Chapter 10 #2
He straightened. “Don’t worry about that anymore. We’re done. I’ll leave you to my allies.” He glanced at Olivia and lifted his lip with a sneer. “Looks like you have a pet Dark Mage. Doubt she’ll be able to protect you from the wrath of Fortune Academy’s finest.”
My mouth parted with silent shock as he turned and left, revealing who’d been watching from the sidelines behind him. Hendrik, Orion, and a bunch of snarling wolf-shifters circled around us, making me feel hopelessly pinned between a wall and a mass of angry supernaturals.
Olivia edged closer to me. She hadn’t let go of her grilled cheese this whole time and she took another nibble as she assessed the situation.
“Well, my guess is Hendrik’s spell has come to full effect and it was between you and Logan, but it’s affected everyone he’s come into contact with.
” She narrowed her eyes. “It’s fascinating.
I can see the tiny threads connecting everyone.
It’s a powerful spell. Where did he get that kind of energy? ”
I wanted to scream. From chopping off Dante’s hand, of course.
Orion approached me first, paired with a girl on each arm as if for effect to remind me how desirable he was, as if his godly good looks weren’t enough to rub that fact in my face.
“Now that we know you’re a dud, you’re only good for one thing.
” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “I’m having an orgy party tomorrow night.
You’re welcome to... come.” He licked his lips on the last word.
I balled my fingers into a fist and took a swing at him, aiming straight for his perfect nose. The blow landed—hard.
“Are you insane?” I ground through clenched teeth as he stumbled back and the girls on his arm fluttered away with gasps of horror. “If Hendrik’s spell is working on you, then you’re even dumber than you look.”
I meant it as an insult, but he took that as a compliment.
Orion looked up at me with a grin as a trickle of bright red blood rolled over his lips.
So, gods bled too. “Oh, spells don’t work on me, darling.
” He gave me a wink. “But I’m glad you think I’m dumb.
That’ll make outsmarting you into my bed so much more satisfying. ”
He sauntered off and Olivia released a low whistle, which was severely impeded by the dried crumbs from her sandwich. “Damn. I’ve never seen anyone get under a Demi’s skin, much less punch one in the face, but Orion seemed pretty shaken.”
I gave her a raised brow. “Uh, really? He looked fine to me.”
Hendrik interrupted us by tossing an orb to the ground.
Purple smoke made me gag and Olivia dropped her sandwich in disgust. A magical stink bomb, really, so mature.
“You two get this straight,” he said, snapping a finger at us.
“You’ve gotten on my bad side, which means you’re going to have to get in line and grovel for my forgiveness.
You don’t eat unless I say you can eat. You don’t fuck unless I say you can fuck.
And you don’t even breathe unless I say you can.
” He snapped his fingers and Olivia clutched at her throat.
“Olivia?” I cried and grabbed onto her arm as she sank to her knees. “Hendrik, stop it!”
He smirked, although there was a gleam of hatred in his eyes.
I had a feeling that his choking spell was supposed to have affected me too.
A simple stink bomb might work on me, but something that actually threatened my willpower or my life bounced right off of whatever defense mechanisms my body had in place, the same ones that worked against Melinda’s attempts to compel me.
“It’s sweet you’ve made a baby alliance,” Hendrik said, lowering his voice with a dangerous growl that would have been sexy had I not known that he spent his free time chopping off people’s hands.
“If you like this little Dark Mage, then you’ll do as I say, got it?
She’s one of my clan, which means she owes a blood debt to her people.
” His dark eyes flashed with malice and triumph.
He knew he had something I wanted to protect—Olivia.
“What I say goes and you’re going to have to accept that.
” He hooked the collar of my torn uniform and made me stand on my tiptoes.
“These are my orders. You’re going to partake in your new friend’s blood debt, then you’re to stay away from Logan and any member of my alliance unless you are specifically called upon.
” He sniffed at Olivia. “That includes any pathetic excuses of an alliance you manage to build as well.”
I was already indebted to Olivia for the suffering I’d put her through. I’d fucking killed her, and now I’d put her on Hendrik’s bad side. It made me regret ever opening up to her. If I’d just been mean or distant when she’d first introduced herself, none of this would be happening right now.
“If you hurt her I’ll—”
Olivia made a strangled sound as Hendrik twisted his spell harder. “You’ll what? You’ll let your one ally die over your pride?”
I balled my fingers into fists, cutting my palms with the crescents of my fingernails.
“Fine,” I said, hating how pathetic and weak I sounded.
I didn’t have anything to throw back at Hendrik.
.. other than the demon conjuring orb I had in my pocket and that would do a better job of getting me expelled than accomplishing anything useful.
If I really found myself in danger, it was a last resort, but now was not the time.
Unfortunately, Hendrik had me in his crosshairs and he knew it.
All I had to do was pretend to roll over… for now.
“I’m sorry,” he said, leaning closer to me. “I didn’t quite hear you.” He beckoned me closer. “Why don’t you whisper it in my ear so I make sure we have an understanding.”
I glanced at Olivia who still clutched at her throat and her lips were taking on a shade of blue. Dammit. He wouldn’t actually make her pass out... or worse, would he? By the dangerous gleam in his black eyes that sparked with power I knew better than to test him.
