Void Page 21

  “No shit! Didn’t even say goodbye to your best friend!” Reed was angry, and rightfully so. I felt bad for not finding a way to reach out to him sooner. The guy had abandonment issues in spades, thanks to his mother, and I’d just added to it.

  “You know how my mother can be. Once she makes a decision, it’s like a whirlwind. Believe me, this place is no picnic.” I’d opened up about my mother’s issues to Reed, dodging the topic of our powers, of course. Reed had a good enough idea about what I’d endured though, and I hoped he understood.

  “Yeah, I understand. Still scared the shit out of me, though,” Reed said, blowing out a breath. “How can she make you attend more school, anyway? You’re eighteen! Just get on a flight and meet me in LA. I’ll be there in a week.”

  It was tempting. Running away with him to LA sounded like the perfect way to escape the issues of Thibault Academy and the paragons who made me question everything. But despite always hiding away, I wasn’t a coward. I wasn’t going to run. Besides, no matter how far I went, they’d always search for me. The council wouldn’t let me go. So, it was either comply, or risk running away to Reed and having him get caught up in my mess. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

  “It’s...complicated,” I finally answered. “I have to stay here.”

  “That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Reed said, not even giving me time to explain. “You don’t have to do what your mother tells you to anymore. You can come with me, and we can start over,” he pleaded.

  “That sounds really fucking nice,” I admitted with a small laugh. “The people here are cruel and the para—uh—guys are even worse.”

  “Guys? What guys?” he asked, his voice pitching up like a singing canary. He loved gossip.

  “There are four guys here that wanted me gone. But now they keep fucking with my head. I don’t know. I’m...drawn to them.”

  Reed went silent on the other end of the line, and I wished I was a mind reader to know what he was thinking. Finally, he said, “Coxcomb’s all-girls school fucked with you. A life without easily accessible dick can make any girl go a little boy crazy. Look at Lyric. She got pregnant a month after graduation last year,” he reminded me. “It’ll pass. Just put that shit on lock down and remember that you can suck all the dicks you want in LA,” Reed offered with a smile in his voice. I imagined him perched on his bed, running a hand through his short, red hair while staring down at the stupid skirt they made him wear.

  “I think it’s more than that…” I mumbled before standing up, a misty sheen of tears coating my eyes as I paced the room. “I can’t leave yet. I did something...and I need to make it right. I made a promise to one of them that I would.” I knew I was speaking vaguely, but there weren’t any other options. Pretty sure I couldn’t explain over the phone that I was a supernatural Void, capable of destroying others with my magical smoke. Plus, there were rules about that sort of thing. Never tell the humans. Never reveal who you were.

  “What about the promise you made to me?”

  His hurt-filled words were like a kick to the teeth. I couldn’t speak, just watched as the metaphorical blood filled my mouth. “There’s things you don’t know about my family. Things I can’t say over the phone…” I tried to explain.

  A pause stretched between us. “Are you in danger, Devi?”

  “Kind of,” I admitted. “The kind of danger that could get you hurt if I tell you.”

  Reed went silent on the other end of the line once more, likely already coming up with some dumbass plan to rescue me. “I knew it. Your family is in the goddamn mafia and shit, aren’t they?” he groaned. “I’ve been reading those mafia books lately. I know exactly what to do. Where are you? I’ll get you out. I’ll get one of the non-dirty cops on my payroll if I have to,” he said, sounding completely serious.

  “No!” I said a little too loudly. “Don’t call the police, I’ll be fine...as long as I cooperate.”

  He groaned again. “Dammit, that’s exactly what you would say if you’re stuck up in mob shit. Now I definitely have to come rescue you.”

  I gulped in a deep breath of air before responding. The truth was, I wasn’t directly dangerous to Reed, but my father’s words were still echoing in my head. Everything about this entire experience had just proved that I was a liability, and that powerful people were way too invested in my life. It was better for everyone if I just kept to myself. “Reed, you’re my best friend. And once things settle back down, I’m going to find you and explain everything. I promise. But until then, I have to figure this out. I have to stay here and get my shit together.”

