Definitely not Mrs. Johnson.
The power rolling off him confirmed he not only wasn’t my nosey neighbor, but that he also wasn’t even human, let alone truly alive. His eyes flashed as they connected with mine, the blue steel of them darkening for a moment before he lowered them down to the amulet at my chest. My breath caught at the sensation of those smoldering eyes running over my body, of the way I could feel it like claws dragging over the surface of my skin lightly.
He was beautiful and infuriating—a disaster waiting to happen.
“Miss Madizza, I presume?” he asked, his voice deep and raspy as he slowly tilted his head to the side. His gaze continued to rake down my body, sliding over my stomach and thick thighs until his smile broadened when he took in the combat boots on my feet.
“Are you talking to me? Or my feet?” I asked, pulling my sweater tight across my chest. His gaze came back up in a slow, languid path. He didn’t hurry to meet my eyes once again, in spite of the fact that I’d called him out, the arrogance of centuries of life allowing him to behave in ways that defied manners.
“I am most definitely talking to you,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned his shoulder into the iron column that supported the roof of the open porch, looking far too comfortable in the space that was meant to be mine.
“What is it that you want from Miss Madizza?” I asked, resisting the urge to wrap my fingers around my amulet. My best chance in getting Ash out safely, even though they had already found me, lay in pretending I knew nothing of who they were. If I feigned innocence, maybe I could sneak him out.
“I represent a prestigious university. We have a unique opportunity for her to study alongside the best and brightest students of her year. Perhaps I could come inside to discuss it?” the male asked, pushing himself off the railing with a nudge of his shoulder. He took a step toward me as I stepped through the door, pulling it mostly closed behind me and blocking his path.
“No,” I said, my tone brokering no argument.
Too quickly.
He raised his brow at me, his mouth parting lightly as he ran his tongue over his bottom teeth. I smiled to soften the urgency in my voice, swallowing down my terror at having a predator so close. He took another step toward me, stopping when he was near enough that I had to tip my head back to look up at him.
“A girl can’t be too careful these days. I’m sure you understand,” I said, focusing on the rhythm of my heartbeat.
A deep breath in, then another one out.
My amulet warmed against my chest as he looked down at me, holding my stare as he attempted to force his compulsion on me. I pretended I couldn’t feel it, pretended that the crystal didn’t confirm everything I’d already suspected about his unnatural beauty.
Vessel.
He studied me intently, his steel-blue eyes flashing. This close, I found myself mesmerized by the ring of gold surrounding the pupil of his eye, a spark of warmth in the otherwise cold of his stare.
“Of course,” he murmured, spreading his lips into a carefully controlled smile. He’d had centuries to practice, to avoid showing the fangs that would send a panic through even the most foolish of humans.
“Hollow’s Grove University would like to welcome you to attend in two days’ time.” He glanced over my shoulder at the house. My mom would have never allowed it to fall into disrepair, caring for it even if it was no Buckingham Palace, but the disdain with which he studied the aging siding made my neck prickle with rage. “It’s the sort of opportunity that a girl like you would be foolish to reject so carelessly.”
I shifted, turning my gaze down as I smiled in disbelief. “A girl like me? What does that mean, exactly?”
“An orphan,” he said, not missing a beat as the word rolled off his tongue. There was no sympathy or pity for my recent loss, only a matter-of-fact statement that made angry tears threaten my eyes.
“Don’t you need to be a child to be considered an orphan?” I asked, sinking my teeth into my cheek. I leaned forward, putting myself in his space. His nostrils flared as I got closer, the scent of my blood undoubtedly filling his lungs. “If I’m a child, then what does that make you with your lingering gaze?”
“You’re not a child,” he said, his jaw tensing as I held his gaze in challenge. “I shouldn’t have used that term. I only meant that you are suddenly on your own in this world. Having a place to start over may be to your advantage—”
“I’m going to make this very simple so that we do not waste any more of one another’s time,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m not interested in attending any university that sends a seedy, sketchy man to the doorstep of my home. Any reputable university would allow me to apply myself. If you’d like to leave me an application and save a stamp, my mailbox is right over there.” I pointed behind him to the end of the driveway in the distance—to the little red mailbox that sat there.