by G. Bailey
“Knock it the fuck off, Lyle,” Landon tells him, his voice venomous as he comes to stand by my side. “That’s enough.” I see his eyes flash green, and I can tell he’s on the verge of shifting. One panicked look around us tells me that would be a recipe for disaster; there are humans everywhere, and we’re no longer in the safety of the convention center. I grab his hand, giving him a warning squeeze as I shoot my eyes over to his. That seems to calm him a little, his eyes going back to normal, although he still looks like he’s ready to kill Lyle with his bare hands.
“Easy there, tiger,” Lyle says, holding his hands up and taking a step back. “I’ve had my fill of siren songs for one lifetime, thank you very much.” His eyes dart over to me. “I just figured I’d come share the love. That’s what you guys are all about, right? Sharing the love.”
“Leave. Us. Alone,” I tell him, and although I’m trying for dangerous and intimidating, my voice quivers in spite of myself. It’s enough to make me want to cry, and I bite down hard on the inside of my lip.
“I’m going, I’m going.” The vampire shifter backs up another few steps and turns to go, but not before giving me a venomous smile over his shoulder. “See you around, Millie. I’ll be curious to see what ends up happening to you.” And with that, he saunters away, holding up a hand in a jovial wave, as if we were old friends parting ways. The fucking nerve.
Still trembling with anger and fear, I drop my shoulders and fall onto the bench with a hard thud. I can feel Landon’s eyes on me as I run my hands through my hair, my face flushed and my heart pounding. I can hardly bring myself to look at him as he comes to sit beside me, putting a gentle hand on my arm. “Boots,” he says quietly, “are you okay?”
I take a shaky breath and turn to him, swallowing hard. “No, Landon,” I reply flatly. “I don’t think I am.”
“He went through your records?” Hazel’s eyes flash as we walk back in the direction of the convention center. “How is that even allowed? He could get expelled for something like that, couldn’t he?” An air of tension has fallen over the group in the aftermath of what happened, and I can see the guys looking at each other. The question on all their faces is clear: they’re wondering whether saying something will make it better or worse. I don’t blame them; hell, I don’t even know the answer to that question.
Hunter sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Privacy rules don’t apply to shifters, Hazel. You know that. He works for the school - he can pretty much dig up whatever dirt he wants.”
“How is that fair?” She shakes her head, her blonde curls bouncing around her face.
“It’s not,” Ruby replies, and sighs. “Lyle’s always been an asshole. One of those guys who’s on a major power trip because he’s in the Academy’s pocket.” She blows a stray strand of dark hair out of her face, her expression frigid. “He tried to get me to go out with him my first month here - got all pissy when I told him to fuck off. If Xander weren’t here, he probably would’ve pulled something similar.” She turns to me. “I’m sorry you have to deal with this, Millie. You’re not seeing the best our school has to offer.”
“It’s fine.” I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. “I guess I should just ignore it, right? Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Silas puts in. “We came here to see the conference, not listen to a bunch of bullshit about your parents.”
“What if it wasn’t bullshit?” I ask, turning to him. “He said it himself. He has access to my records.”
“Look, Boots…” The dragon shifter runs a hand through his hair, looking like he’s struggling to find the right words. “Don’t listen to him, okay? I’m sure there was a good reason your parents did it. And if not…”
“If not,” Hunter finishes, his eyes meeting mine, “it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s right,” Landon agrees. “We’re your family, Boots. And nothing’s going to change that.”
I turn to look at them: Landon, his arms crossed, Silas and Hunter, watching me with concern on their faces, Shade, who’s been quiet this whole time, and Hazel. The twins are new to our group but slowly creeping into my heart. The family I chose.
“Maybe you’re right,” I say, smiling a little, but there’s still a rotten feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I can’t fight the sense that it might be here to stay.
“Remind me again why we’re going up here,” I say, breathing hard as I round what feels like the hundredth corner in the narrow stairwell. We might as well have been climbing for hours, given how badly out of shape I feel, and I have to pause and lean forward, putting my hands on my knees.
Shade turns around to look at me, ahead of me on the stairs. It’s embarrassing how much easier of a time he’s having. “Better view,” he replies, not sounding out of breath in the slightest. “Besides, practicing is always more fun when there’s the danger of falling to your death, don’t you think?” He frowns as I continue to suck in air. “Unless… You’re not going to like, pass out or something, are you?”
I wave him off. “No. I mean, probably not.”
“Good,” he says, “because we’re almost there.”
I follow him the rest of the way up, and we finally arrive at the top of the stairs, where a metal doorway waits for us. Shade pushes it open unceremoniously and steps out onto the roof, and I follow a moment later, still struggling to catch my breath.
The view from on top of the academic building might as well have taken my breath away all over again, and my exhaustion is momentarily forgotten as I gape at our surroundings, my mouth dropping open. It’s well past curfew, and going on the roof is against the rules, but neither of those things has ever stopped Shade in the past, and I’m beginning to see why.
