by Cali Mann
He didn’t quite believe me, but he let my hands go. “Off to class with you.”
“Thanks, Mr. Reed,” I said, and I meant it. I hadn’t wanted to be rescued, but I was glad to be here all the same. I was learning things about myself I might not have anywhere else. But I was also terrified for whole new reasons.
“You’re welcome, Hailey.” He turned and headed back down the passage.
After I finished my Tutoring Assistance, I headed down to the boys’ suite. I knocked.
Adrian opened the door. His golden hair lay in wet curls against his head, as if he had just gotten out of the shower. He wore jeans slung low across his hips, and his smooth muscled chest just made me want to reach out and stroke him. I shook myself. What was wrong with me?
“Come in,” he said. “Terrin’s gone down to fetch us some grub.”
“Okay,” I said, heat rising in my cheeks. When had I started blushing over every little thing? I’d seen him naked before. Why was the wet hair and chest even bothering me? I dropped down on the couch, squeezing my legs together.
He rubbed his towel across his hair, only mussing it further, and draped it over his shoulders. Then he leaned down and grabbed a drink from the fridge. “You want a soda?”
“Sure.”
After popping the drink tab, he set it down on the edge of the table and then plopped down next to me. My heart beat faster with him nearby, and I took a casual sip of the drink. Bubbles ran down my throat, and I tried to ignore the warmth of the body next to me.
Adrian picked up a tablet from among the mess of the coffee table. “Might as well get started,” he said with a shrug. “You’ll have a tablet in your room too. It’s standard issue for the students.”
“Oh. I guess Monica would have told me about it if I hadn’t pissed her off.”
He gave me a gentle smile. “You should try to talk to her. Monica’s not that bad.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were avoiding her.”
Adrian shrugged. “Monica and I have been friends since we were little. Our parents often worked late on Council business, and we would find ourselves stuck together with nothing to do.”
I nodded, leaning forward for the story.
“There was this one time I thought it’d be great fun to slide down the banisters like we were in some movie.” He chuckled. “We did it several times successfully, and then Monica missed a turn and slammed into the wall. She broke her leg.”
His eyes drifted up. “I had to call the ambulance and wait with her until it came. Our parents didn’t even notice we were gone until later that night.” He grimaced. “Typical in my case, but her dad’s not usually so forgetful.”
My heart squeezed, and I lay a hand on his arm.
His face softened. “We are good friends, or at least we were until she decided that we should be lovers.”
“You slept with her?” I asked.
“I’m a bit of a ladies’ man, if you hadn’t heard.” He shrugged guiltily. “I’m not likely to turn down an advance.”
“But your friendship was ruined,” I said.
“Not entirely, but she’s been dogged in her pursuit of me ever since.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I keep telling her that if we’d been fated, there’d have been a mate tattoo, but she’s not listening.”
“A mate tattoo?”
He smiled. “I keep forgetting how new you are to our world. When a fated couple makes love for the first time, a tattoo appears on their upper arms.” He gestured right around his shoulder. “Vibrant green vines and leaves.”
“The same tattoo?” I stared at his arms, but there wasn’t even a hint of color.
“Yes and no,” he said. “Everyone gets vines and leaves, but as their relationship grows so does the tattoo.”
“Grows?”
He gestured down his arm toward his wrist. “Intertwined in the leaves are symbols of the events in their relationship - a romantic getaway, new house, a child, and so on.”
I frowned. “Doesn’t Professor Ward have something like that? But his are faded?”
“Yes, his mate died.” Adrian said.
“Oh.”
“Often when half the couple dies, the other half wastes away, unable to live with the loss. Professor Ward is a very strong shifter indeed to have survived it.”
“Will he mate again?”
Adrian shook his head. “Shifter mates are for life. One could love again, but I’ve never heard of anyone mating a second time.”
