Page 130 of A University of Betrayal

“What?”

My eyes widened. I couldn’t imagine howAdriancould be the one who had tested the patience of the clan leader the most.

“I had the good fortune to get sorted out early enough. I wasn’t good enough in Nicolaj’s eyes.”

“What? Why is that?” And good enough for what?

“It’s a long story that has a lot to do with our father.”

Miles turned, his gaze fixedly straight ahead.

By now I realized that this man was a touchy subject for him. I just hadn’t dared to ask any more questions. And I had been hiding from the man who was supposed to be my father for three days; more or less successfully. I didn’t know who he really was or what he had done to Miles, let alone our mother. She was dead. That fact was enough for me to keep my distance.

“Adrian was not so lucky. His gift and everything about him must have appealed to Nicolaj. They’re also close, but I can’t say much about that. Adrian never talks, but in training you can see the marks Nicolaj has left on him. Just a warning.”

“God...”

“He never existed for Nicolaj.”

Suspense Cinematic Mystery

cleanmindsounds

Miles’ last words sent a shiver down my spine. But there was nothing more I could ask. We were already in front of the dining room, where you could usually hear Camille and Bastien’s voices. Today it was dead quiet.

I took a deep breath, which I didn’t even need, because breathing was something only human creatures did. But not Ruisangors. We could hold our breath forever. Basically, we were actually dead. The thought completely displeased me.Creepy.Just like the atmosphere in the dining room, which had far fewer candles than usual. And this time they were dark red.

I recognized the faces. They were all there.

My gaze involuntarily lingered on Adrian, who was sitting frozen at the table, staring at his untouched glass of blood. I didn’t want to know what he’d been through.

“Ah, Miles, what would an evening be without the late-night prowler.”

The pleasant, deep voice that had just exposed Miles belonged to a person I could barely recognize as he sat hidden in the shadows.

I saw Miles give a forced smile and nod before he released his arm from me and let go of me to take his seat.

Great,now I was standing here alone. On top of that, everyone was once again staring at me like I was a fucking circus attraction, even though we were all dressed like we were in one of those expensive documentaries.

I saw the shadow move and this certain person stood up and walked around the table toward me.

Shit.

“But this time, I can overlook it, because I see...” Finally, the person stepped out of the shadows and a man came into view. “That you brought your delightful sister with you.”

Standing stock-still, I stared at the man who didn’t even look much older than Bastien. How could he have been his mentor, and how many years ago had he stopped aging?

Suddenly he took my hand in his, covered with a black velvet glove, bowed slightly and indicated an unfinished kiss on the back of my hand.

I eyed him suspiciously.

Whatcenturywas this guy from?

His features reminded me of the model David Gandy. He was a little taller than me, maybe as tall as Miles or Tristan, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. It was the scar on his face that looked like the claws of a large animal had scratched his face. One small and three big furrows which stretched across his entire face from top left to bottom right and, together with the dark red glowing eyes and the smile on his lips, looked... frightening.

Without hesitation, I stepped back and immediately regretted it. At the table, a certain tension automatically took over.

I looked at Miles, who had raised his eyebrows, then back at the man who was now looking at me.