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Though I open my mouth to protest that I closed my eyes 72 hours ago, something holds me back. Whether it is the look Hunter gives me or the obvious relief that flows through me like a raging river, I don't know. My mouth closes with an audible click. Gratefully I accept the glass of water from Hunter, thankful for having something to do with my hands and case the place I woke up in. 

"You are in the infirmary." The Headmaster says as he smiles lightly at me. "You shocked us all with your little performance back then." The door to the private room opens and he speaks quietly with a nurse standing at the door opening. "You have sent the whole council into a frenzy." He tugged his rumpled suit as straight as it would go, and I noticed dark shadows under his eyes. He looks warily at me as he stands at the threshold, "The Four Founding Royals would like to meet you." He says and then sighs, "Well it is more like they demand it. I will do my utmost to give you and Hunter as much time as possible to recover before you are to meet them." I can feel the waves of dread come off him. "Make no mistake, you will meet them, one way or another." He is out of the door before I can speak, or ask a question. 

My face is in Hunter's hands before I can utter a sound, his lips pressing gently but firmly against mine. After a long moment, he pulls back slightly and presses his forehead against mine. "Please don't scare me like that again." He murmurs, and I notice the slight tremor in his voice and hands. "I don't know what to do without you." I can see he wants to hug me to his chest pretty badly but uncharacteristically he doesn't.

You and me both.

A grin spreads on his face and I belatedly realise he must have heard my thought.

I did. And it makes me happy.

A dark blush flushes my skin from my neck up to my face as my mouth imitates a gasping fish. A laugh bubbles up from his throat, a deep rumbling sound, but I find it soothing. A nurse poked her head around the door to investigate the strange sound and gaps as she sees Hunter bent over at the waist laughing and my now burning face.

"Is.....Is everything alright?" She stammers, still overcome by the fact that Hunter has been laughing so loudly that he has tears streaming down his face.

"Yes...Yes, it is." He wipes his eyes, still occasionally snickering. She looks at my mortified face, nods and leaves.

"Will you stop laughing at me?!" I cry in outrage as soon as she is gone. "This is mortifying without you adding to it by laughing uncontrollably like that," I say and take a swipe at his chest, missing as he nimbly moves out of the way.

"I don't think I can." He chuckles, "You're too cute when you are embarrassed like that. And you resemble a tomato with your colouring which I love." He leans in close, so close our lips almost touch. "Don't make me regret not eating you, right here right now." He says taking a nip at my bottom lip.

"And you shouldn't rile up a patient like that."A dry brisk voice states at the threshold. Looking over I see a doctor standing there with a chart in his hands. "Innuendos like that are not good for his health at the moment. Wait for him to be discharged from the infirmary before you speak of those again." Like his tone, he moves briskly to my side, forcing Hunter back just with his presence and fuss over me. After checking all the tubes and wires and printouts from the machines, he nods to himself as he jolts down stuff on the chart in his hands. 

"Good news for you mister Dragomir, you shall be released within the next day or two."He casts a sidelong glance at Hunter, "As long as you don't overexert yourself that is." Hunter has the grace to look slightly chastened. "And you," He turns fully to face him, "I hold you accountable should he be back here any time after being released. Do I make myself clear Mister DeSilva?"

"Yes sir!" I snorted as I expected him to salute the man, but managed to badly conceal it in a cough as the doctor turned to face me. He lifted a perfectly sculpted brow at me, expecting an answer from me.

"Me too sir," I mumble around the hacking and wheezing. The man harrumphed, turned on his heel and marched out of the room. 

<><><><>

If possible, Hunter became even more overprotective of me. Anywhere I went, I felt like he was watching me, even though he couldn't be everywhere at once. Though Jeremy swore that he had seen Marcus keep a close eye on me from across campus. No matter what anyone said, he was not swayed. Still, I didn't rule it out, but that had me thinking. If he had Marcus keep an eye on me, what other or more like who else was watching me? That thought gave me the creeps, and I told Hunter so too as soon as I saw him the next time. 

"Why do you feel the need to keep such a close eye on me? Do you not know how frustrating it is? To know people are watching your every move on the orders of someone else?" I explode the day after I called Hunter out on his spying. "I know that people are watching me, Hunt. " I yell in his face, as I pace up and down my room where we were hanging out under the combined supervision of Marcus and Jeremy of all people. "The only thing I don't know is whether they are spying on me on your orders, the High Councils or the Founding Royals!"

