Page 6

Roxy

A crackling noise jerked me out of the blackest, darkest, deepest sleep of my life. In seconds, I shifted right there and landed on the cold floor with a growl. The shift was painful after the bite. I kept that little detail to myself, but changing from human to animal and back again now felt like being set on fire. The muscles ripped. The tendons snapped. Nails and claws thrust through my skin with no grace whatsoever.

Maybe my wolf was angry. Angry at the vampire. Angry at me.

She wasn’t the most docile of creatures under normal circumstances.

I raised my snout to the speaker near the door. Odin had mentioned something about it. They gave us calls to different things through that intercom, but I was only half paying attention.

First because I felt like absolute shit.

Second because Odin was so nice and attractive. My thoughts drifted more than once, and my eyes focused on his lips more than they should’ve.

“Fifteen-minute warning before dinner.”

I checked the plain, minimal clock on the wall. Yep. It was time. Odin did say something about being on time for meals. It was my first day here. Didn’t want to get in trouble on my first day. I needed this. The other choices for my life, well, they weren’t acceptable.

I checked the conduct book quickly to find out what the dress code was for dinner.

“Please don’t be the bloody uniform. Please don’t be the bloody… Oh, casual. Thank goodness I can wear my jeans.”

I was still in the black scrubs given to me by the medical team before transport. They’d made me shower and try to look clean and not like I’d just stepped out of war and then put me in these. They weren’t so bad. Comfortable and clean, but they made me feel like I was a patient in some institution.

I slipped on a pair of jeans and sighed as I pulled them up. There was something comforting about a good-fitting pair of jeans. I picked out my favorite black T-shirt and put on some green sneakers. My hair had always had a mind of its own, so I pulled it all up in a bun and called it a day. There was no reason for makeup because that would be like putting lipstick on a zombie.

Didn’t detract from the dead look.

Outside my room, people moved in lines toward the stairwell. Following them sounded like a good idea and, once outside, I recognized the dining hall building. I remembered Odin and how the ladies cooking meals loved him.

If we were allowed phones and if I’d ever had one, I might’ve asked him for his number. Even if he only wanted to be a friend, he would be someone kind and good to have in my corner.

I did see a few students shoving phones into their pockets before entering the dining hall. Maybe taking mine was temporary? Or theirs were contraband. Something else I’d like to ask Odin.

I’d clearly offended him by asking him about his scars, so there was a chance he might not speak to me at all.

“Get in. You’ll get in trouble for being late.”

I felt pressure on the small of my back. A shudder passed through me as I realized it was Odin’s hand. His voice.

So much for him not speaking to me.

Once inside the dining hall, I stood in the doorway like a rock in a river, wondering which way to go. “To your left. There’s assigned seating. Your last name is on your table.”

I got in that line, and he gave a nod of confirmation. No one talked to each other. Everyone looked ahead and kept their mouths closed. The ladies serving food smiled at me and nodded, but even they said nothing. We didn’t get to choose our food—a plate was placed on our tray and that was that.

Thank the goddess there was cake.

My favorite: yellow cake with chocolate icing.

Now to find my seat. This place wasn’t like any academy I’d seen and didn’t hold a candle to the Urban Academy. Students there sat with their mates. There were people on each other’s laps. Laughter filled the air. A low roar of chatter resounded constantly. Even some fighting broke out once in a while.

But here?

No one spoke. Not just in line but while they ate their supper. No sharing stories. No tips on classes or study dates upcoming. No one in love that I could see. No mates that I sensed.

Like a prison.

I suspected prison might be more…lively.

After a few minutes of feeling like a fool, I found my table. My name was on a piece of paper that had been recently taped to the surface. Recently, because everyone else’s seemed to be stained or crinkled with use.

Almost as soon as my ass hit the seat, people began to talk.

What the hell? Were they silent because of me? Not a great way to welcome a new student.

I took a chance and glanced around. Odin and some other guys were at a table only a few feet from me, huddled together, speaking in hushed tones.

Sighing, I started to eat. I’d learned a universal rule. First days anywhere sucked.

The food was actually good, which was a surprise. Lots of things in life smelled good but were rotten inside. Like my aunt.

A trickle of sweat poured down the back of my neck. My fever had shot back up. Maybe I was just stressed and none of this overheating had anything to do with the bite. A small chance, but something to cling to.