I consciously slowed my heartbeat enough to speak. “I seem to recall Trinity kicking your ass a time or two, Acari Loren. Easy enough with such a wide target.” The girl was built like a rock.
Yasuo chuckled. “Snap.”
I hated stooping to such ridiculously adolescent taunts, but sometimes you needed to speak the native tongue. I’d seen Loren in the locker room, noticed how she always stole a quick glance to make sure nobody was looking before she changed. I don’t know why she was self-conscious—she could probably bench-press the lot of us with a solid strength that I envied—but who was I to understand? Girls and their stupid hang-ups were beyond me.
“But it was you and your little friend who Trinity hated the most,” an Acari said from the back of the room. “How lucky for you that she’s out of the picture.”
Nobody tried to hide their open stares, aimed at me.
Another girl chimed in, “How convenient she shows up dead just after you showed up with your new vampire pal.”
Pal. So people had noticed me spending time with Carden. What else had they seen? Could they sense my obsession with him? Had they caught me casting longing stares whenever he was nearby?
I had to stop. This had to stop.
I had to figure out what this bond was so I could break it. In the meantime, I had to deal with the disrespect. I couldn’t let my fellow classmates sniff my vulnerability.
I steeled myself. Looking over my shoulder, I said, “I didn’t realize you were in a position to accuse any of the vampires. Impressive. You should definitely bring your concerns to Master McCloud’s attention.”
That shut people up. For now.
But it wasn’t good enough. I’d thought my focus was shot before, but now I really couldn’t pay attention to anything having to do with my class. Because who had killed Trinity?
Girls died all the time, but not like that. There was ceremony around it. God forbid the vampires missed an excuse for a tournament or a feast.
Guidon Trinity had been a bully bent on tormenting and sabotaging me. She and Masha had both been overly curious about anything to do with me.
Crap.
Masha.
I groaned to myself. Masha wouldn’t appreciate losing her friend to mysterious circumstances. She’d had it in for me before, but now she’d be laser focused, waiting for the chance to wrap that bullwhip of hers around my neck.
She’d be watching me even more closely than she and Trinity had before. Watching. Waiting. Wanting to catch me in the act. Catch me breaking the rules. To catch me in a compromising situation—like sharing a secret blood bond with a renegade vampire.
The other girls were right—Carden would’ve had every reason to want to remove Trinity from the picture. If she’d discovered our bond? The Directorate wouldn’t look too kindly on Carden secretly hitting on a first-year Acari. They killed for much less around here.
I had much to think about as I walked back to the dorm. Thankfully, Yas had to run off to some Trainee thing—more and more such mysterious events seemed to be claiming his attention this semester. But I was glad for the alone time.
It didn’t last long.
I felt Carden before I saw him. A vibrating power at my back. I felt those eyes consuming my body, boring into me. I imagined I even smelled him. Rich, heady, like earth and man.
I wanted to turn and fling myself into him. To know a second kiss.
But instead I balled my hands into fists and sped up my pace. I didn’t know why. It was stupid. There was no running from McCloud.
I didn’t understand our bond. For all I knew, he could read my every thought. He probably knew where I was going better than I did.
I felt his presence even more strongly now. My skin turned hot, awareness pounding through me. I had silly impulses—to wonder what I looked like from behind, to slow my stride and sway my h*ps to match the low pulse in my belly. I fought my urges.
He laughed, a low rumble behind me. “You can run, my pretty wee Acari.…”
I was being ridiculous. This was a chemical bond, pure and simple—like a drug addiction. I refused to act like a silly, lovesick girl.
I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “I know. I can run, but I can’t”—I stopped short to deliver the line. It’d been so sassy and careless in my head. But Carden was right behind me, and his body walked right up against mine, a hard, hot wall pressed at my back. “Hide?” I finished weakly. Lamely.
“Aye, and best you accept it, young one.” He traced a single finger along my shoulder blade.