Because there, beneath the shadow of his jaw, was a blood-red hourglass mark on his skin.
Chapter 11
I was sitting in the common room, sipping on blood and trying to ignore Cheryl’s constant talking. It was proving to be difficult because on a good day, Cheryl’s voice was annoying. On a hangry day? It was making me downright murderous.
My reserves were running low. It had been a week since my time with Crow, and though feeding from him had been as satisfying as Tomb, my spider was anxiously waiting for another meal. I would’ve been able to preserve my energy better if I weren’t being constantly forced to train. I was dreading the moment Spector realized I was hungry again, so I did everything I could to keep my face fixed in a pleasant smile and not reveal the roaring hunger barreling through me.
But I wasn’t just hungry. I missed Crow and Tomb. I wanted to see them so badly it hurt. After Oz had found Crow dead in my lap, Spector had put two and two together and monitored him, watching as he came back to life. Meanwhile, they’d forced me to keep going through rigorous trainings, plus strict eating and sleeping regiments that left me exhausted.
“I’m not saying you’re a bad friend, I’m just saying that not once have you checked on me since we got here,” Cheryl went on.
She’d been talking for a good twenty minutes. The moment I entered the common area, she swarmed to me like shifters on shit. I wasn’t really paying attention, though. I was too busy worrying about Tomb and remembering Crow’s lips on my skin to really focus on her shrill voice and self-importance, but her last statement caught my attention.
“Wait, what?” I asked, looking over at her. “Are you seriously mad at me for not checking on you while I was locked up in the tank?” My voice was incredulous. Cheryl had always been selfish, but this was getting ridiculous. It wasn’t my fault I couldn’t hold her hand.
Cheryl let out an exasperated sigh. “Well, yeah! I mean, I get that you’ve been busy with training and whatever, but I thought we were friends. You came in here and just sat down. You didn’t even say hello to me.”
I frowned and studied her. She was wearing a sequined shirt, and her blonde hair was sleek and smooth, like she wasn’t a miserable mess in here like me. She had an overstated pout on her perfect face, but there was a sense of authenticity to her words. I didn’t get it. Our entire cohabitation consisted of her telling me that I wasn’t good enough to be in her friend circle. I kept to myself, and she kept up the pretense that she was being forced to live with me. We didn’t really like one another. So why was she upset?
If I were being honest, I was too busy worrying what other test Spector was going to do to me to really concern myself with her. Not to mention, Crow had been noticeably absent since our time in the shower. I’d barely gotten a few glimpses of him since, like Spector was purposely keeping us apart, and I still hadn’t seen Tomb either. I was distracted and worried, but I didn’t expect Cheryl to care about me being distant.
“Is that so?” I asked, prodding her more.
“Yeah. I mean, we lived together for five years, Motley. I thought I meant something to you,” she huffed while toying with a bracelet on her wrist. The vulnerable slump of her shoulders made me pause. Maybe I’d misunderstood our relationship.
I cleared my throat and put down my drink on the cafeteria table. “I’m not trying to be an ass, but I didn’t think we were friends, Cheryl. When we first were placed in our dorm room together, you told me I wasn’t good enough,” I replied while giving her a pointed stare. “You never went out of your way to hang out with me and were always reminding me that we didn’t run in the same circles. Forgive me for not wanting to check on someone that claimed to not care.”
There was an added bite to my words, but I stuck to them. I didn’t appreciate the double standard, and since I no longer had to share a room with her insufferable ass, I didn’t mind being transparent about my feelings.
Cheryl’s eyes turned bloody with unshed tears, and she blinked them away as her lip trembled. “I know I haven’t really been nice to you. I don’t make friends easily. But you didn’t make it easy, either. You think I don’t notice your underhanded comments, but I do. Plus, you’re so stuck in your own world, I didn’t even bother.”
“Fair enough,” I began. “I’ve always kept to myself. It was easier that way.” I never really socialized, outside of the random one night stands. I didn’t see the point, no one would have accepted me anyways.
“I get it. You’re the loner, and I’m the amazing socialite you’re jealous of,” Cheryl replied with a sniff. I opened my mouth to tell her to take a hike, but she cut me off before I could. “But I’m really freaked out. You’ve always been so smart and tough. I couldn’t handle half the shit people have said to you, and I know if anyone could get us out of this”—she paused to look around as she leaned closer, dropping her voice so only I could hear—“it’s going to be you. So I’m here. I’m sorry for what happened in the past, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get the hell out of this place. They...they’re making me hurt people, Motley. Have you ever tried getting blood out of cashmere? It’s, like, impossible. They’re so primitive.”
I pursed my lips so I wouldn’t smile. “So, what are you, anyway?” I asked while taking another sip
