Page 4 of Deadly Alliances

“On the contrary,” he replied with a shrug. “You’re allowed to go anywhere within the walls of this school, granted you’re accompanied by a chaperone.”

School? This place is a school?I snorted, even though this answer surprised me.

“Get some rest. We’ll talk first thing at dusk.” With that, Hadrian turned on his heel and was suddenly out of sight.

His preternatural speed was only one of the many disturbing things I’d seen tonight, so rather than dwell on it, I ran the keycard through the scanner and escaped into my new confines, pressing my back tightly against the door as it closed—as if my meager weight could keep a vampire out.

After a deep, cleansing breath, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings. Hadrian wasn’t lying about the room; it was the most lavishly-furnished birdcage I’d ever seen. There was a huge canopy bed across from the door, elegantly carved in black wood and adorned with dark red sheets, curtains, and more pillows than I could ever want or need. To the left of the bed was a closet that I could see was fully-stocked with colorful clothing, some that appealed to me even from where I stood.

There were several matching black dressers, and a bookshelf filled with books. Most of the wall catty-corner to the bed was a giant TV screen, at least five times bigger than any TV I’d ever seen in person. The carpet was plush and the color offresh blood, and though I wasn’t a fan of red, I appreciated the deviation from black.

Slowly, I peeled my back off the door and made my way across the lake of blood that my carpet resembled to the bed that beckoned my aching body. I sat on the side of it, savoring the cush beneath me. The sheets were velvet and begged to be nuzzled. I didn’t trust sleeping in this place, but I was so tired, and if Hadrian was planning on hurting me, he would have done it already.

Finally, I gave in to my only desire and slipped under the covers, sleep consuming me as soon as I closed my eyes.

***

Bang, bang, bang.

I snapped to consciousness with a fright, hands instantly roaming for anything I could use as a weapon. My eyes adjusted to the rude awakening and found nothing was amiss in my empty room. I climbed out of bed and crept forward, scanning the shadows in the corners.

“Just let me see her,” I heard a voice outside the door say. It sounded familiar, but in my slightly disoriented state, I couldn’t place it. After all, how could anyone I knew be here?

“Lord Hadrian said she is not to be disturbed,” responded another voice I assumed belonged to one of the guards.

“Lord Hadrian has given me special privileges. Or have you forgotten?”

Silence for a moment. I didn’t realize that I was on my tiptoes until another set of bangs caused me to trip forward.

“Arya, please open the door,” that same familiar voice insisted.

My soul knew that voice, but my mind said it wasn’t possible. It had to be some trick. Hadrian playing a sick game. And yet, I found myself edging closer.

I hovered in front of the door, my hand resting on the knob. I told myself not to open it, but my curiosity got the better of me. And I reminded myself that if a vampire really wanted to get in, it wouldn’t matter if I opened it or not.

I turned the knob and cracked the door enough to peek outside.

The handsome, sandy-blond-haired, beach-blue-eyed merman stood on the other side. I gasped, frozen in disbelief as Kendall pushed inside and wrapped his arms around me.

This was no vampire trick. His skin was caramel colored and warm, something I didn’t expect to find in this place. But then again, I didn’t expect to find him here, either.

The initial shock of his appearance wore off as the memory of his betrayal surfaced. I shoved him away and took several steps back, hugging myself protectively.

“You really did it,” I accused. “You really camehere? To Hadrian? What, so you could sell your knowledge of me for protection?”

Kendall pursed his lips bracingly. But as he hesitated, the truth dawned on me.

“You’re the reason he attacked the school!” I gasped. “You told him where it is. Dozens of mer died because of you! And hundreds of shifters may still die if the glass gives!” I shoved him again, all my anger and sorrow flooding into the assault as I thrust him against the door.

“Ow,” he winced. “Arya, I’m sorry, but I had no choice.” He tooka step closer.

“No choice?” I yelled back. “Youhada choice, and you chose wrong! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? How many lives you’ve doomed?”

“They were doomed anyway,” he insisted sincerely. “Hadrian was going to find the Dome one way or another. I’ve foreseen it, remember? And if he attacked the school with you inside and didn’t know, you could have died. Don’t you see that I’m trying to save you?”

“Oh, don’t give me that shit,” I snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You saved yourself and sacrificed everyone else. I can’t believe that you actually came here. I had no idea what happened to you after you left. You could’ve died coming here. Even after what you did, I still...”

I bit my tongue, hating that some part of me still cared about him, after all this time, even now. The anger boiling up roused the ursa within, and I didn’t know if I could contain it.

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