“The Mage Board was just as confused, but it saved me from being burned alive. I just need both regular food and blood to survive.”
They both give me curious gazes. Their minds working on trying to figure out why I’m different to other vampires. Hopefully it’ll just be that I’m different, not that I’m not a vampire. Or any other reasons.
Jullia throws a thick blanket on the floor between our beds. Then she lays down a few more blankets and pillows. Hanna unfolds her own blankets she must have brought. I’m honestly a little surprised she’s not out partying.
“No parties tonight?” I ask. Jullia winces and Hanna side eyes her.
“Yes,” Hanna almost grits. A bit softer she says to me, “Last night was the first night all the society houses threw theirparties. The society houses are big here. Practically everyone wants a chance to join one of the houses and being in one of the houses is golden.”
“Are you in a house?” I ask. I think Jullia mentioned Asher was in one but I wasn’t fully paying attention. I remember him calling the demon house president though.
Hanna shakes her head. “I was in Wood House my first and second year, but I left this year because the president was going to start making us do blood oaths. You made a simple one to Asher, but most people can’t make them because they don’t have the power or runic magic for it, and they’re special. It’s not like blood sharing, Thorne had been right when he told you that in the infirmary, but you do still share blood and that in itself is a special thing.”
She quirks a brow at me and even Jullia is glancing at me as she fluffs a pillow that’s already been fluffed.
“What’s with the frown?” Hanna asks me. I right my face to neutral and shrug. “Don’t try to dismiss it, blood sharing in any form is like a sacred right it’s – “
“Not that important,” I interrupt.
“Yes it – “
“No,” I snap. Silencing Hanna and making Jullia freeze. I close my eyes and try to take a breath. I also pull my nails out of my palms, not realizing I had been slowly embedding them. “It’s not that important,” I slowly repeat. Much quieter though more strained.
When I open my eyes I catch Jullia staring at my arms. She looks sad again and stands up straight to look me in the face.
“Mavyn. . . “
I release a breath through my nose and let my shoulders drop. Trying to release all the strain in my body.
“It’s just something I don’t like talking about. Okay?”
Both of them nod. And before either of them can say something someone knocks on the door. Hanna goes over to unlock and open the door. Jullia gives me a sympathetic look, one I appreciate but one I wish she didn’t have to give me.
We both turn to see who’s at the door and it feels like a slow motion movie as Hanna opens the door all the way and Asher comes stumbling in. Stumbling, because his face looks like it was bashed in, there are cuts along his jaw and neck, he has an arm wrapped around his middle, and his other one looks odd. Like his shoulder and elbow are not right.
Jullia screams and Asher winces as Hanna grabs his side to help him. I stay rooted to where I am because his blood is flooding the room with that earthy and electric scent. I’m not close to a bloodlust and even if I was I would still have some semblance of control, but it’s not just his blood.
Jullia seems to snap out of it because she rushes to his other side and helps him to her bed where he falls and groans. So much blood, too much blood. His and another’s mixed in.
“What happened?” Jullia sobs. Her cries echoing in the small space as her hands skim over his body. “Who did this to you!?”
Hanna glances as me as I slowly approach. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth as I come to stand behind Jullia. Asher is still groaning in between trying to console his girlfriend. I doubt he’s accomplishing what he thinks he is.
Pulling the longer of my four necklaces out of the collar of my shirt I finger the chain until I find the charm I’m looking for. Unscrewing the bottom from the main chain, I pull the small vial containing a bit of powder.
Bending down so I’m eye level with Jullia I grab her chin and face her to me. Her face is just as red and blotchy as it was when she saw my scars. Tears running tracks down her cheeks as her hands stay gripping to Asher’s.
“He’s going to be fine, Jullia.”
I enunciate each word so she will clearly understand them but she frowns anyway.
“How can you say that when he looks – “
“Because,” I interrupt. “I’m going to help him. At the brothel I was more or less an apothecary. I can speed up his healing.”
She sniffs and backs away to let me have better access to him. So trusting with her eyes begging me to help him. Even though he’ll probably be fine, though it may take days longer for him to heal when it should only take moments.
Scooting closer to the bed I wait till Asher’s eyes are on me.
