Deadly Alliances (Dark Shifter Academy #5)

Chapter 11 Julian

Rainbow leapt from my lap and landed gently on the ground. He stretched his furry limbs, straightened his back, and pointed his gray tail upward, all the while purring a middle C at perfect pitch

“Don’t leave,” I mumbled, my shackles rattling slightly as I moved my arms and extended my fingers. But I didn’t mean it. The cat had yet to be discovered by anybody within the black walls of Heritage Prep. Rainbow only left me when somebody else was approaching—usually Marguerite. It was the cat’s sixth sense.

“Be safe out there,” I whispered, watching Rainbow with blurry eyes. The copper injections not only weakened me physically and mentally, it even messed with my vision. Still, I saw the blurry fur ball leap onto the couch and slip behind a heavy curtain.

I had no recollection of how much time passed since I’d become Marguerite’s prisoner. However long ago Rainbow had torn off the metal plating that used to cover the window, there was now a triple-layered black sheet to replace it.

When Marguerite discovered the open window, I told her I needed to see the sunlight—that it was the only thing that had brought me comfort. Which wasn’t entirely a lie: Rainbow did bring me comfort. And amazingly, Rainbow survived the sunlight, indicating that the cat had taken on my daywalking abilities.

Fortunately, the curtain made it easy for Rainbow to get in and out of Marguerite’s quarters. I watched as my little friend scurried out of sight.

In the loneliness the cat left behind, my muddled thoughts turned to Shea. She’d reached out to me several times—or at least I thought she had. But I couldn’t remember what she’d said, or what I’d said in response. The conversations seemed like dreams that were trying to disappear without a trace. I missed her so much. I only prayed I’d live long enough to see her beautiful face again.

Only a few moments went by, then a beep sounded at the door, and in walked Marguerite.

“Hi, Honey, I’m home!” She said the words in a sing-song voice, and I felt like hurtling myself out the window. If only I had the strength to do so.

Instead, I cast my hopeless gaze to the floor. “Hi, Marguerite,” I mumbled.

“Hey, cheer up, cheer up!” she said. “I brought a bloodmix for us to share!”

Bloodmix—a vampire cocktail that contained a variety of blood from different humans. Sure enough, I spotted the tall glass, filled to just a half-inch from the top with two bendy straws poking out, and I found myself licking my lips. I was so thirsty.

“You need to keep up your strength,” she said, kneeling in front of me while placing her free hand on my upper thigh, much too close for comfort. “I thought we’d enjoy a lovely date this evening.”

The idea of spending a romantic evening with Marguerite was so revolting, it almost dissolved my thirst. Almost.

Marguerite’s face fell at my lack of enthusiasm, and she put the bloodmix on the desk next to me. She lifted my chin with her hand, her brown eyes filling my view. “It’s the copper, isn’t it? It subdues you—alters your thinking.”

I nodded.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, you know,” she said softly, caressing my cheek. “I can remove these shackles. You and I can still leave Heritage Prep. But you know my demands.” She tapped my chest, then hers as she said, “You and I—forever.”

I didn’t blink, staring deeply into her eyes. Into her soul. At last, I said, “I will never meet your demands.”

Her jaw tightened, and I heard her teeth grinding.

“A date it is, then,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Let me go,” I begged. “Please, just let me go.”

“Your freedom will come when I have your heart,” she said with sickening sweetness. “It will happen sooner or later. And if it happens later... Well, I have eternity to wait. I guess I’ve gotten spoiled by quick results over the years.” She snatched the bloodmix and held it between us.

“No vampire date can start without a little drink,” she said, swirling the cup ever so slightly and causing a little vortex to spin in the center of the crimson liquid. It was hypnotizing, and I had a sudden urge to rip the cup out of her hands and consume the entire glass myself.

Taking a few deep breaths, I forced myself away from such animalistic behavior.

Marguerite eased the cup forward, and as my lips closed over one of the straws, I closed my eyes and began to drink.

A burst of flavor assaulted my taste buds, bringing much-needed pleasure to my entire being. The blood was still warm—freshly extracted.

My body tingled, and I found myself unable to pull away from the straw. Right now, the only thing in the world was me and the blood.

The flow of heaven suddenly stopped, followed by loud slurping sounds. My eyes flashed open, and I pulled away from the tall glass, shocked to see that I drank it all.

Marguerite chuckled as she rose to her feet, placing the empty glass back on the desk. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen anybody chug like that. You must’ve been thirsty.”

My eyes followed the empty glass, wishing it were full again. But my body still tingled, my wells of energy replenishing slightly. I wasn’t cured of the copper slowly poisoning me, but I was content. Life wasn’t so bad.

“Now let me set the mood.” Marguerite turned her wrist over, tapping her smartwatch. All the lights in the room went dark, and I felt suddenly blinded. It was as if Marguerite had placed a cover over my eyes.

“Wh–what are you d–doing?” I stammered, trying to focus my eyes. Never had any darkness been able to blind me since I’d become a vampire.

Marguerite didn’t respond.

Slowly a small light appeared a few feet away. As the light continued to brighten, the scene that illuminated was not that of Marguerite’s room, and I gasped at where I was: Skye Boarding House.

I spun in my seat, surprised to find that my wrists were no longer shackled. But more shocking was the fact that Marguerite wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

I found myself sitting in the Skye’s wooden chair—the same one that resided at my apartment in Chicago.

A cruel chill crawled down my back. “Marguerite?” I called, hoping she’d enter and explain what was going on. “What trick are you playing on me?”

