Show No Fear (Rising Goddess Book 1)

by Tamara White

  After a few minutes of walking in silence, we make it back to the frat house. Even though my brain is asking me what the hell I'm doing by following them back here, my body is just begging for sleep. If Kaden hadn't come along when he did, I would have most likely ended up sleeping on the park bench, so this seems like a much better alternative.

  Colby and Kaden move ahead of me, striding up the path and inside the house without so much as a backward glance. I’m sure they assume I'll just follow, which I guess is true because I have nowhere else to sleep. Damn Frannie and her inability to keep her legs closed.

  I hurry after the guys, stepping into the house and closing the front door behind me. I don’t immediately see them, so I decide to return to where the party was held earlier, hoping I’ll find them there. But when I walk through the second set of doors, I freeze. What the hell?

  I look around the living room in surprise, all traces of the party completely gone. Couches that were pushed up against the walls earlier are all now nicely arranged in a u-shape, with the center couch aimed directly at the tv and fireplace underneath it.

  The place is pristine and I can't help but wonder if they have a maid, or maybe an after party cleaner? Someone who comes in to make it spic and span before they even go to bed.

  Colby and Kaden are watching me with a small smile, taking joy in my stunned silence.

  "Wow, you guys clean fast," I remark as I look around in search of even a small sign of the party, but find nothing. It’s actually a bit unsettling to think that guys can clean this well. Most men I've met are pretty much slobs, so the odds of the frat members all being clean freaks is pretty small.

  Women, however seem to have an OCD about how things are done. Well, at least I do. But even if all the guys were all clean freaks, to have tidied up this fast is still pretty astonishing.

  Colby grins at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yeah, we didn’t do any of this, the housekeepers did."

  Ah, so I was right.

  "Thank you again for tonight, Katie,” Colby says. “I know Kaden told you that you didn't have to help me and I appreciate that you are sticking by your word regardless." With that, he gives me a quick platonic kiss on the cheek, then moves off to the right side of the room. He presses a panel in the wall and I watch in amazement as it swings open like a door. Cool, they have secret passages. I guess that probably comes in handy when they don’t want anyone to get to their rooms during a party.

  Giving me a final wave, Colby disappears behind the panel and closes it behind him.

  I turn back and see Kaden grinning at my confusion.

  "Seriously? You have hidden doorways? What the hell could you possibly need those for?"

  He moves to the opposite wall, where he reveals another hidden door to me as he explains, "We have hidden doors like this because not all humans are accepting of our kind, as you’re probably well aware. Our rooms are on the other end of those passages, as is a more suitable kitchen, one that is actually able to cater to our needs.” He winks and gestures over at the pathetically small kitchen Alex was playing bartender in earlier. I can see how a kitchen that size would be a little inconvenient to a pack of wolves.

  “No one is allowed to know of these doorways unless they themselves are a wolf or mated to one. It’s easier to keep our secret that way."

  I nod slowly, understanding their need for secrecy. Thinking back to earlier, I realize I must have been right about all of the frat members being wolves. Although, knowing the way this building was designed with hidden passages and the fact that it's been here for a very long time, leads me to believe that wolves have been attending this fraternity for quite some time. How the hell they've managed it for all this time, though, is beyond me. Surely someone would have figured out their secret at one point or another.

  But before I can begin asking Kaden the many questions that have crossed my mind, Alex struts out of the open panelling.

  His gaze lands on me and he looks momentarily surprised before his expression morphs to a wide smile. "Ah, Katie. Fancy seeing you back here. You want another piece of Kaden? If so, I can gather the boys. They'd love to see another round of him getting his ass kicked by a girl," he teases. His eyes twinkle with mischief as Kaden's expression turns sour.

  "She didn't kick my ass. I was just... taking it easy on her," he claims, refusing to meet my eyes.

  I put my hands on my hips and watch him with narrowed eyes. "Really? Because I'm happy to go for round two if you want another shot?"

  He glares at me for a long moment, before crossing his arms in defeat. "Fine. You kicked my ass. Happy?"

