“Don’t say you’re sorry. Her being gone isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
I wanted to press for more details, but I didn’t because I feared he would put his walls back up. He seemed like the type to shut down easily. I could tell because I was too. “I know. I’m just sorry because I misjudged you.”
“People often do.” He dropped the ring and took another sip from his coffee.
I cracked a grin. “Yeah, well you remind me a lot of someone else. I can see now I was right in my comparisons in some ways, but not all. You definitely have someone from your past who still haunts you exactly like he did.” I left off the part about it meaning that he wasn’t available for anyone in the future because of it. That was something I was secretly hoping to be wrong about.
“Is this the guy who upset you not long ago? The one who called or texted with something you didn’t like?”
My stomach tightened. I hadn’t thought he noticed me so much.
“Yeah, that’s exactly who I’m talking about. My ex.” I ripped my eyes from his and took a tentative sip from my cappuccino. As far as I was concerned, this conversation was over. I wasn’t going into all the juicy details of Van and why we’d broken up. I didn’t want to talk about how much more I had loved him than he’d loved me. And I damn sure didn’t want to talk about what his text messages were regarding. “We should probably get back to talking about Lee. Did you learn anything from playing basketball with Pete? Does he have the same tattoo that Bryant does?”
“Yeah. He does.”
My heart skipped a beat inside my chest. I wanted to think of Lunar Academy as a safe place where we could learn more about our nature, but it appeared there was something—or someone—sinister lurking on the grounds.
“It’s on his chest instead of on his hand like Bryant’s,” Axel insisted.
“Oh, that’s not good.” I swallowed hard. “The tattoo could be on any part of their bodies, then. It could be completely hidden beneath their clothes. We’ll never know how many of this group there are because of it.” I shifted around in my seat as my wolf immediately became on edge.
I pulled in a deep breath, trying to calm her. The last thing I needed was for her to take charge of the situation and cause me to shift in front of everyone.
Unpredictable, she was.
“I know. Did you have any luck with Miranda?”
“No,” I grumbled. “She worked all day at the flower shop in town. She doesn’t seem like the type to be a part of some secret organization. She’s pretty boring. Actually, she reminds me a lot of Nora.” At the mention of Nora, I remembered that Miranda actually worked on the library newsletter with her. “Speaking of, Nora mentioned Miranda’s name this morning. She’s part of the library newsletter thing Nora works on too. Apparently, they’re supposed to go over some graphics together today. I told her to text when Miranda gets to the library.”
“Does she know why you want her to text you?”
“No. She didn’t press for details.”
“What are you planning on doing once she lets you know she’s there? Head to the library and stare at her?”
“While pretending to read a book.” I smiled, and he chuckled. My cell chimed with a new text. I glanced at the screen. “And there’s my roomie now. Looks like Miranda just showed up. I’d better get going.” I gathered my things to leave.
“When should we check back in again? I’m thinking about heading back to the basketball courts to see if Pete is still there. I might follow him around some more and see if I can learn anything else.”
I glanced at my cell, checking the time. “It’s a quarter till five now, so how about we touch base at seven?”
“Sounds like a plan.” He picked up his coffee and nodded toward me in agreement.
I stood still for a heartbeat longer than I probably should, simply because I wasn’t exactly sure what we were supposed to do when parting—shake hands, hug, kiss? I mean, we had slept together.
“Okay.” I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear. “Well, I guess I’ll touch base with you at seven, then. Good luck.” I started to walk away, but he grabbed hold of my wrist, forcing me to pause.
“About last night,” he said, his voice low. Goose bumps prickled across my skin as I stared into his heated eyes. “It meant something to me, and I just thought you should know.”
A smile worked its way onto my face. “It meant something to me, too.”
“I’m not sure if this, whatever it is, is something either of us is ready for,” he insisted as he worked his fingers between mine. “But, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see where it leads.”
I swallowed hard. “Me too.”
His thumb moved in slow circles along the back of my hand as we held one another’s stare. My heart thumped hard in my chest. This wasn’t something I’d been expecting from him. Heck, neither was what happened last night.
Another text came through on my cell. I was sure it was Nora, since I hadn’t responded to her yet. I’d been too focused on the awkwardness rushing through my veins at the sight of Axel, and trying to figure out what our next move in finding Lee should be.
“I should probably go,” I said without releasing his hand. “There’s no telling how long Miranda will be in the library, and I’d like to see if she has a visible tattoo.”
“Yeah. Okay, so we’re meeting back up at seven?” He released my hand and stood.
“Meeting up? Sure.” I’d thought we would just call or text to fill one another in. He was serious when he said he wanted to see where this went between us. Cool. “Where do you want to meet?”
“Do you like Mexican food?”
I arched a brow. “Who doesn’t?”
“I feel the same way.” He chuckled. “How about we meet at Nachos?”
I tried not to swoon at the thought of their cheese dip. The place was one of the few restaurants in Brentwood I had saved in my phone. They weren’t too far from the bar, so it was fast and easy to place a pick-up order before my shift. I wouldn’t admit to how many times I did that in a given week.
