I pushed at his chest. “What the hell!” He was up and ten steps away from me before I could blink. His eyes were glowing yellow. He took a long slow breath.
I reached for the back of my shoulder, and touched something wet. It couldn’t be blood. The black gloves showed nothing in the dark. I quickly pulled one off and touched it again. I got up and moved closer to the porch light.
A drop of blood dripped off my fingertip.
I ran my tongue along my bottom lip. It tasted faintly metallic. I was bleeding.
“You bit me?” I knew it was my first real kiss and all, but I seriously doubted bleeding was normal. Pain blossomed across my left shoulder. “What? Why?”
“I’m so sorry, Tessa,” he whispered. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to do it. God! Please know that I—”
Music spilled out from the house as the screen door opened behind me. Rosalyn, Carlos, and the other guys that I’d taken the shot with came outside.
“Tessa. Where’d you disappear—” Carlos stopped mid-sentence as he looked back and forth between Dastien and me. “Is he bothering you?”
“I don’t know,” I said. I really had no clue what the hell was going on. My mind was stuck on one thing. It had been an amazing kiss. The best I could ever imagine a kiss being. Even now, in pain, I’d do it again. No doubt. Something in the core of me needed him, and from the looks of him right now, the feeling was mutual.
When it came to Dastien, all I had were questions. And attraction. But mostly questions.
Carlos and his friends were closing the distance. I pulled my glove back on before any of them got closer. The last thing I needed was another vision.
I glanced back to Dastien unsure of how he wanted to play this off. Tears shimmered in his eyes. The sight took my breath away. I was hurt and pissed, rightfully so, but there was nothing to cry about here.
At least I hoped there wasn’t.
“I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t mean…I can’t…” Then he melted into the darkness.
What the hell. Why would he do that—kiss me like that—and then just run away?
“That guy is one fine piece of meat,” Rosalyn said.
Her words brought me back to reality. Suddenly I was jealous, and I didn’t like that one bit.
“Rosalyn,” Carlos said sharply. He really didn’t like the St. Ailbe’s guys.
This was a nightmare. Now I was standing there, bleeding, hurting, and any hopes I had of a good reputation were destroyed. These guys were going to think I was a slut.
Rosalyn scoffed as she walked over to me. “What? I’m not allowed to look just because he’s one of them?” She stopped short. “Oh my God. Are you bleeding?”
“It’s no big deal. It’s only a scratch.”
She took a couple of steps back.
“There’s blood on her shoulder too,” Carlos said. He turned a sickly color of green and swallowed.
This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting from them. Why were they freaking out about the blood?
“Holy shit. That was one of the guys from St. Ailbe’s,” one of the other boys said, clearly a bit slow on the uptake. He took a step away from me.
“Kind of,” I said, trying to downplay it. “Look I know the people from there are supposed to be dangerous, but he’s already graduated, so I’m sure he’s all reformed or whatever.”
The boy smirked. “It’s not a reform school. It’s a school for—”
“Shut up,” Carlos said and glanced at Rosalyn. “Take her home. She’s not welcome here anymore.”
There was no stopping the gasp. “I don’t understand. I’m hurt here and you haven’t even asked if I’m okay or offered up any sort of first aid.”
Carlos and Rosalyn didn’t even acknowledge me. “I don’t want that in my car,” Rosalyn whined.