by Kristi Cook
A calm determination settled over me as I started back toward the dorm, my pace slow and easy now.
When I finally made it back to my room, sixth period had ended and Cece and Sophie were already there, sitting side by side on Cece’s bed with textbooks in their laps.
“Warning, Sophie,” I said sourly. “Your roommate is going wolf tonight.”
“Uh-oh,” she said, setting aside her book. “Does that mean Aidan has to babysit?”
“Yep.” I dropped my bag onto my desk. “Lucky him.”
“Bad day?” Cece asked with a frown.
“You have no idea. I have a headache, too.”
“You want to lie down for a little bit?” she offered. “Sophie and I can go to the lounge.”
“No, but thanks. I’ve got homework.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to do any more homework? I mean, now that we’ve already been accepted to college and everything.”
My gaze shot up at once, taking in Cece’s impish grin. “Oh my God! You got an acceptance today, didn’t you?”
“Tulane. Full merit scholarship.”
“That’s awesome!” I hurried over and wrapped her in a hug. “Wow, I’m so happy for you. And . . . any news on Joshua?”
“Duke—his first choice. He’s totally psyched.” She waved one hand in dismissal. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. I mean, if it’s meant to be, it’ll be, right? Anyway, tell her your news, Sophie.”
“You got into Dartmouth?” I asked her, remembering that she was still waiting to hear from them.
“Yeah, but I already accepted at Princeton. Guess who else?”
“Someone else is going to Princeton?” I asked, confused now.
“Not just anyone,” Cece said cryptically. “Go on. Tell her!”
Oh my God. “Not . . . ?”
“Tyler,” Sophie confirmed with a nod. “Crazy, right? I didn’t even know he’d applied there.”
“So . . . is this a good thing?” I asked.
She chewed on her lower lip as she considered the question. “I don’t know. Probably not, right?”
“Depends, I guess,” I hedged. “But seriously, Princeton? Tyler’s grades are that good?”
“I know, right?” Cece plopped back down on her bed. “I wonder if one of his parents went there or something.”
“I don’t know, but his grades really are that good,” Sophie said. “At least, that’s what Dr. Byrne says.”
“Oooh, Matthew,” Cece said, wiggling her fingers at me like she always did when his name came up. “By the way, what’s up with Aidan? He seemed a little . . . uh . . . frosty earlier.”
“Oh, you know . . . he’s just being moody.” I cleared my throat uncomfortably, hoping they wouldn’t question why my cheeks were suddenly red.
“Hey, don’t forget Friday is senior ditch day,” Sophie said, mercifully changing the subject. “We’re supposed to meet at the cemetery at sunrise.”
Cece mock shuddered. “That’s so creepy.”
“But it’s Winterhaven tradition, right?” I asked. “The cemetery and then Sunnyside.”
“Yeah, but it’s so lame.” Cece rolled her eyes. “I mean, Winterhaven delivers bag lunches to Sunnyside. Technically, that makes it a school-approved field trip.”
“Yes, but an unchaperoned one,” Sophie reminded her.
“Ooh, so naughty!” Cece was laughing now. “Think of all the trouble we could get into. You know, at an old cemetery and a historic site.”
“Uh-oh,” I said. “Matthew.”
“What about him?”
“There’s no way he’s going to let me go off campus without him, not after what happened in Atlanta.”
“Seriously?” Cece asked.
I nodded. “Seriously.”
She groaned loudly. “Well, forget the unchaperoned part, then.”
“I just won’t go, that’s all. I’ll stay here with Aidan.” Because there was no way Mrs. Girard would let him go. It was too dangerous, even during daylight hours.
“But you have to go, Violet. I mean, we don’t have that much time left together as it is.” Sophie’s eyes filled with tears. “There’s just this and then prom and graduation.”
“We’ve got the trip to England, too,” I reminded her. At least, I hoped we still did, what with Aidan being mad at me and all. My own vision was swimming with tears as I fit myself between the two of them.
