9. Raven

NINE

RAVEN

Iblink my eyes open, confusion clouding my vision for a brief second as I figure out where I am… in my room. There’s not a dead body in sight, and I heave a sigh of relief.

“Dove, you’re awake,” Zane murmurs, pulling my gaze to his where he lies beside me. A soft smile turns the corners of his mouth up as he rolls to his side, propping his cheek on his palm while he strokes a hand down the side of my face. “You were starting to make me worry.”

“I’m getting pretty good at that,” I reply with a smirk, and he shakes his head at me.

“I’m going to add it to the housemate handbook; no more making me worry.” My heart warms and a sense of calmness washes over me. Although, it doesn’t seem to ease the ache that has my limbs heavy and lethargic at my sides.

Refusing to let the tiredness get the better of me, I press my palms into the sheets beneath me and push up to a sitting position. I instantly feel lightheaded and my stomach clenches.

“Oh fuck,” I groan, fighting harder against the ache in my muscles and bones to stagger to my feet and rush to the bathroom. I barely make it to the toilet before bile burns up the back of my throat, and I vomit.

Heave after heave; it’s never-ending. Watery eyes distort my vision as I wretch, and I’m suddenly aware of a hand at my back. Small circles are drawn against my academy shirt as I cling to the porcelain. Only when I’m certain nothing else is going to come up do I take the towel that’s at my side and wipe my mouth. Even then, I can’t bring myself to look behind me.

“This is so embarrassing,” I mumble, not wanting to open my eyes.

“Dove.” The palm at my back continues to draw circles as another hand cups my cheek. “I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what the fuck you have to be embarrassed about.”

Of course he wouldn’t.

“My insides just left me and you witnessed it. I need a minute to gather myself, brush my teeth, and get over the cringy feeling clawing at my chest,” I admit, which somehow earns me a chuckle.

“Open your eyes, Dove.” I shake my head, even as he taps his fingertip at my temple. “Open up.”

“No.”

“Come on, Raven. It’s just me.” Doesn’t he understand that’s my whole point? I don’t need any of these guys seeing me like this. “Don’t make me get the others in here and force us to pry your eyes open,” he threatens, and my eyes ping open so I can glare at him, earning myself another chuckle.

Fucker.

“Now, can I have a minute?” I grumble, and he shakes his head.

“You’re beautiful, Raven. When you’re in your sexy dresses with your hair and makeup done. You’re beautiful when you’re bare-faced and sleeping. And you’re beautiful when you’re exhausted with magic strain and vomiting into the toilet.” I roll my eyes, but he grips my chin, trying to cement the truth on his tongue. “You want me to kiss you right now to prove it?”

I balk, eyes wide as I try to lean back. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

“Don’t hide from me, Dove, not even with this, because I’ll continue to push until you see yourself the way I do. Your magic was depleted from reviving all of those students, your body is tired, and the fact that all you’ve done is vomit is impressive if you ask me.”

He’s insane. He has to be.

Pleased that he’s pleaded his case, he releases his hold on me and rises to his feet with his hand extended for me to take. Relenting, I place my palm in his and let him tug me to my feet. Chest to chest, I breathe him in as he presses a gentle kiss to my forehead.

After a moment, I take a step back and turn to the vanity, catching sight of myself in the mirror. I’ve definitely seen better days. Speaking of…

“How long was I out?” I ask, curious if I’ve lost more time than I think.

“A few hours. We’re still on the same day if that makes you feel any better,” Zane answers with a soft smile.

Exhaling, I turn on the faucet and splash water on my face before brushing my teeth the mundane way. Even then, they don’t feel clean enough, so I do it again. Once I’m satisfied, I take in my reflection again and notice more patches of black hair twisted in with the pink in my ponytail. Letting the ends down, the pink cascades over the darkness as I stare at myself.

Damn.

