Soulhunter Academy

by L. J. Swallow

The sickening scent of the demon is on my skin and clothes. Everywhere. I rub my throat, and the skin is wet. Blood covers my fingers as I take my hand away.

  “The bastard scratched me!”

  “If I hadn’t arrived he’d have done more—that demon would’ve slashed your throat!”

  “I think you’ll find choking me to death was his chosen method,” I snap back.

  An unfathomable look crosses Daniel’s face, and he rests his hands on his knees, inhaling sharply.

  “What?” I ask.

  “You.”

  “Me what?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure about you anymore.”

  “Don’t talk in riddles. If you mean you don’t want to single me out and help me, fine. I’ll die soon anyway if this is how good a soulhunter I am.”

  Daniel rises and holds a hand out. I take it and pull myself up. Snatching my hand from his, I curse my wobbling legs and the cough erupting from my wounded chest. I sound so bloody weak. News flash: I am.

  Daniel’s tone softens after the terse words. “Soulhunters don’t usually confront demons on their own, the first time in the field. You did well to stay alive as long as you did, but the word “hunter” should indicate how you’re supposed to find demons, Ava.”

  What a fuck-up. This isn’t what I expected. A fight with a demon—yes. Pain and almost losing—no. I stare at my boots, bravado gone. Tears threaten, but I keep them from spilling. Daniel can’t see my weakness. If there is any chance of surviving this, I need his help. And I’m damn sure he won’t bother assisting a pathetic soulhunter who almost dies on her first assignment.

  Chapter Ten

  “What happened to you?” asks Tom.

  I spin around, pointing my dagger at him. Since the return from my disastrous trip to the human world, my level of alertness remains high.

  Tom steps back and raises his hands. “Whoa!”

  “What do you mean?” I demand.

  Tom still wears his soulhunter uniform too, but his is clean—no demon ripped his apart. I walked into the training room as soon as Daniel returned me to the institute without changing, and my clothes are dirty and torn. All I wanted was to practice, so next time they send me out there I’m not humiliated—or almost killed.

  Tom looks from the training dummy to me, then focuses his eyes on my neck. “You weren’t with the group. There should’ve been four of us: you and Sarah plus me and Zeke. You never showed, and we thought you’d chickened out.” He draws his eyebrows together. “You caused us a big fucking problem. Did you go off on your own?”

  I self-consciously rub my injured neck. Daniel told me not to say anything about being with him. I already figured out whatever happened is unusual, and I know not to mention the incident. But Daniel didn’t explain everything, and my aching head can’t figure out why he put me in the situation he did.

  “Yeah, I got lost. Zapped to the wrong place, I guess.” I gesture at my neck. “Met a not so friendly local.”

  “Human?”

  “Demon.”

  Tom’s eyebrows shoot up. “On your own? How did you manage to escape?”

  “I guess I’m a better soulhunter than you think,” I lie.

  “Ava took it upon herself to go off on her own, yes.” I startle at Daniel’s voice and look over. He rests against the wall near a training dummy, arms crossed over his chest the way he did in the alley. “I should’ve expected this. Stupid girl.”

  Daniel changed into new clothes; his soulhunter uniform replaced with simple jeans and black shirt. I know for a fact demon blood stained his hands and clothes after our encounter. He’s clean. Unlike me, standing covered in demon scent and a mix of the demon’s and my blood.

  He crosses the room. “You need to watch that behaviour, Ava. Darius doesn’t appreciate soulhunters stepping outside their allocated duties. Fancied a trip around the human world did you?”

  He’s lying to Tom about what happened and in a patronising way. In frustration and to avoid them seeing my reddening face, I spike my dagger into the training dummy behind me. An alarm sounds to indicate I’ve hit the heart.

  “Nice shot, Ava,” remarks Daniel.

  Withdrawing the knife from the soft chest of the demon effigy, I shove the weapon into my boot. “I came here for some peace and to train.”

  “And I came here because I want to talk to you about your conduct,” says Daniel sternly.

