Corviticus University

by J. E. Cluney

  I groaned at the weight on the end of my bed, my mind flitting back to the small orange and white cat that I’d met last night. Such a sweet, soft little guy. He’d stayed with me as I’d listened to some music on my iPod before calling it a night.

  I certainly didn’t remember him weighing so much when he’d jumped up last night.

  I shuffled my legs, trying to move the cat off my foot, but finding the weight too much.

  A groan welcomed me, and it took me a moment to register it.

  Wait, a groan?

  I sat up, my mouth falling open at the stark naked young man curled up on the end of my bed.

  “Hey!” Was all I could come up with at this strange situation. Really could’ve done better there.

  The young man’s eyes shot open as he struggled to sit up at the fright.

  My eyes dropped to his sizable member, nice and stiff first thing in the morning. And… covered in tiny barbs? What the fuck?

  My cheeks flushed as I dragged my eyes back to his, those confused and sleepy amber orbs flicking around the room as he got his bearings, his short brown hair a ruffled mess.

  Wait a minute…

  “Oh my God,” I gaped, everything clicking into place as he realized his nakedness and hastily covered himself.

  “I’m so sorry!” he blurted as he scrambled off the bed.

  I just stared in utter shock as that firm little arse rocketed out of the room.

  That little fucking cat.

  I groaned as I realized something else.

  I was going to kill Marcus.

  I threw my sheets back, cursing as I stormed over and slammed my bedroom door and turned to the wardrobe. I picked out one of my two dresses, a faded sky-blue one with a heart neckline that ended just above the knees. Just a nice little day dress, not too revealing. Nothing like my glaringly obvious red one. That was saved for tinder dates and other special occasions.

  I gave my hair a quick brush with my fingers and tied it up into a ponytail.

  I shivered, glancing out my bedroom window where rain pattered against the panes softly.

  I’d been right about a storm coming yesterday. And it had cooled right down now, enough that I reached into the wardrobe for an old grey jacket to throw on.

  Now, I needed to go have a not so nice chat with Marcus, that arsehole. He knew about the cat-boy. And he didn’t tell me, even though…

  I scowled as I stormed out of my room, eyeing the bathroom door with a flush of embarrassment. I was going to rip into the cat-shifter too. That little shit.

  Which one of my housemates was he anyway?

  I padded down the stairs in my bare feet, marching into the kitchen, expecting to find Marcus at the dining table.

  Nothing.

  The kitchen and joining dining area were empty.

  I sighed as I accepted this would have to wait. I was not about to barge into anyone’s room.

  I found the cereal in the pantry, going with some weet-bix for breakfast. I flicked the kettle on as I leaned against the island, thinking over the cat-shifter. I’d gotten a good look at him today. Too good of a look. My cheeks warmed as that erect penis sprang to mind, and I shoved the image away, despite how my body reacted.

  “Spider-man,” I muttered. That’s who he’d looked like. Not Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire, the new one. I’d caught the latest Avengers movies with him in it.

  I frowned as I mulled over his name, tapping my fingers on the counter as the kettle whistled.

  I poured the hot water over my weet-bix and then sprinkled some sugar on top before adding the milk.

  “Tom Holland!” I grinned, grateful that my memory had come through.

  “Who are you talking to?”

  I nearly dropped my bowl on the floor as I spun around, ready to rip into the cat-boy or Marcus.

  I caught myself as I took in this new, stunningly hot man standing in the kitchen.

  And he’d lost his shirt, apparently.

  His dirty blond hair was crew cut, and those bright blue eyes were amused and trailing over me in a much more pleasant fashion than Marcus.

  And that chest, holy hell. Almost completely hairless save for a sprinkling around his nipples and tanned to a beautiful golden like the rest of him. He was ripped to perfection, and those abs looked like they’d been manufactured in the men’s hottest weekly workshop.

  Someone certainly ate his weeties.

  “Allison, right?” he smiled, forcing me to drag my eyes back up to his. I flushed, my body heating up at the sight of this handsome muscle mass.

