Nephilim (Academy of the Fallen #2) (8 page)

FIFTEEN

Kayla

I knew there was something majorly wrong when Hunter rushed into my room.

“What is going on?” I asked.

“One of Benjamin’s allies got in.”

I immediately started to freak out.  “What?  But—the wards?  How can that happen?”

Hunter was pacing back and forth.  “I don’t know!  Kim and the others were supposed to be practicing.  Something probably went wrong.”  He made a fist and punched the wall.  “Kim said the only Demon who was ever out there was Benjamin, but this one is a girl.  We never accounted for the possibility of Benjamin either hiding or shielding others.”

“Oh My God.  Well, where is she now?!”

“Ethan went after her.  Everything will be okay.”

I took a deep breath.

“Kayla, I need to get you out of here tonight.  Everyone will be too distracted with everything else, Benjamin included.  They are going to tighten security soon.  We have to leave.”

“What about Kim?  Ethan?”

“They will go with us as planned.”

“But, Hunter, if Kim goes, Benjamin will be in here in a matter of seconds.”

Hunter sat down and looked up, meeting my gaze.

“I’m not gonna be able to convince you of going, am I?”

I shook my head.  “Not unless I know that everyone else in here will be okay.  I want to get out of here as badly as you do, but not at the cost of everyone else’s safety.”

I couldn’t remember ever seeing Hunter so mad.

In a desperate tone he asked, “What if we leave Kim behind?”

“I couldn’t do that.  Hunter, please stop putting my life in front of everyone else’s.  This whole Nephilim thing means nothing to me.  I’m not that big of a deal.”

“You are a big deal to me, Kayla… and my taking you out of here has nothing to do with what you are.”  He paused.  “Will you at least allow me to hide you somewhere in the Academy until we know this Demon is no longer a threat?”

I nodded.

Outside there were a few fallen ones walking around.  Everything looked almost deserted.  Hunter grabbed my hand, shielded me, and took me to an abandoned building where they kept most of the Academy’s supplies.

In that building, there was an abandoned room at the end of the upstairs hallway.  Hunter grabbed the keys that were hidden in a drawer and we entered the room, which was no different than the other dorm rooms.

When we got in, Hunter locked the door and hugged me.  “Why do you have to be so difficult, Kayla.  I just want to make sure you are safe.”

“I know, but there are kids living here.  Most are defenseless.  We can’t just leave them.”

Hunter pushed the hair off my face and smiled.

“What?” I asked.

“You may say that being a Nephilim means nothing to you, but that is changing you.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is more good in you than most of the fallen combined.  You are starting to put the others before you… to defend this place like it is your home… I sense your willingness to protect these people, the haunted and even the fallen, like they are your family.  Not to mention what you are willing to do to help Ethan with… it is reckless!”

“It is the right thing to do, Hunter…. And deep inside, you know it; otherwise you would be dragging me out of here… or at least trying to.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Really?”

“Kayla, that is who you are.  I will stand by your side no matter what you decide… no matter how reckless your decisions are, I will always be there.”

I don’t know what came over me, but feeling the vulnerability of having one of them now in the Academy got to me, “Hunter, let’s say I make one of those so-called reckless decisions...  If this was to be our last night together, how would you want to spend it?”

“I would want to spend it with you.  Even if we had thousands of nights, I would want to spend every single one of them with you.”

Hunter approached me with his gaze locked on mine.  He was looking at me differently… with more intensity.  My heart started beating faster and then he kissed me with such intensity that it was as if that night was the last night of our lives.

SIXTEEN

It was only about a few hours later when we heard a knock on the door.  “Hunter, it is me… Ethan.”

I didn’t want to move at all.  I just wished that Hunter and I could for once spend more than just a few hours without worrying about everything else falling apart.

Hunter walked to the door and let Ethan in.

“No one saw you come in, right?” asked Hunter.

“No.”

“So, what happened?  Is she gone?”

“No, she is still in the Academy, but she is restricted.  They are using Kim to make sure she doesn’t get away.”

I grunted at the sound of that.

“Ashley had her baby and… well, Daniels just got back a few minutes ago from talking to officials from another Academy.  They are coming to get Ashley and the baby to keep them protected, at least until the child is safe from Benjamin.”

