I grabbed a carton of whole milk, and made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And then made three more. I wasn’t quite sure where all the food was going. Rationally speaking, I was pretty sure I physically couldn’t fit three sandwiches and a half-gallon of whole milk in my stomach. But I ate until the cavernous pit was full, and then settled back down on my bed.
I breathed in and out slowly as I thought of Dastien and the way he smelled. The way he made me feel.
Then it happened again. My stomach dropped like I was falling two hundred feet. My body turned into one giant tingling mess and I couldn’t get enough air. The next thing I knew I was in Mr. Dawson’s cabin.
I stood just inside the front door hovering like a ghost. Being in two places at once was interesting. Talk about a vision overload.
The three guys were sitting at the table now—Trent, Mr. Dawson, and Dastien. Mr. Dawson was on the phone. He turned to me first, lifting one eyebrow, and then continued the conversation with whoever was on the other end of the call.
How did he know I was there?
“Dastien?”
He spun toward me.
“Is she back?” Trent said. “What is she saying?”
Dastien ignored him. “I’ve been reading up on mate-bonds. The thing is, the kind of bond we have, it’s different than the usual kind. What we have is more than what they describe, and nothing I read said anything about this.” He stopped in front of me. “I can smell and hear you, but I can’t see you.” He waved an arm where I was standing, and it went straight through me.
Every muscle ached with pins and needles. “How about you not do that again.” I rubbed my hands over my arms, trying to make it go away. “Can they hear me?”
He settled down on the arm of the couch next to me. “I can’t even. Not really. I hear you in my thoughts, not with my ears.”
Weird. “Can you talk to me through thoughts?”
He sat quietly for a second and made a constipated-like face. I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Guess not,” he said.
I wanted to reach out to him, but thought against it. “So is this really better than the cell?”
“It’s definitely cheaper and more reliable. If we’re separated, this could really come in handy.” He paused. “Something’s going on. We just have to figure out what.”
“You’re weirding me out, mec,” Trent said.
“Tais-toi,” Dastien said.
Mr. Dawson hung up the phone and cleared his throat. “It’s official. No one has seen Sebastian or Donovan since they went to investigate how the vampires found us.”
“Merde,” Trent said. That was one French word I knew.
“How could this happen?” Dastien walked to Mr. Dawson.
“I’m not sure. Had to be an ambush of some sort. They can’t be taken easily.” He sighed. “I can’t think that it’s a coincidence that they go missing and Rupert shows up.” He looked straight at me, even though he couldn’t actually see me. “You may have been onto something bigger than even I thought.”
Dastien started pacing. “The vampires have been acting up more the past couple of years. Especially recently. Do you think they could’ve found a leader?”
“No. You don’t just change your behavior after centuries. There’s got to be something more. I’m just missing it.”
The door to Mr. Dawson’s cabin swung open. Five guys in all black with guns ran in. There were three quick shots.
I screamed.
“Drugged,” Dastien said. “Run.”
Ice ran through my veins. I didn’t know how to break the link. I checked on Mr. Dawson.
Mr. Dawson glanced at me like he knew where I was. “Out.” The command rolled through me, pushing me out of the cabin. I tried to stop it, but the power behind it was too much. I sped through trees and buildings to get back to my body. It wasn’t comfortable. By the time I found myself lying on my bed, I wondered if I’d ever feel right again.
I didn’t have much time to think about it before Meredith strolled through the bathroom with Shannon in tow.
The music was still blasting.
“We’ve got news. And it’s not good.” Meredith said. Shannon hovered behind her.
I shot up from the bed. “Run. Now.” I grabbed my cell phone and keys from my bedside table.
“Wait. What!” Meredith said.
The knob on my door twisted. “Window. Now. Fucking now!”
I leapt onto the windowsill and jumped down. The landing was easy this time, and I sprinted across campus like the hounds of hell were on my heels. I didn’t look back to see if Meredith and Shannon were there. Maybe that meant I was a bad person, but Dastien was in trouble. I needed off this campus. I needed help from someone I could actually trust.
The parking lot was packed with big black SUVs. I clicked my car key, and set off in the direction of my car. Thankfully, I owned a black SUV too.
I was going to have to thank Axel for that one again.
I spotted my car and unlocked the doors. For the first time I spared a glance behind me, and I was surprised to see not only Meredith and Shannon, but Adrian and Chris were there too. I wasn’t sure when they’d shown up.
“Get in.” I closed my door, and started the car. I didn’t wait for them to buckle their seat belts. The gates were half-open as another SUV made its way into the parking lot. I swerved around it, and down the road.