Half Blood Rising: (Moonlight Academy Book 1)

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  She was right; one of the students was helping the other girl, but Ripley seemed oblivious to it. We were all adults, but this was intense, even for me.

  I spotted Lachlan; he was helping Ramona out of her seat. Everyone must have been affected by Ripley’s magic. I looked at Mally, who was lying by the steps and staring at the professor.

  “This was odd. What do we have next?” I asked Karina, feeling more and more like myself again. I just wanted to get out of this class.

  “Miss Donovan, I need a word.” Ripley’s voice echoed throughout the classroom. Karina rose a brow in question, then mouthed something that looked like “see you later.” My fangs extended, and I covered my mouth with my hand. This wasn’t something that happened to me often. The dog stood, walked up to me, and then started sniffing my hand.

  “How can I help you, professor?” I asked, trying not to sound too annoyed that he’d stopped me from leaving.

  “You interfered during the lesson. Your defensive charm, it affected my experiment,” he snapped at me, coming so close that I could see my reflection in his cobalt eyes. His fae energy swirled around me.

  I shook my head in confusion. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, professor. This was my first charms lesson.”

  “The Chimera charm is extremely complex. Each time, I perfect it. Everything was going smoothly until your magic severed the link between me and the dog. What are you, Miss Donovan?”

  Why the hell did everyone keep asking me the same question? Only Oldman, Lachlan, and Marco knew I couldn’t remember anything from my past, but I was fed up. I didn’t want to keep repeating my story to everyone at the academy.

  “I haven’t done anything, professor. I can fight and slaughter bad guys, but charms aren’t my strong suit, so I have no idea what you’re insinuating,” I told him, searching for my knife, but I must have forgotten it.

  His eyes narrowed further, and the silence became uncomfortable, tension rose between us. Ripley was not happy, his anger channelled through me, but I didn’t care.

  Fae magic was strong and unpredictable. Their mind games were dangerous enough to cause harm. Once, a female convict had almost made me jump off a bridge. Her magic had affected me so much, she’d broken my wards, and gotten inside my head.

  “You interfered with my magic, and that isn’t something any other first-year student can do,” he said quietly. I felt his energy once again, trying to break through, get inside my head. I felt the same dull pain inside my chest again. Then it was gone quickly, and I took a slow, deep breath. “If I catch you causing problems during one of my lessons again, the consequences will be severe.”

  I wanted to come back with some sort of snarky remark, but then thought better of it. Ripley could easily say something to Oldman, and I was trying hard to comply by the rules. I bit my tongue and left the class. My knees were weak.

  Once outside, I took several long breaths, telling myself I had nothing to worry about.

  “What the hell was that about? What did he want from you?” Karina’s curious voice startled me, and when she touched me, I saw a flashback from a few months ago—when I killed a were. He had just been released from prison, and he’d raped the human woman who tried to help him. As I’d been draining him, his memories showed me that this wasn’t the only thing he “specialised” in. He also liked killing stray dogs and cats, especially the ones that weren’t expecting it. I quickly shook that horrific image out of my head.

  “He told me to keep my nose out of his business,” I said, looking around. “Apparently, I interfered with his charm.” Our group was standing by the pillar, and they appeared to be discussing something. Judas was talking to Marco. Lachlan and Ramona were there, too.

  Karina made a strange sound, then bit her bottom lip. “What? No one can stop a charm like that.” She scoffed. “Besides, he must have messed something up, because the dog resisted it for as long as he could. Apparently, when this charm is performed on a person, he or she can be damaged permanently.

  “Oh, hey, Ramona,” Karina said, and my stomach made another flip when I saw the Ukrainian supermodel approach us. I wasn’t in the best of moods. And she always had a negative aura around her.

  “What did Ripley want from you, Donovan?” Lachlan’s girlfriend asked, staring at me with a mixture of anger and superiority. Pretty Boy was listening—well, everyone was staring at us. He was pretending to read a book, but I knew he could hear us. Maybe he was too afraid to come anywhere near me after our little incident during training.

