Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
The car closed in around me, and my lungs stopped working. The morning took on a surreal quality. If the attackers had found my trail, I'd expect them to track me straight to Killian's home, not go eat breakfast at a diner in the middle of town.
What was their end game? Maybe they needed to refuel before coming after me again.
My strength was returning now that the new moon was over, but that wasn't comforting at all. They should have struck hard and fast while I remained weak.
Killian spoke, but I couldn't make sense of his words. My attention was focused entirely on the man I was sure was Goatee. Our gazes were still locked, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Could we have it out in the middle of the town square?
My hands clenched as the door to the diner opened and three men joined Goatee on the curb.
"We need to go," I said through gritted teeth as Goatee looked away and focused on his friends.
This would be where he warned them, and they'd attack. I hadn't brought my knife because of this stupid-ass dress, and now I regretted it. I had no weapon against these assholes, which proved my training correct. We learned to always have something on hand.
"Go!" I shouted. We were still sitting at the red light like bumps on a log.
"I can't." Killian gestured to people walking through the crosswalk in front of us. "Or I'm going to hurt someone."
Of course we'd be stuck at a red light. It was like the universe was pushing me toward these assholes, and I didn’t know why. I’d lost everything. Wasn't that enough?
All I could do was sit here and wait.
Wait for the gestures and shouts.
Wait for them to drag me from the car.
Wait for them to finish the job and hopefully kill me too.
I'd rather die than be forced into a relationship with the sole purpose of producing offspring. Could I even love children that came from a forced union? I was afraid the answer would be yes, which would mean that watching them grow up into horrible people would be the final torture my would-be kidnappers could bestow upon me.
"Dove?" Killian leaned over to look at the four guys, who turned and casually walked away.
My breathing hitched. They were walking away. I shook my head and sucked in the breath I so desperately needed.
The fog began to clear as I blinked. If they were my attackers, they wouldn't have walked away like that. The people chasing me had been bound and determined to get me. They would've struck immediately.
I was being paranoid. Surely there was more than one redhead in the world who wore a goatee.
As my body sagged, the truck pulled forward.
Killian touched my arm softly, but his voice contained an edge. "Did those guys do something to you?"
"No." If he hadn't thought I'd lost my marbles by now, he would after this. "But the one that walked out first reminded me of one of the attackers. I thought—" My voice failed me, and I sat there with my mouth hanging open.
"Hey, you're going to see their faces and probably your packs’ faces sporadically." Pain laced his words. "Believe me. It's part of the denial process, or maybe the trauma of it all. And I wasn't the one who found my family dead. You're going to have it so much worse than me."
"So that was normal?" I grimaced. I didn't want that to be normal for me—a trauma survivor. But no one would ever choose this road.
Dad used to say our trials made us stronger. I always believed him... until now. How did my pack being decimated make any of us stronger?
They were dead.
There was no reason for what happened other than brutality. Something that made my blood boil more than the moonlight ever had.
"Yeah, it's normal." He placed both hands back on the steering wheel. "It fucking sucks. It's one reason that Griffin tries not to go back to Shadow City. There are so many memories of his dad there and all the plans they made together for the packs."
"Griffin?" Wait... That was who he was talking with last night. "Your best friend."
"The very one." Killian chuckled. "His dad died shortly after my parents, leaving him with a whole lot of responsibility, like me. Despite us meeting only a few years ago when Shadow City opened back up, our losses bonded us together quickly.”
"Then why do you feel responsible for helping me?"
"I don't feel responsible." He tilted his head toward me. "I want to help you. There's a huge difference. Besides." He leaned back in his seat and placed a wrist over the steering wheel. "You're helping me in return, so it's mutually beneficial." He waggled his eyebrows.
And I laughed. So odd. Ten seconds ago, I was on the brink of a breakdown, and now he had me smiling. Maybe I was certifiable. "No waggling eyebrows at me. This is completely platonic dating that so happens to be exclusive."
He huffed and rolled his eyes. "You're no fun."
"No, I'm not." And just like that, the sadness took hold of my chest again. "I've lost too much to be fun." Add in the fact that Dad had been grooming me since birth to be the perfect alpha. He'd repeat that, if I were a boy, it would be so much easier. Times were changing, with more women leading packs, but, not fast enough. For me to not get challenged, I had to be even stronger and more poised.
Because of that, no one had ever approached me for a date. Everyone my age had thought I was too perfect, or they were intimidated. Zoe had been my one and only true friend, able to see past most of the act. Though not all.
"Hey, it'll be okay." His hand tightened on the steering wheel, making his knuckles turn white. "It has to be."
Silence descended between us, leaving both of us lost in our own thoughts. Ones that I didn't want to have but didn't have the strength to push away. Arian and Cassie Knight had been amazing parents, even when they were hard on me. Mom had a way of making things better whenever I grew too overwhelmed with expectations or training. And Dad made me feel stronger and taught me to believe in myself. Because of them, I hadn’t been captured and had found the strength to get away even when the enemy got too close to catching me.
