by Jen L. Grey
“You heard the man.” Cole’s face had a huge smile on it, and I swore he would’ve been eating popcorn if there was any around.
“Shut up, Cole.” Both Rage and I yelled at him together.
“What’s going on here?” Ashley placed her hand on the seat I’d just vacated.
“Sorry, we’re all full here.” Cole pointed at the chair Rage had his feet on and the vacant one next to him. “This is Ravey’s seat. You heard the man.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Ashley took a step back, and her mouth dropped open.
This whole situation was strange, and for some damn reason, I wanted to listen to Rage. However, Jess had been sweet to me and seemed like she could be a good friend. “They are. They were saving this seat for you.” I forced a smile at the hussy and turned to walk away. “Come on, let’s go find another table.”
As we made our way to another table, it was obvious how quiet the other three had become. That was until Cole cleared his throat, and ice laced his voice once more. “How does it feel to be given the seat by a newbie?”
I cringed. Cole was blatantly antagonizing her. I didn’t need another enemy so soon.
“Girl, I can’t believe you.” Jess rushed to an open table and set down her food. “You turned down one of them after you got invited to their table.”
“That’s not a big deal.” I was really uncomfortable with the attention and just wanted to eat.
“No one outside their little tribe has ever been invited to their table. Ashley has sat there only a handful of times, but Rage never requested it.” She took a bite of her French toast that was somehow swimming in syrup. “I’ve never seen Rage act that way.”
Ashley leaned in and was talking to Rage, but his face remained emotionless. Eventually, he stood and took a few steps our way.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” Ashley’s face almost matched her hair color perfectly. Somehow it turned even darker as Rage ignored her. She picked up the tray he had left and slammed it on the table. “You’re even leaving your fucking trash.”
He stopped when he reached our table, and his eyes locked on me. He turned his head to address Ashley. “If it bothers you that badly, then you throw it away.” His tone was harsh, and he stood rigid in front of me.
“Oh, here, take mine too.” Cole jumped up from the table and saluted me as he exited the room.
Rage pointed to my food and sighed. “Hurry and eat up. Damien will be pissed if you don’t arrive on time.”
“What?” I had assumed he had been talking to him and Cole. “Me?”
“Yes, he’s the one training you today.” He turned on his heels and walked out the door.
“This year might be fun with you here.” Jess giggled and began stuffing her face with food.
She was thinking about having a good year whereas I wasn’t sure I was going to last through the end of the day. This was Damien’s chance to kick my ass after what I did to him last night.
Chapter Nine
All the food that I’d eaten was sitting hard on my stomach. Had I known I was going to be training with Damien, I wouldn’t have stuffed myself. At least I hadn’t finished that last plate … not completely.
Jess had wanted to go with me outside, but I shooed her on. She didn’t need to be late for her training either.
Damien was waiting at the edge of the clearing. He sat on a stone bench and leaned back with his eyes closed, enjoying the faint breeze that ruffled his short hair. He was hot as hell when he wasn’t being so guarded.
The breeze blew in the opposite direction, causing him to stiffen and glance in my direction. “It’s about time.”
He was full of shit, but I wouldn’t call him on it. In his defense, I did attack him last night, and he hadn’t hurt me. I owed him one.
After a moment, he stood and began walking toward the woods.
If he thought the silent treatment was going to work on me, he had another think coming. I was used to being invisible.
I hurried and followed behind him despite how fast he was going. It was obvious he knew this area. He didn’t slow down, so I had to keep pace. I hated to call up my wolf, but now was a time that I needed her.
She sprang forward just enough without forcing the change. When she realized I wasn’t going to yank her back, she lent me her vision and agility.
The woods smelled of water and flowers. Even though summer was only a few weeks away, the flowers still smelled as if they had just bloomed.
After several minutes, Damien slowed as a clearing appeared ahead. The grass was longer, and dandelions were scattered throughout. I was a little odd because unlike most people, I firmly believed that they were good omens. I’d let that secret slip to Greg once, and he laughed at me. He had told me that was ridiculous and they were just weeds. However, to me, I associated them with freedom. Usually, they only occurred where most people didn’t venture and where I could be myself, unafraid of judgment.
“I was surprised you did that well.” His voice caught me off-guard since it’d been a while since he last spoke to me.
If he was looking for a reaction, I wasn’t going to oblige him. I stood there, waiting for him to go on. Most people liked to talk. They underrated the power of observation and just keeping their damn mouths shut. Obviously, he was wanting me to ask what he meant.
It felt a little like we were having a standoff, but I refused to be the one who cracked first.
“Now, I want you to close your eyes. Tell me what you hear and sense.” He arched an eyebrow, as if he was daring me to argue.
In all transparency, I wanted to, but I wouldn’t back down since that’s what he wanted. So instead, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“What do you smell?” His voice was lower and seemed like a challenge.
“I smell the humidity, the flowers, and your scent … pine and cypress.” I couldn’t believe that I just said that. There was definitely something wrong with my filter.
“Nothing else?” His tone was condescending.
“No, nothing else.” I breathed deeply, hoping to discover something new.
