Darkblood Academy: Book Two: Supernatural Slayer Squad Read online

  I suddenly felt stupid standing here in a fancy and way too revealing ball gown. Wrapping my arms across my chest, I wished for more clothing. There was something about this man’s gaze that was too obtrusive; I was exposed beneath his mesmerizing stare. “I wasn’t talking about that. Your other daughter, Kimmie-Jayne, found me six months ago. I assume you knew where I was, so why didn’t you bother to come sooner?”

  Why did you abandon me?

  Who was my mother? Why did she leave me?

  Why, why, why?

  Apparently, that Azarian champagne Ryder gave me at the dance totally did lower inhibitions. But I didn’t care. I had about a million questions for this man, and this was only the tip of the supernatural iceberg.

  He cleared his throat, his gaze firmly fixed on mine. “I apologize for that. You’re right; I should’ve come sooner. And I would have, but as you can imagine between my duties as the president, my role as the supreme warlock on the Coven Council and the official representative for the Etrian Assembly, I’ve been fairly occupied.”

  “And you’ve got like dozens of other offspring too, right? How many of us are there exactly?”

  Cillian sank into his desk chair, the sharp scrape of its legs against the wood floor rupturing the charged silence.

  “Truthfully, I do not know. A couple dozen at least.” He shrugged. “I’ve been alive for a very long time, Luna, contrary to my youthful appearance. The children that I was aware of, I kept an eye on, but there were some dalliances that resulted in offspring of which I was ignorant. That is one of the reasons I enlisted Kimmie-Jayne to find the others.”

  I tried not to focus on the fact that I had dozens of half-siblings running around Azar and the human world. Geez, and I’d always felt so alone growing up. I could have had an entire stadium’s worth of siblings to play with.

  “You said you kept an eye on the ones you knew of—was I one of those?”

  He nodded. “I popped by Mrs. Hallow’s home on quite a few occasions.”

  My mouth dropped. I searched my early childhood memories for a glimmer of the man standing in front of me, but I drew a complete blank. “Then why don’t I remember you?”

  “You are aware of my skinwalking abilities?”

  For some reason the macabre term made my flesh pucker. “Kimmie-Jayne told me you can take on other forms, yes, but she didn’t go into much detail.”

  “You can think of it as a form of demonic possession”—he frowned at the shocked expression on my face—“it’s not as bad as it sounds. All warlocks have a tiny percentage of demon. That is how we differ from our wiccan counterparts. Anyway, these demonic powers allow me to overtake a body, temporarily hijacking its consciousness. The real William Lazaris still resides within his former body; I merely overpower him. When I came to visit you, similarly, I took on other forms. I thought it best that way.”

  Mind. Blown. I couldn’t wrap my head around half of the earthshattering confessions he’d just made. I didn’t know what had me more shaken up, the fact that he’d come to see me or that he could possess bodies.

  He glanced at his watch, and his jaw ticked. “I apologize, Luna, but I’m running on a very tight schedule this evening. I only came to see if there was something I could do regarding the mark. I’m afraid we’ll have to set aside another time to catch up. And I truly wish to do that.”

  “Whatever,” I muttered under my breath. I’d survived without this guy for eighteen years, I didn’t need him now. Did I even want a relationship with this man?

  “May I?” He stepped closer, his darting eyes on the devil’s mark.

  “Fine,” I said, unfolding my arms.

  He lifted a hand to my chest, and his palm hovered an inch or so over my skin. A burst of heat shot from his splayed fingers, lighting up the space between us in a shimmery violet haze. I winced from the intensity and clenched my fists at my sides as searing pain flared from the mark and rippled across my flesh.

  It felt like someone was flaying my skin with a hot butter knife. Beads of sweat lined my upper lip and brow, but I kept my jaw clenched to keep the building scream from ripping out. My heart jackhammered against my ribs, desperate to escape its skeletal confines. My head spun as darkness seeped into the corners of my vision.

  “Luna, are you okay?” A familiar rough voice pulled me back from the brink of oblivion. “Luna?” Warm arms came around me and kept my knees from buckling. A slew of curses spewed from right behind me, but my brain was foggy and I couldn’t quite make out the details. “Enough!” the same voice shouted. “You’re hurting her.”

