by Aileen Erin
Great. I was late for the class taught by Mr. Dawson. That would really make him want to go easy on the “implications.”
I dropped my head back against the locker, its metal cool against my skin. I had to stay strong. I’d been through bad times before. Nothing this bad, but still, I’d get past this. I had no other choice.
Chapter Twenty
Everyone was already in their seats when I finally walked into Were history, but Mr. Dawson had yet to arrive. The people in the room looked so much younger than the seniors, but that made it that much more apparent that I didn’t belong. Having another incident was not an option. Ever. I made myself take a deep breath and then searched the room for an empty seat.
Guilt weighed heavy on my shoulders. Meredith really had made facing class easier, and I paid her back by being a raging bitch. I promised myself I’d apologize as soon as I saw her.
For now, I had to sit down. I spotted a space behind a guy with scraggly brown hair.
He twisted in his chair as I walked by. “What was it like being bitten?”
I paused for the punch line. He had to be kidding with this. “Are you seriously asking me?”
He nodded. “Did it hurt a ton?”
I dropped my backpack on the desk. “If you really want to know, you could always go find a rabid dog to bite you.” I sat down and grabbed a notebook.
The girl next to me tapped my shoulder. “Excuse me, but I—we were wondering if you knew he was a werewolf?”
I scanned the room. All eyes were on me. Where in the hell was Mr. Dawson?
“The thing is Dastien is really, really nice,” the girl continued. “He wouldn’t have done something like that without a reason. So maybe you wanted to be a werewolf?”
Talk about an invasion of privacy. These kids had cajones for sure. “No, I didn’t know. And I most certainly did not want to be a werewolf.”
“But it’s the rule,” the girl said. “Before biting someone you have to make sure they’re clear on what they’re getting into. Plus you need their permission and the local alpha’s.”
“Well, if that’s the rule then maybe you should be asking Dastien why he broke it.”
She scoffed. “That would be rude.”
I narrowed my gaze at her. “And it’s not rude for you to ask me?”
At least she had the decency to blush at that.
“Imogene has been saying that—”
I growled. What was Imogene’s problem? I forced myself to take ten deep breaths before speaking. “What’s she saying?”
“Well, you know, she’s Dastien’s girlfriend and all…” The growl got louder and she shrank in her seat. “Well, maybe ex-girlfriend, I guess? I’m sure now that you’re up and about, you’ll be able to set the record straight.”
I clenched and unclenched my gloved hands a few times. I had to get my emotions under control. Why should I care if Dastien had a girlfriend anyway? It just showed how much of a creep he was. I grabbed one of the sandwiches Meredith had given me this morning, took a big bite and chewed. If these people weren’t going to stop asking me questions, then I needed to get a better handle on the whole hungry-wolf thing.
Mr. Dawson swept into the room, taking the focus away from me. A frenzy of movement rippled through the class as everyone pulled out notebooks and pens.
I noticed a weird phenomenon with the teachers. Whenever they walked into a room, there was this feeling—almost like a compulsion—to sit up and pay attention. It was worse with Mr. Dawson, and that bugged me. I kept my gaze on him as I slouched in my chair, slowly tucking into the second sandwich.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I trust that you are making our newest student feel welcome.” He glanced my way, smirking when he saw how low I sat in my seat.
“Continuing from last lecture—Tenet Number Five of the Were Law. Who can tell me what that is?”
A blonde in front raised her hand. “Excuse me, Mr. Dawson.”
“Yes, Nikki?”
“We were discussing Tenet Number One before class. There seems to be some issue with that right now, and the punishment for it.”
What was it with the girls in this school? Mr. Dawson scowled at Nikki. I smiled. Looked like Mr. Dawson didn’t care for her either.
He pulled some papers out of his satchel and stopped at my desk. He looked down at me and sighed before handing me a syllabus. “Let’s review what we know about biting humans.”
Son of a bitch.
