by S. L. Morgan
“What exactly is going on here?” Kat demanded.
“I honestly can’t take your questions seriously when you look like a pink nightmare, Kat,” Vannah said, motioning to Kat’s usual all-pink satin pajamas.
Vannah came over to join me on my bed where I sat, reading my fairy lore book. She leaned over to check out my pages as I smiled at her for even being in the room, much less moving in.
“What’s this?” she said as she pointed toward a mystical fairy lore I had been reading about.
“It’s some book I snagged out of the vault in the library. I decided to dig a little deeper into the fairy stuff, you know?” I eyed her, hoping she caught on to me referring to my heritage. “I was curious to learn a little more about the different breeds out there.”
“I know that, but why? You’re just now getting back into your classes. You have a lot of other catching up to do if you want to pass.”
“I know, I’m using my lights out time to read. What the heck is going on, anyway?” I closed the book, so Kat didn’t try to join in and get nosy.
“What does it look like?” She patted my flannel pajama bottoms, “I’m relieving my best friend of the tortured life she’s been living since she was ripped out of her everyday life and mislabeled a troubled student.”
“She wasn’t mislabeled,” Kat sneered. “Isn’t it obvious that she and her wolf were totally off? Why else would Dominic break up with her and realize they weren’t a bonded couple? Jenna probably used that unpredictable wolf of hers to charm him, and oddly, he fell for it.”
“Why don’t you pay attention to how you’re going to manage to sleep squished into the wall,” Vannah shot back before I could. “No one asked you.”
“My brother doesn’t fall for anything,” Lusa said from the doorway. She looked at me and smiled, “Pays to be in charge of the dorms up here. Vannah and I have been waiting for this day to come so we could surprise you. I hope you’re cool with three in this little space?”
I hugged Vannah and met Lusa halfway into the room to hug her. “You both have no idea how awesome this is.”
“It’s your birthday too.” Vannah reminded me of the date. Damn, it was already December 15th. “Lus and I snuck a pie up here for you.”
Kat covered her nose. “Why would you think it was okay to torture me? I wasn’t in the troubled kids’ program. I don’t deserve this.”
“Shut up, Kat!” Vannah, Lusa and I said in unison.
“Vannah, you know I hate my birthday,” I said. “Well, at least I’m twenty-one…isn’t that considered a real adult in the human world?” I laughed. “Even though it means nothing here. It’s kind of an arbitrary number to magically make you an adult if you ask me.”
“Please,” Vannah rolled her eyes. “You know if you and Dom were still together…” She arched her eyebrow at me, “Well, twenty-one means a lot of things for supes, and I’m pretty sure we’d be looking all over this place for where Dom was going to—”
“Vannah, please don’t,” I said with a warning in my voice. “I know, and I really don’t want to be reminded of what I lost.”
“You didn’t lose him,” Lusa said softly.
“Well, I don’t know how to get him back, so that equals the same as losing the person I love.”
“You still feel that way about him…after everything?” Vannah pressed.
I looked at Kat, who had surprisingly shut her trap for the first time in history.
“Let’s talk about it another time,” I said, trying to make it clear that the little snitch was over there, absorbing all the info my friends and I were trying to catch up on after all this time. “Why couldn’t you move Kat out?” I asked Lusa. “I mean, for her own sanity, of course.”
“I tried. Melanie is bunking with Vannah’s former roommate.”
“God, I’d rather stay in here than listen to that leprechaun go on and on for days about her and Dominic,” Kat interjected.
“They’re not a couple,” Lusa eyed Kat. “If you even dare to think it’s okay to start a rumor about my brother while he’s gone, you’ll be reported. Then, maybe when Dom gets back, we’ll have a whole new group of troubled students—one being you—lined up and ready to go for him.”
“Well, it’s pretty obvious, is all.” Kat shrugged.
Lusa rolled her eyes. “Enjoy your new roommate,” she smiled. “Oh, and your new training master is Mike Jacobs. He’s a pretty cool lion shifter. Dom was able to insist you work under him.” She winked and left the doorway.
“Do you know when they get back from the training?” I whispered to Vannah.
“They’ll be gone for two weeks,” she said.
“Well, it’s a good break for Dom at least.” I was trying to keep this whole thing light because Kat seemed to be at attention to anything I said to Vannah—and I was even trying to gag her out by taking heaping mouthfuls of my birthday pie.
“Yeah. You need to get caught up and focused anyway while he’s gone.” She patted my book, “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
The next day went by faster than any other day at this school. It was a cakewalk compared to everything we’d been doing in our troubled kids’ program. Ethan was always at my side—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and all of my friends were back like I’d never left.
“Vannah, want to study in our first free time together?”
Vannah smiled. “You know I do, but Dom has us on his old routine with all of you. We use this time to work on the kids who screwed up in our programs right now.”
“I’m down, Jenna!” Bradley said. “I’m trying to play catch-up too.”
I watched Vannah study the handsome guy, and I smiled when she arched an eyebrow, knowing Dominic might have competition—the shifter was really that hot.
“Listen, I gotta go. Don’t let her drift off,” she teased Bradley and breezed out of the area.
