by Ginna Moran
I release a shocked laugh. “For your information, I’ve only ever kissed two other people and definitely not like that.”
He leans closer to lower his voice. “Then what the hell is wrong?”
I wave my finger between us. “This. This is. I’m not something you can possess and play with. You cannot act like you have some sort of right to claim me.”
He tilts his head, studying my face without a word. “I don’t have a right. You belong to my brother.”
I sigh. “You know what? You’re right. None of this is important anyway. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m no different than every human here.”
Spinning on my boots, I don’t give him a chance to respond. Instead, I rush to Rylie and throw my arms around her.
“You okay?” she asks, whispering in my ear.
I shake my head, blinking my eyes. “We need to figure a way out of this. And soon.”
Chapter 8
Personal Donors Support Group
“WAIT, SO LET ME GET this straight. Personal donors aren’t allowed to pursue a romantic relationship with another human?” I shift in my seat, staring at the small tablet with a list of rules and etiquette I must learn to fulfill my position as Culver’s personal donor.
The eight other guys in the small class look at me, amusement crossing their faces.
“Am I the only one who doesn’t think this is fair? I have needs.” I blush as the words escape my mouth. I didn’t mean for them to sound like my needs fall into the whole sex category, but I’m pretty sure if I can’t have a companion outside of Culver...fuck. My rebel gaze darts over to Aspen as he leans against the wall. No one follows my line of sight, pretending like he isn’t even in the room.
A chuckle erupts from the cute guy sitting across from me in our circle of desks. “Don’t we all. I’m sure your mister would be happy to fulfill any of your requests.”
That makes another guy tip his head back and laugh. “Some of us are doomed to have relationships with our hands.”
My mouth drops open, and I crinkle my nose. “You say that like you wouldn’t be doomed already.”
Another guy whacks him with a howl of a laugh. “Damn. I’m jealous as hell of whoever claimed you.”
I throw my hands up. “This is ludicrous.” I flick my attention to Aspen again. I can’t help myself, even if I’m still a little angry. My wandering thoughts just can’t stop replaying the feeling of his mouth against mine.
“But it’s necessary.” An older man, probably the oldest looking one I’ve seen this whole time on campus, straightens his back and looks at me. “Can anyone explain to Fiona why that is?”
“Vampires would rather kill a donor than share,” the cute guy across from me says, smiling rather than giving me the news of what will surely be my fate if I can’t stop glancing at Aspen.
“That’s right, Elliott. Possessiveness,” the man says. “And unfortunately for you, Fiona, you’ll have a much harder time if you don’t recognize things that might trigger your mister’s deep-seated nature. Can anyone name what types of situations a personal blood donor should avoid?”
“Eye contact,” Elliot says, responding before anyone. “A personal donor should not look at anyone directly besides their mister or mistress.”
I flick my gaze to Aspen again. He finally meets my stare, gazing at me from across the room. I shift in my seat and look away.
“Purposely touching someone without permission,” the guy next to me says.
“Not completely, Bryan,” the guy on the other side of me says. “Right, Mr. Craig?”
“Right, Pete. While you should avoid physical contact, it’s more of when someone else touches you without first getting permission from your mister,” Mr. Craig says. He shifts his attention to me. “Why don’t you try to think of a scenario, Fiona? An important part of guaranteeing your safety is to recognize and be aware of certain circumstances.”
I purse my lips, hating that the instructor put me on the spot. The weight of Aspen’s stare draws my attention to him, and I can’t stop my mouth from blurting, “Making out with one of your mister’s coven brothers.”
Silence greets me as all the guys stare at me like I said the most ridiculous thing in the entire universe. I shift uncomfortably and glance at my work device again, though nothing has changed.
“Fortunately for you, the likelihood of that occurring is nearly unfathomable. Vampires take possessive claims, especially over personal donors, rather seriously. And from what I know about the King Coven, their tight-knit bond would never allow such an occurrence.”
Aspen has the nerve to smirk without comment.
I lick my lips. “Then I would say accepting blood from another vampire.”
