by Cali Mann
“Back to your seat, Nancy,” Lucan snapped.
The chick actually whined and pawed her face. What the fuck? What was that about? But he just stood there, and she returned to her seat, ducking her head.
When he turned back, I said, “I can fight my own battles.”
“And I don’t want one of my pack getting in fights for no reason,” he muttered.
“Your pack?” I asked as he pushed past me.
“Yes,” he said. “My wolves. My pack.”
The professor started talking again, but I didn’t hear him. Mrs. Everett said that earth shifters took predator form—she herself was a bear—but how many took wolf form for there to be a whole pack here at Thornbriar? And Lucan thought he was what? The leader of this pack? I’d been joking about the Big Bad Wolf thing, but apparently, I’d been more right than I knew. I tapped the eraser head of the pencil along my lip.
Lucan left as soon as class was over, and he didn’t even look back. Well, that was rude. But I had gotten a sense of the student body. None of them wanted spirit shifters here, and there were two of us. I had to find out who the other one was and figure out the best way to cause trouble for both of us. That was never a problem. I was good at getting into trouble.
I yanked my backpack on and headed out to the next class. In the hall, the students all walked a little bit farther away from me than everyone else. It really was like having fucking cooties. I saw Drew at the end of the corridor, and I waved to him. He grinned and gestured for me to come over.
“Hey,” I said, and he reached out, pulling me against him and kissing me hard. Warmth jetted down my skin, and I wrapped my arms around him.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said when we came up for air.
I smiled. That’s how I liked my men: desperate for the next taste.
“And what I’m going to do to you,” he whispered. “The next time . . .” He lifted my chin, so my eyes met his molten gaze. He might have been an air shifter, but he knew how to fan my flame. I guess wet panties are the name of the game today. I licked my lips, then realized there was a noticeable silence around us. Stupid cooties.
He glanced around at the students giving us a wide berth, and he smirked. Then his gaze returned to me and softened. “You figuring things out?”
“Yeah, I’m making it.” The hall started to clear, and I figured I’d better get on to class. I turned to go but Drew caught my arm.
“Find me at lunch,” he said with a heated look that made my toes curl. I expected more than food was on the menu, and I didn’t mind at all.
“Sure,” I said and headed down the hall to English, one of the more normal-looking classes on my daily schedule. Math, science, and English were mixed in with shifter classes. Shifter history and shifter biology—okay, I got those, but what was the ‘Focus’ class I had right after lunch?
14
Lucan
Sasha was trouble all the way through. I knew it as soon as I saw her—all her lush curves and hair like sunshine couldn’t hide the danger in just one look. As soon as she sat down next to me, my wolf sat up and took notice. He’d gotten a whiff of her honeysuckle scent, and he liked it.
But I couldn’t afford trouble. I was a Masters, as my uncle liked to say, and we were alphas. Not living up to their obligations was what had gotten my parents killed. They’d let another wolf challenge for head of the pack, and he’d killed my father. Mother had died of a mate’s grief right afterward. That’s how I’d ended up living under Uncle Derek’s roof and listening to his lectures.
That angel hair, those perfect curves, and the scent that had wafted across the classroom—more than my wolf had been called to attention.
Of course, then she’d flirted with me like I was just another conquest. I was Lucan Masters, alpha of my pack, and she was what? Just another mad spirit shifter.
My wolf had grumbled when I turned a blind eye to her batting eyelashes, but he knew our responsibilities as well as I did. The pack needed strong leadership, and strong leaders needed to mate well. I couldn’t waste my time fooling around with manipulative little girls.
“You should have let me at her,” Nancy grumbled.
I’d considered Nancy once. She was smart, almost the top of our grade, and she was hot. She came from a good family; Uncle Derek respected them. But even with her auburn hair and her curvy hips, my wolf had stuck his nose in the air. We’d fucked, but I knew it wouldn’t go any further. She wasn’t my mate. “Why?” I muttered. “So you can get yourself in trouble?”
