by Coralee June
“I don’t want to hurt you,” I said, kneeling down in front of him, struggling to keep my Void wrapped around me and not touch him.
Render scoffed at my words, like he didn’t believe that I genuinely didn’t want to hurt him. “What’s going on? The Neutralizer not strong enough for your tastes, Void?” he asked before propelling off the wall. For some reason, his question bothered me. I just wasn’t sure if it was because he was right or because I felt defensive about Banner. “Maybe you need the taste of a better supe.”
I clenched my fists, turning to look at him over my shoulder. “He’s more of a supe than you’ll ever be,” I lied. We both knew Render was stronger. “He tasted just fine,” I taunted.
Render walked around to me, his stride arrogant and sure. I rose to my feet, Banner still on the ground behind me.
“Why settle for fine, when we both know I’d taste better?”
I stepped forward, meeting him in the middle until we were toe-to-toe. “Is this the part where you say that you’ll feed me your dick instead?”
He grinned, looking so godsdamned arrogant and hot as sin that my nipples pebbled under my shirt. “That depends,” he breathed.
“On what?”
“On just how good at sucking you really are.”
I narrowed my eyes, even as my core tightened. I had a quip ready on my tongue, but Banner interrupted our heated banter. “Enough! We have to work on this,” he said, pulling himself shakily to his feet. I wanted to rush over to help him, but I stopped myself since my Void was still out and he had my amulet.
“The shifter and vamp that you switched at the council meeting are...struggling to adjust,” he explained. “They want their powers back as soon as possible, and the council wants proof that you can do it. We don’t have time for you to worry about whether or not I can handle this. Unless you’re actually offering, Mr. Tillson.”
Render didn’t look away from me. “Offering to let her Void smoke leech off my powers? Nope,” he said cheerfully. “Just wanted to point out that I’d actually be good enough to satisfy her.”
“You are such an asshole!” I yelled. He just laughed and walked back to his spot by the wall.
“Ignore him.” Banner came forward, placing his hands on my shoulders and peering deeply into my eyes. Over Banner’s shoulder, Render watched us like he’d swallowed a bad bag of blood.
“I appreciate you wanting to protect me, Devicka,” Banner said in a lower voice, this time quirking his mouth into a flirty smile that made butterflies fly around in my chest. “But I promise I can handle it.” He lifted his hand up to stroke my cheek before leaning even closer. Even with his touch on me, his neutral powers were waning. His lips hovered over my forehead, and I had to stop myself from lifting up on my tiptoes to close the distance between us. I craved contact so much that I didn’t care that we had an audience or that he was my teacher.
“Okay,” I whispered, and the moment those words left my lips, Banner nodded and dropped his hands. He moved away, twisting his mouth into a hard line, accentuating his strong jaw and determination. He moved over to the open textbook at the teacher’s desk and started frantically shifting through pages, ignoring me completely. The sudden change in his demeanor was slightly jarring, but I understood. One second, Banner was sweet and encouraging, the next he was all business. But he was right. I had a job to do, and people’s lives were at stake.
“Tell me how it felt when you switched powers at the council meeting,” he said, his eyes still locked on the pages.
“Umm…” I closed my eyes and tried to remember the sensation. The hunger. The fight or flight war plaguing my body. “It felt like a different extension of me that I didn’t know was there before. Like I flipped a different light switch,” I answered. “They both touched me, and my smoke turned blue, like the Void did it all on its own.”
Banner took a pen from his pocket and started scribbling down notes. “Do you think it was your hunger or fear that pushed you into switching their powers?” he asked.
It hadn’t really been fear. More like the Void just had a mind of its own that I wasn’t in charge of. But I didn’t want to admit that, not in front of Render. “Something like that,” I replied lamely.
Banner continued scribbling away before looking at his watch and sighing. “Dammit. I thought we had more time,” he said, slamming the book shut. “I have to visit with Judge Braxton. We’ll meet again tomorrow.”
