Chapter Thirty-Two

The silence in the common room was suffocating. No one spoke as we waited, the minutes crawling by. I gnawed my bottom lip, leg jittering—not helped by the adrenaline and power still flooding through me after that morning's feeding. Beside me, Cole sat statue-still, a muscle twitching in his jaw the only sign of his anxiety.

Before long, we'd be called to start our final assessment. We'd barely survived last year's—hell, some of us hadn't survived it—and I felt sick just thinking about it. Or maybe it was the knowledge of how easily Demir had played me that was making me nauseous. Or the fact that Thaden, of all people, had bought me some time. What did that even mean?

I snorted and shook my head. It meant he was worried I'd get locked up and he'd lose access to my blood. No point reading anything more into it than that, so my hormones needed to do everyone a favor and get back under control. I had enough to worry about without wasting energy pining over a guy who clearly hated me. I mean, how pathetic was that? I already had the most incredible guy in the whole academy, and I was getting my feelings hurt because some asshole vampire didn't want me? I don't think so.

"I can't take this waiting," Alina burst out, jumping to her feet. She paced agitatedly, her steps short and choppy.

"You need to calm down," Jax said. "Freaking out won't help."

Alina bared her teeth at him. "I'd like to see you be calm when we're about to be thrown into a deadly test!"

"Arguing won't help either," Cole cut in, his voice rock steady…but I could see the worry hidden in his eyes.

Alina's shoulders slumped. "You're right. I just...I wish they'd call us already. The anticipation is killing me."

"Soon," Cole said grimly. "And we'll handle whatever they throw at us."

I reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Not all of us are cowering like pups," Kallan said. "Some of us are going to enjoy showing the rest of the academy what we can do. There's nothing out there I'm afraid of."

Behind him, Eva looked pale and I couldn't be completely sure Harvey wasn't about to throw up.

"Being too stupid to recognize danger isn't a virtue, Kallan," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Nor's murdering family, but that didn't stop your mate."

A hush descended over the whispered conversations that had broken out around the academy, and even muscle in Jax's torso visibly tensed as he turned to defend his new alpha.

But Cole just shrugged.

"Leave it, Jax. I did what I had to do. I won't let a tyrant threaten the peace." He stared pointedly at Kallan. "Ever."

"We'll see about that, Bryant," Kallan sneered. "Don't forget this assessment is a sanctioned trial."

Meaning all rules—like the one about not killing other students—were suspended.

Cole held Kallan's gaze, his expression cold. "Make whatever threats you want. But if you challenge me again, you'll regret it."

A tense, dangerous silence fell over the room. Cole might not have a whole hell of a lot of friends in the room right now, but I was willing to bet he had more than Kallan. Cole's status as an alpha was untested, and no-one wanted to be the one to test it. Except Kallan, and if he wasn't careful, he was going to get his wish.

Which would be a really, really bad idea because this assessment was going to be hard enough without Cole picking up any new injuries before it even started. Because I didn't doubt he could beat Kallan in a fair fight, but Kallan didn't fight fair, and Cole was still recovering from his alpha challenge. He wouldn't walk away unscathed.

Kallan took a step forward—because of course he was too dumb to think this through. Or maybe he thought he actually had a shot. I squeezed Cole's hand again and he released me as I rose smoothly to my feet, my movements still filled with borrowed grace, fueled by Celeste's blood. Every eye in the room immediately snapped to me, Kallan's included. I stepped in front of him.

"If you're tired of breathing, Cole can help you with that," I told him. "Out there, or in here. But if you hope to survive the trial, then I really wouldn't recommend it."

Kallan curled his lip in a sneer. "Like I'd ever be afraid of a so-called alpha who hides behind his filthy dhampir mate."

But I saw his eyes tighten a fraction, no doubt remembering what I'd done to him last time he'd crossed me right after I'd fed. I smiled coldly.

"My mate fights his own battles, but you should remember who stands behind him. How much do you trust the people who stand behind you?"

