Half Blood Rising

Oldman had given us a quick briefing about Svaltana's Clan. Some of Oldman's people believed they were behind the girl's kidnapping. I kept wondering if this mission was going to be as straightforward as Oldman had claimed. I'd never been anywhere apart from Kiev and Lviv, and now I was going to be crossing the border in the space of a few days.

That day I went through the briefing quickly, learning that the girl had last been seen in the centre of Moscow. It was interesting to know that she was a student of the Elite Academy. Her father was not only on the admission board, but he was also a member of the High Council.

Half an hour later, we were dismissed and carried on with our day.

"She's the weakest link, and she's going to screw this up for everyone," Ramona said the next day, unaware that I was on the other side of the same section in the library, trying to read a book in peace for a change. Lachlan was with her, and it seemed that they'd had a similar idea.

They were hidden behind the historical section, and for a long moment, I heard them making out. I was instantly put off, no longer wanting to read in here and needed to disappear.

Lachlan was still inside my head, and I kept telling myself that I wasn't jealous.

"Oldman chose her, and I trust her judgement," he replied. "The girl knows what she's doing."

I was shocked to hear those words coming out of his mouth. Maybe I'd misjudged him.

"Whatever, I disagree," Ramona snarked.

I got up and left, I didn't need to hear anymore. That bitch simply didn't like me. She had no idea exactly what I was capable of.

I headed to the second floor to use the Internet for my research. I'd normally done that in the past when Tristan had sent me a name of the convict he wanted me to track down. It would take me days to prepare and locate them, but once that was done, everything else had gone smoothly-well, most of the time.

Karina was excited about the new opportunity to work on an exclusive assignment. She told me that she preferred missions to studying in the classroom. We had a full schedule, but we would be getting extensions for our exams. During lunch, Lachlan sat with Ramona. I'd avoided them since overhearing them in the library, so I joined Judas and Marco at the table.

Karina was going to eat later. She'd gone to the gym and I admired her for it. She was trying to keep herself in good shape. I was finally getting used to the fact that I didn't have to go hungry anymore. On the first day, I'd filled my tray with three different meals and had eaten every bite.

"Svaltana's Clan must be keeping the girl in their headquarters somewhere by the Kremlin," I said, after I'd chosen my food. It was one of the possible locations I'd found during my research. "Oldman didn't give us a reason why they would have taken her. We need to find out if anyone asked for a ransom in exchange for her life."

"Back in London, I met a few vampires from that clan. They offered me a job and I took it. No offence, bro, but that's one of the last times I ever worked with a vamp," Marco said with his thick Italian accent. "The girl is probably dead by now. This mission is going to be over before it's even started."

"No, they'll keep her alive, she's extremely valuable," Karina said all of a sudden, appearing next to our table out of nowhere. "There's something going on within the High Council, rumours that some of the elders are refusing to step down. My old pack leader talked about it. The High Council prefers to do everything quietly, and that's why they hired Moonlight."

Her cheeks were red, but she gave us all a big smile. She must have just returned from the gym.

"I get it, the clan wants to bargain with council, but what exactly are they going to get out of it?" I asked, remembering my first encounter with Lachlan. He was somehow valuable, too; otherwise that mage wouldn't have called him into the club. I had yet to ask him about it. I was carrying a little secret of my own. It was too soon to figure out the dynamic of Moonlight or figure out Lachlan's secrets. I suspected he had many.

"This is what we need to find out, but first, I need some O-Negative, or I might go for a hunt tonight," Judas growled, taking my plate of pancakes away from me.

I still hadn't had a chance to speak to him, he was very mysterious. Apparently, he'd been a chef before he was turned. Karina told me he was still a relatively new vampire, and before his transformation, he'd been on the other side of the law. I knew that, at some point, he would have to talk about it. Judas was quiet, and he barely spoke, so Ramona didn't need to torment him.

Moments later, he stood from the table and left. The scent of his blood was strong, and, afterwards my craving for the liquid gold intensified. Memories of Lachlan's made me uneasy, but he tasted so damn good. Ramona could kiss my arse; she wasn't going to jeopardise my time at the academy. I wasn't planning to leave Moonlight or get kicked out. I'd only been here for three days, but I felt like this was where belonged-it was the home I never had.

There was also the aspect of learning what I was, and why I was turned. The tiny voice in my head kept reminding me that Lachlan was the one vampire who might have the answers I was seeking. "Right, it was lovely to chat with both of you ladies, but I have just seen a very lovely fae leaving the cafeteria and I must get her number before we set out for Russia," Marco said, then finished his drink and smoothed his hair.

"I've tracked convicts, but we have to find this poor girl before the clan decides to kill her," I said to Karina who instantly nodded, eyeing my Bolognese. I didn't even realise that the pretty boy was standing behind me. Luckily, he was without Ramona this time around. He gave me a long, silent look filled with blazing fire, before he turned around and left. I had no idea what that look was about, but he was still in my thoughts when Karina started talking about our mission.

We set off to travel to Russia early in the morning as the sun was just about to rise. Time had passed quickly. I didn't want to leave the academy. I liked my new schedule and routine, but I had to admit, I also missed the thrill of being out in the field.

The academy supplied everything we needed. Apparently, it was standard procedure for any groups of students who were sent to complete a job for the High Council.