I quickly scanned the syllabus. They’d covered this two weeks ago. I plopped my head down on my desk.
Could today get any worse? Please, I double dog dare you.
I picked my head up in time to see a hand rise in the front row—a guy with spiky black hair.
“It’s dangerous, which is why you have to have permission. Only one in a hundred guys can survive the transformation. And almost no girls live through it, more like one in ten thousand. Which is why some people think that boys outnumber girls so much.” He pointed at me. “That’s why everyone’s curious about her.”
Goosebumps broke out over my skin. I could’ve died? Did Dastien even think about that?
I couldn’t let it show that he bothered me or they’d pick on me more. “Really with the pointing?”
“I’m willing to briefly discuss this, but let’s leave Miss McCaide out of it,” Mr. Dawson said.
That seemed highly doubtful.
“So, class, if it’s dangerous—why bite?”
The boy in front of me raised his hand. “Because we police the world’s big bads,” said the boy in front of me. “We try to protect the humans and all supes—a.k.a. Supernaturals—from things that would out us. Things that would make the world into an ugly place.” He shrugged. “In the past, we’ve gotten low in numbers and so—” He chomped his teeth and the class laughed.
“And what are the big bads, as you pups like to call them?” Mr. Dawson said.
“Fairies, well the bad ones, black witches, vamps, demons. You name it, we hunt it,” he said.
What in the hell were they talking about? Fairies? Demons? Vampires? Seriously?
Nikki’s hand shot up again.
“Yes, Nikki?” Mr. Dawson said.
“Sometimes people find out about us and ask to get bitten.” She glared at me.
I met her stare, and she looked away instantly.
“That’s enough, Nikki.” Another hand shot up. “Yes, Gabriel?”
“Why would someone break the Law and bite a human? We have rules for a reason.”
I started a mental list of people to avoid. That dude was on it for sure.
“I know you all have questions about what happened, but I’m not going to answer questions about a private matter of one my students. Miss McCaide’s been through a lot, and she still has a hard time ahead of her. I expect you all to treat her with respect and compassion. This ends now.”
Nikki raised her hand again. “A whore—”
“Nikki!” Mr. Dawson said. This time power sizzled behind the command. The hair on my arms stood on end as it rolled through the room. “Did you not hear me? You will go—”
“You don’t even know me. None of you know me.” As much as I wanted Mr. Dawson to fight this battle for me, I couldn’t let him. I’d had enough of this. “I’m not a whore. I didn’t know he had a girlfriend. If he even had a girlfriend. To be perfectly clear, I sure as hell didn’t ask for this. This right here is a nightmare.” I motioned around the room. “And you’ve all just made it that much more shitacular. I hope each of you is feeling really awesome about that right now. And you,” I pointed to Nikki, but she couldn’t meet my gaze. “If you say one more word I swear to God I won’t be responsible for what I do, you stupid—” The hot, woozy feeling was back with a vengeance. I was so done with this class. I grabbed my backpack and my half eaten sandwich.
“Tessa. Wait,” Mr. Dawson called after me. Power backed the command, but I shook it off and kept moving. I heard shocked murmurs from
the class but I didn’t look.
I strode out the door, ran to the stairwell, and slammed into Dastien.
Why had I dared the day to get worse? I was seriously dumb sometimes.
Dastien’s scent filled me. I wanted to bathe in it.
I pushed him away. It wasn’t easy, but I had to. For my own sanity. I tried to step around him, but he blocked my way. “Move.” I shoved him, but it was like trying to push a boulder.
“Tessa. Calm down for a second.”
“Calm down? Do you know what I just went through in there?”
He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Tessa, I—”
I slapped his hand away. “No. Don’t. I can’t. Not right now.” A tear slipped free. I wiped it away with my gloved hand. There was no way I would let him see me fall apart. “Please. Let me go.”
“Cherie…”
“Please. Just let me be.”
“If that’s what you really want.” He frowned and stepped aside.
