Chapter 1

Arya

I brushed my fingertips over my neck as the warm water rained over me from the shower faucet. Though the skin was smooth and unblemished, with not even a trace of scars from the bite I'd endured last night, I could still feel the vampire's fangs in my neck.

With trembling hands, I soaped up my loofa and began scrubbing myself. I had various cuts and bruises from my imprisonment in the sim room, but nothing that would have needed the healing touch of that over-eager harpy. While I was grateful for him healing the bite wound, I didn't want his hands on me any more than absolutely necessary.

I closed my eyes and let the water spill over my face, but all I saw was that vampire's face. I squeezed my eyelids, trying to push out those flashes, but it didn't work. So, with a sigh, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall in my bathroom to towel off.

My night had been restless. When I did sleep, it was only in short bursts, and I was right back in that forest, caged in the vampire's arms as he drained me. I'd wake up in a cold sweat, toss and turn for a while until I fell asleep, and the cycle repeated. I'd hoped that the shower would help relax me.

No such luck.

I put on my uniform and braided my hair because I didn't have the mental energy to dry it. I was really dreading coming face-to-face with the mer bitches this morning. Part of me was so filled with anger toward them that I wanted to lash out at them. My fists clenched around my strands of hair just thinking about it.

The other part of me, the frightened little girl inside that only ever wanted to be accepted, was deeply wounded—and scared.

The mer girls hated me enough to try and kill me. They'd set up this elaborate hoax to get me close to one of them—Adina—so that she could lock me in that room. How far were they willing to go to get rid of me?

Would they poison my food? Drown me in the pool with their water manipulation during class? Or just sneak into my room in the dead of night and strangle me in my sleep?

I got to the end of my hair and wrapped a hair tie around the base of the braid, letting out a long breath. All of those scenarios led me to the same conclusion: I needed to get a handle on my powers as soon as possible. And I really needed to amp up my fighting skills, which were pretty much nonexistent at the moment.

I sat on the side of my bed for several minutes, debating when I should venture out to the dining hall. Should I rush out and get there early, try to finish my breakfast before Cora showed up? Or should I wait until the tail end and hope they'd already be gone?

"You know what, fuck it." I hopped off my bed and strode with purpose out of my bedroom and into the hall.

I wasn't going to hide in my room like a coward. My mother raised me better than that. I wasn't the one who'd done anything wrong, and I'd be damned if I was going to let them see how much their little stunt had affected me.

With my head held high, I walked through the halls like I owned the place, passing every mer without a glance like they were invisible to me. I was almost hoping that I'd run into the sea witch trio so that I could flaunt my confidence and show them how little they mattered to me.

I made it to the dining hall unscathed, though, and my mood instantly lifted when I saw Tobias sitting with our little circle of friends.

The stoically sexy dragon prince had clearly been watching the entrance for my arrival, and when his amber eyes met mine across the hall, they burned with an intensity that scorched every inch of me from the inside out.

He offered me an impish smirk that looked so damn gorgeous on his dark pink lips. My cheeks heated, and I was pretty sure my entire body was blushing, even the butterflies flapping around excitedly in my stomach. I grinned stupidly and waved before gesturing with the point of my index finger that I was going to get breakfast before joining them.

I rushed through the buffet line, grabbing random foods in my eagerness to get to him.

Last night had changed everything between us. It wasn't just that he'd rescued me when I needed him most or that he'd threatened the mer bitches in my honor, but he'd been so vulnerable as he held me, his heart shining right through his liquid fire eyes as he looked at me like I was the only person in the world.

I felt a deep connection to him that I couldn't shake, a need to be close to him when I wasn't. It was like the world was bitterly cold and dimly gray, and he was my sheltering flame, giving me the warmth I craved and illuminating the brilliant colors that hid in the darkness.

Until last night, he'd played tug-of-war with my heart, pulling me in only to push me away. I knew it was a front for some part of himself he didn't like—a defense mechanism to keep him from getting too close and ultimately getting hurt. Whatever he was hiding that he didn't want me to see, I hoped that last night showed him that he didn't have to hide it anymore.

I set my tray on the open place at the table between Tobias and Ashlyn and sat down.

"Hi," I said, locking eyes with Tobias and still unable to wipe the stupid grin off my face.

"Hi," he said back, his gaze smoldering into mine and making me ache.

We stared at each other for a long moment, and I almost forgot there were other people at the table with us.

Ashlyn waved a hand in front of my face between us, snapping me out of my sappy daze. "Okay, what's up with you two?"

I turned to face her, my gaze raking over the faces of Niko and Brett, who were wearing knowing smirks.

"Didn't you hear?" Brett asked.

Ashlyn's eyes narrowed with suspicion on me, just as mine did on Brett. "Hear what?"

Brett leaned in and said in a hushed tone, "Cora and her friends locked Arya in the sim room last night, and Tobias showed up just in time to get her out."

"They did WHAT?!" Ashlyn snapped, slapping her hand on the table so loud that every head in the dining hall turned our way.

"Shhh!" I hissed, putting an assertive but calming hand on hers in a desperate attempt to dispel the attention we'd garnered.

