The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 57
“It’s great out here.”
My eyes fluttered open when Zea’s voice cut short my reminiscing.
“I could get to use this,” she said, sitting down.
“Don’t get too used to it. The bell is about to ring,” I added. “Sam, move. You’re blocking the sun.”
He took off his jacket before dropping into the seat next to me.
“So, Zea, are you going to tell us how you know Blake?” I asked. I hated to even say his name, but I had to get the skinny on the creep.
Sam’s head jerked toward me, his eyes wide. He raised his hand, fingers together, and slashed them across his neck. Was that his way of telling me to shut up?
Zea fidgeted in her seat, dropping her gaze.
“It’s okay, Zea. You don’t have to talk about it,” Sam said, breaking the long silence.
“I haven’t told anyone…” She lifted her gaze. “I…hate the sight of…blood. And I panic when I see…fangs.”
I gulped. Shock rippled through me. A vampire who hated the sight of blood and fangs! Holy moly! How could that be?
I placed my hand on top of hers. “Hey, it’s okay.”
My pulse sped up. The mere mention of blood made my mouth water.
“No, it’s not okay,” she said. “I’m a freaking vampire. I shouldn’t pass out when I see fangs or blood.”
“Do you like the taste of blood?” Sam asked.
“Not really,” she replied, wiping a tear from her cheek with the back of her free hand.
“Huh?” I asked, my mouth falling open. Now I could hardly speak. I loved the sticky red stuff. My throat suddenly became dry just thinking about it.
“I know. Crazy, isn’t it?”
“Crazy? More like screwed-up,” Sam blurted out.
I slapped him on the arm. He was telling me to shut up?
“Well, it is. That would be like a human not liking food,” Sam added.
He was right. Regardless, it still didn’t answer the question about Blake.
“So, what does this have to with Blake?” I removed my hand from hers, trying to get to the heart of the matter before I ran looking for blood.
“He tortured me while we were at Grayson Manor. My sister was trying to help me take my mind off drinking our dad’s blood. It didn’t work. I passed out. Blake got wind of it and every chance he had, he picked on me. He’d take vials of blood and spill them in front of me while he shoved his fangs in my face. He’s gross and an asshole.” She hiccupped.
My blood began to boil listening to her tell the story. I hated Blake as much as she did. My adrenaline surged. I dug my nails into my palm, trying to prevent my fangs from descending. The predator in me wanted to find him right this instant and kill him.
“Jo, why’re your eyes purple? All vampires have black eyes when they change. Well, of course not the vile beast, Blake.” Zea stared at me. “Are you like him?”
“What do you mean, like him?” Sam asked. A deep frown line formed between his brows.
“His eyes are that strange orange when they change. Dr. Grayson was fascinated with him because of that. He’d never seen any vampire with a color other than black.” Her smooth forehead wrinkled.
“Did Dr. Grayson say why his eyes were orange?” I asked, swaying the conversation back to Blake and not me.
“No. He was going to run tests on Blake. Then a man pulled him out of the Grayson program. In fact, the Counsel of Eternal Affairs is investigating why he got pulled early.”
“His dad?” My instincts kicked in.
There was something awry about Blake that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. However, one thing was certain: hanging around Zea was proving to be a good idea. She was a wealth of information.
“The man didn’t look like he could be Blake’s dad. Anyway, it’s your turn. You never answered my question yesterday. How come you two weren’t at Grayson Manor?” Zea asked.
The bell rang. How appropriate that we were literally saved by the bell.
Sam’s shoulders relaxed, and so did mine. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell her. It was just Sam and I had a weird story. Besides, I didn’t think Dad would like us telling her about the Plutariums and my Uncle Patrick.
“Zea, if I can get my dad’s permission, do you want to hang out sometime?” I asked as we walked into building.
“Ooh. I’d like that,” she replied.
Sam raised his eyebrows.
