by D. R. Perry
“Yeah.” I shrugged with one shoulder. “We told Jeannie we’d go back to our hosts.”
The elevator dinged, then opened on an empty hall. I didn’t know which room the girls lived in, but I could track humans with no problem. Since Lynn was the only one of those in the dorms, picking up her scent was easy. Almost all the way down the rows of doors, we stopped in front of 566. A gloomy-sounding voice crooned over some intense drum and bass beats, which was definitely Maddie music. Nox knocked.
Lynn Frampton opened the door, her fingertips smeared with about seven different colors of highlighter. Her grin turned into a smile, and her raised eyebrow reminded me of Dr. McCoy from Star Trek. She gave Nox a once-over, then ushered her into the room. I stuck my foot in the door before she could close it on me.
“What gives, Frampton?” I put one hand on the door frame. “Let me in.”
“Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin.” Lynn threw back her head and guffawed. Nox’s throaty laugh and Maddie’s barely there titter mingled with it. “This clubhouse is girls only right now, big bad wolf. Go find Bobby. He should be down in his room, editing a Shifter Regulations paper.”
“Should have known Darth Lynn would tell me to get lost.” I pulled my foot back across the threshold. “Later, ladies.”
I headed back down the hall, opting for the stairs this time. Lynn might be a regular human, but she had nearly uncanny instincts when it came to gaging shifter behavior. I needed to blow off some steam, or someone might get hurt. I took the first two flights like a normal person, but the third two steps at a time. On the last, I lifted my feet and slid on my hands down the railings. It took nearly all my willpower to keep my wolf from just turning around, breaking into Lynn’s room, and kicking her and Maddie out of there to be alone with Nox.
This time, I tracked a dragon. I stopped by the lounge and peeked in. Blaine was in there without Bobby. He had what looked like an overhead projector with sheets of some kind of parchment scattered all around it. I headed down the hall, checking names on tiny stickers next to the doors instead of using my nose. Too many bears on the first floor. I knocked, and when Bobby answered, he pulled the door all the way open. He waved vaguely at the chair in front of his desk, then picked up his phone to let his thumbs do the texting shuffle.
I turned the chair around and sat in it, pushing the door shut with my toe. I didn’t want Blaine walking in on this conversation, especially since I suspected my wolf’s ferocity might have something to do with potential competition from a dragon shifter for my mate. Bobby put down the phone and looked up at me.
“Henry’s on his way over here. I can already tell your wolf’s up. I’ve never seen your eyes go this gold before. Lynn just pinged to tell me you showed up with Nox wearing a blanket. What’s going on?”
“She thinks she’s my mate.” I leaned my arms on the back of the chair. “My wolf is in extreme agreement with that idea.”
“That’s awesome!” Bobby’s eyes lit up the way they always did when something reminded him of Lynn.
“Nope.” I watched him blink and shake his head. Then, I explained about how wolf shifters have to stay neutral when it came to the Faerie Courts. Someone knocked politely on the door.
“Wow.” Bobby got up, opening the door. Henry just stood there grinning with his hands in his pockets.
“Dude, you have to invite him in.” I rolled my eyes.
“Oh. Sorry, Henry. Come on in.” Bobby blushed a little, the boy scout. Half the time, he reminded me of Steve Rodgers in the Captain America comics.
“Thanks.” My Beta, the vampire, closed the door most of the way, walked in, and sat on the edge of Blaine’s bed.
“Sitting in a dragon’s nest.” I shook my head. “Aren’t you a little flammable for that?”
“We have an understanding.” Henry smirked. “I’m too useful for him to fry me. Memory Psychics generally are to history buffs. So Bobby says you’re having wolf problems?”
“Yeah, well.” I shrugged. My shoulders were getting a workout lately in that regard. “It’s Nox.”
“You know, I kind of figured.” Henry grinned with his lips closed. He still worried about freaking us out with his fangs. “What is she, your mate or something?”
“Were you listening in?” My eyes felt like pinballs, the way they kept rolling.
“No way. You have any idea how annoying amping up my hearing is in a dorm? All the stereos and televisions.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’d be like trying to hear a needle in a haystack. Look, it was just kind of obvious over intersession. Anyway, is she or not?”
