The Vampire Hunter's Academy: The Darkness (7 page)

“He’s turning man!” She screamed in panic. “Oh God not Paul!”

“If we can get him to the Vatican in time he just might have a chance,” Congo replied as calmly as possible, unsure if he believed his own words.

They hurried outside, shooting at anything without a pulse in range when they found Archer standing just a few yards away from an entity that had bulked up in size preparing to fight. In front of him lay the now deceased young Guardian Stefan, with Halo sobbing over his body. The entity quickly turned to greet the new additions to the party, flashing one of the longest sets of incisors Congo had ever seen. This was indeed the Master. Something had drawn him out to play.

Archer, Congo, Olivia, and Halo surrounded the entity with Shawn discreetly guiding Paul to the car.

“You hide the girl,” The vampire stated confidently. His once neon green eyes a deep crimson. “Give her to me or your entire team dies.”

“Fuck you!” Archer spat as he shot a silver tipped arrow directly at the entity’s chest.

The other Guardians followed suit and the master dodged all of their attempts effortlessly. He shifted into mist, reappearing in solid form in front of Halo. Archer, using his skills in marital arts flung silver coated death stars that slammed the master in various sections of his chest. However, that was not enough to stop the entity. He snatched Halo by the neck and disappeared. The team of Guardians lost it, shooting everything they had into the vapor.

Halo was gone. Stefan was gone. And if they didn’t Paul back to the Vatican in time, he would be too. Archer cursed and kicked over trash bin, while Olivia fell to her knees and wailed. They had indeed been set up, and Archer as head Guardian could not rest with the fact that he had been overconfident in his strategy. Every Master differed in strength and ability depending on the age and the strength of the vampire that made them. This particular Master was perhaps much stronger than the ones he encountered previously. He should have taken more Guardians and left the two newbies at The Academy.

None of the remaining Guardians spoke as each headed towards their separate vehicles: with Shawn and Olivia riding with Paul. The procedure would be for the team to transport a wounded Guardian to a local cathedral where a specially trained priest would use every blessed ritual including the usage of holistic medicines to rid the Guardian of the toxins that threatened his or her humanity. Archer knew there would be at least 50/50 chance that Paul would survive. He needed to make it through the first three days without the blood hunger before the Vatican could exhale in relief.

But that, unfortunately, was the least of their problems. The Master was still alive and Halo would more than likely join his harem of lair mates, which meant that they would have to put her down too. Archer shook his head. And Sanaya…that may be the reason why Tia called.

Chapter Nine

Sanaya awakened to the sounds of Archer’s fervent whispers in the front room. Maya was still unconscious, gripping her pillow and Tia must have stepped out. She sat up, shoving the blankets out of her way, the memories from last night’s experience flooding into her awareness. Panic threatened to reveal itself as she expanded her senses into the front room, desperate to discover what happened. What the vampire threatened was real and if Archer was here in the other room, speaking to Eve in hushed tones, she had more than enough reason to believe that last night did not go exactly as planned.

“Halo…” she heard him say, his voice cracking. “The fucker just snatched her and vanished. And, it was entirely my fault. She was in my charge. I should have-“

“Don’t think like that Archer,” Eve soothed. “Don’t. She made her choice when she overheard you discussing the opportunity. We all make a choice each time we go out into the field. It is our job-“

“And then Paul man…Paul and I finished training together. He had just as much experience as me when they got him. I should have taken more Guardians! Our team was too small…now, the man is fighting for his life and from the looks of it, and he won’t survive the next three days. We were too late…”

Sanaya had never heard her Guardian ward sound so defeated. He was always confident, strutting around like the entire universe was in the palm of his hands. She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent the sob that threatened to reveal her presence. But the fact remained that two and perhaps three Guardians were dead, all because of her. No wonder her peers hated her. They knew that seven of them will be the unfortunate chosen to join in her quest against the Darkness which would mean she would be sentencing them to death. She had to do something. The next time the vampire met her in her dreams she would be ready for him. She would put an end to this, and then, she was leaving the Academy.

