Cold Blood

by Heather Hildenbrand

  He was shaking his head before I’d even finished my sentence. “Cord’s staying with you and that’s final. You only make this harder if you argue, and I really don’t want to fight.”

  “Then stop trying to run my life,” I snapped. “What are you, my dad?”

  Wes flinched at that but otherwise didn’t back down. “Look, we both know you’re not done trying to deal with Miles, am I right? And chances are you’re already cooking up some sort of plan to go after him again, on your own, or at the very least, without me. Cord is not a babysitter. She’s the best Hunter we have and she’ll be useful to have on your side.”

  “She hates me,” I pointed out.

  “She hates Miles more.”

  I glared at him, wondering what I was going to say to Vera, to get out of this one. I really didn’t know who was worse as a roommate, Victoria or Cord.

  Wes sighed. “It’s the only way I can protect you. And it’s better than having me hovering like a worried grandmother, right?”

  “My grandmother gives me more credit than you do, so I wouldn’t know.”

  “Tara…”

  “Whatever.”

  “You can still hate her and be grateful for her help,” he said, somehow keeping a straight face as he threw my own words back in my face.

  I glared at him, wanting to say something to shut him up. “You’re right. I am going after Miles again. Alex and I already talked about it, and he’s agreed it’s a solid plan. Unlike you, he believes I can handle myself.”

  Wes didn’t respond.

  It was a low blow. Even lower than the ‘dad’ remark, and I knew it, but I was pissed and tired of being treated as incompetent or “less than” by all sides. School, my mother… that was bad enough but Wes, too, was a little much.

  I shuffled to my feet. “Cord can stay, not that I have a choice.” I felt tired, like I hadn’t slept in a week. “I better get back. Hopefully, I can get away with playing hooky, but I need to be in my room for curfew.”

  Wes rose, too, but he didn’t try to touch me. “You’re right. Cambria’s waiting.”

  “She is?” I turned and scanned the trees. “Cambria?” I called. At the sound of her name, she stepped out of the trees several yards away and waved.

  I turned back to Wes.

  “I know you’re angry but it’s the best way to protect you,” he said.

  I closed the space between us and, despite my anger, wrapped my arms around his neck in a fierce hug. I pushed away the irritation and resentment, for one moment, and felt his arms come around me, too.

  “Be safe, Tara. Even if you’re angry, just be safe.”

  “I will.” I stepped back and let my arms fall back to my sides. I gave him one last look and then turned and went to join Cambria. When I was halfway there I looked back, but he was already gone.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  The sound of muffled sobs took me off guard. I’d finally reached my room after apologizing to Cambria enough times that she might actually speak to me again someday. She’d let me off the hook only when she saw how exhausted I was, with the threat that I “owed her big time,” and she’d be thinking of a way to have me pay her back. With anyone else, the thought wouldn’t have worried me, but with Cambria, there was no telling what she’d come up with.

  So, I was preoccupied with thoughts of indentured servitude, and it took me a moment to realize the sound of someone crying was originating from my room. That confused me even more. Victoria didn’t cry. She wasn’t human enough or something. And Cord wasn’t here yet. She was stuck in the office, filling out paperwork. I threw the door open and stepped inside, expecting to find some poor freshman kid huddled in the corner; a hazing ritual Victoria had taken too far.

  I stopped short just inside the door and stared at a red-faced, swollen-eyed Victoria through the reflection in her desk mirror. Tears ran in tracks down her cheeks, cutting through her makeup. I hated that she was still pretty, even with mascara running down her face.

  “Look who decided to show up,” she snapped. She angled away so I couldn’t see her face and concentrated on moving her jewelry around inside a silver jewelry box.

  “What happened to you?” I muttered, closing the door and crossing to my side of the room. I fell into bed and let my body settle against the softness of the mattress. I didn’t even care that all my clothes were gone, as long as I had my sheets. “Did you break a nail or something?”

  Victoria glared at me through wet eyes, but it withered before it could really gain any venom and her face crumpled into another mess of sobs. I watched her, feeling uncomfortable and awkward. Victoria always had a comeback. She should’ve at least threatened me with bodily harm or something by now. I could handle that Victoria, because I knew what to expect. This was something else, something foreign, and I had no idea what to say.

  “Um, are you okay?” I asked, a minute later, when she showed no signs of letting up.

  “What do you care, anyway?”

  “Fine, I tried.” I rolled over and closed my eyes.

  “My parents. I just found out. They’ve been taken.” Her words were broken and halting, and I knew from the amount of pain in her voice that she wasn’t lying.

  I sat up. “Victoria, I’m sorry. Do they know what happened?”

  She regarded me suspiciously, like she wasn’t sure whether to believe my sincerity, but then she seemed to give in. “They said it was that pack of Werewolves. The same ones that killed or kidnapped the other parents and students.”

  Victoria’s expression was far away. Her eyes were filling with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. I finally let out a heavy breath that seemed to break the spell over Victoria and pull her out of her private thoughts. “Wow, I’m s–”

  “Sorry. Yeah, you said that already,” she snapped. She blinked, and the tears cleared away as someone knocked on the door.

