Page 1 of Cruel Destinies

Chapter 1

Arya

Moonlight glinted off razor-sharp fangs as a vampire materialized from the darkness of the alley and dove at me.

I swerved to the right, dodging his attempted bite. Gripping the dagger in my hand, I rammed it at the vampire’s back, aiming for his heart. But the vampire was ten times faster than I was and escaped out of sight before my blade could even get close.

I stumbled sideways, rushing to stabilize my footing so I could look around for my attacker. By the time I had squared my stance, the vampire had once again cloaked itself in shadow. I hated that trick. That was why the vampire leader Hadrian and his followers had been able to surround me and my friends the other night.

Tobias’s battered body flashed in my mind, and suddenly, the memory of that attack consumed me. The look on Hadrian’s face as he appraised me from the sidelines while his gang assaulted my friends—the blast of the cannon that had shot Tobias down. The heat of Ashlyn’s flames that ultimately saved us. The feel of Tobias’s lips on mine when he kissed me...

Reality hit me like a freight train as my assailant dove at me from behind, knocking the wind out of me as we both toppled to the ground. I rolled over as I coughed for breath, scrambling to get hold of the dagger once more to pierce the heart of the vampire that was now on top of me.

Again, I wasn’t fast enough, and the vampire clutched my neck and wrenched me off the alley floor, pinning me against the brick wall with my feet dangling.

Just like my first run in a simulation. I really hated this fucking scenario.

“Dear old Daddy won’t mind if I take a bite,” he hissed, then opened his mouth wide to plunge his teeth into my neck.

I screamed, then the vampire and the alley disappeared, and I fell like a ragdoll to the bright white floor of the Simulation Room.

The only door in the room opened, and Caesar walked in, offering his large hand. “What happened? You were doing so well, and then you just froze.”

I took his hand and pulled myself up, gritting my teeth. “I just...got distracted.”

A knowing look softened Caesar’s stern countenance. “Thinking about Tobias again?”

I gave a solemn nod. “I never stopped. And this sim isn’t helping. You designed it too similar to the alley we were in that night. It brings me back to it every time. Why can’t I fight a vampire in the desert or something?”

“Because we don’t live in the desert,” Caesar answered. “We live in the city. Chances are if you’re attacked again, it will be in an alley just like before. You need to be ready.”

I sighed and nodded again.

Caesar gave me a long look. “Let’s call it a night. We’ve been at this all afternoon, and I think you’ve earned a break. A transition, rather. Get yourself cleaned up and report to the infirmary. Now that we know you’re also part harpy, we need to begin your training in that area as well. Ms. Heather is waiting to give you your first lesson.”

Exhaustion caught up to me, making my bones feel heavy. When he’d said we should stop, I hoped that I could crash in my new bed in the avian wing. But no, just more training of a different kind.

“And you’ll be able to check on Tobias as well,” he added.

My ears perked at that. Damn Caesar, he knew exactly how to turn more work into its own reward. As tired as I was, I would do whatever was needed if it meant I could see Tobias.

After a quick shower in the locker room, I rushed over to the infirmary. It felt odd to approach the door and find the hallway surrounding it empty. So many times I’d tried to come here to see Letti and the area had been swarming with mermaids who wouldn’t let me pass.

My archenemy, Cora, had been convinced—and tried to convince everyone else—that I’d somehow been behind the vampire attack on Letti. Even after Letti woke up a few days ago and told everyone the truth, Cora’s hatred for me was still blatant. In her eyes, though I hadn’t consciously directed the attack, Letti getting hurt was still my fault because the vampires had been after me when they happened upon Letti.

Thank fuck I was no longer staying in the mer wing. When Cora had kicked me out after Letti had first been assaulted, I’d run broken-hearted to Ashlyn. She’d welcomed me with open arms and shared her room in the avian wing, but after I was discovered to be a harpy, I was given my own room a few doors down from Ashlyn.

Getting to talk with Ashlyn late into the night and even falling asleep in the same bed occasionally was amazing! Growingup, I never had close friends, and I had never been to a sleepover. That went against one of my mom’s three rules: No going out after dark.

Those rules never made sense to me. I had thought Mom was just overly paranoid. But the events of the last few weeks proved they had a very good reason: the most dangerous vampire in the world was after me, and he would stop at nothing to get his hands on me.

I blinked away my troubling thoughts and opened the door to the infirmary.

Maya Heather, the school’s lead harpy instructor and expert healer, was sitting in a chair beside the hospital bed on which Tobias lay sleeping. It was rumored that angel sightings throughout history were truly harpies. Looking at Ms. Heather now, I could believe it.

She had frizzy, pale blonde hair that seemed to absorb any light that touched it, giving the illusion of a glow around her head. Her heart-shaped face was softly pretty, with petite features surrounding eyes the color of a clear blue sky, even if they were hidden behind a pair of librarian-style glasses. Everything about her was welcoming and peaceful. I was very grateful that Tobias was in her care.

“Hello, Arya,” Ms. Heather welcomed, fluttering her dainty hands in a come-hither gesture. “Come.”

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