Oldman assured everyone we were going to be generously compensated if the mission turned out to be a success. We were all motivated, and I was excited about the days ahead.

Our flight to Moscow was scheduled for eight a.m. Once we arrived at the airport, I was a bit nervous, because I'd never been on a plane before. Apparently, our informant was going to meet us at the airport upon arrival. We were given cell phones to stay in touch with each other, and I thought about calling Melody. She was the only person I considered family, and I regretted that I hadn't even said goodbye to her. "I bet you've never even seen a plane, Donovan," Ramona said as we were heading to our gate. "Are you going to pee yourself from excitement, or maybe fear?"

"I might stab you before we even get there," I snapped, trying to gather my racing thoughts. I'd always been a loner and worked on my schedule. People like her made me realise why ... This time I had to follow orders, which meant, getting out of my comfort zone. Hunting outlaws was my speciality, well, and I had a feeling that this mission would also give me a confidence boost. I knew what to do, now I just needed to learn how to work in a team setting.

"Stop this cat fight, ladies, it's turning me on. We're here as a team, and we're going to work together-vampire or fae. It doesn't matter," Marco reminded us as we arrived at the gate. Ramona rolled her eyes and pulled Lachlan to her, then gave him a passionate kiss. My stomach churned again, and I looked away.

"I don't even know what he sees in her. She's a total bitch, although she does have a nice arse," Karina told me, wearing an eye-catching pink dress. She insisted that I wear it, but I blatantly refused. I was too self-conscious to wear such a provocative dress.

I couldn't take my sword on the plane, and I hoped someone would be able to supply me with one in Russia. I bought it on the black market from a Japanese warlock, so it felt a little odd travelling without it. Going through security and then the gate was pretty stressful. I wasn't used to being around so many humans.

Once the plane started moving, I grabbed Karina's hand, feeling even more nervous than before. I still wasn't sure what to expect. My heart and stomach flip-flopped during take-off. Ramona was laughing, staring at me and joking with her boyfriend, who seemed bored. The cabin pressure was making me a little light-headed. Karina was telling me a story about when she'd shifted into a bird and was caught by a human family. She was attempting to distract me from the turbulence that had begun after the captain switched off the seatbelt sign. The flight to Moscow wasn't long. Karina had some Ukrainian Hryvna, so she got me a drink. She told me that vodka would help me relax a bit. I felt slightly less anxious afterwards, but I made a mental note that flying in general wasn't for me.

"You just have to get used to it," Lachlan said once we were getting off the plane. "This trip is relatively short but there will be others. Moonlight has missions and special assignments all over the world." That didn't sound great at all, so it was yet another obstacle I needed to overcome. Lachlan most likely saw me looking unwell. Ramona gave him a look that said, "Why the hell are you talking to her?" but I just ignored her.

Maybe there was a magical spell or a pill I could take that would allow me to forget about being on the plane. The airport in Moscow was huge and it was at peak time, so we were in a long queue for about an hour. Sweat was dripping down my face as I pushed my suitcase that had been supplied by the school, thinking that this was much worse than sleeping in the rain. At least there I wasn't a nervous wreck.

I kept on breathing and thinking about blood. For some reason my craving for it returned. My earlier encounter with Lachlan, and the fact that he was walking in front of me, wasn't helping, either. Karina was talking the whole time, telling me about the trips she used to go on with her pack of shifters. It seemed that she led a colourful life before everything had gone tits up her words.

"Keep up, Donovan, no one is going to wait for you if you get lost," Ramona barked at me, and I gave her the middle finger. She'd taken the leading role within the group, but she needed to be reminded that we were all equal. I didn't give a fuck that she was a pure vampire.

Once we passed passport control and all the extra security, my anxiety diminished. Marco had managed to secure three phone numbers of some human chicks on the plane, and now he was bragging about it. Judas was silent as usual. Ten minutes later, we were approached by a huge bald Russian who was wearing a leather biker jacket. He was holding a sign that said, "Moonlight" on the front.

He was a werewolf with massive broad shoulders, and an even broader chest. His energy was sharp and intense, his grey eyes swept each of us quickly. Lachlan shook hands with him, then the two supernaturals embraced. It seemed like they knew each other well.

"It looks like there's a lot of newbies here, and I hope they are much better prepared than the last lot," he said with a thick Russian accent.

"Oldman picked the team, and their skills and experience vary," Lachlan quickly said. "It's too busy here, too many people are listening in. We should leave."

Pretty Boy, seeing as he'd completed this kind of mission before, appeared confident. I sensed several supernaturals around, walking amongst humans. Once we were outside, a black van was waiting for us. This was another journey, and it had me thinking that this whole thing was happening very fast.

"My name is Dimitry, and I will be your point of contact here in Moscow. Here is the briefing: The Svaltana's Clan has been quite active lately, but it's a race against time. Dorothy was taken three days ago. Her father is becoming inpatient, and he's willing to negotiate a ransom," he explained, handing everyone a file on the missing girl. The driver was hidden behind dark glass, and we couldn't see him.

I started flipping through the pages, seeing the faces of the vampires, and, somehow, I started remembering. This was odd, but I was getting a sense of déjà vu, like I'd been in this situation before. I tried to shake off the strange sensation, as that insane feeling completely overwhelmed me.☐☐