Chapter 6
The girls' dorm was loud with the sounds of suitcases rolling across the hallway and students laughing as they moved back in for the semester.
Kaela pushed open the door to their shared room and dropped her bag on the bed with a tired sigh.
"Finally," Jade groaned, kicking off her shoes and collapsing onto her mattress.
Lila closed the door behind them and turned toward Kaela immediately.
"Alright," she said.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You promised."
Jade sat up instantly.
"Yes. You said you'd tell us what happened."
Kaela rubbed her temples.
She had been dreading this moment all day.
Slowly, she sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Okay," she sighed.
Both girls leaned forward expectantly.
Kaela hesitated before speaking.
"You remember the guy from the club?"
Jade gasped.
"The tall one?"
Lila's eyes widened.
"The insanely hot one?"
Kaela nodded slowly.
"Yeah… that one."
Jade immediately grabbed a bag of chips from the table and ripped it open.
"This is going to be good," she muttered, shoving a handful into her mouth.
Lila grabbed a chocolate bar from the snack pile and sat cross-legged on the bed.
"Continue."
Kaela took a deep breath.
"Well…"
Her cheeks turned pink.
"We spent the night together."
Both girls froze.
For a full three seconds, neither of them spoke.
"THEN WHAT?!" Jade nearly choked on her chips.
Lila's mouth dropped open.
"You?!"
Kaela raised her hands quickly.
"Okay! Before you start yelling"
"But you never do stuff like that!" Lila said.
"I know!"
Jade stared at her in shock.
"So… wait…"
Her eyes widened slowly.
"That means the guy you slept with…"
Kaela nodded miserably.
"…is my professor."
The room went completely silent.
Jade slowly stuffed another handful of chips into her mouth.
Lila blinked several times.
Neither of them seemed capable of forming a sentence.
Finally Jade spoke.
"Well."
Crunch.
"That's… insane."
Lila nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Another long pause filled the room.
Then Jade suddenly leaned forward with a grin.
"So… are you going to see him again?"
Kaela groaned.
"No!"
Lila raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"You've been thinking about him all day."
Kaela opened her mouth to deny it.
Then stopped.
Because unfortunately… it was true.
She sighed and grabbed a cookie from the snack pile.
"I don't know," she muttered.
Jade shrugged.
"Well if you're thinking about him that much…"
She pointed the chip bag at her.
"Maybe you should just go for it."
Lila nodded.
"Yeah. I mean… he's hot, he clearly likes you, and you already broke the biggest rule possible."
Kaela stared at them.
"You two are terrible influences."
Jade grinned.
"We know."
In the vampire kingdom
Edwin appeared in the courtyard of the von Fregstenberg estate just as the evening bells echoed through the Castle.
Dinner time.
Perfect.
Servants moved quietly through the halls carrying trays of crystal glasses and dark wine. The familiar scent of blood and spices filled the air, but Edwin barely noticed. His mind burned with only one thought.
Kaela.
He marched through the towering doors of the dining hall without waiting to be announced.
The long table stretched across the room beneath a chandelier of black crystal. At the head of the table sat the man Edwin had been looking for.
His uncle.
Nox.
Nox calmly lifted a glass of wine to his lips, as if nothing in the world could disturb his evening.
Edwin slammed his hands onto the table.
"You marked her."
The words cut through the quiet room.
Nox slowly lowered his glass.
His dark eyes lifted to Edwin, completely calm.
"Well," he said smoothly, "good evening to you too, Kaspar."
Edwin's jaw tightened.
"Don't play games with me. Kaela Anderson has been marked by a vampire from our family. I could smell it the moment I got close to her."
The corner of Nox's mouth lifted slightly.
"Ah."
"So you noticed."
Edwin leaned forward, anger burning in his chest.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
For a moment Nox said nothing.
Then he stood.
The room instantly seemed smaller as his presence filled it. Power radiated off him like a storm barely being held back.
"Yes," Nox said simply.
"I marked her."
Edwin's fists clenched.
"You had no right."
Nox tilted his head slightly, studying him.
"No right?"
His voice dropped lower.
"She is my mate."
Edwin shook his head immediately.
"No. I won't accept that."
A dark chuckle left Nox's lips.
"You don't have to accept it."
Edwin's voice hardened.
"Then stay away from her."
Nox raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds very much like a command."
"It's a warning," Edwin said.
The air between them grew heavy with tension.
Nox slowly stepped around the table, walking toward him.
"You seem very confident for someone who doesn't understand the situation."
Edwin glared at him.
"What situation?"
Nox stopped a few feet away.
"I assume you missed class today."
Edwin frowned.
"…Yes."
"Then you missed something important."
Nox's smirk returned.
"In the human world, I go by another name."
Edwin's eyes narrowed.
"What name?"
Nox's voice was calm.
"Professor Ryker."
Silence crashed into the room.
Edwin stared at him.
"You're… the new professor?"
"The very one," Nox replied.
"And the man who marked Kaela Anderson."
Edwin's chest rose and fell slowly.
"You became a professor just to get close to her"
"Yes."
"You're watching her."
Nox's smile sharpened.
"I'm claiming what is mine."
Edwin stepped forward.
"No."
The word came out firm.
"Your bond won't stop me, I saw her first."
For the first time, something dangerous flashed in Nox's eyes.
"Oh?"
"Yes," Edwin said, meeting his gaze without fear.
"Stay away from her, uncle."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Then Nox smiled.
Slowly.
Coldly.
"If you want her…"
He leaned slightly closer.
"Take your chance."
Edwin didn't break eye contact.
"I will."
Nox's voice became deadly soft.
"But remember this, Kaspar."
His eyes glowed faintly in the dim light.
"She already carries my mark."
"And if you try to take what belongs to me…"
A dark smile spread across his face.
"You will face my wrath."
The tension snapped like lightning between them.
Edwin's voice came out just as cold.
"Then let her choose."
"She doesn't need to."
Nox fired
"She's my mate and that settles it, if you want to do something about then just try me and see the hell that will befall you."
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them backed down.
The war had begun.
And Kaela had no idea she was the center of it.