by Ginna Moran
“But I can’t stop thinking about...” The second the elevator opens, I nudge him on, cornering him against the mirrored wall. He releases a breath through his lips and glances from me to the door sliding closed. “You don’t like breaking any of the rules, do you?” I ask him, touching his cheek. “I’m kind of jealous how longingly you just looked at the hallway.”
Torrance hits his head on the wall with a laugh, his whole face lighting up. “I break plenty of rules for you, Fiona. And I was not looking at the hallway with anything other than caution. I prefer the stairs.”
I stand up on my tiptoes to close the space a few more inches. “You’re afraid of being trapped in a box with me.”
“When you look at me like that...maybe.” He slides his hand around my waist. “But not because of what you think.”
“And what exactly do I think?”
Torrance avoids my question by brushing his lips to mine. The elevator dings, and he lifts me up to carry me into the hallway leading to our suite.
“You think I don’t want you to bite me,” he murmurs.
“That doesn’t matter to me.” I snap my teeth at him. “I’d be afraid too. I know I can be a savage.”
“Far from it,” he says, setting me on my feet outside our door. “But I won’t lie to you. I might be a bit of a so-called savage myself. I just want to be careful with you. I struggle with my restraint.”
I graze my teeth over his bottom lip. “You’re not the only one. We can practice our restraint together.”
He moans, deepening our kiss. “You drive me crazy.”
I ease back a little to meet his dark eyes. “In a good or bad way.”
“Both. You infuriate me when you insist on unintentionally testing my capabilities...like at breakfast.”
“Gilroy Powers deserved that face full of yogurt,” I say with a laugh.
He smirks, nodding. “I know, which is why I appreciate that you do push me to be better. Stronger. Worthy of you. I had never pinned that asshole like that before.”
I swing his arm with mine. “I don’t believe that. You look like you can handle anyone.”
“You make me feel like it, too.”
“Which is why it won’t be a big deal if we’re a little late to Donor Management. We’re each other’s donors, and we have things we need to manage.”
Torrance laughs again and slaps his palm against the digital pad to unlock the door to our suite. A strange scent trickles through the air, stopping both of us in place. I swing my gaze from Torrance and cover my mouth with my hand. In the middle of our living room, bleeding on the floor, lies a guy I never thought I’d see again in my life.
“Oh, shit,” I say, breaking away from Torrance to rush forward. Dropping to my knees, I push over the familiar Blood Rebel from Mount Light Haven. “Alder? Alder? Can you hear me?”
“Fiona,” Torrance says softly, trying to pull me away.
I jerk my head to look at Torrance. “Give him your blood. Quick. He’s been badly bitten. You don’t think—”
A growl sounds through the air, and I turn my attention to the door to see Berkeley, Hudson, and Aspen hovering around Rylie. She gasps and runs to me, joining me on the floor to take Alder’s hand.
“Oh, my God. What happened?” she asks me. “Did Torrance...?”
“Who the hell is this guy, and how did he get in our room?” Hudson asks, closing the space.
I look up. “We just found him like this. You guys didn’t—no, never mind.”
“Of course we didn’t do this,” Berkeley says like he must confirm. “We’d never.”
I purse my lips. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—never mind. Help him, Berkeley. He lost a lot of blood.”
“Fiona,” Torrance says, squeezing my hand. “He’s dead.”
Rylie releases a small cry and covers her face with her hands. “Why is he even here? I don’t understand. Do you think Ivo got a message out?”
I glance up to look at Hudson with the same silent question.
Hudson shakes his head. “It would take some serious mind power to break the lock that the headmistress put on his mind. He doesn’t even know he was ever a rebel.”
“Then who?” I ask. “Alder is from my colony. The elders were training him to be my handler.”
That gets all sorts of gruff, growly responses.
A soft knock sounds from the doorway, and a vampire leans on the doorframe, wiping blood from his mouth with a handkerchief. His gaze lands immediately on me, and he offers me a smile, showing off his white, straight teeth without fangs.
