My phone goes off on Monday evening as I am drinking my breakfast. I’m shocked when I see the name ‘Rowan’ pop up.
Rowan: Hi.
It’s crazy how giddy that one word makes me feel.
Me: Hey :)
I pace back and forth on the carpet in my room, staring at my phone. I feel a little pathetic waiting for a reply like this, but I am desperate for Rowan’s attention.
Rowan: What are you up to?
My heart races as I realize he wants to talk more.
Me: I’m getting ready for class. What about you?
As soon as I hit send, I see that he’s read my text. The bubble pops up, letting me know that he is responding. Perhaps he was staring at his phone, waiting for a response too. Part of me hopes so. I really want Rowan to like me.
Rowan: I’m getting ready for class too.
I start to reply, but I see he’s typing something else, so I wait.
Rowan: I told my friends about you… that we’re friends. They told me being friends with you is a bad idea.
I don’t know what to make of his text. On one hand, he talked to his friends about me, which is good. But he also told them I’m a ‘friend.’ That stings a little.
My heart sinks a bit though. What if he decides to listen to his friends? What if he stops talking to me?
Me: Do you think it’s a bad idea to be friends?
Rowan: I kind of don’t care if it’s a bad idea.
I smile as I read his response. I think that means that he likes me.
Rowan: Btw, your brothers are freaking scary. Are they always so intimidating?
Me: Sorry. That was my fault. I tried to talk them out of coming to your school, but once they set their mind to something….
Me: We are triplets. Brody and Kolton were born minutes before me. They take the whole ‘protective big brother’ thing to a whole new level.
I hope my brothers don’t end up scaring him away.
Rowan: I have to go. I have a ten pm class I have to get to, but it’s cool talking to you. I’m glad we’re friends.
Friends.
Yikes, that hurts. That hurts bad.
Me: Talk to you soon.
Uh…
I think I liked it better when Rowan wasn’t talking to me at all.
No, that’s not true. I like talking with Rowan, even if it is just as friends. He needs time to accept me as his mate, and I need to respect that.
I notice that it’s nearly ten o’clock, so I grab my backpack and rush out the door. I’ve already missed this class once, and I really don’t need to miss it again.
Still, if Rowan wanted to text me, I’d miss class all day to talk to him.
I’ve got it bad for a guy who has friend zoned me.
2:53 am
Sting of rejection.
I am relieved when I get to Asa’s class and he is sitting behind his desk. I’ve been so worried about him. He hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts this weekend, which isn’t like him.
Well… I suppose it used to be like him. Asa used to ignore me a lot. But now that I know he’s my mate, his behavior has changed.
I want to walk up to his desk and ask him how things went with my parents, but I know that now is not the time, not with my fellow classmates listening.
I’m not sure when I’m going to announce to the vampire community that I have four mates, but I do know that I need to wait for Rowan to accept our relationship before I do. I should also have a conversation with my parents beforehand.
I take my seat, getting out my tablet. Vampires are usually slow to pick up on technology, but Elite Academy has decided to leave it up to each teacher to decide if they want their students using digital or paper textbooks. I have a few teachers requiring the heavy books but most don’t. I’m extra grateful for the teachers who prefer digital.
As class starts, I notice that Asa doesn’t look my way once. He actually seems to be going out of his way to avoid glancing in my general direction. I try to tell myself that he doesn’t want to be distracted, but I can’t help the nagging feeling that says something is wrong.
Did my parents disapprove of us? I can’t imagine that is the case, but maybe they did. Maybe that’s why I haven’t heard from him all weekend. Maybe he’s scared to tell me.
The longer class goes on, and the more Asa doesn’t look my way, the more worried I get. I’ve already had one mate reject me. What if Asa has decided to reject me too? Am I that unlovable? But at least Rowan talks to me. What if Asa doesn’t even want to be my friend? What if…
No. I am just overreacting. Asa is probably just worried about other vampires finding out that I have four mates. That has to be it. I’m just being dramatic. That thought alone is what gets me through to the end of class.
When the lesson is over, I slowly gather my things, waiting for the other students to leave the room. I notice a couple of girls go up to his desk and try to flirt with him, but he completely dismisses them, which makes me feel good.
Once everybody is gone, I make my way up to Asa’s desk. I chew on the side of my lip, wondering which Asa I am going to get tonight. Will I get the one who pushes me away, or will I get the one who is unafraid to show his real emotions?
“Do you need something, Miss Ingram?” He doesn’t look up from his desk as he asks.
I adjust my bag farther up my shoulder and look around the room to confirm that we are alone. We are. So why is he acting so weird?
“Asa, what is wrong?” My voice breaks. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Like what?” He looks up, raising an eyebrow.
“Like a complete asshole.”
His jaw goes lax, probably because I cussed at him.
