15. RULES

15

RULES

U seless. The urge to say the word out loud to the officers handling Charlotte's case burned at the back of Aiden's throat the entire time he sat across from the lieutenant at the police station.

The man was nice—oblivious to the various Vasirian working in the same place as him, but nice. The curious looks from his kind didn't escape Aiden's notice. The female deputy working alongside the lieutenant seemed especially surly regarding Charlotte's case. Her irritation, coupled with Officer Brooks' attitude, made him question if the Vasirian officers were protecting the stalker and covering up evidence.

What purpose would any of it serve?

Was it to protect their kind? Keep human authorities out of Vasirian matters? Did that mean the officers would report it to the Blackthorn Clan?

He doubted it .

Vasirian never went to humans to report crimes. They didn't involve themselves in human matters, and anytime there was a crime committed in their world, it went to the Blackthorn Clan, or the lower Orders in their respective areas of the world—if it went reported at all.

Aiden pushed the glass doors open, leaving the comfort of the air conditioning to face the balmy heat of the outdoors. Cicadas sang their shrill buzzing song, and the smell of fresh cut grass around the station added to the ambiance of summer.

Climbing into his car, he started the engine right away. Flipping the air to full blast, he relaxed back in the driver's seat trying to sort through everything that had taken place since he arrived in Athens.

Like with the break-in, the police did no more than document the shoebox with the dead bird and rose left behind in Charlotte's apartment. They said they would take fingerprints and photos. But like they told her, if they didn't find a lead to go on, there wasn't much they could do outside of record the information and hope the man would make a mistake.

He only hoped the mistake wouldn't cost Charlotte her life.

His knuckles blanched on the scalding steering wheel as the thought of something horrific happening to Charlotte crossed his mind. The fear he experienced at the real possibility of her demise made his stomach sour. His demons rose to the surface, reminding him of his own dance with death.

He wanted to help her, wanted to fix the situation so she could go to school and have the independent life she strived for. But a gut feeling deep inside told him something more held her to this college town than wanting to prove to her family she could make it on her own. Something deeper than her fears of a stalker.

He needed to figure out what. It was the only way to help her .

Putting the car into gear, he backed out of the parking space and left the police station. He needed to get back to Charlotte before the sun set. Leaving her alone after the break-in didn't feel right, but she'd had classes to attend.

He suspected her classes were over for the day, but he didn't want to risk interrupting her if they weren't by calling or texting her cell phone.

Instead, he made the twenty-minute trip across town to the blood donation clinic.

Sooner rather than later, he would need to figure out a stable solution to make sure his needs were met. He couldn't leave blood packets in her refrigerator, but he couldn't make a habit of leaving her place multiple times per day. Round trip, it took anywhere from thirty to forty minutes depending on traffic.

That left her vulnerable. It wasn't an option.

If she was in class, it would be easy to get what he needed, bring it back to feed, and dispose of the evidence in the trash chute after putting it in something so it wasn't obvious a blood bag was in the trash collection.

Until he found a fixed solution, he would have to make do with a morning feeding. He'd done it before, but it wasn't a viable long-term solution.

Not wanting to risk running into her with a blood packet, he finished it in the bathroom at the clinic before leaving.

He didn't fear not finding someone to accommodate his needs at the clinic. Across the world, wherever a blood and platelet donation center existed, at least one Vasirian was on staff to assist the needs of those not in the school system. One with the ability to compel humans into believing everything was legitimate and to do damage control when someone needed to feed on site like he did moments ago .

Arriving back at Charlotte's apartment as the sun began its descent over the horizon, turning the sky warm with shades of orange and pink, he parked in the neighboring parking lot.

He didn't know if the parking garage had assigned parking. He would need to ask Charlotte to use her reserved space before he ended up being towed.

Crossing the street, he came to an abrupt halt.

Noah was walking toward the front entrance, glancing around before grabbing the door handle. When his eyes met Aiden's, his brows lifted and he released the handle, changing direction toward the sidewalk.

"Why are you here?" Aiden didn't mean to sound gruff, but every time he ran into Noah, he felt agitated. The guy's mere presence set Aiden on edge.

"Whoa, now. I come in peace, big guy." Noah held both hands up in a placating gesture, and Aiden noticed the notebook in his left hand. "She left this in class today. Thought she might want it."

Aiden crossed his arms, his feet placed in line with his shoulders as he stared Noah down. He came all the way to Charlotte's apartment to deliver a notebook? Doubtful. Aiden didn't call him on it, though. He didn't have time to deal with one of Charlotte's admirers—even if his interest was suspicious.

"I'll give it to her," he said, holding his hand out.

"What? I can't even visit?" Noah's grin was lazy, taunting. "You're not even her boyfriend, and you're throwing your weight around like she's yours."

Aiden pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek for a beat of silence before saying in a low tone, "She's not yours. You know the rules."

"Doesn't mean I can't have a little fun," Noah taunted .

Aiden's hand shot out so fast it startled them both, gripping Noah by the front of his shirt and jerking him forward until they were nose to nose. He could smell the coffee on Noah's breath. Charlotte would hate that. She hated coffee.

"Off. Limits," he snarled, a deep rumble vibrating in his chest.

Noah's eyes narrowed at the sound.

"I mean it. Touch one hair on her head and I will end you."

