Myst♥♥ Chapters one-five

Myst

Prologue

Life was hell  at Damon Academy. Well for me any way. Being the only ‘red-blood’ (dhampir) vampire didn’t help any. The teachers didn’t even know. Except Professor Keegan. And my dad, as soon as he figure out he’s daughter had been cursed, he took me here. To this hellhole. Then he committed suicide. The only person that got me was my best friend, Conner. Him and Keegan were also the only ones that knew the truth about me. And God knows what happened to my mother.

Chapter 1

“Hey, Paige! Wait up!” Conner called, he’s shaggy brown hair covering his green eyes.

         “Conner, if I wait for you, we’ll be late to Keegan’s class. He barely let us by last time," I said, brushing my long brown hair over my shoulder.

         "Whatever,  I'll do this." Immediately he was in front of me. "Hold on, Paige,” Conner said, grabbing my bicep and flipping me onto his back. He took off.

         All vampires had one thing that they were best at, some, like Conner, had two. But what nobody knew was so do red-bloods, which are dhampirs (half humans and half vampire). I just didn't have one. I'd done research on red-bloods, all of then had them. I was the only dhampir in the past century that has walked the halls of Damon Academy. And no one knew, except Conner and Professor Keegan, who was also the headmaster.

         In a matter of a few seconds we were sitting in our seats.  Keegan came in behind us, walking straight to us.

         “He saw us,” I said.

         “Yeah, I did,” Keegan said, laughing.

         “I was against it but she made me,” Conner said.

         “Like he'll believe that,” I told Conner.

         “I don't, that's why he has to show the new kid around.”

         “But! You let us do it!!” Conner complained.

         “There's a reason I want you to do it and after I get down with Paige she'll take over... Tomorrow. Paige, I need to talk to you after class.”

         “Yes, sir.”

         Keegan walked out then came back in with a new kid. He was tall and had a head full of blondish-brown hair. He had on black jeans, combat boots, and a black leather jacket opened to show a skin tight argent muscle tee. A dark brown leather book bag slung lazily over his shoulder.

         “This is Draco Di Morta, he's a new student from Italy. I trust y'all will make him feel welcome.”

         Keegan pointed to our table and whispered something to him. “Yeah, yeah, Uncle, I know,” he muttered loud enough for us to hear. “No being mean to the vampires.”

         Keegan whispered something else to him and I could see him roll his eyes from here. Then, as Keegan whispered something yet again and pushed him towards us, Draco's face changed from a careless expression to shock.

         “So your related to Keegan?” Conner asked as soon as Draco sat down.

         “No, he's just old family friend.”

         I pulled out my Ipod and put one bud in my ear, hiding the wire with my hair.

         “No fair, Paige. You can hide yours.”

         “I'm just awesome like that, Con,” I muttered.

         “Sure, you are.”

         “Bye the way, I'm Paige McGraig and this is my best friend, O'Conner Scotch. Or Conner.”

         “Paige, a word please?” Keegan said.

         “Yes, mighty headmaster.”

         “Paige.”

         “Yes, sir.”

         “Leave the Ipod at your desk.”

         “Yes, sir,” I grumbled. “Not a word, Scotch.”

         “Wouldn't dream of it, lass.”

         “Oh, don't pull that on me, I don't like to be called that for a good reason.”

         “Oh, sorry, Paige.”

         Lass is what my father called me. Before he found out that my mother was a vampire, his precious little girl was a red-blood, and he committed suicide.

         “Yes, sir?” I asked, leaning a hip against his desk.

         “I've got a meeting after this so I have to tell you this now,” he whispered. “I can't come out and say it because I made a promise, but pay attention to Draco, he's not one of the usual. And he's little friend, Dimi. They aren't the same thing, but both are very rare.”

         “Yeah, okay. I'll keep it in mind, Doctor Vague.”

         “I'm serious Luna.”

         “Will you please not use my first name?” God, could my parents have any more taste?

         “Sorry. But this is serious and once you find out, you can't tell any one. It could get them killed.”

         “Yes, sir.”

         As I headed to my seat, Jase, Keegan's daughter, walked in.

         “Hey, Conner,” she said, waving.

         Conner's head nearly hit the table. “H-h-hey, Jase, what's up?”

         “Nothing. You?”

         “Nothing.”

         As I passed her I made a swirling motion around my pinky. She got it and laughed. She had Conner wrapped around her finger and it was so funny. She could say that she needed the rarest flower in the world and Conner would get it for her in ten minutes, tops.

         “Hey, Draco!”

         “Was wondering when you'd notice your favorite vampire,” he said, standing to give her a hug.

