The Vampire Hunter's Academy: The Darkness (5 page)

Chapter Six

Sanaya felt the suffocating weight of darkness wash over her, triggering every natural fighting instinct she possessed into overdrive. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, she suddenly felt sluggish, as if her ankles had become anvils, nearly succumbing to the burn travelling from her calf muscles all the way up to her thighs. She sucked in another deep breath and felt the sting of the icy air penetrate her lungs. Coughing, stumbling, and blind in the absolute darkness, she flinched as a she felt the gentle and all too personal caress of invisible hands run down her spine. She stopped to focus her senses on the possible threat that lurked in the pitch blackness which surrounded her. Patting her left pocket for her small bowie knife, she cursed when she realized it was not in her possession.

“Damn it!”

Another gentle caress brushed against her rear end and she spun around to face the offender. When she found no one she turned around again.

“My you are a delicacy,” came the deep velvety baritone and eerily seductive voice from the nothingness. “Not what I expected.”

“Who are you?!” She demanded, struggling to keep her tone calm and even. “What do you want?”

“The question is not what I want. Although…” 

A warm hand ran down her exposed arm, sending gentle ripples of pleasure into her system. She gasped and wiped away a bead of sweat. “DO NOT TOUCH ME!”

The voice chuckled, indicating to her that the entity had to be at least two feet to her right. She spun around, hoping to face off with the intruder.

“The question has always been…what do you want? Slayer…”

“I promise you,” Sanaya seethed, tightening her fists. “I will cut out your heart and watch you burn in the sunlight!”

“We shall see about that,” the voice challenged. “But there are other things I would prefer doing.”

Suddenly she was naked and she covered herself as best she could, trembling at the knowledge of what potentially could happen next.

“Ah…” The entity inhaled deeply. “You smell absolutely intoxicating…come to me slayer…”

“No,” Sanaya whimpered as her body is flooded  with pleasure. “No, don’t do this...”

“Come to me,” the voice demanded. “I cannot have you like this.”

“Sanaya… Sanaya…” Sanaya raised her head in the darkness listening to the urgent call of her name and realized she had been asleep.

“Sanaya! Sanaya wake up!”

“No! Come to me tonight Slayer! Come to-“

Sanaya shot up in her bed, breathing heavily and soaked with sweat. Eve jumped back to give her some space as Maya looked down on her friend with concern. Wiping her face, she pushed her hair back and leaned against the headboard and waited for her vision to focus.

“Sanaya are you alright?” Eve questioned. Her blue eyes wide with worry and her crossbow fully loaded at her hip.

“How long have I been out?” Sanaya asked clearing her throat.

“I called you like a million times, “ Maya said marching closer to the bed. “You wouldn’t answer. Eve tried calling you, and even tried knocking on the door. When you still didn’t answer, she went to get the master key from Archer and-“

Eve placed her cool hand on Sanaya’s forehead, feeling for her temperature. “You are burning up.”

She then, stepped away and ran outside of the room where Sanaya sensed Archer awaiting. Sanaya groaned.

“Like for real girl, are you good?” Maya asked taking a seat at the edge of the bed.

“I don’t know Maya. I think that master is going to try to come for me, but the scary part is: I don’t think I can fight him.”

Eve and Maya exchanged worried looks, with Eve returning her attention to Sanaya.

“He is attempting a seduction,” Eve stated evenly. “He cannot breach campus grounds so he is trying to draw you to him.”

“What am I going to do? Is he going to like…haunt me in my dreams?” Sanaya asked covering her face with her hands.

“Yes. But I know something that can remedy that until he is killed.” Eve began to pace. “Thank God for the sun... we have some time to put together something.” She stopped pacing to reply to the text notification buzz that went off. “I have to go. I will be back in an hour when the sun sets. You two stick together.” Eve nodded at Maya who stared at her best friend, worry written all over her pretty face. “And you Maya…keep an eye on Sanaya. She is going to feel things her body is not ready to handle and even though she will be under heavy guard, you might be the only one capable of talking some sense into her.”

Maya nodded as Eve hurriedly rushed out of the door.

Walking to the cafeteria with three highly armed Guardians would have been a nightmare had it not been for Maya distracting her from the curious glances, and gossipy whispers of their peers. Sanaya spotted Elizabeth in her usual spot; seated smack dab in the middle of the dining hall surrounded by her mindless groupies and her goofball boyfriend, Brent. Sanaya smiled in her direction when their eyes met, fury blazing in Van Helsing’s descendant’s emerald green eyes. Sanaya chuckled as she grabbed a plate, nudging Maya to glance at the table where Elizabeth sat to witness the collective glares from the group of the Academy’s most popular students.

