30. Salem
Chapter thirty
Constantine and I are riding high on the shock factor, along with the high of slightly terrifying people. Our plan worked perfectly. Part of me still feels in shock about something going how I wanted it to for the first time. Constantine teleports us to the top of the building where my last class is. We both sit on the top and dangle our legs over the edge. His finger boops on my nose, and my face cracks into a smile. “Even you are getting a head rush on all the fear. Are you okay here for the rest of the day? I got to head to Hell for a bit.” He looks around at the roof of the building, looking uncomfortable for a second. Then, he clears his throat and looks at me. “If you need me, your shadows can always find me.”
I hug him, surprising us both. He is super ridged, and I pull back, “Sorry. I was trying something new. It made it weird.” My hands are up by my chest, palms out, with a cringe on my face. That felt weird.
He laughs, brightening the orangish-red in his eyes. “I also made it weird. Maybe we can try that again sometime soon. I think it’s been a while for both of us.” He gives my palm, which is still up, a small high-five before disappearing.
I sit here for another few minutes, pondering my life now. I am looking over the campus from the high point, and I know I never would have found it if it wasn’t for Constantine. Everything seems smaller as I look over the people walking on the sidewalks. As I look down on them from above, the distance from them makes them and my other problems seem small. This has now become one of my favorite spots. The height and view are things I will never forget today, and they are a happy memory for me. With one last look, I hug my knees to my chest and teleport myself down to the ground—time to head to class.
Professor Quinn’s Creatures of the World class is going as well as possible, even though my eyes keep sneaking up to the clock on the wall, waiting for it to end. She has kind eyes and has been encouraging. “Can anyone tell me what Golden Goliath’s weak points are?” Her violet eyes scan the room, and few pay attention to the lesson. It’s almost 5:00 on a Friday, and everyone in the room seems ready for the weekend. Her eyes meet mine. “Salem, any thoughts?”
My mind flashes back to the fights we used to have. I have fought two of them in my time. The first time, I didn’t know what to make of the creature. It had the body of a bull, with its head almost bear-like, complete with its sharp claws. It was the creature that mangled my shoulder, which is why I got to fight with a different one. “Throat and soft underbelly. It also can’t turn its head well. So if you get behind it or on its back, it’s blind.”
Her body jerks back as if surprised, and she nods. “Um, yes. That’s correct.” She looks at the clock and frowns before looking back at the class. “This hour always flies by.” Students gather up their books, wanting to get the weekend started. She talks louder, getting everyone to focus on her for another second. “Read chapter 5. We will have a quiz on Monday!”
I am gathering up my stuff when she stops me. “Salem, a word?” My heart slightly sinks as I think about what I could have done wrong. It’s a habit, but I feel sad because I thought we would have a good relationship. This is what I get for actually liking her. Maybe the rumor mill has ruined it for me. I cringe when I walk up towards her as the rest of the class leaves. She motions me to her office at the back of the classroom. Professor Quinn closes the door yet still speaks quietly. “Some of that isn’t in the readings. Where have you been getting your information? I am working on a book about them since little is known about them.”
My lips form into a tight line. I’m not ready for another person to call me a liar. It’s not something I am looking forward to or want to happen. Yet here I am, pulling my t-shirt sleeve up, revealing my mangled shoulder to her. She sucks in a breath, and her fingers reach up to touch the teeth marks. Her fingers trace the scar as if she is ensuring it’s real. “First-hand experience, I learned from my mistakes.”
When I look up at her, she has tears in her eyes, and she sucks in another breath. She quickly blinks her tears away. “If you ever need help with your studies, my door is open. I would love to get your perspective, too.”
Emotion has me blinking back tears. I assumed the worst, and here I am feeling seen. “I appreciate that. Have a good weekend.” I bolt out of the room, not wanting her eyes on me anymore. My current mission is to get back to the cabin without delay. I need to lie low; just because we had a victory today doesn’t mean trouble still can’t find me.
Today has been too much for me. My interaction with Lulu was bad enough, but feeling all the hate and disgust from everyone as they sided with Lulu made it way worse. I knew this would be hard, but I didn’t think I would have to fight this hard from day one. I feel like I’m on an island of one.
My beast, feeling my vulnerability, is pressing forward. I feel her taking over my vision. Please. I plead with her, needing her to hear me. Let me stash my stuff somewhere safe. Don’t let us be even more vulnerable . She listens but remains ready to take over, waiting for the green light.
Can you still function when she takes over? I question my shadows. Why haven’t I asked this before? Now, I feel my panic take over. My beast scares me so much that I don’t trust myself to let her free. Now, she threatens to take over, and I am left scrambling at the seams. We can try.
I shake my head. We can’t try. Reach out to Constantine. Tell him he should find me if he doesn’t hear from me in 24 hours. They leave my body, and with them gone, she is now looking through my eyes, moving at a scary pace. Most people don’t move like animals are about to bust out of them. It probably looks like I am about to have explosive diarrhea. Maybe that will keep people from bothering me. “Salem!” I hear Gage yell from the picnic tables. The smell of him and pizza appeals to her, but a smoky marshmallow whiskey smell stops her. I sniff at the air, trying to locate the scent. We want to burrow into that smell and have it surround us. That smell is home and safety.
Gage approaches, but I can’t let him distract me as my eyes look around. The smell is close, and I need it. “Hey! I was getting worried about you.” He must see my eyes. “Um, are you okay?” My animal likes him, so she doesn’t growl at him, but gives him a nod. That’s when we see him.
Red eyes glow in my direction, and I walk towards them like a zombie, not breaking eye contact. The man is enormous. He has his tattooed arms crossed, and his lips quirk upwards slightly. His dark hair almost falls into his eyes as he tilts his head, almost as if he is curious about what I am about to do. The bag I worried about storing is now dead weight, holding me back. I drop it to the ground, and my body starts to shift, but then stays in my standard form. He licks his lips and motions with two fingers to come to him. “Come here, pretty girl.” I practically prance over to the voice, and he opens his arms, and I leap, jumping into his arms.
“Mine,” I tell him before tilting my head, my eyes blinking from my animals to my own. “What is happening?” I stare into his red eyes, knowing it’s his beast looking at me. He is beautiful, and he’s mine. I am certain that I am right, but that doesn’t make it any less terrifying. My fingers push his hair back from his eyes. He pulls away, and I frown and growl at him. “Mine.”
“Yours.” He nods as he sets me down on the ground. “Shift.” My beast comes forward, and this shift doesn’t hurt. She tilts our head to study his face, waiting for his beast to appear. “Beautiful Midnight Beast.”
My tail wags. He knows what we are, but how, I do not know. It’s not like I can ask him right now. All she cares about is how our mate is perfect. The next second, I take off into the woods, daring him to catch me. He must prove himself if he is my mate; we know he will. We don’t even have to turn our heads to look to see that he is following us. He loves the chase, and we will give him one to remember.