Page 33

Rachel

T he sunlight filtering through the curtains wakes me and I hum in contentment as I stretch my legs beneath Liam’s comforter. His lingering warmth surrounds me and for a moment, I just breathe. Safe, warm, untouchable.

But the illusion won’t last.

I sit up slowly, stretching my arms over my head. I love waking up in one of my mates’ beds. I haven’t slept by myself in so long. I don't think I’d be able to do it if I went back to sleeping in my dorm. I’ve been spoiled falling asleep in their strong arms night after night. That’s going to be the challenging part of tonight’s girls’ night. I’ve been looking forward to tonight all week, but suddenly the prospect of sleeping without one of my guys is almost enough to have me canceling. But I can’t do that. I need this time with my friends. I’ve missed them so much and there’s so much we need to catch up on.

Rising from the bed, I opt for a comfy outfit today, throwing on one of Liam’s shirts and a pair of navy-blue leggings. Liam’s shirt hangs off one shoulder, soft and worn, the fabric smelling faintly of him, making me wish we could spend the day in his bed instead of class. My muscles are sore, not from anything physical, but from tossing and turning last night.

There’s a quiet knock before the door creaks open. Liam steps in, his dark blond hair is still a little damp from his shower, curling slightly at the ends. He’s already dressed for the day, his camera bag slung over one shoulder. No one should look so sexy this early in the morning. It’s really just not fair. In his rugged jeans and form fitting olive green t-shirt, he’s every girl’s secret outdoorsy fantasy come to life. I lick my lips as my eyes run up and down his firm body taking him in.

He smirks and shakes his head. “Don’t look at me like that, Shadow Girl. We’ve got class in thirty. That’s nowhere near enough time to do all the things that look is demanding we do.”

I flush at the promise in his husky voice. We haven’t done more than kissing and a little heavy petting over the clothes. He hasn’t said anything, but I can tell he’s holding back. I feel it in the bond.

I want nothing more than to push through that last tiny barrier between us and show him how much I need him. But I’ll go at his pace. As he’s been telling me, ‘We have time. We don’t have to rush into a physical relationship, just because we’re mates.’ But it doesn’t feel like rushing. It feels right . Being with him… with all of them… feels like I can finally breathe. I always dreaded meeting my mates, but now I can’t imagine my life without them. I can’t wait to start our lives together after college.

He holds up his hands with two travel mugs and a bag. “I’ve got breakfast. D made a batch of his famous breakfast sandwiches before he took off to his business class. Even kept them warm for us in the oven.”

“A true angel,” I sigh, taking a cup out of his hand and sipping the perfectly made iced caramel latte. Derrick is always doing things like this to take care of me. I can always count on him to make sure I’m fed and have my coffee fix.

“He definitely knows the way to your heart,” he laughs. “You ready to go?”

I nod, sitting down in his desk chair and grabbing my shoes. “Just give me a second to throw these on and I will be.”

He waits, watching me with an expression that’s part fondness, part worry. I know he wants to say something, probably about how fitfully I slept last night or the lingering shadows under my eyes. But he doesn’t.

And again I don’t bring up what happened with Trent on Monday.

I almost do, I almost have all week. The words hover on the tip of my tongue, heavy and sour. But I know what will happen if I tell them. When they find out Trent confronted me while they weren’t around, they won’t want to be apart from me ever again. They’ll circle around tight and not let me go to girls night. And I need this.

I need a few hours to just breathe, and laugh. To just be a girl with her friends instead of a target.

So I don’t say anything.

I tuck the memory into a quiet corner of my mind and focus on forcing a smile as we step out of the dorm and into the hall.

“I can’t believe it’s Friday already,” I say. “Feels like the week flew by.”

Liam grins. “Well, time flies when you’ve got a whole pack of distractions.”

I bump my shoulder against his as we walk. “You’re not wrong.”

When we reach Professor Stone’s english class my heart warms at the sight of Bas leaning against the wall. He snuck out early this morning and I haven’t seen him since dinner last night. I might be worried he was keeping something from me if it wasn’t for his reaction to seeing me. His whole face lights up just like the bond as he smiles. Pushing off the wall, he stalks me, like the deadly predator he is. His dark hair is perfectly tousled, like he just ran a hand through it, and the green in his hazel eyes seems even more vivid against the black of his t-shirt.

“Good morning, Firefly,” he says, pulling me in for a small peck. The heat of his palm on my lower back centers me, calming some of the lingering unease I’ve been carrying.

“Morning,” I murmur, giving him a little smile as he pulls back.

Liam offers him one of the sandwiches from the bag. “D figured you hadn’t eaten yet either so he threw one in here for you.”

Bas snorts but takes it with a thankful nod. “He’s not wrong. Thank you.”

As the hallway begins to fill with students, the three of us step into class together. The familiarity of routine settles over me like a soft blanket. I climb the stairs and take my seat on Maya’s right while Bas and Liam engage in a ridiculous game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who gets to sit on my other side. Bas wins and Liam grumbles under his breath about cheaters as he takes the last seat in our row while Bas sits next to me, a handsome smirk on his face. Shaking my head at their antics, I pull out my notebook and try to focus on what Professor Stone is saying. During the lecture, I doodle mindlessly in the margin of my notes, half-listening, half-lost in thought.

By the time classes end for the day, the sun is dropping lower in the sky and the courtyard is buzzing with pre-weekend energy.

Bas slings his bag over his shoulder as we walk out of the building. “You heading back to your dorm?”

“Yes, she is,” Aubree answers for me. “You’ve had her long enough. It’s time you learned how to share.”

“I know how to share,” Bas huffs indignantly. “I share her with my three best friends.”

