Soulbound (17 page)

By the time I’d gotten down the hall, down the stairs, and out the door, I’d half convinced myself that the headmaster would be waiting for me with an army of
guards, ready to whisk me away to parts unknown. To my agonized relief, he wasn’t. The courtyard was completely empty, the grounds utterly silent. Above, a thousand stars twinkled their encouragement. So I moved forward, swearing that it would be the first and last time that I broke the rules, and that after tonight, I’d do everything I could to fit in here at Shadow Academy.

It’s funny the things you tell yourself when you’re scared you’ll get caught doing something you’re not supposed to.

Halfway across the cobblestone courtyard, I looked up at the cottage and my stomach shriveled into a deflated balloon. Darius’s window was dark.

My steps slowed to a stop and I bit my bottom lip, staring at the window, debating my options. I could go back to my room and sort this out later—or even just forget it. Wasn’t it a pretty stupid idea to confront a maniac like Darius anyway? And for what? A few snide remarks and dirty looks? So the guy didn’t like me—so what? Why did it even seem to matter?

“It’s after curfew.”

I turned my head toward his voice, but Darius was already stepping out of the shadows and onto the cobblestone. How long had he been standing there? Snorting my irritation with him, I said, “Planning on giving me more extra duties?”

Without even flinching—maybe he was made of
stone, incapable of feeling a dig—he said, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to ask you a question.” I waited for his response, but he said nothing. His eyes carried a strange sort of expectation in them, as if he’d been waiting for this conversation since the day we met. I took a deep, slow breath before speaking. “What’s your problem, Darius? Why do you hate me so much?”

Disappointment crossed his features, followed immediately by annoyance. “My problem is no business of yours.”

Cursing under my breath, I mentally kicked myself. Why was I surprised? Did I think we’d shake hands and end up fast friends because I snuck out to confront him? What did I really expect from a dek like Darius?

He turned toward his cottage then, his footfalls soundless on the cobblestone. Then, unexpectedly, his steps slowed. Without turning back to me, almost as an afterthought, he said into the night, “And I never claimed to hate you.”

Shock filled me and I was responding before I could even think of the words to say. “So why do you act the way you do?”

“I also never claimed to like you. You should go back to your…” The venom was back in his voice as he threw a glance at me over his left shoulder, but it didn’t last. “Wait. Do you hear that?”

Darius turned around in a slow circle then, surveying the darkness, scrutinizing every inch of shadow around us. I looked as well, but saw nothing, heard nothing. Maybe Darius was still on paranoid pins and needles from his recent hunting party. “I don’t hear anything.”

He frowned, his eyes still scanning. “Maybe it’s nothing. Still…you should get back to the dorms. It’s not safe for a Healer to be out alone. Especially at night. Even inside this wall.”

Cocking my head to the side, I wondered how Darius could speak with such sincerity about something Maddox had said the complete opposite of just minutes before. Then I pivoted on my heel, turning back to my dorm building, and froze.

The shape of the enormous, hulking beast was apparent even in the darkness. Its broad head lowered and moved in close, the stench of its breath closing in around me. Its black, beady eyes seemed lifeless—an empty void of hunt, kill, devour—but I knew too well the life contained within. Graplars were fast, limber, instinctive, and powerful. I didn’t make any quick movements, recalling what Darius had said to me the first time we’d met—what my father had said just moments before a Graplar had taken Avery’s life—but turned my head slightly, inciting a low growl from the beast. But when my eyes fell on Darius, all hope of a repeat escape vanished.

Darius was also holding very still. Because a second
Graplar was standing directly in front of him.

My heart shot into my throat, choking back my words for a moment. Then, with a slow, deep breath, I dared a whisper. “What do we do?”

Darius was eyeing the beast, that light once more in his eyes—visible even in the darkness—filling his entire presence with excitement. I didn’t share his enthusiasm. He parted his lips to speak and the Graplar blew out a snort, as if warning him that speaking wouldn’t be wise and loud speaking wouldn’t be tolerated. After a moment more of silence, he said, “I hope you can handle a sword. Otherwise this might be the last charming conversation we ever have.”

