Nephilim (Academy of the Fallen #2) (10 page)

Andrew put his arm around her.

“I really wish we could see her.”

“I know,” said Andrew.  They both had this lost look on their faces.  It was as if they couldn’t understand why they had not been able to see me; yet, they understood that was necessary.

“We have to go,” said Stephaine.

One nod and we were back at the Academy.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yes.  Thank you for that.”

“Glad to help.”

“Can I ask you why you fell?” I said.

She smiled.  “For allowing others to use my powers for evil.”

Somehow, I could see that.  She was just too nice.

“How did you do that?” I asked.

“What?  Taking you there?  We all have abilities.  That is one of mine.”

“Will I ever be able to do that?”

She smiled.  “Only time will tell.”

After the lights went out, we both went to bed.  I lay there, sobbing because I missed Kelly and Andrew, and the feeling of being home just made me miss them even more.  If Stephaine heard me, she didn’t say anything.  Either way, soon enough the sobbing stopped.  I could feel Hunter’s arms wrapped around me as he whispered in my ear asking if I was okay.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around him too.

As usual, I had a nightmare that night.  Hunter not exactly being able to use his voice to wake me up, tried to move me, but it wasn’t until Stephaine said my name that I truly woke up and quickly sat up.  I could feel Hunter’s hand on mine.  Then I felt his hand against my back, as he tried to calm me down.

“Kayla,” said Stephaine.  I was barely awake.

“Uh?”

“I know that he is here,” she whispered.  “He can make himself visible.  I wouldn’t want him to end up in the infirmary for longer than he has to for using all this energy.”

I could feel his tight grip on my hand.

“I won’t tell anyone,” she promised.

“It is okay, Hunter,” I said.

She could see him now.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“You are not very strong right now,” she said.  “I could sense there was someone here.”

“How did you know that was a ‘he’?” I asked.

“I just assumed that part.  I didn’t think he was human.  No human would have survived a succubus’ attack… What are you, anyway?” she asked.

Hunter hesitated.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.  And stop worrying, I won’t tell anyone about you being here… just be careful though.  If Clarissa suspects… well, she is very strict with rules and she is responsible for notifying the Elders about anything unusual that she sees.”

“Thanks for the warning,” he said.

“Now, this is none of my business, but I think you should go back before someone notices you missing… they tend to keep checking on people at the infirmary… besides, you need to rest.”

He hesitated.

“She won’t be alone.  I promise you that I will wake her if she has another nightmare.”

“Thanks,” said Hunter.  “Are you sure you will be okay?” he asked me.

I nodded. 

Hunter put a hand behind my neck, pulling me closer, kissing me and then, he left.

“Thank you.” I told Stephaine.  “Can I ask you why you are being so… nice?”

She giggled.  “Can’t I just be nice for no reason?”  She shook her head and smiled.  “When they transferred me here, they told me that my main priority was to protect you.  I can sense that there is no better protection for you than having him by your side.  Crazy thing is that I don’t even know what he is.  Just like with you, I’ve never sensed one like him before… There seems to be a lot of unusual things happening in this place.  Anyway, there is something about how strong you are when he is around.”

I took a deep breath.

“You can just sense all of that?”

“Yes, as a guardian… it is a part of what I am.”

“Can others do that too?”

“Not many.”

She was right.  There were too many unusual things happening at the Academy. 

After a while, silence took over and we both went back to sleep.

TWENTY

Classes were to go back to normal today.  I was about to leave when Stephaine stopped me.

“Good morning, Kayla.  There has been a change of plans.”

I wasn’t even fully awake yet, so confusion was expected.

“We can’t afford to spend time on your regular classes.  Clarissa said that you must first catch up on your knowledge about the Nephilim.”

“Umm, okay.  When did you talk to her anyway?!”

“Oh, I have been up for an hour or so.”

I stared blankly at the clock wondering how anyone could even function at that time.

“I will accompany you.  Clarissa will be teaching you the first few classes.”

“When will I be able to see Hunter?”

“I will take you to see him right before lunch, but I suggest you do not mention him to Clarissa.  No need to get her curious about the boy.”

I sighed.  “Let’s go.”

Clarissa was… different.  She was young, but you could tell that her wisdom made her look older whenever she spoke.

I could see what Stephaine had said about Clarissa abiding to rules.  She was very formal. 

She introduced herself and said that she was going to be teaching me about the Nephilim.  She said that I could interrupt her at any time to ask questions, but that this would be a full-speed course, as there was a lot to cover.

Surprisingly, I already knew the basic things.  Nephilim were children of fallen angels with humans.  The fallen were always men and the human always women.  It was unheard of fallen women being able to bear children. 

The Nephilim are capable of the same powers that their fathers have, but they do not have the limitations that their fathers suffered as consequences of falling.  Once falling, some had part of their abilities taken away and others had nothing left.

To the Nephilim, those abilities are available, but cannot be accessed until proper training and knowledge is acquired.