Without waiting for me to reply, he started walking toward the door. “Wait!” I yelled, making his hand pause over the door knob. He stood with his back facing me for a moment before letting out a hard sigh.
“My amulet,” I said while walking forward and holding out my hand. Though what I really wanted to do was ask him to stay—to find out what was bothering him. We’d connected the first time I met him, but now he was acting strangely. Maybe he hadn’t liked the way it felt when I fed from him.
“Of course, my mistake.” He fished around in his pocket before tossing it over to me. I caught it and immediately put it on, securing the chain at my neck.
“See you tomorrow,” I said, suddenly feeling young and immature.
“You too,” he replied with a quick smile before disappearing out the classroom door.
Frowning at the closed door, I took a moment to steady myself, overanalyzing every interaction I’d had. Had he heard that Render had kissed me in the ballroom? Was that why he was acting so hot and cold? Maybe our flirty banter had pissed Banner off.
I heard a snort. “You look pathetic right now,” Render said from the opposite side of the room. Now that my Void smoke was contained by the amulet, he crossed the distance between us. “Pining over your teacher? No wonder he couldn’t wait to get out of here.”
Render’s dark chuckle made me fume. He ran his hand through his dark hair again, that nervous tic of his contradicting the cruel way he was speaking to me.
“What do you care?” I asked, turning around and crossing my arms over my chest.
“I don’t.”
“No? Then why bring it up?”
He shrugged carelessly. “Because I just wanted to remind you of your place. Even a neutralizer doesn’t want you.”
That was the heart of it, wasn’t it? Me not feeling worthy of connections or affection. I’d been alone for so long that I should be used to it by now, but still, I allowed myself to hope. Maybe Banner was just having a bad day. After all, the headmaster hated him being here, and the council was probably breathing down his neck to teach me. He was under a lot of pressure.
“Noted,” I replied coolly before walking over to my messenger bag that had my Void book inside. I hefted it over my shoulder before turning back to Render. “Are we done here?”
“We’re going to do something before I drop you off,” Render replied before flashing toward me and picking me up.
“Oh, hell no,” I said, trying to scramble out of his hold. It didn’t work.
He didn’t cradle me like he’d done at the vampire capital. He held me chest-to-chest, crushing me to his body while holding me several inches above the ground. I had to fight the impulse to wrap my legs around his waist.
“I don’t want to flash again!” I yelled, but it was too late. He was already turning, flashing me through the halls of Thibault, leading me to the vampire wing. Rolling waves of nausea hit me as the wind whipped my hair around in a frenzy, and I had to tuck my head into the crook of his neck to keep from getting whiplash.
He finally stopped, and I noticed we were in the wing of vampire dorms, made obvious by the fang sigil hanging up in the hall. At one of the doors, he set me down way too quickly. My body hadn’t had enough time to realize that it was no longer moving at rapid speeds. I inwardly cursed his damn powers and his damn presumptuous, controlling attitude while I struggled to keep my empty stomach from collapsing in on itself.
“What the fuck was that for?” I seethed.
Instead of answering me, Render raised a fist and knock
ed on the door with a manic smile. I stood there, staring at him for a moment before a completely naked Blaire threw open her door, her perfectly rounded breasts and small pink nipples on display.
“Render!” she greeted in a sultry voice, leaning against the doorframe coyly. “Did you not get enough of me last night?” She smirked at him with heated eyes and ran her fingers down her cleavage. But her smoky demeanor crashed and burned the moment her blue eyes landed on me. “What the fuck is she doing here?” she demanded, her spine straightening.
“Just wanted to show her something,” Render replied before flashing forward and sinking his teeth into Blair’s neck.
I watched in part awe and horror as Blaire moaned in bliss, her mouth parting with a delighted sigh as she tipped her head back to accept his mouth on her vein. Blood dripped from Render’s lips, and he lifted his hand up to palm her breast, right there in front of me.
It pissed me the fuck off.
