I bite my lip, forcing myself not to tell him what Christensen said about them finding redemption.

He pauses, glancing over at me. His cheekbones are harsh in the moonlight, his eyes sparkling. “I know you don’t trust us, Hildi. It’s okay, we haven’t done much to earn it.”

“What?” I blurt. “Why do you say that?”

“It’s obvious in the way you carry yourself around us. You’re guarded. Defensive. It’s understandable. We’re not easy to work with and this situation is less than ideal.” His eyes roam the grounds. “Even now you hold back.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I say, “it’s more that I don’t trust anyone.”

Her frowns. “Because of the woman you lost?”

“Andi,” I say, swallowing the lump that forms from hearing her name. “I learned that you never know when someone you care about is going to be taken from you, so it’s better not to care at all.”

“That’s not a very human way to feel.”

I laugh. “Maybe you guys are rubbing off on me.”

“Don’t let that happen, Hildi. It’s more painful this way, I assure you.”

“Easier said than done.”

We reach a stone planter and he eyes it. “Maybe both of us need a different perspective.”

Armin climbs up and offers me his hand. I take it, feeling the warm heat of his skin, despite the cool night. He drops it and easily scales the wall, climbing to the top before again reaching down to offer me assistance. This time I don’t take it, instead using my own strength to climb next to him. Standing toe-to-toe, he smiles and says, “Gods, we’re more alike than I would have imagined.”

“You don’t like help either?”

“Not a bit.”

I face the outside of the wall, it’s nothing but a dark abyss. “What’s out there?” I ask, feeling the chill of wind.

“I don’t know,” he says. “Not sure I want to find out.”

I turn and look over the academy, at the massive castle-like building and expansive grounds. For a place filled with so much darkness, they sure like their emerald green grass and blooming flowers. In the distance I see the statue in the middle of the lawn, spotlights highlighting the terrifying sculptures. A swirl of color catches my attention.

“Hey,” I say, reaching for Armin’s arm. “Did you see that?”

He turns in the direction I’m pointing. “What?”

Before I can speak footsteps thud through the grass.

“Who’s up there?” A light flashes over the wall, just below where we stand. Armin and I share a panicked look, we’re not supposed to be out here and definitely not together. Teacher-student relationships are off limits. I’m calculating my escape when I feel a strong arm wrap around my waist. A moment later I’m yanked off the wall, my breath catching as we drop and then jerk sharply. I cling to Armin’s body, his face inches from mine. I look up and see us being held up by one hand, his fingers gripping the stone.

“Don’t look down,” he tells me, through gritted teeth.

Why did he say that?

With my cheek pressed to his chest I glance down and see pitch black. It appears bottomless, like the Academy is positioned over a void. It’s cold, icily so, and my limbs quickly numb over.

“Are you going to be able to hold on?”

His blue eyes spark. “I’m not going to drop you.”

I believe him, because despite what he says, I do trust him.

A howl cries from below and the sound of something moving, scratching against the wall. My mind is playing tricks on me. “We can’t stay here, Armin. I’d rather get in trouble than fall.”

He nods. “Can you crawl around to my back?”

Tags: Angel Lawson Academy of Immortals Vampires
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