Inescapable : The Hexborn Series Book 2 Read online

  “Isn’t it?” I ask him. “Everywhere I go there is another attack. People are not safe around me, Drayce. Maybe if I go to him, I can end this, make it all stop.”

  “No,” he says firmly. “No raven. That is not the answer. Whether or not you go to him, it will not stop him in his quest to have the power of nine and complete the resurrection spell.”

  I nod, knowing he is right, and he instantly relaxes. “Let’s just pack up and get out of here. I’ve done my part. I came here and met them.”

  A half hour later we are in a car heading away from the Bennett coven grounds. As the gates to the coven close behind us, I look back and Cael Bennett stands on the other side of the gates. For a few brief seconds our eyes meet and he looks at me in a way which makes me think he knows my secrets.

  We fly back to the Black coven, and Drayce takes me straight upstairs to his room. We were quiet on the flight back here. I just rested my head on his chest, needing that physical contact to keep me grounded. I couldn’t help replaying the high priest’s words in my head. Am I a grim omen? I mean, technically I should have died in my mother’s womb all those years ago. I was an unnatural entity, I should not exist. Was darkness following me?

  “I should catch up with my dad and find out some more about the attack.” He looks conflicted. “Will you be okay here on your own?”

  I nod and give him a half-smile. “I’ll be fine. I might take a walk, actually.”

  He smiles at me and leans over and kisses my forehead. “I’ll come find you as soon as I’m done.”

  Drayce leaves and I throw on my workout gear and grab my head phones and head out into the coven grounds. It is a cloudless day today; the sky is blue and there is peacefulness in the air. I lose myself in my music and start to jog. My father now had the magic of seven. Two more witches and he was ready. Time was running out, I needed to act. I needed to find him.

  I startle as I round a corner and nearly collide with another body. I put my hands out to stop our collision.

  “I’m so sorry,” I mumble and I look up into the eyes of Astrea Black. She is dressed immaculately in black cigarette trousers and a cream cashmere jumper. Her hair is held in a low ponytail and the small fluffy dog that she holds on a lead, yaps at my feet.

  “You’re back then,” she states coldly, her eyes taking in my sweaty appearance with distaste.

  I nod as I lean over slightly to catch my breath. “Yes, just now. Drayce has gone to talk with his father.”

  She nods, looking down her nose at me. “How were the Bennett’s?”

  I bob my head side-to-side. “They were hospitable. I declined their offer to join their coven.”

  “You do not wish to take the Bennett name? Despite the privileges it would offer you?”

  She seems surprised.

  “I already have a coven and I have realised I no longer need an elite name to make me feel worthy.”

  She doesn’t respond, she just continues to study me like I am some dirty disease.

  “You don’t like me very much, do you?” I ask, although I don’t know why I ask her, because the fact that she detests me is clear in her every look. “I understand I am not what you wanted for your son but I never asked for any of this.”

  She scoffs. “You may never have asked for it but you are now engaged into one of the most powerful covens in existence. You’re right. I dislike you. You are beneath my son and in my opinion, not worthy of him. I wanted the best for my son and that isn’t you.” She sighs. “He will never love you and when this curse claims you, as it has done with all the Bennett females, I will ensure my son makes the match that we always planned for him.”

  I shake my head in disbelief and sadness. “I don’t think you know your son as well as you think you do. He cares for me, and when we break this curse, I will enjoy proving to you that I am exactly what your son needs,” I laugh. “Drayce would never be content with a simpering and shallow girl like Sereia. He needs someone who challenges him and pushes his buttons.” I place one ear bud back in my ear. “I am going to leave now, before I say too much. It’s been a pleasure bumping into you.”

  She stands there in shock as I place my other bud in my ear and jog away from her. I grin widely to myself as I put distance between us. I had stunned Astrea Black to silence, and boy did that feel satisfying. I am tired of people telling me I do not belong and that I was not worthy. I will fight for my place in this world and I will prove the likes of Astrea Black wrong. She will rue the day that she ever underestimated me.

