There's something intrinsically captivating about him. Hypnotic. Like the call of a siren luring a ship into the rocks. Treacherous, yet seductive. I back away, the hairs on my arms standing on end in warning.
"Sweet dreams, Lana."
I watch him exit the door leading into the Court. After a few seconds, I rush over to it and pull to be certain it's really closed.
A thumping sound breaks the silence. I freeze halfway across the foyer and listen. A scraping noise comes from ... somewhere. And because I
haven't learned a single thing from any of the horror movies I've watched, I follow it.
Another thump can be heard down the hall. Slowly, I continue toward it, hugging the wall. Not sure how this will help protect me, but it's what feels right, so whatever.
I stop in front of a door that's cracked open. I hear a muffled grunt and swearing. Poking my head in, I blink in surprise when I find Ashton staring at me from the other side of the window, trying to force it open. I rush over to unlock the window and slide it open.
"Omigod, I cannot believe you were here. Thank you so much," she gushes as she ducks in and closes it behind her.
"How were you able to reach the window?" I ask, recognizing how far the window is from the ground.
"Step ladder," she explains. "I keep it hidden under the bushes. But I swear I left the window open."
"The security team saw it," I tell her. She opens her mouth to ask how I know this, but I stop her. "Don't ask. It's a long story."
She quirks a brow, intrigued. "Well, thank you for rescuing me." She smells of beer and ... something earthy. I can't quite place it.
I must be wearing a similar curious expression, because she silences me with the same response. "I'll tell you later. Right now, I really want to go to bed."
"Me, too."
I'm exhausted by the time we climb the five flights of stairs to my room, silently cursing every single step, parting with Ashton at the top. This has been the longest day, but not the longest. Nothing will ever compare to that night.
I enter my room and find "Lana" shining on my wall. I must have forgotten to shut it off. I keep it lit while I change and wash my face. When I click the switch off, the wall beneath it is ... glowing.
"What the ..." My heart thumps hard in my chest. I turn on the lights and look around my room, searching for any other sign that someone was, or may still be, in the room. There's nothing except for the words written on my wall that scream at me in the dark.
The beast watched Thaylina from within his dark cavern as she came and went from the tower, waiting for the day that he would ensnare her. And harness her power for himself. Preying on the deepest desires would leave no one invulnerable to his charm.
I was up until after two in the morning scrubbing the glowing message off my wall with a round-bristle hairbrush and body wash, so I am not happy when my phone starts beeping at eight, demanding a fingerprint. The screen glows with a follow-up message, letting me know I'm scheduled to work from ten 'til four o'clock today. Except, it leaves out where.
"Shoot me," I groan, pulling the covers over my head.
Twenty minutes later, I'm awoken again by a knock on my door. "Go away!" Whoever it is, and I'm assuming it's either or both of the girls, knocks again. Bleary-eyed and disoriented, I shuffle across the room to answer it. "I need--"
It's Brendan. Before I can shut the door in his face, his foot jams between the door and the frame. I hope I broke his toe. "Good morning, my fiery little nymph. How'd you sleep?"
"Get out!" I shove at the door, but he opens it without much effort and steps in. He begins looking around in much the same way Ashton did when she entered. Despite the hype about being big on privacy, there are evidently no personal boundaries at this school. "What do you want?" I demand, crossing my arms over my braless chest, not that it helps much considering I'm standing in the middle of the room in just a tank top and underwear.
Brendan openly ogles me with a grin. "Someone's not a morning person." Unlike myself, Brendan is groomed to perfection and immaculately dressed in a pair of charcoal pants and a pressed black button-down, and of course, the polished black shoes.
I pull on a sweatshirt and pair of yoga pants, before throwing my hair in a messy bun.
"How did you know which room I'm in?"
Brendan shakes his head like he pities my ignorance. "I told you, there's not much I don't know."
"I thought that was just your ego talking," I mutter. "Seriously, what do you want?"
"I wanted to walk you to breakfast," he says, focused on the stuffed zebra with a puzzled expression. "But I'd be willing to keep you company in bed if you want to sleep in."
I'm about to tell him just how much I know about punching him in the throat, but realize I don't know the way through the Court to the dining hall. And I don't know which room is Ashton's--besides there's a good chance she's still passed out. "Can I go like this?"