  “Fine. Don’t tell me. But I’m not giving up on you. We didn’t go through hell at Coxcomb’s to give up now. You’re all I have, okay?” he said quietly. “Can you call me again?”

  “Yeah, I can,” I said, relieved. Reed was the only person in my life I could count on, and I had every intention of finding him once the dust settled. I just had a few things to do first. “You can call me too. This is my new number.”

  “Good. Be safe, okay? I’ll see you...soon. And don’t let any douche dicks near you. Anyone that doesn’t know you for the kickass girl you are doesn’t deserve you.”

  I smiled at that. Reed was always trying to remind me of my worth. “Yeah, yeah okay. I gotta go now. Love you.”

  “Love you, too,” Reed answered before hanging up the phone.

  I sat there alone in my cabin for what felt like hours after that, staring out my new window until the sun set. I was partly angry with myself. All this time I’d been focusing on the four paragons, and it wasn’t bringing me any closer to an understanding of my Void. Maybe Reed was right. Maybe I was just so starved for acceptance and annoyingly boy crazy that I let them get under my skin, despite their cruelty. It was time to buck up and take what was mine. Learn about the Void and establish a life for myself. I was no one’s puppet. I was no one’s emotional punching bag. I was here to figure shit out, and it was time I remembered that.

  I finally got up and showered, noticing that all my wounds had healed. After I washed the blood away, I saw that there was nothing left to indicate that I’d been attacked in the first place. My skin was smooth and scar-free.

  When I was clean and dressed, I went outside to check on Betty but paused when I saw a note on the leather seat, a red rose set down on top of it. I looked around, but there was no one around, so I walked over to it and picked it up, frowning down at the familiar handwriting. It was from Quade.

  This isn’t over. I gave up on you once, but I won’t make that same mistake again. I’m a fast learner, remember?

  I rolled the note over in my palm before crushing it in my fist. These were just words, worthless letters strung together in a way that was meant to reassure me. I decided right then and there that I was in control of my own actions. If I wanted to pursue something with these men, then it would be on my terms, not theirs.

  “Hey, Betty,” I said, rubbing my fingers along her sleek chrome. “How about we go for a ride, girl?”

  Chapter 17

  I’d never been afraid of the darkness. I learned long ago to wrap myself up in it, to let the gloom coat my skin with its mystery. It seemed like everyone was busy wasting their entire lives trying to escape the dusk. They turned on night lights and hid from the shadows like they had the power to escape the monsters hiding there. But I learned long ago that I thrived in the dark. I learned to love myself there, in the bruised obscurity. And if darkness was my ally, then thrill was my bliss. It was the only way I could escape my tumultuous thoughts.

  The engine of my bike purred between my thighs as I barreled down the curves of winding roads. It had been way too long since I’d been able to take her out. She’d been locked up and guarded at Mrs. Coxcomb’s after they caught me sneaking her out one night. It was good to have her back, and I was thankful to my dad for bringing her.

  As soon as I got on Betty, I’d gotten the hell off of Thibault Academy’s grounds. As soon as I left the gravel d
rive and rolled onto pavement, the ominous building nothing but a shadow behind me, I’d smiled. Cool air filled my lungs as I rode further and further away, breathing in the scent of freedom.

  I was going fast down the dark streets of the Washington town. My pale blonde hair slapped my cheeks as I switched gears, pushing the bike harder. All I wanted was to go even faster.

  I felt free, wrapped up in night and danger, zipping through the questions of who I was and my purpose in this fucked up world, all while pushing further, faster, harder. A sharp turn came up on my right, and I leaned into it so hard that my ankle nearly scraped along the pavement. But it didn’t. It never did. I was cursed with the luck of a demon and blessed with a desire to test its boundaries. Taking risks was in my blood.

  Maybe the paragons knew I was gone. Maybe someone had spotted me tearing off school grounds, but that only made my smile stretch wider. It made me feel good to picture Headmaster Torne with his thin lips perched in a scowl as he ordered the guys to search for me. I had to take joy in the little things.

