by Jen L. Grey
There was something going on, but she obviously didn’t want to talk to me about it. “Okay, I can go with you.”
“No, I’m good.” She wriggled out of his grasp and forced a sad smile. “I’ll catch up with you all later.” She hurried off in the direction of our dorm, leaving the four of us speechless for a minute.
“What’s her deal?” Damien arched an eyebrow and glanced in my direction.
“I have no clue.” That admission was painful. Jess was pulling away from me. Maybe I had upset her somehow.
“She’s just going through some things.” Rage leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Don’t stress about it.”
That was easier said than done. “Yeah, but …”
“It’s my fault.” Cole’s eyes darkened as he looked at the ground. “I said something to her the other day.” He let out a long breath. “How was class today?”
“Another interesting day.” Rage grabbed my hand and glanced behind us. “We learned about fae and vampire half-breeds.”
“Yeah, that’s one of the worst combinations.” Damien ran his hand through his dark auburn hair. “It’s a travesty.”
“How do you know about it?” This was Professor Shaw’s pilot class.
“Oh, Professor Shaw is my mentor.” Damien shrugged and leaned back. “That’s how he knew that we needed help with your necklace too.”
“Speaking of which, I need that back. It was a gift from my mother. If I had known that Damien was that close with Professor Shaw, I would’ve asked him for it months ago. For some reason, it didn’t feel right to ask the teacher directly.
“He’s trying to determine who spelled it.” Damien pointed at the necklace with the red stone around my neck that Rage had given me for Christmas last year. “Besides, you always wear that one now.”
“It was a family gift.” Rage rolled his eyes at his friend. “So if you could get it back, it’d mean a lot.”
“Have fun with that, man.” Cole laughed, but it sounded forced. “Professor Shaw doesn’t like giving things up, especially if they have a mystery to them.” He scrunched his lips. “So what’s so deadly about these half-breeds anyway?”
“Dude, you saw that boy who had burns on one side and wolf scratches on the other.” Damien flinched at the memory. “If that didn’t scare you, what else will?”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” Cole sighed dramatically and made his bottom lip quiver. “So we’ll never have a Damien Junior? We’ll have to be childless.”
Having children was a priority for all supernaturals. We needed to ensure that our race didn’t die off.
“Awe, how sweet.” Jordan appeared beside me and smirked at Cole. “You finally came out.”
“Yup, why else did I sleep with you?” He arched his eyebrow and chuckled. “That’s the only plausible explanation.”
It took all my strength not to laugh.
“You jerk.” Jordan's nostrils flared and she stepped in his direction. “Do you think everything is a game?”
“Well, you let me hit a home run with you. You can’t blame me for being confused.” He cringed and shook his hands. “Some images haunt you for life.”
Cole was as loyal as they come, but if you hurt or attacked anyone he considered family, he turned cold and unrelenting.
“Come on, Jordan.” Madison appeared and grabbed her friend’s arm. “You don’t deserve this. It’s like they think it’s some kind of joke.”
“No, I don’t.” A wicked glint reflected in his eyes. “Everything you stand for is a joke, and I’m not interested in anything you think or do.”
“You better watch yourself.” Jordan bared her teeth, letting her two incisors descend. “There’s more at stake here than what meets the eye.”
Even though Cole always hung around, I usually forgot he was a vampire, so seeing her teeth like that wasn’t something I was used to.
“There always is.” Cole’s chuckle had a dark edge, and for one of the first times ever, I saw the creature he was excellent at hiding. If I ever doubted that he was a predator, I couldn’t any longer.
“Alright, you got to make your scene.” Rage turned to face Jordan and Madison. He waved his hands in a circle, pointing out all of the students who were standing and watching the show. “I think it’s best if you two walk away before Cole can’t hold himself back any longer.”
I hadn’t even realized there were people all around, watching us. Cole did appear a little unhinged.
“Now listen here.” Jordan placed a hand on her chest, and her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Enough is enough already.” Damien’s low voice rang clearly in the air. “Like Rage said, you need to leave.”
It’s always been clear that Damien was an alpha, but I never realized his strength until now.
“Fine.” Jordan huffed and frowned. “But keep him in line.”
“No one can keep me in line.” Cole taunted her.
“You’re vicious.” Rage snorted and punched him in the arm.
“Hey, I just do what most everyone is afraid of doing.” Cole lifted his pointer fingers in the air and did a little jig.
“Oh.” Damien groaned and rubbed his eyes. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“I don’t bull shit. Instead, I tell people exactly how it is.” Cole adjusted the material at the shoulders of his polo shirt. “Many people are afraid to do that.”
“That’s true, but it’s always your distorted version.” Rage shook his head and took my hand again. “Cole logic can be hard to figure out sometimes.”
“I don’t think so.” Cole may have been a hard ass, but he was more than that. “He loves his friends and family. He won’t tolerate any of them getting hurt.”
“Finally, someone who gets me.” He truly smiled and marched over. Before I knew it, he had pulled me away from Rage and wrapped his arms around me. “Now that you know my secret, no more telling anyone, okay?”
