When we finally reached the main road and hid behind the corner of the nearest building, Denis spoke again:
"Maybe you can let go now?"
"Oh?" A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "Is it okay now, do you think?"
"Yeah," he replied, dejected, "I've calmed down. And besides, someone might see us."
It had gotten completely dark outside, and only the yellow street lamps illuminated the path to our building. I looked around and breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that there wasn't a soul in sight. The other graduates were long asleep, resting after the long journey, and only classmates with particularly dark secrets, like ours, were still wandering among the tree trunks, guarding their mysteries from unwanted eyes.
Carefully loosening my grip, I let Denis go, and he started to massage his wrist, rotating it clockwise and then counterclockwise. Giving me a sideways glance and pressing his lips tightly together, Denis seemed about to unload the accusations that were on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason, he didn't. Instead, he grimly sat down on the nearest curb and leaned against his knees.
Denis looked irritated and damn tired. He tugged the edge of his t-shirt up and wiped his face with the fabric.
"Arthur really hit me hard," Denis remarked, with a tone of barely concealed admiration, and I sat down next to him.
"You asked for it, admit it."
"They started it."
"So what?" I used my favorite counterargument. "You could have stayed quiet."
"Yeah. Stay quiet and be a quiet little mouse when they mock me."
"Did anyone feel better because you responded? Not just responded, but responded rudely."
"Yeah. I did. Are you suggesting I fold my arms and wait for the vampires to wipe out the whole population here?"
"I didn't say that," I corrected him, noticing how Denis twisted what I meant. "We're on the same side as the Smirnovs, if you've forgotten. They're working on the protection of Kserthon just like our families."
"Only, unlike them, we don't thirst for other people's blood."
I pulled my knees up and rested my head on them, staring aimlessly into the dark forest, which seemed even gloomier under the bright light of the roadside lantern. Denis knew that the bond between each werewolf and their spirit was different. But he didn't know that the blood affected me perhaps even more than it did the vampires, whom Denis hated, not seeing any difference between the special beings born against their will and the madmen who danced to the tune of their creators if they were lucky enough to survive the transformation.
"Will they all come to the graduation too?"
"Of course. It's their celebration just as much as mine."
"Then I should come too."
I turned to him in surprise:
"For what?"
"To keep an eye on you," Denis frowned for emphasis and quickly added, "and on the other guys. So, what do you think, can I come with you?"
I would have believed him if I hadn't known why he was trying to sneak his way into the dance again. You could only attend the ball if you were paired with one of the graduates as an invited guest. Many parents, of course, would be there too, but they were part of the celebration for their children, while Denis was a sixteen-year-old guy from another school. They wouldn't let him through the hall's door alone.
"If you're planning to hit on Dasha there, it's not going to work."
"Oh, really? I saw the way she looked at me in your dad's store!"
"That was ages ago. She's probably forgotten all about you."
"Well, I'll remind her."
He playfully raised one eyebrow and gently nudged me with his shoulder, signaling me to give in, but his tricks no longer had any effect on me. It was hard to take him seriously, considering that his father had looked after me every summer when I was a child, while my parents were busy with work or dealing with household and, as I now understand, magical matters. I saw him more as a younger, incredibly spoiled brother who, to everyone's misfortune, had developed a crush on one of my friends and, like a stubborn leaf, clung to any opportunity to get into Dasha's line of sight. The only good thing was that he hadn't thought to find her online, otherwise, he'd probably be sending ridiculous late-night messages like "Are you asleep?" not knowing how to start a conversation.
I winced at the thought and for a moment even felt sorry for Denis. What if the idea of all of us hanging out at the ball wasn't such a bad one? At least I'd be able to stop him before he says something stupid, or at least drag him away like I did today when he clashed with Arthur.
Deciding that my friend would probably do the same for me, I decided to take a chance. After all, having another werewolf around might help lighten the evening for Kaandor. I once tried asking him if he could communicate with other spirit guardians, but, as usual, he made me find the answer myself through experience. Well, let's test it out.
"Alright," I finally replied, pointing my finger at him, "You're coming with me, but under one condition."
"Hooray!" He jumped up, raising his hands in the air, and started dancing around, grinning from ear to ear. "Ask for anything."
"No more clashes with Arthur."