Blue Blooded: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Arcane Academy Slayers: Book 1 ) Read online

  A Novel By

  Kayla Michelle

  Blue Blooded: Copyright © 2019: Kayla Michelle. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used simply for the purpose of furthering the storyline and do not represent the institutions or places of business in any way. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental or used for fictional purposes.

  About The Book

  They come in the night, when the moonlight has long gone and the fog rolls in, trickling its way through your bedroom window. They want to take, to kill— to feed.

  Blue Graves is a Slayer, a legacy created from one of the most prominent bloodlines in the world. When tragedy struck all those years ago, she found herself exiled in a world of monsters with nobody to turn to except for her sister Harlow. The years have pushed her to be the best hunter there ever was, and when a pardon arrives, inviting Blue to attend the prestigious Arcane Academy, she jumps at the chance to regain the family honor her parents threw away.

  Behind the gates of Arcane, Blue is forced to face the world she left behind and judged for crimes she did not commit. Three alluring guys vie for her attention and for her shattered heart while an old friend suffers in the face of Blues return. Her world is changing once again, and when a horde of Vampires threaten the last remaining family member she has left, Blue must risk it all, even if it puts everyone she loves in grave danger.

  Disclaimer— This is a RH title in which one woman has multiple love interests. 18+ due to violence, strong language and sexual situations.

  A Thought

  “Even if she be not harmed, her heart may fail her in so much and so many horrors; and hereafter she may suffer--both in waking, from her nerves, and in sleep, from her dreams.”-- Bram Stoker, Dracula

  One

  The floor beneath her feet turned to rubble as she fell through three stories of concrete and brick. It was an old building, practically abandoned and just begging to be demolished in favor of a shopping mall.

  Blue hit the ground floor hard, sending an unpleasant jolt down the length of her spine. ‘Freakin bloodsuckers’…she grumbled to herself as she shook plaster from her long, inky black hair. Breathing was difficult as she hoisted herself up and waited for the dust to settle. When it did, she looked upwards into the gigantic hole she’d just made. Two dark shapes peered over the edges. She couldn’t make out their features from that far below, but she knew they had been ugly suckers. ‘That's what you get when you live your life rotting in the sewers... nasty little vermin.’ She thought as she glared up into the chasm.

  “You think you're so smart!” She yelled up at them. The creatures didn’t react and she hadn’t expected them to.

  “Jokes on you, assholes! The suns about to rise and then you’ll be dust!” She taunted though she knew they likely didn’t care.They could only see one thing— blood, and their need for it.

  The shapes backed away from the edge and she could hear light footsteps as they creaked their way towards the window she knew faced the front of the property. Sure enough, the sun was just beginning to peek over the edge of the horizon. They would be trapped until dusk.

  Vampires were stupid creatures. In their bloodlust— their single minded search for sustenance, they often forgot to check the time. It was her favorite part of the day though. Soon she would corner them in a trap of their own making and she would deal her revenge for the carnage they were responsible for this past week. Six children and two adults to be exact. All taken before their time to slake the thirst of these two undead abominations.

  Blue turned around and headed for the staircase, knowing that the elevator was out of the question. The old library had been mostly abandoned save for the odd collector here and there and she didn't trust it's mechanics one single, solitary bit. She knew the Vamps would be scrambling, altogether defenseless. They’d gotten lucky when she accidently stepped on a rotting patch of floor and fell though the building like a literal ton of bricks.

  Her earpiece crackled in her ear, squealing and making her flinch, she itched to rip it out and throw it down the stairs.

  “Come in, Blue Jay! Where are you? It's been like two hours!” Harlow's voice screeched in her ear. Her sister had one of those high pitched voices that just screamed ‘customer service.’

  Rolling her eyes, Blue touched a finger to the device, answering in a rush. “You do realize that ‘Blue Jay’ just makes my name longer right? Not a very good code name.”

  “Um, excuse me but Blue Jay is an awesome code name. Where are you? It's been three hours, those Vamps will be dust in twenty minutes.”

  She vaulted up the last set of stairs, taking them five at a time. Slayer speed really came in handy in these situations. She wasn't even winded.

  “Last time you said it was two hours, now it's three? There were...complications.” She told her sister, cringing because she should have been more careful. She wasn’t exactly a rookie.

  “We don’t deal in complications.” Harlow stated irritatingly.

  “Ugh, shut up Har, let me finish this and I'll be on my way.” She flicked the off button before Harlow had a chance to respond. She knew her sister would be fuming right now but Blue couldn’t bring herself to care. These Vamps were going down.

  They huddled together in the corner of the room as the sun peeked in through the window, it's light cast shadows throughout the empty space but they were too far apart for a Vamp to make it closer without burning it's skin off. They were trapped and it sent a thrill down her spine. It was always the same. Adrenaline filled her veins, preparing her for the slaying to come and the sense of justice that would come afterwards. These vile nasties needed to be put down, like a sickly dog that could so nothing but infect those around it.

