I stared down at the mush I was supposed to shove into my mouth. I was famished, but even ravenous hunger didn’t help make my dinner any more appetizing.
Dinner. At seven in the morning. That was what they were labelling the meal, at least.
I hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep since getting here. The vampires were adjusting us to a nocturnal night cycle. They wanted us to study after sundown. I hated that thought. The shift in day and night cycles put the vampires in power. I’d always hunted them when the sun was out.
Now, I had to take orders from them.
My stomach turned, and not because of the food.
I thought that sitting at the secluded corner would put me out of sight, and subsequently, out of anybody’s mind. I wasn’t interested in socializing. I’d never liked doing that, especially after Gran died.
But the tattooed man from earlier had noticed me. He slid into the chair across me, all smiles.
“What’s up?” he said, offering a fist bump. “I’m Grey.”
I frowned at the broad-shouldered man. I saw him clearer now that he faced me. He wore a silver chain around his neck, right over the collar of his body-hugging tank top.
“Mhm,” I muttered, not really minding his presence. I left his fist hanging in the air and looked down at my food. Deciding to throw aside caution, I scooped up a big spoonful of green mush and put it into my mouth. I waited for bitterness to hit my taste buds. Instead, all I got was a bland taste with a slight hint of sweetness.
“You’re a quiet one,” Grey said. And he was too talkative for my liking. He dropped his fist, not seeming to care that I’d rejected him. He rested his arms on the table and leaned forward. “Verity, is it? I wanted to avoid you at first, but it seems like we’re stuck together.”
I scooped more mush and ate it. Once I began eating, my hunger activated, and my stomach couldn’t stop churning. Despite its lack of flavor, the mush felt healthy, as if it contained all the nutrients I needed.
“How do you know my name?” I asked. I hadn’t given it to him when I met him earlier.
“It’s good to know who you’re hanging with.” Grey smirked. He was a handsome guy. Not really my type, though. Too gruff and rough around the edges. “You’re my new roommate.” He slapped a piece of paper onto the table. I reached over, slid the paper to my side, and peered at it. “They were passing out assignments earlier. I’m guessing you didn’t get one. Must have missed it.”
“I already have a room.” I spotted pairings on the piece of paper. A couple dozen students’ pictures had been printed onto it, names underneath. A thin black line connected my face to Grey’s. How’d they get the picture of my driver’s license?
“It’s not just yours, sweetheart.” Sweetheart? I wasn’t that comfortable with him yet. “I’m coming over to join you. I’ll bring my things over in a bit.” Grey winked. I didn’t return his friendly gesture. “They want us assigned in pairs.”
So much for privacy. “I’m sharing a room with a guy?” I asked.
Grey raised a brow. “You think that’s a problem?”
I gave an indifferent shrug. “Nothing. It’s just odd. They usually don’t allow such things when it comes to schools and dorms. You know, like how they always keep the guys and girls separate? Stops any unwanted trouble.”
“They’re vampires. They can do whatever they want, right?” Grey paused, letting his mind work through what he’d just said. “Vampires. I didn’t know they exist. I’m still thinking it’s a ruse of some sort. Everybody’s been talking about what happened at the assembly, and they still can’t believe it. You think we’re going to end up on some gag reel?”
“They’re real,” I said, swallowing another mouthful of green mush. I reached for my bottle of water. I needed something to cleanse my palate.
“Your sound pretty sure of yourself. How do you know that?”
“I just do. I’ve had encounters with them. Saw them rip someone apart. Head was torn clean off and the guy didn’t even have a chance to react.”
Grey frowned. “You’re not messing with me, are you? Who?”
I kept the bit about Jonas to myself. Recalling what had happened that night never failed to dampen my mood. “It’s not something I want to talk about.”
Grey sniffed. He stared at me a long while, then pushed his arm closer to me. “Want to know something cool?” he asked quietly.
“Not really,” I said.
“Catch.”