         Almost every body was talking to their friends since it was fifth period on a Friday. I was anxious for sixth period to roll around. It was gym, where we learned how to fight any type of creatures. Rogue vampires, rogue wolves, and any dragon that flew by. They were evil, straight from hell. The ancient Highlanders (yeah if you haven't noticed already, most of the students at Damon Academy were Scottish) thought that they were Satan's steads. That he used to ride them out into battle with the roman and Greek gods. (Yes we worshiped both.) And therefore we must kill them. But only a select few were chosen to.

         The bell rang.

Chapter 2

Only a select few could be in the battle classes, because they were so tough. I was the second girl ever to be in it at D.A. But as I walked in, I noticed that Draco was talking to the couch. I listened intently, picking up bits and pieces. I apparently had to coach him. Or was he supposed to coach me? They were talking in fluent Italian and I wasn't very good at it.

         “Paige! We found you a coach you won't beat the living shit out of,” Coach Craig called.

         “Wait, I have to coach a girl? You allow girls to fight?” Draco said. “I thought I was coaching a guy, not a girl.”

         “Have you ever heard of  Marguerite McKillan?”

         “Yes, who hasn't?”

         “That's her mother.”

         “Glad somebody knows who she is, cause I have no clue,”  I muttered under my breath in Gaelic.

         “Fine, lets get this over with.”

         “You know, I'm kind of glad your my coach, now I won't get in trouble for beating the living shit out of you,” I looked him over. “Sexist pig,” I muttered in Gaelic.

         “Bitchy Highlander,” he said in Gaelic.

         “No! You will not speak in Gaelic to me, that is my thing!” I shouted in my native tongue. Yes, I was from Scotland.

         “Oh, hell!” I heard Keegan say, ten feet behind me.

         “Really?” he said, still in Gaelic.

         When I was mad, I always spoke my tongue, and now I was pissed. “Go to hell, you sexist pig's ass!”

         And to my complete and utter amazement, he laughed at me. “You wanna blow off some steam, follow me.”

         He headed out towards the side door. I followed after him, ignoring the stares from all the guys that knew to leave me alone when I was mad enough to cuss them out in Gaelic.

         “Run up that hill and then back down.”

         “Make me.”

         He grabbed my bicep and pulled me up the hill that should have been considered a small mountain.

         “Your gonna get tired off this sooner or later,” I grumbled.

         “Will you please revert back to English?”

         “No. When I'm mad, I speak in Gaelic. And now I am furious. Stupid sexist pig.”

         “Will you stop calling me that?”

         “No. I speak the truth.” I started to get tired of him pulling me around.

         I stopped and when he stopped I pinned him to the ground by yanking him around to face me and using the arm he held to hit him square in the chest. I wound up freeing my arm and straddling him.

         “Don't piss me off again.”  I turned on my heel and headed back into the warm gym from the arctic temperatures of Vancouver, British Columbia.

         “Where's Draco?” Keegan and Conner asked.

         “He could be freezing his ass off for, all I care.”

         “Most of our students are from Scotland and she's the only one that speaks that god-forsaken language?”

         “She said, 'he could be freezing his ass off, for all I care.'”  I said something very unladylike and Draco said, “I'm not repeating that.” I stuck up my middle finger and walked out of the gym. “But it had something to do with that.”

         A little girl about the age of five was sitting outside the door to the gym, sucking her thumb, rocking back and forth. She looked up at me and murmured sadly, “Your not my Draco.”

         I crouched down beside her. “I can take you to him if you want.” I reverted back to English.

         “Please?” she said, standing up. Her eyes got really wide and her lips parted slightly, to show her fangs that she didn't know how to retract yet.

         “Here,” I picked her up and set her on my hip. I walked back into the gym. “Hey, Draco, lose something,” I called.

         “He's outside,” coach said.

         “'Kay.” I unzipped my coat and positioned the little lass in my jacket. I zipped it around her and went out looking for him.

         “You know, your really pretty, whats your name?”

         “Thank you. It's Paige. What's yours?”

         “Dimitos. But Draco calls me Dimi.”

         “You know your pretty too.” It was true. She had a V-shape cut in her black hair and ice blue eyes that looked like fire.

         “Tank you,” she said.

         I spotted Draco. He's jacket was off and he was doing headstand pushups defining the muscle in his arms and shoulders.

         “Hey, Draco!” He did a back flip and landed on his feet, something I couldn't do, even after six years of trying.

         “Oh, so your not speaking Gaelic.” His gaze landed on the little thing in my arms. “Why do you have Dimi?”

         “She was outside the gym door, and she wanted you.”

         “Dimitos, I told you to stay in the dorm room or in Uncle's office,” he nearly growled.

         “Do not speak to her like that!” I said when Dimi started to snuffle. “You have no right to. She's just a baby! And why did you leave her alone.”