I moved in until I was close enough to touch him and a tingling swept over my body. His spell wouldn’t work on me, but I sensed it crawling over me and my nostrils flared against the impact of the sweet scent.
Didn’t Olivia say magic had a smell?
If it did, Hendrik’s was roses... along with something else that tinged the edges of my senses with a metallic taste.
Blood?
That would make sense. Hendrik was a Dark Mage. His magic was based in goodness. I felt it, but the blood magic he’d swept over it changed it fundamentally in a way that was... wrong.
“I’m waiting, Lily.”
Hearing him say my name made a shiver run down my spine. I forced myself to spit out what he wanted to hear.
“I’ll do what you want, Hendrik. Please, don’t hurt Olivia.”
It was just words, but the defeat that settled into my chest made me want to vomit.
Hendrik leaned back with a smirk on his face. He waved his hand and Olivia gasped for breath, making me relax with relief.
“Good. Now, I have more important matters to attend to. You’d do well to stay out of my sight, but be sure to show up for blood duty tonight.” He grinned. “My dorms. Bring your friend.”
Shit, he wanted us to do blood duty today? I hoped that didn’t involve losing any limbs.
“Right, okay, whatever,” I promised, although I had no intention of bringing Olivia along so he could lord her life over me again.
Satisfied, Hendrik grinned and backed away.
A distant crack sounded through the room as he changed the hold of his spell and I noted that a line of concentration disappeared from his forehead.
The crowd dispersed as the spell weaned.
“Good. I’ll see you tonight then.” He looked back at my sad, deflated pizza still on my tray.
“Finish your... nourishment, so that you’ll have the energy to donate. ”
When he’d stalked off I sank into my chair. I wasn’t hungry anymore and my pizza was cold, but Hendrik was right about one thing. I’d need energy to survive whatever came next.
Olivia sank into her own chair opposite from me and the pulsing gleam in her dark eyes seemed weak. “Well, that sucked,” she admitted.
I hummed my agreement as I numbly chewed my cold pizza. “Look, Olivia. I’m sorry. Maybe we shouldn’t hang out, at least until I figure out how to deal with Hendrik.”
She gripped my wrist hard, that wicked determination back in her eyes. “I’m not abandoning you, okay? I know what it’s like to be a dud and feel powerless. I just need to learn my powers and then we’ll have a better chance against him, together, okay?”
I didn’t want to count on Olivia to find Hendrik’s weak spot, but my heart warmed at the sentiment. “Thanks,” I whispered.
No matter what happened, at least I’d found a true ally, and perhaps a real friend.
Olivia offered to go with me to my counselor meeting, but I could see how tired she was.
“Relax,” I said with a laugh. “You’ve actually died today. I think you deserve a break.”
She pouted. “I don’t really know where to go. My packet says I can choose to room with an ally in the Freshman dorms or I can relocate to the Dark Mage dormitories.” She shuddered. “I really don’t want to be anywhere near Hendrik right now... so would you mind... if we were roomies?”
I jerked to a halt and stared at her. I’d just resolved in my mind that Olivia and I were going to stay far away from each other, for her own safety, but the glimmer of hope that this was my excuse to hold onto my friend tugged at me.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I mean, sticking around me might be more dangerous than trying to build alliances with the Dark Mages. You only have a bad rap because of me.”
She grinned. “Are you kidding? Once we kick Hendrik’s ass we’re going to own the Dark Mages. No way in hell am I going anywhere.”
While her confidence in me was warming, I felt it was a bit misguided.
“If you say so,” I said with a chuckle. “My room is on the third floor at the end of the hall. If we hurry I can drop you off on my way to talk to my counselor.” I gave her a nudge.
“I’ll ask about this bullshit with Hendrik saying you owe some blood debt just because you’re a Dark Mage.
Surely there are rules at the Academy about stuff like that. ”
“That’s sweet of you,” she said, the sheepish girl I’d met at first coming out as she tucked her head, then she smiled. “You don’t have to drop me off, actually. We can blood swap and that’ll let me into your room and I can get settled in, if that’s okay.”
I froze. Blood? No, that definitely wasn’t a good idea. “I don’t know,” I said, grimacing. “I mean, not sure what a blood swap is. You’re fine to make yourself at home.”
She grabbed my hand. “I don’t mean actual blood. Chill. Just give me permission to enter your room while we’re holding hands and your imprint will go into my blood.”
“Oh,” I said, looking down at her fingers. “Uh, you have permission to enter my room.”
A faint glow lit up our hands and then it faded.
“Great!” she said. “Now it’s official. We’re roomies!” She surprised me by launching into a full hug.
Olivia had really come a long way. When I’d first met her earlier today she was lost and broken, but the promise of awakening her supernatural nature gave her the courage to die in the Awakening Arena.
Then discovering her true identity gave her back her spirit for life.
I wanted to stay up all night with her and ask her what it felt like to be given back something that was taken, because no telling how or when that would ever happen for me.
Olivia and I walked hand-in-hand towards the dormitories and I decided then and there that I was going to do everything in my power to make sure I wouldn’t let Olivia down.