My Boyfriend Merlin (9 page)

CHAPTER 7
AVALON PREPARATORY

“You are candidates,” Matt repeated. “You will not have a problem. Believe me.”

“The gargoyles came after my whole family,” Billie said grimly. “They put my brother in a hospital. They didn’t do that without reason. I believe Master Matt.”

From the other side of the room, Vane let out a loud yawn. “Should we order lunch while you dither?”

My eyes narrowed. I muttered, “I’ll take the test just to shut him up.”

The tension on the fourteen faces surrounding me broke.

“So will I,” said Oliver with a laugh.

“So will I,” Grey said.

The others echoed the agreement.

Matt looked at Aurelius and nodded.

“Councilmember Thornton, please bring out the water,” Aurelius commanded.

A pedestal holding a plain glass bowl was brought forward. Thornton picked up an urn. He poured a bit of ordinary looking water into the bowl. Light from an overhead sconce reflected off the water’s surface. I thought I saw a faint blue shimmer.

Aurelius said, “Who will go first?”

“We will,” Vane said. His candidates shadowed him. Vane nodded at a brutish boy who stood in front. “Mark, step up to the water.”

Mark strode to the pedestal. He cupped his hands together. Thornton prompted him to move his hands over the bowl. Mark complied. Thornton poured water into his hands. He slurped up the water. Around me, everyone stilled in equal parts apprehension and anticipation. Nothing happened for the first few seconds. Then, Mark let out a small grunt. He sank to his knees and started dry heaving.

I found myself taking a step toward the pedestal.

“Do not disturb him,” Aurelius warned me off. I stopped.

Matt moved to stand beside me. “Look at the bowl.”

Water in the bowl on the pedestal shimmered brighter and brighter. Images flashed through the water—Mark dueled with Vane, Vane defeated him, and Mark fell to the ground.

“The water shifts through the past,” Matt explained. “In this case, they’ve linked it to the one who drinks the water.”

“How is that possible?” Oliver asked from behind us.

Vane gave him a sardonic look. “Magic.”

I leaned closer to Matt and whispered, “Why these images?”

Matt’s breath tickled my skin. “It must be the most significant event on his mind. It’s different for everyone.”

On the floor, Mark shuddered. Thornton set down the urn and helped him up.

“Well done, son,” Aurelius told him. “Those who see the water are confirmed as candidates.” He gestured Mark to go to Marilynn. “Please report to admissions. She will give you your schedule and room assignment. Welcome to the Avalon Preparatory Academy.”

The brutish boy tried to retain a tough demeanor, but I saw how slowly he moved as he walked to Marilynn. The rest of Vane’s candidates glanced at each other. Gone was the air of arrogance.

“No pain. No gain.” Vane crooked his finger at the lone girl of the group. “You’re next.”

She chewed her lip, hesitating. Vane whispered in her ear. Whatever he said, she must not have liked because her short red hair swung around her face like razors as she marched to the pedestal. Vane watched her go with an impassive expression.

Aurelius signaled the Councilmember to proceed with the urn. The girl took the water in cupped hand. She swallowed it quickly. A moment later, she let out a loud scream and fell to her knees. She dropped to her knees. Her whole body shook.

The water in the bowl shifted, showing brutal images. A woman, an older version of the girl, probably her mother, hit the young redhead over and over again. As she watched the beating, the girl started crying.

I had to look away. Grey let out a low growl.

“Matt,” I said. “Stop this.”

Matt raised his hand and the water in the pedestal sloshed, breaking the stream of images. He went to the girl and offered a hand up.

The girl got up angrily. “You shouldn’t have interrupted the test.” Her hands fisting, she looked at Aurelius. “Did I pass?”

Aurelius nodded. “Please see Miss Marilynn.”

Vane signaled another candidate to come forward. A young boy who couldn’t have been more than fifteen walked bravely to the pedestal. Thornton poured water into his waiting hands. The boy didn’t move to swallow it. Instead he just stared at it. Vane cleared his throat loudly. With a start, the boy swallowed the water.

Nothing happened. The bowl on the pedestal remained still.

“Give him more,” Vane said.

Thornton looked at Aurelius. Aurelius inclined his head in agreement. Thornton complied. The boy drank a second helping. Still nothing.

