The Vampire King's Mate

Chapter 14

I woke up with the kind of dread that usually precedes a root canal. The mere thought of stepping onto that campus—facing Stella’s venom, Blake’s heavy handed cruelty, or the unpredictable, magnetic nightmare that was Daniel Connor made me want to bury myself under my duvet and never come out.

"Ivory, darling! You’d better hurry up or else you’ll be late!" Mom’s voice floated up the stairs, followed closely by the heavenly, buttery scent of pancakes.

My stomach let out a traitorous, thunderous growl. I guess my survival instincts were no match for breakfast. I scrambled into my clothes, pulled my hair back, and practically floated down the stairs, tapping a rhythm on the banister.

"Baking pancakes, baking, baking pancakes," I hummed, trying to fake a mood I didn't possess.

"You seem to be in a great mood, Ivy. This is perfect," Mom beamed, flipping a golden-brown circle onto a plate.

"Not really, Mom," I wanted to say. I’m actually preparing for psychological warfare. But I just gave her a tight smile and dug in. Alerting her meant worrying her, and a worried Dorcas Walter was a force of nature I wasn't ready to unleash yet.

The bus ride was the usual blur of gray trees and screeching brakes, but the moment I stepped onto the school grounds, the "off" feeling hit me.

Usually, Alicia would be right there at the gate, waving her arms and yelling "Babe!" loud enough to wake the dead. Her dad dropped her off early every single day on his way to work. She was practically a permanent fixture of the morning scenery.

Silence.

Panic began to prickle at my skin. Alicia wasn't the type to skip. She was my anchor in this sea of sharks. "Maybe she’s just in the library," I muttered, trying to convince myself. "Or the restroom. Or literally anywhere else."

I searched the lockers. Nothing. The cafeteria. Empty. I was about to give up when a faint, muffled whimper echoed from the shadow of the equipment shed.

I crept closer, my heart hammering.

Around the corner, a guy was looming over a girl, pinning her against the brick wall. I caught a glimpse of a long, black ponytail. Zeke. One of Daniel’s inner circle. He was handsome in a dark, brooding way, but he was an absolute asshole the kind of guy who thought "no" was just a suggestion.

Stay out of trouble, Ivory, I told myself. It’s probably just one of the girls who thinks his toxicity is a personality trait.

I turned to walk away when the girl shifted. A flash of bright, freshly dyed blonde hair caught the morning light.

Alicia.

The breath left my lungs. My best friend was being cornered by a wolf in designer clothing. I was half a second away from charging in when a cold, familiar hand clamped over my mouth and a solid chest hit my back.

"Don't interrupt, Kitten. They're just getting acquainted."

The voice was raspy, low, and vibrated through my entire spine. Daniel.

He spun me around, pinning me against the opposite wall before I could even kick him. His hands were hot as they slid up to cup my face, his thumbs tracing the line of my jaw with a terrifyingly slow rhythm.

"You really have some nerve, shouting at me back at the diner," he whispered, his green eyes swirling with a wicked, predatory gleam. "What am I supposed to do about that, huh?"

"What do you mean, what are you supposed to do with me?" I tried to scream it, but my voice failed me. It came out as a breathy, humiliated whisper that sounded way too much like a moan. I flushed crimson, hating my body’s reaction to him.

"Exactly what I mean," he murmured, leaning in until our noses touched. "Do you realize how much of a turn-on that was? Seeing my little feeble kitten actually breathe fire? It made me... curious."

"Get off me, Daniel! You freak!" I hissed, shoving at his chest.

He didn't move an inch until a voice broke the tension. "Daniel? What are you doing with her?" It was Ricky, another one of his lackeys, standing a few feet away with a confused look.

"Exactly what you think I am doing, Ricky. Now run along!" Daniel barked. Ricky didn't need to be told twice; he zoomed off like he’d seen a ghost.

Daniel turned back to me, pulling a sleek, heavy black card from his pocket. "Well, well, Kitten... I want you to be here tonight. 9:00 PM."

I stared at the invitation. "No. I’m not interested."

"You haven't even checked it out. It’s a party at my place. Very exclusive."

"I have work to do," I lied, looking anywhere but at his lips.

"Oh, really? Your mom seemed to like me. I could always stop by the house and speak to her on your behalf... convince her you need a night out."

"No! Don't you dare go back to my house," I snapped. I scrambled for another lie. "I... I have nothing to wear. I'd look out of place."

Daniel’s gaze darkened. A slow, hungry smirk spread across his face. "That shouldn't be a bother. I'll send a dress to your address. I have excellent taste."

"No. I don't want it. Besides," I said, thinking I finally had him, "you don't even know my size."

His eyes dropped, scanning my body with a slow, deliberate intensity that felt like a physical touch. Before I could protest, he stepped into my space, his hands sliding down to my waist.

"Let me feel you up real quick," he whispered, his voice dropping an octave. His hands were firm, tracing the curve of my hips, then sliding up the small of my back to pull me flush against him.

I could feel every cord of muscle in his legs, the heat radiating off him in waves. His thumbs brushed the underside of my ribs, measuring the span of my waist with terrifying precision. My breath hitched, my head light as the tingles from the night before returned ten fold.

"I’d say... a small," he breathed against my ear, his lips grazing the shell of it. "Fits perfectly in my hands."

"Get off me, you pervert!" I shoved him back with everything I had. As soon as there was distance, I blabbered, "I have no intentions of coming to your freaking party! You can’t make me!"

Daniel straightened his jacket, looking entirely too smug. "Oh, really? That’s no problem. It just seems like you aren't worried about your friend. What was her name again? Alicia?"

I froze. The world seemed to stop spinning. "What does Alicia have to do with this?"

"Alicia is coming too. Zeke invited her," he said nonchalantly, glancing back toward the shed where the whimpering had stopped. "You definitely wouldn't want to leave her alone at a party like mine, right? Unless... you don't really care about her safety."

The threat was clear. If I didn't go, Alicia would be at the mercy of Zeke and the rest of them without a shield. But then a sickening realization hit me. If Daniel knew Zeke had "invited" her, and Alicia hadn't said a word to me about it...

Alicia had been hiding secrets. My only friend was being lured in by the very people I was trying to escape.

"Fine," I spat, my voice trembling with rage. "I'll come. But stay away from her."

"See you at nine, Kitten," Daniel said, winking. "Try to wear the dress. It’s going to be a long night."