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  AHAVA TRIVEDI

  COPYRIGHT

  Sanguine Spell

  Bloodline Academy: Book Three

  Copyright © 2020 Ahava Trivedi

  www.ahavatrivedi.com

  All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except for brief quotations in a book review. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

  ABOUT sanguine Spell

  Sometimes the pull of darkness is stronger than the light…

  To hell with Bloodline Academy. To hell with the Supernatural Light Alliance.

  The only thing I care about is to avenge my mother’s untimely death. And, apparently the only way to do that is by leaving Louisiana and ending up in the Carpathian Mountain range across Europe at Silverstone Academy, a hidden school for the Silver Shadows werewolves.

  Hanging out with werewolves who are deeply suspicious of vampires wasn’t part of the plan. But at least my boyfriend and besties have come along for the ride. Oh, and the other advantage of our new placement: we’re now just a cavernous skip-and-a-hop away from the ultra-creepy Cachtice Castle, the Blood Countess’s last known whereabouts and likely the current ones of my mom’s killer.

  As we settle in at Silverstone Academy and secrets start to unravel, I find myself seeking out a Sanguine vampire from my past.

  And my past, is about to return – big time…

  To light that shines brighter because the darkness exists.

  Chapter 1

  Darkness was starting to fall around me. I jogged breathlessly through the thick trees feeling a boost in my pace as my nocturnal powers kicked in. I stopped abruptly to catch up with myself, looking left, right and instinctively up at the moon which was filling out nicely. I listened for movement in the undertow of the once majestic Couturie Forest, a stone’s throw from downtown New Orleans but a world away from Bloodline Academy where I’d basically been a prisoner for the last two semesters.

  Something scurried softly to the right of me behind a large and ancient oak tree. I streamed towards it without waiting to sense what it could be but before I’d even reached it, I saw the sizeable wingspan of a bald eagle, sweep off into the night. I stood still to focus my attention and get a read of any beings I could sense in my vicinity.

  “Kat, listen to me!” Safi’s thought-form came strongly in my head. I began brisk-walking in no particular direction to shake her off. “Kat!” I ignored her and kept walking. “If you won’t talk to me, at least listen to Ulric?”

  “Leave me alone!” I said, wordlessly back to her. I wasn’t sure who I meant it for. For my best friend or my boyfriend. Or both. I pushed hard to drown out Ulric’s racing thoughts about me which were all ones of concern laced with panic.

  I was so over listening to everyone and doing what others said – caring how they felt. Screw that. From now on I would do exactly and only what I wanted. Which at this precise moment was to hunt down the squirming, pathetic coward who had killed my mother. My uncle Kellum. He had fled and I knew without needing conformation that he’d used Tempus Fugit – the portal at Bloodline Academy, configured by the heaviest of dark magic – to leave the country, maybe even the realm. I hoped he hadn’t left the mortal realm or that would be a completely different problem. Thankfully he was a vampire and a blood thirsty vengeful one, so the chances were strong that he was just in hiding somewhere.

  Even if I didn’t know Kellum Bathory’s whereabouts, one way to find him quickly was through the human man who had been his accomplice. The one who had handled the Dark Spark and made my mother’s death possible in the senseless way it had occurred. And it was him I was tracking through the lush vegetation. I had chased him all day, using my witching powers to try and sense which way he’d gone. I’d tried and failed miserably at a Trailing Spell which should have showed me the exact path that the man had taken. It wasn’t a spell I’d practiced before and in my rushed effort it had fizzled out instantly, leaving me pissed off and frustrated.

  Safi had asked if she could help in some way. I’d ignored her. A little late now to help me with something I wouldn’t have needed to be doing, had help come when it should have. “Kat, it’s Ulric – I’m leaving Superno and coming to look for you if you don’t answer us. We need to know you’re okay,” came Ulric’s wordless sentiment, presumably through Safi’s connection with me. I stopped, feeling defeated.

