Show No Fear (Rising Goddess Book 1)

by Tamara White

  I stop abruptly, suddenly wondering why I'm being so open with him. I tend to keep to myself unless I’m hanging out with Charity, but there's just something about his personality that invites me to spill all my deepest, darkest secrets.

  I shake my head to clear it and notice Kaden’s staring at me, his head cocked as if trying to figure out a puzzle, but I'm not a mystery. I’m just a girl who wants to be left alone, finish college and continue with the dream Seth and I had.

  "We're having a party this weekend. You should come," Kaden offers. Looking into his eyes, he appears sincere, but it still makes me laugh. I've heard what happens at those parties. Sex, drugs and more sex. Nothing I'm interested in.

  "Thanks for the offer, but I've heard about the shit that goes down at those parties. I don't fancy having a date rape drug slipped into my drink, thanks," I say sarcastically.

  Kaden looks so shocked by my words that I have to wonder whether there’s any truth to those rumors. He sits stiffly in his chair, his eyes narrowed. "There are no drugs allowed on the premises and if anyone tried to touch you against your will, then I'd take care of them myself."

  I sigh, feeling guilty about what I said. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. For all I know the rumors about what goes on at your frat parties could be complete lies, just like the story that’s going around about what happened between Brady and me. With that in mind, I’ll stop by. But I probably won’t stay very long," I warn him, knowing myself. Even in high school, I hated the loud house parties people went to.

  If I wanted to see a bunch of drunk idiots, I'd just go pick up a movie. I have no desire to witness it in person.

  He smiles at me, almost blinding me with the intensity of it. "Excellent. I look forward to seeing you there." Then he looks down at his watch and mutters a curse. "Sorry, Katie. I've got to go, but promise you'll show up? I'll come to your dorm if you don't,” he warns playfully.

  I look at him in confusion. How did he know my name?

  "You called me Katie," I say suspiciously. "I didn't tell you my name. Or which dorm I'm in..." I trail off, wondering if this was some sort of set up. He knows who I am and where I live. Call me crazy, but that seems like the kind of information he should have mentioned already. And why would he ask me my name if he already knew it?

  My eyes narrow as I ask, "Did you spill your coffee on me on purpose?" I watch as his cheeks flush red with guilt.

  "You did!" I accuse, looking at him like he's a crazy stalker, because right now, I have to wonder if that’s exactly what he is. Why the hell else would he be waiting for me right outside my classroom?

  He holds his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. "No, I didn't do it on purpose, but yes, I was waiting for you. But only because I wanted to invite you to the party. Then when the last person came out and you still hadn’t, I assumed I must have missed you. I went to leave and you came out at the same time I was passing the door. Hence the spilled coffee," he explains, as if that absolves him of all guilt.

  "And why did you want to invite me to this party so badly?" I wonder, feeling like this is some kind of a set up.

  He shrugs his shoulders and refuses to meet my eyes. "You seem like a nice girl and I was maybe going to introduce you to a friend of mine who has a crush on you." He lifts his head, his expression hopeful. I groan, feeling myself give in.

  People say that women are masters of puppy dog eyes, but trust me, men are so much more convincing when they use that look.

  I rub my temples and close my eyes to stave off the headache growing behind my eyes, a sign my heat is getting close. Then I let out a frustrated puff of air. "Okay, I'll come to your party and meet this guy who has a crush on me. But I’ll warn you right now, I'm a very blunt person, and I’m not looking for a long-term commitment. That being said, if I don't end up liking him, I won't pretend otherwise."

  He nods happily. "More than understandable. But if it makes you feel better, you can bring a friend."

  I nod at that. Then Kaden gets to his feet, grabbing his coffee. "Excellent, your name will be on the guest list, along with a plus one. I have a class to get to, but Katie?"

  "Yes?"

  "Thank you. I know it may not mean much to you, but I really appreciate it. Maybe if he meets you, then he'll be able to move on from his crush," he says with a shrug.

