Born of Embers

by Harper Wylde

  I quickly scampered to my room and was getting ready to close my door when something dawned on me. He was talking like he was in love with her. He also mentioned that they would all be barging in. Why would they all be spending so much time with her? Shouldn’t he be jealous that his friends were into his girl crush too? Was this guy even dating her? The curious part of me had to know.

  “What’s your name?” I talked to him through the crack I left in the door as I pulled on my underwear, bra, dark wash jeans, and wine colored sweater. Happy to be dressed, I decided that I’d have to traverse the common space of our dorm fully clothed from now on.

  “I’m Barrett.” He laughed at the absurdity of the situation. “Nice to meet you.” I grinned at his sweetness. There was something about him that I liked and it helped me feel a little more normal around him. He was a tall, broad, strong guy that made me feel intimidated but he seemed to be gentle and caring in his own way, which helped me relax. I didn’t associate with men easily. Staying behind my door gave me the sense of security I needed to continue asking him questions.

  “Are you dating Rini?” It was a blunt question; subtlety was not my specialty.

  Before he could answer me I heard Rini’s door open. “Hey, baby!” She squealed quietly and I peeked from behind my door and watched as she walked right up to him and leaned up on her tiptoes to accept a kiss from him. Her hands circled his neck as he stooped down and wrapped his free arm around her small waist. Something in me stirred to life, an emotion that was raw and ugly. I knew the feeling well: jealousy. Another one of my not so fabulous traits.

  Digging deeper, I quickly noted that I wasn’t jealous of their affection for each other, I didn’t want him in any kind of sexual way even though he was a good-looking guy, and I certainly wasn’t upset that Rini looked so happy with him—so far, she seemed like a sweet person who deserved happiness. No, the reason that jealousy was rearing its ugly head was because no man had ever shown such sweet affection for me. Anger burned through my body as I thought of all the men who had beaten me, the one who had forced himself on me without my consent, and of all the times my own father had murdered me only to watch me come back to life and start again. By the time their embrace ended, I was in a thoroughly sour mood that I needed to work to pull myself out of.

  The clearing of a masculine throat brought me back to the present and I saw two sets of curious eyes suddenly focused on my scowling face. I wasn’t ready to deal with questions about my attitude so I tried to clear my face and force a smile as I opened the door wider.

  “Why does Nix look pained?” Rini arched an eyebrow in Barrett’s direction.

  “I kind of walked in on Nix returning to her room after taking a shower. She was in a towel but I swear I didn’t see a thing! To be fair, classes haven’t started yet and I didn’t expect anyone to be awake. I figured everyone would still be sleeping, which is why I brought you coffee. I’m so sorry.” Barrett rambled the words in his nervousness, holding up the coffee in his hands in offering to the pixie standing before him.

  Rini looked back to me before she turned sharply and playfully batted at Barrett. Looking back in my direction again she said, “I’m sorry, Nix! I know some shifters are sensitive about nudity outside of the commune or when it’s not related to shifting.” I realized right away that she had read the anger that had been on my face as my being upset about the lack of privacy this morning. Wait. Had she just said shifters? What. The. Actual. Fuck?

  “Shifters?” I tried to school my voice so I didn’t sound so surprised. I failed.

  Rini’s eyes widened as she eyed Barrett. “That’s not possible, is it?” She asked him, clearly having a private conversation in front of me.

  “I’ve never heard of a shifter growing up outside of the fold before.” His deep voice resonated around the room as they both eyed me carefully, acting like I was a flight risk.

  “All I got off of her was the scent of something avian and smoke. I told Theo as much when he asked me to look into the new girl. He didn’t know what type of shifter she was and had no idea she was actually my roommate. He told me not to mention anything to her, but I thought he meant my knowing about her alternate form!” She looked back to Barrett as she spouted off the last part.

  “Hold on,” I interrupted rudely. I needed answers, like yesterday!

