Aramis' POV
All I could see was her in the red dress standing by the door, her wavy brown hair falling to her shoulders. Her eyes held mine, unblinking. I could see the horror behind those brown orbs.
Good.
"Vie," I called.
Her eyes darted to the door, as she chuckled awkwardly. "Hey."
I closed the distance between us. Her eyes widened as she stared at me.
"Where have you been?" I asked.
She touched her neck, nervous. I smiled.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to ghost you," she said.
I scoffed. "Ghost me?"
My laugh held no humor. "Me?"
"Oh, dear," I heard Rhys say behind me.
I grabbed a drink from a girl beside me, ignoring her smile, and poured it all over Vie's head. I watched as the liquid seeped down her hair, through her shirt. She gasped loudly in surprise, as she touched her wet clothes.
"W-w-what…" she trailed off.
I threw the cup across the room, and stared at her.
"Rhys," I called.
He came forward and handed a branded sticker to me. I ripped it out, and stamped it on her forehead. Loud gasps filled the room, as they stared at her.
"She's been branded," whispers filled the room as all eyes turned to her.
Branding was exile. It marked you as cursed. Unworthy. Alone. Anyone branded by us, was socially dead.
I watched the sticker crinkle on her skin, the scent of her fear clinging to the air. I smiled, enjoying the sight in front of me.
"Henceforth," I started, my eyes never leaving her. "Anyone who talks to her gets branded too."
The hushed whispers grew louder and I smiled. The look on her face made the last three weeks of waiting worth it.
I leaned closer to her. "Now, get lost."
I stepped back, and chuckled. "Let's get this party started!"
The whispers were quickly replaced by screams as the music turned back on.
"What the hell just happened?" Lucien asked.
I sat down and watched her run out of the room in embarrassment. I turned to Rhys.
"Feel better?" he asked.
"So much," I said, and closed my eyes in ecstasy.
"Anyone gonna tell me what the hell that was?" Lucien asked.
Rhys sighed. "I told him what happened with Vie the other day."
"Why would you do that?" Lucien asked.
Rhys frowned. "Why wouldn't I?"
Lucien turned to me. "I thought you loved her. Why did you brand her?"
I scoffed. "Love?"
"Didn't you?" he asked.
Please.
I straightened. "She's not my type, but her pack is."
Rhys sighed. "Daughter of the Luna of the Crescent pack."
"The fourth most powerful pack in the country," Lucien added.
He paused. "Isn't that why you went after her?"
I smiled at a girl in the black dress across from me. "I need a powerful Luna, who's going to stand by my side, and strengthen my pack."
"And you thought that was Vie," Lucien said.
"Until she shoved her tongue down his throat," I nodded at Rhys.
"She tried to," he corrected.
"So, you branded her, making her the most targeted person in all of Supernaturals' High," Lucien said.
He chuckled loudly, clapping his hands. He grabbed my shoulder. "Now, that's the Aramis I know. Welcome back."
I dropped my phone. "I need a drink."
The girl across from me walked over to me with a smile.
"Here," she held out the cup to me.
I pulled her closer to me, and took the drink from her. She held my face gently, her eyes searching mine. I recognized that look; it was the same look girls gave me every time they saw me. Eyes filled with lust, like they wanted to rip off my clothes right then.
Ice growled, standing up.
"Why don't we find a quiet place to talk?" she asked.
My lips curled up in a smile. "Just talk?"
She kissed me softly on the lip, biting as she drew blood.
Vampire.
"Amongst other things," she said.
'She's not our mate!' Ice growled.
"Let's go," I grabbed her hand.
Lucien chuckled, a look of approval on his face as he stared at us. Rhys dropped his book, gasping loudly, a blank look on his face.
I sat back down and stared at him.
"What's going on?" the girl asked.
"Leave us," I said.
"What?"
My eyes burned into hers. "Leave."
She scrambled to her feet, and walked away quickly.
Lucien stared at me, a serious look on his face. We waited patiently for Rhys, as we usually did when he had one of his visions. Rhys was the son of Ehraim Voice, the leader of Black Coven, the most powerful coven of witches in the land.
Rhys had three main powers; he could read minds—I was not fond of that one. He had the ability to shapeshift, and the last, but the most important of all, he could see the future. That was my favorite power of his.
He gasped, blinking rapidly.
"What did you see?" I asked.
His chest heaved loudly as his gaze focused on me.
"She's coming," he said.
What did he mean by that? My gaze flitted to the door, but it remained closed.
I frowned. "Who's coming?"
"I-I don't know," he said.
I'd never seen that look on his face before. He looked… uncertain. Rhys' visions were powerful, and they were always true. He'd seen vision of Vie kissing him a few days before it happened and told me about it.
The only reason I came was because he'd seen her showing up tonight. It was my chance to humiliate her for what she did in front of the entire school.
Lucien paused. "What do you mean you don't know?"
He glanced at me. The confusion in his eyes reflected in mine.
Rhys shook his head. "S-she had no face."
"What?"
He grabbed my hand. "She. Had. No. Face."
"Who doesn't have a face?" Lucien asked.
"She doesn't," Rhys said, and turned to me. "And she's coming right here."
"To the party?"
He shook his head. "To Supernaturals' High."