42. Violet

42

VIOLET

The massive doors of MistHallow loom before us, guarding whatever lies beyond. My courage wavers slightly as I stare up at them. This is it, the moment of truth.

"Ready?" Thorne asks softly, his hand brushing against mine.

I take a deep breath and nod. "As I'll ever be."

I reach for the door handle, but before my fingers can touch it, the door swings open of its own accord, sparks of magick glittering in the dark night.

We freeze, exchanging wary glances.

"Well, that's not ominous at all," Flint mutters.

"Come on," I say, squaring my shoulders. "We've come this far."

We step into the entrance hall, our footsteps echoing in the strange silence. The usual bustle of student life is conspicuously absent. No chattering voices, no hurried footsteps, just a heavy, waiting stillness.

"Where is everyone?" I whisper.

Before anyone can answer, a figure emerges from the shadows at the far end of the hall. My vampire sight easily picks out the details. It's Blackthorne, his face a mask of stern authority.

"Welcome back, my wayward students," he says, his voice echoing in the silent foyer.

"Are we welcome?" I ask archly. "Or are you going to arrest us?"

"Arrest you?" he queries with a tilt of his head. "I'm not the police, Miss Violet. Only a simple vampire mage with the weight of this supernatural university on my shoulders." He looks so defeated and exhausted, I actually feel sorry for him, despite him chucking me into a hole with my demons.

"Professor Blackthorne," Thorne says, stepping forward. "We came back to explain everything. We know how this looks, but there's more going on here than you realise."

Blackthorne holds up a hand, silencing him. "I'm well aware that there is more to this situation than meets the eye. That's why you are welcome and why you are safest here." He pauses, his gaze sweeping over our group before settling on me. "Miss Violet. I do believe I owe you an apology, as well meaning as the confinement was meant to be, I vastly underestimated not only your sire's power to get to you, but also the determination of your friends to get to you. "

I gulp but find my lady balls. "It's fine. It actually turned out to be the best thing you could've done for me, Professor."

He blinks and narrows his eyes. "Care to explain?"

"Yes, sir. But it's complicated."

"I imagine it is," he says dryly. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation in my office. Follow me."

As we trail after Blackthorne through the quiet halls, I have a horrid feeling that we are lambs walking to the slaughter. The silence, the strengthened wards, and Blackthorne's calm attitude all feel too orchestrated.

We enter his office, and I'm surprised to see several other figures waiting for us. Glacier, Caine's dad, whose name I don't know but we'll go with His Iciness, and a woman who looks familiar, but I can't quite place where I know her from.

Her stern expression melts when she sees me, and I take a step closer to Caine. It's creepy in a way that isn't cool. It's Nathaniel-level creepy, and I suddenly have a very, very bad feeling about this.

"It's a trap," I mutter to Caine, stepping back. "It's a trap!"

Caine's arm wraps protectively around me as I try to back away. "What's going on here?" he demands, his voice icy.

Blackthorne sighs heavily. "Please, calm down, Miss Violet. This isn't a trap. We're here to help."

"Help?" I scoff. "Help? "

The woman steps forward, her eyes fixed on me with an intensity that makes me shiver. "No, Violet. We're here to protect you."

"Protect me?" I repeat, bewildered. "I don't even know you!"

Her smile widens. "My name is Amara. I am your Guardian."

"Huh?" I snap. "I'm twenty-fucking-one years old. I don't need a guardian."

She chuckles, unnerving me. "Not that kind of Guardian. We have been assigned to watch over you. We lost you momentarily, but here you are, and a vampire no less." She claps her hands as if this is the most amazing thing that could've happened to her.

"Look, lady. I don't know who you are or what your motives are here, but I don't need a guardian, I don't need watching over, and I sure as shit don't need another creep after me. So, if you don't mind, I would like to explain to the Headmaster of this academy, why we ran out of here, accept whatever punishment he deems necessary and then get back to classes tomorrow. I was given a second chance at life, this life, and I don't intend to waste it." I throw Glacier a grateful smile, and he beams at me, pride shining in his eyes at my outburst. It gives me a warm glow, but also, I'm getting that creepy vibe again. Why is everyone grinning at me like maniacs? Do I have something in my teeth?

"I think you are stressing the girl out a little bit," His Iciness states. "Everyone just back up a second. I do believe our little vampire has no idea what we are talking about."

"And why would she," Blackthorne snaps. "This situation has got so far out of hand, I'm about ready to resign to a tropical island somewhere and leave all of you to sort it out."

I catch Flint's eyes, and he shrugs, as much in the dark as I am. Thorne looks confused, and Caine is about ready to roll his eyes right out the door.

"How about we start at the beginning, hmm?" His Iciness says. "Tell the girl who she really is."

The tension in the room ratchets up several notches. I feel Caine's arm tighten around me, while Thorne and Flint move closer, forming a protective circle. My heart would be racing if it weren't a sluggish, limp muscle in my chest.

"Who I really am?" I repeat, glaring at him. "What do you mean?"

His Iciness takes a deep breath, his eyes locking with mine. "Violet, you are not just a vampire. You are a m?—"

Suddenly, the world explodes around us. A deafening boom shakes the foundations of MistHallow, and the wall of Blackthorne's office smashes inward in a shower of stone and debris and magick.

We're thrown to the ground, dust and divination filling the air.

The world seems to freeze, suspended in this moment of horror, when a familiar figure steps through the gaping hole in the wall, brushing dirt from his tailored suit. My blood runs colder than Caine's ice magick.

"Hello, little flower," Nathaniel purrs, his eyes gleaming in the pre-dawn. "Miss me?"

Read on with Veiled Desires Book 2 Veiled Desires (pre order for early November)

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