A University of Betrayal (The Blairville Legacies #2)

Chapter 45

Miles

Misty-Eyed

Christopher Tyng

Adrian had called me to him. Something my blood brother rarely did. In fact, I was someone who was almost never called to do anything. I was left alone. That was the best aspect of my life.

Suppressing my snort, I skipped the knocking part and pulled open the door to Adrian’s chambers .

I paused for a moment to listen to the silence that could only be found in Adrian’s apartment in this form before entering the luxurious living area.

Adrian kept everything in black, even his wardrobe. I had never seen him in a white shirt before.

Smirking, I walked forward.

Adrian kept the decor cool. And so, black and silver were the colors that were reflected as basic elements in his furniture.

I marched through the room with the seating island and the huge television. Next came the kitchen, which was very modern – black and gray, of course, what else? Then came the large room with his desk, where everything was neatly organized.

Ever since I knew him, Adrian was a terrible perfectionist. Almost obsessive... until you entered this one room after his bedroom.

I leaned in the doorway between the bedroom and the rustic room with the gray concrete walls.

He sat there as if he hadn’t heard me coming and calmly moved his hand up and down. The paintbrush in his hand was as black as everything else in his life, so the shiny ice-blue tip was quite extraordinary.

“Since when do you paint with color?”

Adrian lowered the brush and turned to me. He had rolled up the sleeves of his black shirt.

“Funny, Miles.”

I grinned at him.

“Good of you to come, though.” Adrian placed the brush in the glass of water, which at that very moment became cloudy, as if fog were spreading through the water. “I wasn’t expecting it anymore.”

“Very optimistic, as always.”

“I’m being realistic,” he sighed with raised brows.

“As always,” I replied and took a step further into his atelier.

Adrian had been painting since before I knew him. Back then, when Bastien had brought him here from New York, he hadn’t spoken a word. Camille had told me that, because – fortunately – I hadn’t existed at the time. But when I had been four and he ten, Adrian had started communicating with me for the first time. And it had been through drawing. Otherwise, I would probably never have been able to get closer to him.

At first, it was just drawings. Bastien had taught him, because he was a talented artist himself, which only one person in the estate disliked, and that was the head of the clan.

Nicolaj hadn’t liked the fact that Adrian had painted so much and had argued countless times with Bastien, who had finally made the compromise of training him to balance things out.

“I don’t like it when you stare at my paintings as if they trigger something in you.”

Adrian was now sitting there, leaned back, legs spread, holding more brushes, which he was drying with a black towel.

Only now did I actually manage to concentrate on the painting. It was a winter landscape, not peaceful, but wild and boisterous. A kind of snow flurry between pointed mountains. It looked like Blairville.

“How do you manage to express more feelings with your paintings than with your words?”

Adrian sighed.

Normally no one was allowed in here, no one except me or Bastien. And normally his landscapes were just like his favorite color.

“Let me get straight to the point, because I don’t have time for this.”

There he was again. Busy Adrian, never enough time, always something to do. And in fact, I saw less and less of him in his atelier.

I went to the window and looked down at the lake behind our property, which was surrounded by a deep, dark misty forest that stretched all the way to the mountain range of the island.

“As much as I dislike it, I need to ask you a favor.”

Adrian never asked me for a favor. What made him change that fact?

I turned questioningly to the young man I had grown up with here.

“It’s about your sister.”

Tensely, I turned to face him completely, both hands in my trouser pockets.

Larissa had told me that Adrian’s behavior was getting on her nerves. By now, it was clear to me that Adrian’s nature was her biggest motivation to get better. She was competitive.

“I’m listening?”

Adrian placed a couple of his brushes on the towels he was using as a base for wet materials before reaching for the next ones.

“It’s not that I can’t trust her, it’s just that she spends too much time with the strange smelling girl and the petite blonde Quatura.”

“I’ve already told her that Nicolaj won’t like that.”

“That obviously doesn’t seem to stop her from socializing with other species.” Adrian sounded like Nicolaj. “I’d like you to keep a better eye on her.”

Great. So it was that kind of favor. Long-term and complicated.

Usually, I entangled people in such matters. Quentin was a good example of this, even if it was curiosity that had driven me into this deal, not the usual pleasure to witness things go downhill.

“And how do you think that will work?”

“Don’t leave her side.”

“Are you serious? Do I look like her babysitter?”

The last thing I wanted to do was look after someone who had managed well on her own until now. And just because Adrian was a busy person didn’t mean I wasn’t. I had my own problems.

“She’s your sister.”

“I know that, and I’m making sure she learns how things work here.”

“Good, then we’re on the same page.”

Speechless, I tensed my jaw.

Adrian was silently cleaning the brushes, not letting on, if anything was going on with him emotionally. Sometimes you could think he had no feelings, except perhaps doubt and mistrust.

Nicolaj had trained the perfect puppet. How had Bastien allowed that to happen?

“She’s planning something.”

I looked at my blood brother in surprise.

“She didn’t go home with me and David today.”

“She’s probably sleeping there,” I argued, annoyed by this conversation.

“You know she can slip. One more wrong bite and it’s war here.”

As much as I wanted to deny it, he was right. Larissa was a Ruinouveau and belonged to our clan. Whether she wanted to or not. And if something happened again, like with Mady... She only had to stop drinking for a while.

I gave in. “And what exactly does that mean for me now?”

“Go to university, look after your sister. That’s all I expect of you,” he said calmly and I took a deep breath.