In the past, the very few Nephilim who were around had the tools to protect themselves and others, but decided to live among humans after they knew their potential.  Truth was that physically they could do as much if not more than the fallen, but when it came down to it, they were not immortals.  They wanted to enjoy their mortal lives; however long it lasted.

Children of Nephilim were known to have an ability here and there… being psychics, being able to see the dead, sense things… but their powers were not nearly as strong and faded with each descendent.

When I asked Clarissa how I would be able to unlock and use such powers, she said that knowledge was the biggest part of it.  That once one knows what he or she is able to do, all it takes is for that person to believe.

I honestly had to hold back the laugh.  I really didn’t buy the whole will power and laws of attraction thing.  The thought of making something extraordinary happen just because I believed in it was insane.

That was a lot of information for one day, and as Clarissa said, there would be a lot more.

She dismissed me early saying that I was done for the day.  Stephaine wasn’t there when I got out, but that wasn’t going to stop me… I practically ran out of there so that I could go see Hunter.

TWENTY-ONE

I was so eager to see Hunter that when Tucker stopped me I thought I could have punched him and kept on going.

“What do you want?” I asked.  “I can’t talk right now.”

“I just wanted to apologize, you know… for trying to kiss you.”

“Already forgotten.  Look, I’m really in a hurry.”

He gave me a smile that made me cringe.  “Come on, let’s start over.”

“Sure,” I said as I started to walk away.

He followed me.

I was getting more frustrated by the second. 

“Look, sorry if I sound rude, but if you want to start over, you may want to walk away right now and do this another time.”

“You do seem stressed.  Anything I can help with.”

Ugh.  “Yes, you can help by leaving me alone.”

He shrugged, holding that smile.  “Guess I will see you later then.”

I swear, when he left, I felt as if the air around me was lighter.

I ran to see Hunter.

***

Ethan had been right.  Hunter seemed to be healing fast.  When I walked in, Hunter was sitting up and they were both talking.  It was still surprising to see how close Hunter and Ethan got considering how Hunter felt about the fallen.

Ethan smiled when he saw me and then excused himself.

“Feeling better?” I asked Hunter.

“Much better.”

“Last night… You shouldn’t have taken the risk.”

He shrugged.

“So, about your new roommate…  Are you sure we can trust her?”

“Yeah… and you know that this coming from me should mean something,” I laughed, but it was true.  It was no secret that I had trust issues with everyone.

“I thought so too, I mean… even in the dark, her wings practically lit up the room.  They were so… pure.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like that over here before.”

I agreed.  It made me wonder how the other Academies were.  Stephaine herself said that this one was different.  From that I assumed that this one had the worst screw-ups.

“So, what were you and Ethan talking about?”

“About getting out of here,” he said in a low tone.

“This is probably not the best place to talk about that.”

“Ethan has seen Benjamin spending more and more time around.  I’m surprised that even with Ashley out of here, he is still around.  That makes me think that he is here for you.”

“He is not,” I said in a firm tone.

Hunter looked confused.

“It goes beyond that… he wants more.  His problem is with Daniels, not me.”

“Yeah, but he could use you to hurt Daniels.”

I laughed.  “Come on, Hunter, Daniels doesn’t even really know me!”

“Kayla, whether you like it or not, you are still his daughter.”

“Whatever.  I told Ethan we would help him find Jennifer, so just tell me when we are leaving.”

“As soon as I’m fully recovered, but Kim is not going anymore.”

“What? Why?”

“She is afraid.  She said that she wants to stay… she will still help us, just from the inside though.”

I sighed.  Even though I didn’t like the idea of leaving her in this place, it was her choice.

Well, that was what I tried to tell myself, until it got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore.  Her wanting to stay after the way she was being used, was insane.

That afternoon, I decided to talk to Kim.  I wanted to try and talk her into coming with us.  Ethan went with me.  We couldn’t get into the building where we usually met because that was where Clarissa and another fallen were staying, so we just went to the back of the Academy.  Of course, if there were any of ‘them’ at a hearing distance, Kim would be able to alert us.

I went straight to the point.

“So, why is it that you changed your mind?”

Kim even looked afraid.  “This place is all I know.  I grew up here.”

“There has to be more than that.  Look, it is your decision whether you come or stay.  I just want to know the real reason.”

“Out there, it is not any safer than here.”

“Did you think it was before?”

“I guess I did.  We can’t make it out there with beings like the ones from yesterday.”

“…but Kim, they are not after us!  They are here for other reasons…”

“That was before.”

“Before what?”

“It doesn’t matter.  Honestly, it is a risk for any of us to leave, but Hunter is going to do it with or without my help, so… I might as well help and keep things as safe as possible.”  She hesitated and glared over at the back gates.  “It is just that… the girl, daughter of Lilith, is what I heard the fallen call her…  She is hanging around even more often than before.  I think it is because of Hunter.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“I told you before, I know that Hunter is different.  I think now she knows that too.”

