Blood Hunter (The Grandor Descendant Series) Page 9

  Ragon hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

  “I guess we will need to buy you something red to wear,” he said, her infectious smile forcing him to grin back at her. “It will be good to get out; I definitely need to hunt.”

  “And look at this,” said Sandra, moving over to another notice pinned to the board. “Students wishing to sign up to campus accommodation should see the senior resident within their preferred hall. Rooms are still available in Delta, Omega and Cruor. Excellent; we can see what other vamps are here.”

  At these words Ragon froze.

  “Cruors for the vamps isn’t it?” Clyde asked indifferently.

  Ragon nodded sourly.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Ari, looking up at Ragon in confusion.

  “I forgot that vamps are required to live in a segregated dorm,” he said. “It helps conceal the fact that we don’t need to eat or drink, at least not the usual stuff anyway. There are kitchen facilities in Cruor halls, but the rest of the humans at the other dorms eat at the mess hall.”

  “But-” Ari began, wondering if she would be permitted to stay with him.

  “-it’s alright; I am sure that the rules have changed,” he added quickly, avoiding looking her in the eyes.

  After that the coven and Ari walked to the opposite side of the campus so as to inspect Cruor halls, the sorority for vampires. The hall was a good two hundred meters away from the other two campus accommodations, Omega and Delta. The building itself was three levels high and looked as if it held at least a hundred rooms, if not more. Upon entering the magnificent halls, the group had met with the head of Cruor halls and senior student representative, a particularly beautiful vampire called Gwen, who Sandra spent the majority of the time death staring, while Clyde focused on keeping his tongue in his mouth.

  “No pets allowed,” Gwen had said, when Ragon had indicated that they would need 7 rooms.

  For a moment Ari looked around smiling, immediately thinking of Crystal and that Gwen couldn’t count, but seeing the unamused look on Ragon’s face, turned back to stare at Gwen in confusion. She was obviously missing something; why would Ragon or any other vampire want a pet?

  “No exceptions?” asked Ragon, trying to keep his voice calm as his fists bawled at his sides.

  Gwen shook her head, her blonde hair swishing mesmerizingly to either side as she said, “Omega and Delta still have openings; she can stay there. A lot of us have sources over there. The Vice Chancellor is pretty strict on that rule.”

  Just like that, Ari understood; she was the pet. Instantly she felt foolish, not to mention used.

  “What time does it get dark around here?” Ragon asked quickly.

  Ari wasn’t sure if he was trying to change the topic of conversation, or genuinely wanted to know. His eyes were raking the UV covered windows anxiously, and there was an untamed expression on his face, as if his fangs might slip out at any moment without his permission.

  Gwen smiled knowingly, glancing at Ari before turning back to Ragon and reaching a hand to touch his shoulder suggestively.

  “The boat over here can be draining; you can have your source in your room, we all bring them back. Just don’t let the Vice Chancellor catch you. If you get bored with this one,” Gwen added, glancing at Ari indifferently, “it’s dark around 5.30; we try to keep our hunting activities restricted to the students. And…” she added, looking around surreptitiously at the group, her eyes finally resting on Sandra, “there are other options if you are… adventurous. Also there’s a hospital about fifteen minutes down the road if you get carried away. The Vice Chancellor organised for the university to fund it, so it’s safe to drop off injured sources there. Just make sure you dissociate them first. There are a couple of volunteer vamps studying medicine who locum there after hours, so they take care of any sources who get brought in. They also fix the coroner’s report if you get carried away. Most brutal attacks get blamed on bears and stuff like that, so don’t freak out if you lose control. We’re all about having fun at Cruor!”

  Ari’s mouth was open and it was only when Clyde nudged her hard that she closed it. Sandra however was leaning in closer to Gwen, no longer looking at her as an adversary, but hanging off her every word.

