The Hunt

Some of my shaking had eased by the time I pulled around the side of Girderon Academy. Adira would continue to play her games, and I needed to accept that. After all, my not accepting her and Mom’s meddling was what had gotten Ashlyn into trouble.

My priority needed to be finding Ashlyn. I couldn’t allow nasty brownie sparkles, Mom dragging Dad back into our lives, or Adira’s meddling to distract me. Ashlyn had officially been missing for a week. And, as I’d pointed out to Adira, it was far too long for a human to survive alone somewhere in the wilds of Uttira.

I parked in my usual spot and hurried inside. Students already roamed the halls as I made my way toward the pools. Hopefully, I would catch the three druids there since the conversation we needed to have wasn’t one I wanted overheard.

The moment I pushed my way into the pool area, mermaids hissed then dove deep, creating splashes aimed in my direction. I itched with annoyance as I sidestepped the spray. Megan had called them bottom feeders after her journey across Lake Uttira, and I was beginning to understand why. They were completely disagreeable and held grudges over the littlest things. My mind shied away from my time in the water with Eugene and what “little thing” had set the mermaids off.

I stopped short once I entered the bathroom. Rather than finding the druids in the middle of some spell, the space was empty. A sick feeling swirled in my stomach. How long could the druids camp in the middle of winter? More importantly, how long was Adira going to allow it?

Frustrated, I left the pool. The people in the halls were only slightly more pleasant than the mermaids. I didn’t think much of the collective mood, though, until I heard a commotion ahead.

Eras’s voice rang out in Girderon’s imprisoning halls.

“I will find you, and you will pay!”

The crowd shifted enough that I caught a glimpse of Eras’s angry, red face.

“Meals are stolen all the time, Eras. Can you imagine what would happen if we got pissy every time a fisherman gets away?” a mermaid said with a flip of her green-tinted hair.

“It’s not the stolen meal that’s a problem, Miranda. Someone messed with my head, making me forget what they’d taken. If not for Emory asking if I was less angry, I wouldn’t have even known. Someone’s covering something up, and it won’t be long until other people start forgetting things.”

Eras had the crowd’s attention now.

“Druids,” the troll next to me mumbled under his breath.

“Exactly,” Eras said. “There’s an incubus or succubus out there working with druids, and I plan to find out who. If anyone has information to help me do that, I’ll make it worth your time.”

Miranda’s gaze slipped over the crowd and found me. A slow smile spread across her lips and showed her pointed teeth. I steadily met her gaze, doing my best to seem indifferent despite quaking on the inside. I wasn’t stupid enough to think the mermaids hadn’t noticed the use of their bathroom last Monday. Not with the way she was currently looking at me. And while I knew my business with the druids had nothing to do with Eras’s memory wipe, the mermaid wouldn’t. All she knew was that the five of us had used that bathroom together and only four had come out.

Retreating from the crowd, I made my way to my first class and tried not to panic.

I couldn’t stop Miranda from telling Eras what she’d seen. And once he knew, Adira would know soon afterward. I almost hoped for it. How much longer could I keep silent? I wished Adira was the type to actually help. But knowing her, once she found out, she’d try to blackmail me into appropriate succubus behavior in exchange for not telling Megan about what the druids and I had done. I’d rather tell Megan myself.

Only a few seats were occupied when I entered the classroom, including the one next to mine.

“I’m sorry, Fenris. I told her not to do this.”

I didn’t need to clarify who as there was only one person who liked messing with our lives to this level. He didn’t seem to mind the meddling, though, based on his easy grin and shrug.

“I don’t mind the time away from my schedule.”

I knew he meant his pack of females and sighed, doubting very much that they’d be as accepting of the change.

Fenris’s smile slipped, and he leaned toward me, sniffing.

“You smell different. More…”

While he struggled for the right word, heat scalded my cheeks, and I covered my mouth with my fingers. Piepen’s taste still coated my mouth and apparently lingered on my breath despite all the minty gargling.

