Shadows Entwined (Shadows Descent #3)

8. Flint

8

FLINT

I chuckle as Violet hefts the frozen wolf creature, carrying it outside with ease. The human blood has clearly given her a significant boost, both physically and mentally. While I’m glad to see her energy restored, I’m worried about what Morgan’s death will do to her emotionally. I feel a pang of regret and grief for the ancient sorceress who gave up her life for her daughter and say a silent blessing for her soul.

“Violet,” I call out as she returns for another frozen Order member. “Maybe you should take it easy. Let us handle this.”

She flashes me a grin, her eyes bright with an almost manic energy. “I’m not sitting this out while you guys have all the fun. This was my idea. I’m fine, Flint. Better than fine, actually. Come on, we’ve got work to do!”

I exchange a worried glance with Thorne, who shrugs helplessly. We both know there’s no stopping Violet when she sets her mind to something.

With a sigh, I join the others in moving the frozen creatures outside. It’s slow, careful work. We can’t risk damaging the ice encasing them. By the time we’ve moved all twenty-odd members of the Order to the academy grounds, I’m sweating despite the frigid air.

“Right, then,” I say, rolling my shoulders. “Time for me to shift. Everyone stand back.”

As the others retreat to a safe distance, I close my eyes and focus. The change ripples through me, bones shifting and reforming, scales erupting across my skin. In moments, I’ve transformed into my full dragon form, wings unfurling as I stretch to my full size.

I hear Violet whisper softly. “You’re so beautiful.”

I rumble low in my chest, pleased by her reaction and duck my head so she can stroke me.

Thorne rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes, he’s very impressive. Can we get on with it?”

I spread my wings and launch into the air, hovering as I carefully use my claws to scoop up the first batch of frozen Order members. It’s awkward. I have to be gentle enough not to shatter the ice but firm enough to keep them secure. Once I have a good grip, I take flight.

The flight to the mountains is quick but tricky. The blizzard makes visibility poor, and the wind buffets me as I navigate through the peaks. I find a remote, sheltered valley and deposit my cargo there before heading back for the next load.

It takes several trips, but finally, all the frozen Order members are relocated. As I land back at the academy for the last time, I see Violet waiting for me, practically vibrating with energy.

“All done?” she asks as I shift back to human form.

“All lined up like an ice army. They will be shocked when they defrost,” I snort.

“Please tell me you stacked them in some compromising positions,” Caine asks hopefully, joining us.

Violet snickers, and it’s good to see her happy, but I know it won’t last. “If you did, you’d better have taken a photo,” she snorts with laughter.

“Sadly, no, I didn’t really have time to play dolls with them.”

“Shame,” Thorne says, crunching over the snow. “That would’ve been epic.”

“Well, now you tell me,” I grouse.

“We didn’t think of it until after you left with the last batch,” Caine admits. “We were a bit slow on the uptake.”

“You are all exhausted,” Blackthorn says, striding over. “We have two days until the Solstice. Mr Caine, unfreeze the Academy, and we can strengthen the wards, and you can all go and get some rest.”

“Should we keep the forest frozen through the Convergence?” I ask.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Blackthorn nods thoughtfully. “The frost could provide an additional barrier if needed.”

Caine frowns, leaning heavily on his cane. “I can maintain the freeze on the forest, but unfreezing the academy will be tricky under those circumstances. They are linked, so splitting the freeze will take more power.”

“I can help,” Violet offers eagerly. “I feel stronger than ever. Maybe Morgan’s power boost will be useful for this.”

I exchange another worried glance with Thorne. Violet’s enthusiasm is bordering on manic, and I’m concerned about how she’ll crash when the adrenaline and blood high wear off.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Blackthorn says cautiously. “Mr Caine, if you would begin the thaw?”

Caine nods, closing his eyes in concentration. The air around us shimmers as his magick spreads out across the academy grounds. Slowly, the ice begins to recede, melting away under our feet. His frown deepens, and Violet slips her hand into his. He grips it tightly, pulling on her power source so the forest stays frozen while the Academy thaws.