“Of course.” I hugged him back and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad I’m stuck with you.”
“Okay, okay.” Rage grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him. “Enough of trying to steal my mate. I’m not letting it happen.”
“Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t brought you along to her graduation.” Cole tapped a finger to his lips and glanced upward. “If I would’ve had her to myself the whole ride to New Orleans, maybe I could have wooed her before she met you.”
“First off, there is no wooing in this day and age.” Rage pulled me closer to him and wrapped an arm around my waist. “And secondly, you had no chance.”
“It’s true, man.” Damien patted him on the back. “There was no way in hell you could’ve beat him. But at least, he shares her with us.”
“Wait. What?” Cole perked and winked at me. “I didn’t realize there was sharing.”
“No.” He was a handful at times. “That’s not what he meant.”
“But he said …”
“Don’t even think about it, Cole.” Rage’s shoulders shook behind me. “I will kill you if you try.”
“Oh, and just like that, my dream vanishes.” Cole glanced toward the girl’s dorm and sighed.
There was something strange going on, and neither Cole nor Jess wanted to tell me. I wanted to demand their secrets, but I figured they’d let us know when the time was right. I just wished I could fix whatever was going on.
Chapter Twelve
I walked out of my bedroom, ready to head to breakfast. Today, I was working out with Damien again and wore some black exercise pants with a pink tank top. Normally, Jess would be up and waiting on me, but the living room was bare.
Maybe for once, I had gotten ready before her. I headed to her bedroom and knocked on the door. “Hey, are you ready to go eat?”
“I’m not hungry this morning.” Jess’s voice was groggy like I had just woke her up.
Something strange was going on. “You never skip a meal.” Despite her tiny size, that girl could eat.
“Yeah, I
think I may be coming down with something.” She shuffled around in her room. “Just go on without me.”
“Do you want me to run something back before going to training?” I didn’t want to push her into talking to me, but I wished she would go ahead and open up. Ugh, I didn’t know what I should do.
“Actually, that sounds good.” Her voice perked a little at the suggestion. “Uh, If you don’t mind.”
“Girl, I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to do it.” I placed my hand on the doorknob, wondering if I should barge in or respect her need for privacy. “Can I come in?”
“No, please don’t.” She sniffed and moved some more. “I’m going to take a shower, so when you’re back, I’ll be in the den.”
“Okay, be back in a few.” I hated strolling away, but I needed to respect her privacy. At this point, it didn’t seem to be anything harmful, so I was going to let it go … at least for the moment.
I made my way downstairs and out of the building. It didn’t take long for me to reach the cafeteria, and I found the guys at our normal table. I headed over to Rage and kissed his lips briefly. I’d missed him last night, but he wanted to be at his dorm for Cole just like I needed to be at mine for Jess because he was acting strange too.
“I missed you last night.” His hand ran through the back of my ponytail. “I snuck out and came over.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Cole snickered as he took a long sip from his mug. “It’s kinda gross you guys talking about that here.”
“Only you would take it there.” Damien rolled his eyes as he took a huge bite of scrambled eggs.
“Yeah, cause I’m unique like that.” Cole nodded and patted himself on the chest.
“No, because you have the humor of a fifth-grade boy.” Rage turned back toward the table and took a drink of water.
“Where’s Jess?” Cole moved so he could see behind me. “Is she hiding behind you?”
“Dude, she’s not that small.” Damien grabbed his bacon and pointed it at him. “Seriously, that’s called discrimination.”
“What? Calling someone short?” Cole leaned back in his seat and wagged his pointer finger back and forth. “If that’s discrimination, then when you talk about how badass you are, that must be too.”
“I never …” Damien lifted his thumbs in the air as he pointed back at himself.
“Just stop.” Rage stood and snorted. “It’s Cole logic. It isn’t meant to make sense.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me to the buffet. “I need a break from the crazy.”
“That’s a good thing. I promised Jess I’d make her a plate and bring it back.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Can you make her plate while I make mine?”
“Of course.” Rage grabbed two plates and handed me one. “We’ve eaten with her enough to know what she likes. She’s a creature of habit in that regard.”
He worked on her plate as I filled mine with eggs, bacon, French toast, and hash browns. I was going to need a lot of energy today. From the hints that Damien had been dropping, I’d be fighting Madison again. We’d been working on counter moves for vampire speed. I was hoping that at least I didn’t fall on my ass within five minutes like the last time.
Right as I finished loading my plate, Rage had Jess’s ready too. I was thinking that I should take it back to her before it gets cold.
We made our way back to the table, and I set my plate on the table out of Cole’s reach. “I’m going to run this back to Jess real fast.”
“Do you have time?” Damien arched an eyebrow and glanced at the clock on the wall. “You need to eat so you’re not late to our session.”
Damien was a stickler about being late to things unless it was something he didn’t want to go to. The one time I showed up five minutes late because Rage had distracted me, my work outlasted an hour longer. “I’ll hurry. I don’t want her food to get cold.”
“No, don’t worry about it.” Cole took the last sip of his drink, causing the drink to gurgle. “I’ll take it to her.”
“But I …” I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or not.
