Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
Jack
Nothing let me think better than being out on the open road, and there was nothing I loved more aside from hunting than riding my motorcycle.
There was a sort of freedom in it that I couldn’t find elsewhere.
The wind on skin, the purr of the bike between my legs, the pulse racing thrill of controlling such a dangerous machine.
All of it fed into my need for an adrenaline high.
I leaned from one side to the other as I zig-zagged around each curve. The cars were nothing more than a blip on my radar as I engaged the throttle, creeping over the speed limit and into the danger zone.
The last few days I had kind of settled into a routine. I’d wake up, go to breakfast, sometimes with Tate or Xinyi, sometimes alone. Curiously enough, Kyren never joined us. He simply sat with several other vampires — if he even showed — and watched us.
When not at a meal, I was in class and, when not in class, I was studying in the library or my bedroom, which Tate seemed to avoid like a silver bullet.
I would think he was avoiding me if not for the fact that, at every chance, he had me up against a wall or on the commons couch, making my heart race and my toes curl.
I hadn’t had much time to ride my bike with classes and everything else going on. Tate had some human servant duties to attend to which he’d been very vague about. But, since we hadn’t really established what this was, I couldn’t really complain about it.
It wasn’t like I was offering up more information about myself than he had asked for.
What was I going to say? My family is the most powerful vampire house in the region?
I was pretending to be like you when really I had all the extra bits of being a human servant without all the bonding parts?
That I might or might not be immortal, and the days were counting down until I found a wrinkle on my brow, finally answering me for certain.
I didn’t think so.
Tate was… fun.
He didn’t expect anything from me. He flirted and teased. My heart warmed around him, and I felt… happy. Happier than I’d felt in a long time, and I wasn’t going to question that. At least, not right now.
The school came into view, and I slowed to roll myself carefully through the gates and then to where the other bikes were parked. A few werewolves loitering by their bikes gave me nasty looks, but they hadn’t given me shit about it after I knocked three of theirs down that first day.
The breeze brushed my face, almost apologizing for making me leave the safety of my bike and bringing me back to reality.
“Vamp whore,” one of them muttered as I walked by, my helmet in hand.
I shook my head as if their comments meant nothing. Which they did. I wasn’t what they said. Well, I was, but it wasn’t like they knew that, and it wasn’t like I could correct them. Not yet anyway.
A small petty part of me couldn’t wait until I was no longer pretending to be simply an average human servant and could shove my identity down all those assholes’ throats.
Since I only had two classes today, I had a few hours to kill before lunch. I’d used that time to reset myself with a ride. Except, even after, my skin felt tight, unsure, like something was building up to a release.
I knew the only person who could fix that feeling was the grinning werewolf waiting for me at the cafeteria doors.
“Have a good ride?” Tate wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed the side of my head.
I grinned up at him. “It was good. Ready for something… more.” I breathed out, trailing my fingers up his shirt as I fluttered my eyelashes up at him.
His hand tightened on my waist. “Is that so? Well, let’s get my princess fed and then we’ll see about more.”
I almost protested that I didn’t need food, I needed him, but my stomach rumbled loudly in protest, making Tate laugh.
We made it through the food line with little to no issues, except the occasional person complaining we were moving too slowly when we kept stealing small kisses here and there.
Xinyi sat at the table we normally claimed, stuffing her face full of rice. She glanced up as we approached, a small smile on her lips.
“You two are just so cute. I can’t even.” She shook her head, and the high pig tails on her hair bobbed back and forth.
Sliding onto the bench, I ducked my head to hide my grin. My cheeks were starting to hurt from how much Tate was making me smile.
“Oh, it’s all princess here.” Tate sat sideways on the bench as always, his thighs crowding in around mine, seeming unable to be separated from me even to eat his lunch. His fingers brushed my hair away from my face, and his lips pressing behind my ear, making me shiver.
Trying to shove down my desire to climb into Tate’s lap right there in the cafeteria, I glanced over at the vampires hanging out to the side of the tables. “What’s up with them? Vampires eat, right? I mean, besides blood.”
Xinyi shrugged, chewing her food. “Yeah, I guess. They don’t need it, but some like the flavors. Iris doesn’t eat, not unless it’s…” Her cheeks darkened. “Recreational.”
