I nod. “Most definitely.”
He rolls his eyes and shoves something cold in my hand.
I look down and see a literal bag of blood. Like the kind they have in hospitals for transfusions. I nearly drop the thing, but he catches it.
“What the heck?” My eyes are wide as I look at him. “You can’t be serious.”
“What else do you think a vampire eats?” Cayson looks at me, waiting for an answer. He’s still holding out the blood bag. He pulls on something and stabs a straw into it like it’s some kind of Capri Sun.
Actually… it does kind of smell good.
What is wrong with me? Blood smells good?
I look at Cayson, almost like I’m trying to get his approval. He nods at me and that’s all it takes. I put my mouth to the straw and I take a sip. The second the taste hits my tongue, I realize this is exactly what I want. Before I even comprehend what I’m doing—drinking blood—I finish the bag and am literally slurping up whatever drops remain like some kind of heathen.
I go to push my glasses up my nose out of habit and I realize they’re not there.
But I can see perfectly fine.
“You look confused,” Cayson says.
“I’m not wearing my glasses.”
He nods. “Vampirism heals everything, even poor eyesight.”
Well, that’s nice. I didn’t mind my glasses, but it’s nice to not need them anymore.
Cassie always referred to them as nerd goggles.
But Cassie doesn’t matter anymore because I’m dead.
“Do you think my dad is okay?” I ask, frowning. “Whenever I left the house that night, I said something really mean to him.”
Cayson takes the empty bag from me and tosses it into the trash. “What did you say?”
“We were just fighting. My stepsister had a bunch of jocks dump the cafeteria trashcans over my head during lunch, so I drove our car home early from school. She wasn’t stranded. She has friends. But my dad was pissed off because the step monster was pissed. He always took their side. And I told him I’d rather be dead than be in their house a minute longer.” I look at Cayson. His eyes are narrowed as he listens to my story.
“Your dad knew your stepsister was bullying you and he didn’t put a stop to it?”
I nod.
“Your funeral makes so much more sense now.” He shakes his head. “There was this blonde woman who was crying over the top. I’m talking mascara running down her face. But it was hard to notice anything over the fact that her fake tits were hanging out of her dress.”
“That’s the stepmom, or as I like to call her, the step monster.”
“Then there was a slightly younger version of her who didn’t look sad at all unless one of her friends was there consoling her.”
“That’s the evil stepsister.”
“Your dad looked genuinely sad though. I almost felt bad for him, but after what you said…” Cayson shakes his head.
It feels really good to have somebody take my side for once in my life. I haven’t had that since before my dad got married.
“Why do you look like you’re about to cry again?”
I swallow hard. “I just… nobody has taken my side in a long time.”
I throw my arms around Cayson. He stiffens when I first do it, but then he hugs me back after a few moments. He strokes my hair, which is kind of sweet.
“I’ll always take your side.” His voice is tight and gruff.
His words nearly make me cry, but I really don’t want blood running down my face again, especially not in front of Cayson.
“Let’s go back and sit in our seats,” he says, once we pull apart.
Cayson walks out of the backroom first and I follow him. Asa is doing something on his phone and doesn’t even look up when we walk past him.
I guess now I get to hear all about this mysterious academy he keeps talking about.
2:30 am
Do you want to make out until we get there?
“We’re flying to Mystic Academy,” Cayson tells me, once we sit down.
“Vampire school.”
He nods.
“How come the world doesn’t know that vampires exist?”
Cayson reaches out and grabs a piece of my hair. I don’t know if he does it on purpose or absentmindedly, but I like it. “Vampires aren’t the only supernatural beings that exist. There’s is an entire society. Vampires tend to stick to themselves more.”
“What? Like werewolves?”
“Wolf shifters,” he corrects.
My mouth falls open.
No way. There are really freaking werewolves!
“Are they our enemy?”
He laughs. “No. Wolf shifters are nice.”
“What other kind of creatures are there?” I can’t stop myself from smiling because this is exciting—probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever heard.
Cayson is still playing with a piece of my hair. “There are fae… fairies… umm… there are succubi and witches and… dragon shifters… You’ll learn more about them all at Mystic Academy.”
My eyes widen when he says dragons.
I mean… witches and fairies are cool too. But dragons are… well, they’re huge. How have the managed to stay hidden?
“Are succubi super seductive?” I raise an eyebrow.
He shrugs. “I’ve met a few, but they’ve never tempted me.”
“Can confirm that,” Asa pipes up from behind us. “Can also confirm succubi are very seductive and they definitely live up to their hype if you know what I’m saying.”
I glance behind me and see Asa wiggle his eyebrows.
Gross.
I turn back around and look at Cayson, who also appears disgusted by what Asa said.
“The incubi will love Riley,” Asa says.
I look at Cayson. “Why will they love me?”
“They like virgins.” Cayson rolls his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep incubi away from you.”
That’s sweet.
“So where is this mystic school at?” I ask, changing the subject away from succubi.
“Mystic Academy,” Cayson corrects. “It’s in St. Petersburg, Florida.”