  The Vamps stared at her through inky black eyes sunken into their greyish skin. They still looked human, but their hair hung limp around their faces and their teeth had sharpened into jagged points that were much too long to fit in their human mouths. Their jaws looked unhinged and their limbs were elongated and much too thin.

  That was one thing among many that the books and movies had gotten wrong. Vampires were often portrayed as dashing pale men with foofy hair and a brooding disposition, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Vampires were leeches— vermin that needed to be squished under her favorite combat boots. The Vampire curse had filled their once human body with poison, clouding their minds and changing them from the inside out. The person they once were no longer existed, only a shell of what they had once been remained.

  A pang of grief clenched her heart as she watched the creatures huddle together. Visions danced in her mind of two familiar faces, snarling and hissing as black drool seeped from their gaping mouths. In her mind's eye she could picture them there, hovering over her small twin bed, staring at her through the darkness of her childhood bedroom as the curse took them over. Her mother's blue eyes, so much like her own had been swallowed up by a soulless black abyss and she knew there was no returning from it.

  Fueled by disgust and despair, Blue pulled two silver stakes from the holsters at her hips, they were old and battered but they served their purpose when the time came. She ran
without pause towards the Vamps who hissed and shrieked. One of them, in a panic, stumbled into a slash of sunlight causing its skin to blacken and char instantly. The other lunged for her throat but missed just barely. Her stake plunged into its chest cavity, piercing it's heart and moments later the Vamp poofed into a cloud of black dust.

  She collected the leftover stake from the pile on the floor and then opted for a new strategy for the remaining bloodsucker. Lifting her booted foot, she kicked it square in the chest just as it lunged for her once again. The thing stumbled backwards, landing next to the window inside the brightest patch of sunlight in the room. In seconds, the Vamp was gone. Dust.

  ✽✽✽

  “You ass! Don't ever do that to me again!” Shrieked Harlow.

  She had just walked in and already her sister was at her throat.

  “Don’t ever, and I mean ever, turn your earpiece off on me like that! Anything could have happened to you and then what would I do, huh?”

  Rolling her eyes, Blue slapped her stakes down on the kitchen counter and removed the holster from her belt loops. She ignored the flecks of dust that now littered the aged marble surface.

  “I don’t know, Har. What would you do? If I died, what would happen to you?” She asked with heavy sarcasm that she knew her sister would ignore.

  “Oh cut the crap, you left me hanging and you know it. After mom…” She started but Blue cut her off with a glare.

  “Don’t.” She snapped. “Not today.”

  Regret shined in Harlow's dark brown eyes and she knew she had gone too far. Her sister meant well for the most part, but her loose tongue sometimes got the best of her. Harlow had been only seventeen when it all went down. She had been away at Arcane, on her third school year when their lives had fallen to pieces but she hadn't been in the thick of it. She never had too see the things Blue had seen. Harlow knew it too. Blue could see the pity there in her sisters eyes, even now. Ten years had passed and still her sister treated her like she was made of glass.

  “I’m so—” She started but Blue cut her off.

  “Don’t worry, I get it. I'm gonna catch a shower and get some sleep. Some of us have things to do in the morning.” She waved her off as she continued down the hallway, stripping off her leathers as she went.

  Her room was a mess. Maps of the city and crudely drawn blueprints of the underground subway tunnels covered the walls. Weapons were stashed in every available cubby. Her bed was nothing more than a queen size mattress on the floor, but she liked it that way. They didn’t always struggle for money but she was a simple girl with simple needs.

  She unlatched her boots, unclicking various buckles and unzipping compartments hidden to the naked eye. They were her best pair, steel toed and able to hold up to three blades each. She had a guy in the city who made her leathers special every year or so. The life she lived didn’t bode well for clothing longevity and it helped to have a skilled craftsman in her corner. She made a mental note to visit Greg later on in the week.

  The shower felt heavenly. She opted not to take a bath as sitting in a Vampire ash soup sounded the opposite of appealing. The scalding water washed away the days grime and she sighed in relief as she sagged against the tile wall. The week had been long and felt like it would never end. There had been more Vamp activity in the past few days than was usual for Vancouver and it felt like every time she had a moment to rest her head, another attack would would crop up and she’d have to do it all over again. She loved her job, and she was damn good at it, but something had to eventually give.

  Two

  A steaming hot cup of ambrosia waited for her on the kitchen table. She knew it was Harlow's way of saying sorry and she accepted the coffee gladly. Her sister was still in the shower so Blue soaked in the silence of the morning.

  Heavy rain battered the window in their kitchen and the wind knocked the shutters together. A pile of mail sat in the center of their old wooden table, unopened and unorganized. Bills were stacking up and they would need to be paid soon. After sifting through endless amounts of white envelopes with ‘past due’ on the front, a letter caught her eye at the bottom of the stack. The envelope was black, held together with a crimson stamp with a fancy looking ‘A’ imbedded in the thick wax. Her heart dipped into her stomach.