“Back to the old library for us, eh?” Bradley laughed.
“Yeah, I could use my study partner anyway.”
I was deep in the witch spells study manual, actually trying to learn a few chants—hoping that might open up the magical side of me that was screwing with my wolf knowing that Dom’s was her mate—when Bradley shut his book.
“Done already?” I smiled at him.
“It’s five minutes to lights out.” He smiled that stupid smile that made me forget how in love with Dom Rossi I knew I was.
“Dang, that flew by fast.”
“I’ll walk you back to the dorms,” he said, and I couldn’t resist the offer. My inner wolf was calm, cool, and collected while urging me not to reject the bear shifter.
“If you’re up for the walk,” I teased.
We walked close to each other, his hand brushing mine once or twice, and I was definitely picking up on the fact that the guy was trying to get closer to me. Right now, it wasn’t the time. Even if the shifter was my true mate, and the whole Dom thing was just a colossal mess-up because my wolf was free at the time, I wasn’t ready to go down this road.
“Can I ask you something personal?” Bradley asked at the bottom steps of my dorm house.
“Depends on how personal.” I studied his serious face.
“You never said how you got into the troubled kids’ program.”
“Oh.” That caught me off-guard. “I cuss a lot,” I said, figuring that had to be the reason they threw my rebellious butt into the program. “I mean, a lot!” I laughed.
“It had nothing to do with the fact you don’t follow alpha commands from your masters?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I snapped, wondering where the shifter was going with all of this.
He reached for my hand, and I jerked away from him.
“Jenna,” he said with a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m sorry if that upset you. I have to admit that all of us in the group saw when Master Dominic would give alpha commands, but you…” He stopped himself.
“Didn’t follow them, I know
.” I folded my arms. “Probably another reason I was pulled into the troubled kids’ program. Listen, I’m beat. I’m heading to bed.”
“You’re a good friend, Jenna. I’m glad we’re getting to know each other better.”
I felt a wave of peace hit me. “I am too, Bradley. You’re a good study partner.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
That night, I went through my fairy lore book, ignoring the conversation with Bradley and trying to focus on who the hell I really was. Apparently, I was some badass who rejected the strongest alpha at this school—because he was too weak? Give me a damn break. This stupid book was giving me nothing. Vannah had advised me not to dig too deep, but to let things shake out a little bit.
“Vannah!” I whispered to her as she snored. “Wake up!”
“You need to sleep,” she said, flipping over to face me. “What did you find? This better be good.”
“This fairy-witch thing in me? It’s pretty damn powerful.”
“No kidding,” she said as she rubbed her eyes.
“I can overcome this and get my wolf straightened out.”
“Jenna, you have to stop it. You’re going to set off some beacon again, wake the dark crap up at this school, and then we’ll be back to square one.” She reached for my arm, “I will help you with the witch side, but in my opinion, you don’t need to really wake up this powerful side of you—especially at this school.”
“True.”
“Dom’s not going anywhere.” She eyed me, “You, on the other hand, can. You’re free of the mate bond that sparked up between you two. He’s not.”
“Which tells me that there’s something wrong with me, not him.”
She sighed. “Having these talks at three in the morning whenever your brain kicks into problem-solving gear isn’t working for me. We have a break from studies in a few weeks. Let’s get all of us together and see what we come up with. For now, study your butt off so you can take the break you definitely deserve.”
Silence.
“Why do you think E hasn’t torn me to shreds yet? I have darkness in me, and I know he senses it,” I said, breaking the silence again. “I’m not risking bringing it up to him and having him spin out on me either.”
“Jenna Silvers,” she grumbled. “E is not going to harm you unless you go dark! Don’t go dark, and Ethan’s owl will leave you alone. You know he understands you have that thing caged up, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then don’t uncage the stupid thing by letting your mind be distracted by all of this stuff.” She smiled at me, “If it helps you rest and finally go to sleep without waking up the stupid panther over there, I will tell you that Dominic is not giving up either. He won’t let us give up if we wanted to, and we each have our own plans of watching out for you while he’s gone. He’s not letting this go. So, give your brain a break and focus on school. We can all play mystery detective when he gets back and figure out what the heck happened for you to end the bond. We’ll figure it out. Now, please go to bed.”
I settled further into my bed, letting my racing mind settle some with the knowledge that Dominic was not giving up on us either. I finally took one last calming breath, imagining myself in Dom’s arms and his lips on mine. The jolts of electricity were there, but they weren’t like they used to be. I knew I would get him back. It would just take time.
I found comfort in his simple kiss while drifting off to sleep. Little did I know, it would be Bradley who I found in my dream, and I woke up the next morning feeling more drawn to the bear shifter than I should have.
Throughout the week of studies, I became more absorbed with the bear shifter, and I even tried to fight it off. Nothing worked. In all honesty, he was charming, had a goofy personality, and told lame jokes, but what I liked about him most of all was his sincerity. Maybe that’s why my wolf seemed to perk up a little around him…and maybe that’s why I was becoming a bit more attached to him.
