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CHAPTER TWO

ISOLDE

“Oof!” I land in a heap on my arse, on the cold, wet ground, and immediately get soaked with rain. Actually, it’s the kind of drizzle that soaks you to the bone. I push my hair out of my face and look up to see SilverGate Academy looming forebodingly over me. I scramble to my feet and stare.

It’s the first time I’ve ever been outside the walls of the castle. I wrap my arms around myself, feeling vulnerable and scared.

“Miss Morvoren.”

I rip my gaze from the obsidian spires and gleaming black marble of the Academy to see who has said my name. My eyes widen as I take in the man standing before me. Not a vampire, that much I can tell, but apart from that, who knows what he is? He has short black hair, sallow skin and pitch black eyes that seem to strip me down to my soul.

“Who-who are you?” I stammer.

“Eldris Blackridge. Headmaster of SilverGate. We’ve been expecting you.”

“You have?” I narrow my eyes. He gives off seriously malevolent vibes.

“Quite.” He doesn’t elaborate, simply stares at me with those eyes that see everything.

“Issy!” Isaac shouts across the courtyard, and I look over to see him race towards me. “What are you doing here?”

“Gentlemen,” Blackridge says, as Isaac and CJ arrive at my side.

My breath hitches as CJ gives me a slow, sexy, unnerving smile that sets my insides churning.

“Sir,” Isaac says with a frown. “Why is my sister here?”

“She is attending SilverGate, Mr Morvoren.”

“Why?” he asks, staring at me.

I shrug. “Mum and Dad sent me,” I mutter the obvious, still flustered by CJ’s presence. His hair is damp now from the drizzle, and he looks even better wet. Me? I probably look like something the cat dragged in with my frizzy wet hair, white blouse that is practically see-through with the rain, and my black pants. I shiver, wishing I’d had time to grab a jacket from the wardrobe before I was unceremoniously shoved through a magic portal.

CJ takes his black suit jacket off and steps behind me, wrapping it around my shoulders. I practically swoon. His aftershave lingers on the collar, a blend of masculine spice and dark amber that makes my head swim and the faintest whiff of cigarette smoke. I suck in a breath, feeling the warmth of his body still clinging to the fabric. “You’re shivering,” he murmurs.

“Thank you,” I whisper, unable to look at him directly. The jacket engulfs me, expensive and impossibly soft against my wet skin.

He fists my hair, pulling it out from underneath the jacket. He tightens the hold just a fraction, before he purrs in my ear, “You’re welcome, my sweet.”

The endearment mixed with his breath on the side of my neck gives me goosebumps that will take weeks to go down. If I thought he was the sexiest man alive before, I know he is now.

“That’ll be enough, gentlemen,” Blackridge says, glaring at CJ’s proximity to me.

CJ steps back with a wicked smile.

“Issy?” Isaac says, also glaring at CJ. He has no idea about my crush, and I would rather die a thousand deaths than tell him I fancy his best friend.

“We’ll talk later,” I murmur as Blackridge’s presence grows more ominous .

“Good idea,” Blackridge says. “Let’s get you settled in your room.”

I blink as he picks up my suitcase and leads me away from the direction where Isaac and CJ came from.

Dammit . I was hoping I would be closer to CJ and my brother.

I shrug and shake my head at Isaac, wishing I knew what to tell him, but I have no clue, and neither does he, by the looks of it.

I follow Blackridge across the rain-slicked courtyard, his long strides forcing me to almost jog to keep up. The Academy looms larger with every step. It’s a sprawling gothic nightmare of a building that somehow manages to be both beautiful and menacing. It appears to be alive as we move closer, almost as if the stones are whispering as we pass.

I clutch CJ’s jacket tighter around me, inhaling his scent for courage. After twenty-one years of isolation, I’m being thrown into an academy with people and... everything. The vastness of it makes my chest tight.

We enter through massive doors carved with symbols I recognise from my books at home. Ancient protective sigils intertwined with warnings. The entrance hall stretches impossibly high, lit by floating orbs of blue-white light that hover above our heads. I drip on the marble floor as we cross over to the stairs.