“That’s not the same as sharing her with us. You still get to see her when you’re sharing her with them,” Aubree tips her head towards Liam. “Not us. We don’t have to share on our night.” She sticks her tongue out and I can’t help the laugh that bursts free.

“It’ll be fine. You can live without me for one night,” I tease. “Besides, you have your own guys’ night planned, right?”

“Trust me, I’d much rather have Rachel night than guys’ night,” Bas grumbles.

“You get Rachel night tomorrow. After you win your game.” I wink at him, thinking of the first after-game Rachel night. The way his eyes flame tells me he’s remembering that night too.

Liam raises a brow. “You sure you don’t want us to walk you over there?”

I shake my head. “No, I’ll be fine. I’m with Maya and Aub. I’m not alone.”

Neither of my mates appear happy with that, but they don’t push it. I don’t know how they always know when to push me and when to step back but I thank the fates every day for giving me such understanding mates.

We cross the quad slowly, taking our time. Lucas spots us from a distance and waves, jogging the last few feet until he can throw an arm around my shoulders.

“You trying to sneak away without saying goodbye?” he teases, squeezing me briefly.

“I knew you’d find me,” I say with a smile. “Since you’re here now, consider this my goodbye. I’ll see you tomorrow after the game.”

Derrick joins us a second later. “You sure you’re good, Emerald? We really don’t mind walking you to where you’re going.”

I nod, hugging him. “I’ll be fine. You guys go enjoy your dinner and whatever it is you’ll be doing for ‘boys’ night’. I’m sitting with your parents again tomorrow, so I’ll see you then.”

“Text us when you get there,” Bas says, voice low.

“I will,” I promise.

I give them each a final hug, pressing quick kisses to cheeks and jaws, then I wave them off with a grin.

I don’t let them see the way my hand tightens around the strap of my bag once I turn away. The way my fox flutters in my chest with nervous energy as if she knows something I don’t. Because I’m just being silly, Trent is gone, and my dad is banned from campus so nothing bad can happen here.

Right?

Maya and Aubree walk on either side of me, gushing about all the stuff they have planned for tonight. I feel a weight leave my shoulders as we enter the lobby of the dorm. When I step into our dorm room, I’m immediately greeted by the scent of popcorn, and some sort of fruity drink.

“You’re here! Everyone get your pjs on. Movie starts in ten minutes!” Dallas orders.

I head to my room and change into a comfortable pajama set before wiping the makeup off my face and throwing my hair into a loose messy bun. When I step back out, I see that the girls made me a spot on the couch, with my own blanket and a few pillows to snuggle with. Once I’ve settled in my spot, Maya presses play and we dive headfirst into the movie.

It’s ridiculous, a predictable plot and enough second-hand embarrassment to have us screeching and laughing through the whole movie. The end credits roll, and we move onto the spa portion of our night. Maya busts out a sugar scrub she made from scratch and Aubree brings out her whole assortment of polishes and nail gems.

Soon our hands and feet are silky smooth, and our nails are freshly painted. We trade stories while our nails dry and laugh until our sides ache. Dallas confesses that one time, in her freshman year of high-school she tried to flirt with a cute senior and got so nervous that she shifted into her otter form and ran away before she ever said a word. Maya nearly chokes on her soda trying to stifle her reaction.

The night is perfect.

For a few hours, I don’t feel like the girl with a criminal father, or the abused girl whose mother died too soon. I’m just Rachel, just me.

By the time we’re ready to turn in, it’s nearly midnight and we’re all passing around yawns. Dallas is the first to turn in, but the rest of us soon follow. I make my way to my bed for the first time in weeks and as I lay there, I feel… lonely. I curl under the covers, trying to center my breathing. Closing my eyes, I try to reach for sleep.

But it doesn’t come.

I haven’t slept by myself in so long I think I’ve forgotten how. Eventually I give up on sleep and open my eyes. Reaching over to my bedside table I grab my phone, the screen lights up and the time reads just after two in the morning.

Maybe I’ll sneak back over to the guys’ dorm… just to sleep.

I push the blankets back and sit up. I grab my hoodie off the chair by my desk and slip it over my head before slipping on my shoes and quietly opening my door. I stop by the kitchen to leave a note letting the girls know I’ll meet them at the game on the counter and sneak out of the dorm as quietly as possible.

The cool night air hits my face like a whisper, soft and crisp. Campus is quiet, the courtyard between the dorm buildings empty, almost eerily so. I walk slowly, my hands tucked in my hoodie pocket, eyes trained on the path ahead. There’s something comforting about the path to the guys’ dorm. It’s familiar now, like a well-worn path home.

As I near where the path turns toward the dorm, something flickers on the edge of the tree line between the buildings.

I freeze.

Squinting into the dark.

A shape, low to the ground, just beyond the trees disappears behind the underbrush.

My heart stutters.

It could’ve been a deer. Or a raccoon. Or nothing at all. Taking a cautious step off the path, I squint harder, trying to see into the dark forest.

Then I see it again, for just a second.

I want to believe it’s nothing. That I’m just tired. It's just a trick of the moonlight, my eyes playing games. But still, I look.

I step off the path completely, pushing closer to the tree line, trying to make sense of what I see.

I’m laser focused on the tree line when a pair of arms wrap around my middle. I open my mouth to scream but a hand comes up, covering my mouth with a sweet-smelling cloth.

“Shhh…” A familiar voice growls in my ear. “Go to sleep.”

The world tilts.

I struggle, legs kicking out, but everything is slipping away.

My vision blurs and my fox thrashes in my mind.

I try to scream, to shift. To do anything.

But I can’t.

And then everything goes black.

The last thing I hear is my captor's dark chuckle, low and filled with malice.