“They shouldn’t have let her in. I thought your uncle was going to stop it.”
“He’s working on it. They can’t just tell the Oracle no.”
Nancy shrugged. “I don’t know why she’s the Oracle anyway. Can’t they just take the power away from her?”
Smart with books, but not so much on the side of common sense. I growled, and she flinched. I didn’t like to rule with fear. That was Uncle Derek’s way, not mine, but sometimes the pack needed to be put in their place. I took a breath and opened my mouth to explain calmly, but Zan arrived as we entered our next class.
I grinned. “Hey, Zan.”
“Yeah?” he asked, dropping his bag on a nearby desk with a thump. It spilled over with books and papers and pencils.
I knew I could count on our pack’s scholar for a thorough lesson. “Explain to Nancy how the Oracle gets her powers.”
“Sure thing,” he said, nodding.
Nancy looked hurt, but I wasn’t letting her disappointment ruin my day. Besides, delegation was part of leadership, one of my favorite parts, to be honest. Now I could focus on not thinking about a certain honeysuckle scent.
15
Sasha
I ducked into science class a few minutes late, and the narrow-eyed teacher looked down her nose at me. I wanted to flip her the bird but, seeing as it was my first day and all, I thought I should behave.
Biting my lip, I glanced around. The class was working on an experiment that involved Bunsen burners and vials of liquid, and I hadn’t been here for any of the prep work. This should be fun.
“Ms. Wren,” the teacher said sternly, motioning me over.
Clearly everyone already knew who I was. She was dressed in a plain gray pants suit, and her hair was cut short and close to her head. Ex-military, I’d have to say, no-nonsense and demanding. I didn’t think we were going to get along.
“I’m Professor Harper.” She flipped through some papers on her desk and handed me a packet. “You will observe only today, but I expect you to have read these by class tomorrow so you can participate properly.”
“Of course,” I said, trying to look serious. The stack she gave me was a mile high. What the hell were they studying in here? I thought it was chemistry. I shoved them in my backpack and pulled out a pencil and a notebook. Luckily for me, Thornbriar seemed to provide all these things because I certainly hadn’t thought to bring them.
Dropping my backpack in the front of the class, I strolled around the lab tables, trying to look studious. I had no idea what they were doing, but as long as I seemed interested, the teacher left me alone. On one table, the students had a green fluid that was smoking, and I leaned forward to look at it. The smoke was making weird dragon shapes against the glass. I tapped my pencil against my lip.
A flash of light skittered past my eyes, and I smelled fabric burning. Looking around, I realized there was a strange glow coming from me. Weird. I stared down at my hip. It looked like flames, but I didn’t feel any pain. A sudden agony seared across my skin, and I stumbled, gripping the lab table. I was on fucking fire. I swatted it with my notebook and scanned around for help. The rest of the students just stared at me as if I were a display at the zoo.
“What the fuck?” I screeched, trying desperately to think. Hadn’t we talked about this in fire safety, back at my old school? When you’re on fire: stop, drop, and roll. I leaned toward the floor, when water cascaded over me, drenching me from head to
toe. My tee-shirt adhered itself to my chest and even my socks squished in pools of water inside my boots. Liquid streamed down my face, and I gasped at the cold temperature, shoving my hair out of my eyes. But the water cooled the burning ache in my side, and I groaned, leaning against the lab table.
A fluffy towel hit my face, and a guy’s voice said, “So sorry! I just meant to put out the fire.” He proceeded to pat my hair and my tits.
I didn’t know whether to be pissed or not, but then I caught sight of him—all six-foot, manly, blond god of him. His startling blue eyes were full of mischief, not malice. I couldn’t be angry with him, so I let a giggle spill out my lips and winced when I pulled on my burn. It was so stupid. The water had soothed it, though, so it was starting to feel numb. I wondered if that was a bad sign. I snorted.
Sexy guy snickered.