         “Jase was supposed to be watching her.”

         “Jase has classes, too. You should've taken her to Doc's office.”

         “She can take care of herself!”

         “She's five!”

         “Four,” Dimi said, weakly.

         “You left a four year old alone and you expect her to take care of herself. You are the worst big brother ever!”

         Dimi turned around in my arms and stuck her tongue out at him.

         “You turned my baby sister against me?”

         “You deserved it. Come on, Dimi, lets go get something to eat.”

         “Chocolate?”

         “I think I have a stash of it in my bedroom.”

         “Let's go, then. But one thing first,” snapped her fingers and Draco's jacket started hovering towards us.

         “No! Not at all! Do not... Dammit!” Draco complained.

         I laughed and I saw him tense then grin.  Dimi giggled. She really was cute.

         “Come on, sweety, lets get you something to eat. And let mean, mean Draco get back to exercising.” I turned and walked, then I looked over my shoulder. “And tomorrow, if I can knock you on your ass, I'm returning you.”

         “You took me by surprise, tomorrow I'll be expecting it, bad-ass.”

         “Good, I like a challenge.”

Chapter 3

“Damn it!” Draco complained as my fist made contact with his stomach. “Hard blow for a girl,” he said, coming at me again, fainting right and heading left.

         I move to the left and he caught me  around the waist. He flipped us over, before my back hit the mat on the track and took the brunt of the fall. Everybody else was inside training, and yet he was shirtless, outside in thirty below weather. And to make it worse, it was snowing.

         “Ugh,” I said when I noticed for the third time that day that I was straddling him.

          I pulled back and let my fist connect with his jaw. His head snapped back and he rolled us over, him holding my hands to my head.

         “You fight rough. I like that about you... though you do have a problem with cussing me in Gaelic.”

         “Yeah, well you piss me off.”

         “Why, cuz I speak it?”

         “Yes, you stupid Italian,” I said.

          I jerked my knee up, but he was fast. He laced his leg through mine and flipped us over yet again. Except this time I landed with my hands on his bare chest, our foreheads touching, my leg around his. And Keegan chose that moment to walk out of the gym. To him it probably looked like we were making out. I could feel his breath on my lips and suddenly wanted him to kiss me. I felt his heart pick up under my right palm, which was in the center of his chest.

         Vampires had there hearts on the left side of their chest, and only went to vampire doctors. Mine was in the middle of my chest, but then I hardly noticed the difference. Keegan cleared his throat as my gaze held Draco's. His eyes were ice blue but they were warm enough to melt any girls heart. Mine was halfway there when I realized that he could probably read all of this across my face.

         I rolled of him and jumped to my feet. “Hey, Keegan. What's up?”

         “I was gonna tell you to that gym was over, but you seem well aware of that fact,” he said, glancing between us like he didn't know what was going on.

         “Actually, I didn't but thank you for telling us,” my words were rushed, my cheeks warming from a blush that was probably hidden behind the chap of the cold wind on my cheeks. I grabbed my coat and jogged off. Well actually I ran. Every vampire was fast, Conner the fastest, and I could of just sworn that I had just beat his best time ever.

         And speaking of the devil, I plowed into him as I ran into the lounge. He caught me from falling and looked me over.

         “Where's the fire, Paige?”

         “I-I think I like Draco.”

         “What?” Jase and him in unison.

         “I don't know. We were practicing and I went to nut shot him and he flipped us over to where I was laying on him and I could feel his heart beating faster and I was so close to kissing him...” I paused for a minute. “I wanted to kiss him.”

         “Kiss who?” Draco asked coming up behind me. I blushed, turning to face him.          

         “No one of consequence,” I lied smoothly. I turned on my heal and headed up to my room.

         “She keeps running from me, do you two know why?” I heard him ask. I stopped, testing my loyalty to Conner.

         “Oh, we have a final in first period and she forgot to study.”

         I stuck my head around the corner and called, “I love you, Con!”

         “Good, now go! Before I send S.O.S up there.”

         “S... NO!you wouldn't dare!”

         “Oh, I would and you know it.”

         I glared and took off up the stairs, sneaking a glance at Draco. He looked like he was confused and so was I.

         Could it be for the same reason, I thought. No its because of my behavior. And the heart beating fast, wasn't because of me, we were training. Why am I feeling this way towards a sexist pig. Ugh!

         I walked into my bedroom and flounced onto my couch, digging in my book bag for my Ipod. Slowly I fell asleep.

~                    ~                    ~

         “Okay, seriously. What's up with her? She took off after practice and now she will hardly speak to me.” I had been standing there trying to get Conner to talk, it hadn't worked.