His shoulder twitched, like he wanted to twist round to look for Eva and Harvey, both of whom were hanging back warily. At least they had some sense.

The door banged open and we all snapped our heads round to look at Zane as he strode inside. His eyes fell on me and Kallan.

"Save it for the trial," he snapped. "I don't have long, and I sure as hell won't be wasting my time separating fights between idiots who can't control their temper."

I stepped quickly back to Cole's side while Kallan skulked away to rejoin Eva and Harvey, and Zane gave us a curt nod.

"Good. If you've finished with your idiocy, then perhaps I can explain your final assessment?"

He turned his scowl on the room, and no-one said a word. We'd all been here before, right before our final assessments last year, and none of us were about to risk crossing him now. For one thing, I didn't much fancy attempting my final assessment with any missing body parts.

"When I leave this room," he said, "you will have three minutes to exit the building. I'm sure you remember this from last year, but just in case you're too stupid to recall the rules, I'll spell them out for you again. You will not touch anything on the way. You will not take anything but the clothes you are already wearing. You will not talk to anyone. You will not attempt to remain inside. Breaking the rules means failing the year. Trying to re-enter the academy before the end of the trial means failing the year. And so does getting your pathetic asses killed, so don't—it looks bad on me."

I drew in a slow breath. Last year had been bad—but we'd managed to get through it. We could do it again.

"Get into groups of four."

I shared a confused glance with Cole. This hadn't been part of the assessment last year.

"Now," Zane barked. "If you're not in a group in thirty seconds, you fail the assessment."

That spurred everyone to life. Jax quickly stepped to me and Cole, and as I scanned the room for a fourth, I caught Alina's questioning look. I flicked a glance at Cole, who nodded his agreement, and she hurried over to fall in beside us.

"You needn't bother looking so proud of yourselves," Zane growled. "That was the easy part. Each group will be given an artefact. If it doesn't make it through the trial, then neither does your group. Do I make myself clear?"

He stalked round the room, thrusting a necklace at each group. I accepted ours and looked it over. It was a heavy-set, antique looking thing, with a green gem of some kind set into a brass fitting, which was fed through with a brass chain. It looked innocuous enough. I shrugged and pulled it over my head.

"Don't fuck this up, and don't lose those," Zane snapped as he handed out the last necklace. "And good luck. I'll see some of you next year."

With the ominous statement hanging over us, he turned and left the room. I locked eyes with Cole, and he dipped his chin the tiniest fraction.

"Go," I muttered to Alina, giving her a gentle shove forward, and then I took off at a sprint through the door. Alina was quick on the uptake, I had to give her that, and she burst through the door on my heels, Cole and Jax right behind her as we raced through the corridors. We weren't about to give Kallan a chance to try to sabotage us before the trial even started.

All four of us were at the peak of our fitness, and it took us less than two minutes to pound through the hallways and out onto the grounds.

And then I skidded to a halt, looking around in confusion.

"Um, who ordered the fog?"

Cole shook his head as he stepped up to my shoulder, looking around at the unnatural thick gray that had descended over every inch of the grounds. I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me—and that was with my dhampir senses in overdrive. When that wore off in a few hours, I was going to be blind out here.

"Come on," Cole said brusquely. "Let's get away from the doors. No point making it easy for Kallan."

I tucked the necklace under my shirt with a nod. Because Kallan was coming straight for this thing if we gave him the chance. There was no way he'd pass up an opportunity like that. The whole group on an automatic fail? It had to be like catnip to him.

Bad news, kitty, I thought grimly. I've got bigger claws than you.

The four of us set off through the thick fog, making our way by unspoken consensus to where we knew the treeline was, because it beat standing around in the open. Somehow, I didn't get the sense the instructors intended to just let us blunder around and fight with each other until they came to get us. Last year, they sent a wraith after us. And much as I'd love to believe whatever they did this year couldn't possibly be worse, two years at Darkveil had beaten that kind of optimism out of me.

