..
Jace promptly reached for his natural magic and place Mr. Clay into a sleeping spell. He knew he shouldn"t be using his natural magic for something so simple but it was too late to go back and use a spell instead. He just hoped when the vice principle woke up he forgot everything he saw.
Kim turned gracefully on her heels to face them.
"Well, to what do I owe this pleasure?" She snarled. Her anger at their interruption was clear.
Seeing her so close with crazed pitch black eyes and white fangs that seemed to gleam in the dimly lit room, Jace wondered how on earth he was supposed to reason with her. Kim was never easy to bargain with. They had many fights over the time they dated; all over Ana and all ending with her threatening to expose him.
Thinking back to those days had him clenching his fist. But Jace had to push aside his personal dislike for Kim. This was about finding Ana. He didn"t spend hours last night convincing the others that this was the right decision only to get here and change his mind. No that couldn"t happen. They"d come here for Kim and they weren"t leaving without her.
Last night Simon, Marie and even Lily gave him h.e.l.l about this. None of them trusted Kim and thought this was the worst idea ever. Lily even said someone else"s spirit must hopped into his body because he sounded crazy.
Jace explained that they needed a vampire to find the castle but that still didn"t convince the others Kim was the one to choose. Luckily Seb stepped in and agreed with Jace. It surprised him that Seb was actually on his side, but he realized it was only because Seb was the only other person as desperate as he was to save Ana.
"We come to offer a proposition" Jace began. Not really knowing how else to start. Kim only stared at him for a full minute.
"And what do you have to propose that would interest me?" She inquired, eyes still black and fangs exposed. Jace took in a deep breath preparing to put it all out there.
"We know where Talon was taken." It wasn"t a complete lie. Based off the little bit of information he was able to get from Ana, they"d narrowed down the possible location of the king"s palace. Too bad none of them could see it even if they were right about where it was. Kim"s eyes widened briefly but she kept her cool. Jace already knew what was coming.
"What do I have to do to get that information from you?" she asked glancing at each one of them. The others stood silent behind him and Seb guarded the door. Jace had to prove to them all that this could work and he could get Kim to agree to the terms they"d set on the car ride here. Of all the people Simon doubted him the most. Simon was certain Kim wouldn"t agree or would double cross them as soon as she could.
"Come with us to the king"s palace and call a truce." Jace didn"t want to tell her just yet that she was the most important part to finding it. Kim knowing she had that much power would be dangerous. Her eyes sparked a little at the mention of the king and she looked around at all of them again. Jace could tell that she had caught on when the slow smirk began to stretch across her face.
"Those men that took Talon took Ana too didn"t they?" she hypothesized proudly. This was what he didn"t want to have to do. Convince Kim to put aside her hatred for Ana and help find her. But he stayed silent for a little too long. Kim began laughing.
"They got her! Perfect. So be honest dear Jace, why do you really need me?" Kim hinted. She may be a horrible person but something"s she picked up quickly. Jace"s mind scrambled for a response that wasn"t the truth. But he couldn"t find anything believable.
"Strength in numbers. You did pa.s.s basic math right?" Simon jumped in voice full of hostility. It even shocked Jace with how mean he sounded, it was very unlike him. Next to him Marie gently took his hand and that relaxed Simon a bit.
"Very funny nerd boy" Kim snapped
"This is a temporary truce. After we get there and save Ana and you save Talon it"s over. So you"d better run fast because I"ll be after the two you" Seb added with cold determination. Kim eyes trailed over Seb as if she was a.s.sessing him. Something about him must have gotten to her.
"How do I know this isn"t a trap to kill me?" She asked defensively. It was a good question but before Jace could answer, Seb yanked the door open and the last person he wanted to see fell to the floor.
Bobby Kennedy scrambled to his feet dusting off his football jacket. Jace"s ex best friend looked at everyone in the room and almost screamed when he saw Kim. This whole time she kept her fangs out; a vampire defense mechanism.
"Hey Bobby" she chirped "It"s not polite to eavesdrop"
"Holy sh! Wh-what"s going on here?!" Bobby"s voice only shook a bit as he continued to stare.