Cece shook her head. “Oh no. Don’t start. ’Cause if the two of you do, then I’m gonna start bawling my eyes out.”
I wrapped an arm around Cece; Sophie laid her head on my shoulder.
Just then, the door banged open. We all looked up to see Marissa standing there in the doorway, looking like she was about to cry too. “What’s going on?” she asked, her gaze sweeping the room.
Sophie’s breathing was ragged now as she reined in the tears. “We’re running out of time together.”
“I thought . . . never mind.” Marissa shook her head. When Cece held out a hand to her, she hurried over to the bed and joined in the group embrace.
“I’m going to miss you guys so much,” Cece sobbed, her face buried in Marissa’s hair now. “What was I thinking? I’m going to be all by myself at Tulane!”
“But you’ve got family in New Orleans,” I reminded her. “Your grandma and cousins . . .”
She shook her head. “It’s not the same. Marissa and Max are both staying in New York. Violet and Aidan are going to Paris. And you’ll have Tyler at Princeton,” she directed at Sophie. “Even if he is a manwhore. But me? I’ve got no one.”
“We can Skype every day.” Sophie sniffled.
“Yeah, a group video chat,” I agreed. “Every night.”
Cece shook her head. “You’re going to be in Paris, remember? Nighttime for us will be, like, butt crack of dawn for you.”
“More like the middle of the night,” Sophie corrected.
I reached for a tissue and dabbed at my eyes. “So, we’ll find a time that works for everyone. Maybe not every day, but at least once a week, okay?”
Sophie nodded, reaching for my hand. “Agreed.”
“Agreed,” Cece echoed, adding her hand to the pile.
We all looked expectantly toward Marissa. “Agreed,” she said. “What, did you think I wouldn’t?” She rolled her eyes as she placed her hand on top of ours.
Still, I couldn’t help but think how drastically things were going to change, and soon. Sophie was right—all we had left was prom and graduation and our trip to England.
Just a matter of weeks.
24 ~ I Spy
Never mind,” I said, shaking my head. “This was a bad idea.”
Cece sat up in bed. “C’mon, aren’t you curious? I’ll just project out there quickly and see what’s going on and then I’ll come right back. Five minutes, tops.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, torn. On the one hand, I wanted to know what happened when Jenna went wolf—and exactly what role Aidan played in it. But on the other hand, I was asking Cece to do something that was against the COPA. Plus, I didn’t want to be the kind of girlfriend who spied on her boyfriend.
Still . . . I was curious. “You’re sure you don’t mind?” I asked her.
“Totally. Anyway, I’ve done it before—gone astrally strolling through the woods at night. Remember?”
I nodded, recalling the last time she’d spotted Jenna and Aidan together, arguing. At the time, we hadn’t known Jenna’s story and hadn’t realized what was going on.
“I guess,” I conceded. I wasn’t worried about her getting expelled—not anymore. The snow I’d seen in my vision was long gone, replaced by the lush green of late spring. “But don’t go for long. I can’t stand seeing you lie there while you’re projecting. It totally freaks me out.”
“Now you know how I feel when you’re having a vision,” she shot back.
“Okay, okay.” I held my hands up in mock surrender. “You better get going before I change my mind.
”
With a grin, Cece scooted down on her bed, lying back on her pillow with a sigh. “Why don’t you . . . I don’t know, read a book or something? No hovering.”
“No hovering,” I repeated, hurrying over to my own bed. “Got it. I’ll text Whitney, see what she’s up to.”
“Turn the sound off, though. I need quiet.”
“I know. Sheesh.” I flipped the volume switch on my cell to off. “There. Now go.”
I tried not to watch as Cece began the process of deep breaths and slow exhalations. A couple of minutes passed in relative silence, and then I couldn’t help but peek.
She was entirely still, a peaceful look on her face. My gaze slid down her body, looking for a twitch, a tremble—any sign of life. There was none. She might have been a statue, carved from stone. Clearly, her astral self was gone.
