Page 46 of Forbidden Magic
“You know…” He takes a deep breath, his shifty gaze jerking back and forth from Lydia to me. “If you keep angering them, you’ll end up with more than a cut, and we’ll all be put on curfew. My dad told me about the crap they have in store if we keep popping up at the infirmary. If there’s another attack, they might suspend us altogether.”
Fire rises up my neck and sparks against my hair. “What? That’s crap.”
Olson nods. “Yep. Doesn’t make it less true. It’s all politics and risk assessment with these people. If we want to stay, we have to prove we can take care of ourselves. Holly hurt us by quitting. Now, they all think we’re going to bail at the first sign of trouble.”
“She was attacked,” Lydia says.
“So what? This world isn’t for the faint of heart.”
From Lydia’s frown, I get that she disagrees with Olson’s simplistic view of our position.
We all walk together out of the forest and back onto the main path. Olson waves goodbye in front of his dorm.
When we arrive at Summer Hall, the crescent moon is high in the sky. The leaves are quiet, the air pleasant, and I toss my jacket over my shoulder.
“Did you see the look Jessa gave me when Mr. Brady asked to see me after class?” Lydia asks with a quiet grunt.
“No.” To be honest, I’d made an effort not to look at the Fae after seeing her beam from the boys’ attention.
“I swear she hates me as much as she hates you.”
“She hates all mortals who aren’t obsessed with worshiping her.”
“Speaking of worship…” Lydia elbows me in the side and nods to the Victorian house towering against the night sky.
The porch light is still on, and a dark silhouette is hunched on the steps. I instantly recognize Trent’s form, his eyes closed to the moon like he’s getting a tan.
The vampire hops to his feet as we draw near and stretches gingerly.
Lydia hides her smirk with her palm. “I’ll see you later.”
I open my mouth to protest, but she’s already gone.
Trent’s eyes are still crimson, and the knowledge that he waited for me, hungry, is enough to quake my whole body. He’s no longer the goofy, approachable vampire.
“I had to see you. I couldn’t stop thinking about our last conversation,” he says in a throaty whisper.
“Err—I’m still not—”
Cold lips brush mine and the fresh scent of cloves invades my mouth. He keeps it soft and languid, and I moan against him. His polite but expert tongue teases me with the promise of so much more.
He presses his forehead against mine. “I’ll go now, but don’t forget my offer.”
The pad of his thumb presses into my jugular for a brief second. The vein bounces to life under his touch, and my pulse hammers harder with each breath. A pressing urge to throw my head back and offer myself to him radiates down my spine.
“God, you were built for this,” he breathes, clearly drinking in my reaction. “One of these days, I’ll sink my teeth inside that beautiful neck of yours, and you’ll beg for more.”
His hand is now holding my throat, and my lids flutter. Fear swirls in my blood, but it’s drizzled with curiosity. Truth be told, I don’t doubt his assessment one bit.
18
Naked
“We’re late for S&S,” Lydia yelps, shaking me awake.
It’s Monday morning, and Lydia and I fell asleep during our Back to the Future marathon.
I grab my uniform in the drawer and claw it on, my sluggish pulse escalating into a fanfare. Deveraux is known to lock out students who are late.
