Chapter 16
Biology determines connection to Source, therefore, a biological comprehension of the threat is essential in neutralization.
INITIATIVE MANUAL
I bolted.
Through the dead port arch and toward the tree line behind it.
Could rats climb trees?
It wouldn’t matter if I didn’t make it to cover.
The ratakan screeched with excitement behind me, and I didn’t need to look back to know they were gaining.
Come on, Ana! I pushed harder, faster, using the ball of anger inside me as fuel. Viola’s smug face filled my mind, and I imagined busting it open with my fists the moment I got out of this mess. No way was I getting chowed down by rats on my third day in Nightsbridge.
I hit the tree line and dove into the forest, leaping over a fallen tree and crushing bracken as I wove between slender trunks. The woodland closed around me, reaching for me with spindly evergreen branches, as if imploring me to stay.
The screeches grew louder.
I ducked my head, driving forward, pushing my limbs to the limit. I burst from the forest onto a stretch of unfrozen land—and Trinity be blessed, was that a tower in the distance?
A rush of relief filled my chest. The Academy was visible beyond another stretch of forestland. If I could get to—
I slammed into an invisible barrier. The impact sent a vibration through my whole body, gripping and shaking me until my teeth chattered. It released me suddenly, and I hit the ground, limp and unable to move.
What… Oh…wards. I was outside the damn wards. I pushed up on shaky palms, every hair on my body standing to attention.
A low-grade hum filled the air—a warning growl on the verge of menace.
Breath coming in shallow gasps, I slowly raised my head.
Three ratakan surrounded me, caging me in.
They had the heads of rats, but quills ran down their backs, and their front legs were tipped with powerful paws and claws perfect for slashing and tearing.
They closed in, growls deepening, frothy white drool bubbling from their mouths, hitting the ground where it fizzed and smoked.
Shit. My stomach dipped, and a weight settled on my chest. There was no way out of this one.
Damn Viola. Damn my lack of power.
I’d failed my mother. Failed myself.
The ratakan pounced.
Heat surged through me, and I screamed, piercing the air with the full force of my horror and rage. The ratakan snapped their teeth mere inches from my body before being hurled back, their bodies twisting unnaturally, slamming into the ground several yards away.
What. The. Fuck?
They sprang to their feet, and one of them sprayed green gunk. I dove to avoid it too late. Warmth seeped through my pant leg, and the world wobbled as I staggered to my feet.
The ratakan rushed me.
I screamed again, but this time the sound was eclipsed by a shrill whistle.
The ratakan ground to a halt, their beady red eyes now fixed on something behind me.
I didn’t want to take my eyes off them—but I needed to see what was coming.
I risked a glance, locking my knees when they threatened to buckle.
A hulking figure ran toward me.
Another whistle sounded, and the ratakan backed up a few steps.
The wards behind me crackled and fizzed.
My head grew suddenly light and floaty.
“Anamaya?” A large hand closed around my arm. “It’s okay, they won’t hurt you now.”
The voice was familiar, but I’d never seen this man before. Tall and built with biceps to spare, his strong facial features were framed by a neatly clipped beard. His long, dark hair was tied in a knot, leaving the short back and buzzed sides on display. Oh, he had a pretty mouth…
“How did you get out here?” he asked.
Several figures dressed in black and gray rushed by in my periphery, and another shrill whistle sounded.
“Border clear!” someone called.
I stared up into moss-green eyes flecked with yellow. The same eyes as the barghest who’d carried me to safety… “Drayven?”
His beautiful eyes warmed. “That’s right.”
“You look good.” My words came out oddly slurred. Ooo…sparkles.
“Shit, they sprayed you.”
“Huh?” My knees finally lost the will to hold me, and I buckled.
He snagged me around the waist and hauled me against his body. I grabbed hold of him on instinct, my palms coming to rest on his silken, taut skin. “Nice.” I gripped his biceps. “Big.” A pleasant tingle rushed up my arms.
Someone snickered.
Drayven glared over my head, and the laughter died instantly. “Anamaya, how did you get out here?”
His skin was so soft. I rubbed my cheek against his arm. “You feel so good.”
“Anamaya?” He gently pushed me away. “How did you get here?”
