Now it’s Raelan’s turn to give me a small smile. “Surprising, isn’t it? The new recruits are always impressed by the discipline that comes with the sword.”
Right, I’d almost forgotten Raelan knows all about that. When he’s here at the academy, he doesn’t wear his armor, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t King Jorvick’s most trusted knight.If he weren’t, the king never would’ve sent him here with Alina in the first place.
“Maybe you two should duel,” Lyra says, her crimson gaze flicking to Raelan. “Dragon versus vampire. I’d definitely get popcorn for that one.”
Raelan flicks the stem at her face, and it gets caught in one of her curls, making the rest of us laugh.
“Who do you think would win?” Poppy asks.
“Raelan,” Alina says at the same moment that I say, “Severin.”
We meet each other’s eyes and smile.
“This definitely needs to happen,” Lyra says as she plucks the dandelion stem from her hair. She holds it up, then pops it into her mouth.
“Ew! Lyra!” Alina snaps, her nose wrinkling.
“What?” Lyra chews the stem a few times, then swallows it. “It’s a dandelion. They’re edible. And Cairn makes the best—”
“Dandelion lattes,” Raelan says with a heavy sigh. He tips his head to the sky and closes his eyes. “Weknow.”
“You’re just jealous he hasn’t made you one.” Lyra topples back onto the blanket, her red hair falling around her head in a halo.
“He hasn’t made one for any of us,” Poppy says. “He never comes around.”
Lyra rolls over onto one side, propping her head in her hand. “I know. He’s always busy.” Her crimson eyes flick up toward the soaring towers of the castle. “And I think he’s uncomfortable being here, since he used to work here and we’re together now. It’s why he doesn’t visit me on campus.”
Over Lyra’s shoulder, in the distance, a simple carriage rolls under the barbican and into the castle courtyard. Studentsmove out of the way as it crunches over the gravel, coming to a stop in front of the academy’s entrance.
No one pays it much attention; people come and go from the academy all the time. But I’m watching as the door opens and a man clad in black steps out.
As soon as I see him, my chest squeezes, my heart giving a heavy thump. For a disorienting second, it doesn’t feel like just my heartbeat—more like I’m sharing it with someone. It makes my chest feel full.
And at that exact moment, he looks up and meets my gaze across the sprawling courtyard, like he can feel that I’m looking at him, or like his heart felt mine pounding from across the distance between us.
From here, I can’t see the color of his eyes, but I know they’re red. And I know they’re red because ofme, because my blood is running through his system.
The idea that I’m sustaining him right now, giving him what he needs to survive, makes my stomach warm.
I definitely want him to feed from me again. As soon as I can get him alone.
Severin pulls his travel bag from the carriage and closes the door, then exchanges a few words with the driver before the carriage sets off, likely heading back toward Wysteria.
He climbs the steps to the castle’s entrance, his long jacket—the one that was speckled with rain when he arrived at the inn last night—flapping with the movement. And just for a moment, for a brief second as he reaches out to push one of the doors open, his gaze flicks to mine again.
Heat blossoms in my chest, reminding me of how his venom felt running through my body last night, the way it heated me from the inside out.
I give him a small smile, barely a quirk of my lips, but I know he can see it from there—vampire eyes and all. And as Severin steps into the castle and vanishes from my sight, I’m already wondering how I can steal him away and when I’ll be able to feel his fangs in my throat again.
Hopefully soon. Very soon.
Chapter 37
Severin
I WAKE MONDAY MORNING FROM a deeper sleep than I’m accustomed to. Usually, my sleep is short and fitful, punctuated by dreams of thirst and of void. But last night, I dreamt only of her. And as my eyes open and immediately adjust to the gray of early dawn, she’s already on my mind.
My apartment is still and cold. The fire went out in the night, and the air has enough of a bite that I hesitate to get out of bed right away.