  “Um, yeah,” I managed to say, struggling to not drool over that sexy body. He never missed leg day either. He was a little taller than Marcus, and much broader and toned. Not that I’d seen Marcus shirtless.

  I bet he’s just as big down there…

  Nope. Let’s not do that.

  “So, who were you talking to?” he asked as he continued to the fridge to pull out some orange juice.

  “No one,” I mumbled, embarrassed that he’d caught me talking to myself.

  “Okay then,” he chuckled. “I’m Skip, but some of the guys call me Red. You probably met Marcus last night, he never leaves really except for classes. Then there’s Oliver, and Lucas,” Skip said as he poured himself some juice.

  “Yeah, Marcus is… interesting,” I shrugged as I took a mouthful of my breakfast.

  “Well, he’s a vampire,” Skip shrugged.

  Right, that explained the pale skin, and vampires weren’t exactly known for their cheery personalities.

  “So, who’s Kit?” I questioned once I swallowed.

  Skip let out a deep chuckle, his stomach heaving with it and drawing my eyes to his defined abs once more.

  “Oliver, Marcus calls him Kit, short for kitten,” he grinned as he sipped his juice and leaned against the counter.

  Right, the cat shifter.

  “Speaking of, I need to have a chat with him,” I scowled.

  “Uh-oh, what’d he do?” Skip cocked his head with a smile playing at his lips.

  “Well, Marcus failed to mention the cat was actually a shifter,” I muttered.

  Skip just narrowed his eyes at me before he grinned widely.

  “Did you get changed in front of him?” he instantly asked.

  My cheeks must have flushed badly because his throaty laughter rung out as he clapped his hands.

  “Damn, Ollie!” Skip slapped the counter in amusement. “Lucky bugger.”

  I groaned inwardly as he grinned at me. I tried to ignore his quip about being lucky. That naughty side of me wanted to say how he could get lucky too if he played his cards right.

  Hot hell, what was going on here? Why was I reacting so much to these men all of a sudden? I mean, it didn’t help that all of them looked sexy as hell, even Oliver, the lean, yet muscular young man from my room. I forced away the image that dared to slip into my mind of his nakedness.

  “So, you’ve met those two then, which means Lucas is the only one you haven’t met yet,” Skip mused as he finished his juice. He seemed oblivious to the effect his naked torso had on me.

  “Yes, so Marcus is a vampire, Oliver is a cat-shifter, and you are?” I asked, wanting to learn just who I was going to be living with.

  Besides, I was loving Skip’s easygoing attitude, and the sight of him only added to it.

  “Red kangaroo,” he said proudly. Well, now I could see why he was so ripped, it was in his DNA. “And Ollie isn’t a cat-shifter, he’s a true shifter,” Skip corrected me.

  “Really?” I breathed. True shifters were rare, practically royalty. They possessed the ability to shift into any animal, unlike most shifters these days who were stuck to only one animal.

  “Yeah, cat’s his go to though,” Skip shrugged, but I sensed he was hiding something from me from the way his mouth set. “Lucas is a witch, he’s… interesting, to say the least. He’ll be back today sometime, he spent the night out last night, I got home quite late, local party,” he
admitted.

  An instant tug of curiosity and jealousy made me do a double take. What the hell was that about? Was I seriously jealous about a guy I’d just met being out at a party? With girls most likely?

  I shoveled some more weet-bix into my mouth to squash the feeling as Skip began getting himself some breakfast.

  I watched the muscles ripple in his back as he served himself some weet-bix. Twice as much as me.

  “What are you going to study?” I asked through a mouthful of food.

  “I’m in my second year studying a Bachelor of Environmental Science,” he informed me. “You?”

  “Veterinary science,” I said.

  “Oh cool, so you want to be a vet?” he grinned as he added sliced banana onto his weet-bix.

  “Yeah, I think it’ll be good,” I nodded.

  “Why?” he asked as he began eating.

  “Um, well, I love animals, they’re much nicer than people, and I seem to know when there’s something wrong with them already, I can… well, sense it, I guess,” I shrugged.

  “Right,” he breathed, cocking his head at me. “So, what are you? You know what we are. You smell a bit canine, but not a dingo or dog shifter, I know enough of them to know what one smells like. Something else too.”

