My eyes were damp, I realized, swiping them with the back of my hand. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” I asked.
He leaned toward me, his forehead against mine. “I’ve a pretty good idea of it,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Which is why I should probably get you out of here.”
I knew he was right, and yet I couldn’t help but dip my head lower, brushing my lips against his mouth. I heard his breath catch in his throat, felt him clench his hands into fists by his sides. Still, I opened my mouth against his, needing to taste him, my soul mate.
I was breathless when I finally pulled away, my skin flushed all over, my lips slightly swollen and bruised. Lifting one trembling hand, I traced his bottom lip with my index finger, wincing as I made contact with one sharp, elongated canine.
“I could really use that cure right about now.” Aidan groaned, a hint of desperation in his voice.
“Have you fed lately?” I asked.
“Yeah. That’s not the problem, I’m afraid.” He closed his eyes, taking several deep, calming breaths.
It was those dual needs, I realized—bloodlust tied to desire. He wouldn’t risk biting me again.
“Time to change the subject, then.” My mind cast about for a solution. And then I remembered. “Paris! Patsy said my acceptance came. You know, from AUP. What about you? Did you check online?”
“I totally forgot,” he said. “Anyway, what’s the point? Now that I’ve agreed to this whole Dauphin thing—”
“Because we’re going to cure you, that’s why. Go on.” I waved a hand toward his laptop. “Check right now.”
Just like that, the red receded from his eyes, his teeth fully normal now. He rose, making his way to the desk. Leaning over it, he opened his laptop’s browser and logged on to the university’s application system. A few clicks of the mouse later and he turned back toward me. “Looks like I’m in too,” he said without a trace of emotion.
I let out a sigh, a flicker of hope igniting in my chest. For now, I’d just go along with the assumption that everything would work out—that he’d do his Dauphin thing, set the vampire world back in order, and return to Paris, where we’d have his cure waiting. That was the plan, and I was sticking to it.
“So,” I said, unable to suppress a smile. “Let’s talk about living arrangements in Paris. Roommates, right?”
At first I thought he was going to continue to argue with me over the futility of the situation. So I nearly wept with relief when he returned my smile instead. “Did I ever mention that I own an apartment in Paris? In the seventh arrondissement, right near AUP. A very nice view of La Tour Eiffel.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re kidding, right?”
He shook his head. “Not kidding. Roomie,” he added with a grin.
“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Remember how we talked once about going on a graduation trip? You know, to Brompton Park. Your old house,” I added unnecessarily, as if he didn’t know.
“You really want to go there?”
“Definitely. Let’s all go. Cece and Sophie and Marissa. The guys too. I think we could all use a little vacation after . . . well . . .” I swallowed hard. I couldn’t say her name, couldn’t bear to bring it up again. “We can pool our money and rent out the house for a week. What do you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” he said with a nod. “If it’ll make you happy.”
“Very happy. Here”—I reached for the mouse on his laptop—“go to the UK Trust website and look it up. Let’s see when it’s available.”
He quickly typed in a search and opened the page. I watched as he clicked through, opening up the calendar. My heart sank when I saw the red X’s. “Crap, it’s booked the week after graduation. But look, not the week after that.”
“You want to go talk to your friends? Have them ask their parents and check on airfare. Don’t worry about the house—I’ll have my agent in London make the arrangements.”
I eyed him dubiously. “Your agent in London? What does that even mean?”
“That you don’t have to worry about securing the house,” he answered with a laugh. “I’ll make some calls now.”
“Okay. I’m going to go see if I can catch everyone before dinner.” I leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. “And thank you. This is going to be awesome.”
21 ~ It’s Gotta Be You
Jenna Holley is what?” I asked, my voice rising shrilly.
Sophie sank onto Cece’s bed with a sigh, her eyes red and swollen. “Moving into my room. Right now.”
“Bu-but why?” I stammered. “It’s only a couple of months until graduation. Anyway, what about Marissa?”
“I asked Marissa if she wanted to move in.” She unzipped her hoodie and shrugged out of it.
“And?” I prodded.
“And she said no. You know, the whole empath thing. It makes her uncomfortable to be around other people all the time, vulnerable to their emotional state. Blah, blah, blah.”
I shook my head, confused. It didn’t make any sense. I mean, okay, I guess I could understand Marissa’s point, although some empaths chose to have roommates. Max was living with Tyler now, after all.
But why would they assign Sophie a new roommate so close to the end of the year? And why Jenna Holley, of all people?
“Well, what happened to Jenna’s roommate?”
Sophie shrugged. “I don’t know. I think she might have transferred to Summerhaven at the end of the semester or something.”
“I just don’t understand what difference it makes. It’s not like they needed to free up a room or anything.”
Sophie’s hazel eyes filled with tears. “Mrs. Girard said she didn’t think it was a good idea for me to be living alone right now.”
I kind of had to agree with Mrs. Girard there. I couldn’t even imagine having to stare at the empty side of the room that was Kate’s on an everyday basis. As it was, we all avoided Sophie’s room now, unable to bear it. Sophie needed company—needed someone to fill that empty space. But Jenna Holley?
“Maybe you should try talking to Marissa again,” I suggested. “It’s not like it’ll kill her to have a roommate—”
“It’s too late—Jenna’s already moving in.” She sighed heavily.
“Well, you know you’re welcome here anytime. Seriously, you only need to go to your room to sleep, right? You could even leave a change of clothes here if you wanted. Shower on our floor.”
“I guess. Or I could just suck it up. How many weeks are left?”
I glanced up at the calendar on the wall. “Ten or eleven, maybe? Wait, have you gotten any acceptance letters yet?”
Her mouth curved into a smile. “Princeton.”
“Princeton? That’s great, Soph! Wasn’t that your first choice?”
“Yep. I’m still waiting to hear from Dartmouth, but I think my mind is made up.”
“Wow,” I said. “I knew you’d go Ivy.”
“I just can’t believe you’re going to Paris. It’s so far away.”
“I know. But you’ll come visit, right? I mean, it is Paris.” And Sophie’s parents had plenty of disposable income.
“Sure. And you’ll come back to New York, too, right? You’ve still got Aidan’s town house, and Princeton’s just a train ride away.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand why Aidan won’t take his house back. You know, now that he’s back. It just feels weird, keeping it in my name and all.”
“That boy’s a funny one. Dr. Byrne thinks he’s made another breakthrough, by the way. With his cure,” she clarified. “He’s pretty sure we’ll have it by the end of the semester.”