by Cali Mann
“She’s a goddamn spirit shifter, Yuki,” a petulant female voice said next to us.
I expected him to pull away, but he pulled me tighter, kissing me deeper before he released me.
Then he turned his head toward the chick standing next to us, her hand on her hip. She had the same black hair as he did, although hers hung down both sides of her face in a short bob.
“Is my sister right?” Yuki asked, his hand still stroking my hip.
“Yes.” I lifted my chin defiantly. I wasn’t going to let them make me feel bad about what I was.
“All right, then,” he said and kissed me again. His hands stroked my arms, and I twisted my fingers in his shirt. Warmth uncurled in my gut.
“Dad’s gonna—”
He froze and, lifting his head lazily, said, “I don’t give a fuck what the old man has to say.”
The sister scowled and then turned and flounced away, her bobbed hair bouncing. I noticed she wore every bit of the school uniform: blouse, skirt, tights, even the clunky Mary Janes. I smirked.
I turned back to the guy. “So, you’re Yuki, huh?”
“Yeah, my friends call me Drew,” he said, then he lifted a curl of my blonde hair. “What do they call you? Angel?”
A slow smile stretched my lips. “Sasha.”
“Well, Sasha,” he said, waving forward the person who had my plate. “I expect you might want some food in you before I devour you.”
I laughed, but it was a breathless sort of laugh. He really did look like he wanted to eat me alive. And as an air shifter—I’d felt those fangs when we were kissing—he could do it. I shivered as I slid off his lap, wondering if maybe I’d picked the wrong troublemaker to start with.
11
Drew
My cock ached from when she’d pressed against it, but I let her go. Sasha settled down next to me, and Eric handed her the plate. He nearly dropped it in her lap before backing up quickly, like she had spirit shifter cooties.
I nodded. As it should be. She is mine. I chuckled at my hawk’s possessiveness of this chick I’d just met. As soon as I’d seen her walk by the doors of the courtyard, I’d wanted to grab her and kiss the shit out of her. I smirked. But she’d done it to me first. Damn.
My sister meant well, but Kalto didn’t get me at all. She just wanted to please our parents and do her best. I already knew my best would never be good enough. Dad always wanted more, and I was fucking sick of giving in to him. Burning myself out for what? His dreams. His future. Not mine.
I’d even given up archery. Our father was a champion at the sport. He said it had to do with our family’s history of shifting into predator birds, hawks in particular. When he’d seen my natural skill as a child, he’d started drilling me. Soon, I’d found myself in archery practice with various champions all summer long and most of the school year. When I was a kid, it’d been fun. It wasn’t fun anymore. My dad wanted too much. He wanted me to be him.
I decided I was done. I was living my own life from now on.
Kalto didn’t understand that yet, but she would.
My eyes drifted back to the angel who’d landed in my lap. She bit into the steak and made a face like it was the best thing she’d ever tasted. I could just see those heart-shaped lips wrapped around my pulsing cock. I swallowed hard.
Sasha was fucking gorgeous. Her tits pushed up in that black bra, which she knew perfectly well showed through her shirt, just begging to be sucked and played with. The ass I’d gripped had fit perfectly in my hands. I was hornier than hell just looking at her.
But she was also a spirit shifter. Dad had ranted before we left for school about Thornbriar’s new policy of accepting spirit shifters. How it was dangerous to put us within spitting distance of such mad creatures. Sasha didn’t seem crazy. Well, in the two minutes, I’d known her. I was thinking with my dick. That’d always gotten me into trouble.
What had they said about spirit shifters? The whole reason they were doing this trial? If they mated, they wouldn’t go nuts. Well, as much as I wanted to piss off my dad and as sexy as Sasha was, I had no intention of getting mated to anybody. I didn’t need anyone else’s expectations in my life, even a mate. So, we’d just have to be careful not to have any actual intercourse. There were enough fun things we could do without that. It should be easy, right?