Aiden stopped short of demanding he never speak to Charlotte again. Though he wanted to with every fiber of his being. They were classmates and needed to work together. Not to mention she seemed to like the guy, so it might hurt her if Noah ghosted her.

Noah shoved him back, and he stumbled a few steps before righting himself.

"You know you can't have her either. The rules apply to you too. You can't have anything more than a little fun or you'll expose us all."

Aiden knew that. Knew it, and hated it, with every fiber of his being. The more time passed around the red-haired girl, the more he wished there wasn't a divide between them. That species didn't matter.

The depressing reality made his anger settle, and he schooled his expression to keep Noah from seeing how the words affected him.

"She's my friend. There's nothing to worry about."

He wasn't lying. It didn't matter if his mind flirted with the idea of something meaningful beyond what a friendship provided. Like Noah said, if he tried, it would expose their secret. He wouldn't put that on Charlotte.

"Then there's nothing wrong with me being her friend, either."

"It better stay that way," he sneered.

"Don't worry. I know when I'm not wanted. I'm not so desperate to continue trying when she made it clear she wasn't interested."

The way Noah was grinning, the asshole only meant to provoke him. Noah had already decided not to pursue Charlotte and had goaded him into acting rash.

It made anger bubble back to the surface, but he wouldn't let it control him. Jealousy made him want to lay Noah out on the sidewalk, but Noah's taunts were a product of his own jealousy. Aiden had what he didn't. Even if neither of them could have what they wanted with Charlotte, they both could have her friendship.

He knew as well as Noah did who had the stronger bond.

When Noah left, Aiden pulled his cell phone from his pocket and swiped the screen, placing a call to Lukas. He needed someone to talk to about everything.

"Hey," Lukas said.

Nothing more, nothing less. Always the Chatty Kathy, as his mother once described him in jest. The thought made him smile.

"Hey, man. Got a minute?"

"Yeah. You back? I can come by the dorm."

"No. Riley didn't tell you?"

"I haven't seen her today, but she met Blaire for lunch in the courtyard, so maybe Blaire knows."

"I'm still in Athens. I'm gonna be here for a while. Maybe the rest of the summer."

A door shut on the other end and then Lukas's voice came through again. "Why?"

"I don't know what's going on, but some asshole has attached himself to Charlotte."

"Attached himself? What does that even mean?"

"A stalker, man. She has a stalker."

"The fuck?"

Aiden laughed and laid his head back, looking up at the darkening sky. "That's what I think. It's surreal. This guy has not only been following her around for months, but he's sending her roses. If that wasn't bad enough, he's broken into her home a few times." He took a deep inhale, the smell of begonias in nearby flowerbeds drifting on the faint breeze. "I was there for the last one. Well, not there in the apartment at the same time, but we came back to the place wrecked. He's escalating."

"Any idea who it is?"

"None. But if we were placing bets, I'd be tempted to put some money on one of her classmates who's taken an interest in her."

"You think the guy is doing it because he's into her?"

"No. I think he's doing it because he's like us."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Aiden sighed. "He's a Vasirian."

After a long pause, Lukas said, "Just because he's a Vasirian doesn't mean he's a stalker. We're not stalkers." He added the last few words as if Aiden needed reminding.

"I know that. It's just convenient timing. He's hanging around her while she has a stalker. Going to a human college." His hand tightened on the notebook he held. "I don't trust him."

"I hate to say it, but you might be overthinking this one. Some Vasirian do break away from the Blackthorn school system. Rare, but they do."

Aiden hadn't considered it. His family was all Blackthorn Academy alumni, and both he and Riley would follow in their footsteps.

"I wish she could join us at the academy. Wish the rules were different and she could know things since she's already so involved in our lives. Then none of this would be an issue. Blaire would have her friend back, and…" He trailed off, not wanting to get too deep with his personal feelings, but Lukas didn't seem to have such reservations.

"And you'd get to have her by your side? "

Aiden dragged his hand over his face. He should have never mentioned his budding feelings for the girl months ago.

"I liked you better when you were a grouchy brat," he said, a lightness to his words.

In reality, he wouldn't change the transformation Lukas had gone through for the world.

Gone was the perpetual grump hiding from the world and using indifference as a shield. Replaced by someone caring, easygoing, and proactive in his relationships.

Aiden always knew Lukas cared and had it in him to be there if someone needed it, but his own insecurities and broken heart about his family made him hold the world at arm's length.

That was until Blaire came along and tore down his walls with a sledgehammer.

"Listen, I need to get off here. Charlotte's probably home. I don't want to leave her alone too long."

"She's home."

"How you know?"

"Blaire's on the phone with her now. I stepped outside to give them privacy and hear you better. After we get off, I'm gonna swing by Riley and Seth's room to pick up a game before coming back. Give them some time to talk."

"Alright."

"Keep in touch. I'd offer to come up, but you know I couldn't come without Blaire."

"Yeah, I know. I'll keep you posted."

He tucked his phone in his pocket.

As much as it would help to have his friend around for the support in finding the guy, Lukas couldn't separate from his Korrena long. Blaire couldn't come either. Charlotte's apartment couldn't hold all of them, anyway, making it unrealistic to expect them to waste the summer out of town with no guarantee of finding the guy. He also didn't want to put Blaire in danger. She wasn't like them. Putting another human in danger wasn't right.

Keeping them away and staying close to Charlotte afforded him the best opportunity to protect his friends.