by S. L. Morgan
Ethan continued to stare at the shifter he most likely deemed rude for not leaving, but Bradley was asking questions any normal person would if they had no idea who I really was and what I had locked up inside me.
“Not unless you have some freak ex-girlfriend who wants to go after Jenna,” Lusa said, playing along.
“I’ve only gone out with shifters.” He smiled at Lusa, “She’s safe from my exes.”
“She’s safe right now. Thank you, Bradley,” Ethan dismissed him again.
“I’ll see you later?” he looked at me.
“Hopefully, yeah. I’ve got to get up and going before someone notices I ditched out on a class.”
“See you then.”
Bradley left the room, and we all sat there, quiet and staring at each other.
“Ethan,” I finally spoke up. “You would sense it, right? The demon I have locked up. You would know if it was trying to take over again?”
“Yes, I would. I also know that things are changing with you. I don’t like them.”
“Me and Bradley,” I said, watching everyone’s eyes dart toward Ethan like this was the shit they were talking about behind my back. “Listen, all of you have no idea what the hell I’m going through. Losing Dominic in the way I did was the hardest damn thing I’ve ever gone through in my life—not counting dealing with this effing demon who’s locked up inside my head. I finally get a wave of peace from being with Bradley, and now you’re all talking about this behind my back?”
“Jenna, relax,” Vannah said.
“Ethan, don’t be rude like this,” Lusa ordered her cousin.
“He's not being rude,” I snapped. “He’s being real. He’s just saying what I know you all are thinking, and what I should be thinking too. I can’t help what’s happening with me, though.”
“We know,” Ethan said. “I’m sorry, Jenna, but it’s not right. It’s not right.”
“E,” Lusa warned. “We know you’re brilliant, and you also love Jenna and Dominic.”
“They are my favorite people,” he said sincerely.
“Gee, thanks,” Lusa smiled at her cousin, who seemed like he was starting to dance in place and get worked up again.
“Ethan,” I said, more worried about the owl shifter than myself. “Come here, buddy.”
He walked over to me, and I got off the bed and hugged him. “You and Dominic are my favorites too. I’ll always love you both, no matter what. You know that, right?”
“I do know that.”
“Then, let’s not get too worked up that Jenna has a stupid little crush on a bear shifter. It probably won’t work out.”
“It’s not right,” he said again, looking at me in a confused way. “It’s not right.”
The chants started in, and I knew he was about to shift if we didn’t get him under control. “Damn it, he sensing something real. That’s why he’s doing this.”
“We can’t let him shift,” Lusa said.
“Can you try to compel him to calm himself down? Dom’s not here to help if he does shift outside of school protocol,” I said.
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
We watched as Ethan sat on the end of my bed, softly continuing to chant that it wasn’t right. Lusa then knelt before him and covered his forearms with hers.
“Jenna and Dom are happy. Ethan, you are happy for Jenna. You aren’t worried about Dom losing Jenna. You are happy for Jenna.” Lusa kept chanting that last sentence over and over to Ethan until he seemed to snap out of it. “Let me get him back to his room. It’s almost time for you all to shift, and he needs to be in his owl form. He’ll be better once he does.”
“I miss Dominic,” Ethan told Lusa as they walked out of the room.
“I bet he misses you more, E. He’ll be back in a couple of days, until then we all need to stay focused.”
“Yes. Focused.” Ethan said determinedly as the door shut behind them.
“Jenna,” Vannah looked at me, “What happened?”
“I think it was that demon, but I’m not sure. It’s on lockdown, but it’s mocking me, I think,” I said to her, struggling to remember how it all played out. “It was like I felt it laughing at me for hooking up with Bradley. The next thing I knew, I was screaming in pain. My head felt like it was going to explode…it was insane.”
“You need to be very careful with your emotions,” she said. “How are you doing with Dominic and all of that? I won’t let this thing get the jump on you, Jenna. Dom would kill me when he gets back, so I need to know, how are you dealing with losing him?”