12
Sasha
Sitting on the bench next to Drew, I took my plate in my hands and ate. I watched the crew around him. The kid who’d held my plate was tall and skinny. Next to him, a brown-haired guy wore a leather jacket that cost more than most cars, I’d bet. A chick with pink stripes through her hair leaned against the leather coat’s shoulder, and another guy sat behind them with a cigarette held loosely between his lips. They were trouble but in a rich kid way. It was hard to develop a really thick skin when you’d had everything provided for you. Each of them tried to be tough by getting tattoos or smoking or wearing leather, but it was all just an act.
I wondered if it was an act for Drew too, just a way of pissing off his rich parents. Not that I cared. It gave me a good outlet and a group to run with that was interested in causing trouble—that was all I needed. I had to figure out this place, and how these shifters worked, so I could fulfill my assignment. No way Asshole was getting his hands on my little brother.
I finished off the last of my food. As good as it’d smelled, I’d been so busy worrying, I’d hardly tasted it. I wouldn’t be at Thornbriar Academy long, so I needed to make the most of my time.
Drew stood and offered me his hand. “Let’s take a walk.”
“Sure,” I said, setting my plate on the bench and following him through the courtyard. From behind, I got to see the sexy curve of his ass, and I wanted to reach out and pinch it. We had eyes on us all the way into the building, but no one followed.
The stone halls were mostly deserted. It looked like everyone clustered around the dining hall or up in their rooms. Drew pulled me out onto the back porch which stretched along the rear of the building. The twilight colors lit the sky, and I wondered if Alex was looking. He’d love how beautiful it was. Beyond the stone porch was a manicured lawn and the woods. I spun and looked up at the building face. My room must have been up there because this was my view.
Warm arms came around me and Drew hugged me. “So, Sasha, what are you doing here at Thornbriar?”
“I had an opportunity, and I took it.” I leaned into him, enjoying the feel of his body. I was no innocent, but it’d been a while since I’d been around someone I wanted to fuck. What was it about this guy? I’d been showing off in the courtyard, but my every nerve clamored ‘Yes!’ when we touched.
He turned me to face him and gazed down at me. “Just like climbing in my lap?”
“Only not as much fun,” I teased.
“You’re not from around here.”
“Nope,” I said, running my hand along his jaw. I didn’t just want to touch him, I needed to touch him. “I was recruited.”
“Ah,” he said. “Good ol’ Mr. Reed searching out the lost ones.”
“How do you know about him?”
Drew chuckled. “He’s pretty famous around here. He recruited the Oracle.”
My brow wrinkled. “How did he do that?”
“It’s a long story.” Sinking down on the step to the lawn, Drew pulled me onto his lap. He slid his fingers up my shirt and ran them along the curve of my back.
I quivered under his touch. At least the attraction seemed mutual. I could feel his interest in me through his jeans. Reaching my hand down, I stroked the head pushing against the denim. “You really want to spend all our time talking?”
“No,” he grunted, his fingers swirling in slow circles over my back. “But I figured I should set the expectations upfront.”
“What—are you in a board meeting?” I said with a laugh, and slid down in front of him, unbuttoning his pants.
“I want to fuck you,” he said, twirling a lock of my hair.
“
Good,” I said, pulling down the zipper.
His eyes darkened with desire. “But I can’t be mated.”
I pursed my lips. “Oh, Daddy wouldn’t approve?”
“I don’t give a fuck about him,” he said, lifting his hips so I could slide his jeans and his boxers down.
My mouth watered as I gazed at his cock in the low light; it was hard and ready for me. I stroked the length of it with my hand.
“So?” I leaned forward, running my tongue along it and he moaned.
He grasped my hair, pulling my head up to look at him. “As sexy as you are Sasha, I’m not getting tied down to some chick.”
I smiled. “Good, ’cause I don’t fucking want to be mated either.”
Drew laughed, a deep rich sound that curled my toes, and he let go of my hair.