"Oh it"s easy I"m a vampire" Kim announced as easily as someone saying their name.
"Kim!" Jace reprimanded
"Thompson? Dude where have you been? Are you-you a vampire too?" he questioned cautiously stepping further into the room. Sebs hand on his chest stopped him in place.
"No. Just get out of here now" Jace said. Bobby glanced at everyone for a minute, only pausing on Simon and Kim. He rolled his neck and squared his shoulders, making himself taller.
"No" he stated firmly "Some crazy stuff going on around here and I want in"
"What?!" Jace and Simon said at the same time in the same disbelieving tone. Bobby tried to move around Seb but it wasn"t working at all.
"You heard me. I want in. First piggy comes back all hot and then Kim does the same thing. Now I find out she"s a vampire. So yeah I want in or else I"m going to the police" Bobby tried to sound tough but it was easy to see he was still a bit scared. Seb growled at his words but Bobby ignored it.
"No"
"Yes"
Jace said no at the same time Kim said yes.
"I think it"s a great idea. I"ll agree to your stupid proposal if Bobby joins. That way I have one person in this jacked up s...o...b.. gang that doesn"t want to kill me" Kim wasn"t going to budge on this, he could tell from the look in her eyes. Turning to Simon he could see that Ana"s closest friend wasn"t on board with this but what choice was there. Time was ticking and they needed to move.
"Fine. But Bobby is your responsibility Kim" Jace snapped. He was over this situation. Now that Bobby was joining he was even more irritated about the upcoming events.
"Sweet! When do I become a vampire?" Bobby asked excitedly.
Jace sighed and brushed past him out the office. This didn"t go as planned at all but at least he"d gotten Kim to agree to come. If this is what it takes to get Ana back he would just have to deal with it. Nothing meant more than saving the girl he loved.
But he and Bobby haven"t been friends in two years and he wasn"t in the mood to deal with him. The seven of them walked out of the school"s main doors. They only had a few minutes left before his magic wore off and the office staff woke up. In order for them to forget what happened they all needed to be long gone.
The ugly van was sitting patiently in the parking lot waiting on their return. But as luck would have it another screeching interruption wouldn"t allow them to leave…
"Hey! Hey!" Josie screamed running out the front doors after them. Jace gave Kim a pointed look to handle the situation quickly. "Where you guys going? Bobby what"re you doing?!" Josie"s high pitched voiced had everyone wanting to plug their ears. Bobby on the other hand looked like he"d been caught with his hands in the cookie jar.
"I uh-uh we uh were uh. You look hot in that pink dress babe" In true Bobby fashion when he can"t think of a lie quick enough, just throw out compliments. Josie didn"t buy it. The short girl narrowed her eyes at him, anger rolling off her in waves. Kim chuckled a little before stepping in front of Bobby
"Let me make this easy on you Jos, I"ve been s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g your boyfriend for months and he"s leaving with me. But if it makes you feel better I"m over him now" Kim confessed without a hint of remorse.
Josie"s eyes widened in utter disbelief. Jace was surprised she didn"t have a clue. The whole school pretty much knew. But sometimes people see what they want to see. And she apparently didn"t want to see her cheating boyfriend and evil best friend for what they truly were. Jace felt bad for her, almost. Josie wasn"t exactly a saint herself.
"Is this true?" she asked Bobby with a strange calmness. Bobby grimaced and shrugged in response. Not much regret on his part either. Josie"s eyes glossed with unshed tears but the hatred in her expression couldn"t be mistaken.
"I"ll bury you for this Kim Walker. You too Bobby Kennedy" Josie"s threat was clear as a crystal. The finality of her words almost gave him the chills. Jace didn"t doubt she could do some damage, Josie"s father practically ran this town. But Jace didn"t care. Kim and Bobby brought her wrath on themselves.
"That little girl is going to kill you guys!" Lily broke out laughing "This is just like a soap opera"
And with that they all packed into the van and headed for the ocean. Jace took the wheel and Seb sat in the pa.s.senger seat.
The two mates of Ana locked eyes. The unspoken words between them was clear. They would work together and do whatever it took to save the girl they both loved…
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to be continued....