The Vampire's Dark Professor

Chapter 3

Noah Edwards stood before Castle Gealach, a small smile on his face. The sun was already beginning to set behind the peaks of the Scottish Highlands, which framed the magnificent castle.

It was one of the largest structures in Europe, built over many centuries beginning with the ancient Celts. There existed ancient spells over the castle that protected it from those that weren't intended to see it, meaning non-magical beings.

It was a welcoming view. Every year, on his first day of the term at the Gealach School of Supernatural Beings, Noah stood in this very spot to appreciate the same picturesque view. However, this was actually his sixth year at the school, which was abnormal for most of the students, which consisted of Witches, Wizards, Werewolves, and even Vampires.

But Noah Edwards’ life was far from normal, particularly over the past year. He had missed much of his final year of schooling to hide from the evil Wizard Osiris, training in the remote deserts of Arizona to become skilled enough in Dark Magic to face him.

Now that Osiris had been defeated, it was time for him to follow in his mother’s footsteps, the great Catherine Edwards. When she was alive, she had been a Seeker, one that tracks down evil beings from all of the magical races. Anyone with magical abilities that posed a threat to others was tracked by the matriarchal scholastocracy that was Castle Gealach, the center of the magical community in the British Isles. At the helm of their society was the High Priestess Cassandra, a powerful and widely-respected Witch.

Cassandra had agreed to let Noah apprentice as a Seeker, but on the condition that he return to finish his final year of education.

It felt good to be back. This time last year, he had a much different attitude about returning to school, having just lost his mother after a long illness. It felt like more of a chore then, but now, he was prepared for a fresh start.

Noah took a deep breath, closing his steely blue eyes and inhaling the fresh, cool mountain air.

“Noah, hey!” he heard a familiar voice behind him call out. When he turned, he spotted Naima Hassan waving at him from further down the path, the lake at the bottom of the valley glistening behind her as the last rays of the sun touched the water.

Naima was the youngest of three siblings, and her brother Darius was Noah’s age, not to mention his best friend. The Edwards Family were very close friends of the Hassan’s, and he grew up seeing Naima as a younger sister.

But it seemed that in the short summer apart she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. At sixteen years old, Naima had black, coiled hair that was stacked loosely on top of her head, held back with her signature yellow scarf tied in a bow. Her dark brown complexion and deep brown eyes were framed by golden hoop earrings, which bobbed back and forth as she hurried up the hill toward Noah.

“Hey!” Noah smiled as she approached. “Welcome back!”

“Thanks! How’s Daisy?”

“I actually just got a letter from her,” Noah said, rummaging through his bookbag. He pulled out a photograph of his twin sister and her husband, Hunter Armstrong, sitting in front of the famous Café Du Monde in New Orleans, eating beignets with large smiles on their faces. He handed it proudly to Naima.

“Wow, they’re really traveling the world, aren’t they?” Naima exclaimed, examining the photograph. “What are the others up to, by the way? Is anyone else coming back to repeat their fifth year?”

“No, I think they all took Niall and Marco’s deaths really hard,” Noah said, his tone turning solemn. He ran his hand through his strawberry blond hair as he sighed. “I think they all really just wanted a fresh start, away from Castle Gealach.”

Noah thought back to the final battle with Osiris, which occurred only six weeks ago in the main hall of the castle. Their band of misfits, a small group of fifth-year students, had traveled with him to Arizona to learn the secrets of Dark Magic to defend the school against the evil followers of Osiris, known as Osirians. Unfortunately, they had suffered some casualties in that battle.

“That’s fair,” Naima agreed with a nod, handing the photograph back to him.

Noah glanced at his watch. “Oh, s**t, we’re going to be late for the banquet.”

Making their way quickly through the front doors of the castle, they hastened through the entrance hall, which was a high-ceilinged room made entirely of stone. Hundreds of candles suspended above them by magic illuminated the magnificent foyer in a warm, golden glow. Noah and Naima followed the path of the candles, navigating their way expertly through the familiar Gothic-style corridors and archways until they arrived at the main hall.

When they entered the dining space, they noticed three long tables already full of students. The far-right table was for Witches and Wizards. At the middle table sat the Werewolves, who were strategically placed between their table and the sparsely-populated Vampire table along the far-left wall. It was well-known that Vampires were not attracted to the blood of Werewolves.

But they were attracted to the blood of Witches and Wizards.

As they made their way to sit with their group, the room seemed to fall silent. Students turned their heads to look at Noah curiously before leaning over to whisper amongst each other. Naima’s friends could be heard giggling and laughing at their table, batting their eyelashes flirtatiously at Noah.

“What’s with everyone?” Noah muttered under his breath to Naima. She was, after all, the queen of gossip at Castle Gealach, which was why he was not at all surprised when Naima smiled knowingly at his question. 

“You’re the most popular guy in school now,” she explained with a wink. “Not only are you the attractive, mature, older student, but you’re also the hero that saved Castle Gealach from Osiris.”

“Again, that was Hunter, not me!” Noah hissed in annoyance. He really did not understand how that rumor got out. Noah had managed to put up a strong fight against Osiris, but without Hunter casting a Death Curse at Osiris from behind, Noah probably would not have survived the battle.

“But people saw you dueling with Osiris,” she said impatiently, waiving her hand in the air. “Perception is reality, you know.”

“Wait, did you just call me attractive?” Noah asked, suddenly realizing the rest of what Naima had said.

