Chapter Twelve
Brenden
Audrey
Woke up early. Heading to the dining hall now.
I smile as Audrey’s text comes through on my phone. I won’t admit this to her, but I didn’t sleep a wink last night—too excited about seeing her again.
Me
I’m already up so I’ll head over myself.
See you soon!
The moment my eyes met hers yesterday, I knew I had to make her mine. When I smelled her blood and knew exactly what she was to me, it confirmed my initial thoughts. I never want to be away from her now, which is why I offered to eat with her every day. The line about wanting friends was just that—a line. I don’t need or want friends, but I need Audrey. I need her like I need air and blood to live... Okay, technically I’m dead, or undead would probably be the proper turn, but I still need those things.
As soon as she left me last night, I couldn’t stop obsessing over her and when I’d see her again.
Obsession isn’t something new to me, as I discovered over the first month of arriving at Scythe Academy. I wasn’t exactly what anyone would call normal when I was still in the land of the living. My mom tried to tell me I was just wired a little differently than other people, but my dad had no qualms about telling me I was a few sandwiches short of a picnic—and that was the nice way of him saying it.
Apparently, becoming so obsessed with the girl next door that you kidnap her and keep her tied up in your room at five years old is not something normal people do.
At that age, I didn’t understand. Hell, even as a full-grown adult, my brain didn’t see the problem with it, but I understood why society didn’t deem it as acceptable. It was definitely something I was lacking as a child, which is why my parents pulled me out of school until high school. I was homeschooled on the usual topics, but also on how to recognize what is and isn’t appropriate according to society.
I was forced to see a psychologist but scared most of them off—at least until I met David. David wasn’t all there himself, but he helped me learn how to adapt to the world around me. I wasn’t infallible, something that was confirmed with my murder. I never did move past the obsessions or the kidnappings. It was so easy for me to wipe their minds when I was done, so there was no real reason for me to stop once I realized what I could do.
Not every vampire can wipe someone’s mind—only the most powerful among us, but I happen to be one of them. Unfortunately, I kidnapped the wrong man the last time. Franco was the son of the local vampire mob and was apparently immune to having his mind wiped. Who knew? Certainly not me. At least not until he showed up with a whole crew to kill me.
David always told me that my actions would catch up with me, but what can I say? I was a cocky bastard. I still am, if I’m being honest with myself.
It took all of my self-control to stop myself from kidnapping Audrey last night, but I know that won’t fly here. Audrey would definitely be missed and the powers-that-be would come knocking on my door. I’m not going to say that I was warned by at least a few staff members, but I’m also not going to say I wasn’t.
Straightening my pink and purple plaid tie, I make sure I look like the put together guy Audrey is expecting before grabbing my bag and heading out the door. I bypass the shuttle carts, zooming down the path to the dining hall. There’s a small chance I might have even beat Audrey here depending on how soon she left after sending me the text.
I don’t slow down until I’m inside, my eyes scanning over the mostly empty tables. More people will roll in over the next hour before it becomes a madhouse.
When my eyes land on her, a smile lights up my face. Walking toward her, I let my eyes scan over her and the smile slowly falls away. Her red hair is damp and hanging limply around her face. Her eyes are red and puffy, her skin pale.
“You look like shit.”
Audrey’s head snaps up at my words, her lips pulling back in a sneer. “Thanks, asshole. Just what every woman wants to hear.”
Wrinkling my nose, I realize this is one of those times I need to think before speaking.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. Sometimes I just say what I’m thinking without thinking it through. You’ll get used to it. Probably.”
Audrey shakes her head, waving at me to sit. “No, don’t apologize. I’m in a foul mood myself.”
“Which isn’t made better by the fact that you have no food or coffee. I’ll be right back.” Putting on another burst of speed, I hurriedly make two plates filled to the brim and grab two coffees. I return in less than a minute, setting it all before her. “I don’t know how you take your coffee, so I brought creamer and sugar.”
Her lips quirk up at the corners for just a moment as she reaches for the coffee, dumping in entirely too much sugar and creamer for my tastes—though I make sure to remember just how much of each so I can make it for her correctly in the future.