  Victoria got up and swung the door open. Quiet words were exchanged between her and the visitor and then Victoria moved away to grab her bag. I caught a glimpse of Demi standing in the doorway. She flipped her hair back and glared at me. I glared back, because I couldn’t allow myself not to. It was like reflex with these girls; show no signs of weakness.

  “Heard you had a wardrobe malfunction, mutt.” Demi’s lip curled back.

  “Heard you sold your sole for a latte and rip-off Jimmy Choos,” I shot back.

  Demi sniffed the air. “Is something burning?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You.”

  She just smiled and turned to Victoria. “Ready?”

  Victoria nodded. The two of them left, plunging the room into silence. I stared at the closed door, feeling something I never thought I would feel: sympathy for the ice queen.

  *

  A sharp knock brought me out of sleep, and I rolled over and stared at the clock uncomprehendingly. The readout said 1:13; the only proof in the windowless room that it meant AM was the little red dot that glowed next to the time stamp. That and how groggy I was. The knock came again, and I fought back a groan. I pushed to my feet and went to the door, pulling it open and blinking against the light that streamed in from the hallway. I blinked faster when I saw who it was.

  “Hey.” Cord stood in front of me, blond and glowering and looking all around pissed to be at my door in the middle of the night. That made two of us.

  “Hey,” I grunted back. We stared at each other.

  “Well? Are you going to let me in?”

  Her tone was demanding and not at all like she expected a “No,” which is why I was seriously tempted to give her one. Back in Frederick Falls there’d been a time when I’d cared that she hated me. A big part of me had craved her acceptance because she was a part of Wes’ circle. But now, after being in a place where I was so overwhelmingly despised at all times, having her approval didn’t seem so important anymore. Then again, telling her to get lost and slamming the door in her face wasn’t
an option, either.

  I sighed, and stepped back to let her enter.

  She flipped on the light switch and looked around the room. I went back to my bed, mainly so she wouldn’t get any ideas about claiming it for her own, and pretended she wasn’t there. Where was she supposed to sleep anyway? I didn’t think Victoria would be too pleased to come back and find a strange new roommate in her bed. Then again, that could be interesting.

  Someone rapped on the still open door. I turned over to see who it was. One of the admin ladies from Griffin Hall stood there, along with a sleepy-eyed Ms. Fincham.

  “Cordelia, we brought you a fold out with fresh sheets on it,” said the admin lady. She gestured behind her, where Ms. Fincham was holding the strap to a wheeled cot.

  Cord grimaced. “It’s Cord. Thanks.”

  “And Ms. Fincham will be up the hall at all times, in case you need anything else.” She glanced at me and then quickly back to Cord. “Well. You have your schedule and classes start early, so I’ll let you get some sleep.”

  Cord didn’t respond and Ms. Fincham gave the rolling bed a shove into the room.

  “Here you are,” said Ms. Fincham. She reached into her pocket and came out with a napkin covered bundle. “And I’ve just pulled a batch of these out. Help yourselves.”

  She handed the napkin to Cord and smiled crookedly. Then both of them nodded and left, pulling the door closed behind them. Cord dropped the napkin onto Victoria’s desk, where three burnt cookies rolled free.

  I made a face. “I wouldn’t eat those,” I said.

  “Wasn’t planning on it.”

  Cord moved the bed further into the room, laying it flat. She kicked her shoes off and climbed onto the cot with her back to me. I stared at her.

  “What?” she snapped after another minute, and even though she hadn’t rolled over to make eye contact, I still felt ‘caught’ somehow.

  “I didn’t ask you to come here,” I said. For some reason, her knowing that seemed important.

  “I know,” she said.

  “Wes made you, didn’t he?”

  “No one makes me do anything.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “So you’re here voluntarily?”

  She rolled over, and we locked eyes. Hers weren’t friendly. “Look, I’m here to watch your back and to take Miles down. That’s all that matters. In the meantime, we’re not going to become BFF’s, so let’s try to make the best of a crappy situation, okay?”

  “You read my mind,” I said.

  We stared at each other a minute longer–I was not willing to be the first to look away–and then she finally got up and switched the light off before crawling back onto her cot. Five minutes later, I could hear Cord’s steady breaths that let me know she was already asleep.

  It took me way too long to fall asleep after that.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  The sound of Victoria’s shrill voice woke me.

  “What the crap?! Who the hell are you?”

  I sat up and held back a smile. Victoria stood at the edge of the roll-away bed with hands on hips, glaring down at Cord. This was going to be good.

  “I’m your new roommie,” she said, sitting up and shaking her mess of blond hair back. It hung thick over her shoulders and, even with bed-head, managed to look model-mussed and ready to go.

  Victoria straightened. “Oh, really? Since when?” she snapped. “Because, as you can see, we’re all full up here at Club V. So, you must have taken a wrong turn.”

  Cord stood up, managing to look half-awake and half-violent all at once. Victoria looked completely violent. I braced myself for fireworks.

  As soon as their eyes met, they both broke into a grin and all traces of anger evaporated. To my horror, they took it one step further and actually hugged. My jaw fell open in shock and awe. The awe part was mostly due to seeing the two of them willingly being affectionate to another human being. I felt somehow cheated. They let each other go and stepped back. A smirk that was definitely friendlier than the one she reserved for anyone else crossed Victoria’s lips.

