he suspect our bond and worry for me? Was this his way of looking out for me?
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what the rules were. So instead I just stared dumbly.
“You’re being foolish,” he said, and his sudden coldness snapped me out of it.
I’d just been imagining things. I
was
being foolish.
“Sorry. You’re right.” I laughed and shook my head. “I think I must be, like, hypothermic or something.”
He opened the back of the SUV and pulled out something that looked more like a blanket than an item you’d use after a swim. “Take it.”
I did, shivering with relief as it absorbed the excess water from my clothes. It was a dark color—green maybe?—though hard to tell for sure in the moonlight. The edges were frayed, and errant threads tickled my hands. It was an old towel, not some standard-issue thing. Ronan’s personal towel. I imagined it was the one he used after he surfed.
I had the weirdest urge, and as I brought it to my face to scrub my cheeks and eyes, I inhaled deeply, seeking some Ronan scent.I smelled the brine of seawater, and sniffed again, trying to detect the other scent that lingered just on the edge of my senses.
The squawk of girls cut through the air—the other Initiates returning.
I abruptly wadded up the towel and tossed it back to him, hoping he couldn’t read my expression in the dark. “Thanks.” My voice came out way more earnestly than I’d intended.
“Annelise, it’s merely a towel.”
“No, I mean for earlier.” I realized that was what I’d been wanting to say the whole time. “Thanks for what you did on the beach.” That hadn’t just been him being a teacher—he’d been looking out for me. I may not have known why, but I knew. I’d seen it on his face.
I expected him to deny it, to blow me off in his usual way, but instead he shrugged it off. “It wasn’t entirely on your account. The leggy one had it coming.”
He gave me a quirky grin that made me trust him. Made me want to take a risk. I strained my ears, making sure the other Initiates were still far off. I had a minute. Maybe two. Before I could chicken out, I asked the one question on my mind. “What happened to Emma?”
His face shuttered instantly, but his voice was kind. “Emma is gone. Let her go.”
“She was alive.” I knew it now, knew it in my bones. “They took her to the keep. What happened to her there?”
“You have enough to concern you without thoughts of the vampires’ keep. It’s my understanding that Alcántara has given you this term’s assignment. Is that correct?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then
that
is what you must focus on.” His tone was stern,relentless. “Alcántara’s assassination class is infamous. Many girls have lost their lives not taking it seriously.”
“But I—”
“Let…it…go.” He paused between words, drawing it out, trying to make me hear. “You must. Unless, perhaps, you want to find yourself in the same situation.” His words gave me a chill—and not for the reasons he would’ve thought. Did I want to find myself taken to the keep? He didn’t know just how close to the mark he was—I was desperate to see inside.
“Well…” I gave him a sheepish look. “Actually, I was kind of thinking I
might
want to. Break in, I mean.”
“To the vampires’ castle?”
At my nod, he laughed. He actually
laughed
.
“It’s not funny. I mean it, Ronan.”
The smile lingered on his face, but his eyes hardened. “If you think you can simply
break in
, you’re more foolish than I took you for.”
“I’ll figure out a way. What if I threw a fight? I could lose on purpose, and—”
“Don’t even think it. Don’t even say it.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a menacing whisper. “You go into that castle, you’ll never come out again.” Pain bled onto his features, until he looked genuinely distressed by the thought.
“Don’t tell me you care, Ronan.”
He blew out a shaky breath. “Good Christ,
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what the rules were. So instead I just stared dumbly.
“You’re being foolish,” he said, and his sudden coldness snapped me out of it.
I’d just been imagining things. I
was
being foolish.
“Sorry. You’re right.” I laughed and shook my head. “I think I must be, like, hypothermic or something.”
He opened the back of the SUV and pulled out something that looked more like a blanket than an item you’d use after a swim. “Take it.”
I did, shivering with relief as it absorbed the excess water from my clothes. It was a dark color—green maybe?—though hard to tell for sure in the moonlight. The edges were frayed, and errant threads tickled my hands. It was an old towel, not some standard-issue thing. Ronan’s personal towel. I imagined it was the one he used after he surfed.
I had the weirdest urge, and as I brought it to my face to scrub my cheeks and eyes, I inhaled deeply, seeking some Ronan scent.I smelled the brine of seawater, and sniffed again, trying to detect the other scent that lingered just on the edge of my senses.
The squawk of girls cut through the air—the other Initiates returning.
I abruptly wadded up the towel and tossed it back to him, hoping he couldn’t read my expression in the dark. “Thanks.” My voice came out way more earnestly than I’d intended.
“Annelise, it’s merely a towel.”
“No, I mean for earlier.” I realized that was what I’d been wanting to say the whole time. “Thanks for what you did on the beach.” That hadn’t just been him being a teacher—he’d been looking out for me. I may not have known why, but I knew. I’d seen it on his face.
I expected him to deny it, to blow me off in his usual way, but instead he shrugged it off. “It wasn’t entirely on your account. The leggy one had it coming.”
He gave me a quirky grin that made me trust him. Made me want to take a risk. I strained my ears, making sure the other Initiates were still far off. I had a minute. Maybe two. Before I could chicken out, I asked the one question on my mind. “What happened to Emma?”
His face shuttered instantly, but his voice was kind. “Emma is gone. Let her go.”
“She was alive.” I knew it now, knew it in my bones. “They took her to the keep. What happened to her there?”
“You have enough to concern you without thoughts of the vampires’ keep. It’s my understanding that Alcántara has given you this term’s assignment. Is that correct?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then
that
is what you must focus on.” His tone was stern,relentless. “Alcántara’s assassination class is infamous. Many girls have lost their lives not taking it seriously.”
“But I—”
“Let…it…go.” He paused between words, drawing it out, trying to make me hear. “You must. Unless, perhaps, you want to find yourself in the same situation.” His words gave me a chill—and not for the reasons he would’ve thought. Did I want to find myself taken to the keep? He didn’t know just how close to the mark he was—I was desperate to see inside.
“Well…” I gave him a sheepish look. “Actually, I was kind of thinking I
might
want to. Break in, I mean.”
“To the vampires’ castle?”
At my nod, he laughed. He actually
laughed
.
“It’s not funny. I mean it, Ronan.”
The smile lingered on his face, but his eyes hardened. “If you think you can simply
break in
, you’re more foolish than I took you for.”
“I’ll figure out a way. What if I threw a fight? I could lose on purpose, and—”
“Don’t even think it. Don’t even say it.” He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a menacing whisper. “You go into that castle, you’ll never come out again.” Pain bled onto his features, until he looked genuinely distressed by the thought.
“Don’t tell me you care, Ronan.”
He blew out a shaky breath. “Good Christ,
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