Page 4 of Forged in Blood

“E-excuse me?”

She rolls her eyes. “What are you doing? Are you hoping for a pledge invitation? Join the soccer team? What?”

Rudeness or curiosity? Hard to tell. Her tone is friendly enough, but girls like her aren’t usually friendly to me.

“Hey, Meg. Have you seen who’s hanging out at the Ruby Dragon table?” Another girl, equally gorgeous but with dark curly hair, links her arm through Meg’s.

Meg cranes her neck, peering over the crowd. A second later, she sinks her teeth into her lip and groans. I turn to see what she and her friend are looking at, but I’m too short to see over the crowd. I’ve heard whispers of the Ruby Dragon Society, and based on my research, that was the home of some of the most notorious Montridge graduates. They boast such alumni as the current director of the CIA, along with the biggest drug lord in Colombia.

“They are so fine,” Meg says with a sultry sigh. “Such a shame, huh?”

I’m about to ask what she means when the crowd parts and I finally see the objects of their attention. My mouth drops open unbidden. Shirtless and tanned, basking in the heat of the afternoon sun, three demigods stand among a throng of mortals. All rippling biceps, chiseled abs, and strong jawlines. “Who are they?” My voice comes out even quieter than before.

“The commanders of Ruby Dragon,” Meg says. “They’re hot, right?”

“I guess.”

“Stay away from them, new girl,” she warns, and when I drag my attention back to her, she’s glaring at me.

I snort a laugh. Does she seriously think I’m any kind of competition?

Her eyes narrow. “I mean it.”

I hold my hands up. “I’ll stay away.”

The girl with the curly hair looks me up and down. “Are you hoping to pledge?”

I blink at her. I never considered pledging one of the societies. I’m not a group activity kind of person. Not through personal choice… I just seem to have trouble fitting in. I’m only here today because I promised my advisor—and myself—I’d check out the clubs rather than sit alone in my dorm all day, reading. “I d-don’t think so.”

Meg scrunches up her nose and studies me like I’m an unknown specimen. “You’re different.”

Yeah, been made to feel that my whole damn life. Before the words can escape, I press my lips together, staying silent. Experience has also taught me not to provoke the popular girls. Don’t want to make any enemies on my first day. Memories of my high school experience flash through my mind, and my stomach rolls. I press my hand to my damp forehead. I need to get away from here. Away from the scrutiny of these two popular mean girls who no doubt only called me over here for their own amusement.

“I h-have to go,” I blurt. Not giving them the opportunity to respond, I turn and dart off through the crowd. Hurrying past the remaining tables, I head straight for the safety of my dorm room.

Chapter

Two

OPHELIA

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 wasthemI 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 hisfangs.What in hell’s name?

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