Then I turned to Tobias. "You told them?"

He let out a breath, schooling his features as he nodded. "They're my best friends, and I needed to talk through some things last night after."

I frowned. I couldn't blame him for needing to vent about it. But Brett had a big mouth! I didn't want this getting out, and he was the last person I wanted to know. Well, okay, Caesar and Celeste were the last people I wanted to know, and if Brett knew, it wouldn't be long before it got to them.

Shit.

"Omigod, are you okay?" Ashlyn asked at a much more private volume, eyeing me up and down as if looking for obvious injuries.

"Yeah, a little worse for wear, but all in one piece," I said vaguely. I wasn't in a place to share any gory details just yet. I may never be. I just wanted to forget it ever happened.

"Did you tell Caesar? Or Celeste?" she prodded.

I shook my head obstinately. "No, and I'm not going to."

"What? Why not?" she insisted, getting more animated by the second.

"Because I don't want them knowing they got to me," I explained, shoving my hands between my thighs as my knuckles ached to curl up. "And I don't want to look like a snitch who can't handle her own shit."

Ashlyn groaned an exasperated sound, shaking her head several times and biting her lips. "I am going to burn those bitches to a crisp!"

"Oh, trust me, I was incredibly tempted to do that already," Tobias commented, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"I'd like to see that," Brett snickered.

"No one is going to do anything," I warned, then glared at Brett. "Or say anything."

He mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key before holding up both hands in surrender. "My lips are sealed. Promise. I won't rat you out and make you look like a snitch."

I eyed him a few seconds longer to make sure the warning stuck. "Good. Because I don't need this becoming the hot gossip around school. I just want to forget it ever happened."

I put my forehead into my palm as the stress compiled into a frenzy in my head, then ran my hand over the top of my pulled-back hair to center myself. A gentle hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked at Tobias as he squeezed the tight muscles there, the heat from his touch instantly relieving the tension.

"Okay, so I get that Tobias, like, saved you or whatever," Ashlyn interrupted, clearly noticing the exchange. "So, is that why you're all touchy and gooey with each other all of a sudden?"

Tobias's hand fell away, and his posture stiffened, and my cheeks heated anew as I looked at my friend.

"Well, um, I guess, sorta," I stammered, feeling very much in the spotlight all of a sudden. "We are actually going out tonight."

I stole a glance at him as if asking for permission to share this information. He didn't look at me, and judging by the glances Niko and Brett exchanged, they clearly already knew that, too. That fact was oddly comforting.

"Yay! Finally!" Ashlyn squealed, then pointed a finger at Tobias as she grilled him with her eyes. "Don't screw it up this time."

He snorted a laugh. "I'll try not to." His tone was playful, but the look in his eyes was sincere.

I was really getting uncomfortable having my trauma and love life be the center of discussion, so I proposed a change of subject.

"Well, now that that's all out in the open…" I cleared my throat, "I was wondering if you guys could give me advice on my Shifter Bio paper on imprinting."

Beside me, Tobias shifted uncomfortably. Maybe he was getting just as tired of being in the limelight, too.

"Oh, yeah, I remember that assignment from last year," Niko said. "I thought it was fun."

"Psh, you would," Brett snarked.

Niko shrugged. "What? It's interesting. Who doesn't find the science behind mating bonds interesting?"

"I do," Ashlyn interjected, wearing her own goofy grin.

I couldn't help but wonder when she would get up the courage to ask him out. They were both phoenixes, and it was so painfully obvious that she liked him, yet he didn't seem to have a clue.

Men are stupid sometimes.

"What famous shifter couple did you write about?" I asked. "I've been studying the history books, but I feel lost; I don't know where to start."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, I interviewed Mrs. Sharp and her husband. You know he imprinted on her, right? They were happy to share their story with me."

"Oh. That's a great idea. I would have never thought of that!" I exclaimed, my excitement building.

He smiled, and I could see why Ashlyn liked him so much. "I don't think many students ever do. Just don't tell her you got the idea from me."

"Okay. Thanks."

The bell rang for first period, and having realized I hadn't even touched my food yet, I started shoving eggs and bacon into my mouth in a less-than-ladylike fashion. Ashlyn, Niko, and Brett joined the other students in exiting the dining hall, but Tobias stayed behind, not seeming to mind that I was gobbling my food like a fat kid at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Are you okay after…everything?" he asked, folding his arms on top of the table and leaning closer.

A lump formed in my throat, which made it hard to swallow my mouthful of food.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I lied, and the dubious arch of his eyebrow told me he saw right through it.

But he didn't push the issue.

"Are we still on for tonight?" The index finger of his closest hand reached out from under his elbow to brush against my arm, sending shivers racing up my spine.

My grin returned in full force. "Definitely."

"Good. Meet me on the platform at six?"

I nodded. "Sounds good."

He rose to stand, then bent over to plant a soft kiss on my forehead before joining the last wave of students into the Great Hall, leaving me feeling frozen in his absence.

How was I going to survive this dark and dangerous boy? He was either going to be the warmth that sustained me or the funeral pyre that destroyed me. And I was helpless not to be a moth to his flame.