by Harper Wylde
She tilted her chin, her frown deepening as she studied me. “My name is Mrs. Stone.” She paused, as if expecting recognition of her name and her status, huffing when I didn’t respond while I waited quietly for her to finish filling the blanks. “I’m a counselor here on campus. You have not been as active at student occasions as is befitting an RA, though that is why you probably don’t recognize me as you should.” My Kitsune yipped again, his tails thrashing. He really did not like this woman, and I couldn’t blame him. She was extremely off-putting.
“Ma’am, may I help you with something?” For some reason she seemed to think that her role as a counselor at the college gave her a level of authority over me. While I tried to respect the staff, she was not my employer nor my advisor. Though not one of my prominent traits, I did have my pride, and I wasn’t going to sacrifice it to give this odd woman the satisfaction of lording over me.
She scowled, her arms crossing; her eyes tightened in irritation as she studied me. “I believe I asked you to invite me in. I don’t approve of having personal conversations about a student’s standing at this school in the middle of the hallway.”
Now I was getting pissed. “My standing? Ma’am, I understand you’re a counselor here, but you aren’t my advisor. I’d be happy to direct you to a student’s room if you know who you’re looking for. If you’re referring to my enrollment, I suggest you speak to my advisor first. There are no issues with my grades and my extracurriculars have been cleared by the Dean and the board.”
“You may be an RA, but that is a position that is easily rotated. You have no business speaking to me in that manner. If you want to do this in public, that’s your choice though an ill-advised one. Considering your previous actions, this doesn’t surprise me, however.” She sniffed and tapped her toes. Glancing around, her eyes were bright, and I wondered if she was hoping that this would escalate and an audience would be available. I braced myself against my door frame, hoping the casual motion would annoy her. From the curl of her lip, I assumed it had. “Your behaviors are not suitable to this college campus. I wanted to address a warning to you personally, before further steps are taken. You are looking at sexual assault charges, young man.” I froze for a moment before relaxing back into my pose.
“What makes you think someone would accuse me of sexual assault, and if they did, why it would be your problem and not an issue for the police or the board?” I wanted to lash out at this obnoxious woman. I wondered if Ahmya had made a complaint to her, though why she would get involved with the school was beyond me. If she really wanted to get me in trouble she would go to her father, unless she was worried that Damien’s father would interfere for his son’s friend.
“I’m sure it will eventually be a police matter. I’m just trying to do my job and counsel you and the girl in the meantime. Once she works up the courage to do what’s right, I’m sure it will be handled appropriately.” Her smile widened, the near grimace ugly on a face that could have been pretty without the malice.
“Is there anything else?” The words were cold, despite the fury that was burning as bright as Nix’s Phoenix inside of me.
She sputtered, apparently having expected me to beg or weep at her threat. “She will press charges, you know. She may be confused right now, afraid of you and your friends, but it won’t last. Your lifestyle isn’t healthy.” I couldn’t stop the hiss that slipped through my teeth. Fucking Ahmya. Now she smirked, glad to have broken through my facade. “Yes, I know about your—” she sneered, looking me up and down as she continued, “—predilections. I have been well informed.”
My Kitsune was now shrieking in my head, his eery scream raising the hackles on my neck. I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but this woman was digging under my skin. “Ma’am, this is completely unprofessional. You are making allusions to things apparently told to you in confidence. If you are acting as an administrator of the school, you aren’t giving me the name of my accuser or any details with which I can defend myself or my position as a student. You’re making accusations of inappropriate behavior with no explanation of what these accusations actually are. Are you actually here to handle anything or are you simply trying to get a reaction out of me?”
Her sneer widened as she leaned in closer, trying my patience as she invaded my space. “You think you’re so sly. Well, it’s not going to matter. You’ll get what’s coming to you, your kind always does.”
