we walked, and once again, his eyes roamed my body. Licking every exposed inch of skin, he took in my lips, my shoulders, and even the little sliver of skin that my shirt didn’t cover. “Don’t worry, you look better than most the girls there. Besides, dressing the part won’t help you. If you’re going to have all eyes on you, then why not give them something to talk about?”
“I don’t want to be talked about. I get enough of that as it is. I’d rather be invisible,” I grumbled. I had to remember that even though I found myself liking the necromancer, this was the guy in the secret paragon meeting who had suggested that the others sabotage me. I couldn’t let my guard down. No matter how quirky and handsome he was.
Hyde turned and stopped, making my steps falter. He invaded my space, keeping his eyes locked on mine as he slithered forward like a snake, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. “But if you were invisible, I wouldn’t see you now,” he said quietly, making my heart skip. “And I’ve always wanted to see a Void up close.” ...And my dumb, skipping heart just face-planted on the asphalt.
I buried all of my emotions and stupid hope in the deepest hole I could find inside of myself. I needed to stop letting myself get trampled when it came to these damn paragons. “Maybe I should stay. You said yourself that the headmaster doesn’t want me to come. If the judge wants me, he can come see me. Besides, no one wants me to crash their big, fancy ball. I’m dangerous, remember?”
“Dangerous, yes. But aren’t all supers?”
I paused. “Well, technically, yes. But it’s different.”
He tilted his head. “Is it? I guess so,” he said with a shrug. “You’re a Void. I recognize death when I see it. You take, I bring back to life. I wouldn’t exist if there weren’t predators like you. Nature always has a balance. It’s no different with supers.” He laughed brightly, lips parting to let the chuckle escape. “There’s always got to be balance, Void,” he added while tapping his temple in a manic gesture before whirling around and continuing on his way. “Come on. I think you’re going to make this ball memorable.”
I followed after him, not sure if Hyde was an ally or an enemy, and something told me I wouldn’t be finding out any time soon.
Chapter 10
It was official. I hated balls.
I was standing in the shadowed corner, wishing I could just hug the wall and bury myself behind the wood paneling. No such luck.
The students of Thibault Academy were all dressed like movie stars on the red carpet. We were in the huge ballroom I hadn’t even known existed until about fifteen minutes ago when Hyde escorted me in. He’d gotten distracted by a dead moth on the windowsill and then wandered outside to the gardens, where he found a pile of dead lightning bugs that he then decided to revive. Needless to say, I was on my own.
I’d stayed in the corner, wishing my power was to turn invisible, and for the most part, it had worked so far. The students were too busy brown-nosing the council members or grinding on each other on the dance floor to notice me.
When a waitress breezed by, I snatched up two glasses of champagne. The waitress turned to me, startled, as if she hadn’t noticed that I was there. I forced a smile before guzzling them both down, one after the other. Of course, my Void didn’t allow for the alcohol to actually affect me, but it was worth a shot.
“Oh. I’m sorry,” she said with a short nod of her blonde head. Obviously, she had no idea who I was.
“No worries,” I told her.
Her eyes took in my jeans and tee, and she grimaced on my behalf. “No time to get a dress?”
“Considering I just found out about this ball seventeen minutes ago...no.”
She nodded and looked around before setting her tray down on the grand piano. “I might be able to help. Come this way.”
I opened my mouth to tell her not to bother, but she was already walking briskly away, her black pumps tapping on the parquet floor. She led me out into the hall and then pulled open a coat closet. Inside, she strode straight past all the coats hanging up, heading for an armoire at the back. “The staff kept some extra dresses in case we could get off early toni
ght and join in,” she explained, throwing the doors open.
“Here,” she said pulling out a light pink dress and thrusting it in my direction. “This was mine, but I won’t be able to wear it. I got scheduled until midnight.”
I shook my head and backed away. “Oh, no. I can’t take your dress.”
She smiled at me, revealing just how pretty she was. She was understated but had that adorable girl-next-door look to her. All friendly eyes and kind words, probably late twenties. I wondered what would happen when she figured out who I was.
“Really, I’m fine,” I insisted. “I probably won’t stay long.”
“Trust me, you aren’t fine,” she laughed lightly. “Just take it, will you? This dress might as well get some attention tonight. Let me live vicariously through you.”
Grudgingly, I took the dress from her and fiddled at the thin straps. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. Just leave it here when you’re done. I’ve got to get back. Have fun!”
With that, she hurried out, leaving me alone. I stared at the dress, my mouth still twisted into a grimace. I didn’t want to go back out there, but at least if I had this on, I could blend in better. With a sigh, I yanked off my clothes and tugged the dress over my head. I struggled a bit to zip it up, but with some tricky maneuvers, I finally managed it without throwing my arms out of their sockets.
I looked at myself in the mirror and wrinkled my nose. Pink. I was wearing nice, blushing, rose pink. I never wore pink. My wardrobe usually matched the smoke of my Void. It was easier to hide in the shadows that way. With this thing, I was going to be like a damn pink beacon. It looked particularly unique with my black combat boots.
Oh, well. As Reed would say, get your shit together and stop hiding in the corner. At thoughts of him, a rolling wave of sadness rocked through me. I missed him and knew he was probably worried sick. I needed to get a cell phone, fast. If he were here, he’d walk through the room with me on his arm, snarling at anyone that gave me a dirty look. I had a feeling that even vamps and shifters wouldn’t intimidate him. He was fearlessly loyal, and I felt bad that I hadn’t even reached out to him since coming here. First thing tomorrow I was making finding a cell phone a priority.