  I nod, although I don’t quite believe it. If getting over a crush was as simple as being close to the object of your affection, then there would be hardly any people out there with someone pining over them.

  Kaden waves back at me as he walks away from the table. As I sit there, I have to wonder what the hell I just got myself into?

  I look down at my black jeans and tight lilac tank top, wishing I’d had a chance to do my laundry, but with classes I haven't really had the time.

  The past week hasn't exactly been a picnic. After my little run in with Kaden, word got around that I had been invited to his frat party. Apparently, I was one of only a select few women that had been given a direct invitation. And the moment everyone was aware I was one of those lucky individuals, it was like the whole female population suddenly wanted to be my best friend. It got tiring very fast. Apparently the only way for someone to get into those parties was to get an invite, either directly from a frat member or from someone a member had invited. But that was it. So if I invited Charity as an example, she would be my plus one, but she couldn’t invite anyone herself. It was confusing as hell and more than I wanted to deal with, to be honest. By the end of the day, I’d already had enough and I had to fight all of my instincts not to punch a few overly insistent girls in the face.

  The worst of the bunch was my annoying roommate Frannie. She heard about my invite to the frat party, but was smart enough to bide her time until the last minute. So when Charity backed out, Frannie pleaded with me, asking me to take her along. I relented, because while she and I didn’t really get along, I really didn’t want to go alone.

  Which leads me to now, hating the fact I have a roommate to begin with.

  "Come on, Katie. Let’s go."

  I roll my eyes at my overly boisterous roommate, wishing yet again that I had access to my trust fund so I could get a house on the edge of campus. I’d stay in the house my parents left me, but it’s just too far to travel back and forth every day. But Aunt Dee controls my fund until I turn twenty-one, as stipulated in my parents’ will, and unfortunately for me, Aunt Dee thinks I need to give my roommate a chance and won’t give me the money to move out.

  "Just because she's not what you're used to doesn’t mean she’s not worth making friends with," she had said to me when I called her on my first day here after meeting Frannie.

  So now every day after classes, I have to deal with her annoying voice and what I like to call her resting bitch face. Thank God she isn’t in very many of my classes, so I’m able to get a bit of a reprieve from her gossiping and drama.

  She’s always happy to talk about this girl or that one, telling me how they had slept around. But then she has the gall to pretend like she doesn’t bring a different guy into our dorm room each night and fuck him while I’m still in the room. I guess she might just think I’m a heavy sleeper, but I don’t think anyone could sleep through the sounds of her moans and the incessant squeak of the bed frame.

  Like I get it, women have needs, but jeez, find a guy and stick with him for a week at least. Who knows what she might catch going through guys that quickly?

  On top of that, Frannie has an 'everything revolves around me' attitude, which doesn’t make it any easier to like her. Before the invite, she was finally starting to ignore me and pretend I didn't exist, which was just fine by me. But then she heard about Kaden's invitation, and since then she’s been stuck to me like a fly in honey, begging constantly for me to let her tag along.

  When I first got here, I knew after our first conversation that she was a party girl. I think that's what separated us to begin with. She would try to drag me with her to parties, but that�
��s never been my thing, so I’d either make an excuse not to go or duck out early. The only reason I'm going tonight is to see Kaden, and because I’m curious to know what the big deal with their frat is. Why all the exclusivity?

  Despite me making it abundantly clear to Frannie that I was going for educational purposes only, not to party, she insisted I just didn't know what I was missing and that tonight's party would change my whole world.

  Which is why I’m standing here in front of the mirror, gazing at my reflection. I’m not trying to make too much of an effort, but I don’t want to look like a slob either. Now I’m just wondering if I’ve done enough.

  My black hair, which is as black as night, is pulled into a loose side ponytail, which covers my claiming mark on the side of my neck. My blue eyes sparkle bright, the gold flecks in them more vibrant than normal. I’ve noticed they’ve become brighter since my meeting with Kaden, which just makes me even more convinced that he’s either a wolf or is around one pretty much non-stop.

