Chapter 57

KATHERINE.

“Shut up. Is Theo back?” Priyanka asked and Hunter shook his head.

“He stayed back at Renfield to make sure everything was right with it.”

“Huh… The school’s anniversary is coming up, you know. Imagine a violent ghost joins the festivities.”

“I hope not,” I cut in, drawing my brows together even though I knew that was possible. I didn’t know if the school was going to invite my pack for the anniversary but the thought of one of my family members getting snatched by a violent ghost wasn’t a pleasing one.

“Bryman’s not stupid. She won’t let that happen,” Hunter said and for the first time since I met the dean, I found myself rooting for her.

“You give her too much credit,” Priyanka replied, the corner of her mouth turning up before she focused her attention on me and gave me a sympathetic look. “Do you need anything else, hun? I heard you almost fell to your death.”

I couldn’t help but snort at her pitiful expression and tone and the corner of her mouth twitched as she bit back a smile while I sat on a chair next to the table. “Nothing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

A door slammed upstairs and we all looked up to see Josie making her way over to the staircase. When she noticed us, she gave us a huge smile as she quickly came down the stairs and cheerily said, “I’m back, guys.”

“No one clapped,” Priyanka stated, earning a sneer from her before she grabbed the insulated bag. “What the fuck happened to your hair?”

Josie frowned as she touched the ends of her hair and now that we were in a place with better lighting, I could clearly see the extent of the damage to it. She was really going to have to get a haircut. “Everhart.”

“You shouldn’t have gone after her with no defense.”

Josie’s frown deepened at that and she narrowed her eyes at Priyanka. “Are you parroting Theo?”

“Well if he said that, he was right.”

“I wanted to get Lenore back.”

“And you didn’t.”

“Sheesh. Good thing the moon goddess didn’t make you and Theo mates,” Josie replied and my ear perked up at the mention of mates. “You guys would have been an unstoppable power couple in heartlessness.”

“That didn’t happen, but you know what might?”

“What?”

“You getting killed by a ghost.”

Josie made a face while a laugh escaped me as I remembered Theo saying something similar to her earlier that night. “Do you guys use the same script?”

“He said that too?” Priyanka asked and I nodded before she shrugged. “He’s not wrong either.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She walked over to Priyanka and took food from the insulated bag she was holding.

“I’m serious, Josie. You can’t do something like that again.”

“But what if a violent ghost kidnaps one of you?”

“Do what Kath did,” Priyanka replied and when Josie glanced at me, I nodded. What she had done was incredibly brave – there was no doubt about that – but it was also stupid because if we’d gotten there later than we did, there was a high chance she would have gotten seriously hurt.

Josie pressed her lips together and heaved a sigh. “Okay,” she muttered before Priyanka combed her fingers through the ends of her hair.

“Want me to cut your hair.”

“Yes, please.”

“Okay. Let me give this to Lenore first.” Priyanka headed up the stairs and as Josie sat on the other seat at the table, I noticed that Hunter was no longer in the room with us and I glanced around, wondering when he left and where he went.

“Are you okay?” Josie said and I returned my attention to her. The expression on her face told me she was asking due to what happened in Renfield Hall and I nodded.

“I have a bone to pick with Everhart.”

“You and me both.”

The corner of my mouth turned up at that. “Thank you,” I added. When I’d fallen out of the window and Theo caught me, she’d drawn Everhart’s attention and made her chase her down the hallway. If she hadn’t done that, I’d have most likely fallen to the ground.

She flashed me a smile. “You’re welcome.”

****

It was past midnight and I was wide awake.

My friends and I were back in our dorm and I had only gotten four hours of sleep before my body decided that was enough. Now, I was heading down to the dorm’s common room to grab a snack because I was slightly hungry and neither mine nor Lenore’s refrigerator had what I felt like eating. Lenore was asleep but Josie was awake – I had texted her before deciding to head downstairs – so I wasn’t going to head back to my room after getting what I wanted, I would be going to hers.

Less than a minute later, I had acquired my snack and as I headed out of the common room, something moving outside the dorm caught my eye. It was a UTV and Blake was the one riding it.

Without thinking, I immediately headed out of the building and caught his attention almost instantly. I waved at him while he stared at me for a couple of seconds before driving over to the front of the stairs and I couldn’t hold back my smile as I walked down. I hadn’t gotten the chance to speak to him during the CMES meeting and he hadn’t come back to the clubhouse before I left but now, here he was. It felt like a blessing of some sort.

“Really?” he asked, raising a brow. “You’re out here after what happened last night.”

“You’re out here too.”

“Unlike you, this isn’t my first rodeo. Besides, I’m out here making sure violent ones are not traipsing around in the areas under my watch.”

“Under your watch?” I replied.

“Yeah. Some of the members and I are going around to make sure things stay quiet. The boss assigned me to this area.”

“Who’s the boss?”

“Professor Faringray. She’s the club’s supervisor.”

“Oh,” I muttered before the corner of his mouth turned up.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked and I nodded before his gaze fell to the chips and the other object in my hands. A line appeared between his brows. “... Is that a salt shaker?”

“It was the best I could do,” I replied, smiling, before he let out a laugh that was incredibly pleasing to listen to and I found myself moving closer to the UTV. Then he reached for something in the bag on the floor of the passenger’s side and tossed it to me.

It was a spray bottle that had liquid and white petals inside.

“What’s this?”

“Baptisia water,” he said. It was one of the ghost repellents Theo mentioned today.

“Oh.” My smile widened. “Thank you.”

“No problem. You and the other new members are going to get a sort of defense starter pack for emergencies tomorrow.”

“Emergencies?” I asked, drawing my brows together and he nodded before I remembered what Theo said about a period when most of the ghosts become erratic. I frowned. “The ghost period is really starting?” It was quite obvious that it was and though last night had not been completely horrible – except for the part where people, including me, got hurt – I was kind of hoping it would be a one-time thing.

“It is.”

“Damn it,” I muttered and an amused expression crossed Blake’s face at my reaction.

“You don’t seem to like this club,” he said and I bit back a groan.

“I do. Just not the ghost parts.”

“Those are the only parts,” he replied with a laugh, making the corners of my mouth turn up before he glanced at my dorm. “Are you going to go back in?” he asked and I shook my head sideways. “Can’t sleep?”

I nodded.

“Wanna patrol with me?”

“Definitely,” I replied and he grinned before opening the passenger door for me.

“Hop in.”