Academy For Vampires

By Lilly Wilder

It started out like just another ordinary day, but it ended with my worst nightmare coming true: my brother's place had been totally ransacked and he was missing.
I immediately thought the worst.
He was dead, probably killed by the same creatures we're both after.

I know there's only one person who surely knows what happened to him.
There's just one problem: a vampire is never too eager to talk to a slayer.

I managed to get accepted into a top academy, reserved only for vampires.
It is where I'm bound to find the answers I'm looking for but it won't be easy.
I have to deal with a bully, plus I meet four guys who all seem to want something from me.

I can't trust anyone in this place.
They are all suspects, every single one of them but I know one thing,
I won't stop until I find my brother.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lilly Wilder
• Release date: Aug 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223641186

Book preview

Chapter 1

It was still early in the morning when Mina found herself knocking on the heavy, oak door to her brother’s place. This was the usual time she came around, so she was sure that he wouldn’t be sleeping. Besides, Kellam was never much of a sleeper which came in handy when they needed to stay up all night for work. Even when he slept, he did it with one eye open.

She pressed the miniature bell, which released a sweet, musical sound, notifying the home owner that someone was at the door. The song lasted a few seconds, during which Mina looked around. She frowned upon seeing that one of the flowerpots had been knocked down. There was dirt everywhere but at least the flower wasn’t broken. She bent over and placed it back as it was before, blowing away the leftover dirt.

There you go, little flower, she smiled.

Kellam always made fun of her, ever since they were kids, for treating everything like it had delicate feelings. Mina, of course, begged to differ. To her, everything had a soul and needed to be treated with respect and care. There was no other way about it.

Mina looked up and glanced at the door, expecting it to be opened any second now. She was ready to make fun of him for sleeping in on such a lovely sunny day. She might even punch him playfully in the shoulder, as she usually did, but nothing happened. The door remained closed. No familiar face appeared. She leaned a little to the side, trying to see inside through his window, but the curtains were drawn, revealing nothing but darkness.

She sighed, ringing the bell again. The sweet melody played once more and it soothed her impatience. A few more seconds passed. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Nothing. Not a sound. Not a sight. Just silence.

Mina was becoming increasingly worried. This was unlike Kellam. If their plans were changed, he’d let her know. He wasn’t so mean as to let someone get to his door, only to realize that there was nobody home, especially since he lived out of the city and it usually took her about half an hour to reach him. He’d call. He’d message. Anything.

Mina fumbled inside her purse, then got out her phone. She dialed her brother, then waited. A moment later, she heard the phone ring inside the house. Fear started creeping up her body, like a six-legged spider, making her feel every single step. She swallowed heavily, her free hand immediately resting on the little knife she always had in her pocket.

Kellam? she called out to him loudly.

She quickly bent down and moved the loose tile on the porch, revealing a little hole, just big enough to hide a set of keys. She grabbed them, then unlocked the door, opening it violently. What awaited her inside, was the sight of her worst nightmares.

The whole place was a mess. All the books from the shelves lay carelessly scattered around and the glass surface of the coffee table was broken into millions of little pieces. The sofa was torn, the pillows looked like a wild cat had gotten a hold of them and did some claw practice. There, on the floor, next to where the carpet had been rolled, she could see smeared blood.

Mina started to shake. It was like the ground beneath her feet was moving and she had nothing safe to hold onto. She was left on her own. Despite that crushing feeling of fear, she rushed over and touched the blood. It was still fresh. Whoever was here, left a short while ago, taking Kellam with them, dead or alive. She could only hope it was the latter one.

She turned around, trying to figure out what she could do, who she could call, but there was no one. Ever since they were little, it had always been just the two of them. Their mother had died a mysterious death when both of them were too little to have any memory of her, apart from an old, worn out photo Kellam had, tucked in his wallet. Their dad was an estranged piece of shit who preferred a bottle to his own kids. So, Mina and Kellam silently agreed that it was easier and less emotionally straining to just stay together, the two of them, not needing anyone else. They were all the family they needed and things were just fine.

Suddenly, she remembered something. She rushed over to his bedroom. It seemed that whoever was here, didn’t leave out the bedroom, either. All of Kellam’s clothes were thrown out of his wardrobe, his shirts, shoes, pants, everything but she knew Kellam was too clever to keep anything of value in his wardrobe. She glanced at his desk. The drawers were gaping open, empty. She extracted the middle drawer, then bent down to take a look at the desk. She could only hope that they didn’t know about the secret compartment where Kellam kept the book. She couldn’t see very well, so she used her fingers, trying to find the latch, which she was supposed to pull a little to the side, and then, the secret compartment would be revealed. She tampered with it for a while, even cursing once. Kellam had showed it to her once and now she wished she’d paid more attention.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she broke down. Sitting on the floor of her brother’s ransacked home, with him missing and maybe even dead, she cowered helplessly in a fetal position, wrapping her arms around her legs. She felt an urge to cry, to scream his name violently, so that whoever had hurt him would know that she was coming after them.

She allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks freely, not even wiping them. Salty and warm, she could taste them in the corners of her lips. She wanted to feel her brother’s arms around her and hear his voice telling her it would be alright, as he always did, but he was gone. Someone had taken him away from her. There was nothing but silence, cold and oppressive, but it offered at least some hope that Kellam might still be alive. It was this hope that would keep her going, ’til the very end.

When she finally managed to calm down, she wiped her tears with her sleeve. Then, she reached for the latch, slowly and deliberately. This time, her fingers knew exactly where to pull. She wasn’t thinking. She just let her fingers feel for the latch. It was like an invisible force was guiding her fingers, dictating the position and the exact force of pressure. A second later, and there it was: the opening, to the side of the desk. Mina quickly looked inside.

It was empty, the vast unoccupied space gaping at her violently. The book was gone. Someone else had it now. A million thoughts started swarming inside her mind, like angry wasps. Were they looking for the book? Was that what they came for? If they got the book, why would they take Kellam, too? Unless…

But, she didn’t want to go there right now. It was crucial for her to believe that Kellam was alive. For all she knew, he was. Why would anyone kill him, then take his body? It didn’t make any sense. Someone had hurt him badly, hence the blood, but he was still alive and taken away somewhere. This meant that she still had the chance to bring him back, to save him, just like he would save her if their roles were reversed.

And, the book… she needed to get it back. If it fell into the wrong hands, who knew what might happen. She shuddered at the very thought of Malleus Maleficarum, otherwise known as The Witch’s Hammer, being out there, unguarded. Its power was immense. Only someone worded in the ancient knowledge of witchcraft would know what to do with it.

Mina got up and slowly walked out of the house. There was nothing left for her here. The answers were out there and she needed to find them before it was too late.

Chapter 2

As Mina stepped out of her brother’s home, all sorts of thoughts kept swarming inside her mind. Was Kellam still alive? Was all this worth it? Who had the book now and, more importantly, what did they need it for? She didn’t have an answer to any of those questions but it didn’t matter. She was going to find her brother, dead or alive, no matter what. Quickly, she shooed those thoughts away, like a nasty swarm of flies, and headed back to the garage. She pressed the little button, cleverly disguised to resemble just an ordinary nail, and the heavy door rolled up before her, allowing her in.

Kellam’s motorcycle was still there. The thought of having ridden by his side so many times before, brought unexpected warmth around her heart, but that warmth was chilled immediately upon being brought back to reality, and the realization of what just happened. She couldn’t afford to take a trip down memory lane right now. The clock was ticking.

She rummaged through his rucksack, which was lying carefully in the corner of the garage. A few seconds later, she found what she was looking for. She knew Kellam had two phones. One he always had on him, and another one, which was in his backpack, he used for emergencies only. The password to Kellam’s phone was the same as it had always been. Their mother’s birthday. She typed in the bittersweet date and the phone unlocked. She searched for a certain number and dialed it immediately.

Yeah? a voice replied, speaking quietly, so she was barely able to hear him.

Meet me at the Barracuda in a half an hour, she gave clear and direct orders to the person on the other end of the line.

But, wait, I can’t, I’m at the…

She didn’t allow that someone to finish. She quickly hung up and pocketed Kellam’s phone. She sat on his motorcycle, adjusted her helmet, threw his backpack on her back, and pressed the gas pedal so hard that the whole garage immediately filled up with smoke.

She had to be careful, she knew that. Getting to the Barracuda bar, without getting pulled over by the cops would be a challenge. However, it would be a challenge she was more than willing to take. Being underage and riding a motorcycle like a madman, or madwoman in this case, wouldn’t work in her favor, especially since she was heading to a bar. So, she made sure to go through smaller streets and keep a low profile. About twenty minutes later, she squeezed the brake with a loud screech, in front of an old, worn-down building on the outskirts of the city.

The heavy door was already open. She checked her watch. It wasn’t even noon but she was sure that there were already enough people inside to make it look like it was five o’clock. Like someone once said, it’s always five o’clock somewhere.

She got off the bike and didn’t even bother to make sure it was safe. The first R on the flashing, neon sign of the bar’s name lay hanging above the door, just waiting to drop down and fall on someone’s head. She eyed it suspiciously, before entering a barely lit up place, with two already occupied pool tables right in the middle of the room, and the bar spreading out all along the west wall. Opposite it, there were two booths and a few tables with weak, wobbly looking chairs.

She walked over to the bar slowly, her hand resting on her right pocket. The very thought that her Spyderco Endura 4 pocket knife was safely tucked inside, ready to jump out at the sight of danger, made her step more confidently. Her leather soled sneakers made a squeaking sound against the worn out, hardwood floor. As she passed by a group of fat, heavily tattooed bikers who were playing pool, she could feel the heat of their gazes on the side of her cheek. She kept on going.

