A Slave to Love

Chapter 17: Bite Marks

"Um...did you and Landon...do something when he walked you back to your dorm?" Katie asked, eyebrows raised as she stared at my neck.

"No," I replied, seething as I poked at the mark on my throat. Blade was obviously having lots of fun last night nibbling on my neck and biting me because I had the bruise marks in the shape of his teeth to prove it.

I was going to murder him the next time he crawled in through my window.

"Then what happened to you?" she asked, still giving me a strange look.

"I don't know," I lied through gritted teeth, examining my neck in the mirror while Jill waltzed in. Her eyes landed on my exposed neck and she did a full double take.

"That's quite a first date. Had fun with Landon last night, I presume?" she asked, recovering enough to sweep past me to grab her hairbrush. As usual, she did not look the least bit happy with me.

"Loads," I said sarcastically. She glared at me but I wasn't sure if she actually believed me or knew I was being sarcastic and was annoyed with my attitude. Either way, who cared? I had bigger problems...like how was I going to cover my neck up so Landon didn't see it and think I did something with another guy after he left? I mean if everyone assumed Landon did it--and he saw it and knew he didn't--he was going to assume something happened after he left my dorm. And I really couldn't blame him. Damn Blade straight to hell. Or wherever the undead went.

"Well, he certainly never did that with me," she said in disgust, nodding at my neck. Was she seriously going to kinkshame right now? After all the sexual nonsense Katie and I had to put up with from her?

"Congrats."

"Ooh, trouble in paradise?" she asked sweetly, incorrectly guessing what brought on this charming mood of mine.

"No," I said curtly, fixing my hair in a sideways ponytail, letting it fall across my neck and shoulders. I did a quick check--yes! For once in my life I was happy to have thick unruly hair! It covered the bite marks...as long as I didn't move my ponytail anyway. But that was the best I could do on short notice.

"Denial," Jill sang, plucking all her makeup out from the drawers to start her long morning routine of getting made up. I admired her dedication to her looks, but I only got up so early in the morning and between eating breakfast or looking good? I'd happily roll up to class every day looking like I just rolled out of bed.

My stomach growled loudly and I clamped my hands over my belly, deciding to ignore her entirely. "Katie? Are you ready yet? I'm starving."

"Coming!" she said hurriedly, stumbling out of the bathroom before she slipped on her flip flops and followed me out the door.

"Thank God for Sunday brunch," I said, rubbing my stomach, "I officially love boarding school."

Sunday had to be my favorite day of the week now simply because of brunch. They made everything you could think of; pancakes, waffles, hash browns, bacon, grilled cheese, absolutely everything, and there was no rush to get to classes. Plus, you could sleep in. What more could you want?

It was a truly wonderful thing.

"You're such a pig," Katie said.

"Oh bite me," I said, elbowing her side.

She elbowed me back, grinning, "I think something, or someone, already did."

"Landon didn't bite me!" I whined. 

"Then who did?" she asked, humoring me as we walked down the stairs.

I sighed, trying not to sound exasperated. It wasn't Katie's fault, but I really didn't need Landon thinking I fooled around with someone else the second our date was over. "Like I know."