Authors: J.J. Bonds

Red Dawn (22 page)

BOOK: Red Dawn

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Nik nods as if to say he understands. I guess he might. In Keegan’s shoes, he might’ve done the same thing. “What about everything else?”

“You mean The Order of the Red Dawn? Aldo had suspicions; we just put a name to them. I should have known too.” I sigh. Why can’t foresight be twenty-twenty? “I overheard him talking to Viktor last summer. I just didn’t understand at the time.”

Nik takes my hand in his, rubbing my palm with the soft side of his thumb. He always knows just what to do to make me feel better. Crossroads wouldn’t be the same without him.

“So what happens now?” he asks, curiosity lighting his face.

“The Elder’s Council is trying to unravel the whole thing, but who knows?” I prop myself up on an elbow so that we’re face to face. I could stare at Nik all day. “I mean, you heard Aldo. They couldn’t even confirm the existence of The Order of the Red Dawn before. We just got freakishly lucky.”

“From the sound of things, we could use a little more luck,” Nik says insightfully. “There may be some tough times ahead.”

“Starting right now,” I reply, shoving Nik off the bed playfully. “I’ve got dish duty. Let’s go, Yoda.” Nik laughs and it’s an honest sound, rumbling deep from within his diaphragm.

We head for the dining hall, hand in hand. It’s hard to believe Aldo was able to convince Pratt not to expel me after all. I’m sure there was a large financial donation involved. Rumor has it Pratt’s building a wing named after himself and I’m pretty sure Aldo’s paying for it. Even more un-freaking-believable is the fact that Nik got off scot- free. It’s totally unfair. On the other hand, the entire student body is still paying the price for the stolen midterm exams, so I won’t be alone in the dining hall. I’ll just be the only one pulling a double shift. The fun never ends at Crossroads Academy.

As I reach for the door to the dining hall, it bursts open, and Jade storms out looking uber-pissed. I step back, trying to get out of her way. I’ve seen that look before. I think I’ve even caused it once or fifty times. I wonder what’s got her so worked up, but I don’t care enough to ask. Nik does though and Jade’s more than happy to unload her baggage on us.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, whipping her head around and putting her hand on her hip haughtily. Oh, yeah. She’s in full bitch mode. “That dick, Trey! That’s what’s wrong!”

“Ooh-kay,” Nik says, dragging the word out. I’ll bet he’s sorry he asked. Before we can make a break for it, Jade elaborates angrily.

“Turns out, he only dated me to get access to the profs exams!”

I want to correct her and point out that the word she’s looking for is ‘used’, not ‘dated’, but it seems kind of harsh. She’s upset and if what she’s said is true, Trey really is an ass. Hooking up with her just to get his hands on the exams? Talk about low. Even I wouldn’t wish that on Jade.

“Told you he was bad news,” Nik says triumphantly.

“Really not the time for ‘I told you so’,” I say, jabbing him in the ribs with my elbow. His gloating is
so
unattractive.

“Whatever,” Jade says, her heart shaped mouth relaxing from its prior scowl. “I took care of it. Since the little bitch didn’t see fit to share the stolen answer keys with me, I reported him to Pratt.”

“How noble of you,” I say, rolling my eyes. Only Jade.

“What?” she asks defensively. “No way in hell was I going to spend the rest of the year scrubbing floors for his pretty ass. There are plenty of other hot guys at Crossroads.”

The way she’s eyeing Nik, it would seem she’s already chosen her prey. I grab Nik’s arm and drag him into the dining hall. Before the door closes, Jade throws a parting shot.

“By the way, Nikolai, he totally admitted to cheating at Halloween.” She laughs musically, shifting into flirt mode as she bats her brown eyes innocently. Only there’s nothing innocent about the way she’s got her skirt hitched up to show off her ridiculously long legs. “Trey went out to the maze the weekend before and memorized the route. You’re still the best, Nikolai!”

Hell’s bells! As if I don’t have enough to worry about with The Order of the Red Dawn planning a revolution, now I have to worry about Jade trying to steal my boyfriend too?

Glossary

Consiliul de Batrani: Elders Council

De sange pur: Pureblood

De sange vechi: Old blood

De sange amestecat: Mixed-blood

Foamea: Hunger

Otrava de sange: Blood poison

Pazitor: Guardian

Sete de sange: Blood lust

About the Author

J.J. Bonds is an independent author who writes young adult speculative fiction. Red Dawn is her second novel in the Crossroads Academy series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her love of all things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious dogs.

To find out more about J.J., visit
www.jjbonds.com
or
www.facebook.com/jjbondsfanpage
.

Also by J.J. Bonds

Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)

Credits

Cover art and design by Rachel Rivera of Parajunkee Design.

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