Eudora
James picks me up at seven to take me out to dinner before we head to the Homecoming Dance.
"You look amazing." He looks me up and down as soon as I answer the door. My purple silky dress fits my body perfectly, hugging my waist and curves. The back of the dress is open, showing off my smooth skin all the way down to just above my ass. James wastes no time placing his hand on the exposed skin of my back, as we walk to his carriage.
The dinner we have together is a little awkward and I find myself sucking down wine. James seems nice, but we don't have a lot in common. I am relieved when the bill has been paid and we leave.
We arrive just on time for the dance. I work my way over to the bar and hope that the awkwardness with James will lift now that we aren't alone. I spot Gia and Koda across the room with their dates. Once James and I have been served our drinks we join them. Gia introduces me to the handsome shifter on her arm, then Koda introduces me to his boyfriend, Toby. Toby is cute, his light skin, dark eyes, and dark hair contrast with Koda, making them look like yin and yang. Koda tells me about how they met in high school and then were stationed in the military together. When Koda and Toby turned 22, they weren't surprised to find that they had a string, so they decided to officially start dating. They haven't marked each other as mates yet, because they want to wait for Koda to finish at Tremont Academy first. Toby seems nice to me, a little boring and quiet, but nice. Gia, on the other hand, has stronger opinions about Toby. She pulls me into the bathroom with a warning look.
"They aren't meant to be." She bursts out saying, as soon as we enter the bathroom.
"What do you mean? They have a string." I turn to the mirror and start reapplying my lip stick.
Gia leans her hip against the sink and faces me. "Yeah, they do, but it's not very strong. I can tell Toby is emotionally distancing himself."
"Maybe he's just nervous meeting Koda's friends." I rub my lips together and grab a paper towel to blot off the extra lip stick.
Gia doesn't look convinced, "He's barely looked at Koda, and he hasn't smiled or laughed once. He's been polite, but he's not really here emotionally."
If Gia is concerned then she probably has a good reason. I turn to Gia, giving our conversation my undivided attention. "Why do you think that is?"
"I'm not going to guess, but I don't want to see Koda get hurt."
"He'll be okay. He has us." I state.
"You should be less concerned about your friend, and more concerned for yourselves." A stall door opens, and Madison steps out.
"We don't want any trouble Madison." I say, turning towards her.
Madison walks over to the sink next to me and takes her time washing her hands. "Oh I won't give you any trouble as long as you stay in your lane. James is someone you deserve." Madison has a smirk on her face as she dries her hands and then leaves.
Gia glares at Madison's back, "What the fuck was that about."
I shrug "I guess she's happy I'm here with a guy she thinks is beneath her, instead of giving her competition."
When Gia and I exit the bathroom, a slow song starts to play. We quickly find Koda and our dates, and take the dance floor. James holds me close and I put my head on his shoulder, while we sway together to the music. We don't talk and just enjoy the moment.
As the slow song comes to an end, I pull away from James.
"Hey do you want a drink?" He asks.
"Yeah that sounds good."
"Wait here, I'll be right back."
I wait alone just on the outskirts of the dance floor. Aren approaches me. "Can I have this dance?" He asks.
"I am here with a date, Aren, I can't dance with you."
"Sure you can." He smiles and then grabs my hand pulling me out onto the dance floor.
"So how is your date going? Is it everything you've ever dreamed of?"
I crinkle my nose, "Not really. He's nice, but we just don't click. Maybe I'll ask Gia to use her ability to set me up on my next date."
"So you plan on continuing to date?"
"Yes Aren, I don't want to turn 22 with literally zero experience with guys."
"You don't have zero experience anymore." Aren informs me.
"Are you talking about our make out session?" I ask. "Because you made it clear you didn't want me when you left me alone in my bed. I want to experience what it's like to be with guys who are interested in me." I pause giving Aren a chance to dispute my statement, but he doesn't. I can't help but feel disappointed. Just then James reappears holding two drinks. He doesn't look happy to see me dancing with Aren.
"Can I cut in?" He grunts.
"Yes, thank you for letting me dance with your date." Aren says as he steps away from me. James brushes past him and takes his spot handing me a glass.
Aren
I exit the dance floor and head to the bar. I don't like James. When he brushed past me, it made my hair stand on end. Something about the guy just feels wrong. Gia comes up to me with a worried look on her face.
"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling." She states. Her ability to sense when something bad is about to happen puts me on high alert. I immediately scan the crowd to make sure Ora is okay, but I can't find her.