  “Decided to admit you don’t know everything and slum it at our Were-hating school?” Victoria said.

  “More like, you’re sorry asses can’t survive without me,” Cord shot back.

  I stared, trying to figure out what was going on. They were trading insults and smiling at each other. “You two know each other?”

  Victoria’s smile withered as she switched her gaze to me, and her expression became closed. “We’ve met,” was all she said.

  Neither of them elaborated on that explanation. There went the chance to witness the best girl fight ever. I needed coffee.

  “I’m going to shower,” I said.

  “Probably a good idea,” Victoria said, wrinkling her nose.

  I froze, remembering my clothing situation. I whirled and stalked past Victoria to her closet. I grabbed jeans and a shirt before she could protest.

  “I’m borrowing these,” I said.

  “And why would I let you do that?”

  “Because you’d rather let me wear your clothes than explain to Headmaster why all of mine are ripped to shreds.”

  “Whatever. I never liked that shirt anyway,” she muttered.

  Cord raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.

  I eyed Victoria, a nasty retort on the tip of my tongue. Her eyes were red and puffy, and even though she was pretending to be fine, I could still see the lines of grief in her face. I bit back my reply and stalked out.

  Cord must’ve caught up with me at some point because when I pulled the door that led to the shower area open, she caught it before it could swing shut and walked in behind me. I ignored her and found an empty stall to shower in.

  Under a steady stream of hot water my thoughts wandered away from ice queen and warrior princess and back to Wes, and from there, Alex. It seemed that lately, thoughts of one inevitably led to the other, and I didn’t know how to react to that. I was pretty sure thoughts of my boyfriend were supposed to make my heart race, and they did, but not for all the reasons they should. There was way too much to be angry about and I had a feeling that was part of the reason my heart pounded when I thought of him.

  Then there was the pull.

  I knew now that it wasn’t imagined; that it had become a real, physical reaction. I also knew the longer we were apart, the stronger the pull would feel when he was close by again. What I didn’t know was if it made my feelings for him stronger, or if it was made stronger by my feelings. How much of it was I actually in control of?

  The problem of my heart racing when I thought about Alex was that there was no anger or temper left to blame it on. He could still make me angry, with his quirks and prejudices, but overall, I understood why. It was hard not to be prejudiced in a culture like this one. And he was willing to let me be myself; a fighter. He was willing to risk me. Wes wasn’t.

  I wasn’t sure what that said about either of them, and I was pretty sure that I wasn’t being completely fair in my reactions over it, but being in this situation at all was unfair.

  I left the quiet solitude of the shower only when the water ran cold. Even then it was tempting to stay inside the safety of the stall, compared to what kind of day it would be with my new shadow tagging along. I promised myself I’d find a way to repay Wes for this, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

  Cambria and Logan were already there when we got to the cafeteria. They, along with every other student we passed, eyed Cord with a mixture of friendly curiosity and outright awe. She did have the sort of hair that could air-dry into runway perfection, damn her. The stares turned decidedly more hostile when they turned to me. Even being seen with Cord wasn’t enough to cure my popularity leprosy.

  I slumped down across from Logan with a bowl of cereal and flavored coffee in a paper cup.

  “Rough morning?” Logan asked, between bites of pancakes. He was glancing from me to Cord with raised eyebrows.

  “Guys, this is Cord. Cord, this is Cambria a
nd Logan.”

  Cord gave them the once-over and then said, “The other misfits, I take it.”

  Logan looked a little offended, but Cambria smirked. “Takes one to know one.”

  “I won’t argue that,” Cord said.

  They were eyeing each other in a way that suggested they hadn’t yet made up their minds about the other.

  “You’re from Frederick Falls? With Tara?” Logan asked.

  “I’m from there. Not with Tara,” Cord said.

  I rolled my eyes and glanced over at the sound of metal scraping. A crowd was gathered around the elite table near the window, with Victoria the center of attention – as usual. I almost went back to my cereal, but the expression on the faces gathered was so different from the usual plastic smiles and flirty eye-batting that I did a double take.

  The other girls seated at the table were huddled together in a tight group and leaning across the table with Demi at the head, each one looking concerned and murmuring in low voices. All of their sympathetic expressions were aimed at Victoria.

  She, on the other hand, looked like a caged animal. Her eyes were wide and even from this distance I could see her muscles coiling, like a snake. She was riveted on whatever Demi was saying, like she was concentrating very hard on the message being delivered. There were a couple of guys standing behind them; they looked shifty and uncomfortable.

  The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Victoria pushed back from her chair and stood, glowering at the girls across the table from her. Her spine was rigid and her lips were moving in some retort. The girls shrank back, and the guys were edging away from the table, but Victoria beat them to it.

  She did a perfect pivot on her booted heel and strode away, her fists clenched and shaking at her sides. Her hair had fallen across her cheek so I couldn’t actually see her face until she passed right in front of me, and even then, it was only a glimpse. But it was enough to witness the red face. And the tears.