by Sage, May
Avani wisely opted not to protest, hopping on her favorite spot on the sofa and tucking her legs under her again. “Did I tell you my subscriptions went mad after your appearance? I have like, a thirty percent growth in just a few days.”
“You’re welcome.”
She rolled her eyes. “They’re only following me to see a hot vampire. They’ll drop me when they see it’s just boring old me, normally. Although the comments are hilarious.”
He concentrated on the important bit of information here. “You think I’m hot?”
That was news to him. Good news. Terrible news. He couldn’t quite decide.
Alexius had certainly sensed their chemistry and initial attraction, but Avani had been quick to stop looking at him in any particular way. Which was just as well, or he was certain he would have had a harder time keeping his hands to himself.
She rolled her eyes. “Not going there. I don’t believe in feeding the egos of men like you.”
Alexius held his hands up to his heart. “You wound me. My ego is entirely fragile and could use a bit of stroking, every now and then.”
“I’m sure you have plenty of admirers stroking your…” Her gaze traveled downward, to his crotch. She smirked. “Ego.”
He laughed, adoring every second of their banter. “Certainly, but they aren’t you. I didn’t think I was your type.”
“You’re everyone’s type. Now, shush. I’m watching your stupid movie.”
The last thing he wanted to do was shush right now. But watching her closely, seeing the way Avani blushed and looked everywhere except at him, he found that he didn’t actually need her to spell out just how pretty she thought he was.
She was attracted to him. There was no questioning it now. The only thing left was to decide what to do with that knowledge. Ignoring it would have been the wisest course of action.
Alexius hadn’t exactly been wise this month. No sense starting now. Only one decision made sense. Oscar Wilde had a fucking point. There was only one way to get rid of temptation: yield.
She fell asleep before the end of the second Star Wars, confirming her disastrous taste in movies and lack of appreciation for the classics. He didn’t mind; he got to carry her to her room.
Sometime over the last two weeks it had become hers rather than his sister’s. Diana hadn’t used it for the last thousand years; Alexius doubted she’d ever come back here. And he liked the thought of Avani having a place she could call hers here. Maybe he should ask her if she’d like to decorate.
He laid her down on the bed and tucked her in, lowering his lips to her forehead before retreating. She was holding on to his hand in her sleep. He looked down at her fingers and smiled, taking his time unclasping them one by one. Oh, no. He couldn’t stay. If he did, he’d wake her up, and he doubted she’d get a chance to sleep for the rest of the night.
There was no need to rush. He had every intention of savoring the moments he’d have with the crazy, beautiful wolf.
He drove her that morning, stopping by the dorm so she could get changed.
She winced, seeing a couple of girls come out of the building and stare at them open-mouthed. “People are going to talk.”
They most definitely would. Not because she came down from the hill—she wouldn’t be the first undergrad to do so. Because he was dropping her off.
“Probably.” Alexius winked. “Try not to fight over me.”
Her jaw hit the floor as he drove off, feeling far too smug.
It was a dangerous slope. He knew it. And truly ceased to care. He’d stopped thinking about his fascination with her as something he could help. He was into her. Eventually, he’d bite into that taunting lower lip, and kiss her neck. Alexius had half expected to change his mind come morning, but he hadn’t. He’d therefore accepted the inevitable.
He needed to take his time and communicate properly, because he didn’t want this new direction to end up hurting her—or himself.
He could do casual with a woman he liked and respected. He technically hadn’t before, but many had managed it; it couldn’t be that hard. They’d get the out-of-this-world chemistry out of the way and part ways when they grew bored with each other. Simple. As long as he didn’t get too invested, it shouldn’t be a problem at all. He needed to talk it out and ensure they were both on the same page. He had never let a woman believe he was up for more than what he wanted to offer and he wasn’t going to start now.
He rushed up the stairs to stop by the main study, which was dark and mostly empty. Mikar lingered near his computer. He glanced up to him.
“You’re here early, for you.”
Alexius, like Levi and others, used to work night shifts. Levi had changed his schedule to match Chloe’s of late; and the last couple of weeks, Alexius had returned home earlier, too, in order to cook dinner. Even then, he’d generally made it to his lab by eleven or twelve, not eight. They did their best to avoid the influx of students who arrived first thing in the morning.
“So are you.”
Mikar sighed, passing his hand through his hair.
“Late, you mean. I’ve been at it all night. I’m looking for an acquaintance Levi hired to sniff around the queen. He used to check in every week. We haven’t heard from him since the beginning of August.”
“So, he’s dead,” Alexius gleaned.
Mikar inclined his head. “Or deep undercover. I’d like answers if I can get them. I’m friends with his sire.”
Ah. If someone his friend had turned died doing a job for Mikar’s sire, figuring out what had happened was the least he could do to avoid complicating their relationship.
“Anything I can help with?”
Mikar lifted his gaze from the computer, surprised.
It couldn’t be the first time Alexius had offered his help, right?
Come to think of it, it probably was. Most of the time, he assumed Levi had things covered for his slayers. Which he did.
“Thanks, but I think I’m going to have to track him the old-fashioned way.”
“Good luck with that.”
