“I eat meat,” Noah replied.
“Good. Now, could you both leave? I’m writing an important missive.”
Grace nodded and signaled Noah to follow her. Her hands shook, and her legs trembled with the notion that she had to take care of Noah. Not that it would be that bad. Despite her outburst, she liked to look at him, but Noah seemed to be oblivious to their bond. At least, he appeared cured.
“Sorry about wearing your clothes. They smelled clean and were the only ones that seemed to fit. Why do you wear baggy clothes? They are obviously too big for your size and from the men’s clothing section.”
“I like comfy outfits, and men’s t-shirts don’t cling to my—” She stopped talking and bit her lower lip. “You can keep them. I have more.”
“Can we go out to get my stuff?”
“Tomorrow. It’s getting dark, and we need to familiarize you with the building. Also, I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”
Noah shrugged.
Grace’s eyes traveled down his slim and muscular figure to his feet. He was wearing her slippers, but they seemed too small for his feet. “Let’s get you a pair of sneakers and socks.”
She abruptly stopped, and Noah’s body heat sizzled against her back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“The other students don’t know who you are. Only two others know you were there when the vampires attacked us three days ago.” She pursed her lips. “I should have asked grandfather what to call you.”
“Noah, “he replied.
Glancing back, she felt a pang to her stomach at the beautiful vision of his blond hair framing his angelic face. He had plump lips, chiseled cheekbones, and deep blue eyes. Heat snaked up her arms, neck, and threatened to cover her cheeks in red. She had time to memorize his features while he was sleeping. Now that he was awake and walking around, she didn’t know how to act in front of him.
“What?” Noah asked. “Have you never seen a hybrid before? I look just like any other human when I’m not attacking.” He smirked mischievously.
Facing him, Grace rolled her eyes. “You aren’t that special.”
“Oh, I’m fully aware of that. Purebloods see us as litter, not special beings.”
Grace clenched her jaw. “That’s not what I meant.”
He folded his arms. “Then, what did you mean? I’m curious.”
“You aren’t unique. There are others like you.”
His smile became eerily dark. “Not many alive, I bet.”
Grace lowered her eyes to the emblem on his t-shirt. “No. Not all are lucky, like us.”
With that said, she proceeded up the stairs.
She noticed that Noah took a moment to follow behind her. Although his eyes glittered in surprise at her words, he didn’t ask anything, and Grace assumed he wasn’t that curious about her.
Chapter Seven
Noah’s clothes were ruined, but he insisted on keeping the trench coat. Grace found him one of her dad’s old leather jackets before they left in the morning to get his belongings.
The drive to the Sunny District was quiet. Grace didn’t have a lot to say, and Noah seemed to be keen on keeping his thoughts to himself.
The part of the city where Noah decided to live was anything but sunny. It was infested with violence and people who liked to break the law.
“Why did you rent a room in such a dangerous place?” Grace wondered out loud.
“It was all I could afford, and I can take care of myself.”
Grace cringed at her lack of tact. Being a rogue hunter wasn’t a glamorous job, and they didn’t have the financial support the government-approved guilds had.
“They also don’t ask for an ID or care if I use my real name,” Noah added.
A few more minutes in silence and Grace found the Paradise Inn. She parked out front and followed Noah to the reception.
A voluptuous woman with dark hair and red lipstick greeted him. “James, I’ve missed you. Where were you for the last couple of days?”
“Good morning, Leticia,” Noah greeted the woman with his best smile. “I came to pay what I owe and to get my stuff. Did you keep it or sell it to pay for the room?”
Leticia twisted a strand of hair around her finger and rested her generous boobs on the counter. “I have it. Just because it was you, and I hoped nothing bad had happened to you, darling.”
Noah smiled without breaking eye contact. “How much do I owe you?”
Leticia ignored his question and looked behind him. “And who is she? She’s not from around here. Have you found yourself an uptown girlfriend to take care of you? Is that why you are leaving us?”
“She’s my stalker, not my girlfriend.”
Leticia giggled. “I wouldn’t mind being your stalker, either. If I was two hundred years younger.”
Grace stepped forward. “I’m not his stalker or his girlfriend. We have other places to go, so if you could hurry and grab his things, I would appreciate it.”
Leticia sneered. “Rude.” She directed her next words at Noah. “Do you have the one hundred tokens you owe me?”
Noah glanced at Grace.
Rolling her eyes, she extracted the wallet from her purse and removed a red bill.
Leticia held her hand open. “It’s one hundred tokens more for guarding his weapons without calling the Security Force.”
Grace gave her another bill and stretched her lips into a fake smile.
“It was a pleasure to do business with you, darling,” the receptionist purred.
Keeping the bills between her boobs, Leticia spun around and sauntered to her back office. She arrived a few minutes later with two black gym bags that she placed on the counter. Then, she resumed her flirting with Noah. “I hope you come back soon. It’s always a pleasure to have you here.”
Grace fought the need to snarl at the woman. Grabbing the two bags, she moved to the exit.
“James,” Grace called. “Are you coming or not?”
“Strong little thing,” Leticia said.
