Free Mark of the Dagger (The Marked Series Book 1) by Stella Rae

everything. Helps drown out the whispers and the stares." He nodded like he understood what Dani was talking about and she was sure he did. There was no way that he hadn't heard all the crazy rumors and whispers going about her. Every student has and even some of the teachers.
    "You mind if I run with you? It would be nice to get off the treadmill every once in a while."
    "Free country," she laughed. "In fact I think all of you should get out there with me."
    "Not me, I need my beauty sleep," Damien scoffed from behind the book he was reading. Dani leaned over to read the name. It was one of the ‘Anita Blake’ books.
    "Damien you should be studying about real vampires, not reading about fictional ones,” she laughed when he peeked over the top of the book and winked. She shook her head and turned to Jan. "What about you?"
    "Yeah, I'll go with you," Jan replied and laughed when she saw Dani's shocked face. "What? I like to run, I just know that you use that time to clear your head and didn't want to bother you."
    "Jan I love you. You can't bother me. Besides, I think it will be fun."
    "So we will meet at four thirty tomorrow morning?" Nick asked. They nodded in return.
    "Crap, it's dinner time already, and we haven't studied at all,” Dani started freaking out.
    "Calm down, let’s go eat then we will go back to your dorm and use one of the study rooms," Damien said with a smile and reached to pull Dani out of her chair.
    Together they exited the library and walked down the hall to the staircase that would lead them to the cafeteria. They passed by the door to the auditorium and Dani shivered. She still hadn't been in the room that her father died trying to protect. The room where her father took his last breath.
    "You know you need to go in there eventually and face it head on like you have faced everything else since coming here, don’t you?" Jan whispered in her ear. "I'll even go with you if you want."
    Dani gave her best friend a grateful smile and nodded. "We will go soon. Just not today, I'm not ready." Dani told her friends about her father the other night when they wanted to sneak in. Why they wanted to go in there, she had no clue. All she knew was that she couldn't step foot in there. Not yet.
    Dani missed her dad greatly all the time.  Some days were harder than others, when the memories were stronger like they were now.  She didn’t know if it was because she stood so near to the place he took his last breath or what but she could feel him here.  Like if she were to only open that door and peek in she would see him again.  She would be able to delight in his laughter, a sound that has been absent and desperately missed for thirteen long years.
    Dani needed to shake off the melancholy that enveloped her.  Every time she thought of her dad she would withdraw and get sad, so she gave Jan a conspiratorial look and took off running to jump on Damien's back. With a laugh he spun them around in a circle. Half a second later she saw Jan do the same to Nick and the boys were trotting down the hall with the girls hanging on for the ride.
    "Giddy up Horsey," Dani sang.
    "Oh, hey put me down. I forgot my phone in my room. My mom is supposed to call tonight and I don't want to miss it." Damien let her slide down his back as soon as they reached the Cafe. "Want us to come with?"
    "No you go ahead. I'll just run up and grab it. I'll meet you in the cafeteria," she said and ran back down the hall.
    Dani stopped half way to her dorm and looked up at the night sky. It was so black, the stars looked like diamonds shining bright. Winter had approached and it smelled like snow. She wished it would snow. She remembered when she was smaller, her and her mom making snow men and snow angels in their back yard. They would use her dad's hats and scarfs to dress them up. She remembered one time in particular when her dad came out to see the finished product.
    "Dani, why don't you use one of your own scarfs?" her dad asked