by Jayme Morse
Because I had a feeling the guys were going to be in my life for a long time.
“We forgot to give you your schedules,” Julius said when we reached them.
He handed a slip of paper to each of us.
“Thanks,” I said as my phone buzzed.
Grandma Maureen had already responded to my text.
I glanced down at it.
Me: Grandma I got turned into a vampire with my friends and now we’re stuck at Nightshade Vampire Academy
Grandma Maureen: We’re on our way
I wasn’t sure who she’d meant by we’re on our way, but it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was that she would help us get out of here. I knew she would.
I glanced back up at the guy’s faces. Every pair of eyes were on me, watching me.
I realized then that it was Nightshade Vampire Academy that I wanted to get away from.
I didn’t want to get away from them. I wanted them to come with me more than anything.
There was a feeling in my gut that had been nagging at me. It was a feeling that told me the five of us could have been happier in the human world.
Of course, that could have just been because this place gave me bad vibes. I wasn’t sure what it was about the school, but I didn’t like it here.
I just wasn’t sure why I felt that way. And I wasn’t sure why I didn’t want to leave the guys, who I barely even knew. I just felt so connected to them.
Pushing the feeling to the back of my mind, I glanced down at my schedule and started comparing it to Drew’s.
Moon Magic and Myths with Professor Flores at 9:00am.
“Drew, you’re in a class with me,” I told him.
“Oh, awesome!” he said excitedly. “I was so worried that we were going to be split up.” Then he lowered his voice. “I don’t really want to become friends with a bunch of vampires.”
I glanced up to see Noah shooting Slade an ‘I told you so’ look.
I wondered what that was about.
But… It made me happy that I could read their body language so well already.
Vampire Fitness with Professor Michaels at 11:00am.
“We also have Vampire Fitness together,” I told Drew.
“I’m in that one, too,” Noah told us.
“Is that like gym class?” Drew asked, wrinkling his nose.
“It’s similar,” Noah said with a nod. “We’ll have a little bit of weight training, too. But, for the most part, we’ll spend a lot of time running together.”
“Or away from each other,” Julius added.
Tristan let out a loud laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Just an inside joke,” Slade said as he bit back his own laugh.
“Okay…” I said.
I glanced back down at the schedule.
Lunch at 1:00pm.
“We also have lunch together,” I told Drew excitedly.
I wasn’t going to have to sit alone. My biggest fear had been sitting in a bathroom stall by myself where I’d eat my lunch alone like Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls.
Or, even worse, that I’d have to try that A+ or A- blood by myself. Even though I craved blood like there was no tomorrow, the idea of actually drinking it—especially when I knew the blood type—sort of weirded me out a little. I was glad that I didn’t have to go through it alone.
“You have every class together,” Noah told me.
“We planned it that way,” Tristan said.
“We, um, requested that you have all the same classes,” Julius said.
“Really?” I grinned. “That’s so nice of you.”
“I’m glad that it seems to be a good decision so far,” Slade said. His bright blue eyes studied my face. “You seem really happy.”
“I am,” I said, letting out a giggle. “It makes this suck a little bit less.”
I glanced down at the rest of the schedule, before showing it to Drew.
Feedings and Turnings with Professor Anderson at 2:00pm
The History of Vampires with Professor Ryan at 4:00pm
Then I folded my own schedule up and put it in the pocket of my denim jacket.
I felt so… gross. I was still wearing the dress that I’d worn to the graveyard.
“Do I have to wear the same clothes the rest of the time I’m here?” I asked the guys.
Drew turned to me. “I was wondering the same thing.”
“Of course not. Vampires have very sensitive noses,” Noah said.
“You’ll get a few different pairs of uniforms when you go to your first homeroom class,” Slade explained.
“Uniforms?” I asked, wrinkling my nose. “What do they look like?”
“Girls wear black and gray plaid skirts with a black shirt and maroon tie,” Tristan said.
“A tie?! The rest of it doesn’t sound terrible, but I’m really not looking forward to it,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I personally can’t wait to see you in your new uniform,” Noah said, his deep blue eyes flickering up and down my body.
“You’re going to look perfect,” Slade said.
“If all of your outfits look as good on you as that dress does, you’re going to have all the boys turning their heads,” Tristan told me.
“Hopefully not too many. We already have enough competition with just the four of us,” Julius said.
“Thank you,” I said, ducking my head down.
I was blushing so hard.
As much as I liked them fighting over me, I still wasn’t used to it.
I turned to Drew, who had an amused look in his golden-brown eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“I get it now,” he replied, and I knew he was referring to why I was crushing on all of them.
I nodded, letting out a laugh.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I already miss Crescent Bay High School and their relaxed dress code,” I said, changing the subject.
“Right? And we thought we had things bad there,” Drew said, shaking his head sadly. “At least they didn’t lock us in coffins.”