Students move through the space, some glancing my way with curious eyes that linger too long. I notice how they give Blackridge a wide berth, their expressions shifting from curiosity to caution when they spot him. I feel like a lamb among wolves.

We ascend three flights of stairs to reach a dark wooden door. When Blackridge flicks his fingers at it, it swings open silently. He places my suitcase in the doorway and steps back, indicating that I should go inside.

The circular room beyond is nothing like my prison at home. Midnight blue walls shimmer with constellations that actually move, tracking the real night sky. A four-poster bed draped in silver silk stands opposite a fireplace where flames leap to life at my entrance.

“The bathroom is through there,” Blackridge gestures to a door of frosted glass.

I nod, drawn to the window that spans half the wall. Unlike my barred windows at home, this one is clear, offering an uninterrupted view of the grounds below and the forest beyond the academy walls underneath the pale moon hanging in the sky.

“You’ll find your schedule on the desk,” Blackridge says, his voice cutting through my thoughts. “Classes begin at dusk tomorrow. The dining hall serves blood and food at regular intervals. I suggest you familiarise yourself with the campus layout before then. Welcome to SilverGate, Miss Morvoren. I trust you’ll find your time here... educational.”

He leaves without another word, the door clicking shut behind him. I stand frozen for a moment, then rush to lock it, though I doubt a simple lock would stop anything truly determined to get in.

I drag my suitcase to the bed and collapse beside it, my head spinning. I have questions on top of questions. Why am I here? Who were those creatures trying to get to me at home? Why isn’t the moon red here? How can I actually be around people without making a total fool of myself? How can I be around CJ and not make a total fool of myself?

I rise again and lean my forehead against the window, pressing my fingertips to the cool glass. No bars. No enchantments that I can sense. Just me and the night beyond, separated by nothing but a thin pane. The freedom of it makes me dizzy.

I strip off CJ’s jacket, holding it to my face one last time before carefully laying it across the foot of the bed. I’ll need to return it to him soon, even though part of me wants to keep this small piece of him forever.

The schedule on the desk is printed on heavy parchment. At the top, I see something that makes me cringe. Third year - Lower Class. Issac is Upper Class. He is older than me by 30 seconds, if that. Why do I get downgraded? Why not upgraded to fourth year? Or better yet, why am I not allowed to be the same age as Issac? But I know the answer to that. Female twin, rare, vulnerable, blah, blah, blah.

My classes read like something from a fever dream. Advanced Blood Magic, Defensive Spellcraft, History of Supernatural Warfare, Dimensional Theory, Defensive Combat Training. I run my fingers over the paper, feeling a thrill of excitement mixed with terror. After years of solitary study with only books as my companions, I’ll be sitting in actual classrooms with actual people.

And CJ.

I wonder if I will be in some of the same classes as him. The thought sends a fresh wave of heat through me, battling the lingering chill from the rain. I don’t know too much about him, except that he is Isaac’s best friend, he only arrived here at the beginning of this year, a few months ago and that he is a vampire.

Oh, and that he is sexy as fuck and can make me practically orgasm on the spot with that smile.

I unzip my suitcase, wincing at the sound, unnaturally loud in the quiet room. The clothes I threw in haphazardly tumble out. It’s a mess of practical jumpers, shirts and jeans, alongside silk nightgowns I’ve never worn outside my tower. My scrying mirror glints from beneath the cashmere scarf.

Picking it up, I hesitate. Should I call Isaac again? Tell him I’m safe and settled.

A soft scratching sound at the door makes me jump, my heart hammering against my ribs. I freeze, listening. Silence. Was it just the old building settling? Or something else? The shadows cast by the moving constellations deepen, twisting into unsettling shapes in the corners of my vision.

Taking a deep breath, I push the fear down. I’m not locked away anymore. But maybe safety was never about stone walls and iron bars. Maybe the real dangers are out here, walking the halls, sitting beside me in class, smiling with eyes like amber fire. Monsters with pretty faces.