“But,” I said with a wink. “I do expect tit for tat.” I opened my mouth and took him in, sliding down the wide length of him. He was almost too much for my mouth, but I’d had practice. I knew the little tricks that made it fit.
“Huh?” he gasped, leaning back.
I let him go, and said sweetly, “Tonight it’s your turn. But tomorrow, it’ll be mine.”
My hand on him, I waited until he gave a little nod of understanding before I took him in my mouth again. I investigated him, finding each ridge and vein with my tongue. He moaned and twitched under my ministrations. I brought him to the edge over and over again, stretching out the pleasure, until I let him come.
And it took all my force of will not to climb on top of him and claim some pleasure for myself. I could imagine how well he’d fit and how he’d feel as he drove me to the crest, but he was right. Neither of us wanted to be mated.
Afterward, he walked me back to the dorm. The crickets chirped as we walked, and in the distance, a wolf howled. I glanced back at the noise and Drew squeezed my hand. “I’ll protect you,” he said.
I laughed. “I’m not worried. Have many of the students already shifted?”
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Some.”
“Have you?” I asked, leaning against him.
He took a breath. “Yes.”
“What are you?”
“A hawk,” he said. “Carrying on a long tradition in my family.”
I snorted. “Which of course you’re ecstatic about.”
“Yeah, right,” he muttered, stroking the curve of my waist. He couldn’t seem to get enough of touching me, and I can’t say I minded at all.
“What does it feel like to fly?” I asked, looking up at the star-covered sky. I’d done it in my dreams, of course, when I was in air form, but what was it like to do it for real?
“It’s amazing,” he said with a smile. “Like you’re suddenly free, no longer chained to the earth, to this place, to these people.”
I sighed. It sounded spectacular. I hoped that I’d get a chance to shift before I went mad. Maybe that was why I felt such a connection to Drew—because he knew what it was like to be forced into something you didn’t want.
When we reached my door, he kissed me. “I won’t forget,” he said.
“Forget what?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Tomorrow, I plan to make you scream.” He kissed a trail up my neck, letting one sharp fang scrape across my skin. “Until you can’t breathe.”
I shuddered and leaned into him. “Do we have to wait?”
He chuckled, warm and low. He kissed my lips again and released me. “Goodnight, Sasha.”
After watching him walk down the hall and admiring the way his jeans fit his butt, I opened the door, expecting to see the triplets, but they seemed to have gone to bed or at least to their rooms. I sighed in relief and headed for my bedroom. Once inside, I marched across the floor, dropping my bookbag on the desk and almost crushing the shiny new cellphone lying there. I frowned. I didn’t have a cell phone. Did Thornbriar Academy provide them, too? Not just tablets?
I picked it up and turned it over in my hands. A silver case and a screen protector were already applied. If it wasn’t from the school, who could have sent it? Mom? I ran my thumb over the screen, and it opened. It had apps and internet as well as calling ability, pretty standard, we’d just never had enough money to buy one. At least, Alex and I hadn’t. Mom had a cell phone she used for herself.
Clicking it on, I stared at the screen. A cold feeling of dread settled in my gut. The picture was one of Alex and me, taken a few years ago. We were at the apartment pool, eating ice cream and arguing over something. I wore an old striped bikini of Mom’s, and Alex had on his orange trunks. I’d grabbed them out of the half-off bin at the thrift store. I blinked. But who had taken the picture? Mom?
I swiped the screen and saw that I already had a message. Opening it, I glared at the words: Keep in touch- Chuck.
“Fucker.” I tossed the phone back on the desk and sat down on my bed. I’d just arrived. What the hell did he expect me to do so soon? I’d had to pass the Council’s stupid test, and I didn’t even know who the other spirit shifters were. How many of us are there? Asshole knew that, didn’t he? If they hadn’t let me stay, I’d have no chance to do what he wanted. Having that picture meant he was still with Mom. Did she even know what he was doing? Or was she oblivious as usual? I sighed. I was doing the best I could. If he hurt Alex, I’d kill the asshole and damn the consequences.
