Page 32 of Blood Moon

“Sure,” I said, placing a foot on the chair to tie my shoes, but in one quick motion Julian’s hand was in place of mine, tugging at my laces.

“I got it,” he said, and I blinked a few times, clearing my vision to be sure I was seeing straight.

“I, uh,” I hesitated, trying to persuade myself that this was okay. While alarming, it was kind- ish , and truth be told, I’d always been awful at tying my shoes. Embarrassing, so very embarrassing, but they came undone multiple times a day, which was precisely what had happened.

Julian remained on his knees after, gazing up at me through his lashes. The sight of him cut through my stomach, burned at my thighs. When a smile formed on his lips, I snatched my shoe away, hurried out of the room. Jerk, I thought, and he followed behind, chuckling beneath his breath.

People moved up and down the hallway, and we shifted around them, making space where we could. “I have English next, up on the third floor. What about you?”

“I have a break after this,” he said, taking the lead now, pacing faster ahead. I stopped following, veered to the side of the hall. When he noticed, he came to me.

“Julian,” I started, trying to read him, trying to maneuver my way past the wall he’d formed.

Like mine, his barrier was molded from an unbreakable stone.

“I don’t … I don’t trust you,” I whispered.

It was something he needed to know if we were going to continue at this.

He managed to dangle everything I wanted above me, and now that he’d loosened his grip, it felt too easy.

“And you should trust that voice in your head telling you not to,” he said. There was no surprise in his tone, and he took a single step, coming forward. “I’m not a good guy.”

“Stop telling me how I’m supposed to feel about you,” I said abruptly, and I wavered between the desire to stay this close to him or move away.

His energy drew me in like a mouse to a trap.

It was polarizing and magnetizing all in one breath.

Likewise, I imagined Julian was fighting an inner battle, too—that perhaps he was caught between a veil of good and evil, unsure if he should move two steps forward or two steps back.

“If you’re so terrible,” I said, finally forcing distance between us. “Then why do any of this? You could let whatever’s destined to happen to me happen.”

“Trust me, I’ve tried.” And I remembered all the times he’d warned me. “But I can’t.”

“And you’re certain there’s no other way you can tell me? Really, if you said it right now, in this crowded hallway, how would they know?”

“They’d feel it through the bond.”

“The bond?” He’d said it like I was supposed to know these things. “Like … a physical bond?” I twisted my lips, reconsidered. “Or metaphysical? ”

“Metaphysical.” Like magic? I wanted to say. “This kind of secrecy hasn’t been spoken in centuries. I want to tell you, I do, but I literally cannot.”

I released a long breath until my shoulders sagged, and when Julian moved closer to me, this time, I didn’t move away.

“Will you please keep going, keep asking all the questions? This is something you know. I’m confident of that.”

Another sigh, and I shifted my weight, contemplating. This was what I wanted; I just hadn’t expected it to be so ominous. But if the decision was between playing the game or waiting in anxiety, I’d rather play.

“Fine,” I said, and I walked past him, heading toward the stairs as he followed. “A couple weeks ago, in the woods … how’d you catch me?”

“I jumped.”

I drew in a breath. I knew it. Still, I hadn’t expected him to come right out with it. How long would this honesty last? “Okay, but how is that possible? It was at least twenty feet or more.”

“My bones are different, they’re harder to break.”

Each step came quicker, and I stumbled, almost tripped. “What do you mean your bones are different?” I tried to make sense of it. His response would go against my cult theory, but witches—that was still a possibility. “Are they not like everyone else’s?”

“No, they’re not.” Hands tucked in his pockets as he said it, casually climbing each step while I heaved. When we made it to the top, I turned away from him, concealing the red in my face. This new discovery wrecked me. Yes, our bodies were different. Genetics played a role in that, but our bones …

“I’m so confused.”

“You’re getting there. You just gotta keep asking,” he said, and then we came to a stop, perched outside the door to my next class. “I’ll see you after.”

“No, you don’t have to do that.”

His gaze pressed in on me. “I want to.”

A nod, and I entered the room, finding a seat next to Naomi.

At the sight of me, her brows furrowed, lips puckered.

She wanted to know why I looked unwell, but I uttered something trivial.

The idea of Julian being superhuman burned at me.

Maybe he drew his strength from sorcery?

Even if it were illogical, it made sense. Still, I needed more answers.

When class came to an end, Julian was where he promised he’d be.

Naomi paused, fascinated by his presence; she fixed a smile to her face as she stared into the depths of my soul, willing me to read her mind.

