Chapter 91 Feelings

Chapter 91 Feelings
THE KINGS LOUNGE

"He is unpacking his bags right across from her door right now," Raiden growled loudly, pacing.

Raiden dragged his hands through his hair. His eyes were wild with anxiety.

Cassian sat still on the sofa, his chest wrapped in bandages.

"You need to calm down, Raiden," Cassian grunted, wincing a bit as he shifted his weight. "If you throw a lightning bolt at him inside the dorms, you'll burn the whole building down."

"I don't care about the building, Cassian," Raiden yelled, stopping his pacing to glare at him. "The bloodsucker manipulated the teachers to get a room next to Twila. He is invading her safe space just to mess with me."

Island sat next to Cassian, feeding him grape. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"The vampire is playing a psychological game with you, Raiden," Island sighed, dusting off her skirt. "He wants you to lose your temper and look like a crazy animal in front of Twila. Don’t give him what he wants."

"Island is right," Levi said, walking into the lounge carrying two cups of hot coffee.

Nyx followed behind Levi, wearing her usual tight black leather jacket and looking bored by the situation.

"If you attack him in the hallway, Twila will be really angry with you," Nyx sneered, grabbing a coffee cup from Levi’s hand without saying thank you. "She is trying to survive the thirty days to save your life, Raiden. Stop making it hard for her."

Raiden clenched his jaw tightly, knowing Nyx spoke the truth.

"I'm just going to stand outside her door," Raiden muttered, walking quickly toward the lounge exit. "If he talks to her without my permission, I'll break his jaw."

Raiden marched out of the room, ignoring Levi calling his name.

"He is going to murder someone today," Levi laughed softly, sitting down on the sofa.

"Let them fight," Nyx smirked, sipping her coffee. "It’s better than watching you guys do boring homework."

THE GIRLS DORMITORY HALLWAY

Neon walked slowly down the quiet corridor, his hands deep in the pockets of his hoodie.

He had no magic left in his body, and being completely human in a castle full of supernaturals made him feel useless and exhausted.

He turned the corner near Twila's room, keeping his head down.

Crash.

A cardboard box slipped and hit the floor, spilling dirt and small green plants across the hallway.

"Fuck my life," a soft, shaky voice cried out.

Neon stopped walking. He looked up and saw Amorette sitting on her knees in the middle of the mess.

She wore a pretty light pink summer dress, but her face was covered in tears. She was trying to scoop the spilled dirt back into a broken clay pot with shaking hands.

"Hey," Neon said quietly, walking over to her. "Let me help you."

Amorette looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

Neon felt his heart flip unexpectedly. He had seen Amorette before, but now, with her messy hair and sad face, he realized how beautiful she actually was.

"I ruined them, Neon," Amorette sobbed, holding a crushed pink flower. "These are Brielle's favorite flowers. Viella grew them for me to put on her grave, and I dropped them like a clumsy idiot."

Neon immediately knelt next to her in the dirty hallway.

"You didn't ruin anything, Amorette," Neon promised softly, his voice gentle.

He carefully took the crushed pink flower from her trembling hand.

"The roots are fine," Neon said with a reassuring smile, picking up the broken clay pieces. "We just need to put them in fresh water and find a new pot. They'll bloom perfectly, I promise."

Amorette sniffled loudly, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

"You really think so?" Amorette asked, looking into his eyes with hope.

"I know so," Neon whispered, feeling his face heat up from her close gaze.

He helped her scoop the dirt back into the box, their fingers brushing gently against each other a few times. Each time they touched, Neon felt a spark that had nothing to do with magic.

"Thank you, Neon," Amorette said, giving him a soft, sweet smile that melted his heart. "You are really kind."

"I'm just helping a friend," Neon mumbled, standing up and lifting the box for her. "Come on, let’s find a new pot for Brielle's flowers."

Amorette stood up and walked beside him, completely unaware that Neon was crushing on her so hard he could barely breathe.

THE WEST CORRIDOR

Twila opened her bedroom door, carrying her school bag over her shoulder.

She stepped into the hallway and froze.

The door across from her room was propped wide open.

Niles stood in the doorway, wearing a dark red shirt and holding a box of books.

"Good morning, Twila," Niles smiled arrogantly, leaning against his doorframe.

"You are out of your mind, Niles," Twila hissed, glaring at the vampire. "You cannot live right across from me."

"I can live wherever I want, beautiful," Niles chuckled, setting his box down. "I told you I would fight for you. This is me fighting."

Before Twila could yell at him to go away, footsteps pounded loudly down the corridor.

Raiden marched up to them, his jaw clenched tight with a vein popping out of his neck.

"Take your boxes and leave, Dracula," Raiden growled, stepping in front of Twila to shield her from the vampire's eyes.

"I’m fully unpacked, Raiden," Niles smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "You’ll see my face every morning when you walk her to class. Get used to it."

"I’m going to break your jaw," Raiden warned, raising his hands as lightning sparked over his knuckles.

"Raiden, stop it right now," Twila shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling his hand down.

"He is provoking you on purpose," Twila whispered urgently, looking into Raiden's furious eyes. "If you attack him in the dorms, the teachers will expel you. That’s exactly what he wants."

Niles laughed darkly

"She is right, Vane," Niles sneered. "If you throw that lightning bolt, you lose your crown. And I get the girl all to myself."

Island and Nyx turned the corner just then, holding hot coffees.

"Oh look, the two idiots are measuring their dicks in the hallway again," Island mocked loudly, sipping her coffee as she watched the tension.

"Just punch him, Raiden," Nyx yelled casually, leaning against the wall. "I want to see if vampires actually bleed black blood."

"Nobody is punching anyone today," Twila shouted, stepping between the two.

She turned her back to Niles and looked at Raiden.

"Walk me to class, Raiden," Twila pleaded, touching his chest. "Just walk away from him."

Raiden stared at Niles with hatred for five seconds.

Finally, he took a deep breath, dropping his hands to his sides.

"You get to live today, bloodsucker," Raiden whispered quietly.

Raiden grabbed Twila's hand, lacing their fingers tightly, and walked her down the hall without looking back.

Niles stood in his doorway, watching them go. His arrogant smile vanished the moment they turned the corner.

His eyes dropped to his pale hands. His fingers shook from the pain of watching his mate hold hands with another man.

"I still have more days," Niles whispered to the empty hallway.