“Girl she is pissed off,” Maya snickered piling her plate with Spaghetti.

“I know. She is so mad the strands of her hair are levitating,” Sanaya whispered.

The three Guardians that escorted them, hung back near the entrance and exit doors, surveying the room.

The two located a table several feet away from where Elizabeth sat, completely disregarding her hard stare.

“I think there is something mentally wrong with her,” Sanaya quipped, taking in a mouthful of spaghetti. “She will not quit staring.”

They ate in companionable silence, Sanaya lost in her thoughts of last night’s action and the end result. The memory of her father coming home as the entity she was destined to hunt darkened her mood. Since her arrival to The Academy, she had not grieved much for either of her parents. Neither of her parents acted like they even wanted to be parents for as long as she could remember. Of course there were glimpses of Patrice acting like a mother, but those moments came far and few between. It was more of an obligation, on Patrice’s part and an inconvenience for Roland. But still, her heart ached at the fact that she did not possess the same luxury other students had: a home to return to during the summer and winter months to celebrate mile stones and holidays. What sobered her reality was the fact that Maya sat across from her and as far as she knew, Yaya is her family.

As she scraped the last of her spaghetti into her mouth, she sensed the presence of someone new enter the building, flanked by two more Guardians. She turned around to see who the new guy happened to be, and the instant her eyes laid on him, there seemed to be a rippling effect in the room. The kid had to be almost six feet tall, his black ripped shirt exposing multiple tattoos trailing the hardened biceps on the even dark tanned skin that called out to every female in the room to touch. Dark eyes scanned the room with scrutiny before concentrating on the task at hand: grabbing a plate. Full lips to match with a broad nose and straight black hair cut to a short carefully gelled hair style indicating his rebellious nature and the competing racial duality which added to his already attractive allure.  Sanaya glanced at Maya, who was clearly in the same trance as every other female in the room.

Who is that?
Maya mentally drooled, still staring at the obvious new kid on the block.

I don’t know…
Sanaya turned to steal a quick look in his direction.
But that is six feet of fineness and pure trouble.

I don’t mind trouble
…
Maya gushed.
Where the hell did the Vatican find him?

Sanaya shrugged.
I don’t know, but look check it out.
She tilted her head in Elizabeth’s direction.
We aren’t the only ones who caught his attention. Betcha ten bucks Elizabeth is going to swoop in like a vulture and sink her talons in him.

Maya rolled her eyes.
Which means Bradley is about to be on the outskirts…

Yup…
The sad reality made Sanaya turn around and finish her meal, with Maya simply picking at what was left of her meatballs.

Soon, a sudden shift in the atmosphere made Sanaya look up once again, when she felt the presence of the handsome stranger approaching her from behind. Seeing him up close made her heart flutter and she could sense Maya on the brink of going into a cardiac arrest. A familiar Guardian, a seer specializing in past and future events, plus a specially trained martial artist, stood next to him with her arms folded and a slight grin. She already knew what was up.

“Excuse me,” the stranger began politely. His voice alone sent chills down Sanaya’s spine. “Can I sit here? Every table is full and-“

“Yeah, sure…” Sanaya stammered, clearing her throat. “Go ahead.”

“Cool.” He took a seat next to her, accidently brushing her arm with his. “My bad…my name is Trent.” He extended his hand for her to shake which she nervously accepted.

God his hand is warm,
she thought to herself. She could hear Maya mentally shrieking in excitement. “My name is Sanaya, and this is my best friend Maya.”

He reached across the table to shake Maya’s hand before relaxing in his seat.

“Dinner will end in about twenty minutes,” Tia interjected checking her watch. “So make it quick. We still have to get you settled in. I will be outside.”  The Guardian disappeared quickly through the double doors leaving the trio alone at the table.

“How did you end up here?” Maya wasted no time when trying to get to know someone, and for once Sanaya was grateful for her assertiveness.

“Well,” Trent began after taking a bite of his garlic bread. “I was in the system for a while…”

“Foster system?” Maya pressed.

“Yeah, that and juvie. Nobody gets me and never did…I saw shit nobody else saw, fought back and then got into some trouble behind it.” He took another bite. “Anyways, I was facing time for a crime I didn’t commit when the guardians came and schooled me on what I am. They did something to wrangle me out of the juvie system and brought me from the states here.”

“Well, welcome!” Maya chirped.

“Thanks,” Trent replied with gratitude. “How did you guys end up here? And who is that blonde that keeps staring at me?”