I blinked, and a small steak knife flew toward me. I caught it by its hilt before it could impale my face. I glared at Grey. “What was that for?” I asked, nostrils flaring.
“Just checking to see if you’re worth my time,” Grey replied.
“By throwing a knife at me?”
“Survival of the fittest. That was a test to see if you’re predator or prey.”
I gaped at Grey like he was missing a couple screws in his head.
“You passed. Isn’t that great?”
“I didn’t ask to be tested.”
“And yet you excelled. I like you, Verity.” A wry smile split his cheeks. “It wasn’t going to hit you, anyway. I aimed it so that it’d zip straight past your face and at the wall.”
I couldn’t believe this guy. “You can’t know that for sure.” I resumed eating, because what else was I to do? The best way to deal with crazy people was to not care about them. Ignore them enough and they’d grow bored from not getting enough attention. Grey, however, didn’t seem keen on leaving.
“I do,” he said in an overly confident manner. “I know my weapons well. Can’t help it, considering what I’ve had to go through. Vampires? The humans I hung out with make them look weak.”
“I’m guessing you haven’t hung with many vampires.” I’d seen them at their worst—when they were bloodthirsty and maddened by the need to feed. They were just like rabid animals, but with more speed. More power. I’d seen them take Jonas out. I’d seen the remains of their victims. All of them looked like they’d died horrible, painful deaths.
Grey offered me a handshake. I smacked it away.
“Ouch,” he said, shaking his hand and feigning pain. He sucked his thumb like some kid before resting his arm on the table again. I withheld an eye-roll. I’d barely used any force. “You don’t have to be so cold. Once I decide you’re part of my team, I’ll take care of you even if it kills me. That’s just my code. How I function. Every man’s got to have a code.”
“We’re not in a team.” Couldn’t he just let me finish my food? It tasted bad enough.
“We’re roommates. Close enough. I have a little sister around your age, with just the same level of spunk. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to you. You should stick with me. I’m good at gathering information, and I’ll let you know what you need to know.”
“A sister, huh,” I said, reminded of Hannah. I really needed a way to get out of here. “All right, Mr. Information, do you know how we might contact our families?”
Grey stiffened. “Uh. People have been asking about that.”
“And?”
He scratched his chin. “Not a clue.”
“So much for promises.”
“You have to give me time. I’m not some kind of magician. I only just got here, like you did, and I need more leeway before I can snoop around properly.”
“Don’t make false promises if you can’t fulfill them.”
“Tell me what you need. I’ll try to give it to you.”
“At what cost?” I asked.
“Cost?”
“Everything comes at a cost.”
“I want to make my roommate happy, that’s all. It makes for an easier time if we both like each other.”
“Sounds like bullshit to me.” I took a swig of water and capped my bottle.
“Just tell me what you need.”
“And you’ll bring it to me?”
“Yup.”
“For free?” I lifted an eyebrow.
“Mostly, yeah.”
“Too
good to be true.”
Grey smiled. “I live to please, sweetheart.”
“Fine. Then give me Cassius’s heart.”
Silence fell between us as Grey stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. “Come again? Cassius? You mean Lord Cassius? The principa—”
A sharp knocking sound startled him. Grey looked down, redirecting his gaze to the table. The steak knife jutted out from between his fingertips, barely missing his pinky.
“I need the heart of a fullblood,” I said. “Up for the challenge?”
Grey pressed his lips together. He didn’t shy away like I’d expected him to. “Give me a day and I’ll come up with something.”
“Sure. I don’t believe you.”
“Believe whatever you want. You won’t have anything to say once I show you how awesome I am.” He winked in his aggravating way again. I ignored him, picked up my tray, and strode off. I wasn’t sure what kind of insane he was, but Grey was definitely somewhere on the crazy spectrum.
Seven
Cassius
The hallways of the Sanctum were too claustrophobic. The place was grand. High ceilings. Chandeliers. Designs that were marvels to behold. Despite that, the giant, castle-like place always felt like a cage to me. A cage I’d holed myself in intentionally, because the alternative would be to join the council, and I didn’t need any more of that trouble.