  We hadn’t exchanged a word since I’d drunk his blood.

  “Like it’s any of your business,” I answered, wondering what he saw in her, apart from her looks. Surely, she was a nasty piece of work.

  “I have been in this academy much longer than you,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “Ripley’s had other students under his watchful eye before. He likes young and inexperienced girls. He plays with them, but I never thought he would want to touch such an unworthy half-breed like you. Our group doesn’t need any screw-ups right now.”

  It was amusing that she was insinuating something so absurd. Karina inhaled sharply, and I touched her arm. Maybe she was jealous, but either way, it didn’t faze me in any way. Did she really think I would fool around with the professor? If so, then she just proved to me that she was a complete idiot.

  “Take a chill pill, Ramona; otherwise I’ll wipe that stupid smile off your face,” I snarled, taking a step closer. “I don’t owe you an explanation.” Now I was the one losing my shit, when Karina suddenly stepped between us.

  “Ladies, I think you should cool down a bit.”

  “You’re a pathetic rogue and you cannot be trusted,” she continued, looking behind Karina. “I’ve seen many like you coming and going, and Moonlight isn’t the place for you. Leave before you ruin this for everyone else.”

  It was a real shame I didn’t have my knife on me. This bitch didn’t even know me, and she was already trying to kick me out. Who did she think she was?

  “I’m not planning on going anywhere, and you’d best shut your mouth before I do it for you,” I said, trying to push Karina out of the way.

  That was it—I was so done pretending I’d never killed anyone.

  “Ladies, ladies, let’s be civilised for a moment. If Jaymin wants to bang the professor, that’s her business,” someone else said, approaching. It was Marco and he looked amused, while I was raging deep inside. His eyes were gleaming, and he was probably using his energy to calm us down.

  “Hey, let’s get one thing straight. I’m not a threat to anyone here. I’ve been given an opportunity and I’m taking it,” I said, breathing through my nose. She’d touched a nerve, trying to discredit me in front of the others—that was not cool.

  “You don’t have a clue about your own past, so that’s an understatement,” Lachlan finally said. My jaw dropped; it was obvious he wasn’t taking my side. I was going to kill that bitch if she ruined this for me. At that point, I stopped caring about the consequences. “Anyway, Oldman is calling all of us to her office. We should go. She doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

  Ramona gave me an untrustworthy glance, tossed her blond hair behind her, and grabbed the Scot’s hand. Anger pushed down the nausea in my stomach. Marco gave me a smile. He didn’t need to interfere; I could deal with Ramona myself.

  “Come on, Precious,” he said, “time to go,”

  Judas didn’t seem to care, he strolled after the others. Sooner rather than later, others would start doubting me. I hated being excluded. No one knew exactly what had happened to me, but that didn’t mean I was a threat.

  “Let’s go, girl,” Karina finally said, grabbing my elbow.

  What happened in class still bothered me. I didn’t want Ripley to hurt Mally, but I didn’t use magic. I didn’t even know how to practise magic, not the sort he’d accused me of. I was only a half-breed, for fuck’s sake. What the hell? In the past, I’d fought and killed creatures
who’d deserved to be eliminated. That’s all.

  Ten minutes later, we all gathered outside Oldman’s office. It was still early, but our next class didn’t start for another twenty minutes. Ramona was giving me her usual death stare, while I tried to brush it off. After the incident in the training room, I didn’t want to be anywhere near Lachlan, but I realised that, maybe, it wasn’t the best idea. Marco and Judas were probably still trying to figure out if they could trust me. I had to remember that we were placed together for a reason. Ramona wanted to exclude me. Maybe she felt threatened by the fact I had more experience than her. Either way, her plan wasn’t going to work.

  I was part of their team.