I shrugged. I wanted to make friends. I had to make friends. Hanging out on base with my brother was great, but I needed a female friend, and I liked Zea.
When we reached the end of the hall near the cafeteria there were two teachers directing students to their classrooms. One was male and the other female. The female was a tall vamp who reminded me of Ms. Weston. I didn’t even think to ask about her this morning. I made a mental note to track her down and apologize.
We stopped at the crossroads of the halls. The female teacher read through Zea’s schedule and pointed her in the right direction. The male vamp glanced over Sam’s. All classrooms were on the upper floors while the first floor was dedicated to the auditorium, cafeteria, and anything administrative.
We climbed the stairs to the second floor. A framed sign tacked to the wall adjacent to the hall door indicated that this floor was home to all subjects related to English.
We made our way to the third floor, for all things history.
“This is us,” Zea said.
“I have math. I guess I’m going up.” Sam pointed toward the upper stairwell.
“Come on, Jo. I want to get a good seat.” Zea held open the door.
The halls were quiet, a sign that most of the other vamps were in their classrooms.
“You go ahead.” I flicked my head to the open doorway. “I want to talk to my brother.”
“I’ll wait for you in the hall. Hurry,” she said, closing the door.
“Are you going to be okay, sis?” Sam’s gaze roamed over me. Since he couldn’t read my emotions, the lines on his forehead were telling me he was struggling to find something to clue him in.
“I’ll be fine. You’re the one who has to put up with the asshole.”
“Blake doesn’t bother me. I’ll meet you at lunch at the same place we sat earlier.”
I nodded.
He turned to climb the stairs.
“Sam?”
He glanced over his shoulder, holding on to the railing.
I tapped my heart twice.
“Love you too, Jo. See you at lunch.”
I had my head down when I barreled into the hall and into Ms. Weston. Oh, crap!
“Jo, come on! We’re going to be late,” Zea called out, panic in her voice. “We have two minutes before the final bell.”
While that might be true, I had another matter to attend to.
“Yes, Ms. Mason, you’re going to be late,” Ms. Weston repeated, staring down at me.
“Ma’am, I’m so sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to—”
“Enough. You’ll make up for it during your time here.” Her even and calm tone did nothing to mask the threat behind her words.
“I truly am sorry.”
She moved to my right. “Off to class, Ms. Mason.” Then she walked away.
Zea waited, fidgeting where she stood. Clearly she was worried about being tardy. I was more concerned about Ms. Weston’s subtle threat than being late to class. Yep. I wasn’t starting school on the right foot that was for sure.
Zea and I made it to vampire history with thirty seconds to spare. She frowned when she walked in. Only two seats were left, at the back of the classroom.
“I wanted to sit in the front,” she whispered as we both took the remaining two seats.
I hunched my shoulders forward, shrugging. There was nothing we could do about it unless we kicked out the overachievers in the front row. That wasn’t going to happen.
Zea pouted while we waited for the teacher to turn around. He was writing a few things on the whiteboard.
“Okay, settle down,” he said as he placed the cap on his dry-erase marker. “My name is Porter Hale. When called on, I expect you to answer the question followed with ‘sir.’ If you haven’t learned any manners by now then you don’t belong in this school.”
I silently harrumphed. I was quickly reminded of Dad and the solicitors. Everything in this vampire world was about manners. However, unlike the solicitors, Mr. Hale didn’t believe in tailored black suits. Instead, a pair of plaid pants and a plaid jacket covered his tall, skinny frame. His hair was slicked back with tons of oil, and his skin was pale white.
He glanced around the room. “For the next two months you’ll learn the basics of vampire history. As you move into the fall semester you’ll continue with this course where we left off. This is only an introduction. We’ll talk about the important vampires that have shaped our world and how it all began. Before we do, it is prudent to discuss some of the myths and fables that humans believe to be true about our world.
