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GROUPS OF PEOPLE. I did my best when Keegan announced me and Sig, but I still felt like an accessory. Sig was in good form, taking it over as I had seemed to have lost the ability to speak. I’ve never been in front of a crowd before and was completely stupefied. Keegan had assured me I was fine, but I still couldn’t help but feel rather useless. He must have felt my darkened mood because he stopped us in the Quad and got a very serious look in his eye.
“You need to pick up your head, babe. This is all new, I know, but it’ll get easier.” He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed my lips softly. “Sig and I have a business law lecture so this is our stop. Do you want Gage to take you to your e-com class?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s just across the Quad. I think I can handle it.” I smiled. “Besides, if I’m going to be a Class Rep, I need to seem more approachable, and a big ol’ Guardian at my side doesn’t translate as come over and chat with me.” He pulled me into him and kissed my hands.
“If you need anything, just run a text. Okay?”
“I got it.” I kissed his cheek and turned to leave, but he hesitated in letting me go. “What?”
“Do you have your synthetic?”
I shook my bag at him. “I’m good. Just go.” With a nod from him and a wave from Sig they walked away. I shrugged my bag up onto my shoulder and started across the courtyard. It was kinda nice to be alone for a change, the day was beautiful, and things were feeling like they were finally going in the right direction.
“Ryane!” I turned to see who was calling my name. I sighed heavily to see it was Collette. “Ryane?” She was running toward me at full tilt.
I ceased walking and she nearly slammed into me trying to stop. “Easy there. What’s going on?” I looked around expecting to see Greisen, but she was alone.
“I wanted to say congrats on the new position!” Her smile looked like it hurt her face, it was so wide as she slipped her arm into mine. “Did you hear? They voted me Phi Beta Delta President?”
“I did. Keegan told me.” My skin prickled as she hugged me.
“Yeah, that’s right...” She sounded thoughtful, which was strange, seeing as I’d never known her to have an actual thought. “Are you two still dating?”
“Something like that.” I smirked as she stopped walking, making me halt as well.
“You’re different.” She cocked her head to the side looking at me curiously. “When did you get blooded?”
“I-um- well... Over the summer, it just-” I wasn’t sure what to say to her as she puzzled over me, walking around me as though she were gauging me in some fashion. I turned as she walked, trying to keep her in my line of sight.
“You look really good. It agrees with you,” she chirped. “Was it Keegan, who did it?”
I nodded.
“Hmm. I hear he’s never blooded anyone before, if you need any pointers Greisen can always help. He’s been a vamp longer, ya know.”
“I didn’t know that, actually. Look, I gotta go to my e-com class.” I wanted to get away from her. I knew she had a way of making people bend and I didn’t want to suddenly start running off at the mouth, especially to her.
“Oh? I thought maybe we could have lunch later. I got stuff to tell you about being a Rep that may come in handy.”
“Yeah? Okay, come find me later. I get out of class at one thirty.”
“Sounds awesome!” She clapped her hands together and waved me off as I double timed it in the other direction.
Why had I agreed to lunch? I didn’t like the girl, frankly, I’d make a meal of her if I thought I could hide the body where no one would find it. That thought brought a sinister little smile to my face.
***
WHEN I FINISHED WITH my afternoon class I found Gage outside talking with Collette. Apparently she was making sure I kept our little lunch date.
“Where’s Sig?” I asked, breaking up what looked like a comfortable conversation. Gage straightened up with a smile.
“I’m not sure, I got a text telling me to fetch you.”
“Fetch me? Really?” The phrase annoyed me, what was I that I needed to be fetched? I wasn’t some ball put off to the side for play. Fuck that reasoning to all Hell.
“Just doing as I’m told, Ryane. Don’t bite my head off, okay?” He put up his hands defensively.
“Oh, Gage, she’s got a right to be annoyed when you put it like that.” Collette laced her arms through mine and Gage’s, putting herself between us. “Let’s go grab some lunch, then you can take her wherever your Lord wants.”
“I-” he started, but Collette wasn’t having any of it.
“Shush you. We haven’t seen you in months, you can at least have lunch with us, or have you been ordered not to eat? They’ve got a steak sandwich in the mess that’s nice and bloody,” she finished in a sing song manner, giving me and I guessed him a good squeeze.
“Sounds good to me,” I added, letting her pull us toward the cafeteria.
When we arrived, I was surprised to see Tawny. From the sound of the voice Greisen was with her, although she blocked him from my line of sight. The smell of the food was turning my stomach. I needed my synthetic, but didn’t want to pull it out in front of everyone. I hoped that the regular food would curb things for me, at least until I could get somewhere more private. When we got to the table Tawny lit up like a firecracker to see me.
“Hey, it’s the Boss Lady!” she cooed, hugging me as I set down my tray and looked at Greisen. His face was black and blue, swollen and he seemed to be favoring an arm.
