Page 37 of Revenant

I just sealed myself into a secret passage, nearly naked…with a vampire.

We finally reach the other end, conveniently in the same bathroom I was—for all intents and purposes—kidnapped. I search high and low for my clothes, but ultimately give up, accepting the fact I’m about to face the entire student body in nothing but a button down. The entire student body might be more on the dramatic side, but enough to warrant humiliation for the rest of my time here.

“Could this day get any worse?” I mumble under my breath, then freeze, eyes sliding to Elias. Do vampires hear everything? Is that a thing, or did Hollywood make it up? “Did you…did you hear that?”

He takes a pregnant pause, as though he’s unsure how to answer. “Would it make you feel better if I said no?”

“Maybe yesterday, but today…” An exhausted sigh escapes me. “I just want the truth.”

“Then yes, I heard it. And to answer your question, it could get worse. A group of girls are heading for the bathroom.”

There’s an awkward lull, neither of us knowing where to go from here. “There is another way out of here, but all things considered, I’m not sure if you’ll be interested.”

“Honestly, I was considering digging myself a passageway if it means keeping myself from the embarrassment of walking the halls.”

“Unfortunately, you’ll still have to go out there, but don’t worry, they shouldn’t see a thing.” I know there should be some rationality behind my decision, maybe I should think twice before I answer. But what do I have to lose?

“Sure. What do you have in mind?” Wordlessly, Elias heads toward the door, and I follow close behind. He’s…different from what I was expecting. Until now, he’s barely said a word to me. And maybe if today hadn’t unraveled the way it did, if I was still naïve and in the dark, I would feel bad. But I don’t. Not anymore. The incident at the bonfire was an honest mistake, and part of me thinks his helping me is a way of saying he forgives my brief outburst.

Or maybe I’m delusional.

He pops his head out, checking to make sure the coast is clear, I assume. He turns back toward me, outstretching his arms as if he’s expecting me to read his mind.

I quirk a brow. “Words, Elias. They’re useful when trying to communicate what you’re wanting.”

He rolls his eyes, clearly not amused. “If you want to get back to your room unscathed, I suggest you let me carry you like the princess you act like.”

“After everything I just witnessed, sue me for being a little apprehensive to literally jump into the arms of a monster.”

“Don’t you trust me?” he asks, head canting to one side in challenge.

“Not even a little.”

“Smart girl.” He smirks, but continues when I still don’t move an inch. “Relax, kitten, you can retract the claws. I promise to take you straight to your room.” His promise doesn’t mean shit, but some part of me is screaming that if he wanted to kill me, I would already be dead. I relent, reluctantly allowing him to scoop me up in his arms.

Instinctively, my arms wrap around his neck, and suddenly, I feel more exposed than before. He’s close—too close—sucking all the oxygen out of the room. I’m hyperaware of all the places he’s touching me. How one of his hands rests around my side, and the other’s fingertips brush alongside the curve of my ass.

It’s as though he can feel it too—the shift in atmosphere. His eyes, one amber and the other half coated in onyx—stare into my blue ones as if he’s analyzing my soul. It feels like an invasion of privacy, but I can’t seem to pull myself away.

Though his eyes hold the same color as Eryx’s, Elias’s are kinder—softer around the edges. Something you wouldn’t notice until you’re this close.

I clear my throat, averting my gaze before I do something stupid, and cross my ankles squeezing my knees together like my life depends on it—an overwhelming wave of vulnerability surging through me. He smiles like he knows what I’m thinking, then all at once, I feel like I’m floating.

The hallway is a blur of faces and stones, the wind undoubtedly painting my cheeks red. My grip on Elias tightens, a smile breaking free from my control. I have to shove my face into the crook of his neck to keep the squeal suppressed—it only causes him to hold me tighter.

All too quickly it’s over and we arrive at room 259. “Shit, I don’t have my keys.” I wish I would’ve realized this before leaving the bathroom. “You can put me down,” I tell him, looking up only to find him already staring at me.

“I know.” And he leaves it at that.

Not wanting to cause a scene, I don’t make a fuss and let him cradle me a moment longer, all while praying that Reyna is home. Knocking on the door, my nerves begin to fluster, another knock and I’m beginning to think this was exactly what Elias meant that the day could, in fact, get worse.

“Were your keys in the bathroom?”

“They were with all my stuff that got stolen,” I admit, my anxiety growing by each tick of the clock, my fingers chipping at the skin around my nails on their own accord.

“I have a sinking suspicion I know exactly where your stuff ended up.” Before I can question him, the door swings open. Reyna’s slits morph into blown pupils the second they land on Elias. Without waiting for an invitation, he pushes past her and I’m grateful. Grateful to be in the confines of what I call home and to be out of sight from anyone else who could have walked by.

Only once the door is closed does he put me down, gently as if he’s afraid I might shatter the moment I have to stand on my own. “I never thought I would be so happy to see you,” I tell Reyna, who still has her hand on the doorknob as if she’s ready to bolt.