Oh…yes. I was in danger. Had been in danger because of Viola. “That bitch shoved me through a portal. I’m going to have to break her face.”
“The border portal?” someone said. “She outran the ratakan?”
“Jay?” I tried to turn my head to find him, but the world swam.
Drayven cupped the back of my head. “Hey, keep your eyes on me. No sudden movements, or it will disorient you. Why didn’t you use the portal to get back?”
He had such a nice voice, and the vibration of his chest against me when he spoke was soothing. What would he taste like?
“Anamaya. Focus.” The snap to his tone cleared a little of the fog clouding my mind.
“Oh…I—uh. I tried, but I don’t think I’m in the system. The portals didn’t recognize me. And the wards knocked me back.”
“Which means they forgot to add her to these border wards,” Jay said.
“I’ll take her through the portal,” Drayven said. “Get back to the Academy and speak to Milanthra. I want to know why the fuck Onyx isn’t in our systems yet.” He scooped me into his arms.
“Whoa…” I squeezed my eyes shut against a wave of dizziness.
“Lean your head on my shoulder,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
I inhaled him greedily. “You smell so good.”
His chest rumbled. “You’re not yourself right now.”
I sniffed him again. “Good. I don’t want to be myself. I hate myself.”
He pulled me closer, a sigh rattling through him. “Oh, Anamaya…”
His tone had a grounding effect, and the world grew less distant, leaving my words hanging between us like a dirty confession. My chest tightened. I wanted to take them back, to say I hadn’t meant them, but that would be a lie.
Damn the ratakan spray. Tension flooded my limbs—those creatures were still on the loose. “Drayven, the ratakan are still out there.”
“Don’t worry. They won’t hurt you, not while you’re with me.” He set off at a brisk stride.
I let my head fall to his shoulder, suddenly bone-achingly weary. From the run, from my loss, from my fucking life.
“Are you all right?” Drayven asked softly.
I didn’t want to talk about my feelings. Not now. Probably not ever. “I’m fine. What are the ratakan?”
He was silent for a moment, and I sensed him wavering between answering my question or pressing me about my mental state. I held still, barely breathing as I waited.
“Ratakan are border guards,” he said finally.
“Created to act as sentries to keep Horrors from getting too close to the wards.” I relaxed against him, and he continued.
“A decade ago, we had a minor breach—the ward was overwhelmed by a horde of Horrors. The Carvers stepped up and created the ratakan to prevent that from happening again. They’re fed Hunter blood every month, so they recognize not to harm us.
You were lucky we reached you before they could attack. ”
But the ratakan had attacked—and then been repelled. My scalp prickled, and something the Weavers had said about the Weave came to mind.
It may grant you protection in this time, or it may not.
They’d also said a veil still existed between me and the Weave. That I needed two more sessions to be fully restored, but… “I think the Weave protected me against the ratakan.” I quickly explained what happened.
“That’s encouraging. It means the Weave deems you worthy.”
Wings of hope fluttered in my chest.
“The northern border can get icy,” he continued. “Let me know if you get too cold.”
“Coming from someone wearing only an undershirt.”
“I’m always hot.”
“Damn straight you are.”
He chuckled, and my cheeks burned.
“I’m not sure why I said that.”
“You mean you didn’t mean it?” he teased.
I grinned up at him. “I’m obviously heavily under the influence right now.”
His face fell in mock disappointment. “Well, there goes my ego.”
“You have a mirror in your room, I assume.”
“Of course.”
“I’m sure that’s all the ego boost you need.” Oh Trinity. Shut up, Ana!
“I could say the same to you, pretty girl.”
He thought I was pretty? That wasn’t the word men used for me. Striking or interesting were the usual. My features were too sharp, even harsh in some lights. But it felt nice to hear him say it.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” We entered the gloom of the forest. “You ran a long way and maintained your speed. It’s an asset that saved you again today. The ratakan would have torn you to shreds.”
A shiver passed over me, and I snuggled closer to Drayven. “I know.” Goose bumps pricked my skin. “It’s definitely colder here.”
He hugged me tighter, and the heat from his body seemed to go up a notch. “As the ratakan spray wears off, you’ll feel the cold more acutely. The Carvers created it to incapacitate prey and allow an easier kill.”
“Who are these, Carvers?”
