Хлоя Нейл - Hexbound

“I don’t know. I feel like he’s playing some kind of game, but I don’t know all the rules. But I think he definitely believes there’s—I don’t know—merit to what they’re doing.”

“That’s the Dark Elite ploy,” she said. “That’s how they build their Reaper army.

‘Think of all the wonderful things we could do with all this magic!’ But when was the last time you saw any of those things?”

I nodded. “He also showed me how to do something.”

“Something?”

“He showed me how to spark my magic—how to create this little molecule of energy.”

“And he showed you this at the Taco Terry’s?”

I nodded.

She shook her head. “That is just . . . bizarre.”

We sat there quietly for a minute.

“Are you totally peeved?”

It took her a really long time to answer.

“I’m glad you’re safe. And I could sit here and yell at you about not being careful,

but you did exactly what I’d do.” She looked over at me. “You didn’t just go with him because he’s hot, did you?”

I gave her a flat look.

“Hey,” she said, holding up her hands. “I’m not blind. Just because he’s completely evil doesn’t mean he doesn’t have that tall, dark, and handsome vibe. At least tell me you took the opportunity to interrogate him.”

“Tried,” I said, “but didn’t get much. He denied knowing about Lauren and—

what’s the other girl’s name?”

“The French hornist?”

I nodded.

She tilted her head up, eyes squeezed closed. “Joanne or Joley or something?

Let’s just say French hornist.”

“Anyway, I asked him about them. He confirmed our Grimoire theory.”

Scout paled a little. “They’re looking for me?”

“They are. Or at least your spell book. But I think I put the fear into him.”

There was some pretty insulting doubt in her expression. I batted her with a pillow. “I can be fierce when necessary.”

“Only because you have a wolf at your beck and call.”

“He’s not at my beck and call. And we’re getting off track. Sebastian denied knowing anything about the monsters, but here’s the really weird thing—he told me to go see the vampires. He said something about the ‘missing,’ and said we needed to talk to Nicu to figure out what’s going on.”

“A Reaper sending us into the arms of warring vampires. Yeah, that rings a little more true.”

“What about the missing thing?”

“What about it?”

I rearranged my knees so that I was sitting cross-legged. “Does that mean anything to you?”

“Not really. I mean, other than me being kidnapped and all.” Her voice was dry as toast.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. He did say Jeremiah was interested in you.”

Scout went a little pale. “I gotta tell you, that does not thrill me.”

“We’re quite the pair, aren’t we? They’re after you ’cause you’re some kind of wonder sorceress, and I’m some kind of crazy, firespell-wielding Adept.”

“You know, we could totally turn that into a comic book.”

“Who’d want to read about pimply teenagers with boy issues and magic problems?” We looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

A knock sounded at the door. “It’s open,” Scout said.

The knob turned, and Lesley stood in the doorway, blinking wide eyes at us. “I need to show you something,” she said.

“What?” Scout asked.

“I’m not sure, but I think it falls into your jurisdiction.”

Without so much as a word, apparently trusting that Lesley had seen something important, Scout gathered up her messenger bag.

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go,” of course, was easier said than done when we were being stalked by the brat pack. The three of us emerged into the suite to find Veronica walking into Amie’s room, stack of magazines in hand. She wore the kind of grubby clothes that beautiful girls could get away with—flip-flops, blond hair in a messy knot, rolled-up sweatpants, and a tank top.

Veronica stopped, free hand on the doorknob, and looked us over. “What are you doing?”

We bobbled forward as Scout pulled the door shut behind us and hitched up her messenger bag. “We’re going to find a quiet place to study. What are you doing?”

Veronica held up the magazines. “Self-explanatory?”

“Excellent,” Scout said. “Good luck with that.”

“I know something’s up,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, but I know there’s something.”

“Something like how M.K. sneaks out at night to meet her boyfriend, you mean?”

I smiled innocently at Veronica.

She all but growled, but kept her eyes on me. “Are you going to meet Jason?”

she asked.

“Of course not,” I said, but I could feel the blush heating my cheeks. I’d never been a very good liar, and while I’d been mostly honest—we weren’t planning to meet him—who knew what the night would hold?

“What about John Creed?”

There it was again. Veronica was clearly obsessed with Creed. Why not just call the boy and ask him out?

“We’ll be studying,” Scout repeated. She opened her messenger bag to show Veronica her art history book. “You want to join us?”

Veronica watched us for a minute. “No, thanks,” she said.

She didn’t say anything else as we headed out the door, but I could feel her eyes on us as we left.

Lesley led us through the Great Hall and then into the main building. When we got there, she led us down into the basement along the route we used to get to the vault door.

“It’s down there,” she said, pointing down the stairs.

“What is?” I asked, nervousness building in my chest.

“You’ll see.”

“Do me a favor?” Scout asked. “Could you stay up here?”

Lesley didn’t answer, but Scout apparently took her silence as agreement, as she pulled my elbow and tugged me down the stairs.

We found what Lesley had seen when we reached the corridor just ahead of the vault door—a trail of thick, ropey slime that led all the way back to the vault door,

which stood wide open. There was no glow from the wards.

“Oh, crap,” Scout said.

“You think it’s from—”

“Where else would it come from?” She frowned and surveyed the goop. “It has to be the creatures. Maybe the wards didn’t hold.”

“Temperance faded after a while,” I pointed out. “Even with the power boost, the wards might not have held forever. Maybe those Reaper girls broke through them again, and the rat thingies followed them in.”

“And then the rats ate the girls?” she asked hopefully.

“Or they’re working together.”

Scout froze. “That would be very, very bad. Reapers are awful. Reapers with minions are far beyond awful.”

“What’s the other option?”

“Maybe they just skipped in after the girls.”

We both looked up. Lesley stood at the end of the hallway, arms crossed over her chest.

Scout gave her a look of disapproval. “We told you to wait upstairs.”

Lesley lifted her nose, and with a voice I’d never heard her use before, gave that attitude right back to Scout. “I am not a child, so don’t talk to me like that.”

It took Scout a moment, but she backed off. “You’re right,” Scout said. “I’m sorry —but that doesn’t mean—” Lesley cut her off with a hand. “I told you I’d help you,” she said. “And I’m not going to leave just because things get slimy. Literally.”

It took Scout a moment to respond. I understood why—even after I’d taken firespell, she hesitated to bring me into the fold. She’d worried about my safety; after all, if a Reaper thought I had information about Adepts, they might use me to get to them. It was probably the same fear she had for Mrs. M and for her friend Derek, who worked at a bodega near the school.