I don’t cuss. I am a good girl, and I am royal. I always act prim and proper. I do what I am told. But Asa has pissed me off.
“I am so sick of this,” I say, once I realize that he isn’t going to respond. “Either be with me or don’t. I can’t handle this whole going back and forth thing any longer, Asa.”
“Everleigh, I don’t have time for this right now.”
He doesn’t have time for this? He may as well have said that he doesn’t have time for me, because that is what he meant.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Ferreira, I won’t waste any more of your time.” I turn and storm out of his classroom. My emotions are torn between hurt and pissed off. I decide to just focus on being pissed off for now because I am tired of being hurt.
Why do my mates keep rejecting me?
4:37 am
Too slow.
I pace back and forth in my dorm, literally fuming. I am so mad that I feel like I could breathe fire, like a dragon. If. Only.
I’ve always thought that dragons were cool. They’re so majestic. And their females have multiple mates. And I bet their mates don’t reject them either.
Gah, Asa. I am going to hurt him for putting me through this.
There is a knock on my door, and I have no idea who it could be. Maybe it’s Jude coming over for another movie night. Or it could be Henry. He went home this weekend to tell his parents about me, so maybe he is back early. Or maybe… maybe Asa is here to apologize.
I rush toward the door, ready to give Asa a piece of my mind. If he thinks I will forgive him easily, he is mistaken. I am going to make him grovel and beg. I will make him get down on his knees and plead. Only then will I consider forgiving him.
I open the door, surprised that it’s not Asa on the other side, but it’s Rowan. He is pretty much the last person on the planet that I thought would show up at my door.
Technically, Rowan isn’t supposed to be here. Bitten vampires aren’t allowed on campus, just as born vampires aren’t allowed on campus at Mystic Academy. It doesn’t mean we don’t sneak around from time to time and break the rule, because we definitely do.
“Rowan.” My heart races in the best possible way. “Hi.”
“Hey.” His brows are furrowed, like he’s confused about something. “To
be honest, I don’t know why I’m here. I just know that it’s impossible to stay away from you.”
I open my door wider. “Do you want to come in? We can hang out for a while or something.”
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
Rowan steps inside and I close the door behind him. He takes a seat on the couch, and I can’t help but notice that he sits in the middle this time. I take a seat beside him, feeling a little bit nervous. Last time he was here, he told me he wanted to be just friends. I hope his opinion on the matter has changed. I don’t like this whole ‘just friends’ thing. It kind of sucks.
“I learned about mates during class today,” Rowan begins. “Honestly, I felt like the world was conspiring against me today. Everywhere I went, I was reminded of you in some way. I even saw a picture of you in this online article I had to read for class.”
I cringe. “I’m sorry. I know you want to forget I exist. It must be hard, since my uncle is king or whatever. They probably talk about my family a lot.”
Rowan shakes his head. “Your uncle is the king, or whatever? Everleigh, you’re fifteenth in line for the throne. It’s a big deal.”
I shrug one shoulder. “I can’t help what family I was born into.”
“You already know that I was bitten, not born.”
He looks at me for affirmation, so I nod my head.
“I’m not worthy to be your mate. I’m not even worthy to be your friend.” He looks at me, his eyes wide. “I’m not good enough for you, Everleigh. Not even close.”
“I don’t care if you were born or bitten. I only care if you’re a good person,” I object. “And I already know that you are good. Rowan, you have such a kind heart. If anybody is unworthy, it is me who is unworthy of you.”
He shakes his head, disbelief on his face. “Whoever made you feel…” He pauses, as if he’s searching for the right word. “…Unlovable, they deserve to die for making you feel that way.”
How does he know that I feel unlovable? I haven’t spoken a word about it to anybody. For him to feel that through our mate bond before we’ve completed it, before we’ve even touched, it’s incredible.
“Was it me?” His face turns white. “Am I making you feel that way?”
I start to lie, but I know he will feel the lie though our bond. I shrug, then nod. “A little, I suppose.”
Rowan leans closer to me. Our skin still hasn’t touched, but we are so close. “I am so sorry, Everleigh.” He sighs. “I know that I haven’t been the nicest to you, and for that, I beg you to forgive me. I understand if you won’t.”
My jaw goes lax. “Rowan, what are you even talking about? How have you been unkind to me? What do I have to forgive you for? You have done nothing wrong.”
“I made you feel unlovable. I was only thinking about myself, and that isn’t fair to you. But I didn’t care. So that is why I am sorry.”
I try not to entertain any hope that Rowan is going to change his mind about the whole ‘just friends’ thing, but I do. His words sound so promising, and I want this so bad. I want a real relationship with him.
“I don’t actually know how I was turned into a vampire,” Rowan admits.
I look up, not saying anything. I want to hear this story. I need to hear whatever he will tell me about himself.
