"And how did you get in here?" I continued, trying not to be distracted by his mouth. A crease ran vertically down the middle of his lower lip, the effect pouty and almost feminine. I bit my own lip in reaction, feeling the blood rush to the area, as I imagined my teeth biting down on his mouth.

I shook the thought from my head and focused on the important thing. The door had been unlocked. Had I forgotten to lock it, or had Brooke? But that still didn't explain how he'd made it through the front door without anyone challenging him.

One corner of that full mouth turned up. His blue eyes twinkled. "I sneaked in. I'm good at going unnoticed."

His Irish accent made my insides melt, but I forced myself to be hard. I wasn't one of those girls who turned into goo the moment they were in the presence of a hot guy.

"Not by me, you're not. Seems to me like you're everywhere I look. Now get out of here before my roommate gets back. She thinks I'm crazy as it is. You being here will make things even worse."

He got to his feet, but instead of walking out the door, he approached me. His eyes slightly narrowed, but didn't leave my face for a moment. My heart increased its pace with every step he took closer to me, my breath growing shallow. He stopped a mere six inches from me, looking down at me so his jaw length hair fell around his face.

"Don't pretend having me in your bedroom does nothing to you."

I didn't want him to know he was right. I stepped back, trying to break whatever spell he had me under. "You leave me cold," I said.

Infuriatingly, he laughed. "See, I knew you were icy. Maybe that's what I should call you from now on, Icy."

"You don't need to call me anything," I shot back.

"Aww, come on, Icy. You don't really want me to leave."

I didn't. He was driving me nuts, but I certainly didn't want him to go. He'd occupied my thoughts constantly since I'd first seen him working the ride. But at the same time, I was terrified of Brooke coming back and what her reaction would be. The girl already had it in for me. But yet I couldn't stand not knowing the reason for Riley being in my bedroom.

"Okay, Riley," I submitted. "Tell me what you want and then get the h.e.l.l out of here."

He jerked back in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

I knew this would throw him. "The cops told me."

"They came to speak with you already?"

"Sure did. Were asking me lots of questions about you, how I knew you, what kind of set up you had going on."

I enjoyed the falter in his c.o.c.ky att.i.tude.

"And what did you tell them?"

"I don't see why I need to tell you anything. As far as I can see, you owe me. If I'd not warned all those people about the ride, you and the rest of your crew could be up for a manslaughter charge right now."

"So come on, straight up with me. How did you know the accident was about to happen?" He eyed me, no longer quite so predatorial, but more curious. He knew there was something different about me, he just had no idea what-or at least I hoped he had no idea what.

"There's nothing more I can tell you. Sorry."

"Listen. If you won't tell me anything more, you need to watch yourself. You've gotten yourself noticed a couple of times now by the guys who run the carnival, and they don't like what they don't understand."

I lifted my eyebrows. "Watch myself? Are you threatening me?"

"No, I'm warning you." He sounded exasperated.

"Warning me or threatening me, they both sound the same. You're telling me that unless I tell you exactly what happened, your guys are going to come after me."

He shrugged, but had the decency to look uncomfortable for the first time. "I'm only telling you the truth."

"Yeah, well, your truth sucks. Now get the h.e.l.l out of my room before I scream, and really give you something to worry about."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Riley walked to the door, opened it, peered one way and then the other. He offered me a wink, and slipped from the room.

I sat on the edge of my bed, shaking. How could one boy create such a mixture of emotions inside me? Part of me wanted to hit him, while the other just wanted to be near him. There was no denying there was something magnetic about Riley. He might have decided there was something different about me, but I couldn't help feeling I was missing something about him, too.

Did I really need to be worried about the men from the carnival coming after me? After all, I didn't do anything wrong. Surely it was just an accident.

Something occurred to me.

Unless it wasn't an accident. Unless something else was supposed to have happened, and I interfered, or else the accident was supposed to have happened, but the fact someone seemed to know about it spooked them?

The door burst open again, and I shot upright, my nerves jangling. Was he back? But instead of a c.o.c.ky dark-haired gypsy boy, a gaggle of girls walked in, all laughing and talking, their heads together. I never felt like more of an outsider than when I was in this situation. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fit in with these perfect images of the all-American college girl. My soul was too dark.

