Crave (Harlequin Teen)

around putting these horrible love spells on the guys,” Hope answered, not even bothering to fake a whisper. Half the class had to have heard her. “Probably because she’s so ugly. It’s the only way she could ever get a guy to like her!”
    The twins erupted in high-pitched giggles.
    Now that was going too far, even for them. Fury tried to warm up my stomach, and my eyes stung. Oh, no, no way was I going to cry. I quickly imagined my anger turning into ice water running through my veins. Ice Princess, I reminded myself. You are surrounded by ice and untouchable. My heart rate slowed down, and I felt that coldness within spread to my face.
    Sometimes, like now, my ability to embrace the emotionless cold within me was almost frightening. It had to be from the vampire side of my genes. It even made me feel like a vampire. But it was a heck of a lot better than breaking down into pathetic tears in class.
    I was so lost in thought, I almost didn’t notice how my skin broke out in prickly goose bumps. Probably another sign warning me not to slip too deep into Ice Princess mode.
    “Girls, should you really be talking about this sort of stuff?” Tristan was definitely growling at them now.
    “Oh, you’re right,” Hope whispered. “I didn’t think…”
    “You never do,” he muttered.
    Nice comeback. It almost made me feel better. But not quite. The coldness inside me wasn’t appeased much. It wanted revenge. The chilling fury grew, spreading like poison, settling in my chest and stomach and making the muscles stiffen then cramp. Oh ow. Okay, that actually hurt.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tristan glance my direction with a frown.
    As soon as I thought about him, a new sensation took over, a pure and seemingly endless need that crowded out all other thoughts from my mind. Need for him. This was worse than simply wanting something, worse even than the usual yearning I felt around him. This was like being trapped in the desert for days and stumbling across a jug of ice-cold water. I craved him. My body screamed at me that I would feel so much better if I just leaned across the aisle toward him and…
    Oh, no. Was this the bloodlust my family had warned me about?
    I had to get out of here. Now!
    I managed to stand up then stagger down the aisle to the teacher’s desk. But Mr. Smythe wasn’t there yet.
    I kept going, changing direction toward the door. I was outside and a few yards from the building when I met the teacher.
    I gasped out the first thing that came to mind. “Going to be sick.”
    “Do you need to see the nurse or—”
    “No. Bathroom. I’ll be right back.” I kept going until I reached the nearest girls’ restroom at the top of the hill and around the corner to the left.
    But I wasn’t really nauseous. Just…thirsty, or hungry, or something. It was as if my body had become this foreign thing I was trapped inside, and my mind didn’t know how to communicate with it anymore. I didn’t know what it needed. But at least I was pretty sure it wasn’t blood. Hopefully.
    I leaned against the edge of the sink, which felt warmer than me at the moment. I focused on my breathing, willing the pace to slow and deepen. Okay, that was one area I was still in control of, at least.
    Then I looked up at my reflection. My eyes…they were nearly white. I’d never seen them that color before. They didn’t even look like my own eyes anymore.
    Closing them, I made myself calm down. Then I noticed my hands were freezing. I turned the hot water on and stuck my hands under the stream until I could feel my fingers again. The heat felt so nice, I pushed up my sleeves and scooped the water over my forearms, too. Gradually, the coldness inside faded away, leaving me exhausted. But normal again, thankfully.
    I really had to get a grip on my temper. This was ridiculous.
    When I returned to the classroom, the Brat Twins started giggling again just as the usual ache from being near Tristan spread through my chest and stomach like another muscle cramp.
    “Quiet, girls,” Mr. Smythe said.
    The twins fell silent.
    I ignored them as I returned to my seat and tried to listen to the day’s lecture.
    But deep inside me, I could feel that alien coldness waiting for the next time I lost control.
    Tristan
    Maybe Savannah was hiding the fact that she was seriously sick.
    She’d shot out of history class today like a rocket and stayed gone for half an hour. When she’d returned, she had been white as a sheet and