“What’s her deal?” Damien arched an eyebrow and glanced in my direction.
“I have no clue.” That admission was painful. Jess was pulling away from me. Maybe I had upset her somehow.
“She’s just going through some things.” Rage leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Don’t stress about it.”
That was easier said than done. “Yeah, but …”
“It’s my fault.” Cole’s eyes darkened as he looked at the ground. “I said something to her the other day.” He let out a long breath. “How was class today?”
“Another interesting day.” Rage grabbed my hand and glanced behind us. “We learned about fae and vampire half-breeds.”
“Yeah, that’s one of the worst combinations.” Damien ran his hand through his dark auburn hair. “It’s a travesty.”
“How do you know about it?” This was Professor Shaw’s pilot class.
“Oh, Professor Shaw is my mentor.” Damien shrugged and leaned back. “That’s how he knew that we needed help with your necklace too.”
“Speaking of which, I need that back. It was a gift from my mother. If I had known that Damien was that close with Professor Shaw, I would’ve asked him for it months ago. For some reason, it didn’t feel right to ask the teacher directly.
“He’s trying to determine who spelled it.” Damien pointed at the necklace with the red stone around my neck that Rage had given me for Christmas last year. “Besides, you always wear that one now.”
“It was a family gift.” Rage rolled his eyes at his friend. “So if you could get it back, it’d mean a lot.”
“Have fun with that, man.” Cole laughed, but it sounded forced. “Professor Shaw doesn’t like giving things up, especially if they have a mystery to them.” He scrunched his lips. “So what’s so deadly about these half-breeds anyway?”
“Dude, you saw that boy who had burns on one side and wolf scratches on the other.” Damien flinched at the memory. “If that didn’t scare you, what else will?”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it.” Cole sighed dramatically and made his bottom lip quiver. “So we’ll never have a Damien Junior? We’ll have to be childless.”
Having children was a priority for all supernaturals. We needed to ensure that our race didn’t die off.
“Awe, how sweet.” Jordan appeared beside me and smirked at Cole. “You finally came out.”
“Yup, why else did I sleep with you?” He arched his eyebrow and chuckled. “That’s the only plausible explanation.”
It took all my strength not to laugh.
“You jerk.” Jordan's nostrils flared and she stepped in his direction. “Do you think everything is a game?”
“Well, you let me hit a home run with you. You can’t blame me for being confused.” He cringed and shook his hands. “Some images haunt you for life.”
Cole was as loyal as they come, but if you hurt or attacked anyone he considered family, he turned cold and unrelenting.
“Come on, Jordan.” Madison appeared and grabbed her friend’s arm. “You don’t deserve this. It’s like they think it’s some kind of joke.”
“No, I don’t.” A wicked glint reflected in his eyes. “Everything you stand for is a joke, and I’m not interested in anything you think or do.”
“You better watch yourself.” Jordan bared her teeth, letting her two incisors descend. “There’s more at stake here than what meets the eye.”
Even though Cole always hung around, I usually forgot he was a vampire, so seeing her teeth like that wasn’t something I was used to.
“There always is.” Cole’s chuckle had a dark edge, and for one of the first times ever, I saw the creature he was excellent at hiding. If I ever doubted that he was a predator, I couldn’t any longer.
“Alright, you got to make your scene.” Rage turned to face Jordan and Madison. He waved his hands in a circle, pointing out all of the students who were standing and watching the show. “I think it’s best if you two walk away before Cole can’t hold himself back any longer.”
I hadn’t even realized there were people all around, watching us. Cole did appear a little unhinged.
“Now listen here.” Jordan placed a hand on her chest, and her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Enough is enough already.” Damien’s low voice rang clearly in the air. “Like Rage said, you need to leave.”
It’s always been clear that Damien was an alpha, but I never realized his strength until now.
“Fine.” Jordan huffed and frowned. “But keep him in line.”
“No one can keep me in line.” Cole taunted her.
“You’re vicious.” Rage snorted and punched him in the arm.
“Hey, I just do what most everyone is afraid of doing.” Cole lifted his pointer fingers in the air and did a little jig.
“Oh.” Damien groaned and rubbed his eyes. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“I don’t bull shit. Instead, I tell people exactly how it is.” Cole adjusted the material at the shoulders of his polo shirt. “Many people are afraid to do that.”
“That’s true, but it’s always your distorted version.” Rage shook his head and took my hand again. “Cole logic can be hard to figure out sometimes.”
“I don’t think so.” Cole may have been a hard ass, but he was more than that. “He loves his friends and family. He won’t tolerate any of them getting hurt.”
“Finally, someone who gets me.” He truly smiled and marched over. Before I knew it, he had pulled me away from Rage and wrapped his arms around me. “Now that you know my secret, no more telling anyone, okay?”
“Of course.” I hugged him back and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad I’m stuck with you.”
“Okay, okay.” Rage grabbed my arm, pulling me back to him. “Enough of trying to steal my mate. I’m not letting it happen.”
“Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if I hadn’t brought you along to her graduation.” Cole tapped a finger to his lips and glanced upward. “If I would’ve had her to myself the whole ride to New Orleans, maybe I could have wooed her before she met you.”
“First off, there is no wooing in this day and age.” Rage pulled me closer to him and wrapped an arm around my waist. “And secondly, you had no chance.”
“It’s true, man.” Damien patted him on the back. “There was no way in hell you could’ve beat him. But at least, he shares her with us.”
“Wait. What?” Cole perked and winked at me. “I didn’t realize there was sharing.”
“No.” He was a handful at times. “That’s not what he meant.”
“But he said …”
“Don’t even think about it, Cole.” Rage’s shoulders shook behind me. “I will kill you if you try.”
“Oh, and just like that, my dream vanishes.” Cole glanced toward the girl’s dorm and sighed.
There was something strange going on, and neither Cole nor Jess wanted to tell me. I wanted to demand their secrets, but I figured they’d let us know when the time was right. I just wished I could fix whatever was going on.