Page 63

Delores

If only I could disappear off the face of the Earth, rather than come to this sex ed class…

Professor Zhenga focused the first half of today’s class on reviewing the information from Monday’s video. That I could handle; it’s pretty straightforward information.

Heather M. interjecting with ‘but that’s sex with a worthy pred , right?’ after every fucking statement was harder to manage, but I kept my cool. She’s obviously a plant for someone and within a few weeks, she’s integrated herself in with my ex-besties without a hitch. I’m calling her Yellow because of her weird fetish for a certain fruit that she has zero fucks about sharing with everyone.

This is sex ed, not kink camp, you dumb fuck. Show a little restraint.

That’s what I want to say, but Yellow works her bullshit into every conversation as if she’s a seasoned practitioner. Even Professor Z has told her to shut up about shit she has no clue about, but she doesn’t listen. She keeps running her mouth and I’m honestly waiting to call her out on her lies in public. I catch our teacher looking at her the same way I do and I wonder which one of us will break first.

I can’t tell if Zhenga is a rival or an ally, but she definitely has no patience for interruptions in her lectures. She told Yellow to ‘fuck off Regina’ at least three times before announcing her class would now have a points system. Every stupid question would earn a demerit on the board, and she would assign the person with the most demerits a cleaning task in the gym—starting with the men’s bathrooms.

That shut Yellow’s nasty ass up, praise Hera.

Now that the review is over, Zhenga has switched gears to mating in myths and legends. I’m confused because the syllabus she handed out last time said we wouldn’t get into myths and legends until we’d covered basic biology and behavior for all the major shifter types. It’s a pretty rapid switch, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of my conversation with her after class. She seemed disturbed when I described the situation, and although she promised to do some research, she certainly hasn’t reported back to me about it.

I raise my hand, intent on asking about the one eighty in the curriculum so I can figure out how to work ahead, when the door swings open and my jaw hits the floor. All five of my boyfriends are making their way to the back of my remedial sex ed classroom with irritated looks on their faces. As if my inexperience isn’t enough to make me insecure, they get to witness one of their exes teach me how fucking sex works!

I’d like to die here and now if it’s convenient, thanks.

Scrunching down into my seat, I tuck my legs under me and pull up the hood on Fitz’s stolen sweatshirt. I can’t actually disappear, but I can keep the heat on my face from being as noticeable. My eyes are trained on the front of the classroom, waiting for a smirking Zhenga to continue with the lecture.

“Now that our guests have arrived, I have a special film to share. I dug through old lecture materials until I found lesson plans and films referencing certain types of folklore. This one is extremely old, so giggle away at the outdated shit. It’s grainy and cheesy—the girls should also be prepared to be angry at the blatant misogyny. But in a pinch, this is the best I could do without being granted access to any special archives .”

That dig was aimed right at my grumpy librarian, and I can hear his snort of irritation before I smell the smoke rings. I’m not sure whose side the lioness is on, but it’s clear she has absolutely no fear, and maybe no sense of self-preservation. My dragon will roast her if she isn’t careful, especially with the mood he’s been in lately.

“I expect to see all of you taking notes. They have banned the information in this film in the past—it’s rare to learn this at all since the Council took over. You may not get to see it again.”

Frowning, I wonder why the Council would give a shit about legends and mating practices. What could be in this damned movie that’s so scandalous? Maybe she’s being dramatic because she figured out I was talking about a Khan when I asked her my questions, and this is her way of making me feel dumb.

That has to be it.

Zhenga turns the lights out and drops onto the bean bag she prefers, whipping out her phone. I can’t complain, though. The benefit of her distraction is I can watch the guys out of the corner of my eye. What I see is giggle-worthy, but I don’t want to draw attention to myself, so I bite my lip to hold it in.

The aforementioned dragon is seated in a large armchair with a frown on his face that looks more thoughtful than grumpy. His phone is out, and I think he might be recording the sound of the video rather than playing around like my actual professor. Rennie is perched on the arm of his chair, his expression unusually stormy as his tail flicks in sharp, angry beats. Fitz is sprawled on a beanbag next to Felix, focusing on the film more than I’d expect as his brother runs his fingers absently through his hair. It’s like Felix is comforting him, but I don’t know why. Chess is standing off to the side with his arms crossed as he leans against the wall, watching quietly.

Something is off with them, and I’d sure as hell like to know what it is.

Now isn’t the time or place to ask, but it’s making me nervous. I can’t message them in such an open space, nor can I get caught slacking when this change in the curriculum was clearly prompted by my questions. I return my focus to the video, squinting when the word ‘knotting’ flashes on the screen.

What in the name of Aphrodite is that?

