Page 18 of Blood & Betrayals

I growl and stalk after him, praying to every god that Alice hisses at him and scares him away. It’s worked on everyone else. I blink in disbelief when Connor gives Alice a dazzling smile and sits down at the table. In response, she plucks the carton of blood from the tray. She glances at me and shrugs, and I don’t even try to hold back my eye roll. I sit beside Alice, leaving as much space as possible between Connor and me.

“So, how’s your first day going?” Connor smiles at me, and I want to slap him. How can he be so immune to my fuck off face? It’s sent men cowering before. Instead, he almost appears to enjoy it.

“Don’t you have like… friends or whatever?” I wave my hand dismissively, spearing lettuce onto my fork a little too aggressively.

His smile only widens. “Yep, tons.” Connor waves toward another table crowded with people. They are all watching us, and I recognize a few from the party, including his brothers. Several whistle at him, cheering him on, and I bristle.I am not some prize to be won, dick.

“Go get her, Con!” one of them hollers.

Connor turns back to look at me, his blond hair falling over his eyes. “Plus, being student body president doesn’t hurt either.”

I widen my eyes and gasp, clapping excitedly. “No way! Really?Youarethestudent body president?”

Alice snorts beside me, sipping on her blood. Her eyes ping between us, watching the show.

Connor snickers. “Oh, yeah. My extra-curricular list would shock you.”

“Oh my gosh, so popular and busy! Your friends look so cool, too.” I drop my smile and narrow my eyes at him. “Go away.”

“Yeah, we’re not…groupactivity people,” Alice says, the distaste clear in her tone. She takes another deep drink from the carton of blood before deliberately flashing her fangs and licking her lips, painting them red. What happened to my territorial vampire? Why isn’t she hissing at this guy? She hissed at someone who had simply walked too close to me earlier.

Connor’s smile only grows, his teeth blinding against his tawny skin. “Wow, someone’s prickly.” He scoots closer to me, pressing his thigh against mine and lowering his voice. “I didn’t have anything to do with throwing you out. That was my brother.”

I spear a crouton a little harder than I meant to, and it shatters beneath my fork.

He moves in closer, his breath brushing against my ear. “Are you going to tell me your name now?”

“No.”

“Why?”

I keep my eyes on my salad, though I can hear the pout in his voice. I can even picture it on his stupid, perfect face if I try. I turn to face him. Irritation prickles beneath my skin, but it is mixed with something similar to admiration at his relentlessness. “Wow. You will just not take the hint.”

He raises a brow, the picture of innocence. “Which hint would that be?”

I have to bite back my smile and train my face into an expression of irritation. “Go. Away.”

“Tell me your name.”

I stand up. “Bye.” I nod at Alice before turning away from him and walking toward the exit.

“Tuatha De Daanan,” he calls, his deep voice seeming to carry over the other conversations in the cafeteria. I freeze andturn to face him, narrowing my eyes. How had he figured out my name already? Who told him? His gaze remains locked on me as he stands up and strides toward me with unhurried grace. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone so sure of themselves. There’s something extremely attractive about it.

Alice stands up and moves closer, watching us raptly, hungry for the drama.

“How did you figure out my name?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow and putting my hands on my hips.

He stops just a breath away, so close his cloud and citrus scent washes over me. I have to crane my neck to look up at him, and I hate that he’s so much taller than me. Dick. It’s just another absurdly attractive quality. I’ve always been extremely into big guys.

Connor slowly lifts his hand and pushes a lock of my hair behind my ear, his strong fingers lightly tracing the tip of my ear. “I didn’t, but these tell me exactly what your last name is. Plus, Ambrose said it in class this morning. There’s a game on Friday. Be my date to the after party?”

“No,” I say. Batting his hand away, I lift my chin and narrow my eyes. I would rather die than let him know this might be working on me.

“Why not?” His lips quirk into that knowing grin. He expected that answer, even maybe hoped for it. He’s enjoying the chase. No doubt it’s normally easy for him with those panty-dropping dimples. Good luck cornering me, angel boy. I’ve been running from bigger and badder than you for a long time.

“Bye, angel,” I say and turn away. Alice hurries to catch up, linking arms with me as we leave the cantina.

“Gods, you want to fuck him sobad.”

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