I strode through its dark corridors, my boots clicking at a slow pace across the stone tiles.
The Sanctum was a school now, but its history was depraved. Just over a century ago, it had been used as jail and torture house for captured werewolves. And slightly earlier than that, it had been used as a blood farm, filled with humans whose sole purpose was to provide sustenance for vampires.
Too many screams must have bounced off these magnificent walls.
I heard groaning coming from a classroom next to me. I pivoted to my left. There, Madam Varkov, the second overseer of the Sanctum, drank from a human servant. She noticed my presence and turned around. “Lord Cassius,” she said, tipping her head slightly.
“You shouldn’t be drinking on the premises, Varkov,” I replied.
“Sorry.” She let go of the human, but not before running her tongue across his neck to allow his wound to heal quicker. “I’ll reward this man’s family handsomely for giving me their blood.” She passed him a rag. He snatched it from her hand and pressed it where he bled. Obediently, the servant took a step back, giving Varkov space. “Sometimes the thirst overwhelms me. Would you like a taste, my lord?” The servant flicked his gaze between me and the overseer, trepidation in his eyes.
I shook my head. “I still don’t drink.” Not like the rest of my kind who liked to indulge. I didn’t need blood for sustenance. Vampires lived forever, no matter what. The thirst had lulled into a buzz that constantly niggled at me, but I didn’t act on it.
Varkov raised her brow. “Still? Your fast has lasted a long time.”
“And longer still.”
“Blood is plentiful for a fullblood such as yourself,” Varkov said. “You don’t have to practice abstinence.”
“It clears the mind.” Perhaps. The thirst was a constant companion whether I drank or not. Drinking blood felt like an indulgence, and I’d stopped letting myself indulge after losing both Edrik and Janella. “You should prepare for tomorrow’s lessons soon. My father is eager to have more fresh vampires amongst our warriors.”
“Yes, of course.” Varkov bowed. I left her then, moving down the hallway. The sun would rise soon, and I didn’t like being awake when it was up.
I’d rounded a corner, heading toward my bedroom, when a sweet scent hit my nostrils. Every muscle in my body went taut.
Where had that scent come from?
It was… I couldn’t even begin to describe it. Saliva gathered at the back of my mouth as the light hunger turned into uncontrollable famine.
It had been a long time since anything stirred such desire and hunger in me. I’d let my senses dull, preferring to live in a constant state of gray. I sensed my pupils dilating. The predator in me awakened. I walked toward the intoxicating scent, unable to keep my mind off it. The smell pulled me toward it. It was the only thing I could focus on.
I wasn’t acting like myself.
I usually had better control. Weakening to one’s desires and basic instincts was a flaw that belonged to my more vulnerable fellows. I picked up my pace until I saw her.
A stranger who called to me.
She was walking away from me, her shallow breathing sounding loud, since I was hyper-focused on her. She moved slowly compared to me. Her frame seemed so small that it felt like I might crush her with a simple embrace. Long, voluminous black hair that had soft brown tints and light curls flowed down her back. I stared at the female figure, my shoulders hunched, my attention transfixed.
Lilac. Fresh snow. The sweetness of recently harvested honey.
Her scent pulled me in like a mating call. The draw it had was almost terrifying.
Thirst crept its way toward my neck, clawing at it with sharp hunger. It had been a while since such sensations overwhelmed me. My fangs lengthened, poking from my upper set of teeth and grazing my tongue. I dropped my gaze to her exposed legs. Soft, creamy white skin. I was tempted to run my teeth over her, before puncturing her flesh with them.
She would taste so sweet.
Control yourself, Cassius.
I was faltering. Her scent made me want to abandon my ten-year fast. Perhaps a taste of her would be worth it.
Acting solely on instinct, I grabbed her and spun her around. I raked my eyes over her, eager to see what she looked like. My curiosity burned with as much desire as my hunger.
