Page 141 of Halfblood Deceived

Trinity nodded her agreement. “Quite possibly the hottest vampire I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Aside from Lord Kerian,” Leah added.

Rod hummed. “I still think Sebastian is hotter. That smile of his. Ugh.”

Vaz, leaning against the further wall near the bathroom, gave Rod a look. Aella couldn’t define what it meant, but it didn’t seem happy.

Mac huffed. “I say it’s a tie between all three, really. Also, remember Aylana and her alpha-slaying skills? You better keep your eyes to yourself, dude. You aren’t a match for her.”

Rod wrinkled his nose and shuddered. “Oh, I know. I was there.”

Trinity arched a brow at Lupita. “See? Zeydan is Sebastian-level hot.”

Lupita rolled her eyes. “You keep forgetting I find males as interesting as… Nope, can’t think of something I’m less interested in.”

“American Football,” Mac supplied as she wrapped her multicolored scarf around her neck.

Lupita smiled at her roommate. “You know me so well.”

Mac’s pink lips tilted up, pale green eyes turning warm. “Kinda hard not to since you speak non-stop, even in your sleep.”

“I had suspected she did,” Aella commented, trying to steer the conversation away from her.

“Is Zeydan a good male?” Rod asked Diana over Aella’s head.

“Excuse me?” Aella protested. “Am I invisible?”

Rod and Trinity focused their unholy grins on her and asked at once. “Is Zeydan a good male, Aella?”

Well, she had dug her own grave, hadn’t she?

“That’s an understatement,” she answered honestly, cheeks so hot she was starting to worry they would literally light up in flames.

A chorus of ‘Aww!’ exploded all around her.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Diana commanded, wrapping an arm around Aella. “Stop teasing my baby sister.”

Trinity rolled her eyes, but lifted her hands in mock surrender, and went to her locker.

“Isn’t it forbidden for your kind to be attracted to vampires?” Jessa asked. Her light brown eyes conveyed something like reluctant curiosity and chagrin.

“It certainly is,” Brittany agreed with a strangely gleeful smile. “What would be the punishment for you, Aella? Does your church still burn people at the stake? Would they burn you at the stake if they knew you’re sinning?”

The question made Aella feel nauseated.

On the plus side, it drained all the blood from her face.

Everyone, even Vaz—who never engaged in gossip, and Jessa who didn’t talk to Aella often—turned to give Brittany a dismayed look.

“That was incredibly rude,” Rebecca said with a frown as she removed her earbuds.

“Yeah, what the fuck, Brittany?” Trinity protested.

Brittany shrugged, looking sheepish. “I was just wondering.”

“Yes, they still burn people at the stake,” Diana answered, voice ice-cold and eyes purplish with the mix of her natural blue and her gargoyle magic. “But they usually reserve that for supernaturals. We, disobedient, sinful females, are usually beaten and tortured to death or hacked down with a sword. Sometimes a mix of both. Does that answer your question?”

Rebecca and Jessa gave Aella and Diana wide-eyed, horrified looks.

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