  Riding Betty off into the night was the only way I could start to sort through my racing thoughts. Hope was a foolish thing, and I was a foolish girl for thinking one miracle could change anything. So what if I swapped the powers of two supers? I was still a Void. Judge Braxton might have taken me out of exile, but I was still his tool to use. I just didn’t know the rules anymore. If I couldn’t figure out how to control my powers, the council was going to try to control me for the rest of my life.

  I revved the engine and passed between two cars, straddling the painted highway lines. The lights from other cars and buildings flashed by as I drove. My instincts let me know every curve and pothole on the road. There was a stretch of straight nothingness ahead, and my latest visit with dad had me in the mood to take a risk. I turned off the headlight to my Suzuki GSX250r and let the night sky blanket me in darkness. I let my body relish in it, feeling like I could breathe again. Tossing my head back, I let out a thrilled scream, my voice ripping away into the dark air.

  I was soaring. Flying. Falling.

  I inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled. Held. Held. Held.

  I held the air in my lungs like my chest was a cage. Exhilarating tremors of fear and excitement gripped me. I relished in the control of my breath, holding it inside until it felt like my lungs might burst. I got off on knowing that at any moment, I could lose this game. The best games were the ones with the biggest risks. And the biggest risks usually held hands with the darkness that everyone loved to hide from.

  The light was easy to love. It was easy to take a stroll through the autumn leaves and let the warm glow of a dawning sun wash over you. It was easy to bask in the summer and fall in love with light reflecting over the water. But that was all overrated in my opinion. I much rather preferred the veiled unknown of night. Some things of the darkness were just misunderstood.

  I sensed that the end of the straight stretch was coming up, and I’d have to turn on my headlight soon, but I wanted to wait. I knew the exact moment I’d need to see again—it was the exact moment that the high of the danger would wear off, and I’d have to go back to the school.

  I finally inhaled again. Exhaled. Closed my eyes for the last ten seconds, enjoying the darkness for as long as I could until I couldn’t hide inside it anymore. I opened my eyes and slowed down before turning on the headlight again, shrouding the road in a yellowish glow just before a right curve appeared. Just as I leaned into it, I felt a prickling sensation on my back. The awareness that someone was watching me.

  I cursed under my breath, my palms instantly growing clammy even with the rushing wind. I knew they’d find me.

  As the long curve came to an end, I saw him in the distance. Arms crossed, legs parted in arrogance, with a hint of amusement mixing in with his annoyance. He just stood there, in the middle of the road, glaring at me. Damn vampire.

  I didn’t slow down. Instead, I revved my bike faster, letting the wind whip across my face. It was a challenge—him facing me in the middle of the street, and me heading at him like a bullet shot from a gun. A game of chicken, to see who would cave first. I wanted to go until I saw the reds of his eyes and the gleam of his teeth.

  He didn’t even flinch despite being entirely in line with my bike. I kept going, daring him, but still, he didn’t move. Fifty feet away. Forty. Twenty. Ten. Five.

  It wasn’t until the rubber of my tire was only inches away from his boot that Render flashed out of the way.

  Cocky bastard vamp.

  After he spit himself ahead, I gripped the handlebars and adjusted direction to where he’d flashed ahead of me. I raced for him, and once again, he flashed out of the way at the very last second. Again and again we did this risk-driven challenge. Me trying to clip him, and him throwing down the gauntlet that I couldn’t.

  By the fourth time, I’d nearly gotten him. My tire brushed against the fabric of his pants before he flashed to the right. I anticipated the move and already had my bike pointed at him, but he backtracked and disappeared again before I could get to him. I was panting, a huge smile spread across my face, my cheeks numb from the cold wind, and my eyes lit up in the moonlight. This was dangerous, crazy, and invigorating. It was perfect.

  When he flashed right in front of my tire, making me squeal in surprise, I heard his laughter echo around me before he flashed out of the way again. His vampire speed was impressive, but I’d had no doubt it would be. He was the paragon of his people, after all.