Not because I was angry at what they were doing, since I had no claim on him, but because I hated how it turned me on. I’d never thought of myself as a voyeur. But the way Render’s tongue darted over the blood dripping down her creamy skin, his strong hands kneading her flesh, his thigh shoved between her legs, his tempting power pulsing around me, and the way his eyes were locked on mine...it was erotic. I couldn’t look away, and his eyes held me captive.
“Oh gods,” Blaire breathed, moaning out an orgasm right there in the fucking doorway.
Vamps walked by and smiled, not even caring that he was getting her off in front of everyone. Vamps were sensual beings, known for orgies and voyeurism just as much as shifters were known for intense, dominant fucking.
Watching the way he moved, it was a safe bet that Render had a lot of experience in this department. He knew exactly how to touch a woman. His hand trailed a heated line down her stomach before plunging between her thighs. My mouth parted, my chest heaving in air as I pressed my own thighs together for some much needed friction. His venom must have been working overtime, because Blaire’s moans grew louder in tandem with his fingers.
That’s when the jealousy came.
I was suddenly roiling with dark envy that he wasn’t touching me. Jealous that I’d never have a supe’s undivided attention like that. He might have kissed me last night, but it obviously meant nothing. Just a craving he had to satisfy. It was in his nature, after all.
I tore my eyes away from him and forced myself to walk away. He’d made his point. I was nothing special. Just because he craved me didn’t mean that he would ever choose me. Every gulp he took of Blaire’s neck proved that. Putting one foot in front of the other, I heard her orgasm again just as I turned the corner and headed down the stairs. Feeling twisted and rejected, I put distance between me and the confusing vampire.
I barely reached the last step of the stairs when a hard body slammed into my back, nearly toppling me over. “Did I say that you could walk away?” Render snarled before spinning me around to face him.
“I saw enough. I didn’t want to watch anymore,” I replied while staring at Blaire’s blood on his lips. I bet if he cupped my cheeks, I’d be able to scent her arousal on his fingertips.
“Liar. I can smell how turned on you are.”
Fine. If he wanted to do this, then I’d meet him hit for hit.
“Yeah, it was hot. But you made your point. You don’t want my blood, right?” I said before biting hard into the tender spot on my lip again, causing rich red liquid to pool in my mouth. His eyes darted down, and his tongue dipped out in a hungry gesture.
“You don’t want my power anywhere near you either,” I went on, stepping closer to him. I brushed my breasts against his chest, causing the pebbled peaks to strain against my shirt. His hands came up to grip my waist, his fingers digging into my skin like they had a mind of their own.
“And you don’t want my body,” I said, widening my stance and straddling his thigh. Oh gods, the friction was right there. All it would take was a little movement.
“Exactly. I don’t want you,” Render said with a hard swallow, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. I didn’t know what was worse: him truly not wanting me or him hating who I was so much that he denied it.
“Good,” I said, suddenly stepping away, making his arms fall to his sides. “Because I don’t want you either, vamp.”
The lie tasted like warm copper and repression.
Chapter 12
“Why so sad, Void?” Hyde asked before sitting next to me at the breakfast table the next day.
I’d purposefully kept my head down, focusing on the mushy food in front of me. No matter what I ordered from the waiters at the school, they always brought me the same damn thing: oatmeal. Everyone else got five-star fucking meals. I’d heard the chef was a fire elemental who’d seen me take away his wife’s cousin’s powers when I was thirteen. It obviously didn’t matter that I’d just been a kid, ordered to do it by the council. He hated me on principle. I played around with the mush with my spoon, not trusting that he hadn’t spit in it. It wouldn’t surprise me.
Hyde reached forward and shoved the bowl away, before sliding his own plate in front of me. It was overflowing with bacon and pancakes, smelling so godsdamned good that my mouth watered. I looked up at him before grabbing a piece of bacon and taking a bite. I had to suppress a groan at the salty warmth that flooded my mouth.
