Chapter 21

21

My stomach burned and my throat hurt. I didn’t have any broken bones, but that hardly mattered. It still took me a long time to heal my wounds, my body feeling like I’d been pushed first through a wringer washer and then through a meat grinder. I’d been slammed, thrown, choked, bitten, clawed, and sliced. No wonder I ached everywhere. At least nothing had put me permanently out of commission.

Officer Allen escorted me to Nurse Julie’s office and I winced, trying to adjust to the harshness of her overhead lights. He looked at me with a solemn expression, vowing to take care of this. At least, that’s what I thought he meant. I couldn’t quite process reality.

Then he and his police friends carted the shifter boy off to jail to be booked and potentially tried for the recent academy murders.

No less than the kid deserved, but I wondered what had happened to him in his life to push him to the point of murder. Why would he want the Augundae Imperium so badly, and what was he planning to do with it? Was he capable of using it himself? Or had someone put him up to it? Someone like Barbara, maybe? Did he owe a similar “unnamed favor” to someone he dared not cross?

These questions played inside my head on repeat and I had no clear answer to any of them.

And that’s what bothered me, I decided. Not having the answers. Not understanding the boy’s motivation. He clearly thought I possessed it and he clearly was willing to kill me for it. I gnawed at these questions until exhaustion carried me into the blissful oblivion of sleep.

Morning came and I woke up in the hospital ward again, Nurse Julie hovering near the bed. My head and stomach both spun and nausea threatened, my temples pulsating in a very unpleasant combination.

“I suggest lying there for a few more minutes,” Julie stated, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Why?” I croaked out.

“Because you are going to be mobbed the moment you walk out the door. Some girl named Nora brought you your schoolwork and a change of clothes, and your student mentor is waiting for you in the other room. Change your clothes, pop some aspirin, and keep your head down.”

Her warning confused me until the ward door spat me out into the middle of a clapping crowd.

Well hello, migraine.

I wasn’t sure how word spread so quickly but classes had barely begun before the whole sordid story came back to me, much exaggerated. Suddenly everyone knew who I was. They knew what I’d done (or some version of events). It bothered me how the rest of my fellow students were celebrating me for what I’d done, lauding me for having discovered the killer. Like I had done something of worth or out of the goodness of my heart. I had enough guilt riding my shoulders. I didn’t need that too.

Melia and Nora flanked me between classes when they could, Mike taking up the slack when they could not and keeping most of the overeager well-wishers and gossip mongers at bay.

The sudden celebrity status made me super uncomfortable. Especially considering I’d broken a ton of school rules and manipulated the headmaster’s memories—which wasn’t just wrong, it was criminal.

I wondered why I was considered heroic when the truth was I should be expelled.

Worse, I was pretty sure the kid who’d attacked me hadn’t been acting alone. How could he have been? Looking for the Augundae Imperium was a big job, much bigger than one person could handle alone. I was living proof of that, and I had an extra power I could call upon.

But did I have a way to prove the kid had help? Nope. So there was possibly—probably—an accomplice still at large. Or several accomplices. Or minions doing the bidding of someone even more powerful. Or hapless fools like me who struck a bargain without knowing all the ramifications.

And there came the headache again. It was all too much to think about.

Officer Allen showing up to catch him in the act was the only reason the kid got apprehended. Allen had seen the boy ripping into me. He told me later how their CSI team was able to compare the DNA from the previous crime scenes to the boy they held in custody and hoped to have a match soon.

They’d find their match.

And none of it sat well with me.

I’d also had enough medical care to last me the rest of my life. I’d been poked, pierced, and had my temperature taken to the point where it was a miracle I hadn’t gone a little insane. Not to mention being teased by Mike for having my own security team, AKA Allen the Wolf Wonder.

Your fans outnumber mine now, Tavi.

Ugh, no thanks. They could all go away. I didn’t need their applause because I hadn’t done anything worthwhile.

Mike didn’t know the story around Officer Allen’s presence on the school grounds, yet he didn’t pry. Just as I didn’t pry into the artifact in his possession. Where he’d gotten it, why he had it in the first place, and how he could get in serious trouble for using it to cheat.

This new dynamic weirded the hell out of me. But what could I do?

Melia and I sat in the common room with another bowl of popcorn and a movie set up to play on the big screen television. I’d gotten a thorough chewing out from her for sneaking around and letting some boy get the better of me.

She’d tried to keep a stone mask in place, her voice devoid of all emotion, and despite everything she said in lecture mode, I saw the concern. I knew she loved me. The feeling was mutual.

She smoothed the front of her sweater and turned to me, reaching over to grab the popcorn from my lap. “Now that we have the tongue-lashing portion of the evening out of the way…”

I squirmed, waiting for her to finish. “Anything else you want to say to me?” I joked. I hated feeling like someone held a magnifying glass over me. Luckily for Melia, I loved her.

“Plenty.” She rolled her eyes. “Next time, clue a girl in on what you plan to do. Then maybe you’ll get the lecture-free version of movie night.”

