"Do you blame me?" I dared another step back, my back slamming into an invisible wall, which had become a growing occurrence with him ever since the night he helped Nadine lock me up in the attic. I didn't know how he was doing it, how he was getting a witch to put up so many charms for him, but I wished she'd stop.
"No, I don't." He wet his lips with his tongue, showing me his fangs were out.
I gulp, knowing if he wanted to, he could sink those fangs into my neck and drain me dry. I wasn't strong enough to fight him off, and I was too slow to outrun him. I was always sort of good at hiding, but I'd have to get past the invisible wall to even attempt to hide.
"I didn't hear anything important," I tried again. Which was sort of true. I mean, I didn't hear who could be killed. Just a she.
He deliberately eliminated the space between us in three measured strides. If he wanted to, he could've reached me in the throb of a pulse. But he was toying with me, dragging out the fear and letting it build.
When he reached me, he stroked my cheek with his fingertip.
I flinched. He flinched, too, but then a crooked and warped smile curled at his lips.
"You should be scared. This world is a scary place," he whispered. Then he snagged hold of my arm and towed me to my locker. "Open it," he demanded.
I shook my head.
He sighed. "Open. It. Now. Or. Else." He didn't embellish on the else; his firm tone was enough to frighten me into opening my locker.
Then he pushed me in, not roughly, but fear still webbed through me.
I opened my mouth to scream, when a wave of sleepiness overcame me.
Damn bastard put a sleepy spell on me.
My eyelids grew heavy.
I'm sorry. The words rang in my head from somewhere.
Sorry for what … ? That was the last thought I had before darkness gulped me up.
When I woke up, I was squished inside my locker, my legs ached, and my brain felt foggy, remnants of the sleeping spell. How he was getting ahold of all this witch magic was beyond me. I wished I could find out and put a stop to it.
"Hello?" I called out.
No one answered.
I tried again. "I need help."
Nothing but eerie silence.
I banged on the locker, threw my weight against it, yet the metal wouldn't cave. I felt so weak. So stupid. So pathetic.
I don't know how long I stayed trapped in my locker, but eventually, the door opened on its own. I stumbled out into the empty hallway, relieved to see the light of day glinting through the windows.
Then I saw a path of black slime paving the marble floor from the entrance doors, down the hallway, and stopping at my locker, and my relief went poof. Demon slime. How? Demons weren't supposed to be able to get into the school.
My muscles stiffened as my gaze glided around the hallway, searching for signs of a demon.
Not a single monster was in sight.
Then my gaze land on my locker, where large, jagged teeth marks covered the exterior of the door.
A violent wave of fear rushed through me, and I ran out of the school.
Come to find out, a demon had attacked the school. No one seemed to know how it got through the charms, but luckily, no one was killed and the demon strangely disappeared.
I couldn't shake the feeling that the demon had been after me. The trail of slime had stopped in front of my locker. The demon had smashed into it.
And I had a feeling Rhyland played a part in it. Mostly because of the conversation I overheard with the stranger. They sounded like they were up to something that would lead to someone getting hurt-the mysterious she.
I hated to think it, but I wondered if the she was me. Whether they were playing a practical joke or not, I still don't know to this night. All I know is that Rhyland forced me in a locker on the same day a demon got into the school, and it would be strange if that was merely coincidental.
I decide then that Rhyland can be truly evil when he wants to be, and the more time I spent away from him, the better.
5
During the drive to Liquid Red & Blood Magic, I give Effie and Anders a rundown of how I overheard Rhyland and Kingsley being rude to Nadine. Then I tell them about how Rhyland grabbed me. By the time I'm finished, Effie is livid.
"Those assholes. I seriously can't stand them." She grips the living nightlights out of the steering wheel, the metallic black rings on each of her fingers glinting in the moonlight. "One day, I swear to God, I'm gonna … "
"Gonna what?" Anders asks from the passenger seat, cocking his brow. "I hate to be the one to ruin your evil plot fun, but Rhyland and Kingsley are emperors. And all we are is three normal, albeit weird and extremely awesome vampires. In terms of power, we can't do much to them. Plus, there are laws and unless you want to be considered part of the rebellion, you don't break the laws." When Effie shoots him a warning look, he offers me an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Raven. That's probably not what you wanted to hear right now."