by Marian Tee
Here was yet another sign that Luka was different, that I was right not to trust him, that I deserved to get back at him.
I forced a smile of apology on my lips, mumbling, “I’m sorry, Ms. Chambers. It won’t happen again.”
“Detention for you today, Ms. Sonora,” she said before stalking off.
“What’s wrong, Caylie?” Sabina asked the moment we took our seats in class, with me in the middle.
A part of me wanted to tell them the truth, but a part of me hated how it would make me appear pathetic again.
“Luka…” I took a deep breath.
Ever gazed at me expectantly.
Pride won over honesty. “He totally wants me still. That one in the tabloid is spy stuff, for the Brethren. Last night, I knew what I had seen. He missed me, he really did. He was near crying when he said, ‘Caylie, I miss you, I want you back in my life.’ He says he’s not going anywhere.” There was no guilt in my conscience as I exaggerated things. It was a…little flaw I had, the one that Luka used to berate me for all the time. I liked…embellishing things.
Ever was frowning though. “He really said that?”
I tossed my hair. “Of course!” Oh God of Caros, save me. Don’t let them catch me lying. This was another…little habit of mine. I liked to pray to the God of Caros because I had a feeling he had a greater tendency to cheat. The God of Humans may be a lot more powerful, but he was a little too saintly for our tastes.
Ever’s frown deepened. “But Caylie, don’t you think that’s well…weird?”
It was my turn to frown. “Weird in what way?”
“Well, doesn’t that make it sound like you two were in love instead of just friends who had a falling-out?”
I stared at her in utter bewilderment before bursting into incredulous laughter. “Of course not! I mean, honestly, Ever—that’s just not possible. It’s all about friendship with benefits. I like kissing him, but it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten he’s an asshole. And he may like—”
Thinking about what Luka liked was not a good idea as it sent a flurry of sizzling hot memories to torture me.
Luka staring at my breasts, his eyes intense, wanting to suck me long and hard—
I willed myself not to flush red at the images that burned through my mind.
“He might be half-Caro, but it’s just a technicality. He’s more Caro than anyone else and he would never be stupid enough to fall in love.” I lifted my shoulders in a dismissive shrug. “How could he be after what he did to me?”
Neither of my friends seemed convinced. Finally, Ever said with a sigh, “Just be careful, Cay.”
“It’s exactly as I said so,” I told her firmly. We all turned away from each other, having heard our professor enter the room. My mind however was still on Ever’s absurd thought.
Luka in love with me?
The words worked like a password, unlocking a memory from my mind. Suddenly, all I could think about was how Luka had stared at me last night, and how my body had responded to that look—
He couldn’t. It just didn’t make any kind of sense.
* * * *
It wasn’t my imagination or ego talking when I say that more people were looking at me the next day in school. News traveled extremely fast in our society, and by now everyone knew that Luka Georgiades was my rehabilitator. None of them probably forgot that Luka and I had history, too—the bad kind.
Lunch break had just started when Sabina stopped dead in her tracks as we reached the foot of the stairs. “Damn. I feel my stomach grumbling. I didn’t have my intake yet.”
That meant she hadn’t drunk blood for the day. At our age, we needed to drink over a glass each day, and blood intakes were something only permitted in Brethren-regulated sites outside our homes. In our school, that would be the clinic.
“See you at the caf,” Ever said, and we waved at her goodbye before heading to the cafeteria, which was more like a hotel lobby with uniformed waiters walking around constantly, ready to be at the beck and call of students.
Incandescent lamps hung from the ceiling while classical music played in the background. The air-conditioning ensured that the humidity outside didn’t get to us, and all the windows were heavily tinted and covered with dual-layered blinds to prevent even the smallest ray of sunlight from sneaking inside.
Ever pointed to one of the vacant plush couches. “Let’s wait for Sab there.” We were barely seated when someone called out my name, the familiar voice almost making me wince.
I tried to pretend I didn’t hear anything, but it was futile.
“Caylie, didn’t you hear me?”
My smile was ready when I turned around to look at Jeffrey Kirk, a good-looking blond of medium height. His father held an important position in the Brethren, and he liked to use it as an excuse for throwing his weight around whenever he could get away with it.
“Sorry, Jeff. I’m just worrying about this paper I have to pass tomorrow. I really need to work on it.” Please, please, please take the hint.
He didn’t. “That’s okay, beautiful.” Jeffrey took a seat next to me on the couch, forcing Ever to move to the side. Behind him, Ever rolled her eyes at me.
I wanted to roll my eyes back. No one could ever accuse Jeff of being subtle.
Scooting to the side to place more distance between me and Jeff’s frequently roaming hands, I managed a smile for Jeff, prompted by the politeness ingrained in me by years of strict etiquette training under Luka.