“Let’s just take our seats,” she said quickly, averting her gaze toward the floor.

“We saved you a spot, Naima!” called one of her friends. “We saved one for you too, Noah.”

The girls burst out into a fit of giggles, nearly falling out of their seats as Noah rolled his eyes.

Perhaps this year was going to be less fun than he had anticipated.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their voice at the front of the hall. He glanced up to see Cassandra standing at a podium in front of the faculty table, waiting for the students to settle down.

“Greetings, students! For those of you who have returned, welcome back. And for those of you joining us for the first time, may I be the first to welcome you to the Gealach School of Supernatural Beings. I am Cassandra, the High Priestess of Castle Gealach.”

Cassandra’s voice was rich and warm. Although she was an elderly Witch, she still exuded life and strength in her voice and her demeanor. Her thick, silver hair was pulled back into a chignon bun, and her robes were made up of various shades of green and teal fabrics. Although her face was worn from age with many wrinkles, her penetrating amber eyes were sharp and bright.

“I always like to start the school year with a brief history of Castle Gealach, which represents the center of our magical society here in the British Isles. This sacred place was founded by the ancient Celtic tribes as a safe haven for beings with unique abilities. The word gealach means ‘moon,’ which represents the divine feminine, fertility, and new beginnings. As you will learn throughout your five years of instruction, the moon is a very important symbol and source of power for all three magical races: Witches and Wizards, Vampires, and Werewolves.

“This place has evolved and grown over time to what you see today, which is largely unaffected by the politics and culture of the outside, non-magic world. As we honor the ancient wisdom and traditions of our ancestors, we begin each school year with a grand feast in celebration of the past, the present, and the future.”

Applause erupted throughout the hall. Cassandra smiled with gratitude as she raised her hands to quiet the crowd.

“I have given this same speech to many generations of students in my many years here at Castle Gealach. Normally, this is the point where I would review any new faculty appointments, as well as encourage you to get involved in any number of extracurricular activities this school has to offer. 

“However, tonight, I would instead like us to take a moment to reflect upon the past year. This school was nearly brought down by the evil Wizard Osiris and his followers. Many of you were kept away from your families, remaining trapped here under their control. Some of you sustained injuries in the final battle, while others lost their lives completely that day. I want to let you know how brave each and every one of you are for returning to Castle Gealach to continue your education. I am immensely proud to see your faces here tonight, and I can assure you that you are all safe from harm. Please know that as you head to bed tonight, you are protected within the walls of this castle and have no need to worry any more. But, with that being said, let us feast, so we can send you to bed with full bellies!”

***

Noah could not seem to fall asleep. He was accustomed to sharing his dormitory with Darius, but with Darius off at university this year, it seemed he had the room all to himself. No signs of any roommates.

It was too quiet. He decided to take a walk around the castle grounds to clear his head. Normally, students were not allowed to wander the halls past a certain hour for safety reasons, but he felt confident in his knowledge of Dark Magic to protect himself on the off chance it would be necessary.

He changed into his day clothes before stepping out. Noah made his way quietly through the castle, keeping an eye out for any faculty on patrol. It was easy to slip out the back entrance undetected, and he made his way across the open lawn toward the stables.

The sound of rustling bushes caught his attention. He checked back over his shoulder to see where the noise was coming from, but he did not see any signs of movement.

Must be the breeze, he thought. He paid it no further mind and turned back to continue on to the stables.

But the moment he turned around, he came face-to-face with a beautiful girl. She looked to be about his age, and he instantly noticed her fair, snowy complexion dotted with freckles. Her auburn hair hung in thick, loose waves over her shoulders, and her figure was lithe and delicate.

Noah instantly felt himself attracted to her, slowly eying her from the waist up. Racking his brain, he tried to remember if he had seen her around the school before. Certainly, he would have remembered someone as alluring as her.

“Are you new here?” he asked. 

But when he met her gaze, he felt a jolt of fear rush through him. The whites of her eyes were completely pitch black, and her irises were a dark shade of ruby red.

Noah felt his blood run cold as he recognized her as a Vampire…and she was very thirsty. Most Vampires could walk among the other students and blend right in, but if a Vampire was deprived of blood for too long, their appearance would change like this.

He was frozen on the spot, completely forgetting to draw his wand to protect himself. Her alluring beauty seemed to captivate him under her spell, and he wanted to both run away and embrace her at the same time.

Actually, he wanted to do more than just embrace her.

With surprising agility and strength for such a delicate frame, the girl tackled him to the ground, pinning him between her legs as she straddled him. Her hands gripped his wrists tightly against the grass, bringing their faces closer together as she leaned forward. She looked down on him through thick locks of auburn hair that brushed his face, and her fangs were exposed as she hissed.

As she hovered over him, he caught her scent, which was an intoxicating, yet delicate blend of jasmine and musk.

Noah stared up at her as he lay flat on the ground. He struggled beneath her, but as his hips tried to shimmy out from between her legs, he felt his bulge rub against her womanhood, and the only thing separating them was their clothes.

She leaned in closer to him, their lips now only inches apart. Noah’s breathing was ragged, caused by a mixture of fear and arousal.

A sharp pain in his neck caused him to throw his head back and cry out into the still night. The world started spinning around him, getting blurrier as he realized she had plunged her fangs into his neck. She drank voraciously as Noah felt himself weaken beneath her, until he soon succumbed to the darkness that enveloped him.