Millwood Academy - First Term by Dawson, Tanya (i like reading txt) 📕

the vampire blood mixing with my own and explode into a full run. I’m faster and have more clarity than ever. I smell more scents and can narrow down small animals further away as we run on.

After a few minutes run into the woods, we stop and hunker down behind a large tree. Annie is breathing hard and is staring at the path we just ran through.

“Where...”

She brings her finger to her mouth to quiet me and remains focused on the path. I lean back on the tree and close my eyes, focusing on any noises in the woods. Soon we realize we are in the clear.

“He should be here soon. You may need to go further in the woods. The vampires will be able to smell him if he comes too close.”  Annie grabs an envelope from her pocket and hands it to me. “Guard this.”

“What is it?” I flip it over, unsure if I should open it.

“It’s your assignment. I should have gotten it to you sooner, but shit happens.” She smiles.

“Should I open it?” My hands shook, unsure if I wanted to know what my mission was. What if it was against the vampires? Against the Stanton brothers?

“Only you can read it. The harm is if anyone knows you have a magical document, I can’t save you from what could happen.” Annie brushes off dirt from her knees as she stands.

“Do you know what it says?” I place the envelope on my lap.

“No, I have my own mission. We all have a little piece of the puzzle. I know they searched for you for a long time, so your part is special.” Her smile was warm and motherly, even though she looks seventeen.

I nod then look down at the envelope. Unsure if I wanted to know right now. My mission would be the same tomorrow.

“Don’t take too long.” Annie watches the envelope on my lap. “I have to get back before they notice. Get to Clark. He can help you.”

Annie moves past the tree to leave, but I have one more question for her. About Clark.

“Is he okay?” I get to my feet to look at her reaction.

“What do you mean?” She stops but only turns her head back to me.

“You know what I mean.” I hold my breath as I wait to see if she will tell me his secret.

Annie just smiles, “He’s got a good friend in you. He’s going to need that.” She leaves and runs back to the house.

The woods seem unfriendly without her. It’s darker, and I feel alone. I could run now, far away. Never have to see any of them again if I wanted to. The envelope is warm, reminding me of what I promised. What I was to gain if I fought this through.

I rip it open, like a band-aid. Quick and fast. I pull the only page out of the envelope, and it’s blank. I wait for something magical to happen, but nothing appears.

I shove it in my pocket as branches break on the path Annie just left on, “Did you forget something?”

A shadow in the woods approaches slowly. No one replies to my question, and the scent is not Annie’s. They have masked it with some sort of spell. I shove the paper in my back pocket and get ready to fight if I must, happy that I drank all that blood.

“You...” Ivor says as he steps out into the moonlight.

Chapter 16

“Where the hell have you been?” My fists pound onto his chest with all my rage, fear and relief behind them. I want to hug him and slap his face all at the same time.

“I can’t tell you, but we’re all okay.” His eyes shifting to the side told me otherwise.

“Where are the others?” I look past him in the woods, but it’s silent.

“It’s just me...for now.” Ivor grabs my hand, and we run through the forest, I’m still not used to this new energy and am amazed at how my body feels, moving at this insane speed effortlessly. It’s easy to keep up with his strong stride.

We come to a clearing, and there’s an old cabin. There is a faint light glowing inside. I reach out and grab on to his shirt, before he does something stupid, “No...”

“It’s my place. Not many know about.” He gently kisses my cheek as a reassurance. His lips are soft and wet and get my imagination going.

“How did you know I was in the woods?”

“I always know where you are, Penelope...I told you we were fated.” This time he kisses my forehead, I grab his face and bring those lips down further. They crash into mine, and his wet tongue dips into my mouth, at first, it’s soft, then it hardens with further promises.

I draw back from him, embarrassed I tried to make out with him at a time like this. When his brothers were missing, or whatever was going on.

“No one will find us here.” He wraps his arms around my waist from behind me, and we bear walk to the cabin.

He opens the door, then lifts me up in his arms and carries me over the threshold. “This is yours now, Penelope.” He set me down next to the fire. “You’re safe here.”

“Wasn’t I safe before?” I search his face for any clues.

“We had to go into hiding. Things got a little heated. I wanted to reach you before we left, but it was a last-minute decision.” Ivor pulls off his wet t-shirt and throws it on a chair then opens the fridge and brings out a bottle of wine. “Red?”

I nod and sit in front of the fire, letting the warmth flow over me. I wouldn’t push him tonight, but tomorrow it was on. He had a lot of explaining to do.

He passes me a glass and sits down next to me. “You’ll see the others soon. They should all be headed back here tomorrow. For now, I just want to spend time with