13. Violet

13

VIOLET

Sipping my second cup of blood as I try to avoid as many people as possible on my way out of the dining hall, I pause. My vampire hearing has picked up a strange sound. It's like a rustling noise but super irritating, like a fly in your ear. I shake my head and carry on, bumping into Caine on the way down the stairs.

"Fancy meeting you here," I comment with a smile.

He narrows his eyes. "Are you insinuating something, snowdrop? An Ice Demon has to eat."

"Funny that. You don't seem to do it on a regular basis."

"Maybe I'm shy about eating in front of others," he replies coyly.

"You? Shy? Ha, tell me another one."

"I have my quirks," he says darkly, bordering on sinister.

I move in closer and look up at him, knowing how he likes towering over me. Truth is, I like it too. "Do tell?"

Caine's eyes turn a deeper shade of green, like the forest surrounding MistHallow, as he looks down at me, a small smirk curving up his lips. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Goosebumps ripple over my skin, and I shiver slightly. There's something dangerous and alluring about Caine when he gets like this. Part of me wants to push further, to uncover more of his secrets. But another part of me knows it's probably safer not to. Not here in the middle of the stairs anyway.

Before I can decide how to respond, that strange rustling sound reaches my ears again. I frown, tilting my head slightly as I try to pinpoint the source.

"What is it?" Caine asks, noticing my distraction.

"Do you hear that?" I whisper. "It's like a weird rustling noise."

Caine's brow furrows as he listens intently. After a moment, he shakes his head. "I don't hear anything unusual. Maybe it's just your heightened vampire senses picking up something outside?"

"Maybe," I say, unconvinced. The sound seems to be getting louder, more insistent. "It's really irritating, though."

Caine's expression shifts to one of concern, taking me seriously instead of brushing me off. "Has this happened before?"

I shake my head. "No, it's new. Started just a few minutes ago. "

He reaches out, gently brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. The gesture is oddly intimate, and I feel my breath catch. "Your hearing is likely more sensitive than mine," Caine says softly. "If it's bothering you, we should investigate."

"Thanks. Outside, I think," I say, gesturing down the stairs.

As we turn to head outside, the rustling suddenly intensifies. It's no longer just an irritating background noise, now it sounds like a rushing wind, howling in my ears. I stumble, clutching my head with my free hand.

"Violet?" Caine's voice sounds distant, muffled. "What's wrong?"

I try to answer, but the words won't come. The world around me starts to blur and shift. The stone walls of MistHallow seem to ripple and dance before my eyes.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the noise stops. The world snaps back into focus. But something's different. The air feels heavier, charged with an energy I can't quite explain.

I blink, disoriented, and look up at Caine.

His eyes are wide with concern, his hand gripping my elbow tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," I mumble, still feeling a bit off-kilter. "That was weird."

"Has it gone?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's gone. "

"Hmm. Well, if it comes back, we should look into it."

I nod, hoping it doesn't come back. It felt like something was burrowing into my brain when it intensified, but I'm not telling him that. He will go all spare on my arse, and it's fine now anyway.

"Are you okay? You look paler than usual."

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was a bit weird. I wonder if it's something to do with my Morgana powers? Maybe I should ask Amara."

"Good idea. I'll walk you."

"No, it's fine. You have lectures, and I could do with some more blood anyway."

He gives me an annoyed glare. "Are you trying to get rid of me, Violet?"

I snort. "No, I'm not trying to get rid of you, you idiot. But I'm fine and a big girl. I can sort this out myself."

He doesn't look convinced but nods. "Okay, well, if you need me, you just have to call me to come to you."

Peering at him, I question that. "Huh? What does that mean?"

He smiles and steps in even closer, tilting my chin up. "Scream my name, snowdrop, and I'll come."

I press my lips together as the double entendre is so fucking cheesy but seriously cute too. "Oh, okay," I murmur, deciding to quiz him on that trick later. Right now, I just want to get to Amara and see if she knows what this irritating noise could be that has returned as a slight hum .