The smile was a mistake. It made Jeffrey move even closer, forcing me back until there wasn’t any other place to move. He said huskily, “There’s a party tonight at David’s. Are you going?”
I shook my head and said with a regretful note, “Sorry, Jeff, I have that paper I’m working on, remember? I’ve got to study.”
His eyes boggled.
Should I feel amused or offended?
“You? Study?” He burst into laughter. “Come on!”
Mmm…offended, I think. I gave him a stony stare. “Is there anything funny?”
Jeff’s smile faded. “Hey, chill. But…” His forehead creased. “You’re really going to study tonight?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“Let me study with you then,” he suddenly said.
“Uh, y-you can’t,” I stammered, taken aback by his unexpected answer.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” Jeff continued, face breaking into a grin again. “We can study together then afterwards…” He shrugged and gave me a flirtatious smile.
Maybe it was just Jeff, but I had a feeling it was me. Something was wrong with me. Jeff was hot in anyone’s standards, but somehow that smile—the lust in it—just left me cold, revolted even. I looked away, not wanting him to see the dislike in my eyes. “I’m sorry. It just isn’t possible. I’m grounded.”
His fingers curled around my wrist.
I tried not to shiver in disgust. One thought flashed in my mind.
Only Luka could touch me like this.
I stiffened.
How could I feel like that when Luka obviously didn’t have any problems letting other women paw his body?
When Jeff pulled me close, bitter anger at Luka’s continued deception made me swallow my revulsion as he turned me around to face him. “Come on, beautiful. What do you say?” His lips came closer.
I forced myself to stay still even as my mind recoiled and my heart threatened to explode at the thought of letting another man kiss me.
“You’re in my seat.” Someone pulled Jeff away just before his lips smashed against mine. As he turned away with a mutter of irritation, I almost collapsed against the couch in relief, feeling like I had just been saved from disaster.
Sabina was glaring at Jeff. Unlike Ever or me, she had no problems at all being rude.
Jeff’s face immediately smoothed. “It’s all yours now, darling.” He really was a shameless flirt.
Sabina didn’t return his smile, but Jeff didn’t seem bothered. He winked at me.
“See you in my dreams.”
I was doing my best not to smile at my friends’ wide-eyed stares as Jeff walked away.
“See you in my dreams?” Sabina finally sputtered. “Seriously? That line…seriously?”
“That’s so…I don’t know…1990’s?” Ever giggled.
The rest of the day passed quickly. I couldn’t even remember much of it. All my thoughts were centered on one thing—on one person.
Luka, Luka, Luka.
Oh, God, this obsession had to stop.
“Bye, Caylie! See you tomorrow!” My friends waved at me one last time before getting in Sabina’s car. They were off to God knew where while I had to head back home for rehabilitation. As I turned around, I heard Jeff calling my name again. My first instinct was to pretend that I hadn’t heard him, but that would be the second time I’d be doing that for the day. It would be unbelievably rude, unheard of for a Caro.
Still undecided, I heard my name being called again—but it wasn’t the same voice.
My head jerked up.
Luka?
My eyes widened. It was him!
Luka stood next to a top-of-the-line Lexus, wearing his usual suit and tie getup. It was so unfair that he had to look so unbelievably gorgeous and mature in it when he was only a year older. The longer I stared at him, the more I…craved.
Even after everything, he was still the most beautiful thing alive in my eyes. Just seeing him, feeling his presence—it made my heart ache and my tears feel itchy. It made a part of me wish we could rewind the time even though it could never be.
I took my time walking toward him because it let me enjoy the view even longer. Oh God of Caros, but was it really fair to our race to bless someone with such looks and intensely raw sexuality?
Even this far, my entire body was already tingling for his touch, practically humming and throbbing for it. The power he kept tightly leashed was impossible to ignore, and it had every girl or woman within a five-meter radius looking up and swallowing, wondering why they were suddenly becoming wet between their legs.
When I stopped just a few inches before him, I was ready.
“Hello, Luka.” I gazed at him under my lashes, not doing anything to hide the desire in my eyes.
Luka lifted a brow.
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Some things never changed. The faintly inquisitive look on Luka’s face was a bittersweet sight. I remembered being the recipient of it so many times in the past. It was his way of politely expressing his surprise when he caught me trying to sneak outside our home by dressing up as a chamber maid when I was grounded. It was the same look he gave me when he also caught me playing hooky as I tried to scale the twenty-foot walls of my school during lunch break.
Right now, it was his way of silently asking why I was so brazenly ogling him when I never used to do so. Pulling him down by tugging his tie, I whispered to his ear, “This is a lovely surprise.” I made sure my breath tickled his ear.
I felt the slightest shudder go through his powerfully hard body, and even as it made me feel triumphant, it also made me want him more.