         “She wouldn't speak to you before also, Draco.”

         “Yeah, but now she won't even cuss me in Gaelic.”

         My thoughts went back to when she laying across me at practice. I was so close to reaching into her thoughts, but Keegan had diminished those thoughts as he walked up. He had told me before I came here to never do that to anyone. Invasion of privacy, he said.

         But the look on her face told me every thing that I needed to know.. right now, anyway. “I'm gonna go talk to her.”

         “That's not a good idea. She goes up there and gets her Ipod and does not like to be disturbed from her Shine-down.”

         “I think I can take her,” I said trotting up the stairs. I asked the first person that I saw which room was Paige's.

         When I got to it, I knocked on her door, then I heard something fall. “Damn floor!”

         Paige open the door and glared at me, her ponytail was lopsided.

           “Oh, its you,” she yawned, trying to close the door in my face.

         “What was up with that look earlier, the one outside, before Keegan came out?” I asked, placing a hand against the door and shoving.

         “What look? Psh, oh you mean the one where I was laying on you.”

         She spoke indifferently, but the way her eyes flitted from a steely blue to gray, I knew two things about her.

         One. She liked me, but didn't want to admit it to anyone let alone herself. I found that kind of amusing.

         Two. She wasn't a normal vampire. But she wasn't like me.

         “Please, get out of my room,” she ground out.

         “No,” I said, just to bug her. I closed the door and leaned against it.

         “I will call Keegan and tell him that he's dear nephew, is breaking school policy and being in a girls dorm after ten a.m.”

         “Oh, really? What will he do about it? Send me back to my mother in Italy to let her beat me and Dimi?”

         “Your lying, you just want to bug the shit out of me.”

         “Have you not noticed the scar across my side.”

         “No, I was actually, looking at your face the entire time.” I smirked but otherwise tried not to acknowledge that fact.

         “Well, then look now,” I said, lifting my shirt.

♥                    ♥                    ♥

         He lifted his shirt, showing a scar that ran all the way up from his hip, across the left of his chest. It had probably been deep enough to kill him.

         “What side of your body is your heart on?” I asked, the thought of earlier coming back to me now that I wasn't distracted by his lips.

         “The left, why?” his retort was quit, automatic, he was lying.

         “Then why did I feel your heart beat in the middle of your chest, just like m- a dhampir's? And why was your come back so quick? And most importantly of all, why didn't that scar kill you? That dagger had to be at least three inches past your ribs.”

         “Look, your out of your mind apparently. I'm a vampire not some stupid ass dhampir that's mother or father couldn't their pants up.”

         That hit a nerve. “Get out!” I shrieked in Gaelic. “NOW!” I jerked my door, and shoved him out. “You know nothing!”

         Though my father hadn't known my mother had been a vampire and a legend in our world, they had been in love. You could tell just by the way that they looked at each other, the way that they acted when they were around each other. But they had been married before they even thought about sex. Until my mother left when I was thirteen, leaving a not that had said that she loved us both too much to cause us harm, telling my dad what she was, what I was. It told him to take me here. To Damon Academy.

         It was the summer before I started eighth grade, the year that vampires started to learn about what they were supposed to do in this world. Before then we were doing what the human's were doing, going through a frozen hell compare to what had to afterward.

         “I hate him,” I muttered, not reverting back to English.

         My midget of a Corgy pup, jumped in my lap as I flopped onto the couch. “Hey, Zeus. You know you could have eaten his face off, I would so not care.”

         He made a cute grumble that made me think he was disagreeing with me.

         “Okay, just a little, but not right now, he's pissing me off!”

         He licked my face. Some one knocked on the door.

         “If your a guy that I don't refer to as a brother and if your not Jase, go the hell away!” I yelled, reverting back to English. “I'll sick Zeus on you!”

         “Yeah, we're so terrified of that little pup,” Conner laughed.

         “Come in.”

         He walked in, still laughing at my threat.

         “Shut up. If you didn't know who Zeus was you would be terrified.”

         “Yeah, but everyone knows that adorable Corgy is the sweetest thing known to man.”

         “True. But every one knows that I could kick any ones ass that pisses me off.”

         “Yes, we do.”

         “Why'd you come up here, Con?”

         “To see why Draco stormed down the stairs, cussing in Italian.”

         “He made a comment – though in-direct – about my mom, and I shoved him out of my door.”

         “What he say to piss you off that much?”

         “He said, and I quote, 'I'm a vampire not some stupid ass dhampir that's mother or father couldn't their pants up,'” hatred coated every word I ground out.

         “Whoa, want me to kick his ass for you?”

         “No, I can manage on my own. I've got practice with him tomorrow, and I will take pleasure in sending him to his knees, in pain and exhaustion.”