“Push yourself.” His voice seemed to be getting closer, and he chuckled. “I mean, that is … if you can.”
Every time a cocky male acted this way, it made me want to wipe the smug grin off his face. I allowed my wolf to surge forward a little once more. “There is a nest of eggs above me and some squirrels in the tree to my left.”
“What made the difference?”
“My wolf surged forward.” An honest answer, there was no reason to lie.
“See that’s your problem.” Damien huffed. “You think of things as you or your wolf. You should be one being, not two separate entities living in the same body. Go ahead, and open your eyes.”
I had always felt like my relationship with my wolf was strange, but it was unsettling having someone else point it out.
“We’ve got to work on your connection. It shouldn’t be your human side fighting against your wolf.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “So, we’re going to practice merging the two.”
For the next eight hours, he had me smelling and sensing things around me with my wolf at the forefront in my mind.
As I entered my dorm room, I noticed Jess was on the couch. She had supernatural anatomy and basic traits books scattered all around her. She glanced at me and grinned. “How did your day go?”
“I’m exhausted.” I walked over and dropped into one of the chairs beside her. “Apparently, my wolf isn’t fully integrated, so we’re working on that.”
She reached over and shut one of her books. “I didn’t see you at lunch.”
“That’s because I didn’t have one.” I leaned my head back on the seat. “I’m so exhausted.”
“Well, I’m about to head out for dinner. Wanna go?” She stood and stretched out her back.
“No, I’ll have to pass.” I yawned and melted into my chair. “I’m sorry.”
“I re
member my first day.” She smiled at me and opened the door. “I’ll bring you back something to eat.”
“Thanks.” A shower was calling my name.
As the door shut, my phone dinged, alerting me to a text message. I reached down and opened it.
Hey. Call me when u can. I miss you. <3
Great, did I really have it in me to talk to Greg? Either way, I needed to check in with my parents. It had been way too late to call them when it was all said and done last night.
I dialed my parents’ number and waited as the line rang. By the second ring, Mom answered. “Raven, is that you?”
“Yeah, who else were you expecting?” They had caller ID. Mom was losing it.
“Sorry, of course, it’s you.” She let out a sigh and cleared her throat. “We were worried when we didn’t hear from you last night. How is everything going?”
“Come on, Liz,” Dad spoke from the background. “Put the girl on speaker.”
It sounded as if the phone was being shuffled, and then the TV in the background became clearer. “Dad, you there too?”
“Despite your mother’s best efforts, I’m here.” Dad chuckled, and Mom huffed.
I could picture her rolling her eyes and Dad grinning. “Well, I’m glad.”
“Everything okay down there, kiddo?” Dad’s voice got clearer as if he had moved closer to the phone.
“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t call last night, but it was so intense.” I wasn’t about to tell them what happened. “I just got through my first day of training, and I’m wiped.”
“Well, I’m just happy to hear your voice.” Mom sniffled.
“I’m glad to talk to you too.” I hadn’t even realized how bad I needed to talk to them until now.
“Greg stopped by today,” Dad said. “He apologized for his actions and said he felt really bad.”
“He texted me earlier.” The last thing I wanted to do was call him, let alone talk about him. “I wanted to call you two first.”
“That’s my baby girl.” Pride was evident in Mom’s words. “Is everyone being nice down there?”
If she only knew the truth. “My roommate is great. We seemed to have hit it off.”
“That’s great.” I could hear the smile in Dad’s voice. “Is she a shifter?”
“Uh … No, actually she’s a fae.” I didn’t want to give too much information away.
“What?” Mom was shocked. “They intermingle y’all?”
“I don’t know about everyone else, but she and I are.” I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way now. “It’s working so far.”
“That’s good dear,” Dad spoke up.
They were acting weird, but I didn’t really want to analyze it. Even though it was all mind exercises today, I was completely exhausted both mentally and physically. “Guys, I hate to do this, but I’m exhausted.”
“Give us a call in the next couple of days.” Dad paused for a moment, and he whispered something to Mom. “We love you.”
“I love you both too.” I hadn’t ever been away from them like this before, so it was new for all of us.
“Be careful, and call us soon.” Once Mom finished the words, their line went dead.
The last thing I wanted to do was call Greg, but the longer I put it off, the worse it’d be. I pulled his name from my contacts, and my finger hovered over it. All I wanted to do was go change into my pajamas and lay in bed.
Before I did just that, I pushed his name. The line began to ring, and I hoped that he wouldn’t answer. Right on the fourth ring, he picked up. “Hey.”
Dammit. I thought I’d be home free. “Hi.” I didn’t know what to say to him and instantly regretted calling him.
“How are you?” For the first time ever, he sounded awkward and unsure of himself.
“Okay. You?” If he thought I was going to start pouring out my heart or tell him what had been going on here, he was gravely mistaken.
“Not great.” A door shut, and there was a shuffling of the phone on his end. “Look, I’m sorry about yesterday.”
Had it only been a day? It felt like a whole lot longer now that I thought about it. “You thought they were coming for you.”
