Page 79 of Mortal Blood
“Not quite the way I’d imagined hearing you say those words,” Cole said, sitting up carefully.
“I’m sorry.” I gave him an apologetic look, because there was nothing I wanted more than to finish what we’d started.
Except go see Astor.
Fuck’s sake, I know!
“She’s using her stupid compulsion trick to summon me. And she doesn’t want to wait.”
“Compulsion? She’s a vampire, not fae. How can she…?”
I grimaced. “She said she’s drunk enough of them to pick up a few tricks along the way. And apparently she wants to use them to make my life hell.”
Cole adjusted himself and rebuttoned his pants. “Do you want me to come with you?”
I shook my head, raking my eyes over him. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. To be continued?”
He grinned languidly at me. “Count on it, princess.”
My eyes drifted over the bulge in his pants, and my mouth watered. His grin widened.
I shook my head again and gritted my teeth. “Dammit. Fucking Astor.”
His chuckle followed me as I hurried from the room, making a half-hearted attempt to fix my hair and clothing as I went.
The halls were mostly deserted—it was getting late, not far off time for the moon hunt, and the select few shifters chosen to run in it were likely preparing themselves, and those who hadn’t been celebrating the full moon in their own way. Which usually meant getting drunk out of their skulls in the common room and having a good-natured fight or two. Not that much of the fighting going on recently had been good-natured, with war threatening the packs and everyone carefully choosing sides.
I followed my feet to Astor’s office, and though it didn’t take long to get there, she still barked at me irritably to come inside as though I’d been keeping her waiting for hours. If possible, she sounded even more pissed at me than usual.
I opened the door and hurried through, figuring it was best togo on the offensive if I wanted to get out of here in time for the hunt.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Domina.”
She glared at me derisively. “You’re sorry in more ways than that, Ms. Ellis.”
I bowed my head, the power of Cole’s blood still thrumming through me making the movement disjointed as some part of me resisted the show of respect.
“As you say, Domina,” I forced out.Just let her play her games, and then get back to Cole.That was all I had to do.
She watched me in silence a moment longer, irritation flickering over her face as she saw I wasn’t going to rise to the bait.
“Do you think, Ms. Ellis,” she said coldly, “that you are better than the rest of us?”
I frowned, confused by her sudden change of topic. “No, Domina.”
“Do you think,” she continued, ignoring me, “that we are all hear to serveyou?”
Her voice rose in anger and I opened my mouth to deny it, but she carried on.
“How dare you use this academy as a…acourierservice?”
“I didn’t!” I finally managed to get in.
She pushed herself up from her desk, glaring at me across its wide expanse. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“No, Domina.” Because not even I was that dumb. “I just think… There must have been a mistake.”
“Does this look like a mistake?” She reached into her drawer, pulled out an envelope and a small, flat sparkling gem sitting on top of it, and slammed them down on top of her desk. It took me a second to realize the stone was a Cailleach…and that the envelope had my name on it.