“It’s not bad,” Fenris said, taking in my flush. “Only different. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Not with me.”

I snorted but kept my fingers in place as I spoke.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew what happened.”

“I look forward to hearing the story.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

His grin widened.

“But you will because you’ll want my help to get rid of what I’m smelling.”

I wrinkled my nose at him and faced the front of the room where Belemina watched us from her seat. She winked at Fenris.

“Adira swapped out the human for you? I’m not sure if I should pout or cheer.”

“Cheer. That’s what Eliana’s doing.”

Her gaze flicked to me.

“Yeah, real cheerful there,” she said before focusing on the instructor.

I shot Fenris a dark look before lowering my hand from my lips. Though I tried, it was impossible to pay attention to a lecture on how humans like to congregate in parks, which made for easy feeding. Instead, my thoughts drifted to where I should start looking for the druids.

The class ended with me hearing very little.

Fenris stood and waited for me.

“Care to tell me a tale while we walk to Self-paced Science and Algebra?”

“Once, there was a werewolf who was too nosy. He died. The end.”

He chuckled and tucked his hands into his jean pockets, in that relaxed way he had about him, and followed me from the room. I, however, moved a bit more aggressively through my peers than normal, and a few stepped hastily out of my way after a glance at my expression.

“I think I might need to collect on my payment a little early today. Whatever happened this morning put you in a bad mood,” Fenris commented when we reached Ashlyn’s class.

“You’d be in a bad mood, too, if you had to endure the morning I had,” I grumbled, trying not to make eye contact with Eugene, Ashlyn’s hopefully temporary replacement.

“Do you think so?” Fenris asked.

His question gave me pause, and I looked at him as we sat next to each other. Did I think Fenris would be in a bad mood if Piepen had sprinkled on him? No. Fenris never seemed to be in a bad mood. In fact, he probably would have clapped the annoying little brownie on the shoulder and offered him more man-to-man advice.

Sex advice from Fenris.

My insides went hot and cold at the thought.

Instead of answering his question, I picked up my tablet. The equations danced in my vision and didn’t settle into any sensical meaning. My mind was too busy dwelling on the fact that Fenris was a better person than I was. What was wrong with me?

“Advanced Algebra? Nice. Are you hoping to be an engineer or architect?”

Setting the tablet down, I took a long-suffering breath.

“We both know that will never be an option for me.” I met his gaze. “Fenris, you need to complain to your father that Adira changed your schedule. She’s meddling with your future. I might never be able to leave here, but you will. You need to study.”

He leaned in with a grin.

“I’ve already passed everything. The only reason I don’t have my mark yet is that I’m not mated. I’m here to spend time with the ladies, whichever ones they see fit to throw in my path. You’re this week’s flavor, and I don’t mind the change.”

“You passed everything?”

“Yep. Don’t forget these classes are online.”

“So you’re just here because you’re mateless?”

“Yep.”

“Since when?”

“All my life.”

I gave him a flat look, which only amused him further.

“I mean, how long have you been attending classes with no other purpose than to be around the females?”

He looked at me thoughtfully.

“It was the summer after you arrived. I’d had the brilliant idea that, if I finished all my work, they’d give me my mark, and I could spend a few years traveling the world. Apparently, single wolves aren’t allowed to travel.”

“I’m so sorry, Fenris. I hadn’t realized how trapped you were.”

He shrugged.

“It’s not so bad. I just needed to adjust my thinking.”

I didn’t see how that could make his situation any better, and he chuckled at my skeptical expression.

“Instead of thinking of myself as trapped, I consider myself in charge.”

I snorted.

“I’m serious. The pack leaders are worried about me finding a mate, so they order pack runs. To keep things interesting, I’ve turned them into games of hide-and-seek. The girls are less disappointed when nothing happens since they’re having fun. The pack leaders don’t say anything because I’m spending time with the girls like they want. But even though I’m doing what they want, I’m not really. You know?”

I slowly nodded, seeing what he meant.

“You should try it. Adira might give you orders, but you’re the one who decides how to carry them out.”

