by Ivy Clyde
The thought caught me unaware. I pushed at his chest, urging him to let me go.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. Umm, I am going to be late for my first class.”
“You have English, don’t you?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Come on,” he said, catching hold of my hand. “I’ll take you there.”
We walked back toward the imposing academy building in the distance. I stared at the spot where my hand was engulfed by his. It felt like he wasn’t going to give me a chance to escape so easily.
“What other subjects are you taking?” he asked.
“There’s the compulsory Math and English. Along with them, I am taking courses in Computer Science, Advanced Math, and Statistics.”
“You’re incredibly smart then,” he said, glancing at me. “I hate Math.” A small smile played on his lips.
I couldn’t help but grin at his reaction. “Let me know if you ever need any help.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” This is for the job, I told myself to suppress the happy bubble swelling inside my chest. I had to keep reminding myself that he wasn’t a regular hot guy but a dangerous mafia lord. “So, what else are you taking?” I asked, wondering if we shared any other classes together.
“I don’t really know,” he said with a faraway look in his eyes. “I used to study dance and music, but will be dropping them this year.”
“Why?”
“My muse died,” he said in a bitter voice. “I don’t think I can ever sing or dance again.”
The pain in his voice made my own heart squeeze painfully. Was he talking about Maria again? Jealousy nipped at me. She’d been engaged to Dimitri. How could he still be in love with her so strongly? She must have been the reason he’d tried to kill himself too. My curiosity about her was becoming as strong as my envy for her.
“Give yourself time to heal,” I said in a low, soft voice, intent on making him feel better. “Life will never stop knocking you down. The best thing to do is to brace yourself for the next blow. Like it or not, it will come. Giving up on things you love will only weaken you. Don’t let go of the things that bring you happiness. It’s the only way you’ll survive life.”
He came to a stop, staring at me with a strange expression. “You’re really quite smart.”
I shrugged, not knowing what to say to that. A look at the watch on my wrist told me there was barely five minutes until class started. “We’ll be late,” I said, moving toward the main academy building. He caught up with me, catching hold of my hand again.
He came to a halt just as we were about to enter the school building. “Are you sure you want to keep wearing that?” He gestured at the black jacket I was still wearing.
“No. Thanks for reminding me.” I quickly took it off, balled it up and tucked it under my arm. It had already gotten me into enough trouble that morning.
Students rushed past us to enter through the tall, carved oak doors. I spotted Miranda among them, surrounded by a gang of her friends. They were a glamorous bunch, easily standing out from the crowd.
Miranda caught my eye. Her gaze zeroed onto the spot where Andrei held my hand. She turned away and moved inside the building. I sighed internally. She was definitely bringing me trouble.
“Let’s go in,” said Andrei, tugging on my hand.
I nodded, following after him. He led me through the wide hallways of the ancient academy building and up a flight of stairs until we reached the second floor. It was a relief to have him by my side. It would have taken me ages to find my way inside the labyrinth of corridors that housed the classrooms.
He came to a sudden halt, making me bump into his side. Rubbing my forehead, I peered around him to see why he’d stopped.
Standing right before us was Dimitri Volkov. He looked imposing despite being dressed in the academy’s uniform. He was as tall as Andrei but bulkier around the shoulders and chest. I hadn’t caught much of his features back in the dark alleyways of my old neighborhood but now, I noticed the beautiful amber-gold of his eyes. His gaze moved from Andrei to me, focusing on the spot where he held my hand. His expression darkened immediately.
“Come on,” said Andrei, pulling me along as he took long strides and walked inside a vast classroom. A definite change had come over him. He was no longer friendly and warm. His hold on my hand tightened as he dragged me along in his wake, barely giving me a chance to take in my surroundings.
Rows of seats rose in circular tiers, all facing the elevated podium in the front. A middle-aged woman in a dark pantsuit stood behind the teacher’s desk, watching students filing into the seats before her.
Andrei went up several tiers, taking me further away from the teacher.
“We’re sitting here,” he said shortly, forcing me into me a seat by the aisle. He sat down next to me. A cold, brooding expression came over him as he faced the front of the classroom. The warm, friendly guy I’d met earlier had completely disappeared.
I was glad the teacher started her lecture within a few minutes. My gaze sought Christian in the crowd, finding him several rows away from me. You can’t go to him when both Andrei and Dimitri are around, I reminded myself even though I was desperate for some familiarity in this strange place.
16
Skye
English class was tense with a brooding Andrei on my side but I found myself distracted by the quality of infrastructure around me.
The classroom was clean and the bottom of the desks wasn’t covered in age-old gum pellets. The teacher actually looked happy to be there. And why wouldn’t she be? All of her students had proper books and supplies. She had a laptop and projector and wasn’t running on technology from the stone ages. All in all, I actually enjoyed the class even though I had very little interest in the interpretation of funny-sounding verses from Shakespeare.
As the lesson came to an end, Andrei suddenly snatched my hand. “What classes do you have for the rest of the day?”