20
Hailey
I’d been confronted with so many new ideas since I’d come to Thornbriar, but fated mates was the most intense. Imagine making such a bond with someone just because of a sexual encounter. What if they didn’t know each other well? If they’d just been hooking up? So many questions ran through my head. The tattoo marked someone, and it didn’t seem like they had any choice in the matter. Wouldn’t they feel confined, even if they loved the other shifter? “Sounds like a trap,” I mused.
Adrian laughed. “Not really. Even if a fated couple isn’t in love yet, they will be. The tattoo just marks something they already know.”
“But then you’re tied to this one person for life.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “That’s why I like to keep my options open.”
“But any time you sleep with someone, she could be the one and the tattoo would appear.” I tilted my head. “Isn’t that a risk?”
“I guess.” He grinned. “She’d just have to reform me from my rakish ways.”
“Assuming you could be reformed,” I said with a snort.
There was a knock at the door, and Adrian stood and crossed to it. “We’d better get to looking for clothes,” he said as he swung the door open. He probably assumed it was Terrin, trying to carry three plates, but Monica stood there.
She stared at his shirtless chest and me sitting on the couch, and her mouth gaped. With a gasp, she exclaimed, “You told me she was Terrin’s girl.”
“We were just . . .” Adrian’s voice trailed off at her furious expression.
With a huff, Monica turned and fled down the corridor. She nearly knocked over Terrin. He had to jump to the side to avoid her, the plates rattling in his hands. “Some friends you have,” she muttered.
“What’s her problem?” Terrin asked.
Adrian shrugged and grabbed a plate to help him inside.
Today, the menu was macaroni and cheese with roasted chicken and steamed vegetables. The scents mingled in the air, and I took a big whiff. I might not be in wolf phase anymore, but I still appreciated a good meal. After my early experiences, I probably always would. Holding the warm plate in my lap, I sighed in pleasure.
Sitting down next to me, Terrin grinned. “I love a girl who can eat.” Adrian pulled a black tee shirt on and plopped down on my other side. He flicked on the tablet and said, “Might as well get started.”
I swallowed a bite, nodding and staring at the screen.
He pulled up what he called a browser, showing me the icon first and then he flipped through a few stores. I appreciated his patience and his clear explanations.
I wasn’t a complete idiot, and I had seen some of these things before, at least on television that I watched with the girls. My memories of my life before Hastings House were hazy, but I was sure I must have played with tablets and phones.
“You can search most anything and find some information on it,” Terrin said. “But I wouldn’t recommend searching shifters.”
“Why not?”
They laughed.
Leaning back against the couch, Terrin said, “The information isn’t very accurate. At best, you’ll get fairy tales.”
“Or porn,” Adrian said.
“Oh.” The heat rose in my cheeks again, and I steeled myself. I refused to be a blushing maiden, even if in fact, the words were true.
Adrian stopped at a clothing website. “This one’s good. What are you looking for?”
“Jeans, tee shirts,” I said. “And
a coat.” I shivered and Terrin’s leg shifted closer, offering me his warmth.
Adrian clicked on the images and after my approving nod, set about putting several pairs of jeans and shirts in the cart.
I frowned. “How do you know my size?”
“Um . . .” He glanced at me and then at Terrin, who bristled beside me. “Girl experience.”
Relaxing, Terrin chuckled. “Of course.”
I had questions about that, but Adrian didn’t seem to want to talk about it in front of his friend. Terrin and I had been getting closer. I enjoyed his company, but I didn’t like the idea that they all saw me as his property. We hadn’t made any commitments. We hadn’t even been on a real date, and the other guys walked on eggshells when he was around.
Adrian showed me a few coats, and I picked out a black leather one with a fake fur collar. The guys shuddered at the real fur ones. I guess knowing people who turned furry made pelts less attractive.
The cart was full, and Terrin asked for my school debit card.
“What?”
Adrian grimaced. “Guess that’s another thing Monica didn’t get around to telling you.”
Terrin explained that the school put my scholarship stipend on a card, like a credit card, and I could use it to shop. “I’ll cover it this time.”