“My kind?” I was furious at this woman I didn’t know, spouting accusations and threats at me. Something was decidedly off about her but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
Cocking her head she sent me a grim smile and my hackles rose. “Think you’re such a fox. That you’re untouchable. You couldn’t be more wrong. Annika will see that your lot is a bad influence on her, that you’re all corrupt. She’ll disappear. Just you watch.” I froze, my mind spinning. That was a very odd way to phrase things—and what about Nix?
“Are you saying that Nix made some kind of complaint to you?” My mouth felt numb, the words falling from my lips. Even my Kitsune had frozen.
She sniveled, refusing to answer my question. Her silence was answer enough, and I instantly felt bad for letting myself question my mate—even for a mere second. My Kitsune hissed. This woman was more than a nuisance. My Kitsune’s strong reaction solidified that for me. She was a threat.
Narrowing my eyes behind my glasses, I straightened to my full height and loomed over her. Her shorter stature allowed me the height advantage and her eyes widened at my display of authority.
“Thank you for your concern—” I stressed the word condescendingly, “—however, Annika is a strong, independent woman. If she has any issues with our relationship, I’m sure she will handle it herself. It is highly inappropriate for you to insinuate yourself into a students’ private life. Mine, Nix’s, or anyone else's. My relationship with Nix has nothing to do with the university or with yourself. You’re to leave me, Nix, and my friends alone.” Power and command radiated from me and, whether it was the smartest move or not, I let a threat slip from my lips. “You’ve overstepped your authority, Counselor. You’d do well to remember that lest the school board finds out about your over involvement in student’s lives. That in itself could be considered harassment, could it not?” I cocked my head and crossed my arms over my chest.
Stuttering, she narrowed her eyes at me, nearly stomping her foot in frustration. It vibrated off her in waves. With a contentious sound, she spun on her low heels, keeping her head high, and clambered back down the long hallway the way she’d come. Her brown tweed skirt swished with each movement, her heels clicking as she walked. I could feel the anger simmering off her from here. The glare she sent over her shoulder at me was icy and full of resolution, irritation, and loathing. Apparently, she was not letting this issue go. I had no idea what had taken her on this crusade in the first place, however, it seemed as though it would become a new issue for us to handle.
Inhaling deeply, I caught the faintest scent of a shifter and every muscle in my body tensed. An overwhelming sense that this went deeper than simple school authority took root. I didn’t dare move until she was fully out of sight.
The few students who’d overheard the exchange looked at me curiously, but I leveled a look in their direction—channeling Killian—and arched an eyebrow until they all slipped away, returning to their regularly scheduled programing. I spun sharply, closing my door with an audible click.
My Kitsune growled in my head, pacing agitatedly.
It was possible that the Counselor had contact with another shifter in passing. She was a member of the faculty, so she could easily have students under her tutelage who were part-bloods. Contact with a full-blooded shifter would have left a much stronger scent. At this rate, I couldn’t even make out what kind of shifter it was. I needed Rini’s nose, but by the time she made it to the dorms the scent would have faded, blocked out by the smell of textbooks and dirty laundry that tainted the scent of the hallway. My K
itsune yipped unhappily.
I ran a hand through my hair, thoroughly mussing it, resisting the urge to pull my glasses off and rub at the headache forming behind my eyes.
Picking up my phone, I checked the time. Nix would be here momentarily, but I slid the lock screen open and dialed Theo anyway.
“Hello?” he said distractedly, and I heard the tell-tale click-clack of his keyboard hard at work in the background.
“I need something.” The gruffness in my voice alerted Theo to my seriousness, and I quickly had his undivided attention.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” The Kraken switched into leadership mode.
“We’ve got a potential problem.” I filled him in on the conversation I’d just had.
“Fuck.” It seemed we were both channeling Kill today.
“Just look into it. Fast, Theo.” I rarely gave demands to the Kraken. He’d slipped seamlessly into the role of our leader when our group formed, but we were all equally as dominate. Luckily, his tentacles didn’t get in a bunch when we challenged his authority like some of the other shifter groups around. It was one of the reasons we worked so well even though we were a rather large group as far as mythologicals were concerned.
