10. Adelaide

10

ADELAIDE

Shaking off the lingering unease from my encounter with the three mysterious, otherworldly men, I turn my attention back to the task at hand. The library seems to sense my desperation to know about vampires and how to counteract this creepy ability to make me do whatever they want, simply with an uttered word, as suddenly, a book catches my eye. Its spine glows faintly, as if beckoning me. I reach out and pull it from the shelf, surprised by its weight.

"Vampires: A Comprehensive Guide to the Children of the Night," I read aloud, tracing my fingers over the embossed title. Well, that's certainly on the nose.

I settle into a plush armchair tucked away in a corner, away from prying eyes—not that there is anyone up here to begin with. As I open the book, the pages seem to shimmer, and I'm hit with a waft of something metallic. Blood? I shove back the urge to lick the pages and press on.

The book draws me in quickly. It is fascinating, diving deep into vampire lore and biology. I learn about their enhanced strength and speed, their ability to heal rapidly, and their heightened senses. It explains the compulsion ability that Corvus used on me, a power that allows vampires to control the minds of weaker beings. I shudder, remembering how helpless I felt.

"Weak," I murmur, my fingertips brushing over these words. That is what I am—weak. I don't want to be weak. I don't want these creatures coming after me because they think they can get away with doing whatever they want to me. I've been there and done that at primary school. Bullied into my first self-harming episode, I vowed never to be in that position again. I would be stronger, or failing that, just not care.

I've got apathy down. Most things are of no interest to me, but the last couple of days I have had more emotions running through me than I realistically know what to do with. I'm not equipped to handle this, so I need to figure out a way, fast, to get stronger.

I keep reading, absorbing information about vampire weaknesses, direct sunlight being the worst and most limiting, their need for blood, and their place in the supernatural hierarchy, which is fucking high up the food chain. I suppose I have that going for me, at least in part. I learn about vampires born of two vampires who are strong, whereas turned vampires are much weaker and are subject to more limitations and restrictions. I'm guessing my compeller, Corvus, is a born vampire. There is nothing average or weak about him.

Reading about blood and feeding habits, I find myself getting hungry. Mum's sandwiches are long gone, so I'm going to have to get off my arse and find the dining hall, wondering if I can squirrel away some extras for snacks in my room for later, or even better, enough food so I don't have to come down at all again until tomorrow. I'm extremely wary after being subject to the compulsion and don't want to give these guys a second shot at me.

Not yet, at least.

Reluctantly, I close the book and stand, stretching out the kinks in my back.

I remember my magical map that guides me around campus, so disturbing Orby, I rummage through my backpack until I find the folded piece of parchment.

As I unfold it, it comes to life, ink spreading across its surface to form an intricate map of MistHallow. It's beautiful and slightly dizzying, with buildings that seem to shift and move as I watch.

"Right," I mutter. "How do I use this thing?" As if in response, a glowing dot appears on the map, pulsing gently. That must be me.

"Okay, magical map," I say, feeling only slightly ridiculous talking to a piece of paper. "Where's the dining hall?"

A path lights up on the map, leading from my location in the library down through winding corridors and across a courtyard to a large building.

I shoulder my backpack and set off, following the glowing path, with Orby at my shoulder. The corridors of MistHallow are quiet, which is fine by me.

As I cross the courtyard, the gloomy mid-morning air refreshes me after being cooped up in the library.

I reach the dining hall, pushing open the heavy wooden doors. Inside, the hall is vast, with long tables stretching the length of the room. There are hundreds of students packed inside, which makes me realise it's later than I thought. It's lunchtime, and I couldn't have chosen a worse time to come and find food.

At the far end, I spot the serving area. As I approach, I'm amazed to see the food appears fresh and hot before my eyes.

It all smells heavenly, but my eyes are drawn to the large to-go cups of blood with straws sticking out of them. That must be the synthetic blood Professor Blackthorn mentioned. I reach for one tentatively and then shrug.

"Fuck it, Addy. You might as well give it a shot." Also, it does give me the whole she's-a-vampire vibe that I'm trying to give off.

Finding an empty spot at one of the long tables, I sit down and place my lips over the top of the straw and suck. The coppery taste hits my tongue, and I stifle the groan of pure satisfaction.

A shadow falls over me, making my heart lurch, and I look up to see a girl about my age with vibrant purple hair and eyes that seem to shift colour as I watch.

