Chapter 8
“Do you want to know what I find funny?” Domino asks. We look at her curiously and she continues. “We could have just gotten the troll’s tooth from that store, but instead we went and took on a mighty troll. I’d bet the Headmaster expected us to find the store, not an actual troll. Do you know how dangerous that was?” She asks. For who was it dangerous—us or the troll?
We approach the academy quickly and I can’t help feeling something is amiss. We had three days to gather all the ingredients, but we did it in only a few hours, almost all of it from a simple shop. Why were we given three whole days to be away from the Academy? Something didn’t quite add up. My thoughts are interrupted by Keagan.
“You guys are all right,” Keagan says, casting a quick glance at us all. He turns and exchanges a few words with an invisible presence. I’m sure it is one of his resident spirits.
“Snow,” Kole says. “A few words?”
I nod and stop walking as everyone else continues. Once we are far enough from everyone, we begin walking in the same direction as the group, only this time, we are far enough behind to remain unheard.
“What do you need?” I ask, my heartbeat echoing in my ears. Is it possible that he got more attractive since the last time I rested my eyes upon him? He runs his hand through his thick mane and looks at me with vibrant hazel eyes.
“I need you to understand. We can’t split up when we get back,” he says cryptically. There is evidently something more he needs to tell me, but either he can’t or he won’t.
“Do you think this won’t work?” I ask, demanding to know his reasoning.
“I don’t know how to explain. The spell should work, but that’s not what I’m worried about,” he says.
“Kole, just tell me what’s on your mind,” I say, grabbing his arm instinctively.
“I can’t,” he explodes, anger oozing from him. He lifts both arms above his head and looks to the sky as I take a small step away from him. He sucks in a deep breath. “Do you know that vampires don’t mate or connect unless they have found their soulmate?” He asks. I merely nod. “I would only ever show interest in someone if they were my soulmate.” I look at my feet dismally. I don’t know why I thought he would want me. He’s too busy looking for his soulmate. But I am still unclear. Why would he show an interest in me if I am not his soulmate?
“I understand,” I say with a small, sad smile.
He is standing at an angle and his mark peeks from his shirt. I feel drawn to it. It’s almost as though I need to see it. He has seen mine after all—though he will never be able to tell me what he had seen. It is forbidden by the Headmaster and nobody would dare stand against him.
“You do?” He asks, pulling his arms back to his side and taking a step closer.
“Yes, I do. You are looking for your soulmate. That’s what I want you to do,” I say. Kole’s eyes are hooded and a growl erupts from the back of his throat. “Plus, I’m a mermaid. What are the odds you and I would ever be anything more than friends?” I ask.
“God, Snow,” he says. I take off in a slow jog to catch up with the rest of the team, trying to ignore being blatantly rejected. Is my mild attraction really so obvious? As a group, we come upon the academy doors and I look at them proudly. We did it. I glance at Kole, who caught up with the group seconds after me. His lips are pulled into a tight line and I can’t bear to look at them.
The front door swings open quickly and I smile up at the Headmaster, whose face is pale and distressed. My smile immediately seizes. “What is it,” I ask, rushing through the doors.
“The Elite magician is dead,” he says. “We must hurry.”
I follow behind the Headmaster and allow him to lead us through the corridors. Kole, once again, is right beside me. I wish he would allow me to get over my unreciprocated feelings for him, but he doesn’t understand personal space.
We enter through his office doors and take in the horrifying sight. There is no blood or gore, but the magician is sitting at an awkward angle, head turned in a way that should not be possible. His face is pale and I’m sure he is cold to the touch. Everything around the magician is destroyed. I cover my mouth with my hand and stare at the scene in shock.
“We can still do the spell, right?” Laithe asks anxiously. Something about his tone makes me turn my head and scowl at him. The spell holds little relevance if the magician who was planning on doing it is dead.
“We can’t,” the Headmaster says. “All the materials were destroyed.”
I walk toward the body of the murdered magician and look down at him. “Does he look oddly positioned to you?” I ask nobody in particular.
“Yeah, his head is doing a one-eighty,” Laithe says sarcastically. I shake my head and stare at him for a moment. Both Keagan and Kole look at the man and take a step in his direction. Domino stands beside the door with Laithe, but while Laithe looks as though he doesn’t care, Domino looks sick.
“Get Domino out of here,” I say to nobody in particular.
“Come with me, Miss. Elvy,” The Headmaster says, pulling her into his side and leaving the room. I am happy that he took Domino.
