I pulled my hood further over my face as I knocked on the fourth mahogany door in the hall. Not that it helped any, as my skinny jeans showed more of my figure than my baggy jacket concealed, but it was at least enough to get the other guys in the hall to pass me without thinking twice. And on second thought, I shouldn't have hid at all. It was just my brother's room.

Miles threw open the door, his face dressed in rage but his chest bare. "Dude, I told you I wasn't--" his voice raised in pitch as he blinked out of it--"Mel? What are you--,"

I placed a finger over my lips, checking what I could see of his room for a roommate. Sure enough, another boy laid out on the second twin bed with his nose in a Nintendo console. I whispered, "Put on some clothes. You're coming with me."

His head craned back. "Why are you whispering?"

It took all of me not to grab him by his adolescent ear. "Because I'm taking you to a senior bonfire and your new friend isn't invited. You coming or not?"

He glared for a split second, but rather than slamming the door in my face, he opened it wider. Miles trudged to his closet, sifting through a rack of tees and hoodies before he said, "Yo, Brienne, this is my sister, Melissa. You mind if she comes in?"

The boy on the bed ran a hand through his black hair, his thin and willowy frame almost swanlike as he dropped the game and smiled. "Of course, not," he said, but by the small quirk of his lips and a drawling accent, it seemed more like he purred it. Awkwardly I took a step into the room and clung to the front wall, glad it still smelled of sterile old castle rather than feet and vinegar chips.

"Brienne is French," Miles added. "He's also ranked globally in some of his games."

Brienne nodded in approval, a flush growing on his cheeks as I held his stare for too long. Swallowing, I kept my attention on my brother's side of the dorm. Miles wasn't as neat, half of his dufflebags still packed and sprawled all over his sheets, but at least he was familiar.

My brother's roommate leaned forward in his bed, sliding his hands down his legs. "I heard of you before I arrived. You are on the Ivory Table. I was just talking to your brother about it."

I was good enough with a passive smile and muttered thanks, but Brienne cocked his head. "Are you going to be vorvian like him?"

It should have been an easy question. I'd seen what vampires could do. My father was vorvian and my mother unmarked. I grew up around silver bullets and stakes in the cupboards, but for some reason it didn't roll off my tongue. I was tired, and if I could be anything, I wanted to be nothing.

"I'm undecided," I said at last.

Brienne's eyes gleamed with awe and a tint of mischief. Not wanting to think of what that meant, I looked to Miles. "You ready?"

He nodded, spritzing a bit of aftershave onto his hood before smoothing out the wrinkles over his stomach. I couldn't help but gawk, my jaw almost touching the floor as he put in earrings and then joined me at the door. "Since when were your ears pierced?"

Miles glowered, shoving past me to stand in the hall. "Can you not berate me in front of my roommate?"

"Berate?" I half whispered and yelled, closing the door behind me. "Who are you? And who let you touch a thesaurus?"

"Shut up! Mom let me get them done before I came, alright?" He flipped his hood onto his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he stole a glance outside. "Try not to freak out."

I threw my hands up in surrender, not wanting to press any further. Apparently he was turning into a young man. Maybe I should have seen it when his shoulders actually filled out his blazer this afternoon. He rubbed the back of his neck, pressing his lips into a straight line.

"Since you're here, I wanted to say sorry for earlier," he said.

My hands fell. He met my eyes in earnest, his weight rocking back and forth to seemingly relieve the awkward tension. "You needed support and I let my emotions get the best of me. I was just mad they ignored you."

My smile warmed my entire body. Before he could retract his statement, I shoved his shoulder. "You're all good. I'm sorry for being stubborn."

"Good. You should be."

He laughed and shielded his chest as I raised a hand at him. But instead of hitting him, I yanked him by the collar and pulled him to my side. Together, we walked to the bridge that connected us to the school's heart. It was a quiet journey, a few school guards nodding to us as they completed their patrols. For each face that found mine, I was glad none of them were dimpled or golden. I didn't want to run into him again. I didn't think I could after being so embarrassing.

With the outside world still shrouded in a hint of frost, the evening sunlight that broke through the grey fog was a pale pink. It filled the ancient halls with rose light, the statues of winged maidens and the smaller details of the frescoed ceilings shimmering in all their silent strength. Our school was a monstrosity of stone, renovated woodwork, and wrought iron. A conglomerate of old that blended seamlessly with new. We wound through staircases and trekked through two other stories before hitting ground floor and outside air.

