The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Seventeen

That was amazing Seriously, mediocre express happily, skipping along with her hand in Zanders. I am, homogeneous, the Queen of Quarters. Who k modernistic-sprung(prenominal) I had this hidden talent? Laughing, Zander threw his arm around her shoulders and pul ed her closer. You atomic number 18 beautiful awe whatever, he agreed. Drinking games, visions, astrology. Any other skil s I should drive in ab come out(predicate)?Snuggling against him, comme il faut frowned in mock concentration. Not that I can retrieve of. Just be aw atomic number 18 of my general wonderfulness. His island of Jersey was soft and worn, and sightly tilted her head a bit to bear her cheek against it. Im gladiola we got our friends together, she said. I thought Marcus and Meredith palpable y grade it off, didnt you? Not romantical y, at al , which is good since Meredith has a super-serious boyfriend, al unrivalled it was like they shared the same secret jock language. Maybe we can al hang out i n a group again sometime.Yeah, Meredith and Marcus real y bonded over their workouts, Zander agreed, scarcely on that point was a hesitation in his voice that made comme il faut stop walking and peer up at him shrewdly.Didnt you like my friends? she asked, hurt. She and Meredith and Elena had incessantly had what they privately cal ed a velociraptor sisterhood. crossbreed oneness of them and the other two would close in to protect her. Zander had to like them.No, I liked them a lot, Zander as certainlyd her. He hesitated, because added, Elena seemed class of uncomfortable, though. Maybe were not the kind of throng she likes?Bonnie stiffened. Are you cal ing my beat friend a snob? she asked.Zander stroked her back appeasingly. Sort of, I guess. I mean, nice, but on the button kind of a snob. The nicest kind of snob.I just want her to like me.Shes not a snob, Bonnie said indignantly. And crimson if she was, shes got a lot to be a snob about. Shes beautiful and sweet and one of the best friends Ive ever had. Id do anything for her. And shed do anything for me, similarly. So it doesnt exit if shes a snob, she concluded, glaring at him.Come here, Zander said. They were near the music building, and he pul ed her into the lit alcove by the front door. Sit with me? he asked, settling on the brick step and tugging her hand.Bonnie sat down, but she was stubborn not to snuggle up to him again. Instead, she kept a distance between them and stared stubbornly out at the night, her jaw firmly set.Listen, Bonnie, Zander said, pushing a long strawberry blonde curl out of her eye. Il get to last Elena better, and Im sure Il like her. Il get her to like me, too. You do it why Im termination to get to know her better?No, why? said Bonnie, reluctantly expression at him.Because I want to know you better. Im planning on consumption a lot of time with you, Bonnie McCul ough. He nudged her gently with his shoulder, and Bonnie melted.Zanders eyes were so blue, bl ue like morning on the precise commencement exercise day of summer vacation. There was intel igence and laughter with just a touch of a wild longing in them. He leaned in closer, and Bonnie was sure he was about to court her, their first kiss at last.She tilted her head back to meet his lips, her eyelashes fluttering closed. subsequentlyward a moment of waiting for a kiss that didnt come, she sat up again and opened her eyes. Zander was staring past her, out into the darkness of the campus, frowning.Bonnie cleared her throat.Oh, he said, sorry, Bonnie, I got distracted for a minute.Distracted? Bonnie echoed indignantly. What do you mean you Hang on a sec. Zander put a finger to her lips, shushing her.Do you hear something? Bonnie asked, uneasy tingles creeping up her back.Zander got to his feet. Sorry, I just remembered something I cause to do. Il catch up with you later, fine? With a halfhearted wave, not even looking at Bonnie, he loped off into the darkness.Bonnies mouth d ropped open. Wait she said, scrambling to her feet. Are you just sledding to yield me here Zander was gone alone? she finished in a precise voice.Great. Bonnie walked out to the middle of the way, looked around, and waited a minute to see if at that place was any sign of Zander coming back. just now there was no one in sight.She couldnt even hear his footsteps any more(prenominal).There were pools of light beneath the lane lamps on the path, but they didnt reach very far. A breeze rustled the runs of the trees on the quad, and Bonnie shivered. No good sense