Savage Monarchs (A New Adult Prison Academy Novel) (Nocturnal Academy Book 3) Read online

  Savage Monarchs

  Nocturnal Academy Book 3

  Margo Ryerkerk

  & Holly Hook

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  About Margo Ryerkerk

  About Holly Hook

  Other works

  Dark Legacy Series

  Dark Legacy Excerpt

  Cursed Academy Series

  Cursed Academy Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  Thorsten

  With my hands behind my back and from my position against the wall, I counted the minutes that passed since Onyx had followed Kristen out of the ballroom. With so many other vampires around, many of whom had purchased fae at the bidding ball, I could only sneak glances at the clock. One minute. Two. Five passed. The longer the girls remained absent, the more hope grew in my chest.

  I shouldn’t think of her, but I prayed that Onyx had mastered using glamour, an almost-lost fae talent in this world and escaped Nocturnal Academy. A feat I had failed to help her perform. Useless as I was, all I could do was hope that she’d moved on and never looked back. That our paths never met again. My jaw set at never again seeing the rebellious glint in her eyes, never again watching how she cleverly maneuvered her way out of a tricky situation, and never again witnessing the kindness she showed others.

  I gritted my teeth, reminding myself that Onyx was better off on her own. I would only complicate things.

  Ten minutes into my wait, the ballroom doors opened. I flinched and peeled myself from the wall where I stood on guard duty. Kristen strolled through the double doors in her bright blue, lacy dress, heading straight for Mei Wu. Every muscle in my body tensed. Kristen nodded and smiled as she spoke to her new master, verbally licking the soles of Mei’s shoes. She was so pathetic, it was hard to imagine that she might be Onyx, pretending to be Kristen through glamour.

  I squinted and scanned the room, acting like I was monitoring the fae, in case any of them tried to dodge their fates. Most of them stood beside their new masters, meek and quiet. No one wanted to leave. Only the vampires chattered amongst themselves. Kristen, however, seemed to be in a hurry. She even yawned and eyed the door.

  Yes. Onyx had taken her form. I had to believe that. What else did I have to hold onto now?

  Kristen followed Mei out of the ballroom, glancing backward, and the head movement gave Onyx away. Those who didn’t know Onyx well wouldn’t have noticed the gesture. But I knew my girl. Shit, where the hell had that thought come from? Onyx was not my girl.

  She glanced at her friend Lily. Lily was at a table, hiding her face in her hands, weeping. Onyx hesitated, which the real Kristen would’ve never done.

  Onyx and Mei left the ball, letting the door swing shut behind them.

  Goodbye. It was for the best...for both of us.

  Relationships with fae were off limits for vampires, especially when one’s sire was Lord Griffin Steinberg. Feelings would only further tarnish my new family’s name and get me into deeper trouble.

  I focused on the large clock hand in the middle of the wall as tension crawled into my shoulders. I brushed past two vampire men, pretending to patrol, while truly I was pacing. Half an hour past midnight. How long would it take for Mei to get the disguised Onyx out of Nocturnal Academy? And what was Onyx’s plan after they cleared the underground tunnels and gates? Would she fight the Hong Kong heiress and her driver? Could she win? She had to, and luck was on her side. Mei was the only Wu representing her family, and she was certain of Kristen’s loyalty and desperation. I doubted she would have guards in her car as she transported Onyx to wherever she was supposed to meet the Wus or a handler. Plus, Onyx, even though she was half fae, had magic. Powerful magic.

  I threw a cautious side glance at Vulthus, the monster that had paid one million dollars for Onyx. He sipped wine, chatting with Stanley MacGregor and a woman I didn’t know. His side-combed dark hair shone under the chandelier. The other two vamps kept their distance as he talked with a nasty grin on his face. The self-satisfied bastard was probably describing the atrocities he planned to do to Onyx.

  I wanted to tear out his throat even though he wouldn’t have her now. The monster didn’t just want to take her virginity, but wanted to decimate her soul until she was nothing more than a broken slave to add to his collection of victims. I gritted my teeth. I had almost let him get away with it. I hadn’t done enough to stop him. Yes, I had tried to get other vampires to bid on Onyx during the few times I had been able to leave Nocturnal Academy, but my attempts had been pathetically careful.

  I turned away.

  I was a coward.

  Onyx didn’t need me.

  “Excuse me,” a vampire woman snarled as she brushed past me, pulling a nervous fae girl behind her.

  “My apologies.” I offered a little bow. I wasn’t paying attention.

  A thought struck. Where was the real Kristen? What had Onyx done with her?

  The darkness of worry rose in my chest. Onyx had killed before and if she did it again...I didn’t want to imagine what it would do to her inside. And if she hadn’t? That was worse. I itched to move, to search the school, to put Kristen somewhere she couldn’t be found easily, but I couldn’t leave the ballroom. It took everything I had to continue patrolling around the room. If I ignored my responsibilities, I would draw attention to myself and maybe even make Vulthus realize that Onyx had been missing for over twenty minutes.

  Vulthus had moved to a table. He glared at the door. Then after scanning the ballroom, he snapped his fingers at another guard, who obeyed and stood beside him. I sidestepped over as if I were just watching the common vamps mingle on the other side of the room.

