“Yeah, it’s a lot of food,” he said sheepishly. “What with soccer starting back up, I need all the energy I can get.”
“How did you get into soccer?” Sophie asked before taking another bite of her food. It was light conversation, a chance for him to be charming and win her over.
“I was a kicker for a peewee football team and I loved it,” he explained as he ate, his eyes never leaving his food. “When I came here, they didn’t have a football team so I joined the soccer team. Practically the same thing, you know? Of course, I didn’t make the team until Year Three. Not like Miss Year One over there.”
Jane’s face turned red as she stared into her bowl of Frosted Flakes. “I’ve been playing soccer since first grade,” she explained.
“Excuses, excuses,” he said with a shake of his head and a smile on his face. “Hey, by the way, did Coach say we have practice today or is that next Tuesday?”
As Jane and Jason talked about soccer, Sophie’s eyes acted on their own volition and reached the corner of her lids in order to look at Will without being obvious. His eyes were fixed firmly on his plate of food, his lips pressed into a tight line.
He wasn’t even looking at her, she realized with an inward groan. He didn’t even notice that Jason was sitting across from her, smiling at her, talking to her. Will didn’t care. In fact, if anything, he was paying more attention to Dianna, sitting at his right, than he was to Sophie. This pissed her off more than she was willing to admit. Dianna was laughing at whatever it was Will had said in a demure, feminine way.
She glowed, Sophie realized. Dianna glowed and it wasn’t fair.
Well, fine. If that was the type of girl he wanted, then she’d stop feeling for him. This time, for real. She meant it. She could never be Dianna. She could never be what Will wanted.
30
She kept dreaming about him dancing with her to “Autumn Dream,” but in her dreams, fantasies, their bodies would be closer, chest to chest, and his arm would be wrapped tightly around her waist instead of a simple hand on her shoulder. She couldn’t escape, but she never wanted to. She could smell the cinnamon on him, could feel the strength in his fingertips, in his arms. Jane always knew she was dreaming because while they were dancing, he would lean down so the tip of his nose brushed her cheekbone and his breath caressed her skin as he sang something to her in Russian, something she didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. She loved hearing the foreign words drip from his tongue like chocolate sauce on vanilla bean ice cream. He also addressed her either by her first name or a Russian endearment that sounded like lubimaya. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew it was intimate judging by the way his black eyes warmed while looking at her as he said it.
Whenever she woke up, she felt her heart constrict painfully, disappointed that they were mere dreams. However, she forced herself to push them to the back of her mind. These were dreams, not reality, and she refused to dwell on what she couldn’t have.
Because she was in love with him.
It wasn’t a gradual feeling either. She literally woke up from that first dream, of them dancing, and knew she was in love with him. Maybe she had been for a while and only noticed it now. But it was forbidden. It would never come to fruition. He was her professor and probably saw her as some silly school girl. The fact that she was Ignis didn’t help either. Plus, he was over seven hundred years old. He’d probably seen the entire world, while she had never left California.
In order to rid herself of these thoughts, these feelings, she decided to throw herself into school. Perhaps she’d meet a new guy too. Cillian seemed to frequent Ultra a lot, so she’d most likely run into him again. If Sophie and Jason weren’t into each other, she might have had a thing for Jason.
And there was always Teemu Selanne.
Seventeen was such a difficult age.
Maybe she’d find some safe eye candy that would provide her with enough of a distraction to get over Depogare while keeping her feelings safe and her heart intact. Her eyes rolled over to Professor Butler, currently going over the significance of the Master Number eleven. He definitely wasn’t a bad candidate. With a Scottish brogue and lots of muscles, a charming smile and those pale green eyes, he definitely fit the bill of attractive. Rumors swirled that he was quite the playboy and was known to date former students of legal age. Jane knew there were plenty of current students who hoped to seduce him before they graduated. She still didn’t understand that type of confidence. She wasn’t the type of girl who could actually seduce a man, especially not a professor. The thought of how awkward it would be if and when he rejected her always stopped her.
For a moment, she wondered if there were girls who plotted to seduce Depogare. The idea made her both bristle and want to laugh. The jealousy surprised Jane because she wasn’t a jealous person. Yet the thought of any other girl being his lubimaya, whatever that meant, made her fume. No student here was good enough for him. They couldn’t match his intellect. What made her laugh was the general consensus about him was that he was a cold, heartless wretch who was ugly to boot. He had a big nose and a butt chin and he wore suits every day. Though he didn’t look a day over twenty-five, there was still a few grey hairs embedded in his otherwise black mane. However, there was something about him, something enticing and dangerous, something sensual, and Jane couldn’t have been the only girl to notice this.
Her fingers found her hair, pushing stranded locks back in their proper place. This would get her nowhere. She wanted to stop thinking about him, stop feeling for him, stop dreaming of him. How was she supposed to do that, though, when it was just the two of them, when he was the person she turned to in order to calm down?
“That has to stop,” she murmured to herself.
“What was that, Jane?” Professor Butler asked, giving her a teasing smile. Unlike Depogare, the majority of the staff addressed their students by their first name. It made the sound of him calling her Jane that much more special.