I raced down the stairs and out into the courtyard. A black Expedition pulled between the buildings, narrowly missing me.
I slammed my hand on the hood of the car, like any good Angelino would do. “Hey. Watch it.”
Two men stepped out of the car. Their power tingled along my skin making me stumble. I kept on walking to the dorm, but couldn’t stop myself from sneaking a peek at them again.
“Very sorry, lass. We didn’t see ya,” one shouted to me. He wasn’t very tall, but he commanded attention. The two shared a word, and then glanced at me before they walked toward the faculty building.
I tried to shake off the feeling that I should know who they were, but couldn’t quite manage it. I looked back one last time before picking up my pace.
Chapter Twenty-One
Once I was in my room, I went straight for my cell. The tiny screen said nineteen missed calls. Oops. I flipped it open and pushed the number one button. Home. It didn’t even finish ringing before she answered.
“Finally! Teresa Elizabeth McCaide. You called your brother but not me! And you tried to run away. What is going on over there?”
“Sorry.” My voice cracked.
She took a deep breath. “Oh, baby. What happened?”
“Nothing. I’m totally, one hundred percent, a-okay.” The wobble in my voice told my mother what she needed to know—that I was one hundred percent lying.
“Oh, Tess—”
“Mom. This isn’t the place for me. There has to be somewhere else. Axel said something about the cousins?”
She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, baby. The cousins can help, but they can’t teach you what you need to know right now. If there’s a chance that you can get a handle on your wolf without your cousins’ help, then you have to try.”
She was clearly mistaken. My emotions were all over the place, and I didn’t feel one bit like myself. “There’s no controlling this. I get so angry, and then—it’s just bad. I’m afraid of what I’ve become.”
Dad said something in the background. There was a rustle before I heard his voice. “Princess. I’ve talked to your mother’s family, and your brother is right—they could help, but I don’t think it’s the best place for you right now. We’ve kept you away from them for a reason. Right now you have some freedom, even if it doesn’t feel like it. If you got to them in the state that you’re in right now, I’m worried for what they’ll do to you. If there were another place, a better one, then I’d tell you. But Michael is there for you. He’s a good guy. You can trust him.”
“I thought you were mad at him.”
“I was, but I also am your father and have to put aside any anger to figure out what’s best for you now.” He paused. “You know I wouldn’t leave you somewhere without going over every option. Right?”
I sighed. “Yeah. I know that.” But what was up with the cousins? I thought we moved here to be closer to them.
“Listen, Michael wants me to give it time, but I need to see you for myself. I negotiated him down. We’re coming for a visit in two days. Can you hang until then?”
“Sure,” I said, and hoped it wasn’t total bull. Soft taps came from my door. “I gotta go. Someone’s here.”
“I love you, kiddo. We all do.”
“Love you, too.” I ended the call and plugged my phone in to charge. I was stalling and I knew it. I didn’t want to know who was on the other side of the door.
“Tessa,” Meredith’s voice came from outside. Three more knocks. “Tess? It’s me. Can I come in?”
“Is it just you?”
“Yes.”
I was relieved it was only her and disappointed at the same time. We were going to have to stop running away from each other at some point. “It’s open.”
She stopped at the foot of my bed and shoved her hands in her pockets. “I heard class didn’t go so well.”
I half-laughed. “You could say that.”
“Well, at least you got me out of Meta.”
“How?”
“Mr. Dawson pulled me. He’s worried about you.”
I guessed now was as good a time as any for that apology that I owed her. Taking responsibility for your actions was part of growing up, but that didn’t make it easy. “About earlier…I’m sorry I snapped at you.”
She held up a hand. “Don’t even worry about that. We all snap sometimes and I was way out of line. I don’t know what happened between you and Dastien, but you can trust me. I won’t tell anyone. I swear.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I know it’s none of my business, but you might feel better if you talked to someone about it.”