“No, I’ll go get it from my room, now that I know what I’m looking for,” I said, standing.
He clicked in the info and said, “No worries. It’s all done. You should get the items within a day or two.”
“Thank you,” I said, twisting my fingers in my hair. I didn’t like being indebted to him, but he hadn’t given me much choice. Still, it was exciting to think of getting the items so soon. “Do they come all the way up here?”
Adrian frowned as if he sensed my unease. “No, they are delivered to the airfield. Here’s the address, for next time.” He handed me a paper where he’d jotted it down. “The school flies them up here, and the staff delivers it to your room.”
“Okay. Thank you both.” I bounced from foot to foot.
Terrin stood and took my hands, stilling me. “It’s okay, Hailey. Let me walk you to class.”
I gazed into his topaz eyes, and butterflies swirled in my gut. What was I doing? Running from the one good thing life had dropped in my lap. Terrin had been nothing but kind to me, and I acted like he was forcing me into a cage. My nerves skittered under my skin, and I bounced again. “I don’t think I can go to class.”
He studied me and nodded. “Let’s go for a run.”
“Yes,” I said with a smile.
When we got down the steps and out into the back yard, the cold wind cut through me. I hesitated at the doorway, staring at the dark forests at the end of the yard.
“Come on,” Terrin said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out.
“It’s cold,” I protested.
He pulled his sweatshirt over his head and handed it to me.
I pulled it on, smelling his sweet forest scent. I followed him down the trodden path into the woods. The sun peeked through the trees and I breathed in the fresh air. This wasn’t city air or even the stale air inside the campus buildings. This was freedom.
Terrin took off running between the pine trees.
Laughing, I followed. I wasn’t as fast as I would have been during a wolf phase, but he wasn’t trying to outpace me.
He circled back and whispered, “Run.” Then he took off again.
I ran as fast as I could. The movement heated my still bare legs, and the sweatshirt covered my fingers. We went beyond the circle of the academy, climbing higher onto the mountain. Somewhere beyond us was the fence and its electric boundary, but I pushed those thoughts away. Thornbriar had acres of woods within its borders. We could run for miles, and we did.
When the woods opened into a grassy meadow, Terrin reached out and grabbed me. We tumbled to the ground, our bodies pressed together and our breath coming in harsh pants. His eyes met mine, and we grinned at each other. This had been what I’d needed to stop being bound up in all my worries. Freedom, to run and not to think. Freedom to just be.
Our breath mingled in the cool air, but I didn’t feel cold. His topaz eyes glowed. My eyes drifted to his lips, and I licked mine, thinking about another kind of release. I was free to choose who to be with and when, in a way I hadn’t ever been able to before.
He asked permission and, at my nod, brought his mouth down on mine. A different kind of warmth uncurled in my gut. I wrapped my arms around his back, curling my fingers in his dark hair, and kissed him back.
I’d been worried about him staking his claim on me, but out here in the wild, I didn’t feel trapped. I felt liberated. Free enough to make my own claim as I raked my fingers down his back.
Terrin moaned against my mouth, his hands trailing down my body. I moved against him, feeling the hard length of him against my core. Fire roared through me, and I wasn’t cold any longer.
His fingers slipped under the hem of his sweatshirt, yanking it off me and then unbuttoning my standard-issue white school shirt. He stroked my nipple through the bra and I arched against him, gasping.
Everywhere his hands went, he left a trial of fire. Sliding his hand behind my back, he flicked open the latch on my bra and sent quivers through my skin. He pushed the bra up and cupped my breast in his hand. Then he leaned down and sucked on the pebbled nipple.
My thoughts fled as sensation raced through me. Even when I’d been naked with Adrian the other night, he hadn’t touched me so intimately. Terrin’s touch made me feel alive in a way I’d never experienced. I reached out, trying to touch him in the way that he touched me, but I floundered. I’d never done anything like this before.
