Page 16

15

Summer

T he sun creeps up on the darkness, eating the shadows of the night. My body is tired, yet my mind is so painfully awake. I hate this feeling. I hate that I feel hurt and used. Alice sleeps soundly next to me. She’s weirdly warm for a vampire. I thought they were meant to be cold, but she’s like a small heater. I climb out of the bed, trying not to wake her. Though it seems that while she may be warmer than I expect a vampire to be, she sleeps like the dead.

I grab a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra before going into my bathroom to change. Running will make me feel better. It always does. The wind in my hair and the burn in my lungs is oddly soothing.

The spandex hugs my curves, and I turn, looking at myself in the mirror. I don’t know why I’m checking myself out. I’m hideous today, like a worn-out shoe. Yet, while the pants are navy and as bleak as my mood, my ass looks amazing in them. The matching sports bra is my most comfortable and gives great support. At least physically, I don’t think anything is going to bolster me emotionally today.

I pull my hair into a high ponytail and return to the bedroom to slide on my running shoes. My lips twitch as I look at my roommate. Alice hasn’t moved, still out like a light with her mouth open a little and her chest barely rising as she sleeps. What a little weirdo.

Grabbing my dark gray hoodie, I pull it on and zip it up as I leave my room. I fling open the door, desperate to get downstairs for that first draw of fresh morning air, but I step back in surprise when a large mass of muscle falls into the entryway. Connor Morningstar blinks up on me. His eyes are red and the bags under them are just as purple as mine are. Did he sleep at the door?

“Summer…” he sputters and sits up. I sigh heavily and step over the heap of him slumped on the floor. He’s surprisingly nimble and quick even with all those muscles, so I take off down the stairs and burst from the building, kicking into a run the second I step over the threshold. I’m not a sprinter, but I can definitely get a good pace going. I’ve barely made it to the coffee cart in the middle of the quad before his large hand wraps around my wrist.

“Summer.” His voice is sad, but it does nothing but inflate my fury. How dare he be sad when I’m the one that’s been used? Humiliated. Used.

The growl that rips from my throat surprises him enough that he loosens his grip, and I yank my arm away from him. “Leave me alone, Connor.”

Connor grabs my arm again and pulls me around to face him, his other hand wrapping around my biceps. “I didn’t know, Summer. I wasn’t…” He hesitates, but I don’t even look at him. I can’t look at him. “This was all news to me!”

I’m about to reply, to tear into him with words sharper than any dagger when an icy cold voice beats me to it. “Mister Morningstar.”

I tense at the sound of that voice, at the roiling presence behind me. He wasn’t there a moment ago, but now his intimidating aura permeates the air. How had I not felt his power until now? Can he conceal that menacing energy that effectively? What a terrifying thought.

Connor’s body goes rigid, and he raises his gaze to the looming being at my back. “This is a personal matter, headmaster.”

The headmaster walks around to my side, glancing at me before returning that icy, malevolent stare to Connor. “It is happening on school property. Therefore, it is my business.”

I realize he’s not wearing his usual formal wear. Instead, he has on a long-sleeve, black t-shirt that pulls tight over his muscles and a pair of black sweatpants. He’s obviously been running, yet he looks completely perfect. He doesn’t have a hair out of place, the midnight black a beautiful contrast to the rich golden brown of his skin. My eyes catch on the black runes inscribed along his neck, several in languages I don’t recognize. Most sorcerers cover their runes. They intentionally hide the spells they are armed with, making them unknown weapons waiting to be launched, but not the headmaster. Is it arrogance or confidence?

I look up at the headmaster to see he has fixed his gaze on me again.

“Miss Tuatha De Daanan?”

I swallow. While his stare feels like a weight on my shoulders, perversely, it also feels like a feather’s caress against my skin. Oh fuck, this has already been an awful twenty-four hours. I can’t handle any more emotions to deny or sort through, and I definitely don’t need a lecture from the doom master right now.

“I’m all right, sir. Thank you.”

Without another word, he pushes his headphones back into his ears and continues on his run. I can’t help but stare after him as he sets off.

“Summer—”

“Goodbye, Connor. Enjoy whatever species is next on your creepy-ass list.”

“Summer, you are the only person I want on my list,” he says, shaking his head. I finally meet his gaze to find his eyes pleading harder than his words.

I roll my eyes and turn away from him, intending to resume my run. Connor grabs me again. “Nothing has changed for me. I still want to date you. I want you to be my girlfriend.”

I rip my hand away. “Leave me alone,” I snarl and stalk away, fully intending to get as far from him as possible. He catches me easily and pulls me against him, kissing me hard. It’s so difficult not to get lost in the kiss. Luckily, I have an eternal pit of hatefire inside me, and I tap into that, forcing myself to pull away. I push against his chest, even more furious now that his lips aren’t clouding my better judgment. It would help if he weren’t such a good kisser. Fuck.

Connor keeps his hold on me, his gaze locked on mine. “Last night was the best night of my life.” He brushes his thumbs along my arms. “My brothers are morons, especially when they’re drunk.”

I narrow my eyes on him. Connor carefully lifts his hand and cups my cheek as if he is afraid I will hit him. “I’m absolutely not making excuses for them. I just… really fucking like you.”