Grace heard Noah’s footsteps, and he took one of the bags. He turned around and waved at Leticia before following Grace to her car.
Opening the trunk, Grace dropped the bag she had and unzipped it to look inside.
“What are you doing?” Noah pulled on her hand to stop her.
“Checking if you have proper clothes to wear.”
“Proper clothes?”
Grace stared at him. “You have a questionable taste in clothes, and a teacher needs to dress the part.”
Noah frowned, and his lips twisted into a sneer. “I wear what I need to mingle with these people. Suits and fancy khaki pants make us a target here.”
“I know, but Grandpa said he wanted me to buy you new clothes. We’re doing this now. Put your weapons here. You won’t need them. We’re going shopping.”
Noah arched an eyebrow. “I am not sure how to feel about this.”
“There’s nothing to feel about this. You’re working for us, and you need clothes.”
“I don’t trust all this generosity. Your family wants something from me. I don’t care what the werewolf alpha says. Something feels wrong.”
“Hasn’t anyone done anything nice for you before?” Grace asked.
Noah shook his head. “Not from the goodness of their heart. Men wanted me to kill someone. Women wanted to fuck me.”
“Language,” Grace muttered as her throat closed with the jealousy attack that was threatening to take over her.
Pushing him away, she swallowed her anger, closed the trunk, and marched to the driver’s side. “Just get in. We don’t have the time to lose. I still need to show you the lesson plans for next week and go over the details with you. Plus, new clothes.”
She got in and turned on the car.
“Why so grumpy?” Noah asked, getting in and putting the seat belt on.
“I’m not grumpy.”
“Maybe you just don’t like this part of town. It’s not so bad. There are good p
eople here. It’s not all violence and gang members.”
Grace suppressed her need to growl as she drove down the narrow road. Women paid to have sex with him? Gave him gifts! That was gross. She needed to know a lot more about him before deciding on what to do with the fact that they were mates.
The word made her throat constrict. What sort of person was he?
“Did that vampire assume that I was your new sugar momma?”
Noah chuckled. “What?”
“Do you pimp yourself out for money?”
“Of course not! Who do you think I am?”
Grace narrowed her eyes on him. “You said women bought you stuff to sleep with you.”
Noah rubbed his forehead. “That wasn’t what I said. I said people who wanted to pay me wanted something from me. I sleep with whomever I want. I’m not for sale.”
“Good. That sort of behavior isn’t acceptable at our academy.”
“Does that mean you aren’t buying me clothes to try to get into my bed?”
Grace huffed. “First, you sleep on my couch and wear my clothes. Second, my Grandpa is paying, not me. I’m sure he’ll deduct the expenses out of your salary. Substitute teachers are paid, and accommodations and food are provided. We take care of our own.”
“You know I was messing with you, right?”
Grace widened her eyes and relaxed her shoulders, paying attention to the road. “I’m not in the mood for jokes like that, so stop it.”
“As you wish.” Noah reclined in his seat, folded his arms, and closed his eyes. “Wake me up when we get to the mall.”
“We aren’t going to a shopping mall. We are going back to town. There’s a store where we buy all our clothes.”
Noah nodded but didn’t comment on anything else, remaining silent until they arrived.
Chapter Eight
GRACE
The town of Selenic didn’t have a shopping mall, but it had a strip mall with the necessary stores so that its inhabitants didn’t have to go to the big city to get supplies or buy clothing.
Grace drove to the parking lot and parked in front of a row of various stores and restaurants along the street. She and her friends often went there to unwind from the classes and missions. Her favorite place was Grills & Hamburger Restaurant, where she could order her preferred meal and drink her chocolate milkshake. She also loved the ice cream parlor Iced & Sweet, where her best friend worked part-time.
“Are we going to shop here?” Noah asked, squinting at the buildings.
“Isn’t it fancy enough for you?” Grace retorted, opening the door and exiting. Leaning inside, she urged, “Hurry up. We don’t have all day.”
Noah moved slowly and strolled behind her.
Grace stopped in front of Comfortable Sanabria Wear, a famous retail store. Noah put his hands in his pockets, proceeding to the entry.
“Where are you going?” Grace asked.
He halted and spun around. “In there. No?”
She shook her head and pointed at another store, almost invisible between the window displays of the big clothing store and the supermarket.
Noah frowned. “We are going to a tailor?”
“Of course. Where else do you buy your suits from?”
“I don’t buy suits. Isn’t that too expensive?”
“Mr. Sinclair is a good friend of the family. He’ll offer us a discount. His store sells high-end menswear and offers free custom altered clothing. He’ll take your measurements, and we’ll shop for immediate necessities. Since you mentioned it, maybe a pair of khaki pants are in order.”
Noah sneered and muttered, “Whatever.”
Smirking, Grace paced to the store, and the bell chimed when she opened the door.
Mr. Sinclair beamed and came around the counter to greet her.
For the next two hours, Noah played dress-up while Grace decided what type of clothes he should wear. Between socks, boxers, t-shirts, shirts, new fancy shoes, jackets, and sportswear, Noah left with a new wardrobe, and four new suits were commissioned.
