‘Mr Johnson? Miss Bell? I wasn’t aware that you were working on this project together?’
Cassie started at the teacher’s voice.
‘Um, no … sorry, Mr Jackson, I was just asking Jake about editing HTML code,’ she mumbled.
‘Well, call me traditional, but I think it’s usual for questions in class to be directed to the teacher.’
‘Yes, sir,’ muttered Cassie, gritting her teeth.
‘So why don’t you come on back to your seat and I’ll see if I can help.’
As she made her way across the classroom, Cassie shot a final pleading look at Jake, but he seemed to be concentrating on his own screen. He looked determined. As determined as she’d ever seen him. This was going to be trouble …
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘You know, I’ve never had a date in a railway station before,’ said Cassie.
Ranjit grinned. ‘You don’t know what you’ve been missing.’
No kidding. Cassie was really pleased when Ranjit had suggested a bit of sightseeing together earlier that afternoon. She’d felt as if a distance had opened up between them after their spat in the common room, and Cassie had been hopeful that his suggestion of an afternoon alone could be enough to change that. However, when he brought her to a train station she wasn’t quite so sure it was going to be the romantic reconciliation she was hoping for after all.
Luckily, it didn’t take long to change her mind when Ranjit led her up to the Oyster Bar. Even with her limited experience of such matters, Cassie had a glimmer of hope that the crustaceans might provide an early-evening aphrodisiac …
‘Good, aren’t they?’ Ranjit looked up from under his long, dark lashes and grinned. As he returned to his plate of expensive shellfish, Cassie eyed her fellow diners. The three women at the next table were animated, laughing at some juicy piece of gossip. She watched their mouths, sniffed delicately at the scent of their breath. Their lively auras were almost more appealing than oysters, but she wasn’t afraid of attacking them. Not yet. Inside her, the hunger was quiet. The Tears of the Few were still doing their job, thank goodness. She still had time.
‘You’re all right, aren’t you?’ Ranjit asked, reaching a hand over to touch hers.
Her skin tingled. ‘Absolutely.’ As if to prove it, she swallowed another oyster, and leaned contentedly back in her chair. The ceiling above her was stunning: vaulted and tiled and glowing with light. ‘What a beautiful place.’
‘I know it sounds weird, but the main terminal’s even better.’ He laughed. ‘Are you finished? I’ll get the bill and we can go upstairs.’ Dropping his napkin on the red checked tablecloth, he nodded to a waiter. Handing over a shiny black credit card, he paid without checking the amount. Cassie gave a short, private laugh. The casual wealth of the students at the Darke Academy never ceased to amaze her.
Ranjit walked around and helped her into her coat, and she smiled as he rested his hands on her shoulders for a fraction longer than necessary.
‘Hey, is everything cool with you and Jake?’
Cassie hesitated, surprised at his question – and on guard after what had happened when he’d brought up the subject of Richard. ‘Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?’
‘I don’t know. I just haven’t seen him hanging out with you as much as usual recently. I know he’s not exactly thrilled with the idea of us being together. And after what happened to Jess, I can’t imagine he’s happy about you feeding on Isabella either.’
Cassie silently cursed his perceptiveness. Jake had indeed been keeping his distance since their ‘chat’ in computer science. But how much could she tell Ranjit? She wasn’t ready to let anyone else know about Jake’s one-man campaign to bring Katerina to justice, that was for sure.
She bought a little time by knotting her scarf carefully. At last she gave Ranjit an apologetic grin. ‘Yeah, you have a point. Things have been a bit … tense. But actually, he doesn’t know about the feeding thing yet.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Really? Well, maybe that’s for the best. But how long do you think you can keep it from him? Jake isn’t stupid.’
‘I know.’ Cassie made a rueful face. ‘But we haven’t actually done anything yet, so it’s not like we’re actually lying. And Isabella really, really doesn’t want him to know.’
‘Yeah. I can believe that,’ Ranjit said. ‘Still, that’s a pretty amazing friend you’ve got there.’
‘She’s very brave,’ Cassie replied quietly. ‘Braver than I’d be. Anyway, we’ve got an appointment with Sir Alric tomorrow. Isabella and me. He’s going to give us our first … um, tutorial.’
‘Good. It will be much easier for you to get used to the idea of being one of us once you’re surer about the feeding.’
She shifted uncomfortably at his choice of phrase. ‘One of us’. The reminder that Ranjit was as much a member of the Few as those sinister figures who had lurked, hooded, in the shadows during her ritual. He had spoken a little about the dark nature of the spirit inside him, the ‘personality clash’ they had – a bad spirit in a good person. Like Cassie and Estelle, perhaps. Was she falling for a monster?
Was he?
Of course not, my dear …
Cassie tensed. As they walked towards the stairs, Ranjit sensed her discomfort.
‘Cassie … I know things are a little different for you, and it’s going to take some getting used to, but I promise you, it’s not all bad.’