Page 117 of Plug and Drain

And now she dared address him in front of the school, in front of the entire staff, as if she had any right to make requests of him.

Beneath his emotionless stare, she felt small, and it was impossible not to remember her place: it was so very far below his.

Susie shrank back. A minute ago, she’d deluded herself into thinking that she and Arken were equals. Not in terms of their status—no, he far outranked her. But she’d felt that it was perfectly reasonable for her to approach the renowned vampire and ask him to take her opinion into account.

She swallowed and lifted her gaze, half-expecting to find Arken regarding her with kindness.

He was not. Instead, he regarded her with a resigned weariness that she did not understand.

Her throat seized up, and she found it difficult to breathe.

She’d been naive, and was asking too much of him, just like in the Student Council meeting last year. Embarrassment pressed down on her, and she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

So stupid.

In the world of vampires, Arken was everything. And she was inconsequential.

Tears pricked her eyes.

She hoped Arken didn’t see them.

Arken straightened, steeling himself, the movement full of self-awareness and overprecision. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm but detached. “I will bear your request with regards to the omegas in mind. Thank you, Susanna.”

He turned to confer with one of the black-robed vampire guards. It took Susie a second longer to realise he had dismissed her.

She tried not to feel the sting as she made her way down the stairs.

She gave the omegas a wide berth as she passed, which forced her into close proximity to the pike. It was loud today, louder than it normally was: a roar of deathly whispers. As she moved past it, a blood-curdling scream ripped from the pike, the sound making her gasp and recoil.

She stumbled and lost her balance, careening sideways. She fell.

A firm hand seized her upper arm and steadied her, saving her from rolling down the steps.

Arken had saved her, and he’d moved fast.

“Sorry,” she stammered.

“Careful,” he said sternly.

She blinked up at him. Was that concern beneath his mask? Or was he chastising her?

Arken regarded her a second longer before releasing her arm.

Susie felt his eyes press into her as she walked away down the steps. Oscar leered at her as she passed.

Had she done the right thing by speaking in his favour? Harry would give her an earful if he found out.

Susie joined the students on the lawns below. They stood grouped more or less in their year levels, with the first-years closer to the front where the steps started, forcing them to crane their necks upwards.

“Any idea what he’s going to do?” Harry asked her, nodding in Arken’s direction.

“No,” she answered. honestly

“Well, I just hope it’s good,” Harry said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m ready to see Oscar bleed.”

Susie wasn’t fooled. Harry might have been loud-mouthed, but like her, it gave him no joy to see others suffer. When he thought she wasn’t looking, he bent the limp fingers of his left hand back with his other hand, stretching them. It was a nervous habit of his.

A few minutes later, the low chatter of students died down as Arken took his place at the top of the steps, looking down at them stoically. The silence continued to build until the absence of noise was almost deafening, and Susie’s ears strained to hear anything. There was not so much as a low cough or the twitter of a bird. Even the city surrounding the grounds was quiet. The entire world had ground to a halt, waiting for Arken to make a move.