“Let him take it.” Rage slid the plate over to him. “You’ve got training and need sustenance to get through it.”
“I’ve gotta take care of my girls.” Cole winked as he stood and grabbed the plate. “I’ll catch ya later.”
Usually, I wouldn’t care about not being the one to take it to her, but with how odd she was acting, I was afraid she might get upset. “Maybe I should …”
“Look, Rage is right.” Damien grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. “You’re up against Madison again today. Eat up.”
I’d figured that was the case, but him confirming it made my stomach sink a little. Yeah, I was better prepared to fight her, but there was a good chance she could kick my butt. Not bothering to respond, I grabbed my fork and began chowing down.
“Did he ever tell you anything last night?” Rage took the last few bites of sausage on his plate.
“The only thing I got out of him is that he hurt Jess’s feelings and hates it.” Damien shrugged and leaned back in his seat. “I’m not sure what about, but he said that he needed to fix it.” He glanced at me. “Did she say something to you?”
“No, but she’s not acting like herself.” My stomach soured, but I pushed through and kept eating. “I’ll try to drag it out of her when I get back.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Damien said, “And with the Christmas break coming up, maybe they’ll get some much-needed time and space apart.”
That was another thing I was dreading. “Yeah, most everyone is leaving Friday. When will you?” I was hoping that he might hang around like he did last year, but that was only because I couldn’t leave campus. He had stayed to train me over the break since his family lived close by and only visited them on Christmas day. Even though I could go home this time, since I broke from the pack, I figured I needed to keep some distance for a little while.
“Yeah, I’m leaving Friday too. When are you two heading home?”
“Same.” Rage glanced at me and smiled. “That works for you, right?”
Great, I was going to get stuck alone for at least a week. I’d have to figure out something to keep myself entertained. “Whenever you need to go.” To be honest, I didn’t know much about Rage’s family except that he had a younger brother who lived at home with his parents.
“Were you not listening the other day?” Rage smirked and rubbed his chin.
“Yeah, you asked what I was doing over break, and I said nothing.” It was the other day when we had been heading to class. “Also, you said that you were heading home early Friday.”
“Yes, and I said my family couldn’t wait to meet you.” Rage leaned over, getting close to me.
“Wait …” Maybe I wouldn’t have to be alone after all. “Were you asking me to go home with you?”
“Of course.” Rage scooted closer to me and grinned. “You’re going to, right? Otherwise, we can hunker down somewhere together.”
I shouldn’t be surprised. We were true mates, but I hated to impose on his family or ask him to stay with me. “If they are okay with me coming back with you, I’d love to.”
“Mom is beside herself.” Rage pulled at the collar of his maroon polo shirt. “So be prepared.”
“It sounds perfect.” I leaned over and kissed his lips. “I can’t wait.”
“Alright, this is kind of awkward for me. I’m going to head up to the clearing.” Damien stood and grabbed his plate. “Hurry up and eat. Madison just left the cafeteria.”
“Great, I can’t wait.” I cut another piece of French toast. For some reason, despite my impending doom with Madison, I was feeling pretty good.
As I headed through the last little bit of the woods that led me to the clearing, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Last time Madison had kicked my ass. That was the only way to phrase it, it had been that bad.
The clearing came into view, and of course, the first thing I see
is Madison in a dark red sports bra with black exercise pants. Her blood-red fingernails twisted her hair into a messy bun and slipped the black ponytail holder off her wrist, securing it in place.
Her fingernails were always that color. She either had to reapply it every night or somehow gotten them to stay that color permanently.
“I smell a dog.” Madison cooed as I took a step into the clearing.
“Well, I smell a leech.” Both her and Jordan’s attitude grated on my nerves. “Small world, isn’t it?”
Damien coughed, trying to hide his chuckle. “Alright now, play nice.”
“I thought the smack talk was supposed to be getting us in the right mood.” Maybe if I didn’t act as nervous, I’d feel more confident. Maybe …
“Awe, that’s cute.” Madison tilted her head and smirked. “See, I don’t have to pregame in order to want to kick your ass.”
“Well, I don’t think you’re cute, so I guess it’s kind of even.” The first thing she was going to do was try to take me off guard.
It was as if she’d heard my thoughts. She rushed me, her figure blurring.
Luckily, my training took over. I lifted my right leg, kicking it straight out in front of me. Madison’s chest ran straight into it, and her right uppercut didn’t reach me. Her body bounced off my foot a little. I pushed off my left leg and spun, kicking her right in the face.
Her head whipped back, and blood poured from her nose. “You bitch!” Her hand reached up and touched her injury. When she pulled it away, sticky blood clung to her fingers. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Remember to keep it clean, ladies,” Damien called from several feet away.
I wasn’t stupid enough to divert my attention from the fight. It was going to be hard enough to keep up with tracking her movements.
Again, she charged me, but I noticed her leg beginning to stretch out into a kick.
Somehow, I squatted just in time to miss her attack and kicked my leg out, making her land hard on her ass.
Her pale green eyes filled with hatred. “You’re going down.” Instead of charging me, she stood and walked over to me. “Now it’s on.”