Page 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

CJ

Her blush is fucking adorable. She clutches the lapels of my jacket like a lifeline, those wide blue eyes darting from my face to the jacket and back again.

“My jacket, my sweet,” I clarify, though I know the heat in my gaze says I’m thinking of claiming a hell of a lot more than a piece of clothing. I take a slow step closer, invading her personal space, breathing in her scent. That intoxicating innocence, mixed with rain and the wild scent of her blood, is a potent combination.

She fumbles with the buttons, her fingers clumsy. Good. I like her flustered. I like knowing I’m the one who makes her lose that carefully constructed composure.

“I… I was going to return it,” she stammers, her voice a little breathless .

“I know,” I murmur, my eyes fixed on the pulse fluttering at the base of her throat. The urge to lean in and taste her right here, surrounded by the dusty tomes and forgotten spells, is a roaring fire in my blood. “But it looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

She finally slips it off, holding it out to me. Her bare arms are exposed, and goosebumps ripple across her skin despite the library’s stuffy air. Or maybe it’s not the cold.

“Keep it,” I murmur, staring deep into her eyes.

“No, I couldn’t?—”

“I said keep it.” It is a soft demand, and she drops her gaze with a quick nod.

Her hand trembles slightly as she clutches the jacket back to her chest. Good girl. A little piece of me, wrapped around her, marking her. My scent will linger on her skin, a constant reminder.

“So, what dangerous knowledge are you seeking in this dusty old crypt, Isolde?” I ask. I move closer, deliberately boxing her in a little, making her aware of my presence, my size. My gaze sweeps over her, from the wayward strands of dark hair escaping her attempt to tame them, down to the slight parting of her lips as she breathes. Every inch of her is a fucking temptation.

She shifts, her eyes flicking towards the ‘Defensive Magics’ sign. “I just need something, that’s all.”

“Need,” I echo, the word a caress. There is something desperate in her manner. Urgent. It immediately pricks my senses. “What do you need, my sweet? Are you trying to protect yourself?” The thought of her needing protection, of her being vulnerable, sends a possessive surge through me. I’d burn this whole damn academy to the ground if anything truly threatened her. But a little fear, a little reliance on me? That, I wouldn’t mind at all. In fact, I quite encourage it.

Her eyes dart to the side with a flicker of that fear. It has my protective instincts and darker desires roaring to life. “I just want to be prepared,” she whispers. “This place is… a lot.”

“A lot of things can happen in a place like this,” I agree, my voice dropping to a low purr. I let my gaze trail down her neck again, to where the pulse still thumps a frantic rhythm. “Especially to someone as noticeable as you. What kind of protection are you looking for, Isolde? Against what?”

She hesitates, chewing on her lower lip again. Fucking hell, that simple gesture makes my cock hard. “General stuff. You know...”

Her lie is so transparent, I almost laugh, but there’s a real fear in her eyes that stops me. Something’s spooked her. Something has actually made my girl afraid. I feel my dragon side stir beneath my skin, a possessive fury that demands I find whatever it is and tear it apart. But I remain outwardly calm, leaning one hand against the bookshelf beside her head, caging her in.

“General stuff,” I repeat, my voice a low rumble that makes her shiver deliciously. “I think something specific has you running to the library before classes even start.”

She swallows hard, her fingers nervously clutching my jacket tighter. “It’s nothing. Really.”

“Isolde.” I lower my head until our faces are inches apart, my voice dropping to a whisper that only she can hear. “I can smell your fear. Don’t lie to me.”

Her eyes widen slightly, and for a moment, I think she might actually tell me the truth. Then something shutters in her expression.

“There was this creep in the dining hall, okay,” she snaps, suddenly getting angry with me for prying. It surprises me but also makes my dick harder. She has fire. I like it.

“Creep? Does he have a name?”

“Who cares?” she grits out.

“Okay, fair enough. You want to narrow it down a bit? There are a lot of creeps here.”

She looks like she wants to ask me if I’m one of them, and I wait for it, but she decides against it and sighs. “Some vampire creep. I don’t know. What can I tell you? He looks like a creep.”

“A vampire creep,” I repeat, my jaw clenching as I imagine some lesser creature coming onto her. The thought makes my blood simmer. “Did he threaten you?”

“Not exactly.” She shifts uncomfortably, still clutching my jacket. “He stared at me, tried to talk to me. Called me ‘little morsel.’”

I barely suppress a growl. “Description. Now.”

Her eyebrows lift at my tone, but she complies. “Black hair, blood-red eyes, tall. Looked like he wanted to eat me.”

