BLOOD WAR

chapter 1:1

1.2 Monsters in the Shadows

Dedicated to MollsieWallsie

Nika froze. She felt at least a dozen gazes on her, as

if they'd been pulled by gravity. Among them was

Jade, whose swallow-tailed eyes narrowed into

slits.

"What did you do?" she whispered, suspicion

flooding her words.

Nika's heart hammered against her ribs as she

thought about the past few days. She'd been

unusually well-behaved because her last stunt had

made Kovachev so furious that he threatened to

expel her. Again. Of course, he couldn't. Her father

would never allow it, and Markos Dimitrovich was

one of the most powerful men in the Daemonstri

world. One phone call had Kovachev changing his

mind.

Despite that reassurance, Nika had decided to

abstain from bad behavior for at least one week.

Though, she had ditched some classes last night.

Nika said to Jade, "I didn't do anything."

Panic rose inside her throat. She knew she should

have already approached the headmaster and his

entourage, but she couldn't move. And by now,

there was enough attention on her for Kovachev to

detect her location.

"Miss Dimitrovich," he said, his tone low and full of

warning, "if you don't come willingly, we'll use

force."

Two of those intimidating keepers stepped

forward for emphasis. Like a puppet, Nika rose,

feeling cold and numb.

As she descended the bleachers, a familiar voice

hissed, "What have you done this time,

halfblood?"

Nika glared at the boy-Isaak. He was a rival and

an enemy. Since their first year, she and Isaak had

vied to rank at the top of the Nefili class. According

to their statistics, both of them were promised to

be some of the greatest keepers the Vigil had ever

seen.

But Isaak and his family despised anything related

to tainted blood. As the world's most infamous

halfblood, Nika had been his victim for the past

five years. There wasn't a day that he didn't taunting.

and trouble her. Sometimes, he grew sick of words

and used fists instead.

The verbal battles, she could handle. A lifetime of

ridicule had honed her wit into an ancient sword.

But when it came to physical attacks, she had

always been inferior. Cursed with a petite stature,

Nika was an easy target for tall, ath letic Isaak and

his beefy sidekick. She'd lost count of how many

times she'd been pummeled into black and blue.

And yet, despite her inferiority, Nika loved fighting.

It was all she'd ever known.

Her fingers curled, but before she could wipe the

smug grin off Isaak's face, Nika found herself

covered by a keeper's shadow. He didn't touch her,

but the threat was clear in his stance. If she made a

move, he wouldn't hesitate to react. She would

probably be unconscious within heartbeats, and

he wasn't against hitting a seventeen-year-old girl

in front of a large audience.

So Nika backed down, but she didn't peel her

baleful gaze away from Isaak until the keepers

ushered her behind Kovachev and escorted her

from the gymnasium.

When she stepped outside, that silence screamed

across the forest, thick and unbearable, and she

couldn't shake the feeling that someone was

watching.

When neither the headmaster nor the security

guards spoke, her nerves skyrocketed. What was

happening? Was she in trouble? Why was the

school on lockdown?

As they traversed the sidewalks, agonizing seconds

dripped by, and the questions grew dire.

What if this wasn't about her? What if something

had happened to Lu, her best-friend-but-more-

like-sister? What if something had happened to her

dad?

She shoved those thoughts out of her mind as they

entered the administration building.

"Stay here," one keeper ordered.

Then they peeled off in separate directions,

returning to their regular duties. Perhaps she

should have been flattered by Kovachev's enlisting

four full-grown men to help. Nika had a certain

reputation for being difficult sometimes. Some

might have even called her a hellcat.

She scanned the lobby while the headmaster

whispered to a receptionist. There was movement

from a hallway to the left, and when her eyes

landed on a familiar, angelic figure, she felt a wave

of relief.

Lu emerged from the corridor with a female

keeper, who wasn't here to contain Lu, but to

guard her. All keepers, whether young or old, male

or female, were the soldiers, security guards, and

policemen of Daemonstri society as a whole. But

their truest purpose was to protect the Serafi race.