The Fields were our final expanse to cross before we'd reach a barrage of trees that marked the nearest forest. I scanned the side of the school for black security uniforms before facing forward again. Miles noticed me swallowing a deep breath before he swore under his.

"Are you about to run?"

I nodded, sliding one leg behind the other for a pushing point. Even if he complained, my brother did the same.

"Human speed? Or normal running?"

"Do human speed and the guards will tackle you in seconds. We've gotta make a break for it. Top speed."

"Normal it is." He rolled his shoulders to loosen them and focused ahead, his eyes honing in on a point in the trees just like mine. "Next time, tell me so that I can stretch."

"Shut up. On my count." I held up three fingers and drew one to my palm.

"What if we get caught?"

I drew another finger down. "We don't," I told him, my last finger falling and my legs propelling forward.

The world in my peripheral elongated, the school, the small garden, the fields pulling at the edges like putty; Slowing down to accommodate the true meaning of speed. Wind howled through my ears, the bitter influx of cold air slicing through my chest. Still, I pushed onward, grateful to taste the freshness of the incoming forest.

The Fields were behind us in an instant. The next challenge came with dodging the trees. My legs burned as I bounded from side to side, each step a dance in an obstacle course that never led in the same direction twice.

By my side, Miles whooped, his voice bleeding through the stretched woods just as much as his silhouette. As a fallen log barred his path, both his hands sank into the soil, his back legs shooting him forward and his body extending until he soared through the air with both feet kicked behind him. When he landed on both feet in a pile of slush and cracked leaves, it was almost impossible to believe he was the same brother that used to trip over his shoelaces. This Miles was a creature in his own habitat. A dhampir that belonged to my school.

The woods darkened a fraction as I slowed, my heart racing and blood rushing through my head. But even as my chest groaned for more oxygen, the voices of others whispered through the trees. Miles must have heard it too because he followed my pace, taking a step behind me as a flicker of scarlet and amber swirled in the distance.

The bonfire cast a golden glow over the indigo treetops. There was still enough light in the sky for it to be unnecessary, but that was the point. As the seniors that started the tradition before us explained it, the bonfire was only a countdown, a beacon for the newcomers before the real fun began. As we approached, it lived up to its name.

My class filled the miniature clearing, each of them talking in bunches or tilting their heads back in laughter. Blankets were strewn about the damp ground, many of them used as sitting guards with those atop them sipping from red solo cups or around the shoulders of those that felt the minor chill.

Around the fire, members of the Ivory Table huddled together. In normal clothes, they weren't half as intimidating as they were exclusive to their circle. Isadora glanced at me sidelong while a few of the others smiled and waved. Hoseok was the first to stand and throw his hands up.

"Look who we've got!" His voice boomed enough to hush other partygoers. "And she brought a guest!"

Miles offered a toothy grin, nervously clasping his hands behind his back. Clara and Jimin jumped from the other side of the bonfire to greet us. She ran a hand through her hair, and by the pink shimmer tint of Jimin's lips, I hadn't missed any important conversation. Still, she rushed over. "You brought Miles?"

"I hope you guys don't mind," I began. Clara was the first to embrace Miles, Jimin right behind her until he could clasp my brother's hand and pull him to his chest for a small hug. Claude scratched his stubbled chin as James, another girl of the council, spoke up from her squat near the firewood.

"We need numbers to be even."

In each class there were 120 of us, but not even three quarters of our group lingered at the site. Too far spread to get a head count, I could only shrug until another boy spoke up from the fireplace. Across from James, he shook his black hair out of his eyes and leaned back onto his hands, his red flannel over his black shirt making him paler than normal.

"Someone won't show," said Yoongi.

Jin shoved his phone into his jean pocket. "I just talked to Antero over the phone. Apparently that Namjoon guy has got security tight. A few of them are getting caught and sent back to their rooms."

"He can't be that good," Isadora chimed, rolling her eyes.

No, he couldn't be. But for the sake of staying at an isolated school in the mountains for some months, I hoped he was.

"Doesn't matter," said a voice near the trees. The boy it belonged to appeared tall and strong in his navy tank top and dark pants. The school's blackened logo had been embroidered on his chest, so had the words RENAULT RUGBY. He slammed a fist into his palm and his muscles flexed. "The sun goes down soon. We start without them," his gaze slid onto Miles, a dark eyebrow raising, "who's that? New guy?"