  “Um, well, I’m part pixie, and my father was a werewolf, so I’m part werewolf, my mom was fae with mostly pixie lines,” I said. So he’d sniffed me out, that was a little weird, although natural for shifters I guess.

  “Damn, a pixie,” he chuckled. “No wonder Marcus is avoiding you, fae are pretty much vamp bait.”

  That wasn’t new news to me, but now I was intrigued. Was that why Marcus was such a jerk towards me? I hadn’t known he was a vampire. And fae’s blood was very appealing to vampires. Normally, they didn’t treat us like something to be avoided, they’d rather take what they wanted, which made Marcus’s treatment of me even stranger.

  “If you’re part werewolf, no offense, why couldn’t you scent us? Tell what we were?” he asked.

  I scowled as I finished my last bite.

  “My nose doesn’t work,” I mumbled.

  “What?” he just frowned.

  “My nose, it has no special werewolf qualities. I can’t smell shit,” I groaned as I moved to the sink to rinse my bowl out before placing it in the dishwasher.

  “Seriously? Huh, that’s weird, most half-breeds still retain a decent amount of their abilities from each side,” he said as he pondered it.

  “Yeah, well, my nose is broken, works just as well as a normal pixie’s, which is the equivalent of a human’s,” I huffed. I was not too happy with this piece about myself, but it was something I’d accepted a long time ago.

  “Can you shift into a wolf then?” he questioned.

  “Yes, surprisingly,” I sighed. At least I had that part.

  “Huh, strange. There aren’t many werewolves around Australia, you know, not their normal environment,” he mused.

  “Yeah, my father moved here from the States as a kid. Apparently they’re quite strict on predator shifters coming in from overseas. They prefer to have only those native to the country. There were rules where we couldn’t shift unless we were in a safe area. Like here, Maple Grove,” I said.

  Maple Grove was for all kinds of supernatural creatures, and had a protective warding around it. You could actually feel it when you passed through, and it was a welcome relief.

  Powerful warlocks and witches had cast warding spells around a number of towns and even the odd city so that we could shift freely without being seen. At least, those of us who didn’t belong. Apparently, if I shifted and got seen in a warded area, I’d look like a wild dingo instead of a wolf. The big cats just looked like large feral cats or even dogs. Although, there were a few real sightings outside of warded areas. There’d been a handful of panther sightings and big cats over the years, although thankfully none of them were confirmed. The Supernatural Council would cover it as best they could and deal with those responsible.

  “So, do you think Oliver will make an appearance for breakfast?” Skip asked with a mischievous grin.

  “I hope so,” I mumbled. He was in trouble for the stunt he’d pulled.

  I leaned back against the counter, contemplating whether or not to make a tea as well.

  “So, have you been to the uni yet to get your temporary schedule and textbooks?” he asked.

  God, I was struggling to keep my eyes off him. He seriously needed to pop a shirt on.

  “No, I was planning on doing that today, and maybe checking out the town,” I said as I decided to flick the kettle on again to reheat it.

  “I can walk you there? Show you around town too if you want, although it’s pretty pathetic. We’ve only got a corner shop and a fuel station. Everything else is over in Maleny, it’s only ten minutes from here, has the post office, IGA, Woolworths, butcher, cafes, you name it. Although if you’re wanting to do some proper shopping, you’ll have to go down to the coast, to Caloundra or Maroochydore,” he stated as he finished his breakfast.

  I just watched happily as he bent over to load up the dishwasher, his blue board shorts falling down a little to show me a little of his lighter colored arse. Guess someone didn’t believe in nude tanning.

  “Apologize!” he shot up straight, startling me, and then I realized his eyes had moved past me to the doorway leading to the living room.

  I followed his gaze and my stomach flip-flopped at the sight of Oliver standing there hesitantly, his face going bright red.

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. The flimsy black jacket looked like it wouldn’t even be remotely warm. The rain was only a distant spatter now, having died down by the time I got to the kitchen. I wasn’t sure I wanted to walk to the uni with such unpredictable weather.