"Hi," she says, her voice friendly. "You're Adelaide Black, right? I'm Lyra."

I nod, relieved that it isn't Corvus, Zephyr, or Zaiah. "Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you."

Lyra sits down across from me, her smile wide and genuine. "Are you settling in okay? I'm happy to show you around and help you get used to the old place if you want?"

Her enthusiasm is a bit overwhelming after the day I've had, but it's nice to encounter someone who doesn't seem to want to eat me or compel me or trick me into making wishes.

"I think I've got a handle on it," I murmur as Orby is rolling around in circles on the table in front of me. Lyra's eyes go to it, and she raises an eyebrow. "You got an orb?"

"Yep. He's quite handy."

"I bet," she mutters, and her friendly attitude drops a notch.

Okay, note to self. Orbs aren't given out to everyone. I hadn't even noticed.

Lyra suddenly stiffens, her eyes fixed on something over my shoulder. "Uh oh," she mutters. "Trouble at six o'clock."

I turn to see what she's looking at, and my heart sinks. Corvus and Zephyr have just entered the dining hall, their eyes scanning the room until they land on me. Slow, predatory smiles spread across their faces.

"Friends of yours?" Lyra asks, her voice low.

I shake my head. "Not exactly. We had a bit of a run-in earlier in the library."

Lyra's expression turns serious. "Be careful with those two, Adelaide. They're bad news."

"Yeah, I got that impression," I mutter.

"Don't let Zaiah fool you into thinking he's the good cop. He is dangerous."

"I know."

She rambles on as if I didn't even speak.

"And the really cute fire elemental that hangs out with them is nice, but watch your back with him as well."

I frown at her. It seems to me she is going overboard in trying to warn me off these guys I have no intention of ever speaking to again if I have my own way. Does she have an ulterior motive, or is she just being helpful?

When she looks down at the orb again and goes stony-faced for a second before adjusting her features, I figure this woman isn't to be trusted. I force a smile and nod at Lyra, but my guard is up now. "Thanks for the heads up," I say, keeping my voice neutral. "I'll keep that in mind."

As Corvus and Zephyr make their way towards us, I feel a surge of panic. I'm not ready to face them again, not after what happened in the library. I need more time to process, to figure out how to protect myself.

"I should go," I say abruptly, standing up and grabbing my backpack as Orby zooms up into the air. "It was nice meeting you, Lyra."

She looks annoyed that I've blown her off. "Sure, whatever. See you around."

I turn to leave, but Corvus and Zephyr are already there, blocking my path. Zephyr's purple and silver eyes dance with amusement, while Corvus's gaze is intense, almost hungry.

"Going somewhere, Adelaide?" Zephyr asks, his voice smooth as silk.

I try to push past them, but Corvus's hand shoots out, loosely gripping my arm. His touch sends a jolt through me, fear and something else I don't want to name, but it begins with an ‘l' and ends with ‘ust'.

"Let go," I growl, yanking my arm away. To my surprise, he releases me immediately.

"We just want to talk," Corvus says, his blue eyes boring into mine. "No compulsion, I promise."

I scoff. "Right, because I should totally trust the word of a vampire who's already mind-fucked me once today."

Zephyr chuckles, the sound sending shivers down my spine. "Well, she's got you there."

"Mm, mind-fucking," Corvus murmurs, and I blush for the first time in a really long time. It is mortifying.

I glance around, looking for an escape route, but the dining hall suddenly seems impossibly crowded. Lyra has disappeared, leaving me alone with these two predators.

"Look," I say, trying to keep my voice steady, "I don't know what your game is, but I'm not interested. Just leave me alone."

"No game, Adelaide," Zephyr says, his expression turning serious. "We're here to make amends."

"Amends? For compelling me and touching me against my will," I hiss.

Zephyr's eyes narrow, and he takes a step back, marginally, but he gives me space all the same. His eyes search mine, and he nods imperceptibly, but it's like he gets it. "We apologise, Miss Black."

He grabs Corvus by his upper arm, dragging him away, protesting loudly.

I breathe out in relief, but now I'm more confused than ever. Grabbing my blood drink, I hurry out of the dining hall as fast as I can without sloshing the crimson liquid all over my white shirt. I forget all about stockpiling food for the next day or so. I just want to get back to my room, where I'm safe, and no one can touch me.