         “I'd hate to be him.”

         “I hate him.”

         “Okay, it's after curfew, I'll see you tomorrow.” We referred to a nocturnal schedule. We could be outside in the daylight until ten a.m without it hurting us, then we  turned into barbeque.

         “'Kay.”

         He left, leaving me to think about Draco. He was an ass. He was inconsiderate. He was a pain in my ass. He was strong. He was fast. He was hot when he fought, body and mind. The way he would grin every time I would wind up on top of  him. The way he laughed every time I would make a blow that would wind up causing me more pain than him.

         Your off track, one part of my mind said.

         Your telling the truth, the other part retorted.

         “Zeus, help me,” I muttered in Gaelic, before sleep over took me.



–

         “Don't talk to me,” I warned as I stepped into the bitter coldness of the Canadian wind.  He was standing beside the door, drinking something strong. “What is that?”

         “Scotch, you couldn't hack it though.”

         He had a full bottle next to his feet, I jerked it up, and chugged it. No coughing. No hacking. No watery eyes. None of it.

         “I'm a Scot, I grew up drinking this stuff. Nothing Zeus put on this land fazes me.”

         “Whatever.” he bottoms up-ed his cup and then led me to the field.

         “Your a jerk, you know that?”

         “I'm not sure I get what you mean, Paige.”

         “That every vampire that throws a dhampir is a whore, just because they fell in love with a human.”

         “How that ever happens is totally incomprehensible to me.”

         “Fool.”

         “Enough with the Gaelic, your pissing me off.”

         “You have pissed me off so many times with your damn arrogance,” I yelled in Gaelic.

         “Look, McGraig, I'm not arrogant. I know of which I speak!”

         “Apparently not.” 

         He turned and I round house kicked him in the calf, catching him by surprise. Knocking him on his back.  He jumped back up in a moments time and caught me by my wrists. I jerked up my knee, he pushed me down before the blow landed. He was always faster than me.

         “God, why must you always do this to me?” I cried, still in Gaelic, as the feeling of kind of fondness flooded me.

         “What do you mean?”

         “Every time we practice I feel like I like you, but other times we don't get along. When we practice I feel like your not constantly lying to me, but off the field, like in the dorm, your lying to me, I know you are.”

         “I have my secrets like you have yours.”

         “Not many, and hello have you asked me? No, you haven't.”

         “Fine what's your dark secret that you won't tell me.”

         “I can't. The last person I told was Keegan and Conner. But they're family to me. I love them. Keegan told me to be conscious of you and Dimi, that he couldn't tell me your secrets, but I won't share mine until I figure out yours.”

         My hands were over my head, Draco released one hand only to gather it in the other. He placed his free hand to the middle of my chest, looking up at me in shock of his discovery.

         “No wonder you took offense to that comment yesterday. Your mom fell in love with a human.”

         “Na shit, Sherlock.” I said as a tear slid down my cheek.

         “That means you think you know what I am.”

         “Your a dhampir.”

         “Wrong, I'm almost a dhampir. I can't tell you what else. You have to find that out on your own.”

Chapter 4

Ten weeks followed that conversation, and she never came close to figuring out what I truly was. Hell, I barely knew.

         “So, Draco, what have you been up to?” Paige asked on a Monday morning, as we walked to the playing field.

         “Same as usual, bad-ass.”

         “What does Draco mean?”

         “Dragon, why?”

         “Just wondering.”

         “Really? Or are trying to figure out still.”

         “Both actually, Draco.”

         “What are your theories?”

         “Oh, um, so far? Dhampir.” 

         I laughed and asked. “That it?”

         “Unfortunately yes.... Will you stop laughing?!”

         “Um, no.”

         “I hate you.”

         “I love you too,” I muttered under my breath.

         “I could give you something to love.”

         “And that would be, bad-ass?”

         “Um,” she blushed. “Never mind.”

         “Tell me, we don't keep secrets from each other now do we?”

         “You do.”

         “I'll tell you something else if you give that something to love.”

         “Pinky promise.”

         “Okay.” I hooked my pinky around her's and she lifted on her tip toes and kissed me. I was shocked and kissed her back, looking back, I never regretted it. I grabbed the nape of her neck and hauled her closer, actually starting to love the kiss. She moaned into my mouth and I nearly went insane.  Then I heard the wind whistle and the distinct sound of Jase's laughter, it cut off in an instant.

         “What the FUCK?”

         “Oh, shit!”

         Conner's and Jase's  voices rang out at the same time. Me and Paige jerked apart.

         “What the hell were you two doing?”

         “Trading,” I said.

         “What? Tongues?” Conner said. Jase seemed to shocked to speak.

         “No. I said that I would give him something that he would love if he told me a secret.”