  I grin at him, the smile so wide you can see my teeth. "Extremely. Now where am I staying?"

  "You're staying?" Alex asks, a wicked grin on his face as he glances between Kaden and me.

  I roll my eyes, laughing lightly. "Yes, I'm staying, but get your mind out of the gutter. I'm only sleeping over because my roommate brought yet another guy back to my room and I need a few good hours of sleep so I don’t murder someone."

  Alex raises his hands in surrender, chuckling as he backs up a few steps. "Okay then. Please don’t let me keep you from getting a good night’s sleep. I'll see you in the morning.” He winks and makes his way to leave, walking over to the same hidden door Colby disappeared through.

  Kaden walks through the open doorway that Alex entered from, holding it wide for me to step inside. I smile, amused by the cloak and dagger feel of it all. The space on the other side of the door is a small hall, lined with cement walls. It feels chillier on this side of the doorway and I would have assumed we were in a basement if it weren’t for the bright light fixtures that illuminate the hall.

  We follow the passage until we reach an entryway leading to a massive kitchen with an adjoining dining area. There’s a sturdy wooden table spanning the length of the room. It looks big enough to fit at least twelve people comfortably. The chairs are set just far enough apart so that if all the seats were filled, none of the wolves would grow territorial over their food.

  The kitchen has black cupboards and black granite countertops with white fixtures and backsplash. It’s very monochromatic, but it works.

  "There's food in the fridge if you're hungry. Feel free to help yourself,” Kaden says, gesturing to the appliance in question

  "Thanks.” I follow after him as he continues through the kitchen, making his way to the opposite side and out another doorway. Here, the hall continues until we reach a large winding staircase.

  Kaden leads us up the stairs and to the second floor. Then we walk down a smaller hallway, past three closed doors. Kaden stops at the fourth and final door on the floor, opening it slowly.

  He waves me forward and I step inside, jumping when the door slam shuts behind us.

  I whip around with wide eyes, feeling like a caged animal. "Um, what are you doing? I thought you knew this was a friendly favor, not a friends with benefits situation," I say, looking at him warily.

  He just chuckles before ripping off his shirt and moving over to a bed on the right side of the room. The whole time, my gaze follows him, not wanting to take my eyes off him in case he does something stupid. That’s when I notice the second bed in the room.

  Kaden sits down on the end of the bed. He watches me carefully as I move over to the other bed in the room, and throw my bag on it.

  "As much as I would love to explore a friends with benefits situation, I know better than to proposition you on day one, especially given your situation. Give it a week, maybe a month, then we’ll talk, but until then, you're perfectly safe from my advances.” He grins cockily.

  I shrug, a small smile pulling at my lips. "Fair enough, but I should warn you, I’m not interested. I loved my mate with everything I had and I would die before I tarnished his memory."

  He cocks his head, seeming intrigued by my words, and asks, "Why would you being with me tarnish his memory? If anything, I would think you were honoring your lost mate by living your life to the f
ullest, not just going through each day like an emotionless robot."

  I rear back, his words making me feel as if I've just been slapped.

  Kaden's eyes widen at my reaction and he hangs his head in shame. "Shit." He lifts his gaze to meet mine, then gets up from his spot and begins walking towards me. He moves slowly, so as not to frighten me. "I didn't mean for that to come out as harsh as it sounded, Katie. I just meant that if it were me who was leaving behind a mate, then I would want to know that she would be loved and cherished in my absence. I wouldn’t want her to isolate herself from the world because she didn't want to hurt me. Because the truth of the matter is, even if you don't want to admit it, you hide yourself from everyone."

  I open my mouth to object, but he doesn’t give me the chance. "No, you can't deny it. You have one friend here, just one. And Charity is one of those in the moment kind of friends. You only ever seem to talk or interact with her when you really need to."

  He stops a few feet from me and I narrow my eyes angrily, putting my hands on my hips as I stare him down. "And how would you know that? You make it sound like you've been watching me..."

