Chapter 5: Secrets in the Blood

SERENA

Headmistress Vale sat at her desk. This time there were more papers spread out and a glowing crystal ball thing in the middle. She looked tired.

"Sit down both of you. This concerns you more than you know Darius."

I took the chair. Darius stayed standing like he was ready to fight whatever came next. His silver eyes kept flicking to me then away. I wondered if he felt that same pull every time we got close.

The headmistress picked up one of the papers.

"Your blood test Serena. It is not normal. There is an old marker in it. Eclipse blood. Very rare. Almost forgotten. It explains the purple flares. But it also means you are tied to something bigger. Something that could break the balance between wolves and witches."

I stared at her. "What does that mean? I am just trying to survive here. I did not ask for special blood or whatever."

Darius made a low sound. "Eclipse blood. That is a curse word in my pack. It means hybrid.

He looked at me like I might explode any second. But there was something else in his voice. Worry maybe. "How did she even get accepted with that?"

Headmistress Vale sighed. "That is the other part. The letter was pushed through by someone with high connections. I cannot trace it yet. But it was not random. Serena, you are here for a reason. And Darius, your pack elders have been asking questions about the new students. Especially ones with Blackthorn names."

I felt sick. My family hated me but now their name was causing problems here too. "I do not want trouble. I just wanted to get away from home. They treated me like dirt. Blamed me for everything. I cannot go back there."

My voice cracked at the end. Darius shifted on his feet. For a second his hand moved like he might reach for me but he stopped himself. The purple warmth flared up so strong I had to grip the chair arms. A small spark jumped from my fingers onto the desk. It left a tiny burn mark.

"Control it," Darius said but his tone was not as sharp as before. He sounded almost rough. Like he was fighting something inside himself.

Headmistress Vale leaned forward. "You two need to be careful. The flares happen when you are close. That is not normal for strangers. It could be a bond trying to form. But with your history Darius that would be forbidden. And dangerous for the academy."

Bond. The word hung in the air. Darius cursed under his breath. "No way. I would never bond with a witch. Especially not her."

His words hurt more than they should have. I looked down at my lap so he would not see my pain.

"Good. Because I do not want anything to do with someone who looks at me like I am poison."

But even as I said it my chest ached. That pull was there whether I liked it or not. When he had helped me in combat class earlier it felt different. Like he did not completely hate me.

The headmistress waved her hand and the lights dimmed a little.

"For now keep this between us. Serena works on controlling your power with Finn. He is trustworthy. Darius I expect you to watch her but do not interfere unless necessary. Trials start soon. If you fail the first one Serena there is nothing I can do to keep you here."

We got dismissed. I stood up fast and headed for the door. Darius followed right behind me. The hallway was dark and empty now.

For a moment he stopped walking. "Wait."

I turned around. He was closer than I expected. His face looked torn. His hand came up slow and hovered near my cheek like he wanted to touch but was scared to. "That light. When we touch. It does not hurt me. It should. Everything about you should."

I swallowed hard. "I am not what you think. I did not kill anyone. I did not start that fire. I was just a kid they needed to blame."

His jaw tightened. I thought he might say something real. Something that showed he was not all hate.

Then voices came from around the corner. Vanessa and her friends. Laughing loud about me, the witch who was probably falling down several times during training.

Darius stepped back fast like he got caught doing something wrong. His face went cold again. "Stay out of my path Blackthorn. This changes nothing."

He walked off toward his side of the academy. I stood there alone feeling the warmth fade and leave me cold. Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them. I wiped them away angry at myself. Why did his words still cut so deep? I barely knew him.

Finn found me a few minutes later in the common room. He took one look at my face and pulled me into a hug. "Bad meeting huh? Come on. I snuck some extra dessert from the kitchen. We can talk or not talk. Whatever you need."

I sat with him and ate the sweet cake but it did not fix the empty feeling. Later in my room I lay awake thinking about Darius' silver eyes and the way he almost touched my face.

Sleep finally came but it was full of dreams. Silver eyes watching me. Purple light wrapping around us. Then everything turned dark with Vanessa laughing and my family yelling that I ruined everything again.

I woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. Across the room, my roommate was snoring loudly, sounding like a drunk pig passed out after one too many drinks.

Whatever this power was, it was waking up. And it seemed tied to Darius whether we wanted it or not.

I just hoped I would not drag Finn or anyone else down with me when it all blew up.