And just like that, we’re touching down on the shores of the unnamed island that houses the U.K. Academy. I slide off Silas’ back so that he can change back just as Landon splashes ashore, droplets glistening against his dark skin which is already human again. Catching me staring, he winks at me. I roll my eyes at him, which only makes him laugh as he pulls me in for a brief kiss. Curious, I watch Hunter out of the corner of my eye as my mouth touches the siren’s, but the vampire shifter doesn’t even bat an eye at the affection. Some part of me wonders if maybe we’ve passed a threshold in our relationship, but I don’t have time to dwell on it.
Silas clears his throat. “Shall we?”
Together we make our way up the sloping beach and into the woods bordering the Academy building, which feels both foreign and familiar to me now. To think that the last time I was here we were only just getting an idea of the humans’ treachery…
My breathing is growing faster as we approach the clearing where the campus is housed, but Silas and Hunter, who are supporting Shade as we move, suddenly come to a stop. “What’s wrong?” I ask, already going into panic mode.
“We can’t just drag an unconscious shifter into the quad,” Landon replies. “Someone’s going to have to stay behind and take care of Shade.”
“I’ll do it,” I say without missing a beat. My heart aches for the wolf shifter, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to leave him behind.
“Millie…” Silas bites his lip. “I understand you wanting to keep him safe, but you’re not a hundred percent. Not by a long shot. One of us should probably be the one to guard him, in case we get caught.”
My heart sinks, but even as I open my mouth to protest, I realise he’s right. Nobility is all well and good, but it means nothing if it will just end up getting us killed. Swallowing hard, I give him a stiff nod. “Okay. Do you want to do it? You could probably use a rest.”
“Yeah, go ahead and sit this one out,” Landon suggests. “The three of us can handle this.”
Silas gives him a wry smile. “Somehow that, coming from you, Landon, doesn’t make me feel super reassured.”
Landon gives him a shove, but behind his usual playfulness, I can see that he’s nervous. I don’t blame him; I am too. The administration knows we’ve gone on the run, and for all we know, they could have scouts patrolling for any signs of our return. Then again, if they think we’re still trapped in Hawthorne’s facility…
Hunter places his hand at the small of my back, his fingers pressing in ever so gently, and the sensation is steadying. Wordlessly, we walk into the clearing, leaving Shade and Silas in the shadows of the forest outskirts. It feels more and more surreal the closer we get to the quad: what used to be a home for me, a sign of hope, has now become a lion’s den, and the worst part is that we don’t even know where the lion is.
“Seems awfully normal. You know—considering all the kidnappings and bioterrorism,” Landon remarks sarcastically. And he’s right. By all appearances, the campus is running as it always has. Uniformed students rush this way and that on their way to their classes—it seems we’ve arrived during a passing period—and nobody seems bothered in the slightest by the disappearances or the convention centre attack.
“People would always rather pretend everything is fine,” Hunter murmurs with a frown. “Easier that way.”
“Do you think any of them even suspect…?” I ask. “I mean, surely if they’ve kept running their tests…”
“One would think,” Landon says, his brow furrowing.
Upon reaching the stone walkway leading to the academics building, we come to a stop. “What’s the plan?” Hunter asks, turning to me.
I think for a moment. “I say two of us go to check the infirmary, and one goes looking for Josie. Two birds with one stone.”
“I like it,” Landon says. “The less time we spend in this place, the happier I’ll be.”
“I’ll look for Josie,” Hunter volunteers, surprising me once more with how quickly he’s come into his own. “You guys take the infirmary. We can meet back here in half an hour.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say.
As Hunter turns to go, I grab him by the wrist and give him a little squeeze. “Be careful,” I tell him.
The vampire shifter gives me a melancholy smile. “You too, Millie.” And then he turns and vanishes into the crowd of students, his hands in his pockets.
“You ready for this?” Landon asks, holding his hand out.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I reply, even though it’s a lie. I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life.
For all his teasing, Landon is perceptive, and I can tell he can sense my fear. Instead of taking my hand, he puts an arm around my shoulders as we walk, his relaxed posture setting me at ease. “It’ll be fine,” he murmurs in my ear, and the vibrations of his voice make me shiver.
It turns out he spoke too soon. Just as we’re skirting past one of the stone benches and making a beeline for the side entrance, a voice makes us snap to attention. “And just who might you be?”
Chapter 4
My breath hitches, and for a brief moment I wonder whether we could get away if we made a break for it right now. But then my mind goes back to Shade, lying unconscious on the forest floor, and all thoughts of fleeing go out the window. Slowly we turn around to find ourselves face to face with not a faculty member, as I was expecting, but a student. He looks to be a few grades ahead of us, and he crosses his arms as he waits for an answer.
Landon stares at him for a second before turning his question back around on him: "I don't know. Just who might you be?"
"Isaiah Wilson," the other student replies. "I'm part of Hawthorne's campus security cohort. I don’t think I’ve seen you two around the school before."
I stare at him blankly with no idea what he's talking about. Fake it till you make it, I decide, and do my best to give him a winning smile. "Oh, right. The security cohort —of course. I just wanted to thank you personally for keeping all of us safe. It sounds like these insurgents are becoming a real problem." It's a shot in the dark, and it's all I can do not to cross my fingers.
Isaiah's face softens for a moment. "Not exactly my idea of the perfect work study, but I'm not complaining." His tone then goes serious again. "You two aren't in uniform."
Shit, shit, shit. Landon and I exchange a panicked look; I hadn't even thought about the fact that we're in streetwear. "That's completely my bad," Landon says, covering for me. "I was trying to help Boots with her siren form down by the shore-"
"I never learned to swim," I put in.
"-and I didn't want us to get our uniforms wet. Have you ever tried to get salt water out of that fabric?" He scoffs. "Fucking forget it."
"I… wouldn't know about that—I'm a wolf shifter," replies Isaiah, sounding doubtful. "You do realise that's a dress code violation, don't you? Nonconformity."
It's a struggle to disguise my disgust. The Academy seems to be getting more authoritarian by the minute— the subjugation is ironic, considering the humans are doing their damndest to give themselves shifter powers.