She moved away from the door and to the bathroom where she washed her face and brushed her teeth. Class would begin in an hour, and she was certain that she and Maya would be escorted by a full Guardian team on top of having to deal with Archer being all over their case for every little thing.  She took out her wide tooth comb and made an angled part in the front section of her hair, and smoothing it down with the gel she had to have specially ordered from the states before piling the rest of her hair back in a bun. She could sense Maya awakening, which prompted her to hurry. She threw on a pair of black denim and a navy blue top, still unable to shake the anxiety that crept into her psyche.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, dressed and anxious to go, Maya was sitting up, stretching out her arms, yawning deeply. Neither said a word to each other as Maya took her place in the bathroom, to which Sanaya was grateful. There was just too much to think about, and the images of last night’s nightmare permeated her senses. She could still smell the vampire’s foul breath as he pressed his cold hard body against hers demanding entry. She shuddered. The vampire’s will revealed itself to be strong, powerful even. She swallowed thickly, mentally vowing to strengthen her own will. Besides, losing her virginity to a master vampire, a blood sucking demon; a curse upon mankind was
not
something she planned on doing. Ever. And she definitely was not about to be pressured into something she wasn’t ready for, no matter how pretty the package.

Fuck that.

Fifteen minutes later, Eve gently opened the door, her expression sullen as she took one look at Sanaya.

“Are you girls almost ready?” She asked, taking note that Maya was still in the bathroom.

“Maya should be ready soon,” Sanaya replied evenly. “Is everything alright?”

Eve shook her head. “Please tell her to hurry. We have to escort you to breakfast early so we can make it in time for the meeting. Things…” Eve’s gaze quickly shot to the floor. “Things did not go well last night.”

Sanaya inhaled deeply, fighting back tears. “This is all my fault.”

Eve hurried away from the door and grabbed her by her shoulders, forcing Sanaya to gaze into her hypnotically blue stare.

“No it is not. The Guardians…” Eve sighed. “They were not prepared. This master is different and evidently aligned with multiple entities from the dark world.”

“But-“ Sanaya pleaded.

“No buts Sanaya.” Eve’s voice grew firm. “We expected more encounters from The Darkness the moment you arrived to The Academy. It comes with the territory of guarding a Slayer. And, it is only going to become worse as you get older because your scent, your energy will grow and they will have the ability to root you out. Everything about you is supposed to draw them in, vampires especially, so we knew this would happen. We knew the risks from the beginning. Now our job is to put that son of a bitch out of his misery while you train hard and learn as much as you can because…” Eve lowered her voice to a near whisper. “The world needs you now more than ever.”

They stood in companionable silence until the door to the bathroom twisted an unlocked, and a freshly showered Maya came strolling out. Her silky, naturally wavy hair was hanging loosely passed her shoulders, being pulled back with a purple head band. She wore a pair of loosely fitted camos and a black top with black Timberlands, looking like she was ready for war.

“Are you ready Maya?” Sanaya asked her friend as she shoved her things into her duffle bag.

“Yep, ready as ever.” Maya turned to face Eve and Sanaya, examining their somber expressions.

“Are you guys alright? What happened? Did they get the vampire?”

Eve sighed. “C’mon you two. I think it is best if Sanaya tells you.”

Maya glanced at Sanaya with a raised brow. tThere was nothing more for Sanaya to do other than shrug. Sanaya knew that it frustrated her friend to no end to not be included in on the details of every situation involving Guardian business. Sanaya followed behind Eve without waiting for Maya to catch up. Maya should have known by now that Sanaya would always fill her in.

Another wave of dread flooded Sanaya’s senses as they headed down the hall to meet with three additional Guardians, and all Sanaya could think about was how much worse things could get as soon as night fell.

Petronius rested against the elaborately stitched gold fabric of his comforter as he prepared to rest while the merciless rays of the sun blazed across the horizon. He’d spent the night feeding off the blood of several young women from one of the many organized rings of human trafficking he orchestrated inside his multimillion dollar mansion overlooking the Hudson River. His human helpers, of course, spared no expense in delivering the human women to his doorstep before escorting them through the heavily fortified halls of his estate. Escape was impossible. Sound proofing-a requirement. Their screams of terror only heightened his thirst; their fear spiked adrenaline making their blood much more potent. And by the time he had finished gorging himself silly on the dozens of spiritually broken and abused women, the sun had begun to rise over the horizon. His body responded with overwhelming fatigue despite the surrounding darkness that his lair provided.

