Page 27

“She hates me!”

Thinking about earlier, hearing her speak so poorly of his attitude, made his stomach turn. He had acted like an ass, but he couldn’t stop himself. Every instinct inside him screamed she was the one, but his head fought it, and not for lack of want of her, no.

He spent many sleepless nights since discovering her, convincing himself the fear of the fallout of taking a human into this world, a human meant for him, was what set him on edge and made him unsure. The idea that her becoming involved in his world would bring her harm made him sick, so he fought it. He fought it with everything he had, but he was no match for the pull of the bond. Last night in their room drove him to a breaking point.

Her resistance and rejection of him prompted another push to protect himself and drive her away. It made him angry, and he never handled his anger in the healthiest ways, lashing out and scaring her.

“That girl doesn’t hate you,” Kai said. “Get your head out of your ass, Lukas. She’s scared. Unsure of her place here. If you’d kept your attitude in check, you’d have been able to get to know her more like we have today. She was open about her concerns.” Kai crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Lukas with disapproving eyes.

“She doesn’t understand the bond,” Mera added. “You need to help her. Explain to her you’re not making her do anything. Right now, she doesn’t see it as anything but entrapment.”

“I wouldn’t make her do anything against her will.”

“Then you need to tell her that,” Aiden said, narrowing his eyes. “Look at it from her point of view and set aside your own pride.”

He felt attacked. They were right, but that didn’t stop his hackles from rising at being put in his place. However, he needed to do exactly what Aiden said—set aside his own pride.

Lukas sighed, putting his elbows on the table, holding his head, and mumbling, “And what’s worse than all of it is this gnawing need to take her into my arms and kiss her.”

After a brief silence, Lukas lifted his head to catch Kai and Mera exchanging strange glances.

“What? What the hell’s that look for?”

Mera frowned. “Ah… it’s just that…” She looked over at Kai and then back at Lukas. “Have you and Blaire had any physical contact?”

Lukas furrowed his brow, not following her line of thinking. With so much already swirling around in his head, they couldn’t expect him to be able to draw conclusions about anything at this point.

“It’s just, the more the physical contact, the closer the bond grows. You already said you felt her embarrassment…”

“Well, other than the day we literally ran into each other the first time we met, and when I helped her to her feet when she fell, I’ve not laid a—” He stopped himself.

Kai raised an eyebrow at him.

“What? What happened?” Aiden asked.

Lukas ran a hand through his hair. “I mean… when she was sleeping… I—”

“You didn’t!” Riley exclaimed too loudly, drawing attention as she spit out the blood she was sipping on. She had waited until Blaire left to drink it, likely out of courtesy, or maybe the monster comment got to her more than she admitted.

“What? No!” He looked at Riley incredulously. “What is wrong with you? I was going to say I touched her face, but only once. Gods, Riley.” Lukas rolled his eyes, groaning, as Riley blushed, clearly embarrassed by her assumption. It wasn’t for lack of desire, but no, he hadn’t put his hands on her like that. He wasn’t an animal.

“Well,” Kai spoke up, ignoring Riley’s antics. “To have the powerful reaction you’re experiencing in relation to the human girl when you normally have your head straight should make it obvious it’s true. Even I’m starting to second guess my previous assumptions.”

“I told you so,” Aiden said with a smug smirk, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest, to which Lukas rolled his eyes and sucked his teeth in displeasure.

Riley glanced toward the exit of the cafeteria.

“Guys… do you think she’s alright? I mean, she was crying when she ran out of here. I’m gonna go find her.”

“Shit.” Lukas stood from his seat abruptly. “I’m going.”

After grabbing his tray, he dumped the contents before heading to the doors. He hoped she hadn’t gone back to the dorm to pack her things, but at the same time it would put an end to this torture. He shook away the conflicting thoughts. He needed to check the dorms as soon as possible in case she planned to make a run for it.

“I think we should follow him,” Aiden said as he gathered his things.

Kai raised a brow at him. “Why?”

“To ensure he doesn’t stick his foot in his mouth again and trigger another meltdown that makes that girl leave this place, destroying his one chance at a bond before she can even understand our world.”