I know exactly who she means. Andrew Rayne. An asshole vampire with an ego matched only by his appetite for fresh blood and virgin flesh. The thought of him anywhere near Isolde brings out the side of me that will probably get my ass handed to me by Blackridge. But I don’t give a flying fuck.

“I’ll take care of it,” I say, my voice deadly calm.

“I don’t need you to fight my battles,” she says, surprising me with her defiance. “I just want to lie low and not draw too much attention.”

“Too late for that,” I murmur, scanning her face, taking in every single detail. Her lips are deep red that would look good wrapped around my cock. Before I can stop myself, I reach out and grip her chin, tilting her head back so she can look at me. “He won’t come near you again, I promise you that.”

“Why?” she whispers, her gaze dropping to my mouth.

“Why what? ”

“Why would you protect me? You don’t even know me.”

I lean in closer, my thumb brushing over her lower lip. “Let’s just say I have a vested interest in keeping you safe.” My voice drops to a whisper, rough with desire. “And I don’t share what’s mine.”

Her breath catches, eyes widening at my blatant claim. “I’m not yours,” she protests, but it’s weak, uncertain, like she’s testing the words rather than believing them.

“You smell like me, Issy,” I murmur, leaning in to sniff her neck. My fangs descend, and I scrape them gently over her pulse. She stiffens and lets out a low mewl that tells me she’s thought about this.

More than once.

I can feel her pulse beating wildly under my fangs. The scent of her desire crashes over me, making my grip on her chin tighten.

“I—” she starts, her voice trembling.

“Shhh,” I whisper against her skin.

Her hands come up to my chest, not quite pushing me away, but not pulling me closer either. She’s caught in that delicious space between fear and desire, and I want to keep her there just a little longer.

“CJ,” she breathes, and my name on her lips is nearly my undoing.

I smile against her skin, snapping my fangs back when I sense her brother approaching. I straighten, putting a respectable distance between us.

“Isolde. There you are.” Isaac’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife. His eyes narrow as they move from his sister to me and back again. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

I step back, allowing my face to settle into the casual mask of indifference that I learned from my dad. That man could be made from stone.

“Looks like you found me,” Issy breathes, her cheeks on fire.

Isaac narrows his eyes and glares at me. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to get my jacket back,” I state. “But it turns out Isolde didn’t bring one with her in her rush to get here, so I told her she could keep it.”

Isaac turns his stare onto his sister. I observe their silent interaction with interest. They are remarkably alike, even for brother and sister. Whatever genes run in their family run deep.

“Let’s go,” Isaac says, his voice clipped. “I’ll show you around before classes start.”

“I’m actually looking for a book,” Isolde says, her voice stronger than I expected after our little encounter.

“What book?” Isaac asks suspiciously.

“Just something on defensive magic,” Isolde mumbles, not meeting his eyes .

Isaac’s head snaps up, instantly alert. “Why? What happened?”

“Rayne creeped her out,” I point out helpfully.

Isaac hisses at me, and I raise an eyebrow at him. He has impressive offensive magic, but if he wants to throw down, I’m more than game.

“He’s a problem,” Isaac admits grudgingly, “but that doesn’t explain why you need a defensive magic spell specifically. You have defensive powers.”

I watch Isolde’s face carefully. She’s hiding something bigger than a creepy vampire’s unwanted attention.

“I know, but I don’t have real-world training,” she insists, which is the most accurate thing she’s said about this matter. “I just want to be prepared as the newbie, not to mention…” She glares at me and then at Isaac before she lifts her chin. “… being in Lower Class.”

Isaac presses his lips together as if trying not to laugh at her.

What the hell is that about?

“Okay,” he says. “I get it. But don’t worry about Rayne, I’ll handle him.”

“I don’t need?—”

“I’ll handle him. No one hits on my sister and creeps her out and gets away with it.” He shoots me a vicious scowl, and I try not to take offence. I hope to fuck, Isolde wasn’t creeped out .

“Okay, fine,” she grits out and then breathes in deeply. I know she catches my scent, and it makes her pupils dilate. “Go be a hero, but please don’t make everyone scared to talk to me. I don’t want you putting off potential friends.”

“Yeah, well, it goes how it goes,” Isaac grits out. “Sure you don’t want me to show you around?”

“It wouldn’t help. We are in different classes,” she says, giving him that same irritated glare.

“You know I’m here if you need anything,” he says.

“I know, and thank you. But I’m fine. I need to adjust. This is new, and I’m not even sure what I’m doing here.”

“Yeah,” Issac says darkly, then looks at me. “We’ll leave you to it.”

I blink. Is he expecting me to leave her alone as well? Mind you, it would be a good idea to get to Rayne before he gets any ideas. Make no mistake, it will be a public beating so that everyone else knows to keep their hands off.

Maybe today will be fun after all.