  “Back up. What the fuck do you know about me?” I asked in a hard voice. I tried to steel myself for answers that would have me packing my bags quickly and running away from campus toward the airport.

  “Calm down, Annika. I’ll explain, I promise. You know you’re not entirely human right?” Rini asked slowly, talking to me in a calming voice.

  I stared at her wide-eyed, trying hard not to react. I worked to keep my panic hidden and my face schooled, but I wasn’t sure I was succeeding. I ignored the question and refused to answer. I wasn’t about to give myself away that easily. Instead, I decided to try another tactic. I needed to know what she knew about me, and who she’d told. How big was the supernatural world and how fast would news travel about a girl with my looks who could regenerate? Deciding to start with a less life-altering question that would still lead into the topics I needed to broach I asked, “Who’s Theo?”

  Rini let out a breath that she’d apparently been holding. “Theo is someone who grew up in my sleuth, but he belongs to another group of shifters now. He asked about you because one of his roommates met you the other day and knew you weren’t a human.” She tried to look everywhere except at me as she talked but finally made eye contact at the end of her statement. I could tell she was nervous. I didn’t want this to make things awkward between us but if the answers came back the way I expected them too, I wouldn’t even be here tonight. I’d be on my way out of the state, maybe even out of the country if I could get my finances in order.

  I tried hard to think through all of the people I’d had contact with in the last few days because I had no idea who this ‘Theo’s roommate’ could be; I’d passed a lot of other students, been served by people in the cafe’s and cafeterias I’d been to for meals, and then there was that Uber driver. Before I could ask any more questions though, Rini started talking again.

  “Why don’t we take things a little slower?” She said as she started to pace. Barrett stood behind her with his hands in his pockets, looking toward the ground as he let Rini take the lead. “So I’m a shifter. I’m a pretty normal one as far as shifters go. I mean, I guess none of this will be normal to you if you don’t know about us or our world. There are lots of different kinds of shifters like wolves, foxes, bears… the normal. Barrett and I are bears. So are the other guys who helped me move in the other day.”

  “You shift into a bear?” I felt like my whole world was changing. Walking back into my room, I headed for the nearest seat. Pulling the chair away from the small desk that adorned the corner of my room, I sat as she answered.

  “I do.” She stopped pacing and started wringing her hands as she watched me.

  Narrowing my eyes at her I analyzed every word she’d said so far. This whole thing was far-fetched and hard to believe. My anger surged again as I stared her down, wondering if she was lying, and if she was, what her endgame was. What did she want out of this whole encounter?

  “I don’t think she’s taking this very well,” Barrett whispered to her.

  “Nix. Are you ok?”

  “How many shifters and other supernaturals are there?” I pushed. If I kept asking questions and she tripped up, I would know this whole thing was an elaborate prank or lie. If it was somehow true, then I needed to know how in danger I was. Enough time had passed that I needed to be worried about Michael coming after me. I’d had a head start on leaving, but that advantage would already be gone. Part of me didn’t truly think he would spend the time or money necessary to come after me. The other part of me knew he would never let me go. Not when I sated the murderous side of him so well.

  Suddenly I realized that if Michael found me valuable,
there were undoubtedly other shifters/supernaturals/whatever-the-hell-you-wanted-to-call-them that may also want me for nefarious purposes. I felt the walls closing in slowly.

  “I’m not sure.” Rini looked to Barrett before answering. “There are several hundred communities of shifters throughout the world, but Alaska has the largest commune. It’s close by but further from society so that the shifters have more privacy, you know, for obvious reasons. There are shifters who choose to live outside the communities but the Council keeps track of where they are.”

  “And you can tell what I am?” I pushed again. So many questions were hounding me, but I had to take them one at a time.

  “I have an idea, yes. There aren’t many of your kind and I know the others would love to meet you.” She tried to reassure me without realizing she was just digging the hole that much deeper.

