The Vampire Hunter's Academy: The Darkness (8 page)

But he was left behind to rot in the system until his last stint in the streets landed him in so much trouble he was facing adult charges.

Illegal possession of a firearm. Resisting arrest. Possession of drug paraphernalia.
25 years was what he was facing until the cocky bastard, Archer appeared and all of his charges were mysteriously dropped. But instead of sitting in confinement in some Georgia prison, he was locked in a room at the Vatican. What difference did that make?

Sure he got a little snappy with the Guardians. And so what if he has a quick mouth, his fists were faster. That was what helped him survive in the streets. He already fought off several vampires and a couple of demons on his own
without
backup from the Vatican. Vampires were already taking control of the streets, capitalizing not only on blood but money too. As a matter of fact, he worked for one before and he was sure as shit that the fucker knew what time it was with him. But he was about that paper; those dollar bills; the root of all evil according to the Bible because what job was going to hire and look out for a seventeen year old kid with no home, no family? These snobby ass Guardians thought that they could just come in, rescue him from his “fate” and expect nothing but gratitude when he had been surviving on his own since he was nine?  Just like the Vatican and the Pope himself, all of these bastards truly had him fucked up.

He sat up and pushed his shoulder length dreadlocks away from his face. His girlfriend, LaQuanda back home would wonder what the hell happened to him. She wasn’t exactly wife material, but she did look out for him: convinced her mother to stay with them for a while until he “got a job”; held his dope for him when asked, and wasn’t a bad lay either. He couldn’t even call her. The Guardians made sure of that. The bootleg IPhone he was given could only make local calls and the Wi-Fi was limited.

He thought back to the voice in his head: Sanaya is what she called herself. Telepathy wasn’t new to him. As a matter of fact he’d been all up in people’s heads since he could talk. He just wasn’t used to someone else with the ability, and her gift in telepathy was strong, much stronger than his own. He couldn’t get a mindlock with anyone here, but somehow she could. He definitely looked forward to meeting with her at the courtyard tomorrow.

Reaching for the outdated phone, he sent a quick text to his assigned mentor, Congo when his stomach growled. He refused to eat earlier and now he was paying for it. Congo quickly responded informing him that he would see what he could do and to sit tight. Flinging the phone across the room, he punched his mattress in frustration. He didn’t even have a damn television in his room to idly pass the time, so how the hell could he just sit tight?

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere that snapped him out of him mental fit. He tuned his hearing to the sounds of boots hitting the marble flooring of the halls. And then an alarm sounded, followed by an unfamiliar Guardian forcing his door open.

“C’mon kid we’re moving you,” said the platinum blonde bombshell of a Guardian.

“Why? What happened?” He found himself asking as he retrieved his belongings with her assistance.

“Several students have gone missing and we need to move you. Now.”

King followed the Guardian out of the tiny dorm room that reminded him of a prison cell, running behind her down several flights of stairs where she accompanied him to another section of the school to where other students were being ushered into a two story building. He scanned the parameter mentally searching for Sanaya’s energy signature, when he sensed her approaching surrounded by her own personal guard.

His chest tightened as his mouth went dry and other parts of his body hardened at the sight. And it didn’t take a genius to know that she was more than just the average student to have her own personal guard. When her eyes looked up from the ground she seemed to be preoccupied with meeting with his, instant knowing slammed into her, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke, and somehow, he knew that his stay at the Academy was not going to be so bad after all. Her mentor caught on to their shared glance and stepped in front of her and offered him a nasty scowl. She didn’t like him and he could dig it. Not many people did. But the shy, reassuring smile Sanaya offered in his direction made it worth it.

Chapter Eleven

Sanaya awoke to the terrifying reality that three students, second year students to be exact were missing. The Academy was supposed to be a formidable fortress against The Darkness and yet, three sophomores were missing, and no one could figure out how. The only common denominator that three students shared were that they were all linked to Elizabeth Van Helsing’s crew; and the reason why the Queen of Spite was spending the morning under heavy interrogation by the leaders of the school. Not to mention there was still the master vampire that was after her, however last night she was given a reprieve from his dreamscape visit and she shuddered to try to figure out why.

Stretching, with a million things on her mind and the burden of the day ahead of her, she checked her phone and still no word from Maya and at least a dozen texts from Trent. She politely replied to Trent’s pleas for a response to his worried inquiries before jumping in the shower. Archer was supposed to escort her to breakfast to give Eve a much needed break,  and with only forty five minutes to spare Sanaya made sure to move with haste, putting her supernatural abilities to use. Busying herself with her morning ministrations was also a much needed distraction from the seemingly rebellious new potential Guardian, King.

Scrubbing herself with the coconut body scrub Archer ordered for her as a perk, she forced herself not to think about the muscled, lithe frame of the  newest Guardian in training; or the intensity of his deep brown eyes when their eyes met, or the commanding presence of his almost six foot frame that loomed over the neighboring students¸ or those full lips that he licked out of habit that made her forget that she was even breathing. His wife beater exposed an entire sleeve of tattooed pain, and his perfectly smooth, unmarred, and chiseled face with the bone structure that only a skilled artist could replicate was enough to make her weak in the knees. He stared at her as if she were the only one on the planet that mattered…and to her, that mattered. Through their connection he was seeking someone he could relate to; and it was through their connection she realized she too sought the same.