Once again, I’m greeted with silence.
“You know, in case you get seriously injured or something,” I add.
Mr. Craig scratches the back of his head, trying to gather his thoughts for a moment. I guess these types of situations have never been brought up before. It’s not exactly something I imagined to happen either.
“Wow,” Elliot says, speaking up. “It’s not often someone makes Mr. Craig speechless.”
Mr. Craig snatches a wooden rod from a holder on his seat and whacks Elliot on the knee with it. “Show some respect.”
Elliot rubs his knee. “Sorry, sir. It’s just that her questions are strange. She should know that a vampire would never willingly share blood—not for something like that.”
I frown. “Tell that to my blood sources...” I cringe as the words fall from my mouth. I thought everyone looked at me like I was crazy before. But now? I’m pretty sure I’ve suddenly grown two heads.
Mr. Craig claps his hands together. “All right. We’re getting a bit off topic. Fiona, I want you to read the section about the intimacy of a blood exchange in your guidebook before tomorrow’s class. As for the rest of you, I want you to make a list of everything you know about the resistance and Blood Rebels. We’ll continue class tomorrow with an open mind. I’m sure Fiona would love to enlighten us on her experience growing up unregistered. This way, we can better help her adjust to her new life as a personal blood source.”
Ah hell. I don’t like the sound of any of that. I raise my hand, getting Mr. Craig’s attention. “I’d rather not. I’m sure no one wants to hear about my boring-ass life, anyway.”
Elliot grins. “What are you talking about? You’re the most exciting person to have enrolled in the academy.”
I automatically look at Aspen. Surprisingly, he smirks again like he agrees with the guy.
Mr. Craig offers me a smile. “We are here to support you, Fiona. That is the goal of this class and why it’s only open to those selected as personal donors. No one will understand you like we do, but we can’t unless you help us out. Everything that you share will remain confidential. No judgments either.”
Yeah, right. I can already see the list of people these dudes plan to tell about my “needs” as soon as we leave here. They’ll probably hold on to their thoughts for themselves later, too. Ugh.
I don’t have it in me to argue with Mr. Craig, so all I do is nod and swipe my bag off the floor. Tossing my work device into it, I go to sling it over my shoulder when Aspen locks his hand around the strap and takes it from me.
“I’m capable of carrying my own bag,” I snap, trying to steal it back from him.
“You’re still pissed off.” It’s not a question.
I don’t respond to him, feeling the weight of everyone’s gazes on us. Striding to the door, I exit the small room and back into the lobby where the same guy as before remains seated behind the enclosed reception area. We’re the first ones out of class, and I head toward the row of seats along the wall and plop my ass down.
According to my schedule, the Personal Donors Support Group was my last class of the day, but I annoyingly have an assignment to do in each of them from basic Reading Comprehension to Household Management, and embarrassingly Human Hygiene, like I don�
��t know how to bathe properly or some shit. This school is the worst. I wish I could take things more beneficial—like combat, vampire law, anything that’ll give me a better understanding. But like the rest of the human population, I’ll always be deprived. I’ll have to teach myself like always.
“Fiona, will you let me apologize?” Aspen asks, breaking the silence. “My behavior...it was inappropriate. I got carried away after, you know.” He motions to his arm without rolling up the sleeve. His bite would already be healed anyway.
“You should’ve told me that accepting your offer put my life at risk.” I wring my hands together. “I might be just a donor to you, but—”
He rests his elbows on his knees. “I’d never put you in danger.” His voice comes out so softly that I strain to hear his whisper.
“Did you not hear the instructor? I’m a dead woman. The second Culver finds out—”
Aspen cuts my words off with a kiss that steals my breath away. I hum with desire, caught off guard yet surprised in a good way at his sudden closeness. I clutch his face and swivel in my seat to kiss him deeper.
“Fiona.” Rylie’s sharp voice erupts panic through my heart, and I scramble away, falling off my chair in the process.
