Contents
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Chapter 1
Hannah
I stood and took a deep breath. It was getting pretty annoying waiting for the damn boy to move the hell out of the way. He acted like he owned the place because his daddy was on the alumni board. What about my daddy? He kept snotty little boys like him safe from Noxiums. I fisted my hands and stormed over to him. He barely glanced in my direction before he saw me as no threat.
“Excuse me,” I said using the manners Daddy taught me.
He waved me off like I was some annoying fly buzzing around him and went back to bullying the boy.
I huffed letting my frustration show. “Excuse me, asshole.” I said poking my bony finger into his tense muscle. Daddy taught me to be polite, not patient.
His eyes glanced to mine and he smirked. I knew what he was thinking. It was the same thing all boys thought about me, until I showed them I was no Pollyanna, and the smile fell right from his face when I skipped the intros and punched him right in the nose. He fell to the ground covering his bloody nose and cursed me.
I shrugged and used my boot to kick him in the ribs. “You really shouldn’t ignore me,” I said smiling sweetly. Then I laid my hand on the other boy’s arm. “Are you okay?”
“Thank you,” he said and sprinted off as if he feared his good fortune wouldn’t last.
The other boy looked at me like I lost my mind. Maybe I had, but growing up in a home full of hate, I refused to deal with it here in my haven. No one batted a lash at the fallen boy with blood gushing from his nose. “Next time try not to bully someone in front of me. Better yet, keep your damn hands to yourself, and I’ll leave you alone. But for now, I’m watching you…”
His face paled and he nodded before backing away from me. When I spun to head back to my original destination there was a crowd. They applauded and whistled. I wouldn’t lie, I was an attention whore sometimes, and like a lady I bowed. That only increased the clapping, and I strutted through the crowd of people who had most likely been on the other side of that boy’s bullying. One girl gripped my wrist, and normally I didn’t like to be touched, but I felt the desperation in her icy fingers.
“Thank you,” she said timidly.
I looked at her and saw the fading black eye and narrowed my eyes. “I should have hit him harder.”
She shook her head and gave me a watery smile. I swore I’d find him again and when I did, he was going to pay.
The school buzzed with excitement and so many other emotions I couldn’t think. The new law passed and Noxiums were allowed to attend college now. I didn’t think it was a good idea and planned to keep my distance. I didn’t like them, but I had my own reasons for that, but if they wanted to learn who was I to tell them no? Daddy was calling my phone, and I answered rolling my eyes as soon as I heard his tone.
“I’m coming to get you, Hannah. I don’t want you in school with those things.” I’d been expecting his call all morning, and I already had my speech ready. I wasn’t going home. I loved being away from him and the hate too much.
“No Daddy, I love it here, and I know how to take care of myself. Plus you’ll need more eyes now. I can do that here and keep going to school.” He went silent, and I knew my plan worked. He liked the idea of using me as a spy.
“Alright baby girl, but if it’s too much you let me know. Try to get close. Learn what you can.”
“Like undercover?” I asked in a girlish voice. I liked to make people think I was stupider than I was. No one really knew how intelligent I was, and that was the way I planned to keep it. Most saw me as a little girl who was going to follow in her daddy’s footsteps. I planned to break away from it all. This was just the start of my freedom.
“Exactly baby girl,” he replied, and I heard the happiness in his tone. He thought he had me wrapped around his finger. Sure I didn’t like Noxiums, but I wouldn’t make them my life. I had better things to do besides worry about what they were doing. They’d been here since I was ten. It was normal.
I smiled and shoved my phone back in my pocket and glanced around when I felt eyes on me. By the tree a couple feet from me, there was a boy. No, not a boy, but a Noxi. He stared at me with such intensity that I shivered. He smirked and tipped his head. Apparently he listened to my whole conversation. I frowned. “That’s not very polite.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back unaffected by my tone. “It’s not polite to lie either, especially to your ‘Daddy’.”
I glared and stormed away. Looked like the Noxiums were already on campus and apparently they had very good hearing. That was something I needed to remember.
I felt his eyes on me and my back stiffened. Boys watched me all the time, like I was some piece of meat, and I hated it. It was why I didn’t date. I didn’t like the way they leered at me like I was just something they could try to get into bed. If I ever fell for a boy it would be because he saw what was inside and didn’t base his attraction solely on my looks.
I picked up my pace realizing my detour had made me late for class. I looked over my shoulder, and the boy was still watching me. Now he didn’t seem so unaffected. I sent a glare over my shoulder before I jogged to my class. Kicking ass took time, and I couldn’t afford to be late again. The professor had already given me a few warnings. I couldn’t help his class was clear across campus. But no excuses.
Chapter 2
Wyser
I chuckled after she turned and ran away. Her glare did nothing to me, not the way she thought it would. It was amusing more than anything, but she was smokin’. I was going to enjoy my time at Appleton University or AU as I’d heard it referred to. I’d never seen so many scantily dressed females in my life. Where I came from, women kept their bodies covered. Legs and boobs were for their mates only, not the whole world to see. I’d been here for years, but had never gotten used to how different humans were. I loved summer though. It was the best time of the year.