I opened my mouth to answer until Hoseok interrupted. "Melissa's brother."

"A freshman, huh?" His white smile glowed in the start of evening. In a few strides he made it to the fireplace to tilt his head down at Miles. "You ever thought about trying rugby?"

Clara's tap on my shoulder drowned out their enlightening conversation. "Thanks for coming out," she said, "It's good to see you here."

Not wanting to think about it anymore, I gave her a closed-lipped smile and observed the party again. Our classmates began to stand and dust off their clothes as the sun set further into the throng of trees. Altogether they were the image of bliss. Jungkook and Miles laughed like quick friends. Jin and Hoseok mingled with their own cliques. Jimin found a seat next to Yoongi, who spoke in a voice so low it didn't even seem like he was talking at all. All of them could let loose and not have their shoulders bunched all the way up to their necks.

It hit me that I was the only one with my mouth clamped shut. I still hung on the outskirts wondering if it were smart to run off into the woods for some fun or if I was asking to be found again. Clara must have seen it on my face because she jerked her head at a group of students to our right. Through the familiar faces there was one I knew for certain, Helena. A third-year girl that was kind in passing and good at minding her business. The other...

He was lean and tall like Jungkook, but with dark coiffed hair and stellar green eyes. As Helena spoke he listened by nodding every now and then, pinning her down with that intense stare and a kind smile. My heart dropped as he met my gaze from across the clearing. I rushed to look at Clara again, turning a bit so he wouldn't see.

"He's cute, isn't he?" Clara said. She giggled and snatched a hair tie from around her wrist, bunching up strands of blonde in her hands. "His name's Ezra. He's new."

"Why are you telling me that?" I asked.

"I don't know," she admitted, flicking her ponytail behind her back with a small smile, "a boy can't heal you, but he can give you something else to think about."

I laughed, the possibility of a partner so far-fetched that the thought didn't even rest in these woods. Still, I appreciated her watchful eye and her charm. "Is that how you'd sum up having a beloved?"

She pretended to gag, pretty face scrunching up in dismay. "It's not the 17th century, can we just say soulmate?" As I shook my head, she sighed and peered at him as he chatted with Yoongi. "I can't explain it. It feels deeper than that. Like love, or belonging."

"Listen up!" James shouted, standing at last and rounding on the camp. Everyone quieted at her devilish smirk. "It's time for the game! Who are we picking as we captains?"

The other students ogled one another, no one quite coming forward. Then, a boy raised his hand and tossed his cup behind him. Blaise was notorious for many things, and assuming the leadership role was one of them. "I'll be a captain."

James held her gaze on him and then frowned. "Can literally anyone else be Captain?"

"Let's do nominations," Isadora suggested. Then, her head swiveled to Jungkook. "I vote Jungkook."

Blaise scowled, holding out a hand. "He's captain of the rugby team, is that not enough?"

"Exactly," Isadora countered. Her sneer was nasty, the venom in her tone acidic. "He's achieved something."

While others looked away from the confrontation, Jungkook shrugged. "I'll be captain. Who else are we nominating?"

Jimin raised a hand, dark eyes gleaming like coals in the fire's glow. "I'll nominate Blaise... and then be on the other team so that we can kick his ass."

"Watch your mouth, sympathizer." Blaise balled his fists, those around him taking a protective step closer. Unbothered, Jimin winked.

"We're using slurs now?" Isadora snorted, nodding her sarcastic approval. She said, "I'll be on the other team too, then."

James brushed right over them. "Captain's rule or majority?"

"Captain's," Jungkook and Blaise shouted. Except while Jungkook grinned with pride, Blaise's lips curled in contempt. The rugby player didn't seem to notice as his hand snaked around Miles' shoulder. "I say we do partners too."

I stepped forward in case he forgot I was there. "That's my brother, you know. He's a first-year."

Blaise scoffed. "Relax. You brought him out here to play, so he can play with the best of us." He side-eyed the young man at his side with a smile that bordered on dangerous. "Sarim and I will take good care of him."

Clara scowled, but inched towards Jimin, who stood and dusted off his hands. When he looked her way, it was a done deal. The two of them gravitated to one another like I hadn't been standing there. Not that I minded, but it was nice to imagine I was at least second choice. Pairing was quick and efficient, and in what felt like seconds I was glued to the same place while the others looked ready to head to their bases.

Had me missing two days of social hour before the welcome meeting really put me at the bottom of the totem pole?

