?“Why would you assume I’m a vampyr?”
?Oh the irony about that question. It makes the corner of my lip tick up. I’m pretty sure I said something along the lines before.
?I nod in acknowledgement. “I shouldn’t have assumed, but you had been sitting at the vampyr table at move-in day. Still, that’s not an excuse.”
?He hums and then looks towards the door. I take the hint and curl my fingers into my palm with only my thumb out to jut towards the door. “I need to talk to Darian Kyros.”
?Not a single feature twitches even though his friends shift and side-eye each other. From their auras I’m sensing mages, fae, and some sort of demon – though he’s young. . . or timid. His aura jittery and he looks like he’s trying to shrink himself. Those were not assumptions, either.
?Noticing my stares and probably my facial expression, russet eyes clears his throat to gain my attention back. “You faced the Kolasi as a first year vampire. Everyone is grateful, but we’re all a little spooked by you.”
?I relax my shoulders and take half a step back. I rub my palms that have started to sweat on my leggings as I glance back at the demon. “Sorry.”
?He chuckles nervously to himself and grips a hand to the back of his neck. “Eh. . . you saved us all. Without you we’d probably all be dead so. . .” He shrugs. “It’s just intimidating.”
?I look back at russet eyes who almost looks like he’s grown taller. “Well. . .” What do you even say to that. Thanks. . . ? Sorry. . . ? I clear my throat and point my thumb back to the door. “So. . . Darian? Can I just walk in or do I need like, an appointment?”
?Russet eyes shoves his hands into the pockets of his slacks. He’s in a collared white shirt with the sleeves rolled and a dark brown sweater vest. Very autumn academia vibes. It ties in with his dark chocolate colored hair though his skin is paler than I would imagine.
?Then he takes a step towards the double doors and they open automatically the closer he gets. As if they sense him and are welcoming him. His friends hesitate a second before the demon gestures inside.
?“After you.”
?I follow them in with the demon behind me and take a second to look at the architecture. It feels mostly the same as Stone house, though there are brighter hints of white and silver. More glass and crystal and clear diamond where Stone House has, well, stone.
?Russet eyes glances back and jerks his head. “Follow me.”
?His friends head to a different side of the house and the closer I get to the shifter the more forestry scents I get. But it’snot forestry like Callahan’s cedar scent is – his is more like the myths that are spoken about the Appalachian mountains. With skinwalkers and wendigos and smoke wolves.
?The deeper we get into the house the more I get a sense of something lurking. Chills pebbling my skin and a feeling like I should run even though I know I’m already snared. I side-eye the shifter and ponder about what kind of creature he can shift into.
?He side-eyes me right back and in his lowly rich voice echoes, “Try not to burn down his rooms if you can. It would be us who would have to clean up the mess afterward.”
?The dry humor has me surprised and that sense of foreboding disperses. I realize now that’s one of his born magics. Not necessarily empathic magic, but very curious.
?I rock my head to the side and pretend to think it over. “I’ll try my best.”
?He chuckles coldly before stopping at the end of the hall to double doors. “Good luck. . . vampyr.”
?Then without another word he turns and leaves. I wouldn’t be surprised if word had already gotten around about me not being a vampire, but he had already said vampire before. Even Jullia didn’t know until this morning when she stood in front of me with her arms crossed and a firm expression. In a very scolding, motherly voice she demanded I tell her what I am.
?Asher had been trying not to laugh behind her on her bed and I gave him a ‘what the fuck’ look. After it all she turned to Asher and laid it on him because he had known – or at least he knew I wasn’t a vampire. It wasn’t just him tasting my blood and tasting the blue belladon within, he could taste my true blood.
?In the end he said it wasn’t his secret to tell – to anyone – and then when Jullia wasn’t looking gave me a look. I get the feeling he had wanted me to reciprocate considering he also had a secret I knew about because I had tasted his blood.
?Well. . . that’s something I can worry about tomorrow when I go to classes. For now, I lift my loose fist and knock on the light-colored wood. It looks like birch, but since this isn’t Earth it could literally be anything.
?I can’t hear anything behind the door except for a click of a lock before one of the doors swings silently open.
?I regret this for a moment. I’d have to trust him – which I absolutely do not – both with my body and my secret. I don’t need anymore people at this school to know.
?Icy blue eyes meet mine and for once I don’t brace when I initially look at him. I don’t brace because I can feel aura filling my eyes and slowly crawling across my shoulders. Despite the fact that I haven’t unlocked any keys or opened any doors, the aura I simply have should not be as contained as it is.
?He doesn’t move at the display. Frosty white hair with silver shot through mussed and almond eyes narrow. He’s currently shirtless with only a pair of gray sweatpants on. And there are scars littering his entire chest.
?Pale white, straight and jagged. Numerous scars.
?“What do you want?” he drawls, though not rudely.
