Runaway Mortal (20 page)

“I didn’t attack you-” Cedee started to say.

“Shut up, I’m not talking to you,” I said, my voice cold. “I’m talking to this guy who was supposed to love me and always be there for me; who could clear my name but refuses to!”

“Kat.” His voice shook. “What you need me to do-”

“It’s too difficult, right?” I was sick of having the same conversation over and over again, like I was a broken record and he was a freaking brick wall. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. You’d rather see me imprisoned or tortured than admit you were with a mortal. A disgusting, filthy mortal who was fun for a little while, but never good enough.”

His eyes were wide; his hands shook as he held mine. “I know I was wrong. I want to be better. I still care-”

“Fuck off,” I spat, wrenching my hands out of his grasp, and storming outside.

Misha followed after me, not saying anything, which I was grateful for. I was so angry at myself for always letting myself get caught up with Talon. I’d come back to school, trying to be the stronger version of myself, but deep down I was still that girl who was being crippled by a boy—a boy who held power over me.

Loire was right—a balance had to be restored. What was happening to me should never happen to anyone else.

“Kat!” Talon called out from behind me.

Despite everything, I stopped walking. Why? Probably because I was a freaking dumbass.

“What?” I demanded, turning around just as he approached us.

Misha hovered between us, acting like a buffer just in case I snapped. It was a good idea because right now I was on the brink of breaking something—Talon’s face would more than suffice.

He hesitated, dragging out the seconds before speaking. “I’m going to help you, okay? I’m going to do what I should have done right from the beginning. I shouldn’t have let Cedee blackmail me into being in a relationship with her.”

“She’s been blackmailing you?” I asked, some of my anger ebbing away.

“Yeah, she saw us together one night coming out of the garden, and I guess she was just waiting for the right moment to use it against me.” He sighed. “She’s not so bad once you get to know her.”

I glared at him. “I doubt that.”

“Anyway, she doesn’t matter right now. I’m making a promise to you that I’ll do the right thing this time.”

He seemed sincere, and I wanted to believe him, but we’d been down this road before. Trust wasn’t something you could gain back by saying the right things; your actions were what built trust.

“Whatever,” I scoffed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

I turned on my heels and walked away from Talon and the look of distraught on his face. It was too hard to do this again with him, and I didn’t have any energy left.

Besides, there were other things on my mind. If Cedee wasn’t the one behind the attacks then who was?

Chapter Twenty

It had occurred to me that I didn’t like books very much. Especially when Anna made us spend all our time in the library. I’d rather be outside training, though I didn’t know who was going to train me now considering Loire seemed to be avoiding me.

I still hadn’t thought of a way to get him to hand the Mortal Blade over to me. Misha had suggested I seduce him. I had suggested pushing her off a cliff if she kept making suggestions like that.

“You guys don’t have to look so glum,” Anna said, peering at us over the top of a large book that was titled
‘Angels: The Complete History’
. It was as thick as an elephant’s skull. “You could read something, you know?”

Misha pretended to vomit into her hand. “Um, no thanks. I don’t actually want to have to touch a book.”

Relating to her sentiment, I let out a laugh while Anna looked livid that Misha had dismissed reading so easily. Honestly, I wasn’t too crazy about reading right now, either.

I was more or less wondering who was trying to kill me and trying to figure out what I could do to get Loire to change his mind. It was an impossible task though—the guy was just so damn stubborn.

“We have been spending a lot of time in the library lately,” I mused.

“I know, I feel like Anna,” Misha agreed. “Which is why I’m heading to a party tonight.”

“You’re what?” Anna demanded. “We have exams tomorrow!”

“Exactly! It’s a pre-exam celebration,” Misha said enthusiastically.

“Who celebrates exams starting?” I wondered.

“Good point,” said Misha, “but I’m still going. I need an alcoholic interlude from all this Mortal Blade business. Care to join me?”

Recalling our former disastrous evening at Sander’s, I shook my head. “Nah, I think I’ll pass. I’m going to bed.”

“Well, I’m headed to Sander’s room. Do you want me to walk you to the dorm?’ she asked, her concern for me evident in her voice.

I placed my hands on her shoulders. “No, it’s okay. Sander’s room is in the opposite direction, and I can take care of myself.”

“Are you sure? Because I can walk with you, too,” Anna offered.

I studied my best friends, something prickling me in the corner of my eye. I really didn’t know what I would do without these two. If I hadn’t had them helping me this entire time, I probably would’ve given up a long time ago. But they both needed to go and relax, however they chose, without having to babysit me.