The sting settled in just as Yoongi hopped up and sauntered towards me. If no one had picked him, he didn't seem upset or entirely surprised. Instead, his endearing grin forced us both to acknowledge we were the odd men out and now--by the glint in his eye--the ones that would try and win this. As soon as the first pang of pity came for myself and my new accomplice, I washed it away. People didn't talk to me this semester because I hadn't made an effort to talk to them. People didn't talk to him at all because he knew his alignment and wore it proudly. Min Yoongi, hailing from a vampire family and a desire to follow in their footsteps, was the perfect partner.

When he joined me, we waited for Hoseok and James, who kicked at the fire logs and scattered the flame. As those died out, so did the rest of the day. The forest at night carried a thick darkness. The stars and moon above seemed to cut through the black. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, but when they settled in, Yoongi leaned closer.

"Which team are we joining?"

I stalked in the same direction as Jungkook and his pursuit signified his approval. Isadora and another Ivory Table member stayed behind with James to make a starting call and flip a coin for who hunted and who sought. When she finished, she ran to Jungkook to deliver the news. Miles listened alongside him, a young pup that looked too eager to earn his keep.

"If they hurt him, I'll take care of Blaise myself," I said.

Yoongi chuckled. "I'll help you."

I peered at him over my shoulder. "Thanks for picking me."

"I didn't have much of a choice. Esther and Uriah got caught."

"Wow. Please make it seem like you don't want this," I joked. He chuckled again, his smile teasing.

"I've never had a problem with you, Melissa."

Our classmates filled the woods around us, their heads turning in each direction as news seemed to follow a steady trail to the back of our ranks. The two guys ahead of us listened to a pair of girls before them, and then the one to the left turned and glanced at me. Those green eyes were relentless. Especially in the dark. The new guy smiled, deciding to walk backwards.

"I don't think we've met," he called. "What are your names?"

His demeanor was easy and simple. Nothing smug or malicious. "Melissa," I told him. Yoongi shouted his name too.

"I'm Ezra! Nice to meet you guys! We're the hunters." He continued his walk facing the other way. Yoongi and I stopped where we were.

I asked, "Do you know the rules?"

"Yeah." Yoongi pointed to the horizon where everyone else on Blaise's team disappeared. "We've got two teams: hunters and hunted. The hunted are supposed to try to get to our base before we seek them out and tag them. Hunters are the ones looking for them. Since we're playing Captain's rules, it won't end unless Blaise gets found or makes it to our base."

So Blaise willingly put a target on his back. Isadora and the others probably foamed at the mouth for the opportunity. I decided to stay optimistic as well. Anyone bold enough to threaten Miles didn't have a problem standing out or paying the price. "And partners?" I asked.

"If we tag someone in a pair, their partner is out too. But if they make it to base, so does the person they're with. It's a double edged sword."

As it all sank in, the appeal of the game clicked. "It's basically warfare."

Yoongi's smile chilled the surrounding air. The forest grew silent, everyone waiting for the signal. Gnarled trees concealed much of the clearing and the view past that, but from the roots and dark pockets beyond nothing stirred.

Then, the command seemed to beat into the sky and ricochet through every branch. "GO!!!"

We thundered from our side of the woods, the rush of speed waking me up again. Except, it wasn't just Miles and I that zoomed from trunk to trunk--an army of us kicked up mud with our heels, their howling and shouts spilling into the rustle of leaves and stampeding feet that barreled into the wind. A few pairs slowed and stopped, our deeper flanks setting up a barricade to our base while Jungkook and Miles stormed through the masses and into the clearing.

"Tag anything that moves!" Yoongi cried.

I nodded, the momentum of gravity and vorvian blood in my veins tugging me forward as if by string. The hunted side of the woods contained thicker cover in the form of fallen trees, overgrown shrubs, and thick stumps. I held my breath and hurtled over a boulder, Yoongi grabbing my hand as he did the same to shoot me forward--and in light of sight to a classmate that dared to roll from one spot to another.

My feet skid through mud and leaves, but I dove and caught him by the ankle, Yoongi laughing as I shifted upwards to run again. But the further we went, the easier it was to spot the curled bodies and hiding spots in slow motion. As Yoongi passed, I caught his arm and frowned.

"All of these people are just hiding!"

"Yeah, I know, that's the game," he deadpanned, swiveling left and right to see what he could find while still. "What about it?"