“Oh,” I said, “How are they going to get in without Benjamin stopping them?”

“There are a few coming to guard the outside and let the others get in safely.”

Hunter looked pale.  “This is not good; not good at all.”

“Daniels would agree with that.  He is not happy at all.  When he returned, I had to tell him that you are keeping Kayla here.  He said that everything is secure now.  He sent me to make sure that Kayla goes to her dorm and stays there until further notice.”

“Why?” I asked.

“He has a lot that he needs to hide, Kayla.  One of them being that there is a Nephilim in this Academy.  They would know that you are a Nephilim as soon as they lay eyes on you… and Hunter, he wants to see you.”

“I’m not leaving Kayla alone in her room while there is a Demon around!”

“There is a little problem with that,” said Ethan.

“What?”

“Daniels wants you with Kim while I get the officials from the other Academy to Ashley.”

“Why can’t someone else do this?”

“Beats me.  He seems to be keeping a very specific group of people hidden from the Fallen ones coming in… as far as to why he wants you with Kim and not Kayla, it is probably because Kim needs someone there and he thinks she trusts you more than anyone else.”

“I knew we should have left last night!”

“Hunter, look at me…  I will be fine.”

SEVENTEEN

Hunter

Ethan walked with Hunter to the place were Kim was staying.  With her, there was Daniels and the Demon, who was locked up.

Hunter froze when he first saw her.  The girl smiled at him. 

Feeling uncomfortable, he turned his back to her and met Ethan’s gaze.

“Benjamin is well prepared,” said Hunter.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“They sent ‘
her’
for a reason.”

He paused and looked at Daniels.

“None of you know what she truly is, do you?  You know… besides the fact that she is a demon?”

They shook their heads.  Daniels looked intrigued at Hunter’s knowledge.

Hunter glanced at the girl, who stood up with her arms crossed, looking as if she was enjoying the show.

“She is one of Lilith’s daughters,” he said with disgust.  “One of the child-stealing ones… She is not here for Ashley, she is here because they want the kid one way or another.”

Daniels faced Ethan.  “Go and stay with Ashley and the baby until I get there.  I won’t be long.”

Daniels then ordered Hunter to stay with the Demon the entire time, and for Kim to stay right outside of the room along with one of the faculty members.  He didn’t say the reason, but he didn’t want to take any chances of Kim being influenced by the Demon’s strong glamour.  To him, Kim was like a daughter… but Hunter was expendable.

After everyone left, the Demon glared at Hunter.  “You are different,” she said as she stared at him.  “Too smart to be here.”

Hunter ignored her.

“You can stop referring to me as the ‘demon’, you know?  My name is Hannah.”  She paused and smiled.  “You are not afraid of me, are you?” she said in a seductive tone.

This time, Hunter looked up and met her gaze.  “Of course not!”

Hannah was intrigued by him.  She loved his appearance just as much as the feeling that there was something different about him.  So intrigued that she was willing to do what she needed to get closer to him, or to get him closer to her.

Her longing for him like that gave her what she needed.  Her voice was softer… more seductive.

Hunter looked in her bright green eyes and he was suddenly dazed.  He felt attracted to everything about her… her brown hair with reddish highlights, her long legs, her curves, and when she spoke again, he couldn’t look away from her lips.

“You want to kiss me, don’t you?” she asked.

His heart was trying to fight what his mind couldn’t.  Even though he hesitated, he soon moved forward.

“Come closer,” she whispered.  “The little girl holding me in here is strong.  There is no getting out.  You will be safe.”

He took a few more steps toward her.

“I won’t tell anyone…  If that is what you are worried about.  It will be our little secret.”

Hunter was now where she could reach him, but she didn’t need to do anything.  He wanted to be closer to her.  Hunter subconsciously managed to enter the wards put up by Kim.  The girl lifted her hand, brushing her fingers up his arm.  “If I knew there would be creatures as divine as you and Ethan in this place, I would have broken in sooner!  I wonder what else is out there, outside of this room.”

Hunter held her gaze, spellbound.  He had absolutely no control.

“You are still thinking about kissing me, aren’t you?”

