Since when did I become the classroom guinea pig?
* * *
Knox
This class is dragging and it’s only been twenty minutes. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I lean back in my chair and try to ignore the world around me. It’s hard since my biggest mistake spotted me sitting here and decided to threaten the student next to me to give up his seat. She’s been sending me flirty looks and dropping items to grab my attention, but I wouldn’t piss on her if she was on fire.
Checking my phone for the thousandth time today, there’s still nothing back from Moni. I guess she hasn't found her phone yet. Knowing my luck, she got a new one and I don’t have her new number because I haven’t talked to her in person. Call me a coward, but I would rather text her than see her in person. I guess that’s the only positive thing about getting sent on patrols. I haven’t run into Moni yet, though I should really make a point to seek her out. Yes, I should have apologized right after it happened, but I knew she was still mad and had hoped she would have cooled off by now. Maybe it’s the cowards way out, but I don’t want to see her while she’s still mad at me. I honestly didn’t mean for it to come across that way.
First week of classes and I haven’t been able to really attend them at all. Not when Dad keeps pulling me for Ops or scout missions. The Sulks have been spotted again and he’s been running me through the ground. I barely see the guys in passing anymore when I fucking live with them, and it’s getting irritating! Of course, on top of everything else, I missed my run this morning and it’s putting me into a rather foul mood.
“Knox,” Angel says in her seductive voice, but it comes off sounding like nails on a chalkboard.
“What?” I look up from my phone and cringe. She’s opened her blouse in a poor attempt to sway me into agreeing to something she wants. I wonder what idiotic shit she’s gonna spill today. Sleep with one crazy chick while you’re wasted as shit at a pixie party, and she turns into a stage six clinger. It’s been three years! Give it a damn break. I know my dick is great, but sheesh. He’s not that hungry for pussy. I can’t count how many times I’ve told this demon no. Unfortunately, this bitch can never take the hint.
“I asked, are you coming to the party tomorrow night? It’s the first one of the year!” She asks, batting her false eyelashes like that will make me want to go.
“No.” Short and sweet. Anything else is asking for trouble.
“Why not? I was hoping we could go together. I’ve missed you,” she says, reaching out to run her finger down my arm. Wrapping her fingers around my bicep, she leans in. “I’vereallymissed it,” she looks down at my crotch. “We don’t even have to go to the party. We could—”
“Cloak!” Mr. Stone, our resident gargoyle, calls. Thank fuck. Saved from the claws of Hades. I pull myself away from a pouty demon and head to the front of the class.
“Yes, sir,” I answer, watching as he opens his claws and hands me a note. It’s on yellow stationery, so it’s a message from another professor, most likely. If it was on red, it would have been a mission from dad. Those can either be a 50/50 chance I’ll actually want to do it. Today’s stationery is from Professor Girdwood asking for my assistance. I read over the note and hand it back to Mr. Stone, telling him I’m going.
I can’t hide the smirk that I finally get to meet this ‘human’ everyone is talking about and putting her in her place. She’s attacked Emer, clawed her up pretty good from what I hear in the gossip ring. Plus the problems she’s caused at the shops in town. Even if I don’t like Emer, we don’t need our own living in fear of what the ‘human’ will do in Purgatory. She doesn’t belong. And now? Apparently, she told her professor she’s reached the highest Soul Bond with her Familiar. Sparkly white. Ha.
Doesn’t she know that’s fucking impossible? Okay, so maybe not completely unattainable, but extremely rare. The last documented case was over hundreds of years ago. It was some witch and her otter Familiar that reached that level. So, I get the pleasure of being her ultimate ‘test’. Professor Girdwood wants me to act like a ‘wild’ animal so he can see if she has the highest Soul Bond. Now, what she won’t know is that I plan on following her instructions to the T, so she will think she really has reached it. A chuckle escapes me at the thought. All the while, she will have no idea I’m really a person in sheep’s—well wolf's clothing. Girdwood has a sick and twisted mind, but am I just as bad since I’m going along with it? Probably.
