Page 8 of Just One Bite

Chapter Five

Olivia

The room spins as I sway on Parker’s shoulder. Being upside down doesn’t help, and I’m tired of having a man’s hand on my ass.

“You can put me down now.”

My head swirls when he does, but I’m stuck staring at the scars peppering his stomach.

The fair skin of his chest makes them stand out in long jagged lines that span to his arms, with smaller scratches up his forearms. His chocolate-brown hair is shaved short on the sides, and the top falls onto his forehead.

He notices me noticing him, and his worried expression turns into a grin showcasing his canines.

We’re at the main entrance of the castle, and the double doors are propped open to let in the draft of the night.

The trickling of the water fountains outside greets us.

Light from the candles lining the walls flickers with each gust, and the orientation is mostly contained on the Central Lawn, but there are a few groups of students lingering in the main entrance.

The stone walls tower above us, and a double staircase takes up the center of the room.

I’ve never seen a building so vast, and even though I toured the castle this summer, it still strikes me with awe.

“Here. It’s this way.” Parker stays next to me, ushering me with a hand on my back.

He escorts us to the left, through a windowed partition and down a hallway.

There’s no hesitation when he opens the door to a small lobby.

It has the same ambiance as the rest of the castle, but there’s a fireplace going as we all gather on a patterned rug.

The castle is filled with intricately placed tiles that shimmer like moonstone in the crevices.

The pamphlet said each was individually painted.

“Parker, what are you doing here? Don’t tell me you already got into a scuffle.” An older woman appears behind the desk.

“No. Olivia needs help.” He swallows after saying my name. “I gave her some Quik-Recover. Someone bit her in the maze.”

“Oh dear, come here.”

She smells of firewood and antiseptic, leading me toward an open hallway. “The rest of you need to get back to orientation.”

“Can’t we stay?” Eva asks. “We’re her sisters.”

“Your sister will be fine here. It’s best you don’t miss anything as a first-year.”

“I can stay,” Parker says. “Since I’ve technically been. Zant can escort Emma and Evangeline. As a grand member of the council, he’ll be a good guide.”

Zant is standing next to my sisters, towering over them with his hands in his pockets. His frame is slender but muscular. Parker and Zant are still shirtless and they both have scars across their chests and arms. Only Zant's are lighter and less pronounced.

There’s a look between them, but Zant says, “I’d be honored.”

“Yes, yes. That would be lovely. Thank you, Zant.” She obviously doesn’t detect the sarcasm in his voice.

“I’ll meet up with you after,” I tell my sisters, who’re being escorted away by Zant.

Orientation is crowded, so any worries I have of my sisters being attacked dissipates.

I may not trust Zant, but I don’t have much of a choice but to trust Parker who could have left me in the maze if he wanted.

As she steers me to a bed, I try again to pinpoint what his game might be.

Perhaps he’s decided he wants my blood all to himself, so he’s gaining my trust to drain me later.

Or maybe he’s going to use me in some deal for the council.

Though, in his defense, he didn’t seem too friendly with Darien.

I’m too exhausted to keep thinking, so I stop.

The infirmary is a wide room with tall windows lining the walls on either side. It almost looks like our greenhouse back home, but the stonework looks expensive. I’m taken to one of the beds in the back, and she instructs me to hold out my arm, then runs a handheld beeping scanner over my wrist.

“Quik-Recover is working beautifully. But let’s get you a transfusion so you can be on your way. You’ll be tired, but we don’t want you to miss anything.”

I’ve never been in a hospital before. The most I’ve ever encountered is a bad cold, but the medicine my parents brought home was quick to knock it out. Where I’m from, the medicine is mostly human invention, but there is clearly a more advanced way of doing things at Doxlothia.

Heeled steps click on the smooth, cream stone flooring, echoing around us. A tall woman with dusty-blue hair demands all the attention in the room. She, like the other staff, is dressed in a long, structured skirt and blazer top with the school logo.

“Hello, Mrs. Abrams.” Parker straightens in her presence. His blue eyes are bright when he turns to me. “This is the dean of Doxlothia Academy.”

“I know.” I smile at her. “I’d shake your hand, but I’m a little dizzy.”

“Oh, no need. I was just about to go out and start the address when I heard one of you girls was in the infirmary. Terrible. Stop by the front office and fill out a report. We’ll investigate. I assure you we don’t allow that type of behavior here.”

“Actually, I know—”

Parker shakes his head swiftly.

“Parker …”

“I would be happy to show her how to fill out that report.” He flashes her a toothy smile. The weight of his gaze is heavier, so I decide to let it go for now.