“He is not a candidate,” Aurelius declared

The boy went pale. “No. I can’t go home. The gargoyles burned my house down. My grandmother is gone. I don’t have any place to go back to.” Beseeching eyes sought out Vane. “You said this is where I belonged.”

Vane gave the boy an uninterested glance. “You are not a candidate. You will be fine.”

“You do belong here.” Matt said. “You are a wizard. You can go to school.”

Aurelius said, “Yes, he would be eligible. But we are not a charity. The school has tuition. He needs a sponsor.”

“I have no doubt Vane has enough to help,” Matt said. He looked at Vane. “Unless you want to turn the boy loose with his knowledge of the candidates.”

“I have the perfect forgetfulness spell,” Vane said.

Matt shook his head. “Unbelievable. You know that after how long the boy has been with you, the amount of memory you would have to modify, you risk turning him into a turnip.”

Aurelius looked to Vane. “Vane, he is your responsibility.”

Vane crossed his arms. “The Council rejected him. He is also your responsibility. I will sponsor him and pay for the admissions test. That is all. He can always work off the rest after graduation.”

Aurelius sighed. “Marilynn, come take this boy for regular enrollment.”

The boy gave Vane a grateful smile. “I knew you would be my savior.”

Vane inclined his head at the accolade. He signaled the next candidate to step up to the pedestal.

Matt’s words about his brother and me reverberated in my head. I whispered to Matt, “Your brother is a toad. I wouldn’t kiss him even if I was a princess.”

“He’s more than that—he’s dangerous,” Matt replied without humor. “Vane is like a hurricane. He doesn’t care what he wrecks in his path. He only cares about what he wants."

I raised my brow. “Dramatic much?”

“If only I was.”

The last of Vane’s candidates went to the pedestal.

The brothers had issues with a capital I
.
I’d never seen Matt so wound up.

Aurelius looked at us. “Is your group ready?”

My stomach knotted. Grey caught my gaze. The same fear was reflected in his eyes. What horrible thing would the water bring out from us?

I took a bracing breath. “Matt, will the water be the same for us Regulars as it was for the wizard candidates?”

“It should be,” Matt said. “But I couldn’t say for sure.”

“That’s really helpful,” I said dryly.

Grey took a step forward.

I stepped in front of him. “I’ll go first.”

“You’re sure?” Matt said, his face tight with worry.

Discreetly, I squeezed his hand before heading to the pedestal. My gaze collided with Vane’s. He watched Matt and me with interest. I glanced away.

Thornton poured a few drops of water into my cupped hands and I hoped no one noticed how hard my hands shook. I inhaled the scent of earth mixed with calming lavender. The liquid tasted cool and sweet. I drank it in one swallow.

The next thing I knew I was on the floor as my stomach tried to climb out of my mouth. Black spots danced in my vision. The urge to collapse overwhelmed me. Heaving, I fought it.

Like a crowbar to a damaged lock, the water tore the barriers down in my mind, revealing its dark hidden corners to harsh light. Memories crashed over me.

On the floor, I choked out, “M-Mom.”

***

Mom
yelled at me as we readied to leave the house, complaining about how I’d woken up late even though I knew we had a flight to catch. As she squirted perfume on herself—lavender, my mother’s preferred scent—I rolled my eyes. So what if we were two and a half hours early instead of three?

Getting to the airport three hours early for a domestic flight was ludicrous. Especially for a trip I didn’t even want to go on. I didn’t want to spend Christmas with some boring family I didn’t even know. Plus I liked Christmas in Texas. The decoration of lights mixed with the warm air. What could be better?

Being cooped up in a house in Boston with strangers due to the inevitable blizzard didn’t sound thrilling. Snow was overrated. I had griped the whole month about how we should be going to our neighbors like we did every year. I didn’t want to miss the tree hunt and our neighbor’s breakfast. The holidays were about tradition. Not to mention I wouldn’t be seeing my boyfriend Morgan—tall, dark, and delicious— for a whole week. Did she know she was ruining Christmas?

“If you’re not ready in five, I’m throwing you in the car. You can get on the plane in those ridiculous men’s boxers,” she yelled from downstairs.

“They’re comfortable to sleep in.” I reiterated as I pulled my suitcase out of my room. “Anyway I’m already dressed.”

“You’re a girl. I wish you’d behave like on once in awhile. Did you pack a nice dress like I told you? The Ragnars go all out on Christmas Eve. There’s a black tie party. Last time they had entire scenes out of the Nutcracker carved in beautiful ice sculptures. You’ll love it.”

