AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She turns and stalks off, leaving Ayden, Kate, and I standing in the corridor.
“Do I want to know what she’s doing here?” I ask.
Ayden sighs. “Claire was the candidate I had to test.”
My eyes widen. “Are you serious?!”
He nods. “This is her first day of school here,” he says quietly, stroking my cheek again.
“I’ll give some excuse for why you’re not in class,” Kate says with a wink. “You guys haven’t seen each other in so long. You should spend some time together.”
I shoot her a grateful look and smile at Ayden. I hope I don’t get into trouble with the Fabricis for missing a class – but even if I do, right now nothing and no one can keep me away from Ayden. Kate waves goodbye, and we start walking.
“Why didn’t they tell you straight off that it was Claire?” I ask. “It would have been easier to prepare if you knew that from the start. And did she really not suspect that she was being tested the whole time?”
“I figure the Council wanted me to approach it as neutrally as possible, which is why they didn’t give me a lot of time to prepare. And no, Claire didn’t suspect anything. Probably because we already know one another.”
“What explanation did you give for spending so long in Boston?”
“A mission for the Council. I said I was supposed to scope out a clinic in Boston with a few other hunters and find out if any Noctu were stationed there.”
“All the lies and deception,” I grumble.
Ayden puts his thumb under my chin and pulls me toward him. “None of that matters now. What matters is that we can be together again.”
I sink into the deep green of his eyes and soak up the sight of him. I’m happy when we finally reach his room. He opens the door, and we go inside. Ayden closes it behind us and looks at me with a smoldering gaze that makes my breath come faster. He closes the gap between us with two quick steps and kisses me so passionately that I stagger back and sling my arms around his neck.
It’s so good to feel him again. I press myself against him, cup his face in my hands, and just can’t get enough of his smooth skin. I soak up his warmth, his scent, and just want to devour him. I run my fingers along his shoulder, down to his waist, his hip. He just feels so good. And Ayden doesn’t waste any time. He’s already pushing my shirt out of the way and exploring my naked skin with his fingertips.
We’re both breathing fast. Ayden kisses a sensitive spot on my neck, and then his lips wander down to my shoulder and along my collarbone. Scarcely able to contain myself, I pull off his shirt and pull him toward the bed. I flop down on it, and he’s right there with me, kissing my abdomen, my waist, then moving up and removing the rest of my clothing.
He carefully lies on top of me, all the while kissing me, caressing the insides of my thighs, and driving my passion to a point that’s almost unbearable. I gaze at him in fascination and can hardly believe my luck. He’s finally back…
I lie in Ayden’s arms and don’t dare to check the time. I know we don’t have long and that I should be in class. But I can’t bring myself to go. I want to enjoy this intimacy, this feeling of security for a little longer.
Ayden’s hand is on my waist. With every touch, I’m overwhelmed by a wonderful tingling feeling that I could get addicted to. I close my eyes appreciatively and wish I could forget reality for a little longer. But all too quickly, my thoughts catch up with me.
“I still can’t believe Claire’s actually in school here now,” I ponder aloud. “Sure, it’s one of the best. But I figured her family would prefer something more elite.”
Ayden smirks. “You’re probably right. That is, if it were up to Claire’s parents. She’s been wanting to move to San Francisco for ages, and she started hatching a plan a while back. She managed to convince her grandpa, and after she passed the test, he immediately agreed that she could choose which school to attend. And she wanted to come here.”
“Why did you have to test her? I mean, she’s from a Council family, and surely she’s had her key for a long time. What was there to test?”
Ayden shrugs. “Claire has no key. Didn’t you know that? Normally, she wouldn’t be allowed to come here.”
I sit bolt upright and look at him in astonishment. “What?”
“Haven’t you noticed?” He looks at me. “Most key carriers keep their spirits out of sight, but that’s pretty unusual among students.”
“Then why did you test her at all? She can’t be a candidate without a key.”
“No,” he replies. “She’s a potential goddess of destiny.”
My eyes bulge, and I’m momentarily speechless. At first, I feel nothing but horror, but then I remember what Mr. Collins told me. There were cases in the past of women from Council families who were suspected of being potential goddesses. They received special training in the hope that they could resist the evil disposition that eventually overtakes every goddess. But so far, every attempt has failed. As soon as the goddess’ powers awaken, something in her nature changes. And Claire is supposed to be one of these creatures? I find it hard to believe. What’s it like to live with that kind of burden? How does it feel to know that at some point you could lose yourself and turn into something evil?
“The Cunninghams have high hopes for Claire. And so does the rest of the Council. They believe she may be strong enough to hold out against the inner power that corrupts the goddesses. Anyway, as soon as her family noticed the first signs, they did everything they could to prepare her and make her stronger.”
“What do those signs look like?” I ask.
