Page 70 of Roses & Ruin

“Jeez, if I’d known a little mouse was gonna make you freak…”

It’s not just the mouse. It’s the fact that Delia, who taught me how to blend eye shadows and painted my nails, is sort of an insanely badass superhero, and if it weren’t for her, I’d be dead.

I saw a raven’s twisted neck and a vampire almost killed me today.

It’s feeling less likely I’ll make it to nineteen.

“It’s j-just been a lot,” I say, teeth chattering. Delia’s eyes soften. Her teeth are nearly retracted now, I see.

“Sorry, Ro. Sorry, come here.” She helps me to my feet and half carries me toward Coupland Hall.

“You recognize him?” I whisper.

Delia shoots me an anxious look. “Yeah. You?”

I nod.

Julian.

Delia lets out a low whistle.

“Hayden’s gonna be pissed,” she mutters, yanking open the front door.

Chapter 25

Hayden bursts into our room, slamming the door open so hard it dents the wall.

“Goddammit, Hayden,” Delia growls, following him into the room. She closes the door and inspects the walls.

Delia met Hayden outside first so that he wasn’t around anything breakable when she informed him that not only had I been attacked by a vampire on campus, but that vampire was a newly turned Julian Hughes.

With an angry sound, Delia shoots a baleful glance at Hayden, her hand dropping from the crack in the wall. “You actually damaged the wall, dumbo.”

“Fuck the wall,” Hayden snarls, whirling on her, fangs extended. Delia’s eyes flood immediately to black.

“You put those away this second, Hayden William Caldwell,” she threatens, voice dangerously low. “In case you’ve forgotten, we’re on the same team, and none of us have the time for me to give you the ass-kicking you’re begging for.”

“She saved my life, Hayden,” I whisper, sitting up in my bed. Hayden’s eyes snap to me, and in a blur that blows a stack of papers off Delia’s desk, he’s on his knees on my mattress.

“Let me see.” He takes my chin delicately between his fingers, tilting my head side to side, his sharp eyes raking over every inch of my skin. Hayden looks murderous as he stares at the small bruise on my cheek.

“I don’t even feel it,” I huff. “I’m fine. My biggest casualty is my phone.” I show him the now completely shattered screen. Hayden’s face goes rigid and stony. I swallow nervously and tap the ruined glass. “Who wants to come with me to Verizon?” I say, a weak attempt at a joke. Over Hayden’s shoulder, I see Delia grimace.

Hayden’s bruise-colored eyes are molten as he leans slowly closer.

“How many days until your nineteenth birthday, Rose? Hm?” It’s terrifying, the deadly quiet of his voice. I drop my eyes in shame. I don’t need to say the answer out loud. Everyone in this room knows it.

Less than two weeks left.

Hayden clenches his jaw, and the points of his fangs dig into his bottom lip. “Exactly.”

With a final narrowing of his eyes, he leaves my side and flicks the chesterfield out of the way so he can lean heavily against the window and scan the front yard of Coupland Hall.

I tuck my knees to my chest, feeling achy and flu-like, and Delia shoots Hayden a dirty look before crossing the room and curling herself into my side.

“Let’s look at the facts here,” Delia says firmly, giving my knee a reassuring squeeze. “Julian is now a vampire. He attacked Rose. The questions are why and who made him.” Delia looks thoughtful. “Rose, he really liked you. And he was pretty shitty when you ended things.”

“Ended what?” I throw my hands into the air. “It was one friggin’ date.”