sex too? These girls must be insane. But of course sex is involved—look at how I react to Dorian.
The drink becomes more appealing and I take the spare cup.
“Do girls die?” I whisper.
Oriana taps her head. “Magic blocks on the vamps. Dampens down the blood lust but will never stop instinct altogether. Hey, Sapphire, you fuck vamps. Tell Eloise why.”
Her eyes shine in drunken memories. “Fucking hot.” I fight blushing as she describes in greater detail than I want to hear what she does and how she feels.
What’s more disturbing is how arousing the images are. I’ve only spent time around witches and I’m stunned by how attractive all the vamps are. If Dorian can affect me, the girl who hates him, imagine the effect he has on the ones who want him.
“I prefer shifters. I’m not keen on someone sinking their teeth into me,” says Oriana
Sapphire laughs. “You let them get rough. That’s worse.”
Oriana throws her a look. “Always on my terms. And what the hell does it matter to you if I like rough sex? How close to death has a vamp taken you?”
I grip my plastic cup and my stomach turns over. Not because the girls discuss their extreme sex lives, but talk of rough sex and uncontrolled men is something that frightens me.
Especially in a place where I’ve no power to stop them.
“Don’t look so fucking worried,” laughs Oriana. “Nobody will rape you.”
I stare into my cup as my stomach continues to churn. “Good.”
“I’m serious. The last guy who assaulted a girl didn’t even make it to solitary,” says Oriana.
“He died,” puts in Alana.
“What?” I freeze as my ultimate fear is realised. Students here kill each other.
Or the academy does.
“Yeah. Not sure how. Hushed up. People say Dorian was involved.”
“Why, because the girl was his property?” I ask in a croaky voice.
“Dorian’s an evil bastard but he’s weird with girls. Won’t lay a finger on them unless they want him. He gets his kicks elsewhere.”
Dorian told me the truth?
“Yeah, abusing girls is a different kind of evil,” says Sapphire.
As I know. I shove out memories of Ivan, amused but disturbed that in one aspect at least, Dorian is a better man than him.
Chapter Twenty
Midway between fascinated and nervous I’ll be dragged into something I don’t want to do, I watch those around me. Oriana is correct—sitting with a group keep away others who eye me and whisper.
“What’s he doing here?” Alana straightens and moistens her lips. I follow her line of sight.
Ethan’s mountainous figure stands at the edge of the room blocking the doorway. We’re not the only ones staring but, unperturbed, he takes a seat on one of the small chairs in a corner.
“Huh. Maybe he’ll actually talk to somebody if he has a drink.” Oriana swigs from her cup.
“He spoke to me yesterday,” I say.
All three girls stare at me as if I told them I’d escaped the island and returned.
“Ethan spoke to you?” gasps Alana.
“What did he say?” Oriana straightens. “Whoa. Did he hit on you? I hope you didn’t say no.”
“What? No! He asked if I was okay after the... thing in art class.”
“Damn,” mutters Sapphire. “I’m gonna have to pull a damsel in distress and he might offer me some comfort too.”
Anger flashes. “I was not a damsel in distress.”
She waves a dismissive hand. “Whatever. If he goes for the girls who need a hug, I can be that.”
I chew the inside of my mouth to stop myself retorting. How weak did I make myself look? “It’s no big deal,” I say. “We only spoke for five minutes.”
“Uh. Yeah. It is.” Sapphire flicks a look along the length of my body. “Do you think you can handle a guy like him?”
“Where did Dorian go?” I ask in an attempt to veer the conversation.
“He’s usually in with the stoned witches.” Alana inclines her head at the room the couple came out of before.
Ugh.
“Not tonight.” Oriana gestures to where he rests against a wall surveying the room, and his group sits on the floor at his feet, like disciples.
And he’s watching us.
I dip my head. I don’t want another public altercation with Dorian. From now on, any confrontation between us takes place away from eager eyes.
“Weird.” Sapphire chews her lip as she watches him. “I hope this doesn’t mean things are going to kick off between him and Zeke.”
“Someone had better get over there and distract one of them. We can’t keep these nights quiet if something happens,” slurs Alana.
I steal a glance