“Is this the Kings’ residence?” he asks, his melodious voice speeding up my heartbeat.
Berkeley closes the space to him and blocks his way. “Yes.” He doesn’t say anything else but looks at the vampire like he’s preparing for an attack.
“I’m looking for Ms. Fiona Flamme. I heard that she was a personal donor at this residence.” The vampire stands taller, glancing at me over Berkeley’s tall frame. He smiles again, showing off a dimple on his clean-shaven cheek. His light brown eyes match the golden brown of his hair, shining in the glow of the overhead lights.
“There is no one by that surname here,” I say, shifting to get to my feet. “But if you’re looking for Fiona King, you have found her.”
The man raises his eyebrows. “Fiona King, is it? That’s an interesting change. I think I’d prefer if the academy would recognize your true heritage.”
A blip of fear trickles down my back. “I’m sorry? You must be mistaken. I am the leader of the King Coven. If you have a problem with my last name, you can fuck the hell off.”
“Ms. Flamme, that is not the appropriate way to greet such a prestigious guest.” Headmistress Rasmussen appears in the hallway behind the vampire. “Mr. Flamme, my apologies to have kept you waiting. I had expected Ms. Flamme to be in class.”
“I suppose I should’ve expected she’d take after me, always breaking the rules and whatnot.” The man forces Berkeley to move out of the way to enter our suite.
I squeeze Torrance’s hand tighter, shifting slightly to get behind him. “Am I supposed to know you?”
He peeks around Torrance. “Actually, yes, dear Fiona. I’ve been searching for you for a rather long time...well, I’ve been searching for the Flamme dhampir line. I had lost track of your great-great-grandfather shortly after his birth after the uprising due to Blood Rebels. They took your ancestor and hid him away. Hid you away.”
“I don’t think I’m following.”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a weathered piece of paper. “I’ve come to put my claim on you as my descendant. The power you hold is not meant for such covens as the Kings’. You were born for a far better purpose.”
I still, my blood turning cold. “I know my purpose.”
“Of course you do. You are my dhampir heir, after all.”
To be continued...
Thank you so much for reading Dhampirs 101! Check out Blood Sources 102, book two of the Academy of Vampire Heirs.
For more academy fun, visit https://academyofvampireheirs.com/
If you love the Vampire Heirs World, don’t forget to check out these other Reverse Harem series that take place in the same universe.
The Divine Vampire Heirs
and
The Royale Vampire Heirs
Other Series by Ginna Moran
REVERSE HAREM
The Divine Vampire Heirs Series
The Royale Vampire Heirs Series
Academy of Vampire Heirs Series
YOUNG ADULT PARANORMAL
Call of the Ocean Series
Demon Watcher Series
Demon Within Series
Destined for Dreams Series
Finding Nate Series
Going Ghostly Series
Spark of Life Series
The Merman’s Spark Series
When Souls Collide Series
YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Falling into Fame Se
ries
Life After Lila
About Ginna Moran
GINNA MORAN IS a writer from sunny Southern California. She started writing poetry as a teenager in a spiral notebook that she still has tucked away on her desk today. Her love of writing grew after she graduated high school, and she completed her first unpublished manuscript at age eighteen.
When she realized her love of writing was her life’s passion, she studied literature at Mira Costa College in Northern San Diego. Besides writing novels, she was senior editor, content manager, and image coordinator for Crescent House Publishing Inc. for four years.
Aside from Ginna’s professional life, she enjoys binge watching television shows, playing pretend with her daughter, and cuddling with her dogs. Some of her favorite things include chocolate, anything that glitters, cheesy jokes, and organizing her bookshelf.
Ginna Moran loves to hear from her readers so visit her online at www.GinnaMoran.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To stay up-to-date on new releases, sign up to her newsletter. You’ll not only get exclusive access to extra stories, but you’ll be able to participate in monthly giveaways!