"Hey, Beth," one of the girls, Kayla, said with a bright smile. "How were your first cla.s.ses? I think I saw you in bio. I tried to catch your eye, but you were so focused on your laptop, I couldn't."

"Oh, yeah," I said, forcing a smile. "Catching up on my email, you know?"

"Oh, sure. I know exactly what you mean. I always struggle to pay attention when I have mail."

Brooke had entered with them, but she barely looked at me. I had to a.s.sume from the fact the other girls were speaking to me like I was a normal human being that Brooke hadn't told them about the incident in the bathroom. For that, at least, I was grateful.

Brooke's other friend, Erin, sat down on my bed and grinned at me, bright-eyed. "So spill the gossip!"

Unease swept through me in a wave. "What gossip?"

"You know, about what happened last night."

My eyes flicked to Brooke, but she gave a slight shake of her head. Okay, so she hadn't told them. Maybe she wasn't as bad as I first thought. Of course, they meant the carnival.

Erin flicked her curls from her face. "I heard the cops were on campus today looking for you."

I shrugged to try to show them how unbothered I was by all of this. "They found me. They just wanted to ask me a couple of questions."

Kayla plonked herself down on the other side of me, leaving Brooke standing on the other side of the room. She smiled, as if joining in with the group, but I could sense the cold stare in her eyes. I realized that my escapades at the carnival last night had made me a bit of a celebrity, and the arrival of the police had only compounded the idea that I was some kind of bad-a.s.s. I guessed that despite the whispers, this made me stand out, and everyone wanted the inside news on what had happened. Of course, it now felt as though I was stealing Brooke's friends from her, and I wondered how long she would hold onto the secret about what she'd caught me doing last night.

I told myself my self-harm was different to what some other teenage girls put themselves through. After all, I healed almost as quickly as I cut, and I wasn't cutting in order to release whatever pent up, teenage emotions I was going through. At least, I told myself that wasn't the reason I did it. But perhaps my reaction to other people's extreme emotions by wanting to bite them was my own strange, half-vampire, teenage body's reaction. Other teenagers might be controlled by their hormones. I was controlled by my part-vampire genetics.

But no, they didn't control me. I had a handle on it. Or I hoped I did.

"So are you coming to the social tonight?" Kayla asked me. "We're all planning to go if you want to come with?" She looked over to Brooke. "That's okay, isn't it?"

Brooke shrugged, but didn't look at me. "Whatever."

I wondered if Laurel would be going. I hadn't spoken to her since the police carted me off in the hall, and we hadn't bothered exchanging numbers. Fingers crossed, she would be there. I could do with a cheerful face whose company I could relax in.

I just hoped that after I'd been caught out in my blatant lie that she'd still want to talk to me.

Chapter.

10.

Music blasted from the sports hall, banners strung out front welcoming the new influx of students. Small cl.u.s.ters of students hung out on the gra.s.s outside, chatting to each other. A group of guys threw a football around and yelled at one another, distracted only by the girls walking around in heels and short skirts.

Despite the balmy evening, I'd opted for a long sleeve top in floaty chiffon, and another pair of jeans. I needed to keep my arms covered because, while the cuts from the previous night were now scars, they were still visible. I never felt comfortable showing off my legs.

The three girls walking with me didn't have any of my inhibitions. Brooke wore a skin-tight short dress, while Kayla rocked a pair of low slung skinny-fit jeans with a top that exposed her stomach, and Erin sported a strappy cami that left little to the imagination, and a flippy, short skirt. I felt like a total frump walking beside them. The only benefit I could think of was that at least I didn't need to worry about any of the guys checking me out.

The image of Riley in my room that afternoon jumped into my head. I remembered the way he had leaned into me, his dark hair falling into his eyes. How the corner of his lip had lifted in a smirk, and how he'd asked me if I really wanted him to leave.

A pleasurable shiver ran through me.

I didn't care if the guys weren't checking me out. There was only one person I wanted to be noticed by.

I pushed all thoughts of Riley to the back of my mind. It wasn't as though he was going to be here. A strange part of me was disappointed, as if the evening was a waste unless I saw him. I had to remember how shaken I was the last time I'd been in his company. How he'd threatened me ...

Or warned me.

Either way, I couldn't help feeling like I should be worried. I should want to stay well away from both him and anyone else to do with the carnival. But then why was my soul drawn to him?