I knew what she wanted to say, but instead, she went for my hand, squeezed it.

“I’ll see you later,” she murmured. It wasn’t until she passed Julian that she mouthed, “ FUCKING LOVE TRIANGLE! ”

A ragged breath escaped through my nostrils as I pinched a smile. Fucking Naomi.

The corners of Julian’s mouth curved into a peculiar grin as if holding back a laugh, as if he knew. He swallowed hard, cleared his throat. “Where to next?”

“The dining hall. I’m meeting my roommate for lunch.”

“What was her name again?”

“Stevie.”

“Oh, right. I remember her from the party.”

A memory came. A faded image of Julian carrying me to my room, tucking me into bed. The whispered sound of his apology. “By the way, thanks for making sure we got home safe. I should’ve had more water that night.”

“Seemed like you had fun,” he said. “And maybe I’d like to think that you’d give me the benefit of the doubt one day.”

“Maybe,” I mumbled, knowing how difficult it would be to promise anything to Julian.

Outside, we strolled down the long sidewalk that curved through campus, and I surveyed Julian, inquiring once more what he’d meant when he’d proclaimed his bones were different.

He chuckled. “It’s hard to explain, but trust me, they are.”

I pursed my lips. Paused. Un-paused. Shifted my bag. “I—”

“Trust me,” he said again. “ They are. ”

I scratched at my head and kept walking. “Okay … fine. The other day, in the woods, were you actually following me?”

“No,” he said, and almost immediately, there was something different about him. His muscles were rigid beneath his shirt, hands clenched into fists. The remainder of his sentence came out with a bite: “I was following something else.”

I tracked Julian’s line of sight, peering through a sharp ray of sun to find the cause of his sudden shiftiness. Illuminated with a smile and coming toward us was Seven.

The moment I greeted him, he was already lifting me into a warm hug.

“Mira! How the hell have you been?” In a second breath, “Are you good?” he whispered, and I assumed he’d asked in regard to Julian, and the awkwardness of his stance.

It dawned on me then that Julian and Seven weren’t friends, and I wondered what Julian’s side of the story might be.

“I’m good,” I said quickly, letting go.

He touched my arm, held it there. “We should hang out soon. It’s been a minute.”

“That would be nice; we should,” I agreed, and when he dropped his hand, I glanced at Julian. His jaw was tight, his expression choleric.

“I’ve got to catch my next class, but I’ll text you,” Seven promised, and my focus was pulled back to him. As he parted, he bumped into Julian’s shoulder with a pointed smirk. A look I’d never seen from him before.

Julian’s voice was low, and he didn’t move, only declared over his shoulder, “Watch where you’re going.”

Seven paused. When he turned around, he rested his hands in front of him, weaving his fingers together as if waiting. “Or what?” he egged, smiling like he possessed all the confidence in the world.

Julian faced him. “Come on,” he said through gritted teeth. “You don’t want to do this.”

“Nah. I’m begging you to try me.”

“Whoa, whoa.” I stepped between them. “Really?” I said, directing my attention to Seven, but he wouldn’t look at me, too focused on watching how Julian would react.

Gently, Julian placed an arm out to move me to the side—an action that set Seven off. Suddenly, they were face-to-face, chests heaving as Seven stared down at Julian. “ Don’t touch her,” he growled.

Julian smirked, tilted his chin toward him. “Too late for that.”

My mouth fell slack as I gasped, appalled by the obscenity of this. Neither noticed me, too focused on each other. Like a child, I stomped my feet, making a sound of disgust. It took all of me to resist shoving them into the grass.

Seven was the one who broke first. Even in the brilliant sunlight, his colorful eyes darkened. It wasn’t a second later that he sent a blow to the center of Julian’s chest. The hit barely knocked him off his feet, and he came back like a spring, mouth twisting in a sneer.

Students shifted in whispers around us as they formed a circle.

Some pulled out their phones while others watched with wide eyes.

I was moments away from yelling before someone—a boy I’d seen on the football team—pulled Seven by his letterman jacket.

Seven didn’t give, and another player joined, hauling him back.

“It’s a neutral zone,” one of them whispered.

“We’ll deal with it elsewhere,” the other one said.

Seven twisted out of their grip, adjusted himself, only to spit in Julian’s direction. “Next time, I’ll end you.” He left after, and I watched as he pushed his friends away.

Julian reached for me, and I backed away. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Mira, I’m s—”

I stormed away, frustrated by the reminder that Julian was as awful as he’d said he was, and burned by the new reality that Seven wasn’t as gentle as I’d made him out to be.