I lifted my soaked hair, and he offered me the already-wet towel. I laughed. I’d been on fire and then he’d done something with the water. What the hell kind of powers did these shifters have? My hip still ached but not as bad. I was scared to touch it and see what the damage was.
“That’s quite enough,” growled the professor, her hands on her hips.
Where the hell had she been when someone was setting me on fire? The thought sobered me, and I took a breath. “What happened?”
A somber-looking guy came up behind my rescuer. He was nerdier than any shifter male I’d met yet but still fucking hot. I was beginning to think that was the only flavor they came in. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jeans, and his dress shirt was buttoned all the way up. The fabric outlined his taut muscles, though. An unruly coal-black curl fell over one eye as he said, “It was my fault, Professor Harper.”
She eyed him, her expression saying it couldn’t possibly be true.
Teacher’s pet. I pressed my lips together, but blondie caught my gaze and winked at me. I snorted.
“Yes, Miss Wren?” Professor Harper asked, raising an eyebrow. Her look said, ‘of course it was your fault.’
Shit. I’d just arrived, and they were already tossing me in a box—troublemaker. Putting on my best innocent face—’cause I was in fact innocent—I muttered, “What? I’m the victim here.”
The professor scowled.
I waved at my hip. “I’ve been burned. Is there a nurse or something?”
Blondie grinned. “I’ll take her, Professor.”
She frowned and glanced at the nerd boy. “Flint, go with Calder and Sasha, please. Make sure they don’t find any more trouble on the way.”
He’d admitted to burning me and I was going to cause trouble? What was wrong with these people?
But Flint nodded and then fetched my bookbag from the front of the room.
“My friends call me Cal,” said the blond, offering his arm. “Can you walk?”
I shrugged and took a step. It seemed okay, but I leaned on Calder’s arm anyway. “So, Cal,” I said as we hopped out of the room, Flint trailing behind us. “What are you in for?”
Calder chuckled. “The usual. Wrong place, wrong time.”
“Damn, me too,” I said, limping along. I ran my hand over my side and flinched as I crossed the burn. Guess I’d been hurt worse than I thought. We turned a corner, and Flint held the door for us.
A wooden reception desk stood in front of us, and a woman in a white nurse’s uniform sat behind it. She came around as soon as we entered. “What’s happened now?”
“I burned her,” Flint said as if it was a compulsion for him to tell the truth.
Cal shook his head. “It was an accident. In science.”
The gray-haired nurse nodded and gestured to a door off to the left. “Well, bring her in, and let’s have a look.”
We hobbled after the nurse into a small triage room. She patted the bed. “Help her up here, Cal, honey.”
“Cal, honey?” I mouthed as I climbed up onto the examination table. The white paper crackled underneath my butt. She was old enough to be his grandmother.
He snorted. “I come in here a lot, don’t I, Nurse?” He helped me get settled on my side with my injured hip in the air. I faced out toward the room so I could still see what was going on.
“That you do,” the nurse said as she inspected my hip. The fabric was gone, incinerated, and the bared skin was red and irritated. Her cold hands pulled on the edges of the burn.
I winced, breathing in the sharp tang of antiseptic, and tried to remember the last time I’d been to the doctor for anything. Mom had always told us it was dangerous to let human medical people examine us. They might notice we were different, or that we healed faster than normal.
Cal unlaced and pulled off my boots. Turning them over and shaking out the water, he looked at me apologetically.
“It’s okay,” I said with a shrug.
Flint lingered near the door. He swiped back a lock of hair with one hand and glared at the floor. What was his problem? He couldn’t even look at me? And he was the bastard who’d hurt me.
Grabbing my foot, Cal unrolled my soaked socks and squeezed them out. Then he hung them on the visitor’s chair and turned my boots upside down.
I could get used to this. I grinned. I didn’t think I’d ever had a man wait on me hand and foot like this.
“Young man,” the nurse said to Flint. “Can you grab a towel and mop that mess up? I don’t need anyone slipping in my triage room.”
