Chapter 2
Ihave to admit, not much intrigues me, but when I see the death demon shifting through the school with a bundle clutched to his chest, I take notice. I’ve thought about killing him in the past, if only for the fact that he could represent a threat to me, but I decided his usefulness outweighs the inconvenience of his life. There may come a time when I decide I no longer want to exist, and he could be effective in aiding in that endeavor.
Using the shadows, he shifts to the third floor and heads straight for the infirmary faster than most could track. When the shadows peel back, I’m able to see a small, unfamiliar female in his arms. A long braid of dark hair swings restlessly when he stops. It’s only then I see the thick chunks of gilded amber intertwined with the brunette tresses. I immediately know whom Kage has cradled in his arms. Everyone on the staff was given a description of the female with a warning.
A subtle twinge of curiosity has me moving closer to discover how the male found himself in this situation. Kage lowers the girl to a bed and reluctantly steps back, giving the healer room to work. A soft murmur I can’t quite make out hums through the room. I would have guessed the girl was unconscious or dead by her appearance, and considering what the male who held her is, dead seemed like the safer of the two bets.
“She’s hurting,” Kage snaps, surprising me. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak or act with anything but apathy, yet he seems concerned for the girl. Maybe he just feels guilty for something he did.
I listen as the healer questions him about what happened and where he found her. His answers give very little information, but Kage is adamant that he had nothing to do with her current condition. I’m tempted to believe him, as the demon’s ability—or curse, most would call it—is deadly, and the female he just placed on the bed isn’t deceased. The male hasn’t shown himself to be cruel or even conceited, so I doubt he would attack her. His power would allow him to lord over the other novices, but he mostly keeps to himself, if anything, and before this moment, I wondered if he possessed any benevolent traits at all. I’ve even pitied him at times—not for his lack of concern, though it is strange to find one so young quite so jaded—because his touch is death.
The fervent way he’s worrying over the female takes on a new light. Could he already know what she is and what it could mean for him to find one such as her? I know the adage to be true, you long for what you can’t have, and she may pose a possibility for him I hadn’t yet thought of.
“She’s breathing, but I can’t sense anything. It’s as if she’s already gone.” It’s clear the healer has no idea what the fragile-looking girl in the bed is capable of.
“If she’s breathing, she’s alive,” I interrupt. Kage’s quick turn tells me I caught him off guard—another surprise. I know he’s well aware of his surroundings.
Even though I’m a good head taller than him, the demon manages to appear as if he isn’t looking up at me when he glowers at my approach. My eyes, however, are drawn to the being lying on the bed. It’s no wonder the demon seems to be enthralled with her. She’s…ethereal. Her pale skin is flawless, with a smattering of freckles coloring her cheeks and nose, while her pouty lips are slightly parted, showing off delicate little fangs. I work to tamp down the thoughts those sharp teeth elicit.
Looking away from her face doesn’t help nearly as much as I hoped. It only forces me to notice her bicolored hair and limp body. I reach down and feel the weight of the silky braid in my hand. The urge to kneel beside her bed and inhale her scent is so strong, I find myself bending. It’s only the rumble from the male behind me that gives me pause.
“You found her?” I inquire, but what I really want to ask is a far different question, like why he’s being territorial. Kage doesn’t respond, but his eyes are glued to my hand, making me realize I’m still holding her hair. “You seemed eager to get her help.”
When it becomes clear he isn’t going to indulge me, I try another route. “She was due to arrive hours ago. Syrinx just dispatched me to locate her.” The lie rolls off my tongue easily. I want to see his reaction to knowing she has more than just his attention.
“She’s unwell,” he says.
“So it would seem. You may go…unless there’s some other reason for you to be here that I’m unaware of?” After a moment, Kage shifts his gaze down to the bed, and his pupilless eyes widen, prompting me to look at the bed. The female’s eyes shift behind her recently closed eyelids. It’s almost convincing. I decide to allow her to pretend to be asleep while Kage finally takes his leave, but it backfires when she truly slips under only moments later.
“I’m not sure I’ll be much help to her.” The healer disrupts my thoughts, reminding me of her presence. When I look over, I note the furrow in her brow as she stares down at the being in the bed. Her confusion is evident. If I didn’t know healers need to touch their patients to aid them, I would think she was trying to use her ability even from several steps away.