“Ballet is boring.”

“You didn’t use to think so. I know you gave it up for fencing—”

“Because you made me,” I retorted.

“It will be better for you in the long run,” she said.

I rolled my eyes again. I was pretty sure no one had used a rapier in a real fight since the 1700s.

Mom grabbed the car keys from the hook and gave the house a quick once. We’d be gone for over a week. It was the first vacation we’d taken in two years.

I slowly dragged my suitcase downstairs. I left it at the foot of the stairs to take one last look at the tiny Christmas tree in the living room. It was nothing like the giant eight-footer we usually splurged on.

I tried one last time. “Christmas should be at home.”

Mom’s face softened at this declaration. “I know it’s hard, Ry. We’ve always made Christmas about being home, but as long as we’re together, we’ll be fine. You’ll have fun with the Ragnars, I promise. I loved my Christmases with them when I was a little girl.” She wrapped me up in a tight hug. “It’ll be good for you to make new friends. I’ve loved having you to myself for so long, but you’re going to be graduating before you know it and you’ll need those connections—”

The muted sound of the doorbell cut her off.

“Don’t forget your purse. You need ID,” she commanded.

With a grumble, I went upstairs.

Mom went into the living room. I heard her fling open the front door. The walls of the townhouse were paper-thin.

“Morgan, I’m sorry,” I heard her say, impatiently. “We don’t have much time.”

Grabbing my purse, I hurried back down. Mom didn’t like Morgan and I was pretty sure she would slam the door in his face without even letting me talk to him.

“Morning, Mrs. D.,” Morgan asked. “Is Ryan here?”

Mom said, “Of course, but we’re in a rush—”

I stopped just before the living room. Another hulk-sized man in a black trench coat came up out of nowhere behind Morgan. Between the two of them, they covered every inch of the doorway.

“Ryan,” Mom screamed. “RUN!”

The man’s face… changed. It turned from normal to the face of a monster in less than a second. I halted just outside the door to the living room. Long fangs emerged from his mouth.

A set of Katana swords—my mother’s favorite—hung on the wall. I grabbed one. His forehead went Neanderthal, becoming wider until it protruded out of his face. In a scene straight out of a vampire flick, the man-monster grabbed Mom by the neck.

“Wait,” Morgan rasped, his voice very different from the one I’d spent hours talking to on the phone.

I’ll never forget the horrible sound of my mother’s head cracking as the boy I loved threw her against the wall. Although it was innocuous as the soft creak of the door, the sound reverberated through me. I backed into the hallway. I tried to scream but nothing came out of my throat. It probably saved my life.

“We have to find the daughter,” Morgan said in a frustrated tone.

“She smells good. Powerful.” The other man knelt down to pick up my mother’s wrist. I watched frozen as he sunk his teeth into my mother’s limp wrist.

A whimper escaped my mouth.

Morgan crossed the living room to the door in the blink of an eye.

“Ryan,” he crooned. “Come here, baby.”

I backed away. He lunged at me, but somehow I was faster than him. I ran out of the hallway into the kitchen and slammed the door shut close. Morgan tore through it like it was tissue paper. What happened next was a blur.

Morgan rushed through the door. He paused at the sight of his dead friend.

I held the Katana in front of me. Shaking from head to toe, I asked, “What are you?”

Morgan put up his hands. He started to walk slowly towards me. “Don’t worry, baby. Everything will be fine. Don’t you see? I’ve done this for us. Now, we can be together… always.”

“Stay away,” I said, taking a step back. My body hit the kitchen wall.

I was trapped.

Morgan smiled. He walked up to stand just before the tip of the point of the unsteady sword in my hand. “Ah, baby. You can’t hurt me.”

In a blink, he grabbed the sword from my hands and turned it against me. The razor sharp edge caressed my skin with deadly intent.

“One last kiss?” His lips twisting into a sadistic smile, he reached out to caress my cheek. His cold hand slid further down past my neck. He tore open the button of my shirt and reached inside. He squeezed a breast with force.

I thought I would throw up.

He never saw my mother come up behind him. She held the other Katana. She tried to chop off his head. Morgan caught the blade with his hand. With an angry smile, he turned around. Blood covered his hand but he didn’t seem to be bothered.