by Jen L. Grey
It didn’t take long to find the path to the clearing, but I hadn’t been prepared to not be alone. There, in the middle of the field, sat someone. An earthy scent filled my nose. My stomach dropped when I realized who it was.
Before Rage could sense me, I turned to make my way back toward the dorms. Still, as soon as I took my first step in retreat, his dark, raspy voice called out. “What are you doing here?”
Shit. He had to be talking to me because there wasn’t another person around. I tried to be sneaky and take another step away from him. Instead, he turned around with his eyes locking on me.
Okay, so retreat wasn’t an option. Butterflies seemed to take flight in my belly, and my heart rate kicked up. We’d never been alone together before and now we were both out in the woods. I just hoped something bad wasn’t going to happen.
Chapter Ten
If I hadn’t thought he was gorgeous before, there would be no way I could deny it now. In the moonlight, his chocolate eyes appeared to become black, and he wore a thin t-shirt that somehow defined his muscles even more than before. At the bottom of his sleeve, the edge of a tattoo peeked out.
I wanted to go over there and lift his sleeve higher so I could see the entire pattern. Honestly, pressing my body against him didn’t sound so bad either.
“Are you just going to stare at me, or do you plan on answering any time soon?” He scanned his eyes up and down my body.
Damn, I was in over my head. I’d never been this attracted to someone back home. Greg was cute, but no Rage. “I didn’t expect anyone to be here.”
“Damien brought you here to train earlier.” I wasn’t sure whether that was a question or statement from him.
“Yes, he did.” I had no clue what to say to this guy. He had someone he … No, I refused to let my mind go there. Just the thought made me want to heave.
“Your scent is fucking everywhere.” His voice sounded almost pained. “Why aren’t you at the dorm or out running?”
“I needed to get away and didn’t trust myself to shift.” The words were out before I could take them back. Honesty probably wasn’t the best policy when it came to him.
He huffed and stood. “Of course you are.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” He may treat everyone like this, but it wouldn’t work on me.
“Not in tune with your wolf.” Even though his hair was short, he ran his fingers through it. “It’s driving me crazy.”
“It’s driving you crazy?” There was no way he could be serious. “I’m so sorry that I’m inconveniencing you.” I couldn’t help the sarcasm dripping from each word.
“Ugh, that’s not what I meant.” He blew out a harsh breath.
It was strange because every time I saw Rage, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to jump him or slap him. “Why aren’t you out running?”
“I don’t trust myself yet.” He drew nearer to me, and his eyes landed on my lips.
My tongue darted out, licking them, and I wondered what he would taste like.
“Well, well.” Cole’s boisterous voice cut through the tension. “What do we have here?”
Rage jerked away from me like a bad habit. “It’s about time you jackasses finally got here.”
“It sure seemed to me like we interrupted something.” Cole stepped into the clearing with Damien right beside him.
“I was just leaving.” I really didn’t want to deal with them at that moment. I only went for a walk to be alone and clear my head. Not be with Rage and get even more confused.
“No, Ravey.” Cole pouted and headed over, grabbing my hand.
A heavy growl resonated from deep inside Rage as his eyes zoned in on our hands.
“Maybe you should let her go.” Damien placed himself in between Cole and Rage. “Did you invite Ashley to meet us here too?”
Her name was like an instant cold shower. He had someone, and so did I. There wasn’t anything between us, and allowing myself to be weak would only get me hurt.
“No, I’d never bring her here.” Rage flinched backward, increasing the distance between us.
There was an awkward silence that descended around us. “I needed to get out for a while and probably should be heading back. Jess will be worried about me.”
“You do need your rest.” It felt like Damien was really inspecting me. “You had a hard day today. Tomorrow, you’ll attend the supernatural cultures class, so you’ll get a day's break.”
“That class is horrible but interesting.” Cole seemed to glow in the moonlight. “But it’s important stuff. Do you need me to walk you home?”