Caine kisses me lightly and moves past me up the stairs, and I go down, taking two at a time, bypassing the fact that I said I needed more blood. The noise is drawing me outside. I push open the double doors and step out into the late night, my boots crunching on the fallen snow.

The humming in my ears grows louder, more insistent. It's no longer just a sound; it's a pull, an irresistible call that seems to be coming from the forest beyond the Academy grounds.

I take a few steps forward across the courtyard. The ancient building around me quivers in my peripheral vision, and it is nothing but a blur as my eyes are fixed on the treeline. The forest looms dark and mysterious, its ancient trees swaying gently in the breeze. But there's something else, something I can't quite see but can feel. A pulsing energy that seems to resonate with something deep inside me.

"What are you trying to tell me?" I know I'm not supposed to go past the wards, but really, at this point, does it matter? Nathaniel can get to me anyway, so does it really fucking matter if I step past the wards and into the forest? Assuming I even can get past them.

But the call is getting stronger. It's like a siren song, promising answers to questions that I don't even know. My Morgana powers stir within me, responding to whatever force is coming from the woods.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I'm standing at the edge of the wards. I can feel them, a slight pressure against my skin, like an invisible barrier. It's like clingfilm, I remember from when Glacier burst through them with me. For a moment, I hesitate. But the pull is too strong to resist.

Nathaniel said he could get through them. That my power could, too. But how? What do I do? If I step through, will I set off a bunch of alarms? Nathaniel didn't. No one knew he was here. Taking a deep breath, taking action, instead of dithering like a fool, I step forward. There's a moment of resistance, then a sudden give, just like before when I first arrived at MistHallow. Then I'm through, standing on the other side of the wards.

I cringe, waiting for alarms and staff to come running at me with pitchforks, but there is silence.

Well, silence apart from the incessant humming in my ears.

The forest seems to come alive around me as I step forward. The trees loom taller, their branches reaching out as if to welcome me. The snow crunches under my feet as I take my first tentative steps into the woods.

The whistling in my ears has transformed into something more complex. It's like a symphony now, a melody of whispers and rustling leaves that seem to be guiding me deeper into the forest. I follow it, drawn by a force I don't understand but can't ignore.

As I walk, I notice strange things happening around me. Flowers bloom beneath my feet, pushing up through the snow in bursts of vibrant colour. The air shimmers with tiny motes of light, like fireflies dancing in the darkness. It's stunning but utterly terrifying. Am I doing this?

"What is this place?" I whisper, my words carried away by the wind.

The forest responds, the whispers growing louder. I can almost make out words now, but they're in a language I don't understand. Yet somehow, I feel like I should. Like this is a part of me, I've forgotten.

I come to a clearing, and the sight before me takes my breath away. In the centre stands an ancient oak tree, its trunk wider than I could wrap my arms around. Its branches reach up to the sky, seeming to touch the stars themselves. It's glowing. A soft, pulsing light exudes from within the tree, matching the rhythm of the forest's song.

As I approach the tree, I feel a surge of power rise up, responding to the energy of this place. Without thinking, I reach out and place my hand on the trunk of the oak.

The moment my skin makes contact, the world explodes into light and sound. Images flash before my eyes, too fast to comprehend. I see glimpses of ancient rituals, of battles fought with magick and steel, of creatures I've never seen before. I see myself, or someone who looks like me, standing in the middle of it.

I try to pull my hand away, but I can't move. The visions keep coming, overwhelming my senses. I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of memories that aren't mine.

Just when I think I can't take anymore, it stops. I stumble back, gasping for air. The clearing is silent now, the whispers gone. But the tree continues to pulse with that strange light.

A gust of wind blows through the clearing. It carries with it a scent I've never smelled before - something wild and ancient and powerful, and with it comes two words, whispered on the breeze:

"It's you."