Okay, seriously, this needed to stop.
“Nothing,” she said quickly, feeling her face heat up. “I just had, uh, a tickle in my throat.”
God, she was a bad liar and Butler knew it too. Luckily, like all professors, he seemed to like her enough to let it pass.
Once she heard Butler begin his lecture again, Jane started to make a plan. Every time she felt herself lose her grip on her patience, she’d figure out how to calm down. She couldn’t go to Depogare anymore, not when she knew she’d only fall more in love with him. He was right; he wasn’t always going to be around her, so she needed to get used to it now.
After Numerology was over, Jane picked up her stuff and proceeded to head out the door. Her name being shouted down the hallway by a familiar, slightly Texan voice stopped her from heading to her dorm room.
“Ugh,” she groaned, stopping her walking but refusing to turn around. She could feel a headache coming on, and as she pinched the bridge of her nose, deciding to stop by the Dining Room and pick up some chamomile tea.
When she felt the tall, lanky Aqua stand beside her, she proceeded to head out of the Ack Building with Calvin following her.
“What do you want, Calvin?” she drawled when he still hadn’t spoken to her by the time they were outside.
“Someone’s in a mood,” he said in that voice that revealed he didn’t appreciate her attitude. “Anyway, I need to ask you a question.” Jane looked at Calvin from the corner of her eyes, arching a brow but deciding to keep silent. “Do you remember how we discussed the Halloween dance last night after training? Professor Depogare joined in, do you remember?”
No, she didn’t want to remember.
She also couldn’t forget.
This was torture. Why was Calvin doing this to her?
“So?” It was the only thing she could think of to say that wouldn’t reveal just how much that memory affected her. They had danced after Calvin left. He had turned on his record player with his mind, took her in his arms, and swayed with her a
cross the room. Then she stepped on his foot, knocking him over. He laughed and brushed her hair out of her face, the pad of his fingertip dragging gently across her skin …
She blinked. This was not helping her forget.
“Well, I find that I want to go,” he told her. “It’s a social situation that I have never participated in, and after hearing you and Depogare talk about it, I’ve decided I’d like to experience it for myself.”
“Okay.” She stopped walking, having nearly reached Ignis Hall, and looked at Calvin’s profile. “Is there a reason why you’ve decided to tell me this, Calvin?”
For the first time since Jane knew Calvin, he looked nervous, hesitating. His cheeks lightly flushed, looking at the tip of his shoes. “Well, I’d like to go with you,” he said. His voice grew stronger with each word and his cerulean eyes latched onto hers. “You obviously have a lot of experience with dancing and I’d like to observe my peers in an unusual setting. We’d only go together strictly as friends. I would pay for everything, of course.”
“That isn’t necessary,” Jane said, shaking her head. She hated when people paid for things for her, except for her parents.
“Well?” he asked her. “I’m unfamiliar with what happens next. Do you tell me your answer now or must I wait until a designated time?”
Despite herself, Jane smiled. He wasn’t her ideal man by any means, but she’d never fall for him. And, dare she say it, going to the dance with Calvin—strictly as friends—might be fun? It might even help her forget about Depogare, if only for a little while.
“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “I’ll go with you.”
“This is not a date,” Calvin reiterated.
“If it was, I wouldn’t have agreed.”
A pause, and then, “Fair enough.”
31
“Where’s Will?” Sophie hadn’t meant to sound so rude, but it was Friday, the day before the dance, and Will said he wasn’t leaving for his change until Monday.
“He didn’t tell you?” Dianna’s low, nasal voice was somehow not as annoying as Sophie thought it might be which only annoyed her further. How was it that this woman, who looked nothing more than twenty years old, was perfect, at least when it came to physical appearance? Just standing next to her made Sophie feel inadequate in her sweats while Dianna looked like some kind of goddess.
“Didn’t tell me what?” she asked, keeping the edge out of her voice by tensing her shoulders. She was upset because, according to Dianna, Will told her something he hadn’t told Sophie but should have.
“He decided to leave for his change early,” she explained. “It’s not actually that uncommon. Will’s kind of a loner, which I’m sure you know. He always leaves early to set up the camp for us before going off on his own. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”
The red head crossed her arms over her chest, looking away as she shifted uncomfortably. He left earlier than he normally did? Did it have anything to do with everything that had happened between them or was she just flattering herself? It started that night she didn’t really remember, when she got drunk and Will watched over her until she woke up. Then Jason asked her to the dance in front of Will, and for whatever reason, that upset him which only upset her because she didn’t quite understand it herself. And now he was gone. It might not have anything to do with her, with them, but then what if it did? He ran away. He didn’t want to deal with whatever it was that was going on between them. That pissed her off even more.
“Did he tell you why that was?” she asked. She hoped her voice sounded neutral. The last thing she needed was for Dianna to get the idea in her pretty little head that she had a thing for Will.
“All he said was that he had to get away,” Dianna replied.
Of course.
He had to get away.
From her.
He couldn’t wait until after the weekend, after the dance. He had to get away from her now, and oh, by the way, he wasn’t going to tell her he was leaving early. She’d only find out about it through the woman Sophie thought might have had some kind of relationship with him.
