Page 35 of Vampire's Vixen

Jason frowned, but said nothing. Instead, he turned and began pushing forward again, through the thickening undergrowth.

Kyle leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Are you sure you want to continue? I’m curious, but I also have the sense that we shouldn’t be here.”

I thought about it again, weighing our options. Finally, deciding that I should trust the teacher to do his job, I nodded. The school wouldn’t have hired him if they hadn’t done a background check.

“Let’s go,” I whispered back. “I may just be hypersensitive. A lot has been going on in my life and I’m not sure if my hesitation has to do with Hollow Hill, or just life in general.”

Kyle took my hand. “I hope you don’t mind— it makes me feel less nervous.”

“I don’t mind,” I said. Truth was, I didn’t mind at all. I was rapidly growing to like Kyle, and holding hands with him was actually comforting.

We worked our way past the line where the panic had set in, and now—all around me—it felt like we were being watched. Everywhere I looked, I thought I could see someone, and then they would vanish. They weren’t ghosts, either. I wasn’t sure exactly what was out here in the woodlands, but I trusted my instincts.

“Have you ever heard of the Woodlings?” Nena asked. “Do you think there are any out here?”

Puzzled, I waited for the teacher to answer. The name didn’t ring a bell and I wasn’t exactly sure what Nena was talking about.

Jason again cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m familiar with the Woodlings. I’ve actually seen one. And I do believe they exist here, especially since this is a known Fae habitat.”

“What are they?” I asked. The discussion was helping me keep my mind off the energy that felt so unwelcoming.

“The Woodlings are spirits from the wood, shaped from the very wood itself, and they serve the Overkings.”

“Overkings?” I asked.

“Another word for the Fae,” Jason said. “It’s what the Woodlings call them, because they are bound servants. The Woodlings are sentient creatures, and they belong both in our world and world of Fae. You’ll find them whenever you are deep in the forest.”

“Servants?”

“More like slaves,” Nena said. “I know we have a few members of the Fae in our city council and in our communities, but they have such a feudal structure that I’m amazed they put up with interacting with us.”

“You’re correct in that assumption,” Jason said. “They do have a feudal structure to their hierarchy. As to putting up with us, there isn’t much else they can do, given the nature of our encroachment into their native territories. In a sense, it’s colonialism all over again.”

“I’ve met two members of the Fae who interact with our society, and I have to say, they’re pretty nice. It feels like we’re making assumptions based on stereotypes.” I felt like I needed to stand up for my new friends. Neither Bealissa nor Ginger had seemed anything like what I had heard about members of the Fae race.

“The Fae can be nice on an individual basis,” Jason said. “Do not expect their race to mirror that. And you met two of the Fae who prefer to interact with mortals. Again, you cannot assume that is a good representative of the actual community. Should we meet any of their kin, do not thank them for anything, and do not say the word favor around them. You might inadvertently bind yourself to a lifetime of servitude.”

Now that I knew. And I fully realized that I couldn’t base my opinions off the small sector I had met. But I still felt like they were getting a bad rap.

“Don’t worry, we’re listening.” I wanted the whole subject to be done and over with. I didn’t feel like controversy today, nor did I feel like an argument. Kyle squeezed my hand and gave me a wink. “Don’t let him get to you,” he whispered. I glanced over at Nena. She had a scowl on her face, and she was openly glaring at the back of the teacher.

With every step, the sensation that we were being watched grew, and I tried to brush it away. My instincts were screaming turn back, but I had committed to seeing it through and I really didn’t want to explain myself.

A moment later we came to the fence that Jason had been talking about. On the other side, the wild had really taken over. There was no sign of any trail, and the energy that flowed out from behind the fence made my stomach tighten. I moved closer to Kyle as Jason took out a key and began to unlock the massive padlock holding the chain gate shut.

As he opened it, I had a flash that something was about to go devilishly wrong.

Jason swung the gate wide and started to step through when a loud growl echoed past us.

I jumped, stumbling back. Nena froze, but Lonny pushed her to the side as a massive bristled boar with glowing red eyes and curved tasks came rushing through, knocking Jason to the ground. I suddenly realized that it was headed directly toward me. I screamed, unable to move as it barreled down on me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I tried to sidestep the boar, leaping to the side as it thundered toward me. I narrowly missed getting gored by its massive tusks as I landed in a patch of thorny brambles, the barbs on the thorns digging in as I rolled through them. The boar turned and veered my way again, letting out a terrifying growl. It lowered its tusks, pawing the ground and snuffling, then drove forward into the tangle of brambles.

Ignoring the pain of the thorns, I scrambled on my hands and knees, unable to get to my feet. I kept crawling as fast as I could, with the boar hot on my heels. The thorns pierced my knees and shins though my pants and hooked into my forearms. Welts rose where I scrambled over stinging nettle, but all of that was nothing in comparison to what the creature would do to me if it got hold of me.

Up ahead was a nurse log, covered with mushrooms and moss, and all I could think was that—if I could get over it—maybe the boar couldn’t get me. Ignoring the screams of my classmates, I focused on the log, scrambling toward it, as Kyle raced toward me from the other side.

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