Page 54 of Keeper of Death (Ouroboros Academy #1)

W e were portalling through the quadrants and picking people up. There were all kinds of supernaturals I’d never heard of, and they were all taking sides. Some of them were very excited Vlad the Impaler was back, which just annoyed Lucian, others were big fans of Thor, but they all had one thing in common.

They all seemed to know exactly who Liam was, and they were most impressed over that. The Seelie we picked up were fawning over him. There were also something called dryads with us who kept giggling about orgies like back in the old days. They were all only a few years older than me, so unless their idea of ye olden days orgies was three years ago, they should probably shut up.

I was probably mad they were begging Liam for sex, which was stupid because we weren’t even dating. And I was just as mad as Lucian at the people flirting with him and I wasn’t dating him, either. I should probably throw Khalid in all of that because I’d be furious about it if someone was flirting with him, too.

Which was confusing as fuck because the only guy I’d been allowed to go on dates with in high school was the one my father picked as my future husband and I didn’t really do boyfriends when I was backpacking.

Lines were drawn, too, with Lola and her old team. Most of the supernaturals who had control over their magic seemed to think Lola’s mind had been messed with. They were looking at her with pity and trying not to make a scene of obviously supporting Ivar, Ari, and Alexios, but it was clear they thought whatever was going on, someone was trying to frame them.

It was the people like me who were sitting with Lola and looking like they were going to jump her old team when they got the chance. Things were probably going to be chaotic and violent when we got back and I was sure that was the intention.

And, of course, I was the asshole who thought Lola was the architect behind all of this. I had zero proof. I couldn’t read her. I could barely read anyone standing near her. It was more of a gut feeling. You couldn’t sense her unless you could see her. She could have snuck up on a fairy before they could portal away for help. I wouldn’t know how she made them disappear, but we could all see Erica didn’t like her when Mazen and Radames offered to protect her and she disappeared next.

I couldn’t voice any of this unless I was alone with people I could trust. The other teams weren’t just glaring at Ivar, Ari, and Alexios. They were pissed the other students didn’t immediately side with Lola and do something about her former team.

And I got that, too. One of our youth pastors was a creep. He made me uncomfortable, and I was never alone with him. One of the other girls wasn’t so lucky. She told her parents what he did, and they told my father.

By the end of the whole thing, she was painted as a silly girl with a crush who made up a story after she was rebuked. She got shunned from the church and he got a cushy job with a different youth group.

The whole thing disgusted me and I swore I’d never do that to someone. I was disgusted I was doing it now. It was just this feeling. I couldn’t fight it and I couldn’t voice it because I had a feeling these people would get violent against me, too, just for speaking against her.

“Holy shite. Someone save me from horny tree fairies,” Liam said, plopping beside me.

“So, demons are real, but not like we think. They want to bond over being misunderstood,” Lucian said.

“The man I thought was my father would have a lot to say about that.”

“You know, I’m not violent, so if you don’t want to take Liam up on his offer of stabbing him, I’d be happy to ruin his life electronically.”

“Holy shite, did we just bond?” Liam said, holding up his fist for a bump.

“I’d rather eat drain hair.”

“I already said I don’t kink shame.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I really do. I’d write poetry about it because?—”

Tensions finally boiled over. We had one more quadrant to do to before we could get back to the castle. They’d gathered all of us looking for crystals in one area. A group of supernaturals stayed behind while their warriors went off to find everyone else.

Ivar, Ari, and Alexios all volunteered to go with them in case the shit hit the fan. They didn’t have magic and Ari didn’t know how to shift. Alexios had a migraine and I could tell he was in a ton of pain.

I didn’t even think they offered to go because of the stink eye they were getting. They really thought they could help in a magic fight when as far as we knew, they didn’t have any yet. And the #teamLola folks were mad the supernaturals were nice about it when they said they’d love to work with them when they had their magic, but right now, they’d just be in the way.

And maybe I was the only one who noticed, but none of them took it badly when they were told that. They didn’t make some testosterone-riddled scene that even though they couldn’t do shit magically, just their presence would be enough to keep bad people in line. They just looked worried for them, sat back down, and told them to be safe.

Lola and her people were on one side of us and Ivar and his team were on the other. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but, apparently, Lucian could. Some guy, who Ivar could have honestly broken in half, went storming over like he was going to get his justice.

Lucian jumped between them with red eyes and bared fangs. He hated all the connotations that came with being Vlad the Impaler’s reincarnation, but he was willing to use it to stop violence.

“I’m the only one here who is willing to admit I’m awake. I’m the original vampire and I have all my magic except the one I don’t really want to learn. You’re going to sit down and let us bring this back to the reincarnations that know what they are doing or I’m going to make you.”

Liam strolled up and joined him.

“Headmaster Mykene took my blade, but I can make a shiv out of a condom and dried thyme. I can also ask those bears that are waiting in the trees over there to eat you. If I’m feeling plucky, I can just wait until we get back and murder you in your sleep. I’m not awake but I was raised by the Irish mafia, so I suggest you get your knickers untwisted and sit your arse down.”

“Do you know who my father is?” the man snarled.

“Don’t care. Mine’s the fucking Godfather.”

“Mine’s the king,” Lucian smirked.

Shit. That was hot and it should have been a really big red flag. Liam and Lucian joined us, and it was Lucian who held his fist out this time.

“Okay, we bonded.”

Liam bumped it.

“I knew you loved me.”

“Drain hair is still more appealing. Shut up. I’ve been listening. I can hear everyone, I just have to focus it. Ivar and Alexios are talking about finding proof they didn’t do this, and Ivar is translating for Ari, who also wants to prove their innocence. I don’t know who else has hearing like mine except for vampires, but they aren’t saying all that to discredit Lola because if you can’t hear what they are saying, then none of those people near her can because they are further away.”

That made sense. And they weren’t even pressing the issue that whoever was awake could have messed with her head. Probably because it would have made them look guilty because that was extremely convenient.

“What’s Lola talking about?” I asked.

“She’s recounted what she went through and the crazed look in their eyes when they were hurting her. Hey, we’ve been thinking Lola’s mind was the one that was messed with, but how do we know theirs wasn’t? They said Thor was a protector, but got swept up in battle lust with his enemies.

“What if they were all made to think she was a threat and then forget they hurt her after? They would all be right. Lola experienced them beating her and they want to prove they didn’t because they had their minds raped and don’t remember.”

I felt like the biggest asshole. I hadn’t even entertained that notion before I immediately went to Lola being the big bad. I didn’t want to be the person who looked for every excuse not to believe a woman who’d been hurt and I’d totally done that. What did that say about me that my mind didn’t even go there? Someone could have tricked them into hurting her just as easily as they could making her think it was someone else.

Still, if Lola wasn’t the one messed with, then why did she lie about how she ended up on their team? These guys were completely comfortable hoofing it outside.

Why would they have begged her to be on their team when they seemed like outdoorsy guys who could handle the tent and rations just fine?