by Cali Mann
“But . . .” My voice trailed off. I didn’t know what to ask. What if Alex and I had grown up in such a place? How different would our lives be?
“And besides, I won’t be ready for mates for a long time. So it’s a great opportunity to soak up knowledge, as my gran used to say.”
“Aren’t the other students mean to you?”
“Sure, but I just don’t mind them. They’re not why I’m here.”
“Oh?”
“Told you: I came to Thornbriar to learn. I don’t really have time for friends and stuff.” She shuffled her feet on the carpeted floor. “I mean, unless you wanted to, like, be my friend.”
No, I couldn’t do it. I blinked back tears. My brother was going to die and I couldn’t save him. I put my hand on her arm. “I’m afraid I’d only get you into trouble.”
“Oh well, okay, bye, then . . .” Molly turned away from me, her shoulders slumped.
Watching her walk away, my heart broke for all of us and the terrible situation we were in. Chuck was stalking Alex and me, and my only solution was to make this child’s life a living nightmare? It wasn’t okay. I couldn’t be this person.
Closing my eyes, I took a breath. Then I opened them and called out “Hey, wait, Molly.”
She turned slowly, her bounce absent. “Yes?”
“How old are you?” I asked.
She frowned. “I’m thirteen.”
What was I doing? This was a stupid idea. I couldn’t protect both of them. “So, you’re in the lower school building, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she said, a glimmer of hope crossing her face.
“I think we could be friends,” I said, rubbing my lip between my teeth. Dumb, dumb, dumb Sasha thrummed against my skull, and I ignored that internal voice.
“Yeah?” she asked, brightening.
“Great,” I said, forcing a cheerful note into my voice. “And as a friend, I could really use a favor.”
“Okay!” Her bounce came back with a vengeance. “I’d love to help.”
“My little brother is also in the lower school.”
“Alex!” she exclaimed.
“How do you know so much about me?” I frowned.
She tapped her head. “I know about a lot of things. It pays to research.”
Where the fuck could she have researched us? We’d just arrived at school. Had she dug through the administrative rolls or something? I shook my head. It didn’t matter. The plan was the same.
“Well, can you keep an eye on him for me? Like a big sister?” I asked. “Because if I go down there, he’s going to get picked on by his friends. You know."
Molly grinned. “I can do that.”
“And will you come here from time to time and tell me how he’s doing?” I asked. “And we can visit, too. You can tell me more about this spirit shifter colony.”
“Sure.” She trembled with excitement.
“That’d be a big help,” I said, glancing around. “Now, can you show me where I can find more information on spirit shifters?”
“Yup!” She led me over to a tall shelf in the far corner. “There’s lots of stuff in these, about our history and stuff. Did you know we get a different tattoo than everybody else?”
“A tattoo?” I asked.
“The mate tattoo,” she said, blushing. “Most people have them here.” She gestured to her arm, from shoulder to wrist, and I remembered Mrs. Everett’s.
Molly grabbed a book and started flipping through it. Stopping on one of the pages, she pointed to a woman’s back. On it was a trunk of a tree and a spiral. “But spirit shifters get them in the lower part of their back and it’s bigger.”
“Oh,” I said, gazing at the image. Mates. That’s what had them running scared. Even more than the madness and the killing, the Council was terrified we were going to bind their precious children to us. Could I use that? I bit my lip. Could I go after one of their own? “Thanks, Molly.”
“Sure thing,” she said.
I stretched my face into a smile. It wasn’t her fault that I’d been given an impossible task. “I’m so glad we got to meet.”
“Me too,” she said, looking like she wanted to linger. “Okay, bye, then.”
“Bye,” I said. I sat on one of the chairs and thumbed through the book. Who could I go after that would cause the most trouble? Drew’s dad would be pissed, but Drew had been kind to me—if that’s what I wanted to call those orgasms the other night—and I didn’t want to ruin the only friendship I had. Cal—well, he’d be up for anything, but I didn’t know if he was connected to anyone important. Flint’s dad hated spirit shifters, but Flint wouldn’t have anything to do with me.