I froze.
Janella?
I scanned her face, over and over again, until I realized it wasn’t her. Thinking about Janella had momentarily removed me from my bloodlust.
The girl inched back, her mouth hanging open. A flicker of a candle lit the side of her face with a delicate orange, giving her reddish lips the color of honey. Memories of desire and passion and need flooded my body, making my muscles taut.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my dead lover.
There was one time when I took her under a sea of stars, and we spent hours sharing our blood and exchanging vows, swearing our loyalties to each other. I’d spent too many long nights with Janella, making love to her and ensuring she knew that she meant everything to me.
She’d given me many promises.
And then she broke all of them.
Janella had betrayed me, and still I wanted to hold her again.
I gazed at the girl before me. She had full breasts, a small waist, and curves in all the right places. And her neck… It called to the hunger in me. I wished to sink my teeth into it. To revel in her blood.
I recalled loving and being loved. That was ages ago. Could I experience that again? I’d missed those sensations.
“Who are you?” I asked.
A lump traveled down her throat as she balled her hands at her sides. “V-Verity,” she said. Miles had mentioned her, and I thought her unimportant until this moment.
Her name was supposed to mean “truth,” but she stood before me like a lie. An imitation of my traitorous lover.
On closer inspection, I noticed the nuanced differences that made the girl her own person. Her jaw was slightly narrower, her eyes somewhat rounder. She was, perhaps, even more beautiful. That was almost an impossibility, because I’d always seen Janella’s beauty as unparalleled. Janella never smelled as good as her, however, and she hardly ever gave me the same look of fright. As one of the strongest normal vampires, Janella had always been certain of herself, taking things in her stride. She had no reason to fear. My brother and I, two fullblood vampires, were on her side, after all.
I reached up and cupped Verity’s face. I traced my hand down her cheek and neck. She quivered as I took my time with her. She reminded me of brittle glass, about to break at any moment.
I could tell that she was human from the way she smelled. Humans were incredibly weak compared to my kind. I thought I might break her if I pushed too hard.
“Wh-what are you doing?” Verity asked. Her voice sounded sweeter than my ex-lover’s, too.
Her gaze dropped to my mouth. Desire flickered across her face.
Need.
It rose in me like wildfire, swelling in my chest. I hated knowing how much I wanted this girl, so I rebelled against that desire with anger.
I clamped my hand on Verity’s neck, careful to not use too much force, and slammed her against the brick wall next to us. I pinned her with my weight.
She felt so small pressed up against me.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she said again, this time with more panic.
Her heart raced against my chest, and all I could think about was how nice her blood would taste if I drank it from her neck. I had spent hours just drinking from Janella before, coupled with passionate lovemaking, and that sensation was completely intoxicating, almost mind-breaking. I could do the same to this girl, but she would likely die if I allowed myself to give in to my thirst.
Humans were far too easily broken. Seeing her weakness infuriated me even more.
“Stop!” she shouted, the words echoing down the corridor. There was nobody around to hear her screams and pleas. She grabbed my arm and tried to struggle from my grasp, but her efforts were so insignificant that they felt like a light breeze slipping past me. She kicked me in the shin. I barely sensed anything. “Let me go, you monster!”
I’d never fully taken revenge on Janella.
Nobody would fault me if I drained an insignificant human. I was a fullblood, after all. The other vampires viewed me as royalty, free to do whatever I liked.
But removing such a beauty from the world would be a shame.
I stared at her neck and raked my tongue over my fangs. Just one bite wouldn’t hurt…
Just one…
Another scent—pungent, vile, unbearable—hit my nostrils.
It woke me from my bloodlust. I released the girl, waking from the fog that had settled inside my mind, and took two steps back, blinking at her as if I’d just snapped awake from a distant dream.
Fullblood Academy: A Vampire Academy Mild Bully Romance (Vampires of the Sanctum Book 1) Page 5