  ‘Why would Arcane be sending me a letter?’ She wondered as she broke the seal with shaking fingers. Her family hadn’t had any contact with the prestigious academy since her sister had been not so kindly asked to leave and never return. The letter was clearly addressed to one ‘Blue Jane Graves’, and it made no sense. Still, excitement curled in her stomach.

  Secretly, she’d always dreamed of attending Arcane Academy— the only Slayer academy in the United States. Ever since she was little, watching as her sister came home each summer with wild tales of adventure and badassery, she promised herself she would become the best of the best. Their father had trained both of them from birth, expecting them to follow in the footsteps of the great Graves family legacy. It had been within her grasp for so long— the one goal she’d always held onto until that fateful night they lost it all.

  “What’s that?” Her sister asked from the doorway. She’d heard her coming but gave no indication that she cared. Blue simply stared at the letter in her hands with wide, uncomprehending eyes.

  “Blue Jay! What is that, you psycho?” Harlow huffed as she stomped into the kitchen. She tried to snatch the letter out of her hands but Blue was too fast.

  “Back off! Give me a hot second, I haven't even read my letter yet!”

  Snapping out of her stupor, she ripped it open fully and pulled out the fancy piece of parchment inside. It was written on thick cream colored paper, speckled with grey. ‘Pretentious…’ She thought to herself.

  “Stop muttering and read the damn thing!” Harlow urged.

  Blue unfolded the paper and had to read it three times over before she could fully digest the gravity of the situation she’d been presented with.

  Dear Miss Blue Jane Graves,

  It is the honor and duty of the Conclave to invite you to attend the Fall Semester at Arcane Academy — Est. 1623. Please report to campus no later than August 5th to accept your dormitory assignment and class schedule. Please come prepared with all of the necessary items provided on your supply list attached to this letter.

  Sincerely,

  Headmistress Merriweather Montgomery

  It took a moment for the words to sink in. She stared at it blankly, long enough for Harlow to become impatient and snatch it from her hands. Idly, she watched as her sisters eyes roved over the letter, growing increasingly wider as she went.

  “Holy shit, Blue! Do you have any idea what this could mean for us? This could be our way back in!” She leapt from her seat and threw her arms around Blue.

  “I don’t know…you don’t think it seems a bit too good to be true? I thought they told us never to show our faces there again?”

  Harlow rolled her eyes dramatically. “That was ten whole years ago, baby sis. Who knows what’s changed since we’ve been gone! You have to go, Blue. You have to make this right for us.” Harlow's eyes bore into hers and she could see the wild desperation in them.

  “Obviously I’ll go. I’m not stupid, I just think it’s weird is all.” She told her with a frown. She grabbed her letter and read it again just to be sure she wasn’t imagining things.

  Standing up, Blue ran to her bedroom, not caring that she had ditched Harlow. Excitement filled her and she needed to pack. She had no idea how long that letter had been sitting on their kitchen table, but August 5th was in two days. She began by packing all of her clothing into her gigantic black duffel bag. It was huge and had enough pockets still for a number of weapons she refused to part with. Being a Slayer school, they welcomed weaponry with open arms and weirdly enough— encouraged it. Besides, how could a school filled with supernatural Vampire predators not be considered weapons themselves?

  Being born a Slayer was a lucky thing. Not ma
ny people had the honor. Their community was small and tight knit and it seemed like everyone knew everyone else. Except for Blue, of course. She had known a few of the children during her early years, but young Slayers mostly attended public school. They needed to immerse themselves into human culture, learning how to blend in seamlessly to the background. For all intents and purposes, Slayers were assassins of a sort. They were human...kind of. They were made of skin and bone just like the rest of humanity, but those bones were about five times more dense than that of a human. Slayer skin looked normal, but in reality it was as tough as kevlar. They could be hurt, even killed, but it was difficult. The only thing that seemed to be able to pierce the skin of a Slayer was pure silver, and you guessed it...Vamp teeth.

  Most of Blues clothing consisted of one color, black. It was useful and in her mind it looked pretty badass. The feeling of blending in with the shadows of the night appealed to her. The anonymity of it was refreshing. When everything had gone wrong, the spotlight seemed to shine harshly on the remainder of the Graves family, to the point that they eventually moved to a new city. No longer had she been subjected to the stares, the finger pointing and the looks of disgust that were cast her way by other Slayers. The shadows were her friends these days, they protected her from things that would try to bring her down.

  She threw at least five pairs of the same black leather pants in her duffel, along with seemingly endless amounts of black shirts and a few jackets. Just as she was putting her second favorite pair of boots into the bag, a thought struck her. She needed to visit Greg today. Groaning, she zipped it all up and shoved it onto her mattress. She would need to leave the next morning bright and early if she wanted to make it in time.