“Ah.” I grinned. “So they just like watching everyone else eat?”
“And complaining,” Xinyi muttered, her eyes sliding to the side.
My brows rose. “About?”
Tate stiffened next to me. “We don’t have to get into supernatural politics right now.”
“But she’s supernatural now.” Xinyi pointed at me with her fork. “You’re new, so no one expects you to have much of an opinion, but you know about the hunters, right?”
I schooled my expression. “Well, I have that class with that tight ass professor.”
“Oooh.” Xinyi’s gaze turned dreamy. “Tight ass? Yes. The rest of the package? Let me just say I’d let him hunt me any day of the week.”
Tate chuckled, while my eyes slipped toward the professors’ table nearby. Julian usually sat with his back to me, but this time, he was facing me, his gaze almost fixated on me.
I lifted my hand and pretended to scratch the side of my face, flipping him off at the same time.
“So what about the hunters?” I didn’t want to stop the conversation now that it had naturally come up. I hoped Xinyi and Tate would at least point me in the direction of the dissenting voices.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about. You’re a good girl, aren’t you?” Tate kissed my cheek, his words making me shift in my seat.
“Well, some people,” Xinyi started, shooting a covert look at the vampires, “think the hunters are overstepping. They think that they should let the supernaturals police themselves and… well… fuck off.”
I chewed on a fry and mulled over her words. It wasn’t a secret that the hunters weren’t exactly popular. No one wanted to be told what they could and couldn’t do, then face lethal consequences when they disobeyed.
“And then you know… there are the councils.” Xinyi twisted the cap off her water bottle, lifting a brow.
I bobbed my head, not exactly confirming or denying it.
This time, Tate explained. “Each supernatural group has their own council. The vampires, the werewolves, and the witches. But there have been some changes lately that not everyone likes.”
Xinyi snorted. “You could say that again.”
I nodded along as they talked, even though I knew all this information already. A heavy feeling pressed on my back. My head turned slightly to the side, eyes flicking to the vampires.
Kyren was staring at me again. I shrugged the feeling off and focused on what they were saying.
“They’re all just a bunch of whiny bitches,” Tate grunted, his lips tugging down in a frown.
“So…” I twirled a fry in ketchup. “Vamps are mad cause they can’t just do what they want anymore?”
“Basically.” Xinyi shrugged. “Iris complains about it all the time. They’re always trying to get her to come to some meeting or something.”
“Really?” I tried to sound nonchalant about it, though my heart was pounding in my chest.
“Hey, don’t worry about it, princess.” Tate turned my face toward him. “Your mistress isn’t even here for them to mess with.”
I gave him a pinched smile, letting him think that was why my pulse was racing.
“Yeah, Jack.” Xinyi patted my arm. “Don’t let it get to you. They’re mostly all talk, anyway. You know, a bunch of old farts and newbies thinking they know better.”
I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I got it.” I pushed to my feet, taking my tray with me. “I’ve got to get to class.”
“Here, I’ll walk you.” Tate followed me out of the cafeteria, sliding his hand into mine. “Please don’t worry about what Xinyi said. Kyren wouldn’t let it get out of control or anything.”
“Kyren?” My brow arched. “Is he part of this group?”
If Kyren was part of the rebel group, then that would mean that Tate could die. My stomach twisted in knots at the thought. Already I was feeling torn between my feelings for Tate and my mission, and I didn’t like it.
“What?” Tate gaped. “No. He’s actively telling them to shut the fuck up.”
I nodded, letting him lead me toward my next class, Bloodlines and Dynamics.
A part of me sighed in relief. That was one less thing to worry about, not having to choose between my mission and the way I felt about Tate. I didn’t think it was something I would ever have to worry about. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten involved with him?
Tate was a distraction. One I didn’t need. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to let him go.
We stopped before my class, and I turned to him. “Alright, I’ll see you after class, yeah?”
Tate left me at my class with a toe-curling kiss and a promise of more after class.
If someone asked to test me on what was said in class today, then I would surely fail. My mind whirled with the information that Tate and Xinyi had given me.
I hadn’t learned anything new, no one to point fingers at. I had a vague direction to go in, that was all. The only thing I knew for certain was that there was a group of supernaturals who weren’t happy with the current leadership.
I had to talk to Julian.
But not right now.