Walking down the hallway towards her class, I feel the change in my bones waiting to know which form I will call on. Being one of the purest blood out there, I’m granted the abilities of partial shifting and being able to shift without disrobing. I can even turn back to my human form with the same clothes on. It’s freeing not having to worry about finding clothes like most shifters do, along with not having to stop to shift. Perfecto!
I’m about five feet away from Professor Girdwoods door when I shudder and drop onto all fours, deciding on my timberwolf form. Looking up at his picture on the door, he’s all smiles, and the color behind him is yellow. He’s giddy as hell and probably for good reasons. I’m surprised he’s even allowed to teach his class since he has a human in it. He despises them more than anything. He lost his wife in the Salem Witch Trials, and since then, he hasn’t been shy in voicing his opinions.
Feeling ornery, I slam into the door hard, but not hard enough to break it. Hopefully, it gets a scare out of the human, though. Inside, I hear a scream and a few chuckles—my wolf howls with delight. Mr. Girdwood opens the door and peers down at me with a smile, before opening it wide enough for me to saunter in. The back of his room is set up with an obstacle course for pets. A decent-sized platform is in the front of the room along with his desk, and in the middle are the seats full of students.
“Oh, here he is, Nerezza. Come on over. Don’t be shy,” Girdwood says as I move and hop up onto the platform. Showing off a little, I sit down and snarl, making everyone in the room tense up. My wolf chuckles along with me; what can I say? He has a sick sense of humor like me. He’s content with sitting back and watching me cause chaos. I think that’s why we get along so well, he’s there when I need him, but most of the time, he hangs back and just watches. The myths got it wrong about the coyote being the trickster. It was really the wolf. He’s content if there’s chaos around and loves the attention, but lately, he’s been aloof, allowing me to do my thing unless he wants to hunt.
Picking up the anxiety of the Familiars in class, I dampen my power. I do like to throw around my dominance at times, but I’m not a complete asshole. It’s really the human I’m after anyway.
Looking over to where Girdwood is focused, I spot the human easily. She’s the only person I can’t identify sitting on that side of the room. Locked on to her, I watch as she picks up her fluffy rat and wraps it around her neck.Where the fuck did she get that thing?She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear before standing up. The first thing I notice is how she holds her head up, not cowering as she smooths down her shirt before stepping out into the aisle. She’s tall and curvy,just the way I like them. At that thought, my wolf perks up and takes notice. Tuning out what Girdwood says to her or what the other animals are projecting, I watch as her long strides sway her hips like a pendulum, and my wolf tracks it. When her eyes zero in on mine, I see a challenge there, not the fear that I was expecting.
She comes face to face with me and turns to look at Professor Girdwood, turning away from me.Is she nuts? You don’t ever look away from a predator, from death. From ME.
Pulling my lips back, I growl, and it gets the effect I want. She whips her head around in shock so fast I’m sure she caused herself whiplash.
“Stop it! I’m talking to the professor,” she tells me sternly before turning back to Girdwood.What in the ever-loving FUCK!My wolf is pleased with this human, but sad she’s not giving him attention now, even though I’m the one pissed off. It’s the first time we’ve not been on the same page.
Taking a step closer to the edge of the platform, I bark and growl again. She ignores me, but Girdwood backs up. He, at least, knows when a shifter is unstable. Granted, I’m the most stable of them all, but that’s not saying much. I snap my jaws at her, and this time, she turns with an annoyed look.
“I said, stop it. You’re being rude,” she hisses and smacks me on the snout. I’m momentarily shocked. That’s the only thing that can explain what happened next.
‘Did you just smack the wolf on the nose, Rezzi?’A male voice chuckles.
‘Of course, I did. He was rude. What else was I supposed to do?’A female voice replies.
Confused, I search around the classroom, but don’t see any other shifters here. I know everyone in this room except the human and her pet. Narrowing my eyes at them while the girl is focused on the teacher, it’s the little rat that looks back.
‘Serves you right, fleabag. Pfffttt!’The fuzzy rat sticks his tongue out at me, and my eyes bug out of my head. My wolf pauses too.Did I just hear him?