God of Caros—how am I ever going to destroy him if it seems like doing so would also mean destroying myself?
Just as I started to pull away and let go of his tie, Luka captured my hand, keeping it locked in his as he whispered to my ear, “Caylie.” He said it with preternatural softness, telling me that what he had to say was for my ears alone.
I stilled at the audible caress of his voice.
“I can smell you.”
My eyebrows shot up. “What?” I hissed, unable to believe how incredibly rude Luka was being.
His chuckle tickled my skin. “Caylie, I can smell how you’re wet for me.”
A lightning bolt of heat zapped my body at his words, and I stumbled back in shock. For a moment I was blind, my gaze completely consumed by black fire.
And then the vision disappeared, and I completely lost my balance with it. “Luka!”
Luka’s eyes widened before reacting swiftly, reaching for me as I started to fall, but someone had already caught me from behind.
“Gotcha!” Jeff’s voice was like a bucket of cold water, and I numbly let him help me back to my feet. He couldn’t resist copping a feel as he did, his hands lingering on my waist. I didn’t make a move to stop him, but I could see Luka wanted to.
Luka stiffened, his tension as ferocious as a wild and untamed beast inside him, wanting to break free. The tension communicated itself to Jeff, forcing the younger guy to let me go.
Luka immediately stepped forward, as if wanting to emphasize how he completely dwarfed Jeff.
Jeff straightened, making him a centimeter taller but still inches away from being eye to eye with Luka. His gaze was as accusatory as his tone when he demanded, “You know him?”
I almost rolled my eyes. He was seriously going to ask that? It was enough to get me over my shock. Later, I would examine what just happened in my mind. But for now, I had to deal with Jeff. I said dryly, “If you tell me you don’t, I won’t believe you.”
Jeff flushed, saying sulkily, “What I meant was do you know him personally?”
Everyone in Caro society knew who Luka was. Even though elections were still ages away, his name was practically flooding the ballot boxes already.
Because of his betrayal.
The thought had me curling my arm around Jeff. “Let me introduce you to him,” I cooed.
Luka’s face hardened, more so when I leaned closer to Jeff, making sure the other guy felt the brush of my breasts on his side as I said, “This is Luka—my dearest, oldest friend.” I smiled brilliantly at Luka. “And Luka, this is Jeff, a dear friend as well.”
Luka offered his hand.
His right hand—forcing Jeff to let go of my arm so he could shake Luka’s.
I smiled grudgingly. Of course Luka would figure a way to keep us apart without losing his cool. It was child’s play for that fine mind of his everyone so envied him for.
“May I have a moment with Caylie?” Luka was asking ever so politely.
Male aggression and the usual tough talk, Jeff was well-equipped to handle but Luka’s exquisite manners confused him and he found himself nodding.
Luka lifted a brow at me again. Do you want me to continue manipulating him, his gaze mockingly asked.
I wrinkled my nose at him even as I gave Luka my hand. Pompous ass.
Luka took my hand, pulling me close, and then we were walking away, stopping only when we reached a secluded corner under the shades, the school almost half a block away. Even so, I could feel everyone’s gazes on us and I became cold all over again. I remembered the headlines, and I reminded myself that I couldn’t let Luka deceive me once more.
Luka always had a plan. That was what I used to think but not anymore.
What Luka never failed to have was an agenda. Plans didn’t always hurt, but agendas—they were different, more deceptive and cruel, and that was really what Luka should be known for.
“This is a nice surprise.” I reached for his hair, loving its texture. My lips curved in a teasing smile. “But what you said back then was even more surprising. It was hot, too, don’t get me wrong.” I pretended to fan myself. “But it’s very unlike you—and definitely not the kind of words you’d expect from a rehabilitator.”
Luka had the grace to flush, but he also said evenly, “You seemed to be in the mood for it, the way you were looking at me.”
“Oh, I always look at hot guys like that,” I said airily. “So don’t take it too seriously.”
Luka’s lips tightened.
Good.
“What brings you here, Luka?” I asked again.
Hesitation crossed his violet eyes.
No. I withdrew sharply. “Don’t say it, Luka.”
A sad smile touched his lips. “I don’t have to. You already know.”
“My rehabilitation is a decree of your precious Brethren,” I said tonelessly. “It’s one of your precious
Brethren responsibilities and now you’re telling me you’re going to play hooky probably for the first time in your life?” My eyes bored through him. “Is it because the responsibility has to do with me so you’re not taking it seriously?”
Luka was quiet, his way of politely answering questions that didn’t need an answer.
Ah God of Caros, but I hated him.
Only Luka Georgiades could make me feel so small, so pathetic and unworthy. All his life, he lived and breathed in the honor of serving the Brethren, and yet—and yet because it was about me this time, he didn’t seem to care about following his directives anymore.
