My alarm on my phone goes off as soon as the door shuts behind him, signaling it’s time to get ready for classes. I took a shower last night before bed so I excuse myself to get dressed in my closet. Today I throw on a pair of high-waisted light wash frayed shorts, and a black oversized cropped band t-shirt. It's an old Journey one that was my mom’s. I pair that with my large mesh fishnets, black crew socks, and my white Doc Martens. After I’m dressed, I head to the bathroom to complete my look, pulling my hair up into two space buns and leaving bits out on each side of my face. To contrast the intense outfit while still complimenting it, I keep my makeup pretty simple with just some mascara, eyeliner, and a little blush.
I walk out of the bathroom to see the guys sitting in various spots around my room waiting on me. When they notice me, all three stand to greet me, though Dallan pushes past the other twoto sweep me up into another kiss. “You look good enough to eat, Firecracker. Hopefully I get the chance, soon.”
Ward smacks him on the back of the head. “Okay, lover boy, that’s enough. We all need to get to class. Besides, I doubt she wants to sit in wet panties all day.” All three laugh at that, walking out the door and leaving me speechless.
And to think, I’ve only met three out of six.At this point, I think walking around with soaked panties will be a permanent problem.
The first class of the day was English; it was pretty straightforward, though none of the guys had this class with me. Not all of the classes are divided by grade. Since everyone has to take the core classes and there isn’t a strict timeline, you can pretty much pick your schedule. So, even though Dallan is in his third year and Ward is in his second, we still have a couple classes together. Thankfully, Rehan is in my next class, which is Potions. Rehan is also a freshman, and he is waiting for me when I make it to the classroom door.
I've caught myself checking my watch constantly; so far the last three hands are still spinning at a rate that makes me think my remaining mates are close by. I tuck the artifact back into my pocket as we walk in. This classroom is set up with big tables that have three chairs each. Rehan grabs my hand, leading me to the far back corner table. We have a great view of the ocean out the window, since this class is on the third floor.
He pulls out the middle seat for me, waiting until I sit down to push my chair in. He chooses to take the aisle seat, since Malise is supposed to be in this class with us. “Such a gentleman,” I tease.
Leaning forward slightly, he kisses my cheek. “Only for you, Siren.” The other students are piling in, and I feel the now-familiar tugging in my chest. I whip my head towards the door so fast I headbutt Rehan in the nose. There are a couple of people walking through, but as soon as I meet a pair of beautiful hazel eyes, I know he’s my mate. He’s around six foot one, has curly light brown hair down past his ears, a sharp jaw, broad shoulders, and his thick tan arms are covered in patchwork tattoos. Our eyes are locked together when I feel Rehan pulling my watch out of my pocket. He giggles like a school girl and whispers low enough so only I can hear, “Hello, number four.” My newest mate makes his way to our table.
“Is this seat taken?” He waves his hand towards the empty seat.
“Umm,” I don’t want to tell him no, but I also don’t want to give Malise’s seat away. I see her behind him, waving her hands to get my attention before giving me a thumbs up, as she sits at the table in front of us.
Rehan answers before I’m able to articulate words, “Yes, please join us. I’m Rehan, this is Magnolia."
“I’m Leif. Nice to meet you both.” He smiles at me; such a beautiful smile, he looks like the typical boy next door.
Rehan leans over and holds out his hand, “Welcome to the club!”
Leif looks at us, obvious confusion in his gaze. “What club?”
Professor Atsor walks in before either of us can respond. “Good morning class!” A chorus of varying replies ring out as she walks over to her desk and picks up a stack of papers. She is a younger professor, maybe in her thirties. With pretty blue eyes and strawberry-blonde hair, she is tall and leggy. Most of the men in this class, and Malise, actually seem to be drooling over her. Except the two next to me, who don’t even give her a second look as she passes out our syllabus. “This week wewill start slowly. I want you to work with your table to go through the ingredient list for the first chapter. Look each one up, write its properties, usages, and reactions. You’ll have all of this class and Thursday to complete this assignment, and next week we will have a quiz. You will not be allowed to participate in potion making if you do not have a good understanding of the ingredients used. I suggest you all get started. You may raise your hand if you have a question.”
I pull out my textbook and set it in front of me, since I’m in the middle. Both guys pull out a notebook. “Hmmm… I think the best way to do this will be to use one notebook. I’ll write, and you two can take turns giving me the information, and then we can make copies for studying. Does that work for both of you?”
“That works fine for me, Siren.” Rehan squeezes my thigh gently, glancing over my head at Leif.
“Yeah that will work, but first…” he looks between me and Rehan, confused. “Why do I have a feeling I’m missing something? Neither of you seem surprised I chose to sit with you. I’m guessing you felt the same pulling feeling? I read somewhere that’s a sign you found your mate, so I take it you are also her mate?” He doesn’t sound worried or put off by that idea so, I suppose that’s good,
“I am, and I’ll go ahead and rip the rest of the bandaid off,” Rehan pulls out my watch and shows him. “According to this, she will have six of us; so far, you’re number four.”
Leif looks completely gobsmacked by that particular revelation, but doesn’t seem averse to anything. “Well, that’s gonna be fun, huh?”
I let out a sign of relief. “Yeah, it’s going to be… something, that’s for sure. Would you like to join us for lunch? The other two will be there, as well.”
He gives me another blinding smile, “Sure. I’d love to meet everyone.”
I’m facing him, dazed by his grin, when Rehan makes a sound of surprise. Turning to see what the noise was about, I notice the professor standing next to him, glaring at me with her hands on both of his shoulders. “If the two of you would like to waste class time flirting, that’s fine. However, don’t drag other people into it. I’m sure Rehan would like to actually do well in this class.”
I hear the words coming out of her mouth, but I’m more focused on her hand rubbing my mate’s shoulders. He leans forward out of her reach so he can turn to face her. “Actually Professor, I’m perfectly fine with my mate getting to know another one of her anchors. Plus, we’ve almost finished the assignment.”
That last bit is news to me, but when I look at the paper I see that he’s right; it is basically full. When she also looks at it, she narrows her eyes at me, then walks off without a word. I notice how she dismisses the other women in class, but pays plenty of attention to the men.Fantastic.Hopefully it's just a fluke.
We finish the rest of the assignment–Rehan apparently used a spell on it while Leif and I were talking, which is how it was almost completed already. Suddenly, my dexcom starts beeping. Rehan grabs my phone out of my bag and hands it to me; fifty double arrows down. “Crap.” I take my bag from Rehan since he’s still holding it.
“What’s wrong?” Leif inquires.
“She’s diabetic, and her blood sugar is low. Have you eaten anything since breakfast?” Rehan asks as I pull out an apple juice.
“No, I haven’t; I thought I’d be fine ‘til lunch.”
“Excuse me, who said you can have drinks in my class?” Professor Astor comes storming back over, reaching for the juice I’m still actively drinking out of.