I thought of Adira’s not so subtle order to go to the Roost nightly.

“I’ll think about it,” I said.

“You have a lot you’re thinking about. I can’t wait to talk about all of it in Self-Discovery.”

“Like you haven’t been talking about it enough?” Eugene said with a bland glance at Fenris while he stood by Yanet.

The dwarf rolled her eyes at us. “Some of us are actually trying to learn here.”

A flush crept into my cheeks, and I murmured a quick apology before picking up my tablet.

Fenris relaxed into his chair and seemed to lose himself in his thoughts. As much as I tried not to do the same, I kept going back to what he’d said. Everyone was always trying to get me to do what they wanted. The more I fought it, the more they pushed. Adira wanted me to start hanging out at the Roost. How could I do that my way? I loved the music and hanging out with Ash—

A heaviness settled in my chest. Why was I thinking of appeasing Adira instead of getting out there and finding Ashlyn? Because, for a selfish moment, I’d forgotten. I hoped that wherever Ashlyn was, she was safe and unharmed. The thought of her shivering and hungry as she wandered the expanse of Uttira ate at me.

“You okay?” Fenris asked softly.

“Yeah. Fine.”

The bell rang, saving me from further explanation. We walked in silence to Self-Discovery and found LuAnn waiting at the door. She stopped us from filing in with the other students.

“Good morning, Eliana. Adira has modified room 11B for you. Fenris, Adira would like you to accompany Eliana on her self-discovery for as long as you’re able.” The bell rang again, and the last student hurried in around us. “I’ll check on you both in a bit.”

My stomach sank as LuAnn closed the door, leaving Fenris and me in the hall. I could only imagine how Adira modified the room for me.

“Come on,” he said. “I still want to hear about that smell.”

I cringed and continued down the hall toward our assigned room.

“I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“An answer like that is only going to make me more curious.”

“You’ll survive your curiosity.”

He gave me a speculative look then opened the door for me.

“I thought my curiosity was going to kill me.”

Distracted by the current topic, I managed several steps into the room before the décor registered. The space looked nothing like a classroom and everything like a dominatrix’s bedroom.

The scent of Fenris’s ever-present lust wrapped around me so tightly that I jumped when the door closed with a gentle click. I could taste his sweetness through the skunk flavor lingering in my mouth and fought to breathe through my growing panic. My hands shook, and my hunger roared to life, clawing at my insides.

Oblivious to my struggle, Fenris walked around me and went to the bed.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that our pocket pool playing pixie paid you another visit,” he said as he began pulling the red, silk top sheet off the round bed.

The chains anchored to the base of the bed rattled. The sound crawled under my skin, and my vision sharpened. Before I could make an excuse to leave, Fenris took the sheet and tossed it over the rack of sex toys set to one side.

“Am I right?” he asked, finally looking at me. His grin slowly faded. “Hold on.”

Within seconds, he had the built-in chains tucked under the bare mattress, the fitted sheet covering a nude painting of an orgy, and two pillows on the floor. He sat cross-legged on one and patted the other.

“Sit and breathe, Eliana. This is just a room. You’re in control. Not Adira.”

“I’m in control of nothing,” I whispered.

“Aren’t you? You’re still here. You’re not attacking me even though I can smell how hungry you are. Adira sent you in here, but she never said you had to feed. Sit and talk to me. Tell me about the smell. It’ll distract you and probably entertain the hell out of me.”

I exhaled slowly and tried to think. It wasn’t easy with Fenris’s lust clogging the air.

“Any chance you can take it down a few notches?”

He grinned. “This is down a few notches. I didn’t look at the picture even though I really wanted to. I think I saw a werewolf in the mix of wood nymphs. Think he got splinters?”

The ridiculousness of his question made me snort, and he patted the pillow again. Although he’d successfully diverted my focus from my hunger, I was reluctant to join him.

“I don’t want to attack you like I did in the cave.”