  He shrugs, seeming unfazed by my observation. "I have. Not because I'm being weird or anything, but because you fascinated me when I first saw you. You had this red coat on and were walking across the quad, carrying a woven bag that looked very much like a basket. I just stopped and watched you. You looked so much like Little Red Riding Hood in that moment that I wanted to come over and make up some cheesy line about Red Riding Hood and the big, bad wolf, only you were gone before I could even get up the courage.”

  Kaden sighs, before taking those few final steps towards me. He raises his hand and moves to cup my cheek, but I quickly take a step back.

  With a small frown, he drops his hand and backs away, moving over to a door beside his bed. He places his hand on the handle, before turning back to me. "I know you're raw. I know you think being closed off is going to make everything easier. But, Katie? When the day comes that all of your pain comes bubbling up, I'll be here to comfort you. I won't judge you; I will just stay by your side until you are ready to acknowledge the truth that’s in front of you."

  He opens the door, and I get a quick peek at a bathroom before he steps inside. The door closes softly behind him with a click.

  I take a seat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Kaden to come back out so I can clean up before going to sleep, all the while thinking over his words. What truth was he referring to? And how the hell did I not know he had been watching me? Surely I would have sensed someone stalking me? But then again, wolves are sneaky assholes, so maybe not.

  I think what I'm most upset about, though, is that he's right. I came here because I knew Seth would have been disappointed in me if I spent the rest of my life moping instead of doing something with it. So I buried my pain, pulled on my big girl panties and started looking at colleges. I wanted to go somewhere far enough away from Aunt Dee, but also far from the college Seth and I had originally planned to attend together.

  As for Charity, he was right about her too. I call her my friend, but I’ve never really opened up to her. I haven’t even told her about Seth. She really tried to get to know me better for the first week I was here, inviting me to coffee and to go out on the weekend, but whenever she asked anything remotely personal, I would clam up.

  Now we still hang out, getting lunch or coffee together, and I’ll even go with her to the bar on the weekends sometimes. But she never asks me anything remotely personal anymore, and I never offer up anything either. We mainly just talk about our classes or what plans we have for the weekends.

  After a couple of minutes, Kaden comes out of the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. He climbs into bed, without saying a word to me.

  I sigh as I begin to dig through my bag, cursing myself when I realize I didn’t bring a toothbrush. Well, looks like I'm going to have to smear some toothpaste on my finger tonight. It’s not a perfect solution, but I hate going to bed without brushing my teeth, so it’s better than nothing.

  I quickly make my way into the bathroom, then strip down to my tank and boyshorts, figuring they cover everything important. And if anyone really objects, I can always put on more clothes. Besides I’ll probably be changed before anyone notices my state of undress anyway.

  I go through my usual routine, brushing my teeth, then brushing out my hair and tying it into a braid. I splash a little water on my face and take a deep breath, thinking over Kaden’s words. I can’t deny I feel a connection with him and Alex, hell even Colby, but what kind of connection it is, that I’m still not sure of.

  Once I leave the bathroom, I stare at the massive bed before me, then over at the one that Kaden has thrown himself on top of. He's already fast asleep and I sigh, knowing I won't be able to sleep just yet. Not after everything he said. I need something to help me relax first.

  I decide to go back downstairs to the kitchen and warm up some milk. Seth used to heat some up whenever I had trouble sleeping and it worked amazingly well.

  Quietly, I make my way out to the hall, then down the stairs. After going back down the other hall, I step into the kitchen.

  The first thing I notice is the smell of burned meat, which makes me cringe. I see Alex staring down at the kitchen sink in horror. He’s turned the water on to douse the flames of his now charcoaled steak.

  I lean against the doorjamb, deeply amused to see a wolf burn his dinner. Seth used to impress upon me how important it was that a wolf could cook, because without that skill, they would be more likely to starve.

  Honestly, how hard is it to cook a steak, especially as someone who eats meat eighty percent of the time? I mean, he’s had to have had plenty of practice by now.

  Alex still hasn't noticed my presence, too busy mourning the loss of his food.

