Shadow Lake Vampire Society - Wendi Wilson Page 0,48
a cloud in the sky. Why was he being so nice to me?
“Are you okay?” he murmured as we walked. “Your heart is pounding like crazy.”
“You can hear that?” I squeaked, then cleared my throat and repeated the question in a deeper, calmer voice. “You can hear that?”
“Only if I’m within about twenty feet,” he said, nodding. “I can’t hear the beating of a bird’s heart from a mile away, no matter what the storybooks say.”
As he talked, my heart rate slowed, but little sparks of warmth continued to shoot up my arm from our joined hands. I tried to regulate my breathing, hoping that would slow my heartbeat.
It’s fine. You’re fine, Piper. You’re holding hands with a friend. You do it with True all the time. No big deal.
Only Levi hadn’t been my friend. Not really. Only until last night on the platform had he seemed friendlier. This was taking it to a whole new level.
“It’s safe to talk here,” Levi said, snapping me out of my internal monologue. “The others are at breakfast, and Dean Purty will text me if any of them leave.”
“The dean knows I know? Is he angry? Wait, you have your phone?”
The questions popped from my mouth, one after another without giving him time to answer. He pulled to a stop and released his grip on my hand. The loss of it felt surprisingly devastating, but I ignored the sensation and focused on where we were.
“Are these the forbidden woods on the west side of the camp?”
“Which question do you want me to answer?” he asked with a small smirk as he pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head.
My mind blanked out for a second at the sight of his gorgeous eyes, but I shook it off and propped my fists on my hips.
“All of them.”
“Yes, the dean knows. No, he’s not angry. He expected you to find out eventually and is grateful you’ve decided to keep our secret. I’m allowed to keep my phone because I’m working for the dean, and he needs to be able to contact me at all times. And yes, these are the woods on the west side, but you’re safe here with me.”
“What would happen to me if I didn’t agree to keep this secret?” I asked in a shaky voice, my mind snagging on the word “grateful.”
Grateful for what? That he doesn’t have to kill me before I blab to the world?
“Jesus, Piper. You think he’d kill you?”
“Do you read minds?” I asked as I gazed at him incredulously.
“No,” he replied. “It was written all over your face.” He paused for a minute to stare into my eyes, and I couldn’t look away. “If you couldn’t handle the truth, I’d compel you to forget it.”
“Compel?”
He nodded. “It’s a type of… persuasion. Vampires can use it to control their victims, take away memories, and plant new ones. For those that drink from humans, the skill is invaluable.”
“Have you used it on me?” I asked, still unable to break away from his steely gaze.
“No,” he said, the word sounding like a solemn vow. “I would never use it on you, Piper Williams.”
“I don’t get it,” I said, shaking my head.
“Don’t get what?”
I blinked up, scanning his face for answers. “All of it, but mainly why are you suddenly being so nice to me? Like, you seemed to hate me before.”
Well, there it was. The cat had been let out of the bag. I waited for him to glower or storm off, but he just sighed deeply before answering.
“I’m just sick of pretending. For a while, I was trying to get you to leave because I thought it was unsafe. I felt like there was no way I could protect you. I didn’t… I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”
His eyes traced my face with a tenderness that turned my knees to mush. I suddenly felt an unexplainable and inescapable urge to kiss him. I needed to feel his lips on mine like I needed air. My body swayed forward, my eyes half-closed, as my heart thumped even faster than before.
“You’re not going to faint again, are you?” he asked, lifting his hands as if to steady me.
I jerked back, my eyes widening as I silently cursed myself. What was I thinking? Levi Kass was a God-knows-how-old vampire who could have anyone he wanted. Why on earth would I think it would be okay to kiss him? That he’d want to kiss me?