Page 54 of Blood & Betrayals

My nose scrunches in disappointment. Professor Brooks said there was a balance with runes, and their temporary nature is one. Once a rune is activated, the timer starts, and depending on the caster, it can last a matter of seconds or days.

Flipping to a later chapter, I copy down another rune, Ancient Greek this time. I trace over the character again and again, learning the feel of the swooped lines as they curl into a sharp edge. The rune is meant to open a lock made of steel. I tilt my head, studying it.

The rune seems to glow in my mind’s eye, and then it starts to change. The curved line at the top inverts, scoring through a newly formed crescent-shaped line. I watch in amazement as things continue to shift. Another line angles to the left, and the rune bends slightly, making the entire thing something I’ve never seen before. I quickly flip the page of my notebook and start sketching out the new rune I can see so clearly in my mind.

“You’re still studying?” Alice asks, barging into my room. The rune dims a little and then completely disappears into the recesses of my mind as I complete the drawing. I stare at the pad, frowning at the new rune, trying to make sense of it. What language is this?

“Summer?”

Her voice snaps me back to the present. “Sorry, I’ll be fifteen minutes.”

Alice nods and leans toward the mirror, focused on correcting her eyeliner and barely paying attention to me. She is wearing a microscopic dress, and she is definitely trying to impress someone tonight. I stand up and stretch. My muscles are stiff from sitting for so long while lost to the fascinating world of ancient runes. Where had that rune come from? I must have seen it somewhere and remembered it, but where?

The questions continue circulating through my mind as I sort through the new clothes Alice bought me. I’ve never had a wardrobe this extensive, and new things continue to appear in my closet. When I ask Alice where they came from, she just shrugs. She is such a little weirdo.

I pull out a racy, royal blue number just as short as Alice’s postage stamp of a dress. The silk whispers against my skin as I pull it on, and the straps are so thin that braless is the only option for the evening. The cowl neckline plunges low enough that I’m showing a good amount of cleavage, but I am in no danger of spilling out of the top. I’ve always thought the tits andass gods had blessed me. I appreciate and don’t mind showing off those parts of my body, and this dress definitely highlights them.

I slide my feet into a pair of silver stilettos before leaving my closet. Alice is still checking herself out in the mirror, and I can’t help but roll my eyes at her vanity. But then I’m the biggest hypocrite in all the realms because I start to primp beside her. I gently push her out of the way and apply my lipstick, bending slightly to get closer to my reflection. I finish my makeup and put my hair half up, holding it in place with a sparkling bow clip.

“Damn, we look hot,” Alice says, grabbing my phone and snapping a photo of us in the mirror before immediately posting it.

For someone who never used to record their life, I certainly enjoy doing so here. I post multiple times a day, and my page is full of photos of me and my friends.My friends.I never thought I’d have even one friend. Now, I have multiple people who want to know me. At least as much as I’ll let them, at least the side I am willing to share. I may not know who I am becoming here, but she is someone who has friends and posts onNexusregularly. I always have at least ten stories up a day, each showing a different aspect of my life, and I’m weirdly enjoying it.

Alice wraps her arm around my waist as we leave the dorm. “Thanks for coming with me. You sure you wouldn’t prefer a meal of angel dick instead?”

I snicker. “Shut up.”

The house is just coming into view when I feel my muscles start to tighten with awareness. My blood surges, my power rising from the depths when I sense the fae. I have no idea why my power roils when they are near, but I’m going to have to work on controlling it. They crawl all over campus. How are there so many of them, yet not a single one has eyes like mine? Alice squeezes my hand when I slow.

“You okay?”

I nod and resume walking.Control it, Summer.“Yeah, I just need a drink.”

None of the other fae react like this when I am nearby, at least not visibly. They are uneasy with the difference in my eyes, but they mostly seem curious. However, the more time I spend near them, surrounded by them, the more my visceral reaction to them grows. It coils and brews, itching under my skin until the need to lash out is nearly unbearable. Sometimes, it is impossible to resist. It wants violence. In class, if there are enough of them, my notes turn?—

I shake my head. I need to stay focused here in the present so I can get this under control.

Like that night at the Morningstar House, the party has spilled out onto the front lawn and the chaos from inside is bleeding into the night. Music booms, and the techno rhythm rattles my bones even out here. Alice and I enter the house, and as we make our way through the mass of bodies, I try not to look around for Connor. I’m not sure if I want to see him here or not.

Brett, the snow leopard shifter from the library, catches sight of us and waves. We make our way toward him, bobbing and weaving through groups and couples dancing and swaying to the beat.

Brett leans in to speak into my ear. “Hi! Good to see you!”

I smile at him, looking around the room. Alice is already making eyes at a wolf shifter who is throwing suggestive looks her way. I wonder if he’s the owner of the hoodie or just another from her roster. I grab Alice, and we wander into the kitchen.

Brett is pulled into a serious-looking conversation with a guy who looks like an older, angrier version of himself. They both have dark auburn hair and a smattering of freckles across their noses, but the older one has darker eyes and a sinister air abouthim. Alice watches shamelessly as she pours an amber liquid into a bright red plastic cup.

“It looks like Brett is related to the alpha,” Alice remarks, taking a deep drink from her cup before heavy-handedly topping it up.

“Okay?” I down a shot of tequila and shiver slightly before pouring another.

Alice leans against the counter behind her, nursing her drink and watching the two shifters. “His name is Fergus. I’ve heard he’s a massive prick.”

I glance at them and see how Brett shrinks under his brother’s glare. Fergus snaps one last thing and then storms away. He is none too gentle as he forces his way through the crowd, obviously looking for someone. Brett stays rooted to the spot until Fergus returns, pulling a woman behind him. She keeps her eyes on the ground as Fergus bares his teeth at Brett, snarling loud enough that his words surge over the music.

“Man up and get it over with, little brother,” he growls. Brett looks at the woman, a slight glimmer of apology in his eyes, but she keeps her gaze on the ground.

Before I know what I’m doing, I’m across the room and stepping between Brett and Fergus. I’m unsure why, but my instincts are surging, telling me to intercede.

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