“Still not sure. My wolf thinks so. But it’s a problem.” I repeated all the stuff I’d told Bobby and then added in what had happened over at the Megalith in Swan Point. “Once she said that it was like my wolf practically took over.”
“Woah.” Bobby blinked. “Well, that’s what happened to my bear with Lynn. Except sleepier. Because of all the snow and that pesky hibernation stuff.”
“Looks like Josh has more standing between him and Nox than you guys had, though.” Henry rubbed his chin.
“What do you mean?” Bobby leaned forward, glancing from me to Henry. “You guys know the Extramagus was trying to kill Lynn, right?”
“No. I did not know that.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Is that why you and Blaine were on about that theory even before the Summoner problem?”
“Yeah.” Bobby’s eyebrows crinkled. “Hey, do you think the Extramagus might have something to do with this whole thing too?”
“No idea.” I tapped my chin with one finger. “The thing is, pack issues happen all the time. And what Nox did, well the Queen’s reaction isn’t out of the ordinary according to her or Fred.” I looked at Henry, who seemed lost in thought. “What do you think, Henry?”
“I was at the bank this morning, you know.” He blinked, then looked from Bobby to me. “Found an amulet with a memory about a Selkie pelt gone missing a few years back, right after PPC changed its admissions policy. The Queen accused a Troll family of stealing it, but nothing came from that. We should look that case up. It might just be a legal precedent, but it could have coincidental implications.”
“Wait, a Troll family? I remember reading something about that case for Advanced Ecology.” Bobby pulled open his laptop. I saw him navigate to the PLEXIS Nexus. “This is probably something we want Olivia to look at sometime. She’s the Extrahuman Law major.”
“Well, what’ve you got for now?” I tried to look at his laptop, but couldn’t without getting up. I stayed put.
“Looks like these Trolls protect the Mount Hope Bridge, between Portsmouth and Warren. The Tollands, all Unseelie, it looks like. A thorough search of all their assets didn’t turn up the pelt.” Bobby scrolled down, skimming the text on the screen. Lynn’s study habits must have rubbed off on him. “A Selkie died in an accident there, and his pelt went missing.”
“Wait, a minute. What was the date of that accident?” I felt like the pit of my stomach had turned to ice.
“March 15, four years ago.” Bobby glanced up, then leaned back when he looked at my face.
“My sister Beth lost her leg on that bridge the same night.” I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat. “Her fiancé died, too. Ren Ichiro.”
“Huh. Ichiro’s the name of the attorney on this report. Yoshi Ichiro.”
“That’s Ren’s dad.” I shook my head. “Beth is staying with him.”
“Sounds more and more like we should consider this coincidence.” Bobby looked up, his eyes wide and his nostrils flared. “The Extramagus tried to use an old accident to attack Lynn and old hate crimes to hurt Henry. We’d better run this by Blaine.”
“Nothing doing.” I shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest. “It’s none of his business.”
“Josh. You’ve got to get over this whole rivalry with the dragon thing.” Henry sighed. “He just flirts with everyone. I mean, you should have seen what happened every time he remembered Maddie for
a while.”
“I want to let it go, man. But my wolf can’t get over it unless the mate thing’s resolved.” I shook my head. “And that’s just not a good idea.”
“But you also can’t just avoid Nox and Blaine.” Henry leaned forward, staring me down. The alliance medallion under my shirt grew cold against my skin. “They’re part of your pack, remember? Plus Blaine’s the one with all the Extramagus information, and we need to know whether his hand is in this.”
“The fact he’s my pack-mate makes it worse. I can’t be around him right now without a conflict we can’t afford.” I clenched my fists on the sides of the chair back. “This Extramagus is a major douche. Almost as bad as Blaine himself.”
Bobby’s mouth dropped open at the same time Henry’s did. Their expressions would have been mirror images if Henry hadn’t had fangs. The vampire’s hand moved slowly up to hide them from view. Hurried heavy footsteps headed away from the door down the hall. I leaped up, pushing through and leaning out to see Blaine turn the corner into the lounge, his head and shoulders down. When I turned to step back into the room, I almost bumped into Jeannie.
