Chapter 34 Chaos Likes Company
Chapter 34 Chaos Likes Company
The morning sun felt like an affront. At Ravenshade University, Lucien Dark Blood leaned against a brick pillar, sunglasses hiding the boredom in his eyes. The adrenaline from the foundry fight had faded, and now he was, once again, bored. His uncle was licking wounds, the arrogant prince was out of the picture, and Rael was hidden with the wolves. The game had stalled.
It was time to shuffle the deck.
He spotted his target across the quad. Nara. A classmate from Local History. She sat on the grass with headphones in, nodding to a song he was certain was terrible. He knew she belonged to Cedric’s pack.
He crossed the quad and stopped right in front of her, casting a shadow over her.
— Seriously? — she said, bored, pulling the headphones out. — Of all the places on this campus, you had to come stand directly over me?
Lucien smiled. No hostility. Just mutual curiosity. — Morning to you too, little wolf. I didn’t know you liked metal.
— I didn’t know vampires left the crypt before noon — she shot back without malice. She was funny. — What do you want, Lucien? Your smell of old books and… disappointment is clashing with mine.
— Charming. And you smell of grass and overenthusiasm — he said, adjusting his sunglasses. — What a terrible combination. I hate nature.
Nara laughed, a genuine sound. — The feeling’s mutual, Dracula. Now seriously, what do you want? Unless you came to invite me to the undead ball.
There it was, the click. She was chaotic in a cheerful way, while he was chaotic in a dark way. They fit.
— I’m just curious — Lucien said, turning enigmatic. — Your new… rescued one. Rael. Is he the pack’s new star? Cedric’s personal pet?
Nara snorted, rolling her eyes. — Rael isn’t “ours.” He belongs to the pack now, I suppose. But honestly? Nobody knows him. He’s super quiet, very broody. He spends all his time staring at the mansion on the hill. Honestly? It’s a bit depressing.
Lucien raised an eyebrow, intrigued. — Depressing? I found him hilarious. Did you see what he did to Prince Caspian? Broke him like a twig.
Nara’s eyes widened, curiosity finally piqued. — Oh… I didn’t see that. Cedric only said there was a “disagreement.” Tell me.
Lucien smiled, a slow, victorious smile. — Ah ah. Not here, darling. Too many human ears. Besides, this sun is starting to annoy me.
Nara sprang to her feet. She wasn’t tall; she was lithe, with an energy that seemed to hum.
— Okay, you have my attention — she said, adjusting her backpack. — Let’s go to Mocha Joe’s. The smell of coffee drowns your vampire scent. And you pay.
— How plebeian — Lucien said. — I love it. Lead the way.
Across campus, inside a stifling classroom, Selene lived her private hell. She pretended to take notes, but her hand trembled so much her handwriting was illegible.
Valerius’s threat echoed in her head: I will kill your friend. Annalise, I believe.
She glanced sideways. Annalise sat there. She knew everything. Selene had told her. The night before, torn between the terror of the forced engagement and Valerius’s direct threat to her friend, Selene had finally broken and revealed the supernatural world. Annalise, after the initial shock, accepted the truth with a mix of fear and fierce loyalty. Now she was Selene’s only anchor.
On Selene’s other side, Lysandra sighed, clearly bored with sociology class.
— Stop staring at the door — Annalise whispered, seeing panic flash in her friend’s eyes. — You look like prey.
— I can’t help it — Selene whispered back, eyes fixed on the door. — He’s coming, Anna. Rael. He doesn’t know about your threat. He thinks he won. He’ll come looking for me, and Valerius will…
— And if he comes, I’ll kick his ankle myself and tell him to go away — Annalise said with surprising firmness. — Selene, I know the risks. I won’t be your weakness. I refuse.
Lysandra leaned in from the other side. — The human has a point. Also, your panic is loud. It’s distracting me from my nap.
— Lysandra! This is serious! — Selene hissed.
— I know it is — Lysandra said, her tone softening a little. — And that’s why you must act normal. Valerius wants you afraid. He’s testing you. If you curl into a corner, he wins.
Annalise nodded. — Exactly. That’s why, after this, the three of us are going to the mall.
Selene stared at her, shocked. — What? Anna, I can’t…
— Yes you can — insisted Annalise. — We’ll be normal. As normal as a cynical vampire (she pointed at Lysandra), a terrified future vampire (pointed at Selene), and a human desperate for coffee can be.
Lysandra gave a small smile, the first genuine one of the day. — Mall. How… plebeian. I hate it. It’s decided.
Selene looked from Lysandra to Annalise. And, for the first time in days, she felt a spark of fight. She nodded. It was a plan. A small, fragile, normal distraction.