Solasta Academy: Blood & Moonlight

Chapter Twenty

In the small city of Ambrosia, Calia learned that it might take a Vampire seconds to rip her apart. They possessed unnatural quick speed with enough strength for anyone to wrap their arms around her tiny frame and squeeze. Autumn in this Kingdom was getting bitterly cold by the day, so she kept her hands in her jacket pocket, though it did nothing to keep her warm. As she and her friends strolled through the ancient city, vampires peered at her. Most of the immortals with bloodlust were lucky enough to drink Sebastian Breevort's blood, which allowed them to walk in the sun. Daywalkers, as Soari called them. A shiver went down her spine as a talk Vampire male gazed at her as though he smelled her strange blood from a mile away. But then he noticed her silver hair and Solasta Academy logo—connecting the dots that she was important for the Breevort bloodline. His cold, black eyes widened before scurrying out of the street where they walked.

After her meeting with Principal Orla yesterday, Arzhel messaged her about an idea. It is a chance for all of them to get out of Solasta before the annual showcase and check off one item from Soari's list. Calia agreed, and when she asked why it was important to see this stranger today, the Fae instantly called her via video chat and began confessing that he might know something from his days at Solasta. Arzhel found in her mother's yearbook a familiar name when she was too busy grieving over another dead student.

Now, they are here standing in front of an old apartment complex that was eerily quiet—even for Ambrosia. Calia focused on Arzhel, and she found he was already staring at her with the same look, sharing the same thought. Why is this place quiet? They seemed to ask. Both turned toward the wooden oak door, and on the side was a list of names with a doorbell to the left. "It's so fucking cold. For God's sake, hurry up and press the buzzer." Lottie complained as she stood behind her and Arzhel. Torin and Jade made the same sound as though they agreed with her, but Elliot stayed silent. Scoffing, she focused on the names again, going down until she reached one she was familiar with. Graves. As far as she could tell, there was no first name, but that didn't matter now.

She pressed the buzzer once and waited. Five seconds later, a male voice growled in the mic, "What do you want?"

Calia cleared her throat and pressed the buzzer again as she began speaking. "Hi, my name is Calia Nox, and I need to speak to you about something of importance." She let go of the buzzer again and waited for Graves to reply. To let them inside so they wouldn't die of hyperthermia—though that wasn't possible since they were all immortal. In the corner of her eye, she saw a surveillance camera. Smart. She pulled out Soari's list with his name in big black letters and showed it to the camera, where he was most likely looking right now. "You know Soari Breevort. She is my guardian, and I have questions for you."

Through the mic, he chuckled, "So not only did the Party Princess save this godforsaken world but decided to take in strays?"

"You sound like you don't believe it." she inclined her head.

There was silence from the other end for a good minute. Then Grave spoke again as his apartment door opened slowly from his command. "I don't. If you want answers to why, we shall have a civil conversation in my den with your friends. And we might speak about your mother."

Calia led the way into the quiet apartment complex with her friends in tow.

***

She sat on the edge of an old and dirty cream-colored couch when Graves, a notorious drug dealer in every Kingdom, gave her a mug of hot tea. Calia nodded as a thank-you before he sat in front of her as if he owned the whole world. Arzhel's knee touched hers but couldn't think about it as she took in Graves's features. His curly black hair was tied up behind him, and his dark brown skin shined in the sun behind him. The muscles in his arms led her to believe that he could kill within seconds. He wore a simple red t-shirt with its arms cut off and sweatpants as if he had been hiding from everything for a week. His almost-black eyes bore into her own as if in a challenge, but she didn't back down. Graves might have been an Alpha, but she was raised by Juliette Nox. Calia would not give up. Not now.