We entered the hall. Banners were strung across the walls and balloons had been tied in cl.u.s.ters to every pillar and post. On stage, a small band rocked out. A few people danced, but most stood around in groups. A bigger crowd had gathered around the front of the stage, and they jumped up and down in time to the music. A bar was set up on the opposite side of the room, serving non-alcoholic drinks. Of course.

We got our drinks and hung out on the outskirts of the dancers. Though it felt safer being the middle of the group, I had the feeling everyone else was doing the same as me, our gazes constantly drifting over the shoulders of our companions to see who else was here. A group of guys spotted us and headed over.

"Hey, Brooke," the leader of the gang said. He wore a big, loose sleeved shirt. Subtly, he lifted his arm and flashed what was hidden up his sleeve. A silver flask. "You guys want some of this?"

Brooke's face brightened. "Sure!"

Sneakily, he poured a shot of clear liquid, vodka, I a.s.sumed, into each of our drinks. The addition would do little to me. Alcohol didn't affect me. I hoped I wouldn't be holding the hair back from the faces of any of my new friends later that evening.

I spotted a familiar face. She wore a bow in her hair, bright red lipstick that looked cla.s.sy on her, and a cute dress with a flared skirt.

"I'm just going to talk to someone." I excused myself from the others.

"Hey, Laurel," I said, shouting in her ear to get her attention over the band.

She turned with a smile which faltered when she realized who was speaking to her. "Oh, hey, Beth."

"Look, I wanted to apologize for not telling you the truth about what happened at the carnival earlier."

She shrugged. "Forget it. It's none of my business."

"I don't want you to think I'm some kind of pathological liar."

This at least elicited a small smile. "Not a pathological liar, but someone who can predict the future?"

She said it with no trace of irony in her voice, and something tightened inside me. What did she know?

A scream cut through the ba.s.s and guitars of the band. The singer fell silent first, followed by the guitarist and the final crash and bang of the drummer. Voices rose in concern, and students started moving around us, toward the place the scream had originated from. Laurel and I glanced at one another and followed the crowd to find out what was going on.

The students created a circle around a girl lying on the floor. Her body twisted and jerked, her eyes rolled in her head.

"Jesus!" I breathed. "Is she okay?"

Then, before I could think anything else, a number of the older students, Dana and Flynn included, swept in.

"Shouldn't someone call an ambulance?" I said, looking to Laurel, but she stood, transfixed on the scene in front of us. Her hand formed a fist at her mouth, her eyes wide and worried. She appeared more concerned than anyone else in the room, yet she didn't make any move toward the fitting girl.

Dana crouched beside the girl, waiting until the fit had finished, and then Flynn swept her up in his arms. As he lifted her, I noticed something fall from her fingers. The slip of metal dropped to the floor, and as the group moved forward, someone kicked it, sending it sliding in my direction. I don't know what made me do it, but I darted forward and picked the item off the floor, slipping it into the pocket of my jeans. Together, the older students walked from the hall, carrying the girl with them.

I realized the other girls, Brooke, Erin, and Kayla, were standing back around me again. We glanced uneasily at each other.

"Did she have a fit?" said Kayla. "Epilepsy, perhaps."

Brooke shrugged. "Or maybe she took something she shouldn't have? Perhaps her drink was spiked?"

The girls eyed their own cups nervously.

I noticed Laurel was particularly quiet, her line of sight still trained on the door where Dana and Flynn had carried the girl from the room.

Digging the item I'd picked up from my pocket, I glanced down. It was a silver necklace with some kind of pendant on the chain. I would have to try to find the girl and return it to her, though I was sure she had other things to worry about right now. I didn't want to go chasing after the group, waving the necklace around. I had attracted enough attention to myself already, and I didn't intend on creating any more. It was better if I slipped the jewelry back to her unnoticed.

I twisted the pendant in my fingers and frowned. The pendant was a silver circle with a star in the middle. I had seen a symbol similar to that before. The last time I'd come across it, magic had been involved.

Cold clutched at my heart.

"What have you got there?"

I turned at the sound of Laurel's voice, quickly closing my fingers around the pendant.

"Oh, it's nothing."

She laughed. "Don't be silly. I saw you pick something off the floor."