“It’s now priority one. You know that. Our mate’s safety comes first.” Deep, rumbling tones came through the line, and I knew his Kraken was close to the surface. His connection with Nix had been mentally and physically stronger since they’d come back the other night. Her scent had smelled strongly of pheromones along with the lingering scent the Kraken—saltwater and fresh ocean mist mixing with her sweet, smoky signature—even though she’d tried to cover it up with perfume.
I couldn’t deny my jealous reaction, but I didn’t harbor any ill feelings. I could share. That wasn’t the problem. I simply wanted more hours with her; we all did. None of us would ever get enough of her.
The thud on the door had me pivoting to face the wooden surface of the entrance to my room. Calm down, Hiro. I said a quick goodbye to Theo and tried to school my face into something passably welcoming. I wasn’t sure the look would work, but I opened the door anyway, eager to see Nix and make sure she was alright.
As soon as my door opened, however, her smile faltered and I knew I had failed.
“What’s wrong?” She peered into the room and glanced around, relaxing when there was no threat. Her eyes met mine once more. “Hiro?” Insecurity invaded her eyes and she crossed her arms over her stomach.
“Come on.” I wanted to grab her elbow gently and lead her inside, but after the accusations others in the hallway had heard, I simply motioned her inside instead. Looking around the hallway before I shut the door, I waved to the bed, asking Nix to sit as I rolled over my computer chair. Sitting on the very edge of the bed looking like she was ready to make a break for the door at any moment, made my heart sink into my stomach. I had put that look onto her face, caused her body language to reflect fear rather than comfort. Her fingers dug into the forest green of my comforter, her golden skin contrasting beautifully with the shade of it.
Sighing, I sat and rolled myself close to her.
“Did I do something?” she asked quietly, her knuckles losing their color as she held the mattress tightly.
“Not directly.” Guilt ate at me for my momentary lapse of judgement. “Your lack of trust in us, however, is disappointing.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” There was my girl, her strength bleeding back into her slowly but surely. I didn’t want her to cower. I wanted her to fight. I wanted her to understand her mistake.
“I just had a lovely visit with a counselor. Maybe you know her? Mrs. Stone.” I cocked my head, leaning back in the black mid-back computer chair.
“What… what did she say?” Nix stammered, color now leaving her face.
“Ah, so you know her, then?”
“I do. She’s my Counselor for my Freshman Introduction class. She’s been…” Nix trailed off.
“Pestering? Threatening? Overstepping her authority?”
Exasperated, Nix released the poor mattress and started talking with her hands. “Yes, alright? She’s been bothering me, but I have to work with her. She’s been annoying but nothing I couldn’t handle on my own. It’s not like we haven’t had other things going on in our life, Hiro,” she scolded, her voice getting louder as she went.
She had a point, but I didn’t tell her that. Instead, I sat back and arched an eyebrow. Staying silent only seemed to irritate her. My blood heated at our debate. She’s sexy as fuck when she’s angry and riled up. Her scent deepened as her Phoenix neared, the smoky scent edging out the floral.
“She just waltzed up to my door and accused me of sexually assaulting you, Nix.” Frost covered every word, and fire burned in my chest. The accusation turned to ash on my tongue, trying to gag me as my stomach twisted again. Being accused of abusing anyone would be hard to take, but getting accused of harming Nix? I care more about her than I’ve ever cared about anyone. The thought of even one hair on her head ever being harmed again made me physically ill.
Nix’s mouth hung open, her face horrified by my declaration. Opening and closing it, she grasped for a response, failing repeatedly. “She… what?” Her throat must have grown tight, because her voice was at least an octave higher. Her eyes started to shine in the yellow light that brightened the room from the single overhead fixture. Blinking, she tried to force back the tears swimming in her eyes. “That’s… insane. I don’t know what to say.” Her arms snaked around her middle again, holding herself together. I wanted to reach out and soothe her, take away the pain she was obviously feeling—pain I had a part in inflicting—but I was suddenly unsure if she would welcome or reject my touch.