There are definitely more than two strands now. Channeling my magic, I try to turn them pink again, but just like last time, nothing happens. Zane offers me a reassuring smile in the mirror as I brace my hands on the vanity. I don’t even need to ask what he thinks about the black strands. He’ll probably declare black his new favorite color in honor of them.

The reality is, it’s clearly not going anywhere, so I can either get mad about it or embrace the hell out of it. They’re only noticeable when my hair is up; when it’s down like this, the pink does a pretty good job of hiding it.

With my mind made up, I pull my hair back and secure a hair tie at the top of my head so the swirl of pink and black is fully on display.

“That’s my girl,” Zane murmurs, eliminating the space between us to wrap his arms around my waist. I bask in his hold, letting his warmth heat me too, until a knock sounds from my bedroom door, garnering our attention.

Stepping through the open bathroom door, I find Creed popping his head around the doorframe with a grim frown on his face. When his gaze lands on mine, the wrinkles ease a little and he attempts a smile. “Hey, Leila is outside. They’ve called a Nightmares Guild meeting. Are you up for it?”

My eyes widen in surprise. “They’re going to attempt that, even now?”

“Seems so,” he replies as Zane reaches for my hand.

“It’s whatever you feel up to, Dove.”

“Oh, we’re going. I just need two minutes to change, then we can get the hell over there. Somebody needs to help make all of this make sense to me.”

Fuckthe Nightmares Guild’s desire for black cloaks and golden masks. I’m over that fetish. If anything, the garish shit will only draw attention to us. Instead, I’m dressed in a pair of black pants, with a fitted, long-sleeved sweater tucked in and my combat boots laced up. My pink hair is pulled back into a low ponytail as I cling to Zane’s arm, watching in awe and wonder as he masters his invisibility magic.

Just like earlier, he’s projecting over more than just himself, and I can see the tendrils of magic drifting over us with every step we take as we all remain quiet so Zane can focus.

The paths are mostly clear, and any time we do hear footsteps or see a shadow approaching, we step off the well-trodden path and wait patiently for them to pass before we continue on. One thing that does remain the same is the suffocating air and feeling of impending doom that we’ve been dealing with since the day Erikel and his men from the Basilica Realm came into our lives.

I can’t put a finger on exactly what it feels like, but it’s coiling deep in my stomach, swallowing me with a sense of darkness and unwavering pain that I can’t fully grasp.

As we near the academy building, we take to the grass as we make our way around to the back in search of the steps down into the basement. Once we’re halfway down, I watch as Zane’s magic slowly dissolves around us until we’re no longer protected from sight.

I reach for his hand, silently squeezing my appreciation, and manage to catch a glimpse of his smile in the dim, candlelit staircase.

Brax leads the way, as usual, and when we move into the wider corridor, Eldon steps up to my left, placing his hand on the small of my back while Creed protects us from behind.

The usual flicker of gold catches my attention as we step into the main room, the table standing prominently in the center while other members of the Nightmares Guild huddle in small groups, mumbling about everything and nothing. But the room goes silent when we approach, all eyes on us as my gaze shifts from one group to the next.

One guess at what has their attention… the necromancer in the room.

Me.

It’s notable that no one’s outwardly snarling at me, ready to hurt me, but their stiff shoulders and the way their eyebrows are raised makes it clear they’re ready to act against me if necessary. I would have rather they all had those ugly as fuck gold masks on so I didn’t have to see any of their expressions, but it seems everyone has forgone them tonight.

My men stand strong around me, ready to retaliate if needed, and I despise the standoffish vibe that’s filling the room because of my presence.

“Is there a problem?” I ask, my words echoing off the walls as my heart thunders in my chest, waiting for a response. “If anyone has one, I think it would be a good idea to cut to the chase now so we don’t waste any time,” I add, continuing to scan my eyes around the room.

“It shouldn’t be so hot when she just calls people out without even considering anything more than the answer she’s waiting for,” Zane murmurs to Eldon over my head like I’m not standing here, and my ball of inferno eagerly nods in agreement with his friend.

Assholes.

Now isn’t the time.

