Two words flooded my consciousness: Vampire. Destroy.
In an instant, I had my stake in my hand, poised to strike.
“Whoa!” Matthew said, ducking behind his desk. Hastily, he recapped the vial.
Just like that, the sensations disappeared. Gone. Poof. “What was that?” I asked, dropping the stake to the floor by my feet.
Matthew looked a little pale. “Infected vampire blood, along with a tissue sample. That was some reaction, though. I didn’t even see you reach for your stake.”
I tipped my head toward my bag. “It was in there.”
“Yeah, but you moved so fast. Too fast. Next time you need to take a second to establish the connection with me first, okay? You would have struck on your own, with no coordination. We’re a team, remember?”
“Well, next time warn me before you go sticking vampire blood under my nose like that! Where did you get it, anyway? It isn’t Aidan’s.”
His eyes widened a fraction. “You can tell it isn’t Aidan’s?”
“Yeah.” I held up the wrist with the bracelet. “White stones, good vampire. Red stones, bad vampire. It’s pretty simple. Anyway, I don’t get all wiggy when it’s a good vampire. Especially if it’s Aidan.”
“I had him take this sample from the vampire we slayed in Atlanta,” he said, pointedly avoiding any mention of Kate. “The female. Before he burned the corpse.”
I just nodded, trying to ignore the painful lump that had formed in my throat. I would not let myself think about Kate. Not now.
He rubbed a palm against the dark stubble on his cheek, looking thoughtful. “Anyway, it’s interesting that you reacted so strongly. I guess that means it’s either something in the blood or in the tissue cells that sets you off. The vampire doesn’t have to be alive. Of course, I use that term loosely in this case.”
“Well, that’s just fascinating,” I said sharply. I was still shaking all over, thanks to his little test. Adrenaline, I supposed.
“Can we try it one more time? Only this time, the second you sense it, reach out for me psychically, okay?”
“I’m not sure I know how,” I said truthfully. “You mean telepathically?”
“Try using the same mental muscle you use to put up the wall around your thoughts. Does that make any sense to you?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said, resigning myself to the experiment. Clearly, Matthew thought this was an important skill to hone.
“Okay, ready? I’m going to uncap it again.”
I nodded. “Ready.”
Just like before, I had my stake in my hand, moving to strike a mere second or two after he’d removed the cap. There had been no time to reach out to him psychically, no time to think or do anything at all, except react.
It was only on the fourth try that I managed to pause long enough to flex my psychic muscle. Megvéd, I thought, pushing the word from my mind in much the same way as I reached out telepathically to Aidan.
And then I felt what seemed like a click inside my head. Suddenly, he was there. Matthew. Inside my consciousness.
Vampire. Destroy. The words were a command this time, spoken directly to Matthew, but with no discernible effort on my part. I couldn’t explain it, not even if I tried. There were no words to describe the connection. We were simply . . . one.
I reached for my stake; he unsheathed his baselard, all in the blink of an eye. If he feinted left, I went right, and vice versa. We moved in perfect unison, not like separate bodies, but like two parts of a single one, anticipating each other’s every move, bolstering it.
And then he recapped the vial. I felt him disengage from me psychically, just like that. I felt off, like I had vertigo or something. I collapsed into the chair behind me with a gasp, trying to regain my equilibrium.
Across from me, Matthew looked equally dazed. “Wow,” he said, raking a hand through his hair. “That was . . . intense.”
It took me a second to catch my breath. “Yeah. I think we got it that time.”
“I guess so.” He set down the vial, his hands trembling slightly. “You think we can do that at any time? Or just when there’s a threat?”
“You’re asking me?” I shook my head. “I’m totally in the dark here. I know nothing. I don’t even know what the hell that was.”
The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. “I’d call it pretty damn awesome, wouldn’t you?”
I had to admit it was.
26 ~ Dancing Queen
Prom night at Winterhaven was much the same as prom night anywhere else. After a day of primping and preening, the seniors donned their tuxes and cocktail dresses and piled onto a coach bus headed for the big event—in our case, a beautiful hotel fashioned after a castle that sat high atop a hill overlooking the Hudson River.
The evening began with a formal, sit-down dinner followed by dancing. The only difference between others proms and ours was that everyone attending Winterhaven’s had to sign a special COPA rider that outlined additional rules and punishments specific to this special, off-campus event.
Apparently, there had been problems in the past. With only two weeks left before graduation and college plans already set, the threat of expulsion didn’t hold much weight for some, it would seem. So in order to secure a ticket to the Winterhaven prom, you had to make a special trip to the headmistress’s office to read and sign the rider. Of course, the special circumstances also meant that everyone attending had to be a student at Winterhaven—in other words, no outside dates.
Not that this affected too many people, but I knew of at least one girl—a senior on the fencing team with me—who had to go dateless because her boyfriend went to one of the hill schools in Riverdale.
Regardless, I was certain that I had the hottest date possible. I glanced over at Aidan, sitting beside me in his tux, and thought for sure that he was the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen. He’d opted for a white dinner jacket instead of black, and it suited him perfectly, made his eyes look like clear aquamarines in the flickering candlelight.
He’d used some sort of product on his hair to tame the golden waves, but one single curl had escaped, falling across his forehead. I resisted the urge to reach over and brush it back, deciding that it gave him a careless, boyish air that fit the circumstances.
More than anything, I was glad that Mrs. Girard had let him come. Luc was here, of course—Aidan’s own personal bodyguard. At least a dozen additional vampire guards were stationed around the perimeter of the grounds, keeping watch. At the first hint of a threat—real or imagined—Aidan would be whisked back to Winterhaven. He’d had to agree to that before Mrs. Girard would allow him to come. Well worth it, I decided. Even if it meant Luc was lurking in the shadows, following us everywhere we went.
Aidan leaned toward me, his breath warm against my neck. “You want to go outside and get some air?”
“Are we allowed?” I asked.
“No one said I had to stay inside,” he answered with a shrug.
I nodded, pushing aside my half-eaten slice of cheesecake, and rose to follow him out. I couldn’t help but admire the decor as we wove our way toward the exit, the room a labyrinth of tables, chairs, and bodies. The prom committee had chosen black, white, and red as the night’s color scheme, and the result was truly elegant. The round tables were draped in black, the chairs covered with crisp white linen. A tall, rustic candelabrum stood in the center of each table, holding white pillar candles in various sizes. Long-stemmed red roses were twined around the base and arms, filling the room with their scent. The overall effect was magical, like something out of a fairy tale.