Whirl (Ondine Quartet Book 1) (11 page)

The voice came from a guy lying down on one
of the benches in front of the ondine dormitory. He was reading a
book and for a second I wasn't sure if he was talking to me.

But there was no one around except the two of
us.

"What?"

Wary, I turned to check him out. The demillir
slowly closed his book and sat up. His movements had a grace and
ease that reminded me of a lethal animal, like a panther.

He was tall, a little over six feet, and
looked a few years older than me. His black hair was artfully
styled, and he had striking blue eyes that were so dark, they were
almost indigo. Expensive looking clothes identified him as Redavi.
Vintage jeans emphasized the lean muscles of his legs, and a fitted
long-sleeved shirt clung to toned biceps and chest.

I wouldn't call him cute or hot. He was
sexy
in a rebellious kind of way. I wondered what he was
doing on campus, since he looked too old to be a student.

He shrugged. "There's a party at a friend's
house tonight." His unusual eyes glinted and his mouth curved.
"Thought you might like to join me."

Huh. Cocky and presumptuous. What was it with
annoying Redavi today?

"Sorry," I said. "I already have plans."

I should have just walked away, but there was
something intriguing about him. His eyes had an almost hypnotic
quality.

He stood and took a few steps closer, his
movements languid and confident. I caught the faintest whiff of his
cologne. It was a blend that smelled spicy, warm, and provocative.
Unlike teenage boys who liked to drown themselves with too much of
that stuff, he had on a trace amount. Just enough to enhance his
natural masculine scent without overwhelming it.

"That's too bad." He tilted his head and gave
me a questioning look. "Mind if I join you?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Girls night out."

His eyes boldly swept over my body. Crossing
my arms, I stared back at him. Something about the sharpness in his
eyes told me they didn't miss much. When they finally came back to
rest on mine, he smiled.

"So. You're the
sondaleur
."

He hadn't missed anything. Even in the
evening darkness, he'd caught the marks on my ankle and the top of
my tattoo.

"Kendra Irisavie," I said immediately,
refusing to be defined by that term.

"Nice to meet you. Julian LeVeq." He extended
his hand, his eyes challenging me to take it.

I slid my hand into his. He didn't shake it,
just held on to it. His palm was warm, and his fingers were
calloused.

"How are you adjusting?" A shrewd expression
crossed his face.

"What do you mean?"

"You grew up in the human world." His hand
still held mine and I had to admit it wasn't exactly unpleasant.
"Being at Lumiére must be a big change."

"I guess." I studied him carefully, wondering
if he was trying to get at something.

"All these stuffy rules and boundaries," he
mused. "It must be suffocating."

He was saying exactly what I'd been thinking
all afternoon. I narrowed my eyes.

"Nothing I can't handle."

He looked amused. "Of course."

I wasn't sure what game Julian was playing,
but I didn't have time for it.

"Look, I've got to go."

"Are you sure I can't get you to change your
mind?" he asked, flashing a charming smile. I had a feeling he
could be really persuasive. "Your friends are welcome to come as
well, of course."

As soon as he mentioned my friends, I
remembered how much I'd been looking forward to tonight. Damn it, I
was determined to have at least a few hours of freedom outside of
this place. And for that to happen, I needed to get rid of
Julian.

I pulled my hand away from his. He
smirked.

"I don't know you," I pointed out.

"We could get to know each other tonight," he
teased.

"I'm not into players."

He laughed. It was a rich, mellow sound that
reverberated warmly inside me. "I thought you said you didn't know
me."

I couldn't help smiling a little. At least he
didn't try to hide it.

"Yeah, well. Guess some things are just
obvious."

As I reached the dorm entrance, Julian's
taunting voice called out. "I can't wait to get to know you better,
Kendra Irisavie."

"So not going to happen," I muttered under my
breath as I walked into the dorm. Even after the door closed behind
me, I swore I could still feel those dark blue eyes on my back.

***

"Are you really
bringing that?" Chloe was incredulous.