I pulled my hand out of his grip but he held on. A frown came on my lips. “I need both my hands to reach inside my bag for the schedule.”
He let go immediately. Rummaging inside my bag, I took out the schedule and checked it. “I’ve got two Computer Science classes back to back and then lunch.”
“Good. They will all be conducted in the Science building.”
“Where exactly is that?”
“I’ll take you,” he said, giving me one of his warm smiles.
Students around us were already heading toward the door while we remained in our seats. My gaze went to two lone figures staring right at us. One was Christian. The other was Dimitri.
“What are you looking at?” asked Andrei, noticing me staring toward the row of seats before us. His warmth disappeared immediately. “You’ll be late for your class if you don’t hurry.” He picked up his bag as well as mine, pulling me to my feet.
“Slow down,” I said as he pulled me down the aisle. His long strides were equal to two of mine and it was difficult to keep up as he dragged me out of the classroom, not relaxing until we’d stepped out into the grounds.
“I can carry my own stuff,” I said, panting. “And will you please slow down?”
“Not until we’re away from Dimitri.”
My foot got caught on a bit of root sticking out of the ground and with zero balance due to Andrei’s tugging and pushing, I sprawled on the ground face down. Pain lanced through my hands as I’d pushed them forward to avoid getting hit in the face. “Ow!”
“Skye!”
“Get off me,” I shouted, sitting up. Frustration surged through me, adding to the physical pain from the deep scratches on my knees. Looking down, I found both knees badly bruised.
Andrei kneeled down beside me, looking anxious. “I’m so sorry, Skye. Come on, I’ll take you to the nurse’s wing.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I hissed, blowing air on the scratches. “I’ll be fine with some band-aids.”
“I’ll get them for you,” he said, getting to his feet.
A frustrated noise escaped me. “Don’t bother. Just show me where the Science building is. I’ll take care of these scratches when I get back to my dorm.”
“What if they get infected?”
I slowly stood up, biting my lip against the sting of the scratches. “I’ll wash the wounds but for now, just take me to my class. I don’t want any more trouble.”
“Please, Skye,” he said in a pained voice. “Let me take you to the nurse’s station.”
“No,” I said, stepping back as he moved forward to hold me.
He released a heavy breath. “All right, come on.” He strode forward but at a slower pace than before, making it easier for me to keep up. The scratches stung but I’d survived worse injuries without running to doctors and emergency wards.
Andrei’s face was crumpled in an expression of helplessness and once my anger cooled, I felt a little bad for him. He was worried for me and I’d been acting like a stubborn bitch. From what Christian and his uncle told me, he suspected Dimitri to have attacked his family. Maybe he was acting unreasonably because of that.
He led the way toward a large, modern-looking building on the far side of the campus. I stared up at the multi-storied building, housing the various science departments and labs. It was already impressive on the brochures I’d downloaded from the academy’s websites. Standing before it, I marveled at the amount of funding they must have to build something like this.
“I’ll come to get you for lunch,” said Andrei as we neared the gates.
“Won’t you have classes?”
“I don’t really care about missing anything,” he said. “Grades don’t really matter anymore. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to come back here to graduate. Glad I did or I’d have never seen you again.”
I wanted to believe he wanted to see me and not his dead crush’s doppelganger. Perhaps, it was better this way. My job would be much easier if I didn’t get attached to him. It hurt enough to have to stay away from Christian.
“Don’t waste your time,” I said. “I can find my way back to the cafeteria.”
“I know you can. I just want to protect you from…”
“From who?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Let me do the worrying.”
I knew he was talking about Dimitri. “Anyway, I’ll get going. See you around.” I gave him a little wave and hurried inside the building to look for my classroom.
Luckily, I wasn’t the only kid who was late for class. A few stragglers rushed inside after me as the teacher urged us to hurry up.
This was the only class I was looking forward to. Programming and computer electronics were things I actually understood. Even if I was sitting among students who could be far smarter than me, this was one subject I was confident in. After all, I’d hacked into the academy’s mainframe several times in the past.
The classroom wasn’t as large as the one where we just had our English lesson. Most of the seats were already filled, leaving me to take the one in the second row beside a girl with braids. She stared at me cautiously but stayed quiet.
The teacher, a Dr. Kelso, started with an overview of the year’s syllabus, telling us we would be focusing solely on Java programming. I took the opportunity to look around the room as he continued with his lecture. There were only five girls, including me, in this class of thirty. They looked nerdier than Miranda and her posse. Typical mean girls, I thought with a sneer.
The girl beside me stayed silent throughout the lesson. Glancing sideways, I found a sad, depressed expression on her face as she kept her head bowed, pretending to read from her textbook. She was sort of pretty with flawless mocha skin, large brown eyes, and dark, long braids.
I decided to give her space. We were all fighting our own silent battles anyway.
The next hour passed by quietly. I glanced toward my neighbor from time to time, getting a glimpse of her printed timetable that she’d placed on the desk. It turned out that my silent neighbor took the same classes as me.