  An exasperatedly panicked laugh bubbled up from my throat. I had walked straight into the lion’s den—or should I should I say bear’s den?—without knowing it. I had never had good luck in life, but this seemed outrageous. Did the universe hate me so much? I was tired of running. I didn’t know where to go next. I just wanted a semblance of normal in my life. The walls were getting closer as I hopped up from my chair, walking on automatic to the closet. I grabbed my backpack and started shoving everything inside of it.

  “Barrett! Call Hiro!” Rini urgently whispered. My ears were already ringing and I couldn’t focus on their conversation or make sense of what they were saying.

  “I’m already calling,” he said in a calm voice as he walked to the front door, opening it and peering out into the hallway. His large frame was filling the doorway, blocking the only viable exit as he used the phone. No!

  I ran to the small dresser and started emptying the drawers into my backpack before heading to the mattress and digging underneath it to find the little money I had hidden out of sight.

  When I was certain I had the essentials, I threw my shoes on and turned, prepared to fight my way out of the dorm room if needed.

  Seven

  Hiro

  I had spent the morning dealing with getting the incoming freshmen on my floor to the right rooms and helping them settle in. It had been a long morning and I was already questioning my decision to work as a Resident Advisor. I missed living with the guys. If the Council hadn’t assigned me this job, I never would have taken it. When the Council asked us to jump, the answer was usually, “How high?”

  Running a hand over my face, I sighed when my cell phone rang. “Hello?”

  Barrett’s voice came through the line. “Hiro! You need to get your ass up here!”

  “Up where?”

  “Fourth floor. Rini’s room. She’s living with another shifter. I don’t know if Theo and Killian filled you in on the fact that we think she’s undocumented. She doesn’t know a fucking thing, man, and she’s getting ready to run. We royally fucked up when we were trying to tell her about us. I’m so damn sorry,” Barrett rambled. He always did that when he was nervous.

  Damn. I had heard about the beautiful mystery girl who had Kill’s Puca tied up in knots. I had gone looking for her the day before, but we had missed each other so far. I was starting to doubt that she had stuck around.

  “What room number?” I asked as I picked up on the urgency coming through the phone. I headed towards the stairs and took them two at a time. It helped that I was tall and fit as I flew up three flights of stairs to the fourth floor. Opening the stairwell door, I darted out of the way of a few giggling girls who were heading down the hallway. I jogged past them down the hall as I started reading room numbers on the doors.

  “Four twenty-four,” he rumbled and I heard him open a door. I saw his head pop out of one of the doorways just up ahead and I hurried toward him.

  Hanging up the phone, I shoved it into my back pocket when I reached Barrett. I heard Rini apologizing and pleading with the girl as I shouldered my way past the brute of a bear into the common area. The second I laid eyes on her all of my breath left my body. My Kitsune had been bored and lounging in the background for days, letting me deal with the hoard of students checking in this week, but now he was at full attention, his beady eyes focused on the dark-haired beauty with the wild eyes. There, standing next to the she-bear, was a golden goddess with long, dark hair that hung to her waist. Hot damn!

  Running my hands through my hair, I watched as the girl gripped her backpack, ready to fight her way out of the room. I straightened my glasses and tried to seem as non-threatening as possible as I addressed her.

  “Hi, you must be Annika,” I said, my smooth voice resonating through the small space and garnering her attention.

  Her deep brown eyes focused on mine and I saw them widen before they narrowed in anger. “Who are you?” Her gorgeous voice had an edge to it.

  Oh fuck. I was screwed. And not in the good way. Even tinged with anger her voice washed over me, making my Kitsune purr as his ears stood at attention. Wrangling back control, I cleared my throat and answered her.

