Page 52 of Crimson Shadows
“And that would be…?”
“What we need to find out.” He stares at me for a moment, making me uncomfortable. “You seem to have quite the protective circle forming around you already.”
“If only I knew why,” I sigh.
“Well, Corvus, I understand… he can teach you, guide you… but be aware that these men are trouble, Miss Black. Do not go into an alliance blindly.”
“Alliance?”
He nods. “We need to work on building up your abilities.” He snaps his fingers, and a tray appears on the dresser with a silver-domed plater and a large silver flask. “In the flask, you will find human blood,” he murmurs. “This is not something we allow on campus, so do keep that to yourself for now, if you don’t mind. But I believe this is the key to activating your dormant abilities.”
“Oh?”
“Take small sips often. Do not try to drink the entire thing all at once, no matter how tempting it might be. We need a slow build, not a sudden, overwhelming rush. Tomorrow night, we will meet and see if your abilities have manifested at all. I had hoped being in the Labyrinth under pressurised circumstances with Corvus would have sparked something, but I fear it didn’t.”
“You set me up? It was fucking dangerous in there!” I snap, angry that he could’ve got me killed.
“Corvus wouldn’t have let that happen,” he says dismissively. “And all students have to go through it at the start of every year. Had we held you back, more questions would’ve been asked.”
I growl softly, but I don’t argue. He’s not wrong, after all. “Do you have any idea why the Strix were after me?” I ask.
He gives me a slow smile that does nothing to comfort me. “Who said they were after you, Miss Black?”
Our gaze holds for a few seconds before he vanishes from sight in a way that makes me think he wasn’t really here at all.
“Who said they were after you? Good fucking point. The guys said so. Zaiah, in particular, was adamant it wasn’t him.”
I sink back onto my bed, suddenly feeling very tired. “I don’t understand any of this. My head hurts.”
Orby sidles over and nuzzles me, offering me some comfort in this storm I’ve descended into the middle of.
“Thanks, Orby. I wish you could talk.”
My mind whirls with questions and possibilities. I look down at the book on Dark Fae magick, still open on the bed next to me.
Well, they say knowledge is power, so I’ve got a lot of reading to do. Whatever’s coming for me, or not; whatever I’m destined to become, or not; I’m determined to get on with it. I’ve gone twenty-one years not knowing who I really was in my skin. I know now, and I need to step up. These dormant abilities needto rise to the surface, and I need to show everyone at MistHallow that the new girl isn’t a pushover.
Most especially these guys who have taken such a keen interest in me. As seductive as they are, as gorgeous as they are, as much as they make me feel alive and not like some dried-up old crone waiting to wither and die, Ihaveto be wary of them. They are the most dangerous of them all.
Groaning, I flop back to the bed and then curl up on my side, propping the book up to keep reading. Vampires, I’ve pretty much got down. The truth isn’t that far from the myth in most cases, but the rest? I don’t have a fucking clue. The library and me are going to become real close in the next few days while I learn about these creatures who have set their sights on me.
25
ADELAIDE
The moon is disappearing,bringing with it the growing dawn. It’s been a hell of a few days at MistHallow but I’m getting the feeling that’s nothing new. My brain is screaming for rest from all these thoughts that won’t leave me alone about the guys, the Strix,me.
I push the book aside as mist swirls outside, the gloomy light barely a flicker.
I’m out almost instantly, diving straight into the deep end of oblivion.
My eyes flutter open, and I’m wide awake in my tower room—except it’s different. It’s charged with an energy that buzzes against my skin. The air is thick with a dark, sweet scent that wraps around me like a blanket.
My heart races. Shadows cling to the corners, watching, waiting. It feels like the room is alive and hungry, and it matches the desire building inside me.
I moan as desire floods over me. I’m alone, but it doesn’t feel that way. There’s a presence here, familiar and calling to the supernatural part of me that’s been stirring under my skin all my life and more so since I learned what I am.
“Who’s there,” I mumble, challenging the shadows, sensing another presence.