Barely there shorts and shirts with little to no fabric had my heart pounding. Everywhere I turned I saw bare skin. The girl though, she was pretty covered up, and yet my heart raced faster than ever before when I heard her voice. It caressed my skin in such a strange way I couldn’t ignore her conversation even if I wanted to. I could taste the lies she spewed over the phone. Apparently her father didn’t want her at school anymore, but she played him.
Then she glared at me, and I could feel her discomfort when she realized what I was. She played it off well, but I could hear her heart beat pick up and her pulse spiked. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or not. She didn’t seem like the type of girl that was scared of anything, and then when she ran I groaned. No girl had the right to look that delicious. I watched as she sprinted across the courtyard. She was in a rush, but I’d be seeing her again and sooner rather than later would be great. I’d finally found a reason to stick around.
My mother worried about me mixing with the human population, but I wasn’t scared. I could take care of myself, and anyone who wanted to mess with me was sorely mistaken if they thought I’d be too scared to fight back. Each time the government had one of their silly little voting sessions we earned more rights. Soon we wouldn’t be second-class citizens anymore.
It was only a matter of time until we’d be treated as though we belonged. I didn’t hold my breath, but I would say I was starting to feel more at home. I’d grown up outside Appleton since the beginning, and since it wasn’t a huge sector pretty much everyone either knew me or had heard of me. I didn’t get bullied much anymore since I’d already kicked all their asses. Mostly they left me alone. But this girl, I’d never seen her before. She intrigued me.
I strolled to class and smirked when the professor glared. “Well if you’re going to stay, sit down.”
I nodded and slid in the closest empty seat. I glanced around the room taking in all their scents and memorizin
g faces. Everyone stared of course except for the others like me. I was the new guy—one of the Noxiums. Some glared, some were curious, and some even licked their lips in anticipation. Oh yeah, there were some humans who wanted to fuck a Noxi just because. I’d had my fair share of offers and college would be no different. It was the place for experimentation. I wouldn’t lie, I was told I was attractive on many occasions and women threw themselves at me all the time, men too. It wouldn’t be much different here, except now there were parties and booze to give them the liquid courage to approach me.
I wasn’t one of those typical males though. I didn’t just fuck anyone, and I didn't let people think I did. Being hard to get into bed was more valued on Suaro. Being a whore, especially as a man, didn’t look good on my home planet, not like here. I’d quickly learned that the more women a man slept with, the more popular and ‘cool’ he was. I didn’t see it. Who wanted their dick in that many holes? I shuddered. No thank you. I’d deal with the humans thinking I was a snob rather than a whore.
I scanned the room and that’s when I saw her. Close to the middle at the end of the row. It was her. My eyes froze on her. She sat back in her seat and tapped her pen. She didn’t look my way directly, but I could tell she could see me. She frowned as if she knew I was watching her, but she kept her body relaxed and didn’t look my way. A girl next to her smiled and winked as if she thought I was looking at her, and I shook my head. She stuck out her lip pouting and crossed her arms looking away. I saw my girl chuckle. Her body shook, and the girl whispered to her.
“What bitch?”
My girl didn’t take it though.
“Are you really that desperate? Put your tits away and have some self-respect.”
I covered my mouth with my hand to hold back my laughter. Even though she whispered the room was so quiet that almost everyone heard the conversation. Others laughed and the professor looked beneath his glasses in shock.
“That’s enough ladies,” he said. Then the lesson began. “Now since the new laws have passed, it’s time to do something different.
“How many Noxiums are in this class?”
Myself and about fifteen others raised our hands.
“Good, now come up here and write you name on a piece of paper. I stood curious as to what was going on, but shrugged as I made my way past the humans. I wrote my name and stuffed it in the hat. After all of us had gone to stand to the side when he started calling names. A girl stood and came down the steps.
“Pick a name.”
She nibbled her lip and picked out a piece of paper. “Aux?”
The Noxi stepped forward and smiled. “You got it.”
The girl smiled back timidly and smiled back. And a match was made in heaven.
The teacher threw us all a curveball. “You two are going to be partners for the whole semester. Every project you do will be done together. You will sit together, and get to know each other. As of right now he is your new best friend. At the end of the semester you will write a paper on your partner. I want to see how well you’ve paid attention. This is about socializing people. Put how your parents raised you aside. In this class we are equal.”
Hell, he was a fuckin’ genius. Making us interact with one another would force a change.
There were mutters and a few of the humans stood up and walked out. I watched my girl, waiting to see if she would leave, she didn’t. I stood patiently waiting for her. I prayed to the heavens she picked my name. I didn’t want her partnered up with any of those other fools. She was my human.
I stood as the others of my kind were partnered up. Finally a name was called.
“Hannah,” the professor said, and I knew it was her.
She stood and made her way down the stairs with her head held high. She radiated confidence, and it was hot as hell. She didn’t bat her lashes or pout. She picked out a slip of paper, and I willed it to be mine.