“Yes, madam,” Flint said and crossed to the cabinet. He pulled out some bleached-white towels.
I shook my head. He didn’t even argue with her. Cal was the one making the mess. Why was Flint such a wuss? Of course, I thought, eyeing him, he probably thought he was being polite. And he was courteous to her but not to me, the one he’d actually hurt. I grimaced.
The nurse poked and prodded at my burn, and I squealed.
Cal held out a hand, and I gripped it.
“Always happy to help a lady in distress,” he murmured.
I laughed. “Thanks.”
“Okay,” the nurse said, nodding to herself. Then she waved her hands toward the door in a shooing motion. “Boys out.”
Cal waved, and Flint scowled, but they both headed out to the waiting room or probably back to class. They’d delivered me; I wasn’t their problem anymore.
The nurse inclined her head to me. “I’m going to need you to undress, sweetie.”
“Okay.” I leaned back and undid my jeans. I wriggled out of them as best I could, whimpering.
She peered at the burn spot and picked off a few remaining fabric strands. “Well, it was good Cal acted as fast as he did. This is only a first-degree burn, and most of the denim burned right off.”
“Sure hurts like hell,” I said with a groan.
The nurse chuckled. “Keep it clean and dry, and wear a skirt for a few days, and you should be fine.”
“A skirt?” I grumbled.
“Yes, you don’t want any fabric right against the burn and it will give it room to air out. Don’t worry, dearie. Shifters heal fast.”
I sighed and rubbed the fabric of my ruined jeans between my fingers. “Um . . . do you have a skirt I can wear now?”
The nurse cocked her head. “Can’t one of your girlfriends run it down?”
I shrugged. “It’s my first day. I don’t know anyone.”
Her face filled with pity, but she nodded. “I’ll go and fetch something, then. Be right back.”
What a fine first day this had been so far. I’d been late to class, almost got in a fight, and been burned. The teachers already hated me, and most of the students were suspicious. I rubbed my head. I was ready to go back to bed already.
The nurse returned with a few school uniform skirts and set them on the bed. “Choose whichever one fits, dearie, and off you go.”
“Thanks,” I said, picking through them.
She paused at the door. “The boys are waiting for you outside. I think they want to apologize.”
I smiled and climbed to my feet, wincing. I sli
d a skirt on and yanked my damp tee shirt down over it. School spirit was so not my thing. I hobbled out into the lobby.
Flint sat stiffly in a chair near the wall, while Cal leaned against the check-in desk and batted his eyes at me. What a flirt.
“So,” I said, gesturing to my hip. “What happened?”
Flint lifted his eyes and looked at me, pained. “I got pissed at Calder and knocked over the Bunsen burner.”
“And it happened to hit me?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I might have hit it a little hard. I am sorry for any pain and trouble I’ve caused you.”
Cal laughed. “He just doesn’t want to admit he was distracted and checking out your ass when he did it.”
Flint snarled at Cal, but his eyes stayed on me. “Do you accept my apology?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
Cal whooped. “Go, Sasha, go. Don’t take any of his shit.”
“What do I need to do?” Flint asked, looking confused.
Must be a first for him: not getting his way. What a life that must be. I smirked. “Helping me back to the dorm would be a good start. Grab my bag.”
Flint hunched his shoulders and picked up my backpack.
“Wanna come along, Cal?” I asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, babe,” he said, sliding his arm under my shoulder and chortling. Flint trailed along behind us,
I grinned. Elbowing Cal, I whispered, “What’s Mr. Grumpy’s problem?”
A slow grin spread across his face. “He can’t stand that he might have found a spirit shifter attractive.”
My heart sank. It must be all over school by now, then. Guess there was no hiding it, even for a little bit. Fuck them. I was who I was, and they had to deal with it. I raised an eyebrow at Cal. “How about you? Any problem with spirit shifters?”
“Hell no,” he said. “You’re fucking gorgeous. I don’t care what your element is.”
I snickered.