Leaning over, I strapped my dagger sheath to
my left thigh. The back of the sheath had a loop where I could
attach a belt-like leather holster. I usually preferred to have my
blade at the small of my back, but I was wearing a hot little dress
that Chloe had loaned me for tonight. The outfit left little to the
imagination and the only way I could carry it was on my thigh.

"Yup." I double-checked to make sure the
sheath was strapped onto my leg tightly enough that it wouldn't
fall. "I never go anywhere without it."

"I think it's cool. In a Lara Croft kind of
way," Aubrey said. She sat on the floor next to Chloe's bed and had
been the first one to finish getting ready. Her auburn hair
glistened and she wore a tight dark purple lace top over skin-tight
black pants that hugged every curve of her legs. She was definitely
out to cause some damage tonight.

Chloe laughed. "I guess so." She wore a blue,
low-cut top over a knee-length black skirt, the dark colors
dramatically showing off her hair and skin. She eyed me critically.
"That definitely looks better on you than on me."

The strapless dark burgundy dress clung
tightly to the curves in my chest and hips and ended just above my
knees. My blow-dried hair tumbled down, looking thick and sexy. I'd
taken extra care in applying my makeup and the results were worth
it. My lips shined and my eyes looked smoky and sultry.

We snuck out of the dormitory to Aubrey's car
in the school parking lot. Dorm security sucked and it was a simple
matter of waiting until the lobby guard took a bathroom break
before slipping out the door.

Aubrey's black Lexus sports coupe was both
cute and fierce, and in no time at all, we were off-campus. Instead
of heading south towards the main iron gates of Haverleau, we
headed northeast for the bordering mountains.

Like everything in her life, Aubrey thrived
on speed and her driving was no exception. We tore through the
streets above the Academy and after a few minutes, she sharply
veered the car off the paved road onto a narrow path that led
directly into the mountains. Tall, uncut grass almost completely
covered it. The car jostled up and down as we sped over the rough,
bumpy surface.

"This is an old access trail that goes up the
mountain before it cuts around Haverleau and links up with the main
road into Lyondale," Aubrey said. "It was used to bring
construction materials and other goods to the north end of the
Academy campus."

"It's not used anymore so not many people
know it exists," Chloe added.

Aubrey nodded. "It's not on most of the maps.
I only found it because I studied the old schematics that were used
to build the Academy."

"What about the wards?"

"The magical wards and Mist work to keep out
Aquidae and humans. It doesn't recognize water elementals." Chloe
shrugged. "It's an easy way in and out of Haverleau without going
through the gardinels at the main gate."

I was impressed. "I'm guessing this is not
the first time you've done this."

Aubrey snorted. "How the hell do you think we
survived at the Academy all these years?"

Grinning, I settled back in my seat, enjoying
the posh interior of Aubrey's car. Redavi families lived off
inheritances and money that they'd accumulated over hundreds of
years. They furthered their wealth through investments and other
business deals, but didn't work.

Non-Redavis usually got jobs working for the
Redavi and the water elemental government, or else they owned small
businesses within ondine communities.

My mom left Haverleau with most of her
inheritance. We'd lived off it my entire life since she didn't have
a human job. When she died, she left the remaining amount to me and
there wasn't a lot left. It was definitely not enough for me to get
my own car, and I wasn't going to ask Rhian for money.

"What kept you?" Chloe gave me a questioning
look. "It took you awhile before you got to my room. Did your
lesson run late?"

I decided not to get into my infuriating
meeting with Nexa. Instead, I told them about Ryder's confrontation
with Andrew and my run-in with Julian.

"Wait," Aubrey interrupted. "You were hanging
out with Julian?"

"No, I was trying to get away from him," I
replied dryly. "We only spoke for a few minutes."

"He's got quite a rep with the ladies," Chloe
said. "And you're totally his type."

I laughed. "From the vibe I got, every ondine
is his type."

"No. Human girls are his type," Aubrey
informed me. "And you're an ondine who was raised in the human
world. That's really rare."