“Wyser.”
Hot damn, and she said it right. “That’s me,” I said and stepped forward.
Recognition hit and she glared. “Oh this is going to be so much fun,” she said deadpanned. No one caught her sarcasm, but I chuckled.
“It certainly is.” I wanted to jump around, and then I realized I needed to beat the shit out of myself. I was acting like some girl, but this girl—Hannah—she was something, and I had to figure her out.
Chapter 3
Hannah
How was it possible I ended up partnered with the Noxi that I just so happened to see before class? The one who made my heart thump in my chest? He looked at me with that boyish smirk, and he seemed like any other cocky boy on campus. If he didn’t show the tale-tell signs of being a Noxi, no one would suspect he was any different than your typical college boy. I wouldn’t ever admit it out loud, but he was attractive. Everything about his appearance was so different than my own.
The professor partnered up the rest of the class as we all stood and digested the fact that we would be spending a lot of time with one another and most of the other humans, much like me, were raised to hate. We didn’t like what we didn’t understand. It was a fear of the unknown that created the palpable hatred.
Wyser stood with his shoulders slouched and his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He wore an easy smile and there was a light in his eyes. He was one of those boys that drove me nuts. He didn’t take things seriously, and he made a joke out of everything. “You ready to get to know me, partner?” he asked.
I grumbled. The semester just got a whole lot longer. I couldn’t fail a class. Not when I did my best to keep my 4.00 average. It was too important to me, and I wasn’t going to let one annoying Noxi throw me off my path. I plastered on the smile reserved for my father and brother and nodded. “Of course.”
He didn’t buy my fakeness and shook his head with a small smile. He led me to where he had been sitting and I sighed. “Give me a second; I’ve got to get my stuff.”
His barely there nod frustrated me, and I spun to get my things. I wasn’t going to let my upbringing ruin things for me. I could be his friend. It would be easy to get to know him because if I was honest I was intrigued by his species. They’d been around for most of my life.
The girl who sat next to me slouched in her chair glaring at me. She was pathetic. “What are you looking at bitch?”
I sighed already sick of her. “Absolutely nothing.”
“I’ll bet you take a ride on that delectable body before the semester is up.”
I shuddered. “Doubtful, I’m not like you. I won’t spread for anything with a penis.”
I grabbed my bag, sent her one last glare, and walked away. She must have had a thing for Wyser because she was awfully pissed I was partnered with him. When I dropped my bag by the desk and plopped down he raised a brow.
“Problem with your own kind?”
I waved it off. “It’s nothing new on my end. Apparently she has a thing for you because she is certainly pissy I got partnered with you.”
He nodded and sat back. “I’ve seen her around. She’s one of those who want to fuck one of us because it’s ‘risky’.”
I didn’t bat a lash at his language. “Ah, so you have groupies. How very cool for you.”
He leaned forward and tapped his finger on my desk shaking his head. “Not my thing. The others may like it, but you’ll learn I’m not like the others. I’m pickier than that.”
The way his eyes traveled over my body didn’t go unnoticed, and I glared to cover up my unease. He was too confident and a cocky little bastard.
The professor’s TA slid a paper on my desk and the professor’s drone voice snapped Wyser’s attention from me.
“The paper my assistant gave you is the semester’s list of assignments, instructions, and due dates. You’re adults now. I don’t need to babysit you. If you choose not to show up to class anymore that’s you’re problem, but you better hope you find someone who cares enough to take notes. Things will speed up now,
and I expect you to be able to keep up. Good luck.”
Wyser slid his hand across my desk and brushed my arm with his fingers when he picked up the paper. I ignored the way my stomach fluttered by that one single touch. I was not affected. That’s what I would keep telling myself if I had to.
“Looks like we get to spend a lot of time together. Where do you want to work? I don’t like to procrastinate, and the more we get done early the better for both of us.”
He looked the paper over. “Well, I’m in a room with two other guys who are not nearly as polite as me. They’ll hound someone like you until you are forced to rip them a new one.”
Humor danced in his eyes and I rolled my eyes. “I guess you saw my earlier—release of anger?”
“Honey, I think the whole school knows about that, and I just arrived on campus today.”
My back straightened. “My name is Hannah, not honey, not baby, not sweetie, and certainly not any other pet name you might think is cute—” I face him and glared. “Got it?”
He leaned closer, too close and whispered, “And my name is Wyser, not Noxi, or freak, or freaky bastard—” he licked his lips and glared right back. “I think we’re clear on what’s acceptable and not?”
I sighed. “I’m not a bigot,” I said. I didn’t want to be, but with how I was raised, and I certainly had to retrain my own brain.
He leaned back and chuckled. “Sure, says the girl who was raised by Eli Nichols.”
I gasped.
“Yeah, I know who you are. I’ve heard things already. But I’ll tell you this right now. I won’t take your close minded hate, but I also won’t judge you by who your father is if you don’t judge me by my species. There are exceptions to everything in life.”
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