you have a problem I can help with?” continues Dorian.
I move to find shelter under the eaves. Surely Dorian knows why Zeke wants to speak to him?
Zeke narrows his eyes, and Kai moves with another tall shifter to stand at each of Zeke’s shoulders. “I’ll talk to you later, arsehole.”
“I know you and your stupid beasties are planning to attack me. Let’s get this over with. Here.” He jabs a finger at the ground. “Now.”
“Get the fuck in line, Dorian,” snarls Roger, “before I come over there and put you in your place.”
“As if,” mocks Dorian, throwing him a disdainful look.
Zeke charges at the distracted Dorian and attempts to uppercut him, but is immediately deflected by Dorian’s arm. He dances backwards, gripping Zeke’s wrist. Immediately, Zeke throws another blow, this time colliding with Dorian’s face.
Dorian stumbles back, mouth dropping open, before regaining his footing. “You’ll regret that, shifter.”
I cringe at the sound of crushing bone as Dorian seizes Zeke’s wrist, the sickening sound audible from where I stand. Zeke tips his head back and a guttural yell spills from his mouth.
Why the hell isn't Roger stopping this? I glance over and Marcus has arrived. He stands with a hand on Roger’s forearm, in a gentle request to stay.
Zeke snarls something at Dorian, whose face darkens as he growls something back. I recoil as Zeke lifts his uninjured arm and whips his hand at Dorian. Four slash marks appear on Dorian’s face.
“What the fuck?” Dorian freezes in shock. “How are you fucking shifting?”
Blood runs down Dorian’s face and neck, turning pink as it soaks into the white T-shirt.
“Maybe because I’m so fucking angry that you hurt a girl.” Claws retracted, Zeke smashes both hands into Dorian’s chest, sending him skidding across the courtyard on his backside.
“I haven’t touched a girl!” Dorian yells as he springs back to his feet with the fluid, almost feline movements I saw from him the first day. “Who do you mean?”
Roger takes a step forward and in the blink of an eye, Dorian’s on top of the nearby eaves, as effortlessly as the vampires away from the island can move.
Marcus stands, hands now in pockets, curiosity on his face.
“Which girl?” Dorian screams down. The chaos grows as Zeke scrambles onto the roof beside Dorian, who sneers at him. “Do you want me to throw you off the roof?”
“Do you want me to slash your heart out?”
“Oh, please, do try, but I doubt you’ll find any girls who want to fuck you, if I rip your face off.”
Still nobody interferes, and I’m sick with the fear one of the pair will be seriously hurt.
Or is Zeke right and somebody pitted the two hybrids against each other?
“Stop!” I shout out. “Roger, stop them!”
Roger steps forward but Marcus whispers something that halts his actions.
“Nah. This is the best entertainment we’ve seen since Ronan burned the west wing down,” says a tall guy beside me.
Tyler chuckles. “Zeke’s a shifter. No thoughts, all instinct. Dorian’s smart. He’ll win.”
I stare around in shock at the gathered crowd who watch the spectacle, some shouting support as if the two are engaged in a cage fight.
Cradling his broken wrist against his chest, Zeke crouches, fixated on Dorian.
“Don’t!” I shout. “Stop this. They’re winning!”
I don’t know where the words come from, but the guy who’s supposed to keep things under control is being held back by the man sent to bring calm to the students. The eager jeering around scares me as much as the possible outcome.
“She’s right.” Ethan stands forward and looks up at the two, weaving around each other like boxers calculating the knock-out blow.
Zeke, claws now visible, slashes at Dorian again, who dodges the attack. “You seriously need a manicure, dude.”
“You’re the one full of bullshit. High and mighty Dorian who never hurts girls. You send others to do your dirty work. Coward.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Zeke. No,” I plead. “You promised.”
Dorian drops his battle stance. “You?”
I vigorously shake my head and Zeke snatches Dorian in a head lock.
Dorian throws his head and arms outwards and Zeke skids backwards, feet slipping over the roof edge, but catches the edge of the eaves in time to drop himself to the ground feet first.
“Who the fuck hurt Eloise and blamed me? Who?” screams Dorian as he looks down at the people below.
I’ve seen vampires angry, repulsed by how their faces contort into something as unnatural as a shifter’s, but Dorian doesn’t visibly change. He remains the perfect, beautiful creature who would charm