Then I remembered what Mr. Reed had said on our drive in—the guy playing soccer was Lucan Masters and I should stay away from him. I smiled. And I bet he was some relation to the Councilman Masters I’d met in the headmaster’s office. What if I threatened to mate him? Would they toss me out? Would I have to go through with it? Not that I minded fucking that sexy hunk, but I didn’t really want to mate anyone. Who would I be to drag anyone into the madness with me?
Maybe I could pretend to have mated him: get him drunk and draw a tattoo on his arm. Was that even something possible to fake? And would pissing off the Masters family be enough? I didn’t know.
Crossing to the shelf, I grabbed a few more books and set about learning what spirit madness looked like.
19
Sasha
I dropped into the chair next to Lucan. His eyes drifted over me and my carefully arranged cleavage-baring shirt, then slid away. He was interested. I could read that reaction anywhere, even if he pretended to give me the cold shoulder. This I could do.
The professor went on for a while, but I watched Lucan out of the corner of my eye. His muscular arms, outlined by his gray tee-shirt, leaned against the hard table. He was tall and broad and made the chair under him look puny.
I could feel the heated gazes of the other chicks in the class. They’d been pissed off enough about me being a spirit shifter and stealing their men. Anything I did should set them off.
I let my leg drift toward Lucan and accidentally touched him. His eyes darted toward me, and he growled softly.
“Sorry,” I said, smiling.
He stared at me, and I twirled a lock of hair around my finger. Lucan grunted and returned his attention to the teacher.
I wanted to reach out and run my hand through that dark brown hair of his: long and slightly wavy on top. A scruffy short beard ran along his chin.
His body radiated heat. I wondered if that was a wolf thing, but I didn’t feel extra warm when I had wolf dreams. They were only dreams, though. I hadn’t shifted into anything yet, although Mrs. Everett said that happened in our eighteenth year. Instead, I cycled through elemental dreams. I would be a wolf for a month, or vampire, or rock creature, like some crazy version of puberty but just for spirit shifters.
I let my hand drift over and bump Lucan’s arm. He shifted away. I sighed and rubbed my temple. I needed time alone with him to work my magic.
“Turn to your seatmate and answer the questions on page thirty-four of the text,” the Professor said.
As if he’d just answered my prayers! I spun toward Lucan with a grin.
He glared at me darkly.
I chuckled. “So, what’s got your tail in a twist?”
“Leave me alone,” Lucan muttered.
“Well, I can’t exactly do that,” I said, licking my fingertip and pressing it to the page, “seeing as we have an assignment.”
He scribbled on his notebook and then shoved it towards me. The answers were printed out there in neat lettering. “There you go.”
I leaned forward, laying my hand on his knee. “Why don’t you explain them to me?”
Lucan grunted. “Explain what? Those are the answers.”
I licked my lips and said, “But I just don’t understand.”
A growl erupted from his throat, and someone else whined, rea
cting to their alpha’s displeasure. “Back off,” he muttered.
Reaching my hand toward his face, I said, “We could always distract ourselves in other ways.”
He grabbed my hand and twisted it backward.
I squealed at the sudden pain and looked toward the teacher, but he seemed to be deliberately ignoring us.
Lucan leaned in close to my face, his breath hot on my cheek. “I won’t be toyed with, little girl,” he whispered.
Grimacing at the pain, I raised an eyebrow. “Good thing I’m not playing or little.”
He huffed and shoved me away.
A chorus of giggles echoed behind me, and I scowled. They were the chicks who’d complained about me before, I was sure. But they didn’t know Sasha Wren. No way I was giving up that easily.
I let my eyes trail over the laughing students, and they ignored me. Maybe I should make some crazy spirit shifter moves and wipe out the lot of them.
The professor came over to our table. “Miss Wren,” he said. “Might I suggest a different table?”
