I’d just turned away when Larissa started choking and spluttering. “Uh, Maddi,” she finally got out. “I think they’re coming this way.”
“Who is?” I squeaked.
Don’t look. Don’t look.
“Calen, Jesse, Rone, Axl, and…,” she spluttered. “And Asher.”
Five names. Until then, I’d only known Calen’s and Asher’s, and now I wondered which one…
Stop!What the hell was I doing worrying about their names?
Standing, I reached out and grabbed her arm. “I’m sure you’re wrong, but just in case … we should move,” I said with urgency. I didn’t need to rile Kate further, and I really didn’t need to drool all over the guys if they sat near us.
I needed more adjustment to this new life before I crossed that bridge.
Walking through the commons, I moved at a pace that got us back to the magic users’ wing and up the stairs in no time. When we were finally in my room, I slammed the door and leaned against it.
A burst of laughter drew my attention, and I turned to find Larissa doubled over, holding her stomach. There was something a little funny and pathetic about what we’d just done, but I wasn’t quite sure where her hysteria came from.
“That would be the first time,” she said, trying to breathe, talk, and laugh at the same time, “that any girl has run from them. You’re going to shake up this school, I can already tell.”
I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest before I relaxed and threw myself back on the bed. “I didn’t even finish high school. It’s insane to me that I’m back in this situation again, navigating cliques and … supernaturals.”
“You’ll get the hang of it soon enough. I’ve never been to human school, but I watch television. I think we have the same basic fundamentals and setup. It’ll be fine.”
She patted my hand and turned to leave. “I’ll be at your door at around 7:00 A.M. That way you’ll have time to talk to Dad before class.”
“See you tomorrow,” I said, pulling myself up to a sitting position. She was almost out the door when she paused. “Oh, and your uniforms would have been delivered while you were gone. They’ll be in the wardrobe.” She pointed to the hanging space above a set of drawers and I felt shock creep over my face. I had not expected uniforms to be a requirement here. I mean, this was basically college, and they were supernaturals, but … whatever.
“Wait,” I called, stopping her one last time. “Do those five all live here? In the magic users’ wing?”
She curved her lips into a smirky grin. “Still thinking about them, hey?”
I wanted to deny it, but that would be a massive fucking lie.
Her pretty face screwed up. “You know, I don’t actually know. I’ve definitely seen all five of them in this building before, but … who knows.”
Knowing my luck, they definitely all lived here. And why couldn’t I get Asher’s perfect face out of my freakin’ mind … his full lips, the five o’clock shadow…
No!No more.
“Asher is like the king of the Academy, so they probably do live here,” Larissa said. “My dad loves him and gives him anything he wants. Those five always stick together. Asher and Jesse especially seem really close.”
“Which one is Jesse?” I asked.
“The tallest one. He’s a lion shifter.”
“The one with the icy blue eyes?”
She shook her head. “No, that’s Rone.” She blushed a little. “He’s a vampire, and a moody asshole.”
Rone, the one who glared at me when Calen grabbed me earlier tonight. Moody was one way to describe him. “Isn’t dressing in black a bit of a vampire cliché?” I asked, feeling snarky toward the cranky bastard.
Larissa tried to hide her smile. “He’s always preferred black. For as long as he’s been at the school anyway.”
“What year are they in?”
“Second and third, but they went to the last few years of the junior school as well. It’s not on the same grounds as our Academy, but it’s in this area.”
