Page 23 of Monster’s Consort (Blackthorn Academy for Supernaturals #18)

Violet

The entire way up to my bedroom I felt as if I could throw up.

I didn’t want to lie to Bane. I wanted to tell him everything, just as I had wanted to tell him everything that night I’d left to meet my mother and ascend.

But it seemed that history was repeating itself.

I only prayed that I would not be kidnapped or disrupted a second time.

I looked behind me to ensure Bane was not indeed following me, breathing a sigh of relief when he wasn’t.

But a part of wished he had. That part of me was the one that was terrified I’d somehow upset the scales of balance.

He didn’t follow me because he trusted me. I’d betrayed that trust once for my own gain, fully knowing that it was him who gave me the confidence to pursue the answers I sought.

And that hadn’t changed. For when I looked into Bane’s eyes, I saw the things I was capable of.

I told myself I was doing this for us. I needed to ascend so that we could move forward. I didn’t want to wait a moment longer.

And then I’d stupidly blurted out that thing about marriage and...

He’d said yes.

I wasn’t asking, not in the traditional sense, but...

If you had been asking, I would have said yes.

He didn’t even blink when he answered me, and that alone made my heart flutter in a way that felt more than ethereal.

Which is exactly why once I completed my Ardaim , and once I made it back here in one piece, I needed to tell him the truth.

But after. I couldn’t risk him trying to stop me.

No, I needed to ascend as soon as I could for a multitude of reasons.

Plus, the sooner I did ascend completely, the better I could be with my magic.

The more powerful I could be, and there was no better place to learn how to control my magic—all of it—than at Blackthorn Academy.

I walked past my door, holding my breath.

I hadn’t even spoken of my plan to Delaney, for fear she would somehow let the cat out of the bag.

I hated keeping secrets. Then again, I’d spent most of my life keeping my magic a secret, and I hadn’t really had to worry about keeping secrets from friends since I didn’t have any until recently.

The guilt gnawed at me.

When I knocked on Wanda’s door, I had the heavy suspicion someone would see me and they’d just know.

Like Norman...

Who’d been spending a lot more time with Wanda as of late.

I wanted to be happy for them.

Wanda seemed lighter, ever since that day at Cheeky’s, like some unforeseen weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Or perhaps, it was just impossible to be sour around Norman.

It was no wonder he could incite lust. His charm rivaled that of a golden retriever or an excitable himbo in a rom-com.

For a man with multiple arms—er, tentacles—he was surprisingly vibrant and dare I say, fun?

I knocked not once, but twice, just as we had discussed. I couldn’t ascertain how long I stood there.

Waiting.

Worrying.

Finally, the door opened and Wanda coolly gazed down at me with an apathetic grin.

“Are you ready?” I asked, the anxiety festering once more.

“Are you?” she drawled as she stepped aside, giving me space to walk in.

I swallowed harshly.

With the time difference, Wanda had said that if we left after dinner, we’d have enough time to slide through the Cavernous Cove , which was the Tír fo Thuinn equivalent of the Forest of Lir.

And according to Wanda, if we could keep our wits about us, we could slide through to Tír fo Thuinn and leave before anyone would actually notice, which was what I was counting on.

“Of course. I just want us to get this over with,” I said, because it was true. I did want to get this over with.

I wanted to get through what felt like a gigantic lie.

But I assured myself all would be worth it once I’d ascended and made that final transition.

The ends justified the means.

“That makes two of us,” Wanda said as she shut the door.

Realistically, we could have used the mirror in my room, but I felt weird about doing such a thing because my bedroom was sacred. I didn’t want Wanda in the space I’d shared with Bane. Some things I wanted to keep to myself, private, as they should be.

Mirrors were how I got myself into this predicament in the first place. It was not lost on me that I started my journey following Wanda through a mirror, and it seemed I was finalizing that journey much in the way it started.

“Now, hold on tight, Princess, ” she said, and I did not think twice about wrapping my arms around her waist.

I noticed, pressed against her, she smelled like citrus and sea salt, and it was a most soothing smell. Her body was warm, not cold like I would expect from a water-based creature. Her nails traced over my back, making me nearly jump as we walked through the mirror.

The first thing I noticed about Tír fo Thuinn was the color. Everything was in shades of blue and green, bespeckled with ivory and cream and adornments of bright plumerias.

It was hot, but comfortable. The plant life was vibrant and green; large monstera ferns and orchids surrounded us, and it was then I realized we were in the middle of a... forest?