  I narrow my eyes and run my tongue along my teeth. No. Not after how he spoke to me in the alley. “Later, I’m tired.”

  Daniel looks to Tom. “Please leave us. I need to talk to Ava about her transgression.”

  Tom surveys me once more, then smirks. I resist the urge to smack his smug face. “Sure. See you later, Ava.”

  Daniel closes the door after Tom. “Why haven’t you changed your clothes?”

  “Why did you lie to Tom?”

  He leans against the door, crossing his legs at the ankles. “Do you honestly expect me to tell the truth about us?”

  Us. I snort. “Truth? Tell me the truth.”

  As Daniel approaches, I shrink back. I’ve crossed a line again. The guy who saved me in the alley is now my trainer again. Distant. Aloof. Hiding something.

  “What do you want to hear, Ava?”

  What can he tell me? Nothing. One moment he treats me like shit. The next he’s hauling my ass away from demons and saving my life. Or looking into my eyes as if he wants me. I swear this guy is deliberately screwing with my head.

  “Doesn’t matter,” I mutter.

  Daniel nods. “Prove to me you’re worth my help.”

  What the hell? I skirt around him, attempting to leave the room. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, apart from myself.”

  “Really?”

  Daniel isn’t much taller than I am, but his presence is larger because of a confidence I can only attempt to match.

  I ignore my dry mouth. “Yeah, the only person I can trust is myself. I don’t understand why you’re screwing around with my head, and I don’t trust you.”

  “I saved your backside.”

  “You put me in the situation.”

  “And one day you’ll thank me.”

  I laugh, a false bark of a sound. “Thank you. Now leave me alone. I can do this myself.”

  When Daniel steps back and allows me to walk through the door, I’m surprised.

  A girl sits on a bench close by, her black hair hanging over her knees where she has her head in her hands. Sarah. Is she hurt? I stride over and sit beside her.

  “Sarah. What’s wrong?”

  She peers at me from beneath her hair and sniffs. “I screwed up,” she croaks.

  “You and me both,” I say. “I’m sorry I wasn’t with you.”

  Sarah pushes hair from her face with both hands and looks at me through puffy eyes, her red cheeks streaked by tears. I look around in alarm—we can’t show weakness—but nobody is around. “Didn’t you hear? Zeke was hurt by a demon. He’s in medical and Tom blames me.”

  “How was that your fault? You didn’t hurt him, did you?” I shift closer and lower my voice. “What happened?”

  Squeezing her eyes closed, Sarah shakes her head. “I don’t know what I expected, but tonight was hard. I froze when I was supposed to be helping Zeke.”

  “They’re sending us out there without enough training,” I say. “That’s not your fault.”

  “Try telling Tom that,” she whispers. “He’s pissed off with me, but at least Zeke came back.”

  I touch my sore neck. “Everybody came back, right?”

  “No. At least five trainees are missing.” Her voice wavers.

  I stare at my scuffed boots. “Shit.”

  “You must be good if you survived on your own, Ava. I heard Tom telling people that you got lost. I worried anybody could hunt on their own, but you’ve proved we can.”

  I meet Sarah’s hopeful eyes. Even if I could tell her Daniel helped me, I wouldn’t. Stupidly, my failure has g
iven Sarah hope. Once news spreads about my misdemeanor, I’ll either be a villain or a hero.

  I’m a fraud. A confused, frightened fraud.

  “We’ll have more time to practice,” I say and pat her hand. “They won’t send us out alone without more training. Nobody is a hundred percent ready yet.”

  Sarah’s shoulders relax. “Did Daniel tell you that?”

  “No. They can’t send us into the field yet. We wouldn’t survive.” I pick at my ripped sleeve.

  Daniel’s words in our first class roll around my head. More soulhunters die than survive.

  Chapter Eleven

  I wake and stare at the ceiling, trying to figure out how long I’ve slept. After returning to my cell of a room, the adrenaline finally left my body, and I drifted to sleep. The evening events replayed as I sank into sleep, with nightmares of demons and death accompanying me.

