Page 121 of Dead Wolf Walking (Bad Moon Academy 1)
Darkness fills my vision and my blood chills as power wells inside me. “You’re not eating her,” I say then lunge toward the woman.
She stumbles back. I crash into her, taking her to the ground and shoving my hand against her chest as I release a stream of pure obsidian into her body. Her milky eyes begin to glow, and I gasp when pain lances through me. Joan whines next to me, and I grab her neck with my other hand. Death’s power races through my palm, wrapping around the three of us.
A dark wraith bursts from the coils of power, hovering above the spirit I’m holding to the ground. The creature reaches for me, and my stomach flips. This being wants to take me to the afterlife. I cringe when it floats forward, willing it to see I’m not its next dinner.
My heartbeat slows, and I exhale, breath forming into a pure white puff of fog. The onyx smoke spirals through it, breaking it apart and creating a spiral of white and black in front of the wraith. The cloaked arm reaches for me again.
“I don’t belong here,” I whisper as it extends one skeletal finger and brushes it against my cheek. The touch makes me shudder with revulsion, and I shake my head. “I. Don’t. Belong. Here.”
The wraith whooshes away from me when I scream. I gather the dark power within me, directing it to the land of the living, where Aunt Lou is. I have to get back to her. This place cannot hold me because I’m not dead. The spirit beneath me is writhing and howling as the black smoke begins to form a vortex around us.
The wraith floats in a spiral, moving faster and faster with the cyclone. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s caught up in the storm I’ve created, but that’s impossible.
My whole body shudders, and I feel the grip I have over the power start to slip through my fingers. I grit my teeth and toss my head back, releasing a guttural cry and staring through the vortex. A dim light filters through at the very top, barely discernible. The longer I stare, the brighter it shines.
There.
That’s my way back.
Don’t let the darkness consume you.Of course… it’s so simple. Don’t forget to look for the light.
As if sensing my sole focus, the light rushes toward me like a spear of lightning and jolts into my chest. I scream so hard my voice breaks, and I’m left with my mouth open on a silent cry as the light crackles around me, Joan, and the spirit. I snap my eyes shut, but ripples of brightness still seep through my eyelids.
Raven?Joan’s voice is ripe with panic in my head.
Oh.
Joan! You’re back!I peel my eyes open, glancing around the ballroom. No rotted holes in the wall. No spirit stuck underneath me.
Wait. That’s not right. I spin on my knees, searching for the woman, but she’s nowhere to be found. A bird screeches outside one of the large windows. Pounding footsteps race toward me.
Mates.
Whoa girl, no one accepted that.
It’s only a matter of time,Joan says.My heart tells me they’re perfect for us. Even the phantom.
Even the phantom? What?
I don’t have time to think about what she’s said because Everett, Draco, and Carter burst into the ballroom. They spread out, searching for a threat they won’t find. Death let me go and the spirit somehow stayed behind. None of that matters now because I got what I came for.
Aw, I love you too.
Ignoring Joan, I stand and brush off my shirt. Another high-pitched screech sounds right outside the window. My spine tingles with recognition and Joan stirs in my head. Before she says his name, I know who the bird is.
Adler.
He said he’d return in a few days with his friend to help me escape. I have Joan. My eyes flit around the room, pausing on each man slowly walking toward me as though they all expect the boogey man to pop up. My time at Bad Moon Academy has come to an end. They may want me to stay, but I’ve already been here too long.
“Raven, are you okay?” Carter asks as he edges closer.
“Did you find her?” Everett’s gaze searches my face. “Did you get her?”
Only Draco seems to realize something is off. “Little Red, what are you planning?”
Another screech pulls my attention to the window. I race to it, yanking the heavy drapes away from the panes of glass. It’s the dead of night; the moon shines brightly in the sky, about a week from being full. I spot Adler flapping his wings, hovering a few inches away from me. I press my hand against the glass and drop my forehead against it, laughing when he flips backward and swoops toward the gate. I track his descent, widening my eyes when I see two people waiting for him. Well, one fae and one human. A woman I never expected to see anywhere near this place grasps the iron rods of the gate.
“Aunt Lou.” I gasp and shove away from the window, ignoring the men as they shout my name.
