Chapter 4
four
Eryn
The sharp morning air cut through the hoodie as if the borrowed cotton was as thin as a sheet of paper.
I should have worn my jacket, but in my defense, I thought it was too bulky, and I’d stand out.
The students passing me in the parking lot weren’t bundled up like the Michelin Man.
Then again, none of them had been out here for the past three hours timing how long it took to run from the Commons to the animal hospital on the edge of campus.
When I woke up this morning three things occurred to me.
Front and center, I was never going to drink again.
My teeth were so fuzzy, I used a quarter of my toothpaste to scrub them.
My head still pounded, even after all the fresh air, and I silently thanked the gods that the first day of classes were, according to Rani, usually a review of the syllabus.
My queasy stomach reminded me of my second realization: alcohol made me careless.
I wasn’t so wasted last night that I didn’t remember what happened.
Being cornered in a dark hallway was bad enough, but I’d been forced to use my power against that jockstrap.
A lot of it. Gaining control over his mind was difficult, and I didn’t think it had anything to do with his mental constitution.
Alcohol made it harder to manipulate human minds. Lesson learned.
I’d spent the better part of my jog this morning mapping escape routes and fighting off a panic attack at the thought of how soon I might have to put those plans into effect.
Any supernaturals nearby would have felt my burst of magick last night.
Hopefully, if there were any around, they were too drunk themselves or not of a curious nature.
But I couldn’t afford to rely on that wishful thinking.
I planned to leave that little slip up out of my weekly email to my parents.
Hi guys, I’ve settled in great. Campus is beautiful and my roommate isn’t a hunter in disguise, oh, and I might have given myself away in less than twenty four hours of being here but I’m just going to pretend I didn’t and see what happens.
Yeah, that would go over well.
Another biting breeze blew through the brick-paved corridor, and I hunched over my crossed arms. The lecture hall was only a few yards ahead, but it felt like another mile.
The bag on my back offered no protection, and once again the hoodie failed to keep any warmth contained. My skin felt like ice.
It was an unconscious decision to wear it this morning.
I’d fallen asleep with it on, surrounded by a rich citrus scent that smelled better than anything Rani had in her closet.
I wanted to soak in it, which I guess was why I had yet to take it off.
I thought about its owner: Kai. He was…unexpected.
Domineering, with a swagger that couldn’t be matched, but a kind heart underneath it all.
He saved me. Was he pushy about it and a complete ass for half of it? Without a doubt. There was something about him, though.
“Eryn!” Rani’s chipper shout echoed off the large buildings as she waved at me from the steps of the science building.
We shared this class three times a week, and I gave a grateful sigh that I knew someone else.
Two heads were better than one, and I needed all the help I could get on the subject.
I passed the 101-level last year fine enough, but it was online, and the teacher didn’t care about our comprehension of the subject as long as we completed our modules.
The classroom had amphitheater-style seating, with rows arranged in semicircles and leveled. Rani and I grabbed two seats in the middle near the front and dropped our bags at our feet.
“Don’t think I don’t recognize that hoodie,” Rani whispered, with a smirk of approval. My cheeks burned, and I crossed my arms again like that would hide the evidence.
“I don’t know what you mean.” I ignored how her smirk grew and focused on arranging my notebook and highlighters. I used all the colors that came in the pack to organize my notes.
Blue meant it was something I already had a strong grasp of. Pink was when the teacher marked something for a test. Yellow was something easily transferable to notecards, and green meant I needed all the help. I really hoped my notes stayed blue this semester.
“Nice try.” Rani’s reprimand drew a few curious stares, but she ignored them and leaned closer. “I saw you leave with Kai last night, and now you show up this morning in his hoodie. Spill it.”
She practically vibrated in her seat. Nothing happened between us, despite how it appeared. Wasn’t she the one who told me he was off-limits anyway? She poked my arm with her pen, then did it again when I refused to acknowledge her. Poke. Poke. Poke.
“Okay, okay!” I growled. “You’re relentless.”
“Damn straight. Now, tell me all the dirty little details.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sorry to disappoint, but there are none. He walked me home; I was cold, and he offered his hoodie. That’s it.” She pouted, and my lips twitched as I held back a smile. This girl. “I spent the night in my own bed, which is right next to yours if you recall.”
“Ugh, I know.” She settled back in her seat. “I was hoping something happened before I got back. A little smoochy time? No?
She sounded so hopeful. What was it about college guys that made hooking up with them so necessary?
Did they have an extra appendage I wasn’t aware of?
A unique skill set? Was I really missing out if nothing happened with my pushy savior last night?
I thought back to how commanding he was.
Someone was obviously used to getting his way, but so was I.
Living my life in obscurity, I wasn’t used to people paying me much attention, and that afforded me a different type of freedom.
I went where I wanted, when I wanted, without having to worry about anything but keeping my magick contained and staying off the supernatural radar.
Kai trying to tell me what to do, on more than one occasion now, was annoying but… intriguing.
He was in a constant state of pissed off whenever he was around me.
At least, that’s what it seemed like, but he also flirted with me last night.
I wasn’t so naive that I didn’t recognize his offer to mess around as more than just banter.
He’d have had me out of that skirt in seconds if I was willing.
I snorted when I thought about it; him trying to command me out of my clothes.
It was ridiculous, offensive, it was…kind of hot, actually.
I was saved from the embarrassment of my own imagination by the professor arriving. He strolled to the front of the class and set his cup of coffee on the podium.
“Welcome to Organismal Biology 102.” His smooth baritone carried easily to even the highest row.
“I’m Dr. Carver, and we will be spending quite a bit of time together this semester.
Three days a week, for an hour and a half, we will navigate the complexities of ecology and physiology.
We will dig into organismal structure and functional genomics.
By the end of this course, you will be far more familiar with the causes and consequences of mating and migration systems, immunological defenses, and even knowledge of swim bladders and feathers that will surprise you. ”
I sat up straighter and clutched my pen to keep it from rolling off the small desk.
This is what I was here for. Finally, after two years of useless humanities and math courses, I was about to learn the real stuff.
Subjects that would bring me a step closer to my dream job.
The subject material wouldn’t be easy, but it was definitely doable.
Having a genuine interest in it helped, I was sure.
“Many of you are here because this is a required course for your degree. Those pursuing the sciences or conservation, those interested in our illustrious Marine Biology Department, as well as those seeking acceptance to the Veterinary Medicine Program, to name but a few.”
Rani and I glanced at one another, our excitement barely contained. We were going to rock this semester. The sound of a door opening interrupted Dr. Carver, and he looked over, then waved to whoever it was that entered.
“Since this course is so popular, and your class is not my only one this semester, I’ve enlisted the help of my TA.
All of your questions, projects, and assignments will be filtered through him.
As such, you will find his office hours and email listed on the syllabus instead of my own.
If anything arises that he can’t handle, he will forward it to me. ”
I didn’t have to glance down at my printed syllabus to know who the TA was.
That telltale tug in the center of my chest told me all I needed before Kai appeared out of the corner of my eye.
He casually sauntered up beside the professor, hands in his pockets and that signature half-smile on his face that I’d recognize anywhere.
The fluorescent lights in the room caused the faint scar near his eye to stand out, and it lent him a haunting look as he scanned the room.
The professor continued to make his introductions, but I couldn’t hear them over my racing heart.
Kai wasn’t supposed to be here. I wasn’t supposed to have to see him again, ever.
Gods, I was just imagining him commanding me to take my clothes off.
Being forced to interact with him twice in one day was enough to mess with my head, and now I was going to have to do it three times a week?