Cold Blood (29 page)

“
Guys, this is Cord. Cord, this is Cambria and Logan.”

Cord gave them the once-over and then said, “The other misfits, I take it.”

Logan looked a little offended, but Cambria smirked. “Takes one to know one.”

“
I won’t argue that,” Cord said.

They were eyeing each other in a way that suggested they hadn’t yet made up their minds about the other.

“
You’re from Frederick Falls? With Tara?” Logan asked.

“
I’m from there. Not
with
Tara,” Cord said.

I rolled my eyes and glanced over at the sound of metal scraping. A crowd was gathered around the elite table near the window, with Victoria the center of attention – as usual. I almost went back to my cereal, but the expression on the faces gathered was so different from the usual plastic smiles and flirty eye-batting that I did a double take.

The other girls seated at the table were huddled together in a tight group and leaning across the table with Demi at the head, each one looking concerned and murmuring in low voices. All of their sympathetic expressions were aimed at Victoria.

She, on the other hand, looked like a caged animal. Her eyes were wide and even from this distance I could see her muscles coiling, like a snake. She was riveted on whatever Demi was saying, like she was concentrating very hard on the message being delivered. There were a couple of guys standing behind them; they looked shifty and uncomfortable.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Victoria pushed back from her chair and stood, glowering at the girls across the table from her. Her spine was rigid and her lips were moving in some retort. The girls shrank back, and the guys were edging away from the table, but Victoria beat them to it.

She did a perfect pivot on her booted heel and strode away, her fists clenched and shaking at her sides. Her hair had fallen across her cheek so I couldn’t actually see her face until she passed right in front of me, and even then, it was only a glimpse. But it was enough to witness the red face. And the tears.

And then she was gone.

It took me a full five seconds after the door banged shut–and echoed after–to realize how completely silent the rest of the cafeteria had gone. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to notice whatever had gone down at the head table, or the Ice Queen melting down long enough to shed a liquid tear.

Slowly, the noise returned and the volume built back to normal. Over at the table by the window, Demi sat straighter than before, and all the boys huddled closer to her than the others.

Had we just witnessed a power shift?

“
What the hell do you think that was?” Cambria asked, still staring at the door Victoria had exited through.

I looked back at her and Logan. “Her parents were taken. She found out last night,” I said.

“
Seriously?” Cambria’s eyes went wide. “How?”

“
That pack of Werewolves that’s been targeting alumni,” I said.

Logan stared hard at the door, as if he could will Victoria to reappear. “That’s horrible,” he said.

Cord pushed back from her chair and headed for the door without so much as a backwards glance.

“
Where’s she going?” Cambria asked.

“
To find Victoria, I think. They know each other.”

“
How?”

“
They didn’t say. The kicker is that they actually like each other. Still trying to figure that one out,” I said.

Logan stood and grabbed his tray as the bell rang. “I’ve gotta…” He was gone before he could finish.

Cambria and I shared a look and headed for class.

*

Cord didn’t show up for my first two classes. Neither did Victoria. Demi was there, and from the glaring look she gave me she seemed to be up to the challenge of ‘head bitch’ just fine. On my way out of Chemistry she blocked my path up the aisle. I stopped and waited for her to finish whatever point she thought she could make by standing in my way. I was not in the mood for this.

She ended our silent standoff by hissing one word. “Dog.”

A couple of jocky guys that were lined up behind her laughed and began barking.

I rolled my eyes. “What’s your name again? I keep calling you minion number one,” I said.

Her eyes narrowed. “It’s Demi Johanssen, mutt. Don’t forget. I’m in charge now.”

“
Whatever,” I said.

“
And tell you’re freak friend she shouldn’t feel bad. Most girls wouldn’t be able to handle someone like Phillipe. Then again, I’m not most girls.”

“
You’re with Phillipe?” My brow went up. Cambria had said she’d seen them together, but how any guy could pick Demi over Cambria was too unbelievable.

“
I would’ve thought that was obvious, judging from the intricate position she found us in.” Demi flipped her hair, her lips twisting at the corners.

I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a response. Besides, what do you say to that kind of sexual reference anyway? Um, gross.

When it was clear to her that I wasn’t going to respond, she spun on her heel and left.

I watched her leave and realized my assumption had been correct. Whatever had happened at breakfast had been big. Power shifting big. And Victoria was out.

I slid through the door to Defensive Maneuvers as Professor Flaherty reached over to close it. The rest of the room was empty.

“
Cutting it close,” she said.

“
Sorry, Professor.”

Someone knocked on the door behind me, and I stepped aside so Professor Flaherty could open it.

“
Can I help you?” Professor Flaherty asked.

“
Hi, I’m Cord, your new student.”

“
Nice to meet you, Cord. Come in.” Professor Flaherty stepped back and let Cord enter. “I was told you’d be arriving today. You’re from Frederick Falls, with Tara, right?”

“
I’m from there. Not with Tara, though,” Cord corrected.

Professor Flaherty glanced between us, looking a little confused at Cord’s answer, but she let it pass. “Well, we’re glad you’re here. Is this your first time at a Hunter school?”

“
Yes.”

“
You’ll do great. Tara’s adjusting just fine so I’m sure you’ll have no problem. The rest of the students are assembling down the path for drills. Tara can show you where it is. I’ll be along in a moment.”

Cord nodded, and I led her out the back door and onto the path.

“
How’s Victoria?” I asked. I wasn’t sure exactly why I was asking, but basic compassion seemed to require it, and there was a part of me that did feel bad for her, in spite of everything.

