by BE Kelly
“That’s so sad,” Eden whispered. “Her death seems to have hurt so many people. Your poor mother must have hated my aunt,” she said.
“Our mum didn’t hate anyone. In fact, she thought the whole feud between our fathers was silly,” Duff said.
“I hate to admit it but, refusing to let his sister date a shifter sounds exactly like my father. He’s a stickler about preserving our bloodlines and not mixing with other supernatural’s. I’m afraid my grandfather instilled that belief in him,” Eden said. Duff was very aware of Theo Graystone’s beliefs about shifters and witches not being together. His father told them both the story of his “beloved Bianca,” as he called her when their mother wasn’t around. Eden’s father forbade Bianca to see their father, but that didn’t stop them from finding a way to be together. When Theo found out that his sister had betrayed him, he went crazy. Their father told them that he believed Theo Graystone killed his sister and left her body in the woods that surrounded the academy, but his theory was never proven.
“My father said that his sister was murdered here, at the academy, but that was all that he told me, really. My mother said that Aunt Bianca was found in the woods and that she was brutally murdered.” Eden gasped and covered her mouth with her trembling hand. “That sounds a lot like the girl they found months ago—what was her name again?”
“Geneva,” Anson whispered.
“Right,” Eden said. “She was found murdered in the woods too, wasn’t she?” Duff shot his brother a sympathetic look. He knew what finding Gen’s body did to Anson.
“I found her,” Anson admitted.
“Oh,” Eden breathed. “You said she was your friend, but I had no idea that you were the one to find her.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Anson lied.
“You know, I don’t have to be a mind reader, like you, to know that you’re lying, Anson,” she whispered across the table. He stared her down, as if daring her to push him any further. Duff could feel the anger inside of his brother. Anson wanted a fight and he had a feeling that Eden would give him just that, if pushed hard enough.
Eden
She almost wanted to laugh about the supposed feud that the Kirkpatrick twins told her about. She had never heard her father even mention their name before, although she was aware of the stories about her Aunt Bianca. Her mother had shared those details with her, but when it came to talking about her being in love with a shifter at the academy, not much was shared about him. Her aunt must have had good taste because Eden could see the appeal of the Kirkpatrick boys. Anson and Duff were both sexy as hell and as alpha as they came.
Eden sat across from Anson as he stared her down, almost daring her to ask him about his friend Geneva. The girl who was murdered in the woods was still the talk of the academy and the witches dorm buzzed with rumors about how she died. All of the varying versions agreed on one thing—her murder was gruesome and probably committed by a supernatural.
Her welcome packet warned all witches to travel in groups of two or more students, and when it was time for her to leave her dorm for dinner, Eden realized that she didn’t have anyone to travel to the dining hall with. That wasn’t going to stop her from going to eat dinner—she was starving. Literally bumping into Anson wasn’t her finest moment, but she had to admit—hanging out with the twins was a lot more fun than she thought it would be. Well, until they brought up the feud between their families that she knew nothing about, and the coincidences of similarities between her Aunt’s and Geneva’s deaths on campus. She hadn’t given it much thought before, but now, she wanted to know how her aunt had died. Opening that can of worms with her father wasn’t going to be pleasant, but she planned on calling him in the morning to ask him about Bianca. Hopefully, she’d catch him in a good mood and get at least a few details from him.
“Is there a place on campus that I can go to and learn more about my aunt’s death?” she asked.
“Why not ask your parents?” Duff asked.
“Yeah—that’s easier said than done. As I’ve said, my mother gave me some details but left out the bits about how it happened. I’ll ask my father, but I’m betting he won’t tell me anything. If I want to know what happened, I’ll need to do a little bit of research myself,” Eden said.
“The library might have something in the archives,” Duff said. She didn’t miss how somber Anson suddenly seemed. “I can go with you tomorrow if you’d like. You really shouldn’t travel around campus on your own, Eden. It’s not safe.”