  FAMILIAR TERRITORY

  It felt strange to be back at the academy, everything had changed but in the same token it was like everything was the same. I spent a further week at the Black coven, avoiding the laser glare of Astrea Black and wondering if they would ever accept me into their family, or if I would always be the outsider. To say I was glad to leave was an understatement.

  Katriona had hounded me all week about wedding plans and I did my best to dodge her and escape but she had pointedly told me just before I left that she would come to the academy next month with a designer to plan my wedding dress. I had tried to tell her an off the rail dress from a wedding shop would be fine and she had looked at me in sheer horror and firmly told me I would have a one of a kind of dress designed by one of the best designers in the wiccan world.

  When we arrived back at the academy, I felt like I could breathe again. This place had felt like home to me. I was still the chief topic of gossip, given all the looks and whispered words whenever I walked past my fellow students. I was hoping the Samhain break would have moved them on to other topics, but no, the news that I was a Bennett witch was still popular gossip.

  “Again,” Drayce demands, standing to a defence position. He was a hard taskmaster.

  I raise my daggers and charge at him again, remembering what he told me earlier about dropping a little lower when I go to strike. He blocks me again and I growl in frustration.

  “Better. Go again.”

  I crack my neck and ready myself with my daggers and charge, at the last second I front flip over his head and land behind him and get my arm around his throat, holding the dagger against his skin.

  “Gotcha,” I grin. Finally, I had beaten him.

  “But have you?” He quips, as he grabs at my arm around his throat, he pulls and twists, and somehow gets out of my hold. Drayce looks over at the clock. “Okay, that’s enough for today. Tomorrow we’ll start using magic defence.”

  “Really?” I pause in wiping my face with my towel, unsure if I have just heard him right.

  Drayce grins. “You’re ready, raven. You did well today.”

  “How good?” I ask with a quirk of my brows.

  “Good enough to earn this,” he replies, pulling me against him and he presses his lips to mine. I respond immediately, losing myself in the feel of his lips.

  “Pretty sure that’s not the type of training coach Grey had in mind when he asked you to train her.”

  We both pull apart and find Thorin and Meara walking towards us, both of them grinning at us knowingly.

  Drayce shrugs. “I’m just giving her a reward incentive.” He lightly smacks my bottom. “She did well today.”

  Meara reaches us and laughs. “Never seen you give anyone else that reward for training well.”

  Drayce releases me and reaches for his towel. Is it weird that I never find him more attractive than when he is in his training gear, looking all sweaty and pumped?

  “My fiancée gets special rewards.”

  Thorin chuckles, taking a seat on the bench beside me. “Look at you all whipped.”

  Drayce sniggers and cocks a brow. “Whipped? Me? Never! Anyway, what are you guys doing here this early?”

  Thorin yawns, stretching out. “This one wanted to get some extra training in.” He gestures to Meara, who is now over by the weapons wall. “Oh, and coach Grey has had someone ask for extra training lessons, he’s allocated them to you.”

  “Who is it?”
Drayce asks curiously. “That junior, Trey?”

  Thorin looks over at me and bites at his lip. I have a feeling I will not like this.

  “Sereia.”

  “What the hell?!” I exclaim, causing them both to look my way.

  Drayce frowns. “Sereia has never been into fighting.”

  Thorin shrugs again, throwing his water bottle up into the air and catching it. “I think we both know this is nothing to do with her wanting to become a better fighter.”

  I snigger, folding my arms. “This is about her trying to get one-to-one time with you.” I turn to Thorin. “What time is she booked in?”

  “Round about now,” Thorin replies, and as if she knew she was being spoken about, the gym door opens and in walks Sereia. She is wearing tiny gym shorts and a sport bra that leave little to the imagination.

  “Hey everybody.” She comes to a stop before us and stretches out, bending over and giving us all a view of her bottom in those tight shorts.

  “Sereia, what’s this about?” Drayce asks frowning at her.

