Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Nox

The dream is always the same. Six-year-old me in a cottage in a small town in Ireland. I’m shoved into a dirt cellar by unknown hands as tears stream down my face. I whimpered “mummy,” but whoever had shut me in shushed and told me I had to be still and stay quiet. I nodded my head, wiped the back of my hand against my nose while I sniffled. As I became quiet the voices above me in the kitchen grew louder. “That incident wasn’t us. We weren’t involved,” my dad’s voice boomed in the near silence of the room.

A woman’s voice ricocheted against the walls as she shouted just as loud. “I know. That’s why we’re here. If they see us with you guys, then maybe we can stop this crusade towards your family.” Just as the woman finishes speaking, I hear splintering wood. Someone had barged through the front door and then the sound of thunder. That’s what my six-year-old mind thought anyway. In actuality it was people storming into the house. Four distinct pops echoed throughout the house, and I knew instinctively a gun had been fired. The sound of the gunshot didn’t worry me. We’re vampires and immortal. The only thing that can kill us is if we are beheaded.

The house grows disturbingly quiet, but I stay where I am, hidden, safe. I don’t know how long I’m down in the cellar for. Hours, days... All I know is that when the door is finally opened, I’m looking into my grandmother’s eyes, the spitting image of my own. I throw myself into her arms and sob uncontrollably. She whispers soothing useless words to me and before she can stop me, I look around the kitchen and see two beings with bullets in their heads and two other bodies with no heads whatsoever. A scream tears from within me and I jolt awake.

I bolt upright in bed sweaty and breathing hard. Glancing around the darkened room it takes me a moment to realize I’m in my dorm and not back at the cottage from fourteen years ago. Climbing out of the bed I make my way into the bathroom thanking the stars as I go that I don’t have a roommate that I have to explain myself to for the nightmare. Flipping the water on, I hop into the shower because I have one class that is only offered at night because well you can’t study the stars when the sun is shining.

∞

Blaise

Standing awkwardly in the common room I shift my weight from leg to leg nervously. I had come down a few minutes early because I didn’t want Carden having to wait on me. I’m not a ‘fashionably late’ kind of girl. And I’m freaking hungry as hell.

Nails plus chalkboard equals Morgan’s voice as she comes strolling up to me. She wags a finger in my face, “stay away from Braeden. He’s mine!”

My mouth agape, I stare dumbfounded. “I-I,” stuttering I’m trying to wrap my brain around her words. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t even know him and anyway, I’m not interested in him like that. His father is my uncle’s friend!” I spout defiantly taking a step closer causing her to bend her head downward because she’s a good four inches taller than I am.

As anger begins to flow through me, I feel a surge of power beginning to grow in my chest. My limbs begin to tingle, and heat is radiating off of my body. A second before I explode and unleash the pent-up magic coiling within me, I feel someone’s hand on my shoulder. “Hey Blaise, you ready to go?” Looking to my left I see Carden smiling down at me but his eyes flash worry and concern. Taking a step back from Morgan I nod that I am. He proceeds to take my hand gently pulling me away from her.

Once we are out in the cooling evening air I slowly calm down. I feel Carden’s eyes on me and look up at his face as we trek across the grass. “You, okay?” The worry has disappeared, but I still see concern in his golden gaze. I nod that I am and then he asks, “dare I ask what that was about back there?” I only shrug my shoulders in response as I’m still trying to sort out what that confrontation was all about myself.

Carden leaves me to my thoughts and I’m grateful for it. He still holds my hand in his and gives it a little squeeze in reassurance that he won’t press me on the matter.

The walk to the dinner was about six minutes, which gave me enough time to mull over Morgan’s words. After Carden and I slid into a booth of red painted wood and vinyl padding, I decide to tell him what had happened. Shortly after sitting down an older lady walks up to us to take our drink order. When she walks away, I look at Carden and offer him a hesitant smile.

Reaching across the table he takes my hand in his and as he opens his mouth to speak, I prepare myself to be questioned once more. To my surprise though he says, “thanks for coming with me. I thought it’d be a nice change of scenery for you and make it easier to get to know you without others eavesdropping in on us.” I’m shocked by his honesty and my heart flutters at the knowledge that he wants to get to know me. ME!