  The night Sophie-Anne had died, Nadasdy and the professors at Bloodline Academy had instructed all the gawking students to go back to their dorm rooms and acted as if nothing had happened. My mother’s life had literally been a flash in the pan for everyone who’d witnessed her death. Something to gossip about the next night and forget about by the time the first class began.

  I’d told Natalie and Valenthia I needed some fresh air and wanted to be alone. I’d then followed the man as he’d retreated from the grounds of Bloodline Academy and tracked him through the heavily crammed French Quarter. He’d known I was following him but I’d kept enough of a distance, not to draw attention to what I was doing. There had been too many people around us, including various types of supes for me to have acted upon my instincts which were to attack. Besides, attacking him in such a public place would only have made me look like the psychotic vamp villainess. No one would care to know that he was really the one who’d had a hand in driving one of the gentlest vamps to committing suicide.

  He’d stayed on foot the entire day. I’d kept going, following him until the next night when I’d managed to flush him out of the densely populated area of the city and he’d ended up running out into the openness of the forest. Why he’d made such a move, I had no idea. If it was a trap, I no longer cared. “Kat?” I heard Ulric’s desperate call inside my head. I bent over, grabbing hold of my knees to stabilize myself.

  “What?” I sent back, no longer able to keep the two of them out of my head.

  “Where are you?” asked Ulric, through Safi.

  “Couturie Forest,” I sighed. “I’m fine – I need some time by myself, leave me alone.”

  Ulric didn’t say anything but he’d clearly forgotten that I could tune into his mind and hear his thoughts. He immediately began planning the fastest route to get to me and Safi was getting in on it too. I exhaled, a long deep breath, which felt warm against the coolness of the air around me. I decided to put whatever Safi and Ulric were doing aside – I had too much on my plate to worry about them turning up. And if they did, they did. I was fed up of looking out for everyone else.

  I slumped down on the mossy ground and felt for the small, clear quartz crystal I had in my pocket. The one that Sophie-Anne had given me that had belonged to Cassander Quartz, my late father. I summoned my magic again and this time felt a subtle bubble of energy come from within me and go outwards. The blooming on my arm glowed, as if to acknowledge that my powers had done what they should have.

  I closed my eyes and felt for the man’s presence again and when I opened them, I saw that the bubble I’d sent out had constricted into a pocket of silver magic that floated above one small area of the forest not too far from where I was sitting. It sparkled in the light of the moon. I stood up and instead of streaming over to where the man was hiding, I fixed my gaze on the sight of the floating magic and took slow, silent steps towards the place. A branch cracked somewhere behind me in the distance but I didn’t look away from the beacon of silver that was leading me to the coward’s hiding place. I’ve got you, I thought as my pulse picked up. It wasn’t from fear
but the thrill of anticipation. A predator closing in on her prey.

  As I proceeded towards where I was being guided, I heard another sound behind me. Someone was hiding in the darkness, stalking me too. I hoped I was mistaken and it was an alligator. A quick scan of the area told me it wasn’t an animal. It was a vampire. Great. That was exactly what I needed. Kellum Bathory’s accomplice was so close by and I was about to be taken out before I had the chance to get to him. Whoever it was streamed closer, from behind one tree to behind the next. My attention had now shifted completely from the fading form of my magical cloud to the vampire behind me.

  “Show yourself!” I demanded. If this was a ploy on behalf of the man I was chasing after, it had worked. I was cornered in the dense isolation of nature, alone. I heard another rustle and sensed a second vampire had streamed in and joined the first. The silver cloud I’d conjured up, dissipated completely and if I didn’t act fast, I’d lose the guy I’d managed to corner. “Come out and fight properly!” I shouted into the night. I strained my ears and heard the man moving off into the distance. I scanned the area where the vamps were concealed and was about to stream myself away to pursue him when the vamps emerged from the shadows.

  “Hey,” said Natalie meekly.

  “Nat, what the hell?” I said, instantly relieved and then angry.

  “We wanted to make sure you were okay,” replied Valenthia. Both of their eyes gleamed like two pairs of rubies.

