Behind the Iron Gates (Crossroad Chronicles #1)
1. Chapter 1
The night filled the dark room, only dimly lit by lights outside. Vines swayed in the breeze that came in through the open window. Lennox and Rue slept through the peaceful night back to back in the bed they’d made by pushing two mattresses together. Lennox shifted many times through the night as dreams of Felix laying in the middle of Kappa Theta. Her nightmares were only interrupted when her phone lit up and buzzed demandingly by her head. With a groan, the pink-haired demon rolled over and reached for her phone. As she did, she looked out her window and saw the night still outside. What the hell, what time is it? She rubbed her eyes in the light of her phone. Lennox squinted to finally see three ten am with a new message from her friend and Co-Head of House’s name. With an exasperated groan, she went to her messages as Rue slept deeply beside her.
Felix Toll- Hey, We were out late- Meet closer to 10? -Sent 3:09 am
Lennox Cade- No problem, get some sleep. You’re gonna wish you had when I get there to plan the party at Club Crossroads. -Sent 3:10 am
Felix Toll- Okay Mom -Sent 3:11 am
After a scoff at his response, Lennox placed her phone back on the nightstand. Rolling over and sliding through the sheets, she inched closer to Rue. Carefully, she wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into her chest. Lennox closed her eyes and the world went dark once more. The images of Felix at the feet of a shadowed figure soon returned to her dreams.
At nine forty in the morning, Lennox woke up once again. This time to the sound of footsteps of the early arrivals moving up and down the halls. Stretching a little, she rolled over and buried her face in her pillow and felt Rue move. She felt a hand on her back in a silent request to not get up. Turning her head to the side she gave Rue a sleepy smile.
“No more sleeping half the day,” Lennox told her in an early morning rasp.
“You don’t have to go yet, I’m sure Felix is still sleeping?” She asked hopefully, peering at her with a smile.
“If I don’t show up at ten, he’s never gonna let it go. Even if he still is, I’d rather avoid a semester of being called, tardy tom.” Lennox laughed.
They both knew Felix well, the three of them were thicker than thieves. Viewing him as an older brother since the day she walked into the school. Before Rue could stop her, Lennox moved from the covers and got out of bed. With a dramatic flop to her back, Rue let out a sigh as Lennox started to get ready. Slipping into a lavender sweater and jeans she looked into the mirror in her closet. Short wavy hair tangled into a mess on the top of her head welcomed her in the reflection. Attempting to run a hand through, she started looking around for her comb. Internally, she cursed herself for always putting it down half asleep. She started to rummage through the drawers inside the wardrobe.
Pausing, Lennox was unable to hide her smile. Quickly, she glanced to the side. The wardrobe door completely blocked her from Rue. Her smile grew as she looked at the purple velvet box hidden among her notebooks and pens. Inside she knew there was an emerald cut, three-stone ring with a deep citrine. The center matched the golden hue of Rue’s eyes that she had searched years for.
Absorbed in the little box she didn’t notice the long ivy vines had started to snake across over from the bookshelf. It wasn’t until one of the ends of the vines wrapped around the handle of a comb in the open drawer and held it, waving it a little.
“Ah! Thank you A?mpelos!” She gently took it from the vine. After taming the mess on the top of her head, she turned back to Rue and grabbed her phone from her nightstand.
“I’ll see you after I make sure Felix isn’t cuddling with whatever he was drinking last night.”
She smiled, staying under the covers. “Have fun! Take a photo for me if he’s using a bottle as a stuffed animal.”
“I will!” She called back.
Lennox bounced down the two flights of wooden stairs. With a smile, she waved to a few housemates she saw on her way out. When the door shut behind her, she walked down the sidewalk to the path that led to their brother house. The end-of-summer breeze was still warm As she walked she drew in a long breath of fresh air as the warm sun brushed her skin. Her thoughts drifted to the coming winter months. She wasn’t a fan of the snow that came with it. As she crossed the familiar campus, she saw various Elders moving around their rooms through the tall windows along the large main building. The University grounds reminded her of a cross between a castle in Ireland, which Lennox hadn’t been to since her Aunt Arya took her on a summer trip. The second reminder was of the school she went to in her human years in upper New York. Large, old but strong. As if it has always been a part of the world.
