Gah. I hate him using my full name.Biting my tongue though, I swallow back my reply. Repeating myself again, “I’m looking for Rez. I thought she would have been here already since she had a class with Moni and Knox,” I answer him, but I haven’t taken my eyes off the entrance, just waiting for him to say something else.
They might think Rez is a ‘job’ or another ‘task’ he has to take care of, but thankfully I despise responsibility. I like her for who she is and how she makes me feel. Fuck the council and what they wanted. I don’t think she’s a spy for the Rebels or care if she’s ‘human’. I wouldn’t care what species she is. I like her! And nothing is going to change my mind!
Levi clears his throat, bringing my attention back to him. “I saw her at father's office last hour. I think she was sent there in the middle of training outside since she didn’t have her books. So, she’s probably on her way back to class to get them or in her dorm eating lunch,” he supplies, and I almost deck him.Are you fucking kidding me?I’ve been sitting here for the past ten minutes, and she’s probably lost if she doesn’t have her bag. I know for a fact that’s where she was planning on keeping her map.
I jump out of my seat and head off to find my Rez because apparently, I’m the only one that cares about her other than just as an assignment our high and mighty parents gave us.
Chapter Twenty
Mr. Vamptastic
Rez
Ever find yourself in complete silence? It’s creepy as hell, not hearing anything, not even your own breathing.
Cracking my eyelids open to peek at the monster that’s about to eat me, I wonder why I haven’t been torn apart yet, and all I see is… nothing. Absolutely nothing. Cautiously, I open my eyes and have a look, and then dread slams into me.
Shit, I’m blind!
I try to move but find I’m immobilized except for my head. Really? Looking around, I can’t see a thing. Not even light can penetrate this darkness. For all I know, I’m in the bottomless pit of hell, sucking in dark souls as I try to calm my labored breathing.
Well, crap. What now?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful my skin isn’t being shredded by serrated teeth, but what’s—
Movement, like dark waves rippling on a pond, catches my eyes and stops my thoughts. I try squinting to see if I can see through it, but I give up, rolling my eyes. Suddenly, blood-red reptilian eyes peer right in front of me through the blackness and zero in on my face.Shit!Two small fangs also appear out of the blackness, and I watch in horror as they start to elongate before my eyes.
My heart takes off like a rocket in my chest as I try to move, but an invisible force has me plastered against the wall. I’m still trapped. NO! Fear pours off of me as I take in a deep breath to scream for my life.
“There you are,” a muffled yet recognizable voice calls out. Suddenly, the darkness starts to thin, and the monster that is just inches away from me turns its head at our intruder, or my savior depending on whose side you’re looking at.
“Who ya got in there, baby girl? You know you’re supposed to be playing nice. Come on, let them go.” The monster that now looks part snake turns back to me and lunges, making me squeak as a wet and rough tongue licks up the side of my face.
Yuck. I wipe away the saliva, finding I can move now, as I carefully watch the monster back up and pull the darkness away with it. A raspy sound rattles out of it until the darkness clears, and I realize the fucker is laughing at me.
“Sorry about that, I… Rez?” I look up, seeing my savior, and nearly weep.
“Hey. Hey, no crying,” Zeke says and runs over, scooping me up into his arms and cradling me to his chest. I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around his neck. I don’t know why, blame it on my nerves, but I start to cry and bury my face into the curve of his shoulder. I’m better than this, I swear. “It’s okay, Sweetie, I got you. Hold on tight, okay?” I don’t think I can answer right now, so I just nod as he takes off down the hallway with me in his arms.
* * *
After my knight in shining armor saved me, he brought me to his fortress, carrying me the entire way like a true hero. I’m not one to normally be treated like a damsel in distress, but being in Zeke's arms as he tightly cradled me to his chest was as simple as breathing. He helped soothe my soul as my breathing evened out and my tears dried. We took the elevator to the other roundabout between the Famine and War towers and up to his dorm which I noticed looked an awful lot like my own. Being the sweetheart I was beginning to see, he didn’t question me immediately, and instead made me a turkey sandwich before he played with my hair as we went over what happened.
“So, I was just trying to get away from the blood. I didn’t realize it wasn’t real,” I explain while wiping the crumbs off of me. Amused by something, Zeke reaches up and grabs a crumb off the corner of my mouth before he licks the morsel off his finger like it was the best thing he ever ate. I may have stared at his mouth a little too long as he turned crumb eating into a porno. When I look back up at him, I find his heated gaze on me. His beautiful green eyes do all sorts of magic on my wet panties.Wait—weren’t they dry a few minutes ago?
When he clears his throat the magic is gone and a part of me is a little disappointed. “Well, I’m pretty sure the blood was real. I found you by following the blood droplets that were slowly soaking into the floor.” The reminder of Satan's menstrual cycle causes ice to snake down my spine, causing me to shudder. “Cold?” He inquires, running his hands up and down my back, chasing away the chills. I shake my head in response and he nods sweetly before getting up to take my plate and add it to the dishwasher.
My whole body is still wound up tight from what I encountered and I’m desperate to think about anything else for a moment. I just want to feel a semblance of normal right now. Watching him move around his strangely familiar kitchen, I focus on two things.
“I like your apartment, it reminds me a lot of ours,” I tell him while he takes his time in the kitchen.
“Thanks,” he snickers and turns to the cupboards over the stove, and I shamelessly check out his ass. “It should look familiar since it’s the same layout,” he looks over his shoulder and smirks when he catches me checking him out. I shrug, playing it off and he just laughs. Turning back to his searching, he continues his explanation. “See, the ‘roundabouts’ were originally designed to house the council members’ children—one to each of the four families,” he states as he rummages for something. “When a room remains unoccupied, then the family next in line with the purest bloodline will get the room.”
He places his bounty on the counter before grabbing milk and whip cream to add to the cocoa, marshmallows, cups, and a wand looking thing already sitting out.
“How did I get one of these rooms then?” I wonder, resting my chin in my hands on the counter. I’m fascinated as to how this all came to be. Levi didn’t mention any of this. Zeke goes on to make hot chocolate as he indulges me.
“Well, that’s easy. I’m privileged because my father is part of the council. Actually, all my brothers are—”