  “Well, I have to go,” said Gwen, moving towards a small room, atop of which was the sign Admin Office. “Last night we had a few vamps run a-muck at the campus club; the Vice Chancellor is coming for the arraignment. They took too much blood candy and made a mess of two students. Victoria wouldn’t have cared about the blood candy but the idiots left their sources hanging from the flag pole at the assembly meeting point. I’ve been out all morning lulling anyone who saw them; it’s been a disaster. Hopefully the fools will be expelled; if they get off with community service after I had to waste my entire morning cleaning up after them, I will be pissed.”

  Instantly Ari felt sick. The way Gwen had said arraignment, left an odd foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was also something about the casual way in which Gwen spoke about blood candy… not as if it were taboo, more like she was angry at the fact that she’d had to clean up after someone else’s mess. Ari was reminded of a conversation she’d walked in on at the Elder’s Halloween party, when two vampires had been using the drug: Everyone does it, it’s just that no one talks about it. That was what the girls had said. Ari couldn’t help but draw parallels with the way those girls had spoken about blood candy, and the way which Gwen was talking about it now. It was confusing that such a substance hadn’t been banned in the vampire community, especially seeing as it made fully grown vampires act like fledglings. But Ari had no chance to talk about it; at that point Gwen had grabbed some forms for the coven to fill in.

  As soon as the coven had signed all the appropriate paperwork, Ragon led Ari up the stairs to his assigned room. She could tell by the restrained way that he walked and kept glances over his shoulder, that he was hungry. Suddenly Ragon stopped halfway along the second floor and pushed the door nearest him open.

  The room itself was very accommodating; there was a large four poster bed in one corner, with a bare mattress, and opposite this a long wooden desk. Next to the desk was a built in wardrobe and a small door that led to a private bathroom. Ari couldn’t help but gape at the size of the room. She had lived on campus once before in Australia, but her room had been shoebox sized, and she’d had to share a bathroom with the rest of the floor. She waited until after they were inside his new room before rounding on him.

  “I’m sorry,” said Ragon, sweeping her closer to him and kissing her before she could protest. “I’m starving; I asked about when it got dark because I need to hunt.”

  “You’re apologising to a pet?” she asked, unable to hide the condescension from her voice.

  “Not a pet… a soul mate. I couldn’t correct her about what you mean to me. Vampires don’t have girlfriends, they have sources. Besides, Gwen is the senior resident; that means that she reports to the Vice Chancellor. Thomas may be close with Victoria, but I don’t want her to know about our unusual relationship. It was bad enough that Thomas had to mention that I was not to be parted from you, but if anyone ever knew that you weren’t a source, it would be bad.”

  Ari considered this, cocking her head to one side so as to gauge Ragon’s expression.

  “But Patrick dated Ryder when he was mortal, and so did Cambridge and Larissa,” she said, trying not to let her throat catch when she mentioned Larissa’s name.

  “For a few weeks yes and even then Ryder had been lulled, but long term the relationship becomes more and more difficult. The moment you start to let your guard down, accidents happen. If a vampire decides to make a fledgling they don’t date them first, it’s unheard of.”

  “And by accidents you mean… me ending up dead,” she said flatly.

  Ragon stared at her; clearly she had hit a sore spot.

  “But you can control yourself around me,” she said, trying not to let her memory flash back to the time tha
t he had attacked her.

  “No I can’t.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, racing at him and jumping into his arms.

  Seeing the unconvinced look on Ragon’s face, she kissed him hard, but the moment she had closed her eyes she felt him place her back on her feet. Looking up in surprise, she watched him take a few meaningful steps backwards.

  “Ari, I don’t know if you have noticed, but I am on the point of breaking. I didn’t take much from that cab driver on the mainland. Ever since then I have been ravenous for blood. Being in this filtered sunlight, it drains us faster than normal. We may be able to walk around during the day but it comes at a cost. And you’re not exactly making it easy for me.”

  “But,” she said, directing him over to the bed, determined to prove that he had mastered his vampiric urges around her.