I blinked and smiled at him sweetly. “Whatever for? I’m perfectly content here.”
“Mr. Masters might be more comfortable.”
Lucan growled, and the professor quivered.
Didn’t like being told what he could and couldn’t handle, did he? And what did he have over this professor? Wasn’t Lucan supposed to be the student?
“Seems like he’s fine, Professor.” I shrugged. “I think the Big, Bad Wolf can take care of himself.”
The professor turned and fled back to the front of the class. Why did he think Lucan was so scary? He was just another wolf shifter. Sure, he had some relative on the Council, but he was just a guy.
I crossed my arms over my chest, pushing up my boobs. Lucan continued to pretend to be interested in the book, but he shifted uneasily and I knew I was getting to him. Letting my shoe fall off, I reached out and rubbed his leg with my toe.
He glared at me.
The professor wrapped up the class, and students rose from their seats. I followed on Lucan’s heels. When we hit the hall, he stopped, and I fell against him. He spun, looming over me. The heat of his body hit me like a sunray.
“Why,” he snarled, “are you fucking with me?”
I smirked. Then I grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him. He stood stiff as a board for a second, then it was like the floodgates opened. His arms slid around me, pressing me against his chest, and his tongue delved into my mouth. I had never been kissed like this. He demanded and took all of me, whether I’d offered it or no. My legs wobbled beneath me, and I would have fallen if he hadn’t held me. He could have ravished me right there in front of the whole class, and I don’t think I would have cared.
Then, just like that, it was over. Lucan set me on my feet. His eyes darkened as he studied me, and a grimace etched its way across his face. “Satisfied?”
His voice rumbled through me, and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath to answer.
Sadness drifted briefly through his eyes, and he rubbed his thumb along my cheek. Leaning in, he whispered, “I’m not for you, little girl. I’m sorry.”
He turned away and was gone. I stood there staring at the empty space where he had been.
I was slammed into from behind. I skidded across the hall, and my face was shoved into the stone wall. The roughness cut into my cheek, and long fingernails dug into my scalp, wrenching my hair.
“You fucking bitch,” Nancy’s voice snarled, pinning me to the wall.
“Leave me alone,” I muttered, wriggling to escape, but with her sheer strength, I wasn’t going anywhere.
“I don’t think so,” she said, punching my lower back.
Pain barreled through me, and my breath came out in a huff. Fuck, that hurt. My eyes watered, and I couldn’t focus.
“Our alpha wants nothing to do with you, spirit shifter,” she growled. “Don’t touch him again.”
She released me, and I slid down the wall to the floor. Had she hit me in the goddamn kidney? Why the fuck did it hurt so bad? I coughed and moaned as agony ripped through me.
I cracked my eyelids and peered at the students hurrying past me. No one stopped to see if I was okay. No one even looked at me. I was alone in this fight to save my brother and Molly. I wasn’t stupid. I’d known that, but I wasn’t prepared for how much it would hurt.
I blinked away more tears and straightened my back against the cold stone wall. That at least helped the pain. I’d be able to get up in a minute, and with my shifter genes, it wouldn’t take long to heal. It was going to be okay. I was going to be okay.
20
Drew
I took off running, cocking and aiming my shot. Balancing my vampire speed and vision, at just the right moment, I released the arrow. It flew across the yard and slammed into the bullseye.
Circling around, I came back to my original spot. Eric stood waiting for me. He looked like a strong wind would knock him over, he was so skinny, but we were the same age and both air shifters. We’d been friends since we first arrived at Thornbriar. But now he looked worried, his eyebrows pinched.
“What’s up, man?” I asked.
He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the dirt. “Everybody’s talking about your girl, Drew.”
“My girl?” I asked, forcing casualness into my voice. I knew exactly who he meant. Ever since the other night, Sasha was all I could think about. But if I went near her again, we’d end up fucking and I’d be mated, if my hawk had anything to say about it.
“Yeah, she kissed Lucan Masters after History this morning.”