  “Fetch me my property,” Vulthus said, looking down his crooked nose at the guard. I could barely hear over the chatter.

  “Your property, Lord?” The guard tilted his head in a confused manner.

  Vulthus gritted his teeth, and the guard flinched even though he had twice the muscle and several inches on Vulthus, but Vulthus had power and was a merciless psychopath. Even other vamps feared him. “The half fae I purchased for one million dollars. Onyx Logan.”

  “Right, of course. I’ll be right back.” The guard scurried off and disappeared through the double ballroom doors.

  The clock let out a chime, and Lady Cardinal strode to the center of the room and flashed a cold smile, whirling slowly to face everyone. “Dear patrons, thank you for attending Nocturnal Academy’s Bidding Ball. The festivities are hereby concluded. Please take home the fae you have purchased and don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions. Your support is greatly appreciated.”

  Vampires pulled fae with them toward the doors. The ballroom slowly cleared as patrons said their goodbyes to friends. Several minutes passed. A couple of guards moved tables to the side to prepare for cleaning.

  Vulthus advanced toward the headmistress. His shoulders rose and hi
s nostrils flared as he probably explained that he hadn’t seen Onyx in a while. But in his eyes was a wicked gleam. He was looking forward to punishing Onyx. He hoped she messed up. A savage urge to tear out his heart swept over me.

  I reminded myself that I could not move. Not yet.

  Lady Cardinal’s forehead puckered, but before she had a chance to reply, the guard Vulthus had sent to fetch Onyx returned, pushing against the stragglers with panic gleaming in his eyes. He headed not for Vulthus, but for Lady Cardinal.

  My chest tightened, and it felt as if my heart had stopped beating, but I kept my face stony. I couldn’t betray anything.

  Headmistress Cardinal said something to the guard and motioned for four other guards to follow him. Tables dropped as they darted out of the ballroom. I shifted leg to leg, wishing I had been one of them so that I could’ve done something to slow them down.

  A guard radioed something about the garage gates. I stepped forward and wove around the few remaining guests, unable to take it anymore.

  I hoped that Onyx had already left, or she and Mei would not be getting out.

  Headmistress Cardinal clapped her hands together as I swallowed. “Excuse me, dear guests, but I must ask you to stay for a while longer.” She poked her head out of the ballroom doors and repeated herself into the corridor. Chatter grew louder as guests returned. “We have a problem. Lord Vulthus’s property, Onyx Logan, seems to be missing. We have closed the gates to the underground garage. We must recover the half fae before we can open the gates to the awaiting cars in case she tries to flee.”

  There were a few surprised murmurs. Partygoers looked at each other and many poked their heads back into the ballroom. Even some fae did the same. Lily lifted her head from her table, one of the few that hadn’t been collected yet, red eyes darting around the room with hope I knew she shouldn’t have. Nocturnal Academy was a fortress. Onyx would not come to the rescue for her again. No fae escaped unless he or she committed suicide or had been sold.

  Kayden Orizo, a spoiled vamp next to whom fraternity guys would be described as polite and respectful, jabbed his twin Kassius in the ribs as the two re-entered the ballroom. “Things are about to get interesting.”

  Kassius snickered. “Our feisty Onyx is going to give us the show of a lifetime.”

  “What do you think Vulthus will do to her once he finds her? Throw her over his knee and spank her?”

  Kassius snorted. “I’ll be disappointed if that’s all he does. I think at the very least he should pop her cherry in front of us, and then let us have some fun.”

  I put my hands behind my back as my fists balled to the point of pain. I wanted to tear out their throats. The two laughed like idiots, and I had to move away before I punched their stupid faces to a pulp.

  The other vamps weren’t quite as crude, but rumors were already flying.

  “Maybe she killed herself. She could’ve hung herself from the top bunk.” Peony, a nasty fae who had it out for Onyx, twirled a curl around her finger, talking to a group of fae girls who nodded like puppets. She didn’t seem disturbed by her usual posse missing. Mei had left, Kristen was wherever Onyx had left her after she was done with her, and Virgie was at the side of my sire, Griffin Steinberg, who narrowed his gaze at me from the doorway.

  I shrugged. “What?” This time, my hands were clean. I had done nothing to help the woman I cared about.

  Griffin shook his head sternly.

  Tenderness and fierce protectiveness spread through me as I thought about Onyx. No. I had to remain cold, hard, and dispassionate.

  Lady Cardinal strode to the center of the room, flanked by Lord Sullivan, the history teacher who despised me, and Mr. Chad, the PE teacher who took too much interest in his young students. Both looked as if they had just run into the room.

  The headmistress clapped her hands together, and the room fell silent once again. “We have recovered Kristen Rovsek.” She jerked her head toward the door, and two guards brought forward a girl with brown hair and blonde highlights. She wore a blue gown. Her head hung low, and she was clearly unconscious. Her ankles were red and swollen as if she were recovering from extreme cold. Water dripped off her shoes.

  Gasps filled the ballroom.

  I swallowed. I hoped Onyx had gotten far away.