Someone catches me from behind and rights me on my feet. I stiffen, gawking at Rylie standing ten feet away and Aspen still sitting in his chair. He tightens his jaw and growls, the deep, throaty noise setting off my fear instincts.
“I’d say I got you, love,” Hudson says, his breath tickling my ear, “but it seems my brother had you first. Way to make a guy jealous. And to think I had already planned our future together.”
I close my eyes, trying to suppress my panic. “It was an accident. Please don’t kill me.”
“Your mouth on his was an accident? Kill you?” Hudson eases his hands off my hips. “Both of those things are absurd. Killing you isn’t even on the list of things I want to do to you. Kiss you like my brother did is currently number one, though. Because, damn.”
I shiver at his soft voice caressing my cheek as he whispers in my ear.
“He won’t tell if you want to,” he adds.
Aspen tightens his jaw, obviously hearing his suggestion and noticing my unintentional reaction. I had almost kissed Hudson already, and it was Aspen’s interruption that had stopped that.
“Fiona, want to go to the library?” Rylie asks, braving to speak up and break both Aspen and Hudson’s attention on me. “We could stop at the dining hall first. The rest of the night is ours to do as we please.”
Swallowing my nerves, I nod and step away from Hudson. Rylie keeps her eyes trained to the floor even though Hudson stares at her. Aspen joins him, and a strange sensation crawls across my skin. I can’t explain it, but I fight to resist the need to deny Rylie to ask the two of them to hang out.
Instead, I offer my arm to Rylie. “I’ll see you two later.”
“You bet you will, love,” Hudson says, grinning at me.
“Love?” Rylie mutters under her breath. “What the hell?”
Before Hudson can respond, I drag Rylie away. It only takes me twenty feet to realize that the two of them follow us. I peek over my shoulder and glare. Hudson mouths the words “flight risk” with a smile, answering my silent question of why they’re creeping behind us. Twirling his finger, he motions for me to turn around.
I pick up my pace, tugging Rylie with me. “I’m sorry you saw that,” I whisper, trying to keep my voice inaudible to Aspen’s vampire hearing. While I am sorry I got caught, I’m not apologetic the kiss happened...twice. I didn’t expect the shy, aloof vampire to be such an amazing kisser. I can already imagine doing it again.
Rylie puffs out her bottom lip, stopping my imagination from turning into a fantasy. “And I’m sorry you felt you had to do that.”
“What do you mean?” I stare at the side of Rylie’s face. I expected a far worse reaction. The fact that we grew up together, and I know her feelings about vampires hasn’t escaped me yet. And right now, she’s handling her feelings pretty well.
“I know you’re doing what you have to do for the sake of surviving.” She says the words in such a way that if Aspen and Hudson do hear her, I doubt they’ll speculate that she refers to my need of vampire blood. “Do you think you’ll get what you need?”
I rub my lips together and offer her a smirk, silently telling her that I already have.
She reads my expression, her eyes widening. “No wonder they’re stalking us.”
“Hey. We are not stalking,” Hudson says from behind us.
“You’re also wrong about Fiona. She does not have to do anything she doesn’t want to for the sake of surviving.” Aspen obviously takes offense to the notion that I kissed him for any other reason than I wanted to.
Rylie flares her nostrils and spins to face him. “My best friend would never even look at a vampire otherwise.”
Scrambling to get between them, I hold my hands up. “Please, don’t hurt her. Rylie’s like my family. The only person I’d consider so. She’s protective of me.”
Aspen automatically steps away. “I wouldn’t. It’s against the academy’s rules to harm a donor.”
Rylie glares. “So you’ll just wait until we’re out of here.”
“Rylie!” I snap, pushing her away. “What the hell? Do you have a death wish?”
“Do you?” she accuses. “You were kissing that asshole where anyone could see you. What if he’s setting you up? I know that you will do what you need to do, but try not to be stupid about it, okay?”
“Just trust that I know what I’m doing, Ry. Please.” I lean in close to her. “We need someone on our side. That’s what I’m doing.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I resist responding how I want to—with a yell that everyone on campus would be able to hear. The last thing I need is to remind her that I’m different. What she sees as danger, I see as a good time.