“I’m actually doing fine. I feel like I’m letting go and moving on, for the most part,” I said with a sigh. “I enjoy being around Bradley. He’s cool.”
“So, it’s been positive.”
“As positive as I can make it.” I pulled my knees into my chest.
“We’re going to get that thing out of you.” She looked at me through witchy eyes that sent shivers down my spine. “I swear to you as your best friend, I won’t stop until I find a way to get this done, and neither will…” she stopped herself and looked away.
I was blown away when I saw a tear slip down her cheek. Vannah crying? WTH?
“Vannah,” I said, reaching over to hug her. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t do this to yourself. We already have one screwed up supernatural at this school.” I tried to laugh and help lighten the mood of it all.
She patted my arm and sniffed. “You’ve just taken on a lot—more than anyone should ever have to—and none of us know how to really help you.” She looked at me through glassy eyes, “We can’t even help you find out who you really are. We have no history on your mom, who you apparently got these witch and fairy genetics from, and so there’s no real way of knowing how to help you channel any of the power you have.”
“Well,” I pulled back, “at least we know the power is strong enough to keep a dangerous demon locked up. Let’s focus on the positive before the stupid thing really does break loose again.”
She pursed her lips. “You’re right. When we make it out of here, we’re going straight to my coven and expelling that thing.”
“Have you tried your little witchy chanting thing to telepathically communicate with your coven about this?”
“You do remember we’re at Immortal Academy, right? That sort of communication would have me ruined before they could come back with any information. We’re in a prison. We have to wait it out.”
“Or die trying to get out. Death might have to be the answer to my little problem.”
“Very funny.” She rolled her eyes at my smile. “How are you feeling now?”
“Like nothing happened.”
“Well, let’s get you back out there. I’m sorry I lost it a little bit on you.”
“I can tell it’s getting to all of us who know about it.” I patted her leg, “Let’s hold onto the hope that the genetics that broke the bond between Dom and me are strong enough to eventually break this demon spawn down so I can finally kill it on my own.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Now, if this happens again, you tell me immediately. It’s a good sign that Ethan didn’t sense anything dark with you going down like you did.”
“Yes, that’s what I was worried about.”
Vannah’s eyes were distant like something was going down in her witchy mind, but there was no way she was going to tell me.
“Me too,” she softly said.
Oddly, I felt the stupid thing laughing in my head again. This sick entity I had locked inside me was active, and I had to be on a constant guard now because it felt like it was on the brink of making a move. I just didn’t know when that was going to happen.
Chapter Eighteen
I woke up the next morning, feeling refreshed from a dream that sent my heart racing with anticipation to see Bradley after our departing kiss the night before. The bear shifter was turning out to be quite the catch with his consuming kisses and the endless strength I felt whenever I was with him.
Unlike, Dominic, I saw straight through to Bradley’s inner bear. The bear that was aggressive, fearless, and powerful. Dom’s wolf was always a hidden mystery unless he opened his powerful alpha wolf up to me.
Either way, that wasn’t the real reason I found myself drifting more toward Bradley over Dominic. It was the eagerness that my wolf and I had when we were around him. At twenty-one, it was somewhat common for shifters to start identifying their mates if they’d spent enough time together, so who knew, maybe it was all coming down to that revealing itself in the end.
In between classes, I met Bradley in front of House Braeclaw, waiting as he greeted me with the smile that woke my insides up.
“I meant to tell you last night,” he said with an arm draped around my shoulder, “you kicked butt on that obstacle course. Master Jacobs even mentioned it to me when those two cat shifters tried to take you on the rock climb.”
“Well, being that I despise that panther, Kat. She made it a little bit easier to keep going; although, I think my wolf’s nails are all filed off now.”
He laughed, and I buckled under intense pain again.
“No!” I wailed.
“Not again.” Bradley knelt next to me. “Jenna, breathe through it,” he said in a calm voice.
“I can’t,” I managed.