As the last of Caine’s ice vanishes, we hear confused voices and the sounds of people stumbling as they are released from their frozen state.

There is still snow underfoot, but that is the natural weather system at play.

Caine lets go of Violet’s hand and she grins up at him. “Nice work, Ice Prince.”

He smiles slowly but doesn’t say anything.

“I’ll see to the wards, the rest of you go and get some rest,” Blackthorn states.

“Do you know where my dad is?” I ask before he leaves.

He shakes his head. “We haven’t seen him or Cryos for a while.”

“Should we be worried?” Caine asks bluntly.

Blackthorn gives him a searching stare. “I don’t see why.”

“My dad is not known for being benign, Sir.”

Blackthorn purses his lips but doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns to Violet. “Miss Violet. After you have rested, please find Amara. She will need updating on the events that have taken place.”

“You mean that Violet staked her son to death?” I spit out.

His gaze snaps to mine. “Amongst other things.”

Violet flinches at my harsh words, her manic energy finally faltering. “I... I should be the one to tell her,” she says softly. “It’s my responsibility.”

Blackthorn nods gravely. “A wise decision, Miss Violet. But for now, rest. You’ve all been through an ordeal.”

As Blackthorn strides away to reinforce the wards, I turn to Violet. The adrenaline seems to be wearing off, leaving her pale and shaky.

“Come on,” I say gently, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Let’s get you to bed.”

She nods, suddenly looking exhausted. “Yeah, okay.”

We make our way back to her room, Thorne and Caine following close behind. As soon as we’re inside, Caine casts a spell that dries off the last of the ice age, and Violet collapses onto the bed, her eyes already drooping.

“Stay with me?” she mumbles, reaching out a hand.

“Of course,” I say, settling beside her. Thorne and Caine take up positions around her on the bed.

As Violet drifts off to sleep, I worry about the coming days. The Order may be temporarily out of commission, but they will find their way back here now that they know who Violet is. Not to mention, the Convergence is still approaching.

I exchange grim looks with Thorne and Caine, and then I get up, careful not to disturb Violet. “I’m going to get her some more human blood.”

“Is that wise?” Thorne says immediately. “You saw what it did to her, and then she crashed hard.”

“I know. But at this point, I don’t think we have much choice. We’ll intersperse it with the dispenser blood, so she isn’t getting dependent on it.”

Thorne doesn’t look convinced, but Caine gives me a nod, so the majority wins.

I make my way quickly through the halls of MistHallow, heading for the Blood Bar. The academy is still in a state of confusion after being unfrozen, with students and faculty milling about, trying to make sense of what happened. I keep my head down, avoiding eye contact. The last thing I need right now is to get caught up in explanations.

Reaching the Blood Bar, I slip inside, relieved to find it empty. I head straight for the refrigerated storage unit in the back, where the human blood is kept from prying eyes.

As I’m filling a bag with blood pouches, I hear the door open behind me. I freeze, caught red-handed.

“Mr Flint,” Professor Blackthorn’s voice rings out. “I don’t believe you have authorisation to be back here.”

I turn slowly, bracing myself for a lecture. But to my surprise, I see Blackthorn sipping on a glass of blood.

“It’s for Violet,” I explain quickly. “She needs the strength.”

Blackthorn sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I suspected as much. You do realise the dangers of a young vampire becoming dependent on human blood, don’t you?”

I nod, guilt gnawing at me. “I know. But with everything that’s coming, she needs to be at full strength. We can deal with the consequences later.”

Blackthorn regards me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he sighs. “Very well. But be careful, Mr Flint. Miss Violet is in a precarious position right now. The power boost from her mother’s sacrifice, combined with human blood, could be a dangerous combination.”

“I understand, sir,” I say solemnly. “We’ll monitor her closely.”