  “That all you got, Dev?” I heard him yell at me from his strip of pavement across the way. We were in some sort of industrial part of town, with only lonely warehouse buildings and street lights to keep us company. My tire marks were branded all over the road from our little game.

  “I’m going easy on you, vamp!” I called back. “I could easily catch you!”

  He flashed right in front of me again, so fast that he whipped the hair back from my face as he leaned in close. “That so?”

  I turned hard and took off again with a laugh, racing down the straightaway as excitement took over me. This right here—this was what I’d missed. Having fun, being wild, and taking risks that had nothing to do with the Void. I was riding high on the thrill of the chase, and I loved it.

  “You can’t outrun me, Void!”

  I went faster. The buildings passing by me in a blur. It felt like I was flashing.

  Render appeared in front of me again, but this time, instead of moving out of the way at the last second, he bent his knees and sprung straight up into the air. I slammed on the brakes, marking up the road with yet another black streak against the asphalt. I yanked off my helmet and whipped my head around, searching for him, my chest rising and falling with rushed breath.

  There was a breeze at my back, and then my bike suddenly bounced with added weight. I felt arms wrap around me from behind, and I turned to look at him over my shoulder.

  “I win,” he breathed into my ear.

  I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my lips. “Maybe I let you.”

  His dark, thick lashes were even more pronounced in the night, and his steely eyes were intense as he looked at me. His fangs were extended, probably because he’d been feeling the same adrenaline rush as I had. For some reason, the sight of his sharp teeth pressed into his full bottom lip had me leaning in closer. Render didn’t pull away. Instead, his hands moved down to my hips, squeezing slightly.

  “How did you find me?”

  “Your power calls to mine. I can sense you.”

  His answer surprised me, but as the adrenaline began to drain out of me, I started remembering the whole reason I’d needed this escape in the first place. I think he must’ve seen the change in my face, because his gray-blue eyes softened, turning more vulnerable than I ever thought possible. “Do you...fear me now? Because of what happened?”

  I had to think for a second. Did I fear him? I’d just been assaulted by a classroom full of vampires. I’d had a dozen fangs sunk into my skin
, with both excruciating pain and forced pleasure injected into me. My blood had been stolen, my dignity trampled on, and if the paragons hadn’t intervened, I could’ve been killed. And yet…

  “No. I don’t fear you. You’d never do what they did.”

  Call me crazy, but I truly believed that. Render might have been prejudiced against me when we’d first met, angry at the job I had to do on his fellow vampire at the council, but things were different now.

  “How do you know?” he challenged. “Maybe I would’ve.”

  I shook my head, more sure of myself by the second. “I just know.”

  He swallowed hard and leaned in, making his chest press firmly against my back. “Well, you’re wrong, Void. I want nothing more right now than to sink my fangs into you and drink your sweet blood.”

  My breath hitched at his words, and I couldn’t resist it anymore. I turned my neck as far as I could and leaned in, flicking my tongue gently over his fang. The sharp tip of it immediately cut open my tongue, but I moved away. Instead, I scraped it against his teeth, wanting to feel him—wanting to spread my lifeblood into his mouth and fill him with the taste of me. I was running on risk, feeling reckless and wild. I’d been letting this fucked up situation take control for too long. It was time to take my power back, metaphorically speaking, and this right here? Tempting Render? That made me feel more powerful than my Void ever had.

  His own tongue darted out to meet mine, licking at the self-inflicted wound. As soon as he tasted my blood, he groaned, and then his hand was on my jaw, angling me just right so that he could devour my mouth.

  The kiss was hurried and demanding. Every time my tongue moved away, his own would come back to claim it, his fangs nipping, cutting into me again and again. He sucked on my tongue to drink from me, and I felt the hard ridge of his cock press into my ass. Heat had gathered between my legs, and I shifted back, needing to get closer to him. Another groan escaped his throat, and then his other hand moved down from my hips to cup my sex.