“Three—”
“Just… wait,” I manage to say, and I set one foot forward.
As if it were under someone else’s command again, my body robotically performs. Only this time, it’s me tugging my own strings, a small part of me deep beneath the shock and denial that’s determined to save my roommates from him.
I pull on my coat, and I stuff my room keys in the pocket in the hopes that I will need them again.
Walking toward the window feels like wading through water, and I exhale an unsteady breath.
“Open it,” he commands.
“W-why don’t I just go downstairs and use the front door?” I ask, desperately hoping I can make it to a phone to dial 911. “I can meet you by the—”
“No.You will come out through the window.”
I look down at the thin ledge he’s standing on. “Seriously?”
“Now.”
I tentatively reach for the latch, hoping it doesn’t yield. I wouldn’t besurprised if for security reasons the school keeps these locked—but to my dismay, the glass swings inward.
Cool air rushes inside, and I breathe sharply when I see how high we are off the ground. The ledge is only slightly bigger than it looked from the inside, about a foot and a half wide. I rest one foot on it, testing its sturdiness.
“If it holds me, it will hold you.” His voice makes me feel as if it’s coming from both within me and without. Like it’s silky enough to slide through my pores, yet substantial enough to wrap itself around me.
I swing my other leg onto the ledge and take an unsteady step forward.
I never see him move—I just blink, and he’s right here, too close to me, eyes trained on my neck.
Despite my horror, I’m still struck by his perfectly chiseled face. As if it had been sculpted by one of those Italian masters whose works fill the world’s most prominent museums.
“What do you want?” I ask, my heart punctuating every syllable.
His mouth widens, revealing those sharp fangs, and I gasp.
“You.”
CHAPTER 8william
This leap should be easy for William, yet he is running on too little blood, and his joints feel a hint of achiness.
It is a good thing that Legion hunters did not storm the basement tonight because he was grossly overestimating his strength.He needs more blood.
The girl’s legs wobble as he sets her on the grass. She blinks a few times, like she is new to the world. “Warning would’ve been nice,” she huffs, holding her arms open like she is trying to regain her balance.
She glowers at him, and as their gazes meet, he stops breathing.
He can still sense her monthly bleeding.
It was the call of her blood that awoke him, and now it rouses his hunger once again. Yet before he can give in to the temptation, he needs information.
“Come on.”
He starts walking in search of a more secluded space. Open land surrounds them, the lawn adorned with fountains and low hedges and benches.
“Where are we going?”
She sounds like she is falling behind.
