Page 26 of Dead Wolf Walking (Bad Moon Academy 1)
“You’re an asshole, you know that?”
“It’s not a surprise.” The slight twist of his lips is infuriating, and I shake my head to keep from saying more.
It doesn’t matter what I say; he remains unfazed.
The curious way he studies me makes my spine tingle. I look over my shoulder, seeing the orb is gone, and sigh. I’ll have to come back another day. Other people typically interfere with my ability to see them. Only my mother can break through when others are around. I don’t care to see her final days played out while trying to talk to someone. The memories I have are bad enough. Not that it matters to her, she comes and goes as she pleases.
“I should go.” I step around him, sending him a glare as I pass, and head out of the ballroom.
He doesn’t follow me.
* * *
By the timeI find my way back to my room, I’m more than ready for a shower. My feet feel disgusting, and my skin is still crawling from the cobweb incident. I close the bathroom door, locking it for good measure.
The water sprays out of the showerhead in a warm blast, and I sigh, letting it pound against my back before I get my hair wet. I use the generic shampoo and conditioner then the new bar of soap. After five full scrub downs, I feel clean enough to stop. The water has grown cold, anyway.
Someone must have cleaned my room and the linens because the towel I grabbed from the small cabinet smells freshly washed and there’s no grime like what covers the rest of the academy.
“I didn’t want to scare you, but I let myself in when you were showering. I’m dropping the clothes off.” Carter’s voice filtering through the door makes my heart rate spike.
I tighten the towel around my body and secure it. Standing by the tub, I wait for him to leave. I don’t hear the door close. Plastic rustles and the sound of soft footsteps reach my ears.
“I’m done,” he says.
I wait.
“Are you okay? Your heart is pounding.”
No shit.
“You surprised me.”
He doesn’t respond right away. Then he finally says, “I didn’t mean to. I’ll see you at dinner.”
The door to the bedroom clicks shut.
My heart is still racing.
How do I know he actually left?
I press my ear against the bathroom door. I can’t hear anything. Unlocking the door, I open it and peek out.
Sure enough, he left. At some point, I’m going to have to figure out how to rely on my heightened senses, but now is not the time. I need to get dressed.
There are five bags on the bed. I leave the safety of the bathroom and lock the bedroom door and slide the wooden desk chair under the handle. The first thing I check for is a receipt, but there isn’t one. Guess I’ll still have to ask him if we’re in Washington. Carter brought me two pairs of Converse—one black and one white—and black Nike running shoes. I set those aside and sift through the bags of clothes. A few workout outfits complete with sports bras that are in my size.
I try not to think about how he knows that.
The next two bags have a variety of outfits, a hair dryer, and toiletries. I dig through the clothes: jeans, leggings, various shirts, and a few dressier outfits. I pause on a bright green plaid skirt. With a scoff, I pick it up and hold it in front of me. It’s actually kind of cute, but obviously he meant it as a joke.
I shove it into the bag and pull out the regular bras and underwear. They’re all in my size as well. Most are nothing special, just cotton fabric in different shades, but there’s one set that makes me pause. Tossing the scraps of lace fabric on the bed, I glare at them.
What the hell? This is more than buying me clothes so I’ll have something to wear. The thong is hardly big enough to cover my vagina and the bra is completely see through and not for practical purposes. I toss those back in the bag, opting for the simple black cotton boy shorts, T-shirt bra, leggings, and a long gray sweater.
My stomach growls.
Carter told me I’d be hungry in a few hours. I hate that he was right because now I have to go to dinner and face him.
