Which he did not.
A chill snaked over my spine and I turned to face him. I lifted my gaze, and met the darkest gray eyes I had ever seen. They were a deep charcoal and their color so vividly gray that they seemed almost fuzzy, like a snowy TV screen. I expected them for some reason to be lifeless and vacant, but they were very much alive, glimmering with secret amusement and a dry cynicism I didn’t understand.
“Yes, I’m in choir,” I finally said. I realized I’d been staring at him for a while and suddenly felt awkward. I turned back to my turkey club sandwich.
“I’m Jude.” He called my attention back to him and reached out a hand.
“I’m Stella,” I answered without taking it. I didn’t want to shake his hand. I hated that he was sitting by me and that he had taken Seth’s seat. And maybe that wasn’t all his fault, but his timing was really bad.
“I know,” he grinned at me and his eyes twinkled. He pushed his hand further in front of him and waited patiently for me to take it.
I looked down at it and then back up at him. Ignoring his hand again, I leaned back and gestured behind me. “This is Piper and on the other side of her is Bree.”
“Hi, Piper.” He reached around me and shook her hand. “Hi, Bree.” He leaned forward some more so that we were almost touching, but not totally invading my personal space, and shook Bree’s hand. Then he sat back and held his hand out to me again.
What was with this guy and shaking people’s hand? Did he have a tic?
I stared down at the hand wiggling in front of me and seriously considered biting it. I knew I was being rude, but I was honestly blown away by his insistence on shaking my hand when I clearly did not want to touch him.
“For god’s sake, Stella, shake the man’s hand!” Piper exclaimed.
And then I felt silly. Something was wrong with me. I was making way too big of a deal out of this. And I realized everyone’s eyes were on us, and how blown out of proportion I was making this.
I offered an apologetic smile which only seemed to amuse him more, and then grasped his hand. And in that moment I knew exactly why I had reservations about him.
He was Fallen.
In my hometown. In my school. Near my friends.
I felt my eyes go wide with shock. My grip tightened on his hand instinctively and I fought the urgent need to drag him out of here and run a sword through his neck, and then wiggle it around a little bit, just to make sure his death was nice, slow and torturous. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t figured it out before now. I couldn’t believe he was walking around school all morning, and I was playing off my instinct as a “weird vibe.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Stella,” Jude smiled at me, ignoring his hand that was currently being squashed by mine. “And all your…. friends.”
I gave a pained smile back and then released his hand as if it burned me. “What brings you to Mead? Are your parents farmers?”
He chuckled but shook his head, “I’m staying with an uncle. I got into a bit of trouble at my last school. My parents sent me down here to sort me out.”
It was subtle accents on different words like “uncle” or “down here” that forced me to roll my eyes.
“So you’re a troublemaker?” Bree asked in what I was sure she thought was a coy voice from down the table.
Jude’s eyes flicked past me and he grinned at her, “Definitely a troublemaker.”
“And your uncle thinks Mead will fix you?” I asked dryly.
“My uncle’s not interested in fixing me, Stella. Just…. containing me for a while.” His smile was unapologetic and his tone was knowing, as if he had this great big secret.
Well, since he was Fallen, enrolled in high school, I imagined that he did.
“Until you graduate?” I asked innocently.
“Until you graduate,” he confirmed on a whisper as he leaned in.
“Well, welcome to Mead,” Tristan interrupted awkwardly. I was sure he picked up on the strangeness of this guy and was not at all thrilled Jude seemed so familiar with me.
Tristan and I had that in common.
The rest of lunch went by without incident, except that I had somehow managed to share a meal with a Fallen. I picked at my food while my friends chatted up Jude and welcomed him into our circle of trust. It wasn’t like everyone here was super goody-goody. Tristan and Rigley regularly got into trouble and I had just been basically called a slut by my English teacher- although it was not true. But Jude added a whole new level of danger to the table, one that my friends were fascinated with instead of afraid of.
I was going to have to kill this guy.
The sooner the better.
I excused myself a few minutes before the bell rang and ran to my locker for a weapon. This morning I pulled out a fitted black trench coat to wear to school today in order to keep my katanas close by. It was a little more Goth than I was used to, but I didn’t really have a choice if I wanted to smuggle in swords without having the school administrator call the FBI.
I opened my locker door and had it abruptly slammed back into place, nearly catching my fingers in the motion.
Jude.
I hadn’t heard him come up behind me- unacceptable.
I turned with my back pressed into the locker and faced my enemy. “What are you doing here?” I demanded on a growl.
He smiled at me and put an arm over my head. If anyone walked by, it would look like he was hitting on me, but lunch was still in progress and we were alone in the hallway.
“Isn’t it obvious?” he smirked.
“Are you here to kill me?” I laughed lightly. “Because you won’t be the first one to try. I just need to know if I’m going to be late for next period.”
His eyes narrowed on me and he leaned in. He smelled like cigarettes and mint. “You think you’re funny don’t you.”
“Obviously.”
His gaze traveled down the length of me, lingering on all my curves and exclusively female features before he lifted his eyes to mine again. “I think I’m starting to get it.”
“Get what?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“I’m not here to kill you, Stella,” he confessed on a sigh. I expected him to back up, but he stayed hovering over me, way too closely. “I’m here to do the opposite.”
“And what is that?”
“I’m here to protect you- to make sure nothing happens to you.” His grin turned wicked and the sparkle in his eyes turned devious.
“What does that mean?” I demanded, a bit exasperated.
From start to finish so far, this did not make sense.
“So your boyfriend defected yesterday, if I understand this correctly,” Jude intoned dryly. He stood up then and pulled a cigarette from a pack in his back pocket and slid it between his lips. With the tip of his finger and whatever was left of his fading Light, he lit it and then sucked in a long breath.
“I feel like I remember hearing about this. What does that have to do with me?”
“He signed a contract, Starling. Made a deal with the devil himself. Aliah gets his free will, bright white Light and eternal soul all in exchange for you. Seth stays with Aliah and your hot little body remains untouched until you’re eighteen.” He sucked in another long drag and blew it out over my head.
Which was both oddly considerate and brazenly rebellious all at the same time.
“I’m not understanding.” I shook my hair out. My head was starting to hurt with all the implications of his speech.
“Your boy Seth gave himself up to Aliah in order to make sure we left you alone until you turn eighteen. But I have to warn you, Sweet, your birthday equals game on.”
“And you’re part of the bargain?”
“Contract,” he clarified. “I am.” He inhaled his shortening cigarette and stared at me intently.