  It had been months since Ragon had lost control with her. Well before they started dating properly. Ragon may not trust himself but she trusted him. A second later and she crawled into his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist and sliding her fingers through his hair. Ragon’s eyes instantly lightened and he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers together. The pair sat in silence like this for a moment, as if battling each other’s wills, but then Ragon hung his head. A small smile spread across Ari’s face and with two fingers she gently reached for his chin, lifting his head so that he was looking her right in the eye.

  “Told you so,” she said, moving her hands back to his hair as she reached down and kissed him on the lips.

  Instantly Ragon’s hands were on her thighs, pulling Ari with him as he fell back onto the mattress. In an instant he had torn her shirt, exposing her torso. He let his lips trace her jugular vein, and Ari felt her heart race in her chest. Slowly Ragon’s hands moved to her wrists, grasping them tightly just as Ari felt something sharp brush against her throat and a wave of panic swept over her.

  “NO!” he roared, jumping away so quickly that Ari was slammed hard against the bed head.

  Ari felt her head hit the edge of the bed and winced. Reaching out automatically, she pressed her hand against her forehead; pulling her hand away she saw a smear of blood. Quickly she tried to hide her hand but when she looked up hesitantly at Ragon, there was already a pained look in his eyes, telling her that he knew he had hurt her. Before she could open her mouth to say that she was fine, Ragon had blurred past her and out of the room.

  “No wait, Ragon… I’m fine.”

  Ari sighed, looking out past the open door, feeling slightly ashamed. She toyed with the idea of racing after him but quickly shook her head; it wasn’t a good idea to race around a hall full of vampires with a large gash in her head. No, what had happened was her fault; she had been stupid, stupid and selfish. Ragon had said that he was hungry, had been complaining that he needed blood, and there she was, trying to pretend that everything was ok. She shouldn’t have pushed him and she knew it. Half way to the bathroom, Ari heard the door to Ragon’s room thud open and whipped around, her face hopeful, until her eyes fell on Clyde.

  “That’s not happiness to see me,” he said, his eyes tracing her body. “Are you alright?”

  She nodded, instinctively brushing her hand up to her forehead so as to wipe a trickle of blood away. Then a fast flush of wind hit her face, blowing her hair back. She looked up and saw that Clyde was an inch away from her.

  “There’s no point hiding it from me; I can smell your blood a mile away.”

  “I’m fine,” she insisted, pushing him away.

  “I just saw Ragon in the hallway; he told me what happened. He hasn’t fed since before the boat trip. He asked me to come up here and check on you. I don’t think he trusted himself around you while you were bleeding. And considering what happened the last time he left you alone…”

  Clyde’s voice trailed off, not that Ari needed him to explain further.

  “He asked you?” she said sceptically, thinking that Ragon had asked Thomas and Cambridge to check on her the last time he had lost control like this.

  “Well, Ryder and Patrick were indisposed; I think they are christening the bed,” said Clyde, screwing up his face. “And I’m not too sure where Sandra and Thomas have gotten to. I think Sandra mentioned something about checking out the campus club.”

  “Is Ragon alright? I’m such an idiot.”

  “He’ll be fine. He just needs a fix,” said Clyde. “Come on, we should go and check out one of the human sororities, and you need a band-aid; I think I saw a first aid box down stairs.”

  As Clyde and Ari walked from Cruor to Omega Halls, the next closest sorority, Ari couldn’t help but search the grounds for Ragon, though he was nowhere to be seen. She had pulled her hair out of its pony tail, flattening it so that it hid the band-aid that she’d used to cover up the gash on her forehead. The last thing she wanted on her first day in a new school was to be labelled as a klutz.

  In comparison to Cruor Halls, Omega Halls was more modern looking but less grand. Where Cruor Halls had high ceilings and large sweeping staircases, the Omega living space was narrower but better lit, and in replacement of an ostentatious staircase, there was a smaller less regal one, with a dingy elevator attached to the side and a disabled ramp that led to and from the building. At the entrance to the senior resident’s room, Ari tried to look cheerful as they were greeted by a young man; he looked to be about twenty years old, with short blonde spiky hair, a prominent chin and small watery brown eyes.

