Chapter 25
Archer
There was barely enough time to make sure I had all my clothes on before the bedroom door burst open, hit the wall, and rattled on its hinges.
My father stood in the doorway, his face twisted with a rage I’d only seen a handful of times in my life.
Behind him, I could see two other men in cheap suits that looked like hired thugs.
They were the kind of people my father called when he needed problems handled quietly and efficiently.
And one of them had my sister Amelia in his grasp.
“There you are,” he said, his voice deadly calm in that way that made my blood freeze. “Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I have been? When you didn’t return to your dorm last night, we feared the worst with these Purity Front attacks.”
I could hear the lie in his voice. He wasn’t worried about my safety. He was furious that I’d embarrassed him, that I’d been caught doing exactly what he’d suspected I was doing. Except this was probably far worse of a distraction than he’d ever imagined.
“Father,” I started, but he cut me off with a sharp gesture.
“Get dressed and get downstairs. Now.” His cold gaze swept over my rumpled clothes with obvious disgust. “We’re leaving immediately.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, surprised by the steadiness of my own voice. “I’m an adult, and I can make my own decisions about where I spend my time. And you can leave Amelia here too—”
The backhanded slap came so fast I barely saw it coming. The force of it sent me stumbling backward, my cheek burning with pain and humiliation. But what hurt worse was the satisfied look on my father’s face.
“You will not speak to me that way,” he said quietly. “And you will certainly not embarrass our family by whoring yourself out to a vampire.”
Rage flooded through me, hot and immediate. “Don’t you dare—”
“Silence.” The word cracked like a whip, backed by magical compulsion that made my throat seize up. I tried to speak, tried to curse him out, but no sound would come.
Amelia stared at me, her brows knitted in fury. And I realized suddenly that she was under the same spell.
I heard footsteps on the stairs, and a moment later Valen appeared behind my father. His amber eyes were blazing with fury, his fangs fully extended, and there was something absolutely deadly in his expression that made even my father’s enforcers take a step back.
“Remove your spell from him,” Valen said, his voice dropping to a growl that raised the hair on my arms. “Now.”
“I don’t think so,” my father replied, not even bothering to turn around. “My son needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut. Another thing I clearly haven’t drilled into his head well enough.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees as Valen’s control slipped further. “You have three seconds to release that compulsion before I show you exactly what this vampire is capable of.”
“Are you threatening me?” My father finally turned, and I saw him pale slightly when he got a good look at Valen in full predatory mode.
“Because I should remind you that assaulting a member of the Quinn family would be... inadvisable. I’m a major donator to this school.
Dean Thornfield is on his way now. You’re already in enough trouble for fucking your students, you beast.”
The words silenced the room. I watched Valen’s expression shift from fury to something that looked almost like resignation. Dean Thornfield. Of course my father had called in the one person who could actually threaten Valen’s position at the academy.
I tried again to speak, to defend him, to tell my father exactly what I thought of his manipulative bullshit, but the compulsion held firm. All I could do was stand there helplessly while the man I loved faced the consequences of caring about me.
“Mr. Quinn,” Valen said carefully, his fangs retracting as he forced himself back under control. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“Has there?” My father’s smile was cold and triumphant. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve been taking advantage of your position to seduce one of your students. My son, specifically.”
“That’s not what happened,” Valen replied, but I could hear the strain in his voice. He was trying to protect me, trying to find some way out of this that wouldn’t destroy both our futures.
“Isn’t it?” My father took a step forward, knowing he had the upper hand now.
“Because I have quite a bit of evidence that suggests otherwise. Witness testimony about private history lessons. And more witnesses that saw you’ve been having visitors after hours to your private cottage.
And now finding him in your bedroom, wearing the same clothes from yesterday, with the stench of your disgusting practices filling the room. ”
My heart sank as I realized how thoroughly my father had been watching me, gathering ammunition for exactly this moment. Every private conversation, every lingering glance, every time I’d thought we were being careful, someone had been watching. And now he had a substantial case against us.
“The boy is clearly infatuated with you,” my father continued, his voice dripping with disgust. “Taking advantage of that infatuation makes you a predator, regardless of whatever feelings you think you might have. But I guess you can’t help it. That’s what your kind is after all.”
“I love him,” Valen said quietly, and the simple honesty in his voice made my chest ache. “This isn’t some casual fling or abuse of power. I love your son.”
My father laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. “Love? You’re a creature that feeds on blood, Professor Crowe. What you call love is nothing more than addiction to what he provides you. I won’t be selling off my child to be your personal blood bank.”
The words were designed to cut deep, and I saw them hit their mark in the way Valen’s shoulders tensed. But before he could respond, I heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. Dean Thornfield appeared behind Valen, his expression grim and tired.
“Professor Crowe,” he said, his voice carefully neutral. “Mr. Quinn. I think we need to have a conversation.”