He ran his hands along my back. “I have to get you help.”
“No,” I eyed him dangerously. “Go get Vannah or Ethan.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
Just like that, as quickly as the pain came, it left. This was the fourth time this had happened. These stupid, explosive headaches and stomach spasms were super intense when they were happening, but by the time my head hit the pillow and after the distractions throughout the day, I’d always forget to tell Vannah about them—because I actually forgot they happened.
“Okay.” I took a couple of breaths and looked up, seeing that we had the attention of a crowd—including annoying-ass Kat. “I’m fine. It must have been a bug or something that flew into my eye,” I said, standing and wiping away the tears of pain from the corner of my eyes.
“Show’s over. Get to lunch,” Bradley ordered them all. He looked at me once they left, “Seriously, this isn’t right. I’m worried about you.”
“I’ll talk to Professor Samson about shifters getting headaches tomorrow. Right now, I’m starving.”
Fortunately, Bradley followed my lead, and we headed off to lunch. I was thoroughly engrossed in my hot apple pie, but I couldn’t resist watching as Bradley finally gave in to my dark side and the bear shifter tried some pie for the first time.
“You don’t have to do it because you’re trying to impress Jenna.” Tanner laughed, “I’ve caught you two together, and I can tell it’s not going to take liking pie to get her to kiss you like that again!”
“Tan!” I laughed and glared at the same time. “Shut up. What are you doing, following us around the school now?”
“I can’t help that I have to walk past both of you to get up to my dorm,” he grinned. “I’m glad you’re happy again, Jenna.”
“Well, keep it on the low down.” I looked over at Kat, who had that slimy smile on her face. “Although, I’m sure the entire school knows about it now.”
“You’re not that important, Jenna,” she said.
“You going to give it a try or stare at it like I’m asking you to eat some rat?” I ignored Kat and looked back at Bradley as he was braving the apple pie on his fork.
“Listen to Tan,” Vannah laughed. “Jenna’s just being Jenna. She’s the only shifter at this school who likes pie. You don’t need to be her first recruit.”
Bradley licked his lips. “Alright, I’m going in.”
He popped it in his mouth, and I watched his eyes water and his cheeks puff out like he was going to barf it up right then and there. I quickly held out a napkin while we all started laughing at him as he gagged.
“Well, you wouldn’t have known if you didn’t try it,” I said, trying to redeem myself from making the shifter taste my favorite food in existence.
“You owe me for that.” He eyed me.
“I’m sure I do.”
“Where’s Ethan?” I looked at Vannah.
“With Lusa,” she answered. “She’s keeping him busy. He’s having a hard time accepting…” She glanced over at Bradley, then me, “Things. You know what I mean.”
“Got it. I hate that he’s bothered by anything.”
“Lusa mentioned it this afternoon. She said she’ll bring him by the dorm tonight. He’ll be a lot better when Dominic gets back.”
I felt my throat go dry, and it wasn’t at the mention of Dominic’s name, though at first, I thought it was. The giggles in the room rose an octave as a group walked in, wearing all-black combat clothes.
My God, how did I ever in my shifter brain forget how damn hot Dominic Rossi was? Apparently, he had been in the dining hall a while since his tray was almost cleared of all the food he’d had on it. He was facing our table, but the leprechaun chick was to his right, and Finley to his left. We made eye contact for a brief second before he was nudged by a delighted Melanie, who must have been counting the days until he returned.
Who knows what he saw with me at the table with Bradley and my friends, but if he saw the whole pie eating episode, and his wolf hearing made it past whatever the leprechaun seemed to be chattering on about to him, he would know that in the time he was gone, I’d moved on.
We were officially over, and this bear shifter had moved in and taken his place. Dear God, being a shifter sucked. I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this, and now seeing Dominic again, I wanted my real mate.
“Does Dominic even know yet? How long has he been back?”
“I’m sure he’ll get the news pretty quick,” Vannah answered. “They got back sometime after we sat down to eat.”