“I’d appreciate that, Duff,” she said. “As long as it doesn’t screw up your plans for tomorrow.” Classes didn’t start for underclass witches for a few more days. She was hoping to get her stuff from her mother before they began.
“I’m free in the morning,” Duff offered. “How about I come by your building at eight and we can grab some breakfast before we head to the library?” She didn’t want to tell him that she was an early riser and that eight in the morning was mid-day for her. It’s one of the reasons why not having a roommate worked for her. Well, that and her general dislike of people. But Duff was offering to help her out and honestly, walking around campus by herself did creep her out.
“That sounds great,” she said. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Duff said. Anson sat back and crossed his arms over his massive chest, a scowl on his handsome face.
“What?” she questioned.
“Nothing,” he said. “I just think that you might be digging into something that should be left alone. Maybe your parents never really told you about your aunt’s death because it wasn’t something you needed to know.”
“Probably so,” she agreed. “I’m just wondering why the academy never did more to find out who murdered my aunt. I mean, shouldn’t someone be brought to justice for her death?”
“What happens if the rumors are true and we find out that your father was involved?” Duff asked.
“There are rumors about my aunt’s death involving my father?” she asked.
“Shit,” Anson breathed. “You couldn’t just leave it alone, could you Duff?” he grumbled.
“She has a right to know,” Duff defended. “Bianca was her aunt.”
“Fine,” Anson growled. “Our father told us that there are some shifters who believe that your father killed your aunt for disobeying his order not to date a shifter. They think that he murdered Bianca himself, dumped her body in the woods, and made it look like a shifter was at fault.”
“Just because some people believed that, doesn’t make it true,” Eden defended. “I mean, what happens if we find out that your father was involved?” Eden countered. “You’re right, we might be digging up the past but that’s the only way to get answers that we both need to find. Who knows—maybe it will give us some clues into your friend’s death,” she said to Anson.
“If the local authorities and the academy can’t find the answers behind Gen’s death, I’m pretty sure that you and my brother won’t be able to come up with anything new. Her case is considered a cold case by the police and the academy is willing to let it go because they don’t want any more publicity from it. New student admissions were down by thirty-eight percent this semester. I’m betting that the academy wants to forget all about Gen’s murder. Hell, they probably are hoping that everyone forgets about her death so that they can get back to normal. As if that’s possible,” Anson whispered.
“It can’t hurt anyone to help Eden research her aunt Briana’s death. It happened so long ago and it might give her family some closure,” Duff said.
“I’m sure it will,” Anson agreed. “And aren’t you nice for offering to help her out?” he sneered at his brother. Eden took that as her cue to clean up her dinner tray.
“I still have a lot to do around my dorm room,” she lied. “Thanks for eating dinner with me guys. I appreciated the company. See you in the morning, Duff.” She turned to leave and Anson shouted her name. Eden turned to find them both hot on her heels.
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��You can’t walk back to your dorm by yourself. We just went over all of this—it’s not safe. Let us walk you back to your room,” Anson insisted. She didn’t hesitate to take them up on their offer. It was probably dark now and walking half a mile across campus wasn’t something she was looking forward to.
“Thanks,” she breathed. “I’d like that, Anson.”
Eden found it hard to sleep, tossing and turning most of the night. She had gotten back to her dorm room and taken a hot shower. She had to admit, having her father’s old room wasn’t a hardship, especially since it came with a private bathroom. Most of the other first-year witches not only had to share a room but they had to use a community bathroom. It was nice to have her own shower and space. Being a legacy had its perks but she still hated that everyone seemed to think they knew who she was just because she was Theo Graystone’s daughter.
She woke before the sun and dressed in one of the only clean outfits she still had. Eden made a mental note to do some laundry today and possibly go into town to do some shopping. Betting on her mother usually ended with her being disappointed in her mom. Eden knew that her mom would show up with her stuff, sooner or later, but she didn’t want to start classes without everything that she needed. Her father had sent her more money than she’d need for the entire year. Treating herself to a few new outfits might be a nice way to begin her time at the academy.
