Sawyer gave him a cool grin. “I added this class, if that’s okay?”
The professor shook himself, swiping through his tablet. “Of course. I didn’t know you liked photography.”
Sawyer scanned the room, eyes resting on me. “I’ve taken a sudden interest.”
My cheeks warmed, but I tried to play it cool, like he didn’t suddenly just become the most romantic man that ever existed.
He walked to the back of the room and took the seat behind me while my heart hammered in my throat.
Be cool. Maybe he reallydoeslike photography.
The professor turned to start lecturing on the board, then Sawyer’s hand slipped a note onto my desk.
How very 1990. If he didn’t do social media, he probably didn’t know you could message in Intsa, and we hadn’t exchanged phone numbers yet.
I tried to keep the grin off my face as I peeled open the note.
We needto talk about last night. Maybe after the gala?
-Sawyer
My stomach sank.And here I was hoping he’d let that go. Was that why he joined this class, to babysit me? To send me covert notes and make sure no one knew my freaky secret? I nodded in case he was watching for a reaction, and then sank into my seat for the rest of the hour.
I watched the clock like a hawk. I just wanted to be out of this class, away from Sawyer’s eyes on the back of my neck. I felt … like something was wrong with me, like I should be ashamed of what happened last night, and I just wanted to disappear. The clock was about to strike 12:05, signaling the end of the hour, when a deep loud siren blared down the hallway and a light that I hadn’t realized was over the doorway started to flash red.
Stupid fire alar—
Before I could process what was happening, Sawyer yanked me from my seat, tucking me into his chest, as Eugene burst into the room. Brandon and Walsh were right behind him, armed to the teeth.
“Sawyer, codered,” Eugene said, and I peered up at Sawyer from where I was smooshed to his chest to see the color drain from his face. Everything happened so quickly then; Sawyer moved with the speed of a leopard, darting across the room, dragging me firmly along with him.
“What’s happening? What’s code red?” I asked as we burst out into the hallway.
Sawyer spun, looking down on me with yellow eyes, hands grasped protectively around my shoulders. “Vampires.”
His warm breath washed over me at the same time terror struck my heart.
Vampires?It had been five years since my attack, but the thought of seeing those death walkers again made my fight-or-flight instinct kick in.
Brandon handed Sawyer a leg harness with three silver stakes, which he clipped onto his thigh.
“Can I have one?” I asked.
Sawyer paused a second, before pulling one of the stakes out and handing it to me.
“So, are we under attack?” My wolf rose to the surface as my canines descended.
Eugene pulled out a large crossbow, loading it with silver arrows. “They’d be stupid to try it.”
Sawyer frowned, a low growl ripping from his throat. “If they wanted to talk, they’d have called.”
The double doors at the end of the hall opened and I felt alpha power wash over me as Curt Hudson strode down the hallway with two dozen guards at his back.
“Hello, son.” He looked at Sawyer and then at me, eyes widening a little. “You look just like your mother,” he breathed.
Whoa. I’d forgotten he knew her. I just gulped, clutching the silver stake in my fist.
“What do they want?” Sawyer asked. “How many are there?” He rocked on his heels as if ready to go into battle.