He chuckled darkly. “I just want you to know that I realized I was acting like an asshole. Maybe I could come down and visit after you get settled. I’d like to see you.”
My gut reaction was to tell him ‘no,’ but he was trying to be sweet. “Maybe, we’ll have to see how it goes.”
“What are you saying?” His tone hardened.
Great, now he was getting pissy. “I’m saying that it’s a lot different down here, and I don’t know when I’ll get settled.” I didn’t fit in was what I wanted to say, but I wouldn’t be admitting that to him, considering how he was acting.
The distance between us felt more like worlds apart instead of just states.
“How is it?” He seemed interested in what I was saying.
“I don’t know how to explain it.” All the people seemed to be assholes to one another, and no one seemed to like me. I wasn’t sure if Cole’s interest was genuine or not. The only one I felt comfortable with was Jess.
“Well, you could try.” The edge to his tone was back.
The door to our dorm room opened, and Jess came swaying in. Both hands held plates that were piled high with steak, potatoes, and a huge piece of blackberry cobbler. My stomach rumbled in anticipation.
“Girl, get off that phone, and come eat with me.” Jess glided into the kitchen and set the plates on the table.
“Who’s that?” Greg’s voice was sullen and made him sound like he was a toddler.
“My roommate, Jess.” I was ready to get off the phone. “She brought dinner to me, so I’ve gotta go.”
“Oh, will you call me tomorrow?”
“Yeah, sure.” I wanted off the phone and now.
“Love you.”
“Bye.” He always proclaimed his love, but his actions didn’t mirror it. I hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen.
“Who was that?” Jess pulled her plate of food in front of her.
I had to hold back a laugh. There was one large difference between her plate and mine. Her steak was cooked while mine was rare. “Sure you don’t want to eat this one?” I pushed my plate toward her.
“Oh, hell no. I prefer my steak not mooing.” She pointed her fork at mine and wrinkled her nose.
“Aw, then it’s no good.” Not able to withstand it any longer, I grabbed my fork and knife before tearing into it. When I placed the steak in my mouth, I seriously considered whether I’d died and gone to heaven.
For a few minutes, we ate in amicable silence. That was until Jess took a drink of her water and cut another piece off her steak. “How was training with Damien?”
“I’m pretty sure it was his normal.” I finished the piece of food in my mouth and swallowed. “He grunted a lot, told me to do better, and even pushed me and my wolf to bond like a shifter should really be.”
“Everyone is talking about how you’re the first to train with Damien and how the elite Cole seems to have taken an interest in you.” She pushed back from the table and grinned. “For once, people wanted to talk to me instead of their usual shunning.”
If this was them taking a shine to someone, I must not have had a clue how they treated others. “Why do they shun you?”
“It’s partly because I’m fae.” She stared at the table and scowled. “Most of my kind stay in our world, but I wanted something different. I felt different than them, those back home.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “And because my parents aren’t as rich as theirs and not very powerful.”
“Why does that have anything to do with it?” Her parents weren’t a reflection of her power.
“Most of the kids here were raised by powerful parents.” She stabbed the blackberry cobbler and took a bite. “Their parents came here too, so they’re kind of born into it.”
“So, we’re the outliers then.” It kind of
made sense that we didn’t fit in; we weren’t one of them.
“Exactly.” She gave a sad smile and stared at the table. “So, it’s kind of nice having you here. Maybe I finally have an ally.”
I didn’t like trusting people because I was trying to keep my wolf secrets. I did always feel like my relationship with my animal was different than others. It always felt like she was trying to overtake me while others just seemed to blend. It was odd always feeling like an outlier. That somehow you were so different that you didn’t belong in any section of the bell-shaped curve. However, here, they already knew my secret, and it was a little unnerving. “You know, that sounds nice.”
She glanced up and met my eyes. “Really?”
“Girl, if I was trying to keep my distance from you … I’ve been doing a shit job, right?” If I was being truthful with myself, I’d already known that she and I were destined to be friends. I reached across the table with my right hand. “Friends?”
Her eyes sparked, and she grabbed my hand. “Friends.”
“Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I’m going to finish up here and go to bed.” My arms were getting heavy, and I swore my legs felt like they weighed a ton.
“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” She stood and stretched her back. “I’m going to go take a hot shower.”
That did sound amazing. “Go on, I’m almost done here anyway.”
She grabbed her dish and cup, placing them in the sink before heading to her room.
The blackberry cobbler was to die for. I wasn’t sure if the steak or cobbler was the best. I finished shoveling my food into my mouth and stood. It seemed that the food gave me a little more energy, and the full moon tugged on me.
I thought maybe a walk by myself would calm me so I could sleep better afterward. I grabbed my keys and locked the door behind me. Within minutes, I was outside underneath the full moon. My wolf whimpered inside of me. She wanted to run. Although, I honestly didn’t think I had the strength to change.
I headed in the direction that Damien and I had trained earlier. I bet that would be a good relaxing place to stare at the moon. I took my time strolling through the woods, unlike earlier. Lightning bugs were out and flying around everywhere, their flashes lighting up the woods all around them.