“Wow, Josh.” The blonde bear shifter shook her head, reminding me of Beth’s big sister act from before the accident. “You should go apologize.”
“Maybe he should apologize for listening in.” I put my hands on my hips like I would have if I’d been talking to Beth. “Smart guy like him should know better.”
“This is his room you’re talking about him in, you know.” Jeannie tried to look down her nose at me, impossible since she was more than a head shorter. Her disdain shouldn’t have shaken me, but it did.
“And I’m his Alpha,” I growled.
“So act like it.” She tilted her chin up, snarling. Was this really the same girl Lynn said reminded her of a Barbie doll? “You lay things on the line with him. It’s one thing people say they admire about your mom, Dennison. Fill her shoes.”
“Who do you think you are, telling me how to head my own pack?” I loomed over her.
“I’m the Resident Assistant tasked with keeping these kinds of problems from trashing the campus. Now get down to that lounge and have it out. Take it outside to the park if you’ve got to get physical. And you’re welcome.” Jeannie spun on her heel and stalked down the hall, reminding me for all the world of Fleur Delacour telling Mrs. Weasley off in the Harry Potter books.
“Well, that settles it, then.” Henry brushed past me into the hall. “You want me to tell Blaine to meet you down at India Point?”
“No.” I took a deep breath, leashing my wolf with the cold feeling that still hadn’t left the pit of my stomach. “But you guys should come with me, anyway.”
“Sure thing.” Bobby shut his laptop and set it down on the desk.
We headed down the hall, me in front with Henry and Bobby flanking me on the right and left. The whole walk could have been filmed in slow-mo and put into a movie montage. I focused on what I’d have to say, the questions I’d need to answer to bury the mate competition hatchet with Blaine so we could move past the bullshit. Henry had been right. It was the reason I’d made him my Beta. I couldn’t sideline Blaine for this. Even if the pack problems had nothing to do with that Extramagus, I’d still need them all by my side when we went to get my folks back. The way that letter was addressed meant I had to do things officially, and that meant bringing everyone in my pack, including the dragon shifter, as infuriatingly arrogant as he was most of the time.
“Blaine. We’re talking now.” I strode across the room, leaning on the patch of wall between two windows. “Shut the door, Henry.” My Beta followed the order. Bobby sat on the arm of the sofa Blaine had sprawled out on.
“Oh, okay. Because what I really need on top of all my own stress is an interview with the Alphahole.” Blaine’s eyes narrowed, a red spark rising in them. They were also slightly bloodshot and shiny at the corners. I flared my nostrils, scenting a hint of salt and brimstone as he puffed out a smoke ring. Hadn’t Lynn mentioned something about Blaine being as lonely as she felt sometimes?
“Yeah, I’ve been a douchecanoe.” I held my hands out, palms up. “But it's temporary. Part of the reason I’m here is to offer you an apology. But before you go thanking me and accepting it, we have to talk about my mate.”
“What to the who now?” Blaine sat up, tapping his ear. “I thought I heard you say the word mate, but you don’t have one of those.”
“It’s a recent development and nothing’s final yet.” I took a deep breath, summoning all my calm and applying it to keeping my wolf down. “But you’d better leave Nox Phillips alone if you want to keep things copacetic.”
“Wait,” Blaine smirked. Then he snorted. He put one hand over his mouth, snickering behind it. Bobby tilted his head, glaring at his roommate as though a bear stare could get a dragon to shut up.
My wolf practically caught fire, leaping up within me, daring me to shift and go for Blaine’s throat. I clenched my jaw and fists, fighting to keep control. Even with all that effort, I could feel my eyes going gold, the hair on my arms and the back of my neck raising as a low growl clawed its way out of my throat.
“I think you need to explain things better than that, Blaine.” Henry’s words, delivered in a cool deadpan, helped me focus.
“No, I mean seriously.” Blaine took a deep breath and let it out with a little trickle of smoke. “Hold on a minute. Nox? Do you have any idea why I even flirted with her in the first place?”
I shook my head, knowing that if I tried to speak my wolf might just bust out and attack.