It feels like we can see everything from up here. Below us, the grassy hills and modern buildings of the American campus stretch out like a tiny city. I can see the sculpture garden and the student housing on one end, as well as the lot where our group arrived on the other side. Farther out, the suburban houses of the local shifter community surround the campus, with the outline of downtown Boston visible beyond that. The city is lit up for the night, a sea of twinkling lights and shadowy buildings - inside which, right at this moment, politicians could be deciding the fate of our entire species. The stars are more visible from this far out, and a full moon looms overhead, just above the horizon.
The perfect moon for wolf shifting, I think.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts by the feeling of something crashing into me from behind, barrelling me onto the concrete of the roof and making me let out a little yelp. I struggle to get my feet under me, confused and in a panic, until I turn around and see that it’s only Shade, already in the form of a giant timber wolf, his silver eyes now gold and glowing in the dark. “Too slow,” he says, and I could swear, even though he’s no longer a human, there’s still a teasing look on his face.
“What the hell was that for?” I demand, getting to my feet and dusting off my trousers.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, Boots,” the wolf says. “And here I was thinking you were making progress.”
I set my jaw, giving him a determined smile, and close my eyes, reaching for the magic that I’m only just beginning to get a feel for and letting it take hold of me. It takes a moment to get started, but before long I’m shifting into my wolf form, landing on all fours and staring Shade down with my newly acquired night vision. “That’s more like it,” he remarks, and moves gracefully to the left. Slowly we circle each other, two predators under the moonlight, but there’s a playfulness to it that keeps me at ease.
Shade lunges for me, and I narrowly jump out of the way, struggling to balance on my paws. Thinking fast, I feign to the right, sending him pouncing in that direction before springing the other way at the last second, leaping into him and pinning him underneath me. “Not bad,” he observes, but in the instant that my guard is down, he gets control and rolls me over so that I’m under him, our s
nouts so close they could touch. There’s something animalistic about it… and alluring.
Overwhelmed by the intensity of it, I find my voice and force some humour. “Okay, okay! Truce!”
“Do you surrender?”
“Okay, let’s not go that far.”
He laughs and gets off me, shifting back into human form easily. I follow suit, and we’re left as people again, sitting side by side on the roof. I turn to look out at the city in the distance, and Shade follows my gaze; for a few moments, neither of us speaks. Finally, I break the silence. “You know, I’m surprised you haven’t said anything about what happened today. With Lyle.”
Shade frowns. “What’s there to say?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Nothing, I guess. It just kind of felt like the others were walking on eggshells with me today, you know?” I turn to look at him. “Is that why you brought me up here? To take my mind off what he said about my parents?”
The wolf shifter clears his throat. “I guess I thought it might cheer you up, yeah.”
“Thank you.”
His grey eyes meet mine. “Good, old-fashioned violence always makes things better. For me, at least.”
I raise an eyebrow at him: the school criminal, ignored by everyone but seeing everything. “Should I be worried?”
He snorts. “Nah. I wouldn’t hurt you, Boots.”
“Glad to hear it,” I reply.
There’s another long moment of silence, and as I stare out at the cityscape, I can feel his eyes on me. That same nervous energy fills me up, sparks flitting up through my stomach and my heart beginning to beat faster. I feel like a deer in the headlights, and it feels good. A shiver goes up my back, and he seems to notice; there’s a subtle shift in his posture, like he’s on the verge of moving closer, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t want him to.
“You know,” Shade says slowly, breaking the silence, “I can think of a couple other ways to make things better.” There’s a sly half-smile on his face, and it’s nearly enough to make me sway.
My better judgement is warning me not to be stupid, not to make this any more complicated, but a baser part of me is winning out as I stare up into the blond boy’s face. “Is that so?” I ask, almost not believing the words coming out of my mouth. He nods, and I scoot closer to him, tilting my head to the side. “And what would those be, exactly?”
“I would have to show you,” he replies, his smirk growing.
More adrenaline floods through me. The rest of the world is momentarily forgotten. “Then show me,” I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper.
Now his smirk has grown into a full-on grin, and when he reaches up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, his hand feels like it’s setting my skin on fire. His lips are like fire, too, and his kiss is as fierce as he is, scorching me in the best way possible as his hand comes up to tangle in my hair and my arms wrap around him.
Keeping me warm in the moonlight.
Chapter 14
If we thought we were going to get a breather from the constant politics and rumours today, we were sorely mistaken; Sunday is another day at the convention center, and although I now know what to expect, I’m still dreading it… and not only for the obvious reasons.
The others were all in bed already by the time Shade and I came down from the roof last night, and for that, I’m thankful; the last thing I would have wanted was to have to explain why I was out so long past curfew, or why my clothes and hair were rumpled when I got back. Shade gave me another long kiss before disappearing into his room, leaving me swaying on my feet as I went to bed, still basking in the afterglow of the love we had made. I slept like a baby, a dreamless sleep for which I’m especially grateful for now; now that the adrenaline and endorphins have worn off, I’m left to face the truth of what happened last night, and the overwhelming sense of guilt and confusion that accompanies it.
