His head shook.No, but we are probably too far from Lincoln, and you told me Andrei has his wall in place around his mind already. There’s no way to test it right now.
“Wait, what the fuck is happening right now?” Lo questioned, coming around to my side and staring a hole into my cheek. “Just because you have your bond in place doesn’t mean you can leave me out of conversations!”
Drake reached for his cup and took a sip as I turned my head to face hers. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Sorry, Lo. It isn’t on purpose; it just feels natural.”
She sniffed dramatically. “Mhm. It’s fine. So what were you talking about?”
I let out a laugh at her dramatics and dropped her hand to walk back to the counter and grab my cup. “Supposedly we have a unique bond that’s only been recorded once in the history of vampires, but we don’t have a way to test it until we’re back at the academy.”
She shrieked, “Say what now! Why aren’t you back there yet?” Her fingers shooed us. “Go on, get!”
Drake let out an exasperated sigh as he shook his head at Lo’s antics. “We should get going,Comoara.Drink your blood first, and then we’ll head back.”
After drinking down half the cup of coffee, I put it down and switched over to my blood bags.
Lo reached into her back pocket before sliding a sleek black phone onto the counter in front of me. “Drake asked me to pick you one up. It already has his number and mine programmed in.”
I hummed in delight around the straw in my mouth as I grabbed the phone and slid it into the side pocket of the leggings.
“Thanks for doing that, Lo,” Drake said, washing his cup in the sink before placing it back in front of the coffee maker. “Don’t forget we have to have that chat about your schedule changing slightly when I get back.”
She saluted him as she mumbled over her coffee, “Yes, Dracula, my liege.”
The blood in my throat choked me as I somehow tried to laugh and swallow at the same time.
Gathering my empty bags, I cleared my throat as he cheekily asked, “Why do I keep you around, again?”
With a wink, she quipped back, “Because your ass would feel empty without my foot up it 24/7?”
Tossing my trash away, I soaked in the warmth and love that was always present with them when we were alone in the castle. I’d never had a sibling—the closest being Skye and Jade—and I found myself slowly coming to regard Lo as a sister of sorts, considering her relationship with Drake.
“For some reason, I just don’t think that’s the answer,” he joked before offering me his hand. “Shall we take you back now,Comoara?”
Was I ready to face everything waiting for me back there?I had to be.
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand in his. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter7
ALINA
Like a dog shaking off water, I shook my body as if I could get off the weird, lingering sensation of traveling through the portal. “Ugh,” I said, upper lip curling in slight disgust. “There’s just something about using that thing that never quite feels natural.”
Voices surrounded me then as I focused on the pavilion. There was a variety of students from each of the sectors standing around. Some in circles with only their own species, but much to my delight, there were a few mixed groups as well.
What were they all doing here?
My enhanced hearing picked up on a few conversations. Focusing in on a fae nearby I listened.
“Yeah, my mom freaked and didn’t even give me the choice of staying. I don’t know if she’s even going to let me come back next year.”
The tall man who had an arm draped around her shoulders squeezed her gently. His scent wafted through the light breeze, and I picked up on his shifter blood.
“We’ll figure it out, babe. For now, this is what’s safest for you, and that’s all I want.”
My heart lurched at the sight of their relationship. They were two people from sectors in Praeditus that would probably never have crossed paths without DIA bringing them together. For some reason, it sparked hope in my chest that maybe one day I could bring the slayers and vampires together in a semblance of peace.
Another conversation further away jerked my attention toward them.
