Another battle brewed that night. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom, clad in my bathrobe, and stared at the scene in my bedroom. My wet hair underneath the towel wrapped on my head was sending water droplets down my neck.
Enrique rifled through my wardrobe. Theo flicked through the books on my desk. Ren lounged on my bed, his hands behind his head. He appeared to be sleeping. How thoughtful of my bodyguard to allow everyone inside of my room.
“What exactly is happening?” I asked in a tired voice. All I wanted was to climb into bed. We’d come up from dinner, and I’d spent the last two hours doing homework. Blissfully, I took my allotted twenty minutes in the bathroom. And now?
This.
“Are you naked under there?” Enrique asked.
I glared at him. “Get out.”
“We came to save you from Ren,” Theo announced and threw a book at Enrique’s head. It nearly struck the blonde, but he snatched it from the air at the last moment. Something red and lacy was in his hand with the book —a pair of my underwear. I sucked in a weary breath.
“Enrique, put them back.”
“I’m researching,” he protested but placed them back in their drawer. “I was the one who helped stock your room, by the way.”
“Then you know what’s in here,” I muttered and pinched the bridge of my nose. Actually, a night alone with quiet Ren was preferable. Theo paged through my notebook. Luckily, my secret diary was hidden at the back of my desk drawer, far from their prying eyes.
“We have a quiz tomorrow?” he asked. “In Mechanics?”
“Chat with the old guys and miss it,” Enrique said as he shut my door. Ren glared fiercely at him, and Enrique snapped his mouth. I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, walking over to the desk.
“Yes,” I said and pointed at what I’d written in my planner. “Chapter eighteen.” What had Enrique meant by old guys? Maybe he was talking about the teachers. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Council boys had special relationships with the professors. Or the Dean, for that matter. That’s how they probably got out of most of the student requirements.
“It’s late,” Ren announced. Enrique sat on the edge of the bed and swatted Ren’s foot.
“Don’t be such a bummer, man.”
“That’s Ren’s dream. To be a bummer forever,” Theo said with a grin. I studied the three of them. How was it that they seemed to get along while continually fighting with one another? I remembered being told that Theo had a tough time with Enrique at first…and yet, they acted like chummy brothers. Semi-violent chummy brothers, but brothers, nonetheless. I used to think Ren was removed from them, but even he had a place among their ranks. His scowl seemed boyish among them as he reclined against the bed.
It wasn’t my hormones or my imagination.
They were a family.
My heart sank heavily.
And then there was me. I frowned, toying with the edge of my planner and pretending to look through it. I felt like a stranger. Would I ever belong among these guys?
“I’d like to go to bed,” I told them. From the wardrobe, I grabbed pajamas and underwear, making sure not to touch the pair that Enrique had been waving around. Theo and Enrique dragged their feet towards the door with guilty faces.
“Scream if he tries anything,” Enrique said with a wink. “Don’t trust that lone wolf persona.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” I replied, but I couldn’t help from smiling. They said goodnight and left. I could hear Enrique punching Theo’s arm down the hall, complaining about something. It was drowned out by the distance.
“He’s complaining that he didn’t get to steal your panties,” Ren said with a dark laugh. I leaped up into the air as his voice came from behind me. He’d moved towards me. I could feel the heat of his body. No chance of tea until tomorrow.
“Enrique’s an ass.”
“A mostly honest ass,” he agreed.
“Mhm. Sure.” I nodded quickly and dashed to the bathroom.
When I came back out, I’d changed into my least sexy pajamas: a pair of satin pants with a big t-shirt. It must’ve been Theo’s idea to put this one in my closet, because the t-shirt was for a bear-shifter camp. A giant paw print took up most of the front of it. A cartoon bear was giving a thumbs up on it.
Ren snorted when he saw it. “It’s his family camp, you know. They host a reunion for their giant family in Nebraska.” He’d placed a sleeping bag on the ground. I offered him a pillow from the bed. “Don’t need it.”
“Just trying to be nice,” I muttered and climbed into bed. Usually, I took my secret diary or a book with me to bed, but the first was far too suspicious. I didn’t want him knowing about that diary. Hadn’t I written in it about how handsome they all were? I had. My cheeks felt like they glowed in the dark when I turned out the lamp. His sleeping bag was in front of my window, the window where I first spotted him actually. The curtains were parted slightly, the moonlight splaying over his stern face. He looked angry when he slept. I softly asked, “Do you want me to close the curtains?”