“I have no idea when I’ll have the time to wear all this. I’m just a substitute teacher. Your grandfather will be back after one week. I needed one suit, nothing more.”
“Don’t worry. You live with us now. I’m sure grandfather has plans for you if he has invited you to stay.”
Noah sighed, placing all of the bags in the trunk while Grace kept the rest on the back seats.
“I’m hungry. Can we go back to the academy? I can’t see any more clothes in front of me,” Noah complained.
“We just have to make one last stop, and we can go home,” Grace assured. “Then, we can go over your classes for next week. I need to make sure you’ll follow the lesson plans and are aware of what my grandfather has been teaching this semester. The final year is harder since he demands a lot more of the future graduates. I do not doubt your fighting skills, but I need to make sure you understand what we do here.”
“You mean, you want to know if I’m qualified or not?”
Grace nodded.
“Where are we going next?” Noah questioned, opening the car’s door.
“I need to go to a pawn shop. I ordered a book to one of the world jumpers, and it should have arrived by now.”
“So you like earthling things?”
“Yes, don’t you?”
Noah shrugged and slipped inside the car.
Grace got in and turned on the engine.
Noah commented after fastening his seat-belt, “I have a few weapons that came from there. But we have plenty of good items being made in our world with the same techniques and materials. Cheaper as well. The world jumpers ask too much in fees.”
“Yes, but I enjoy their literature. Also, books are rare here. Only the Celestials are scholars who spend their leisure time reading and writing. I don’t really care about all the philosophy. I like romance and action. It’s interesting to read about what they think of us. It’s also educational to learn about their cultural habits. Have you ever read an earthling book?”
Noah shrugged. “I’m too busy for those things.”
“Hmm.” Grace drove away a bit disappointed with the few things they had in common.
“I’ve read a few classics when I lived with my aunt. She believed that everybody should know how to write and read.”
Grace arched an eyebrow and peered at him. “What kind of classics? Greek, Roman?”
“Tolstoy, Goethe, Shakespeare, and Flaubert.”
Grace pursed her lips, so her mouth didn’t open in awe.
“I also read some of the modern ones from Hispanic literature. I like Gabriel Garcia Marquez. My aunt is a huge fan of poetry and often asked me to read Pablo Neruda.”
“I’ve never heard of those authors.”
“What do you read?”
“Mostly English Literature. More American than British. Our tair opens into an American city. Our jumpers interact with their community and bring objects that we can use. Books aren’t a priority, but I have my connections.”
Noah relaxed in his seat and folded his hand over his lap. “I couldn’t bring any books with me when I left home to come here for this last mission. I’ll think of you when I go visit Aunt Farah and ask her to lend me a few of her Hispanic classics.”
“In what language are they written?”
“English, I believe. It’s the only earthling language we learn as a hunter in my kingdom.”
“Here’s the same,” Grace said. “Grandpa has spent a few decades on Earth when he was younger. He teaches us English Culture in year two. We have an Earth teacher who teaches us the English Language from year one to four. He often shows us movies and documentaries. It’s impressive how they look like us and how the vegetation and animals are basically the same.”
“Before the Celestials built the fortresses to control the tairs between worlds, our ancestors walked freely.”
“Yes. But humans are fragile creatures who need protection. The Celestials are needed t
o monitor the traffic between worlds,” Grace added.
“We have humans here, and they survive.”
Grace puckered her lips and frowned. “Are you one of those who believe that the tairs shouldn’t be monitored and restricted to authorized personnel only?”
“I understand that there’s a need to control who goes to the other worlds—”
“Not just who goes but what comes in, too,” Grace interrupted him. “There are far stronger beings than us between the worlds. Have you heard about the Fae or the Daemons? We would be in constant war if the Celestials didn’t patrol the borders between worlds.”
“Maybe. Still, you can’t deny that the Celestial became the elite, and they control our lives and destinies.”
Grace nodded. “I don’t agree with all of their decisions and beliefs.”
“I hope you don’t since you are a hybrid like myself. At least, you implied it.”
“I am.”
Noah combed back his hair. “That explains why your academy was attacked. They were coming to kill you.”
Grace snapped her head at him. “Why do you think that?”
“Maximillian said something before I ended his life. His faction hates hybrids like us. They call us abominations.”
“It seems, you also hate them,” Grace stated due to the darkness in his voice.
“He killed my parents. I have a good reason to hate him and his followers. There are a lot more like him. Your grandfather believes that others might come.”
“Is that why he asked you to stay?”
Noah nodded. “He thought I’d be useful.”
“And why did you stay? You acted like you were ready to die that night.”
Noah sucked in a breath and folded his arms. “I had nothing important to do and nowhere to be.”
“You’ve talked about an aunt. Therefore, you have a family who cares for you.”
“Yes, but she has her own problems. I owe her my life, and it’s time to find a place to settle down.”
A million more questions wanted to leave Grace’s mouth. She thought better of it to not burden him with her curiosity.
Noah looked at the buildings and people on the sidewalk. “Where are we going?”
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