“Still alive,” I whisper. “Thanks for the save.”
Thane’s lips thin, but his shoulders relax a little. “You’re going to be the death of us, mate,” he growls, his voice low.
I can’t see my other mates anywhere around us, but I can sense Raith and Galen are near. Knox’s energy is gone from the room, and I try not to think about the way that makes my heart ache.
“Not if you all kill me first,” I rasp back.
Chapter Three
~ Shade ~
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here tonight?” Kenzie asks, her brow wrinkled with concern. She’s already clean, her long, black hair neatly braided on one side, and she’s wearing a loose-fitting pair of trackpants and a navy shirt.
I, on the other hand, look like I’ve been trampled by a herd of cattle in a muddy field. Ignoring the mud caked to my body, I slump onto my bed, groaning at my aching muscles. Thankfully, physical training and the obstacle course from hell was our last class of the day, and after my dramatic fall, Kenzie helped me hobble back to our room. I pretend to consider sleeping in our dorm, but there’s no way I’m spending the night away from my guys. Ever since the hunt, I’ve gone to their rooms every night, and the thought of staying here without them makes me uneasy. I tell myself I’m doing it for them, and it’s not at all because I’ve become some mate-obsessed shadow daddy addict.
“If I stay here, I’ll get no sleep,” I tell Kenzie, knowing I don’t have to hide the truth from my roommate but giving her the excuse anyway.
She scrunches her face, though it’s obvious she expected that answer. “You know that’s unhealthy, right? It’s good for couples to have some time apart. You know, to be able to have time to yourselves.”
Now I’m the one who’s making a face.
She laughs, and I force my features to relax. I know Kenzie won’t understand. She hasn’t found her fated mates yet, and that connection isn’t something life just casually prepares you for, no matter how many smutty fated mates books you might read.
“You’re probably right,” I say instead.
Despite my response, she eyes me suspiciously and places her hands on her hips. “But let me guess, you’re still not staying here?”
“Sorry,” I say, giving her an apologetic look.
Shaking her head at me, she drops onto her bed. Truthfully, I feel a little guilty leaving Kenzie all the time. A part of me wonders if she’s lonely here without me, and it makes me think of her friend, Leira. We’re still no closer to finding out why students keep disappearing around the academy, but everyone has been pretty distracted since the hunt.
Opening my mouth, I’m about to bring it up when a cloud of shadows materializes into existence near the end of my bed, and a shadow pathway appears. Raith strides through, stepping into our room, and just like that our small dorm is filled with the charge of his power. His shadows roll off him, reaching for me like grabby little ghost hands, and without a word, Raith beelines for me. I grin as he lifts me into his arms as though I weigh nothing.
“What took you so long?” I grumble, even though Kenzie and I haven’t been back in our dorm for long. Relaxing against him, I nuzzle into his neck.
Raith chuckles, but the sound is strained. He grips me possessively and breathes me in. “You okay, sunshine?”
The concern in his voice makes me swallow hard, but I nod. “Never better.”
I turn my head to where Kenzie is sitting up on her bed, her jaw slack, and her doe eyes watching us carefully. You’d think she’d be used to this scene by now. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”
That pulls her from her stupor. “Will you?” She eyes me skeptically, and I can’t blame her for not believing me. I’ve missed breakfast the last two mornings and have been late to multiple classes. The rules in the academy about punctuality might be strict, but when you’re fated to four of the professors it’s easy enough for them to promise a punishment that never comes. At least, not the kind of punishment I’m sure my classmates would receive if they were late. Okay, so I guess there is some favoritism.
I give Kenzie a knowing grin. “Maybe.” I know better than to make promises I might not be able to keep.
The last thing I see is Kenzie rolling her eyes at me as Raith takes us back into the shadow pathway. Raith doesn’t bother reminding Kenzie that she needs to keep this whole situation to herself. She already knows things will go bad for her if she spills the beans about me and my guys, and who would she tell, anyway? The other professors? She likes them even less than she likes my guys. Besides, I trust her. It’s kind of hard not to when she’s the only student I’ve befriended in this place. Well, there’s also Jensen, otherwise known as mohawk guy, I guess.
In no time at all, we’re in my guys’ private rooms. Thane stops pacing the moment we appear, and Galen’s lips curve into a pleased smile that makes my stomach flip. I instinctively scanthe area, unable to stop myself from searching for Knox, and I internally chastise myself when I realize he’s not there and my stomach drops.When will I learn? He doesn’t care.Despite the fact that Knox’s bonded animali wolf, Bonfang, helped save me during the hunt, the professor has remained distant. I try not to think about how that thought makes my stomach knot.
The shadow pathway closes behind Raith and me, and Galen’s shadows slither across the floor, rising into the air, and curling around my body. Before the history professor can pluck me from his arms, Raith tightens his grip on me and stares down his friend.
“Wait your turn,” Raith rumbles, holding me possessively.
Galen clucks his tongue, though his glittering eyes are alight with amusement. “And to think we used to be so good at sharing.”
I bite my bottom lip at that thought, because the guysaregood at sharing.Reallygood. I mean, sure, none of them have actually given me what I really want yet, but they’ve made damn sure to take care of my needs in other ways. Mostly with their tongues… and fingers… and shadows…
At the thought, desire makes my body heat, and I have to stop myself from pressing my thighs together. Raith starts breathing heavier as he holds me. “Stop that,” he rumbles against my hair.
