Page 44 of The Blackened Blade

He gives me a wicked grin as he takes a bite of the crispy stolen fry, a playful hum leaving his lips as he watches me.

“Some things taste so much better when shared…or stolen,Red.”

I grip my fork before pointing it toward the half eaten fry in his mouth. “Enjoy that, cause you won’t be getting another one.”

His eyes turn into crescents as his grin grows larger, “Somebody starve you or somethin’, Red?” He chuckles, licking the fry crumbs from his fingers.

A beat of silence runs between us as his chuckling comes to a quick stop.

A cold chill runs up my back as I watch his playful eyes slowly turn into something darker. And I now recognize that what he’s shown me so far has been a contained version of himself. That something darker lurked beneath the surface, just waiting to pounce.

He gives me a look so dark, so deep and almost feral that I can’t reply. He watches me, and I can tell he's seeing more of me with those piercing blue eyes than I want, somethingno-oneshould be seeing.

I open my mouth to deny it, to playfully laugh it off. I hadn’t suffered any of that in this life anyway. But just as I’m about to talk he shakes his head and pulls himself up.

The table shakes, my fries tumbling from their plate as he gets up and makes his way out of the cafeteria, not a word more and gone just as quickly as he came.

A silence fills the room as the groups watch him leave. Then they begin their chatter and laughing again, their voices now louder that he's gone.

An annoying giggle starts up again.

“Evenhecan’t stand to be near her.”

“Of course he would find her repulsive, just look at her.”

“She probably tried to bait him with her bullshit.”

“Do you think maybe she smells as well?”the group of salad-eating hyenas laugh.

My gaze turns to the small group of girls, all wearing matching pin-straight hairstyles and manicured nails.

Their words meant nothing to me, but their loud voices were giving me a headache. And after the confusing and strange moment I’ve just shared with a crazy guy–I just wasn’t in the mood for them.

“I bet she doesn’t even have anyone for the Halloween Dance. I mean who would even ask her?”

“That's so sad.”They giggle,“I mean, I have three partners already and another waiting for my reply, and she can’t even get one? That's pathetic.”

“But who would really want someone likeher?”They all turn to me, mocking pouts coating their overly-glossed stained lips.

I roll my eyes, scoffing as I pull myself up and away from my table.

“I didn’t think anything could turn me off eating…” I look toward them, meeting each set of raised brows, “But I guess it depends on the surrounding company.”

Their faces scrunch up as I make my way past their table.

“Your voices are nauseating. It's almost a talent to be able to make someone feel so disgusted just by having listened to them...Almost.”

I walk out of the cafeteria doors, a symphony of screeching sounds falling behind me as I make my way into the corridor and hit straight into something solid.

A hand reaches out to steady me, but quickly pulls back as if burned.

I look up and into a set of familiar brown eyes.

Knox is frozen, his gaze slightly wide and awkward as he flickers it between his hands and me.

I hear laughing from behind him and Anders' voice.

“What's the hold up man, I’m hungry–” His words freeze in his mouth when he spots me on the other side of Knox. “Oh.”

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