“Guys, seriously, I’ll be fine,” I reassured them. “I’m going straight to my room and climbing into bed. It’s been a long day.”

Misha shrugged. “If you’re sure.”

A few minutes later, we each went our separate ways; Misha to the party where she would no doubt drink until she passed out, and Anna to her room where she would probably study until she passed out.

As I walked along the outside corridor, the arches cast shadows across the stone floor, giving the night an eerie atmosphere which surprisingly didn’t bother me. I had spent so many years here that nothing about the school bothered me anymore; everything was so familiar.

The cool breeze teased my hair as I hurried along; I could just make out the sound of the rushing fountain in the main courtyard. I knew I’d told Anna and Misha that I was going straight to bed, but there was something about the night that was enchanting. I wanted to relish it some more and enjoy the stillness for a few minutes longer.

There were a few students still wandering around, but lights out was in a few minutes and they were starting to disperse even as I approached the fountain, pulling my hoodie over my head so I blended in.

I sat down on the edge of the fountain and traced the rough stone with a finger, lost in thought. There were so many things going on, so many mysteries surrounding me, that it seemed impossible that I would figure them all out. I was no closer to solving anything. In fact, I felt like I was drifting further and further away from the answers.

The sound of voices nearby startled me, and I was instantly reminded of the nights I’d been attacked. Maybe it was stupid of me to stay out this late by myself, or maybe I should have gotten one of the girls to walk me back to my room. What could I say? Sometimes I did stupid shit.

I held my breath and listened as the voices drew nearer, ringing out loudly in the emptiness; rambunctious and boisterous. Whoever, they were, they sounded drunk. Maybe one of Sander’s partygoers had decided to leave early.

Two figures came into view and my eyebrows shot up as I recognized them immediately. It was Loire and Tyrone. They were both dressed in jeans, but Tyrone wore a black t-shirt and Loire had on a loosely fitted white shirt. I had never seen the both of them looking so carefree.

Or so drunk.

“No, she can be pretty alright sometimes,” Loire was saying quite audibly, as he and Tyrone stopped under an archway. They were only a few feet away, but hadn’t caught sight of me yet.

“No way, man. She’s gotta be the most uptight person I’ve ever met. Like, nothing is ever good enough for her,” Tyrone was saying just as loudly.

“She’s not so bad. I mean, once you get over the whole perfectionist thing.”

“Yeah, I guess she is pretty perfect,” Tyrone rambled on. “She just needs to go out with us one night and get drunk like a normal twenty-one-year-old.”

Despite not mentioning her name, I knew the conversation was about Veritas. Their descriptions were pretty spot on.

“You know what she’s like.” Despite the slur to his voice, Loire seemed to be the most coherent of the pair. “She’s all about her job, but she’s alright.”

“Yeah, she’s alright,” Tyrone echoed, stumbling a little.

I wondered if they realized that they had used the word ‘alright’ three times already to describe Veritas.

Loire steadied him with a hand. “But are you alright?”

These dudes needed to read a thesaurus.

Tyrone laughed. “Yeah, but I don’t think I should’ve had that last shot.”

“Maybe you should head to bed,” Loire suggested.

“That sounds like a great idea.” Tyrone bobbed his head up and down, his movements delayed and clumsy. “What about you?”

“I think I’ll stay out here for a bit. Fresh air helps me sober up.”

Tyrone clapped him on the back. “Well, don’t sober up too much. It took me a lot of effort to get you drunk, Mr. Ten Shots.”

Ten shots? Well, that explained everything.

Loire let out a laugh as he watched Tyrone walk, or more like stumble, away. Once Tyrone was out of sight, Loire turned in the direction of the fountain and started walking towards me.

My heart froze. I knew he hadn’t seen me yet and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have an encounter with him, especially so soon after the revelation that had unfolded about the Mortal Blade.

Deciding to sneak away, I stood up hastily, trying not to make a sound.

Loire stopped mid-step. “Who’s there?” he called out, his voice sounding muffled. It surprised me that his senses were still so alert even after he’d been drinking.

“It’s me,” I said tentatively, hating that I’d been caught out.

“Kat?” Loire said, clearing the rest of the distance between us. He was finally close enough so that I could make out every inch of his face.

“Hey,” I said with an awkward wave.

“Are you alright?” he asked, sounding concerned. “What are you doing out here on your own?”

“I’m fine.” I stuck my hands into the pockets of my coat. “I was just getting some air. Enjoying the peace, you know?”

I expected him to chastise me for being out here by myself, but instead he grinned. His reaction surprised me at first until I remembered he was intoxicated.