As lunch hour drew nearer, I wondered whether Andrei would really show up to pick me from class. He definitely feared Dimitri attacking me. It was confusing as they’d been best friends. Maria’s death and the murder of his family had somehow changed his mind about the person he’d grown up with. Perhaps, it was worth it to stick closer to Andrei and find out why he suspected Dimitri. It might give me a clue that could prove to be helpful to Nikolai and Christian.
After class, I walked out of the Science Building, letting my gaze roam around the grounds stretching before me. Andrei wasn’t anywhere in sight.
A hand came to rest on my shoulders, making me whirl around immediately.
“Hello,” a deep voice greeted me.
I stared at the guy before me as my heart raced in my heart from the sudden shock. Dimitri stood before me, staring down at me with a gentle smile.
“You don’t remember me?” he asked, leaning into me.
“I do,” I said. Under the bright afternoon sunshine, he looked even more handsome than I remembered. Back then, he’d been suffering from extreme blood loss after being shot. Towering over me, he looked absolutely fine now. His physique was stockier than Andrei’s but his face was far more beautiful. In fact, he was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.
He is a monster with the face of an angel. Christian’s voice rang in my head as I looked into his beautiful amber eyes.
“I’ve been searching all over for you,” said Dimitri, stepping closer to me.
Andrei had said those same words to me that morning. So, they’d both sent men after me. Were they all responsible for destroying my old apartment? Was Sergei working on orders from Dimitri? Or was it a third party as Nikolai suspected?
“What are you thinking about?”
His voice roused me from my thoughts, making me aware of his hand against my cheek. It was incredibly warm against my skin. He drew in closer, leaning dangerously close. His breath fanned my face as his lips came closer.
“Nothing,” I blurted, jumping backward, my heart thumping in my chest.
He looked slightly surprised. I took another step back as he moved forward.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Skye.”
My eyes widened. He didn’t even bother to ask me my name for politeness’s sake. It was unnerving to have a stranger know everything about you.
“I wanted to thank you for what you did back then,” he said. A gentle breeze swayed the strands of his dark hair, making them shield those gorgeous eyes. It was a struggle to focus on what he was saying and not simply drool over his painfully beautiful looks. At the same time, I feared him. He lacked the same warmth and openness as Andrei. “You could’ve left me to die or handed me over to the people after me,” he continued, unaware of the conflicting feelings raging inside me. “Thank you for not abandoning me.”
“Anyone else would have done the same.”
“No, they wouldn’t.”
“I didn’t really do much other than call 911. They’re the ones who truly saved your life.”
He stayed silent for a moment before stepping up to me. “How are you here?”
“This where my classes are conducted.”
He shook his head, his gaze sharpening. “I meant what are you doing in Knightswood Academy? As far as I know, your family isn’t well off enough to send you here.”
My heart pounded with nervousness. He was openly asking me to explain my presence there. Was he already suspecting me to be a spy?
Play it cool, Skye, I told myself. Aloud, I said, “Is it any of your business?” Turning around, I was about to walk away but he grabbed my wrist and yanked me back. A gasp escaped me as I collided against his broad, hard chest. “What are you doing?” I hissed, struggling against him.
“You’re my business,” he whispered in my ear. He held onto me, squeezing me so tight I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs. Fear clamped around my beating h
eart. “I must know everything about you. Why do you look so much like Maria? You even have the same eyes.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered, panting hard. “Let me go,” I whimpered, feeling my vision blackening. “I can’t…breathe…”
His hold loosened.
My body slumped against his as I gasped and panted, trying to breathe in as much air as possible after being choked. Next moment, he let me go completely.
I hurriedly stepped away from him, feeling my head throb. It added to the sting in my chaffed knees, increasing my pain and discomfort. Staring into his cold eyes, I wondered whether he’d been this rough with his fiancée. Did Maria ever resist him?
“What happened to your knees?” he asked, his brows creasing as he glanced at my legs.
“Nothing. I need to get going now,” I said, moving several feet away from him. When there was sufficient distance between us, I turned around and hurried away, feeling like Dimitri was far more perceptive than Andrei. While Andrei genuinely wanted to get to know me on my terms, Dimitri already suspected something about me.
17
Skye
It was a relief to walk away from Dimitri. He made my heart race with both fear and a kind of anticipation I didn’t understand. Sure, he was the most gorgeous guy I’d ever come across but that didn’t mean I was going to be careless and get myself entangled in his webs. While Andrei was willing to spend time getting to know me, Dimitri wanted all the details before approaching me.
I was close to the cafeteria when I spotted Andrei standing near the gates. A shorter guy with a shock of dark green hair stood with him. They were both keeping a lookout for someone, peering into the faces of the girls who were entering the dining hall.
I changed my course immediately, not wanting to face Andrei when I was still trying to calm my mind after my confrontation with Dimitri. Instead, I headed toward a smaller building close by.