  “Thanks – but I told you I just wanted to be by myself for a while,” I said turning to try and feel out where the human had gotten to.

  “And that was yesterday when you stepped out for a couple of minutes,” said Natalie, firmer than she usually was, “I know this is a terrible time for you. Terrible doesn’t even begin to cut it but running away from us to hunt out that piece of trash that…did what he did, isn’t going to bring back your mom, Kat.”

  “Doesn’t mean he can’t pay for it,” I said in a hollow voice as I angrily fought back tears.

  “I know. But you’re tired,” said Natalie, looking worn out herself.

  “How did you guys find me?” I asked, still keeping my gaze and my ear towards the last known whereabouts of the man.

  “I’ve been following you all night and day,” replied Natalie, slumping against Valenthia. “I called out to Val only a few minutes ago. Because whatever you’re about to do, you need back up. And I need back up too.”

  “Oh,” I replied lamely.

  “And the fact that you didn’t even notice that someone was trailing you, shows how much you need us right now,” added Natalie, twirling her soft blonde curls into a bun.

  “So, what’s the plan?” asked Valenthia.

  “That weasel hiding out there in the bushes is going to tell me where Kellum Bathory is, or we are going to drain him of every last drop of his blood,” I said.

  “Okay, I can work with that,” said Valenthia thoughtfully. Her eyes glistened again in the darkness as she acquired her full vampire state. I saw her bright white fangs poke over the top of her bottom lip.

  “I don’t know about this,” said Natalie, “unless he has a death wish, doesn’t it seem odd that he’s run into a place that’s completely lonely and isolated when he knows you’re following him – which I can tell you, he does?”

  “Where else would he run?” I asked, annoyed that she probably had a point. One that I’d conveniently ignored as I’d been driven by grief.

  “Yes, but she’s not alone anymore, is she?” intercepted Valenthia. “And she never was because you were right behind her and I was only a call away.”

  “Still, knowing all that…” began Natalie.

  “The girl needs vengeance, Nat. And paying this freak his dues doesn’t even begin to cut it,” said Valenthia decidedly.

  “Alright, fine,” sighed Natalie, “should we split up?”

  “He’s gone that way,” I said pointing to the general location of where my silver cloud of magic had dispersed.

  “Okay, great,” said Valenthia, streaming off. I joined her and I could sense Natalie not far behind us as the cool night air hit my face. It felt refreshing and the speed at which I cruised served to numb the pain I felt inside, albeit for a few seconds.

  A howl suddenly rang out from where we were headed and before I could stop, I heard another. I knew in an instant that Natalie’s fears had been valid. And she was right – I’d been completely oblivious to anyone other than the one I’d been pursuing. Black Bane werewolves were hiding out in the forest waiting for me as I’d followed the weasel into his hole. Valenthia halted several feet ahead of me. Her pose was rigid and ready to defend. I felt Natalie standing behind me. Knowing there were at least two werewolves meant that fighting them had to be a last resort. Strength wouldn’t be an issue for a werewolf and I wasn’t about to risk my friends getting injured or attacked. Four big wolves stealthily emerged from the greenery, snarling at us. Valenthia stepped backwards and I stood there unmoving as I tried to gage what to do next.

  “I was hoping you’d leave me alone but you leave me no choice to avail of the protection of these fine beasts,” said the weasel stepping out of the darkness. There was no trace of remorse in his voice. Rage seared through me white and hot.

  I wanted to rip his head off but as that wasn’t an immediate possibility, I ignored the menacing voice and the low growls as the werewolves moved towards us, spreading further out between each stride so they could enclose on us in a circle. I shut my eyes to focus on summoning my magic. My body felt alive and yet my mind felt distant. The only thing I concentrated on was bringing my blooming to life and through it, my magic. Wisps of silver began to lift off me as I felt my powers emerge. As one of the werewolves to our right closed in, I lifted my arm and aimed. A burst of silver shot out of my hand and the creature was launched high into the air before he heavily thudded back down to the ground.