  The change in color reminds me of what happened to me shortly after I met Drew and Seth. My eyes had grown brighter then too, and my hair became glossier, both of which had come as a complete surprise. After they revealed themselves to me, Drew explained that it was probably a genetic response, that my wolf was trying to push forth. But because I couldn't shift, that energy would likely develop in different ways, especially when I was around others of my own kind.

  I give myself one last glance, adjusting my bra, which now houses my emergency stash of cash. Then I notice the blush staining my cheeks and mentally chide myself for being concerned with what Kaden or his friend might think of me. It shouldn't matter how I look. I'm not looking for an attachment, after all, just a friend. At least that's what I tell myself as I turn and walk out of the room and into the hall where Frannie waits for me.

  We head out of the building and begin making our way across campus. As we walk together side by side, she gushes about the various guys in the frat that she knows or likes. I nod and make sounds of agreement in the appropriate places, all the while trying hard not to think about how badly this night could go.

  I haven't been to an MMA class in weeks and considering that's usually how I burn off my frustration before my heat hits, I'm shit out of luck. I guess I'll just have to do a little dancing tonight and hope that it burns off some of the need and frustration that is bound to build up over the next few days.

  My heat cycle used to last anywhere from two to four days, depending on the cycle. For wolves that can shift, their heat usually lasts for a week or two, but in some cases can go on for up to four weeks. Seth couldn’t figure out why my cycle was never longer than four days, but we just put it down to me being unable to shift.

  But then after our claiming and mating, my cycle became unpredictable, my heats lasting almost a week. Because of that, Seth decided to start training me in MMA to help burn off some of the anger and frustration that came with a heat cycle. It made the cycle more bearable to get through.

  Before arriving on campus, I was still training myself using the moves Seth showed me to better myself, but I still needed someone to spar with in order to improve my skills and get a decent workout.

  "Katherine, we're here," Frannie says excitedly, drawing me from my thoughts. I probably would have continued ignoring her, lost in thought, if not for the fact she called me Katherine. I fucking hate that name. I usually go by Katie or Kat to avoid anyone calling me by my given name, but there are still a few people who can’t seem to help themselves, Frannie being one of them.

  I look up at the huge frat house and have to admit that it’s a pretty impressive building. Dark wood and white trim makes up most of the building, but it has fewer windows then I would have expected. There’s only four on the front of the building, which leads me to wonder if they don't have that many rooms inside? I know it’s supposed to be pretty exclusive, so maybe the rooms are all massive. I guess we’ll just have to find out.

  Frannie and I walk up the path to the house, with her swinging her hips from side to side the whole way as if there are people out on the front lawn for her to impress. But the truth of the matter is it’s pretty sparse. As a matter of fact, there’s nobody outside at all. On top of that, I don’t hear any loud pumping music, which is usually a sign of a party in full swing.

  But there’s nothing. Only silence.

  Frannie rings the doorbell and then adjusts her little denim short shorts and bright pink tube top. I just roll my eyes. She flicks her luscious curls over her shoulder and then looks over at me with annoyed green eyes, as if I'm the weird one. "Don't do anything to embarrass me," she snarls.

  Is she serious right now? She's telling me, the one who extended her an invitation to the party, the girl who would rather stay in the corner hidden from view, not to embarrass her? When she is the one who brings home a random guy every night? I can't believe the gall of her!

  But before either of us has a chance to say anything else, the double doors swing open far enough to reveal Kaden, who’s standing there with a scowl on his face as he looks at Frannie. I'm still behind her, so he hasn't caught sight of me yet.

  "What do you think you're doing here?” he demands in a cruel tone of voice. That voice is so different than what he used with me and I wonder if this is how he treats people who aren't on their list.

  "My friend’s on the list," Frannie stammers, while nervously twirling a finger in her blonde hair. Then she moves aside so Kaden can see me. I smirk up at him and give a small wave.

