Chapter 25 Twenty Five
DANIKA
"He isn't your boyfriend?" Cora asks, bewildered. We're sitting in the campus courtyard, munching on sandwiches. My mind keeps replaying the scene from earlier this morning. I can't help but wonder what the strange lady's relationship with Tyler is.
"Yeah," I reply to Cora, staring at the fountain.
"Something's off. He definitely looked like he has feelings for you."
I nearly roll my eyes.
"Yeah, right. Feelings of disgust," I mutter.
Just then, a shadow falls over us. We both look up to see a tall man with a lopsided smile. His ginger hair curls on his forehead, a full beard framing his face. Cora's face goes pale instantly.
"Ren...w-what are you doing here?" She stutters.
His smile widens. "We need to talk, Cora bear. Now."
My friend's gaze darts to mine, and she shakes her head. It's definitely a sign that the newcomer is bad news. Heart pounding, I reach for Cora's wrist, holding it. Her skin is so cold.
"Maybe another time," I say to the gingerhead, and his pale blue eyes darken.
Suddenly, he grabs my hand, which is still holding onto Cora's. The moment his skin touches mine, something snaps through the air like static. His eyes go wide.
Then he screams.
Jerking backwards, he clutches his hand to his chest. "What the hell are you?!"
I stare, heart pounding, half expecting to see my palm glowing or smoking or something. But there's nothing. Only the warmth lingering under my skin.
What am I?
That question again. It’s beginning to get on my nerves.
I rise to my feet with Cora, already mapping out an escape route just in case we need to run. Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps reaches our ears, and a familiar deep voice speaks.
"Got a problem, dude?"
Bellamy.
Relief sinks into me, my knees going weak.
Ren growls. "Why don't you run along? This isn't your business."
Bellamy tilts his head, casual as ever, hands in his pockets. "Pretty sure it is when you're harassing my friend."
Ren proceeds to reach out a hand for Cora. However, he doesn't get to touch her because Bellamy grabs him by the wrist and yanks hard, an audible cracking sound filling the air.
"You should learn to be polite, gingerhead. Clearly, she doesn't want to go with you," Bellamy drawls, his eyes glinting with amusement even as Ren cries out in pain from being 'manhandled.'
The instant Bellamy releases him, he flees. Shocking.
"Hello, ladies. Your knight in shining armor is here again, miss me?" Bellamy says to us, and I grimace, finally letting go of Cora.
"Did Kaziel send you here again?" I ask, and he shakes his head.
"Nope. I'm actually here to see you."
My eyes go wide. "Me?"
I glance at Cora, who's still slightly shaken. Ren must be the obsessive ex-boyfriend she'd been talking about. Just how badly did he screw up to make her react like this at the mere sight of him?
"Princess, are you okay?" Bellamy asks, and she gulps.
"You won't take long, right? I don't want to be alone," she murmurs, and my heart squeezes.
She suddenly looks so small. Cora is at least four inches taller than me. She's 85 percent legs, though.
"Three minutes, that's all. You can hold on, right?" Bellamy asks, and she nods slowly.
She moves back to sit on the bench while Bellamy gestures at me to move to the side.
"Three questions, that's all I'm going to ask," he says, and I sigh.
"Fine."
"Do you know anything about your real parents?" He asks, and I frown.
"No. I grew up in the orphanage home. Apparently, I was quite little when they found me. My foster dad took me in not long after."
"Okay...has any strange thing happened around you before? Something that hints that you're not human."
I stare at him, puzzled.
What on earth is he talking about?
"Of course, I am human," I say, and he narrows his eyes at me.
"Last question, are you Kaziel's mate?"
Wait...he doesn't know? I'd assumed that he's close with Kaziel.
Is there a reason why he was not told about my relationship with Kaziel?
If there is, I won't be the one to expose him to the secret.
"What do you mean?" I blurt out randomly and he sighs.
"You know what Kaziel is," he says.
"A werewolf? Yeah, he told me."
Bellamy squints at me. "That's all he told you?"
"Yes. Why?"
He clenches his jaw, running a hand over his face.