“We’ll have quizzes every Friday, and you’ll have homework every night. This is a fast-paced class. At the end of August you’ll be given a final—one essay question. So make sure you do your homework and pay attention in class. Participation on your part counts a great deal as well. Any questions, before I get started?”
The room was silent.
“Very well then, I’ll take that as a no.” Mr. Hale pointed to the whiteboard. “We’ll start by discussing the history of this school. This will be a good starting point since there’s quite a bit of history in this building alone.”
I leaned back in my seat as Mr. Hale spoke. He explained the building was purchased from one of the large church organizations in the city. It had been home to a convent of nuns. Over the years the church downsized as the nuns migrated to other churches around the world. It seemed to be the perfect location, away from the dense population of humans in the city. Mr. Hale also told us that each floor was dedicated to a subject, as Sam, Zea and I had found out. English was on the second floor, history on the third floor, math on the fourth, and science on the fifth.
When Mr. Hale drew in a breath, a female vamp in the front row raised her hand.
He nodded. “State your name first, then your question.”
“My name is Sarah. Aren’t there six floors in this building? I also understand that there are tunnels under the school that lead to secret places around the city. Is that true, sir?”
Mr. Hale tilted his head to one side. Several lines formed under his eyes and on his forehead. “Wherever do you children learn this stuff? First, the sixth floor is dedicated to electives you choose to take during your time at this school. And the astronomy lab and observatory are located on the sixth floor too. You’ll have a chance to tour the observatory this week. As for the tunnels, that’s a myth.” He leaned against the front of his desk.
I was curious as to whether he was telling the truth about the tunnels. The military base had tunnels. That was how the Plutariums had escaped. Then a question pinged in my brain. If there were tunnels, was this school really as safe as Mr. Banks and Dad had said it was?
Mr. Hale droned on about the history of the school, and before long the bell sounded. Unlike Durfee, the tone of the bell was very low. I imagined the school staff programed it that way for vampire hearing. Whoever thought of that idea should be given a medal.
The fifteen of us piled out of the classroom and into the hall.
I looked to Zea to lead us to English, which was on the second floor. I’d hoped to at least pass Sam on his way down if he had history. I forgot to ask him what he had during second period.
We only had ten minutes between classes. So Zea and I traipsed down one flight of stairs and found the English classroom. She wanted to pick her seat this time. I decided to head to the girls’ bathroom to freshen up. My legs were burning. Maybe if I dabbed them with some cold water it would take away the sting of the rash. I was beginning to question my vampire body. I healed quickly from stab wounds but couldn’t get my freakin’ skin to heal from a stupid piece of fabric. It didn’t make any sense.
After tending to my legs I wadded up the paper towel and threw it in the trash. Then I smoothed out my skirt, rubbing my hands down the front, then the back. I glanced one last time in the mirror. I was running my fingers through my hair, fluffing it up at the roots, when the door to the ladies’ room creaked open. Her strawberry scent hit me before I could move.
“What’re you doing in here? You don’t belong in school.” My fangs shot out of my gums.
The brunette who was with Blake yesterday stalked up to me.
“Are you going to bite me, Jo? You want to sink your fangs into me, don’t you?”
Her heart pounded in my ears. Each pump of her blood through her veins sent a burning sensation to the back of my throat. My gums ached. I couldn’t breathe.
What was she doing here?
“Hard to control yourself, isn’t it?” She was taunting me. “I told you yesterday. I’m not afraid of your kind.” She pulled a dagger from her back pocket.
Fear gripped me, my muscles tensing.
“Who are you? And what do you want with me?”
“Who I am is none of your business. What I want with you? Well, I can’t ruin the surprise,” she said, inching closer to me.
I followed her steps, keeping my eye on the dagger in her hand. It looked like the blade was cobalt.
I assessed my options. There was only one way out of the girls’ bathroom. Two if I counted the window. I was on the second floor, so it couldn’t be too far down if I had to jump.