         “Really? We'll just leave you two alone then.” They took off, Jase on Conner's back. 

         “God, could they have worse timing?” I muttered.

         “Okay, then, spill.” Paige said, not missing anything for a second.

         “Fine, I like ketchup on vanilla ice cream.”

         “That's disgusting!” she said, screwing up her face.

         “No, and just because you said that, I'm making you eat some after class.”

         “No!”

         “You'll take on a guy that could lift you up with one hand but not eat ketchup and vanilla ice cream?” I said as we ran the track.

         “You could not lift me with one hand!”

         “Let's test that theory.” I caught her wrist, pulling us to a stop. She looked like she couldn't believe that I was doing this. I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto my shoulder. “Really now?”

         “That was one arm, not one hand.”

         “Same difference.”

         “Hey, everything looks cooler from up here!”

         “Wow. Your easily amused.”

         “I'm easy to please.”

         “I'm not touching that with a stick.” I set her down.

         “What?...” she looked up at my face. “You perv!”

         She punched me. I laughed and grabbed her wrist. Easily, I turned our play session into practice. We hadn't started anything special, she was something special and I was supposed help her fulfill that destiny. But right now I wasn't letting her know anything... well almost. But I wasn't gonna think about that now.

         She was presenting me so much fun by just fighting me... or trying to any way. Paige jerked her hand away and kicked me in the shin. I back flipped to avoid it, but for some reason she was expecting it.

         “Nice one, dragon!” she said as she kicked my foot out from under me.

         I laid there for a second, making her think I was down for the count. Then I kicked her feet out from under her. Right before she landed I on me I caught her around the waist with one arm and flipped us over. I supported my wait on one hand, the other arching Paige's back.

         “I wonder...”

         “What?”

         I lowered my mouth over her's and kissed her. She wrapped her arm's around my neck and kissed me back.

♥                    ♥                    ♥

         I shouldn't have, but I did. I kissed him back. And then Keegan walked out and caught us. Draco stopped and pulled away.

         This happens every time, damn it! I thought.

         “Well, this is disturbing. Will you please not do this during school hours? And not after curfew?” he asked as Draco helped me up.

         “Fine. We will try to control ourselves,” Draco said, sarcastic.

         “You know that will be extremely hard,” I laughed.

         “I'm sure it will be.”

         Me and Draco snickered as Keegan walked away, leaving us to practice.

         “Okay, what's up with me not being able to practice with the guys? I mean I know I kick their butts every now and then, but not that much. I heard Keegan talking to Jase about you being here for a special reason, but Conner came up behind me before I heard the rest of the conversation.”

         “I'm supposed to train you how to fight dragon's,” he whispered after a moments hesitation.

         This shocked me. They never chose females for that dangerous job. Though Keegan often spoke of him thinking that I could kill anything that crossed my path, I never thought that this would occur.

         “Are you serious? My mom didn't even do this,” I squeaked, panic shooting through me.

         He took my hand and led me to the mats, there we sat. Awfully close, but that didn't bother me.

         “Have you heard of Demons?” he asked.

         “Satan's minions, of course.”

         “Some of them, yes. But do you know what they are?”

         “No. No-one does. They can' t be caught, only killed.”

         “Yes and no. They can't be caught, but they do turn against Satan sometimes. They are what we make them. They dhampirs and dragon's mixed.”

         “But that doesn't make any sense.”

         “Okay, put it this way...” he tapped his chin with his left middle finger. “Um.  Okay, dragons can appear as humans. That's why they're so dangerous to us. Because untrained we can't detect them. They are also very rare and then on the off chance they find a dhampir – also very rare – they create Demons. And since almost everybody discriminates against them they go to Satan.”

         “How does this have to do with me, though?”

         “You have to deal with Demons also in dealing with dragons.”

         “Well isn't this a pain in my ass!” I said.

         But somewhere, in the back of my head, I subconsciously put that into my Draco folder.

         “I know. “

         “But your my age, why are you teaching me these things? How? Should someone... I don't know, older being older?”

         “I've been training since I was eight. Ten years of devotion and hard work,” he said, slightly distracted. “You have some serious work to do, but today, we don't have time for that. Because it's six and tomorrow you have a real work out in front of you.” 

         “Then I wait for tomorrow,” I said, smiling on the inside.

         “What's happened between us today?” he asked as he pulled us up,

         “I honestly don't know, Draco.”

         “Well I can tell you were I want it to go,” he mumbled.

         “And what would that be?”

         “I wanna get to know you better and I want us to be more than partners on the practice field.”

         “I don't get what you mean,” I said.

          “I want there to be an us,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me closer to his chest.

         “Would I be a bad person if I said I wanted the same thing?”