University was the last place I wanted to go right now. Especially after the thing with her …

What had started out as a bit of fun was now a bit too much for me. I didn’t even know why I kept thinking back to it... I had only wanted to tease her. I still did. Someone had to bring her back to reality, for fuck’s sake, get her off her high horse. But something had prevented me from simply using my powers. Probably because she had distracted me.

And so, I had fallen for Emely Copeland’s mind trap... and she had ended up falling into my arms.

No matter how hard I tried, that absurd moment when she’d been on top of me, her innocent look, her warm hand on my skin... lingered in my mind. It had felt so strange... And no matter how hard I tried to erase it from my mind, she kept reappearing.

If she were a Quatura, I could swear she would have cursed me, even though Quatura couldn’t do that. Perhaps it was simply because she was a female Senseque. Beautiful, strong women by nature.

Only I didn’t want to think like that, didn’t want to fall for the charms of her nature. I wasn’t that na?ve. Her nature should make me want to keep my distance. Not the opposite.

“Miles?”

I jerked my head away from the picture of the winter landscape. However, it had wandered there.

“Yes...” I began, trying not to show how distracted I was. “See you later then,” I added quickly and made my way to the university.

As I parked my car next to Bastien’s, my skepticism grew. All this time I had been racking my brains about all sorts of things, and now Bastien’s car was here on campus amongst all the others.

What was he doing here? And where exactly was he? At the Senseque rector’s? It was eight pm...

An uneasy feeling crept over me. Something was going on here. Maybe I was paranoid because Larissa hadn’t answered her cell phone even after the third call.

I made my way to her accommodation, but didn’t go in, instead I rang the bell. The Quatura would kick my ass if I walked in like that.

When the door opened, I exhaled with relief.

Larissa looked around and pulled me in.

Comedy Funny Music

Gold-Tiger

“What are you doing here?” I asked her, looking around the luxurious living area. No one else seemed to be around. “ Please tell me you’re alone.”

Larissa sighed while packing her camera into her bag. “Yeah, you’re lucky. Vivienna and her friends are still downtown.” She looked rushed as she opened one of her blood reserves, which relieved me even more. She seemed to know what to do, but did she have enough blood reserves left? “Bayla and Julie aren’t here right now, and Emely is on a date. So no, you’re not going to be hexed by some Quatura or chased by a Senseque.”

“Emely Copeland? A date?”

I laughed, bitterly, wondering for the first time that Emely and Larissa lived under the same roof. And who she was on a date with. With the strangely aggressive Russian? Hardly, after the bullshit he had said to her during our little game. Even I wouldn’t say something like that to her, reducing her to her gender...

Larissa looked at me in surprise.

“Yeah, why?”

I laughed and tried my hardest to make it sound amused and not bitter. “That someone would voluntarily go on a date with that girl...”

“I don’t know… She hates everyone here except her brother’s friends and Bayla’s neighbor.”

“Who’s Bayla’s neighbor?”

Somehow, I wanted to know who she was making an exception for, who this girl didn’t hate.

“Since when are you so interested in my friends?” Larissa said, looking at me critically.

“Friends?”

How could she suddenly call so many people her friends ? And anyway...

“Forget it. I’m in a hurry.”

I looked up in alarm. “Where are you going?”

I stood in front of her as she was about to scurry to the door, and she paused in front of me. Her hair moved from the inhuman speed she wasn’t supposed to use here.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but this is none of your business, so let me through.”

Again, she tried to pass me, but I consistently blocked my sister’s path.

“And I’ m sorry to have to tell you this, but I’m afraid I can’t let you go if I don’t know where you’re going.”

She raised both eyebrows.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re a Ruinouveau, which is why I can’t just let you do whatever you want.” I sensed her tension. “Don’t take offense, but I was sent to babysit you.”

“Did Bastien send you? Please tell him he’s super good at hide-and-seek. I’ve been trying to find him for days.”

If I told her who sent me, she would rebel all the more.

“Bastien is here on campus,” I said instead, wondering what she wanted from him.

“Oh, great.”

Larissa snorted and made it past me, out the door. I followed her, not without closing the door and rushing after her.

“Why?” I asked.

“Just because,” she replied hurriedly.

“Larissa...”

She groaned and put her bag around her neck. “Fine, I have plans with Bayla.”

“At this time of evening?”

“Yes...” she pressed out with impatience and looked at her watch. It was half past eight. What on earth was she up to? Something told me it wasn’t a visit to Midnight’s .

“Are you going to get our clan into trouble?”

“Excuse me?” She stopped abruptly on the path surrounded by forest.

“Listen, I’d like to be somewhere else right now, too, making good use of my free time. But I have to keep an eye on you,” I confessed in all honesty.

“Go party, do sports. Whatever it is, do it. I’ve got it all under control.”

It was easy to claim to be in control. I had been turned four years ago. Was I in control? No . And if Larissa was also Tristan’s child, then I didn’t want to trust in divine providence.

“I’d like to believe that, but unfortunately, I can’t. I’ll come with you.”

Larissa’s expression spoke volumes. “Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“You joke a lot,” she said with a sarcastic smile.

“Okay, point taken, but I’m not joking right now.”

I wanted her to know I was serious.

Larissa looked around as if someone might overhear us and finally dragged me with her.

“If you come with me, you have to promise me you’ll keep your mouth shut and not tell anyone about this.”

I narrowed my brow. “You’ll have to explain that to me in more detail.”