“Perfect. I’m so glad you’re showing her the grounds. I can’t think of anyone better.” She turns to me. “I’ve been anticipating your arrival all summer. Your father called me a number of times to talk about the accommodations. I was happy to hear you were attending …”

Her brow furrows like she wants to say more, then my brain connects the dots and fills in the likely category.

“Have you given any thought to joining The Donor Program?”

That’s the only real way the university can assure our safety.

Donor Program participants are federally protected by strict laws.

I know that. That’s what my mother did and how she was able to attend Doxlothia in peace.

I doubt anyone, including my father, anticipated one of us getting bitten on the first night here.

The dean is probably worried I’ll tell my father, but he’s looking for a reason to bring me home. There’s no way I’ll tell him this.

“I know you were selected for the company audition. I wish you luck on your dancing endeavors. You know we sure do miss your father here on staff.”

Her words are a knife in the gut. At least someone misses my father’s company.

He was a professor for Interspecies Communication.

I faintly remember the tapes my mother would show of his presentations.

She was his biggest fan. Without my father’s connections, we’d have never been able to pay for the tuition.

It was a shock to me when I learned what he’d done.

I wasn’t sure what shocked me more, the fact I’d been able to attend the school I’d been dreaming about all my life after spending years coming to terms with the knowledge my dad would never let us out of his sight, or the fact that he’d changed his mind.

I still don’t know why. Emma and Eva never press him on whys, and when I do, I’m the bad guy, so I didn’t and packed up my stuff early summer and laid low in case he changed his mind.

“I do hope he’s taking care of himself.”

“He’s fine.” I can’t hide the flatness in my voice.

She must sense it because she changes the subject. “I see you’ve already met our star Rage captain.”

“Rage?” I’m trying to recall which sport that is through hazy memories of knowledge on supernatural sports teams. I didn’t watch a lot of news or TV in Groveshire. Especially not any sports, and especially not anything humans can’t play.

“It’s where we pass around a puck on the ice and fight each other.” Parker smiles.

“Like hockey?”

“Yeah, but not. It’s rougher. The humans got it from us.”

“It’s a way for many packs to blow off all that energy and gently settle disputes. Here at Doxlothia, we founded Vviveren’s first combined species team with Weres and vampires. We take a lot of pride in our players,” Mrs. Abrams adds.

The memory of Parker’s scarred body comes to mind.

“Parker is this year’s Rage captain. The youngest we’ve ever had.”

“Wow.” I try to hide the sarcasm.

“I had a good captain last year,” he says.

The nurse is busy hooking me up to a blood bag, and there’s no pain to it. She mumbles to me about how far they’ve come in pain management.

Parker stays for the duration of my visit, and I’m thankful for his small talk with the nurse. It helps as the sickness slowly leaves my body until I’m able to function again.

It takes an hour, and I missed the welcome speech, but I don’t mind it.

“Why did you stop me earlier?” I ask, as Parker and I make it out onto the lawn. The night air is brimming with glowing bugs that disappear with the light from the orientation stage coming into view.

“Things work differently here. If you tell the dean that Darien attacked you, he’s going to make your life difficult.”

“More difficult than he’s already made it?”

“Darien is mostly harmless, but his family is on the board of directors, and that, you should be afraid of. He’s on the council. If you do anything to mess with their ability to go to school here, they will find a way to get you sent out of here first.”

“I’m not afraid.”

I’ve dealt with difficult people before. Ballet is full of all types of people. Some are rigid and domineering and will do anything to get to the top.

“It’s not about being afraid. There are just better ways to use your time here than picking fights.”

“You’re one to talk. Sounds like you end up in the infirmary a lot.”

“I do.” He straightens his shoulders and leans in. Then I’m back to thinking about the warmth his skin admits. “Listen, Olivia, Doxlothia is an amazing place. You like to dance?”

“I more than like dance. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Then trust me, you can’t get to the top by picking fights with the council.”

“So I’m just supposed to let them do what? Drain me any time they feel like?”

“No. I can help with that. I’ll talk to my pack and see if there’s anything we can do to get you protection for the semester at least.”

“Are werewolves like bodyguards or something?”

“No, it’s more about status. Werewolves hold the most prestigious alliances in our school, and a lot of them grow up with those alliances and take them into the government or their jobs. My pack leader is very respected here. Even the council will honor that respect.”

“Why do you care?” It’s harsh, but I need to know. If Doxlothia is a place where alliances are formed and the council rules, what’s Parker doing helping me?

“I know what it’s like to be alone and needing a little help getting the hang of things here.”

We’re standing too close as strangers. A few more inches and we’ll be right where we left off in the forest. I turn my head and look up at him.

“Fine. Thank you.” That’s the best I can manage to a stranger I can’t trust yet.

Parker’s smile is back and brimming over with bright enthusiasm. “Great. I guess, welcome to Doxlothia.”