“I believe, Miss Hendrix, that there are people present in this room who have never knowingly stood so closely to a necromancer until now. Some have spent all of their lives in fear of the dark magic they’ve heard stories about, and others may have family members who have died at the hands of such abilities. So you may have to forgive a few of them for their uncertainty, but luckily for you, they have seen you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in training already. They watched you come back from the wreckage at the Shadowmoor Outpost. They know you went back out into the wild in search of answers to that attack, but more so, rumors travel fast, and they know that you were magically drained today at the hands of Erikel and his men, bringing eight students back from the dead.”

Burton steps into the light from his spot at the edge of the room, hiding in the shadows yet fully aware of everything going on around him. A few students nod in agreement as he comes to a stop beside the gold table, his eyes locked on mine.

“There’s a lot of tension in here,” I mumble, brushing over the praise that was clear in his little speech, and he nods his head knowingly. In my defense, everything he listed in the past doesn’t affect the present for me, and that’s exactly what we need to be focused on. Then, the future can become more of a consideration.

“You would be correct, but not because of you. Because of the situation we find ourselves in.”

I nod, not wanting to argue and make this seem like it’s all about me and the tension I’m feeling, because he’s right, the situation we’re now in is fucked all the way to Hell and back and we need to find a way out.

Taking a step toward the table, the Bishops follow, but I don’t speak until I’m standing directly across from Burton. “So what are we going to do about our current situation?”

“I’m glad you asked,” he remarks with a small smile, like he wasn’t bleeding to death yesterday. “Sebastian was just—”

“Sebastian?” I interject, my spine stiffening at the mere mention of my brother, but if Burton notices, he doesn’t let on.

“Yes, he—”

“No. No. Backup. Sebastian is here?” I snarl, anger burning through my veins as Burton waves and throws his arm out to where he was moments ago to reveal the asshole that, unfortunately, shares the same DNA as me.

“Little sis,” he says with a smirk, stepping closer, but Brax quickly cuts him off from getting too close.

“Sebastian can’t be trusted,” I state, watching Brax closely because I know he wants to slay my brother where he stands, and as much as I don’t want to stop him, I also don’t want to lose the potential allies within the Guild for rash behavior.

Burton shakes his head. “Sebastian is our ally, Raven. You may see him at Erikel’s side, but that’s because we placed him there.”

No. I refuse to believe it.

“But he’s the reason Erikel is here to begin with.”

I can feel everyone staring at me like I’m foolish, but I know I’m right. Whatever Sebastian has twisted in his favor is working on them, and I need to prove him wrong.

“Have you got any proof of that?” Sebastian smarts, smirking wider as Genie moves closer to him. I can’t deal with this bitch today. But none of that matters because I don’t have any proof. All I have is the conversations I’ve overheard. Conversations that I’m certain Sebastian will be able to twist to his advantage.

“I heard you talking to Erikel the other day where Erikel said, ‘I told you; get me in here, and there will be endless power at your feet. I’m a man of my word.’ Was that right? Or was I a word or two off?” I challenge, knowing I’m right, and even though I can see the anger brimming in Sebatian’s eyes, I can also see the cogs turning in his head to paint this in a better light for him.

“Sebastian?” The question comes from Professor Fitch this time, who takes a step forward but makes sure Leila stays exactly where she is.

“I’ve never had a conversation like that with Erikel, or anyone else for that matter, but if you would rather believe a newer member over me, then go for it.” Sebastian takes a step back as Burton’s gaze flickers between the two of us before he sighs and settles his attention on my brother.

“Sebastian, come, of course, we take your word. Let’s discuss today’s events, shall we?”

Without a backward glance, the two of them leave while I stand helplessly gaping at them. “Someone’s got to be fucking with me. This can’t be happening, surely,” I mutter under my breath, and before any of my men can even attempt to reassure me, it’s Fitch who steps up close to me.

“Nightmares are as cliché as nightmares are dreams themselves. We keep our friends close and our enemies even closer.”