“How do you know?”

“…one of the haunted… one that was helping me with the wards, walked by here yesterday and the demon flat-out asked if the one she kissed had recovered yet.”

I knew that everyone in the Academy had heard about that kiss.  Whoever that haunted was, he or she knew exactly that Hunter was the one she was talking about.

“What did this haunted tell her?”

“The truth of course.  Tucker said she used a spell to make him tell her the truth.  He was so scared after it… he thought he was going to get in trouble.”

“Did you say Tucker?”

“Yeah.  Do you know him?”

I rolled my eyes.  That guy was getting on my nerves more and more.

“If she had used a spell, would he know about it?  I mean… would he be able to recognize or even remember that she had done so?”

Kim shrugged.  “It is hard to tell what anyone is capable of doing in this place.”

“This is all just insane.”

“That is how they work though… succubi… incubi… They see something they want and they obsess over it until they have and destroy the object of their affection.  If you don’t believe me, just tap into their minds to see what they want.”

“Huh?”

“I read a lot about this world, and I’ve been here a very long time, Kayla.  Long enough to suspect what you are.  If I’m right, you have powers like no others.  If you are able to do that, you will know exactly what they want.”

I looked at Ethan.

“She is right,” he said.

“There is someone coming,” said Kim.  She motioned for us to follow her and we hid in between buildings.

“She is out there.”

‘Who?”

“The daughter of Lilith.”

I started to move.  I wanted to go to the gates and see her.

Ethan stopped me.  “Don’t!  You are not ready.”

“Close your eyes,” said Kim.  “Try to tap into her mind.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You can.  That is a part of who you are, or who I think you are anyway.  Of course, it won’t work unless you believe you can do it.”

My throat was dry.  I didn’t believe for a minute that I could do such a thing; yet, I closed my eyes and tried.  Nothing… just the sound of us breathing, me, Ethan, Kim… just breathing… and then I lost control of my thoughts.  I could see her kissing Hunter… her sitting outside of the Academy, hiding… just watching.  I couldn’t exactly tap into her mind in the way I expected.  My mind took me back to the kiss and I could feel the high that she got off it…. And I knew that she never felt anything like it, because what she did was steal life, and Hunter’s was endless.

I quickly opened my eyes and tried to move toward the gates again.  Once again, Ethan stopped me.  “Still not ready.  Did it work?”

“No.”

They looked surprised.

“I couldn’t read her mind like what I thought you said was possible.  But I could feel what she felt…. I mean… I could feel what one of her memories was like.  It was weird.”

Ethan and Kim looked at each other but didn’t say anything.

Finally, Kim spoke.

“Learn what you can about Succubi.  It will be easier to get into their heads if you know their weaknesses, strengths…  Ethan should be able to tell you what you need to know.”

Kim left and I stayed with Ethan.  I was terrified.

“We can’t let her get near Hunter!  We can’t let that life-sucking demon near anyone!”

“Come on,” he said.  “I’m not sure how much of what I know about Nephilim is true and how much are rumors, but you should be able to protect him.”

At that point, I didn’t know what to do.  If they got into the Academy we would be trapped with them.  If we left, we would be exposed to them finding us… if we even got that far.  There was always the possibility of making a deal with Benjamin.  Not long ago just the thought of that would have been unacceptable.  That idea quickly left my mind.  All I knew was that I couldn’t put everyone else at risk… Ethan, Kim, the others…

For a moment, I wished I could go back to being the old Kayla, the one who just worried about herself.  In a matter of days, this place had made me feel different.  I somehow felt responsible for the people in this world.

“So, tell me what you know about those Incubi and Succubi things.”

“Well, first of all, what applies to Benjamin doesn’t apply to her.  They are different and not just in their preferences as to whether they prey on women or men.  She seems to be following Benjamin’s orders right now, but she is actually stronger because she is a… hmm… a full-blooded succubus.  Benjamin is part human.  My guess would be that they made some kind of deal and that is why she is following his lead.

As you must already suspect, they live off their appearances, they seduce their prey to feed or to get whatever else they want.  They are shallow, but I don’t think that bothers them.  I really can’t think of their weaknesses because at least with her, there is no humanity, but knowing how they think will help you.”

“So I basically need to know that they are selfish, self-centered, conceited and use their physical appearance to get what they want, oh… and they suck the life out of people in order to continue to exist.”

“Pretty much.”

I rolled my eyes not knowing what I was going to do with that information.

As we walked back, I realized that I had missed dinner.  Ethan asked me to wait outside of the cafeteria.  He ran in and somehow managed to come back with sandwiches and drinks.

“If it makes you feel any better, I think that Hunter was just caught by surprise.  I think he could defend himself if it came to that situation again.”

“Yeah, well… I would rather not have to test that theory.”

He shivered.  “Let’s hope we don’t have to.”