The Vampire’s Servant novel Chapter 31

When I got off the bus, I was met by Harmony and Valor. They were waiting nearby with Cam and Gray, but waited until they saw me to approach the bus. Harmony hugged me and, when she let go, Valor picked me up into a big hug.

“Love you, Echo.” He said as he put me down.

“Love you, too, Valley. I’m excited about school.” I smiled.

“That’s always the way until the work starts, then you’ll hate it like everyone else.” Val laughed.

Harmony giggled and slipped her arm through mine. “I love you, Echo.”

“I love you, Harmony. Are you feeling better?” I asked.

“A little. Are you really okay with the vampires?”

“Victor keeps me safe. He would never hurt me, or let anyone else hurt me. Are you really okay with the werewolves?” I replied.

She blushed. “Val and I stay at the pack house in our own rooms. Cam lives with his parents and Gray lives in another part of the pack house. He moved back there when he was eighteen, I guess. So we see him a lot.”

We started walking toward the school. I worried about hunters, but figured I’d ask Gray about them later. I needed to be sure my sister and brother were safe.

They all walked me to my locker, so I’d know where to find it. Then they took me to my first classroom. I was a little nervous about going in.

“Before I forget, we’re telling people you’re our cousin. That way we can explain why you look like us without the attention of an unmentioned sister. That will also explain how you know Cam and Gray. We checked in all of your classes with their friends and ours. There will be someone to look out for you in all of your classes. This one is really easy, so don’t be scared. Make sure you talk to your teacher when you get in.” Val said. “We need to head out. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” I smiled.

They started to head off, but Gray stayed back. He waited for them to be a fair distance away before getting closer. It made me nervous.

“Trent told me about the hunters last night. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” He asked.

“No. I hid. Victor and Rosalynn killed them. Marius had his people clean it up.” I told him.

He sighed with relief. “I’m glad you’re okay. I worried about you. Trent sent some good warriors to guard your home. Can I hug you?”

I was startled by the question. It was unlike him to ask. I liked it. Maybe I could learn to be comfortable with him if he asked for things like this. I nodded.

As he stepped closer, I found I didn’t have the same feeling of needing him away from me that I had before. I supposed that it was because he asked to get close instead of just doing it. It would make being his friend easier.

His arms slipped around my shoulders and he held me to him tightly. It was unlike when Victor hugged me. Victor wasn’t as warm as Gray. Gray was thicker and his arms felt heavy and solid around me. It was comforting in a different way than Victor’s hugs were.

I slid my arms around his waist and hugged him back. It made him squeeze a little tighter and his head dipped down as he breathed deeply. His breath tickled my ear and sent tingles throughout my body. I felt a soft moan leave my chest.

It startled me so much, I pushed myself out of his grasp and rushed into the classroom.

I walked over to the teacher to introduce myself. I needed to focus on what I was doing, not on the strange feeling I’d experienced when Gray was hugging me.

“Hello, I’m Echo Nightshade.” I said to the teacher.

He turned and smiled at me. He was tall and had dark hair and blue eyes. His smile was kind and I ended up smiling back.

“I’m Mr. Taylor. You’re in my Creative Writing class, too. I want you to go find a seat. We’ll go over the morning announcements and do attendance.” He explained.

I nodded and looked around the room. There were only a couple empty seats. One was in the back, next to a group of girls who were looking at me in a way that made me uncomfortable. The other was in the front next to a familiar blond boy.

Sitting in the seat up front, I heard a scoff from the back. I didn’t care. I had a friend in class and I needed something to keep my mind off the strange feelings the hug with Gray created.

“Hi, Sean.” I said softly.

He startled and looked up from the notebook he was writing in. Quickly, he glanced around the room. Sean shook his head and chuckled.

“You really don’t care what people think, do you?” He asked.

“Nope. What are you doing?”

“Just going over last night’s math homework again and double checking my work. I usually use this time to make sure I’m ready for my next class. Oh, Echo, these are some of my friends.” He pointed to the two people sitting next to him.

I waved and they waved back. There was another boy who was dressed in black with the side of his head shaved. He nodded to me. Behind him was a girl with blue hair and sparkly framed glasses. She had her eyebrow pierced and piercings all up one of her ears. They seemed like an eclectic mix of people.

“That’s Terry and Elise. She goes by Elle.”

“Echo’s a cool name. Like the nymph from Greek mythology.” Elle smiled.

“Or the NATO phonetic alphabet letter ‘E’.” Terry muttered.

“I don’t know what that is.” I said.

“It’s the names for the letters used by the military when they’re spelling things out. Like Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo…. And so on.” He replied.

“That’s cool.” I wondered if Victor knew about this.

“I guess.” Terry shrugged.

We sat and listened to the announcements. Mr. Taylor went over the information about state testing that was going to happen at the end of the month and the prom. I wondered if Harmony had remembered to grab her dress from the house before she left.

She bought the dress in hopes of Cam asking her to the prom and absolutely loved it. If she got it, then I would see if she wanted me to help her get ready. I would love that.

“What are you chewing your lip over, Echo?” Sean asked.

“I was just wondering if Harmony had her dress for the prom or if she would need help getting ready.” I answered.

“Harmony? Harmony Gale?” Elle asked.

“Yes, she’s my cousin.” I replied.

“Why did you sit here instead of with her friends?” She pressed pointing at the girls in the back of the room.

“I don’t know her friends.” I told her. “I know Sean.”

“Echo doesn’t care about being popular. She decided I would be her friend.” Sean chuckled.

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