Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
DAPHNE
Daphne entered anatomy labs with a backpack full of empty Tupperware.
There were questionable morals in what she intended to do, but during the long hours she spent planning her menu last night, this was the safer, saner option.
These bodies were donated to the university.
For science, not an eldritch gourmand, but her ingredients would be ethically sourced.
Concentrating during labs was another matter.
Bradley was thankfully absent today. Like her roommate Beth, he’d taken off early for the long holiday weekend.
Which meant Daphne was able to wake up to her alarm today—a necessity after her late-night planning session.
She’d approached wooing Celeste like a lab final, writing copious notes and observations to prepare for the main event.
Finding Celeste’s rooms was easy once she had her first name.
Celeste Smith was the only one on campus, though the last name made Daphne roll her eyes.
What was more curious was the blank enrollment date in her file.
She wondered how long Celeste had been lurking on campus because one thing was clear at breakfast:
Nobody remembered Candace existed.
Daphne wasn’t certain at first. Nobody burst into the dining hall to declare the bitch missing while she ate her oatmeal.
The giggling rabble sat at their usual table, occasionally sneering in her direction, seeming undisturbed one of their number had disappeared.
It was Friday. Candace could have gone home early.
A sound theory until Daphne bumped into her roommate Lily at the drink machine.
Lily was a neutral party, which is why Daphne dared to ask, “Candace come home last night?”
The girl frowned, a distant look in her eye while orange juice overflowed her cup. She shook herself. “Who?”
Daphne didn’t dare ask anyone else. She wasn’t sure how it worked, but if a creature like Celeste had been here for a while, there’d be reports of missing students. Celeste claimed she was “new,” but Daphne wasn’t so sure. That brief peek in her room, so homey and settled, made her think otherwise.
The answers would come later. Daphne could be patient.
Once labs were over and students headed out to lunch, she set to work.
After much debate, she’d settled on a sampling from all over, taking small slices from the underside of organs and muscles that wouldn’t be noticed without a closer inspection.
The precision meant she spent longer on the harvest than she wanted.
She’d miss lunch but she hoped tonight would be worth it.
Taking care with clean up, she made sure to remove evidence of her activities.
She’d disabled the lab camera early this morning, planning to hook it up tomorrow.
An entire day of missing footage would likely look more like an equipment failure than a few hours.
Rearranging her haul on the icepacks in her backpack, Daphne exited the lab, wondering if she could snag something from the dining hall before her afternoon lecture.
Instead, she smacked right into the last person she wanted to see.
Alex pulled back a step, clutching a pile of exams to his chest. “I’m sorry, Daphne. Didn’t see you there.” How he made such a simple line sound demeaning was an art.
Daphne sighed, tightening her grip on her backpack strap to keep from swinging at him. “Sorry.” She tried to move around him when he stepped into her path.
“Haven’t seen you around much. How are you holding up after everything?” He folded his arms, a mask of faux concern on his regretfully handsome face.
She gave him a look. “You mean after your epic man-trum?” She didn’t mention the rumors and fun little torments his sycophants inflicted on her, but she knew he was responsible.
Alex’s lips pursed in a mocking moue. “Now, now, Daphne, let’s not get it twisted around again.
I know a crush like yours is hard to get over, but I’m too old for you.
Your pursuit of a married professor to improve your grades was in poor taste.
We agreed you needed to move on or risk an administrative intervention. ”
Daphne clenched her jaw to keep from responding.
He’d cornered her right under the disabled camera.
Not that he knew that, but the implication was clear.
This was another brick for his meticulously constructed defense, the bastard.
She hated him, hated him so much, but she didn’t have the time or energy for his bullshit.
Not that he deserved any of her time and energy ever again. “Excuse me, I’m busy.” She circled wide around him, barely noting the expression of outrage that crossed his features.
He’d made her miss the lunch window. Weighing her options, Daphne did something she’d never done before and skipped class. Probably a wise decision with a backpack full of chilled human meats. It wouldn’t have a huge impact on her average, and it would give her more time to set everything up.
She needed all the prep time she could get.
Dragging the small table from the dorm floor’s kitchen into her room, she got to work.