“Sure. I love their quesadillas.” I hoped my face didn’t light up as much as it felt like it did when I said that.
“I haven’t had them yet. All I’ve had is their cheese steak tacos.” He took a sip from his coffee before placing a hand against the small of my back and heading toward the double doors of the dining hall. My wolf came to the surface at the feel of his touch. I think she liked him. “All right, then it’s settled. We’ll meet at Nachos at seven.”
“See you soon.” I’d almost said it was a date.
Was it a date? We had both said we wanted to see where this thing between us went.
“Be careful with Miranda,” he whispered as we paused in front of the dining hall. “If she truly is part of this group, then you should keep in mind she might be dangerous.”
Miranda worked with flowers four hours a day and was part of the library newsletter. I was positive I could handle her just fine but didn’t say so.
“I will,” I said instead. “You should do the same with Pete.”
“I will.” Axel leaned in and pressed his lips against mine.
They were warm and gentle, yet somehow held fire. His teeth skimmed at my bottom lip, and I melted against him. Someone whistled, causing the kiss to end too soon, and I glanced at the jerk responsible.
“Nice,” he shouted. “How about one for me?”
A witty response built on the tip of my tongue, but Axel let out a low growl that scared the guy away faster than anything I could have said.
Damn, he was sexy.
Axel
I finished the rest of my coffee as I headed back to the basketball courts. It was closer to five now and dark clouds were rolling in. This didn’t seem to stop those still playing on the court. In fact, they seemed to enjoy themselves even more. Maybe it was because along with the dark clouds rolling in, a breeze had kicked up as well.
“Back so soon?�
�� Ryan Grayson, a guy from my essentials class asked with a grin when he spotted me. He was from Wolf Born and always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder because of it. Still, the guy was decent.
“Yeah, I guess so. Needed a refreshment and something to eat. You guys are hardcore out here.” I peeled off my shirt and tossed it on the bench like I had earlier. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have waited so damn long to play.”
“Shooting hoops is one of the best ways to get out some of that pent-up aggression from not being able to shift whenever the hell we want. That’s one of the rules I hate most about this place. That and the damn uniforms.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” I said.
My gaze drifted around the court. There were only four baskets, and since there were so many of us playing at once, that meant there were four half-court games happening at one time. Each game had one basket. Pete had been playing at this one before I left, but now I didn’t see him.
Where had he gone? Was he done for the day?
It was possible. He’d already been out here for a few hours. Maybe I should have just sent Faith a text letting her know I spotted the tattoo but wanted to stick with Pete so I could continue to monitor him instead of meeting her for coffee in the dining hall. While it would’ve been logical, it would’ve made me look like an ass after last night.
Faith deserved better than that.
“Think fast, Stone!” Ryan shouted before launching a basketball at me.
I caught it in midair and dribbled toward the basket, ready to perform a layup. A few guys let out a round of applause as the ball swooshed into the net. To my right, I caught sight of Pete at the next court over.
He stood to the side, chugging from a water bottle. I kept an eye on him as the boys lined up to let me dunk the ball again. He seemed to be taking a break, but he also seemed to be texting heavily with someone. I wondered who.
Miranda? Whoever had Lee?
The desire to jerk his cell from his hand pulsed through me, but I knew I had to refrain. Doing so would only open a can of worms I wasn’t sure we were ready for, and it would no doubt create a fight on the court that would have multiple guys jumping in. Everyone here had adrenaline rushing through their system, causing their wolves to remain just below the surface.
I remained where I was, focusing on both the game and Pete. When my cell chimed with a new text, I reached for it, having a feeling it would be Faith with news.
“I’m taking a timeout for a second,” I called to the guys. “Let Steve take my spot.” I nodded to the guy on the bench nearest our basket. He was a short guy with a blond mohawk and loads of anger issues. The two of us were cool though. We’d fought one another a couple weeks ago during fight club and gained respect for each other because of it.
I’d won, of course, but Steve had given me a run for my money.
I reached for my cell, but before I glanced at the screen, I felt someone’s eyes on me. I looked up and found Pete staring at me. His eyes were dark and intense as they roamed over my face. Something about his stare caused my demons to stir. My teeth ground together as I fought to remain in control. Steve slapped me on the back as he passed behind me, causing me to tear my eyes from Pete.
“Thanks, man,” Steve said.
“No problem.”
When I glanced back at Pete, he was gone.
I jogged to the bench and grabbed my t-shirt. My gaze swung around as I searched for him. I spotted him. He was almost to the faculty and staff building.
What was he going there for?
It was Saturday. I assumed all the teachers and staff were off campus doing whatever they did on their days off.
As I followed him, I glanced at my cell. I’d been right—Faith had been the one to text me.
Done here. Graphics didn’t take long to approve, apparently. I think she knows I’m following her too. She looked at me funny.
I glanced up to look at Pete, just as he slipped into the faculty and staff building. My gut told me he knew I was following him too.
Looks like both of us have been found out. Pete’s going into the faculty and staff building. I’m following. You be careful. Touch base with me soon to let me know you’re okay.