         “Well, maybe...” he said. He tried to keep his face  clear of his crooked grin but he failed at that. He smiled and I laughed.

         “Well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Mystery,” an annoyingly familiar voice broke through my happy shield.

         “What do you want, Vance,” I asked, turning to face him.

         “Oh, you of course. But you make quite clear I'm not the one you desire,” he said in a snarky tone.

         “Well sorry. I don't date teacher's pets, and jackasses.”

         “Oh, that hurt,” he clamped a hand over the left side of his chest – stupid full blood. “But you'll throw yourself at the first guy that shows you more attention than Jase.”

         “Um, maybe that's because he's the first guy I like.”

         “Lose the attitude, McGraig.”

         “Make me, Daniels.”

         “No, that would take the fun out of appearing as a perfect gentleman,” he said.

         “Ha! Every one knows that you have beaten every girl that hasn't the brains not to go any where near you.”          

         “And you'll be the mark on my stick when you coming to begging for me to hold you.”

         “No. Sorry. I'm more of the suffer in silence kind of person.” I flipped him off and walked away, Draco hot on my heels.

         “What the hell was that about?”

         “Oh, he's asked me out or implied it nigh on fifty times. . . this year.”

         “Kind of desperate, don't you think.”

         “Very.”

         We walked back to the dorm's together. He open the door for me and Conner was the first person who saw us. He laughed until I glared him off with a warning look. Jase who was sitting across from him with her feet up on his legs. She kicked him in the stomach and told him to be nice.

         “That's a very warm welcome.”

         “And you look like your ready to punch someone in the mouth.”

         “I happened to see Daniels walking back from the field.”

         “Oo! Did you punch him?” Jase asked at the same time Dimi walked into the room.

         “Now, would I do that?” I asked, swinging Dimi up when she reached for me.

         “Um... let me think... YES!!!” Conner yelled, coming off the couch when he did.

         “Okay, so maybe I would. . . Hey, Dimi,” I said, brushing her hair out her cute pixie cut face.

         “Hey, Paige. Hey, fratello.”

         “Ciao la sorella.”

         “What?” I asked confused out of my mind.

         “Italian for 'brother' is fratello and Italian for 'hello sister' is Ciao la sorella.”

         “Condannare!” Damn. That much Italian I understood.

         “You taught a four year old how to cuss?” I said as she leaped from arms to the ground and took off.

         “She just happened to pick it up from hanging out with me,” Draco said, looking after his little sister. “Su che l'e a ora?” What is she up to now?

         “You have an adventurous piccola sorella, Draco,” Keegan said, coming out of the door from which Dimi ran through.

         “Si, qualunque indizio a dove è andata nonostante?” What?

         “If you two don't stop speaking that around me I'm gonna lose my mind,” I said.

         “Sorry, it's hard to switch back and forth... And you have no room to talk Miss. I'm Gonna Cuss You Out In Gaelic.”

         “Okay, touche.”

         He stuck his tongue out at me and I laughed. “I'll bite it off.”

         “No you won't.”

         “Don't tell her that!” Jase warned.

         “Why?”

         “She will.”

         Draco looked at me then gave. “Okay, I won't do that any more.

         “Good.” I stretched and yawned. “I'm out. I'm gonna go curl up on my couch and watch Hannibal Lector.”

         “Oo! Take me with you!” Conner pleaded.

         “Nope, you smell funny.”

         He sniffed his arm pits and then made a face. “Okay, only a little, but you smell like him!”

         “He smells good, though.”

         “Okay! I have feelings! And your hurting them!”

         “Oh, I'm so very sorry, Conner!”

         “No your not.”

         “You can't handle the truth! The truth hurts!” I tried to keep a straight face but failed epically.

         We laughed and then I made my way up the stairs and to my bedroom. I slid off my work out clothes and stepped into my shower. Draco was on my mind and I couldn't get him off it. The way he kissed, the way he fought, the way he laughed, they were all so powerful and masculine... yet somehow they were soft and peaceful. Even when he fought, he looked like he was at ease, like it was first nature to him. He did it like he breathed, without thinking.

         Then my mind trailed to my comment about me giving him something that he would love. The way I surrendered to him when he reacted. The way he shuddered when I moaned. The way we always played when we fought, like a dance. He was always blocking my moves and I his.

         “Oh my god, why must you be so perfect?” I sighed as I leaned against the  shower wall and slid to the ground.

         The hot water relaxed my muscles, preparing me for tomorrows lesson. The dragons. The Demons. I took a deep calming breath and thought, I deal with that when I get there.

         I climbed out of the shower and barely got dressed before I flopped onto my couch, hitting play on my DVD player. In a minute I was out cold.