Terrin paused his ministrations, and grasped my hand. “Hailey,” he asked softly. “Are you a virgin?”
I swallowed. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You probably don’t want your first time to be laying on the cold ground.”
What was I supposed to say to that? I wanted to kiss him. I chose this. Yet, now, as he moved away, I shivered uncontrollably.
Terrin rebuttoned my blouse, and pulled his sweat shirt back over my head.
“I didn’t want to stop,” I said, brushing my hair back from my face.
He smiled and cupped my chin. “I know. But I care too much about you to rush your first time. Let’s take it slow.”
I blinked. He genuinely cared about my experience. It’d been too many years since anyone had been concerned about me and how I felt. “Thank you.”
Stroking his finger along the side of my face, he said, “I’ve never known anyone like you, Hailey. I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. But I think we have something real here, and I’d like to take our time.”
“Okay,” I said, running my teeth over my lip. It wouldn’t help my escape plans if we made love and mate-bonded. I didn’t even know where the thought had come from, but I knew it was right. This was a guy I could spend the rest of my life with, and if I was caught, he’d be devastated. As strong as Terrin was, I couldn’t imagine him carrying on with a faded mate tattoo after they killed me.
“Dark thoughts,” he said, tracing my brow.
I shook myself and grinned. I knew because Sciro had told me, but I wanted Terrin to tell me himself. “Have you shifted yet?”
“Yes.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Why?”
Sitting up, I exclaimed, “Show me!”
He raised an eyebrow. “I repeat, why?”
“I’ve never seen anyone shift before. Don’t you think I should see it before I experience it?”
Terrin laughed. “All right. All right.”
I watched him stand and shed his clothes. While both he and Adrian were lean with compact muscles all over their bodies, Adrian’s skin had been a pale cream, almost hairless. Terrin’s richer ochre skin had thick patches of brown-black hair under his arms and between his legs. Terrin’s chest was broader than Adrian’s with thick cord
s of muscles across his stomach. My breath caught in my throat as he flexed. “Does it hurt?”
“What?”
Blinking, I stared at his flaccid member and then blurted, “The shift. Does the shift hurt?”
“It can.” His lips twisted in memory. “If uncontrolled. That’s why we spend so much time practicing focus.”
I nodded.
“And physical activity helps too. The guys and I go for a run almost every night, and we hit the gym as often as we can.”
“I see.” A blush threatened to rise in my cheeks, but I shoved it down.
He grinned and then closed his eyes. The forest seemed to quiet around us, the small birds and animals tucking into their homes as if they knew a predator was coming. He arched his back, his mouth widened, and the change rippled over him, from head to toe. I didn’t dare blink, afraid I would miss the soundless process. A black jaguar, his hair black but with lighter spots along his flank, paced before me.
“Terrin?” I held out my hand. We hadn’t talked about whether he could still hear and understand me in animal form. I guessed he could though, because the big cat paced forward and rubbed its face against my hand. His eyes were still Terrin’s eyes, their topaz even brighter against the black coat. Leaning forward, I stroked his soft fur. I buried my face in it, breathing in Terrin’s unmistakable forest scent. “You’re amazing.”
He huffed against my ear, and I grinned.
21
Hailey
I’d almost forgotten that we’d missed our afternoon classes by the time we got back to campus. Only one more remained today, so Terrin and I held hands as we crossed the green and headed into our History class.
Professor Roth stood at the front of the room in her usual stylish dress, a deep navy blue today. On her thin nose, black-rimmed spectacles perched. She frowned at us for our tardiness, but I couldn’t summon any guilt. Terrin and I slid into two seats near the back of class. I tried to focus on the Professor’s words, but it was harder today than it usually was. I grinned, my thoughts full of our adventures in the woods.
Monica sat three rows ahead of me, and she peered back over her shoulder, her eyes full of venom. What had I…oh yeah, Adrian. Would she even believe me if I tried to explain? It was completely innocent.