Even above their own families.

Nika rushed toward her sister-friend. Lu made a

small squeaking noise and caught her hands.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I had to tell them."

Even when twisted in distress, Lu's face was

ethereally beautiful. Her hair was like glittering

moonlight, streaming over delicate shoulders and

a collared blouse. With skin the color of cocoa

powder and bright lavender eyes, Luiza Lazarov

was too captivating to ignore.

Like all Serafi, she possessed regal height and an

air of grace and charisma. Being a Nefili-and just

plain short-Nika had to lift her chin to look at Lu

directly.

"Tell them what?"

"About our spot. I know how much you love that

place"

Nika's heart sank. That's all?

A few years back, Nika and a close group of friends

-Lu and Jade among them-had discovered a

cluster of abandoned cabins on the fringes of

campus, which had served as dormitories during

the school's elementary years. Nika had convinced

her friends to convert one into a secret hangout,

despite the fact that it was off-limits to students.

So this was the cause for a lockdown? It seemed a

bit theatrical.

But the more Nika thought, the less she was

certain. If Kovachev had learned of their prohibited

hangout, he would have detained Jade, too. As

well as the two boys who frequented the cabin.

Nika said, "Why would you tell them about it?"

"They think you did something. I was trying to

explain that you"

Before Lu could finish, Kovachev said, "Miss

Dimitrovich, please follow."

"Can you wait for me?" Nika asked as she slowly

obeyed his command.

Lu nodded, the crease between her perfectly

arched brows deepening as Nika turned away.

Kovachev led her into his office and gestured to a

chair before his large desk. All the while, Nika's

thoughts raced.

What does he think I've done?

"It has come to my attention that you had two

unexcused absences yesternight," Kovachev said

while taking a seat. He scanned a file angled away

from Nika's eyes.

Nika willed herself to remain calm. "Yes. But why

does that require an interview with my best

friend?"

"Because Miss Lazarov always knows where you

are. She claims that you went to the old dorm

facilitiesto a hangout spot that you've been using

for three years."

"That's true."

Kovachev folded his hands and c****d his head.

"What were you doing there?"

"I needed some privacy." By the look on his face,

that wasn't clear enough. Nika sighed. "I was

wallowing in self-pity and frustration because.

.boy drama"

She added the last part with a grimace, and it

wasn't a lie. Nika had gone to the cabin to escape a

boy last night. She'd been too mortified to attend

training after Miles, a close friend-and occasional

friend-with-benefits-had dropped an 'I love you!

They'd been in his dorm during their free period.

More specifically, in his bed. Doing things that

needn't be remembered in the presence of the

headmaster.

Kovachev raised his brows. "Boy drama?" He had

the audacity to sound amused. "And you were

alone during this time?"

"Yes." Nika suddenly recalled a brief incident and

amended, "No-actually, someone saw me there.

We talked for a few minutes."

"Who?"

"The new guy. Dante." She pressed her lips

together, rummaging her mind for a last name.

"Azzara. Dante Azzara."

Kovachev looked vexed, especially when he shook

his head at her like she was a misbehaving child.

"You're telling me that the only person who can

confirm your alibi is this Dante character? A new

student?"

Alibi. Nika tried not to explode at that word.

laaehina tha uraa ta ctandun and damandcama.

OLeashing the urge to stand up and demand some

answers, Nika said, "Yes."

"What are you up to?" Kovachev snapped, leaning

on his elbows. Anger flashed through his middle

aged features. "Is this some ruse to stall me or

divert my attention?"

"No!" Nika couldn't believe this was even

happening. "Just send for Dante and ask. He'll tell

you that he was trying to find his way around

campus and wandered near the old dorms. He saw

the light coming from our cabin and knocked on

the door. There was some small talk and I gave him

directions to the library, then he left."

Kovachev's eyes narrowed, and for several long

seconds, he assessed her. Then finally, he said,

"Perhaps both of us have been deceived."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because we don't have any new students."