Fang And Claw (Nocturne Academy 2)

I saw them all staggering and stumbling with stunned looks on their faces. Nobody seemed to know quite what was going on.

Including me. Had Ari actually marked me as his own? Marked me the same way Griffin had marked Megan? Of course, those two were Blood-Bonded, which wasn’t the same thing—it was permanent while a marking could be broken. But still, marking someone with your blood was a clear sign of possession and intent—and Ari had done it to me!

My head was still spinning when a new voice rang out above the stunned crowd.

“What is the meaning of this? What in the name of the Goddess who gives us all life have you been doing in my school while I was gone?”

Looking for the source of the voice, I saw the last person I would have expected. It was Headmistress Nightworthy, pushing her way through the gaping students.

And from the look on her face, she was angrier than I had ever seen her in my life.

57

Kaitlyn

“Into my office, now! Both of you!” Headmistress Nightworthy gestured at Ari and me to get down from the table. “And if you even think of breathing flame again in my school, Mr. Reyes, you should know that I will expel you in a heartbeat,” she continued, when Ari glared down at her mutinously. “You and Miss Fellows,” she added, which was what seemed to really get his attention.

“I don’t want Kaitlyn to be harmed in any way by my actions,” he said stiffly, frowning.

“Then you’d better come down from there now and get to my office.” The Headmistress’s voice was as cold as ice and she had her arms crossed, her long, red fingernails tap-tap-tapping away as she waited for us to comply.

“Ari, let’s go—we have to,” I whispered to him. “Please, I just want to get down and have everyone stop staring at us!”

At last the big Drake seemed to bend.

“Of course, my L’lorna,” he murmured. “I’m sorry if this was hard for you but I had to claim you publicly. Otherwise you might have been hurt.”

Then he stepped down from the table and held his hands out to me. Leaning down, I put my hands on his shoulders and Ari gasped me by the waist and swung me down to the floor as everyone watched.

“All right, that’s enough,” Headmistress Nightworthy snapped, looking around at the milling students behind her. “Get to your dorms—all of you! And everyone who is going home for the weekend had better be out the front gate of the castle in fifteen minutes flat or you lose all weekend privileges for a month!”

This caused a general stampede out of the Dining Hall. It was Friday and nobody wanted to be stuck in the gloomy Nocturne castle all weekend when they could be home or at least out on the town instead.

None of my Coven-mates moved, however, even though I knew Emma had to work tonight and Megan and Griffin had made plans to have dinner with her aunt. Avery had been planning to stay with me anyway, but of course he wouldn’t have gone anywhere even if he’d had plans.

“Now, both of you get to my office,” the Headmistress snapped, glaring angrily at Ari and me.

She started to lead the way but Avery said,

“Excuse me, Headmistress Nightworthy.”

“Yes, Mr. Connor?” she said, turning and raising one elegantly shaped eyebrow at Avery threateningly.

He lifted his chin bravely.

“As Kaitlyn’s Coven-mates, we are all involved in this matter and we would like to come to your office, too.”

“Oh, you would, would you?” the Headmistress said flatly, glaring at him.

Megan stepped forward.

“Yes, Headmistress, we would,” she said firmly.

Griffin came with her, linking his hand with hers and then Emma stepped up beside Avery.

“Coven-mates stick together,” she said bravely. “We need to be there to support Kaitlyn no matter what happens.”

Headmistress Nightworthy stared at all of them, and for a minute I thought she was going to give my Coven-mates a tongue-lashing that they would never forget. But then, to my surprise, she threw up her hands and shook her head.

“Very well then—all of you come to my office. And be quick about it.”

Turning, she strode through the Dining Hall, her elegant stiletto heels tapping on the gray flagstones. Ari and I, still holding hands, and all the rest of my Coven followed. I felt incredibly grateful to my friends for sticking by me, but I couldn’t help the stab of fear I felt as well.

What would Headmistress Nightworthy do to us?

I had no answers—I could only follow along with my friends as we made our silent way to the Headmistress’s office, fearing the worst.

58

Kaitlyn

As we walked down the long stone corridor that led to the Headmistress’s office, my mind was filled with awful questions.

What was going to happen to us? Would we all be expelled? And if so, where would I go? I had no place to call home except Nocturne Academy anymore. What would I do if I lost it, like I had lost all my other homes? Where would I go? Would I be relegated to one of those awful colonies for Made Vampires that Griffin had warned me about? Would I die there, unable get any fresh blood for nourishment?