  A grin appears on his face, making him go from harsh to handsome in a millisecond. He leans against the door jam, running his gaze over me, taking in my appearance with twinkling eyes.

  I cock out my hip, not bespelled by his magnetizing gray eyes like many other girls would be. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Frannie growing angry about his lack of attention and want to laugh. I am by no means interested in finding a guy, so she can have them all for all I care.

  "Well if it isn't the girl who used her body to steal my coffee," Kaden says with a laugh. His gray eyes sparkle with mischief as he glances between Frannie and me.

  I grin in response, unable to stop my amusement. "Uh, if I remember correctly it was you who was trying to use me as a personal sink, not the other way around."

  He chuckles at that and swings the doors open wide. Frannie doesn't even hesitate or wait for a response, instead just pushing past him and striding into the house.

  He watches in disbelief as she makes her way down the open hallway and then through the second set of doors, not bothering to wait for either of us.

  "Wow, she's a real piece of work." He whistles and looks at me, as if daring me to argue.

  "Trust me, that's nothing. But my friend bailed and Frannie heard about me having an invite with a plus one. She wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to let her come. She's one of those girls who are going to beg to come again, just so you know," I say with a shrug, wanting to be completely honest. Frannie is one of those self-entitled girls and now that's she's been here once, I know that she will try to find a way to weasel back in again.

  He groans and rubs a hand down his face. "Ugh, great. Just what I want to hear." He heaves a sigh of annoyance and I fight the urge to laugh at him. Who knew frustrating someone could be so much fun?

  "Come on, coffee thief. Let’s go have some fun.” He smirks and gestures with his head into the house.

  I walk the few steps towards him and then brush by him. As I do, I take a subtle sniff and notice the scent coming off him again. Is he a wolf?

  Then I step into the darkened corridor that leads to the set of doors Frannie disappeared behind. I head in that direction, with him following close behind.

  He closes the double doors behind us and I begin making my way down the hallway, his hand on my lower back as he leads me to the next set of doors. The corridor is so dark, and I'm left to wonder whether these guys believe in windows. And the lights are so high up they have barely
any effect on the dim corridor.

  As we reach the doors at the end of the hall, I find myself wondering if Frannie has found a guy to take back to our room yet. It never seems to take her long to find a new lover, and I’m sure tonight will be no exception, especially if the rumors about this frat are true.

  Kaden opens the heavy wooden door on the right as if it weighs nothing. As soon as it opens, loud music assaults my ears.

  "Welcome to Omega Omikron Lamda Phi," he shouts in my ear over the music.

  I laugh at all the names and know I won't remember them. I can hardly remember the names of other fraternities that are much easier to pronounce.

  I take in a deep breath, letting my senses reach out. I smile when a familiar scent assaults my nose, bringing with it memories of me in the woods with Seth. I lean closer to Kaden, trying as subtly as I can to smell him in order to determine if my instincts are right. Yep, there it is. It’s mostly covered by the scent of his cologne, but I pick up on the faint smell of freshly buttered popcorn clinging to his skin. On top of that, the smell also wafts strongly out from the open doorway.

  What are the chances that I would meet a wolf on campus and that some of his frat brothers are also wolves? Well, they could all be wolves for all I know. The scent is so strong, but all I know for sure is that there’s more than one wolf on the other side of that door.

  Kaden looks over at me as I pull away and a frown forms on his face. "Were you sniffing me?" he asks incredulously.

  I shrug, pretending I did no such thing as I take in the room. The whole dance floor seems to be a living area, except all the chairs and whatnot have been pushed against the walls along the edges of the room. It creates a convenient place to sit while also making a large dance floor in the center, much like a club.

  Off to my left is a small kitchen, packed with scantily clad girls who are swooning over a guy who seems to be tending a makeshift bar. As if he felt my eyes on him, the guy suddenly glances over. When he notices me staring, he winks, which causes a few of the gathered girls to glare at me. So I do the mature thing, lifting my hand to blow him a kiss.