“Florida?” I gasp. “Wait… the sun…”
He laughs.
Well, it’s more of a chuckle.
But still! I made him laugh!
“That’s a myth. Yes, vampires are nocturnal by nature, but we don’t burn in the sun.”
I let out a breath.
Oh, thank God. I really didn’t want to say goodbye to the sun.
“I’m already a night owl.” I wave a hand. “So… are people in the school nice? Cause I’ve got to be honest, I’ve been stuffed into enough trashcans to last a lifetime and I’d rather my afterlife not be the same.”
Cayson’s jaw flexes. “You will not be stuffed into any trashcans and if anybody tries, I will rip their head off.”
Rip off their head? Isn’t that a little dramatic? I raise my eyebrow to let him know, but he doesn’t seem affected. He just grabs onto the end of my hair again and starts playing with it, like he didn’t just promise to murder anybody who tries to bully me.
“Anything else I need to know?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“Do you want to make out until we get there?” I lower my head as I realize what I just said.
Geez, does my mouth have no filter whatsoever?
Asa snickers behind me.
I wonder what Cayson must think of me. I’m literally wearing his shirt because I ripped my dress off when we first met. And I don’t think this is the first time I’ve propositioned the guy. Like, seriously, what has gotten into me?
“Honestly, I wouldn’t want to kiss me either. I’m probably not very good at it.” I bite the side of my lip, finally getting the nerve up to look at him.
He doesn’t look disgusted, so that’s a good sign.
Asa laughs again, so I flip him off again.
“You know wha
t… I think I’m just going to nap until we get to school.” Asa gets up from his chair and goes back to one of the back rooms in the plane. I think there’s a bed back there somewhere. This plane is legit.
I don’t say anything until I hear the door shut.
“He’s not taking a nap, is he?”
Cayson shakes his head. “Why do you even want to kiss me? I killed you.”
“As you pointed out, I’m very much undead,” I say. “Really, I should be thanking you for rescuing me from my dad’s house. Unless I’m actually crazy and you’ve changed your mind about taking me to a psych ward.”
He grins. “No. I’m not doing that, I promise.”
“I feel a little crazy,” I admit. “I mean… vampires. I’m still not convinced I’m not dreaming.”
And it does feel like a dream. How else would I be okay with all of this? Shouldn’t I be having some sort of a breakdown? I just found out that I’m dead… or undead? And I’ll never get to see my family again. Okay, that last part isn’t bad. But I’m on a private jet with two boys I just met. I should be scared and crying… I should have run when they dug up my grave. But instead, I’m here. And everything just makes so much sense.
“I feel really connected with you.” I peer up at him through my lashes. “Like… I don’t… but I feel like meeting you was fate or something. Is that silly?”
He shakes his head. “No. It makes sense. We’re soulmates. It’s how I found you. You were so heartbroken that your soul called out to mine.”
“Soulmates?” Why is this the first time I’m hearing this.
“It doesn’t mean you have to be with me.”
My chest aches as he says that. “But what if I want to be?”
I look at Cayson who is staring at me so intensely that I want to look away, but I don’t think I could even if I tried.
I’m not sure who moves toward whom first, but Cayson’s lips crash into mine and he kisses me. I mean… he really kisses me. And forget the fact that this is my first kiss… it just comes so naturally. I feel like I know exactly what to do, but really it’s all him. He’s taken the lead and I’m letting him.
I want to be closer to Cayson while we’re kissing, so I crawl into his lap and straddle him. He seems shocked, but he doesn’t break away. I run my fingers through his hair and Cayson puts his hands on my bare thighs. In my head, I’m still thinking about the fact that he is shirtless and I’m not wearing any pants, but I don’t even care. I just want to keep kissing him. I know nothing will happen while we’re on a plane with Asa in the back, who is probably listening to everything that is going on out here.
In my whole life, I have never felt like this before. Not even when I’ve read romance novels or watched romance movies. Like, yes cute scenes would give me butterflies, but this is butterflies on a whole new level.
Cayson’s hands slip farther up my thighs and I feel like this is the point where I should push his hands away, but I don’t. I trust him not to cross that line. And he doesn’t. His hands eventually end up on my hips, which is kind of annoying actually. I’m torn between wanting him to touch me and remembering the fact that we’re on a plane with somebody else who could walk out from the back any second.
Cayson pulls his lips away from mine and rests his forehead against mine. “Riley, we have to stop.”
I pout. “Why?”
He chuckles. “Because we’re going to be landing soon. And there’s still a lot I have to tell you before we take things further.”
I feel like I should be embarrassed. I just climbed onto the lap of a boy I just met and basically dry humped him on an airplane. But I don’t feel embarrassed. I’m just… excited about what there could possibly be between us.
But then I remember… I’m about to go to Mystic Academy.
Vampire school.
“Are you okay?” Cayson asks as I climb off his lap and move back into my seat.
I nod. “I’m just a little nervous.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be there with you. Nobody will bully you.” He puts his arm around me and pulls me closer, kissing the top of my head.