The heavy fog muffled our footsteps as we moved cautiously forward, senses straining for the slightest sign of danger. Our vision was next to useless, the mist thick enough to conceal any threats until they were nearly on top of us, even with our supernaturally enhanced senses. I tried to ignore the growing unease twisting my stomach. We were sitting ducks out here.

I was pretty sure we were close to the treeline when a faint skittering reached my ears over the smothering fog. I froze, grabbing Cole's arm.

"Listen," I hissed. "Something's coming."

The skittering grew louder, accompanied by an eerie, insectile hissing. My heart hammered against my ribs.

Oh, please not bugs. Anything but bugs. Just the thought of their creepy little legs and creepy weird faces was enough to make my skin crawl.

Glinting black eyes appeared in the fog before us, low to the ground. An enormous, sinuous, segmented body slid into view—some sort of huge fucking centipede. Venom dripped in strings from its clicking mandibles as it reared up. It was easily twenty feet long, the size of a goddamn bus.

My breath shortened to panicked gasps that didn't do anything to help the tightness in my chest.

"Look out!" Cole yelled, shoving me back. More skittering erupted from all around us as other gigantic centipedes emerged from the thick mist, creeping toward us with unnatural speed.

I stood paralyzed for an instant, staring at the colossal insects in horror, fighting the urge to claw at my skin as they advanced on us, scuttling across the ground like something out of my worst nightmare.

"Cali, snap out of it!" Cole said, grabbing my sleeve and yanking me back with him. I jolted back to my senses. He was right. Standing here frozen while the giant bugs advanced on me? Shit plan.

"Fight?" Jax asked, already stripping off his shirt in anticipation of shifting.

"Or run?" I suggested. "Like, really fucking fast?"

"I think that ship has already sailed, princess," Cole murmured, turning round slowly. I followed his gaze as it swept across the edges of the mist, and saw beady black eyes gleaming back at me.

I swallowed hard, stifling the whimper in my throat. They weren't going to touch me. Their legs weren't going to be on my skin, in my hair, creeping all over me…we were going to get out of here. We had to get out of here.

"We need to shift," Alina said. "We can fight our way free and outrun them on four legs. We're too weak in human form."

I bite down hard on my lip, not quite managing to stifle my whimper this time as I stumbled back a step. Why were there so many?

"Cali can't shift," Jax said grimly.

"What? Sure she can," Alina said, already pulling off her shirt. "I've seen her."

"It's complicated," Cole said. "She…"

"Maybe let's save the explanations for when giant bugs aren't about to eat us," Alina suggested, and I nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with frankly the single most sensible thing anyone had said since those things showed up.

Cole nodded curtly. "Jax, Alina, shift and prepare to clear a path. I'll bring up the rear with Cali. And Jax?"

Jax, already stripping off his pants, paused to look at him.

"If we fall behind, you leave us behind."

"Fuck off," Jax said, rolling his eyes as he finished pulling off his pants.

"That's an order from your alpha," Cole growled.

"And as your beta, I'm telling you to fuck off."

"Is it too much to hope we could all fuck off?" I asked. "As in, right now, before they eat us?"

Alina, already in her wolf form, rumbled her agreement.

"You got it," Jax said, tossing his pants in my direction. I caught them with a grimace.

"Did you miss laundry day?"

"Focus on the smell," he said with a grin. "It'll distract you from the fear."

"Or maybe we could weaponize it to gas the damn bugs."

He laughed and tossed his shirt my way. I grabbed it, and stooped to grab Alina's clothes, too. The last thing any of us needed was to be running around butt naked while hairy ass bugs were on our trail.

Ugh. Bugs. I shuddered.

Jax threw himself forward with a snarl and I focused on the movement, falling in behind him and Alina. We were getting out of here. I just had to hold it together for a few more minutes…while we battled our way through giant bugs. Fuck.

Jax and Alina sprang through the fog with snapping jaws and slashing claws, tearing into the monstrous centipedes. Ichor sprayed as the wolves ripped the creatures apart, but more and more came from the gray expanse.

