Page 20 of Wicked Dove (Institute Thirteen #1)

FOURTEEN

ELODIE

One class leads into another and another until I suddenly find myself on the walk back to Thirteen with Ocean by my side.

The first class was the peak of excitement, and I’ve had nothing but death glares from Willow everywhere I turn.

I’m more than ready to eat and pass out for a bit, but the eating will have to come later because I can’t deal with that girl’s toxic presence any longer.

Taking the path that leads directly from The Vale to Institute Thirteen, I feel my shoulders ease from the tension I’ve been carrying, as if the gloomy, Gothic edges are a familiarity that offers a sense of warmth.

“Has anyone ever left?” I ask, peering at the derelict institute in the distance. I considered my chances again today, but whatever I touched has left a lasting mark, one I’m not ready to attempt again. I need another escape route; there has to be one.

“What do you mean?” Ocean asks, and I shrug.

“Like, what are my chances of seeing the back of this place?” I ask, and she grimaces. I can’t decide if it’s because there isn’t a good answer or because she’s surprised I’m still considering it.

“Well, if they’re dead, they leave,” she states, and I gulp, my chest tightening at the weight of those words.

“And once you finish the academic side of things?” I push, aware that Willow is the child of a member of The Sanctum. Surely she wouldn’t stay here forever, right?

“Well, Institutes One through Six definitely leave.”

“And the rest?” I breathe, unsure if I actually want the answer, and she shrugs.

“No one seems to have a clear answer.”

That doesn’t make any sense. “Have you seen people from Thirteen graduate?” I ask, hoping she can give me a better answer, and her eyebrows gather in confusion.

“Graduate?” she repeats, as if the word is foreign to her.

“Yeah, like finish everything they’re supposed to do,” I rephrase, and her eyes widen in understanding.

“Oh, we call that ascension.”

“Of course you do,” I grumble, wiping a hand down my face. “Are you sure this isn’t just a cult?” I mutter, and she snickers but doesn’t give me a definitive answer. Great. “So, have you seen anyone from Thirteen ascend?”

She shakes her head as we make our way down the incline, the building looming closer with every step we take.

“How long has this place been here?” I ask, redirecting my attention. I have to be able to learn something useful here today.

“Over two hundred years. More, probably, I never pay enough attention,” she states, and I frown.

“But why was it built?” I push, running my tongue over my bottom lip in thought.

“To confine us all together. Instead of having places all over the world, they created The Vale.”

Definitely a cult.

“Where is The Vale, exactly?” I mutter, glancing around my surroundings as if the answer awaits me there, but Ocean sighs.

“Somewhere else entirely. A pocket created by the fae.”

“That’s elusive and slightly scary.”

“That’s The Sanctum. None of us know where we are. All we know is that beyond the boundaries lies nothing.”

“Nothing,” I repeat, and she sighs.

“It’s a land created just for this purpose. The Sanctum can then control who comes in and out.”

“And what is it we’re supposed to be learning, exactly?”

Another shrug. “General academics,” she answers, but there’s something in the way her breath catches that tells me there’s more.

“And?” I cock a brow at her, and she rolls her eyes in defeat.

“And build strength to fight against the rebellion,” she admits, and my steps slow as I recall Professor Grimm mentioning a rebellion earlier.

My intrigue fizzles out, my mind a swirl of information, but nothing sticks. Asking anything else is only going to cause me more unnecessary stress with no gain.

As we approach the double doors, the thought of collapsing on my bed spurs me on, but shadows cast over us from the left, bringing my steps to a halt as four people approach us.

Ocean’s breath catches in her throat before she snarls, and my hands ball into fists at my sides, anger rearing its ugly head immediately at the sight of Willow.

Flanked by three others, two guys and a girl, she walks with an air of arrogance that could rival Kael’s. No wonder they were together. Jealousy tingles down my spine but I brush it off, reminding myself I want nothing to do with him.

“I promised that you would pay for this morning,” Willow threatens, tossing her red hair over her shoulder with an unnecessary level of sass.

“Maybe that was your karma for being a bitch to begin with,” I retort, attempting to act bored while my muscles clench tighter.

“That’s nothing in comparison to what I’m going to do now, and there’s no shadow fae to save you this time,” she warns, and Ocean cackles.

“I’d like to see you try that move for a second time,” my roommate snaps, taking a step forward, but Willow is distracted by the girl at her side tugging at her arm,

“But Kael warned us that no one could touch her,” she mutters, making Willow turn back to me with a deathly glare.

I don’t know when he said that, but he had no right. Not that I’m going to tell them that.

“No one tells me what to do, especially a guy who thinks he can cheat on me with some skank,” Willow growls, her eyes flashing a rich amber, and my jaw falls slack.

I opt not to correct her on the whole cheating part. Instead, I sigh, but Ocean speaks before I get a chance.

“How about you just piss off, Willow? Nobody gives a shit,” she snaps, and Willow’s gaze slowly turns to Ocean, a sinister smile curling her lips.

“Although, Kael didn’t say anything about leaving Ocean alone,” she murmurs, and the two guys standing behind them snicker with delight as they crack their knuckles.