Olivia had taught me to not only assess the room, but my opponent as well. She had a weapon; I didn’t. She was human; I was a vampire. There were laws in my world that stated I couldn’t harm a human.
This scenario screamed disaster.
“Looking for a way out? I’d say you’re screwed. You have to go through me.” Haughtiness rang through her voice.
This human thought she could stop me, with a dagger, no less. Anger bubbled to the surface, slowly neutralizing the fear that had settled in my veins.
“You realize that dagger can’t kill me,” I said through gritted fangs.
A sinister grin painted her thin pink lips. Her soulless blue eyes swept over me. Death would not be my fate today not unless I took my own life.
“If I stab you through the heart and tear it to shreds it will,” she countered.
We glared at each other. Seconds or minutes passed, I wasn’t sure which.
“You plan on using that dagger or you just going to stand there?” The dare rolled off my tongue before I realized it. Oh, well. Time to find out if all that training would pay off. “You realize I could kill you in a second.” I smiled wide, exposing my fangs.
The idea of sinking my canines into her was very enticing. A thrum of excitement coursed through me and my throat burned hotter at the thought.
Her pulse still beat rapidly. Inside she was scared. On the outside she was doing a bang-up job of masking her fear.
The door flew open with a thud.
“You started without me,” Blake said, his eyes bright orange, his fangs protruding well below his bottom lip.
What the hell!?
“Where have you been?” The girl whipped around to face him.
At the site of Blake, my anger morphed into a rage that zipped through me, awakening the predator in me. She clawed to get out, to attack this ugly beast in front of me. I silently apologized to Dad. Then again, the game had just changed. I couldn’t be held responsible for defending my life against a human and a vampire.
But was he a vampire? He seemed different to every other vampire I’d met. His fangs reminded me of a lion’s—thick and yellow—and blood stained both of them. It seemed he’d had a snack before arriving at the party.
“I had to take care of the Guardian. The fucking school thought they could have one of those morons babysit me.” Blake sidled up next to the brunette.
How did Blake “take care” of a Guardian? Those that I’d seen were well over six feet tall with chests and arms that could crush a human easily. While Blake was tall and stocky, I didn’t think his height and weight was a match against a Guardian.
The bell rang.
“Get rid of her before they come looking for her,” the brunette barked, stepping backward, her knuckles white around the handle of the dagger.
Oh yeah. This was going to be fun.
Blake ripped off his school jacket then threw it on the floor.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment a very long time, Moonbeam.” His voice dripped with slime.
The door to the bathroom opened.
“Jo, what’s taking—” Zea poked in her head. Her jaw dropped.
The brunette jumped her, pulling her into the bathroom, holding the dagger to Zea’s neck.
Oh, boy. Not Zea. Not again.
Adrenaline erased the fear. I met Zea’s gaze. Her chocolate brown eyes were now pools of tar. Red sparked from them much like Webb’s did when he got mad.
I shook my head slightly, trying to tell her not to move. The point of the dagger was poised on her jugular.
“Well now, if it isn’t the vampire who hates blood. Now, you, pretty one, just became my dessert,” Blake growled, licking his disgusting lips.
Pervert.
I couldn’t let anything happen to Zea. I’d been staked in a room full of swords. If I could survive that, I could survive a brawl with this jerk. After all, they didn’t have any weapons. Well, at least Blake didn’t. It was just him and me, and our vampire strength.
“Take care of the blood-hating vampire, Jewel.” His eyes turned fiery red.
Without hesitation, I flew into the air, knocking him to the ground. I landed with my feet on either side of his hips. Before I could drop down to pin him to the floor, he swiveled his waist, then kicked upward, hitting the back of my head. I fell, and our heads collided. He raised his hands, grabbing me at my waist. In one fluid motion, he threw me forward. My palms landed on the tiled floor and I somersaulted to a standing position. I turned when he lunged, and as he did I raised my right knee, pushing him with all the strength I had. He soared through the long bathroom, cracking the tiles under the window.