“How’s it going in there?” Tristan asked, popping his head in the direction of our student orientation.
“It’s really freaking weird, honestly. Maybe it’s just because I’m used to going to human school, but—” I started to say, but Drew cut me off.
“Nope, it’s not just that. It’s really freaking weird in general,” Drew said. His eyes flicked over to Noah’s. “The Headmaster wanted to know which students were bitten and turned into vampires. Then she ran off into a different room and we haven’t seen her since.”
Noah narrowed his eyes. “Why does she care about that?” he asked, directing his question at Slade.
Slade shrugged. “I have no idea.” He shifted his eyes over to mine. “Not one of us was a full-blooded vampire from birth. We all started out as humans.”
“Did she question if it was a Nightshade Vampire Academy student who had bitten them?” Julius asked, his wide, nervous eyes focused on Drew and me.
“She didn’t,” Drew replied.
“We weren’t sure if we should tell the truth,” I whispered to them honestly.
“We’re so glad you didn’t,” Tristan replied, a look of relief in his eyes.
A moment later, the door Headmaster McCullough had disappeared into was reopened. She stepped out with a few security guards walking behind her.
“Her,” she said, pointing at one of the girls I’d thought could have been a cheerleader.
One of the guards went over to the girl and slapped a handcuff around her wrist.
“What? What did I do?” the girl asked, sounding terrified. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Hush,” the Headmaster said, her voice calm and soothing, given the circumstances. “You’re not in trouble.”
“Him,” the Headmaster said, pointing again at someone else, who the guards put into cuffs immediately.
“Him. Her. Him. Her,” she went on, pointing out every single person who had raised their hand when she asked if they’d been bitten.
We were so lucky we hadn’t told her the truth, or we would have gotten arrested, too.
“Guards, please take them to Nightshade Vampire Penitentiary.”
She stood facing them, hands on her hips, as she watched.
“Why?” one of the students asked.
“Our rules have been changed, beginning with this school year. Our largest sponsor believes that any humans who have been bitten and turned into vampires within the past six months don’t belong at the Academy.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Drew, who looked as worried as I felt.
We weren’t welcome here.
Chapter 19
Riley
I was sitting next to Drew in our first class of the day—Moon Magic and Myths—feeling like an imposter. I think we both were on edge as the reality of what we’d just witnessed sank in.
At any moment, Headmaster McCullough could have us arrested.
We weren’t real vampires. We didn’t fit in here.
Except, that didn’t make any sense because Noah, Slade, Tristan, and Julius had all been bitten and turned into vampires, too. We were as real as they were. We’d just been turned during the wrong period of time, or something.
Noah’s voice filled my mind.
“I need to see you,” he said.
“Now?” I thought back to him, raising my eyebrows. “I’m in class.”
“I know. It’s important. I’ll only take a second. Grab the bathroom pass,” he instructed.
I waited until Professor Flores had her back turned.
Then I stood.
Drew glanced over at me. “You’re leaving me?” he whispered.
“I won’t be gone long. Promise,” I told him.
I didn’t know where the bathroom pass was, so I just walked out of the room without one.
“Hey,” he said in my mind as he walked towards me.
“Hey,” I thought back to him.
“Can we go somewhere more private?” he asked.
I nodded.
He held out his hand for me. I glanced down his chiseled arm, up his strong shoulder. His dark blue eyes were waiting patiently for me to react.
I grabbed his warm hand and allowed him to lead me.
“Where are we going?” I asked out loud.
“Shh,” he replied back in my mind.
He took me down a hallway and then another hallway. He stopped at a set of doors that led outside. It was still so dark out.
“Is the sky ever light here?” I asked as I glanced up at it.
The night sky was pretty, but I was going to get sick of never seeing any sunrises again.
“Yes. We sleep during the daylight hours. Our daytime would be nighttime in the human world,” he explained, out loud this time. “Can we go out into the courtyard?” he asked me.
I nodded.
He opened the door and waited for me to step out first.
“No one else is here,” he said.
I walked outside and he followed behind me.
“Noah, what’s this about?” I asked.
I climbed on the bench seat of the metal picnic table that was outside and sat on top of it.
“I wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I lost control. I’m sorry that I drained you of all of your blood. I’m sorry that Slade had to turn you. I’m just sorry…” he trailed off, avoiding my gaze. “I regret everything. I regret all of it, so much.”
“I understand why it happened,” I told him, and I still meant it. “I felt like I was losing my mind after being inside a coffin for only one night. I can’t imagine how you felt after a whole year. It must have been awful.”
“It was,” he agreed with a nod. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I never should have tried to get out of it, though. And we never should have brought you here. It was a mistake.”
“I’m mostly mad about the fact that we’re here,” I admitted quietly. “I’m scared. I don’t like it here. The Academy doesn’t even want us to be here. Being a vampire would be a lot easier from the comfort of my own home. I miss my home. I miss my family. I’m worried about Jordan. I’m afraid she might be gone for good.”