“I’m fine, but thanks.” I wanted to get away—escape. “Have fun tonight.” I wanted to add ‘not too much fun,’ but I bit my tongue.
I glanced at Rage one last time and made myself turn away. Staying here would only make things worse.
As I entered the cafeteria with Jess the next morning, my appetite just about vanished when I saw Ashley sitting with the guys. From what it had sounded like, she didn’t get to do that regularly, so it took me by surprise.
Her hair was piled in a messy bun with strands cascading around her face. She was leaning into Rage with a huge smile on her face, but the guys were sitting there, barely speaking a word to one another.
“Why is she sitting with them?” Jess frowned and slowed her pace.
“No clue.” I didn’t want to talk about it. Although, the more I saw her practically sitting in Rage’s lap, the more I wanted to puke or throw a tantrum. Even though I had no claim on him.
Forcing myself to remain calm, I grabbed a plate and began piling on the food. There were eggs, bacon, Belgian waffles, and all kinds of fruit. I thought maybe I could eat away my feelings.
Jess remained quiet as she fixed her plate too, and we finished around the same time.
There was a vacant table on the other side of the cafeteria from the guys, so I nodded in that direction. “Let’s sit there.”
“But Cole is waving at you.” Jess’s forehead creased, but she followed me as I walked over to the table.
“I don’t really care.” That was partly true, so I wasn’t lying. I couldn’t be over there, not with Ashley and Rage. I didn’t need any other people seeming to target me. I already had the vampire princess pissed. At this very moment, Jordan was staring at me with pure hatred.
Even though my appetite was still gone, I grabbed my fork and shoveled a large amount of eggs on it. There was no telling what might happen today, so I needed to fuel up.
“I’m sorry about Rage.” Jess dropped her voice, and she frowned.
Oh, hell no. “There isn’t anything to be sorry about.” I took a bite of eggs, but that didn’t prevent me from talking. “He’s an ass, and they are a match made in heaven. It doesn’t phase me. Anyway, I have a boyfriend.”
“You haven’t dumped that loser yet?” Cole rolled his eyes and dropped into one of the vacant seats between Jess and me.
“We’ve been together since we were sixteen.” I lifted my fork with another pile of eggs on it and ate the large bite. “It’s not like three days were going to change that.”
“It’s kind of hard to believe that you’ve only been here three days.” Cole wiggled his eyebrows. “You’ve already got two sets of enemies. Not to mention messing around with one of my best friends. You’re the missing link I’ve been searching for.”
“First off, I’m not messing around with anyone.” Why did everyone think Rage and I had something between us? We didn’t. It was just mutual dislike. “Secondly, the reason why I have one set of enemies is sitting right here.” I pointed at him sitting at our table.
Cole placed his elbows on the table and propped his head in his hands. “Oh, please. Tell me more.”
“You’re such an ass.” I grabbed a piece of bacon and twirled it around like it was a weapon. “Learn some manners.” I crammed the whole piece in my mouth.
“You know, you’re right.” Smirking, he leaned back in his seat and pointed to me.
“Obviously, I should be learning etiquette from you.”
Jess exploded into giggles until I glared at her, and then she mashed her lips together. “I’m sorry, but he’s kind of on-point right now … with you.”
“Traitor.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped the grease from my fingers. “Who is my second set of enemies?”
“Ashley.” A smirk crossed his face. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Why in the world would she be mad at me?” I haven’t done anything for her to be upset. Sure, Rage was hot, but it wasn’t like I was publicly acknowledging it.
“Because Rage has taken more notice of you than he ever has of her.” He turned his body around and tilted his head toward their table.
There sat Ashley talking to Rage, but he was glancing off in another direction, not even pretending to pay attention.
“Can you stop talking?” Damien grumbled, but the words were clear to everyone in the cafeteria.
“What?” Ashley flinched at the words, and her mouth dropped open.
“Do you not understand English?” Damien stood, and the cafeteria silenced. “I said shut the fuck up.”