"Think about it. You said the hunted team has to get to our side of the woods. They have to move, so Blaise wouldn't stay in one place!"

His eyes widened. "You're going for Blaise?"

"I thought you were too!"

At a nearby tree, Isadora used her speed to run up the trunk and snatch a student down as easily as she picked an apple. Yoongi whistled as she swept through the laggers.

"I am," he admitted, "but think bigger. Blaise will get caught, but it means nothing if Sarim is able to move forward without being seen."

His logic made so much sense that it hurt. Our class expected Blaise to step out and cause havoc. But that large spotlight gave enough window for a sidekick in the dark to win the game anyway. In fact, anyone with that method could have won. Isadora, Matthias, Viyana, and Astrid--all members of the Ivory Table on my team--were the only ones to catch the hint and pick off partners at the perimeter.

To Yoongi, I said, "We find Sarim?"

"Exactly." He pointed to a jacket that hung limp on a damp bush. "I think that's how they marked the end of their boundary." So everything from that point back to the campfire was theirs. And if that were the case...

"We catch them from behind then?"

"Yup."

He led the charge, the others hunters tackling their own slice of the descent. Along the way, I split from Yoongi only to lay a hand on those whose backs were turned and watching for the runners ahead. He did the same, and together we rounded a few up until I recognized a break in the trees a few meters from our feet. Not once had we seen Sarim, and as the other Ivory Table members trampled their paths, I assumed they didn't see him either.

My blood ran cold, the next step of the plan trying to nudge me back into a headspace of fear and memory, but I shut it down. This was not the same forest, and my classmates were not the same friends. Someone would have heard it, and we would've stuck together. Still, Sarim's absence pointed me in a single direction and I tilted my head up to the trees--only to spot a figure darker than the night sky soaring from branch to branch.

"Yoongi!" I pointed him to our prize, startling as a series of cheers burst through the foliage of the forest ahead. Above, Sarim faltered, his stride shrinking before he could reach the next foothold. Because of it, his toe slipped, his body's weight dropping him down to the next branch where his single hand gripped and dug into the branch. He jerked from the abrupt stop, but used his other arm to pull him up and a few more seconds to right himself as he found his balance.

Yoongi ran alongside his route to keep up. "How do we get him down?"

The idea came to my head and so did the innate desire to stop that train of thought. It was too dangerous. Wrong, almost. But Isadora and the others had already gone. Sarim was only a breath away.

I could do it if I just remembered where I was. If nothing got out of control, if I remembered to clamp it before it became too strong...

Panicked, Yoongi looked at me. "If you're going to do something, do it now!"

My hand raised, my focus narrowing onto Sarim's collar--no, not that, he moved too fast for it, instead I glimpsed the third tree in his path. My legs carried me to keep me close, but I let the feeling of longer reach, of envisioning myself up there with him overtake my instincts.

Two trees left.

Sarim was limber as a squirrel, his feet light enough to barely shake the branch.

One tree.

He squatted and lunged for the third and my fingers curled a fraction. As he landed, the branch dipped lower under his weight than he anticipated, the ice on the bark sliding him backwards. His arms flailed as he fell from the tree, screaming. Yoongi bent his knees and grunted as Sarim fell into his arms and took him to the floor too.

My hand lowered even as that simmering warmth in my chest seemed to spill into my lungs and arms. Even as it pushed against my ribcage and the surface under my skin.

I didn't even get to hear Yoongi celebrate before I closed my eyes and willed my magick back down into the part of me that slept.

✥ • • • • • ✥

(A/N) Hunting Students,

I am ENTHRALLED to write this a/n because I just learned Crave, the interactive story and novel by Tracy Wolff, is going to be a MOVIE. I get to salivate over Flint ON THE BIG SCREEN. I AM SCREEEEEAAAAMINGGGG. Oh my goodness!!! In the meantime, best believe I am SPLURGING on that book series and devouring them when I can. FLINT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, IDC IF YOU AREN'T JAXON.

In other news, I just want to take a minute to say thank you so freaking much. Blood Diamond reached 1K reads in one week. Seven days. That is wicked. Like disgustingly amazing. I am SO grateful, and I hope you guys can continue the journey with me. Thank you so, so much for trusting me and investing!

I love you guys so much!!!

Next release: 6/17, June 17th (my favorite number, hehe)

With love,

Milan

(FLINT I'M COMING FOR YOU, FINALLY)