Page 17 of Blood Legacy (Eternal Descent (MistHallow Academy) #1)

17

GAIDA

That kiss proved everything I needed to know. The way he gripped my throat, the barely contained violence in his touch—he wants me as desperately as I want him. I have to keep holding onto that. I have to push him to make him see that I’m not afraid of Lucius, and neither should he be. Perhaps a conversation with Dad is in order. To test the waters, to see if he would agree to a union with Lucius, or if he knew Dante DuLoc and I are involved, that would be the better option. Surely, to the ungods, that has to be the case. He truly is a monster if he thinks pairing me off with a cruel, possibly two-thousand-year-old vampire is a good idea.

I hurry back to my room, checking corners before turning them, not wanting to run into anyone who might question where I’ve come from. When I finally shut my door behind me, I lean against it, exhaling slowly.

“Have fun?”

I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of Felix’s voice. He’s lounging on my bed, looking far too comfortable, as if he belongs there.

“How did you get in here?” I demand, my heart racing again for an entirely different reason. “This is trespassing and… rude as fuck!”

“Hmm, didn’t you just do the exact same thing with Blackthorn’s bedroom?”

My eyes widen in shame. “How—how do you know that?”

He shrugs, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “I have my ways. Sorcerer who sees things, remember? So, I’d say we’re even on the invasion of privacy front.”

Well, he has me there. I cross my arms defensively. “What do you want, Felix?”

“Information,” he says, sitting up and patting the space beside him. When I don’t move, he rolls his eyes. “Come on, I won’t bite. That’s more Dante’s thing.”

“And what information could I possibly have that would interest you?” I remain standing, not trusting him as far as I could throw him. Okay, I could probably throw him quite far, actually, but I still don’t trust him.

“Let’s start with what’s happening between you, Blackthorn, and Dante.” His grey eyes gleam with curiosity. “It’s quite the little triangle you’ve got going.”

Heat rises to my cheeks. “That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, but it is.” Felix stands, moving toward me, more predator than sorcerer. “Everything that happens at this academy affects the power structure, and I like to know where the power is shifting.”

“This isn’t about power,” I say, but it sounds uncertain.

Felix laughs. It makes my pussy tingle a little bit. “Everything is about power, Gaida. Especially when it involves two of the most powerful bloodlines in the vampire world and the Headmaster himself.” He stops just in front of me. “But that’s not all I’m interested in.”

“What else?”

“You did something to Tanner.” His words aren’t a question but a statement, delivered with chilling certainty.

I blink, genuinely confused. “What are you talking about? I barely know Victor.”

Felix studies my face carefully, then sighs. “Okay, it’s not you. Now I know I can trust you. But something happened to him. Something that shouldn’t be possible.”

“What happened to him exactly? I heard something about him going feral?” I ask, suddenly concerned. “Is he okay?”

“He did go feral. Attacked three students before they could contain him.” Felix’s eyes never leave mine. “And now there’s another one. Two vampires going feral within an hour of each other? That’s not a coincidence, Gaida. That’s a pattern.”

My stomach drops. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I need allies.” He moves closer, his scent—smoky and spiced—washing over me. “Something dark is happening at MistHallow. Something that has Blackthorn rattled, though he’d never admit it.”

I want to tell him that it’s me who has Blackthorn rattled, but that would somehow be a mistake. Felix doesn’t trust easily, if at all, much like me. We are wary of each other, and any claim I have over making the cool Luke Blackthorn lose it, would be seen as a threat by him.

“A pattern that points to what?” I ask, trying to understand why he’s telling me this. “Dark magick? Manipulation?”

Felix nods, his expression grim. “Exactly. Someone’s interfering with vampire biology—breaking sire bonds artificially. It shouldn’t be possible without killing the sire, but here we are.”

“And we know for definite the sires are still alive?” I arch my eyebrow. This could all be a storm in a teacup.

“Victor’s sire is on her way here, as is the other one. Melody, I think her name is.”

“Melody? Melody Hartfeld?”

He shrugs.

My stomach lurches. While Melody isn’t a pure blood, she is from one pretty powerful sire. It’s a bit icky for my taste, what with her being eighteen when he sired her, with him being over five hundred years old, and she calls him Daddy, but hey-ho. I’m not one to judge openly. The gods only know I have my own issues.

I take a step back, considering all of this. “So someone is breaking sire bonds, but the sires are still alive. That’s disturbing.”

“Disturbing doesn’t begin to cover it.” Felix runs a hand through his dark hair, messing it up in a way that’s annoyingly attractive. “It takes serious power to sever a bond like that—ancient power. The kind that doesn’t leave fingerprints.”

“And you think I can help because...?”

“Because you’re a pureblood with connections to both Blackthorn and DuLoc. They’ll tell you things they wouldn’t tell anyone else.” His grey eyes lock with mine. “Plus, I’ve seen you in class. You’re smarter than you let on.”

I snort. “Gee, thanks.”

“It’s not flattery if it’s true.” He steps closer, and I find myself backing up until I hit the wall. “I need someone I can trust, someone with a stake in keeping this place safe.”

There’s something magnetic about Felix that I hadn’t noticed before. A quiet intensity that reminds me a little of Luke, but wilder, less contained. “And you want to keep this place safe, why exactly? The way I hear it, you go through academies like you change underwear.”

He smirks. “Who says I wear underwear?”

I lick my lips as the mental image he smoothly planted in my mind is slightly delicious. “Why?”

“Why don’t I wear underwear?”

“Why do you want to keep this place safe?”

He sighs, turning serious again. “I’m not a rebel. At least not really. I provoke reactions, yes, but only in order to learn, to advance, to be the best. Greystone and Franklin didn’t like my attitude towards acquiring knowledge. They weren’t the right fit for me. MistHallow is.”

“Aww, you like it here. How cute.”

His eyes flash dangerously, and he slams his hands on either side of my head. “Don’t mistake my sentimentality for a weakness, Gaida. That would be your first error.”

His lips are practically brushing mine. My nipples harden unexpectedly. “And what would be my second?”

“Not trusting me.”

“You are hardly presenting an image of someone I should trust.”

“I’m not your enemy, Gaida.”

“You’re not my friend, either.”

His lips curve into a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Not yet.”

I’m not sure what it is about this academy that’s suddenly making every male think crowding me against walls is acceptable behaviour. Though I have to admit, there’s something undeniably intriguing about this dark sorcerer.

“Why should I trust you?” I manage to ask, trying to ignore how his proximity affects me. “I barely know you.”

“I’m offering an alliance, pure and simple. Mutual benefit.”

“And what benefit do I get exactly?”

His lips curve into a knowing smile. “Information. Protection. And...” he trails off, his gaze dropping to my mouth, “whatever else develops naturally between us.”

I place my hand against his chest and push him back slightly, using my vampire strength, which he grins at. “I already have enough complications in my life, thanks.”

Felix chuckles. “What a shame. I’m attracted to you.”

“Who isn’t?” I say vainly, swinging my hair over my shoulder.

He laughs, the sound deep and unexpectedly pleasant. “Confident. Arrogant. I like it. You’re a lot like me in that respect.”

“Not many creatures admit to being arrogant.”

“Because they lack a certain self-awareness. It’s quite irritating. I know what I am and what I’m capable of.”

“That makes two of us.” Shame Luke doesn’t feel the same way. Felix has piqued my interest. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing, remains to be seen.