Him? My breath caught in my throat. I closed my eyes and squeezed my bow, trying to sort through my feelings. Yes, I was jealous that she’d kissed someone else, though I knew Sasha would take other mates. But did it have to be him? Anger bubbled up as I remembered all the fights Lucan and I had gotten into since we’d met. He was a demanding asshole who thought he ruled the world, and I didn’t put up with his shit.
It was just a kiss though. She wouldn’t mate him, right? I exhaled.
Besides, she wasn’t mine. We’d fucked, but we’d made no commitments, and that was the way we’d both said we wanted it. We needed to keep it that way.
Hawk screeched within me, sounding almost wounded. He didn’t like the way my thoughts were going, but he was wrong. We needed to stay out of it. “She can kiss anyone she wants,” I said through gritted teeth.
Eric shrugged. “I just thought you should know.”
“Thanks, man,” I said, offering him my bow. “Would you mind putting this away for me?”
As he took it, he studied me. “You gonna go after her?”
“No.” I turned toward the woods and took off at a run down the hill, shifting as I ran. My wings took me aloft, and I soared through the clear blue sky. I screeched and dove, letting my anger beat through me.
21
Sasha
After I finally stood up, I’d stumbled to the infirmary. They’d given me a bed and some painkillers, and I’d gone to sleep. When I woke up, I didn’t know what time it was but thin light drifted in through the tall windows. I rolled over, and my back felt better. I hadn’t even asked the doctor what the pills were. I hadn’t cared.
On the table next to my bed was a small lamp, a box of tissues, and my cell phone. I frowned. Who’d gotten it out? Lifting it up, I stared at the blinking light. One message from Asshole.
I took a deep breath, wincing at my back pain, and clicked it open. Pissing off Masters? Not your brightest move but may work in our favor.
Blinking, I tried to make sense of the words. Didn’t seem like Chuck had known if it was a good move or a bad one. I was pretty sure it was a bad one since Lucan had told me to fuck off and Nancy had bruised my kidney or whatever.
Rubbing my head, I knew I needed a new plan. If I couldn’t go after Lucan, what could I do? I set the phone back on the table and closed my eyes. Just for a minute. It was the middle of the day an
d I wasn’t really tired, but I must have dozed because Alex’s voice woke me from whatever dream I was having. I blinked wearily at him.
“Sasha, why didn’t you tell me you were in the hospital?”
I tried to shrug but groaned instead. “I’m fine.”
“You sure look fine.” He snorted. “What happened?”
“Who told you I was here?”
“Moll.” He jerked his head to the girl standing behind him, and Molly gave me a little wave.
“Hey, kid.” Why the hell did you tell my brother? And how did you find out? She had some source of information that I really needed to uncover. It could be useful.
Alex crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at me.
“I got in a fight. That’s all.”
His brow wrinkled. “You don’t look beat up.”
I grimaced. “Punched in the kidney. Doc says it’s bruised.”
My brother’s face whitened. “That’s dangerous. You could die.”
“I’m a shifter,” I said. “I’m hearty.” At the disbelieving look on his face, I continued, “Don’t worry, Alex. I’m fine. I promise.” I reached for his hand, forcing my face not to flinch, and squeezed it.
He glanced away, embarrassment creeping along his cheeks.
With a smirk, I let his hand go. No sisterly affection in front of others. Got it.
“Hey,” he asked, gesturing to the phone in my lap. “Where’d you get that?”
I smiled. “They do give us an allowance, you know.”
He rolled his eyes. “I know, but who are you going to call anyway? Mom?”
“I actually don’t have her number,” I said. “I just got it for the internet when I don’t feel like lugging around the tablet.”
“Maybe I should get one too,” he mused, looking at the floor and scuffing his feet. He raised his gaze, meeting my eyes. “Next time you get in trouble, call me.”
I swallowed. Oh, little brother, I’m in more trouble than you know. “Okay.”
Molly moved forward, waving her cell. “I have one. You want me to get her number for later?”