Night After Day

Chapter 39: Schoolyard Excuses

I was torn.

I tried to ignore the really bad pun as I tried equally hard to ignore the scars that marred my hands. Plus the cheerful hybrid that was walking beside me down the hall.

"How can you be so..." Jason stared at me questioningly and I continued, biting my lip. "How can you be so lighthearted about all this?"

"I'm not entirely sure I know what you're talking about." He whistled quietly to himself and I fixed him with a disbelieving look. He continued walking with a slight jump in his step. I followed after him hesitantly and stood at his door as he threw the bow on his bed. I winced at the treatment of the weapon and glared at him accusingly.

The hybrid stretched his arms above his head and fixed me with a curious stare.

"So what now?" I fidgeted with the door handle and it clanked around. He frowned, walking over and flicking my hand off the handle, stopping the distracting noise.

"Annoying."

I stared up at him and, keeping eye-contact, reached past him and bounced the handle one more time. Jason glared at me and I stepped back with a smirk.

"I liked you better when you were scared of everyone."

"So did I."

I jumped at the new voice. Jason just sighed like he knew the pureblood was there the entire time. "Cole."

The newly crowned was right behind me.

I stepped back quickly but his hand snaked out, fastening around my wrist. I resisted making any movement and instead met his gaze evenly.

Coles blue eyes, so much like his sisters, stared back at me with a baleful gaze. I struggled to keep calm but when he smiled I knew that he could hear my heartbeat thudding along at an abnormal pace.

"Look at you two... Walking around together like a couple."

In any other circumstance I would have met that sentence with a rather rude remark but his quiet voice unnerved me, leaving me silent.

"Cole, let her go." Jason's voice was as uninterested as one can get but I knew that he was on edge.

Instead the grip only tightened and I suddenly found myself pinned against the wall with Cole only centimeters away from my face.

"Are you telling me what to do now?" The pureblood tilted his head towards Jason, his voice light and empty of any aggression, which utterly contradicted his actions.

I stayed still. But the memory of the last vampire who was this close to me caused my injured hands to itch madly. Cole gave me a twisted smile and I pushed back from him as far as possible as his fangs travelled to my throat.

"Cole." Jason repeated and I felt the change in his voice.

So apparently did the vampire. Cole leaned in and whispered in my ear. "I guess Angeline wouldn't mind.... What do you think?"

I looked away at the ceiling as he came closer and suddenly he wasn't there anymore.

I looked around, expecting to see Angeline there but instead Jason was standing over Cole, who he had just thrown into the wall. A painting of the former Queen slid down the wall with a crash and Cole stood, brushing off his jacket with the air of someone who had just gone for a walk in a park. The pureblood smirked at Jason as the hybrid put himself in between us.

"I seem to have struck a nerve." His smug smile grew and I began to reach out to Jason, only to pull back as he turned to glance at me and I noticed his blue eyes darken.

I didn't even see Cole's fist move. One second Jason was staring at me, his eyes warning me not to get involved, the next he was sliding on the ground with a bruised eye which vanished as quickly as it had come. He began to stand but not quickly enough as I caught sight of a tiny flash of metal in Cole's hand.

"Cole!"

Angelines voice rang out and her brother froze. Cole kept his alert eyes on Jason who looked as cool as ever as he stood and gave a small bow. "Your highness."

"There is no need for that Jason." Angelines voice was sharp and I tried to shrink into the corner as her eyes took in the scene.

"Brother. Please put that dagger away and explain to me why I just found you both at eachothers throats in public?"

The place was hardly public. Not a soul was in sight. But then again, who knew with this place.

"He started it."

My eyebrows must have shot into my hairline because Angelines eyes flickered to me before landing on her cousin.

"Jason?"

"You can't honestly believe-" I began to talk but Angeline fixed me with such a glare that I backed down.

"Are you Jason? I think not."

"Cole tried to drink Hayden's blood." Jason flicked an invisible speck of dust off his sleeve and shrugged. "I'm here to make sure Hayden's werewolf side doesn't reveal itself and I feared that such an attack would trigger something."

Cole scoffed. "I wouldn't dream of drinking her tainted blood. You know that Angie."

Tainted?

"Cole. Can I speak to you later?"

"You are not my mother. Angeline." But he slouched off like the teenager he so looked like.

"Hayden." Jason gestured with his head and I nodded, taking a step after him but then Angelines voice rang out again.

"If you don't mind, Jason. I'd like to have a few words with Hayden in private."

Ohhhhhhhh shi-

"Hayden this way please." Angeline gave a smile but it did nothing to calm my nerves. I didn't dare look back at Jason as I followed the vampire towards her quarters.