By the start of the second week, I’d completely abandoned my research on who I really was, getting nowhere with it, and becoming more absorbed in being in Bradley’s company. It seemed like it was all working out the way it was supposed to, but I’d never allowed myself to see it with Dom around.
My friends all accepted him like he’d been part of the crew since the beginning. I was beginning to wonder if he was a total loner before the bad kids’ club swept him up, but when he pointed out the goth-looking vamps he used to hang around, it made sense why I’d never noticed him before. They weren’t exactly the social type.
Regardless of where he came from, I was glad he’d found all of us. He and Tanner got along like brothers, and it was almost as if he were a perfect match for all of us.
“Jenna,” he softly said as we walked together outside. “Don’t freak when I tell you this, but I’m starting to feel something more between us these days.”
“I know what you mean. I kind of feel it too,” I answered truthfully. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s definitely something hanging in the air.” I tried to laugh my nervousness off.
“That’s good to know.” As we turned to walk between two buildings, he stopped and snatched my hand. “Can I try something?”
His eyes were mesmerizing, and I felt myself blush from what I was hoping he wanted to try. I was instantly drawn to his full lips as they parted to reveal a hopeful smile.
“You going to break the school rules and get us both thrown back into Master Dominic’s beat-down sessions?” I asked.
“I like hearing you call him that,” he said in a raspy voice.
“Well, that’s who he is, right?” I smiled, and rubbed his arm, showing him I wasn’t afraid of the kiss I knew he wanted to try. Hell, I was ready to see how I would react to this after all these emotions I’d been feeling about the shifter for the last week.
The next thing I knew, I was enveloped in the bear shifters arms, his lips pressed firmly against mine. A wave of energy washed over me and my wolf, and I couldn’t ignore how much this seemed right on every level. I was the one to deepen the kiss, to feel more of what it would bring between us two.
Bradley’s kiss was more than I expected from the polite shifter; although, I should have expected it. He was a damn bear. It was enough to buckle my knees and wrap my arms around his neck for added support. Wow. I felt energy rush through me, and a fog of confusion lifted the minute I opened myself up to accepting that the bear shifter was more than just a good friend.
Without warning, Dominic’s face appeared behind my closed eyelids. I couldn’t remove the image of the man I knew I loved, and I hated that this was happening right here and now—as I was kissing another guy.
For the first time since losing Dom, I was slowly coming out of this weird depression of never getting him back, and I was moving on to accept who I really was. Now, a kiss that I thought would help seal the deal on why my wolf liked the bear shifter was being ruined by my relentless emotional attachment toward Dominic.
I pulled away. It wasn’t fair to Bradley that this was happening.
“Dang, I’m sorry. That was probably too much too fast,” he said, catching his breath.
“No. It’s me,” I said. “Listen, I’ll see you tomorrow. Let’s take it all little by little if this is what our inner animals are driving us toward. I’m the one who let it get a little too wild,” I nervously laughed.
He smiled. “So, there’s a chance?”
“A chance?” I said, my mind questioning everything all over again.
“It could be us, Jenna,” he said. “Not to freak you out, but these feelings I’ve been having for you aren’t normal for me.”
“Like I said, let’s take it slow and easy. I’m not jumping into the whole fated mates mistake I made the first time.” God knows I didn’t need to go through another screw up like that again.
“Okay. I get it. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
The next day is when I felt the demon laughing as if it was the one playin
g this game on me. I wouldn’t chance going into my mind to set that thing straight or question it, but as I was walking to class and holding hands with Bradley, something happened. It was like the demon was calling out in some way that made my knees buckle. My head felt like it would explode, and my stomach spasmed so tightly that all I could do was suffer through the pain.
“Jenna!” Bradley said as he touched my shoulder.
“What happened?” Vannah shouted as she ran to me.
“I don’t know. She just collapsed.”
Oh, God! Can’t they hear me screaming for help?
I felt drawn to a powerful energy coming closer to help me…an energy I desperately needed. I lifted my chin, seeing Dominic sprinting over to where I lay screaming—yet no one could hear me—on the ground.
Then—as if he were an illusion sent to haunt me—when I reached for where I knew I saw Dom running toward me, he was gone.
“Jenna!” My eyes opened to see I was in my bed with Vannah, Lusa, Ethan, and Bradley all around me, staring at me in fear.
“Vannah,” I felt a faint headache from whatever happened to me before I ended up in this room. “What the hell happened to me?”
“You were gripping your head and your stomach, then you reached for something before you went out,” Bradley said.
“Bradley, you can go.” Ethan looked over at the bear shifter. “Jenna is fine now. Thank you for bringing her here so fast.”
I watched curiously as Bradley nodded to Ethan, acknowledging the command of the owl shifter. “Are you sure she’ll be okay? That didn’t look normal,” Bradley answered.
Okay, so E didn’t pull some strange, out-of-nowhere alpha card on the shifter like Dominic could have, but I admired Bradley for respecting the owl before leaving.
“I’m fine.” I smiled at him. “Thanks for helping me out. The last thing I need is the school thinking I’m having random headaches for no reason.”
“Yeah,” Bradley said. “Shifters don’t go down like you did today. Do you think a witch or someone else at this school is screwing with you?”
