Daughter of Stars and Nightmares (The Eternal Bond Saga book 1)

Ain't that a...Peach

        The lunchroom was heaving; the lunch block wasn't split into two, which meant the whole of the student body converged in the cafeteria at once. Despite the overcrowded room and lack of empty tables, Alex and Véronique were sitting at a table of their own under a cloud of contempt and superiority. It had everyone, even the light faeries ̶ which love a good fight and would cook up ways to cause one if they saw an opportunity ̶ keeping their distance.

Véronique shrill laugh echoed over the lunchtime din. She hung on to Alex's arm marking her territory.

Julia picked at her food as she stared at Alex. When she realised that she'd just spent half the lunch hour with her eyes glued on him her face twisted into a sour scowl. Before she looked away, his gaze met hers. The edges of his lips turned up in a smug smile and he arched an eyebrow at her. Caught out Julia blushed, yet she still couldn't look away.

Ren snapped his fingers in her face. "Would you stop staring at him? I know he's drop dead gorgeous for a broody fang-boy. But you keep it up and you're gonna make me jealous."

Julia blinked a few times before she looked Ren. He knew exactly what to say to get her to come back to Earth. "Ha! Come on, I wasn't staring and besides I'm not even your type."

Kuro's golden eyes, the telltale sign he was an inugami, glowed with excitement as he laughed. His body was a powerhouse of muscle which flexed as he wrapped his beefy arm around Ella pulling her closer to him. "Jules, no point trying to deny it, you're totally drooling." He handed her a napkin. "And you might want to use this to mop up that puddle you're leaving on the table."

Julia slapped Kuro's hand away. "Shut up. It is so not like that."

Julia's heart throbbed as she watched the loving couple. She rubbed her chest trying to dispel the ache from the hole that was always there. Over the years Julia had mastered the art of ignoring the hollow ache so it only lingered in the back of her mind.

Yet looking at how Ella's slender body fit perfectly into the crook of his arm. How her mocha skin complemented his warm beige skin, as if made for each other. It made the ache burn knowing they were a perfect match, and she had to look away from them. Unfortunately, her eyes drifted back to Alex.

"Really, Jules, cause from where I'm sitting you look like some kind of lovesick puppy," Ren voice dripped with sarcasm. "Besides you're pissing off his She Devil." He whacked Julia on the shoulder bringing her attention back to the table.

"Can you believe those two?" Abby said, as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. "It's bad enough that they're here but you should've heard her in Advance Combat class."

Abby was Ella's exact copy being her identical twin. The only way to tell them apart was their hair and eyes. Abby's irises were the normal burgundy-red, which most shape-shifters had. Ella's on the other hand, was a beautiful shade of oxide-red and complimented her hazel hair that she always kept pixie short. Unlike Abby who kept her hazel locks long.

Kuro chuckled and his shaggy dark chestnut hair fell over his eyes. Ella reached up brushing it to one side as he said, "If Mrs Villalobos wasn't there I swear Grace and the other light fae would've strung Véronique up and tried to burn her."

"You should've seen the She Devil's grand entrance," Ren chimed in. "Personally, I couldn't have done it better. I mean if you're going tomake an entrance you might as well go for broke."

"Flamboyance and ostentatious is more your style, Ren, not catty. We know you want everyone to adore you," Ella said with a wink.

Ren flicked his hand up in the air making a meal out of it. "Darling, of course I would've. But you've got to admit as far as grand entrances go hers was good. Everyone knows her name, and that's no small feat in this school."