A shiver raced down my spine. I had to take a couple of deep breaths myself as I fought the urge to go over to her and shake her. I still didn’t quite understand exactly how this astral projection thing worked, but I couldn’t help worrying about what would happen if she somehow couldn’t get back to her body. She’d assured me over and over again that there was no danger of that, but it didn’t assuage my fears, not entirely.
I ran a finger over my cell’s slick screen, debating whether or not I should actually text Whitney. With my luck, the second we got into a conversation, Cece would come back. It seemed best to just wait patiently, but the longer she was gone, the more nervous I became.
Setting aside my cell, I rose and padded over to the window, pulling back the curtains to gaze out at the starry night. The full moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow across the lawn and the treetops beyond.
They were out there somewhere, Aidan and Jenna. I hated the thought of them together. Still, I felt stupid for sending Cece out to spy on them. I resisted the urge to look over at the still form lying on the bed—just an empty shell. I wanted to shake her, to tell her that I’d changed my mind. Instead, I leaned against the window, pressing my forehead to the cool glass, and took a deep, calming breath.
In through my nose, out through my mouth. The glass fogged, obscuring my vision as the minutes ticked by. Slowly, one after another, until I didn’t think I could stand it any longer. Hurry, hurry. I tapped my foot impatiently, wanting to retrieve my cell so I could check the time. How many minutes had passed? Ten? Fifteen? I’d totally lost track.
Careful to keep my back to Cece’s body, I shuffled over to my bed and retrieved my cell, then hurried back to the window. I glanced down at the screen with a huff of frustration—only seven minutes had passed. Not nearly enough time for her to have seen anything worthwhile.
I had to distract myself. Keeping the volume off, I checked my e-mail. Then my text messages. Then my social networks. With nothing else left to do, I tapped open a game.
“I’m baaack,” came Cece’s singsong voice behind me just as the game loaded.
Relief washed over me as I turned toward her, watching as she sat up and reached for the bottle of water beside her bed.
She took several long chugs, the plastic crinkling noisily as it emptied. “Whew, I’m thirsty,” she said, wiping her mouth with the back of one hand.
I clicked my cell’s volume switch back on and tossed the phone to my bed. “From the projecting?”
“Nah, from the Mexican food at lunch,” she answered with a laugh.
I drummed my fingers on my thighs. “So?”
Her brows drew together. “So, what?”
I gave her a pointed look. “Aren’t you going to tell me what happened out there?”
“Oh, right. Well, first off, I wish I could scrub my eyeballs. Did you know that she strips naked before going wolf?”
“Yeah, I know.” Aidan had told me that last year.
“And she’s certainly not shy. The little skank stripped down to nothing, right there in front of Aidan.”
Of course she did.
Cece winced. “I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”
“No, it’s fine.” I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. “What did he do?”
“You really want to hear this?”
“I have to,” I said. “Go on.”
She shrugged. “He just watched. I mean, he didn’t look like he was turned on or anything,” she added hastily. “He was just, you know, standing there watching. With his arms folded, looking kind of bored.”
“Uh-huh. Go on.”
“So Jenna does her little striptease and then picks up her clothes and walks over and hands them to him. He’s still just kind of watching her. His eyes were on her face the whole time, I swear.”
I wasn’t entirely sure I believed her, but I motioned for her to continue.
“And then she says, ‘You know, for a vampire you’re not that bad.’ And then she kinda . . . I don’t know . . . runs a finger down the side of his face.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“You said you wanted to hear this,” Cece said haltingly.
I swallowed hard. “I do. Continue.”
“So she says, ‘I don’t have to run tonight.’ Aidan didn’t say anything, so she adds, ‘I’m not fragile like your little pet. You could bite me, if that’s what it takes to turn you on. I’d heal as soon as I shifted.’ I have no idea what she meant by that.”
“I guess shifting speeds up the healing process for her or something,” I speculated, fighting the urge to hunt her down and rip her limb from limb. “So what’d he say to her little proposition?”
Cece glanced down at her hands, suddenly unable to meet my eyes.
Uh-oh.
“Just tell me,” I whispered.