  The scorching heat surging through my veins suddenly stopped, and my body went numb. My mind was next. A smoky haze clouded my vision, and my lids drooped until I could no longer keep them open.

  “Ryder? I don’t feel so good…” And everything went black.

  My eyes fluttered as hushed voices seeped through the lingering fog over my mind. It felt like I was underwater, the muffled sounds far away and distorted.

  “He pushed her too hard, Cillian,” Ryder growled. “Pouring all that dark energy inside her was risky and irresponsible.”

  “Garrix believed it was the only way to remove the mark. He assured me she was in no danger.” Cillian.

  “But it didn’t even work.”

  “Nephew, I appreciate your concern for Luna. You’ve gone above and beyond in your duties as mentor and instructor. But Garrix is her father, and his warlock blood runs through her veins. He was her best option.”

  Ryder snarled. His footsteps echoed on the hardwood floor. I didn’t have to open my eyes to see him pacing Cillian’s office like a caged lion.

  “Now what? His magic didn’t remove the mark, and he had to leave to take care of more pressing matters. That leaves us back at square one with no answers. Luna’s gotten stronger, there’s no doubt about that, but she’s a target for the entire Underworld until we get that mark removed. It’s only a matter of time before they succeed in capturing her—or worse…” His voice lowered on the last word, and a chill skirted up my spine.

  “Ryder,” Cillian huffed, and I could almost see the beautiful angel running his hand through his golden locks. “While I’m impressed with your dedication to Luna, I have to ask, is there more going on between the two of you?”

  My heart stopped. I thanked the supernatural gods my eyes were closed, and I was supposed to be passed out.

  “No,” he hissed. “Of course not.”

  My heart faltered for a second before plummeting. I internally cursed myself for being so stupid. Of course he had to say no. What did I expect, a heartfelt confession of his true feelings for me? Assuming he even had any, it was strictly forbidden. Cillian would kill Ryder if he knew we’d kissed—three times. Okay, and it was definitely more than just kissing.

  “Good,” Cillian mumbled, tearing me away from my tumultuous inner musings. “Because you know that nothing good could ever come of your involvement with a student, especially her.”

  “Yes, dear uncle. I know, I know.” Ryder’s footsteps grew closer, and I could practically feel his intense gaze on me.

  Maybe it was time to wake up. But I wasn’t ready—not to face him, not to face their disappointed expressions when they told me my father’s magic hadn’t worked.

  So I kept my eyes shut and let my spinning thoughts keep me company for a little while longer.

  Chapter 3

  Present time

  “Luna?”

  “Huh?” I glanced up at Cinder, drawing my thoughts away from my absentee father. Cillian had pulled me aside before class to tell me Garrix had been in touch. He was getting close to finding a way to remove the devil’s mark.

  “You okay? You haven’t said a word in like ten minutes.”

  “Oh yeah, I’m fine. It’s Ms. Mikalson’s lecture. It’s so interesting.”

  Cinder arched a dark brow. “Oh yeah? What’s she been talking about?”

  “Um… demons and fiends?”

  She chuc
kled, covering her face behind the thick textbook. “You can do better than just spitting back the name of the class.”

  “Sorry. I guess I’ve been a little distracted. Cillian told me Garrix had reached out and he’s getting closer to solving my little devil’s mark problem.” Unbidden, my fingers grazed the raised skin beneath my uniform polo.

  “That’s great,” she whisper-squealed. “Does that mean you’ll finally get to move back in with me?”

  My shoulders slumped, and I lowered my gaze to the closed textbook on my desk. I hadn’t had the guts to tell her the move to Scarlett’s was a permanent one. “I don’t think so, Cin. Ryder wants me near The Seven. He thinks it strengthens our bond.”

  Her lips twisted into a scowl. “That really sucks.”

  “I know.” I squeezed her hand and threw her my best smile. “I wish I could go back to living with you. You were the best roomie ever. Plus, I have to share a bathroom with Raine and Aeria.” I rolled my eyes. “They take forever getting ready and are the biggest bathroom hogs.”