Ondines were always fascinated with human
guys. That was normal since they had to mate with someone of human
blood. But it wasn't until I arrived in Haverleau that I found out
natural-born demillirs had a fascination with human girls. Raised
solely within ondine communities their entire life, demillirs
lusted after human girls mainly because it was something they
couldn't have unless they went Rogue.

Forty-five minutes later, we were in downtown
Lyondale. The nightlife was in full swing and the streets were
filled with people enjoying the mild weather. After Aubrey parked,
I double-checked my Virtue's mental filters to protect myself from
the barrage of human emotions.

Axis Club was packed. Writhing bodies filled
the dance floor and music pounded through the stereo system. The
heavy, rhythmic bass flooded through me and my body thrummed with
anticipation. Flashing lights in purple, blue, and red pulsated,
illuminating the room.

The bar and dance floor took up the center of
the club, and booths, made of plush red velvet, lined the walls.
Aubrey quickly found us one in the back where we could check out
the scene and set up base for the night.

A waiter soon approached. Like all the staff
here, he was dressed in all-black, pairing a muscle shirt with
jeans.

"What can I get you gals?"

I ordered a vodka tonic. Aubrey got an apple
martini and Chloe asked for a cosmopolitan.

The waiter gave us a long look. He looked
like he was in his late twenties and was leanly muscled, like he
was a runner or played some kind of recreational sport. His pale
green eyes held a hint of amusement.

"You're from Lumiére, aren't you?"

Shit. We'd managed to get our way past the
bouncer based on sheer charm and a little bit of flirting. If this
guy knew we were from the Academy, then not only did he know we
were ondines, but he also knew we were underage.

I lifted my shield and gently pushed into him
with my Virtue. Solid.

"You're a demillir!" I blurted out.

He grinned. A lock of golden brown hair
dropped over his eyes as he leaned forward. "That I am, sweetheart.
I'm Bastien."

My mouth was still a little open.
"Kendra."

Chloe and Aubrey recovered their composure
quicker than me and introduced themselves.

"But if you're a demillir, what are you doing
working here?"

"Kendra!" Chloe groaned. I suppose I was
being a little rude, but I had never met another elemental in the
human world. It was pretty weird.

Bastien didn't take offense. "I grew up in
Fontesceau, the community in Florida." He shrugged. "I got bored.
Wasn't really cut out to be a chevalier. I prefer food, drinks, and
good times to fighting, you know?"

He gave a twinkling smile which I didn't
quite return. I would've killed to have natural demillir
abilities.

"I decided to go Rogue and made my way across
the country taking jobs in human restaurants or bars." He looked
around the club. "I enjoy it. I like being around people."

"How long have you been Rogue?" Chloe asked,
fascinated.

"About five years now. I ended up in Lyondale
about a year ago."

"How'd you know we were from Lumiére?" Aubrey
asked.

"I've come across a few of you at other
places I've worked at. I'm supposed to sniff out kids as part of my
job." His expression turned suspicious. "Aren't you supposed to
have gardinels with you?"

"We just wanted to have a girls' night out,"
I said. "I just moved here and wanted to see the city. Please don't
make us leave."

His eyes flickered over the three of us while
we looked at him with big, pleading eyes.

"God knows I could never resist ondines." He
heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Don't get too crazy, okay? My ass is
on the line."

"We promise," I said solemnly. Bastien rolled
his eyes and went to get our drinks.

Relaxed, we sat back to enjoy ourselves. We
didn't have long to wait. Soon after our drinks arrived, three guys
approached our table. They were pretty cute and looked like they
were in college. The guy in front had short, spiky brown hair and
warm brown eyes.

"Hey," he said, looking at me. "Mind if we
join you?"

I flashed him my sexiest smile. "Not at
all."

We stood and shifted around so that we each
sat next to a guy. I made sure I ended up next to Brown Eyes.

"I'm Jake," he said, offering me his hand.
"That's Matt and Jason." He nodded to his buddies.

Aubrey's brilliant green eyes flashed a
seductive look at Matt while Chloe tossed her silky hair and gave
Jason a half-smile. Both guys looked like they didn't know what hit
them.