I wash up as I tell myself I’ve only got a few more days of this and then I can breathe, then I can pretend I’mnormalagain, until the next bloodheat hits me.
When I get out, the room is still quiet, though I don’t expect Adrien to show up any time soon. Technically, when I came here, I was alone, a courtesy afforded to me by the academy in the dorm because of my royal blood. But two years ago, we saw an influx of vampires and we had to double up and I got a roommate.Adrien.
When the class thinned out last year, there was more than enough room for Adrien to move out into his own. I didn’t say anything, and neither did he. He just… stayed. And I was more than content to let him stay, all things considered.
I pull on my shirt and pants and run a hand throughmy hair, pushing aside my melancholy thoughts as I slip my converses on. Back home, my father would have never let me wear casual human attire.You must portray an image of excellence,he would say. As if my royal clothing themselves defined my excellence purely because they were tailored and expensive. But when I came here, most of the vampires were dressed like humans. Jeans, T-shirts, dresses, athletic wear. Chloe, one of the vampiresses who’s been here as long as I have, likened it to camouflage.
“You have to blend in so they can trust you, Wes,”she had said, as if my royal blood alone didn’t make me stand out.
And almost as if the thought of her alone could summon her from the depths of academy hell, I hear the rap on my door and I know it’s time to head out.
“Coming,” I mutter as I grab my duffel of supplies for class. When I’d started Professor Morningside’s art class, I wasn’t expecting more than drawing or painting, but as the months have progressed, we’ve tackled everything under the damn sun. Growing up, I was educated by my parents, but never in humanities. My education solely consisted of combat training, war strategy, and history of the realm. Anything else, my father deemed unfitting for a prince. Wyatt never complained; he was always good at doing what my father wanted without question and he was a natural when it came to combat.Like Adrien.
I open the door to see bright green eyes lit up with excitement, her fang-toothed smile twisted up at the endsof her mouth like a Batman villain. I groan, knowing exactly what that face means.
“Alright, give me the tea, Chloe.” I say as I leave my room and shut the door, entering the hallway with the vampiress.
Chloe is… well, she’s a bit quirky for a vampiress, but she’s not without her charms. And I can admit she’s pretty, with her long, bouncy blonde hair with purple streaks. But sometimes she’s a little daft and says things or does things that make you question what’s really going on in her pretty head. Still, quirks aside, she’s got her manicured fingernail on the pulse of the vampire sector here at the academy. I swear, no one sneezes in this damn joint without her finding out about it, which has also made keeping our—situationship, I guess—on the down low, a bit more difficult. But Adrien and I have gotten pretty good at playing the part we need to, to avoid suspicion. Though sometimes I wish I didn’thave to.Sometimes I wish I could just tell the truth and let things be.
“Oh, I’ve got some piping hot tea this morning for sure, baby!” she says with a squeal as I pull on my duffel and follow her out.
The halls aren’t overly busy, since most of the vampires here tend to take later classes. Daylight isn’t our preferred time—our bodies are synced to the night—but despite what the legends say, we don’t fry up in the sunlight. It just makes us lethargic and tired, so it’s harder to do things in the daytime. Harder to focus.
But I much prefer to get my classes out of the wayduring the day so my nights are free to be spent relaxing with a good book or enjoying my time with Adrien.
“Spill,” I engage her.
Like me, Chloe’s a morning dove. Although I think she might be the only vampire I’ve ever known who can function at the speed of sound during the day.
“So last night, I was coming back late from Phantom’s, so I snuck in the back and you’ll never guess what… orwhoI saw.”
I know there’s no point in prolonging things because she’s going to tell me whether I want to know or not, so I gesture with my hand for her to continue.
“I saw Adrien talking to anew girl.”
“What?” My pulse slows. “What new girl?”
Chloe grins like a cat who’s just caught a big, chunky mouse.
“I don’t know for sure, but she was dressed in some pretty exquisite threads, so she’s got to be of noble blood or high ranking at the very least. Probably just got here, from the looks of things.”
“I see,” I say, my voice strangely despondent. Adrien hadn’t mentioned running into anyone last night. Not that I expect the guy to tell me everything he does twenty-four-seven, but still, it feels weird he wouldn’t mention running into a new student.
Is that what was bothering him last night? What he didn’t want to talk about?
“He seemed pretty into her, too. Even walked her back to her dorm.” Chloe swoons. I’m not obtuse, I know how the vampiresses feel about Adrien, and hell, Idon’t blame them one bit, because I feel the same way. He’s got that tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious vibe that the vampiresses go crazy for. Plus, he’s fit as hell because he spends most of his time outside class in the gym, and his voice is like sin itself. I hear the whispers in the hall, from the vampiresses. Plenty have tried to garner his attention, but he always brushes it off. No one’s ever made an outright offer of matedom, and he’s never formally rejected anyone here, but there’s a sort of tension surrounding him, and I know everyone is dying for him to finally pick a mate. Which hurts more than it should, because that’s why we’re here in the first place. To get our second chance. To find a mate.
But I’ve never felt jealous or angry at anyone flirting with him because I knew when the sun went down and the doors closed, he’d be mine. He’d come home to our dorm, grab me, kiss me, and make the world fucking stop. And I’d forget all about those pretty vampiresses and Chloe’s chain of gossip, forget about our impending implosion.
Maybe it’s because I’m just out of sorts this morning that I feel on edge and bothered by her admission. I mean, IknowAdrien doesn’t like vampiress pussy. He’s never had it, and he’s been pretty upfront with me about the fact he’s never been attracted to a vampiress in his life. Even the mates he was offered to, he told me he feltnothing.
I purse my lips. “I mean, it was late, I’m sure he was just being a gentleman,” I say as nonchalantly as I can,trying to defend him but also trying to get Chloe off this whole thing because it’s upsetting me.
“Mmm, I don’t think so. Adrien just gives off that vibe, you know? Like if hewantssomething, he’s going after it. And he definitely looked like he was considering going after her,” she says pointedly. My blood chills.
She’s lying. You know he would never do such a thing. You know the man better than anyone. Chloe said she was at Phantom’s. Maybe she was drunk. Maybe she didn’t see what she thought she saw…
I try to tell myself these things, but it doesn’t help. The anxiety is festering already.