"Even if he didn't tell you, he must have his reasons. But, Kaziel hasn't been with a woman since his first mate died. Infact, he's repulsed by the thought of being with anyone. Yet, he's somehow into you. That doesn't make sense unless you're his mate."
Cora is waiting, what is this dick head doing?
"I still don't know what mate is. I also don't know why you think you can accuse me of something I don't understand. If you would excuse me—"
I turn back to the spot where Cora is supposed to be waiting. But...she's gone. Lying on the bench is her phone.
My breath catches in my throat, nausea gripping me.
"C-Cora?" I breathe, moving over to the bench to pick up the phone.
Bellamy curses behind me but before I can turn to look at him, he's gone as well. Guilt stirs up in the pit of my stomach, terror gnawing at my insides.
Cora's frightened words replay themselves in my head and I can't help but think that I've failed her. My hands shake as I dial Kaziel's number. I have to find Cora. I must.
"Dove?" My mate's deep voice caresses my ear on the first ring.
"Cora's gone," I croak.
"Gone? As in..."
I look down at her phone in my hand, tears blurring my vision. "I think she was kidnapped. She was right here with me. I turned my back for a few minutes, and she..."
I gulp, my chest tightening.
"Don't panic, okay. Breathe."
My voice cracks when I speak again. "I thought she was incapable of fear...she's a vampire, you know? But… she was scared, Kaziel. I could see it in her eyes."
"I'll find her, okay? In the meantime, come over to my office," he says.
"Okay."
The line goes dead, and I let out a shaky breath. I really hope she's okay. She's my only friend. The only one who actually gets me.
"Cakes?" I look up at the sound of Tyler's voice, instantly repulsed.
What does he want now?
"I'm sorry about earlier. Hera was out of line, and it's all my fault," he tells me, and I start to walk away. He follows after me, and I halt, tightening my grip on the phones in my hands.
"What are you doing? Leave me alone," I snap.
"Hera isn't my girlfriend. She's just...a friend," he says, and I let out an exasperated sigh.
Did I ask?
What is wrong with him?
Just as I start to turn away, he blurts out words that make me freeze. "I'm dying!"
“W-what?” I croak, my voice shaking. He’s lying. He has to be. Tyler has always been the bright, bubbly one. He never even got the flu. So, what is he talking about?
He sighs, running a hand over his face.
“I don’t have long,” he tells me, and suddenly, I can’t breathe. Despite what he did to me, he was once my best friend. Therefore, this news hits me like a punch to the gut.
“N-no,” I gasp, stumbling backwards.
“It’s the actual reason why I rejected you. I thought I could handle your hatred. But I can’t. I can’t die knowing you hate me,” he utters, his voice shaky.
“Stop. Stop it!” I cry, tears rolling down my cheeks.
“I’ve always cared about you, you know? You might not believe me, but I’ve had feelings for you since eighth grade.”
I want to puke. He’s saying too much, but I can’t understand anything. Memories of our past together replay in my mind, and it hurts. It hurts to see what we have become.
He has feelings for me? ME?
“You’re making things up. There was no sign. Why would you suddenly be terminal?” I ask, tears blurring my vision.
“I…” he sighs, his head hanging low. Then he moves over to me to whisper in my ear. “I’m a werewolf.”
“What?”
“My wolf is weak, and so am I. I was told I wouldn’t live long enough for my twenty-third birthday,” he mutters.
My head is spinning at this point. Tyler will be twenty-three in six months. Does this mean—
“Cora!” I hear a familiar voice yell, and I turn to see Jazmine frantically looking around. Her gaze meets mine. Then she rushes up to me.
“Did you see my sister? She’s in danger, I can feel it. I traced her scent to this place, but I can’t find her,” she tells me, grabbing me by my forearms. My breath hitches in my throat, my throat constricting.
What do I tell her?
“Please, give me an answer,” she begs, her eyes glistening with tears. “Did you see her with anybody? Was she—”
A loud thud sound from behind us startles me, and I turn. Only to find Tyler on the ground, unconscious.