It only took a few minutes to get to the front door of Kappa Theta. The building was completely still. Felix and Wyatt would be the only ones there since none of their other housemates had more than likely returned to campus. Reaching up, she used the bronze knocker on the door and hit the panel three times. Lennox paused and listened closely for footsteps that never came. With a quick debate on how annoying she wanted to be, she brought her phone out to get to the keys she carried. She selected the one on the keychain for the Chapter House. He must really be hungover . She put the key in the lock and turned it only to hear the lock click into place. It had already been unlocked. With a frown she turned it again and turned the doorknob.
“Felix! You know it’s not a good idea to leave your door unlocked. How many times have I told you!” She called, making her way into the entranceway.
The house was silent as she listened again for Felix to make his way downstairs. A big banner hung above the stairs with the Greek letters for the house in white. Light tunneled in and reflected from the open door against the hunter-green background. Scanning the room, Lennox noticed one of his school sweatshirts on the floor and paused. In seconds, she decided to ignore it and went past the line of photos of the previous Heads of House. The wall was almost identical to her own house. It’s so quiet.
Keeping her attention forward she stepped closer toward the main living room until her feet stopped moving. Lennox’s stomach turned as the hair on the back of her neck stood. Internally, she pulled at the green thread of magic. Her arms heated as she kept the flow of power dulled, the glow from the chains would give her position away. Regaining herself, she pressed forward as the sound of her heart started to pound in her ears. There was a sudden, loud crunch beneath her foot that caused her to stop once again. Moving her foot to the side, a cell phone now with a broken screen laying underneath. Recognizing it as Felix’s and rolling her eyes, she scooped it up before she entered the next room.
“Dude! You have to stop getting so drunk you leave your shit everywhere! Your housemates are gonna think you like to decorate the floor with your belongings. Now I owe you a new screen.”
She had her eyes on the broken phone as she walked in. He has to be somewhere down here. Looks like it was more than just a ghost - Bright red colored the floor right in front of her. Her heart fell into her stomach as her eyes followed the trail of blood straight to two people laying on the floor. The red stained his almost silver hair and the Elder’s, Narcissus was laying on his stomach, his face away from her but she recognized the others long brown curls now also stained. This has to be one of his pranks, there’s no way this is real.
“Come on, this isn’t funny… Toll, get up, you’re the one who wants to have this meeting every year.” Lennox scolded him, frozen to her spot a few feet away. Her eyes darted around the room for anyone who could be recording her reaction, “I don’t know how you convinced an Elder to join you in this, it’s not funny.”
She made her way over to the Elder first. Once she was close enough to look at him she leaned over to get a better look at his face. Putting a hand on his shoulder and shook him, but found he was nothing but dead weight. She moved to his other side and knelt down to get even closer. Lennox felt the contents of the puddle surrounding him seep into the fabric at her knees. Glancing at the blood she thought was fake she noticed a long cut on his side coupled with another s-shaped cut on the side of his face. Lennox looked at her hand which was now red from her attempts to move him and felt her heart rate spike in seconds.
Dropping both phones, she stood. Every hair stood on end and her heart leapt into her throat. This isn’t fake… Her eyes shot back to her hands then to Felix lying on his back. His eyes on the ceiling, unmoving. His once bright eyes were empty. Vertical sigils on his chin and right eye weren’t the usual ashy black color, but silver. She knelt down beside him, tears and pink strands of hair blurring her vision.
