Revenant in Training (Blood and Snow series) (3 page)

“Yes, Snow, I was.”

A part of me wanted to be afraid, but I couldn’t. He’d been nothing but good to me. “Why did you leave?”

“The same reason Kenmei did. I fell in love with the girl I bit.” His voice sounded sad.

“Does that happen a lot?” An idea, or a
n
impression
wiggled its way into my mind. I tried to grab hold of it, understand it, but
too much had happened. Too much information weighed on me.

“Yes, it does.
”

I got the impression h
e wanted to say more
.
“What happened to the one you loved?”
I asked, fearing
the answer.

“She died.”

“I’m so sorry, Professor Pops.”

“As am I, Snow White. As am I.”

I fell asleep, the pounding of his heart, the warmth of his arms, and the movement as he walked making it too difficult to stay awake.

When we stepped
off the train
, my strength
vanished. Professor Pops led me to a waiting car. Though I didn’t see his face, I heard Gabe ask,
“Will she be alright?”

“I hope so. That’s what we’re here for.”

Chapter 3

W
he
n I woke
my immediate reaction was anxiety. This isn’t my room, I thought.
The
bed was king-sized, and made out of brushed pewter. The sheets we
re white as was the comforter, and pillowcases
. Everywhere else hung posters of the Patriot’s—Dorian’s favorite football team. For the briefest moment I wondered why
Gabe hadn’t let me sleep in his room. Then he walked in, a mug of something steaming in his han
d, and all thought left me. I focused on
the emerald green of his eyes, and
his smile.

“Hi,” he said, sittin
g on the bed next to me
.

Seeing his teeth made me think of morning breath, and the fact that I hadn’t br
ushed last night
. Covering my mouth, I sat up, and responded, “Hi back.”

He laughed, and moved my hand.
“So, you’re a revenant? How you
handling the news
?” He held out the mug
, its steaming contents dark and uninviting
.

Taking it, I pressed
the cup
to my lips, and took a small sip.
Then said,
“Yep, that’s me. Snow White, the revenant.
And I’m
handling
the change,” I paused gauging my real feelings. “
Fine
.” I shrugged.
A part of me wanted to tell him everything, that I
heard
his heart
thumping
, the sound of it pumping blood through his veins, and how I longed to reach over, and taste him. I didn’t. Instead I swallowed a large portion of
bloodlust
tea.

“Good.” He pressed a quick kiss on my cheek. “You up to going to school?” Gabe asked, standing.

I searched for a clock, trying to hide the flush
his warm lips touching my face caused.
“Is it Monday already? Can I go to school? Isn’t Professor Pops afraid I’ll eat someone or something?”

Gabe laug
hed. “Drink your tea, and you should
be fine. That’s what Pops says.” He walked to the door. Before leaving, he added, “There are towels, and girly… stuff in Dorian’s bathroom
, including some clean clothes.
” He inclined his
chin
toward the open bathroom door. “Don’t freak out, but yes, the shirt I chose for you is pink
, and it’s in your size.”

I pulled back the covers, and got out of bed. My socks
had been removed
, but I’d slept in my clothes.
“Gee, thanks,” I said, t
hrowing a pillow at him
. I
t landed
straight
in his face, and he fell, smacking his head against the wall with a thud.

I gasped, and ran
over to him. “Gabe. Gabe. Can you hear me?” I grabbed his arms, and shook.

He groaned, and his eyes
blinked open
.

“Wow, I’m so sorry. Remind me never to throw a pillow again.”

“You’ve got some arm.” He sat up,
massaging the tender area.
His
amplified heartbeat
pounded like a drum in my ears
. A delicious scent saturated his pores, like honey. Without meaning to, I leaned into his neck, and drew a deep breath. His hands pressed against my shoulders, determinedly pushing me away. His expression
hung
guarded.

I shook my head.
“Are you okay?” I asked, working to
comprehend what I’d almost done.

“Yep, all good.” He jumped up, as if to show ho
w good he was. “You mostly
caught me off guard.
But, you’d better finish your tea.”

“
Right
.”

“Hurry, and get ready. Pops made breakfast.”

I nodded, and closed the door.

In the bathroom I searched my reflectio
n for changes
.
Opened my mouth, and checked my teeth for needle sharp fangs.
Flexed
my muscl
es. They looked the same
.
“You’re still you,” I said, pulling off my shirt, and turning
on the
hot water
.

***

After my shower,
I dressed
rapidly
. Ga
be had picked out a pink shirt with
GO GREEN across the chest.
I liked it. I liked the jeans too. They sat low on my hips, and
draped
baggy. What I had issues with were the cotton, hot pink bra, and undies. For one thing, they fit perfectly. Not that I had a lot going on up top
. I
was a good
,
solid
B cup. How would they know though
? Also, the undies were my style
,
except for the
color. I usually
wore white underneath everything.

Do I want to know? The
thought ran through my mind more than once, and I decided no, I definitely did not want to know. Some things were better left unsaid.

After sliding on a pair of socks, and my converse, I brushed my hair,
and
gathered my dirty
clothes. From the back pocket of my jeans a piece of paper
sailed
to the floor. I
bent
, and picked it up.
Unfolding
the letter
, I read:

Dearest Snow,

You have
been bitten by your Hunter, a
nd are now a revenant.

Congratulations.

The strong survive, and only one will have the pleasure of becoming my new host.

Now is the
time to play
. B
uild up your strength
.
Enjoy
all
your new body has to offer. Find your true love. Get your fill of him physically, emotionally, spiritually, and then consume his heart.

Y
ou must do so by your eighteenth birthda
y. I believe in you, Snow. You are passionate, and that is
why I
’ve
chose
n
you.

The sooner the better.

Yours,

Sabina, Queen of the Vampires

My hands
shook. The
letter had been written by her, in—I
sniffed
the
red ink
—and knew instantly
. Blood.
Dread surged through me. She could be anywhere
, yet I knew nothing about her, not even
what she looked like.

Quickly, I
went downstairs
, the letter still clutched in my hand
. The
aroma
of toaste
d bread permeated
, and I hurried into the kitchen.

The guys were in varying degrees of feeding their faces. But when I walked in, they all froze.

I ran a hand
through
my still-wet hair.

“What’s wrong?
” Gabe came over immediately. I held out the note.

“You guys aren’t playing tricks on me?” I tried to laugh.

Gabe took the
paper
, and read it. I watched
the color drain from his face.

Professor Pops came over
. From his
shirt
pocket he pulled his wire-framed glasses
. Gabe handed him the letter
. After reading, he set it on the counter,
replaced his glasses in his pocket,
and wiped a hand over his face.

“Do all the marked receive a
note
from her
after they’ve been bitten?”

His face looked bleak. “In the past I’ve heard that more than one have received
something similar
. I must speak with the other Protectors.”

The brothers
circulated
the
paper
. Had I not been
panicked
to the point of passing out, I might’ve la
ughed. “How many
Protector
’s are there
?
Are you all drone vampires who’ve left the Queen’s… hive?
” I asked, focusing on
Professor Pops navy button down shirt
.