“Obviously, it has no warrant.”
“Of course it doesn’t!” She shot up from the bed, beginning to pace the way my Kitsune is wont to do. “How could you even say that? To accuse you of such a serious crime.” Nix wrung her hands, rubbing hard at her skin. It turned red under her attention, and I stood, walking to her to take her hands in mine. My heart soared as she let me touch her. I haven’t ruined anything between us.
“Don’t do that.” I soothed my fingers over her palms. Quiet surrounded us as we stood close, my thumbs rubbing reassuring circles on the soft skin of the back of her hand. I don’t know who the touch soothes more, her or me.
“How are you so calm?” Brown eyes searched mine, looking for answers.
Mine darkened. “I called Theo already.”
Nodding slowly, she furrowed her brow. “You called Theo. Not me?”
“He’s going to get answers. I knew you were already on your way.”
“Answers about what? She’s just an annoying, very rude woman who doesn’t know when to let go. I already told her I had permission to live off campus. My life is literally none of her business. If she goes to the police, I’ll deny everything. You have to know that. You know that, right?”
“Shh,” I soothed her. “Of course I do.”
Nodding again, she stepped closer, and my Kitsune practically purred. Mate. He claimed her, as do I.
“I know you’re not used to having people in your corner, Nix, but you need to trust us to be able to handle any and all problems in your life.” Nix started to protest, but I shushed her once more. “How would you feel if it were me, Theo, or Damien? Killian, or Ryder? Hmm?” The wheels and cogs were spinning in her head.
A whoosh of a sigh flew out of her mouth, her sweet breath washing over me. “Yeah. Okay. I can see that. I’d be pretty upset if they didn’t think I could handle something… even if there were many other more important ‘somethings’ happening at the same time. Many, many, many other ‘somethings.’” She arched a beautiful dark brown brow at me.
I chuckled. “There has been a lot thrown our direction lately. Maybe that’s why you get so many mates. Maybe it takes all of us to handle you.” A cheeky grin tilted my lips as a bubble of a laugh escaped her, bursting the tension in the air and
returning us to normal.
“Right. I’m sure that’s the reason.” She rolled her eyes, and it felt good to tease each other once more.
I hated to do it, but I brought the serious mood back for one more moment. “Listen. You are not a burden on us, Nix. We probably could have avoided this whole debacle if we had seen this coming. She’s a threat. We need to know every little detail. The fact that she’s moving past you to get to us tells me how serious her disturbed agenda is. Have you noticed any shifter scents when she’s around?”
Tensing, she looked up at me. “No. I’ve scented her a number of times, and I’ve never picked up anything but human. I can’t remember if her son had any scent…”
“Son.” The deep threat is back, and I’m not taking no for an answer this time. “Tell me everything. Now, please.” I slipped in the please at the end, trying not to be a brute. I dragged her back to the bed, sat back against the headboard, and pulled her down with me, tucking her against my side. I listened to the long list of infractions the Counselor and her cowardly son had committed.
“No more, you understand? No more contact. Not alone. Not ever, if I have anything to say about it.”
“Agreed.” Flinching, she fiddled with the hem of her black shirt. Small white skulls decorated the material that fluttered loosely around her hips. Three little buttons made a vertical stripe at the top of the shirt the shirt, the first two unbuttoned. From my vantage point, I could see down the line of her cleavage to the band of the black bra she was wearing. Working not to linger on the beautiful, teasing glimpse of her body, I swallowed hard and tried to focus back on our conversation.
“What’s wrong?” I inquired. My arm was around her shoulders, my hand sliding up and back down her arm.
“I’m going to need to be reassigned to a new advisor. She’s a part of my project in that class. I need her to pass it.”