I jogged toward the building, not wanting to let Pete get too big of a head start on me. However, if he knew I was following him, he was probably waiting inside for me.
You be careful too. I’ll check in with you in about thirty minutes. Nora is with me now. She refused to let me out of her sight until I filled her in on what’s going on.
I hated that she’d brought someone else into the fold with us, but I understood. Nora was too close to Faith to not be suspicious of things. Plus, she was probably already wondering where the hell Lee was. The two of them had seemed to hit it off and then he’d disappeared.
I pocketed my cell and pulled in a deep breath to center myself. With my fist clenched tight, I opened the door and slipped inside. The building was as fancy as any other on campus. It was built of stone and resembled something out of the medieval ages while also somehow seeming modern. My sneakers squeaked against the polished tile floors as I moved deeper into the building. The place seemed empty. Dead. However, I could hear hushed voices coming from one of the rooms nearby.
One voice was male and the other female.
I was too far away to distinguish if the male was Pete. Plus, there seemed to be a strange grinding noise muffling their voices.
What the hell was that?
I inched my way down the hall, trying to figure out where the voices were coming from. They disappeared before I could pinpoint them, and I was left standing at the base of a staircase that led up to the second floor of the building.
Where had Pete gone? He practically disappeared.
I made my way back down the hallway, peeking into the open rooms and pausing outside the ones with closed doors, listening for him. There was no way he could’ve went up the stairs. I would’ve heard his footsteps echoing back to me. He had to have gone into one of the rooms, but it seemed as though all of them were empty.
What the hell?
I stepped into the main lounge, thinking maybe he’d went into the back section where all the vending machines were. It was empty. Just like the rest of the room. The same grinding sound from earlier floated to my ears again, and I paused, holding my breath so I could pinpoint where it came from.
“You need to see Fletcher,” a female voice snapped. “If your fears are as you suspect, you should not have come to me. You should have gone directly to Fletcher. Either him or Carver. Do not come to me again. Do I make myself clear?”
I had no idea who Fletcher or Carver were, but I knew one thing—whoever this woman was, she was pissed.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Pete. That had been Pete talking. So, he was here after all. Where the hell had he been hiding?
“You are dismissed,” the woman insisted before the sound of heels clicking against the tile floors echoed through the hall. Thank goodness she was heading in the opposite direction, because there was no way in hell I wanted to be spotted by her. She was obviously pissed to have had her weekend disturbed by a student.
Pete let out a breath before the sound of his sneakers beating against the tiled floor heading in the opposite direction from where I stood floated to my ears. I peeked out of the lounge to see where he was headed. He stepped all the way to the end of the hall and opened the door with a plaque on it that read Boiler Room.
Why the fuck would he go down there? Was Fletcher a maintenance man? What about Carver? Did Lunar Academy even have maintenance men or janitors? Honestly, I hadn’t seen a single one since arriving on campus. I imagined everything was cleaned with magic.
I waited a few beats before I opened the door to the boiler room and followed Pete, wanting to make sure he would be down the stairs and chatting with whoever he was hoping to find. The stairway was dimly lit, and I noticed right away that the air down here was thicker than it had been on the other
side of the steel door. Had this room been a dungeon at one point? My mind wandered through the possibilities of what I’d find at the base of the stairs as I descended them. My demons surfaced, both itching to take full control of the situation and shove my humanity to the side.
Darkness surrounded me as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs. It didn’t bother me. What bothered me was the silence. If Pete was down here along with someone else, they should be making noise. They should be talking. There should be a light on somewhere.
“Damn it. I knew you were fucking following me,” Pete growled from somewhere behind me.
I spun around to face him and came in contact with something metal. It smashed against the side of my head, causing a blinding pain to ripple through me and darkness to pull me under.
Faith
I had my eyes locked on Miranda as she speed-walked toward the Wolf Bound dormitory. She was one of us—a Wolf Blood—so why was she heading to our rival house’s dorms? Something wasn’t right. I could feel it in my gut, and whatever it was, it had my wolf pacing.
Nora huffed beside me as we continued to follow Miranda, being sure to keep a good distance. “I still can’t believe this. I mean, it’s like something from one of the books I read.”
Nora hadn’t shut up since I’d filled her in. I knew I would regret bringing her in the loop on things. Still, I’d done it anyway because I liked her. We’d become friends over the last few months. This was something too big for me to leave her out of any longer. Besides, I knew she wouldn’t believe Lee had dropped out any more than Axel and I had.
I’d been right.
“It’s crazy to think she’s part of some secret group on campus. Do you think there’s only one? Or is there another?” Nora grabbed my wrist and inhaled a sharp breath. “There’s probably a rival group. There always is. Good versus evil.”
I didn’t let my mind wander too far down that rabbit hole. If I did, I knew I’d become paranoid and my wolf might take over. She liked to come out to play when I was in emotional distress. I was getting better at controlling her, and steadying my emotions, but I still had my moments now and then.
Wolf Blood: Lunar Academy, Year One Page 12