Why doesn’t she just stab me now and save me from this humiliation?
“I thought the werewolf was with that vampire we don’t like,” Rayne followed up, reminding everyone once again that my current boyfriend was dating my maybe-probably-former boyfriend who hated our family.
“Is that the big guy with braids from the assembly?” Allister gestured at his own dirty blonde hair.
“Yeah.” Rayne nodded. “The vampire is the one who like smoked out the minute Jack walked in.”
“The one who was sired by…?” Drake snapped his fingers while he thought, his lips pursed.
“Kleon,” Marcus filled in for him, stepping out of the shadows. “His sire is Kleon. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay away from our daughter.”
While my family hated Kleon for what he did to me, Marcus had all the more reason to despise him and his fledgling.
That Halloween night, the night I was kidnapped, it had been Marcus who had been there with me. I could imagine the amount of blame he placed on himself which only translated to his general loathing of Kyren.
I scowled at Marcus, feeling all eyes turning back to me. “Not that it’s any of your business, butKyrenisn’t talking to me right now. And yes, I’m dating his boyfriend, Tate,andJulian. And if I hear one more word out of any of you, I’ll remind you that there are SEVEN of you and only one of mom. I think my two guys are inconsequential. And absolutely none of your business.”
They glanced at each other and then, all at once, nodded and murmured their agreement. Meanwhile, my mom just watched on with growing delight. While they talked amongst themselves, I took that opportunity to shift past Drake and hurry up the stairs.
Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to my bedroom before I was stopped by Antoine, standing in the open doorway of his office.
“Don’t blame them too much, Jaquelynn,” Antoine began, Darren peering over his shoulder from inside the room. “They’re only trying to protect you.”
I snorted. “Like you did by getting me suspended?”
Antoine didn’t respond.
“Well, I think I’ve had enough of people protecting me to last a lifetime. Maybe they should find some other hobby.”
Antoine’s lips twitched, his hand smoothing down the deep blue tie over his grey three-piece suit. “I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”
Sighing, I bobbed my head. “Right.”
Before I could get two feet to my bedroom, he stopped me again. “I’m not going to ask what you were doing at the academy today. We’ll call it a freebie — as your mother likes to say — but I suggest you keep your romantic liaisons off school grounds from now on.”
“Fine,” I ground out, gritting my teeth together. Suddenly too tired to fight, my shoulders drooped. “Whatever you say. Can I go shower now?”
He sniffed the air and grimaced. “Yes, please do. Maybe then they will quit their incessant arguing.”
“Doubtful,” I scoffed.
To my utter delight, Antoine shut the door without further remark and let me finally — finally — get to my bedroom in peace. I shut and locked the door, dragging my clothes off on my way to the bathroom.
Twelve hours ago, I was worried about finding out who that vampire woman was and why Kyren had thought it important enough to kill her and expose himself to the humans. Now, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I was going to sneak around with Julian and Tate without stepping foot on campus.
The thought of bringing them back here sounded like torture. Not just for me but for them.
While my dads would eventually though reluctantly agree with me that it was hypocritical of them to object to me dating more than one guy, I had no doubt in my mind that it wouldn’t stop them from interrogating either of my lovers if they stepped foot into this house again.
Once I’d freshly showered and changed, I sat on the edge of my bed and stared down at the picture on my phone. It was the bloody words on the brick wall Kyren had written.
‘Leave her alone.’
That message had to be for someone. How Kyren knew that the right person would get the message was a mystery. I wished I could pick up the phone and just call him to find out. Except the last interaction we had with each other I’d been bleeding — dying — on his front porch and then, after healing me, he’d licked the blood from my body.
Something I remembered vividly and dreamed about nightly.
Unfortunately, while Kyren obviously was still attracted to me, that didn’t get rid of the glaring issue between us. His dead sire. Until Kyren could let go of his need for vengeance, then I didn’t see how there could ever be anything else between us. And, if I was being honest with myself, how Tate and I could keep going on as we were.
