Page 30 of Wicked Dove (Institute Thirteen #1)

TWENTY-THREE

ELODIE

Despite my desire to run after Rion, I turn on my heels, feeling the eyes of every other student on me as I go. Ocean offers me a tight smile, a slight vote of confidence, and I try to soak it in as I cut across the grass.

The professor, whose name I’m still not aware of, doesn’t let up as she approaches the stadium, swinging the nearest door open with so much force it ricochets off the wall and I’m certain I feel the ground shudder beneath my feet.

By the time I get to the door, it’s firmly closed again.

I consider unleashing my emotions on it too, but decide to take the higher ground, opening it with a little more grace as I step inside.

It smells like the locker rooms back home as I cautiously make my way down the white-washed hallway.

My connection makes sense when the first two doors I pass are both labeled as men’s and women’s locker rooms. It’s the door at the very end of the hall that has a name engraved on a gold plaque, and I assume that’s where I’m supposed to be heading.

Professor Laurie Drayker.

The door is slightly ajar, and as I draw closer, I spy the woman in question pacing on the other side. I lift my hand, considering whether to knock or not, but before I can come to a decision, her gaze snaps to mine through the gap.

“Get in here,” she snarls, her features scrunched in distaste as she glares at me. Pushing the door, I step into her office, scanning from left to right to familiarize myself with the space in case she comes at me.

A white desk sits in front of the large, arched window on the other side, looking out over what appears to be a small courtyard. Storage lines the wall to my left, while another door is fixed against the wall to my right, and a tan leather sofa sits against the wall beside me.

“What the fuck was that?” she snarls, slamming her fists against her desk as she glares daggers at me.

I run my tongue over my bottom lip as my hands clench at my sides. It takes everything in me to remain calm, refusing to give her the rise she’s looking for. “I’m sorry?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she says with a scoff, anger narrowing her eyes.

“Don’t ask vague questions then,” I retort with a shrug, and she bangs her fists into her desk again, but it doesn’t seem to do anything to calm her.

“What the hell were you doing out there? Was it on purpose? Was it part of your plan to set him off like that?” she hisses, leaning closer with every question she bites out, and I gape at her with wide eyes.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” I snap back, and she stands up tall, arms wide at either side as she shakes her head at me.

“Rion has worked exceptionally hard to restrain his savage side. I don’t expect to see that blow up in smoke over some girl who just arrived.”

“I didn’t ask him to do that,” I mutter, pointing over my shoulder. I didn’t even realize it was Rion until Kael said so. This woman is insane.

“But you asked him to track down your father. I can only imagine what else you’ve had him do for you.” Her lip curls in a sneer as she wags a finger in my direction.

I rear back, surprised by her words. “What?”

Her head dips, her chin pressing against her chest for a moment as she sighs. “I know he wants the location of your father. What did you say to him? I’ll be damned if you get under his skin.”

Definitely insane.

“Are you his mother?” I blurt, unsure where the question actually came from, but here we are.

“Excuse me?”

“Okay, older sister?” I correct with a shrug, and she’s around the desk by the time I blink.

“Who I am to him is none of your concern. Just as you will remain no concern to him. And if you think I’m going to aid him in finding Mr. Warren fucking Blackwood, you—”

“It was me.” The cold tone comes from behind me and I gulp, not daring to look away from Professor Drayker, but I know that voice. A moment later, the tall, fair-haired vampire is at my side.

“Mr. Forrester, this is a private meeting,” Drayker grunts, and Kael shrugs, completely unfazed by how deranged she’s acting right now.

“I understand, but as her guardian, I’m sure you can understand my concern for my asset. It’s just as you are with Rion, am I right?” He tilts his head at her, cocking a brow for good measure, and when I peer back at her, I find her nodding slightly in agreement.

“Of course,” she breathes, and my eyebrows gather in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

She’s his guardian, but not his parent? That makes about as much sense as Kael being my guardian, but it’s clear there’s a lot here I don’t know about, and I get the feeling I’m better off staying in the dark.

“I’m glad you understand. That’s why I feel it’s paramount that I’m present.

Besides, it was I who asked Rion to look into her father.

She had no idea. If anything, she would have been against it if she had known.

We went behind her back.” His hand lands on my shoulder, grounding me, while also silently offering me his support.

Or, maybe he’s just worried I’ll use my magic.

I saw what he did yesterday when that guy wouldn’t leave me alone; about as much as what Rion did today. They’re all insane, but it seems there’s no avoiding it.

Drayker sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose as she steps back. When she drops her hand from her face, her gaze lands on mine instantly. “Stay away from him,” she warns, her finger pointed in my direction again.

I hate being told what to do. The moment she tells me to stay away from him, I want to sprint straight into his arms, even though I’ve been telling myself to keep my distance. It’s always a good idea when it comes from me, but when it comes from someone else, however, I’m furious.