Mina knew that, just by looking at her, no one would guess she was underage. She looked like she was twenty and it came in real handy, especially in a situation such as this one, where she had to go to a bar to meet a source. However, she always underestimated her own beauty and a male need to get her to notice them.

Hey little lady, you look lost, she suddenly heard a voice, which was immediately followed by the appearance of a tall, heavy-set man, whose lips were barely visible from his beard.

She looked at him, and realized that he couldn’t be much older than she was. There were no crows feet around his eyes, as he grinned at her, probably in an effort to impress the guys he was with. They were all watching them now, curious to see what would happen. Some were even making cat calls, but she knew better than to get into a bar fight without her brother to back her up. She was sure she could take out the guy who was still standing in front of her but these guys never played fair. They’d all attack her at once and she wasn’t sure she could take them all on, simultaneously. That was always a gamble.

Actually, I’m here to meet someone, she said, as politely as she could, even though she had zero patience for guys like this, especially now.

Well, here I am! the guy replied, spreading his arms wide, like a proud eagle, an action which made his buddies roar with laughter.

As the guy himself laughed, she could see his fangs glistening ominously. As an experienced vampire slayer, Mina knew that prominent canine teeth alone were not a sure indicator that someone was a vampire. It could be just weird genetics. The paleness of his skin was no sure sign either but, it was a given, that if this guy was a vampire, odds were the others with him were vampires, too. She didn’t want to mess around with them now. She had a mission of her own and whoever had nothing to do with her brother’s disappearance was safe, at least for the time being.

Mina took a deep breath and smiled. Her hand traveled up to her swan-like neck, then extracted her silver chain out of her t-shirt and the shiny, silver cross that hung off of it. Her fingers played with it, as the look on the guy’s face changed from cocky self-confidence to shock, disbelief, and even fear.

As I said, she continued, equally politely, eager to sit down at the booth behind this guy, because her source was already waiting, I’m here to meet someone. I have urgent matters to attend to. Now, please, let me pass, unless you want trouble, because I can sure help you find some.

Her voice was melodious and smooth, dripping into his ears like honey, but the look on his face told her that he believed every word she was saying. Without another word, the guy stepped aside and allowed her to pass. Mina was still aware of the hate glances they were throwing her way but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to deal with some lowlife, biker vampires right now. They were irrelevant.

She walked over to the booth, slumping down into it like a ragdoll. Across from her, a small, thinly-built man was already seated there. The drink before him was half empty. All the foam from the beer had already disappeared. His hoodie covered his whole body like a blanket, it hung from his skeletal frame like bedlinen from a large tree. He pulled down the hoodie from his head, revealing his pale face and dark circles around his eyes. He looked even worse than usual but she was sure he already knew this.

Seems like trouble follows you wherever you go, the man grinned at her, with his yellow-stained teeth.

Like you’re one to say anything, she snorted, both making sure to talk as quietly as they could, because the audience was still there, trying to listen in.

The man raised his hand to the barkeep, pointing at his beer and then at Mina, signaling for him to bring them two. The barkeep just nodded.

So, what do you want? the man hissed, lowering his head.

My brother.

What about him? the guy wondered. She couldn’t tell if he really was that stupid or he was just pretending.

I want to know where he is, she was still talking calmly. To an outside observer, it seemed like the two of them had gotten together to catch up and nothing more.

Isn’t he home? the guy shrugged his shoulders, trying to make a joke. She wasn’t in the mood.

Don’t play games with me, Emile! she growled back at him so hard, that he pulled away a little.

I’m not… he whined.

Do I need to remind you of the only reason why you’re still alive, while your entire pathetic clan was wiped away?

She swallowed heavily after she spoke. It was difficult to sound threatening while having to whisper at the same time.

No, no… he shook his head.

His greasy hair shook, as well, as he did so and she could see little droplets of sweat forming on his forehead, even though it wasn’t hot at all.

You know what happened, she urged him, leaning forward.

Just as she was about to continue, they were interrupted by the barkeep, bringing them their beers. He set them on the table, then looked at Mina. She knew exactly what he was going to say.

You look a little young to be in here, he frowned, inspecting Mina with close scrutiny. Can I see your ID?

Mina rolled her eyes. Of course she could show him her ID. He just wouldn’t get to see the real one, the one she showed to official authorities. He’d get to see the fake one Kellam made for her, which stated she was twenty and born in New York City.

Here you go, she smiled, as she offered him her fake ID, batting her eyelashes extra sweetly at him.

The barkeep took it, inspected it for a very long time, then made the extra effort of trying to match her face to the face on the ID. Mina wasn’t worried. Of course it was her. With slightly different hair and some makeup to make her look older but it was still her. No doubt about that.

You look younger in person, the barkeep gave it back, then tried a smile.

What can I say? she chirped, giving a dismissive half shrug. Good genes.

As soon as the barkeep disappeared, the smile on her face was gone. Her eyes stared down Emile, as her hand rested on her right pocket, feeling the hard outline of her pocket knife. She wasn’t worried about him. He was a yellow belly. He betrayed his own clan just to save his own ass.