40. Stella
40
Stella
Something jolts me out of my restless sleep, my heart pounding furiously.
I can’t have been asleep for long. I can’t get the image of Clay’s face, plastered with a fake smile to appear strong, as he ushered me out of his room.
That can’t be the end of it. It can’t be sex-related because of everyone who could potentially be in the Raven, Clay is the one I need the most. I need his joyful demeanor and unwavering loyalty.
I cannot shake the feeling that something big is coming, and I have to have Clay on my side.
Which is why I’m not going to give up on him easily. I’m going to find out why he didn’t bond into the Raven when we had sex, and I’m going to fix it.
I will never forget his broken expression when we realized he didn’t have the brand, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure he never looks that way again.
The shadows in the corner of my room move, and I clutch at my heart as if my hands can squeeze it into submission.
A figure steps out of the shadows.
A scream rises in my throat, but he’s on me quickly, hand over my mouth, pinning me to my bed.
My eyes are still blurry with sleep, so it takes a moment for the blue-haired Leprechaun to come into focus.
His eyes crinkle at the corner as his hand slips from my mouth. “Shh, banloach , we don’t want to wake the whole tower, do we?”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I hiss. “How did you get in?”
“Lucky for me, you left the door unlocked.” He’s still perched on top of me, a knee on either side of my hips, and the position is giving me all kinds of ideas that I shouldn’t be having for a male who won’t even tell me his name.
Especially not after the heartbreak that came with sleeping with Clay.
“That doesn’t answer the first question, then.” A yawn splits my face wide, and I writhe underneath him, trying to get free. I don’t have it in me to deal with his riddles today. Not when my heart hurts this badly.
Blue makes a groaning noise before rolling off of me. “Well, I certainly didn’t come here to catch a glimpse of you under me so I could file it away for later.”
When I click on my bedside lamp, I notice the shadows under his eyes and the sallow pallor of his skin. He winces at the brightness and ducks his head. Even his hair is a wreck, and his “Supes Rad” t-shirt is rumpled.
He does not look like the cheeky male who has followed me into the woods several times. I doubt I look much better. I’m sure my eyes are swollen from crying myself to sleep.
“What’s going on, Blue?”
“Oh. That. Well, I was wandering around the campus, getting my exercise, you know, and I stumbled upon something very curious. I thought you might like to explore it with me.” He stands up and holds out his hand to me. Without thinking, I take it, and he yanks me to my feet.
My t-shirt matches his, but mine has a few holes around the collar and hangs to my mid-thigh. He takes notice and chuckles, but doesn’t comment.
My brain momentarily flashes with warning that maybe I shouldn’t follow a strange male into the night on a whim, but something much deeper within me tells me I have nothing to worry about. Just as I know I am safe with Michael, Clay, and Ryan, I know Blue means no harm.
Could that be confirmation he’s meant to be part of my Raven like I’ve suspected?
But Clay isn’t, apparently, no matter how much I want him to be, so maybe my instincts are wrong.
No. I refuse to entertain the thought that he is not meant to be mine. I will find out what is required to become part of a Raven and bind him to me as soon as I do.
I’m going to bring my Reaper home, damnit.
“Where are we going?” I ask as I slip on a pair of running shorts and my sneakers. “And what did you find?”
“Don’t take the surprise away from me. I have so few joys in my life lately.”
We slip out of my door, and I make sure to lock it. “What if we get caught?”
He pulls the plug from his ear and holds it out to me. For the first time, I recognize it for what it is – a coin. It’s not small like one used for currency, but not as large as my palm. He flips it in the air and catches it deftly. “What if we don’t?”
I take his hand, unwilling to trust his magic if I’m not directly in contact with it, and follow him as he drags me out of the tower and across the courtyard. We slip into the administration building and out the other side towards the garish fountain I saw on my first day.
“Not much farther now, banloach , keep up.“ His voice is smokey and sends a thrill down my spine.
Odin help me, this male does something to me.
It makes me mad that I have these feelings for him when Clay’s and mine’s hearts still lie shattered on the floor of the Folklore tower. It feels disloyal. I shouldn’t be thinking about this male when I have a wonderful one who is no doubt hurting after tonight’s revelation.
But I can’t deny the draw to the Leprechaun, and I know I need to follow along with his plan for now.
Eventually, we’re standing in front of a large building that could only be the gymnasium.
“You brought me to the gym?”
He eyes my shoes and shrugs. “They don’t let you work out, so I thought, why not let her flex her muscles?” He rolls his eyes and pushes open the door, dragging me inside. “You ask so many questions.”
“You’re just cryptic! I wouldn’t need to ask so many if you would tell me what was going on.”
Blue pulls me down a hallway and stops in front of a nondescript door with no window. The placard beside it says “Interview Room 3.” The entire wall is filled with interview rooms with matching plaques.
“You happened to stumble upon this hallway off on the side and to the back of the gym, which is on the far end of the property with nothing around it?” I ask skeptically.
He shrugs and opens the door, flicking on the light inside. “I got lucky, I guess.”
“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”
The cheeky grin that stretches across his face does something diabolical to my libido. “Aren’t I?”
He pulls me into the room and closes the door behind us. In the center of the room is a plain wooden table with a grey box. The box has a screen similar to a computer but several electrodes coming off of it. A row of filing cabinets takes up the left-hand side of the room, and on the right is a sink and several cabinets. Directly across from the door we entered is another brown wooden door.
“What is this place?” I ask quietly as if someone will jump out from under the table.
“This is where they do exit interviews before you graduate from the Academy. You enter a supernatural and leave a simplynatural.” He drags a finger across the tabletop. “I thought you’d find something interesting here.”
“I don’t know where to even begin.”
Excitement courses through my veins. I wish I brought my phone to take photos. As if reading my mind, he tosses me a phone. It takes a second for me to realize it’s mine. He must’ve dug it out from its hiding place that he shouldn’t have been able to find.
“Do I want to know how you got this?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, his shirt riding up and revealing the tattoo that peeks from the top of his pants. Despite how tired he looks, he oozes sex appeal, and I find myself wanting to press my body against his.
But I can’t think like that.
I’m not sure if I’m willing to sleep with anyone on the off chance it makes them a part of my Raven. If that happened, it would mean that Clay isn’t meant to be mine, and that thought feels so wrong.
I have to push that aside, though, and take advantage of where I am. Michael thinks the biggest change happens in the interview room, and I’m inclined to agree.
I can feel it.
This is where I’m going to find the answers.
Crossing to the first set of filing cabinets, I take a deep breath.
This is going to change everything.