As if sensing the frustration boiling inside of me, Kael squeezes my shoulder tighter as he steers me toward the door. I almost trip over my own feet as I stumble through the doorway. The second Kael manages to get us out into the hallway, Professor Drayker slams her office door shut behind us.

“Where will he have gone?” I ask as Kael’s hand drops from my shoulder, the thump of the door still echoing around us, but just as quickly as the door closed, it flies back open, and I pause to glance back.

“That’s for me to deal with, not you,” she roars, her knuckles white as she grips the door frame, and I blink at her.

“He’s my friend. I’m not going to ignore him and disregard his safety,” I insist, feeling Kael step up behind me, his front pressing against my back as I stare off with the professor again.

“I’ll make sure you don’t have a choice,” she promises before slamming the door shut for the second time.

It’s like dealing with a petulant teenager, and I’m the actual nineteen year old here.

Irritated, I dart for the exit in silence with Kael at my side. He holds the door open for me and I mutter my thanks as I step back outside into the mid-morning sun. All of the students are gone, the field completely empty now, and worry churns in my gut.

I glance at Kael, trying to get a read on him, but it’s impossible. He does scrub at the back of his neck, and his shoulders are slightly deflated, but I have no idea what either of those things mean when it comes to him.

Clearing my throat, I fold my arms over my chest. “Every time I think I’ve met the most insane person here, someone else shows up to prove me wrong,” I grumble, and he snickers, eyeing the door we just stepped through.

The sound is foreign from his lips, like it’s light and airy, without the usual weight his haunting chuckles usually carry.

“She’s something,” he mutters, and I twist my lips as I turn to face him head-on.

“Is she in love with him?”

He doesn’t seem surprised by my question, but he does try to shake me off. “He’s a lovable guy.”

“I’m worried about him,” I mutter, knowing the words are true, even if I can’t quite decipher where the concern is coming from.

He looks away from me. “We’re in Thirteen for a reason. We can handle ourselves.”

My eyes narrow, but he still doesn’t turn to look at me. “That’s bullshit.”

“We’re the bad guys,” he hums, stuffing his hands in his pockets as I sigh in frustration.

“He’s not a bad guy, he just does… questionable things.” That’s the best explanation for it. He stuck true to his word yesterday. A bad guy wouldn’t do that. I know a bad guy when I see one, and he isn’t one.

“You talk about how insane we all are, but you’re madder than mad,” he states, tilting his gaze in my direction, and I shrug.

“That’s almost a compliment coming from you.”

He offers me a half smile. “Were you this worried for me yesterday after I defended your honor?” he asks, and I blink at him.

“That had nothing to do with my honor and everything to do with your ego.” His jaw falls slack in surprise, an achievement I bask in accomplishing.

“Don’t look at me like that. You spent all morning lurking over me, wrangling the little control you think you have.

You weren’t bothered about that guy touching me because it’s me, you were jealous because he was touching something you think belongs to you.

But newsflash, Kael, I don’t belong to you. I don’t belong to anyone.”

My chest tightens, my emotions getting the better of me, and I hate how he has the ability to get under my skin at every turn, no matter how hard I try to fight against it.

I’m suffocating again.

Shouldering past him, I drop my hands to my sides, desperate to put some much needed distance between us.

Every step I take is faster than the last until I’m on the pathway that leads toward the rest of The Vale, almost sprinting, but just as I think I’m home free, fingers curl around my wrist, halting me.

I whirl around, knowing who I’m going to face off with, but as my gaze latches onto Kael’s, I don’t anticipate the storm in his green eyes. Our chests are pressed together and my breath hitches as he leans forward, so close that the tip of his nose almost brushes against mine.

“Is that what you really think?” He searches my gaze with an intensity I’ve never seen before, seeking the truth.

“What else am I supposed to think? Ever since you agreed to be my guardian, you’ve waved it around at every opportunity. Yesterday was no different. If anything, it was the worst of it.”

“Yesterday, I watched that fucker hold you back. Do I do that? Yeah, but not with the same intention as he did. I didn’t hit him because of that, I’m not a hypocrite, for the most part.

I did it because…” He gulps, his throat bobbing with something I can’t quite place as his eyes stare deeper into mine.

“I was fucking furious. I’ve never been jealous, not of anything, not ever.

Maybe that’s what it was, but I didn’t get a choice. ”

My heart thunders in my chest as his words wash over me. What am I even supposed to say to that? Before I get a chance, someone clears their throat.

“Kael Forrester.”

I cut my gaze to the sound, surprised to find Professor Morton. She’s in a similar outfit to the first time I saw her, a long, navy skirt with a cream blouse tucked into it.

If she’s surprised by our close proximity, she doesn’t acknowledge it. She doesn’t even acknowledge my existence as she stares intently at Kael.

“Yes?” he bites, and she sighs, rocking back on her heels as she nods at him.

“The Sanctum will see you now.”