“No distracting me with fun memories I get to tell my future kids. The day I stopped a succubus from feeding and lived. Now, tell me who spit in your hot chocolate this morning.”

I made a face. “It wasn’t spit, and it wasn’t in my hot chocolate.”

He brought his hand to his mouth, and I knew the mongrel was doing it to cover his smile.

“I need details,” he said, his words muffled.

“I don’t want to relive it.”

“I have a feeling you’re reliving it anyway. Talking about it might help you forget.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Right. You’re being altruistic.”

“Yep. I’m willing to sacrifice time in my busy schedule to listen to all your woes. Woe me up.”

Focusing on the fringe of my pants, I picked at a few threads as my face flushed hotly.

“Piepen snuck into my room again. He was on the pillow next to me, touching himself. He sparkled just as I woke up.”

“Sparkled?”

I reached up and tapped my chest where I still wore Piepen’s glowing mark, a mark that Fenris had seen and smelled.

“Ah,” he said. “Sparkled. Got it. Please continue.”

“It got in my eye and my mouth.” My voice dropped to a raw whisper. “So much in my mouth. I brushed. I gargled. I ate lemons and jalapeno chips. Nothing helped.”

Fenris remained silent.

“It tastes awful. I can’t get rid of it.”

A rustle of noise was the only warning I had before he tugged me into his lap and wrapped me in his arms.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

I leaned into Fenris’s hold, soaking up his comfort and maybe just a little of his scent.

“I almost killed him.”

“I can imagine. He’s extremely persistent. I thought he would have found a girlfriend by now to distract him.”

“He did. That’s why he visited. His girlfriend is extremely jealous, and he wanted advice about it.”

“Ah, poor fellow.” A hint of pain in Fenris’s tone had me lifting my head. Remorse reflected in his eyes. It took a moment for me to make the connection.

“Aubrey,” I said softly.

He nodded. “She made everyone’s life hell because I wouldn’t put her in her place.”

“It’s understandable, though. Why would you rebuke a girl who could potentially be your future mate? It wouldn’t make for a happy household.”

“Right.” It sounded less like an agreement and more like he was trying to convince himself.

LuAnn chose that moment to open the door to peek in. Her expression lit up at the sight of me in Fenris’s lap.

“Splendid. Was everything to your satis…” She trailed off as she noticed how all the toys were hidden away.

“Everything is perfect,” Fenris said. “The anticipation is killing me. She knows exactly what she’s doing.”

Some of LuAnn’s pleased smile returned.

“Of course. Carry on.”

As soon as the door closed, I tried to crawl out of Fenris’s lap.

“Ah-ah-ah,” he chided. “I’m claiming my hug first. That’s right, arms around me. You can add legs, too, if you want.”

I rolled my eyes and gave him a firm hug. His hands smoothed over my back, and he pressed me tight to his chest. I really enjoyed Fenris’s hugs. Far more than I should. They just felt so…good. Welcoming. Comforting.

“I could do this all day,” I admitted.

“Hug me or hide in this room?”

My phone buzzed with a new message, saving me from having to answer. Fenris released me with a wink. Ignoring him, I stood and read the message from the unknown number.

Unknown: Just checking in to see if Anne called you yet.

Me: Who is this?

Unknown: Anne’s brother, Tegan. We met when you stopped by looking for her.

I looked up at Fenris, excited that I might have a real lead.

“It’s Tegan. He’s asking if Anne called me.”

Me: I haven’t heard from her yet and am getting a little desperate. Can you let her know?

Tegan: I’ll try calling her again. The reception is spotty where they are so it might take some time for her to get back to me. I’m happy to help in her place too. Just let me know.

I wrinkled my nose as I read that last bit, and the phone suddenly disappeared from my hands.

“Fenris, give it back.”

He ignored my stern warning and read my messages while holding the phone just out of my reach.

I kicked him in the shin. But, he laughed and hopped out of the way for my second attempt.

“You’re only angry because I won,” he said.

“Of course you win when you’re a foot taller than me.”

