“What the hell just happened?” I muttered, the words barely escaping my lips.
One minute I felt like I was on the verge of suffocating to death, my chest tightening with a primal fear, and the next I was in some sort of trance, my breathing miraculously back to normal, deep and even.
That was the only way to really explain it too, a trance, a spell broken by a whispered command.
As far as I knew, vampires couldn’t do magic, so it definitely wasn’t a calming spell.
Was he not a pureblood like he claimed?
Is he a hybrid?
I need answers, dammit.
The questions churned in my mind, an insistent, burning need.
Pushing up from my place on the bed, all thoughts of my secret being out, of the implications of being on the pureblood floor, momentarily forgotten, I stormed toward the bedroom door.
“Gen, wait, where are you going?” Farrah asked, panic set in her voice.
She knew me well enough to know I couldn’t just leave this alone, and knew very well where I was heading.
I ignored her completely and marched out the door, only to come to an abrupt stop in the hallway.
Which door was his?
The one to the left or the right?
Shit!
I forgot we hadn’t even gotten around to asking that.
Making a split decision, I marched over to the door on the right since that’s the one that was drawing me in the most, a subtle pull I couldn’t explain.
Stopping outside the door, I raised my fist and brought it down, banging against it with a satisfying thud.
I knew he was in there; I could feel a strong presence inside, and I wouldn’t be ignored.
Just as I was about to go in on another round of knocks, the door flew open, but it wasn’t him, it wasn’t Asher.
Instead, I came face to face with the one person I had resolved myself to avoid for the next four years: Echo.
My hand was still frozen in mid-air, poised for another knock, as I looked up into his smiling face.
He was shirtless, his broad chest bare, rippling with lean muscle, and his long, dark tresses cascaded around his shoulders, making something flutter in my stomach.
“Is this a welcoming party?
I have to say I was expecting a fruit basket, not – you,” he teased, his voice a low, melodic rumble, causing a blush to creep up my neck.
My eyes roamed down his sculpted physique, which was a distraction, to say the least.
Once more, I found myself attempting to make my own hair presentable, though I knew it was a futile act. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
My mane was a wild, untamable beast.
“I’m not, we’re not…
I didn’t know this was your room.
I was looking for Asher,” I finally managed to say, injecting some steel into my voice as well as my heart, trying to project an indifference I didn’t feel.
A look of hurt flashed across his face, quick as lightning, before he quickly masked it with one of indifference, his features settling into a guarded expression.
The silence surrounding us was an uncomfortable one, neither of us saying anything, but somehow neither one of us wanted to look away.
Farrah and I had had a long conversation about this, and we both agreed I should keep my distance from Echo, so it came as no surprise when she stepped forward, acting as a buffer, her hand extended.
“Hi, I’m Farrah.
We didn’t get a chance to meet at the fundraiser,” she said, her voice bright and friendly.
He took her hand in his own, and I was quite shocked when I heard a low, involuntary growl rumble at the back of my throat.
It was primal, unexpected, and completely embarrassing.
I knew he heard it as well because his head snapped in my direction, his eyes wide with surprise, but I immediately turned away, pretending to be utterly fascinated by a stain on the wall.
Still holding her hand captive, his thumb gently stroking the back of her palm, he said, his voice a smooth purr, “Nice to meet you, Farrah.
I’m Echo, but I’m guessing you already knew that.
Tell me, what did golden boy do to have our Genesis here in such a tizzy?” Farrah giggled.
Like, literally giggled, a high-pitched, uncharacteristic sound that grated on my nerves.
My insides were fired up for some reason, a sudden, unfamiliar heat coiling in my gut, and it was getting harder and harder to stand here the longer he held her hand in his own.
“Oh, nothing.
Just said something…
crass, that’s all,” she lied smoothly, her eyes darting to me with a silent question.
She was my friend, and I knew she’d never do anything to intentionally hurt me, but for some reason, she felt like the enemy right now, an unwitting accomplice in my sudden surge of inexplicable fury.
Turning to look at the both of them, still hand in hand, a silent betrayal, I stormed off in the direction of our room, not saying a word.
I scanned the door behind me, and I was shocked when I noticed my hands were balled into fists and shaking uncontrollably.
Relaxing my hands, I opened them slowly and noticed the crescent-like shapes in my palms from my nails digging into them.
What the hell was going on with me today?
Then I have an almost full-on rage attack in front of the Adonis-like werewolf who I also find attractive but is off limits.
As I calmed my nerves and walked over to the closet to start unpacking all the boxes that were sent ahead of time, a mundane task designed to ground me, I heard the click of the door closing before Farrah took off on me.
“What the hell was that?
I had to listen to you talk about him non-stop for the past three weeks, and you act like he’s the scum of the earth when you see him?” She was looking to me for answers, her hands on her hips, but I had none.
I wasn’t sure what happened myself, so I just shrugged, feigning nonchalance as I pulled out a stack of neatly folded shirts.
“What do you want me to say here?
We agreed I should distance myself, so that’s what I’m doing.” I shrugged once more, pulling one of the bigger boxes with my name on it and starting to rummage through to see what was inside.
“Yeah, keep your distance, not be completely—” She grabbed hold of my hands, stopping them from their frantic search, to keep them still so I could focus on her.
“Not be completely rude, Gen.
That’s not like you.”
I let out an exasperated breath.
She was right, of course; I had better manners than that.
“I don’t know what happened, okay?
Just seeing him hold onto your hand like that pissed me off, and then you had to go and giggle like an idiot.
You giggled, Farr, like he was making your day by holding on like he did!” I admitted, completely deflated now.
All the hostility and anger just melted away, leaving me feeling exposed and embarrassed.
“Of course he was making my day, he’s gorgeous!
But that aside, it’s impossible for me to have any kind of feelings for him.
Kinda like it should be for you,” she nudged my shoulder with her own, a gentle reprimand.
“Besides, I’m not trying to hook up with any guys right now.
I need to get up to speed with these other kids who have been doing magic all their lives.
We both do.”
She walked over to one of her own boxes and started unpacking, the rustling of paper and fabric letting me know the conversation was over and done with.
She’s right, I need to focus on being the best student I could be.
Both Asher and Echo needed to be background noise, distractions I couldn’t afford.
I only wish I believed it when I said it to myself.