“Yes, I’m sure. Now, come on. I’m starving and have a lot of assignments to complete for tomorrow.” Ignoring the gazes of Aspen and Hudson, I get Rylie to pick up speed, though it’s her who has to lead the way. I don’t know where anything is in this place. I just keep walking and eventually end up where I’m supposed to be like everything is interconnected. It helps that with one of my ever-present vampire stalkers, I’m not restricted to donor-only areas.
Rylie leads me into a noisy dining hall with a long counter that lines one of the walls. A variety of different foods in different trays waft delicious scents through the air. It’s almost as good as the vampire dining hall in that way.
I gawk at the massive selection far superior to the oatmeal I had for breakfast. My mouth already waters at the sight of a dozen different kinds of food I’ve never tried before. Mount Light Haven relies heavily on the land, the community mostly eating stuff we grow unless traveling soldiers brought stuff in. This stuff is definitely far from the vegetarian basics.
“Whoa, is that beef?” I ask, pointing at what I’m pretty sure are hamburger patties. The cattle in our community were used for dairy products and not the meat.
A hand touches my shoulder. “If you’re not used to eating particular items on the menu, I’d suggest you start small.”
Spinning around, I face Berkeley as he stands a foot away from me, staring at my overly full plate of food. “Are you seriously monitoring my diet?”
“Yes, it’s part of my job as your health keeper. I figured I’d stop by since Aspen said you missed lunch, and I suspected you might gorge yourself.” He glances at my plate.
Heat flushes my face, and it takes everything in me not to chuck all my food onto his pristine white shirt. “I’m not gorging. Just because I have a little bit of everything on my plate doesn’t mean anything.”
He smirks. “Whatever you say.”
I turn back toward the line, catching the gazes of a few familiar guys from my classes. Ignoring Berkeley’s presence, I continue to fill my plate despite his warning. Rylie
waits for me at the end of the line, her plate not even half as full as mine. She raises an eyebrow, and Berkeley chuckles from behind me.
“Don’t judge me,” I mutter to her. “That asshole already does. “You’ve already had two meals here. All I’ve had was overly sticky, unsweetened oatmeal, which I didn’t even get to fully eat.”
Rylie grabs a plate with a piece of cake on it and sets it on my tray. She grabs a cup of some sort of chocolate cream stuff next and squeezes it on next to it. “Then you definitely want these too.”
Berkeley closes the space to me and swipes my plate to carry it for me. “Fi, I’m not judging you. I’m looking out for you. There is a difference. And you should’ve told me you didn’t like what I brought you for breakfast.”
“Whatever.” I don’t bother trying to snatch my plate back and instead follow Rylie. I want to limit as much conversation with him as possible after this morning. Though he was nice to me from the moment we met, he makes me nervous on all sorts of levels. One, he butts heads with Culver, and I’m more likely to get caught in their angry crossfire. Two, he’s ridiculously attractive. Rugged, muscular, dreamy as hell. And three, I kissed one of his other brothers.
A few guys, including Elliot from my last class, wave in our direction. Rylie picks up her pace to head to their table. Nerves bunch my stomach. The weight of the stares from the all-male table penetrates the two of us before flicking to where I know Berkeley remains like a shadow.
“Hey, guys,” Rylie says, her cheerful voice drawing a smile from at least half the table. “Have you met Fiona yet?”
“Hello again, Ms. King,” Elliot says, keeping his eyes glued to the table instead of looking at me when he speaks. He obviously knows how to separate what was supposedly a private discussion in class, even with Aspen present, from the rules of how to treat personal donors in the donor commons. I, on the other hand, take a moment to look at each of the guys.
“Is it okay if we join you?” Rylie asks, already setting her tray on the circular table. She takes a seat next to a guy from my hygiene class, who I think is named Patrick, and she bumps her shoulder to his. She turns her attention to me. “Come on. There’s room for you to squeeze in.”