“Should I be worried that this is poisoned?” I asked with a smirk. I knew all about the paragons’ determination to get me out of the school. I didn’t think they were above food poisoning.
Hyde laughed while spinning a fork on the table. “The last thing we should be doing is making you even hungrier. I don’t want to see what happens when you’re hangry.”
I laughed under my breath before taking another bite. I hadn’t realized how truly hungry I was until that moment. I looked around the room, feeling everyone’s eyes on my back. Their stares were cruel, but the whispers that fluttered over to us were even crueler.
“Of course the necromancer goes to sit with her,” one shifter girl said to her group of giggling friends. “He knows death when he sees it.”
“He’s probably going to see if he can resurrect her wardrobe. She looks like something my cat dragged in.” Snickers followed.
“It’s either her or zombies. He probably prefers the corpses.” More tittering, more whispers.
A vampire clique walked by, led by none other than Blaire. “Poor Render has to babysit her,” she said scathingly, and I carefully watched her out of the corner of my eye. “He told me last night that she keeps hitting on him. It’s pathetic. Did you see how she embarrassed herself at the ball? Pathetic. She practically slit her wrists and jumped him.” Her group of friends laughed, and I envisioned letting my Void out and really giving them something to laugh about.
Hyde continued to spin his fork, and it was the focal point of my stare as my ears burned. “I’m assuming it would be pointless to tell you not to worry about the opinions of others?” he asked.
I learned a long time ago that I’d be hated wherever I went. Humans didn’t understand their fear of me. My mother loathed me for taking away everything she cared about. And supers feared that I would drain them. I accepted that hatred. It was just a natural part of who I was. But just because I accepted that, it didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. Maybe it was all my time in the human world that made me weak, but I absorbed their insults under my skin like poison. What I should be doing was using them to build up a brick wall around my soul. Never trust. Never open myself up. Alone was the only way to go.
“Why are you sitting with me?” I asked, flicking my eyes up at Hyde’s white, messy hair and silver eyes. I could watch him all day. The way he moved and spoke was different than anyone else I’d ever met. It didn’t hurt that he was painfully handsome. Even the necro mark, with its connected tattoos along his neck, was a huge turn on against his tanned skin. I wanted to lick it. I frowned at myself and dropped my eyes at th
at thought. What the hell was my problem? I didn’t just go around wanting to lick people. That wasn’t normal.
“I’m on duty, of course,” Hyde replied. His blunt response made me chew on the bacon even harder. I wanted to slap myself for hoping that he would say something consoling like he just wanted to come sit with me. Silly me. “Besides, you’re entertaining. No matter what we throw at you, you don’t budge. I could use a little bit of that steely resolve.”
My ears perked slightly at that. Entertaining was better than...every other attention I’d gotten so far. “Can we get out of here?” I asked before swiping a few more pieces of bacon and standing up. I was still hungry but didn’t want to sit in the cafeteria and listen to everyone talk about me.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Hyde replied before standing up too. My eyes took in the way his school uniform hugged his frame. He was pretty fit for a self-proclaimed zombie king. “We have about thirty minutes until class. Wanna go for a walk? I have an idea of something you might like to do. Something fun.”
My risk demon blood sat up at attention. Something fun? I could use something fun.
“But it’ll be breaking a few school rules,” Hyde went on as I followed him out of the cafeteria. “If word gets out, I’ll blame it all on you,” he added, causing my demon risk side to practically yip in excitement. Rule breaking? Count me in.
“Deal,” I replied as he started leading me through the winding school. I had no idea where we were going, but I didn’t really care.
To my surprise, he brought me over to a classroom, walking right in like he owned the place. Unlike most of the other rooms, there were no windows inside, and it was kept noticeably cooler. I clasped my hands around my arms, trying to keep the chill away. “Geez, it’s freaking cold in here.” Good thing I’d worn one of my thicker bras, or my nipples would’ve been on full display behind my uniform dress shirt. I pulled the blazer tighter around me.