I drop into the chair beside her, preferring to be next to her than across from her, and slide one of the plates to her. “What has you in such a bad mood this morning?”
Audrey turns her head to glance at me before shrugging. “I had another memory while sleeping last night. There was definitely something going on around my murder, but I remembered my twin, Wren, and now nothing feels right without her here beside me.”
“You have a twin?” Shock reverberates through me. I hadn’t seen that coming. “Wow. I can only imagine how you must be feeling.”
“Yeah, it was a bit of a shock to me as well. Now, I feel like I have a hole inside of me. We’ve been apart before, obviously, but not like this. I don’t like it.” She sighs. “Even if there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”
I hum, nodding my head. I might not actually have any idea what she’s feeling, but it’s easy to see she’s upset, and I’ll do anything I can to make it better for her—assuming I can. “But isn’t it better that she’s there and not here with you?”
She blinks at me for a moment before snorting. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s definitely better that she’s alive—even if that means we’re now on different journeys. Thanks, Brenden. I needed to hear that.”
I break out in a grin when I realize I actually helped. It might be a first, but I actually helped her feel better. Harder to do for someone who doesn’t feel emotions like others do. Not that I don’t feel them, they’re just...muted. Maybe it’s because we’re fated mates? After all, your fated mate is supposed to be perfect for you. Maybe Audrey needs someone who views the world differently, who will always put her first, who will obsess over her, and who will worship her. Because that’s what I fully intend to do.
Although, I don’t intend to tell her that right now. For some reason, I don’t think she can tell we’re fated mates, and I feel like if I were to tell her, she’d freak out. She doesn’t know herself well enough yet to be ready to take on a mate, and I can be patient—kind of. For her, I can be patient.
I wait until Audrey takes a bite of her food before diving into mine. I want to make sure she’s eating before I focus on myself—something I plan to continue to do for the rest of our lives. Or unlives? For eternity.
Yes. Now, that’s a vow I can get behind.
Lifting my cup of blood-laced coffee to my lips, my attention locks on Audrey as she freezes. Following her line of sight, I frown.
“Who’s that?” she asks, nodding toward the two figures who just walked in.
“Death?” Surely, she met him at her welcoming. He never lets anyone else do them, after all. “Wraith? He’s the one who runs the school and the welcomings.”
She shakes her head. “No, I know who he is. The guy with him.”
Not sure where she’s going with this, I hum. Should I be jealous? “Donovan?”
“I know his name. He introduced himself to me yesterday, but who is he here?”
Hmmm. Donovan introduced himself to my mate? I don’t like the sound of that. Donovan isn’t one to mingle with the students, which is one of the reasons I’m surprised to see the two of them in the dining hall. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of them here before. There’s no reason for them to use the dining hall since they have a house on the outskirts of campus, so why are they here now?
“Donovan is Wraith’s lover. He was probably at your welcoming, too. He’s a hellhound shifter.”
Audrey’s eyes almost bug out of her head as she glances between me and the two of them. “No shit? I had no idea.”
“Why would you? He doesn’t usually have anything to do with the students. I’ve definitely never heard of him introducing himself to any of them.” My eyes narrow on the man in question as his eyes turn to Audrey. He smirks, shooting her a wink, and I see red.
“Interesting,” she hums, drawing my attention to her as she ducks her head. A flush creeps up her neck and onto her cheeks as she glances at him from beneath her lashes.
Damn it.
It’s not like I could’ve taken out Death’s lover, anyway, but seeing her obvious interest, I know I couldn’t do that to her. I’m not surprised that she’s attracted to him. There’s no denying how hot he is, if you’re into blonds—which I’m not. I’m partial to brunettes and redheads in both men and women.
Now, Wraith, on the other hand... I wouldn’t mind ending up in his bed a time or two.
“Just be careful,” I warn her. “Wraith is known to be quite possessive with his lovers, or so I’ve heard. I’ve never seen anyone hit on Donovan, but I’ve heard stories, and they weren’t pretty.”
She shrugs. “I didn’t say I was interested in him.”
I bite back a smile because she might not have said it, but she also didn’t say she wasn’t interested.
It looks like Audrey just might turn Scythe Academy on its head, and I’m here for it.