“Fine. Just . . . don’t shoot the messenger, okay? You’re the one who made me spy on them.”
“Tell me,” I repeated.
“He said, ‘Maybe later.’ And next thing I know, Jenna drops to the ground. It was crazy, Violet. It’s like one second she’s her, and the next she’s this . . . this . . . creature. But her eyes”—she shuddered—“they were the same.”
“Maybe later?” My mind was stuck on Aidan’s reply—the details about her shifting seemed irrelevant now. “You’re sure that’s what he said?”
She fiddled with her earrings. “Pretty sure. Not a hundred percent, but . . . yeah, I think that’s what he said. And then . . . well, Jenna-the-wolf just took off running. Aidan sort of wadded up her clothes and went and sat on the bench at the edge of the woods. That’s when I came back.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.” I headed for the door.
Cece half rose from the bed. “Wait, where are you going?”
I didn’t stop to answer her. Instead, I hurried out to the bathroom next door, stopping at the sink to splash cold water on my face.
What was this—payback? Or was there more to their relationship—his and Jenna’s—than Aidan had let on? I couldn’t help but think the latter, since he had no idea that Cece was there, watching and listening. And without an audience, well . . . what kind of payback was that? What was the point if I didn’t know about it? Was it possible that he’d been lying to me about Jenna all along? What other explanation was there?
This time, I really was going to be sick.
Fifteen minutes later, my face washed and teeth brushed, I shambled back to my room. Cece was sitting on my bed, my cell clutched to her ear.
“Yeah, she just walked in now,” she said. Matthew, she mouthed, pointing to the phone. “Here, I’ll let you talk to her.”
She held out my cell, and I took it with still-shaking hands. “Hello?”
“Are you okay?” he asked without preamble.
“Yeah, I’m . . . it’s fine.”
“It doesn’t feel fine. I got a really strong sense from you just now. Something’s not right.”
“Yeah, well . . . some things aren’t Sâbbat-related, you know. This is just . . . a relationship issue. Private stuff.” My cheeks were flaming now.
“With Aidan, you mean? Then it is Sâbbat-related, Violet. Anything to do with a vampire is.”
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “Not this. I promise, okay?”
“Can you meet me in my office in ten minutes?” he pressed.
“No! Do you know what time it is? It’s after lights-out. I can’t just sneak off to your office.”
“Your mark is fine? What about your bracelet?”
I glanced down at my wrist. “They’re both fine. Seriously.”
I heard him exhale loudly. “Okay, then. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. You need to chill—you’re stressing me out here.”
“Well, how do you think I feel? God, Violet. I suddenly felt physically ill, like someone was ripping out my insides.” His voice was sharp, his frustration evident.
I had no idea that my mental state affected him quite so strongly. “I’m sorry, Matthew. I sometimes forget how connected we are.”
“It’s okay. I just hope—”
I heard a muffled voice in the background. “Is everything okay?” A female voice.
“Everything’s fine,” came his reply. “I’ll let you go,” he said, louder now.
I glanced over at the clock on my bedside table. It was well after midnight. What was he doing with a woman in his room after midnight? “Is that Charlie?” I asked, my voice rising.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow” was all he said before abruptly ending the call.
I stared down at my silent phone in surprise. “That was weird,” I said, glancing up at Cece’s questioning gaze. “Don’t ask.”
“Are you kidding? I mean, the dude sounded frantic. I only answered your phone because he wasn’t giving up, by the way. It started ringing the second you walked out, and he just kept calling, over and over again. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course I don’t.” I slumped onto my bed, my heart still pounding. “I guess our connection is getting stronger. But it’s so weird—it’s only one way. You know, him reading my emotional state, but not the other way around. I guess he thought I was in mortal danger or something.”
She shrugged. “I guess so.”
“And,” I added, drawing it out for emphasis, “there was someone there with him. A woman. I’m assuming it was the mysterious Charlie. You know, the one who apparently isn’t his girlfriend but is somehow there in his room with him after midnight. On a school night.”