Maya and Sanaya shared a look. “That would be Elizabeth, and the longer you stay the more you will get to know her.” Sanaya mumbled, not feeling like going into details about Elizabeth’s antics.

“I was brought here because my mother was the leader of a strong Voodoo coven,” Maya replied sadly. “But all of us possess gifts that the Vatican values, which is the main reason all of us are here.”

“So I was told,” Trent added. He glanced over at Sanaya. “Aren’t you like the slayers of all slayers or somethin’?”

When she didn’t immediately answer, he continued. “On the way here, one of the guardians told me all about you. Said you are like the first in over a thousand years. I thought with a title like that over ya head, you would be the most popular one up in here.”

“Well, popularity is not something I care for and if that is what you are seeking, then you need to sit with the crazy blonde and her crew.” Sanaya grumbled, not looking at him.

He glanced over at Elizabeth who met his gaze with a smile. He ignored it. “Nah, I’m cool. I’m more of a low key person myself. ” When he was finished, he pushed his plate to the side of the table. Students were already leaving, and Sanaya knew it was a matter of minutes before her escorts came.

“So, where can I find yall?” He said finally, offering them a warm, perfect smile. “I mean, it ain’t fun being new and not knowing anything.”

“Maya and I typically hang in the courtyard between classes.” Sanaya offered.

“You got a phone yet?” Maya asked, pulling out her phone.

“Yeah. They gave it to me as soon as I got here.” The three of them exchanged numbers before the Guardian, Tia, returned to retrieve Trent.

“Alright young man, time’s up.” She said checking her watch. “Sanaya, Eve is outside waiting for you.”

“Ok.” Sanaya grabbed her plate and stepped away from the table.

“I’mma check yall out later,” Trent replied offering them a smile. He then mentally nudged Sanaya, demonstrating his own telepathic abilities. She gazed at him, eyes wide with surprise.

See you later, Slayer. 
His smile caused her to look away, masking a huge grin that threatened to expose itself.

He trotted off behind Tia, disappearing behind the double doors that connected to another section of the building.

I think he likes me ‘Naya,
Maya teased.

Sanaya shrugged.
He IS fine…But let’s get out of here before Archer comes in with reinforcements. You know how he is.

Chapter Seven

Daemon relaxed idly on the black leather sectional, directly across from the freshly lit fireplace, legs crossed, dressed in an all-black Armani suit and a pair of slip on calf-skins from the line’s recent inventory. He sipped from his wine glass filled with blood, still warm from the recent kill and eyed the master vampire standing next to the bar curiously. Ronan was the vampire’s name, and one of Daemon’s protégés, and perhaps the most ambitious of them all.

“I found her sire,” Ronan announced after a moment of silence.

“I know,” Daemon replied coolly before taking another sip of blood.

“I have even mind locked with her,” Ronan added carefully. He shifted his position against the bar and waited for Daemon’s response.

“Foolish move Ronan,” Daemon sighed. “The Guardians will come for you and I am not in the position to create any more masters!” Daemon tossed the wine glass, still filled with blood and watched it shatter against the pristine white walls of the master’s apartment.

Ronan recoiled and prepared himself for an immediate extermination by the ancient vampire, but when Daemon remained in his seat, Ronan relaxed only slightly. His instincts still kept him on the edge. Daemon was not one to bestow acts of mercy and in this case, there was still the ever present possibility that this may be his last night of existence.

“We can use this to our advantage,” Ronan began carefully. “We can use this to draw her out. We can infiltrate The Academy through her being that she is still young and gullible. We can cause division in their ranks.“

“And what will you do should she come to you of her own will? Answer me this Ronan: she is immune to our bites, so she will not turn. She has not, however, reached the age of maturity where there is a window of fertility that renders her vulnerable. The most you can do is kill her, which is not exactly within the agenda of our Dark Lord. So what will you do Ronan?”

“I…uh...”

“Have acted foolishly. I simply instructed you to watch, not mindlock with her and implement your own strategy!”  Daemon dematerialized from the sectional and reappeared in front of Ronan in less than a blink and slammed the weaker vampire against the glass counter of the bar, shattering it.

“Give me one reason why I should not exterminate your incompetent ass this moment, and please, entertain me,” Daemon growled, pressing his now almost seven inch fangs against the master’s jugular.

“I can use her to lure the other young guardians,” he rattled off quickly. “Those who are not immune to our bites, we can diminish the Guardian ranks by targeting the fledgling Guardians, thus weakening her resolve. If we do this steadily, by the time she turns twenty- one she will be emotionally and spiritually broken and easy targets for whatever the Dark Lord’s plans are.”

