Crescent Wolves - G. Bailey Page 0,48

his arms around me. We dance for ages, to many different songs, and soon the start of the night is completely forgotten as I enjoy this time with Shade. Eventually, we climb off the dance floor and make our way to a room at the back. Shade stops me in front of the door and points at the bar.

"I'm gonna get us a drink. Stay here," he all but shouts and I nod once. The crowd soon eats him up and I lose track of Shade at the bar. Turning around, I open the door behind me and step into a quieter room. There isn't much in here, Just a few sofas positioned around the space. I nearly jump when I see Hunter sitting on one. He is drinking something red and thick from a tumbler and I know exactly what that is.

"Hey," I whisper, and he looks over at me, lowering his glass. Hunter runs his tongue over his lip and smiles.

"Hey," he replies. I walk over and sit next to him, slipping off my shoes and curling my legs underneath me. "Are you thirsty? I don't even know if you drink blood yet."

"Yet or ever," I remind him. "Vampire clan classes don't go well for me."

"Me neither," he shrugs. "Something is holding me back, but recently it comes out. Only when I'm protecting you though."

My heart beats hard in my chest. "Thank you for sticking up for me against your sister."

He meets my eyes. "If you haven't realized it by now, I'm fighting for your heart, Boots. I know I have competition and I've never been a fighter, but hell, I am going to be one now."

"Hunter," I whisper and he reaches up, tucking a little strand of my blonde hair behind my ear.

"Don't give me an answer, I'm not expecting one. I just want you to know," he explains to me. "I'm not here for friendship and I don't care who you kiss. I want us to be Endgame."

"Like the movie?" I ask and he laughs.

"You like those kinds of movies?" he asks, and I nod.

"Guardians of the Galaxy is my favourite Marvel movie," I admit. "What's yours?"

"Hmm, that's a hard decision, but I always loved Spiderman," he tells me. "Now what's your favourite food?"

"Peanut butter cups," I say, remembering how nice they were. "One of my foster parents, the only one I liked, Mollie, made me a peanut butter cupcake once for one of my birthdays. We didn't have much money, but it didn't matter to me. That was the best present."

"Noted for your next birthday," he replies with a grin.

"What's yours?"

"Pizza with lots of different meats," he answers.

"I still can't get over how vampires can eat food and the movies lied to us," I sigh, making him laugh.

"We also don't shine," he tells me, but I figured that detail out.

Shade comes tumbling into the room, a few drinks in his hands and followed by Silas. They both camp out on the sofa. Even though Landon isn't here, this is the perfect way to party.

Chapter 21

The days turn into weeks, and gradually I begin to settle into a routine. Get up with the breakfast bell, have breakfast with Hazel and the guys, go to class, eat lunch on the quad, go back to class, dinner, free time, bed.

There’s no news of Brody Patton; on the contrary, the staff seems reluctant to talk about him, as if saying his name will jinx it somehow. I can’t say I blame them--in spite of Shade’s reassurances, it makes me nervous to think about what might have happened to him. Even if he didn’t meet with foul play, the idea of wandering off somewhere and falling off a cliff--or into a ravine, or getting attacked by a bear--doesn’t sound much better. An air of unease seems to have settled over the school. The new restrictions placed by the board just serve as a reminder that something isn’t right, and I’m surprised by how stir-crazy I feel being restricted to the immediate school grounds. I catch myself stealing nervous glances out the window toward the stretching expanse of the forest, wondering what’s out there, and I’m not the only one--the other students seem equally nervous.

Silas, in particular, seems more bothered by all this than the others. I think I understand why, too. Even if the disappearance was an accident, his parents instilled a fear of humans into him from a young age, and being trapped on an island run by them