He picked up a few instruments he’d left on his desk and returned to his lab.
He’d received a fax overnight, written in a strange, brusque, and elegant hand meant to write runes more than modern languages.
Finally.
Alexius eagerly read The Wolf’s report about zombies. It started with the obvious—description, ways to recognize them. Then, it moved on to their abilities, among which high speed and preternatural force were listed.
Extremely hard to kill. As they’re already deceased, and have been spelled to complete a specific task, the undead have to be reduced to particles. Recommended: incineration.
They certainly could have used that information a couple of weeks back.
He put the report aside, sighing.
Too much was going on right now. He couldn’t believe he was thinking that; boredom was usually his greatest enemy in Oldcrest. All of a sudden, they had a feral attack, followed by a demon attack, their wolf allies went off their rockers, and there were zombies.
Alexius blinked, realizing something.
The ferals had been sent to kill Chloe. The demons had tested their borders for the same ultimate reason. The zombie had gone for Greer, the guardian of their wards. Given everything going on, what were the odds that the wolves would have acted so out of character right now without reason?
Their little hunt hadn’t been random. Somehow, they had a link to everything else going on. It was about the damn queen Seth was chasing around.
Alexius just had to figure out how everything was related.
Challenge
The first full day was brutal. First of all, finding her way through the dozens of identical sinuous corridors was a feat in itself. She arrived late to three of her five classes.
Then, Avani was starting to realize just how out of practice she was at, well, thinking. Stats seemed like magic. Actually, no, her theatrical magic class was a lot easie
r than stats.
“A little lost?”
She turned to the whisper on her right. A very pretty young boy was sitting at the next desk; she doubted he was more than twelve, maybe thirteen.
She winced. “You could say that.”
The boy leaned toward her messy notes and, pencil in hand, started to jot on the side, circling some data, linking them with arrows and writing small tips.
He was done in a minute. Her eyes widened. He’d simplified the whole thing, making it understandable.
She should probably have felt ashamed that a kid was clearly smarter than she, but Avani wasn’t going to judge her worth based on one stat class.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
The boy winked. Except he wasn’t a boy anymore. Fin Varra was seated in his place.
Her jaw fell open.
“You…you.”
Just like that, he changed again, aging before her very eyes, so fast she might have missed it if she’d blinked. His skin looked like wax for a fraction of a second before molding itself to return to the teenager version.
“There’s a reason humans used to call us the little people, in the good old days,” he told her. “I find that using my younger shell can be useful when I don’t want to be noticed.”
She doubted it was possible for Fin Varra to go unnoticed, regardless of how young he appeared. If he walked around like this, he’d be stopped by dozens of head hunters for fancy glossy teen magazines.
“That’s pretty awesome. Now, don’t distract me.” Avani smiled, redirecting her attention to the front of the class. She hadn’t expected that he'd help her like that.
Fin accompanied her to her next class, and disappeared without warning. She could only laugh.
He waltzed in and out of her life during her classes, and with his aid, she somehow survived the next few days, and the rest of the week. She made good use of the weekend, burying herself under piles of books in an attempt to catch up with everyone.
By Monday, she felt drained, but she actually understood most of the lectures.
She was done at five, and right outside of the business strategy class, a small and rather grumpy raven flew right to her, waiting just in front of her.
“Oh! Right.”
Fin had shown her the aviary. She’d winced, remembering just how many birds she’d chased around as a wolf. At least, she didn’t think she’d killed any. Their bones were too fiddly to deal with when she had her fangs and claws. She relaxed, reasoning that she was unlikely to get mail sent to her. Apparently, she’d been mistaken.
Avani lifted her hand to the bird; it dropped the letter, and bit one of her fingers before setting off.
Which she probably deserved.
Blood marred the corner of the beige envelope. By the time she brought it to her lips to lick it off, the small cut was already entirely closed.
Right. Vampire blood. It was probably still in her system from yesterday.
The unexpected letter was signed from Greer.
Yoga at eight tonight at Chloe’s?
She looked in the direction where the bird had flown away, but it’d already disappeared out of an ornate alcove window. No matter. She could send the reply by text once she’d left the Institute.
Phone reception didn’t work well anywhere in Oldcrest, as she knew, but it was entirely blocked by magical wards inside of the old castle.
Stepping out in the rain, Avani felt herself grow tense. She was alone, and the Wolvswoods seemed so very close.
She set off through Adairford, careful to stay away from the outerwear and sports goods shop that belonged to Draiden’s brothers. Every unexpected noise made her jumpy. Dammit.
Avani was right in front of the dorm when someone touched her shoulder, without any notice. She yelled, punching the arm out of the way and snapping back, only to find Mikar standing next to her.
Shit. “I’m so sorry.”
From the angle where it was hanging, she’d broken his damn arm at the elbow. Ouch.
He shrugged it off. “Don’t sweat it. Good reflexes. You’d better go in. I can hear one of them coming.”
His eyes were on the forest.
Avani turned to stare in the direction where his attention was focused. Now that the wolf was closer, she could also hear steps—and smell the intruder.
“Wait. That’s just my friend, Julie. She’s harmless.”
Mikar hesitated. “It could be a trap.”
