Page 10 of Shifting Tides

Caesar scoffed, agitation clear in the clench of his jaw. “This little confession session is sweet and all, but we need to leave. Now!” Seeing Arya’s hesitation, he added, “Unless you would prefer to become a vampire’s snack?”

Arya shook her head angrily but followed me into the back seat. Her normally pale features looked even whiter—if that were possible—with just a hint of green around the edges. She was practically bioluminescent in the shadows.

Once we were all settled and Caesar was clipping down the road once more, he leaned back into his seat. “We only allow shifters at the school.”

I frowned. “The magic in my veins is the same magic that lets shifters shift.”

He scoffed. “Hardly. Shifters don’t exactly have a choice. You do. We need a safe place to hone our powers and learn control. You don’t. And even if you did, there’s nothing we could teach you. We don’t cast magic.”

Wrong. He was so wrong. There was so much I could learn at that school. So much I could learn just from watching various shifter types use their powers. It would definitely be more than I’d learn wasting away at Gram’s house.

“But, you don’t—”

“The answer is no,” Caesar ground out.

“But Arya will need me.”

I felt almost dirty for using my friend’s trauma as a bargaining chip. Surely seeing our bond would make Caesar realize it was for the best that I go with her. And I really did want to support Arya. I didn’t know the last time I felt so close to someone, and I couldn’t stand the thought of letting her go through her loss alone.

“The answer is still no,” Caesar said.

“What kind of monster are you?” Arya suddenly snapped at Caesar, her fists clenched and her eyes brimming with tears. “My mom just died, and you want to separate me from my only friend in the world.”

The bond between Arya and I tugged, strengthened, and my heart skipped at knowing Arya could feel it, too. She actually wanted me to go with her.

“There are plenty of your kind at the school,” Caesar said to Arya, his voice considerably softer than how he’d spoken to me. “You will be well taken care of, I promise you.”

Arya growled, but I caught her eye and shook my head. “Let’s just call this a draw.”For now.

This wasn’t over, not by a long shot. But I couldn’t put Arya through any other form of conflict.

“We’ll text every day. Our friendship isn’t going to end. You can count on that. Maybe you can finally get that Facebook account you’ve been drooling over.” I gave her a half-hearted smile, desperately hoping to lighten the mood.

Arya let out a short and bitter burst of laughter, then hiccupped. “Right.”

“Arya, we’ll talk about your options when we get to the school.”

Caesar pulled into a parking lot after paying the toll for entrance. “For now, Shea, you’ll have to catch a cab home.”

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a wad of bills. Peeling some twenties off the outside, he handed them to me, making me feel like a cheap hooker he just wanted to get rid of.

“Here’s some money for the fare. I’m sorry I can’t take you back myself, but it’s not safe.”

“What if the vampires come looking forme?” I asked, not bothering to hide my indignation.

My scent was all over Arya’s house; they might think she went off with me somewhere. They might still come after me, and I wouldn’t have any way to protect myself this far from home, and still, he was just going to leave me here? For a hotty, he was a real prick.

“They won’t. It’s not you they’re after.” Caesar ran a hand through his hair, then got out of the car.

I wasn’t convinced, and I wanted to call him a prick out loud, but one look at Arya hugging herself in the corner of the back seat made me think better of arguing.

Instead, I threw my arms around Arya’s neck, squeezing her tight. “It’s gonna be okay,” I whispered.

Arya’s head nodded against my shoulder.

“I’ll always be here for you. No matter what. Okay?”

Arya nodded again, sniffling.

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