Mark of the Dagger (The Marked Series Book 1) (12 page)

“Parts of that actually make sense,” Samuel said nodding. Dani stared at him incredulously, shocked that he could be so calm about all of this. Wasn’t he freaking out? Even just a little?

“Everybody stop!” Nadia yelled. When everyone quieted, Dani whispered. “What does this mean?”

“I don’t know baby girl. These marks are beautiful and ancient looking and you and Samuel should wear them with pride. However, all we know is what the prophecy states. There is no written documentation, only what has been passed down, generation to generation. And even that is slim at best. There were only a few blood-lines that even knew about the prophecy. Most people only think it’s a legend now. We will figure it out together, all of us. Ok? But for now, I think we should keep this between us if we can,” Joe said and took off his shirt, handing it to Dani to cover herself. When they all agreed, they headed back to their dorms with heavy hearts.

Chapter Sixteen

They lost twenty-seven men and woman the night of the attack. Two students and four Hunters were injured. They found out that Damien and Nick were two of the students chosen to guard their dorm but thankfully neither of them had to fight. Damien was none too happy that he missed out, especially when he found out that Jan and Dani fought alongside the hunters.

They weren't sure how many vampires actually attacked or if the ones that got away would come back. For now they just had to hope they didn't. The witches assisting the vampires were never caught either so they weren’t able to find out what they were after.

They buried their dead the following week, Alex among them. Dani took that loss pretty hard. She loved him like another uncle and she didn’t care to think that she would never see him again.  Especially considering what happened the last time she saw him.

It was hard for everyone to get back into the routine of the last week of school before Christmas break. Death still hung heavy in the air and it seemed everyone, not just Dani, was ready to get away.

They learned that Joe and Adele were sent by the council to spy on the school. Headmaster Charleston was mad as a hatter. Dani had never seen his paunchy face so red. Nadia was mad at Joe too for keeping it from her, though she soon forgave him. Headmaster Charleston grudgingly agreed that no matter what Joe's original purposes, he was a great teacher and was welcomed to come back.  An arrangement he happily accepted as it allowed him to stay close to Dani and help figure out what the new marks and visions meant for her. Adele was offered the same, though she declined. She said she missed her family and wanted to return to England. Dani didn't blame her.

Dani thought it was hilarious that the worst liar she knew was the one the council chose to spy on the staff. She had to admit that he must have gotten better considering he had gotten away with it.

She was having a hard time dealing with the memories of that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the blood and the bodies covering the ground. She got nauseous every time she remembered killing that night.

Another thing she had hard time dealing with was her new position. Being part of a pair fated to save the world was a lot of pressure. Yet, she couldn’t talk about it, not to Jan or Joe and especially not to Samuel. Not yet anyway. What did that prophecy even mean? Not the part about saving the world. She understood that for the most part, it was pretty self-explanatory.  The part about love and family? Does this mean that she and Samuel are supposed to love each other? To be together?

Not that she would mind. She does love him, more than anything and she is pretty sure that he loves her too. Their relationship has just been so rocky from the start. Who is to say that this prophecy won’t complicate it even more?

The council came to town for the funerals and interviewed the staff and the few students that fought during the attack. They all decided it would be for the best if they didn’t find out about Dani or Samuel so they refrained from mentioning it to the council. She was also lucky enough not to receive any more visions yet. That was another giant question mark. Regular Hunters don’t have any powers other than physical strength and fighting skills. So why was she gifted with visions? The prophecy didn’t mention anything about it either.

She avoided Samuel as much as she could the rest of the week. She didn’t regret kissing him that night, but that didn’t mean she was any less confused. She knew that eventually they would work it all out, so she wasn’t going to rush it.  Maybe some time apart will give her the time she needed to think.

She was glad to be going home where she could at least try to pretend that none of it ever happened. But she knew that wasn’t likely. She and Joe had lots to figure out, and when the right time came, she would have to let Samuel back in, probably a lot sooner than she would hope.

As soon as she and Joe passed through the open gates, and out onto the highway, she didn’t look back.