He nodded.

She put his hands around her waist, approached him so that her lips were nearly touching his.  He leaned closer and kissed her.  Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her even closer while they kissed.  Something was telling him that this was wrong.  There was something weird about that kiss, but the longer they kissed, the more passionate the kiss became and the quicker he let go of any feelings that what he was doing was wrong.

At one point, Hannah tried to stop him, but he kept pulling her to him.

She finally broke away from him.  “I like this,” she said.  “I really do, and I wish we had more time, but I need you to remain strong.  I need you to do something for me.  If you succeed, I’m all yours.”

Hunter, still dazed, nodded.

“I need you to tell your little friend, Kim, that you got orders for her to put the wards down; that I can go.”

Hunter hesitated.

“Look at me.  It is just one little favor, and then you can come with me… away from this place.”

Hunter nodded and tried to kiss her again.

She put her hand on his chest, holding him back.  “Not yet.  Trust me, you will be well rewarded for this little favor that I’m asking you to do.”

She didn’t need to ask him again.

Hunter stepped out of the room.  The faculty member who was to stay with Kim had stepped out.  Hunter told Kim that Daniels called the office and he was to escort the girl out of there.

Kim had no reason not to trust Hunter, so she put the wards down.

Hunter went back and asked Hannah to follow him, holding her by the arm and leading her out of the building.

Nothing seemed unusual to Kim, who just went back to Daniels office and waited to hear back from him.

Hannah’s timing could not have been more perfect.  They walked out of the building and instantly laid eyes on Ethan, Daniels, Ashley, the baby, and Clarissa… the fallen angel sent by the other Academy to escort them out.  Other Fallen ones waited on the other side of the Academy’s gates.

Hannah had every intention to send Hunter to retrieve the child and then run.  She knew there was some kind of protection surrounding the Academy, but between the energy that she had just taken from Hunter, and the energy from the child, she knew she would be able to get out.

Once determining that there was no time to send Hunter, and that he was probably not fast or strong enough because of what she had taken from him, she decided she would have to do the work herself.

Hannah rushed toward Clarissa, who held the baby.  Ethan, who was by Ashley’s side, saw her first and moved to where he stood in front of Clarissa and the child, quickly alerting everyone else. 

Daniels ordered Ethan to take Clarissa, Ashley, and the child to the Academy’s church.  He shouted questions at Hunter:  ‘Where is Kim?… What happened?’ but Hunter just stood there. 

Finally, Daniels and the others started to walk toward Hannah and Hunter. 

Kayla, who had seen the entire scene from her window, ran outside.

“Hunter!  What is going on?”

Hannah smiled at the sight of Kayla.

Hunter looked confused as he laid eyes on Kayla, but he then heard Hannah’s seductive voice and it was as if Kayla no longer existed.

He stood in front of Hannah, protecting her.  The Fallen ones looked confused, and Daniels just yelled for him to move out of their way.

Some other faculty members surprised them by coming from the other side.  Two fallen ones grabbed Hannah’s arms, one on each side, but she let them.  She knew she was strong enough to have a chance of leaving. 

Even though Hannah knew it took more to enter the Academy then it would to leave, she could see the connection between Kayla and Hunter and that interested her too much to leave right away.

Hunter turned around to defend Hannah, but she stopped him.  She knew of a better way to benefit from the situation and give her a little more energy to leave the Academy.

“No need, Sweetheart,” she told him.  “You did what I asked.  You can kiss me again.”

“Hunter?” Kayla said, the words ‘kissing’ and ‘again’ jumping at her.

Hunter’s gaze was still locked on Hannah’s.  He approached her.  Everyone else was too puzzled to even attempt to stop him. 

The Fallen did have a tight grip on Hannah’s arms to make sure she wouldn’t try to leave… at least they thought they did, but they did nothing to stop Hunter, who walked closer and kissed her.

Kayla turned around, and crying… ran back to her dorm.

As soon as Hannah stopped kissing Hunter, he fell to the floor.  Out of instinct, the Fallen let go of her to stop him from getting hurt.

That was when Hannah rushed to the gates and ran out of the Academy.

In the confusion, the Fallen ones who were outside, had moved in.

