Page 83 of The Cruelty of Thorns

“You and I see that, but like I said, he’s a guy. And now that he’s done it, he doesn’t know how to undo it.”

I thought back to his hesitation at the end of class today. “Well, I can’t do it for him.”

“No, but maybe you can be a little more open to it?”

“Meaning what?”

She shrugged. “Give him a chance. Unless you’re totally into this new guy.”

I thought about Julianus and I couldn’t help the heat that rushed through me. Kristin must have seen it, too.

“Yeah, that’s kind of what I thought. Whoever he is has done a job on you quick.”

I looked at her and made a decision. “Not so quick.”

“What do you mean?”

“You remember the guy I drew in my notebook?”

She narrowed her eyes. “That’s him?” I nodded. “Okay, yeah, I can see where you’re coming from now.” She shook her head and grinned at me. “You got to admit, it’s a nice problem to have.”

“What?”

“Two hot guys up in your business? Damn, girl. I never would have thought of it with you.”

CHAPTER 33

JULIANUS

The hunt is on

THE RAIN WAS relentless, but it helped to conceal my presence. Not many people were out on the streets on a night like this, lowering the chance of random victims and making what I had to do easier.

I figured the killer had found my blood source by following me, so as I wound my way around town, I continuously doubled back to check for any tails. When, after several hours of this, I hadn’t uncovered anything, I concluded the rain had driven him indoors as well. Unfortunately, I knew that wouldn’t last. Like me, he would eventually need to feed, and when he did, another innocent would pay the price.

Not that I was excusing myself. My night also wouldn’t end until I had claimed a victim. The difference was, I didn’t leave a trail of bodies. Feeding didn’t require killing, but it was necessary. And as my need grew more insistent, my search for relief became more deliberate.

I wasn’t interested in going back to the hookers. With this weather, they probably weren’t out tonight anyway. And the college was out of the question with its heightened security. Instead, I concentrated on the more transient neighborhoods close to the campus where the threat of nosy neighbors and alarm systems wasn’t as prevalent.

I paid attention to the cars coming and going, watching which houses they parked at and who got out. Fathers returning home from work to waiting families were quickly dismissed, as were single women with children and houses with lots of roommates. I had just turned down a quiet street of small bungalows when a car approached from the opposite direction. I melted into the shadows and watched it slow down and turn into a driveway. There were no lights on in the house, which meant no one else was home.

After a minute, a young woman emerged from the vehicle, running up the walkway to the front stoop. She was more concerned with getting out of the rain than checking her surroundings, which boded well for me. She carried a paper bag of what looked like groceries, which she shifted onto her hip in order to unlock the door. As she went inside, the front room lights came on. I edged closer, stealing down the driveway to peek in the side window. I could see her moving around in the kitchen, putting away groceries and feeding a cat. She obviously lived alone.

Perfect. It looked like I had found a new blood source. I walked around front to the stoop to get out of the rain and sat down on the step to wait for her to fall asleep, knowing there was no one around in this weather to wonder at my presence.

♦ ♦ ♦

When I awoke the next evening, it was to clear and colder skies. As with every night lately, my first thought was of Myra. I had to see her. I decided to forego my usual suit for something that would blend in on campus better, opting for the standard jeans and a dark hoodie. I pulled back my hair and glanced in the mirror. Because I looked young enough to pass for a student, no one would question my presence if I had to go to her room to collect her.

As it turned out, that was unnecessary. While I was standing back in the shadows watching her building, I spotted her walking across the quad with her roommate. I concentrated, willing her to feel my presence, and she stopped and looked around. It never failed to impress me how responsive she was to my will.

I stepped away from the shadows and approached her.

“Myra.”

She turned at the sound of my voice and smiled when she spotted me. Her roommate had also stopped and was watching her. Myra turned to her and said something, and the roommate answered, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” The roommate continued to watch, suspicion rolling off her, as Myra approached me.

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