I tossed my hair back and grinned at him defiantly. “I’ve lived on less. Speaking of which, if we’re trapped here, are they going to give us clothes?” I glanced down at what I was wearing. “These are trashed.”
“Yes,” Xero said in his gentle rumble. “Talk to Toland.”
“The headmaster?”
He nodded. “He should have given you all that information when you arrived. He’s probably busy. They double their recruitment efforts near the beginning of the school year.”
I cocked my head at him. “And where were you recruited from?”
His eyes clouded over, and he looked away. The intense connection that had been building between us was suddenly severed, leaving me to shiver in the stark, cold absence.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said in a tone that meant the conversation was over. Then he rose smoothly to his feet, glancing back down at me over his shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Piper.”
My heart broke a little as he walked away, sinking into my stomach like it’d lost the will to keep beating.
Wow, Pipes, dramatic much? You just met the guy.
I scowled at myself. People usually didn’t affect me this way. Not since middle school anyway. At some point, a girl has to grow out of the idea of love at first sight. But the feelings I was experiencing were real and strong.
Demanding.
Undeniable.
I almost ran after him, but Kingston touched my shoulder. The electric shock of his fingertips zapped through my body, rooting me to the spot.
“People around here don’t like to talk about the past much,” the elegant man said darkly. I pegged him to be in his early twenties, just like me. Maybe a year or two older. “The Custodians want us to believe that it doesn’t matter. The past is gone.”
As I was contemplating that grim statement, he jerked as if something had bit him and glanced down at his hip. “I must also leave you. Good luck, and welcome to FU.”
I huffed a laugh at the name, and he winked at me, a small smile curving his elegant lips. He seemed to think the acronym was as stupid as I did. Although… it was scarily accurate too.
Had a sudden encounter with the darkness? Well, FU, kid, you’re ours now.
I shook my head as Kingston walked away, feeling suddenly more alone than I’d ever felt in my life. It was stupid. I didn’t even know these guys, and yet my entire existence seemed to hang on their proximity.
“Maybe it’s an FU thing,” I muttered. “I wonder if Hannah’s got the same problem.”
After lingering downstairs for a while, hoping against hope that the two men would come back and, oh, I don’t know, fuck me senseless on one of the couches, I headed back up to our little corner of the castle.
I found Hannah in our room, unfolding a small pile of clothing. She granted me a brief smile as I walked in. “Hey. They sent us stuff to wear. They matched my size perfectly, and the clothes are actually pretty cute. I put your things on your bed.”
She’d given me the bed nearest the window. I didn’t think it was a generous gesture so much as an act of self-preservation; she’d scooted her bed as far into the windowless corner as she could and had moved her wardrobe and chest to create a sort of tiny cave around the iron frame. She was scared.
I unfolded the shirt on top. It was a long-sleeved tunic, warm but breathable, and it would hang down to my knees. It was black with red stitching. I instantly approved. A pair of matching leggings was in the pile as well. Most of the clothes were the same—long-sleeved tunics and comfortable leggings—but there was also a pair of thick, fur-lined pants and a heavy coat.
“Uniform?” I asked.
“Just the style.” She shrugged before holding up a baby-pink tunic. “The colors are all different though. They gave you mostly black and red. Do you think they’re trying to match our demon skin?”
“Sort of looks that way,” I said. “Do you like yours?”
“Oh, yes.” She looked down at the tunic in her hand, seeming almost surprised at the admission. “Very much.”
“Me too. Maybe they’re psychic.” I chewed my lip for a second, then added, “Um, Hannah… have you felt weird since we got here?”
“Weird? Of course I have. Weird how though?”
“Weird, like…” Oh, God, this is embarrassing. “Turned on. Buzzing with sex. Hormonal beyond puberty levels. Obsessed with things that don’t make any sense.”