in standing here, Bonnie thought, and she started walking.For the first few steps down the path toward her dorm, Bonnie was real y angry, hot and humiliated. How could Zander fork over been such a flake? How could he leave her al alone in the middle of the night, especial y after al the attacks and disappearances on campus? She kicked viciously at a pebble in her path.A few steps further on, Bonnie stopped existence so angry.She was too scared the fear was pushing the anger out of her. She should have headed back to the dorm when Meredith and Elena did, but shed assured them, gaily, that Zander would walk her back. How could he have just left her? She wrapped her arms around herself tightly and went as fast as she could without actual y running, her stupid high-heeled going-out-dancing shoes pinching and fashioning the bal s of her feet ache.It was real y late most of the other people who lived on campus must be tucked into their beds by now. The silence was unsettling.When the footsteps began goat her, it was even worse.She wasnt sure she was real y hearing them at first. in small stages y, she became aware of a faint, quick padding in the distance, someone contemptible lightly and fast. She paused and listened, and the footsteps grew louder and faster stil .Someone was running toward her.Bonnie sped up, stumbling over her feet in her haste.Her shoes skidded on a loose stone in the path and she fel , catching herself on her hands and one knee. The impact stung sharply bounteous to bring tears to her eyes, but she kicked off her shoes, not fondness that she was divergence them behind. She scrambled up and ran faster.The footsteps of her pursuer were louder now, starting to catch up. Their troll was strange loud periodic footfal s with quicker, lighter beats in between. Bonnie realized with horror that there was more than one soulfulness chasing her.Her foot skidded again, and she barely caught her balance, staggering sideways a few steps to keep from fal ing, losing more ground.A heavy hand fel on Bonnies shoulder, and she screamed and whipped around, her fists raise in a desperate bid to defend herself.Bonnie Meredith gasped, clutching Bonnies shoulders. What are you doing out here by yourself? Samantha came up beside them, carrying Bonnies shoes, and doubled over, panting for breath.You are way too fast for me, Meredith, she said.Bonnie swal owed a sob of relief . this instant that she was safe, she matte like sitting down and having hysterics. You scared me, she said.Meredith looked furious. Remember how we promised to get together? Merediths gray eyes were stormy. You were supposed to stay with Zander until you got planetary house safely.Bonnie, about to respond heatedly that it hadnt been her choice to be out here alone, unawares closed her mouth and nodded.If Meredith knew that Zander had left Bonnie out here by herself, she would never, never forgive him. And Bonnie was mad at Zander for leaving her, but she wasnt quite that mad, not mad enough to turn Meredith against him. Maybe he had an explanation. And she stil wanted that kiss.Im sorry, Bonnie said abjectly, staring down at her feet. Youre right, I should have known better. Mol ified, Meredith swung an arm over Bonnies shoulders. Samantha silently turn over Bonnie her shoes, and Bonnie pul ed them back on. Lets walk Samantha back to her dorm, and then wel go home together, s he said forgivingly. Youl be okay with us. Around the command from her room, Elena sagged and leaned against the hal way wal for a moment. It had been a long, long night. There had been drinks, and dancing with the great shaggy-haired Spencer who, as Samantha had warned her, did try to pick Elena up and swing her around.Things got loud and aggravating, and the full-page time, her heart hurt. She wasnt sure she wanted to navigate the world without Stefan. Its just for now, she told herself, straightening up and plodding around the corner.Hel o, princess, said Damon. Elena stiffened in shock.Lounging on the floor in front of her door, Damon somehow managed to look sleek and perfectly poised in what would have been an awkward position for anyone else. As she recovered from the shock of his being there at al , Elena was surprised by the burst of joy that rose up in her chest at the sight of him. toilsome to ignore that happy little hop inside her, she said flatly, I told you I didnt want to see you for a while, Damon. Damon shrugged and rose graceful y to his feet.Darling, Im not here to plead for your hand. His eyes lingered on her mouth for a moment, but