Marcus looked perplexed at my raging, and I snarl at him out of irritation at this utterly bizarre situation. Since the Head Master told me he would keep the Founding Royals out of my hair, I hadn't expected him to succeed in the first place, let alone for three weeks and two days, and still counting. If I were to be straightforward with myself, I had expected a summons of some kind by now. Even the higher-ranking people in school like Flint were rushing around and were more irritable than normal and twitched every time Flint opened an important-looking letter. The snick of the letter opener seemed to heighten his expectations, only to drop as soon as it was clear that it was not the letter he was waiting for. 

"So is anyone gonna tell me what has Flint's underwear in a twist?" I ask in general one evening when Hunter is miraculously not glued to my side. All the guys at the table glance at Jeremy who just managed to stumble his way in looking slightly dazed. Frowning I get up from my seat and guide him to it instead. "Are you alright Jerry?" I ask nervously glancing at the others who all shrug, not knowing either. Jerry does not respond just stares dazedly across the table into nothing. "Jerry...JER!" I shout into his ear and shake him roughly. When I consider either knocking him upside the head or splashing water into his face, Flint rushes into the room.

"HOUSE MEETING!!" He bellows and that seemed to snap Jerry out of his stupor as he blinks rapidly and glances around confused. Nobody says anything and someone shoves a plate of hotdogs and burgers into his hands as I tug him along to the dining room.  Flintis already pacing up and down the length of the room looking jittery as it takes a while for the whole house to fill in. Jerry is the only one not murmuring or exchanging bewildered glances, Flint never looked this out of sorts when we have a house meeting. He is too busy stuffing his face with the food to be curious or intrigued like the rest of us.

"So you all know the Founding Royals are going to visit Saint Vincent's soon on their annual visit." Flint starts, still pacing and I notice he has been looking in my direction quite often as he speaks the words. "Usually they don't visit any other buildings than the main building but this year it is different, all four of them come to visit the dormitories as well this year." Chaos erupts, all voices shouting over one other and Jerry chokes on the last bite of his burger. I slap his back quite hard and he stumbles forward off his chair. He glares at me as he coughs, as Flint tries in vain to make himself be heard over the cacophony of voices.

A thunderclapwas heard in the room, shaking the windows and effectively shutting everybodyup. The sound was produced by a dark-skinned girl, with pitch-black hair, and copper eyes enlarged by the golden-framed glasses she wore and her figure wastall and thin. As she lowered her clasped hands, I saw a silver phoenix Logo onthe breast pocket of her school blazer. "Thank you Vice-dorm Head Lavinia,"Flint said giving her a small nod, before turning back to us. "As I saidearlier, the dorms will be visited by the Founding Royals and we need it to bein tiptop shape. I will tolerate no excuses for having shit lying around thatshould not be visible." Here he gave some pointed looks to certain boys who areknown all around campus for their porno collection. Some shrugged othersblushed.

As Flint drones on about the house rules I whisper to Jerry "Since when do we have a female vice dorm head?" I glance at the bulky guy standing beside Lavinia, Konstantin. "I thought Konstantin was the vice dorm head." 

Jerry rolls his eyes, "Then you missed the fact that there are more girls present in this room right now. We also have a girls' dorm you know. On the other side of campus. Lavinia, Elizaveta and Yekaterina all live in that dorm and are dorm watchers for both boys' and girls' dorms. Not that you have any interest in girls with your Bonded." He snickers, before turning back to Flint as he ended the lecture and dismissed everyone.  

"ButJerry," I quickly grab his arm and tug him relentlessly to our shared roombefore he could escape. "What was it that had you in such a daze before youreturned? It is not like you to be so absentminded."

His eyes flicker briefly to my face before they turn inward, back to the moment I meant. "Oh... that.." He says lamely but does not continue on. Silently he continues to stare out the window contenplating all kinds of things. 

"Well?" I prompt him and give his shin a light kick to get his attention. "What happened?" He is silent for a long moment before he comes to a resolution and turned to face me.

His eyes are full of worries and his hands fiddle with the hem of his shirt, a nervous habit I realised early on. 

I am not gonna like what he has to say.

"Flint wasn't being totally honest back there. The Founding Royals are already here and have been pestering the HeadMaster to see you. They have been arguing since they arrived weeks ago, when word was sent that you had fainted."

I have known this beforehand since the Head Master Himself told me so on the day I woke up. Still I force my eyes wide in surprise, acting like this is the first time I heard of their arrival. 

"I was there since I had something to deliver near the Head Master's office and I overheard Lady Vanessa and Lady Madeline argue about you and Hunter. They were saying something about you two having to quit school or something. But before I could hear more a bodyguard showed up silently behind me and grabbed me by the neck and dragged me all the way out of the building. He looked a lot like that Marcus guy, you know Hunter's friend?"

I could barely hear him, as I saw his mouth move but the words and sounds did not register.

Why the hell do they want us both away from school???