  What disturbs me the most is a dream about Daniel. We’re in the training room, the day he humiliated me by turning on his seduction. But in my dream his lips meet mine.

  I jerk awake, blinking away the image. Why would I want to kiss him? His arrogance matches my attitude, and his need to humiliate me at every opportunity should dampen down my childish crush.

  I wrap my arms around myself. Lack of comfort, fear of what might happen next, and the fact I could die anytime soon—this is all enough for me to desire something physical from a guy. That’s what’s happening here.

  My tiny room may not have a window to the paradise outside, but posters adorn the walls to remind the soulhunters what they strive for. Images of the vast viridian landscapes I glimpsed from Darius’s window look back at me: houses the size of three of the Fated dwellings, all with happy, smiling people relaxing inside. A reality as far removed from where I am now as I am from the Fated too.

  I flick on the light and climb out of bed. I’m still dressed in the bloodied soulhunter uniform. I peel them off and change into pyjamas. No voices come from the hallway, which means I’ve slept through lights out.

  What can I do? The only places soulhunters are allowed alone are the bathrooms, training rooms, and cafe. Every time I move, a new muscle aches, and my throat hurts where the demon tore at the skin. I settle on a trip to the bathrooms; hopefully a hot shower will ease the pain.

  The jet of steaming water relieves my sore muscles, and as I step out of the shower I inspect my body for bruises. I’m semi-amused to see huge black marks on my backside. Not so amusing is the ring of blue bruises and scratches on my neck reflected in the mirror. I pull on clothes to cover the evidence but can’t hide my neck.

  I’ll wear them with pride. The others don’t have to know how scared I was and still am.

  I leave the bathroom and head down the hallway where two figures stand in the shadows, outside the grey door of the training room. One of the figures looks like Daniel. Not in the mood for his type of treatment, I rest against the wall and pull my damp hair into a ponytail. I need to pass them to reach my room before anybody sees—hopefully they’ll leave soon.

  They continue to talk for a few minutes and curiosity about their conversation overwhelms me. I shuffle along the wall, finding some shadow of my own.

  The second guy moves, and his hair catches the nearby light. Blond, almost white. He’s taller than anybody I’ve met, and a faint silver glow emanates from him. I reel. A high angel from the high angel council? When I first arrived, I expected to see at least one in the training academy. But they reside elsewhere and never come here.

  His head returns to the darkness as I moves further into the shadows and the glow blends away.

  “I’m unsure about the one in this batch.” Daniel’s voice.

  “She’s chosen because of the things that make you unsure about her,” replies the other man in soft tones. “The girl holds a spark we need.”

  Daniel laughs. “She holds more than a spark—her inner fire means she’s uncontrollable.”

  “Control her then,” the angel says sternly. “There are few soulhunters who survive now. We need to take the risk.”

  “I’m trying.” Daniel’s voice raises with his irritation. “She’s difficult.”

  A sensation like something crawling across my scalp begins when I realise they’re speaking about me.

  “The girl doesn’t need to know anything—channel what she has. If she’s too difficult to control, leave the girl to her fate. More recruits arrive next month. Perhaps we’ll find somebody from their ranks.”

  Blood drains from my face to my boots at their matter of fact discussion about my life. If I don’t pull into line, for whatever reason I’m wanted, Daniel will stop helping me. Without his help I’ll die. I’ll become another faceless soulhunter killed by a demon.

  The conversation halts as Daniel closes it down with words I can’t hear. Moments later, footsteps pad along the hall, away from Daniel and the opposite direction to me, as the imposing man walks out of sight. I tap the wall behind with my fingers, waiting for Daniel to leave too.

  “So you can skulk in dark corners when it suits you, Ava?” Daniel turns to face me.

  Chapter Twelve

  I want to run, but my leg muscles stiffen. “I’m waiting for you to finish talking. I didn’t want to walk past you or interrupt.”

  Daniel approaches. “Really? But you stayed close enough to listen.”

  I pull a disinterested face. “Wasn’t that interesting. Didn’t hear much.”