"Find Jayden and tell him about your feeling. I am going to find Ora."
I frantically dive around dancing couples searching the dance floor. Once I've confirmed she's not there, I walk around the outskirts of the ballroom getting a little too close to a few cozy couples, while trying to see their faces. Just as I'm starting to panic I catch a glimpse of silver hair exiting through a hidden door on the opposite end of the ballroom. I make my way to the door and throw it open. The door leads to a dark hallway. I pause just inside the hallway, listening. I don't hear anything at first, but then I hear a scuffle. I start in the direction of the sound and I can start to make out some words. The words I hear make's my blood freeze and my heart stop.
"No, stop, please" I hear Ora's voice cry out.
"Just relax. Why are you playing hard to get?"
I see red. I'm so angry that when I make it to the door the noises are coming from I pull it off of its hinges. Behind the door is a small supply closet. Ora is on the ground on her back and James is standing over her. Her dress has been pulled down exposing one naked breast. James is pinning her with one arm and trying to undo his belt with the other. She is weakly struggling, but she looks out of it. Did this fucker drug her? I pull him off of her and fling him into the hallway.
I turn and glare at him, "You're a dead man." I launch myself at him letting my claws come out and I slice him across his chest. He goes down hard and doesn't even try to get up and continue the fight. What a weakling. He drugs and prays on women, but as soon as he's faced with a fight he just stays down. I turn back to Ora and see that she is struggling to stand, but she can't quite manage it. I walk into the closet and help her sit on one of the buckets.
"Are you okay? What did he do to you?" I ask crouching next to her.
She sways a little, "He held me down and scared me." She closes her eyes and leans into me, "He didn't touch me other than that." She's slurring her words.
"Can you wait here for a few minutes?"
"Yeah" she responds sleepily, "Please don't tell anyone about this."
"I won't." I pick up the door and place it blocking the doorway. I then turn to the bastard bleeding on the flood. I pick him up and unceremoniously throw him over my shoulder. I walk down the hall to the small office the nurse and I set up by the ballroom. She wanted to be near the dance, just in case any students got injured or too drunk. Nurse Stone's eyes widen when I walk in, and throw James onto one of the beds. His blood stains the shoulder of my white dress shirt.
"What happened? Why didn't you heal him?" She asks, jumping into action and gathering supplies.
"This guy drugged another student and tried to take advantage of her." My voice gets caught in my throat.
She stops moving and looks at me. "How do you know?"
"I just do."
"We need proof if there is to be a chance of his expulsion." I can see the gears turning in her head.
I dig into his pockets. In the inside pocket of his jacket I find what I am looking for. I pull out a little baggy of pills.
"Give those to me." Nurse Stone says, taking the bag from me. "I'll test them and inform the Dean about what has happened. Is the girl okay?" She asks, completely ignoring Jame's injuries now.
"She is fine. She doesn't have any physical injuries, but she is shaken. She wants to remain anonymous."
"Understandable." Sorrow fills the nurse's eyes. "You'll make sure she gets home alright?"
"Of course." I respond.
I exit the nurses temporary office and start walking back to the closet I left Ora in. As I'm passing one of the main doors to the ballroom, Gia and Jayden exit bumping into me.
"Hey what's going on? Gia said she had a psychic bad feeling and that you went to find Ora" Jayden looks worried. "Is that blood on your shirt?"
I know I have to give them something or else they will refuse to go back to the party. "It's not blood, some chick spilt her wine on me, and Ora is fine. I ran into her at the bar and she told me James decided to leave the dance early." I turn to address Gia. "The feeling you got was probably because of some 1st years I just caught outside setting off bottle rockets a little too close to the dry brush."
Jayden and Gia look relieved.
"I'm glad that the crisis was averted!" Gia says gleefully. "Well I'm gonna go back in and seduce my date. If you see Ora, let you know I won't be back tonight." Gia pats my shoulder and then winks at me before reentering the dance. The loud music floods out when she opens the door and is muted again when the door closes.
"You want to go back in?" Jayden asks me.
"I actually have this girl waiting for me." I don't make eye contact with Jayden. It's not a lie, but he will definitely draw his own false conclusions.
"You sly dog you!" He slaps me on the back. "I didn't know a girl had caught your eye. Good for you. Go have fun, it's been forever since you've gotten your dick wet." Jayden opens the door and looks back at me grinning devilishly.
Once he has made his way back inside the dance, I walk to Ora's closet and remove the door. She is sitting there sound asleep, slumped up against a shelf.
