This takes place about two weeks after Betrayals ends.

DISCLAIMER: Strange Angels Series belongs to Lili St Crow.

Chapter 1: Blood hunger

"Dru! Work it, girl!" I gasped as my hand connected with Graves's face and he went flying back, his jaw snapping with a scary sound. It was yet another svetochatraining session. Only this time, they invited Graves to beat me to a pulp for a change. Or vice versa. I told them it was a bad idea.

"Holy crap!" I quickly ran over to him and knelt down. I winced when I saw a huge purple bruise blooming on his cheekbone. "I'm sorry." He gave me a little pained smile and winced. I touched the bruise gingerly.

Dibs was standing in the corner and now he ran over. He none-too-gently examined Graves's face and sent him to the medic. He gave me an annoying look. "Dru, honey, have you ever thought that maybe beating up your friends isn't the best way to train?"

I sighed at him. "Dibs, honey," I mimicked his overly sweet voice. "Right now this is the only way to train. Since all the teachers are 'busy' and 'unprepared'." I made air quotes around the words. Ever since I arrived at the main Schola they (meaning the djamphir in charge) were all over the place trying to figure out the best ways to train me. They were also trying to find teachers that are strict enough, good enough, and willing enough to train a new svetocha.

"Yeah, about that…" Dibs looked over my shoulder. He had a weird look on his face. Something between disgust and admiration. I turned around and was hit in the face by a spicy smell of apple pies baking.

"Christophe." I studied the djamphir in front of me. He was pretty tall, slimly built, and roguishly handsome. The (I assumed) natural highlights in his expensively cut hair seemed to shift and his cold, winter-blue eyes stared right at me.

"Hello, milna. How have you been?" I breathed in the apple pie smell and shook my head.

"Fine." I said shortly. I pointedly didn't ask him how he'd been. There was no point in wasting my breath. I'd just get another vague, duck-and-cover answer. "You're finally back. What's the deal?" I asked because he always showed up for a reason. And those reasons tended to be bad.

"I'm your new mentor. Aren't you glad?" There was a moment of complete silence as I stared at him in shock.

"What?" I hissed. I mean, I was actually a little glad. He was probably the best one for the job. And I guess I'm kind of…close to him. But he tended to have a very mysterious style of teaching.

"I can just tell you're thrilled." That sly smile again. The smile of someone who either knew too much or too little, but, in either case, didn't care. That smile brought out the coldness in his eyes and I could just see a hint of fang beneath his lips.

I was distracted by a sweet smell cloying the air. It was a little too sweet, but had a certain appeal to it. Like milk that was too sugary but warm enough for you to enjoy it. The air smelled very good all of a sudden and I could feel a little place in the back of my throat being tickled. The blood hunger.

Christophe probably saw something in my face change because he suddenly frowned. "Dru – ." He took a deep breath of air and his eyes widened as he smelled the blood too. He quickly looked around and pointed at a boy standing in the corner of the room. He was a tall, lanky kid with big brown hair and doe-like eyes. He'd just come in bleeding, probably on his way to the medic. Probably a fight gone wrong. Kids fight around here a lot. It's a part of the training. But right now that kid was covered in blood.

And he'd suddenly smelled really good.

"You." Christophe pointed at the kid. "Get out of here. Now." The kid took a step in my direction. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off with a glare from Christophe. He just stood there confused.

"Christophe…" I gasped. I could feel my canines lengthening as the aspect flooded me. My muscles were shaking as I locked my knees and resisted the blood hunger. Christophe took a step forward and put his arms around me, hugging me tight.

"Sh." He whispered. I took in a long breath and burrowed my face in the space between his shoulder and collarbone. The smell of apple pies and spices hit me and drowned out everything else. But the blood hunger was still there. Christophe's face was in my hair and I knew he was resisting it too. But he was doing a far better job. "Get. OUT." He growled and I could feel the air move as the bleeding kid ran out of the room. The heat coming off of Christophe was making me feel hot and cold at the same time. I felt my fangs retreated as the aspect disappeared and I fell to my knees, shaking.

"Shhh." Christophe was on the floor beside me, stroking my hair and muttering comforting words. "It's okay, Dru. Everything will be okay. I promise, kochana."

"Dru?" Graves's scared voice carried out over the silence. "Oh shit, Dru. What just happened?"

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DreamALittleBigger.