“I’m sorry you were worried about me. But I had it handled.” Hopefully she didn’t see the way I’d crossed my fingers behind my back. Liar.

Melia fixed me with a look and lowered her voice. “You used transfiguration on him, didn’t you?”

Well, crap. I didn’t think she’d guess that. “Eh? Come again?”

“Give me a little credit, Tavi. I’ve been in this school long enough to know where to get information.” She wrinkled her nose. “I heard all about the kid they carted away and how he had puncture wounds and deep scratches on his body. Those kinds of marks are undeniable.”

I played with tossing a popcorn kernel. “Did you…tell anyone what you heard?”

“Oh yes, I put out a bulletin. Duh. Of course I didn’t. No one else knows how this works and I intend to keep it that way.”

Leave it to Melia to dig up what I wanted to keep hidden. And it wasn’t like I could lie to her, anyway. The blood had rushed from my cheeks leaving them, surely, a shade paler than normal. She saw it. She saw everything. “I know, I shouldn’t even ask. I’m sorry.”

Melia rubbed her face and groaned. “Just promise me the next time you go waltzing around at midnight looking for the you know what, you’ll let me know. I can look out for you.”

“You’re not coming with me,” I said, shaking my head.

“Oh. Okay. I understand.” Though her face soured and I knew she had plenty more to say on the subject, she turned to face the television without another word.

You’re my best friend and the only one I have. Please don’t hate me for wanting to keep you safe.

“Let’s get to the movie, okay, Tavi? Your secrets are safe,” she assured me. “But sooner or later your fan club will find you and I’d rather not practice reading lips tonight.”

I snuggled into the pillows on the couch, remembering to breathe. “Good idea. I could use a break.”

Now I understood how Mike felt dealing with all those girls. Being the center of attention wasn’t fun and games by any means. No matter where I went in the hallways, people came up to me, wanting to shake my hand, wanting to hear about how I’d found the killer and how he’d been captured.

Privacy? Out the window. Gone entirely.

After the first few days of being my knight protector, Mike and I had found it easier to keep a little distance between us. Our fan clubs were like oil and water. They didn’t mix, and having so many people around at one time…too much to bear. Melia braved the crowds, for the most part, until it got to her too and she decided to whisk me away from it all with her mother hen tendencies.

In other words, it was all absolutely ridiculous. Just another element to distract me from my classes.

“Girl, I get it. It’s a lot. You really could use a break. Breathing room is out the window for sure. I may have also placed a tiny spell on the door to this room to dissuade people from coming in.” Melia held a hand to her lips. “Shh, don’t tell.”

I placed my hand over my heart. “Your doing something so devious for me means a lot. Truly.”

“You needed it,” Melia said with a shrug. She held the bowl of popcorn out to me. “Tomorrow is going to be a big day for you. What with your award dinner and everything.”

I groaned and flopped back on the couch. Not sliding right down to the floor required a gigantic effort of will. “Please don’t remind me.”

A dinner in honor of my heroic efforts in capturing a murderer. My second capture. Maybe I should make a living out of this and start keeping tallies of my victories. Or maybe get tattoos.

I could be Tavi Alderidge, Bounty Hunter for the Supernatural.

“You’re going to be fine. But you deserved some time tonight to relax instead of staving off the spotlight-hungry masses day in and day out.”

Melia patted my leg as she spoke and I winced at the hint of an ache in the area. It had taken a long time for the claw marks to heal completely and it still hurt sometimes. At least I no longer had any areas actively bleeding.

“Trust me. This is going to be good for you.”

“You always know what’s best,” I conceded.

I enjoyed whatever time she and I had together, although tomorrow loomed large. Melia had almost become my happy place, a familiar homey presence in my life.

I wasn’t looking forward to the dinner. Especially not when the moment the big night arrived and I stepped down the last stair riser into the cafeteria, I saw the space transformed. School staff had bedecked the tables with sumptuous gold-trimmed tablecloths, the wooden benches polished to a sheen to show off the live edges. Garlands of fresh evergreens hung over every arched doorway, and magicked candelabras floated in the air over the tables. White fairy lights twinkled among the moss and wildflowers at the corners of the room.

A large banner hung over the traditional buffet-style serving line, held in place with glittering blue butterflies. Fae magic. Congratulations, Tavi!

I found Mike immediately among the crowd. He must have recognized the look of disgust on my face. My heart clenched. The whole thing reminded me horribly of my eighteenth birthday party. The night my life changed.

I didn’t know what the chef decided to prepare in terms of food, but instead of my normal plastic-wrapped sandwich of death, it surprised me to see slices of turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy. None of which had garlic.

Chef had cooked a turkey just for me. And he’d left out the garlic just for me. My mouth watered at the smell and it was almost enough to make me forget this dinner was a celebration of what I’d done.

Almost.