“I was trying to get Maddie and Henry together.” Blaine shook his head. “I mean, she’s smoking hot in the looks department, but way too intense. Not my type at all. If she’s your mate, go for it. You guys’d be awesome together.”
Bobby punched Blaine in the shoulder. That one brotherly gesture instantly settled my wolf, reminding me of Derek’s face as he went with the Shifter Registry Feds, leaving me hidden in the brush next to the rain shelter on the Blackstone Boulevard bike path. I never told Beth or my parents that his disappearance had been my fault. He’d taken the rap for me during my first change, which happened in public before it was legal. Somehow, the FBE had known exactly where to look for us. I hadn’t thought about how weird that was since the night it happened.
“Where did you go, Beowulf?” At first, I didn’t realize it was Blaine who’d spoken. I’d never heard him talk without a zing of sarcasm or the disdained Long Island lockjaw.
“Just thinking about how far back all this mess might go. I’m going to need your help.” I dropped my hands to my sides, finally able to relax my shoulders. “So. I’m sorry for acting like an Alphahole when I should just be an Alpha.”
“Apology accepted.” Blaine smiled, like an actual smile instead of a jerk-smirk. Then, the Long Island lockjaw returned like Aragorn to Gondor. “Now what’s all this about needing my help?”
Chapter Ten
Nox
Lynn’s joke about the big bad wolf hadn’t been that funny, but her laughter was downright infectious. Even Maddie came down with a bad case of the giggles. I wasn’t left as breathless by laughter as I’d been by Josh’s affections earlier, but it was a near thing. The tears at the corners of my eyes couldn’t decide whether they were stress relief or anguish or the awkwardness of my mating predicament.
“Okey-doke.” Lynn sat at her desk then ran one hand through her hair, pulling it back over her shoulder like a curtain. “Now that the fun’s over, I have to ask you a personal question, Nox. Why were you out in the middle of the night with Josh Dennison in nothing but your undies and a military surplus blanket?”
“Well, I could tell you a long story or a short one.” I took a deep breath, trying a relaxation technique to keep from blushing. “Which version do you want?”
“Oooh, both!” Maddie clapped her hands together. “Give us the short one first, though.”
“Don’t you have any respect for spoilers,
sweetie?” Lynn rolled her eyes.
“Nope. Can’t stand the suspense.” Maddie tossed her head, curls cascading over the right side of her face. “Sit down and dish.”
“Okay.” I sat gingerly on the edge of Maddie’s bed next to where she’d patted it, then crossed my ankles. “Well, I met Josh out at Swan Point. Told him I think he’s my mate.”
“Oh. My. God!” Lynn sprung up from her seat. “No way! So you are? I mean, he is? I mean. I can’t even believe this right now; this is so crazy!”
“Um.” I blinked, completely puzzled by Lynn’s weird behavior. She never got like this over anything but an A+ grade. “Well, we’re still not sure.”
“Oh, boy. Well, I’ve been there. I can’t believe it. So, Swan Point. Isn’t it a bit, um, cold out there for, um—”
“Lynn, chill on all the gritty detail questions.” I’d almost forgotten Maddie was there until she spoke up and put her hand on my arm. “She’s not wearing her pelt. What went wrong, Nox?”
“Besides the fact that any relationship between Josh and me is kind of forbidden because wolf shifters keep it neutral with the Faerie Courts?” I sighed and blinked. Had I been this close to tears all the way over here?
“Oh, no. I forgot.” Lynn put her head in her hands. “Me and my big mouth. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I lied. Lynn meant well; her wit just worked faster than her heart sometimes. It wasn’t her, but the situation that had me down.
“No, it’s absolutely not okay.” Lynn shook her head. “Hey, you don’t have a bag or anything.” She got up, making a beeline for her dresser. “You can’t go home in a blanket on a night like this.” Lynn rummaged around until she found a PPC sweatshirt. “This is too long on me, so it’ll probably work for you.”
Lynn was shorter than me and curvy. I took the shirt and held it against my chest. It’d fit me across the shoulders just fine. She kept looking through the drawers, but all her pants would have had trouble staying up on my lack of hips.