It probably was. Julie wouldn’t hurt her. That didn’t mean she hadn’t been sent by the new—or old—alpha. She and Avani may be friends, but unlike her, she was part of the pack. If she’d been given an order, there was nothing she could do to go against it.
“Probably. Then again, you would have sensed if someone else was around. I’ll speak to her, see what she has to say, all right?”
Mikar nodded. From the looks of things, he didn’t intend to return to whatever shadow he’d stepped out of. Before Avani had had the time to tell him to give her some room, Julie appeared at the border of the forest, taking all of her attention.
“Oh my God.”
It had been a long time since Avani had seen her like this, bruised and scantily clad. Two years, in fact. Her olive skin was marred with shadows of fingerprints holding on to her too tightly, scratches deep enough to have drawn blood though they wouldn’t scar. Her scent…it was going to make Avani feel sick.
She smelled of sex, and of too many males. At least ten had touched her since she’d last taken a shower. Which could only mean one thing. Julie was back in the Pleasure House.
Avani felt tears fall on her cheeks before she realized she was crying, as guilt gnawed at her entrails.
It was her fault. She just knew it was her fault.
She rushed forward, but Mikar held on to her arm. She turned to glare at him. He held on tight, shaking his head.
“She’s my friend.”
“She’s here to upset you, make you act out rather than use your brain,” he replied evenly.
Yeah? Well, it was going to work.
She snatched her arm back and joined Julie, pulling her tightly into her arms. “What happened? How… What about the boys?”
Julie hugged her back, remaining silent for a minute. Then, she laughed with good humor, as if everything was fine in her little world. There wasn’t even an ounce of bitterness. “Oh, Avani. Always the protector. Don’t worry about me, okay? I’m doing exactly what I want to.”
Avani narrowed her eyes, trying to understand. Julie sighed. She looked past her, to Mikar. “Is that your friend?”
Avani nodded. “One of my friends, yeah.” In a fortnight, she’d accumulated more friends than in a decade in the Elder Pack. “Mikar, Julie. Julie, Mikar.”
The vampire took two steps forward, but remained at a distance from the submissive wolf, still tense.
Avani sighed. He wasn’t going to chill while they were out here in the open. He still visibly suspected an attack. “Shall we go inside my dorm?” she offered.
Julie shook her head. “I’m not allowed. I’m supposed to convey a message and come back. They specifically said I was not to interact with anyone. I’d rather avoid disobeying Yves.”
Her voice had changed when she’d said the new alpha’s name, growing considerably darker.
Avani frowned. Come to think of it, she didn’t think Julie had ever liked Yves. He was her uncle, and she’d stayed with him for a few years after her parents had passed away. Avani was such a shitty friend, she didn’t really know much else about their relationship.
“Did he do this to you? Did he force you into the Pleasure House?”
“For heaven’s sake, no one forced me anywhere. I promise.”
Avani couldn’t believe that. Why the hell would Julie voluntarily do it to herself? Again. She’d earned the protection of all the females in the pack when she'd borne children. There was no other benefit to debasing herself like that.
Julie sighed, gracefully lowering herse
lf to the ground right there in front of the forest and tapping the grass next to her. “Come, sit. I’ll explain what’s going on. I’ve never said anything because I could see how much you judged my choices. But you need to believe me right now.”
Startled, Avani ignored Mikar’s obvious disapproval, and sat next to her friend, taking her hands.
“When I was eighteen, my mother died during a hunt. She challenged the alpha female, and lost. As is often the case with fated mates, my father followed her into the grave at the same time. Their bond was too strong for him to contemplate living without her. I was of age, so no one needed to take care of me, as such. But I had siblings who were sixteen and fourteen. Besides, our house was one of the largest in the village, you remember?”
Avani nodded; as the beta female, Julie’s mother had been housed well.
“When they died, my mother’s brother, who was head enforcer, became beta. Draiden decided to assign him as my siblings’ guardian—I was considered too young to do that. Besides, they’re both dominant; a submissive eighteen-year-old wasn’t the ideal candidate to raise two strong-minded wolves.”
All of that made sense, and matched what Avani knew of Julie’s upbringing.
“When Yves came, he made it clear that he expected me to act like the woman of the house, in every way. I won’t paint you the whole picture, just know he was violent and abusive. I was too scared for my little brother and sister to say much, so I played along until Anna turned eighteen. Then, I joined the Pleasure House to get away from his influence altogether. You leave the conversation as soon as we talk of the House. You don't understand it’s not bad, Avani. I get to choose whom I want to play with. I get days off, and I preapprove my appointments. They’re all very sweet to me. And honestly? Consensual sex is fun to me. I know it’s not for you, but it truly has always been my choice.”
Speechless, and rather ashamed of her own bias—she’d never stopped to wonder why her friend had been so eager to claim a position that disgusted Avani—she could only hold her hands tighter.
“As soon as Yves was named alpha, I knew he’d try to get me back. He’s hinted at it for years. So I returned to where I’d be protected by the alpha female. Draiden’s mate can be rather disinterested in pack politics when it comes to most things. With us, she is very much the protector. She was one of us once, you know?”