  “What happened to Kristen? Where is Mei?” Peony blinked, not catching on, and I felt pride on behalf of Onyx and her clever plan.

  “This fae,” Headmistress Cardinal’s voice trembled with fury, “has been sold to Mei Wu. Why is she still here?”

  The crowd around me shifted as vamps and fae exchanged glances.

  Lord Sullivan slammed his long stick against his palm, and everyone turned to face Headmistress Cardinal, who continued. “It’s very strange that we have Kristen Rovsek here, even though the guards have reassured me that Mei Wu exited with her and her buyer certificate.”

  Whispers and gasps sounded, followed by explosive chatter. With luck, Mei would get blamed for this. No one expected fae slaves to escape on their own.

  “Unacceptable!” Vulthus shouted, fangs flashing. “She will be punished.”

  “Silence!” Lady Cardinal screamed. Clearly, she wasn’t intimidated by Vulthus. “Deception will not be tolerated at Nocturnal Academy!” She motioned at Vulthus. “Our esteemed patron Lord Vulthus has purchased Onyx Logan for one million dollars, and we will find her. Whether she’s hiding in the academy or she has somehow convinced Mei Wu to take her, we will get her back.” She punctuated her sentence with a nasty gleam in her eye. Lady Cardinal’s gaze flicked to me for a second, but I refused to flinch. I had nothing to do with this.

  Lord Sullivan stepped forward. “Guards, you are tasked with searching the academy. Other guards have been dispatched to find Mei Wu.”

  I watched as the two guards dragged Kristen out of the room, no doubt heading for the meager infirmary.

  “Why don’t you just call Mei?” Kayden asked in a bored tone.

  Lord Sullivan advanced toward the vamp twin. “We’re trying to get in touch with Miss Wu. If Miss Wu continues not to answer, we will have to conclude that she’s involved in this theft.”

  Kayden stumbled back.

  “She’d never do that,” Kassius said in a whisper.

  “I will reach Mei,” Lord Vulthus said, stepping to the center of the ballroom to stand beside Lady Cardinal. He tapped out a text on his phone. “She has been acting suspicious lately. She claimed to have a video for me, and that night, three of my fae servants vanished.”

  He would not admit that he had been attacked and that if Onyx would’ve aimed a bit to the left, he would’ve been dead now. More mutters rose.

  I swallowed as other guards ran out of the room, wanting nothing more than to smash Vulthus’s phone or shove it down his throat.

  I needed to find Kristen. She might be awake by now. And that meant she might talk. Lady Cardinal glared at me and motioned to the door. I needed to join the search anyway.

  Not one to wait around, Vulthus swept out of the ballroom. He wanted to find Onyx himself. Knowing that Onyx was gone was the only thing that stopped me from going after him. Right now, Kristen posed the most danger to Onyx

  As soon as I emerged into the corridor to the tune of crackling radios and stony footfalls, I headed toward the infirmary where I assumed the two guards had dropped off Kristen. I exhaled when I found Kristen inside the tiny room, lying on the single cot.

  Since vampires pretty much healed on their own as long as they drank blood, the infirmary was a joke. It had no nurse and only basic medication and bandages. The only occupants were whipped fae and those who crawled there after injuries in PE.

  I stepped closer to Kristen, and her eyelids fluttered open. She was regaining consciousness. Her eyes focused on me. “Thorsten?” Her voice was panicked.

  “Shh, you’re good. You were unconscious, but you’re good now.” I forced myself to give her a reassuring smile, even though I couldn’t stand the spineless brat. “What do y
ou remember?”

  “Ahh.” She opened and closed her mouth, then glanced past me, searching for the exit.

  Very well. If nice wasn’t going to work, I would be stern and play the role of the dedicated guard. “Kristen, Headmistress Cardinal demands to know what happened.”

  The half fae flinched at my words. “I…I’m not sure. Mei bought me, and then I went to the restroom to reapply my lipstick and wash away the blood, because she bit me.”

  I gave her an impatient look. “How did you pass out?”

  Her forehead wrinkled, and then her eyes widened as the memory returned. “Onyx. She came into the restroom.” Kristen’s frown deepened. “Oh my gosh, that bitch somehow knocked me out.” She sat upright, and I didn’t stop her. Her head injury would be fine. It was practically impossible for fae to get concussions. Yes, they weren’t as sturdy as us vampires, but they were much tougher than humans.

  “Onyx?” I asked, feigning shock.

  Kristen shook her head, scowling. “Onyx was jealous. We need to see Headmistress Cardinal now.”

  “Onyx will be punished severely once my men find her,” Vulthus hissed from behind me.

  I turned slowly and inclined my head, showing respect to the monster in the doorway, even though he was the last being that deserved any. I knew what I had to say because if I didn’t, Kristen would reveal the truth. “Kristen said that Onyx knocked her out in the bathroom.”

  Vulthus’s eyes flashed with barely contained fury. “I’ve heard what she said. The question is, why are you here?”

  I tilted my head, trying my best to appear non-threatening even as I imagined stabbing Vulthus through the heart. “Since I was near the infirmary, I decided to stop by and check whether Kristen was awake and had any answers. The sooner we solve this, the better.”