He nods, then reaches past me to grab several more blood pouches, adding them to my bag before he rips one open and takes a long gulp. “Take these as well and keep a close eye on her. The coming days will be challenging.”

I leave the Blood Bar with a heavier heart than when I entered. Blackthorn’s words echo in my mind as I make my way to the dining hall to grab two big to-go cups of dispenser blood. The place is packed out, everyone converging to talk about what happened and to eat their weight until they feel better. I line up in the queue, and when it’s my turn, I spot Xaxis and Liam deep in conversation, which sets alarm bells ringing. I don’t have time to worry about it, though. There are about five vampires behind me, hungry and agitated while they wait for me to hurry up. I grab the two cups and fill them. By the time I look up again, Xaxis and Liam are nowhere to be found.

“Great,” I mutter but head back to Violet’s room, knowing she will need to feed when she wakes up.

Thorne looks up. “You’ve been ages. Did you run into any trouble?”

I put the two cups down, and the bag follows. I crawl back onto the bed and say, “Blackthorn caught me in the Blood Bar. But seeing as he was there also stealing human blood, he couldn’t exactly say much.”

Thorne snickers. “I see.”

“Yeah. He warned us of the perils of Violet becoming addicted to human blood, but we already have that covered.” I gesture to the two synthetic cups.

Caine nods but remains quiet for now.

I settle back onto the bed, gently stroking Violet’s hair. She stirs slightly but doesn’t wake. “There’s something else,” I say quietly. “I saw Xaxis and Liam talking in the dining hall. They looked too chummy for my liking.”

Thorne’s eyes narrow. “That can’t be good. Those two teaming up spells trouble.”

“Agreed,” Caine says, his voice low. “We’ll need to keep an eye on them. The last thing we need is more complications right now.”

We fall into a tense silence, each lost in our thoughts. The weight of everything that’s happened—and everything still to come—settles heavily on my shoulders.

Violet stirs, her eyes fluttering open. She looks disoriented for a moment before focusing on me. “Hey,” she murmurs.

“Hey yourself,” I say softly. “How are you feeling?”

She sits up slowly, running a hand through her tangled hair. “Like I got hit by a truck. What happened?”

“You crashed pretty hard after the adrenaline wore off,” Thorne explains gently. “Do you remember what happened?”

Violet’s face crumples as the memories come flooding back. “Morgan,” she whispers, her voice choked with emotion. “She died. For me.”

I pull her into my arms as she sobs, her body shaking with the force of her grief. Thorne and Caine move closer, offering silent support as Violet finally allows herself to break down.

“It’s not fair,” she cries, her words muffled against my chest. “I barely knew her, and now she’s gone. There was so much I should’ve said, so much I wanted to ask her.”

“I know, baby girl,” I murmur, stroking her hair. “I’m so sorry.”

We sit there for a long time, just holding Violet as she grieves. Eventually, her sobs subside into quiet sniffles. She pulls back, wiping her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she says softly. “I didn’t mean to fall apart like that.”

“Don’t apologise,” Thorne says firmly. “You have every right to grieve.”

Caine nods in agreement. “You’ve been through hell, Violet. It’s okay to not be okay.”

She gives them a watery smile. “Thanks, guys.”

I reach for one of the cups of blood. “Here, you should drink something. You need to keep your strength up.”

Violet takes the cup gratefully, sipping slowly. Some colour returns to her cheeks as she drinks, and she sighs. “Synthetic.”

I give her a twisted smile. “Yeah. Sorry. We have to look after you.”

She nods slowly. “Thanks. I know I went a bit crazy on the human blood. Maybe don’t give it to me anymore.”

“Okay,” Thorne says hastily, ignoring the glare I give him.

I don’t want Violet to become addicted to it, but if it helps her strength, then we may need it in small doses.

“We won’t let you fall, Violet. We promise.”

She nods and sits back with her blood, sipping it slowly as silence falls over us again.