“Evil geniuses,” Drayven said dryly. “I don’t agree with their practices, but without them, we’d be playing a guessing game when it comes to the Horrors surrounding us.”
“What do you mean?”
“As Hunters, part of our job is catching Horrors for the Initiative—a program run by the Carvers. They take them apart to figure out how they tick. Horrors are constantly evolving, and what works one decade might not in the next, so the more we know about them, the easier they are to kill. You’ll see when you take the Anatomy of Horrors. ”
“That’s not on my schedule.”
“It will be soon. You’ve been fast-tracked. Your name is on the Hunter orientation schedule for next month. All you need to do is pass grading.”
“Will I be with you?” I sounded a little too hopeful. Dial it down, Onyx.
He peered down at me, his mouth mere inches from mine. “Trust me, you don’t want to be on my team.”
His breath fanned across my lips, warm and sweet like honey. If I lifted my chin a little more, I could taste him. Would the contact make my mouth tingle? Was this real or an effect of the ratakan spray?
His eyes darkened. “Yes, you definitely don’t want to be on my team.”
“Why not?” My question was a whisper.
“Because if you’re on my team, I won’t get to be Mr. Nice Guy.”
“I’d rather be with you than with Damascus.”
The ghost of a smile hovering on his lips died, and his jaw tensed. The moment between us lost.
Was he grinding his teeth?
“Drayven?”
He exhaled sharply through his nose. “Sterling is a good hunt leader.”
“He’s also a murderer.” Dammit. The spray obviously hadn’t worn off yet. “Forget I said that.”
The crunch of bracken beneath his boots was too loud in the silence.
His heartbeat quickened against me. “I know of his life before coming here,” he said finally. “I’m sorry if his actions touched your life in a negative way.”
There was something in his tone, an understanding, a sadness that spoke of true empathy. “What did he do to you?”
“Nothing that I wish to revisit right now.”
“Got it.”
He carried me out of the forest in silence, stepping onto the snow-covered stretch of land where the portal arch waited in the distance. How far had I run to reach the Academy’s border wards?
The wind whistled, plucking at my hair as the final effects of the spray evaporated completely, leaving my head clear and my thoughts sharp.
But the pleasant hum that danced beneath my skin remained.
Unrelated to the spray and everything to do with him.
First Vitra, now Drayven. The curse must be unraveling.
It was the only explanation. If that was the case, I’d milk it for every ounce of pleasure I could—starting with staying in his arms for a couple more minutes.
But a couple of minutes turned into three, then four, and before I knew it, we were at the port.
“How are you feeling now?” Drayven asked. “Do you think you can stand? Walk?”
Heat rose to my cheeks. I should have said something sooner. “I feel better. I can walk.”
He lowered me carefully, holding on to me until he was sure I was steady on my feet.
“The portal opens at the barracks. Each tower has access to the border portals, but students know better than to use them unless they’re on the active hunt team.
Outside of that, they’re for emergencies only.
” He pressed his palm to the crystal, and the portal flared bright blue.
He pressed his hand to the small of my back to guide me through.
We emerged in a stone room filled with weapon racks hung with swords, daggers, shields, and axes. A forge burned at the back of the room, and a giant, half-naked male slammed a hammer against an anvil to render some kind of blade.
He looked up and wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist, which was wrapped in a cloth band.
“New recruit?” His voice boomed across the room.
“Yes and no,” Drayven said. “Frederick, this is Anamaya Onyx.”
His brows flicked up slightly. “Ah, the subject of much discussion. At least in Trinity Tower. My boy Benedict has only good things to say about you. You have my assurance that the Ironharts hold no ill will toward you.”
This was Benedict’s dad? The man was a monolith of muscle, his body stocky, his face rugged with a heavy jaw. I searched for Benedict in his features and failed.
I fixed a smile on my face to hide my confusion. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“Let’s get you to the infirmary,” Drayven said.
I glanced at the clock behind Frederick and let out a yelp. “Shit, class started five minutes ago. Can you open a portal to the bridge?”
“You should get checked out first.”
“No. I’m fine, I just can’t be too late.”
He chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Fine. But I’m coming with you.”
I was already late. I just hoped Selethis didn’t give me too much of a hard time about it.