Only it did not look like the forest I was used to. It was like it was underwater, but there was no actual water, just the ever present aesthetic of aquatic and tropical foliage.

“Wow...” I gasped, breaking free from Wanda. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the forest. “Where are we?—”

“We are about twenty minutes from the Cove,” she said, her voice even.

“So this is where you are from?” I asked, walking quickly after her because Wanda did not wait for anyone.

Well, perhaps there was one person she waited for... or one monster, rather.

“Yes,” she bit.

I looked up at the sky, noting it was not dark yet, but rather the sun was setting.

“And how do we get there?” I asked. “On foot or?—”

The faintest thrum of whirring magic alerted both of us.

Though we’d traveled alone, and mirror travel was still popular among most, we’d picked a location that was outside of our target for a reason.

The less anyone saw me, even with a glamour, the better.

I did not need witnesses or any sort of inconvenience.

I needed this to be as smooth a process as possible. Get in, bask in the Ardaim and complete my transition, and get back to the castle before anyone knew I was missing. Specifically, Bane.

“You swim, of course,” Norman’s voice cut through the warm air.

Wanda and I spun around on our heels, and before I could open my mouth, she did.

“What the bloody hell are you doing here?” she bit, advancing toward him.

Norman looked nonplussed, his tentacles occupying themselves as usual as he looked back at her. He did not bristle at her tone or her advancement.

“Well, it seems I’m making sure you two don’t get into too much trouble,” he said with a grin. “Because you’re looking for trouble, right? I mean, what reason would you have to mirror hop so discreetly?”

“How do you know?—”

Norman’s tentacles twitched and he held his hand in the air. “I felt the ripple in the force, of course,” he said with a cock of his head. “More or less.”

Wanda threw her hands up in frustration. “This does not concern you, Norm.”

He took a step toward her. “Of course it does. You coming home to Tír fo Thuinn is a definite concern.”

“Why? What’s wrong with?—”

“Nothing,” Wanda bit, pushing past Norm. She shoved him in the shoulder, and he moved like a leaf.

“You should leave,” she hissed at him as she came next to me.

“And miss all the fun? Absolutely not,” Norm said.

Then he appraised me with his curious gaze. “What do you need to swim to the Cove for? It’s getting dark. You know there are, like, monsters in these waters.”

“Which is precisely why we need to move ,” Wanda snipped. “Now, leave!”

I watched for a moment, expecting from the shrill echo of her voice, that the Kraken would, indeed, leave. But his gaze narrowed, his jaw set, and he slid up beside me, tentacles wrapping around my shoulder as he pulled me close.

“No.”

Wanda growled and it was the first time I’d ever seen her do so. She seemed flustered beyond her normal air of cool collectedness.

He turned to me with a soft glance. “I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I turned my back now. Besides…” He looked back at Wanda. “You need someone to protect you in case shit goes awry and I have eight extra arms.”

“Fine,” she breathed in exasperation. “You are wasting our time, and time is of the essence.”

I watched as she sauntered off, and moved after her.

Norm pulled me closer, his tentacles secreting some sort of chill liquid on me that made me jump.

“What are?—”

“Relax, I’m just marking you with my venom so the monsters won’t get you,” he said carefully.

“Wh—what monsters?”

“For starters... the selkies.” His demeanor shifted. “And the sirens, of course.”

“But Wanda is a siren, is her presence not enough to deter any unwanted predators or creatures?”

Norman laughed. “Wanda might look like a cold fish on the outside, sweetheart, but in this sea, she’s not as big as she thinks she is.”

His grin was prideful. “In these waters, there’s a hierarchy, and a Kraken is at the top of the food chain.”

“Oh,” I said as we followed her through a tight trail, covered with ferns and brightly colored flowers. Each petal was white on the inside, but brightly colored on the outside.

“Besides, Bane would kill me and serve me as sushi if he knew I’d turned my back on protecting you.”

My eyebrows furrowed, my lip trembling. Bane...

“So what are you doing here?” he asked carefully.

“There is a Blood Moon here tonight,” I whispered. His tentacles slid down my arms, the liquid starting to warm my skin. I looked up at him.

“My skin is burning, I?—”

“It will not hurt you. It will only provide the layer of warmth you need and the protection for the water. It’ll wear off by the time we get to the Cove.”

He twisted his lips. “A Blood Moon, huh? What’s so special about that?”