Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
The common room buzzes as freshmen gather in clusters, nursing sodas and cheap beer and even cheaper wine.
Some are laughing, some flirting, some dancing to what’s probably from a playlist on someone’s phone.
It’s a bouncy pop song, and I find myself moving in rhythm to the music as I maneuver through the room in search of Tia.
I find her on the far side, perched on the arm of a couch, gesturing wildly as she talks to a girl with short purple hair, a blinged septum, and multiple ear piercings. When she sees me, her whole face lights up.
“Cora!” She bounds over, grabbing my arm. “I was starting to think you’d chickened out.”
I hold my thumb and forefinger a smidge apart. “Almost.”
She grins, then shoulder bumps me. “Besties already. I knew you’d have my back.”
I bite back a goofy smile. I haven’t had a close friend since Sally Mayer in fifth grade. It’s hard growing up with a mom whose lack of sleep keeps her ultra-paranoid, terrified that dark and scary things will follow you in the neighborhood. Trust me. I know these things.
“How was dinner with the dean?” she asks, pulling me back to the sofa that Bling Girl has abandoned.
“Good,” I say. “But I think you’ve been having more fun.”
She laughs, then takes me on a visual tour around the room.
“That’s Riley from down the hall,” she says, referring to Bling Girl.
She’s a computer science major, but she’s in my Religious Studies class.
And she knows way too much about occult symbolism for someone who grew up in Iowa.
” Tia’s grin turns mischievous. “Also, she’s really cute. ”
I raise an eyebrow. “And…?”
“And nothing,” she says with faux innocence. “A girl can appreciate good bone structure, can’t she?”
“Oh, sure,” I say, as she tugs me toward the snack table. “Appreciate away. Just remember to text me if I’m supposed to stay away from our room sometime.”
“You’re horrible,” she says. “And hopefully a little prescient.”
We’re laughing when we reach the pizza, which, despite being from what I’m assuming is the cheapest pizza delivery place in existence, is actually pretty good. Either that, or I didn’t eat enough at Uncle Finn’s.
For the next hour, I let myself get swept up in it all.
Riley turns out to be funny and sharp, with opinions about everything from campus food to conspiracy theories about the library’s restricted section.
I even feel a tug of jealousy, because I just found Tia, and I don’t want to lose her to another friend.
That, however, is my neurosis talking, and I take another sip of wine with the hope of muting my Loner Girl angst.
It mostly works. Soon, Tia, Riley, and I are joined by a couple of sophomores, and I find myself laughing at stories about terrible roommates and even worse professors.
It’s fun and fabulous and wonderfully, refreshingly normal. No nightmares, no supernatural mysteries, no family secrets. Just college kids being college kids.
I’m in the middle of explaining that I don’t actually have any pull with the dean, despite him being my uncle, when Tia suddenly straightens, her attention caught by something across the room.
“Whoa,” she says. “That’s one pretty dude.”
I follow her gaze, and my stomach drops.
Chase stands near the entrance, scanning the room like he’s looking for someone. His dark hair is slightly mussed, and he’s changed from the button-down he wore earlier into a simple white T-shirt under a light jacket. More casual, but he still carries himself in a way that owns the room.
All in all, Tia’s right. He’s totally mouthwatering.
“That,” I say, trying to keep my voice casual, “is Chase. I bumped into him earlier on my way to Uncle Finn’s. I’ve met him before,” I add.
She turns to me. “Sounds like a story.”
“The epic kind,” I say, only teasing a little. “He rescued me from the big bad wolf years ago. Literally,” I add with a shudder, remembering the hairy creep.
“In that case, I definitely want to meet the guy. And hear the full story once we’re back in the room.”
“Happy to oblige,” I say, then cast a sideways glance toward Riley. “I want the full story too.”
She just grins. “A girl never kisses and tells.”
“Oh, really?”
She shrugs. “More accurately, a girl never hopes to kiss and tell.”
I shoot a glance toward Chase. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”
“Now I really want the story.”
I fight back a grin, realizing I want to tell her. I haven’t had that many crushes, but I know enough to know that they definitely require deep and introspective discussions with your bestie. Along with a liberal amount of wine.
“Why don’t we head back to the room now?” I can’t explain it, but right then, I’m all about avoidance and not confrontation.
Except it’s too late. Chase has spotted me, and he’s making his way toward me with easy confidence. A few people turn to watch him pass—apparently, I’m not the only one who finds him magnetic.
“Cora.” His pleased grin is both sweet and flattering. I cock my head, fighting my own smile as warm happiness skitters over my skin like electricity. So much for running for cover.
“I was hoping I’d bump into you again.”
My insides do a fluttering number. “Oh? So, it’s not a total coincidence that a grad student stumbled into a freshman dorm party?”
I expect him to make up some excuse, so I’m entirely unprepared when he lifts one shoulder in a casual shrug and says, “Busted.”
I stand a little straighter. “Oh.”
Tia puts a hand to her ear. “Golly. Someone’s calling for me. Gotta book.” She scoots away, only turning back once to look at me over his shoulder and mouth, Oh. My. God.
Frankly, I couldn’t agree more.
“So we meet again,” he says.
“Should I be worried?”
He frowns. “Worried?”
I shrug. “I can’t decide if you’re my stalker or my protector.”
“The latter,” he says, smiling in a way that has me lighting up inside. “I promise.”
“Good. Because otherwise I’d have to kill you, and I haven’t had time to scope out the best place to hide a body.”
“Remind me to add that to the list.”
I tilt my head. “What list?”
“Places of interest on my campus tour.”
