Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
CELESTE
As Celeste watched Daphne flee, a nebulous sour aura shifted around her. Her face went slack, painted nails tapping the table.
Humans were such demonstrative creatures.
The way their facial muscles responded to such tiny shifts in emotion was fascinating.
An excessive amount of time studying them, and she was still discovering new expressions.
Like the expression on Daphne’s face when that naughty little snack splattered her in soda.
She’d seen similar situations on television, another human invention she highly enjoyed, where the victim would break down in salty, delicious tears.
Daphne didn’t look like she was about to cry.
If Celeste interpreted what she saw correctly, Daphne was angry.
Not the hot, brash anger she saw in fights and couple’s spats, though.
Her fury was cold and dark and whispered to something deep inside Celeste.
Which was strange, since she’d been planning on having Daphne for dinner. Her forefinger tapped the tabletop as she mulled through her mixed emotions. Despite her dinner escaping her, she found she wasn’t disappointed that she got away.
Celeste knew the little human was following her.
She’d counted on it. There’d been that spark of interest when she sat across from her at lunch, though she thought she’d misinterpreted it when Daphne hadn’t come to her immediately after.
Instead, the human went to her afternoon classes, dutifully attending her studies.
Once that was done, she’d begun to search the campus with a methodical effort.
The trap was set. Her pheromones saturated the air within the tight space between the stacks, teasing through the gaps of shelved books.
Celeste could tell they were working on the little human.
Her pupils had blown and that sweet little blush slowly crept up her neck… but Daphne surprised her again.
Instead of falling at Celeste’s feet, hooked by her invisible lure, she’d offered help.
Invited Celeste to sit with her at dinner.
The careful attention caught her off guard, along with the realization the little human might be resistant to her pheromones.
Intrigued, she let the hunt continue, studying the microcosm of Daphne’s expressions from across the table.
She watched the clear delight in Daphne’s face as she spoke about carving up human bodies to study their secrets and found herself charmed.
Tap, tap, tap went her nail on the tabletop. Celeste stared at the door, the inane chatter of the surrounding humans grating against her senses. Daphne was so small. Barely an appetizer. And there was that intriguing cold anger.
“Did you see her face? I can’t believe Candace actually did it.”
Celeste’s attention focused on the speaker, a tall brunette with a nose too large for the rest of her features. Daphne’s features were much more symmetrical. A second female snorted, the expression ugly on her heavily made-up face. Makeup was an art, which this human clearly failed at.
“Stupid bitch got what’s coming to her after what she did to Alex,” Big Nose said, half-chewed food visible in her mouth.
Alex? Who was this person and what did they have to do with her little snack? Was that the curvy bottle blonde who doused Daphne? No, that had to be Candace.
Celeste’s finger stopped tapping. She rose to her feet and sauntered from the dining hall.
Candace hadn’t wandered far from the scene of her crime, standing with a cluster of vapid, giggling girls.
Celeste wandered closer, wrinkling her nose at the chemical scent of fake tanner and far too much perfume.
Unappetizing, but Candace was athletic. Meaty.
She swerved toward the group, brushing against Candace in a swirl of pheromones.
“Wow…rude much?” the bottle blonde snapped, though her voice lost its venom on the last word, trailing off as her pupils expanded.
The effect was immediate. Candace peeled away from the pack to follow Celeste, ignoring the others as they called her name.
There weren’t many convenient secluded places nearby, but a small patch of trees that buffered the dining hall and the dorms would do nicely in a pinch. Celeste cut a path inside until she was concealed by greenery and the deepening dusk. Finding a sturdy tree, she leaned back and waited.