Year One

14

It’d be nice to have a friend that I didn’t have to hide from.

I lifted my head and glanced at the moon. It was a crystal-clear night, and the view was gorgeous. A distant howl filled the air. Maybe one day that’ll be me.

“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed.” Cole leaned against the side of the building and smiled. “Each one of us here feels that way pretty regularly.”

“Really?” For some reason, that made me calmer. It was nice knowing I wasn’t alone.

“Yeah, but the first thing you’ve got to learn is not to show it.” Cole stepped toward me and placed his hands on my shoulders. He leaned in so we were looking eye to eye. “This place is where the cream of the crop is. If you show any weakness, they will pounce. Feel it, talk to me about it, but keep it locked inside if you want to survive.”

He was right. The one thing all strong supernaturals wanted to do was dominate others when threatened. I was a new threat coming in and apparently not in sync with my wolf. I was already off to a great start too. “But my wolf and I …”

“It’s okay.” His normally ice-blue eyes seemed warm. “We are all here because we’ve got weaknesses. We still aren’t ready to be the leader each of us needs to be. You just don’t admit it and refuse to break down in front of anyone. Bloodshed is named that for a reason. This is a cutthroat school. You have to keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Do you understand?”

“So I shouldn’t even trust you?” At least back home, we were all one pack.

“I’ll let you make that call yourself.” Cole dropped his hands to his sides and winked. “Now, let’s go get you settled.”

Hanging out here wasn’t going to fix anything. “Alright, let’s do this.” I took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Look at you go.” Cole chuckled behind me.

I marched through the hallway, which strangely resembled a hotel. The walls were a light grey, and the carpet was a slightly shaggy medium grey. I had no clue where I was heading so I kept going straight and turned down a hallway on the right, which led me into a large lounge area. There was a group of girls sitting on two couches that faced each other.

A coppery smell hit me hard, making me notice the two girls on one couch, drinking from blood bags. The two on the other couch leaned back, talking as if this was an everyday occurrence.

“Are we just going to walk around a while, or are you ready for me to take you to your room?” Cole was attempting to hide a smile, but it didn’t work.

“You said to take charge.” Did he already forget the conversation we had just a few minutes ago? “So I did.”

He raised both hands in the air and chuckled. “True, but it’s okay for you to follow and let someone else lead the way when you have no clue where you’re going.”

Clearly, I was in over my head. “Well, this is going great.”

“Come on, Ravey.” Cole wrapped his hand around my waist and tugged me to the left where there was a set of elevators.

“Cole?” One of the girls stood and tossed the bag of blood on the couch. Her long, jet-black hair bounced as she made it over to us. She pulled her v-neck hunter green shirt down which made her cleavage more pronounced. “What are you doing here?”

Wow, she hadn’t even looked in my direction, acting as if I were invisible.

“Showing our new addition to her room.” Cole’s hand tightened on my side, and he frowned. “Not that it’s any of your business.” His voice took on an edge.

“Don’t be so mean to Jordan.” The other vampire glared at me as she approached. Her fingernails were painted blood red, which almost blended in with the bag she was clutching. Her long, dirty blonde hair fell past her butt, and her light green eyes had a ring of red.

“Madison, why don’t you mind your own f*****g business?” Cole’s cold tone surprised me.

“I’ve never seen you get so cozy with a new recruit.” Jordan’s eyes landed on me. The same red ring was around her golden eyes. “Honestly, I haven’t seen you this close to any girl that you weren’t about to f**k. Should I warn her about you?”

That was surprising seeing as Cole had been nice to me from the start. “Have you ever considered that you were a little too late with that warning?” The words fell from my mouth before I had time to think it through.

Cole’s fingers dug into my side, pulling me even closer somehow.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jordan's beautiful face contorted into a scowl. “Did I give you permission to talk to me?”

“Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t ask.” My wolf surged forward, and my eyesight began to darken.

“You better restrain your mutt.” Jordan spat the words as she wrinkled her nose. “She’s beginning to smell like the dog she really is.”

“That’s enough, you two.” Cole took a step into the girls’ space, but his normally beautiful face contorted into something completely different. His ice-blue eyes narrowed, and a look of pure disgust filled his face. “Go back to your gossip, and get the hell out of our way.”

I was so glad I wasn’t on the receiving end because I’d be scared shitless.

“Fine.” Madison lifted her chin and grabbed her friend’s arm. “Let’s leave them to whatever they’re doing. It’s not like he’ll pay any attention to her in the morning.”

I had thought Sheila was a pain in the ass, but now I realized how wrong I’d been. She still had morals and was nice. These girls were ruthless, and I began to understand why Cole had warned me a few minutes ago.

Jordan glanced at me once more with pure hatred. “Fine, but this isn’t over.”

Great, already had an enemy, and I hadn’t been here for … wait, how long had I been here. I wasn’t entirely sure since I’d blacked out.

“Come on, Ravey.” Cole released his grip from my waist and took my hand. “Let’s get out of here.” He walked over to the elevators and pushed the up button.

The elevator immediately dinged, and the doors opened. We both moved inside. Once the door was closed, he pushed the number seven and turned toward me. “I’m sorry about them.”