“Anyway, we’re not here to talk about boys, are we?” Dianna asked with a warm smile. Sophie felt her lips twitch up in response, completely beyond her control. No, this was not supposed to happen! Sophie was not supposed to start liking Dianna.
“Now, I know Will normally starts training sessions with some running. I don’t know about you, but I hate running so we’re going to skip that part,” the blonde continued. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Maybe Sophie could understand liking Dianna.
“No, that’s fine,” Sophie said, her voice light. “I really don’t like running either.”
“Good.” Dianna’s pale green eyes locked with Sophie’s sapphire ones. “You know Sophie, I’m hoping you and I get closer. I know we haven’t really talked, but I’m sure you’re really busy here. I have a lot of family issues that are nearly sorted out, but I want us to be friends. If you have a problem with school or Will or you just want to talk, I want you to know that I’m here for you, okay?”
Was she kidding? Dianna was actually being really sweet, but Sophie barely even knew her. There was no way Sophie planned to confide in the shifter, especially if she was having problems with Will. It would appear as though Will and Dianna were closer than Sophie initially believed, and Sophie highly doubted Dianna would keep her pink mouth shut if she did choose to talk to her about him. Nope, no way. Just because the two shared a hatred of running did not make them best friends forever.
“So if we’re not running, what are we doing?” Sophie asked.
“I was thinking I could take you to the gym to see what you can do,” Dianna said. “In case I have to train you again—and knowing Will, I probably will—I want to know you’re abilities so we can narrow in on what we need to focus on. What do you say?”
Sophie blinked. Dianna was actually letting her have a say in her training? That was different. And nice.
“Yeah, a gym sounds nice,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve been to the one here.”
“You’ll love it,” Dianna said with enthusiasm. “It’s huge and since all the Aqua soccer players are running right now, we’ll have it pretty much all to ourselves.” She winked and then turned, heading to the AckPec locker room.
The gym was a part of the large building, taking up nearly half the space. It was filled with all sorts of equipment, some that was familiar to her, like treadmills and weights, and some that was not. Dianna briefly stopped at the reception desk and signed the two in—the receptionist insisted on scanning Sophie’s student id card, but Dianna said, “She’s with me,” which shut her up. They entered in the large, nearly vacant gym. Pop music played softly over the speakers but the people Sophie saw working out all had iPods with them.
“All right, let’s start off with something simple,” Dianna said, stopping just off to the side of the row of treadmills where small shelves of weights were located. “Lifting weights. Then we’ll go up from there. If anything is too much for you, if anything is too strenuous, let me know and we’ll stop.” She pulled out some kind of phone—Sophie couldn’t tell which kind it was, but it had a long screen and all the letters were on individual keys. “I’m going to keep a track of all your stats so you and I won’t forget what you’re capable of.” She looked up and gave Sophie a dazzling smile. “You ready?”
It turned out that Sophie didn’t have to worry about anything stressing her muscles out. In fact, everything Dianna had her try out was almost too easy. She lifted weights, she did chest exercises and leg exercises. Anything involving weights, she could do without blinking an eye. She could lift the heaviest ones and it would be akin to lifting snowballs. Dianna was jotting all of this information down in her phone; the heavier the weight, the bigger the smile on her face got. It was only when Dianna had her try weightless toning exercises like lunges, sit ups, and push-ups did Sophie finally falter. She hated it, hated it all. She wanted to go
back to the weights.
“All right,” Dianna said, sliding her phone into the pocket of her sweatpants, “just one more thing before we call it a day. I want to try something.” She locked eyes with Sophie. “This is going to sound weird, but given your astronomical physical strength, I wanted to see if that translated into your weight. I’m not calling you fat by any means—I mean look at you—but I want to see if someone as weak as I am can pick you up. Does that make sense?”
Sophie nodded. It was a tad embarrassing, but whatever. She could have sworn that bartender Elle hated had carried her to some kind of room when she was too drunk to walk like it was no big deal, but she still couldn’t remember that night. Probably a good idea to keep that to herself.
“I’m going to pick you up now, okay?” Dianna warned before bending her knees, placing her hands on Sophie’s waist, and proceeding to lift the red head up.
Dianna struggled a bit, but eventually did manage to pick her completely off the ground.
“Well, well, well, Sophie Harper,” Dianna said once she set Sophie back down. “You look like a normal teenage girl, you feel like a teenage girl, but you’re something else, aren’t you?”
32
It was Thursday night and Jane found herself not relaxing in her dorm room, preparing to head to bed like usual. It was just after curfew and Jane was in Depogare’s office, having just come from mental training. She was already mentally exhausted because the dance was Saturday night and on Friday night, Jane was being dragged back to Ultra—along with Brielle and Sophie—by Elle because Aiden was supposed to be back from England. Luckily for her, Depogare agreed to meet with her Thursday night. Of course, Jane hadn’t realized how tired she would be, and now she’d have another hour completely draining her energy. She felt like a victim in Sailor Moon.
Stranger Series Box Set Page 21
