A Girl in the Shadows

Chapter Sixteen

I wanted to pause for a bit, maybe walk around campus. There was time. There had to be time. Due to my body still aching, I was unable to get myself a squirrel. They were too fast. As a substitute, I snatched a mallard that was sitting on the dock and chowed down. After finishing, I decided to stay where I was. It had been a while since I'd found serenity, and the dock was offering it to me.

I gazed at the flowing water as the lights from the buildings across the way reflected off it. A few fish jumped out of the glistening river. Had they been a little closer to where I was sitting, I would've reached for one. The blood of a fish isn't too bad. I stayed there for a while, just watching. It amazed me for a while; that whole idea of how cities are a constant moving place. If they were so hectic, why was it so relaxing to look at one?

You know, Tristan's game has been long over by now. You should get off your ass and go back to him. I scrambled to my feet and walked back over to the other side of campus towards Tristan's cheese-shaped dorm. The campus officers were more active than usual tonight on their golf carts. It was the weekend. It made sense. Thankfully I'd worn my campus sweatshirt to stay undercover.

I waited outside Tristan's dorm and followed a group of girls inside after they scanned their IDs. The elevator doors opened to reveal a rowdy group of boys who were clearly already intoxicated. They pushed past us, I went inside, waited to get up to the ninth floor, and went to my new safe haven. The door was unlocked. Tristan was sitting at his desk, all alone.

"Tristan!" I rushed beside him. "How long have you been here?"

He hugged me, quickly kissed my lips, and went over to the bed. "About a half an hour. Really wish you had a phone, so I could text you or something."

I chuckled. "Oh please, vampires don't have the money or need for cell phones...and I already told you, the minaret has no service."

"Still, I have no idea how you can stand living in there."

"Well, as you can see—" I held up my bags. "You said I could stay here, so I decided to be in a safe spot...if you don't mind."

"Are you kidding? Not at all!"

He motioned for me to come to him. I did. His arm was around me, pulling me towards him. I couldn't resist. There weren't any words between us. He stroked my face and I stroked his. It was surprising to me that he even wanted to get as close as he was. I had to smell terrible after not showering for almost two days. Tristan didn't seem to care though. He pulled my head towards his and we made out. It was even better than I'd imagined. His breath tasted of mint and cheap beer. His hands were creeping under my shirt, reaching for my bra. I backed away. I wanted it, but I was too sore.

"Well, someone's feeling better," he said.

"Factoris: the superhuman vampire. I heal incredibly fast," I said, getting off the bed. "I need to get cleaned up. It's been two days since I've showered."

"You want me to help you?"

I didn't refuse the offer. We went into the bathroom and I undressed. He didn't say a word about the scars. For a guy, Tristan turned out to be a great help when it came to washing my hair, since I couldn't raise my shoulder all the way to do so. He helped me dry my hair, rubbed my back when I winced in pain while brushing my teeth. I didn't even bother shaving down my fangs. I'd be walking around with two Slayers and would stand out regardless.

When I was finished in the bathroom, we went back to his bed. There was still plenty of time. Knowing both Kai and Ace, they were making several stops before getting here.