The Keep

Even from outside, the smell of chlorine hit me, eliciting strong gut reactions—fear, hate, panic. I fisted my hands, forcing myself to associate new things with the smell. Mastery. Ability. Vigor. Enjoyment.

Okay, so that last one went a little too far.

Even though I was distracted, I felt the presence behind me instantly. I smiled—it was the effect of Carden’s blood. I sensed my attacker, sensed his threat. I stood still, pretending ignorance. Innocence. All the while I watched his shadow approach. I could tell by the width of it, by the gait, that my attacker was Rob.

When he leapt for me, I was ready. I braced my feet, and as his arm wrapped around my neck, I grabbed him at his wrist and elbow and twisted. “Hey, Rob,” I said lightly. “What’s up?”

He flexed, ignoring what must’ve been sharp pain in his arm, and jutted his chin through my hair, fumbling to reach my skin. A hiss spilled across my neck, hot in the cold night air. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

“Funny,” I said, gritting my teeth. “Me too.” I tensed my neck—it wouldn’t do me any good to accidentally choke myself—then dug my hands into his arm and doubled over at the waist.

The flip was a simple one, textbook beginner stuff, but so, so perfect. I flipped him over my head, then landed on him, pinning him. My body splayed over his chest, and though I was light compared to him, I aimed the full force of my weight through two points: my left elbow jabbing his sternum and my right forearm crushing his throat. “Cool,” I said. “I always wondered if this martial arts stuff worked for real.”

He darted his head side to side, trying to get air.

“Whoops.” I gave him my brightest, my most feminine smile. “Am I hurting you?”

He was unable to speak, but his eyes narrowed to slits, glaring hard. In a quick burst of action, he kicked his feet, trying to wriggle out from under me.

“One question.” I inched my hand up, sneaking for a grip on his collar. “Were you trying to bite me?”

He tried to buck me off.

I slid a knee to his groin, and he froze. I tsked. “You were trying to bite me. And I bet the moment I let go, you’ll try again. You won’t even pretend to negotiate. That’s the problem with you boys. You lack subtlety.”

It was time to speak his language. If he wasn’t going to be reasonable with me, then I wouldn’t be reasonable with him. But how to send a message without actually strangling him?—which, honestly, was also under active consideration. I’d already humiliated him once when I’d slashed a giant hole in his pants.

I’d broken out in a sweat, my hands aching where they fisted his jacket collar, but still, he was unable to break free. I was stronger than before. It was time to up my game.

He thought he could bite me, but I knew what would stop him. He could patch a tear in his pants. It was time to do some damage he wouldn’t be able to hide.

I shifted, and he shifted with me, gasping in a breath of air and hissing it out. Hissing in my face, his mouth wide open. His baby fangs sparkled. Taunting me.

He thought he was so badass. Time to show him what badass was.

“You know what, Rob?” In a single, swift movement, I let go, reeled my right arm back, and punched as hard as I could, smashing my fist against his jaw. “Bite this.”

Pain exploded up my arm, so complete it stole my breath. Punching wasn’t like in the movies at all. Punching hurt. But I’d gotten good at compartmentalizing pain, and I tucked it away, a distant thrum in the back of my head. Something to deal with later. I was savoring this moment too much to bother with pain.

Clouds drifted overhead, sending a splash of moonlight over us. It glimmered over a ribbon of blood dribbling down the side of his cheek. He turned his face and spat. A small object landed on the gravel, gray in the darkness.

Both our eyes widened, realizing at the same moment.

I’d knocked out a fang.

He let loose some primal, nonsensical yell, and I pulled back as he popped to his feet. Holding an arm in front of his mouth, he stared at me. Our eyes held and locked for a weird, long moment, both of us panting for breath. He looked confused, unable to make sense of what’d just happened. At that moment, I couldn’t either.

What became of a Trainee bested like this? What was a vampire without both his fangs?

He stepped backward, faded into the night. Disappeared.

Carden was right. I was stronger. Even stronger than I’d realized. I was supersized.

By the time I went inside, dumped my stuff in the locker room, rinsed off, and hit the pool, I was in a grand mood. I felt expansive, filled with a sense of anticipation. What would happen next? Would I tell anyone about it? Would people just find out? I’d need to ask Carden if he’d ever seen anything like this.

It fed my workout. I glided through the water. I was a missile. A great aquatic mammal. I surpassed my record, holding my breath for a whole 147 seconds. I was on the deck toweling off, still riding my high, when Josh appeared.

