Chapter 4: Forged in Blood: Chapter 2

Aside from the sound of the gravel crunching beneath my feet, the evening is eerily quiet. I haven’t passed a single soul on my way back from the library despite it only being a little after nine. I guess most people went to the start of term bonfire at the Temple, which I realized on the second day of classes sounds way grander and more mysterious than what it is—a hill where most of the outdoor activities on campus take place. When I first heard people talking about it, I assumed it was some kind of religious thing, but thankfully I learned the truth before I could make a fool of myself by asking someone.

I did consider checking out the bonfire, but I haven’t managed to speak to anyone yet … at least nothing more than a polite hi during class. But it’s only the third day, and the unsurprising reality that I haven’t made friends yet is way less important than the fact that I’m here. I’m free! For the first time in my entire life, I’m in control of every aspect of my life. My own freaking destiny. It sounds corny, but for someone who’s always been at the mercy of a broken system, it is freaking monumentous.

I get to sleep all by myself in my own room, and I chose my own bedding. The softest fleece comforter I’ve ever felt in my life—which, by the way, is covered in unicorns. Going to classes that I choose to go to, without fear of someone tripping me up in the hallway, knocking my books out of my hand, or calling me by that god-awful nickname. Getting to go to the library at any time of the day or night and getting lost among rows upon rows of shelves, all bursting with data and hopes and dreams. A dreamy sigh escapes my lips at the mere thought.

So it isn’t a big deal that I’m not doing all the regular college stuff right away. It will come with time, and I’ll make some friends soon enough. This is nothing like high school. The other students seem way friendlier than my high school classmates. My advisor says I’m painfully shy, and I didn’t bother explaining to her that I’m actually not. Rather I’m a product of my environment—twenty-six foster homes and half as many schools isn’t exactly a recipe for making friends.

“Hey! What are you doing?” A feminine shriek pierces the chilled evening air. Every hair on the back of my neck stands on end. “Get off me!”

I break into a run and round the corner, coming face-to-face with a sight that makes my blood freeze in my veins. A girl with blond pigtails, who I vaguely recognize from my English class, is pinned to the wall by a large hand around her throat. Her dangling feet kick a few inches from the ground, and her attacker has his face buried against her neck. His two companions stand behind him, bouncing on their toes like they’re waiting their turn. But for what?

It takes me a few beats to recognize the three guys, and I gasp when I do. Perhaps if I’d known it was them I was about to interrupt, I would’ve thought twice. Although that’s not true. I have always run headfirst into reckless situations. Still, I swallow nervously. After I saw them that day in the quad, I did a little digging into the Ruby Dragon commanders and found that they are every bit as feared as they are revered.

The girl’s screams have been silenced, and the quiet feels very wrong. “Let her go, you dicks! Or I’ll call campus security,” I shout, my voice coming out way more confident than my trembling legs reveal I am.

Axl Thorne lifts his head, and a gasp erupts from my lips. Blood drips from his mouth … no, from his fangs. What in hell’s name?

“Stop her,” he commands, then returns to the girl’s neck.

Malachi Young licks his lips while his bestie, Xavier Adams, flashes me a maniacal grin. I should run like hell, but my legs won’t let me. I’m frozen to the spot, and it’s not fear gripping me. “Let her go,” I say, my hands balled into fists at my side.

The words have barely left my mouth when Xavier and Malachi are at my side. How is that even possible? They were at least thirty feet away. Both of them reach for me, and their large hands easily encircle my arms. I try to wrench myself from their grip, but they’re freakishly strong.

“Get the hell off me,” I snap. “Or I’ll scream.”

Xavier laughs darkly. Psycho! “Ain’t nobody coming even if you do, Cupcake.”

Cupcake? What the …

“Take her back to the house. I’ll meet you there in five,” Axl says, the blond girl cradled in his arms.

I shake my head. “No! What are you going to do to her?”

Xavier tightens his grip on my wrist and runs his nose over the back of my neck, inhaling deeply. “You should be more concerned about what we’re going to do to you.” I look over my shoulder, and he bares his teeth, revealing a gleaming set of white fangs that match Axl’s.

I suck in a deep gulp of air. “What the hell are you?”

Xavier cocks his head to the side and grins. Meanwhile, Malachi curls the end of my ponytail between his fingertips. “Such pretty pink hair,” he says, his voice way gentler than I expected it to be.

“Get the hell off me,” I shriek.

Xavier sighs. “Let’s get her out of here.”

I don’t have a chance to protest further before they start to run. Except it doesn’t feel like running—more like floating really fast. They move so swiftly that the gentle breeze rushes through my hair like a tornado-strength gale. My feet don’t touch the ground, but I see theirs skimming over it. My stomach rolls and my head spins, and the next thing I know, we’re standing in front of a small house at the opening of a cul-de-sac. The house next door has a flag depicting a red dragon hanging from the eaves, so it must be the Ruby Dragon Society house—and the blue dragon on the house across the street tells me it’s for Lapis Dragon Society. Why is this house smaller than the others? Why doesn’t it have a flag? Why am I asking questions that don’t matter?

“What in hell’s name are you?” I ask instead, although I know the answer to that one. What creatures have fangs, drink blood, and have superhuman strength and speed? It all leads to one conclusion. Except for the fact that vampires don’t exist.

“We’re your worst nightmare, Cupcake.” Xavier flicks his dark hair out of his eyes and flashes me a wicked grin.

I twist my upper body, and this time they release me. Xavier jogs up the steps of the wooden porch and opens the door, and Malachi gestures toward it. “After you, sweet girl.”

I shake my head. “No way am I going in there.”

“You can walk or I’ll carry you,” Xavier says, his lips twitching. “And if I have to chase you down and carry your ass in here, Cupcake, it will officially belong to me.”

I blink at him. “What? Is that like some vampire rule or something?”

His grin widens and turns downright wicked at the same time. “Yeah.”

A shiver runs down my spine, and my mouth goes dry. But Malachi’s snort of laughter snaps me from the daze I was about to fall into looking into Xavier’s intense dark-blue eyes. I put my hands on my hips and turn my attention to Malachi. “He’s fucking with me, isn’t he?”

Xavier points to the open doorway and growls, all trace of his grin now vanished. “Try it and find out, Cupcake.”

Given how quickly they traveled across campus, I stand zero chance of outrunning them. But perhaps I can outsmart them.

So just like that, I walk inside the house, putting myself at the mercy of the commanders of the Ruby Dragon Society. The three most popular and powerful—not to mention dangerous—guys at Montridge University.