  "Need some help?" I ask, laughing when he jumps at the sound. He spins around faster than the eye can see, but relaxes at the sight of me. Then he looks back at the pan with a frown, looking beyond distraught by the way his food turned out.

  "I'm so hungry," he whines, looking back at me pitifully. "Please, can you make me something to eat? I suck in the kitchen," he explains.

  I look pointedly at the black steak in the sink and raise my eyebrows. “You don’t say?” Then I decide to take pity on him, stepping into the kitchen with a grin on my face.

  "Of course, I’ll make you another. Do you happen to have another piece of steak tucked away in the fridge?" I start opening cupboards until I find what I'm looking for. Bending down, I pull out a pan for the steak, as well as a pot for my milk.

  Items in hand, I turn around to face him, waiting for an answer. I can't exactly make a steak appear from thin air. Though that would be one hell of a party trick, especially in a house full of wolves.

  "Yeah there's a few in the fridge," he says, nodding in the direction of the appliance.

  After setting the pot and pan down, I move to the fridge. Sure enough, when I open the door, I see a pile of individually wrapped steaks and chuckle at the sight. Anyone would think they are afraid the stores are going to run out by the amount stacked on each shelf.

  I pull out one of the steaks, followed by the carton of milk in the fridge door. I set them both down on the kitchen counter while I get organized.

  I turn the stove on high and grab a small bottle of oil, which rests beside the stove top, and pour a little into the pan. Alex remains quiet, watching me while I work. I hum to myself and place the steak in the pan, enjoying the sizzle that tells me the pan is hot enough to sear the meat.

  While I'm waiting for the steak to cook on that side, I move over and grab the milk carton, pouring just enough into the pot to give me a decent amount to drink.

  After a minute, Alex begins to busy himself with cleaning the pan he used for his burned steak. Meanwhile, I watch his new steak, waiting for the right moment to flip it. Out of the blue, he asks me, "So why aren't you sleeping right now?"

  I free
ze at the question. Focusing on flipping his steak, I take a moment to sort through my thoughts. Eventually I decide just to tell him the truth. "Kaden said some things that got me a little worked up. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, so I came down here to make some warm milk, hoping that would help."

  I watch my milk closely, turning it off after it starts to bubble a little. Then I move to the cupboard and pull out a mug, which I pour the milk into.

  With that done, I go back to the pan, turning off the burner and plating Alex’s steak. I set it aside and cover it with a tea towel to rest, despite the look of hunger on his face.

  "What did Kaden say?" he asks as he drags his attention from the plate back to me.

  I sigh heavily, then begin to relay everything that Kaden said to me, from the weird way he mentioned having been watching me, to the way he said that Seth would have wanted for me to move on.

  By the time I finish recounting the conversation, the steak has rested long enough. I slide the plate over to Alex, watching as he pulls off the tea towel in confusion.

  I start to drink my milk as Alex stares at the plate housing his steak. "Why did you cover it with a towel?"

  "I did it to rest the meat. If you don't, then the meat can become tough and inedible."

  I dig around in drawer for cutlery. It feels weird that I just seem to know where everything is, but I decide to blame it on my enhanced senses rather than think too much on it.

  I hand Alex a steak knife and fork before sitting down beside him. I sip at my milk, watching as he starts to tear into his steak ravenously like an animal. I roll my eyes at the display. Guess the knife and fork were a waste then.

  Once he's finished with his steak, he leans back with a satisfied grin. "Thanks, Katie. That was amazing.”

  I hide my smile behind my mug, and continue sipping my milk. But then his next question almost makes me to choke. "What do you know about mates?"

  I cough, trying to clear my airway. When I’ve finally composed myself enough to speak, I look over at him. "Well, I know there are two different types of mates. There's the mate you fall in love with, and then there’s your true mate. The mate you fall in love with is the one you choose yourself, but you have to work twice as hard to make that connection work. Your true mate, on the other hand, is destined for you. The other half of your soul. But sometimes fate can make a mistake and give you a true mate that is just a complete ass.”