  “Come in, all of you,” Oldman said, opening the door all of a sudden. We squeezed inside the same conference room where she’d introduced us to one another on the first day. I sat down next to Karina, wondering what this meeting was all about. “I didn’t expect to call you here so soon, especially when the academy was supposed to give you some time to settle into a new routine. However, the High Council needs us.

  “What’s happened?” Lachlan asked, sounding concerned.

  “The daughter of one of the High Council members has been kidnapped. One of my other groups is currently away, and this matter has become top priority,” Oldman explained. “Lachlan and Ramona are much more experienced in these kinds of missions, so they know what to expect, but the rest of you don’t. This sort of job only comes up several times a year, and, beforehand most students have plenty of time to prepare. However, time is something we do not have. I believe I matched each of you well with your skills and strengths. You have all faced difficult and life-threatening situations, so this shouldn’t be much different. These sorts of missions will better prepare you for the Elite trials.”

  Karina looked thrilled, so did the rest of the group. I didn’t pay any attention to Ramona, wondering if I could keep my temper at bay during the mission. I was excited about this opportunity.

  “So, if the High Council wants us to get her back quietly, then there must be more to the story,” Lachlan said, scratching his jaw.

  “She has been targeted before, but the academy’s intelligence believes that one of her guards must have been bribed. You will be leaving for Moscow in three days, so make sure you’re mentally prepared for it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Rise up

  Oldman had given us a quick briefing about Svaltana’s Clan. Some of Oldman’s people believed they were behind the girl’s kidnapping. I kept wondering if this mission was going to be as straightforward as Oldman had claimed. I’d never been anywhere apart from Kiev and Lviv, and now I was going to be crossing the border in the space of a few days.

  That day I went through the briefing quickly, learning that the girl had last been seen in the centre of Moscow. It was interesting to know that she was a student of the Elite Academy. Her father was not only on the admission board, but he was also a member of the High Council.

  Half an hour later, we were dismissed and carried on with our day.

  “She’s the weakest link, and she’s going to screw this up for everyone,” Ramona said the next day, unaware that I was on the other side of the same section in the library, trying to read a book in peace for a change. Lachlan was with her, and it seemed that they’d had a similar idea.

  They were hidden behind the historical section, and for a long moment, I heard them making out. I was instantly put off, no longer wanting to read in here and needed to disappear.

  Lachlan was still inside my head, and I kept telling myself that I wasn’t jealous.

  “Oldman chose her, and I trust her judgement,” he replied. “The girl knows what she’s doing.”

  I was shocked to hear those words coming out of his mouth. Maybe I’d misjudged him.

  “Whatever, I disagree,” Ramona snarked.

  I got up and left, I didn’t need to hear anymore. That bitch simply didn’t like me. She had no idea exactly what I was capable of.

  I headed to the second floor to use the Internet for my research. I’d normally done that in the past when Tristan had sent me a name of the convict he wanted me to track down. It would take me days to prepare and locate them, but once that was done, everything else had gone smoothly—well, most of the time.

  Karina was excited about the new opportunity to work on an exclusive assignment. She told me that she preferred missions to studying in the classroom. We had a full schedule, but we would be getting extensions for our exams. During lunch, Lachlan sat with Ramona. I’d avoided them since overhearing them in the library, so I joined Judas and Marco at the table.

  Karina was going to eat later. She’d gone to the gym and I admired her for it. She was trying to keep herself in good shape. I was finally getting used to the fact that I didn’t have to go hungry anymore. On the first day, I’d filled my tray with three different meals and had eaten every bite.

  “Svaltana’s Clan must be keeping the girl in their headquarters somewhere by the Kremlin,” I said, after I’d chosen my food. It was one of the possible locations I’d found during my research. “Oldman didn’t give us a reason why they would have taken her. We need to find out if anyone asked for a ransom in exchange for her life.”

  “Back in London, I met a few vampires from that clan. They offered me a job and I took it. No offence, bro, but that’s one of the last times I ever worked with a vamp,” Marco said with his thick Italian accent. “The girl is probably dead by now. This mission is going to be over before it’s even started.”

