Page 18 of A University of Betrayal

“We all feel the same thirst as you do,” Miles sighed and stood up with glowing eyes to move closer with the glass. I didn’t move an inch when he put it to my lips and tipped it slightly. “Just one sip. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to call us crazy.”

I squinted, completely distraught.

Suddenly, I felt the liquid pass through my lips and a sweet flavor awakened my taste buds. That was the point at which everything went too fast. I hastily reached for the glass, opened my lips and drank the entire liquid, feeling each sweet sip run down my throat as if it were a release.

Then I threw it into Miles’ arms and backed away, hitting the wall and seeing the smiles on the faces in front of me.

They had all watched me drink blood.

Blood.

I grabbed my mouth and felt a slight tug in my teeth. I put my hands to my lips, opened them slightly and felt how sharp my canines were. Even though I had only brushed them lightly, I felt a slight pain in my fingertip and quickly pulled it away from my mouth, only to discover a drop of blood at the tip.

“No…” I sighed, remembering all the horror movies Bayla and I had secretly watched when we had only been twelve.

Creatures that drank blood, used humans as their food source...vampires.

“No...”

That couldn’t be true.

“Welcome to the blood society of the Ruisangors,” Miles said, filling his own glass like the others. He lifted it up and downed the blood. His bright red eyes darkened with every sip.

A world just collapsed inside me. The one I’d been living in until now, the one from which the DeLoughreys had torn me out of from one moment to the next. Whatever they had done to me, I had become a monster. A blood-drinking monster. And something disturbing told me that I wasn’t on drugs.

Chapter 6

Bayla

Mansion

NF, Fleurie

When I opened my eyes, I had to blink. The sun’s rays danced across my face, and I felt their warmth with an intensity I had never felt before in my life. So much warmth cocooned me, flooding every pore of my skin. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so carefree, so...

I snapped my eyes open, completely and startled.

My pain had disappeared. For the first time in weeks, it was gone. My head felt light, as if all the weight had been taken off me. The migraine seemed to have vanished into thin air.

I looked around and realized I was still in Blairville at my mother’s house. Memories whipped at my mind as if I had just opened the door to them, and then it all happened too quickly.

Suspenseful Investigation Piano

Real Tunes Studio

Panicked, I clutched at my neck, but felt nothing except for the silver band of my necklace, which I couldn’t remember ever putting on. What’s more, I was sure that the psychopath from last night would have bitten me. Bitten... On myneck… Like avampirefrom those bad horror movies, Larissa had forced me to watch once.

If I could believe Julian’s descriptions, this man had been a Ruisangor.

Julian...

Something was there, but I couldn’t place it. That night... There had been someone besides him…

“Larissa…” I whispered, startled, and jumped up from the bed, crashing into my closet and hitting my head so hard that there was a creaking sound and the inner parts of the wardrobe all collapsed audibly.

I touched the back of my head, which didn’t hurt a bit. Then I looked inside the closet, completely astonished and disturbed by what I had just done with my bare head.

The next thing I heard was footsteps.

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