“Leave her be,” I instruct. I’m sure it sounds as if I’m unfeeling, and usually that would be the case, but in this instance, I don’t want the healer to continue to use her skills on the new arrival. We were not told many details about her, but we were warned that there could be consequences if too much power was poured into her.
The healer wrings her hands while keeping a watchful eye on the female. Her guarded expression conveys distrust. I’m sure the girl is an abnormality she never expected to encounter. The healer’s powers allow her to sense a person’s well-being for the purpose of nursing them, but that clearly doesn’t work on the newcomer. I’m sure most who come up against the young female suffer with the same bewilderment. Our powers, or lack thereof, determine much about our lives, so suddenly finding yourself ineffective would be jarring at the very least.
“What is she?” The healer steps even farther away from the bed as apprehension builds.
“In your care for the time being.” My tone is harsh. That alone should be enough warning, but in the event the healer needs more incentive to watch over the girl, I caution, “You will not survive if she does not.” I tell myself my concern lies in the sheer rarity of the girl’s ability, but the need to keep her safe goes far beyond that. I’m just not prepared to examine why yet.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I can’t heal her,” she pleads with wide eyes, beseeching me to untangle her uncertainty.
“Don’t try to heal her.” I give the final instruction before exiting the room. I need to inform Syrinx the girl is here and make sure she gives me the role of keeping her out of trouble.
The headmistress is easy to find, since she doesn’t leave her office unless she’s retiring for the day, and it’s far too early for that. The vampire seated at the desk, acting as a sentry for the head of the school, lifts her face when I enter the anteroom. Her light green eyes run the length of me appreciatively. “How may I help you, Ziv?” The familiarity in her tone is intentional. We’ve enjoyed each other’s company a time or two, but I don’t have the patience for her flirtation now.
“I need to speak with Syrinx.” The swift rise of her sharp, delicate eyebrows tells me she understands I’m not here for games. Before she has a chance to stand and announce me, I head for the heavy double doors behind her. The office inhabitant beats me to it and opens the doors, allowing me access to her office.
The headmistress closes the door behind us and waves a thin hand toward her seating area opposite her desk. The walls are lined with tomes I wouldn’t entertain if I lived another twenty lifetimes, but it does create a welcoming atmosphere, which is at odds with the powerful banshee lowering herself into the chair across from me. The fact that I’m tempted to stay on my feet in an effort to get back to the girl sooner compels me to sit down. I despise the idea of being controlled by a whim.
I get straight to the point. “The girl has arrived. Kage delivered her to the infirmary.” Syrinx knows I’m not here for a social visit, and we tolerate each other at best.
“Kage?” Her deep voice curls around the demon’s name, and she clearly finds the information as bizarre as I do. “So she wasn’t immune to all abilities?” She assumes the girl is dead, but she doesn’t seem too bothered by the news.
“She lives. I don’t believe he touched her skin to test her abilities, but I can’t be certain. I didn’t witness their entire encounter. He said he found her unconscious on the path up the mountain.”
Syrinx leans back into her cushioned seat, mulling over my words before speaking. “That’s an unexpected series of events.” I completely agree, but before I can voice it, she turns to the side, watching the door we entered through only moments ago before there’s a light knock. “Busy evening, it would seem,” she mumbles. I’m unaware what alerted her to my presence in the exterior office or whoever is knocking now, but she clearly has some sort of signal.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Headmistress, but Myers is here to see you, and she said it was urgent.” The vampire secretary keeps her eyes cast low in deference.
“You may allow her admittance. I believe my guests are here for the same reason. Miss Blissa seems to be causing quite the stir already.”
I don’t bother to acknowledge Syrinx’s words or the other woman entering the office, but from the corner of my eye, I see her do a double take when she sees me seated across from the headmistress.
“You know of the girl’s arrival then?” Myers questions without further ado.
“What do you have to share, Myers?” Syrinx queries, making it clear she will be the one to ask questions.
“Only that I saw Kage carrying the girl and directed him to the healers. I can’t be sure of her condition.”