“Someone needs to tell him about Ethan,” I said, standing up.
Vannah pulled on my arm. “Sit down,” she seethed. “If anyone catches on, it could be bad for Ethan. Let him eat. Let Lusa get the word safely to him. This random jolt of stress will have Kat over there, screaming at the top of her lungs to inform Dom of anything to get his attention. Leave it alone.”
“This is BS, and you know it.”
“I trust Lusa,” she said in a hushed voice. “I suggest you trust her too. You need to get back to class anyway, lunch is over. Quit giving people reasons to ask questions about things…got it?”
“You’ll let him know?”
Vannah glanced over at one of Lusa’s best fairy friends, who was pulling Dom away from where he set his empty tray. I stood there, watching Dom’s eyes grow fierce before he practically ran over the top of Melanie—the stupid leprechaun I now officially hated out of sheer jealousy—to leave the dining hall. I watched with narrowed eyes as she went to each one of the masters, probably begging for answers as to where her sexy shifter ran off to.
“Jenna, are we going?” Bradley’s voice interrupted my unnecessary, jealous emotions.
“Yeah, right behind you.”
Okay, I need to knock this off right here and now. I was the one who had, because of shifter magic or my fairy-witch magic, moved on from Dom. Dominic didn’t show the slightest interest in the chick, so why did I want to go over and smack the rainbow colors out of the redheaded leprechaun? It wasn’t fair to her, to Dom, and this whole shit show was not fair to me…and Bradley.
God, I needed to think about my next class and passing the quiz. We shifted tonight, and I was definitely going to run this out of my wolf’s system.
I hadn’t heard a word from Ethan or Lusa that night, but walking out to morning drills and seeing that Dominic was replacing our new master with a laugh and a friendly handshake, that had me thinking that Ethan was better. I was damn relieved to have Dominic back for that reason alone.
We ran fighting drills instead of agility focus because Dominic was back. I loved how he trained us up in fighting skill i
nstead of having us do pushups and running all morning. He was the perfect master, and it felt like home to have him back and running our group.
I couldn’t see through his dark shades whenever I felt him near and watching me, but I was dying to have a conversation with him… or at least see his eyes. Had I hurt him? Talk about a hormonal mess, that was me. A shifter, of all things, running on teenage hormones.
“That’s it. You all need some more work, but I’ll have you back into some good fighting routines by the end of next week. Dismissed.”
I went to take this opportunity to hit up Dominic, but he was already approached by four shifters who were waiting in line to ask him questions. It would all have to wait.
“I see the way you look at him,” Bradley said in a voice I’d never heard him use.
“What are you talking about?” I looked at him, annoyed. “And don’t use that tone with me, you’re not my mate or my alpha.”
He sighed. “He’s tough competition. I was hoping it was over between both of you. I’m sorry, I forgot the alpha tone doesn’t work on you.”
That pissed me right off, and I stopped our walk. “Don’t you dare try to pull a damn alpha on me, you got that? I’m only your girlfriend—there’s no damn bond or anything other than that.”
He looked at me. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not anyone’s to claim, not even Dominic’s. I don’t like that possessive bullshit, so either find your place as my boyfriend, who’s not going to try to dominate me, or find another shifter chick who digs that crap.”
“It won’t happen again, but seriously, you need to chill. I’m over it.”
“I need to go,” I said, walking off and heading toward the showers.
The day sucked. It was spent watching Dominic with Dom and Co. and their new member, Melanie, whenever they came into my sights. Ethan was back, but I could tell he was quiet. The kid was probably livid I was doing this to his cousin. I had to find a way to talk to him.
It was finally my last class of the day when I stepped down to see Bradley, waiting in his usual spot. I smiled, but it faded as soon as I saw Dominic, leaning against a tree—most likely waiting for the chattering leprechaun everyone at this school loved except for me to catch up to him. Oh well, I’d made my bed, and my new guy was waiting for me. I couldn’t get mad at this whole everyone’s moving on routine.