“A tour. Can I sign up for it? We freshmen need all the help we can get.”
“I’ll always help you, Cora,” he says, his voice turning serious. “I hope you know that.”
I look down at my feet. I know he’s talking about what happened four years ago, but at the same time, his words feel different. Which is ridiculous, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s some heavy-duty subtext I’m missing.
“How was dinner with your uncle?”
“Good with a side of annoyance.” I shrug. “He’s…protective.”
Chase laughs. “I think that’s what uncles are for.” He takes a step closer, and I instinctively step back, only to realize I’m now trapped between him and the wall. And I like it a lot more than I should.
“Would it be weird to say I envy you? I don’t have any. Family, I mean. Well, not to speak of.”
“Not to speak of?” From the corner of my eye, I see Tia flash a subtle thumbs-up before she leads Riley toward the door, leaving me truly alone with Chase. Which is both awesome and mildly terrifying.
“I have a brother. Sort of.”
“So, he’s like the imaginary friend I had when I was five?”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “More like the guy I see eye-to-eye on about absolutely nothing.”
“Ah,” I say. “Not a dynamic I’m familiar with. Only child. But I’ve watched a lot of TV. I think the not wanting to claim your brother thing is pretty common.”
“Trust me,” he says wryly. “We’re not common at all.”
“Oh, a mystery.” I let my voice rise in pitch, then wince as I realize that probably qualifies as flirting.
I tell myself to stop. I don’t, however, listen.
He gestures to the table at the center of the room with its spread of pizza, chips, dip, popcorn, and other college staples. “Can I buy you another slice of cold, free pizza?”
I want to say yes—I really, really do. After all, this is the guy I’ve secretly crushed on since the day he rescued me from Wolfman.
Thankfully, the part of me that’s not thinking with my nether regions takes control, and I lift one shoulder in a small shrug. “It’s a nice offer, but I’ve already succumbed to the lure of pizza. I should probably get back to my room. It’s been a long day, and I’m still unpacking.”
“Right,” he says, then clears his throat.
“Actually, I have a confession. The pizza was a ruse. I was going to ask if you wanted to go walk the campus. I owe you a tour, after all. And it’s a full moon tonight.
The moonlight on the buildings will be something to see.
And,” he adds, leaning close and whispering, “I hate to walk alone.”
“Oh?”
“All those dark things that hide in the shadows. They scare me.”
“Why don’t I believe that?”
“Walk with me,” he says. “I promise I’ll keep you safe. Even if I have to break all the rules to do it.”
“Rules?”
He glances away—just for a sec—but in that moment, I have the odd impression that he’s kicking himself for saying too much.
“What rules?” I press.
The corner of his mouth curves up as he reaches out, then lightly traces the pad of his thumb along the curve of my jaw. “Rules,” he says simply. “Society. Dating. The rules between men and women.”
“Oh.” I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what he’d meant, but I don’t call him out on the lie. How can I when my mind has turned to lusty mush?
“What do you say?” he asks, his voice as smooth as chocolate. “Did I tempt you into sliding into the dark with me?”
Yes. Oh hell, yes.
But what I actually say is, “I’m really sorry. It’s just, well, the first night. New roomie. Just, stuff.”
“Too bad,” he says, which I consider the understatement of the century.
My body is practically buzzing with electricity, and I want more than anything to go wander the campus with this guy.
But the last thing I need to be doing is flirting with the cute guy who’s clearly the prototype for the golden-eyed warrior in my dreams.
I’m here to find a solution to my dream problem, after all. Not create new ones. And that means not surrounding myself with the real-life people who remind me of those horrors. No matter how freaking sexy they might be.
A moment passes, then he nods. “Fair enough. Just don’t write me off, Cora Lyte.” He holds his hand out, but I don’t take it. I’m too scared that I’ll feel that sensual tingle. And if I do, I’m certain I’ll follow him anywhere.
And that’s the scariest thought of all.
Instead, I brush past him, muttering, “Sorry. Really. Just, you know. And, well, later, okay?”
In other words, I’m a walking, babbling idiot machine.
But at least I’m a walking, babbling idiot machine who didn’t follow the mysterious hot guy into the dark.
Not yet, anyway.
By the time I’ve finally escaped the party and raced up the three flights to my room, I’m breathless. And not because of the stairs.
“You, Cora Ann Lyte, are a socially inept weirdo.” I announce that basic factoid to myself as soon as the door closes behind me. Because it’s true. I’ve never dated, and I have zero experience dealing with guys, unless fantasies count. Or dreams.
The fantasies definitely don’t count.
The dreams…well, I’m not sure about the dreams. But the truth is, the details fade away within a few hours of my waking. And I haven’t ever journaled my dreams or my nightmares. That would make them real. And so the finer points are lost to me.
All that ever lingers is the fear, a vague memory of monsters, the dragon-riding warrior who has saved me time and time again, and a darker, silver-eyed man with a coat of shadows who both intrigues and terrifies me.
I’m pretty sure that Shadow Coat Man popped into my head because of the drawing in Mom’s journal, and I’m absolutely certain that the dragon-riding warrior is my mind’s way of elevating Chase—the man who’d protected me four years ago—to near superhero status.
Because, honestly, the alternative is too weird to think about.
But even though I get where those denizens of my dreams came from, I don’t know enough to wipe my hands and say done.
On the contrary, I’m far from done. I watched as my mother’s dreams stole her life, after all. And even though it’s scary as shit, I need to understand this strange familial dream curse. More than that, I need to break it.
Too bad for me that I don’t know how. But I think maybe Chase is the place to start.