Settling into his four poster king sized bed, he relaxed, enjoying the flow of the blood of his victims filtering through his veins, strengthening him. He was semiconscious when he received a phone call from the landline that rested next to him on the nightstand. He shot up, irritated with the disruption of his rest, his normally dark eyes now glowing crimson as he snatched the phone from the receiver.

“This better be worth disturbing me from my slumber,” Petronius hissed.

“And so the dragon is still awake,” Alex wheezed with a chuckle.

“Tell me brother, does insomnia plague you?”

“No, it is not insomnia that ails me brother,” Alex quipped. “It is concern. Even though my eyes may fail me, my ears have not and it is not like you to be unaware of such atrocities taking place against your Slayer…”

Petronius leaned forward, his fangs lengthening. “What are you rambling about?”

“It has been reported that a member of the Guardian team that protects the slayer has been compromised.”

“You LIE!”

“You flatter me brother,” Alex rasped. “But no.”

“We have not been sanctioned to make any more vampires! This has the potential to be problematic and catastrophic to our plans. Who is responsible?”

“A young master by the name of Ronan I believe.”

“Ronan? Who is his sire?”

“That has yet to be discovered.”

“This changes things. Send out your best spies to discover more about this Ronan character as well as his maker. Leave no stone unturned.”

“And what will you do?”

Petronius paused, reflecting on the new insight proposed to him. “I will activate the mole my brother. I think it is time for The Guardians to begin recruiting again.”

Chapter Ten

By the time the last class for the day was over, Sanaya could not be any happier to see her Guardian escort. Not only was she physically drained from the hard core offensive training and sparring with one of the senior members of the Guardian team, but struggling to fight off the anxiety of what is to come as soon as night fell, and of course the usual verbal judo with Elizabeth during lunch and dinner hours, she wasn’t sure how long it would take before she would crack from a nervous breakdown. To make matters worse, Trent was paired with her in almost all of her classes and as much as she liked him, she had bigger problems. Plus, with Trent in the picture, giving her the googly eyes, the green eyed monster was beginning to rear its ugly head in Maya and the last thing she needed was her best friend upset with her over a boy.

Sanaya swung her backpack over her shoulders and hurried out of the auditorium where fifty or so of her peers mingled with one another, a few offering friendly glances in her direction. Ignoring them, slipped out of the side exit where Eve waited for her by the benches. Well, Eve and Trent. Eve smiled warmly as Sanaya approached.

“Hello Slayer,” Eve chirped.

“Hey Sanaya,” Trent added, eyeing her appreciatively.

“Hey guys,” Sanaya replied cautiously. “Where’s Maya?”

Eve met Sanaya’s questioning gaze uneasily.

“She has already been escorted to her room,” Eve finally replied evenly.

She’s mad at me isn’t she?
Sanaya mentally shot to Eve who responded with a nod.

But, I didn’t do or say anything to her!
  Sanaya dropped her backpack onto the pavement.
Like, what the heck is her deal?

Slayer, you have a lot to learn in a short period of time. Maya will come around. She was willing to accept the fact that she would always have to be in your shadow, but I think this young man’s interest in you may have put things in perspective for her. She will come around.

Eve gently placed her hand on Sanaya’s shoulder. “Let’s get you to your room.”

Sanaya simply nodded as three more Guardians approached.  When Tia approached, her beautiful onyx mane now shaved into a Mohawk style, her expression was unreadable.

“So, we’re watching over another kid?” She asked, eyeing Trent suspiciously.

Eve sighed. “He is with me.”

Tia and the other Guardians said nothing as they took formation around Sanaya, with Trent walking shoulder to shoulder with her.

“Soooo,” Sanaya began, unsure of what to say.

“So, what’s going on? Why the protective measures?” Trent asked curiously.

Sanaya shrugged. “It just comes with the territory.”

“So what’s it like?”

Sanaya tried to keep her eyes focused on the Guardian in front of her. “What’s what like?”

Now it was his turn to shrug. “You know…the Slayer thing.”