“Felix?” His name came out with a dry whisper of disbelief. When she shook his shoulder, she could see that he was gone. His skin was already starting to lose its warmth and she could see a large wound in the center of his chest. Frozen to the spot her mind raced. Wyatt, Wyatt should be upstairs. “Felix… Wake up! WYATT! Wyatt, please! Where are you?!”
Silence. Complete and utter silence followed her broken screams. Another wave of panic sent shivers through her bones. No… No no no. You can’t be gone too. Placing blood stained hands on the floor, Lennox gripped and pulled as hard as she could on the internal vine-like tether to her magic. The glow from the silver chain markings that wrapped her arms illuminated Felix’s face. She tore her eyes away from him and closed them. Lennox reached into the stone the house was built out of. Anchored by the earth she momentarily felt the heaviness of each room. Searching, she found Wyatt and Felix’s room. It felt the same as the others, empty. He’s not here… He’s okay. Thank, Xemos.
The sense of helplessness washed over her as for once she had no idea what to do. Only one species of demon has a beating heart, and it’s not his. CPR wouldn’t work. Her fingers went cold and she was suddenly deeply aware of the thudding of her own heart. Standing, she rushed to her phone, struggling to unlock it due to the blood on her fingers. She growled in frustration at her shaking hands.
She leaned against the doorframe and slid down the wood, wiping her hand on her jeans. After what felt like an eternity, it worked. She found the security team’s contact and tried to ignore the tinted red fingerprints left over the glass of her phone. After pressing the call button, she put the phone to her ear. The other side rang a few times before someone finally picked up.
“Security desk, Cathwulf speaking.” The familiar voice asked on the other end.
“I don’t know what happened,” she gasped. The realization their blood was all over her clothes came tumbling on top of her. “They’re gone- I don’t know what happened.”
“Miss. Cade? What do you mean? Where are you?”
“Felix… Narcissus … They’re dead.” Her voice broke as she said the words out loud.
“Wha- okay, it’s okay. Lennox, I need to know where you are.”
“Kappa, please- Just come.”
“We will be right over, stay on the phone with me, okay?” The sounds of rustling and her talking into a walkie-talkie could be heard on the other end.
Within ten minutes campus security and the principal were at the frat house, the squeaking echo of the door sent a shiver down her spine. Out of the corner of her eye she saw them step through the entrance hall to find Lennox still planted against the doorframe, phone in hand. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t pull her eyes away from the red that stained their bodies, that stained the floor and now her very heart.
The Headmistress of the school, Ophelia Moon, glided over to the girl with a look of worry and fear along the sharp angles of her face. Lennox noticed the vampire’s pause but didn’t react as she still attempted to wipe the blood from her hands on stained jeans.
“Lennox, darling. Are you alright? What happened here?” Principal Moon asked calmly, her silver eyes watching her expressions.
Though she knew of the Headmistress’s presence, the edges of her mind were coated in red as her thoughts spun. Lennox jumped at the sound of the woman’s voice by her right ear. Dropping the phone in her hand once again, her heart raced as she turned her head towards the voice where she locked eyes with Ophelia. The Head of House stared without truly seeing.
“I- I thought it was a prank. They- He was…” Her words came breathlessly, not really hearing what she had asked but explaining. Denial. “He can’t be… I saw him yesterday… He texted me hours ago…”
“It’s okay, are you hurt?”
None of the woman’s words made sense in Lennox’s mind, tears welled up again as the demon choked out. “I- I don’t know… I walked in and... There’s so much blood… Felix… Elder Greene.”
A hand met her shoulder, the touch sent adrenaline to course through her at the touch. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
“NO! IT'S NOT OKAY! I DON’T CARE ABOUT ME, HELP THEM!”
Lennox screamed as rage suddenly took hold and got the better of her. How can she not see it? They need help. Her usually purple eyes flashed with a bright green glow as the magic fought to come out, confusing her grief for danger. She could feel her arms start to heat from the confined magic. The ground beneath them started to shake, and some branches from the bushes out front tried to worm their way in the door.