The stupid grin takes hold of me, and a blush creeps up my neck. “I’d like to get to know you better too,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. We break our hands apart as the waitress drops off our drinks and I immediately miss the warmth of him. But before I can dwell on this fact the waitress asks if we’re ready to order. Carden and I both order cheeseburgers, fries and chocolate milk shakes. After he places a to go order I arch an eyebrow in confusion.

“For Braeden,” he says simply.

“Oh, why didn’t he come with you?” I ask curiously though I already know the answer. Braeden can’t stand to be near me. “Never mind. Don’t answer that.” I huff a laugh. “Why does your brother hate me so much?”

Carden chokes on the cola he had been sipping as he probably wasn’t expecting me to ask him. “What? Braeden doesn’t hate you.” I ‘ha’ at this claim. “No, it’s true. If I had told him I was coming here with you he would have definitely come as well. I didn’t tell him though because I wanted to spend time with you alone. And besides, Brae is dealing with some personal issues, and I didn’t want him to bring us down by being in a foul mood or anything.”

The only word that I’m able to utter is “oh.” Of course, at that moment our food is delivered. I am easily distracted by food. I mean seriously, it smells so good I can’t stop myself from picking the burger up and taking a large bite. I moan as the juice hit my taste buds. Looking at Carden I freeze, the sandwich halfway to my mouth for a second bite for the way he was staring at me. Desire...

I quirk my lips. “What?”

“Could you maybe not moan while you’re eating. It’s um, quite distracting,” he said with a sexy smile.

Giving him a sheepish grin, I duck my head offering an apology. “Sorry. Maybe if you would have warned me about how good these burgers are I could have been prepared for the moan...” Husky laughter rumbles from his chest and dammit if I’m not turned on!

I never do get to tell him about the argument between me and Morgan though because they’ve just delivered Braeden’s to go order. I suggest we should head back to campus because no one wants to eat cold fries, and I’ve got one class in the evening to attend anyway.

Standing we make our way over to the counter where Carden then pulls out some cash and pays for the food. After we leave the dinner, he claims my hand in his free one smiling as he entwines our fingers. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as we walk back. At my door he leans in and places a chaste kiss against my cheek just barely brushing against the corner of my lips causing my heart to skip a beat.

Opening the door to my room I see Clover sitting cross legged on her bed, a textbook open in front of her. “Girl, where have you been,” I nearly shout in my excitement at seeing her. She glances up at me as I bound over to her and flop on the edge of her bed.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been sitting here reading for the last hour and a half,” she says with a smirk.

Rolling my eyes, I give her the deets about my day. “And I don’t know if you heard about the argument that occurred this afternoon between Braeden and Morgan, but I accidentally witnessed it firsthand. Oh, and then as I waited to get some food with Carden, Morgan shows up out of nowhere and shouts at me to stay away from Braeden. Can you believe that?”

“Wow, that’s crazy!” Clover exclaims and then she says, “wait a minute, did you go on a date with Carden? He’s fine as hell and damn you’re lucky. He isn’t one to take girls on dates if you know what I mean. He and his brother are players. As far as I can tell from the gossip mill, neither one of them has ever been in a serious relationship. So be careful. Don’t go catching feelings. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Laughing I nudge her arm. “I don’t think it was a date. We just grabbed a bite to eat and besides, his family is friends with my uncle and my grandparents...” Wanting to know how her first day was I asked if she’d seen anyone, she might be interested in.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say no to the twins they are hot! And if Nox didn’t have the reputation, he has I’d give him a go. But vampires and shifters tend not to mesh well so he’s a no. However, there’s this Italian wolf shift in my Magical History class that I have my eye on.

“Ooohh, do tell,” I say excitedly but before she’s able to, a chime pings on my phone. “Dang it. I set an alarm so I wouldn’t be late for my last class. Tell me you’re taking Astronomy and its link to Astrology, with me?”

Clover’s face falls in disappointment. “I’m taking the course, but my class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have Shifter Studies for my last class of the day.”

Pushing my bottom lip out in a pout I say glumly, “okay.” Standing from my perch on her bed I pick up my satchel before turning back around. Digging in the side pocket I pull out my phone and shove it in her face. “Here, gimme your number that way I don’t have to wait all damn day to talk to you!”

She takes the phone out of my hand and quickly adds her number to my contact list and then hands it back to me. “I should probably head out too.”

Leaving her at the entrance to the dorm building I begin the small hike over to building A.