  “I didn’t realize she was going to lock me in the bathroom with her!” Oliver defended himself, pouting as Skip’s eyes widened.

  “Wait, you watched her shower?” he asked quietly.

  “No, I looked away,” Oliver shot back, unable to even look at me.

  “No, you watched me undress,” I retorted.

  “Damn,” Skip clucked his tongue, but a grin was forming.

  “Why’d you pretend to be a cat?” I demanded answers. “Why?”

  “I wasn’t pretending,” Oliver crossed his arms. A flash of his naked body, smooth and toned, and that nice erection…

  “You can turn at will,” I shot back, stomping down the images. Damn, I was going to have his dick in my head for a while. He was a nice size, I’d give him that.

  Oliver pouted, grumbling as he averted his eyes.

  “Actually, he can’t,” Skip corrected me.

  “What?” I turned on him.

  “He can’t control it.” He just shrugged.

  I moved my eyes back to Oliver, who was giving me a sheepish look as he rubbed his arms.

  “Why not? Don’t shifters learn how to shift at puberty?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Oliver stated with an eye roll.

  “So…?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “He pissed off a witch and got cursed, so now he can only turn into a cat. And it happens randomly, normally with emotions. He’s been stuck like that for the last two days actually,” Skip informed me. “Speaking of, Lucas will give you a bracelet to wear, we all have one, to allow us to communicate with him when he gets stuck,” Skip said as he raised his arm up to show off the leather bracelet. Now that I thought about it, Marcus had had one too.

  “It’s bloody embarrassing,” Oliver groaned. “And I’m sorry, Allison, I didn’t mean to see you naked. I was just curious about you, and then you locked me in the bathroom with you, it all happened so fast. And seeing your mischief magic last night, that was interesting. Sorry about this morning too…” he gave me a boyish grin as he tried to apologize.

  Yep, he could pass as Tom Holland on the right angles.

  “What happened this morning? And mischief magic
? Why’d you use your magic?” Skip was thoroughly intrigued now.

  “Um, well, I woke up to someone naked on my bed,” I shot Oliver a look, and he bit his lip as he looked away. Someone with nice morning wood, but still.

  “Wow, now I’m curious,” Skip laughed, a full-on belly rumbling laugh. It made all the muscles in his abdomen tense and release, and I struggled to not stare at that gorgeous body.

  “I fell asleep there by accident last night, nothing happened,” Oliver said instantly.

  “Sure, sure,” Skip grinned, his amused blue eyes moving to me.

  Was he suggesting…?

  “You guys are nuts,” I mumbled as I ran a hand down my face.

  “So, mischief magic, why?” Skip moved on, although he kept a playful smile.

  “Her parents died,” Oliver jumped in. “So no one taught her how to wield it.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Skip’s light-hearted attitude dropped, as did his smile.

  “Don’t be, it happened when I was little,” I shrugged. I ignored the pang in my chest at the reminder. I’d been left alone in this world, tossed into a shitty household to survive in.

  “Didn’t family take you in?” Skip asked.

  “Yeah, but they weren’t interested in helping me understand my abilities. My Aunt had a witch craft a pendant that was spelled so I couldn’t remove it. It stopped my powers,” I gritted my teeth as I shared that part of my history.

  “Shit, that’s messed up. Mischief magic isn’t dangerous, but you need to learn how to use it, that’s just what happens with us supes. Us shifters don’t shift until puberty, but magic in other creatures, like the fae, can manifest while they’re children. They need to be taught about it and learn how to use it and control it,” Skip growled, annoyed on my behalf. It warmed me, seeing him ruffled like that for me.

  He barely knew me.

  “Well, I think I’d best head over and pick up my temp schedule. I wouldn’t mind popping into Maleny for some shopping later, are there any buses?” I asked, wanting to move away from the topic of my family and magic. I’d rather not share too much with them. I’d only just met the pair.

  “I’ll take you, the rain’s getting heavier, so I’ll drive you to the University, then we can go to Maleny. Lucas will be home by the time we’re back I imagine,” Skip said instantly, leaping at the chance to drive me.