I carefully pick her up cradling her in my arms. I would do anything to protect this girl. Even when we were children, people have always been drawn to her, as if sensing something special. When we were kids, she was loud and annoying, and Jayden and I spent a lot of time hiding from her. As we all got older, we matured and found her company more acceptable. I enjoyed hearing her opinions and roughhousing with her, but I always saw her as a little sister. Since being reunited with her, the feelings I have for her are far from brotherly. My dick gets hard whenever I am near her. I look at her and all I want is to be hers and for her to be mine.
Ora stirs in my arms. "What happened?"
"Don't you remember? James attacked you." She crinkles her nose and looks angry. "Yeah I remember, but Aren saved me." She relaxes, her eyes still shut. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Yeah?" I ask, my voice is husky.
"Promise you won't tell Aren?"
"Yeah." I know I'm taking advantage of her drugged mind, but I have to know what secret she doesn't want me to know. It could be important for her safety. I try to lie to myself, but I know her safely isn't why I want to know this secret.
She nuzzles into my chest then sighs out, "I've had a crush on Aren forever."
"Why haven't you told him?"
"Because he doesn't like me."
I guess she really does believe I'm not interested in her. "How do you know that?" I ask.
"I just do."
"Is that why you are trying to date? Because Aren doesn't like you?"
"No, I'm afraid that when I come of age, I won't have any potential mate strings."
"Mate strings can still form after you come of age."
"What if there is no one for me? What if I am broken and never shift? What if my magic is broken? What if I am so broken that I am unlovable?" Tears start to form and slide down her cheeks. I wipe them off and kiss her forehead.
"You are the most lovable person. Even if you never shift or figure out your magic, you are not broken."
She relaxes in my arms and falls asleep again.
When I place her gently on her bed she slightly wakes up. With strength I didn't know someone who is half asleep could possess, she pulls me down onto the bed next to her. We share a pillow facing each other. Her lips are inches from mine and I can smell her sweet breath. I close my eyes, enjoying the moment, but then I feel her lips touch mine. I gently push her away to break the kiss.
"We can't do this Ora." I reprimand her.
"Why?" She asks.
"Because you are not in your right mind." I sit up and try to slip out of the bed, but before I can go her hand catches my wrist.
"Please Aren, don't go. I don't want to be alone tonight." I'm glad she's aware enough now to at least know I am the person she is talking to. I look into her eyes and I know there is nothing this girl could ask of me that I would refuse.
"Okay." I agree and then settle down next to her. I remove my bloody shirt, dropping it to the floor next to the bed, then I pull the blankets up covering both of us.
…
I wake up just as the sun is starting to rise. I quietly put my shirt on and crack the door to make sure no one is around to see me make my escape. I make it all the way up to my suite without seeing another soul. As I'm sneaking through the common room, I hear a door open. My head whips around to see a very pretty brunette exiting Rylands room. She nods at me conspiratorially and then quietly makes her way out of our suite. I walk into my and Jayden's room carefully shutting the door, so as to not make any sounds. My efforts are fruitless though because as soon as the door is closed, Aren's light snaps on beside his bed.
"Behold the raining conqueror has returned home." He grins at me, "So who's the lucky lady?"
"None of your business." I respond, sliding into bed hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.
"Come on, you have to give me something. You haven't hooked up with anyone since last year. I want to know all about the lucky lady who managed to catch your eye."
"There's nothing to tell." I respond. "Don't you have your own love life to worry about? It's been almost as long for you, since you've brought a lady home."
"That you know of, maybe I've just gotten better at sneaking around." Jayden grins. I have suspected for a while that Jayden has been keeping his sex life on the down low. After the incident with Madison last year, he's been very careful about the women he fools around with, making sure that they are on the same page as him. Jayden isn't serious about any of the girls he's hooked up with, because he is holding out hope he'll get a potential mate string with someone. He knows there is no chance for him to get a string with someone at this school, since the only female shifters are Madison and his sister. Female shifters are so rare that feeling a string with someone is an experience many straight male shifters never get. Ora's fears about not having any strings echoe my own. My parents had a strong string connecting them before they became bonded, and their marriage is always something I've admired. As a child I thought that what they had was something everyone got, it wasn't until I grew older and learned how rare female shifters are, that I realized having a mate string to guide me to my perfect woman was a near impossibility.
"Just let me sleep." I say to Jayden and turn away from his light.
"Okay fine, but we will be talking about this later."