13
Sasha
After a restless night, I woke late. I lay in bed, gazing at the stucco ceiling and wishing I was home. Click your heels three times and poof—that’s how it worked, right? Shifters were supposed to be magic. Wishes should totally work.
I sighed and rolled out of bed. Grabbing the tablet off the desk, I clicked it on and glowered at my schedule and then at the time. How the fuck had I slept so late? I yanked on my torn jeans and tee-shirt, running a hand through my hair and swiping some deodorant under my armpits. Guess Thornbriar was going to get come-as-you-are Sasha today. Tough luck. I didn’t go all-black-bra-show-through again, but I had a feeling that my little display with Drew had gone viral anyway. I shoved my books in the school-issued backpack and tossed the cell phone on top.
The triplets were already gone when I dragged myself out the door, so I snagged some of their yogurt from the fridge. It was strawberry-flavored. Not my favorite, but I didn’t think I had time to grab food and get to class on time. I ran full speed down the corridors, hoping I was headed to the right place.
The classroom door was just closing, when I stuck my foot in and smiled at the professor. “Hey, sorry I’m late. I’m new.”
He grumbled, “Get in here, young lady,” and left me just enough space to squeak inside.
My eyes scanned the room looking for a seat, and I couldn’t believe how much yum there was in my first class. Right up front, there was a seat next to the tasty guy who’d been playing soccer the other night, and in the back was a brown-skinned hunk who looked like he spent all his time at the gym. A beach-blond sat near the window, his ocean-blue eyes laughing, and in front of him, a gorgeous black guy with a short beard along his chin. I bit my lip. So many choices and I could feel the professor about to clear his throat behind me. Since I was new and I’d totally been warned off the soccer player, I sat in front. Who needs boring?
“Hey,” I said, sliding into the seat next to him. “I’m Sasha.”
He laid those green eyes on me, and my panties got wet.
“Lucan,” he said gruffly.
See, not everyone is hard to get to know. “I heard you’re like the Big Bad Wolf around here.”
“Oh, where’d you hear that?” A smile curved the corner of his lip.
I shrugged and dragged a book out of my bag. “Around.”
“Well,” he said, leaning forward and trapping me in his gaze. “Good thing you’re not Little Red.”
I chuckled. “Good thing.” I glanced toward the teacher, who was writing something on the board.
“What class are we in?”
Lucan tapped the book in fron
t of me—Shifter History.
“Oh.” I’d pulled out the right book somehow. I didn’t want Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy-as-hell to think I was an idiot, but from his expression, I was too late.
“Today,” the Professor said. “We’re going off track from our discussion to talk about Spirit Shifters.”
The class groaned, but I sat up straighter. This was the info I needed to have.
He waved his hands. “I know, I know, but Headmaster Larkin feels that with two spirit shifters among you this year, everyone needs a refresher on what spirit shifters are.”
“Murderers,” a kid yelled from the back of the class.
I bristled.
“They have in the past caused a great deal of trouble for our kind, it’s true,” the Professor continued, as if he hadn’t heard the outburst. “However, our Oracle has beseeched us to—”
“Because she’s one of them,” muttered a girl next to me, and I frowned at her.
“—consider aiding them in their quest to become whole.”
“By fucking them!” A guy exclaimed.
The professor wiped his brow. A small middle-aged guy, he was the type who clearly felt safer reporting ancient history than current events. Especially ones fraught with such volatile emotions. “It’s true that the spirit shifter needs to mate with four other shifters, one from each element, in order to stay stable.”
“Stealing our men,” said the chick next to me, and I met her angry gaze. She knew I was one of them. Fisting my hand, I raised my middle finger in her direction.
She growled, “Fucking slut.”
I snorted. “At least I’m getting some.”
Jumping from her seat, she started toward me, and the professor panicked, waving his hands. “Now, that’s enough girls.”
I just smiled and waited. When she was close enough, I’d throw a punch and she wouldn’t know what was happening. But before she even got there, a broad form moved in front of me.