Chapter 5

I walked into fifth period and yawned, my day was going by slowly. Like everything thing was against me seeing Draco. But when he looked up and smiled at me I thought it was worth it. I smiled back and quickened my pace so that I could be near him longer. If only for a minute.

         “Hey, bad-ass. What have you and your bad self been up to?”

         “Wow, have you been watching Emperor's New Groove?”

         “Dimitos actually likes that too, you know!”

         “Sure, but in my opinion she looks like she's the type of girl that wants to go to Hot Topic and shop 'til she drops.”

         “Yeah, I knew I couldn't pull that one off.”

         “Then why'd you try?”

         “I think it was to bug you.”

         “Oh. Well that makes perfectly good sense.”

         “Really?”

         “No.”

         “I knew it.”

         I stuck my tongue out at him, he smirked and tried to hide the smile in his eyes. I leaned across the table and kissed him, just as Conner walked in. Draco kissed me back for a second then pulled away. He stood and came over to my side and then kissed me.

         “Oh my Zeus! Do you two have any self control?”  Conner groaned from beside me.

         I gave him a thumbs up then a thumbs down. Conner groaned again.

         “Again?” that was Keegan.

         We pulled apart. Quickly.

         “What do you mean again?” Conner asked.

         “I went to the practice field and those two were kissing,” Keegan informed him.

         “Thanks, Uncle. Now he's gonna tell Jase and then she's gonna tell Dimi and then Dimi's not gonna stop bugging me about it.”

         “Aw, Dimi wouldn't do that.”

         “You obviously don't know my little sister that well. She cusses in Italian!”

         “Wow, but that's your fault,” Keegan laughed.

         “I cuss in English.... half of the time,” Draco said looking sheepish.

         “And what's the one word you always say in Italian?”

         “Damn.”

         “And what word does she always say?”

         “Condannare.”

         “And that means?”

         “Damn,” he mumbled.

         “Therefore your fault.”

         Draco stuck his tongue out at Keegan and I laughed. He looked around the room and saw that most of the class was showing up. Keegan got us under control and set to work lecturing us about the dragon's weakest point. I leaned forward, paying extra attention. Draco tensed beside me, I looked back to find that he was watching me. I leaned back and took his hand in mine. He smiled and nodded towards Keegan to make sure I was listening. I left my hand in his, tuning back to Keegan.

         The bell rang an hour later and I huffed. “Damn.” I was actually finding this interesting.

         “Well there went a perfectly good hour that I could have been spending with Jase,” Conner muttered.

         “What's up with you two? Y'all have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

         “I dunno, I think I might ask her to the prom.”

         “Fuck! When is that thing?”

         “One and a half months, babe.”

         “And I don't even have a dress or a date.” I looked at Draco. “Unless your interested in taking me.”

         “Well I was planning on asking you, but either way as long as I go with you, I'm good with it.”

         I pictured him in a tux, not easy to do. Draco stood and took my hand. Together we walked to the field, talking about the lecture.

         “So what'd you learn?”

         “That it only pisses off a dragon to stab it in the paw. Um.. that the weakest spot on a dragon is the back, in between the scales. The hide on their stomach is as hard as stone and would likely break your sword, dagger, or arrow. You can only kill them with a silver blade or arrow. Using arrows is easier to wound a dragon but when going for the kill it's easier to use a sword, or dagger.

         “Um... and I think that's it.”

         “Bravo, il mio piccola genio.”  I raised one eyebrow. “Bravo, my little genius,” he translated.

         “Ringraziarla, il mio angelo.” I said, fluently.

         “Oh, so you do know some Italian.”

         “Non molto, dunque non è impressionato.”

         “I'm surprised.”

         “I'm also the only one in the school that can speak in Gaelic.”

         “I figured that out by how every one gives you blank stares when you're yelling at me.”

         “You make it sound like I do that a lot.”

         “You do,” he said, shrugging.

         “Well that's behind us, isn't it?”

         “Yep,” he took me by the waist from behind and kissed my neck.

         I shuddered and bit my lip. I tried to hold in my moan, I tried so hard, but as he moved his mouth over my nape and gently nibbled, letting his fangs drag across it, I lost it.

         “Shh, shh,” he laughed, trailing his hands down my thighs.

         “But it's hard when your doing that, Draco,” I giggled. He stopped. “I didn't say stop!”

         “We've got to practice.”

         “Can't it wait?” I moaned, turning to face him.

         “No, babe. Sorry, but have you any experience with a sword or dagger?”

         “Yes to the sword, no to the dagger. And no clue about the bow either.”

         “Me neither, I don't use a bow.  I use a sword.”

         “Great another thing your better at then me,” I muttered.

         “I'll go easy on you.”