“
She’s a wreck, of course,” Cord said with a shrug.

“
Demi must’ve really known what button to push to break her like that,” I said.

“
Demi.” Cord spat the word like it made her mouth hurt to say it. “Not a fan.”

“
So, is Victoria going to kick her ass and take her spot at the top again?”

Cord gave me a look that reminded me of the way my mother looked at me when I did or said something wrong. “Her parents were kidnapped, genius. I don’t think she cares about being Miss Popular right now.”

I bit back my retort because maybe Cord didn’t know Victoria as well as she thought. Maybe she knew some other version of Victoria that I didn’t know existed.

“
Then what’s she up to?” I asked.

“
She’s talking to Headmaster Whitfield about what comes next.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
It’s all up in the air since her parents were a big political deal. They can’t decide whether to keep it quiet until the pack can be tracked down and held accountable or hype it up so more Hunters will want to join the search for the guilty party. If they decide to hype it they want Victoria to be a spokesman of sorts.”

“
How do you know all of this?” I asked.

“
Vera told me.”

“
Vera told you?”

She shrugged. “I’m in the loop. I guess you’re not.”

I gritted my teeth because she was right. For some stupid reason. She’d been here less than a day, and already she knew more than I’d been told my entire time here. I wanted to know more, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask and further reveal how little everyone told me compared to her.

We joined the rest of class, and I drifted away from Cord and huddled up with Logan until we broke up into pairs for sparring. Cord stayed next to Professor Flaherty for most of class, watching like I had done the first week. I concentrated on my partner for the day, Justin. I hated to say it, but he wasn’t exactly skilled at combat, and it was almost too easy to move and block his thrusts and kicks. I went through the motions of the moves I’d finally gotten the hang of, and concentrated on perfecting the rhythm of my body as I executed each one. I had to bite back a grimace each time I twisted wrong and upset the scratches that ran the length of my back.

Halfway through class, I glanced up to see Cord fall into a fighting stance in front of another student. Professor Flaherty said something to the student and he stepped up to meet Cord’s advance, crouching in a way that spoke of over-confidence and grinning recklessly. Levi.

I blocked Justin and danced away, making sure to keep him at an angle so I could watch the fight beginning across the clearing.

Cord advanced toward Levi, who was still crouched but a little too relaxed. He was obviously going to let her make the first move and go way easy on her. A couple of his friends had given up their own sparring and were drifting closer to watch. Cord didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were fixed on Levi, her lips pressed together in a tight line. Levi held up a hand and beckoned to her with his fingers. She charged.

Her expression never even changed as she whirled a leg through the air and brought it up sideways against his cheek.

Levi was thrown to the left and his face went with him, like he’d been slapped. He stumbled and turned back to Cord with wide eyes.

Professor Flaherty said something and motioned for them to continue. She was smiling.

I held up a hand to Justin as Cord and Levi faced off again. This was getting good. The rest of the class must’ve been thinking the same thing. Everyone else had stopped their session and drifted closer to the main event. Justin shrugged and fell into step beside me as we crossed the clearing to get a better look.

A round of cheers went up, and I broke through the wall of bodies in time to see Cord drop down into a crouch and throw her foot out, clothes-lining Levi at the ankles. He went down on his back with a thud, and I heard the breath whoosh out of him. He stared up at Cord, stunned.

She, on the other hand, looked down at him completely satisfied.

“
Nice!” Logan appeared beside me and offered his hand to Cord for a high five. Cord smiled and slapped his palm, stepping over Levi to do it.

“
Well done,” said Professor Flaherty, stepping into the circle. “All right class, that’s all we have time for today.”

She offered Levi a hand. He ignored it and rolled over, pulling himself up knees first and looking dazed. The crowd broke apart and everyone drifted back into the woods, headed for school. I followed behind Logan and Cord, sulking over how easily Cord had gained the acceptance of an entire class, while I was still treated like a scarlet letter.

*

“
You really don’t have to tag along with me everywhere I go.”

“
Yes, I do,” Cord said, from beside me.

I was on my way to meet Alex and was already running late thanks to Cord’s newfound popularity. The entire junior class had heard about Cord beating the crap out of Levi, and she couldn’t walk down the hall without someone stopping to talk to her. A few had even attempted to include me in the conversation, like being seen with Cord cancelled out my otherwise nonexistent social status.

“
Woot Woot!” Cambria came up behind us, smiling at Cord. “I heard about the take down. Looks like new girl can hack it.”

“
More like jock-boy can’t,” Cord replied.

Cambria nodded appreciatively and simple as that, the connection was made. Cambria was officially off the fence and had huddled up on Team Cord’s side.

I glared at her.

“
What?” she asked.

“
Traitor,” I muttered.

She shrugged, feigning innocence.

“
I’ve got training,” I said. I shoved out the door into the courtyard, leaving Cambria behind.

I was making sure to walk fast enough that Cord and I were single file instead of side by side.

“
Wes invited you here to help me with Miles, not be the big sister I never wished I had,” I said over my shoulder. A hand closed over my arm, yanking me to a stop. I whirled so I was face to face with a glaring Cord. “What is your problem?” I demanded.

“
If we’re being technical, Wes invited me here to babysit you,” she said. “Which we both agree isn’t one of his best decisions. But I’m here. And we can either make the best of it and find a way to take Miles out, or kill each other in the process. I don’t really care which way it goes, but I would prefer the first. Personal reasons.”