“Do you have Tori’s number? She might know where Nyx is.”
“I can get it.”
“Then go bother her instead of annoying the shit out of me when I’m trying to study.”
“Wait, you’ve actually been studying?”
“Yes, you asshole. It’s the only way I’m going to keep the internship with Mercer. Which is the only reason she let Luther out of the Medical Center under my supervision.”
“Well don’t let me stop you then.”
“Killer, if you’re not going to do anything besides pout, then please fuck out of here. Go for a run or something.”
“Twist my tail why don’t you?”
“Go. Away.”
“Save me some dinner?”
“Yeah, I’ll make you a plate.”
“‘K thanks byeeee.”
The moment I step outside the library, the earth calls out to me. The drizzling rain only amplifies every scent as I make my way through campus to the edge of the woods. After quickly stripping and stashing my clothes in a tree hollow, I let my demon rise. The transformation is quick, but no less brutal as the demon emerges from beneath my skin. In moments, the man I was disappears, and I let my magic loose, following the pulse of life that beats inside of every tree, every blade of grass.
They tell me to come closer.
Turn left. Stay right.
The drizzling rain has preserved the remnants of the witches Beltane feast from last night. Scents hang heavy in the air—charred wood, ash, alcohol, food—glimpses in time witnessed by thousands of rustling leaves, felt by trampled roots. I sneeze when the sharp taste of Fae magic stings my senses and shake my head. Heat still lingers beneath the ground from the bonfires as I make my way around the clearing, and the breeze carries a familiar, whispered scent through the air. Ash and ozone.
There’s only one person at Dreadhurst who smells like a firestorm. I lock onto it and soon recognize another familiar scent—one that coated my skin even after I left her dorm.
Well, well. Nyx and Ramsey, sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g, from the smell of it. The trees lead me along the path they took through the forest, tracing their footsteps until I come to a smaller clearing that’s fuckingdrenchedin their combined scents, and the black fur on my back stands up as my hackles raise. The their footsteps are etched into the earth, as are the imprints of knees on either side of a large body.
But noticeably absent is the scent of sex.
Almost, but not quite.
They stopped.
That fact alone is what keeps me from seeking her out and guaranteeing we never forget each other again. Even if I can’t remember it, I’ve staked my claim on her body. And he hasn’t. The desire to ensure he never does sings through my blood, and then my body’s moving through the trees. With every footstep, the earth guides me through the darkness to his little cabin by the woods. The dragon’s marked the area with his scent, warning trespassers away with the promises of fire and death.
Cute.
Moonlight illuminates a path to his door, and I loose a haunting howl that echoes through the night. My demon retreats under my skin and I stand there, naked, heated skin smoking in the cool night air as his door opens. His sweatpants hang low on his hips and he folds his arms across his bare chest.
“I don’t feed strays.”
“I’m not here for food, Dragon Tales.”
“What do you want, Hastings?”
“Little birdie told me you couldn’t finish the job last night.”
He narrows his eyes. “This little birdie have a name?”
“That’s not important. But you should know where you stand.”