If Ocean is scared, she doesn’t show it. If anything, she rolls her shoulders back, standing taller despite the odds being against us.

“Do the honors, Tiran,” Willow orders, and the blond-haired brute steps forward. He’s shorter than me, but broader than anyone I’ve ever seen. The darkness in his eyes shows his true identity, and I instantly don’t like the malicious air around him.

“My pleasure, Princess,” he whispers in promise, pressing a kiss to her cheek before turning his sights on Ocean.

I’m frozen in place, horror clinging to me as his features shift. His eyes darken with the eerie promise of what’s to come as his teeth elongate, just like Kael’s.

Vampire.

He moves lightning fast, too fast for Ocean to get her words out as she lifts her hands in the air, but whatever she planned to do never comes as he knocks her to the ground and she screams.

I don’t think, I just move.

Panic takes hold, desperation clinging to every ounce of me as I lunge toward them.

His teeth are right at her throat as I collide with him, and instead of sinking his little bloodsuckers into her flesh, it’s my wrist he feasts on.

I scream, the hollow sound fueling the determination in my veins as I roll with the force of our contact, but to my horror, he rolls us so I’m beneath him.

His knees are braced on either side of me, but he’s just as surprised as I am because my wrist slips from his mouth as he gapes at me in surprise.

We freeze, blinking at one another. It’s almost as if I can see through the haze of panic to witness his emotions playing across his face.

He’s torn.

He just harmed me, a warning they were insistent on listening too, but the way his tongue dances over his bottom lip, my blood dripping from his chin, he’s ready to fuck it all to Hell. His grin curls, his eyes darkening, and I know he’s made his decision.

“Back off,” I snarl, not willing to risk him inching closer as I try to shove him off.

My palms slam against his chest and he freezes as a gargled whimper of pain rips from his throat. His skin pales at my touch as he falls sideways, and I move with him, unable to retract my hands as I mirror his position from moments earlier.

His cheeks hollow out, just like Kael’s did, but something’s different. There’s something inside of me that’s… desperate. My eyes narrow as pain echoes in my mouth, and I cry out at the sudden burning sensation.

Blinking down at him, my gaze latches onto his throat, watching as his pulse flickers beneath the surface.

It’s enticing.

It’s mesmerizing.

It’s my target.

Leaning closer, my body moves on its own as I bring my mouth to his throat. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but I can’t stop.

My teeth rake over his flesh, but before I can consider what he might taste like, I’m ripped away.

My senses flood me all at once.

Someone’s screaming and sobbing, someone else is snarling and grunting, while my body goes limp. Spent, I’m aware I’m being carried over someone’s shoulder, but I can’t make sense of who or why until I’m planted back on my feet.

I sway, my chest rising and falling in rapid succession as I try to make sense of anything, only to find it’s Kael standing before me, eyes searching mine.

Shoving at his chest, I try to put some distance between us, but the instant reminder of what happened the last time I did that has me pulling my hands back in fear.

“Calm the fuck down, Elodie,” he grunts, his words like a dose of icy cold water, and I accept them as I plant my hands on my thighs, leaning forward to focus on my breathing.

I can still hear noise around me, but nothing makes sense until the overwhelming sensations claiming me from head to toe stop and I can finally lift my head. My gaze instantly latches onto Thorne standing in front of Willow and her two friends, who are hovering over Tiran.

“What’s he doing?” I breathe, gaping at the black smoke that seeps from his hands and swarms around them.

“Retracting from their memories that you’re a crazy bitch,” Kael grunts, and I turn to glare at him.

“Fuck you.”

His eyes fixate on my mouth and I turn away in search of Ocean, who is standing a few steps to the right of me, hand pressed against her chest as she glances from Tiran to me and back again repeatedly.

“What did I do?” I breathe, fear strangling me as I wrap my arms around my middle.

“You siphoned,” Kael murmurs, and I scoff.

“What the fuck does that even mean?” I plead, moisture gathering at the back of my eyelids while I peer back at Thorne as the smoke disappears.

Tiran is back on his feet and the four of them are hurrying down the path to The Vale without a backward glance.

My chest heaves in disbelief as Rion appears in front of me, and I jump back in surprise.

“It means you siphon other people’s magic,” he explains, a flat smile on his lips, but I’m more confused by the fact that he’s not moving away from me, treating me like the monster that I am.

“Your magic slips into the soul of the person you’re connected with, ripping them apart.

The magical essence that is inside of them roars to the surface, detaching from them to bestow you with their gift.

Slam your hands against me like you did, and you’ll cause pain and discomfort.

Hold on like you did to Tiran, and you can embrace their abilities yourself, but if you happen to maintain the connection for too long, you just might take their very existence. ”

“I don’t want to do that,” I whisper, glancing at Ocean, who offers me a sad smile, but it does nothing to calm the disbelief thrumming through my body.

I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. I was just trying to protect my roommate, my friend. Dropping my face, I lift my hands to hide my distress, but I pause, my gaze trapped on the crimson stains that coat my fingertips.

“I don’t think you have a choice,” Thorne says, confirming the truth I’m not ready to hear yet.

So I do the only thing I can do, the only thing I can control.

I run.