She pulled out her laptop, wanting to get a head start on her research when her screen pinged with a message. She had joined the social media site for the academy. It was like Facebook but for students and professors of the academy. She opened up the site to find that she had two new friend requests—Anson and Duff. They were her only friend requests and she wondered if that was how her time at Graystone was going to play out. She was always a loner but since agreeing to go to the academy, she became even more of an introvert.
Her mother tried coaxing her out of her shell, telling her that making friends would only help pass her time at Graystone and make it more pleasant. She was probably right, but the thought of putting herself out there wasn’t one she relished. It usually took her some time to warm up to new people. That’s why her newfound friendship with the Kirkpatrick twins seemed so strange. She felt an unexplainable connection with them both, and talking to them and hanging out with them was easy.
Eden accepted both of their friend requests and did a little snooping on their profiles. She found a picture of the two of them with their arms around a pretty young woman. She scrolled through picture after picture and they were all the same, only the women were different, and she wondered what that was about. The last picture was of the twins kissing a pretty blond on the cheeks and she rolled her eyes.
Her computer pinged with a new message and she opened it. Hey—you’re up early. Anson typed.
Yep, I’m an early riser. She watched her screen and saw the little bubbles that told her that he was busy typing his response. Eden pulled her blanket from her bed around her shoulders and snuggled into it. Her room was drafty and she hadn’t packed many sweaters. When she ran to town, she’d pick up some warmer clothes to help get her through the cold nights and mornings.
What are you up to this morning? Anson asked.
Making a list of things I need from town. I don’t want to count on my mother to bring up my stuff. I need some clothes and a few things for my room. She’ll probably flake out and I need some warmer clothing. She left out the part where her mother usually made up some excuse as to why she couldn’t make it to things—like her high school graduation. Her excuses were getting better and better, but Eden knew the truth. Her mom was usually off with her latest conquest. She liked younger men and having an adult daughter cramped her style. Most guys didn’t want to hear that she had a daughter who was almost as old as they were. Plus, her mother didn’t want to point out that there was a single, younger version of herself out there, so she usually didn’t even tell them about Eden. If she had to guess, her mother’s car was just fine and she was off with her latest boy toy, avoiding being a decent mom.
Want some company? Anson asked. She wasn’t sure what the policy was for going into town. She knew that traveling in pairs was highly recommended on campus but traveling into town didn’t seem to have a set of rules. It would be nice to have someone show her around town though. Anson probably could show her the best shops and that would make things easier—especially since she wanted to pick up her books for class to get a head start on her studies.
Sure. What did she have to lose? Eden could meet with Duff for breakfast and some research at the library and then meet up with Anson to go shopping. Eden heard a soft knock at her dorm room door and she wondered if she had inadvertently woken one of the other students. She got out of bed, keeping her blanket wrapped around her body, and opened her door.
“Hey,” Anson breathed.
“How are you here?” she asked. She looked out into the hallway and pulled him into her room. He wasn’t allowed to be in her room. Hell, he wasn’t allowed to be in her building without permission.
“Snuck in,” he admitted. “You said you wanted some company.”
“Right—while shopping. The sun isn’t even up, Anson,” she said.
“Well, I’m an early riser like you. Duff would sleep until noon if he was allowed,” Anson said.
“Then why did he offer to help me this morning with my research?” she asked.
“Because he likes you, Eden,” Anson breathed. She wondered what he meant by that but asking him if his brother “liked her, liked her” would make her sound like a middle schooler.
Anson chuckled, “Yeah—he likes you, likes you, Eden,” he said, reading her thoughts.
“I believe I asked you to stop reading my mind, Anson,” she grumbled.
“You did,” he agreed. “And I thought Duff made it clear that I wouldn’t stop.” She rolled her eyes and sunk back onto her bed. “You’re already dressed?” he asked.