  “No, they’ll keep her alive, she’s extremely valuable,” Karina said all of a sudden, appearing next to our table out of nowhere. “There’s something going on within the High Council, rumours that some of the elders are refusing to step down. My old pack leader talked about it. The High Council prefers to do everything quietly, and that’s why they hired Moonlight.”

  Her cheeks were red, but she gave us all a big smile. She must have just returned from the gym.

  “I get it, the clan wants to bargain with council, but what exactly are they going to get out of it?” I asked, remembering my first encounter with Lachlan. He was somehow valuable, too; otherwise that mage wouldn’t have called him into the club. I had yet to ask him about it. I was carrying a little secret of my own. It was too soon to figure out the dynamic of Moonlight or figure out Lachlan’s secrets. I suspected he had many.

  “This is what we need to find out, but first, I need some O-Negative, or I might go for a hunt tonight,” Judas growled, taking my plate of pancakes away from me.

  I still hadn’t had a chance to speak to him, he was very mysterious. Apparently, he’d been a chef before he was turned. Karina told me he was still a relatively new vampire, and before his transformation, he’d been on the other side of the law. I knew that, at some point, he would have to talk about it. Judas was quiet, and he barely spoke, so Ramona didn’t need to torment him.

  Moments later, he stood from the table and left. The scent of his blood was strong, and, afterwards my craving for the liquid gold intensified. Memories of Lachlan’s made me uneasy, but he tasted so damn good. Ramona could kiss my arse; she wasn’t going to jeopardise my time at the academy. I wasn’t planning to leave Moonlight or get kicked out. I’d only been here for three days, but I felt like this was where I belonged—it was the home I never had.

  There was also the aspect of learning what I was, and why I was turned. The tiny voice in my head kept reminding me that Lachlan was the one vampire who might have the answers I was seeking.

  “Right, it was lovely to chat with both of you ladies, but I have just seen a very lovely fae leaving the cafeteria and I must get her number before we set out for Russia,” Marco said, then finished his drink and smoothed his hair.

  “I’ve tracked convicts, but we have to find this poor girl before the clan decides to kill her,” I said to Karina who instantly nodded, eyeing my Bolognese. I didn’t even realise that the pretty boy was standing behind me
. Luckily, he was without Ramona this time around. He gave me a long, silent look filled with blazing fire, before he turned around and left. I had no idea what that look was about, but he was still in my thoughts when Karina started talking about our mission.

  We set off to travel to Russia early in the morning as the sun was just about to rise. Time had passed quickly. I didn’t want to leave the academy. I liked my new schedule and routine, but I had to admit, I also missed the thrill of being out in the field.

  The academy supplied everything we needed. Apparently, it was standard procedure for any groups of students who were sent to complete a job for the High Council.

  Oldman assured everyone we were going to be generously compensated if the mission turned out to be a success. We were all motivated, and I was excited about the days ahead.

  Our flight to Moscow was scheduled for eight a.m. Once we arrived at the airport, I was a bit nervous, because I’d never been on a plane before. Apparently, our informant was going to meet us at the airport upon arrival. We were given cell phones to stay in touch with each other, and I thought about calling Melody. She was the only person I considered family, and I regretted that I hadn’t even said goodbye to her.

  “I bet you’ve never even seen a plane, Donovan,” Ramona said as we were heading to our gate. “Are you going to pee yourself from excitement, or maybe fear?”

  “I might stab you before we even get there,” I snapped, trying to gather my racing thoughts. I’d always been a loner and worked on my schedule. People like her made me realise why … This time I had to follow orders, which meant, getting out of my comfort zone. Hunting outlaws was my speciality, well, and I had a feeling that this mission would also give me a confidence boost. I knew what to do, now I just needed to learn how to work in a team setting.

  “Stop this cat fight, ladies, it’s turning me on. We’re here as a team, and we’re going to work together—vampire or fae. It doesn’t matter,” Marco reminded us as we arrived at the gate.