I watch as Kole examines the body alongside Keagan. Kole reaches into the magician’s pocket and pulls out a slip of paper. He scrutinizes the contents and his eyebrows shoot up. We make subtle eye contact and he drags his hand down my opened palm, which goes completely unnoticed by Keagan. I feel the slip of paper between his fingers and accept it greedily. I make my way around the back of the chair and open the paper from the magician’s pocket. The contents of the note fill me with fear and dread.
Assassin is Headmaster and Commander is Elite.
Chapter 9
I look at Kole and bite my bottom lip, unsure of how to handle the situation. I turn my attention to Keagan, who seems to be examining the body and looking for any sort of clue. He may be rough around the edges, but he seems genuinely curious as to who killed the magician. Domino is far too innocent to have done such a thing. I turn my attention to Laithe, who is watching us with an unsympathetic expression. It has to be him. It takes me a moment to process the impending danger, but once I do, I come to an awful realization.
Domino is with the Headmaster—the assassin.
“I need a minute,” I say, acting as if the body sickens me. I spring up and run past Laithe and into the hallway. I don’t give anybody a chance to follow me as I run through the corridors. “Domino,” I shout down the hall, but she doesn’t answer. A few people open their doors to see what’s happening, but I don’t acknowledge them.
“Snow, what’s going on?” Coral asks, running down the hallway. “Why are you screaming?”
“No time to explain. I need to find Domino,” I say. “Domino,” I shout.
“Domino,” Coral shouts, still noticeably confused. I hear a ruckus from a room on the right and barge in. Domino is standing beside the Headmaster.
“Come here, Domino,” I say urgently. “He is the assassin,” I elaborate. She looks up at him and then back to me with a terrified look. “Run.”
Just like I requested, she runs in my direction and the Headmaster looks at us with a wicked grin. He takes a step in our direction and I slam the door between us and take off in the opposite direction. Fighting an assassin is hopeless. They are invincible and only able to control themselves if their commanders are killed or magically separated from them. “Why are we running from the Headmaster, Snow?” Coral asks urgently. I dodge students spread throughout the hallway and take as many sporadic turns as I am able. Domino switches forms and lands on my shoulder. “And why are we helping a fairy?”
“Long story,” I say, winded. “Headmaster is an assassin and the commander wants us dead.”
“Snow,” Domino screams in my ear. I halt in my tracks when I notice Laithe running in my direction with fury evident in his eyes. Could today get any worse? I instinctively throw my leg out and manage to push him into the wall and continue running past. Coral is no longer behind me, but she has nothing to do with the situation, so it’s for the best.
I am running hard and fast. After seconds of sprinting, I am pulled into a small nook and pressed tightly into the wall. I meet a pair of hazel eyes and hold unfathomably still. I open my mouth to say something, but Kole’s finger covers my lips and he blocks my body with his, fully encompassing me. I watch as Laithe runs by as quickly as I had been before, not paying us any attention.
I don’t notice I am holding my breath until he finally passes and I release the air. “Thanks,” I say breathlessly. He looks into my eyes and I become exceedingly aware of our close proximity. His breath fans over my nose and I smell his natural scent, which proves to be appealing to my senses. Frankly, everything about him entices me.
He leans into me and my attraction multiplies. When our lips are mere centimeters apart and our breathing is laced together, Domino clears her throat from my shoulder and I’m shaken from whatever trance I was put into. “Now really isn’t the time, guys,” she scolds.
“You’re right,” I whisper. Kole takes a small step back and allows me to ease past him, brushing his toned stomach along the way. “Okay,” I say, trying to break myself of the trance I was in only seconds ago. “We need to get away from this or we’ll all be killed. It looks like leaving the school is the only option,” I say.
“Let’s go,” Kole says. I feel moisture soaking through my sleeve and I assume Domino is crying.
We scurry down the hallway in the direction opposite of Laithe. Kole leads and I follow behind, Domino hiding behind my hair. “Hey, Kole,” I say. He looks back at me and I wring my fingers. “What happened to Keagan?” I ask, afraid to know the answer.
He looks at the floor. “I don’t really know. I hope he got out,” he says.
“Isn’t it funny how we just risked our lives to get these ingredients and we’re not even using them?” I rant. I can’t convince myself to be quiet in such a stressful situation.
It’s my fault that I distracted him, because when the Headmaster comes around the corner, Kole is entirely unprepared for the attack. When the Headmaster grabs Kole and drags him backward, my fight or flight instinct kicks into overdrive. Today the fight instinct wins.