And then I heard her—not Marguerite, but her !

“Alice?” I whispered, my eyes widening and my heart beating so rapidly it threatened to jump out of my body. Her voice was coming from the dining room, and I leapt to my feet.

And then I heard Camilla’s voice, a little louder than Alice’s—just loud enough that I could hear what she said.

“Julian is going to propose to you any day now.”

“What?” Alice gasped. “You are sure of this?”

“He told me just today,” Camilla replied.

There was a moment’s pause, then Alice said, “What should I do?”

“That is the great puzzle you will have to solve, I am afraid,” Camilla said with a laugh.

“Would it be too rude to tell him to try proposing to one of the trees in the orchard, since they are all he cares about?”

Again, Camilla laughed. “I would love to see his reaction if that was your reply.”

This isn’t right .

Before I met Shea, I’d frequently relived memories from my past. But while this felt like a memory, I knew it wasn’t. I’d never heard Alice and Camilla talking about my imminent proposal, and I couldn’t imagine it would’ve gone like this.

It wouldn’t have, right? The question was posed to the Alice in my mind, but she didn’t respond. Her voice hadn’t come to me for quite some time, either.

“What is quite sad,” Alice continued, “is that he does not realize that I have only allowed him to court me out of pity. It is no small wonder that he let Marguerite Morton go without even thinking twice. Can you imagine, dear Camilla? Me falling desperately in love with that poor fool, then getting thrown out to pasture because of his duty to the orchard?” She laughed in a way I had never heard. It sounded too...wicked.

“You have to admire his dedication, though,” Camilla said. “The orchard would not be as successful as it is without his hard work.”

“Again, he really should consider proposing to one of the elegant apple trees that waits on his caressing hands every day,” Alice said.

Both girls must’ve covered their mouths because their laughs were muffled. My heart slowed to a dull thump-thump . Hearing Alice’s voice behind those words... It sounded so real. I tried to think about other memories that would disprove this conversation, but the effort was broken as Camilla spoke again.

“Please let him down easily,” she said quietly. “Deep inside, he can be quite vulnerable.”

“I might not have it in my heart to tell him ‘no’ right away,” Alice replied.

“Actually, that might be the wisest path to take,” Camilla replied. “Perhaps accepting his offer now, then allowing a slow rejection to occur would work out for the better.”

My throat dried and my sinuses sparked, causing my eyes to mist. You will not cry, I told myself, as if the command would actually work.

“Quite alarming, isn’t it?”

I whirled to find Marguerite in a lackadaisical posture in the Skye’s chair—her back against one of its arms while her legs dangled over the other.

“You!” I growled. “You’re doing this!” Marguerite’s special ability as a vampire was to invade the minds of others, to inject false scenes into their minds. And she was doing that to me now, I had no doubt.

She shrugged. “All I’ve done is tap into your past.”

“This isn’t my past,” I said, pointing toward the dining room.

Marguerite swung her legs to the front of the chair, then leaned forward. “This is your mind, Julian. I’m just here to watch.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Alice would never... This isn’t how it went.”

“Are you sure ?” Marguerite asked, a seemingly innocent expression on her disgustingly pretty face. “If this really did happen, would Camilla or Alice have told you about it?”

Would they have? Camilla had been my sister in every way but blood, and my faith in Alice’s love had been the only thing that sustained me all this time. I refused to believe this was what happened, but hearing it was still heartbreaking.

Could Alice really not have loved me? And if she didn’t, what did that mean for Shea and me? Was I meant to be with her after all?

I immediately shut down those thoughts. I couldn’t afford for Marguerite to learn of Shea. In fact, it was a miracle she hadn’t dug her out of my mind yet. I had to keep it that way.

“You know what they say, Julian,” Marguerite said, bringing her face close to mine. “The truth hurts.” She raised her hands to the sides as she leaned back. “And this? Sure looks like the truth to me.”

I closed my eyes, wrestling between doubt and faith, no longer certain what was true. The world shifted around me, and I opened my eyes again, I was back in Marguerite’s quarters, my wrists still bound and my head still swimming.

She knelt before me again, pushing my legs apart and rubbing her hands up and down my thighs. “Why don’t you let me make you feel better, my love?”

I gritted my teeth. Even if Alice’s love had been a lie, and even if my heart didn’t belong to a certain witch, there was no way I’d ever desire this vile creature.

“I’m not in the mood,” I said flatly.

She leaned forward and put her arms around my waist, nuzzling her face into my unresponsive groin. “Oh, Julian. When are you going to realize that no one will love you like I do?”

“Poisoning me with copper, starving me of blood, and manipulating my memories is not love,” I countered darkly.

She sighed in my lap, then stood and cupped my chin in her fingers. “One day, you’ll understand why this was necessary, and you will love me. The sooner you do, the sooner your suffering can end.” She placed a kiss on my forehead and then vanished from the room, the door opening and closing faster than my foggy mind could keep up with it.

The silence that hung in her absence was the most painful yet, filled with the echoes of my doubt and despair. That vision couldn’t have been real, right? Alice would’ve never said those things. Right? She wouldn’t have gone through with our wedding if she hadn’t loved me, wouldn’t have stuck by me even after I was turned or used her magic to protect me from the sun.

No, that scene had to have been a trick. That was all Marguerite was capable of. She didn’t do truth .

I just had to hold on a little bit longer. Shea and Caesar were coming for me. But I didn’t know how much more my jagged mind could take before it shattered completely.