By eight, she was a bundle of nerves, but the table was set, the candles were lit, and she’d managed a quick run to the dining hall for her tamer dietary supplies.
Daphne sat in her chair at the table, tapping the tabletop while she waited.
By quarter after, she realized her error.
Daphne had tracked down Celeste, but she’d neglected to give her room number in return. Cursing, she was halfway into her sneakers when someone knocked on the door. Tripping over her feet, she hurried over, swinging it open to reveal her date.
Celeste was dressed to seduce. A black, heart shaped tank top with barely there straps hugged her torso like a glove and left ample cleavage on display.
Likewise, her hot pink yoga pants molded to her curves, the same shade as her highlights.
She wore gladiator sandals, laced up her calves, while her toenails were painted the same lush shade of red as her lipstick and nails.
Those blue eyes roved over Daphne, who felt utterly drab in black slacks and a dove gray button up. She was a muddy newt beside a brightly colored poisonous tree frog.
“Hello, sugar,” Celeste purred.
She glided forward, forcing Daphne to take a step back.
Celeste continued that slow feline stroll until Daphne backed against her bed.
The blonde loomed over her, larger than life.
One arm reached past her to brace against the wall.
For a second, she believed she’d sorely miscalculated, when Celeste froze.
Her nostrils flared as her gaze flickered to the waiting meal on the table.
The predatory sheen drained from her eyes as her expression went slack. “What is this?”
“Um, dinner,” said Daphne— a brilliant answer.
She swallowed hard and ducked under Celeste’s arm, gesturing to the meal with shaking hands.
“I thought we could share something light and casual and get to know each other better.” Her breath shuddered as she inhaled but she pressed on.
It was time to play her hand and see if she survived.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like. There’s a liver and kidney paté, and a ceviche with a few various organs.
” She pointed to the longer strips she’d painstakingly prepared earlier.
“I sampled a few different muscles groupings, but the best marbling comes from the buttocks and thigh. And there’s the olives of course.
” She popped one in her mouth, chewing to cover her nervousness.
Celeste moved to the table, her gaze darting over the carefully sectioned charcuterie board.
If Daphne had to hazard a guess at the expression on her face, she’d call it bewildered.
The blonde plucked a slice of thigh meat off the board, hesitating before she popped it in her mouth. Her eyes widened.
“This is human.” Her attention snapped to Daphne. Incredulity warred with something else over her perfect face. “Where did you—how did you—” Celeste sputtered. She cocked her head to the side, her expression unreadable as she studied Daphne. “What did you see last night?”
Daphne sat down in her chair, gesturing for Celeste to join her. After a long moment, the blonde sat, resting both hands flat on the table as she studied the charcuterie board.
“I saw quite a bit,” admitted Daphne. “But there was a point I couldn’t ignore the urge to close my eyes. Hmm.” She swiped her notebook and pen from her nearby desk, opening it to the end of her notes. “I wonder if that is a biological incentive for humans or a defensive mechanism for you.”
Celeste stared at her. “You’ve been taking notes.” There was a cool note in her tone that made Daphne hug the notebook to her chest.
“For me and me alone,” she clarified.
“Why?” Celeste frowned. She picked up another piece from the charcuterie board, giving it a sniff.
Daphne looked down, her fingers tapping the back of the notebook in a nervous rhythm. “It helps me organize my thoughts. I wasn’t sure how to approach a courtship with someone like you.”
The meat fell from Celeste’s slack fingers. “Courtship? But…you saw me,” her voice dropped to a whisper. “You know I’m not human, Daphne.”
“Yes. That doesn’t bother me,” Daphne answered, her tone short.
The scene from last night played in her mind, how Celeste had wrapped Candace in her thick tentacles.
The expression of pure bliss and relief before Candace was consumed.
She wanted to experience a different sort of emotional high with Celeste, one far less innocent, and to survive so she could do it again. Daphne squirmed in her seat.
Celeste suddenly moaned, gripping both sides of the table as she swayed in her seat.
“Clearly not,” she rasped. She took a deep breath, her human features shifting through a half dozen expressions before she opened her eyes to meet Daphne’s gaze.
There was a vulnerability there as she slowly reached across the table and tucked a strand of hair behind Daphne’s ear.
“My little morsel, this is a very dangerous game.”