Daemon relaxed his grip and retracted his fangs. “Your suggestion has merit. However, we already have someone in place to infiltrate and break her spirit as you have mentioned, but targeting the younger inexperienced Guardians will definitely have The Academy divided.”  Daemon released him and took a step back to allow Ronan to collect himself.

Ronan adjusted the collar of his navy button down and smoothed out his slacks and cleared his throat. His pale citrine eyes met the abysmal darkness that illuminated from Daemon’s and smiled wickedly. “I can pick the guardians off one by one,” he offered. “And when the time comes for her to choose, she will not have much to choose from.”

“I give you full permission to terrorize The Academy,” Daemon concluded. “would result in tossing your carcass into the streets at dawn, or worse. The Guardians have proven themselves throughout the centuries to be worthy adversaries, and now is not the time for the empire to lose valuable resources.”

“I understand sire.”

“Good. And Ronan?” Daemon quizzed as he transformed into vapor.

“Yes?”

“I will be watching you very closely. Try to mate her before it is time and I will personally rip out your entrails and feed them to the wolves. Understood?” With that, Daemon disappeared into the night on a mission to continue the agendas of the Darkness Organization, but his own.

Sanaya and Maya met with Eve just outside of the hall, and as promised, both were met with a full Guardian escort ushering the two girls into the center of the group. All nationalities and races were represented by the seven Guardians, which made Sanaya wonder what each of their own personal stories were.  One of the Guardians in particular being a huge six foot nine giant, with the nickname Congo, who guarded her from her right. Dark as the African sky on its blackest night, with a scar running vertically from his left eye to his cheek; he walked with the quiet cool swagger of a man who’d seen it all and done it all but was fortunate enough to talk about it. She’d seen him in passing a few times, and she knew he worked with the guardians responsible for dealing with the high level entities such as werewolves and vampires. He kept his eyes focused ahead of them, armed with several blades strapped to his utility belt, and dressed in military fatigues with his semi-automatic assault rifle, Sanaya knew without a doubt he would be one of the guardians on the hunt for the master vampire, and cringed at the thought.

They first walked to Maya’s dorm where she was told to grab a few of her things before heading to Sanaya’s room where she was instructed to do the same. Afterwards, they headed to the main building, next to the main chapel of the church and they were quickly ushered inside to the second floor. Sanaya shot Maya a nervous glance when they were finally left alone with just Eve and Congo in a spacious room, decorated with a small dining table, a flat screen facing a small sectional  with two adjoining rooms offering a shared bathroom between the two.

Looks like a hotel room Maya,
Sanaya mentally shot to her best friend.

I know right? I guess this is where we will be staying,
Maya responded as she dropped her black and yellow duffle bag on the freshly polished hard wood floor.

“So ladies,” Congo began, crossing his massive arms against his chest.  “This is where you two will be holed up until the situation is resolved.”

For some reason, the subtle reminder that a master vampire was tracking her brought on a new sense of dread. Sanaya eased her bag onto the floor and wrapped her arms around herself, leaning against the door frame.

“We’re going vampire hunting,” Congo declared, offering her a reassuring grin. “This will all be over before you know it.”

“I hope so,” Sanaya slowly exhaled, still leaning against the door frame.

“Alright, well I’m out. Gotta strap up for tonight,” Congo said, smoothing a palm over his bald head.

“Thanks Congo,” Eve replied warmly, flashing him her perfect grin.

“Keep smiling at me like that Eve and I-“

“Let’s remain appropriate in front of our impressionable slayer and young guardian,” Eve scolded playfully, ushering the megalith of a human out of the room.

“I’m just saying Eve. Archer is gonna have to-“

“Archer is gonna have to do what?”

Sanaya’s eyes widened when she heard the voice of her mentor approaching from the hall. Her eyes met Maya’s instantly.
So there is something going on between Archer and Eve…

Maya simply nodded, her eyes lit with amusement as they both continued to watch Congo tease Archer.

“Archer is gonna have to do what?” Sanaya’s guardian repeated.

Congo barked out a laugh. “All I’m saying is this bro, you are slippin’. I will risk a vein any night-“

“Thanks Congo,” Eve interrupted before all of the playful banter disappeared. Eve gently pushed Congo from the doorway, encouraging him to go on his way. Archer remained in near the entryway, his expression hard and Sanaya knew that Archer was far from amused. Fortunately, Congo was intelligent enough to continue with his exodus, lest Archer decides to take it a step further.

“Ok, ladies well as Congo said, this is where you will camp out for the time being,” Eve stated as she collapsed on the sectional, crossing her long legs.