As we turned toward the woods and the flowing river, several large brick buildings about a mile away popped into view. They looked brand new.
"That's the university." Killian answered my unspoken question.
It was picturesque with enough acreage that my wolf could happily run for miles. The lawn in front almost looked artificial with healthy green grass. “This place is gorgeous.”
He smiled. "It really is. All the buildings were constructed at one time so the campus has a cohesive feel and branding."
"Do humans go here too?" From the little bit I’d heard about it, I’d assumed Shadow City was populated only by supernaturals, but I wasn't sure about the surrounding towns.
"No." He shook his head. "It's all supernatural based, but to maintain appearances, we allow humans to apply. We have a thorough screening process to weed them out from actually being accepted. We want this to be a college where supernaturals get the kind of education they need for their future, whether that’s leading, fighting, healing, and so forth."
"So there aren't any humans in Shadow Ridge either?" Being around only supernaturals unsettled me. All of my experiences visiting the small town near my pack’s home had involved a human presence, and any other supernaturals who might live or visit the town always had to be careful to not ask certain questions. Here, it would be harder to keep my heritage hidden. I couldn’t risk running in animal form because, if anyone had even a vague memory of silver wolves, they would peg me easily. Staying human was going to suck because I was used to shifting daily. It was part of our training regimen, to fight in both wolf and human form. But I'd manage.
I had to.
"No humans live here, but tourists come into town." He pursed his lips. "It's good for businesses since they spend a lot of money, and having them around helps us remember our human side."
His wording seemed odd, but I let it go. The buildings were growing closer, and I could see now that a wrought iron gate circled the campus.
As we approached the wrought iron fence that served as the main entrance, I could see the emblem of a city etched into it with the words Shadow Ridge University underneath.
"Is that a drawing of Shadow City?" The emblem had modern buildings with a paw print and a symbol attached to the top.
"Sure is."
"So you've been there?" If he had a way into the city, maybe I could figure out another person to contact. I could find out who’d replaced Atticus.
"Oh, no. There’s a large wall and dome that keeps the city from view. In order to get in, you need permission from one of the council members. They’re letting residents out freely now, but it’s still hard to get inside if you don’t already live there." He slowed the truck as we approached a guard shack sitting between the entrance and exit lanes. "But I've been told that’s the skyline of the city."
The gates to the university were closed, and Killian rolled down his window as he stopped.
The guard took a step toward us even as Killian pulled out a card key and swiped it against the reader. The gate clicked and slowly opened.
"Doesn't traffic get backed up if everyone has to stop and scan in?" I glanced over my shoulder to find no one behind us.
What time did classes start? It was almost nine in the morning. I’d figured this place would be a lot busier.
"Half the students stay in the dorms here." He accelerated and rolled up his window. "The other two hundred or so, like yours truly, live off-campus either in Shadow Ridge, Shadow Terrace, or Shadow City itself."
“Shadow Terrace?” I’d never heard of that city.
“Yeah, that’s the city on the other side of the river. We didn’t have a large enough population at first to protect both sides, so the vampires took it over.” He shrugged. “The wolves protect our side for Shadow City since all the shifter council members are wolves. The vampires need human blood, and protecting the other side helps them stay under the radar and funnel blood in for the residents.”
“Wait…” The thought turned my stomach. “Are you saying you all allow the vampires to kill humans?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Not at all. They compel visiting humans to donate blood under the ruse of a local blood bank. They aren’t allowed to directly feed from humans since that eventually makes them lose their humanity and can bring the kind of attention we don’t want to our area. The whole point is to blend in.”
There was so much I didn’t know. “So only wolves are on the council?” That seemed surprising with all the races that lived there.
“No, there are twelve representatives. Three of each race,” Killian explained. “Three vampires, three angels, three witches, and three wolves who represent all the shifter races.”
I mulled that over as we drove down the tree-lined road, straight toward a large brick building that had to be at least a hundred yards long and two stories high. In front was a grassy greenway where a few students were sitting with breakfast and books while others were walking into the building.
As we got closer, the road bore to the right toward a large parking lot that looked mostly full.
This was more along the lines of what I'd been expecting.
Killian pulled into the parking lot and parked underneath a tree. "I have a ten o'clock battle strategy class, so let's haul ass to the coffee shop."
"How far is it?" I didn't want to complain, but these shoes weren't the most comfortable.
"In that building." He nodded to the building beside us. "It's toward the back, so not far. I want to be there to introduce you to the coffee shop manager, Carter. He’s one of my pack members, and he owes me for helping him out on his English paper." He got out of the truck.
At least it wasn't across campus.
I turned to open my door and found Killian already there. He opened it and held out a hand to me.
"What are you doing?" I was more than capable of getting out of the truck by myself.
His eyes flicked toward the building. "Remember, we're dating." He took my hand and helped me down. "So I'm treating you like I would a girlfriend."
