Trixie shrugged as we started walking again. “I’m not the most fond of him, because he’s threatened Nate and all, but you two are like a fucking power couple.”
“Does he ever go to class?” Callie murmured.
“Rarely. He blackmails the professors to get away with not attending.” A ribbon of amusement twirled inside me. “Rowan doesn’t really care, since Damien proved to him he knew all the material anyway.”
“Wow. So he’s still spying on people to get dirt on them?” Trixie rolled her eyes.
“Um, do you think our studies will be sped up since war was declared?” Callie reached up and adjusted her long braid, that had come slightly undone by the bitter winter breeze.
“I think so.” Trixie opened the door to Arcane Hall and waited for us to walk through before following behind us. “Mr. Vespertine mentioned something about it last term.”
Anxiety filled me at the thought of war, especially war with humans. Humans may have been weak compared to us on their own, but when technology was thrown into the mix, they were capable of large-scale atrocities.
We walked the rest of the way to room thirteen in silence, with the looming reality of war hanging over our heads.
The scent of chalk choked me as we stepped inside the classroom. The rows of desks were separated by a walkway that led down to the front, where a blackboard was on display. The classroom was just like the rest of the rooms in the building, minus the birthstones adorning the rows of desks in Alister’s room. My heart fluttered at the thought of him. I loved how he personalized his classes.
Alister had been so busy helping Rowan with the zombie issue that I’d barely seen them aside from a few minutes a day. Longing swirled through the bond to Rowan, and I felt him send it right back.
A few students were already there, but my gaze zeroed in on Kian, who sat in the front row next to a guy I didn’t remember seeing before. Kian had a small smile on his face as he spoke to him.
“See you later,” Trixie murmured before blowing us kisses and heading toward the back row to sit with Nate.
I gave her a wave, and Callie let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong?” I turned toward her.
She frowned. “Nothing. It’s just… Trixie is a sweetheart. Nate’s… not.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed hard before we walked toward Kian and the new guy. “I know.”
Nate didn’t seem that bad at first. But just like Thorn had warned me, I’d found that Nate wasn’t a good guy. He was rude, demanding, and just a negative person. He was the opposite of Trixie. I didn’t know what she saw in him.
Kian’s cheeks flushed as he moved a bag that occupied the seat next to him. “I saved you a seat. I put my bag there so no one else would try to take it, because you know, you haven’t been around the dorm lately with everything, which is fine. I just... well—”
I sat down and smiled at him as Callie took the seat on my other side. “Thank you, Kian. I’m glad you saved it for me.”
“You’re welcome.” His dimples showed, and he turned to introduce the brooding man sitting next to him. He had dark hair and brown eyes that seemed to be trained on Callie. “This is Samson. He’s Thorn and Lachlan’s new roommate, well, more like Lachlan’s, since Thorn is mostly moved in with you in Rowan’s room. Lachlan has somewhat too. Well, really all of us, but you know what I mean.” Kian’s face reddened more by his rambling.
I loved Kian’s rambling. Covering my smile with one hand, I held out the other toward Samson. “I’ve heard about you from Thorn. I’m Wren.”
He reached over and shook it. “I’ve heard a lot about you too. Your mates seem to be great men.”
“They are.” A pleasant hum vibrated through me.
“And who’s your friend?” he asked, reaching a hand out to Callie, who placed hers in his with a brief hesitation.
“Callie,” she squeaked. “I’m a siren.”
Kian and I glanced at each other as he chuckled.
“I’m a phoenix,” he told her, and she stiffened.
“Wow.I’ve never met a phoenix before...”
He smirked at her, and she blushed feverishly under his gaze before he let her hand go. “Would you like to sit next to me so we don’t have to talk over our friends?”
Her mouth fell open, and her eyes widened considerably. She glanced at me, and I gave her an encouraging nod before she stood up and squeezed past us to sit next to Samson.