Once again, I hooked up with one of the guys I met at the Academy. Once again, I was overcome with emotion and desire in the moment, and now I’m having to deal with the aftermath. I was reeling from what Lyle told me about my parents, that much is clear, and the conference has been taking a toll on me, yes. But that’s a cheap excuse, and I know it; the conference has been taking a toll on everyone, especially in the aftermath of what the school did to Silas. Pretending it was a moment of weakness diminishes what it really was - what all these moments between me and the guys have been: some part of both of us, feeding on the thing that connects us, that string of fate that’s had us tethered together in some way since we were babies. Would they understand if I told them it all felt almost preconceived, like the feelings I’m developing for them are just a natural result of our relationship, the next logical step in a long line of fateful events?
It’s all too much, and at the end of the day, none of that even matters; a conversation needs to happen between Silas and me, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for it. I know we’ve never officially put labels on our relationship, but that doesn’t make me any more nervous as we file out to the metro station for another day at the conference; I don’t want to jeopardize my relationship with any of these guys, especially not now, and no matter what they all have in common, they’re still people with their own emotions… and their own hearts capable of being broken.
I look up from my seat on the train so see Shade sitting across from me; his gray eyes meet mine for a second, and his mouth twitches in a knowing smile. We haven’t said much since last night, and I can appreciate that. He’s always been a bit of a wild card, and I’m not under any illusions that what happened last night was some kind of a commitment, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t glad it happened.
Realising I’m staring at him, I feel myself blush, and the wolf shifter just winks at me as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. Charmer.
“You all right, Millie?” Hazel asks from the seat next to me. I watch as her eyes dart from me to Shade, and she raises an eyebrow; I just give my head a nearly imperceptible shake to warn her off.
“Later,” I murmur, my voice muffled by the sound of the other students talking. “After we get to our stop.”
“Got it,” she says, giving me a knowing nod as we lapse back into silence.
“Where the hell is Hunter?” asks Landon, breaking the tension a little as he picks his way up to the front of the car where we’re sitting. “I thought we were supposed to stick together, here.”
“He said something about his dad,” Hazel replies, glancing up at her fellow siren shifter. “It sounds like the school board is having their own meeting today, and he wanted to see if he could get in on it. Not a bad idea, if you ask me.”
Landon raises his eyebrows. “You think?”
“I mean, yeah.” Hazel crosses her arms. “Don’t you? The faculty will probably have a better nose for what’s going on here than we do. If they’re planning some kind of major policy shift, better to hear it from the horse’s mouth. And Hunter is the son of the horse.”
Landon laughs. “I never thought about it that way. You know, he’s pretty sharp, now that I think about it. If he can learn to take advantage of his dad, that could help all of us.”
“Strategising, exactly.” She nods. “Don’t count the guy out just yet, Landon.”
“I never did,” Landon replies, before turning back to me. “So has Amelia given you any more trouble, Boots?”
I shake my head. “None, believe it or not. I mean, I haven’t talked to her since yesterday, but…” I shrug. “No dirty looks, no snarky comments, nothing. I’m honestly a little surprised.”
“We’ll see how long that lasts,” Shade mutters.
“I’ll take as long as I can get,” I reply, and the wolf shifter grins at me. A shiver runs down my back as I remember the feeling of his hands on my body last night, the intensity with which he kissed me. The spark between us continues to grow until I break it off, turning away and shooting a guilty glance at Silas, who’s leaning against a railing by the doo
rs, looking thoughtful. This clearly isn’t lost on Hazel, who follows close behind me as we get off the train, falling into step next to me as we climb the stairs and step out into the bright Boston sunshine.
“Okay,” she says, putting her hands in her pockets, “spill.”
I laugh. “You’re making it sound like I killed a man, or something!”
“More like kissed one,” Hazel retorts, giving me a sly grin. “Which one was it? Wait, don’t tell me - Shade. You guys have been making eyes at each other all morning.”
“Jeez, not so loud,” I protest, laughing. “The whole school’s going to hear us!”
“Oh my god, I was right!” She squeals, clapping her hands. “Millie Brix kissed the school bad boy! So how was he? Tell me everything!”
I feel my cheeks heating up again as we continue to walk. “It was… good,” I reply. “Really good, actually.”
“Okay,” she says, “so then… What's the problem? You’re walking around looking like your grandma just died.”
I sigh. There’s no getting away from it; Hazel is perceptive as hell, and I knew the conversation was going to go this way before I even started it. “It’s Silas,” I reply reluctantly.
“Ah.” The siren shifter nods knowingly. “The classic love triangle.”
“It’s not a love triangle,” I protest. “At least, I don’t think it is.” I let out a frustrated groan. “That’s the problem, Hazel. I don’t know what it is - I don’t know what any of it is. I mean, I like these guys, there’s no denying that. But as far as how they feel about me, or how they’ll feel finding out that I feel that way about them all…” I shake my head, rubbing the back of my neck. “God, I don’t think I’ve ever been this confused in my life.”
“See, this is what happens when communication falls apart,” she says, frowning. “All these assumptions and no straight facts. I think your problem is that you’re expecting this to turn into a full-blown drama, Millie.”