Sanaya inhaled sharply. “It isn’t exactly all that, nothing but a bunch of pressure to be all that everyone says that I am, losing my parents,even though they weren’t exactly parent material, and being forced to leave behind everything that I knew just to come to a place where everyone except the Guardian staff and the Pope hates my guts. So yeah, real great stuff.”

“I think they just don’t understand…when I was growing up in the streets, I knew I was different. I saw shit-“ Tia’s heat seeking glare cut Trent off before he cleared his throat and apologized. “Excuse me, saw stuff that no one else saw. People didn’t like me because I would tell them what was coming and when it did happen, they were angry with me as if I was the reason why I brought it to their door in the first place. It happened with each of the foster homes I was in, which is how I ended up having to fend for myself for a little while.”

“I’m so sorry Trent.”

“Don’t be. It is what it is, but that may be why the other students feel the way they do towards you. There would not be any need for Guardians or potential Guardians if Slayers did not exist.”

Righteous indignation almost choked her. “There would be no need for slayers if there was no such thing as vampires, or demons, or werewolves or any of that supernatural shi-crap that I am supposed to fight!”

Suddenly, a pair of warm hands were rubbing her back. Sanaya didn’t need to turn around to know that it was Eve.

“Well, I know you don’t know me but like if you ever need a friend to talk to…”

“Thanks Trent.”

They walked for an additional ten minutes before Sanaya detected the presence of someone new. And male. Very male. And angry. The moment she opened her third eye, the connection was imminent and she saw his face. Smooth ebony skin, with dark eyes that glowered at the Guardians who were trying to reason with him. Exposed, muscled and heavily tattooed arms. His expression softened when he sensed her presence, and began to look around frantically.

“Sanaya, leave it alone. He is not someone you should worry about.” Tia muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

“She’s getting too strong too quickly,” came the concerned voice of another Guardian.

“I couldn’t help the connection,” Sanaya whimpered quietly.

“I know,” Eve reassured her.

“Sanaya, are you good?” Trent asked, holding her gaze.

“Yeah…I’m ok.”

Eve gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze while Trent reached for her hand.

No, she was not alright…whoever that young man is being held captive by the Guardians felt the same way she did in that very moment: trapped.

Archer slammed his fist into the stucco wall of his office where he was supposed to be finishing off the reports of the events that took place last night. But frustration held him in its grip as he thought about the two young Guardians and the senior Guardian that were never again going to return home to whatever family waited for them. Paul did not make it. By the time they made it to the Cathedral, the virus had already settled in his system and began the transition; when the priest went to lay the symbol of the Holy cross against his forehead, Paul went into multiple seizures, his eyes changing from the normal hazel green to an unnatural crimson red before finally slipping into a coma. Being that all of the Guardians present considered Paul family, one of the Church’s assassins had to behead him, which left Olivia and Shawn inconsolable. Congo stormed off, the muscles in his jaw twitching; while all Archer could do was bury his face in his hands.

Now he had to figure out the next step towards putting a stake in the center of the master vampire’s chest to ensure Sanaya’s future as the Slayer, but not at the expense of the lives of the Guardians. He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his shaven scalp. The Church’s head leaders, including the Pope wanted an audience later on in the evening, not to mention there were several new recruits to the school that required his attention, especially the most recent addition, a hard headed, short tempered kid from the streets of Atlanta. Yeah, that was about to be a walk in the park…

Paul’s funeral was scheduled for the day after tomorrow and thankfully the only family he left behind was the team of Guardians. Stefan’s funeral had yet to be planned due to his family residing on the other side of the globe in the Hamptons and Halo’s. Well, there wasn’t a body to bury…yet.

“For Christ sake can we just get a break!” Plopping onto his office seat, he leaned back and closed his eyes. Relocating Sanaya to another Guardian stronghold may be their best bet, or their worse mistake ever. Obviously, The Darkness was watching and now, they had not only her scent but her physical identity. A small team of Guardians would never be able to fight off what might be coming in Sanaya’s direction, not only a master vampire. That ancient sect of Hell’s worse of the worse will send everything they’ve got to ensure the survivability of evil. As he began to drift off into the higher realms of frustration, he sensed Sanaya’s probe into the undisclosed New Recruit Room a few doors down.