It took all my willpower not to laugh, and most of that was probably nervous laughter. I knew he was being sarcastic, but part of me couldn’t help but wonder if Darius were hoping that we might actually have future conversations, despite the fact that he seemed to utterly despise me. I was admittedly curious as to what those conversations might be. If we survived, that is.

Slowly, so slowly that I could barely tell that he was moving at all, Darius reached over his right shoulder and slipped the katana from its sheath. The metal sang quietly, as if the sword knew that any loud sounds would attract the attention of the Graplar, as if it were telling Darius that it was ready for action. “Now,” Darius whispered—his words no more than a breath on the wind—“I’m going to toss this blade to you. If you like breathing
and wish to continue doing so, you’re going to cut that thing’s head off as quickly as you can, or at least keep it at bay until I can finish this big boy off.”

My heart was racing so loudly that I almost couldn’t hear what he was saying. Did he want me to fight off a Graplar? Seriously? I must have been hearing things. “You want me to what? And…how are you going to kill it without a sword?”

My voice squeaked and the Graplar in front of me moved closer, baring its slimy teeth and emitting a low, guttural growl. It was a warning. I was sure of it.

A small line creased Darius’s forehead. “Let me worry about that. You just try not to die until I can come help you. Now catch this thing on three. Ready? One. Two. Three!”

He whipped the blade overhand through the air, and I dove after it as it tumbled. The metal gleamed as it turned over and over again, high above my head. It was aimed perfectly for me to catch it as it fell. All I had to do was to stretch out my hand and grasp it. But then a thought entered my mind, worming its way deep within the part of my brain that makes me do really stupid things. What if I reached out and caught the wrong end of the sword? The sharp metal of the blade could slice straight through me. I’d lose a finger. Maybe many fingers. I pulled back at the last second, just as the katana was in reach, in a momentary panic. The blade clattered onto the cobblestone below, voicing its
complaints loudly. I was hoping the Graplars wouldn’t notice. But they did.

The Graplar in front of Darius lowered its head and lurched toward me, but Darius jumped up at the last moment and stomped down hard on its head. It whined and shook its enormous skull, slightly dazed. As the Graplar in front of me was moving forward, I shot a glance at the blade, but it was too far out of reach for me to grab. Taking a cue from Darius, I raised my foot up too. How hard could it be? Darius had just stomped on it and it was momentarily incapacitated. I could manage that much. Just as I was bringing my foot down, the Graplar lifted its head, pulling my leg upward in a quick jerk. I lost my balance, falling backward, and before I could recover, the beast shot its head forward, opening its massive jaws, and sank its teeth into my thigh. Screams tore out of my throat and into the night. I twisted my head around, but from where I was lying, I couldn’t see Darius. For all I knew, he might be dead, and I might be this monster’s dinner. I pounded on its skull with my fists, but it refused to let go, its sharp teeth sinking deeper and deeper into my flesh, pain lighting up my entire leg. Drawing back my fist, I aimed for its eye, and when I connected, it snorted and squealed and backed off.

Blood gushed down my leg, and I had to force my thoughts away from the damage the monster had caused. I stretched out my hand and grabbed the katana,
gripping the handle so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Before I could even scramble into a squatting position, the Graplar lunged for me and I brought the sword up hard. The blade stuck into its throat, but just barely. With a horrific gurgling sound, the beast backed off, pawing at the blade, trying desperately to knock it free.

Scrambling to stand, my leg screamed with pain that sent my head into a whirlwind. I struggled to keep my wits about me, and focused through the pain, raising my good leg up. I brought my foot down hard on its skull, kicking it into the cobblestone with a crack. Then, my heart racing with terror, I grabbed the handle of the katana and jerked it upward, hoping like hell the thin blade would be powerful enough to slice through its neck. I didn’t have to cut the head completely off, just damage the beast enough that it wouldn’t be able to come after me again. But to my utter shock, the metal slipped easily through muscle, bones, tissue. The Graplar’s head rolled wetly away from its body, which landed in a dead heap. I staggered backward, my hands trembling.

Darius took the katana from my hand and flicked the weapon forward, flinging blood from it before returning it to the sheath on his back. He looked over my handiwork and smiled. “Not bad. For a Healer.”