  “Hmm. Come with me.” Daniel takes me by the elbow, opens the nearby door, and guides me inside. A single light over the desk at the other end of the room shines. The training room isn’t the brightly lit place I’ve learned to fight in.

  Oh, shit.

  My pulse rate hikes. In the hallway, I heard something I shouldn’t. Is Daniel about to work on the “difficult to control” part of their conversation.

  “What did you hear? How long were you there?” he demands, the moment the door closes.

  “Nothing much. Something about an uncontrollable person. That’s all. Honestly.”

  “Did you see the other guy’s face?”

  “No.” Damp hair from my shower soaks the back of my top, and I shiver.

  Daniel’s manner scares me more than anything so far—including the demon. He’s not large, or bulky like Tom, but he fills the world around him with a “don’t-fuck-with-me” aura.

  As if aware of his effect, Daniel steps to one side, giving me breathing room.

  I need to know. “Is the girl you were talking about me?”

  “Forget you saw or heard anything.” His low voice carries a hint of a threat.

  “But I did. And if what you said involves me, I have a right to know,” I retort, fighting down my fear because I need answers.

  “Ava, you don’t understand the dangers in your new reality.”

  “Umm. I think I do. Demons? I met one earlier today?” Sarcasm. My one defence I can be sure of.

  “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! That ‘fuck you’ attitude is as dangerous as it is helpful. You won’t learn unless you listen to people who can help you, instead of being a smart-ass.”

  I stumble backwards as he moves closer, unable to hide the apprehension in my eyes. Daniel’s face softens. “It’s fear, isn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “Fear makes you like this. Fear closes you down, so you only listen to what you want.”

  His words pierce through to the Ava I hide. “I’m like this because it works. Because people can’t touch me if they think I don’t care. They leave me alone.”

  “Then use this attitude to your advantage. I can see you have skill in combat, but you need to listen and learn how to stay alive.” He pauses. “Demons aren’t all you need to be afraid of.”

  I sigh at his broken record, but his veiled threat prickles. What else would I want to do apart from stay alive? “Has Darius asked you to choose some soulhunters for special treatment?”

  Daniel steps back, face clouding. “Somethin
g like that.”

  “Why?”

  He pushes his hand through his hair, ignoring my question. “How are you feeling?”

  “What?”

  “After your encounter with the demons.”

  My head twinges in response. “I hurt.”

  “Hurt? Physically? Or deeper?”

  “I don’t hurt inside myself, if that’s what you mean. I never hurt inside.”

  “Of course you don’t.” Daniel laughs.

  The anger in his eyes has passed, and he studies me with a look I recognise, the one from the training room. The one from my dream. I shiver and not because my hair is wet this time, but because his expression delves into the other hidden Ava. The one who craves affection.

  “I wish you’d listened to me,” he says softly.

  As Daniel lifts a hand and touches my face, I freeze. The space between us contracts, and something forbidden hovers between us. His fingertips spark sensation in my face, which buzzes through my aching limbs.

  “Why do you do this? Two minutes ago you were threatening me!”

  He rubs a thumb down my cheek, and my chest tightens to match my stomach. “Because I’m intrigued by you. I’ve dragged you into a dark room because I discovered you’ve seen and heard something you shouldn’t. And instead of trying to talk your way out of the situation, you admit you eavesdropped even though you’re frightened.”

  “I am not frightened of you,” I snap.

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “Then why are you breathing rapidly? Standing stiffly, coiled for attack? Or is this reaction something else?”

  Daniel moves his mouth closer, warm breath on my cheek. Nice try—he’s not defeating me that way again. As his lips move towards mine, anger overtakes any desire I have for his kiss.

  “I’m not that fucking stupid,” I growl, as I push him hard in the chest. Confusion flickers across his face, and he stumbles. “You don’t do this to me,” I shout, slamming my hands into his hard muscle again.

  Daniel staggers backwards, then regains control of the situation and grabs my wrists. Holding them in front of me, he squeezes my arms, his brows pulled together. “That was very well done. I certainly didn’t expect this reaction.”