“You can’t talk to me like that.” Ashley glanced at Rage and grabbed his arm. “Tell him.”
He yanked his arm out of her grasp. “I’m not telling him shit. I agree.” He lifted his head and scowled. “You’re just over here blabbing, and we don’t want to hear it.”
“Are you being serious right now?” Her voice turned into a shriek, and her hands began to shake. “You asked me to sit here.”
“No, actually, I didn’t.” He stood and crossed his arms. “You sat down, and I didn’t even want to waste the energy to tell you to leave. Don’t make it out to be something more than it is.”
“That’s bull shit, and you know it.” Ashley’s gaze landed squarely on me.
“Oh … now, this is going to be fun.” Cole winked at me and turned back to focus his attention on her. “You miss me, eh?”
“I wasn’t even looking at you.” Her face began to turn a shade of red. I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. Maybe it was safe to say it was the combination of both.
“It’s okay to admit it.” He acted as if he was flipping his hair over his shoulder. “I’m pretty hot.”
“This isn’t some type of game, Cole.” She pointed her finger in my direction. “That bitch hasn’t even been here a week, and she’s already screwing shit up.”
“What exactly is she screwing up?” Jess’s violet eyes glowed, and she glared at Ashley.
I couldn’t believe that both Jess and Cole were standing up for me.
“They’ve all been different since she’s gotten here.” She stomped her foot and clenched her hands. “She needs to crawl back into whatever hole she crawled out of.”
“So, you’re saying Rage has been acting indifferent to you?” There was a challenge in Cole’s eyes.
“Yes, and she’s the only variable that changed.” She shook her head, causing her hair to bounce behind her.
“Is that how you’re justifying it in your head?” Cole’s dark laugh seemed to echo across the cafeteria.
“Let me make it clear. Obviously, I’ve needed to do this for a while.” Rage grabbed her arm and pulled her hard toward him.
Her breathing increased, and a small smile spread across her face. “Yeah, baby?”
This was going to be bad. I wasn’t sure why she was smiling, but I had a feeling he was about to pull the rug out from under her.
“First off, don’t ‘baby’ me.” His eyes were now slits, and there was a tick in his jaw. “You’re nothing to me.”
“What?” She took a deep breath and shook her head no. “That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.” He let her go and took several large steps away so he was next to Damien, who had been silent the entire time. He quieted his voice so only the table could hear. “You were just a distraction and nothing more. I told you from the very beginning that you were a mere distraction; just a way for me to pass time.”
“But it changed.” Tears welled in her eyes, and it sounded as if she was begging.
A part of me felt bad for her, but these guys didn’t seem to put on charades. She should’ve known what she was getting into.
“No, I allowed you to think it was something.” He chuckled, and a smirk spread across his face. He whispered, “But now I need to fix my mistake. You were always a distraction. You will always be just another notch in my belt.”
“You asshole!” She spun away from him, and her eyes met mine. “You’ll pay for this.”
Right when I was beginning to feel bad for her, she had to go and do that.
“Misplaced blame is only for the ignorant.” The words came out before I could stop them. “So, I’m not surprised by your words.”
Cole began laughing hard and placed an arm around my shoulders. “God, I love you.”
“This isn’t over.” Ashley’s face was the same color as a tomato, and a tear ran down her cheek, leaving a wet trail behind.
“Come on, Ashley.” Jordan and Madison appeared beside her. “Let’s get you away from this slut and her fairy trash.”
“I’m not a fairy.” Jess wiggled her fingers, and the water from both her and my cups jumped out, splashing all over the three girls. They were now standing there with their clothes dripping wet and in a puddle.
“Both of you are going to pay for this.” Jordan marched to the cafeteria door and held it open as the other two girls ran through.
“That was epic.” Cole chuckled and dropped his arm. “Jess, we may have underrated you.”
“It’s just nice to have a friend.” She focused on me with a smile.