His words didn’t sting. Mostly because I could hear the tone of respect within them. Imagine that—Darius.
Respecting me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought it was all a dream. But the pain in my leg was enough to remind me that I was absolutely wide awake.

Behind him, the water in the fountain trickled down from one level to the next. As I watched, dazed, the water turned from clear to dark red. Floating grotesquely in the bottom of the fountain was the other Graplar’s head. Its corpse was lying beside the fountain. A gasp escaped me. “How did you manage to cut its head off without a katana?”

Impossibly, Darius’s smile broadened. But it soon wilted as he cast his eyes down at my leg. “You’ve been bitten.”

He met my eyes and I saw what I’d thought to be impossible in his gaze—concern. It was intermingled with something else, but I couldn’t quite identify it. “We’d better get you to the hospital wing. A Graplar bite can prove fatal if not properly treated.”

“No, wait.” I shook my head and the world around me shifted. Suddenly I was feeling very warm. Unusually warm. And dizzy. “If the headmaster finds out I was out after curfew, alone, and during a Graplar attack, he’ll have my head on a platter, not to mention Maddox’s.”

I was certain that he’d insist we head straight to the hospital—after all, that was Protocol, now wasn’t it?—but he surprised me by nodding, his eyes on my wound the entire time. “My cottage, then. Quickly. Wait quietly
until I have a chance to debrief this to Raden, who will arrange cleanup and a report to Quill. If anyone finds out you’re there…”

He didn’t have to finish his sentence. I knew what he meant. If anyone found out I was in Darius’s quarters—a teacher, an Unskilled, and after hours, unescorted—we were both dead. He turned and started a quick pace toward the south gate, and I called after him, because it couldn’t wait. Because I owed him at least this. “Thank you.”

He paused in his steps just long enough to offer me a nod before hurrying to find Raden.

My vision wavered a bit as I lifted my injured leg, but I forced myself to keep going, keep moving. I had to get out of sight quickly, before anyone saw me. It was a miracle that no one had. But I could only move so fast. I limped along the cobblestone to the narrow stairs that led up to Darius’s quarters. Placing my good foot on the first step, I pulled my wounded limb along, fighting back tears. It was strange, but I couldn’t shake the sensation that the injury was becoming more painful as time moved on. An eternity later, I pushed open Darius’s door and practically fell inside.

Darius’s quarters were simple, and if I didn’t already know that he lived here full time, I might have mistaken them for a temporary place—somewhere that someone who was just passing through might sleep. There were no pictures on the wall, no books on the bedside table,
no clothing on the floor, no personal effects of any kind. Just a simple, crisply made bed near the window, a small nightstand holding a single candle, and a wardrobe across the room.

I made my way to the bed and collapsed, groaning. The bite from the Graplar was beginning to burn me alive from the inside out. Lying back on the bed, I hoped like hell that Darius wouldn’t be gone for too much longer.

At long last—I had no idea how much time had passed—the door swung open and Darius entered, closing it behind him once again, sealing us both inside. Alone. Together. He turned to face me, and then moved his gaze down my body—a little more slowly than I thought was necessary. When he spoke, his voice sounded vaguely husky. Or maybe it was just my imagination making it so. “Those leggings will have to come off.”

My eyes must have bugged out of my head, and I sat up, my pain briefly breaking. “Like hell they do!”

He stared at me blankly, as if he had no idea why I was making such a ruckus over taking my pants off in front of him. I stood my ground, but it felt like the ground was moving. Steadying myself against the wall, I said, “The leggings stay on.”

Sighing, Darius’s expression turned impatient once again. “Look, I can’t treat that bite properly while your clothes are in the way. So either take them off and let
me help you or limp your way to the hospital wing and let the Master Healers give it a shot.”

My wound throbbed, as if in protest. Only I didn’t think it was protesting me. “Give it a shot? You act like they don’t know what they’re doing.”

He shrugged. “They don’t. Not entirely. Not when it comes to Graplar bites. I suspect that’s largely because they’ve never been bitten before.”

“And you have?” I wasn’t sure why I’d asked. Of course he’d been bitten. He was a warrior. Even warriors get bitten.