“This is one of the many guest rooms The Academy hosts for visiting Guardians when the need arises. The two windows which overlook the campus are barred, which means nothing can get in or out unless the individual is crazy strong and,” Archer glanced at Sanaya. “As talented as you are, I am confident that you are not that damn strong yet.” He waited for Sanaya to respond and when all she did was roll her eyes, he continued. “The room is armed with a few silver tipped stakes that are hidden underneath the floor boards in the bedrooms. All water that is filtered in here is blessed, coming through silver pipelines. Each room has a mini fridge, and you are welcomed to whatever is in it. Eve and Tia have first watch, while a small group of us begin tracking.” He cleared his throat and ran an anxious hand over his freshly shaved head.  “So that is it in a nutshell I guess.”

“If the vampire cannot breach the school,” Sanaya began, striving to sound as calm as possible. “Why all of the  precautions?”

Archer swallowed thickly and looked away. “Eve is better suited to explain that part to you. Just trust me when I say it is for your own safety.”  Without another word, Archer excused himself from the room leaving Eve alone with the two teenagers.

“Well,” Eve said after a beat. “That was interesting…a lot to process.”

“So let’s cut to the chase,” Maya pressed, placing a hand on her hip. “What’s up with this vampire? If he can’t appear on campus and attempt to snatch ‘Naya, then what do we have to worry about?”

“Masters are different than the run of the mill vampire. Not only are they stronger, faster and armed with seemingly unlimited powers and abilities, they are extremely sensual. As a matter of fact since we are on the subject, vampires and sexuality are essentially one and the same. Every action taken from the stalking of their prey to the actual delivery of the bite offers a high level of eroticism for them. A master’s power comes from the darkest of sources, and all levels of sexuality stems from that. We are concerned about Sanaya for many reasons. One, they are not supposed to know that you exist and we may have accidentally tipped our hand in their favor and alerted them to your presence. It is one thing to kill a regular vampire, but another to fight a master.” Eve paused, mentally examining the girls before continuing. She noticed Sanaya’s deer in the headlights expression and knew she’d hit the nail on the head. “Two, the fact that he has mind locked with Sanaya, he has a sort of supernatural GPS on her, so let’s say if she did leave the campus tonight for any reason, she would not be safe. He would track her, and kill whoever was in her company. The great thing is he can’t turn her but, there are other ways you can be killed or worse, he can attempt to hold you hostage until you mature, and…there is just a whole lot he can do to you to promote his own agenda.”

“So basically, this all boils down to sex?” Maya asked.

“Maya!” Sanaya scolded, burying her face in her hands.

Maya shrugged. “Well is it?”

“Yes and no,” Eve responded calmly. “Sanaya, he is going to do everything in his power to seduce you out of The Academy. It is another tactic masters use on their prey. Once locked in your mind he is going to become the object of your sexual fantasies to the point of madness and you will do anything to break out of here and find him. He will become your beacon of relief and will remain so until he is exterminated.” Eve bit her lip nervously. “That is why I’m here. I know how to lessen the tie energetically, and to make sure that should he decide to call you,” Eve met Sanaya’s gaze. “You don’t run.”

The silence that accompanied Maya’s gasp reiterated to Sanaya that her nerves were on edge, and she needed to be in motion. Pushing herself from the door frame, she swiftly slipped into the first bedroom, locking the door behind her. A moment was all she needed, at least that is what she told herself. Sinking to the floor, she folded her knees, wrapping her arms around them in a huddled position as she’d done when she first arrived to The Academy. People were going to die. She knew it. Guardians weren’t invincible. She was the one destined to hunt masters and all of the stronger levels of darkness, and yet here she was yet again in another position where she felt…helpless. Sucking in a deep breath, she allowed the anxiety to wash over her.

What is wrong with me?
She swallowed thickly and rested her head against the door.
Why is this-

“’Naya?”  Maya’s concerned voice interrupted Sanaya’s thoughts followed by a soft rap on the door.

“Naya? Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Sanaya said pushing herself up off of the floor. “I just needed a moment to digest everything.”

“Can I come in?”

Sanaya slowly reached for the handle and opened the door.  Eve was still seated on the couch, but was heavily engaged on her cell, while Maya slipped in taking a seat on the edge of the queen sized bed in the center of the room.

“You know they won’t allow that vampire to get to you, right?”

Sanaya exhaled sharply. “That is not what I am worried about Maya. I’m the one that is supposed to kill him-“

“But you’re not ready! We are not ready-“

“People are going to die Maya!”

Maya flinched at Sanaya’s panicked outburst. “They are Guardians ‘Naya. They have been doing this long before we were even born and have done so throughout the centuries when there wasn’t a slayer.”