“One night, I went to bed at my house, and when I woke up, I was in a coffin,” he continues. “A lot of students at Mystic Academy talk about how somebody dug them up, but nobody was there for me. I clawed my way out. It took me so long that the sun had risen by the time I got out.”
My mouth falls open at his confession. “So you don’t know who turned you?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“What did you do? After you dug yourself out?”
It is against the law to turn somebody and then abandon them. Vampires have done it before. But newly turned vampires always try to go back to their human families, which is a problem considering everybody believes them to be dead.
“I was exhausted, so I went home. My parents were gone to work, so I went to get a shower, then I went to bed. When I woke up that night, it was late. My parents were already in bed. I went downstairs, I saw my obituary, and I also noticed the date.” He pauses, as if he’s reliving the moment. “I probably should have woken up my parents, but I didn’t. I went for a walk to clear my head, and that is when I ran into another vampire. Somehow they recognized that I was newly transformed and starving. They got me some blood and brought me to Mystic Academy that night.”
I can’t even imagine going through that. No wonder he wasn’t ready to jump into a relationship with me. He’s probably still trying to figure out what being a vampire even means.
“I was about to leave for college. Human college,” he clarifies. “My parents were really proud of me. I had a full ride scholarship. And now… now they think I’m dead.”
I put my hand on his back and gently rub it, careful not to touch his skin. I want him to be the one who decides to touch me when he’s ready. Enough of his decisions have been taken away already. I won’t take this one from him.
“I wish I could have been there for you. I wish I could have dug you up. Had I known…” My voice trails off, my heart completely broken for him.
“It’s not your fault.” He sighs, shaking his head. “Everleigh, you’re the only thing that gives me hope. Since I became a vampire, everything has been bleak. But you are my silver lining. You make me glad that I’m a vampire, which makes me feel so selfish considering how bad my parents must be hurting right now.”
I don’t have any words of encouragement for him. I can’t relate to what he’s going through, and I don’t even know anybody who has gone through something similar. I’ve always thought that born and bitten vampires aren’t so different, but we are. We’re so different.
I have no idea what it is like to be human, and he does. I will never have to give up my family like he has. And I will never wake up buried alive. I’ve had it so easy in comparison.
Rowan reaches out a hand and grabs onto mine. When our skin touches, my heart races, and my soul sings. He is mine.
“I know that this won’t be easy, but I still want to try.” He caresses my thumb with his. “I should probably meet Henry and Jude as well.”
My eyes widen. “You know about them?”
He nods. “Asa came to me and talked to me early this morning. He is why I texted you.”
I didn’t know that. Asa isn’t talking to me right now, which I still don’t understand. So why did he go talk to Rowan? Why would he do that for me?
I’m glad I don’t have to explain to Rowan that I have four mates. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. The fact that Asa did this for me means a lot.
“So, what does all this mean?” I chew on the side of my lip. “What I mean is, what are we?”
“Mates that are taking things slow,” he says.
I actually like that.
I just hope he doesn’t go too slow.
Tuesday, September 15
1:00 am
My heart.
Henry’s class is my favorite. And, yes, maybe I am a little biased, considering the fact that he is my mate. But I still like his class.
I love the way he looks at me while he’s teaching. I love the lingering glances; they make my day. I get pure enjoyment from watching him. The way his biceps bulge under his shirt while he’s teaching us defensive moves makes it hard to pay attention to anything he’s teaching.
I can tell by the smirk on Henry’s face that he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.
It is torture to be mated to my teacher. To look at him for an hour while he’s teaching, yet not touch him, that is bad. But the worst part of it all is that I am his partner during class. He gets to put his hands all over my body, but I can never kiss him. He has to keep things professional.
Even if this is torture, it is the best kind of torture. What Asa is doing to me, the whole hot/cold thing, that is the worst kind of tort
ure. He makes me want to scream out in frustration, but I’m trying not to think of that right now.
When it comes to my mates, I’m trying very hard to keep my time with them separated. I don’t want the fact that I’m having issues with Asa to affect my time with Henry, Jude, or Rowan, but it is more difficult than I expected.
As soon as class comes to an end, Henry pulls me into his office, shutting the door behind us. Nobody had even cleared out of the classroom yet, so I can only imagine the rumors that will spread. They will probably think it’s just a sexual relationship.
I will have to announce the truth soon, I know that. I’m just scared. I have even avoided talking to my parents since Asa went to visit them. I’m scared to know what their reaction is.
But why should I be scared? It’s not like I picked out four mates for myself. It doesn’t work like that. Fate chose for me.
Henry locks the door to his office and sits down in his chair, pulling me into his lap. He runs his hands up and down my thighs, making me forget everything else.
“What has you so upset?” Henry asks.
I’m not surprised that he’s noticed. My mates are all very in tune to my feelings even though we haven’t completed our mate bond. We need to complete it so I can do the same with them.
Vampire School (Elite Academy Book 1) Page 10