After the students finished their meals, Headmaster Leaves approached the front of the room, grinning from ear to pointed ear. His black dress robes swooshed around his ankles as he clapped his hands for attention.

No matter how many times I’d watched him address the school, my nerves always felt raw when Leaves spoke. Waiting for the bad news to drop.

“Everyone, please. Silence. Silence!” he called out. Then chuckled. “Settle down, guys.”

It took a bit of coaxing to get the quiet he wanted for his speech. When his gaze fell on me, the smile growing lager and wider, I wanted to shrink into my seat. Sweat beaded along my hairline and under my arms.

He was too much like Uncle Will for my nerves to handle, my head drawing the comparison automatically.

“Much better,” Leaves said in the humming quiet. “I’m sure you all know why we’re here. We gather tonight in celebration of our own Tavi Alderidge, who withstood an attack on her life and managed to bring a killer to justice. Please give her a hand. She deserves it!”

And instantly, the spotlight fell on me, every head in the cafeteria turning in my direction and the clamor rising to shake the rafters. I forced a painful grin, trying not to cringe, hands grabbing the material of my skirt and scrunching it together.

Palms sweaty too. Should I wave? Must I make a speech?

Across the table from me, Mike sat clapping too without a hint of awkwardness. Sure, maybe he was used to the spotlight, but no matter how many times it flashed in my direction, I hated it. Okay, hate was a strong word.

Wholly disliked it.

I could handle the attention as well as he did on a daily basis. Right? After all, he dealt with this kind of thing repeatedly. He would for the rest of his life. With luck, my popularity was a fleeting thing and would die down shortly.

Leaves continued with his speech. He nodded as he spoke. “Miss Alderidge was brave enough to handle herself in a life or death situation, brave enough to fight with everything she has and bring to light the student terrorizing these halls.” He beamed. “Not for the first time, either. Let us remember the horrors of last semester and the way she took down that disgusting shifter hunting down top students.”

I plucked at the cuffs on my sleeves, trying not to scowl. Disgusting. That’s what he thought of my kind.

And I knew deep inside I didn’t deserve the praise. Not from him. I’d almost been kicked out of school right before this happened, and had to resort to using my powers on him to erase his memory. I didn’t deserve this dinner at all. I wished Leaves would stop speaking. Would stop smiling at me. I remembered the foggy colors of his energy when I’d taken hold of it, influencing his mind, forcing him to think—

Melia’s hand landed on my arm. Thankfully she hadn’t fawned over me, but I recognized the look on her face. Not fawning, no, but proud, proud because she realized how close I’d come to dying.

Mike and Melia…neither one wanted to lose me. I appreciated their comfort. Their presence without flattery.

The dinner stretched on for eternity and I wondered if I would get another moment to myself again. I decided then; I’d have to steal one.

The next day, I found myself rushing along the halls toward the library, trying to avoid conversation, toward my little slice of cathedral-like heaven where I sequestered myself away for some peace and quiet.

Rushing through the stacks, I headed for the fourth-year private study room, muttering the password to open the door and letting it close behind me with an exhale. Better, I decided. Much better. Not even the dorms were safe when anyone was able to walk in the door without interference.

Maybe I should just start hanging out with Persephone, I thought with a little groan. She was the only one who didn’t make a fuss over me. In fact, after what happened with Mike in the common room, she’d even dropped her constant gloating.

Very strange for her, but I’d take the reprieve wherever I could. She could barely meet my eyes and looked like she would rather swallow her own tongue than congratulate me on surviving a killer’s attack.

No skin off my teeth.

She probably wished he’d finished the job. But it made for peace in the dorm room, no more snarky comments and definitely no simpering smiles like some of the other students.

Sighing, I dropped into the seat nearest the window, with the setting sun casting an orange glow on the glass. The door clicked closed behind me.

Winter weather clung tenaciously although spring tried to get a foothold. The days were getting longer but the nights still a little chilly, and we’d had snow the other day, although it was only a light dusting disappearing within hours. Maple trees were beginning to bud and crocuses popped up from the ground.

Another few months and my second semester would be done. How was it possible? Hadn’t I gotten here just a week ago? The closer to the end I came, the more awareness settled. I didn’t have much time left with Melia.

Didn’t have much time left, period, I’d soon realize.

“You better wipe that sappy expression off your face, chickie, because you have some damn explaining to do. Where’s my Augundae Imperium?”

The heavy stench of cigarette smoke assaulted my nostrils at the unwelcome visitor’s arrival. I grabbed hold of the table to keep myself in place when I wanted to bolt.

“B-Barbara.”

The bitch witch reclined in the seat across from me, her wrinkled face a study in scowls and the ever-present cigarette dangling limply from her thin lips. Oh, and she wasn’t happy to see me.

“It’s nice to see you again,” I said, going for a pleasant tone and hoping she wouldn’t turn me into a toad right away.

Her fist slammed down in front of me as the words dropped from her lips like stones. “No more games, girl! I want the Augundae Imperium and I want it now. You’re out of time.”