"Go, go!" Cole yelled, shoving me after the wolves. They plowed a path through the bugs, and we followed in their wake.

A centipede reared up in front of me, mandibles wide. I screamed and slammed my fist into its head, losing my grip on one of the shirts. The bug collapsed, but three more took its place.

"Don't stop!" Cole ordered. He slammed his elbow into an insect trying to flank us. "Keep moving!"

We pushed on desperately. The sounds of monstrous insects echoed all around us, louder than ever. They were swarming after us.

Jax let out a pained yelp. I twisted to see a centipede clamped onto his hind leg. Before I could react, Alina tore it off him, shredding it between her powerful jaws. Jax limped onward.

"You okay?" I called to him. He snorted in response, which I took as a yes.

Cole grabbed my arm and pulled me sideways as a centipede struck, its mandibles snapping shut on empty air. "Eyes front!"

I swallowed and gave a shaky nod. We were losing ground. The insects were too fast, too many. We had to do something or we'd never break free. Cole gave my arm a brief squeeze.

"Focus, princess. Ready?"

I nodded again and we burst back onto the track at a sprint, racing through the gaps Jax and Alina had carved out, vaulting over insect body parts and trying not to look too closely at what they were—there were some things I really didn't want to know.

"Almost there," Cole grunted in my ear. He staggered, almost collapsing into me as something thudded into his back. A centipede. Cole hissed in pain and panic and anger flooded through me. I smashed my hand into its face and it fell back with an inhuman scream of pain. Ichor dripped down my claws—claws?—but I didn't have time to worry about that now.

"Come on!"

We raced forward, and then abruptly the creatures stopped following us, instead turning and scuttling back into the forest. We ran on, not stopping until we caught up with the other two, still in their wolf forms.

They shifted back when they saw us, and I tossed their clothes to them.

"Did you lose something?" Jax asked.

"You should be thanking me," I wheezed. "The bugs probably could have tracked us just by the stench coming off that shirt."

"If you wanted to see me walk around shirtless," he said, flashing me a grin, "you only had to say."

"I think you're confusing me with…actually, I'm pretty sure no-one wants to see you shirtless."

"Tell that to Ling."

Touche.

"If you've quite finished hitting on my mate, we should get moving," Cole rumbled, his tone not quite calm.

"Buddy, if that's your idea of hitting on someone, it's no wonder it took the pair of you all of last year to get together."

He sidestepped the half-hearted slap Cole aimed at the back of his head, and chuckled.

"How's your leg?" Cole asked, zeroing in on Jax's slightly uneven gait. Jax shrugged.

"Just a scratch. It'll heal."

"Good. Let's get moving."

I checked Cole over for any sign of injury from the centipede that grabbed him, but if he was hurting, he didn't let on.

"I know I'm the outsider here," Alina said, tugging her shirt over her head, "and no-one owes me any kind of explanation, but…"

"But why can't I shift?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Honestly, I don't know. But I can only shift when Ryker gives an alpha command…or if I've fed from a shifter."

"Fed, as in?"

I nodded. "Drinking their blood."

"Then you should feed. We're down a person if you can't shift."

"Bad idea." I shook my head. "I just failed my feeding assessment. As soon as I taste blood, I'll lose control until someone stops me."

"Alina's right," Jax said. "We need you on four legs."

"Was that you volunteering?" I asked, with a saccharine sweet smile. He shuddered.

"Yeah, no. Once was enough, thanks."

"It should be me," Alina said, looking uneasy, but jaw set in determination. "The two of you are stronger than me in human form. You'll have a better chance of holding her back without hurting her."

"It shouldn't be anyone," I disagreed, even as my throat started to burn in anticipation. "Feeding from you will make you weaker, and I'm still new to my shifted form. It's not worth it."

"You'll still be stronger than you are now. A pack is only as strong as its weakest member." She dropped her gaze from mine and a slight pink tinged her cheeks. "I know I'm not your pack, but…"

"You are today," Cole said, clasping her shoulder. "And you can run with the Iron Shadows any time. Cali?"

