Chapter 133: Sportscar

Vance

Vance rushed back into the dorm suite, his breath coming in fast, heavy pants. He hurried straight down the dark corridor toward Travis’s room, pulling the door wide open.

Theo was sitting on the edge of the unmade bed in complete shock, staring blankly at the floor while mumbling to himself. "It can’t be... it just can’t be..."

Beside him, Keali was completely passed out cold across Travis’s mattress, snoring softly, lost deep in slumber after his high had finally caught up to him.

Vance wanted to stop and demand to know what had happened here, but he knew he didn’t have time. I’ll find out later, Vance thought, his mind racing. Right now, I have to get those clothes and de-scenting cream before Travis changes her mind.

He rushed straight to the wardrobe and yanked the wooden doors open. There was nothing inside. He looked down and saw one of Travis’s spare shirts laying crumpled on the floor. Seeing no casual clothes anywhere, he just grabbed the spare academy uniform off the floor.

He bolted into the adjoined bathroom, looking everywhere, checking the counter, opening drawers, until his hands finally locked around the bottle of de-scenting lotion.

He stepped back into the bedroom, pointing a firm finger at Theo. "Fix this mess you and Keali created right now. I mean it, Theo. You are going to get me in trouble."

Without waiting for Theo to answer, Vance rushed out of the dorm. But the moment he reached the main hallway outside, he froze.

"Damn it," he muttered, slapping his forehead. "I forgot something."

He turned on his heel and rushed right back inside the dorm suite. Near the front entrance sat a small console table. Vance shoved the first drawer open, reaching in to pull out his leather wallet and his car keys, two items he almost never kept on himself because his brothers usually drove everywhere and paid for everything. He shoved them into his pockets, turned, and sprinted out the door for good.

Out near the edge of the woods, Vance found Travis standing near a thick oak tree, shivering slightly in her damp clothes.

"Here," Vance said, handing her the uniform and the bottle of lotion. Travis quickly took them from his hands, looking around nervously. "Turn around," she ordered, pointing toward the open field. "And don’t look. I’m changing behind this tree."

Vance instantly spun around, his face flushing bright red. He stared fixedly at the grass, his chest tight as he tried with all his might not to think about the fact that his fated mate was taking off her clothes just a few feet behind him. He took it upon himself to act as her protector, surveying the quiet clearing, which was surrounded by nothing but tall trees and chirping birds.

I can’t believe she’s actually right here, he thought, his pulse hammering in his ears. She’s really my mate.

"I’m done," he heard Travis say from behind him.

Before he could fully turn, he felt a small hand touch his shoulder. He turned around, and at the exact same moment, a cold, heavy bundle of wet clothes was shoved directly into his chest.

Vance caught the wet fabric, blinking down at it. "What is this?"

Travis crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. "You didn’t bring a plastic bag or anything to put my wet clothes in. So you’re going to need to go back to the dorm and put those away."

Vance stared at her. "You want me to go back again?"

"Is that a problem?" Travis asked, a slight, hopeful smirk touching her lips. "We can do this another time. I mean... we don’t have to go on this date today."

Panic flared in Vance’s chest. "No!" he said quickly, shaking his head. "No, no! I’ll go! Just meet me in front of the school!" He didn’t wait for her to answer. Vance turned around and ran off as fast as his legs could carry him, sprinting all the way back to the dormitory building.

As he ran up the stone steps, he lifted the drenched pile of clothes to his face, taking a deep, quiet sniff. The wet fabric smelled heavily of wild jasmine. A foolish, radiant smile spread across his face.

Instead of taking the clothes all the way back to Travis’s room, he quickly pushed open the door to his own bedroom, dropped the wet pile right onto his unmade bed, closed the door shut, and ran back out faster than a bolt of lightning.

He sprinted down the long grand staircases, bursting through the main entrance doors of the academy. Travis was already standing near the broad front steps, her arms crossed over her fresh uniform, waiting for him.

"Oh, you’re bacl," Travis noted, raising an eyebrow as he slid to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily. "That was quick. So... where is this date?"

Vance caught his breath, offering a confident grin. "It’s a surprise." I have not a single clue where we are going, Vance thought frantically, his mind spinning as he tried to come up with a plan on the spot.

Travis looked at him suspiciously. "How are we supposed to get there? Is it... like in the school lobby or something?"

"No, no, no," Vance said, waving his hand dismissively. "We are going out for this one. It’s our first date. I want it to be memorable." He gestured for her to follow him, leading her down the paved walkway toward the academy’s massive parking lot. Near the edge of the lot sat seven large school buses lined up in a row. But past the buses, tucked into a designated, private parking space, sat a sleek, dark sports car.

It was the car he had driven when he first arrived at moonside in the beginning of the term.

Travis stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide as she stared at the high-end vehicle. "Seriously? There’s a parking lot on school grounds? I didn’t even know this existed."

Vance chuckled, stepping beside her. "There’s a lot of places in this school that I think you don’t know exist. One day, I’ll show you the dungeon."

Travis turned her head slowly, looking at him like he was insane. "There’s a dungeon?"

"Yep," Vance said smoothly.

He jogged ahead, pressing the unlock button on his key fob. The sports car chimed, its lights flashing. Vance pulled the heavy passenger door wide open, making a grand, sweeping bow with his arm.

"After you... my lady," Vance said, his voice dripping with playful charm.

Travis visibly cringed, her nose scrunching up in sheer disgust. Gross, she thought, her stomach twisting. Please don’t ever say that again.

"Don’t call me that," Travis grumbled.

Still, she reluctantly stepped forward and slid into the soft leather passenger seat. Vance shut the door carefully, turned around, and ran around the front of the hood to hop into the driver’s side.

He pulled the door shut, trapping her in the rich scent of leather mixed with his scent.

Travis adjusted her glasses, looking out the windshield before turning to glare at him. "Okay, so how do you plan on getting out of the school, exactly? I mean... they don’t allow students to leave the campus at all during the week."

Vance rested his hand on the steering wheel, looking over at her with a smug grin. "You forget I am a prince. My forefathers owned this school. I can do whatever I want. Seriously, no one tells me anything."

Travis leaned back against her seat, looking out her side window. "Brat," she mumbled under her breath. Vance clicked his seatbelt in, a slow smirk spreading across his face. "Well, most shifters have very good hearing, you know."

Travis didn’t flinch. She simply rolled her eyes, staring straight ahead. Vance turned the key in the ignition. The powerful engine roared to life with a deep, loud rumble that vibrated right through the seats.

Travis blinked, her eyes lighting up slightly as the engine purred. "I might not fall in love with you," she muttered, resting her elbow on the window frame, "but I might fall in love with this car."

Vance chuckled softly, the sound low in his chest. At least the car is working in my favor, he thought, his heart beating fast with hope.

He pulled the gear shift back, stepped on the gas, and guided the sports car down the long, winding drive toward the massive Moonside front gates at the bottom of the hill. With a quick click of a button on his sun visor, the heavy iron gates slowly swung open, allowing the car to glide smoothly out onto the open road.