“Indeed we do,” my father replied. “I want this vampire removed from the school immediately. And I want charges filed for the seduction and corruption of a minor.”
“I’m twenty-one,” I tried to say, but of course no sound came out.
“Archer is an adult,” Valen said, speaking carefully. “And there was no corruption.”
Dean Thornfield’s gaze shifted between my father and Valen, his expression unreadable. “Mr. Quinn, while I appreciate your concerns, these are serious allegations that require a proper investigation, not immediate action based on—”
“Investigation?” My father’s voice rose, his composure finally cracking. “I found them practically in bed together! What more investigation do you need?”
“The nature of their relationship, for starters,” Thornfield replied calmly. “Professor Crowe is correct that your son is legally an adult. If this is a consensual relationship between two adults, then the primary concern becomes the professional ethics violation, not criminal charges.”
I watched hope flicker across Valen’s features, but my father wasn’t finished.
“Consensual?” He laughed bitterly. “Dean Thornfield, surely you understand the power dynamic at play here. This vampire has been feeding off my son, creating an artificial bond that clouds his judgment. You and I both know how vampires operate. Archer has most likely been manipulated into believing he has feelings for this creature.”
His words made my heart race. Even if I could speak, how could I prove that what Valen and I shared was real? The feeding bond did exist, and I had no way to demonstrate that my feelings went deeper than magical manipulation.
Valen stepped forward, his hands clenched at his sides. “The feeding relationship was consensual and fully disclosed. Archer understood exactly what was happening between us.”
“A twenty-one-year-old student cannot give informed consent to a centuries-old predator,” my father shot back. “The psychological manipulation alone—”
“Enough.” Thornfield’s voice cut through the argument with quiet authority. “Professor Crowe, I’m going to need you to come with me. Mr. Quinn, you and your children will need to give formal statements.”
My stomach dropped as I realized what was happening. They were taking Valen away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The compulsion still held my voice hostage, leaving me unable to defend him or explain that everything my father was saying was wrong.
Valen’s eyes found mine across the room, and I saw my own helplessness reflected there. “It’s going to be alright,” he said quietly, though we both knew it probably wasn’t true. “This isn’t over, Archer.”
“Oh, but it is,” my father said with satisfaction. “We’re returning home immediately. Your mother is quite eager to discuss both of your future arrangements,” he added, glancing at Amelia.
The threat was unmistakable. Future arrangements meant the marriage contracts he’d been considering, the ones that would tie me permanently to some appropriate witch family and ensure I never strayed from the path he’d chosen for me.
As Thornfield escorted Valen from the room, I caught one last glimpse of amber eyes filled with regret and determination. Then he was gone, leaving me alone with my father and his enforcers.
“We’re leaving. Now.” He pointed a threatening finger my way. “And you can either go willingly or be dragged. It’s your choice. Either way, you’re coming home.”
I looked at my sister, still held captive by one of my father’s thugs, her eyes blazing with the same fury I felt burning in my chest. The compulsion spell made it impossible for either of us to speak, but I could see the determination in her expression.
She wasn’t going to let this stand any more than I was.
But what choice did I have? If I refused to go, my father would make Valen’s life hell.
He’d drag this through the courts, ruin his career, probably have him banned from every magical institution in the country.
At least if I cooperated, maybe there would be time to figure out a way to fix this mess.
I nodded once, trying to convey resignation even as my mind raced through possibilities. My father’s satisfied smile made my stomach turn, but I forced myself to remain still as he gestured for his enforcers to release Amelia.
The moment the compulsion lifted, I felt the return of my voice like a physical relief. But before I could say anything, my father held up a warning hand.
“Not a word,” he said coldly. “You’ve done enough damage for one morning. We’re going home, and you’re going to think very carefully about your actions and how you’re going to rectify this entire situation.”
As his enforcers flanked us, I caught Amelia’s eye and saw her give me the smallest nod. She was planning something. I just had to trust her and buy us both time until she could make her move.
But as we walked down the stairs and out of Valen’s cottage, leaving behind the place where I’d finally found happiness, I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was the one thing we didn’t have.
The walk to the teleportation circle felt like a funeral procession.
Every student on campus turned and watched as we passed by.
But both Amelia and I kept our heads down, our gazes firmly on the ground in front of us.
If we were going to get out of this, we had look like we were giving in.
Widdershins wasn’t safe for use anymore.
Our escape had to be from home without any tracking spells still in play.
That was the only way to truly disappear from our father.
But as we reached the edge of campus, I dared to glance back. My heart sank as I realized Valen wasn’t there. He was probably being torn a new one by Dean Thornfield.
However, there was one figure standing there in the morning light. I recognized her immediately. It was Lila. There were tears in her eyes. And she wasn’t looking at me.
She was looking at Amelia.
It seemed my sister and I had more in common than I thought.