  She straightens back up and smiles, all innocent and sweet. “My parents feel I need to be better able to defend myself, you know, given all the attacks and everything.”

  Drayce looks over to where I am stood quietly seething. “Thorin, can you get Sereia warmed up whilst I escort raven back up to our room?”

  Before Thorin can open his mouth to respond, Sereia chuckles. “Can she not walk herself up there?”

  Drayce takes my hand in his and squeezes it. “No, she can’t,” he replies firmly.

  “I’m staying,” I announce.

  Drayce leans into me. “Raven, you don’t need to stay. Nothing will happen, trust me.”

  I glower over his shoulder to where Sereia is still stretching. “It’s not you I don’t trust.” Sereia would try every trick in the book to get close to him.

  I grab my towel off the bench and point over to the spectator area. “I’ll be over there, watching.” I glare at her in warning.

  Fuming, I take a seat and open my water. Drayce is ever the professional, he is polite but nothing more, instructing her. Sereia giggles and smiles all the while, batting her stupid fake lashes at him and thrusting her chest out.

  Sereia gets held in a hold by Drayce and rather than trying to find a way out, she sticks her arse back and wiggles it against his groin. Okay, no more.

  I fly over there, probably a little faster than a witch should be able to and I yank her away from him and I have her pinned to the floor on her stomach in seconds. I sit on her back, gripping her pony tail in my hand.

  “Do that again, and I will hex you,” I warn her, fury rolling off me in tidal waves.

  Sereia whimpers. “You’re hurting me.”

  “Raven,” Drayce lifts me off her. “Enough.”

  Sereia stands and rubs her neck. “She attacked me!” She glares at me and I glare back. Thorin and Meara who had up to now been training quietly have both stopped and are watching with avid amusement.

  “I will kill her,” I warn Drayce as he holds me back, with his arm around my waist, keeping my back firmly against his front.

  “Don’t let her get to you,” he whispers into my ear. “You’re letting her win.”

  Sereia tuts. “My parents are paying for this session. You need to sit back over there and stop interrupting.”

  Still wishing I could hex her and give her a pig’s snout, I turn and face Drayce, giving her my back. I wrap my arms around his neck. “If she grinds herself against you like that again and I will take her down.” I lean in and kiss him with all the ferocity and passion I can. Let her see that then.

  When I pull away, Drayce is grinning at me. “Marking your territory, huh?”

  I nod. “Damn right I am.”

  Drayce laughs out loud. “I think the kiss gives the message loud and clear. Now go sit and be a good girl.”

  Rolling my eyes, I unwind my hands from around his neck and turn to face her. I give her a sweet, false smile and return to my seat.

  After breakfast we pay a visit to Mistress Isolde’s office. I was desperate for any news she may have about the search for Norah.

  “Come in,” she greets warmly, holding the door for us to enter. “How was your Samhain break?”

  “Interesting,” I reply as I take a seat beside Drayce.

  Mistress Isolde pours us both a tea and passes us our cups and then takes her seat behind her desk.

  “I know you are here hoping for news, both of you, but I have none,” She says with a weary sigh. “It has all gone very quiet, if I am honest. They are not keeping me in the loop. All I know is that they are continuing to question Lorelai, but she refuses to give any information to them.”

  Drayce nods. “That’s good though, in some ways. I mean, she knows about Elara.”

  “True. For some reason she is keeping quiet about your hybrid status, I presume it is out of loyalty to your father,” she replies.

  “Talking of my hybrid status, Is there any chance you could ask Silas to drop by?” I ask her. “I’m still having to feed three times a day and I’m not sure why.”

  Mistress Isolde nods, looking deep in thought. “You should have been able to reduce your feeding by now. Drayce, are you able to sustain her drinking from you so frequently?”

  Drayce nods, looking nonplussed. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Mistress Isolde nods, satisfied with his answer. “I’ll contact him this morning and he should be able to come over this evening.”

  “Does he live locally?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me. Drayce eyeballs me, as if telling me not to go there.

