Page 143 of A University of Betrayal

“Your niece?”

“No!”I gasped, disturbed.

Where were his thoughts? Did Ruisangors practice incest? After all, the women there were unable to get pregnant. A very disturbing thought...

“Well, then you’re a fool for still waiting.”

I snorted, my focused gaze wandering around the area, looking for people, because I didn’t want to become his evening snack. Sticking to passers-by was a good way to get around something like this, but there was no one here.

And suddenly, an idea came to me.

“I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with a stranger right now,” I said to buy myself some time.

What if I got what I needed from David from Miles instead? What if his blood could help me prepare the experiment on David to avoid unnecessary mistakes afterward?

My hand slipped into my back pocket and I thanked myself for taking the concentrated Salma extract I’d matched to Ruisangor’s and Senseque’s DNA, just in case of defense. It would work differently than on Quatura and humans, was modified with a numbing concentrate for which I had developed an elaborate formula three months ago.

It was prepared in a small vial with a tiny needle tip.

“You’ve got frustration trapped inside you,” Miles continued. “It’s something one notices in...”

Before he could finish his sentence, I pulled out the needle and stuck it into Miles’ neck.

He stared at me, staggered back and collapsed on the grass.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” I said quickly, looking around and kneeling down before pulling out a small box from my vest where I kept small syringes, just in case.

He was not the first student I had taken blood samples from in this way, but he was the first Ruisangor.

I took three samples from the Legacy, and it felt like I was stealing gold from him, because in the DLSC the Legacies didn’t give us their samples to protect themselves from possible bioweapons.

I pulled the Ruisangor to the nearest bench, hoping for him that no Senseque would find him, and returned to the bar.

Call Me, I Still Love You

Two Feet

“Another drink please,” I said to the bartender and looked around, hoping no one had noticed, that no one had followed us.

The bartender handed me another whiskey, but I tried to control myself and not reach for it straight away.

My eyes fell on the ring on my finger. I automatically reached for it, took it off, and immediately missed the feeling it gave me when I wore it.

I turned the ring, which shimmered in the warm light, in my hands and inspected the inside. And I couldn’t help but smile sadly when I discovered the engravedJ.

Chapter 28

Miles

Swept

Jay Varton

With both hands in my pockets, I walked across campus, letting the cool November air blow through my chin-length loose hair. Andfuck, did it feel good to be alone. Even if it seemed like I enjoyed being the center of attention, there was nothing more exhausting in this endlessly boring life.

I shouldn’t complain. My existence was limited to a paltry twenty years. Nicolaj would have laughed now, even though I doubted the man knew what humor was. When he laughed, either one of his long-term business partners had passed awayin an unfortunate accidentor one of his sons had made him proud. And the latter happened so rarely that whenever it did, you could buy a new car.

My head was buzzing, differently than usual. I had just been in the campus bar with that professor... or had it been hours ago? We had talked, but from then on my memories were fuzzy and three hours ago I had woken up on a damnpark bench.