I wake up a few hours later to find Jayden's bed empty. The smell of bacon guides me into the kitchen where Kaden is cooking a mountain of bacon and pancakes. Max is silently sitting at the kitchen island reading an ancient looking book.
"Is this for all of us?" I ask him.
"Yes" he grunts. I grab a piece of bacon and hop into one of the bar stools.
"So why the feast?"
"Koda had a rough night."
Koda's boyfriend, Toby, has been visiting from the Tundra Kingdom for the weekend to attend the dance. I figured if he had a rough night it probably meant he got too drunk.
"Did he drink too much or was it something else?"
"If he wants you to know he'll tell you himself." Kaden says ending my line of questioning.
Just then Koda and Ryland exit their rooms and join me at the counter. Koda's eyes are red rimmed and Toby is not with him. My heart sinks and I get the feeling that his rough night wasn't from overindulging in alcohol.
"Dude what the fuck happened to you?" Ryland asks Koda insensitively.
Koda looks like he is on the verge of tears. "Toby broke up with me last night."
"What? Why?" I ask. Koda and his boyfriend had a mate string, I don't understand why they would break up.
"He said that long distance wasn't working. I think that's bullshit. I think he has a string with some other guy that he wants to explore. He claimed that he wanted me to explore other strings while I'm here and once I graduate we can see if we want to get back together."
"Toby is a dick." Kaden states. He places plates piled high with food on the counter in front of the three of us. I immediately dig in. I didn't realize how hungry I was.
"Enough of my sad love life. I heard a girl sneaking out of your room this morning Ryland." Koda says, changing the subject.
"It's true, all the ladies want a piece of me, and who am I to deny them." Ryland says gesturing towards his muscular body.
Suddenly, the front door bangs open and Jayden enters looking pissed. We all stare at him as he marches up to me and yells right in my face, "You fucking liar, you said Ora was okay last night."
"She was."
"Well then why is the whole school talking about how she fucked James last night?"
"WHAT?" I am shocked. I know for a fact that Ora was not with James last night, because she was with me, but I can't tell Jay that. "Jay, that's impossible. Where did you hear that?"
"Everyone is talking about it."
"Well let's track down James and ask him ourselves." Why the hell is that prick even still at this school, I thought the nurse would make sure he was expelled immediately. Maybe these things take time. Even so it makes me sick that he can just walk around free today spreading his lies.
"Sounds good to me." Jayden spins on his heels and marches back out the door. We all jump up and follow him.
It doesn't take long to find James. Once he has been located, Ryland zips away to get the Dean. He is sitting in the middle of the crowded quad, his face is smug while he regales his buddies with details from his night. "Ora was tight but sloppy. She wasn't a very good lay, so I don't plan on a repeat." He snickers.
When he notices Jayden, me, and three other guys walking up to him, I see fear flicker in his eyes. Good. That bastard should be afraid. I reach him first and punch him across the face before he can open his lying mouth again. As he is reeling from my punch I pick him up by his shirt collar. James looks panicked. He glances around at his buddies, probably hoping one of them will step in, but the pheromones I am radiating are preventing any of them from being able to move.
I look at James and focus my pheromones on him. He gasps struggling to breathe. "Tell us the truth, Did you have sex with Ora?"
He struggles against my dominant pheromones and then goes limp giving up. He tilts his head showing his neck to me in a sign of surrender.
"I did not fuck Eudora." James mutters.
"Say it louder. Tell everyone here the truth." I shout at James.
"I DID NOT FUCK EUDORA!" He shouts. "I WAS LYING." Then he adds, "THE PRUDE DIDN'T EVEN LET ME GET TO SECOND BASE, EVEN AFTER SHE WAS DRUGGED." I punch him again and then look around to make sure everyone in the quad heard him. Satisfied by the shocked and outraged looks on everyone's faces, I drop James onto the ground.
"You belong in jail, not at this Academy." Jayden looks down at James and then kicks him hard in the ribs. By this time Dean Charles and Ryland have made their way outside and are briskly walking towards us. Jayden turns to the Dean. "This guy drugged another student. He just admitted it in front of everyone here."
"Nurse Stone filled me in last night on the drugs." He walks over to James and pulls the guy to his feet. "The Emperor's knights are here to see you. They have a lot of questions for you about where you got those drugs." James looks terrified as Dean Charles drags him into the building. If the Emperor's knights have gotten involved, then he is in serious trouble.
"We won't be seeing him again." Jayden turns to me. "Now let's make sure Ora is okay."