“You look different,” he said simply.

“Um, ok,” I said slowly. “In a good way or a bad way?”

“Bad way,” he replied, and then reached out and pushed my hoodie back. My hair came free, tumbling around my shoulders in a messy heap. “Now in a good way.”

Blushing, I flattened out my hair on either side. The way Loire was looking at me was making me feel self-conscious. And something was stirring in the pit of my stomach. That same feeling I always got when I was around him—the fluttering.

I suddenly had the urge to get as far away from him as possible. Even if it had been the blade that had created the connection between us, he’d still been someone I had trusted and it hurt that he was only thinking about himself when he had the answer to my freedom.

“Uh, I gotta go,” I said quickly.

I started walking around him when he reached out and grabbed my hand. His callused palm was rough against my skin.

“Wait.” His voice was low, commanding, and I felt my eyes drawn to his, as though they were pulling me towards him like magnets.

I stood immobilized, my mind racing too fast for me to keep up with my thoughts. All I knew was how close Loire was to me; how strongly he smelt of alcohol and something else. Something sweet and piny; maybe cologne or an aftershave, but not his usual sandalwood. Whatever it was, it suddenly made me picture the way bees were attracted to nectar. Definitely not a good thing.

My silence prompted him to speak again. “Do you hate my company so much that you want to leave?” Instead of pulling me closer, he moved forward and studied me. Right now, his eyes were the color of the sky just as the grey clouds started to roll in. It was amazing how they changed depending on his mood.

“No, it’s not that. I’m just in a bad head space. Sometimes I hate my own company.”

This made him smile, his white teeth flashing in the darkness. I was guessing he was a happy drunk.

“Then you should stay with me a little longer. I’ll make you feel better.” Still holding my hand, he guided me back to the edge of the fountain.

“You should get drunk more often. It becomes you.” I commented, sitting down.

His face broke out into another smile and once again I had to fight through the weirdness of talking to a chirpy Loire.

“And why does it become me, Katerina?”

I shrugged. “Because sometimes you use your cockiness as a wall to hide behind.”

Loire seemed surprised with my explanation. “Not always,” he said in a distant tone. For a few moments it looked like he was millions of miles away.

“Um,” I said, not sure whether or not to rouse him from his reverie. “It’s getting late. I better get back to my room.” I stood up and he snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes following my movements.

“I guess you should,” he said, his eyes dark and brooding. He stood up too.

It was impossible to imagine what he was thinking, but being drunk was the closest I’d ever seen him to being so vulnerable. There was something endearing about his innocent expression, and I couldn’t deny how attractive I found him.

My pulse sped up and I made no attempt to move. Was it stupid of me to stay here? Was I going to regret this later on? In the back of my head, I finally realized I didn’t really care. There was an emptiness that he filled up; a spark that lit up inside of me when he was close. There was no way to tell if he felt it too, but a huge part of me was hoping that he did.

“You’re still here,” he said with a laugh, taking a step towards me.

We were inches apart, breathing the same air; our foreheads were almost touching and there was an erratic pounding in my chest. In disbelief, I realized what it meant.

“It wasn’t the Mortal Blade,” I whispered.

“What?” he asked softly, grazing his thumb against my cheek.

“It wasn’t just the Mortal Blade calling out to me,” I said, as his eyes fell on my lips. “It was you.”

This was what our hot and cold relationship had been leading up to. This was what our fights had been leading up to. The looks, the smiles, the touches.

It had all been leading up to this moment.

Wordlessly, our lips pressed together. Tentatively, at first, but then a heat burned inside of me, and I pressed my body against his. My hands travelled over what had been forbidden to me for so long; his arms, his face, his hair.

Loire was kissing me back with an urgency that left me reeling. His hands were raking through my long hair; he was crushing his lips against mine. And then his hands went lower as they explored the small of my back, finding their way under my jacket.

When he pulled away to look at my face, the look in his eyes was feral. “I want you,” he growled.

His eyes raked over my entire body, sending shivers up my spine. I had never felt this way before. Ever. Not even with Talon. Loire’s actions were wild, intense—like he couldn’t get enough of me.

“Then have me,” I whispered, arching my back and pressing against him.

He didn’t need further prompting. His arms tightened around my waist and he pulled me in again, lifting me off the ground in the process. His lips found mine—warm and soft—kissing me desperately like he had an unquenchable thirst.

His powerful arms snaked around me with force, crushing me, making it hard to breathe, making my head spin. I ran a hand down his huge arm, outlining the contours of his muscles, my nails digging into his flesh.