Megan: I’ll call her, but I don’t do gentle. You sure you don’t want me to shake her tree in person?
Me: Not yet. Soon.
I pocketed my phone and sat back to watch the doorway. Like last week, Fenris joined the class and took the seat beside mine.
“Did you have a good night?” he asked.
“Not really.”
He did a double-take at me.
“No good dreams? No amazingly flavorful cakes you can’t get enough of?”
“The dreams were fine until Piepen showed up with his usual brownie lust and drama. Then, Adira popped in for a morning threat before I left for school. Not to be outdone in annoyingness by Piepen, she made an encore appearance in the hallway just now.” I looked up at Lucas, who was pretending to read whatever was on his tablet. “Let me know if you need me to write that down so you can give Adira an exact quote.”
The few other students who’d already entered laughed at my remark.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to remember, but thank you, Eliana,” Lucas said calmly.
I turned back to Fenris and arched a brow. “See? She’s everywhere, and like a bad rash, she refuses to leave.”
He considered me for a minute.
“Are you learning anything from any of these classes?”
“Math, maybe. Other than that, not really.”
“Then why are you here?”
“This is Uttira, and there’s nowhere else to go.”
“You have so much to learn. Come on, honey badger. It’s time for a lesson.”
With a cocky smirk, he stood up and winked at Lucas before strolling out of the room. I didn’t even need to think twice. Given my current mood, there was no way I wanted to sit through a lecture about humans.
I bolted after Fenris.
“Go get ‘em, girl,” Belemina called after me.
Fenris wasn’t waiting in the hallway but striding down its length at a purposeful pace. I had to jog to catch up.
“Why am I a honey badger?” I asked.
“Because you were about two seconds from ripping someone’s face off.”
“Wrong species. I’m not that violent.”
He gave me a long, doubtful look before turning the corner.
“I’d beg to differ. Any woman is capable of severe maiming given the right circumstance. Hangry is at the top of the circumstance list.”
He stopped at a door and swung it open for me. The red room was just the way we’d left it.
“I’m not hangry,” I said, stepping inside. “And if you honestly thought I was, why would you bring me here. This would be the most dangerous place for you.”
“Honey badger or not, you don’t scare me.” He closed the door behind us and went to lounge on a pillow.
“I’m not a honey badger.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll keep trying.”
“To what? Provoke me into hurting someone? You’ll be waiting a long time.”
He smirked.
“No, to find the perfect pet name for me to call you. You can start thinking of a few options for me if you want.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“I doubt you’d like any of the current options.”
He held a hand over his heart as if I’d hurt him, then patted the pillow across from him.
“Tell the Love Doctor about Piepen’s latest woes.”
“You’re a love doctor?”
“Certified. Got it in the mail.”
Shaking my head at Fenris’s playfulness, I sat down with a sigh.
“He said he was there for advice. Again. But he was touching himself while lying next to me.”
“He got more in your mouth, didn’t he?”
“No. Thank the gods, no. I was a lot faster to get away once I knew what was happening. He always interrupts the really good dreams.”
Fenris rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. “Let’s talk about those.”
My cheeks warmed, and I played with the edge of the pillow so I wouldn’t need to look at him when I admitted the truth.
“I think everyone’s right. I have an eating disorder. Why else would I keep dreaming of cakes?” My cheeks heated further. “Why else would they taste better than anything I’ve ever eaten in real life?”
Fenris’s silence prodded my curiosity enough to peek at him.
“Admitting something like that to yourself is big,” he said, seriously. “Admitting it to someone else is even bigger. I’m honored that you were comfortable enough to trust me.”
“Unconditional trust, right?” I said softly.
He opened his arms wide, and I didn’t hesitate to switch seats, eager to absorb the comfort his hugs provided. He tucked me into his lap and cocooned me in his embrace. The steady beat of his heart under my ear soothed some of my unpleasant mood.
“My mom said that my hunger was a truth I needed to acknowledge so I can address it. As if that deep, ravaging need can be ignored.” I snorted. “What she doesn’t understand is that I had been addressing it. On my terms. The feedings hadn’t been ideal, but they’d been something. I just don’t want to hurt anyone.”
He shifted a little to rest his chin on top of my head.
“I know you don’t want to hurt anyone. That’s why I pointed out that the dryads were fine after you danced. You haven’t experimented enough to know what you can do because you’re afraid of making mistakes that might hurt someone. But, meanwhile, you’re hurting yourself.”
I pulled back to frown at him.
“Are you suggesting I start feeding on different species to see which can tolerate me best?”
“No. You already know what types of creatures you can safely feed on.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t think I can go back to feeding on frost giants. I’m having a hard time forgiving Mrs. Quill for siding with Adira.”
“I’m not talking about frost giants.”
I swallowed hard in understanding.
“Bonded pairs.”
He nodded at the same time I shook my head.
“No. I hate that.”
Ducking my head against his chest, I hid from the truth.
“You know Megan and Oanen would willingly feed you.”
“Remember how I said I wasn’t the violent type? Keep talking about feeding on them, and I might have to prove myself wrong.”
He chuckled, the sound doing funny things to my insides, and ran his hand down my back.
“Werewolves are all about bonded pairs, too. You could try feeding from me. It’d make Adira’s day, and you can’t hurt me.”
“We already talked about this. No. I’m not taking that chance. You’re not bonded yet. And even if you were, I wouldn’t want to mess with your relationship like that. I’ll find another way.”
“You won’t,” a voice said from behind Fenris.
I lifted my head to look at Adira. The urge to hiss at her like I did the mermaids was strong.
“I’d hoped that I would find you using this room as it was designed.”
“How did your conversation go with my mom?” I asked sweetly.
“Perhaps you should ask her yourself.” Before I knew what she intended, Adira reached out and set her hand on me.