Page 97 of Caelum

I blinked, racing through the many texts I’d been reading on that species. “He healed?”

Eren nodded. “Just enough to not die.”

Of course. Nestor was certain he was going to be a Gargoyle when his dominant soul was called up. He wasn’t a Vampire, but each soul came with perks. The days with the Lorelei came with the manipulative voice, and as I’d just experienced myself, the Hell Hound days came with massive bursts of strength.

“My God, if it hadn’t been his Vampire…”

Stefan’s jaw turned white as he clenched it. “We’d have lost him.”

“What happened?” I demanded, my gaze caught by the next two guys to descend the stairs. When they saw me though, our eyes connecting for a handful of seconds, they each broke the union and dropped their attention to the ground.

When they shuffled past me like they didn’t know me, I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or not.

Stefan and Eren wouldn’t like it if Frazer or Reed talked to me, but I’d have liked to check in with them. To ask if they were okay even though, visually, I could see that they were.

Determined to ask later when Nestor wasn’t a priority, I demanded again, “What. Happened?”

“At least you have some backbone.”

Dre’s sneering retort had me blinking in astonishment because I hadn’t even realized he was there. I scowled at him. “Shut. Up,” I ground out. “Do you always have to be such a… such a…”

“Jerk?” Eren prompted, ever helpful.

I glowered at him too. “No. Worse than that.”

“Bastard,” Stefan supplied, voice husky.

It wasn’t what I wanted to say, but I grabbed ahold of it with both hands. “Yes.Bastard.” The word felt powerful as it spilled from my lips. “You don’t like me, I get it. This isn’t about you. It’s about Nestor.” I looked at Eren again. “Please, tell me what happened. Was it…” I hesitated, “a Ghoul?”

Eren jerked back in surprise. “How do you know about those?”

“Damon decided I needed a lesson the day you left.” I swallowed, and the gesture felt unnatural with how dry my throat was. “Is that what happened to Nestor? A G-Ghoul got to him?”

Stefan winced. “Yeah. He knew what we were going to do and must have wanted to warn you.”

Warn me?

When I thought about the sadness in Damon’s eyes, I realized I’d misinterpreted it. I’d imagined he was sad because he suspected I was a freak of nature, but instead, he’d known where the boys were going, what they were doing, and had anticipated them being hurt.

“Please,” I said on an exhalation. “Explain.”

Stefan grabbed my hand and, squeezing it, tugged me into his side. His arm came over my shoulder as he held me close, and we began to walk back toward the school.

“Did he tell you about nests?”

Sort of. I’d learned more in the time since though. Had devoured everything in the textbooks I’d requested from Damon.

It was irritating not attending regular classes because it meant I was always isolated, but the advantage was reading through the whole year’s syllabus in two days.

“Yes.”

“Did he tell you that they attack towns and cities? That sometimes, it’s more than just for food but for gain? Sometimes, hell, that it’s for both?”

I frowned at that. “No. I didn’t know that.” Apparently, there was more I needed to read. I imagined that to understand everything in this crazy world I’d tumbled into, I’d have a ‘to be read’ list taller than me.

Eren had rushed up to join us and was walking at our pace. I didn’t feel right until he grabbed my hand though, and as we bridged our fingers, he murmured, “The fights in the gym, it’s about more than just burning off some aggression. It’s about points. The four of us, Dre, Nestor, Stef, and I, we’re a unit. We won this semester’s competition and had the honor of heading the mission.” He pulled a face. “To a certain extent. We’re not alone. We have a lot of Enforcers with us. But we handle the recon and research, and we deal with informing the troops and telling them where to position themselves.”

“It’s a training exercise,” Stefan inserted. “But with a safety net.”

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