“Nothing,” I reply, unsure of what kind of reaction I would get from them all. “I told you I didn’t do it.”
Finley nods to the other boys, and I know they are mind talking. I can’t tell from their expressions how the conversation is going. Then Finley averts his attention back to me.
“This is dumb,” Arthur walks back toward the main campus, but not before he bumps into me.
I bite my tongue, knowing I’m outnumbered.
“Is it true?” Finley steps in front of me, “that you don’t know your bloodline?”
They seem to know just as much as I do, “I’ve never been interested.” I walk past him and hope they let me carry on to the dorms.
“I’m sorry if we scared you.” Finley grabs my arm and holds me back. “My brothers can be idiots sometimes.”
“Speak for yourself,” Hunter yells as he takes a seat on a stump.
“Please don’t go.” Finley lets my arm go.
“I can’t tell you much, and you seem to know more about me than I do.” I face the three of them. Finley and Ivor are the only ones still watching me. Hunter is occupied with cutting into the stump he is sitting on.
“Maybe we can help?” Finley’s smiles and I begin to feel more at ease.
“I have no interest in any powers. If I had it my way, I’d be living off the woods by myself.” I said, as I slip my backpack on. I had to be careful how much I told them.
“Your way? What does that mean?” Hunter broke away from his artwork on the stump.
“I can’t exactly do whatever I want. You’re born into this.” I said, hoping my answer would please him.
“How did you get in here?” Hunter stood up, and Finley steps closer to me, almost as if he was ready to protect me should Hunter act on his instincts.
I watch and wonder what is about to happen. Finley’s back is tense, and Hunter’s lips shorten into a thin line as he approaches. I had to think of something fast.
“I’m sponsored.” I blurt out, unsure of what that would even mean. Their uncle was the principal, so if anyone were sponsored – they would know.
Hunter stops about a foot in front of me. Finley is at his side, and I’ve lost track of where Ivor is. Hunter is a good two feet towering over me. His broad shoulders are distracting even in a moment like this. My mind drifts to a better use of his energy.
“That’s enough,” Ivor calls out from the woods. He’s leaning against a tree, watching us. So, he was in charge of the brothers, hopefully of Alexandra too.
Hunter, backs off and I begin to understand the hierarchy of the brothers. Ivor rules their den. I guessed Arthur is next, then Hunter and last is Finley. Finley was also the peacekeeper. I’d find out where Alexandra fit in, eventually.
“I’ll take you to your dorm.” Ivor walks past his brothers to get to me.
Finley opens his mouth but retreats as soon as Ivor spins back to us.
“Are you coming?” Ivor directed his question to me, ignoring his brothers. His voice is low and calm. As if nothing had just happened.
I nod, then jog over to his side. The brothers follow behind us but stay a reasonable distance away. I keep quiet and wait for Ivor to speak. As the minutes pass by, I’m more at ease as we walk through the woods. It seems their mission was to fish for information.
“It’s interesting that you’re here.” Ivor finally said, as he looks down to me. I can’t read his facial expressions. He hides them well.
“I wouldn’t know,” I said, as I try to keep the pace of his long legs. My thoughts drift back to the moment we met in the hall and the intense attraction I felt for him.
“You can count on us,” Ivor slows down as we near the opening, “we’ll try to protect you as best that we can.”
“Protect me?” I reach out for his arm, but stop myself from intruding on his personal space. As much as I had a connection with him, we were not friends. We were feeling each other out. “Why would I need protection?”
Ivor didn’t say anything. His silence told me more than he could have with words. He kept up a good stride in the direction of the campuses. I guess we were done talking.
“You really don’t know anything, do you?” Ivor’s eyes stopped on mine, and it was hard to break away from them. They were familiar, yet not.
“Who should I be afraid of?” My voice was strong and forceful, the opposite of my stomach right now. It twists and turns. I was certain he could hear it.
“Everyone.” Ivor stops abruptly in front of me and swings around to face me. I almost slam into him, and I’m sure that he wished I had. We are in a dead lock stare, neither of us willing to break away first.
“Everything all right?” Finley calls out to us. He and Hunter jog to meet us.
“Just chatting,” Ivor said. He offers his arm to me.
Finley’s eyes drop to the ground, and he scuffs the soil with his foot. His hands form into fist in the pockets of his jeans as his jaw tenses. Hunter's eyes narrow at Ivor. Neither spoke.
I slid my arm around Ivor’s, afraid of what could happen if I didn’t. He moves us forward, away from his brothers and leans into my body. “Finley has a thing for you.”
My cheeks flush, but I wasn’t surprised. “I’m not interested in dating.” I blurt out. There’s no way I’d ever be with a vampire. No matter how attractive they were. I was here on a mission, what that was I didn’t fully understand yet, but it wasn’t to fuck vampires – as hot as that would be.
“I