  She giggled. “I could totally see that.”

  “Just because we’re not living together doesn’t mean we can’t hang out.”

  “I know, but you’re always with them. You train before class with the whole squad, then you have your private lessons with Ryder in the afternoons plus the magic ones with Drake.”

  She was right. I had no life beyond the supe squad. “It’s going to get better; I promise. Once this mark is gone, I won’t need bodyguards twenty-four-seven and things will go back to normal.”

  Or at least that’s what I hoped.

  “Somehow I doubt it. Even if that mark does vanish, I don’t think making Ryder disappear will be as easy.” She winked, a sly smirk crossing her pretty pink lips.

  “Ladies, please.” Ms. Mikalson wagged her perfectly manicured red fingernail at us. “Learning about the Underworld is equally as important as all your other classes.”

  We both nodded and refocused on her lecture. She was right. I’d wanted to learn more about the Underworld ever since my father spilled that little tidbit about warlocks being part demon. That meant that a tiny part of me was demon too. Maybe that’s where the darkblood powers came from. Maybe that’s where my overpowering attraction to Ryder stemmed. Nah, that was probably just because he was gorgeous.

  Ms. Mikalson finished her lecture on the first demons to walk the earth, and I slammed my book shut. I was meeting Drake in ten minutes for my bi-weekly magic lesson. As much as the ice prince’s snotty attitude drove me nuts sometimes, I couldn’t deny my magic was getting stronger thanks to him.

  As I gathered my books and stuffed them into my backpack, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Spinning around, I caught a pair of piercing dark eyes boring into me.

  Ugh, I really couldn’t escape him anywhere.

  Cinder nudged me in the gut with a knowing smile. “See what I mean?”

  I marched toward Ryder, ready to give him my best I-don’t-need-a-constant-bodyguard speech when he pivoted toward Ms. Mikalson. His arm snaked around her shoulder, and he whispered something in her ear, which set off a wave of girly giggles.

  Oh, vomit.

  I rushed by her desk with my eyes lowered, practically barreling by Cinder in a mad escape.

  “What was that about?” Cinder hissed the moment we were out of the class and away from supernatural earshot.

  “Who knows? If Ryder wants to get his kicks from some sex-demon succubus then he can go right ahead.” A mix of fury and misery swirled in my chest as I stomped down the hallway.

  “Oh, Luna…” Cinder squeezed my shoulder, but I shrugged her off, not in the mood to be pitied.

  “I gotta go meet Drake. I’ll see you later.” I spun away before she could respond. I didn’t want to see that look in her eyes. Why did I continue to torture myself about Ryder? He’d made it blatantly clear that there could never be anything between us, and it was time I listened to him.

  This was a new semester and a new Luna. I’d get rid of this stupid mark, unlock my badass witchy powers, and start dating a nice supernatural guy—one that wasn’t completely unattainable.

  “You ready, half-blood?” Drake’s chilly breath made me jump as he appeared beside me.

  “Damn, Drake. Put a bell on or something.”

  His head snapped back, his lilac eyes widening. “What’s got you in such a foul mood, human?”

  “Nothing,” I hissed through clenched teeth. “What are you doing down here anyway? I thought we were meeting in your room.”

  “I decided we needed a change of venue today.”

  I arched a skeptical brow. “Okay, so where to?”

  “Follow me, and I’ll show you.”

  I hurried behind the Fae royal as girls of all supernatural persuasions shot me evil eyes just for walking beside the king of the academy. Most had gotten used to seeing me attached to The Seven and some had even started calling us The Eight, but it didn’t help the occasional envy-filled gazes I caught from the girls.

  I shot them my own glares as I sauntered down the hall. I was so not in the mood today.

  When Drake pushed the door open that led to the Fae forest, my feet ground to a halt. “What? We’re going outside?” My teeth were already chattering from the blast of chilly wind. Damned freezing Fae weather.

  He held the door open, staring down at me with that trademark smug expression. “Suck it up, human. It’ll be worth it, I promise.”

