The Soulkeepers (37 page)

"Don't worry about it. It's okay just where
it is."

Katrina was normally obsessive about
neatness. It bothered her that he wouldn't pick up after himself.
But at the moment, she had more pressing issues. "Whoa," she said,
weaving toward the door. "Whatever was in that drink went straight
to my head."

Cord half carried her through the crowd.
Once they were out the door, the fresh air revived her. A moment of
clarity came halfway across the deserted walkway of the quad.

"What was in that drink?" She shook her head
and inhaled the crisp night air, stepping away from Cord whose
cologne suddenly seemed overpowering. Disoriented, she stumbled
toward the gnarled trunk of an oak tree, planting her hand on the
rough bark.

"Stay close to me, Katrina," Cord said.
"Girls shouldn't walk alone. You never know who or what could be
lurking in the shadows."

Much clearer now, Katrina blinked her eyes
and focused on Cord. In the lamplight, the black hair and purple
eyes, so sensual at the party, looked menacing. The shadow of the
tree she leaned against seemed to reach for him, like his presence
was a magnet to the darkness. The silhouettes bowed and stretched,
rippling under the illumination of the lamppost. Shadows weren't
supposed to bend that way. The air wasn't supposed to ripple.

"I think I'm hallucinating," she said from
the harbor of the tree's branches. "I think there was something
other than alcohol in that drink."

She closed her eyes and shook her head
again. Had he drugged her? She'd heard of boys slipping things into
girl's drinks. Every college girl had. She was so stupid. What was
she thinking leaving the party with a stranger?

"Relax," Cord said. His arm snaked behind
her shoulders.

When had he moved so close to her? He'd
closed the gap between the walkway and the tree in what seemed like
the blink of an eye.

"Wait. I need to get home, Cord. I'm not
feeling well."

"Lay down right here, Katrina." He lowered
her slumping body to the grass.

Part of her wanted him. He smelled good. He
felt good. But a larger part of her knew something was wrong. She'd
been drugged, that was for sure. The hard, cold ground cut unevenly
into her back.

"Wait," she said, her voice barely a
whisper. "Let's go back to my dorm."

With his arm still behind her shoulders, he
leaned over her, his face hovering with the promise of a kiss. "No,
Katrina," he said. His purple gaze cut the darkness. "I want to
talk to you. I want to know all about you. I want to be
closer."

From behind heavy lids, she tried to respond
but she was transfixed by the curve of his lips. She closed her
eyes and tipped her chin, an invitation for him to finish what he
started.

Nothing.

When she opened her eyes again, Cord was
gone. She was lying next to the tree, the glow from the lamppost
illuminating an empty walkway at her feet. She sat up, wondering if
she'd hallucinated him all together. Man, what was in that
drink?

On autopilot, she stood and walked back to
her dorm. Her brain felt fuzzy. Exhausted, she let herself into her
room and stumbled through the darkness toward her bed.

"Ohmygod, Katrina. I've been so worried
about you!" Mallory said. Katrina heard a click and the soft glow
of her roommate's lamp made her blink. "First, I couldn't find you
at the party and then you weren't here when I came home. Where the
hell have you been?"

"What time is it?"

"Four in the morning."

"Four? Really? Shit, I don't know Mallory. I
think someone slipped something into my drink. I feel weird."

"Into your drink? What, like a roofie? Are
you okay? Do you need me to walk you to health services?"

Katrina thought about it for a minute. "No.
I feel okay. I don't think anything happened. I just need to sleep
it off."

"Well, the good news is it's officially
spring break, so you can sleep as long as you want."

"Yeah, spring break. I'm supposed to go home
to Paris tomorrow…I mean today, later. Hell, I've gotta get some
sleep."

Katrina didn't bother to undress. She
slipped beneath the covers of her bed and closed her eyes. She was
asleep before Mallory turned off the light.

Into the Shadows
by Karly Kirkpatrick

Bloody Little
Secrets
by Karly Kirkpatrick

Anathema
by Megg Jensen

Oubliette
by Megg Jensen

Sleepers
by Megg Jensen

Dream Smashers
by Angela Carlie

Land of Corn Chips
by Angela Carlie

Loramundi
by Angela Carlie

Coming Soon

Return to Eden (The
Soulkeepers Book 3)
by G. P.
Ching

The Green
by Karly Kirkpatrick

Severed
by Megg Jensen