Page 66 of Blood Oath
“Oh! Are you going on a road trip with them? That’s adorable. I should go on a road trip with my mates, too. Hey, what if we all go together during the holiday break between semesters? Gods, that would be so much fun! I’ve missed hanging out with my favorite adorably gloomy caster as much lately.”
I cringe. Not for the first time, I feel annoyed at myself for leading Kenzie on like this. I really tried not to get attached to her, but I’ll feel like shit when she’ll feel like I ghosted her next semester. Maybe I should do something nice for her before that happens to soften the blow.
“You hoo? May?” she checks. “You still there? You down for a holiday trip together?”
“Maybe,” I concede, the lie tasting bitter. “But for now…”
“Sure, you can take Bluebell for a couple of days.” That’s her car’s name. “Where are you headed, anyway?”
Shit. What would be a good excuse? “My adoptive father’s very distant cousin is getting married in Pennsylvania. I was invited.”
“Oh! Good opportunity for a wedding date. You should definitely invite your guys.”
“For the last time, they are not my guys.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” she says, drawing out the word long and slow. “Just grab my keys sometime tonight and promise to have wild group sex, just maybe not in Bluebell.”
“I’m not?—“
She snickers and hangs up before I can protest, and I scoff with amusement as I toss my phone back onto my bed. If I’m brutally honest with myself, I’m glad I have Kenzie here at Everbound. Although, if she knew the truth about me, she would also hate me.
That’s enough to wipe away my smile, and I walk to the window, looking out over the snowy patches in the dark fields surrounding Everbound. There’s a thick cloud cover overhead, meaning it will be nearly pitch black in Everbound Forest later.
Which means it will be more dangerous and time-consuming to go, you fool.
I’ve never been good at listening to myself.
So when midnight rolls around hours later, I finish tugging on my favorite black leather gloves, pull my dark hood over my face, and climb out the window. Using the door is a non-option since I can’t be sure Crypt isn’t still out in that hall somewhere or if he’s out feeding on dreams. Carefully scaling down the side of Everbound Castle in the wintry night air, I drop silently to my feet and check to make sure no one is in this particular courtyard before setting off for Everbound Forest.
I know exactly where the ruins are. Rumor has it that a couple hundred years ago, another castle was built near Everbound as a backup fortress, but it was destroyed by an insane storm caused by some legacy’s curse getting out of control. Everyone at the fortress was killed, and the ghosts still stand watch over what’s left of the place.
Lifting a faint light spell in the palm of my hand, I study my surroundings in the dark, forbidding forest full of barren trees and mysterious shadows. An unnatural howling breaks out far in the distance, and I can hear rough growls echoing from another direction. The creatures in Everbound Forest seem to be more active at night.
The forest air is stirring with chill, spooky mist, and sinister fears that seem to delve under the skin like ghostly termites.
I love it.
Putting out my light, I arrive at the ruins and wait at the fringe of the tree line, looking for a hint of whoever else might be here. I’m armed to the teeth tonight, with my adamantine dagger tucked comfortingly in my boot and several other knives and weapons concealed on my person.
“That you, Oakley?” Someone calls, stepping out of the ruins with a glowing mage light in their hands. It’s Harlow, and four other legacies are with her. None of them are Sierra.
Five on one? Maybe they have more friends hiding nearby. That would be fun.
“You can come closer. We don’t bite,” one of them laughs.
“A shame,” I reply as I approach.
It takes only seconds for me to analyze the best course for taking them out. Slitting two of their throats would take mere seconds, and the one on the left, who looks more physically intimidating, would be easy to take out with my adamantine blade. Harlow’s neck snapped. The petite girl wearing the House of Arcana symbol on her shirt might throw out some impressive magic, but I still doubt I’ll have a decent fight on my hands.
Disappointing, but it’s time to get on with it.
The one in the House of Arcana shirt shuffles uncomfortably. “Um…before you attack us, could you listen to what we have to say?”
Fuck. Is she a psychic? I can’t let anyone into my thoughts. Immediately, I empty my head of everything of substance as I’ve practiced countless times in my training.
Seeing the dagger already in my hand, Harlow snorts. “Girl. Relax. Monica isn’t reading your thoughts, she’s just an empath. And we’re not going to kill you.”
“Why not?”
