death stare.
Don’t worry, Mom. There’s a blood vow hanging over my head ensuring I can’t disappoint you now, even if I wanted to.
13
Saxon
I promised Solomon I’d leave Aurora alone, but I’ve come to check on her every day that she was sick. And I also have been skulking near her apartment like a total stalker. I hid when the High Witch came to visit, obviously. If she finds out I’m mated to her daughter, she might turn me into a slug or something equally disgusting. But not much longer after the scary witch leaves, her younger daughter follows suit.
This time, I don’t stay hidden. Instead, I jump in her path, making her gasp while she clutches at her chest.
“Son of a bitch. Where did you come from?”
“Going home already?” I ask.
“Good grief, dude. Do you make it a habit to scare the crap out of people?”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to.” I reward her with my most charming smile, but it doesn’t have the desired effect.
Still sporting a frown, she walks around me. “Aurora is better.”
Unable to play it cool, I follow the girl. “Really? Is her fever gone?”
“Yeah. She’s fine. You don’t need to lose your beauty sleep anymore, okay?”
I open and shut my mouth, not knowing how to reply to that. It seems sassiness runs in the family.
“Aurora and I are just friends. That’s all.”
Why am I explaining myself to this kid? I sound like a moron.
“Yeah, yeah. I know what kind of friends,” she mumbles under her breath.
“Wait.” I touch her arm, making her stop. “Did Aurora talk about me?”
She narrows her eyes, watching me with suspicion. “What do you want with her? You know she’s engaged, right?”
The reminder is akin to a spear piercing my chest.
“I know.” My voice comes out strangled.
Suddenly, her eyebrows shoot up, almost meeting her hairline. “Oh my God. You like Aurora.”
Shit. Am I that transparent? I let go of her arm, stepping back. “Don’t start getting crazy notions in your head, girlie.”
A manic glint appears in her eyes, right before her mouth splits into a wide grin. “This is perfect.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because Aurora is making a huge mistake and I’ll do anything to stop her, even if it means helping you win her over.”
Ah, fuck. That’s exactly what I need right now. A naïve teen who has seen way too many romcom movies.
“Just stop right there.” I raise my hand. “Let me make things clear. I don’t like your sister. We just banged, that’s all. So take that notion out of your head.”
“Right. I believe you.” She pulls a small notebook from her purse and scribbles something on it. Then she rips a page and hands it over. “Here. This is my number. Call me when you’re out of denial land and ready to strategize. We have ten months to avert a wedding.”
She saunters away while I just stare at the piece of paper, perplexed. A teenager has just floored me, an over five-hundred-year-old Blueblood. Damn it. My only saving grace is that Manu wasn’t here to witness the exchange. But even knowing I can’t entertain Aurora’s sister’s proposal, I shove the note in my pocket.
The sun has just set, and classes won’t start for at least an hour. I haven’t eaten anything substantial in days, so I veer toward the feeding room. But I don’t take two steps forward before my body turns around of its own accord.
What the hell.
There’s an invisible cord pulling me back to the dorm section of the building—more precisely, pulling me back to Aurora’s apartment. Shit. I think the potion the king gave me is wearing off because all the fucked symptoms associated with this damn bond are returning: the tingling sensation, the fevered skin, the ache in my bones.
I break into a run—at vampire speed—and in a few seconds, I’m knocking on her apartment door so hard that I might end up knocking it down. I can sense her moving inside, and a moment later, she opens the door with a yank.
Her hair is wet, and she’s wrapped in a bathrobe. She smells like vanilla-flavored shampoo, and even though that particular spice does nothing for me, when mixed with her natural scent, it drives me insane.
“Saxon…”
I walk in, invading her personal space, forcing her to walk back to maintain a gap between us. I kick the door shut, not wanting any interruptions. I have no fucking clue what I’m doing, or how I’ll keep my promise to not screw things up.