  I rolled my eyes so hard I hoped only the whites remained and trudged out after him. Tugging my coat tighter around me, I cursed the stupid winter faeries and their arctic Winter Court as we followed a path into the forest.

  After what felt like an hour of slogging through snow that reached my ankles, I ran up to Drake and grabbed his arm. “Are we there yet?” I hated how whiney I sounded and how perfect the prince still looked. Not a single platinum hair was out of place; meanwhile, I was panting and icicles coated my nose and cheeks.

  “Almost.” His fingers slid around mine, surprising me, and he tugged me forward.

  I’d never been this far into the woods, even on our more recent demon hunting adventures. An hour may have been an exaggeration, but we’d been hiking for at least twenty minutes for sure. I glanced over my shoulder and could just make out the spiraling turrets of the academy at a distance.

  “You aren’t taking me out here to murder me or something, are you?”

  Drake laughed, an uncharacteristic mirth actually reaching his frosty irises. “Believe me if I wanted to kill you, there’d be much easier ways.”

  My eyes widened. “So you’ve actually thought about it?”

  His lips pressed together, a light brow arching. “No. At least not about killing you, anyway.”

  “Who else would you want to murder?” I squealed.

  “Why are humans always so curious? In my few dealings with them, I’ve found their constant inane questions to be incredibly tiresome and a consistent trait within your species.”

  I shrugged, trying not to take offense because it was simply the way of the snotty Fae royal. “Curiosity is a sign of intelligence.”

  Now he let out a full-bellied chuckle, one I’d definitely never heard from the aloof prince. “You really are something, human.” He didn’t say anything for another solid minute, and I assumed the topic was closed. Then he suddenly paused, turning to me and I nearly slammed right into him. “You do know my father was murdered, right?”

  I slowly nodded. Rumors that the Fae king’s death had not been of natural causes had circulated for months after Hitched aired, but his killer had never been found. “I’m sorry about that,” I finally muttered.

  “Don’t be. He was kind of a bastard, but he was my father despite it. For a long time, I plotted to revenge his death. I was so consumed with anger and vengeance I let everything else fall away. I almost failed my second year here at Darkblood, taking an extended sabbatical to hunt down my father’s murderer. So that’s whe
n I did my research on the many, many ways to kill someone.”

  A chill tattooed up my spine, and I couldn’t help but shudder. There’d always been something dark beneath Drake’s icy surface; I just hadn’t been able to place it. I must have had my deer-in-headlights look on because he gave me a half-smile.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve since gotten my murderous urges under control.”

  “Well, that’s good to hear,” I spluttered as he turned and began walking once more.

  “It’s just up ahead.”

  A crack of light filtered through the dense trees, getting brighter with each step. The towering evergreens suddenly parted and opened into a clearing. My jaw nearly hit the lush grass beneath my snow-covered boots as a wave of warm air rushed over me.

  A meadow—complete with a bubbling spring, sparkling sunlight and rows upon rows of daffodils, stretched before us.

  “How is this possible?” It was like staring at a mirage in the middle of a desert. A sultry oasis in the middle of the frozen wasteland.

  His eyes twinkled. “Magic, of course.”

  I didn’t wait another second to dart across the soft grass, shedding my winter coat as I ran. The warm, balmy weather was perfect for a dip in the crystal clear pond. I wished Drake had told me to bring a bathing suit.

  “So this has been here the entire time? I’ve braved never-ending winter for months when this hidden gem existed a mile away from the academy?”

  “That’s right.”

  “You’re a real jerk, you know that?” I threw a punch into his shoulder and immediately regretted it. Drake was nowhere near as bulky as Ryder, but his lithe form hid well-toned muscles beneath.

  “You had to work for this, human.” He shrugged, his lips curving into a wry grin. “You’ve done well, and now you deserve to be here.”

  Smug bastard.

  Reaching the edge of the pond, I kicked my boots and socks off and dipped my toes in. The sultry warm water was like a balm to my frigid, aching feet after the endless trek. I couldn’t help the moan of pleasure that slipped out as I sank into the grass.