“I prefer the moonlight,” he grunted and rolled over. “Go to sleep, woman.” I frowned and felt a sour taste in my mouth. So much for attempting to be nice. I never knew where I stood with Ren. He couldn’t stop me from studying him discretely in the moonlight. He had a sharp nose, a tiny bit pointed, but in a way that suited his face. I wondered if his eyebrows were permanently pointed down.
“Thanks for saving me today.”
He grumbled something incomprehensible.
Did he consider the Council mates his friends? A melancholy came over me. Would he ever consider me a friend? I didn’t think so…I’m not sure why…but that thought made me want to cry. Instead, I settled for trying to breathe deeply and imagine a happy island for me without any shifters around. Sleep came quickly.
“It’s been a while, Fiona,” a ghostly voice said. I struggled. Darkness surrounded me, an inky blank that enveloped me like a blanket. Something brushed my cheek. A hand. Rough powerful fingers. My eyes flew open. Beautiful shadowy eyes. Shaded so that I couldn’t see their color. He was clever behind that elaborate mask. He reached for my throat and stroked the sensitive skin. I shuddered, helpless against his touch. Worse, I wanted it. Badly.
Mr. X.
“Did you miss me?” he asked, putting a finger underneath my chin. “Do you think about how I kissed you?”
To my utter horror, I said, “Every day.” My arms fought against some invisible force. Heat rolled over my body in waves.
“You told Priscilla that you wanted to stop these feelings,” he whispered into my ear. It was a purr that sent an electric current through my spine. My body wriggled. I couldn’t move. “Is that true?”
“No,” I replied again, my mouth opening easily. I would’ve told him anything he wanted to know. Some part of me screamed at myself. Why couldn’t I stop?
“You’ll have to give in to this side of you soon.” He tapped my chest, landing on a spot on my sternum — centimeters from my breast. I collapsed into him.
“I can’t.”
He chuckled darkly, his lips moving slightly against my neck. “You can and you will. There’s a power inside you.”
A power inside me?
I woke with a start, finally able to move my limbs. In the dark. In my room. A soft snore startled me — Ren’s sleeping figure on my floor. I clutched my chest, my heart beating a mile a minute. Damn. A dream.
My phone’s screen informed me that it was three in the morning. Too early to get up. I needed to sleep for training. My bladder was full, though. I’d chugged too much water thanks to my dry mouth yesterday. With a quiet step, I slipped out of bed and into the bathroom.
In the darkness, I crept through the bathroom. When I was finished, I washed my hands. In the dim light, I silently shut the door, inwardly thanking it for not squeaking loudly.
BAM! A force pushed me against the door. I gasped as someone’s hand clapped on the dip of my lower back. When I struggled, they pressed me harder into the door.
“Wake me up next time,” Ren growled in my ear. “I could’ve hurt you.” I turned, fighting my way to do so, and faced him.
“Don’t do that—” My voice broke. The dream had already stirred emotions and desires inside of me that I wasn’t ready for. There was enough light to remind me that it was dangerous to be close to Ren right now. I was mesmerized by his eyes, even if they were filled with annoyance.
“What?” he asked. He was still pressing me against the door. I swallowed. My stomach flipped. There were no words left in me. I wanted to drag a slow hand over his strong collarbone. He slept in only a tank top and shorts. How unfair.
I felt my neck crane up towards him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to do plenty more than that. My eyes went to his lips, full enough even when he was snarling with displeasure. I forced myself to stop moving towards them with a shudder. “Please,” I begged. How painful it was to hear my voice choked with conflicted desire. “Please let go of me.” His eyes widened. If he understood the reason for my meaning, he didn’t say, but he released me. I went back to my bed without another word.
When I woke up, he said nothing. I dressed for training, and he escorted me to the gym.
I had wanted to kiss Ren. I almost did.
When I saw Priscilla with the tea, I chugged the entire thing in the bathroom in front of her.
“Wow,” she said. “That bad?”
“You have no idea,” I told her.