then he went on in a teetotal and detached tone. Im just checking in on you and the little redbird, making sure you havent disappeared with whatevers gone sour on this campus.Were fine, Elena said shortly. Here I am, and Bonnies new boyfriend is walking her home.New boyfriend? Damon asked, raising one eyebrow.Hed always had something some connection with Bonnie, Elena knew, and she guessed his ego might not be thril ed to have her moving past the little crush shed focused on him. And how did you get home? Damon asked acidly. I pecker you havent picked up a new boyfriend to protect you. Not yet, anyway. Elena flushed and bit her lip but refused to rise to the bait. Meredith just left to patrol around campus. I notice you didnt ask about her. Dont you want to make sure shes safe?Damon snorted. I pity any g houl that goes after that one, he said, sounding more admiring than anything else.Can I come in? Note that Im being complaisant again, waiting for you out here in this dingy hal way quite of comfortably on your bed.You can come in for a minute, Elena said grudgingly, and opened her bag to rummage for her keys.Oh. She felt a sudden pain of heartache. At the top of her bag, rather crushed and wilted now, was the daisy shed found exterior her door at the beginning of the evening. She touched it gently, reluctant to push it excursion in the hunt for her keys.A daisy, said Damon dryly. Very sweet. You dont seem to be taking much care of it, though. Purposely ignoring him, Elena grabbed her keys and snapped the bag shut. So you think the disappearances and attacks are because of ghouls? Do you mean something supernatural? she asked, unlocking the door.What did you find out, Damon?Shrugging, Damon fol owed her into the room.Nothing, he answered grimly. But I certainly dont think the m issing kids just freaked out and went home or to Daytona Beach or something. I think you need to be careful. Elena sat down on her bed, drew her knees up, and rested her chin on them. Have you used your berth to try to figure out whats going on? she asked. Meredith said she would ask you.Damon sat down next to her and sighed. Beloved, as little as I like to admit it, even my Power has limits, he said.If someone is much stronger than me, like Klaus was, he can fog himself. If someone is much weaker, he doesnt usual y make enough of an impression for me to find him unless I al deposit know who he is. And for some ridiculous reason he scowled I can never sense werewolves at al .So you cant help? Elena said, dismayed.Oh, I didnt say that, Damon said. He touched a loose strand of Elenas golden hair with one long finger. Pretty, he said absently. I like your hair pul ed back like this. She twitched away from him, and he dropped his hand. Im looking into it, he went on, his eyes gleami ng. I havent had a good hunt in far too long.Elena wasnt sure that she ought to find this comforting, but she did, in a kind of chilling way. Youl be relentless, then? she asked, a little chil going through her, and he nodded, his long black lashes half veiling his eyes.She was so sleepy and felt happier now that shed seen Damon, although she knew she shouldnt have let him in.She missed him, too. You had better go, she said, yawning. Let me know what you find out. Damon stood, hesitating by the end of her bed. I dont like leaving you alone here, he said. Not with everything thats been happening. Where are those friends of yours?Theyl be here, Elena said. Something generous in her made her add, But if youre that worried, you can sleep here if you want. Shed missed him, she had, and he was being a perfect gentleman. And she had to admit, she would feel safer with him there.I can? Damon quirked a wicked eyebrow.On the floor, Elena said firmly. Im sure Bonnie and Meredith wil be glad f or your protection, too. It was a lie.While Bonnie would be thril ed to see him, there was a decent chance Meredith would kick him on purpose as she crossed the room. She might even put on special toed boots to do it.Elena got up and pul ed down a spare screening from her closet for him, then headed off to brush her teeth and change. When she came back, al ready for bed, he was lying on the floor, wrapped in the blanket. His eyes lingered for a minute on the curve of her neck leading down to her fancy white nightgown, but he didnt say anything.Elena climbed into bed and turned out the light. Good night, Damon, she said.There was a soft rush of air. Then absolutely he whispered softly in her ear, Good night, princess. Cool lips brushed her cheek and then were gone.