“I’m sorry.” Fear had her speaking between stiff lips.
“Calm down, my friend.” The headmaster’s voice was quiet. “I’m sure Katarina did not mean any such thing.” As he spoke, puffs of cold air came out of his mouth.
Alexandru started to speak, and Katarina held her breath while tension gripped the rest of the room’s occupants, all of them vigilant as they waited to see if Alexandru would snap.
No words came from Alexandru.
Her heart beating madly, she mustered the courage to look at him.
Oh.
Alexandru’s eyes were closed, his lips tightly compressed. She knew immediately that he was no longer with them, with a part of his mind locked with his pet through the blood bond they shared.
When his eyes opened again, fury swirled in its green depths. “I must go. My pet needs me.”
And then he was gone, his powers fully unleashed, its impact like a torrent of wind that left the humans falling to their knees with dazed expressions on their faces.
Katarina only had a moment’s hesitation before a rare sense of impulsiveness seized her.
She followed him, tracking Alexandru by his scent. It was the only way since Alexandru was moving too fast, making it impossible for Katarina to keep him in sight.
When he slowed down, she slowed down, too, and Katarina realized that they were at Key Moarte. She remembered then that today was the scheduled trip—-
A scream spilled past her lips as fingers came out of nowhere, encircling her wrist and whipping her back. She stumbled to a stop and she screamed again in shock, this time upon finding Alexandru looming before her, with nothing to shield her from his powerful aura.
Leave now if all you have come for is to cause trouble.
Alexandru’s menacingly soft tone in her mind made Katarina shudder. It was like hearing a stranger speak, a terrifyingly volatile stranger and not like a man who had once loved her more than anything else in the world.
I come in peace, Alexandru. She dropped to her knees. It wasn’t just a sign of respect, it was also to acknowledge that he was the brother of the marquis and thus he, too, ruled over their kind.
She said in her mind, I am a healer, Alexandru, and your pet may need my help.
Silence, vicious and taunting, as if Alexandru was weighing how much he wanted her alive—-
Her name is Zari, hunter, and I will not forgive you again if you ever speak ill of her.
Katarina bowed her head. Yes, milord.
She knew then he was no longer the Alexandru she loved, no longer the Alexandru who had loved her. But even so, she would not give up.
Chapter Three
ZARI
It had only been minutes since I came back to the hotel room when I felt the door open behind me, followed by a cool blast of wind coming from the outside. Since I knew air-conditioning units couldn’t walk, I had a pretty good idea what caused it.
“Master.” I turned around, and it really was Alexandru.
He came to me wordlessly, cupping my face and looking into my eyes. His touch made me tremble, and I stayed still as he ran his hands over my body, searching for any sign of injuries.
“I’m fine.” I didn’t want him to worry.
His gaze returned to my face, and I realized that my reassurance hadn’t done any good. I could feel his hands shaking. “You were burning,” he bit out. “I could feel it, even though I didn’t see your vision—-”
Good, I thought numbly. Because he was the last person I wanted to know about my vision.
Shaking my head at his words, I cut him off, saying, “I was just…hot.” It was supposed to be a quip, but it fell awkward between us and when his gaze narrowed, I immediately looked away.
“What did you see, pet?”
I didn’t answer.
He cupped my face again, forcing me to look at him. “Zari…”
“I can’t.” The words were torn out from me, and suddenly I could see it again.
The school was burning…
Katarina was dying…
Guilt flamed into life, a fire that didn’t just burn me but crushed me under its weight, nearly bringing me down to my knees.
Oh God, had it all happened because unrequited love had turned me into a selfish and vindictive bitch?
“Just tell me this, and don’t fucking lie,” Alexandru said in a hard voice. “Were you in danger in your vision?”
Biting my lip to stop it from trembling, I shook my head slowly and watched my Master’s powerful body relax at my answer.
A sob rose to my throat, but I forced it back down.
If only.
If only it could be me—-
Someone knocked on the door, and Alexandru stiffened, making me look at him in surprise. “What is—-”
“May I come in?”
I paled.
Katarina was here?
“She came with you?” The words came out of my mouth in a hiss. “You’ve been with her all the time?” In the back of my mind, I knew that I was acting out like a kid, knew that the anger was my defense against the guilt.