AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I reached the standing stones sooner than I’d anticipated, a grim half-moon encircling one edge of a grassy courtyard. Girls had swarmed the area on that first day, but now, desolate in the shadows, I saw that the stones were even more massive than I’d thought. The castle on the hill loomed just beyond, and I didn’t dare think what might be watching me from within its walls.
The yellow LED numbers on my standard-issue watch read 23:47. I was early. I needed to occupy myself until Yasuo came.
I bounced on the balls of my feet, pretending it was to keep away the cold, but really it distracted me from the fear that was twining its way up my spine, making me feel I might never be warm. I started to walk around, and before I realized, I found myself walking toward the stones. They called me. As though a superficial veil had been cast atop my conscious mind, urging, What harm could it be to get a closer look? It was a pull I felt deep in my belly.
And yet a tiny kernel of animal instinct nestled in the recesses of my brain was sounding an alarm, shrill and insistent. You are prey. You must run.
But I couldn’t run. I had to help Yas.
My eyes were only on the center stone. It was where Headmaster Fournier had stood on that first day. The stone on which Mimi had met her death.
It drew me, and I walked to it. Placing my hand down, I braced myself for the shock of cold, but it was warm.
“Little Acari, so far from home. ” Cool breath tickled over the skin of my cheek, a gentle breeze in the spring night. “Do you come looking for me?”
My skin shrank two sizes, my flesh rippling into goose bumps. I recognized the sultry voice, the accent. I knew whose face I’d see when I turned.
Oh, shit. I was so dead.
I swallowed hard, somehow managed to find my voice. “Master Alcántara. ”
The sight of him stole my breath. His thick, black hair gleamed. His mysterious, dark eyes glittered. He was beautiful, an apparition promising charm, enchantment, seduction. But more than that, he radiated power.
I’d expected anger, a confrontation, but some other emotion played on his face. He looked wicked, playful even, and it terrified me.
He tilted his head, contemplating me. “I felt your approach. The flame of a torch cutting through the endless black of night. ”
Pure terror swept me. I’d broken the rules in the biggest way ever. He was one of the main vampires, and he’d busted me. What horrible punishment would I suffer?
I waited for him to lash out at me, but he just stared, consuming me with his eyes. Why was he being so casual? Was he toying with me before he struck?
He traced a finger down my cheek. My skin felt hot under his touch. “Did you sense me, as I sensed you? Did you seek me, as I did you?”
Breathing in and out was a struggle under that penetrating gaze. I was panting, worried I might hyperventilate. My reply was deliberate, my words slow and measured. “You sought me? The stones . . . they pulled me closer. ”
His eyes lit. “You felt it, did you not?”
Did he not know for certain? I’d just assumed vampires knew everything. That if they summoned a human, they’d know without a doubt that human would come running. I gave him a wary nod. “Yes. I guess I felt . . . drawn. ”
He grew more intense, if that were possible. I focused on not flinching away from him. On not getting sucked into the depths of those exotic, coal black eyes. Carefully, he brushed a strand of hair from my brow. “Like seeks like, Annelise. ”
I concentrated on slowing my heartbeat, deepening my shallow breaths. I refused to faint. I might wake in some horrible dungeon. Panicked at the thought, I blurted, “Sounds like a personal ad. ”
His laugh reverberated off the stones. “Truly, you amuse me. ”
I smiled back cautiously. Why hadn’t he killed me yet?
He cocked a brow, his grin once again mischievous. “Like seeks like. Perhaps it could be a law of quantum mechanics. What say you? Are you here merely because the universe dictated the actions of yet another mindless bit of particulate matter?” He stepped closer. “Or were you, Annelise the woman, drawn to me?”
My mind worked frantically. What the hell was he talking about? Physics? Was he a predator toying with his meal? Or were these the words of a man? “Are you asking as my teacher?”
He laughed. “Poor, befuddled child. How must it be for you? Is it a pleasure, for the first time in your life, to feel a true challenge?”
I didn’t think it’d be a pleasure when he finally got around to slaughtering me. But playing along seemed to have the added benefit of keeping me alive, so I answered, “You keep me on my toes. I’ll grant you that, Master Alcántara. ”
“I knew you would enjoy the island. ” He cupped my cheek and I froze. His skin wasn’t clammy like I’d imagined it might be. Instead, the flesh of his hand was firm and cool.
I forced myself to remember he was a killer. A monster. Breaking our connection, I made myself blink.