“Heya, nerd bird,” he said in that cute Aussie accent of his. He stole a glance at the clock—we were closing in on curfew. “Never thought I’d see you here this time of day.” He scanned the deck and pool, which was emptying out as students began to hit the showers. “I don’t see Ronan, which means you’re here…of your own…choice? Hold on. Is apocalypse nigh?”

“Shut up.” I nudged him with my shoulder.

Unfortunately, this reminded me how scantily clad we both were.

Josh wore the standard-issue swimsuit, which for the guys was a pair of supertight boxer briefs—emphasis on super. Those things probably outlined more than I needed to see, but I couldn’t say because there was no way in hell I was looking down. And besides, my eyes had snagged on his upper body. He was lean but muscled, walking that line guys tread at our age—almost a man yet still almost a boy, too—though Josh was definitely tipping over into the almost-man side of that equation.

I tore my eyes away, pointing my gaze in the direction he was looking. Kenzie, my Proctor, was the last one in the water, still doing her laps. She had this trick of gliding all the way across the Olympic-sized pool and back again. Without taking a breath.

“She’s amazing,” he said.

I nodded. She was a blur of blond hair and navy blue Speedo. Her hair was a perfect bob to match her perfectly proportioned body. “She’s always reminded me of one of those American Girl dolls.”

“Yeah, if there were an MMA version.”

“MM…ohh, mixed martial arts?” I watched her, all sleek perfection. She was solid, but not buff like I imagined those MMA women would be. “Nah. More like…American Ninja Girl.”

“That’s it,” he exclaimed, clapping his hand on my shoulder, a naked slap that made me self-conscious. “You seen her weapons? Those sai knives?” His Australian accent lilted at the end, making his every sentence sound like it might’ve been a question. “Like a manga chick.”

It’d been Yasuo who’d told me what those knives of hers were called. She carried two of them, long and thin, each blade framed by two sharp prongs, making them look almost like tridents. They did seem like something a manga badass would wield.

She reached the edge and smoothly pulled herself up and out of the pool. We weren’t friends, but we were friendly enough, and she spared me a curt nod as she walked by, headed for her towel. I noted how she didn’t spare a glance for Josh, or any of the other guys for that matter.

We were surrounded by half-naked cuties, but Kenzie didn’t care. She was in her own world. It made me realize something: I’d never seen her with one vampire in particular, which implied she’d made it to Guidon by consuming only the shooters of blood they served in the dining hall. She probably didn’t drink from the source, and yet there she was, power and ease, swimming all over the damned pool. Without breathing.

I’d been nervous about the water, but Kenzie was an inspiration. Not that I’d break my bond with Carden, but if she could accomplish all that, if she could be that strong without a blood bond, then how far could I go? Could I truly break into the keep? Might I uncover their secrets? Discover what’d happened to all those fallen girls?

My journey started now. Here. I’d go to the pool more. Work out more. I’d be a force.

“Earth to Drew.” Josh was looking at me funny. I registered how he’d gone for his towel and come back, and I was still in the same spot, staring at that pale blue water. “You’d better shower up. Curfew’s soon.”

I was the last girl in the showers, hurriedly rinsing the conditioner from my hair as I heard the heavy metal door to the locker room slam shut. I turned off the water, the ancient knobs squealing. There was total silence. I was the last one. I scampered to my locker, careful not to slip. I’d dallied too long.

“Dammit.” I struggled to get my clothes on—I hated putting clothes on damp skin—but I needed to hustle. My hair was soaking—the ends of it would surely freeze on my race back to the dorm. “Damndamndammit.”

I hobbled out of the dressing room, forcing my heels into my boots. I’d just reached the pool deck when I heard a noise—a loud electronic sound reverberating through the pool area. Whoomp.

The lights cut out. I was in pitch-darkness.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I froze. I mean, how much would it suck to accidentally fall in the pool fully clothed? “Hello?” I called out. It was probably just some nighttime janitor out there, doing his job. “Is anybody there?”

There was another click, quieter this time, the sound like a flicking switch. The overhead lights were still off, but the pool lights switched on, looking like white orbs glowing underwater. The pale water shimmered eerily, making the black stripes along the bottom waver. I strained my ears for some movement, but there was just a distant drip-drip. The natatorium at night—creepiest thing ever.

“Hello?” I called again, but there was still no answer.

A door slammed, and I panicked. I’d seen the chain they used to lock up with—I was not about to spend the night at the natatorium, thankyouverymuch.