  He greeted them kindly saying, “Hey how’s it going?” as he stared from Clyde then to Ari. “I’m Rick,” he added, reaching to shake Clyde’s hand first. “What can I help you with?”

  Clyde looked down at the boy’s hand and without shaking it, said, “This is Ariana; she’s looking for campus accommodation.”

  “Um hey,” she said, quickly shaking Rick’s hand before he could get too upset about Clyde’s dismissal. “I know that I am a little late, but I was hoping that there might still be some space left here for accommodation for the rest of school year. I um, just transferred from-”

  “Let me guess… South Africa?”

  “Huh?” said Ari.

  “Your accent, or is it New Zealand? Say fish and chips,” said Rick.

  “She’s from Australia,” Clyde said coolly.

  Rick smiled awkwardly at Clyde and said, “Right, well, there are still a few rooms left, hang on a minute.” Backing into his room he grabbed some forms and handed them to Ari. “Just fill this in and you’re all set. Want me to give you the grand tour? There’s a spare room on the second level.”

  “Yea, a tour sounds great,” said Ari, nudging Clyde hard in the ribs.

  “I can hardly wait,” said Clyde, rolling his eyes as he smiled sarcastically.

  “Excellent; you’re really going to love it here!” said Rick.

  After the five cent tour by Rick, Ari spent the rest of the day moving into her new room. Clyde had helped carry her suitcase up the stairs, but then left quickly, saying that Ragon wasn’t the only one who needed to feed. Looking out through the window, she was pleased to see that her room on the second level was in direct line of sight from Ragon’s in Cruor Halls. As she unpacked, she occasionally glanced outside hoping to see him, but his window remained firmly closed.

  By the end of the day she was trying hard not to let her emotions get the better of her; at first she had felt guilty for spurring on the situation between herself and Ragon, but the remorse had long since been replaced with anger. Would it have killed Ragon to pick up his phone and get a message to her through one of the coven members? Sure he might be hunting, and yes that did involve a certain amount of danger and stealth, but as soon as he fed he would be able to control his prey. How hard would it be for him to take a few moments out of his feeding to let her know he was ok?

  A few times there had been soft knocks at her door, as some of Ari’s neighbours introduced themselves; each time she pulled the door open, hoping to see Ragon, and each time she was
disappointed.

  “So you’re from Australia?” a boy called Peter had asked her, after he had indicated that his room was a few doors down on the same side as Ari’s, and insisting that should she needed to, she could drop in on him anytime to see him, day or especially night.

  Ari nodded sheepishly, looking at the two other boys that were flanked on either side of Peter, who had introduced themselves a moment later as Pip and Perry.

  “Well, be sure to rug up tonight” said Perry, before winking overtly to Pip, “I hear that there might be a snow storm coming. You probably don’t get many of those in Australia.”

  “Yea, make sure you close your windows,” added Pip, “the blizzards over here can be crazy.”

  All three boys broke into laughter and Ari looked at them blankly; she had been expecting a few more kangaroo jokes or even perhaps drop bears.

  A little before 6 o’clock, Clyde had stuck his head into Ari’s room to tell her that they would be meeting for the traffic light dance at 7. It took Ari almost the full hour to decide on the best outfit to wear to her first university outing; she had been hopeful that Sandra would burst in with her makeup bag and a pile of clothes for Ari to try on, but this did not happen. When she could not put it off any loner, Ari finally settled on a pair of tight jeans, black ankle boots and a red high-necked sweater. She was toying with adding the white scarf that Ragon had bought her to her ensemble, but decided against it. For some reason, even though they were closer to the sea on the Isle of Man, and by every account it should be cooler than Ragon’s estate on the mainland, the weather seemed to be warmer here. She wasn’t too sure if this was due to an excellent central heating system, or simply that there were so many hot blooded teenagers running around.