“What took you so long to arrive here to inform me of this?” Syrinx curls her long, thin fingers over the arms of her chair as if she’s using it as a restraint to keep her in place. The banshee isn’t without physical strengths, but that’s not where her true power lies. She can read people better than almost anyone I’ve ever known, and she instinctually knows how to use that to her advantage. I don’t ever let my guard down around her, and I suspect she’s the same with me, which is one of the reasons we only tolerate each other.
“I…” Myers’ eyes dart over to me before she looks back at Syrinx. “I didn’t realize who the girl was until Kage absconded with her.”
Syrinx clicks her tongue. It’s an intentional tell. She wants Myers to know she’s not buying the excuse. Neither would I, but I don’t really care why it took her so long to tattle to the headmistress. There may be a way I could use Syrinx’s obvious mistrust of the other woman to my advantage though. The idea only takes a heartbeat to form in my mind, but I wait for an opening to plant the perfect seed.
“The moment I realized who the girl was, I came right here. I’m sorry to interrupt.” Myers eyes me again, but I give her about as much attention as I would a gnat.
“I allowed you to intrude,” Syrinx replies, giving a subtle but firm reminder of who is in charge. “Ziv was just informing me of the girl’s whereabouts. I thought you might have had some useful information to add.”
Myers’ nostrils flare with a deep inhale, displaying how much she dislikes being told she’s essentially inconsequential, since I already delivered the information she came with. “Kage said he found the girl on the path. I was suspicious at first, considering the other incidents involving him, but he was adamant he had nothing to do with her condition. He actually seemed concerned for her,” Myers divulges. My opening should be coming very soon, so I keep up the mien of indifference.
“What makes you say that?” Syrinx questions with a birdlike tilt of her chin, or maybe I just see the similarity due to her hawkish features. Her dark, beady eyes and a hook nose seem to fit the description.
“He was in a hurry. Link offered to escort the girl himself, but Kage concluded it would be faster for him to take her.”
“Your mate was with you? Weren’t you on duty?” Syrinx seems to find that interesting.
I watch as Myers clenches her jaw, making her cheekbones rise. “I called to him, and he answered. It was instinct.”
“You thought you were in danger. You were frightened of a novice.” Syrinx lifts her chin, managing to look down her nose at the other woman, even though she is still seated while the other female is standing.
“It would be foolish of me not to be…apprehensive of Kage, considering his ability, but I wasn’t frightened.” She tries to save face, but I doubt it does much good. I’ve already made up my mind about Myers, and I’m sure Syrinx has too.
I permit a small sound of annoyance to ease from my chest, and it does as intended, drawing the headmistress’ attention. She eyes me warily, and I wonder if I played my hand too strongly, but the concern is fleeting. Whether Syrinx thinks it’s her idea or not, I will be keeping close tabs on Miss Blissa. Funny, I couldn’t even remember her name before the banshee reminded me of it, yet now I suspect I wouldn’t be able to forget it if I tried. If it wouldn’t give away my interest, I would inquire about her first name.
“Am I wrong in assuming you don’t share your colleague’s apprehension of the demon?”
“No, you’re not wrong. I fear no one.”
“Good, that makes you the perfect person to monitor our new novice, at least until I can assess her talents myself.”
I don’t so much as blink at the headmistress’ directive. Challenging her now would be contrary to my desires, but it grates on me to take her order, and it would be unlike me to comply so easily. After a short pause, I tell her, “I can babysit the girl temporarily.”
“I doubt we’ll need more than that, but we’ll see how long you’re needed.” She maintains eye contact with me in a failed attempt to assert her dominance. It’s only the fact that she is giving me exactly what I want that keeps me seated, not rising to the bait, but I can’t let her words go unchecked.
“Don’t confuse appointed power for the real thing, Syrinx. I’m here because I choose to be.”
Surprising me, she cracks a wry smile. “Just checking to make sure you are present, Ziv. I know how easily you tire of the mundane. I’m hoping to keep you around a little longer, considering I know how formidable you are, as do our enemies.” She tilts her head to me in the slightest show of deference, allowing me to end the battle of wills.
I rise without another word and take my leave. I’m not ready to see the girl again so soon after the encounter with Syrinx, so I head down to the training facility to release a little steam and hopefully regain my wits.