“Coyote and Cathwulf have it, breathe darling.” Ophelia instructed calmly but with a strict undertone, turning to see the branches out of the corner of her eye.
When she realized what was happening, Lennox focused her attention on calming the storm brewing inside of her. She pushed clouds of grief down and looked into the woman’s eyes as she encouraged her to breathe evenly. The security team, two werewolves easily spotted by silver streaks in their hair, walked past the two women over to the bodies. Head of security Coyote, bent down to Narcissus and Cathwulf made her way over to Felix. The demon’s gaze drifted toward the scene to see their faces drop causing the tears to spill over again.
Deep down she knew they were gone, she had felt their cold skin and saw their empty eyes. However, she still rejected the idea that in a place she thought was so safe, there were now two people dead. Blinking to clear her vision once more, attention falling to the pools of red Coyote and Cathwulf were stepping around carefully.
“Darling, You don’t need to see this-” She put her hands on either side of Lennox’s shoulders trying to get her to look away from the sight of the two men, “-Come, let’s go get you cleaned up.”
“No,” she refused to look away from the team, each talking quietly into their phones. How could she expect me to leave? I can’t leave him now, he wouldn’t leave me. She strained to hear who they were talking to.
“Miss. Cade, please.” She asked kindly as Lennox finally met the Principal's eyes.
“I won’t leave until they do.” She wanted nothing more than to look over and see Felix laughing at her. I’ll never hear that sound again.
Pausing, Principal Moon nodded seeing the determined look in her violet eyes. “We don’t have to leave them yet, but let’s go wait in the entranceway.”
Finally she gave in and the two stood and Principal Moon took off her jacket, using it to replace where her hands had been. Lennox felt the gentle guiding push Ophelia gave toward the door, she allowed the action but tore her eyes away from her best friend only after they were out of sight. As she waited in silence with Moon she tried to make sense of what had happened here. He had texted her in the middle of the night, so he had to have been fine then, right? Was that him who sent that, or someone else? No, it had to be him- the mom comment was something he did quite often. How did the hunters even make it here? Why were Felix and Elder Greene targets? How did they manage to kill two people on campus? Sure, most everyone here was running from someone or something, but for them to just show up and start targeting peaceful people? It didn’t make sense.
It was a while before a plain white van parked in front of the door to Kappa Theta. Two uniformed men got out and unloaded a pair of stretchers from the back. As they approached the stairs, Coyote and Cathwulf moved forward to meet them. Everyone on the scene was respectfully quiet and only spoke in hushed voices when words were necessary. Lennox was numb as she watched them enter the threshold. Her eyes followed them as they vanished into the common room. I can’t believe this is happening.
Time passed slowly until they made their way back out. Sheets covered both men’s faces. There was gut turning silence as they were loaded up and the van rolled away down the gravel road and drove through the iron gates into town. Lennox hadn’t noticed Coyote and Cathwulf had stopped beside them and watched the van drive off. Letting her eyes drift to them, she noticed the slightly shaken expressions on their faces, the rage in Coyote’s eyes. As far as she knew, this never had happened in the history of the school.
“Okay, I’m ready now…” She agreed to leave almost so quietly that the others almost didn't hear her.
With a small nod and a second to the security team, Principal Moon and Lennox made their way back out the door and to Omega Alpha. A few of her housemates were still milling around when Lennox entered with the principal. The red on her clothes peaked out from under the jacket she was given, catching the attention of one of them. Her housemate, Lealani, a faun-like creature stared from the doorframe of the common room, like she had sensed the unrest. Lennox pulled the borrowed jacket closer to her. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she tried to ignore the unwanted attention.
“Go wash off, I’ll wait for you here. I’m going to have to talk to you in my office as soon as possible. I’m sorry.” Principal Moon instructed softly.
Without a single word, Lennox made her way up the stairs to shower and change, thankful Rue was already in the main building to help some of the Elders with various chores before the first day.