“Disappointed?” she teased. “I believe that last time you raided my room, I was half-naked and asleep.” Anson bobbed his eyebrows at her and she giggled.
“I remember,” he breathed. “It was the highlight of my day.” Eden wasn’t sure if he was flirting with her or just being playful. It was hard to tell with Anson. He wasn’t as easy to get a read on as Duff was.
He sat down next to her on her bed, “Flirting,” Anson breathed. “Definitely flirting—although if you’re that unsure of what I’m doing, I must be doing a piss poor job of it.”
“No,” she whispered. “I just don’t have very much experience with guys flirting with me,” she admitted. “You just took me by surprise, that’s all. Not many people can surprise me, Anson.”
“Have you ever had a boyfriend before?” Anson asked. She wanted to tell him that it wasn’t any of his business if she had a boyfriend before or not, but that would be pointless since he could read her mind.
“One,” she admitted. “He was my boyfriend for the last year of high school. I wouldn’t exactly call him my ‘boyfriend’ though. He was more like a boy I went to dances with and such. We didn’t go out a whole lot together. He was—well, let's just say he was afraid of my father. Most boys in high school were afraid of my father, and I’m worried that trend will continue here since everyone seems to know who I am.”
“I’m sure with the last name Graystone that you’ll get lots of attention around here,” he said, looking around her dorm room.
“Don’t be so sure,” she said. “You’re a legacy, so I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. When supernatural’s around here find out that you’re a legacy, they tend to treat you differently.”
“I’m betting that has more to do with your last name and less to do with you being a legacy, Eden. I mean, people treat me and Duff differently than others, but that has to do with the rumors about us around campus,” Anton said. She wasn’t caught up on academy gossip and she certainly hadn’t heard anything about the twins.
“Rumors?”
she asked. “What kind of rumors?”
“Well, the fact that I found a dead girl in the woods, for one,” he breathed.
“Yeah—that one would be hard to live down,” she said.
“It has been,” he admitted. “Then there’s the whole rumor that Duff and I share women.” She felt as though her eyes were going to bug out of her head. She thought back to the pictures that she just looked at on their social media pages and wondered if that rumor might not just have some truth to it.
He smiled at her and shook his head. “You looked at our pictures?” he asked.
“Well, you did send me a friend request,” she defended. “What—you didn’t check out my pictures after I accepted your friend request?”
He held up his phone with her social media page pulled up. “Yeah—I looked at them. Both of them,” he teased. Yeah, she wasn’t very good at posting stuff on her page, but she was a new student.
“In my defense, I haven’t been here very long and I’m not good at the whole social media thing.”
“So, you don’t like people online or in person. Do I have that right?” Eden looked at him like he had lost his mind.
“What makes you think that I don’t like people?” she asked.
“You thought it, last night at dinner,” he said. Eden sighed and shook her head at him. Duff was right—Anson was never going to stay out of her head. She’d just have to try to keep her thoughts in check. “Good luck with that,” he teased, reading her mind again.
“Okay,” she said. “You seem to know so much about me, unfairly so,” she grumbled. “Tell me, is that rumor true? Do you and Duff share women?”
He stared her down and she wondered if he was going to give her an answer or ignore her question. “Yes,” he admitted. “We share women.” Eden had her answer and it wasn’t what she expected. Not at all.
Anson
Anson was sitting so close to her on the small dorm room bed that their legs were practically touching. It didn’t matter that she had cocooned herself in her quilt—he could feel her heat through the blanket. When she point-blank asked him if he and Duff shared women, he thought about lying to her. That would have been the wise thing to do, but she was right—he knew a ton of personal things about her and giving her that one truth was the least he could do. He had to admit, he liked the things she thought about him and Duff. He knew that she liked them but now, the thoughts that ran through her head, about the two of them putting her in the middle, made him hot.