“Not that,” he said, handing the phone back to me. “This.” He opened his arms wide and wiggled his fingers at me. “Get in here, chipmunk. It’s time for another huggle.”

“Did you just call me a chipmunk?”

He squatted down and kept wiggling his fingers. When it came to hugs, his patience was endless. I’d never met a needier werewolf.

“I’m not a chipmunk, and I already hugged you.”

“Yep, that was hug number one. Hug two is due to your dream druid texting you like I said he would.”

“That bet was for the next day.”

Fenris slowly shook his head. “The bet you agreed to was just that he would message you. You never said the next day.”

I struggled to remember that conversation. Since I couldn’t remember my exact wording, I huffed a sigh. He wiggled his eyebrows as I walked into his embrace.

“I’m not a chipmunk,” I grumbled.

“You’re not small and quick to run away? Come on, spaghetti, wrap those noodles you call arms around me.”

His taunt about running away got to me. Without second-guessing myself, I jumped up, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. His eyes widened. It was the first time I’d ever witnessed a shocked Fenris.

“Not a chipmunk,” I said with a grin before hugging him close.

“That’s my girl.”

Those three murmured words stole my humor, and a hunger rose that had nothing to do with my succubus appetite. I craved being someone’s girl with a depth I’d never realized, and hearing it from Fenris hurt. He would have a girl someday. They’d look at each other with a singular focus that would blind them to anyone else. I’d never have that. At least, not the natural way a werewolf pair would. Any person who looked at me with longing would do so as a result of my allure and his growing obsession.

“Do you know why humans own dogs?” Fenris asked randomly. “They claim that petting their canine friends makes them happy. Want to test that theory?”

I pulled back from his hug and rolled my eyes at him.

“I’m not going to pet you, Fenris. Ever.”

“I don’t know. I told you that you’d come running for my hugs one day, and I think we’re getting close. Petting may be in my future.”

Shaking my head at him, I tapped out of his hold.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“And you’ve had a rough twenty-four hours that I’m trying to help you forget. Is it working?”

“A little.”

He sat on his pillow, and I sat with him again.

“You know you can trust me, right?” he asked softly.

I nodded.

“Will you tell me why you’re desperate to find those druids?”

My heart lurched a beat as he watched me expectantly.

“A location spell, remember?”

He nodded slowly, rubbing a finger over his bottom lip. My stomach dipped. I wasn’t sure if it was due to feeling like I was two seconds from being lectured by the most lighthearted person I’d ever known or because he was unintentionally stirring my hunger.

“And you have a more experienced druid offering to help you, but you didn’t take him up on it.”

“And you said he only wanted my number to hook up with me.”

He sighed.

“Fine,” he said softly. “Trust has to be earned. When you’re ready to tell me about it, I’ll be here to help. Until then, let’s see if we can figure out what to do with your lingering sparkle problem.”

For the rest of the class period, I listened to some ridiculous ideas. They ranged from rubbing troll saliva on any sparkle spots, including my mouth, to soaking in the hot springs with Fenris.

The bell rang, and I stood smoothly.

“I already soaked, and it didn’t help the first spot.”

“It might not have helped with the smell, but it helped you relax.”

People made way for us as we walked to General Living. A few cast accusing glances my way, and it wasn’t until the third one that the reason clicked. Immediately, I scanned the faces for Miranda. Instead, I spotted Eras heading my way.

I reached out and clasped Fenris’s hand without thinking. His fingers curled warmly around mine, lending the comfort I desperately needed.

“Sucu-bitch, you are—”

Fenris’s fist crashed into Eras’s face. My mouth fell open. The incubus stumbled back a step, his eyes going dark as his gaze locked on Fenris, who was grinning.

“Want to try that again, Eras? Her name is Eliana.”

Eras wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. He glared at Fenris for an extra moment before looking at me again.

“It’s about time you find your own food. Maybe I should steal your meal from you.”

That dark thing inside of me, the one I was trying so hard not to acknowledge, roared to life.

“Touch Fenris and you will be my next meal, Eras.”