Page 27

There was a lot that needed to be done, but the first thing I needed to do was see the one person Zane told me to stay as far away from as possible, and that I was actually going to try to stay away from.

"Where is Viggo?" I asked.

Slevin shrugged. "I'm assuming in his room since classes have been canceled for the week. They still haven't found housing for him, and Zane is demanding that he isn't put in our building. Zane is a bitchy little thing, and here I thought I was a queen," he mused.

"Zannie is a princess in his own mind," I agreed.

"A sexy little piece of ass after my heart," Slevin gushed.

"I think not, you have the wrong plumbing, but don't worry, we will find you a good male," I assured him with a kiss. "I'm going to shower and make a house call."

"To Prince Tall-Dark-and-Mysterious?" he teased.

"Yes. Why am I in your room?" I asked, just realizing that I wasn't in my room.

Slevin made a face. "Because they did a makeover on yours after tearing it down looking for the threat, just in case," he said. "Mine looks the same as it did before because I'm just that awesome, but I did lose some shoes. Assholes," he grumbled.

I groaned. "I just got it perfect," I whined.

"I know, Beautiful, I'm sorry. It gave me a pass to go shopping for you!"

He smiled wide, but when I didn't smile back, his face fell.

"They got rid of nearly everything in case something had some bad juju on it, that's all I know," Slevin explained. "Your father assisted them with sorting through what was of importance and those items were kept; they were placed in an enchanted footlocker in the back of your closet for safekeeping. Only those of your bloodline or those soul-tied to you can open it. Your room still smells like latex paint since they were in the process of painting your room when we returned. They didn't find anything, to my knowledge, but they were erring on the side of caution, and had to replace the windows that broke... In the entire building. I did the needful while you were sleeping so you have everything you need and then some."

There shouldn't have been anything of concern in my room since the only things I had were brought from home, and I had just gotten my room decorated how I wanted it; UK Punk scene with lots of grey, black, red, navy, and white.

"Shopping? They got rid of all of my clothes?" I asked in a panic.

Slevin nodded. "Yes and no. The items that were Zane's that you came back to school with from California, his stolen shirts and cartoon pajama pants, and his god-awful slippers, and a few pieces your father knew held sentimental value, Administration did the needful and cleared them, but the generic stuff was tossed. Now you have sexy underwear and dresses!" he beamed the latter.

I was going to kill him.

"Harper, I need to shower," I called out. "And I'm going to kill this one if he did what I think he did."

Harper chuckled before popping his head into Slevin's room. "Regrettably, Love, he did exactly what you think he did. But I took care of a few things for you. I'll clear the showers and keep guard for you. Do you need help getting undressed?" he asked, blushing.

I tried to lift my arms then hissed.

"Bloody hell, you need to go to the Healing Center, Love," Harper scolded. "We wanted to toss you in there ourselves, but you have to want it. Please will you go? There is no reason to wear the scars of their failure."

I glared at him. "I'm starting to dislike you as much as this nosey queen," I warned.

Slevin gasped as if offended.

"If it means getting you out of pain, I would gladly take up residency on your shit list, Love," Harper informed me, joining us on the bed.

"I don't want to have this discussion right now," I said. "Too many changes all at once... You know I'm a creature of habit, which is the biggest flaw a Sentinel can have because it makes them predictable, but I wasn't ready to give that up yet. But I'm forced to get out of my comfort zone and to give up everything that I found solace in."

Tenderly Harper caressed the hair back from my cheek. "Love, maybe having your git brother here will help fill that void so the anxiety attacks don't come? It's your fourth year at the Academy, which means two more years of extensive training, but you are two years behind in separation training."

Slevin rolled his eyes but bit his tongue.

That was true.

A Sentinel-in-training was taught to leave behind their former life, their worldly possessions, and the only life they knew. It was something that was started in the first two years of training at the Academy, but I had missed those years because I was homeschooled. I didn't think anything of it until I realized that I was sentimental and had stuff that I couldn't let go of, like the shirts I stole from my brother before heading back to school over the summer.

"Devilry forced me to start that particular lesson, awesome," I said. "I want to shower and then see Viggo. I need to thank him."

Harper shook his head in resignation but helped me up and escorted me to the showers on our floor. Once they were cleared, Slevin and Harper helped me undress, Harper's eyes staying closed, then he waited outside in the hallway to make sure no one tried to come in uninvited. Slevin stayed in the bathroom rambling while he did his nightly fifteen-step beauty regiment, watching what he was doing in one of the mirrors over the sink; this was normal for us.

Since I was the only female in our male-exclusive dorm, most of the guys respected the boundaries that being a female would require, but there were always those who wanted to press their luck. My boys were really protective of me and made sure I was safe and had my privacy.

After my shower and we got back to our suite, Slevin ran to his room and locked the door, then moved his bed in front of it to block it.

And that should have told me something, but I was apparently slow because I should have kicked his ass for his little shopping adventure before I even saw what he purchased.

My room was turned into a goddamn contemporary showpiece like you'd see on Home and Garden TV; contemporary dark brown and metal furniture, new herringbone wood flooring in shades of brown, and pear-green walls with fuchsia and purple accents that made me want to puke. The bed had a new mattress and bedding that was in the same mature shades with stacks of pillows and a couple of soft cashmere over-blankets laid across the foot of the bed.

On the nightstand was a vase filled with beautiful orchids, my favorite kind of flowers, and a card. It was typed, of course, from the King and Queen of the Unified House: 'Thank you for your help with the incident in Seattle. Please accept the updated room and new clothes as a token of our appreciation. Regards.'

"Damn it," I grumbled, tossing the card back on the nightstand. "That means I can't send anything back."

The closet was filled with new school uniforms and clothing with the tags still hanging on them, and my drawers were filled as well.

There must have been over six grand worth of clothes, and it wasn't something my parents would be able to afford.

When I opened the top drawer, where my undergarments should have been, my eyes widened.

"What in the hell, Slevin? I can't exercise in these things!" I yelled.

It was filled with lacy bras and scandalously skimpy panties.

"Next drawer, Love," Harper called out from the living room. "You can thank me later for the functional knickers."

Sure enough, the next drawer down was filled with cotton panties and sports bras, stuff I could exercise in and would wear.

"Thanks, I owe you big time," I said.

Nearly all of the clothing in the dresser was black, and they were functional so I knew they were because of Harper and not Slevin, and that was just how I liked it. I loved the shade black because it went with everything!

It took longer than I cared to admit before I got completely dressed, and that was because of the injuries I had; I couldn't lift my arms above my head, and trying to pull a sports bra on was impossible, so I went with a black full zip hoodie and black tactical joggers with some slip-on sneakers.

As long as I didn't take my hoodie off, I'd be fine.

Once dressed, I looked myself over in the mirror on the dresser and fought against the tears that were suddenly flooding my eyes.