Daniels followed her movements, and glanced at Benjamin who stood outside.  Benjamin grinned.  “I warned you, this place is not as protected as you believe.”

“Son—“ said Daniels.

“Don’t call me that!”

Benjamin turned around, “Don’t worry, Stepfather, we will have our family reunion soon enough.”

Benjamin and the others left.

Everything was in even more chaos after that.  Hunter had to be carried to the infirmary.  Ethan was back by then and helped carry Hunter.  Faculty surrounded the Academy, making sure that no one else got in, and Daniels was asked to meet with the ones who had come for Ashley in his office.

Everyone was shocked by the turn of events.

Daniels’ main concern was getting the Academy back in order.  He was also worried about Kim.  He knew Kayla was hurting, but he just couldn’t afford to waste time with a teenage crush when Kim, who was so important to the Academy and to him, could have been hurt.

Not knowing that Kim was already in his office, he asked Angela to find her, take her to the infirmary to make sure that everything was okay, and then bring her back to his office. 

By the time he got to his office, followed by the other fallen ones, Kim and Angela were nowhere in sight.

The Fallen in charge of the other Academy, Evelyn, stood across from Daniels.  “Well, let’s see…. There is a human girl with a child who is the offspring of a half-demon… a succubus, a child-stealing one nonetheless, inside the Academy, AND an incubus orchestrating everything from the outside.  Did I miss anything?!”

Daniels spoke with a calm that shocked her.  “These are unusual circumstances.  This Academy is just as protected as the others, if not more.  I assure you that we have everything under control.”

“That is certainly not how it looks.  Besides, you called for help.”

“Evelyn, I’ve been running this Academy for years.  I assure you that if that child was at your Academy, you would be in the same situation.”

“I would believe that, if it hadn’t been for the demon outside calling you step-father.  Daniels, I know of your history.  I know that you have a past with the boy and somehow I doubt that he is here just for the child.  There are just too many coincidences.”

“What do you suggest, Evelyn?” he asked in a firm tone.

“Your position as the one who runs this Academy puts me in a delicate situation.  I will be calling for backup to safely transfer the girl and child to our Academy, but you have left me no choice but to put you on probation of sorts.  There will be fallen ones coming from another Academy until we know that everyone is safe.  Daniels,” she said in a warning tone, “if things get worse I will have to escalate the knowledge of this problem and look for guidance from others, and I assure you that they will not be happy to hear about this.  So, I’m going to ask you again… is there anything else I must know?”

Daniels nodded.  “Yes, my daughter is here as well.”

“For heaven’s sake, Daniels.  Where has she been all along?  How did I not know about this?!”

“She was raised by humans.”

Evelyn shook her head then met his gaze.  “She is the blond girl, isn’t she?  The one who left crying?”

Daniels nodded.

“I knew there was something about her, but she is able to mask what she is… I couldn’t sense that she is a Nephilim.”

“She was raised as human, that probably has something to do with it.”

Evelyn sat down.  “A Nephilim… I hope you had the decency of keeping that from everyone.  I’m not sure how to feel about this or even how to proceed, but no one must know anything until we have a plan in place for her.”

“That is handled.”

“Oh good, at least one thing I don’t have to worry about,” she said in a sarcastic tone, which turned cold as she continued.  “I suppose the boy taken to the infirmary will not make it.  A kiss like that from a succubus is deadly to any human.  Be prepared to do damage control.”

Daniels dismissed her, deciding not to talk about Hunter.

“I will determine who will be coming from the other Academy and we will talk again… In the mean time, I assume that you have one of the Fallen rooming with your child.  I want that fallen removed and one of mine will be staying with her.”

Daniels agreed.  Also deciding not to mention that Kayla had no roommate.

Daniels walked her to the door, seeing Kim with Angela in the waiting room, he felt as if he could breathe again.  As soon as the Fallen one was gone, Daniels asked Kim to come in and for Angela to go look for Kayla.

Once in the office, Daniels made sure that Kim was okay.

“What happened?  How did she get out?

Kim had no choice but to tell him what she knew. 

“Hunter just came out and said that you called and told him to escort her out.  I thought he was telling the truth.”