Chapter 36

Tessa’s POV

I only got a couple of hours of sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Joseph all night. His question stuck in my brain.

“What did you see in Brian?”

I gave him a short answer, but truth be told, I wasn’t entirely sure myself. I mean Brian was definitely cute, and he had sweet moments, but he’s always been so arrogant and so unlike the guys I’m usually attracted to. But Brian was my first and only everything and I had an attachment to him.

I was willing to change everything about myself to be with him. Everything except my passion for writing. That was something he desperately tried to change. But writing kept me sane. I needed it in my life to hold onto a piece of myself that was just my own.

He never understood that.

Once I finished getting dressed for the day, I made my way downstairs to grab a pop tart from the kitchen when I saw Joseph sitting in the living room. He was watching TV and a smile tugged at my lips at the image of him being so casual yet again.

It was the news station.

As I walked by him to get to the kitchen, I heard a woman on the news speaking about what sounded like another attack, making me pause.

“They have been completely drained of their blood…” the woman said, her voice sounding strained.

I looked at the TV and saw they were displaying some pictures of deceased animals.

A man, who looked to be a hunter, stood on the TV with the woman and spoke about his discovery.

“I was just hunting when I stumbled upon these animals. They’ve been completely drained and just left out in the open. I don’t think it’s an animal attack,” the man shouted into the mic.

I looked at Joseph who stared at the TV, making no sound.

“The local authorities are currently investigating this new case and will keep us updated once they know more information,” the woman continued.

“What’s going on?” I finally asked once it was clear Joseph wasn’t going to further explain anything.

He sighed and turned off the TV.

“Hiding your scent seems to be working well. The new vampires can’t pick up on it and still keep looking for it.”

“Why did they choose to attack animals instead of other human being?”

“Searching for you cost them quite a lot of energy every day, so they will only have time to drink from animals for a while,” he answered, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face. “It won’t be long until they found their next human target, but they’ve gotten incredibly sloppy though and left a trail this time.”

“Like a message?” I asked, eyeing him carefully.

He lifted his gaze to meet mine.

“What?”

“It’s like they are sending us a message,” I clarified.

It was obvious he hadn’t thought of that. He furrowed his brows together and nodded.

“Perhaps,” he agreed.

But then he shook his head, shaking away the thought, and stood to his feet.

“I’m going to take you to school this morning,” he told me. “You’ll need to drive again of course.”

“What’s the point of you coming with me if you’re going to make me drive?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

“It’s so I can be sure that you get there safely. I’ll just hide in my office for the day and take a nap.”

I didn’t argue with him. I knew that would be pointless. Plus, I would feel a little better knowing that Joseph was nearby.

I went into the kitchen to grab a pop tart. I was munching on it when I went back into the living room.

“Those aren’t good for you,” Joseph said, staring at the surgery treat in my hands.

“You have nothing better to eat,” I muttered with my mouth full.

“I have a grocery shopper that will be stocking the kitchen while we are at school,” Joseph told me. “Tomorrow, I expect you to eat a proper breakfast.”

I said nothing as I finished stuffing my face and then we left for school.

Just like yesterday, Joseph sat in the back seat of his car as I pulled away from the Villa. I was starting to feel like his personal driver.

The car ride was silent and for most of the time, I was wondering deeply what he was thinking. I wondered if our moment last night still played in his head like it played in mine.

Did my answer to his question last night satisfy him? Or did it leave him with more questions?

It didn’t take us long to get to the school, and once I parked the car, he was quick to get inside and disappear through the doors.

I waited a moment longer so others wouldn’t notice us arriving at the school at the same time.

“You never called me last night,” Ruby said with a timid frown as I got to my locker. “I was worried.”

“I’m so sorry. I was more tired than I thought, and I just went to bed,” I lied.

“I get it,” she said, leaning her back against the lockers. “I couldn’t stop thinking about the assembly all night. I’m still in shock about Morgan…”

I knew it wasn’t easy for Ruby because she was the one who witnessed Morgan dying. Morgan died in her arms. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest at the very thought. I couldn’t imagine how Ruby felt.

“I know I’ve been weird lately,” I told her, meeting her sad eyes. “My intention isn’t to ignore you and I know you are going through a lot too.”

“It’s okay,” she said, blinking away the tears in her eyes. “I understand where you are coming from. I’m not upset with you. Just upset with the situation.”

“I know,” I breathed as I hugged her. “I hope you know that I love you, Ruby.”

“I love you too, Tess.”

Once we pulled a part, I grabbed the stuff I needed from my locker, but I still felt Ruby’s eyes on the side of my face.

“What?” I finally asked, glancing at her.

“Are you really staying in a hotel?” She asked, biting onto her bottom lip. “I know you’ve only stayed with me for a short time, but my apartment feels weird without you. Plus, I just got a whole security system so it’s super safe there…”

“Ruby—”

“I miss you being there,” she blurted. “I don’t know if you left because I did something wrong but…

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I assured her.

“It feels like you left because of me. You are living in a hotel for crying out loud,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. “That can’t be very comfortable.”

I went to say something more, but I heard a familiar voice coming from nearby.

“Miss Ruby, do you have a minute to talk?” Joseph asked as he approached us. I was surprised that he wasn’t in his office sleeping like he said he would be.

She looked startled to see him.

“Hello, Professor Evergreen,” she said with a polite smile. She glanced at me for a moment before looking back at him. “What can I do for you?”

“I just received your assignment and I’m quite pleased with what I’m reading so far. Can you spare a few minutes before your first class to discuss it in further detail?”

She looked surprised by his question, but she nodded quickly.

“Yes, of course,” she said. Then, she looked at me. “Can we talk about this more later?”

“Sure,” I said, waving her away.

She turned to walk towards the stairs that lead to the faculty offices. Before Joseph turned to follow her, he glanced at me briefly, giving me a knowing look. I knew he had overheard that conversation, and this was his way of getting her away from me.

For that, I was thankful.

Just as they disappeared, I shut my locker door, only to hear my name being called down the hallway.

“Hey, Tessa! Wait up!”

I turned to see Brian walking toward me.