“Ravey, things sure are getting interesting with you around.” Cole bumped his shoulder into mine.
“I’m sorry about that,” Rage said as he and Damien reached our table.
“You don’t need to apologize to me.” Cole smiled, placing a hand on his chest where his heart should have been beating. “But thank you for your kind words and concern for my well-being.”
“You’re such an idiot sometimes.” Damien punched Cole in the arm.
“Now that’s not a way to get into my pants.” Cole tsked and rubbed his arm.
“Good, I’m trying to do everything possible to not get in there.” Damien glanced at his watch and began moving away. “Remember, Raven, we’ll be continuing our training sessions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until you get a handle on things.”
Like I could have forgotten that, but at that moment, my priority was getting away from Rage. “I don’t even know where my classroom is, so I better get going.”
“I’m sure someone here would love to help you.” Cole’s smile seemed to fill his whole face.
“Yeah, Jess said she would help me earlier.” So that was a lie, but this was a serious test of our friendship. If she didn’t get the hint, I could very possibly wind up killing her.
“Can’t let my girl get lost.” Jess stood and waited on me. “Let’s go so we both aren’t late.”
Not needing any additional encouragement, I stood and rushed to the trash bins. I didn’t even bother saying ‘Bye’ to any of the guys. For now, I had to get distance from them even though a part of me didn’t want to go. It had everything to do with Rage, and that wasn’t cool. My whole life, I had never wanted a guy to have that much influence on me. I wanted to be my own person, whoever that was. At the moment though, the wolf part of me was ecstatic about the scene that had just gone down. I had to keep my head on straight. I didn’t need enemies and didn’t need to be a target. Not even a week here, and I already had two sets of people that hated my guts. I didn’t need to be anyone else's target. I needed to lay low and hopefully keep my wolf in check. It was going to be an even bigger struggle since they wanted me to let her free and become more of a part of me.
Chapter Eleven
As I entered the classroom, I was surprised to see how many other stu
dents were inside. There were eleven other kids already seated. For some reason, I figured that I would be the only one there, but in hindsight, I realized that didn’t make sense.
There were three rows of desks, and the back of the room was already filled. There was only a desk in the front middle section that was vacant. I guessed that one would be mine.
I headed in that direction when one of the kids stuck out her foot, trying to trip me. Luckily, I managed to dodge it but at the amusement of over half the class.
The girl leaned over, her sickening sweet smell hitting my nose. “That’s what you get for bothering Jordan.”
Of course, she was a vampire. Even if she didn’t smell like one, her pale skin and sharp features would have alerted me. Not wanting to cause even more problems, I ignored her and sat in the open seat, which happened to be right next to her. My first class was already starting out great.
“Why don’t you go back home and relieve us from all our misery?” The girl on the other side of me frowned and leaned away from me.
That one burned a little. She was another wolf shifter like me, and she was acting that way. Out of everyone here, I thought she’d be a little nicer to me. I forced myself to look forward and remain emotionless.
Thankfully, an older man, who had to be in his early to mid-forties, entered the room. He wore all black, and his dark hair was trimmed short. He smelled of herbs and lavender. “Is there a problem here?”
No one in the room answered.
His gaze landed on me, and he tilted his head. “You must be Raven.” He strolled to the middle of the room and gazed around. “Did anyone bother you, Miss Wright?”
Yeah, I wasn’t going to be falling for this. If I ratted out anyone, it would just get worse for me. “No, not at all.”
He arched an eyebrow and glanced at each student, one by one. “Anyone else have a different answer?”
Once again, the room remained silent. After a few seconds, the man sighed and nodded his head. “Very well.” He walked over to me and smiled. “Miss Wright, I’m so happy that you are joining our class. I’m Professor Shaw and will be your teacher.” His gaze landed straight on my necklace. “Fortunately, this class just started last week, so you haven’t missed much. This is one class that begins each summer and ends when I feel like each person is ready to move on to the next level.”