alongside sleeping students. This is what I saw as I peeked inside, but I wasn’t ready for the sight of my roommate in a corner chair with a wistful smile on her face. She glowed.
I was floored. There was no Roane. There was no professor. There were no school books and yet, Emily glowed. Her straight blonde hair fell freely over her shoulders and she even had a tint of lip gloss on.
Had we all gone to hell and I missed the bus?
Then I felt the cold flare inside again. I felt him behind me before I looked, but when I did I found myself staring into the blackest coal eyes that I’d ever seen. Craig had looked at me with those same eyes the night he died. I shivered at the memory.
Luke Roane saw the tremor. His eyes raked me up and down and it was like we were caught in a heated debate, but there were no words. It wasn’t my first vampire face-off, but this was different than the others.
I should’ve been able to easily block this vamp, but I felt the curtain slowly lift and I couldn’t do anything about it. I always felt their cold, but usually it was just a tickle. This time I felt the full blast of his darkness. It worked its way up my feet to my legs, past my knees, and over my waist. I fought it off, but it kept coming. The evil started to wrap itself around me. I felt its tentacles grasp my arms and start to squeeze me tight.
All the while, he watched me with no emotion.
Not me. I couldn’t hide my struggle. My teeth started chattering. When I felt the first poke in my chest, I shoved past him and hurried to my room. After I burst through the door to my room, the spell lessened immediately, but I was panting to catch my breath.
I heard my phone start to ring and knew it was Blue. She’d be the first to feel my panic. At that moment, I hated the lack of privacy with empaths.
I ignored the phone and slid down the door to breathe in and out.
I’d felt evil before. I’d felt it from Craig many times, but not to this extent. I’d never felt like it wanted to squeeze the life out of me, have it wrapped around my heart. It felt like it wanted my soul.
I shuddered again. I needed warmth. I needed a distraction. Hell, I could use this to my advantage.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Adam’s number since I’d programmed it in the first day when we’d gotten the Hotline Volunteer Directory.
Adam picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”
I purposely didn’t fight the slight tremor in my voice. “Adam?”
“Davina? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I mean—I think—”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Do you need to talk?”
“I…” I sighed to myself. I needed to be honest. It was Blue’s motto. I was about to use this boy, but I liked him. He was normal. He was human. My hands tightened around the phone. “Can you come over?”
His answer was swift. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Thanks, Adam.” I hung up and fell back against the door. And the strange thing, I really was thankful.
When I heard a knock at the door, I screamed and shot to my feet. I knew who was on the other side, although I couldn’t feel him. “Go away.” I flinched when I heard my voice. It was raw and vulnerable. I was raw and vulnerable.
He knocked again, but slower this time. I snorted. Really?! Did he think it would be more dramatic that way?
“Go away!” I yelled this time. I wasn’t scared of vamps. I was just scared of this vamp. The door seemed large and luminous. I watched as it seemed to grow before me. It was like it was just waiting for me to answer it.
I don’t know how long I stood there.
“Davina? It’s me.” I jumped when I heard another abrupt knock, but relaxed instantly. It was Adam. A whole host of relief, warm fuzzies, and other feelings rushed through me at the sound of his voice. Nice and normal.
Flinging open the door, I launched myself at him. He even smelled normal. If I knew I wouldn’t scare him away, I would’ve wrapped my legs around his waist. “I am so glad you’re here,” I jumbled out with my nose pressed into his masculine-smelling sweater.
Adam laughed, caught off guard, and held me up. “I’m glad that you’re glad.”
Right. Human. I needed to act human. I unglued myself and pulled back. “Sorry. I…uh…sorry. I’m just…” I felt stupid.
“Emotional,” Adam offered.
He was awesome.
“That’s okay. Mr. Moser said it’s good to let yourself feel. Let it flow naturally, Davina. Really. That’s the only way you can start healing.” Adam enfolded me tighter and tucked his chin in the crook of my neck. “Let it out, Davina. Let it out.”
His blue sweater felt warm against my skin. He smelled of pine trees and musk. I inhaled deeper and smelled a little vanilla in there too. This is what it would be like if we were boyfriend and girlfriend. I might need him. He’d come to hug me and the world would melt away.
“Ahem.”
We turned to see Emily glaring at us with her arms crossed and annoyed.
“What?” I was having a moment.
She rolled her eyes. “You have a visitor downstairs.”
“Who?”
Emily shrugged impatiently and pushed past us to her closet. She flung open the door and grabbed a brush. As she combed her hair and reached for some lipstick, she remarked, “Some girl who looks like a stripper.”
That could have been anyone according to Emily’s standards. “She didn’t give a name?”
“What am I–your receptionist?” Emily gave me a disgusted look, slammed her closet door shut, and stormed past me. Adam whistled underneath his breath.
I didn’t know why Emily was so pissed, and at that moment I didn’t care. She’d go back down, make crooning noises with the vampire, and be her oddly gushing self in a moment. I had three things on my mind: visitor, vampire, and Adam.
“I guess the news got out, huh?” Adam stuffed his hands into his front pockets, which made him look leaner and taller. The soft shadow from our poorly lit dorm room seemed to soften his features and his blue eyes looked adorable. My tongue might’ve just fallen out.
Then I heard what he said. “Wait. What news?”
“The girl that jumped – it’s all over the news.”
That didn’t bode well with me. “Uh…” I ran a hand through my hair and cringed. My hair must’ve looked like a bird’s nest.
“You look fine,” Adam reassured me.
“Thanks.” I still turned and found a mirror. Not bad. My normally frizzy hair actually looked shiny and healthy. Wonders never ceased.
“So I guess…your visitor, huh?”
“Want to walk down with me? Make sure it’s not someone creepy?”
Adam looked relieved and concerned at the same time. I chose to think he was concerned for my benefit. When we reached the stairway, I was surprised when I felt Adam grab my hand. He looked embarrassed. “Just in case it’s someone you don’t want around.”
“You’re going to play my protective boyfriend?” I teased.
His cheeks turned pink. Adorable. I squeezed his hand and said in all honesty,
“Thanks, Adam. It means a lot.”
When we moved through the bottom doorway, I stopped dead in my tracks. My focus zoomed in on the petite blonde who had wrapped herself around Emily’s vampire. One of her leather clad legs rubbed up and down against his calf and her cleavage was barely hidden underneath a tight black lace tank top poised perfectly for his viewing pleasure. Her crystal blue eyes snapped up and latched onto mine.