And I trust him. Fully.
4:00 am
Welcome to Mystic Academy.
Mystic Academy is smaller than I thought. It actually surprises me. I don’t know, I guess I expected it to be this huge campus considering it’s not just a school, it’s a boarding school. But it’s seriously about the size of my old public high school in Colorado. The building is three stories high, but at least this school looks less like a prison and more like a tropical hotel. Even palm trees line the driveway. I look out the glass to get a better look.
I’ve always been fascinated with palm trees. I’ve never seen one in real life, but they’re just as pretty as I imagined them to be.
All the plants here look so different than they do in Colorado. Probably because these plants don’t have to survive a cold winter.
“You’re smudging the glass with your nose,” Asa says, glancing at me through the rearview mirror.
“Sorry.” I sit back a little. “It’s just… I’ve never seen a palm tree before.”
His mouth falls open. Cayson whips his head around to look at me and raises an eyebrow.
“Are you serious?”
I nod. “I’ve never been out of Colorado before. Well… once. But we went skiing in Utah. Which I don’t get cause there are plenty of places to ski in Colorado.”
“So, you’ve never seen the ocean?” Cayson’s voice is softer.
I shake my head.
“Tomorrow night, I will take you to see the ocean.”
I grin, liking the idea of that.
I’ve always wanted to see the ocean. I thought about applying at colleges on the West Coast or maybe the East Coast. All I’d known was that I didn’t want to go to college in Colorado. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the state, it’s beautiful. I just wanted to get as far away from my crazy family as possible. Far enough away that I couldn’t just drive there on a random weekend.
Actually… I planned that once I went to college, I’d never go back home. Cayson and Asa helped me move my timeline up by about nine months. I will forever be grateful for that, even though maybe I should be horrified. I don’t know. I’m a vampire. I’m still letting that information sink in.
Asa stops the car by the front door. Cayson and I get out and he goes to park. I’m a little nervous about going inside. I have no idea what to expect. At least it’s four in the morning—everybody will be in bed.
Cayson grabs my hand and pulls me toward the door with him. I find his touch very comforting right now.
“Doesn’t it seem unfair that I still have to go to high school when I’m dead?”
He smirks. “Ironic, maybe. And you’re not dead. You’re just… immortal.”
I stop him right at the door, wanting to stall. “When you say immortal, what do you mean?”
“I mean… you’ll never die.” He shrugs. “Well, there are ways… a stake to the heart, beheading, fire… but unless you break the law, it’s not going to happen.”
Never die?
I let that information sink in.
It’s insane, right?
“Let’s go inside.” Cayson tugs my hand. “Everybody will be nice, I promise.”
I nod and follow him through the front doors.
The inside doesn’t really look like a school. I don’t know what I expected—the musky smell that my old high school smelled like? I expected to feel dread in my stomach, but I don’t. This is nothing like what I’m used to.
There is a spiral staircase that goes up. I can only guess the bedrooms are on the upper parts of the school. There are hallways to the right, left, and toward the back. The floor is a pretty black tile, which I like.
But the school that I expected to be empty is very much not empty. People are standing around, gawking at us. Like… they expected us to be here.
This is going to be my classmates first impress
ion of me. Me, wearing an oversize t-shirt, standing next to a shirtless Cayson.
Cayson isn’t fazed at all. He just tugs at my hand and pulls me toward the staircase. I want to ask questions, but I’m also scared to do so with all these people around. I’ll wait until we’re alone.
As Cayson and I head up the stairs, I look down and see that everybody is still staring in stunned silence.
“Do you not get many new students?” I ask Cayson as we reach the top of the second story.
“No,” he answers.
No?
Just… no?
“All those kids that you saw are the only students.”
Only students?
There are probably only thirty kids in total down there. How are there just thirty kids in this school?
Cayson pulls me toward another staircase. My dorm must be on the third floor, which really isn’t so bad. Usually I would be huffing and puffing by this point, but I’m not. Maybe being dead is good for me.
Not dead, I guess. But also… dead, right? I don’t know. I have a lot of questions still about what all of this means. But being immortal isn’t so bad, right?
We eventually walk into a room at the end of a long hallway. I’m surprised by how big the room is. It’s huge. There is a couch in the corner of the room with a massive TV. There is also a desk, a dresser, and a king size bed. I’m actually surprised that I’m not sharing my room with somebody else. Isn’t that usually how boarding schools work? But then again, I guess vampire school isn’t a normal boarding school.
Upon further investigation of the room, I also find that I have my own bathroom connected to my room.
This is insane.
And nice. Very nice.
Honestly, I should have died sooner. Back home, I had to share a bathroom with Cassie. I had to get up at six o’clock in the morning if I wanted to shower. I actually ended up just showering at night instead, just to avoid drama.
Cassie likes to look good. She gets up early every single morning so she can take a long shower, fix her hair, and do her makeup. I also happen to know she sets her clothes out the night before to ‘ease the stress’ of getting ready in the mornings.
I roll my eyes just thinking about it.
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