"She doesn't want to leave Matt and he’s joining her soon.” Ash blows air into his cheeks. "You know Amelia was never happy here, even though she spent her time smiling at everybody. She felt she didn't belong. Was unworthy."
He's right; I lost count of the times I'd encourage Amelia when she struggled. Will her witchbond with Matt give her the confidence she needs? "And nobody knows where the group are headed?" I ask.
Maeve shakes her head. "No, but she told me she'd keep in touch now."
"I'd like to know more about Alaric and his mates,” says Ash gruffly. “They were too secretive.”
“Agreed. But they did help us save Maeve from the Blackwoods and didn’t ask for anything in return,” I say.
“If Amelia said she’ll keep in touch, she will, and maybe we’ll find out more,” says Maeve firmly.
She snuggles close to Ash, the way she did in the early days when I was convinced she only wanted him. Considering her ordeal, Maeve is bright, cheeks pink, and I silently thank Ash for bringing her back to us. The crap she's been through would be enough to damage the strongest person.
I set down my rucksack on the wall and push hair from my eyes. "I think the group knows more than they told us."
"For sure," replies Maeve. Her phone buzzes and her face illuminates further as she checks the message. "Andrei."
Maeve's interest in us evaporates as she ducks away from Ash and hops off the wall. I watch as she walks away, unable to take my eyes off her swaying ass. Hell, I love everything about this girl—her beautiful heart and soul, her tenacity and her goddamn gorgeousness.
With a sigh, I reach for the rucksack and haul it back onto my shoulder. "How’s Maeve?”
Ash glances after her. "Alright. She hasn’t spoken about what happened much and is either coping or pretending to. Maeve isn't physically hurt, anyway."
"How would you know? She could have injuries on her body. Runes even—what if they're tracking her?"
"Whoa. Calm down. No, there aren't any injuries or any runes.”
"How would you know? Have you seen her...?” I trail off at his goofy smile. Naked. "Oh. You offered her some physical comfort, huh?"
"Maybe once or twice. Anything she asks for." He winks and I roll my eyes. They’ve spent two days alone—I wish I had time like that with Maeve. I’m definitely planning that date as soon as possible, because she needs that normality now.
We walk up the steps and into the cooler hallway.
"Back to normal tonight, then. Classes and all that,” I say.
"Normal? No. Our first task is to figure out who's feeding info to Dominion. Someone is," retorts Ash. "We need more info on Vince too. Amelia said her group know little about him."
I pull Ash's arm until we're against a wall. "Shush. Whoever's at the academy on the inside for the Dominion will know what's happened to us. If we pay attention, someone inside the academy might slip up and mention something they shouldn’t know."
"My money is on Sofia," says Ash and glances around. "She's behaving oddly."
I shake my head. "She's always odd. Too obvious. I think Sofia is jealous of Maeve's powers, that's all. I’m more concerned about who else watches us. Such as those who tried to frame Andrei over the attack on Lorna.”
Ash slumps against the wall. "Man, this is complicated."
At the mention of vampires, my neck stings. There's no hiding this injury from anybody, since I'd look ridiculous and suspicious if I wore a scarf inside the classroom. I know Theodora will suggest I miss lessons, and I’ll refuse. If she bans me, I'll hide out in the library. I've research to do.
A grinning Maeve bounds up to us. "Andrei's back tonight. We can catch up properly." She links her arms through each of ours. "Let's celebrate. I'm in the mood for donuts."
Something in the knowing look between her and Ash intrigues me. What significance do donuts have to them?
“Donuts sound good,” I say. Maeve's genuinely happy and her aura has brightened further since she spoke to Andrei.
Once again, whoever strove to tear apart our unity failed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
MAEVE
Since I returned from the Blackwoods, I’ve continued to sleep badly and by early evening I fall asleep in my room before lessons. Tonight, I fight this because I want to see Andrei before class, but I drift off.
I have another reason I want to stay awake—the nightmares. I've switched from a life never dreaming to having the worst imaginable; worse than visions. Even a nap like now brings them to me. This time I dream I'm running through the academy the same way I run through the Blackwood hallways, the walls closing in and stairs moving so I can't step on them. The heart beating in my ears becomes louder with each dream and grows to a deafening level as the nightmare continues.
A new knocking sound in my nightmare confuses me and I spin around, attempting to locate the source, but see nothing but the constricting walls.
But the heartbeat and knocking continue, the sounds out of sync with each other.
"Maeve! Wake up! We have class!"
Reality filters into my nightmare and I claw my way from the dream as Jamie raps on the door and calls me. Groggily, I prop myself up and check the time on my phone.
Crap, now I've no chance to catch Andrei before class. "I'll be five minutes," I call back. "You can come in."
As I splash water on my face in the bathroom, I hear the door open and close. In my room, Jamie stands, hands in pockets, eyes half-hidden by his fringe. My heart surges as I look at him. Earlier, I was relieved to see he’s okay, but something bothers me. I interrupted the vision of his death at the farmhouse and he lived, but the night triggered events that have changed everybody. Ash is mostly unscathed, but the situation with Vincent continues to haunt him.
I push Jamie's fringe from his eyes to see him more clearly. They're circled by dark marks and he's ashen-faced. Tiptoeing, I brush my lips against his. He makes a surprised noise and places his hand in the small of my back before gently kissing me back.
"That was a warm welcome," he says and strokes my hair.
"I've worried about you so much." I hug him again and he winces as I knock the bandage on his neck. "Sorry."
"I'm going to take this off," he says and begins to peel at the corners. My mouth parches. What does a vampire bite look like when healing?
How many people live to answer the question?
The purple and yellow bruising is more visible than the wound, but the injury is bigger than puncture marks. I hold a hand over my mouth as the attack flashes back in my mind. My mouth fills with acid.
No.
Not acid. I can taste the blood again. Sucking in a breath, I turn away so Jamie can't see my eyes tear. Why does this keep happening? Do I talk to Tobias about the weird side-effect from possessing Leon?
“Does the wound look that bad?" Jamie picks up a mirror from my nightstand and examines his neck. “I won’t be able to deny what this is, will I? Should I create a story that makes me a hero scarred in battle?"