“For Christ’s sake, what happened? I mean... Sorry, I heard you got laid out, but this is more than a sucker punch.” My concern was high. Why would Keegan not tell me how extensive the problem had been? He’d been so bent on twisting me up... I looked at Gage. “Did you know it was this bad?”
“I- well, I’d heard, but no. I’m just seeing it now.” He looked like someone had kicked him in the balls as he looked Greisen over.
“Oh, it’s not so bad.” Greisen tried to smile, but it looked painful. “I’m surprised they didn’t tell you though.”
I shook my head. My stomach ached and I was pissed off all of a sudden. Greisen looked at me with a head tilt.
“Tawny told me you’d been turned. Are you using your synthetic properly, you look awful thirsty?”
I shook my head, lifting my bag. “I have it, it’s just...”
“You don’t really know what to do with it.” He reached out, grabbing my chair and pulling me over to him so I was almost in his lap. “Gimmie the works kit. You need this or you’re gonna blow like Mount Saint Helens.” He fished through my bag and pulled out the synthetic. “Where are the needles?”
“I’ve been drinking it.”
He nodded to Collette, who went into a bag, pulling out a syringe in sterile plastic. She handed it to him and I jerked my arm back as he reached for it. With a shake of his head, he looked sternly at me and then firmly grabbed me by the arm. Tawny and Collette made a point of hovering around us as Greisen filled the syringe, then popped the needle into my wrist with a quick jab slamming the plunger and the warm liquid into my vein.
“You’ll get aggressive if you don’t feed right. You’re just a baby vamp, it’ll get easier, but you gotta take your medicine or you will hurt somebody.” Tawny offered the sound advice.
“Keegan needs to take better care of you.” Greisen added as my head swam, the shot pushed its way through me. The effect of the synthetic mainlined was far different than drinking it. When I drank it I felt a sense of calm, not unlike a long hot bath. This, this was something else, the anger didn’t leave me, but it became a din in the background. I laughed, feeling stupid, as Greisen gave me back my arm.
“See, you’re feeling better already. Three shots per day should do you well. You’re strong, you can handle this.”
I looked at him and felt so sorry for thinking him a creep. Right now he was the only one who seemed to be looking out for me without any bullshit motive.
“Thanks.” I patted his knee. “You know, you’re not a complete bag of dicks. I’m sorry you got your ass handed to you. I hope they find um.”
“They really don’t tell you much, do they? It’s been handled from what the rumor mill says. But Keegan is the only one who could confirm it.”
“What do you mean?” I turned to Gage. “What’s he talking about? What did Keegan do?”
“Well...” Gage ran his hand through his hair nervously. “I can’t really say. I mean- I wasn’t there. I was with you, wasn’t I?”
“That’s right, you brought me up to the house, but why wouldn’t Sig and Keegan tell me?”
Greisen grabbed my hand, I had clawed into the table leaving deep grooves. “I’m sure it’s not on purpose. What would Keegan gain by keeping you in the dark on his more brutal side. I mean, just because my jumping was because I’m Otherkind...”
“I don’t understand?” I was so confused, and it was translating into a viper pit in my gut. If Keegan and Sig were keeping things from me that could affect me, how was I supposed to trust that their intentions for me were always sound?
“I’m just saying that I was singled out and that means that we could have some backlashes.” Greisen sat back then suddenly straightened up. “Hello, Sig.”
I turned around to see Sig, panting as he stopped just feet from where I sat. “Is this where you’ve been? We were waiting for you. Gage, why didn’t you bring her?”
“Hey, people gotta eat.”
Sig shook his head, reaching out for my bag. I grabbed it, pulling it close to me, leaning into Tawny and Collette. “What’s the matter?” he huffed.
The look on my face must have been vengeful, because Sig backed up a tick. “Why didn’t you tell me what actually happened to Greisen?” I sneered, looking at Greisen’s battered face again.
“I- well, i-it just didn’t come up. With everything else...” Sig stammered through his half assed excuse.
“No! No,” I lowered my increasingly agitated voice. “You and Keegan, what did you do?” I demanded, stomping my foot in its place as I stood up.
“Well, Gage and I, we found a few of them.” Sig ground his teeth, he didn’t like telling me. I didn’t care.
“Yeah, and then what?” I bridged the distance between us. “Tell me what happened!”
“For fuck’s sake.” He turned from me with a snarl, smoke surrounding him. “It’s not my place. It’s just not.” He fought me on telling me.
“Fine, you know what, when you guys are willing to be straight with me, come find me. In the meantime, you can go fuck yourselves. I’m going home.” I stomped off, then stopped, hearing Sig say my name. I spun around.
“No, and you can tell Keegan he can stay with you. I’m not sharing my home with a man who isn’t honest with me!”