Obsession: A Rejected Mate Shifter Romance (The Mate Games #1)(3)
“Yes, Grandfather. I won’t let you down. What time do I leave?”
“This place couldn’t get more Gothic if it tried,” I grumbled as my driver pulled up to the gates of Ravenscroft.
“Miss, would you like me to pull ‘round front or take this to the rear for a more discreet entrance?” the driver asked, his posh British accent reminding me we were, in fact, in the middle of the English countryside.
Not that I could forget. I was on my way to freedom. There was nothing forgettable about that.
“The rear, please. I’m already showing up here two weeks after the year started. I don’t need to draw more attention to myself than necessary.”
“Very good, Miss.”
He drove past the tall wrought iron gates and followed the ivy-covered stone wall that spanned the entire edge of the school’s property. Although the walls were high, the building was higher. Spires soared toward the sky, reminiscent of the stereotypical Dracula’s castle Hollywood always got wrong. Maybe they used this place as inspiration? It had been here for over a century. Nestled in the heart of England, where the humans were none the wiser regarding the creatures that roamed the halls. If only they knew.
I shook my head and chuckled. If they’d known, it would have been burned to the ground, salted, and consecrated until the earth wept the blood of the covenant. Which was why the Families had one common goal—play nice and stay in the shadows. So far, so good . . . except for a few incidents here and there.
The car pulled to a stop outside of a huge set of carriage doors where a tall, severe-looking woman with skin so pale it glowed was waiting. Her long blonde fell to her waist and was shot through with gold highlights. Every time she moved, the gold glinted in the light. Her expression wasn’t friendly. She looked like I’d seriously inconvenienced her by being here.
Excellent. Seems we’re already off to a great start.
Without a word, my driver exited the car and came around to my side, holding open my door for me as I climbed out. While he took my belongings out of the boot of the car, I approached the walkway to my left, where the fair-haired woman stared at me. The pressure from her gaze nearly pinned me to the pavement. What kind of creature was she? I reached out with my senses to get a feel for exactly what she was. Not a human, not a vampire. The tinge of darkness surrounding her sent a chill through me as the word deity flashed in my mind. What the hell was a deity doing here?
“Mademoiselle Fallon, I’m glad you had the good sense to use the private entrance rather than make a spectacle of yourself.” Her velvety voice, with its French accent, mesmerized me. “I’m Antoinette le Blanc, the Headmistress of Students.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she simply turned on her heels and headed for the doors, which opened on their own. “My things—” I protested.
“Are already in your chamber.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the pile of suitcases and bags I’d brought with me were gone, along with the sleek black car. “Eat your heart out, Dumbledore.”
“We are not some made-up school from children’s books, Mademoiselle Fallon. Ravenscroft University is a prestigious institution where the future leaders of our world learn to work together. You’ll find no trolls in our dungeon. You should count yourself among the lucky to even have a place here. Especially”—she looked me over—“considering you have yet to manifest.” She leaned in and took a long moment to assess me. “Not a whiff of wolf on you. There’s something . . . dark about you, but I can’t place it.”
I bristled. How had she known? Does this mean everyone knew? “I have a wolf. She’s just not ready to come out to play.”
Antoinette smirked. “We shall see. Now, come along. Moira will be waiting for you.”
“Moira?”
“Your flatmate.”
“I’m sharing a room with someone?”
She snorted. “Would you rather sleep outside? That can be arranged.”
“No. It’s fine. I just . . . I’ve never had a roommate.”
“This is your first year at Ravenscroft. I assure you, having someone to show you the ropes, as it were, is going to be to your benefit.”
She escorted me through winding hallways, the click of her heels on the stone floor echoing in the cavernous space. It was like being trapped in a labyrinth of never-ending halls until she stopped at a tall door and opened it, revealing another building across a courtyard. People milled around the open air space, some reading, others laughing together, and one staring straight at me.
My blood ran cold as my gaze connected with the one man I never wanted to see again in my life. Kingston Farrell. Son of the Farrell pack Alpha and future leader of their Family. And, according to my grandfather, my destined mate.
Chapter
Three
SUNDAY
I stood transfixed in the doorway, my chest a messy tangle of emotions. Embarrassment. Shame. Anger. Even the tiniest flicker of lust, which I immediately stomped out. All because Kingston’s furious gaze was on mine.
I hated how after everything he’d done, after all the things he said about me over the years, I could still find him so damn attractive. I mean, some of that was genetics; the guy had been biologically predisposed to making women pant even when we’d met as teenagers. But now, he was all grown up. Towering six-foot-something frame, heavily muscled sun-bronzed skin with hints of . . . was that black ink teasing from the one open button of his flannel? Shaggy golden-blond hair practically begged you to run your fingers through it, and his chiseled jaw, covered in a slightly darker five-o’clock shadow, promised you’d feel his kisses for days after. Even narrowed in anger, his green eyes still made me want to discover their secrets.