Rinsing off, she was out of the shower when she realized Archer would be knocking on her door in fifteen minutes. She threw on a pair of skinny jeans, a white V-neck and her beige leather jacket and quickly styled her hair into a perfect bun. She was just placing her notebook in her bag when she sensed the familiar presence of her Guardian mentor and rushed to answer the door before he knocked.

“I’m ready,” she breathed with her bag in hand and closed the door behind her.

“Good. Glad to know I didn’t have to drag you out of the bathroom,” he replied evenly. “Did you sleep well?”

Archer studied her quickly, obviously searching for signs of fatigue. Sanaya smiled warmly. “I slept fine surprisingly, considering everything that is going on around here.”

“I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about that,” he added slowly as they joined the six awaiting Guardians. “The Guardians are working day and night to get to the bottom of things and…”

Archer stopped walking just as they reached the steps leading to an archway facing the acres of greenery that greeted them ahead. “If you hear anything coming from the mouths of the other students that may help in finding those missing students,” his hazel eyes held her gaze. “You will let us know, right?”

She nodded, her eyes confirming that her action was a statement of truth. However, there was a part of her that desired to hunt. A surge of an awakening power dawned on her, and she managed to keep it at bay so as not to alert her Guardian mentor. They needed her help whether they wanted to admit it or not; and what they were failing to admit is the fact that hunting is in her blood. She would track those students, even if she had to do it alone, because she reasoned as she fell into formation with the Guardians, this was her fight. Not theirs. And it was time she came out of hiding.

With Elizabeth gone, breakfast was a breeze. Of course, Maya was still not talking to her. She had taken a seat at a table near the front entrance. Sanaya glanced at her and sighed, before taking a seat in a separate corner of the dining hall, praying not to run into Trent. Archer was near the dish room engaged in a serious conversation with a group of Guardians when she sensed the familiar and undeniable energy signature of none other than King. Congo was behind him, instructing him on what to do and where to go. It was obvious King must have sensed her too because he spun around, searching the sea of students frantically and when he spotted her, a slight grin spread across his face. She tried not to show her own excitement, but the sight of the handsome young man made her heart flutter. Maya must have spotted him too because she could not keep her eyes off of him as he sauntered passed her and took a seat at the table with Sanaya.

Sanaya could feel her friend’s eyes on her, but she chose to ignore it. Maya was not in a place to ask questions and expect answers since they technically were not speaking.

She swallowed thickly as King’s own masculine aroma combined with Mountain Spring soap entered her nostrils. Damn he smelled good.

“Hi…” He said, his eyes drinking her in, never leaving her face.

“Hi…” She replied. She noticed the moment he took a seat; Archer, Congo, Tia and Eve were all glaring in their direction as if they were plotting some sort of conspiracy.

“So you’re the girl in my head,” King continued.

God, he is even better looking this close…
Sanaya thought..

“Sorry about that,” she began, forcing herself to take a bite of her pancake. “My powers are…strengthening and it just sort of happened.”

“No, it’s cool ma. I’m just used to being up in everyone else’s head instead of someone being in mine, ya feel me?” Even his voice was liquid velvet, offering a soothing effect that made her limbs feel like jelly.

“Same here. Before I was found, I was the only one who could hear, see and smell everything that was going on around me, including things that moved in the dark-“

“When did you? How did you?”

“My dad was turned into a vampire and decided to bring home the good news to his family. That is the night that I learned that there is a lot more to me than what I knew before.”

Taking a bite of his own food which included strips of bacon and scrambled eggs, he continued with his line of questioning. “Well obviously there is definitely a lot more to you. What are you a princess or something? They got you under heavy protection.”

“There is a lot going on around here otherwise, I wouldn’t be under this much supervision.”

“Who did you piss off? The Pope?” He chuckled while taking in another bite.

“No. A master vampire.”

He stopped chewing.

“So I take it even though you are new, you know the deal on that type of entity right?”

“I know a little something. You’re not a Guardian are you? You’re something special huh?”

She cringed when he said “special”. She felt everything else but that.

“I wouldn’t say all of that, but I am what I am apparently, and lots of people would think of me as anything but.”

He smiled at her. “Nah, they just hatin’. I didn’t pick up anything but special from you, and I’m good at reading people. You ain’t no ordinary bit-lady. Lady…excuse me, I..”

“No, it’s alright. I get what you are saying.”

“Time to go kids,” came an unhappy voice from behind.

Sanaya’s head whipped around to meet the disapproving stare of Archer. She hesitantly grabbed her plate, not ready to say goodbye to the handsome stranger. “See you around?”

Before he could open his mouth in response, Congo answered for him. “He does not have idle time to spare dear Slayer. Just like you, he has to acclimate himself to his new home and receive the appropriate training otherwise he cannot stay within the walls of The Academy.”

King’s eyes blazed with defiance, and she could sense Archer’s tension, she quickly sent King a message.

Chill…there is a lot going on. Everyone is on edge.

King grabbed his plate without looking at her.
When can I see you again?

Classes maybe…

What about the courtyard?

When?

Tonight…
King swung his back pack high above his shoulder.

Ok, tonight then.

Eve quickly stepped between Sanaya and King’s personal exchange by ushering Sanaya behind Archer. Congo motioned for King to follow him, and as badly as she wanted to turn around and share one last glance in King’s direction, Sanaya knew that it would be best if things between them were kept under wraps. But whatever it was that was growing between them, she simply could not suffocate the small spark that warmed her spirit. She felt his connection slip away as Eve walked beside her behind Archer, and wished like hell that for once in her life, she would be allowed to just be normal.