The rage within me dies a little, not completely, but enough that I don’t want to push him off a cliff. “Fine. I forgive you. Will you go away now?”

Connor smiles sadly. “I can taste lies, remember?”

I glare at him, unrelenting. “I’m not lying, but I’m also not dating you.”

“Why? If you have actually forgiven me.”

Men are so stupid, I swear.

“Because I don’t want to,” I reply simply. “What I want to do is finish my run. Alone.”

Connor looks so defeated that it extinguishes my remaining anger, but the hurt is still there, heavy and oily against my skin. He slowly drops his hands and pushes them into his pockets, his eyes dull. “I’m sorry.”

“See you.”

Connor turns on his heel and wanders sadly in the other direction. I take one last look at him before I start to run again. Something in my stomach is off, a feeling I’ve never felt before, not like this, anyway. I frown as I continue on my run, trying to figure out what I am feeling. Could it be guilt? No, it can’t be. I have done nothing wrong. Fuck.

My phone pings in my pocket, and I stop on the path to read the message. Alice’s name pops up, followed by a photo of Zach and Zane walking around campus wearing large signs with the word SHAME spelled out in bright red letters. My lips twitch at the image. My phone pings again with another text from Alice.

Alice

Brunch?

Summer

Student Union in 20?

Alice

Sounds good.

I check my running app and am pleased to see I’ve met a new personal best, probably thanks to my anger at stupid Connor Morningstar. I have no doubt it was Connor who forced his brothers into humiliating themselves as punishment for humiliating me. Connor Morningstar is probably telling the truth about not having anything to do with what they did.

I run to the student union and grab a table outside in the sun. The summer days are still so lovely here, but I know it won’t be long until fall is upon us, and sitting outside won’t be nearly as pleasant.

“So… how was your run?” Alice asks, dropping into the seat across from me around five minutes later.

I glance at her. “It was fine.”

“Did you chat with… you know who?”

I roll my eyes. “You can say his name, Al. I will not burst into flames or curse you for eternity.”

Alice chuckles softly and lifts the menu, using it as a fan. “Well?”

I nod.

Alice blinks, waiting for more details, but when it becomes clear I’m not going to provide more without prompting, she asks, “And? How’d it go?”

“I believe he had nothing to do with it.” My stomach twists again, and this time, there is no doubt it’s guilt. Connor Morningstar’s stupid, sad face keeps flashing in my head. There is probably no feeling in the world I hate more than guilt, especially when I have done nothing wrong.

Alice stops fanning herself and looks at me expectantly. “Uh huh, and…?”

I pick up another menu and read through it. “And what?”

“I wasn’t sure if I should show you this, but…” Alice picks up her phone and taps on the screen a couple of times before turning it toward me.

Rafe

Connor is acting like a war widow waiting for her husband to come back from sea. What did Summer say to him?

I glance at Alice, one eyebrow raised. “You’ve been texting Rafe?” I roll my eyes. “Fine. Send Rafe my number to give to Connor. He did look like a kicked puppy when I told him to leave.”

“Why?” Alice asks, tilting her head.

“Why what?”

“Why give him your number when you asked him to leave?” Alice asks, her eyes assessing.

“I don’t know, okay? Stop asking difficult questions, or maybe I’ll have some difficult questions like why do you have broody, dark angel boy’s number?”

Alice tenses and rolls her eyes. “Okay, well, his brothers notwithstanding, how was it?”

My lips curl into a half smile. “It was… pretty good.”

She leans forward and lowers her voice. “Only pretty good.”

“Maybe a little more than pretty good.”

Alice smirks. “Well, he carried you up the stairs like a caveman.”

My cheeks heat a little, but I push away the memory. It is quickly replaced by the one that started when Alice banged on the door. “Whatever. It’s not happening again.”

Alice’s phone alerts, and she grimaces when she looks at it before showing me. It’s a photo of Connor sitting on the window ledge and staring out of what I assume is his bedroom window. Rafe wasn’t lying. Beneath the photo is another message from Rafe.

Rafe

I’m going to have to build him a Summer watch instead of a widow's watch.

I sigh again, but my stomach knots a bit more as I look at the photo. “Send him my number to give to Connor.”

“You know, I’m not sure that’s the best course of action here, Sum.”

I frown and hand her back her phone, her use of the nickname surprising me once more. “What do you mean?”

“I think you need to give it to him yourself,” she says, shoving her phone back into her pocket. “Listen, I know you got your stuff, but I think Connor is,” Alice scrunches up her nose like she’s smelled the most vile thing, “a good guy.” The effort it takes for her to grate out the end of her sentence is almost painful, and I grimace along with her.

“Gross.” The idea of a guy being anything other than a bastard is probably the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever heard. That is saying something, considering I was a fae living in a mortal realm before coming to a magical university that I didn’t even apply for.

“I know.” She shudders. “It’s the worst, but I think you should give him a chance.”

I think about his eyes, his smile, and the gentleness of his touch. I think of the ease I feel around him, which is something I’ve never experienced. What happened last night was shitty, and I’m still deeply hurt by it, but can I blame him for the actions of his moronic brothers?

“Well, fuck,” I curse and stand up. “I’ll be back in twenty. Order me chocolate chip pancakes?”