And there lies another problem…

Sanaya may well become a fully matured Slayer before her twenty first birthday for reasons Heaven has yet to disclose. Archer never professed to be a man of great prayers, as he felt Sanaya’s telepathy cross the barriers of seasoned Guardians, now was a better time more than ever to find that quiet              place in his head and commune with On High. Just then, his cell vibrated across the table. He knew who was on the other line without having to glance at the screen. Swiping his thumb across the screen he sighed as he answered.

“Yes?”

The evening couldn’t get any worse.

Sanaya almost jumped for joy when Eve insisted on escorting Trent to his room first. Of course he protested, arguing that it was important for a future Guardian to learn the protocol for protecting a Slayer, and of course he was shot down by not only Eve but Tia as well. Naturally, upon delivering him to his room, he immediately sent Sanaya a multitude of text messages, all of which she ignored. It wasn’t until she finally put some distance between herself and Trent that she realized that his attraction was based on
what
she is, and not
who
she is which made her more miserable. Maya could have him for all she cared; and the fact that her best friend forever caught a ‘tude with her over some boy drama had become too much. 

The escort back to the overly secured, Hilton-like room felt like an eternity, and when she finally dumped her things on the hardwood floors, Eve took a seat in the dining room while Tia plopped on the couch. A new duo was supposed to switch shifts with them tonight, and Sanaya meant to take advantage of the situation by isolating herself in her room. Locking the door behind her, she moved to take a seat on the edge of the bed when she felt the connection to the angry young man that was brought in by the Guardians.

I don’t know what I am going to do
, came the thoughts of the freshly wounded soul of a potential guardian.
Been seeing shit all my life…where were these so called “Guardians” when my folks needed them? Where were they as my ass was being hauled off into a rundown foster home with a crack head for a foster mom and a pimp for a foster father?

Sanaya’s eyes watered from her own pain of having to endure the constant dysfunction that took place between her parents. Her mother was verbally abusive at times when she’d been drinking. And her father, when he decided to come home, acted as if he wanted nothing to do with her half of the time anyways.

First chance I get I’m out of here…

Good luck with that considering you are all the way in Rome,
she accidentally shot back, only realizing what she had done when the thought left her brain.

“Oh shit!” She whispered.

How are you in my head?
The young man demanded, his fear and anxiety coating his exchange.

Sanaya froze like a frightened rabbit just before it makes a mad dash to safety before it is pursued by a hungry predator.

Sorry about that,
she finally answered.
You were broadcasting so loudly I could not help but respond. The Guardians will teach you how to protect your mind.

Who are you?

She could feel him searching about in his room as if she were right outside of his door, when in actuality, she was on one side of the campus while he was on another.

My name is Sanaya…
She carefully informed him.

Are you a Guardian?

No, no. I’m a student…

The name is King.

Sanaya realized that once King became relaxed with the idea of communicating via telepathy, the tension in her own body eased.

Look,  I gotta go…because neither one of us is strong enough to put down our own barrier for this type of thing, it will not be long before one of the Guardians taps in…
she shot to him urgently.

Wait! Don’t go just yet…where can I find you?

In the courtyard,
Sanaya found herself saying.
You can always find me in the courtyard underneath the Willow tree…

Just then Eve pounded on the door, forcing Sanaya to break the connection and to hurry over to the door to see what all the fuss was about. Inhaling deeply she could only hope that Eve or Tia did not pick up on the mental convo she had with the newbie, King.  Opening the door, the expression on Eve’s face told her everything she needed to know.

King wrestled against the sheets as he struggled to settle his mind, his senses overwhelmed by his new environment and the reality of his new life. That soothing voice in his head he conversed with and seemed to be listening to his thoughts had finally given him the reprieve that he now resented. Now the Guardians wanted to embrace him into the fold. Now The Academy thought of him as a potential asset to the Light. But where were they when his parents were ripped apart by a pack of demon possessed werewolves? Where were the angels when he prayed for a better opportunity after he was placed in a fucked up foster home with abandoned and abused kids. He was supposed to go to The Academy years ago as his parents planned. He was supposed to be one of the strongest Guardians by this stage of the game. He was already born with incredible gifts, gifts that even surpassed that of his parents.