  A silver bolt that I didn’t recognize as my own, tore past me and sent the werewolf closest to Valenthia, flying. It took me a moment to realize that although the source of the power wasn’t mine, it felt completely familiar. The thick and glossy form of a werewolf padded defensively out in front of us. It was Ulric and behind him, the one who’d made the second werewolf airborne was Safi. I kept my own focus and there was something about knowing they were present yet not face to face, that gave me great comfort.

  The two remaining werewolves realized they were outnumbered and fled, leaving the human weasel alone and unprotected. He turned on his heels and made a feeble attempt at running for it but Ulric advanced on him before he’d taken his first step, blocking his escape. Valenthia streamed over to Ulric so he had no option other than to start backing up towards us. Natalie and Safi came up and stood beside me.

  “What shall we do with him, Kat?” asked Valenthia, gripping the weasel firmly by the front of his worn leather jacket. He was a good foot taller than her and had she not been a supe, what she accomplished so easily would have been virtually impossible. The man proceeded to try and kick and punch his way out of her grip, which had no effect on her whatsoever apart from to make Ulric close in on him as well. It was only when the man yanked at a handful of Valenthia’s violet hair that she decided she’d had enough and effortlessly tackled him to the ground. She pinned him down like a police officer who was about to make an arrest on an unruly and dishevelled perpetrator.

  “I’ve got him,” I said walking up to them as Valenthia continued to hold him down.

  “Why don’t we get the S.L.A. down here? They’ll take care of him?” said Safi. I froze and suddenly my anger that had been solely directed at the weasel who was still struggling beneath Valenthia, turned towards my best friend.

  “You didn’t just say that,” I said, taking a sharp inhale.

  “Hurting a human carries a tough penalty in supernatural prison,” said Safi. I distinctly saw her flinch as her emeraldine eyes glimpsed my red ones and vampiric appearance. “And he’s really not worth it, Kat,” she tri
ed, tugging at an ebony curl.

  “Not twenty-four hours ago, this human helped to kill my mother!” I spat back shrilly.

  “I know…” began Safi.

  “No! You really don’t know!” I protested, “You have literally no idea!”

  “What are you going to do to him?” asked Safi in a timid voice that riled me even more. Because I was the bad guy in this situation. But that was exactly it. According to the so-called Supernatural Light Alliance, no matter what I did or didn’t do, I was bad. Through and through because I too was a creature of dark blood. Being a Crystal Witch counted for nothing because it had been made clear to me that my vampire blood made me a menace. A nuisance to be controlled and used at will. And I was done. “Kat?” said Safi.

  “What am I going to do to him?” I breathed, “I’m going to go vamp on his ass.”

  “You’re a witch. You’re better than that,” persisted Safi putting her foot further in her mouth and causing Natalie and Valenthia to hiss at her.

  “That’s the thing,” I replied, “I’m not.” I turned away from Safi and streamed towards the man and Valenthia.

  “Your friend’s right,” said the man still vigorously trying to fight Valenthia off, “you might as well let me go because otherwise, this isn’t going to end well for you.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind,” I said drawing close. What an absolute a-hole. Valenthia got off him and he tried to make another break for it. Obviously, he was surrounded by everyone apart from Safi. Natalie and Valenthia had him before he could do much. “You have a very easy choice,” I continued, “tell me where Kellum Bathory is or I can drain your blood right here, right now.”

  “That’s not about to happen,” the weasel snivelled in reply.

  “Okay, that’s cool,” I said, advancing upon him. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a short but strong hit of euphoria. I thought it was my magic rising again but nothing swirled up from me. My gums itched and as I ran my tongue over them, I felt the abrupt and piercing prick of one of the fangs that protruded on either side of my mouth. Ulric’s amber eyes stared into mine and even as a werewolf in the dark, his expression was one of surprise. It was punctuated by his thought, which said an astounded “woah!”, inside my head. I hid my own surprise by managing a poker face.