  Isolde clears her throat and plays with the necklace at her neck. “Yes, he has his own estate just a few miles from here. I have asked him to undertake some lessons with you, so you can learn about your vampire powers and more about the vampire culture and laws.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her. Her support of me was overwhelming. “I have to ask, why are you helping me?”

  Mistress Isolde looks thrown by my question at first, but then she smiles softly. “Because I believe that everyone has an equal right to life and to love whoever they wish to love, and because I believe in you Elara Latimer. I think you are destined for exceptional things.”

  I snort. “I don’t know about exceptional things. I’d just like to stop my father, rescue my friend and then get my head down and pass my exams and get in the guards.”

  Isolde chuckles. “I think you’ll be much more than a guard somehow.” She pats the desk with her hand. “Now, off you go to class. I’ll send for you when Silas arrives.”

  GRIFFIN SALIVA

  My first class is Wiccan history and unfortunately for me, Sereia and her cronies are in my class. As soon as I walk in, I can hear them sniggering and talking about me behind my back. Ignoring them, I find myself a desk as far away from them as possible and take my seat. I feel eyes upon me and look up to see a boy sitting beside me staring at me. He smiles when our eyes meet. He was cute in a geeky way and I have never noticed him in my class before. He had blonde curly hair and black glasses on over those deep chestnut brown eyes. He was muscular though, like he played sports.

  “I’m new.” He holds out his hand. “The names Rafe.”

  I reach out and shake his hand. “Hi Rafe. I’m Elara.”

  He smiles. “Oh, I have heard all about you already.” He looks over his shoulder at where the girls are sitting giving me daggers.

  “Oh, so the serpent and her cronies have filled you in, have they?”

  He grins again, causing cute little dimples in his cheeks. “Oh, they have. Are they always such bitches?”

  “I like you,” I announce. “And yes, they are. Sereia is a little put out I stole what she thought was hers.”

  He nods, tapping his pencil against the desk. “Ah, yes, the fiancé. Drayce, right?”

  “That would be him.” I’m curious about this guy, I feel like we could be friends and lord knows I needed more
friends in this place. “So what brought you to Thorne Shadow, Rafe?”

  He shrugs. “Let’s just say I was a bit of a naughty boy at my last academy.”

  I grin. Oh yeah, he was my kind of person. “Really? Well, if you want a partner in crime here, I’m your girl.”

  He smiles an easy, lazy smile. “I think you could be right.”

  Lunchtime swings around and I spot Rafe walking into the cafeteria and holding his tray of food he looks around the room, trying to decide where best to sit. I stand up from the bench and wave my hand in the air to get his attention. He smiles at me from across the room and I beckon him over.

  “Who’s that?” Drayce asks from his seat beside me. He observes Rafe with a frown.

  “Rafe. He’s new here, and I invited him to sit with us.”

  “Did you now?” Drayce says with a quirk of his brow.

  Smiling, I lean down and drop a quick kiss on his lips. “Play nice, Drayce. He is definitely in the friend zone.”

  Drayce scoffs, “Like I’d see him as competition, anyway.”

  I shake my head. There he was, my confident, self-assured fiancé.

  “Rafe,” I greet as he arrives at our table. I gesture with my hand at Thorin to budge along and he moves up, leaving room for Rafe. “Everyone, this is Rafe.”

  Everyone around the table says hi, and he takes the seat beside me. “Rafe, this is Drayce.”

  Drayce leans forward and bumps fists with Rafe. “Nice to meet you, Rafe. Which academy have you moved from?”

  “Shadow Cove,” he replies.

  Drayce nods. “Good college. Their football team is talented. You play ball for them?”

  Rafe nods. “Yeah, I played up back, in defence.”

  “You should come try out for the team,” Drayce suggests to him.

  Rafe nods, considering this. “Yeah, I may just do that.”

  I notice Meara observing him from across the table. Her hazel eyes drinking him in.

  “So Rafe, why the school move?” she asks him with a flirtatious smile.