As the tears started to slip down my cheeks, Noah knelt down in front of me.
He didn’t say anything. He just stared at me, with a pained expression in his dark blue eyes as he let me vent to him.
I wiped my eyes, sniffling.
“And it’s not just me, either. Drew agrees with all of that,” I went on.
He brought one of his hands up to my cheek and traced his thumb beneath my eye to wipe away more tears that had fallen.
“And we’re afraid now that we’re going to get arrested when we haven’t done anything wrong,” I said through sobs.
“I’m afraid of that happening, too,” he told me.
I let out an annoyed laugh. “You’re supposed to be reassuring me.”
“Sorry,” he replied, dropping his head towards the ground as he rested his palms on the tabletop on either side of my legs. Then he looked back up at me. “You’re right. I should be doing that. Except, I wouldn’t feel right doing that. If I said a bunch of bullshit to reassure you, it wouldn’t be real. It would be fake. And the truth is, I don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s the whole reason I wanted to have a moment alone with you.”
“It’s been way longer than a moment,” I replied, gazing up into his eyes.
He nodded.
“I’m supposed to leave with the guys. But I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to you first.”
He sounded so serious. “You’re leaving?” I asked.
It felt like he was abandoning me. Abandoning us.
“Not for good. We’re going to try to find Jordan. But it feels like a lot can happen while we’re gone,” he explained.
“Yeah. I might get arrested. If you find Jordan and bring her back, do you think Nightshade Vampire Penitentiary would let us be roomies?” I asked in my best attempt to lighten the mood.
He chuckled. “I think it could be arranged. You’ll look cute in a jumpsuit. And personally I’d love to get you in some handcuffs…”
A blush blossomed on my cheeks. My eyes fell to his lips. They looked so kissable.
“Wasn’t I a good kisser?” I heard him think, but I wasn’t sure if he meant for me to hear his thoughts or not.
“I forgot that we’ve kissed before…” I trailed off.
I wanted to know if it had been a real kiss for him, or if it had been purely because he was thirsty.
“It was real.”
“Prove it,” I whispered.
He leaned in closer to me then and brushed his fingertips along my cheek.
He grabbed the back of my head and brought me towards him.
Pressing his mouth to mine, he brushed his lips against my own ever so lightly and gentle at first.
As his tongue slipped inside my mouth, it got tangled up with mine. He started out soft and slow before deepening the kiss, locking his lips around mine ravenously. I moaned against his mouth, igniting him to kiss me harder, as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
And then we broke the kiss. His lips lingered on mine for a long moment.
“How was that?” he asked.
“I might need another reminder soon,” I whispered against his lips.
It was obvious that he didn’t want to leave, just as badly as I didn’t want him to go.
“Come with us to look for Jordan,” Noah said.
“I thought I had to stay in class?” I asked.
“You probably should.”
I wouldn’t have minded ditching for him.
What had gotten into me? I never ditched class at my old high school.
Noah was bringing out the dark side of me.
Chapter 20
Riley
I wasn’t sure why I
hadn’t believed that the woods were dangerous.
It had just sounded so far-fetched, even after everything that I’d witnessed in just a couple days.
Julius had gotten out a big map of the grounds surrounding Nightshade Vampire Academy for me to look at. And even though the areas on the map were clearly labeled with creatures like basilisk and dragons, I still didn’t think that we would actually see any of them.
We had tons of bears back in Pennsylvania, but it was rare to come face to face with one.
We’d split up into groups, with each of the guys choosing to tackle one area on the map. Noah had asked me to go with him… well, all of the guys had asked me to go with them, but I’d chosen to go with Noah.
I had let him choose which part of the woods we were going to visit, and truthfully, I was a little disappointed that he’d chosen the ogres.
It was just that the other creatures sounded so much cooler. I would have preferred to go looking for them, instead.
First there was the dark fae. The guys had told me that there were a ton of dark fae living in the woods. Grandma Maureen had mentioned the dark fae before. She’d told me they were evil and that I should have been proud that I was a good faerie and not a bad one. But I couldn’t help but be curious about them.
The fact that being around too many dark fae would make a good faerie turn bad was the exact reason that I felt so drawn to them. They were so… off-limits.
Grandma would have lost her shit if she knew I was even entertaining the idea of going to find the dark fae.
“I didn’t know that,” Noah said, his eyes shooting me a look of concern. “We’re going to check out the dark fae next if we don’t find Jordan anywhere else.”
“It’ll be fine. I’m down,” I said.
I couldn’t help but be excited at the idea. I wanted to see how the dark fae lived. I knew that they weren’t the only dark fae that existed, but they were a big group. I wanted to know if they looked like me when they were in their faerie forms, or if they looked completely different.
I was picturing them with black wings, or wings that were shades of dark shimmery midnight blues and dark violet purples.