I don’t have to wait long to find out because several very detailed diagrams appear on the screen, and I feel the color drain out of my face as I recognize exactly what happened—with both Fitz and Chess. The film explains that the phenomena differ from species to species, and can be called other things, but it’s specific to sexual activity between ‘fated mates’. Wincing at the weird hook thing that happens in felines, I struggle to keep up with my notes despite my shaking hands.

Fated mates—what does that even mean? Does it mean the guys don’t really like me? Maybe Fitz and Chess didn’t have a choice? What if it doesn’t happen to the others? What if my stupid prey shit caused this?

The questions whirling through my head are overwhelming, and I don’t know what to do. It feels like my world is being tossed into a blender, and it’s set to high speed, but I can’t turn it off before the lid goes flying. I put my pen down and close my eyes, desperately trying to calm myself. When I felt like this during the summer, I would go out and get a new piercing or a tattoo. The pain distracts me, and though I know it’s not technically the healthiest way to deal, it helps.

I wonder if I can get Rufus and Cori to sneak off campus with me to a tattoo parlor.

When I open my eyes, I realize I’m white-knuckling my notebook. I’m feeling so insecure and na?ve, but I need to get a hold of myself. My gaze cuts to the lioness again, but she’s not looking at me or my guys. Maybe she really is doing this to be helpful? I’m not sure I’m ready to trust anyone else just yet—it’s been hard enough to share my trauma with Rufus and Cori, and now I have to swap truths with my boyfriends in order to get the same from them. I’m still reconciling how exposed that makes me feel, but I know it has to happen.

Any good therapist would tell me I can’t lock my heart in a vault forever because of a few assholes in high school.

Maybe that’s what I need— real friend time. This is my last class of the day, and I could go have a ‘therapy’ session with Rufus and Cori. Their parents taught them a fuckton more about shifter life than Lucille allowed me to learn, so they might know about this ‘knotting’ and ‘fated mate’ stuff. If they explain it to me in layman’s terms, I might feel less like an idiot.

I might stop wondering if the guys felt compelled to be with me.

That thought makes my heart ache, and I frown. I know my animal has been pushing me to bite them and is very receptive to the feel of their teeth on me. I don’t think I can bring myself to ask Zhenga if that means my bunny wants to mate. When I have my implant changed, I should probably ask the nurses ; they have to know a little about this, right?

Speaking of that, I need to do it soon because I’d like to have a sleepover with Fitz and Chess together—soon.

I pull out my phone quickly, making a note to ask Bettina about biting. Accidental mating seems like something I need to be wary of; Aubrey was very clear about that. A thought occurs to me, and I add another quick task for during my work study this evening… visit the archives and look up fated mates . Between that and my research on the Society, I have plenty to keep me busy.

When the movie ends and everyone stands, I scurry out of the room as quickly as possible. I can’t bear to look at the guys until I have my head on straight, and I definitely can’t let any of them touch me until I fix this damned birth control issue. Wanting to scream in frustration, I put my earbuds in and duck into a small corridor that leads to the prey tunnels.

I don’t want anyone to see me freaking out, especially not that obvious spy, Yellow.

Using the modified prey version of the campus map, I follow a series of twists and turns until I arrive at a door that has a caduceus on it. The symbol for medicine makes me sigh with relief, and I push open the door slowly so I don’t startle the three nurses when I emerge from their supply closet.

“Um, hello? Bettina? Clarice? Argyle? It’s Dolly..." The three women are sitting at a table chowing down on lunch, not batting an eye when I appear out of nowhere. I give them a nervous smile as I shut the closet door and walk over. “I need your help again.”

“Told you she’d be back!” snorts Argyle.

Clarice frowns, and Bettina glares at their colleague. “Stuff it, Argyle. What can we do for you, Dolly?”

“I need my implant refreshed and, um, I have some questions.” They look at me curiously and I rush to add, “ Private questions.”

Bettina wipes her mouth with a napkin and stands, nodding. “Well, then girlie. Come lie down on the exam table and we’ll get started.”

“Oh, no! I’m interrupting your lunch,” I reply, shaking my head.

“Nonsense, girl. Birth control is not something to put off .” Argyle gets up and heads for their locked medicine cabinet in a huff. “I can forgo a full belly so you don’t get a full belly.”

Clarice sighs and leads me to the exam table. “Don’t mind her. Being gruff is her love language. I promise she likes you.”

“If she didn’t spray you, she likes you,” mutters Bettina.

Well, that’s comforting.

“Don’t fret, Dolly—we’ll have you all fixed up in time for Valentine’s Day,” Clarice adds with a bright smile.

My eyes dart between the skunk, the hedgehog, and the possum.

Did she just say… Valentine’s Day?

How in the hell am I going to handle that—eeney, meenie, miney, moe?