Page 23 of Just One Bite
When I tried to walk past her, she grabbed my shoulders.“Tell me. What cologne does he wear? Please."
I’m able to dodge her and find what I’m after:TheImperial Index of Protective Charms and Crystals. I thought getting them might prove difficult, considering these types of crystal are listed as forbidden according to the Doxlothia handbook. It turns out, getting access to forbidden items is not hard in Noxx House, but Solexxa was going to be my next guess. A girl in my hall pointed meto a third-year student who was eager to sell to me, only because he’d already heard I was dating Parker, and apparently, Parker is loved by virtually everyone.
“You’re sure we won’t need to enter The Donor Program? I mean, either way, I’m scared, but I’m more scared of being attacked or ambushed in my hall when I get up to use the restroom at night or something,” Emma says.
Eva is biting her nails. “I don’t want to. Dad said it isn’t safe. Plus, he’d be so disappointed.”
Mom’s death was an accident. It was no one’s fault, but the result of a continual strain on her heart brought on by a previous illness and her participation in The Donor Program. They didn’t catch it. She joined the program as soon as she turned of age because of her sweet blood and the fear that someday someone might use her blood for their advantage or worse. She’d told me it was the best decision she’d ever made.
Dad says people like us shouldn’t be in the program because people get greedy when they taste good blood. I can’t tell whether he’s right or if I want him to be wrong. But the thought of me or any of my sisters being drained to near death is enough to make me want to avoid being forced into anything we’re not prepared for.
“No one has to do anything we don’t want to do.” I drop a rectangular dusty-blue crystal in each of their hands. “This is Veratala. I hear it stings like a bitch and prevents Weres from shifting for at least five minutes. And this one is Loxeth. It’s to be ingested only in emergencies. It will make your blood smell repulsive and taste poisonous. But it will also make you sick.”
It’s a soft, pink petite stone. I double-check they both place them in their skirt pockets; Emma is notoriously forgetful.
“This won’t work,” Emma says.
“Any better ideas?”
“Yeah, the hot hybrid staring at you from across the lawn.”
I glance in the direction she’s looking and see the massive outline that is Parker Owens.
“You volunteering?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s only interested in you. He’sstaring. Hard.”
I sigh. Ballet somewhere else would have been easier. Quieter. Less hassle. I wouldn’t have minded the alone time or the separation from my family either. But Doxlothia is the only way to the top. The Doxlothia company is a smalluniversity-funded and managed company that is directly tied to the International Ballet Company of Excellence. My mother had been in that company before leaving to settle down with my father. When he stayed on as a professor at Doxlothia, she went on to join the IBCE.
Doxlothia is unique in how it’s tied to the most sought-after ballet company in the world. Getting accepted to the company in Doxlothia means I’ll be guaranteed an apprenticeship in the International Ballet Company of Excellence, something I’ve been dreaming of all my life. It’s what my mother did. It’s what I will do.
I just have to keep my head on straight. Especially around Parker.
Chapter Eight
Parker
The house round table is the crux of house collaboration. Basically, it’s just everyone gathering on the Central Lawn to play games. While other schools have house competitions, Doxlothia encourages us to collaborate with other houses all the time.
Last year, I spent it getting drunk, but this year, I need to masquerade as a guy who has his shit together.
“Staying out of trouble?” I say to Olivia, who stole my attention when she walked onto the lawn.
The sun is high overhead, so I use my body to block the direct rays from her eyes. Her sisters whisper among themselves.
“Moderately,” she says. “I got these.”
I hide the fact I’m impressed she seamlessly found the fully illegal source for them that quickly.
“That’s perfect.” I fiddle with the blue one. I forget its name but know just by the shape of it. “For this one, you really want to try to get it as close to the heart as possible. It will hurt literally anyone you jab with it. With the little pink one, you have a good ten minutes of use before you start throwing up. Stab them with the blue, swallow the pink one, and run.”
“Where did you learn that?”
“I had to swallow one of these when I was eleven. It was part of the self-defense curriculum. Nothing like that in Groveshire?”
Olivia gives me an exasperated twitch of her eyebrows.
I’ve never been to an all-human town or city, but nondonors typically flock there, and that leaves vampires no reason to go. All vampires are required to enlist in The Donor Program to receive blood when they turn of age, but that doesn’t mean people don’t find exceptions to that rule, legal or not.