We sat there for a moment in the quiet. Bottling it up was making it worse. I looked back at the poster hanging over my bed. Meredith had dealt with crazy just as long as I had. A different breed of crazy for sure, but she’d understand better than anyone I’d met.
So I totally spilled my guts. The only problem was that once I started talking, I couldn’t stop. From my past, and embarrassing lack of friends, to moving to Texas and meeting Dastien—even about my visions. She sat on my bed and listened, with a blank look on her face.
When I finished, she didn’t say anything for a minute. I chewed on my nails as I waited.
Finally, she leaned back on the bed and let out a huge breath. “Wow. No wonder you snapped. What Dastien did is unforgivable. Inexcusable. And completely unlike him. I mean, it’s unbelievable. After I met you I didn’t believe all the stuff about you seducing him, you just seem more real than that. But I thought it was at least consensual.” She got up and started pacing beside the bed. “Why would he do that? What was he thinking! To risk his life and yours…I can’t believe it. It doesn’t make sense.”
I opened my mouth, ready to defend myself, but she held up her hand.
“No. No. I believe you. But I’m blown away. I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now. I thought you were just having trouble adjusting, but your reactions make so much more sense now.” She collapsed on the bed.
I don’t know what I’d expected when I started telling her my story, but for some reason, I didn’t think it’d be sympathy.
“And I have a working theory about your visions.”
I laughed. “Let’s hear it.”
She held up a finger. “One, I think they’re going to come back. Some of the really powerful werewolves have special abilities. There’s a Were I heard about that could move things with his mind. But since you’re different now, they might be different.”
The sense of relief was palpable. “Really?”
“Yep.” She held up a second finger. “And tied to that is my second point—werewolves have stronger minds. We’re not like humans, open for anyone to take a peek. It’s why we’re such good hunters. I mean what if there was a bad witch around? How would we be able to sneak up on her?”
This made sense, in an insane way. “Seriously?”
“Totally. I bet once you get settled with your wolf, you’ll be able to see more and you’ll have more con
trol than you did as a witch.”
“I wasn’t a witch.”
“You might not have known it, but that doesn’t make it untrue. And now you’re like a werewitch or something.”
Oh God. I wasn’t touching that one. I had more than enough issues to deal with.
“By the way, forget what that idiot Nikki said. In case you didn’t notice the resemblance, she’s Imogene’s little sister.”
It made so much more sense now. “What a bitch.”
“I know, right? I’ve never gotten along with those two or any of their crew. You should’ve heard what they said when I put the blue streaks in my hair.” She patted my leg. “Get up.”
“What? Where are we going?”
“Last class of the day and we’ve got it together.”
“No way in hell am I going.” I put a pillow over my face. “I’ve had enough for one day.” It came out muffled, but I didn’t care.
“You can’t hide. You can’t let them win.” She took away the pillow and stared down at me. “This will be good for you. You’ll punch and kick all that anger out, and then the yoga will center you. It’s a must. Plus, I’ll be there and so will Chris, Shannon, and Adrian. It’ll be fun.”
“Martial arts really isn’t my thing.”
“It might not have been, but it is now. Trust me.”
“But doesn’t Dastien teach—”
“Crap. I didn’t think of that.” She paced beside the bed. “I hope Mr. Dawson is smart enough to sub out Dastien from our class, but if not, we need a plan.” She stopped mid-step. An evil grin spread across her face. “Oh. I’m brilliant. I was going to pair up with you, but if Dastien is there, you have to pair up with Chris. It’ll drive Dastien crazy.”
“Wouldn’t that be using Chris?”
She waved a hand through the air. “He won’t mind.” She went through my drawers and pulled out my usual yoga attire—stretchy fold-over pants, a sports bra, and a tank. “I’m going to get changed. I’ll be back here in two and you’d better be up and ready to do some damage.”
I shed my jeans and T-shirt. The thought of doing martial arts in front of class was incredibly intimidating. Not that everyone would stop to watch me make an idiot of myself, but they could. My day so far had included more than my fair share of being stared at.
