7. Caine

7

CAINE

The way the snow falls around her is like seeing Earth for the first time.

She is magnificent.

She twirls in the courtyard, sticking her tongue out to catch the flakes, and it sends a pang of deep-rooted lust through me. Her purple hair is damp and curling around her as she smiles and stops, closing her eyes and letting the flakes settle on her lashes.

I lean forward on my cane, one hand over the other, feeling my black cashmere coat flutter around my thighs at the movement. The slight breeze tempts me to make this a flurry she will have to hide from, but then I would miss her.

The air shifts on both sides of me, signifying the arrival of my two best friends, but I don't tear my eyes away from her. She can't see me, I don't think, standing here watching her, or if she does, she is doing an excellent job of ignoring me .

"Gentleman," I murmur. "Good to see you again."

"You're late," Flint remarks.

"How was ice-hell?" Thorne drawls, turning to see where I'm looking.

His breath hitches. It's slight but noticeable to me, the man who knows him so well.

"Perfect, thank you. Dark Fae Kingdom?"

"Un-perfect. But thanks for asking," he snorts.

I allow a half-smile, but my attention is focused completely on the girl. "Flint. What do you know?"

I can always tell when he is hiding something. He fidgets. Again, it's not an obvious tell, but I know it.

"About what?" he asks.

"Her." I raise my cane slightly and point it at the purple-haired vision, now twirling again. The purple sweatshirt looks familiar, like one I lost a couple of years ago. I lower the cane and lean on it again. It is part of who I am: an Ice Demon with more power than I know what to do with, the cane contains the wilder aspects of my power.

"Her name is Violet. She is a new vampire, traumatised from being held captive since she was turned. I saved her."

"Vi-o-let." The name tastes sweet on my tongue. "You saved her?"

"Yeah."

"You mean your dad saved her," Thorne states.

I snicker. "Okay, that makes more sense."

"Fuck you. It was me. My idea. "

"To help her escape from her captive? Who was it?"

"Nathaniel Empris. An ancient vampire who apparently murdered her parents and turned her against her will."

That grabs my attention, and I turn to face him. "Really?"

He nods.

"And this vampire still lives?"

"For now," Thorne says.

Done with this conversation, I swirl out in a shower of ice and land in front of the girl, startling her.

She looks up at me, taking in my height. I'm about a foot and a half taller than she is, making her seem more delicate than I suspect she actually is. Her blue eyes are wide, scanning over my blond hair and green eyes before she rests on my lips, turned up in a wicked half-smile as it's plain she likes what she sees. Not surprising. I rarely get anything but this same reaction. She sees me notice, and she drops her gaze, lowering her chin as well.

I lift the cane and reach out with the head, pure silver in the shape of an eagle's head, placing it gently under her chin and tilting her head. She still avoids my gaze.

"Look at me," I murmur.

She flicks her stare to mine, searching my eyes before it drops again .

"Violet."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know everything."

She rolls those pretty blue eyes at me, and it makes my cock go as hard as the head of the cane. "And you are?"

"Caine, and you're wearing my sweatshirt."

Her eyes go wide, and she looks down at herself, plucking at it. "It was in the lost and found. I'll wash it and give it back to you."

"No need. It looks better on you. Besides," I say and lower the cane, hoping she doesn't tuck her chin in again. "It makes a statement."

"Oh? And what's that then?" Her gaze comes back up, stronger now, boring into mine as she demands an answer.

"That you are mine."

Her plump red lips part, almost scarlet against her pale skin. But the terror in her eyes is unmistakable. She has been claimed before and it wasn't to her liking. I'm guessing this so-called sire of hers.

I feel the presence of my friends behind me and watch as Violet's eyes widen slightly as she takes in the three of us together. Her eyes lock on Flint and swim with something that I would very much like to see aimed at me.

"Violet," he says. "Nice to see you again."

Tears flood her eyes, and she flings herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss on his lips. "Thank you," she whispers, and then she is gone. Fleeing with her vampire speed before I'd finished with her.

I turn my stare to Flint. His cheeks are flushed, and he is grinning like that fucking Cheshire Cat you hear about in the Human English Lit class, which intrigues and entertains me.

"Well, well," I drawl, tapping my cane on the snowy ground. "That was quite the greeting."

Flint's grin widens, if possible. "What can I say? I make quite the impression."

I arch an eyebrow at him. "Clearly. Care to elaborate on exactly how you ‘saved' her?"

"My father and I were visiting Nathaniel. I noticed Violet and saw how terrified she was. When I got a moment alone with her, I told her to run, so I created a distraction and told my father to get her out of there."

"Hmm," I muse, twirling my cane. "And now she's here. How convenient."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Flint asks, his voice taking on a defensive edge.

I shrug, keeping my tone casual. "Just that you ask your father to bring her here. Where you are."

"MistHallow is the safest place for her. She is newly turned, and she has no idea what she is now. Nathaniel mistreated her."

"Starved her, by the looks of it," Thorne adds. When I flick my interested gaze to him, he elaborates. "She attacked Dennis earlier, snatched his blood drink and then tried to bite him, and then me, when I restrained her."

"Hmm," I muse again, processing this new information. "A feral, newly turned vampire. How intriguing."

I turn my gaze back to where Violet disappeared, feeling a pull towards her that interests me more than it should. There's something about her—beyond her obvious beauty—that calls to me on an instinctual level. She is mine, whether she knows it yet or not. I will make sure she knows that every second of every day until she relents and gives me her soul. "So, gentlemen, what's our next move?"

Flint raises an eyebrow. " Our next move?"

I twirl my cane again, flicking it through my fingers absently. "Yes, our next move. Surely you don't think we're going to leave her to fend for herself where any predator can swoop in and claim her?"

Thorne crosses his arms, his eyes glinting with interest. "What exactly did you have in mind, Caine?"

I smile, slow and wolfish. "We protect her, of course, and show her what she is capable of, what being a vampire means."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Flint asks, curiosity evident in his voice. "Seeing as none of us are vampires."

I chuckle. "You don't need to be a vampire to know how they act, what they want. Besides, Blackthorne will need help managing a feral new vampire. Who better than us? "

Thorne nods slowly with a smirk, getting behind my plan. "Three of the most powerful creatures on campus to protect and mentor our little vamp."

"Exactly."

Flint stares after where she disappeared, slower to agree.

I step up next to him and lower the tip of the cane to the ground again. "Don't think you are going to get her all to yourself, Dragon. She is under my skin, and I won't stop until I have my cock buried so deep in her pussy, she will feel me for a week."

Flint growls, but it serves its purpose. "I never expected to have her all to myself. But I don't want to hurt her. She has been through enough."

"Who said anything about hurting her?" I ask innocently. "We are her protectors."

Flint's expression shifts from protective to contemplative. He knows as well as I do that the three of us working together to help Violet is her best chance at safety and stability.

"Fine," Flint says finally. "But we do this right. No games, no manipulation. She's been through enough already."

I nod, twirling my cane again. "Agreed. We protect her, teach her, and let her make her own choices."

Thorne smirks. "And if those choices happen to involve us…"

"Then we each get what we want," I finish for him .

We all nod in agreement, a silent pact forming between us. Whatever happens next, Violet is now under our protection, and it's past time that the rest of MistHallow knew about it.