"Oh, right." That made sense. My irritation eased. "So that begins now?"
"Yeah." He chuckled and interlaced our fingers. "That is the arrangement, right?"
"I know. I forgot." That wasn't smart to admit to him.
He shut the door and guided me in the direction of the building. "Well, let's try not to forget around people, okay?"
He was counting on me. I couldn't let him down. "You’ve got it." I stepped closer to him, our arms brushing. I hoped I was doing this right, because I’d never dated anyone in my entire life. Watch him go to hold my hand, and I wind up shaking his. There were so many ways I could mess up.
The fact that his presence was comforting but nothing more than that surprised me. He was very good-looking. Probably the most attractive guy I'd ever seen, plus he was kind. Why didn’t I find him more desirable?
My skin started buzzing, and I wasn’t sure why. Anticipation? Something seemed to tug me toward the building, but maybe it was nerves. Shit had been getting weird lately, so maybe this was my new norm.
The wind blew, lifting my skirt. I managed to use my free hand to catch it before my borrowed panties were revealed to the world. I hated to wear someone else’s underwear, but with a dress, I hadn’t wanted to chance showing off my kitty. "How many classes do you have today?" I grumbled as I glared at the air around me.
"First off, I'm thinking the wind isn't scared of you." He smiled so wide dimples appeared on both sides of his cheeks. "And I have two—Battle Strategy and Supernatural History. Classes that are expected of me since my pack is responsible for defending Shadow City."
Well aware of the irony, I stared at those dimples. No wonder so many girls fell into bed with him. "And what am I supposed to do while you're busy?" The thought of hanging around all of these supernaturals by myself alarmed me.
"Trust me." He winked.
We walked past a girl who took a quick breath. I turned my head toward her and regretted the decision immediately.
If looks could kill, I'd be dead.
My internal joke fell flat. Death wasn't funny.
"You okay?" he asked.
"That girl is giving me a hateful look." I nodded behind me. "I have no clue what I did to make her dislike me." I sniffed toward each shoulder, wondering if I smelled.
He laughed loudly. "You don't stink, and I hooked up with her last weekend, so that's probably why. I don’t want to be tied down, you know?”
"Really?" No wonder she was pissed. If it'd been me, I would've beat the ever-loving shit out of him. "How the hell are we going to get everyone to believe you drastically changed your ways?"
"When you know, you know." He smiled tenderly at me and brushed his fingers against my cheek.
"Save it for everyone else." I wrinkled my nose, trying like hell to hide my laughter.
We got to the large double doors, and he pulled one open.
This time, I knew to wait. When he waved me in, I stepped inside and took in my surroundings. The walls were the standard beige with forest brown tile floor. The hallway that branched off to the left held offices that looked like they were for admissions, financial aid, and all of the various types of administrative departments needed for a college of this size.
In front of me was a back entrance that led to picnic tables and the river. To the right was a bookstore with an attached coffee shop, and to the immediate left was a cafeteria with indoor seating.
"This way." Killian took my hand again and led me into Shadow Ridge Coffee.
There was an obvious theme around here.
Inside it looked like a standard coffee shop. There were a few tables that students had already taken over, and in the center were two espresso machines and someone taking orders. The line stretched outside the entrance and into the cafeteria.
Dragging me behind him, Killian went to the front of the line where an attractive guy who had to be close to twenty stood taking orders. His shaggy brown hair hung in his eyes and sweat beaded his forehead. He chewed his bottom lip like it was a piece of gum. The nice fact that he had a deep musky scent that identified him as a wolf shifter made me feel better.
"Carter." Killian leaned his hip against the counter.
"Dude, I don't have time right now." He hit some buttons on the machine and frowned. "It's rush hour, and that bitch Deissy called in sick. Now I have to work the cash register, and a demon lives in it."
"A demon?" I leaned over the counter, but nothing out of the ordinary appeared to be happening. I didn’t realize that demons lived on Earth.
"Yes, because it won't work for me." He smacked the buttons like that would make everything better and then paused. He glanced at my and Killian's connected hands. "Uh... this has to be some kind of whacked-out nightmare. You're holding hands with a girl?"
"Well, yeah, but I didn't come here to declare my relationship status. I need a favor." Killian placed an arm loosely around my shoulders. "Dove needs a job, and you owe me one."
"Her name is Dove?" His forehead furrowed.
The girl standing in front crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Are you going to get my coffee or not?"
Carter's moss-green eyes focused on me. "Do you know how to work a cash register?"
"It shouldn't be hard to figure out." It had buttons with words.
"Then you're hired." He held his hand out. "It’s not like I could say no anyway since Killian is my alpha. Give me your ID so I can enter your information and you can get to work."
Shit, I hadn't thought that through. I didn't have anything to give him, and if I left, people would get suspicious. Anyone looking for a job would know to bring their ID with them.
How the hell did I get out of this situation?