After failing as a vampire hunter, 17-year-old Cleo is sent to an academy full of vampires as a false peace treaty. Her true objective is supposed to be finding the hidden heir to the dark world while befriending the current one, but the current hei...
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Crowds of vampires surrounded the front of the dorm building and I stood off to the side, debating on whether or not I wanted to cut through them. I really didn't want to, and then by some miracle, I caught sight of Elian marching around the building and toward the back. I headed off after him. Maybe he could lead me in the back door.
He didn't notice my approach and when I put a hand on his shoulder, he jumped, hand flying to the hilt of his sword.
"It's just me!" I said quickly.
He let go of the sword and looked over my shoulder and then back to me, eyebrows furrowing. "Why are you alone? And why are you following me?"
"I was meeting with my father but, um, he had to go," I said evasively. "And I was hoping you could sneak me back into the dorm through the back so I could avoid all the other vampires."
"It's dangerous for you to be by yourself," he scolded me. "You should have asked for an escort back."
"You're with me now, right? That's all the matters." Besides, I doubted any vampire here was more dangerous than my father.
He gestured with his head for me to follow him. "Fine. Follow me, human."
I frowned at him. "You can call me Cleo, you know."
"Haven't I told you we aren't supposed to familiarize ourselves with the students here?"
"Didn't I tell you I'm technically not a student? Besides, we see each other every day. I'm not just going to ignore you now that we know each other. I expect you to say hi back at the very least."
Elian threw an exasperated look over his shoulder at me, but his cheeks were turning a little rosy. I doubted it was because of the cold. "Do as you please, Cleo."
Satisfied, I smiled a little. The usual tension that kept my body captive while I was around my father was slowly disappearing. My mind still felt weighed down, but it would be easier to think things through without him around.
"You won't see me inside for a couple of days though," Elian told me. "I'm staking out the grounds down here, making sure no one tries to scale the building."
"Where did it lead down to?"
He came to a stop, pursing his lips to the side. "Well... I don't think it's a bad thing for you to know. Follow me, I'll show you."
We took off again, and I was surprised by his willingness to trust me. I looked up, trying to see where we were in relation to my balcony. It faced both the forest and the rest of the academy, while Claude's only faced the forest. Why would someone choose to create a path up the side of the dorm that was visible?
Rounding the corner to the back, Elian suddenly flung his arm out to stop me. I walked into it and nearly choked. He shot me a silencing look, and I peered over his shoulder to see what caused his abrupt halt.