  “I’m Hiro. I’m one of the resident advisors for the dorm.” I’d been told by Theo that Rini thought Annika’s scent was reminiscent of a dragon shifter. I breathed deeply, trying to identify her alternate form myself. I could feel heat radiating off of her, deep, rolling waves that caressed my skin. From how mild they were I would assume she had never shifted. This kind of latent talent definitely spoke of a mythological though. Her scent was tinted with smoke and something—avian? She could definitely be a dragon. Though they were fairly rare I’d run across a few and the scents were similar, though not exact. Probably a different breed than she was. I held my palms up in a placatory gesture as I eased into the room, allowing Barrett to continue blocking the door to prevent her easy escape. “I’m sure this is a little confusing. I think Rini said your name was Annika, is that right?”

  “I go by Nix.” Her voice was gruff, her stance solid as she darted glances all around me. She was definitely looking for an escape route and wouldn’t hesitate to take any opening that we left for her.

  “Nix. That’s pretty. Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sure this is all a very big surprise for you. Rini’s a bear, and her sense of smell is wonderful. Undocumented shifters are rare.”

  Her head cocked to the side, her eyes hard and wary as she studied me. “So you’re agreeing with what she said? There are shifters?”

  I smiled, trying to appear as non-threatening as I could. We had more work in front of us than I had originally thought if she hadn’t shifted yet. “Yes, Nix. There are shifters. Most are common animals—the types of shifters that myths of werewolves are based off of. There are others that are mythologicals. We shift into things that are a lot more rare. There are very few of us.” Her gaze continued to dart around as she listened to me. However, she was still listening. That, at least, was progress. “Look, I’m sure you think we’re just messing with you. I can tell you’re frightened. Do you want me to prove it? Show you that this isn’t a trick?”

  That definitely got her attention. “How?” The word was brusque, her gaze strong and defiant as she studied me. “I think her changing into a bear in this room may go against what it’s zoned for.” Rini giggled and Barrett chuckled behind me. I kept my smile soft as I studied her.

  “You’re right, of course. I’m smaller than they are. However, I’m pretty sure me taking my clothes off right now wouldn’t exactly ease your worries.” I kept my voice warm and my hands where she could easily see them. Her face turned an alarming shade of white and her grip on her bag tightened. I wondered for a moment if she was going to try throwing the bag at us and powering through the blockade we had made. Brave little thing, I thought to myself, my heart warming. She was incredibly frightened, more than I would have expected her to be quite honestly, but she was still fighting. “Here, watch my hand.” I kept the murmur low, and lay my palm out toward her. I held the seeds I tended to carry in my pockets for the birds. She quickly darted her glance to my palm then
back to study the room, unwilling to look away from those whom she perceived as threats for very long—which was basically all of us.

  “You turn into a seed?” Her voice was dry and sarcastic as she asked, her eyes flaring with anger.

  I couldn’t help the chuckle that spilled from me. “No, Nix. Just watch.” I indicated my palm again and concentrated on my Kitsune’s powers. I didn’t have many in human form, but I could still do some earth and plant manipulation and animal communication. Forcing my energy into the seeds I sped up their growth artificially, letting the life in them burst forth and crawl in vines quickly across my fingers and up my arm. I kept pushing, allowing buds to form and flowers to begin pushing free. I was using a lot of energy but it was worth it to see the shock and awe in her eyes.

  Her bag fell from suddenly limp fingers and she staggered as she kept her eyes glued to the morning glories that were curling up my arm and down to my toes. “How are you doing that?” The wonder was overshadowed by skepticism as she stepped closer. Her slender fingers hesitantly reached forward, brushing over the blooming morning glories. I noticed that her hands had cuts that were slowly healing. I briefly wondered how she’d gotten them, but now was not the time to ask. If we could get through this, I would have Ryder heal them for her. Focusing on the moment, I encouraged the vines and blooms to arch further into her hand, smiling widely at her gasp. “They’re real! They’re actual flowers!” Her soft, full mouth gaped open as she looked up into my face. “What are you?”

  I smiled, staying as still as I could. I didn’t want to move quickly and frighten her again. “I’m one of the mythologicals. You probably won’t have heard of me. I’m a kitsune.”