I blew out a slow breath and nodded. "Okay. But you and Jax should both restrain me. And Alina, you should take this, just in case I try to do anything stupid and it gets lost."

I slipped the necklace over my head and handed it to her. The last thing any of us needed was for me to lose the whole purpose of our task in the mud while I was trying to break free and kill the person who was trying to save my ass.

Alina pulled the chain over her head with a nod. "How do we do this?"

I crouched down, and then glanced at Jax and Cole, holding my arms out wide to them. "Whatever you do, don't let go. I mean it."

Jax nodded solemnly and took hold of my right arm, one hand wrapped around my wrist and the other braced against my shoulder. He'd seen firsthand what I would try to do, and I was glad he was taking it seriously. Cole's hands caressed my skin as they slid into the same position on my left, and he ducked his head to mine.

"It's okay. I won't let you hurt her," he murmured.

I swallowed hard and nodded to Alina. "It's probably safest if you don't let me touch you. Just cut your wrist and hold it above me."

She nodded, then cast around quickly and snatched up a stone from the ground. With one quick slash, she opened a red gash in her wrist with the jagged side, and saliva immediately pooled in my mouth as I caught the rich, coppery scent. My eyes tracked her movement carefully as she came closer, holding her wrist above me. I tilted my head back, mouth open wide, and couldn't quite contain the hiss of delight and desire as the first drop of blood hit my tongue. I swallowed greedily and she squeezed her wrist forcing the blood to flow faster…but it was still coming too slowly. I needed it. I needed more.

"Steady, princess," Cole murmured in my ear, and I nodded jerkily. Right. I had to keep control. Think about something other than the blood…the hot, viscous blood that was the only thing that could sate my need with its heady, powerful taste, and…

I squeezed my eyes shut, only for them to fly back open again. I surged up, lunging for the wrist above me.

"Fuck," Jax grunted, hauling back on my arm. Cole's grip didn't budge, burning into my skin as he kept me from what I needed. I snarled in frustration, whipping my head round to the side to take a snap at Jax, at this pup that dared to try to keep me from what was mine, before lunging up again, and again being held down.

I caught more of the precious blood as it kept flowing, tongue flicking out to catch a stray drop that landed on my lip as the wrist above me quivered. I battled against the arms holding me, feeling myself growing stronger by the second. I needed more, more strength, more power, so I could break free and finally slake my thirst. I yanked hard on my right wrist, almost managing to break loose from the infuriating restraint.

"Hold her," Cole shouted.

"I'm trying!" Jax shouted back. "Fuck's sake, has she had enough yet?"

No. Never enough. I needed more, always more.

"It'll have to be. Alina, get back."

No! The blood disappeared from above me and I roared my fury, turning to snap my teeth at the threat on my right.

"Dammit, Cali, snap out of it!" he said as my teeth narrowly missed him thanks to the hands pulling me from the other side. I whirled to my left.

"Easy, princess. It's over. Come back to me."

I snarled again as the muted scent of blood faded from the air and the taste faded from my mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut again, panting with the exertion of fighting the two shifters. As the smell and taste cleared from my senses, clarity started to creep back in.

"Princess?"

I nodded. "One...second."

I stilled in their grip, carefully testing my thoughts to make sure I was back in control. I didn't need the blood. It was just blood. I was more than just a dhampir. That wasn't me.

"Okay, yeah, I'm good."

I opened my eyes as they released me, looking around until I spotted Alina. She looked a little pale, but cut me a curt nod as she tore a piece of her shirt sleeve off and wound it around her wrist.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I'm fine." She didn't sound it. She sounded shaken, but she'd earned her privacy and if she didn't want me poking around in her feelings, then that was her call.

"Thank you," I told her.

"Not to break up the potential for some girl on girl action," Jax said, earning himself a solid slap round the back of the head from Cole, "but we should get moving. If anything's still out there, it probably heard that little display."

Now that was the best idea I'd heard in a while.