Chapter Five

Less than a dozen steps later, we arrived at my door. "This is me." My stomach swirled with anxiousness, and again, I was gut-punched by a misery I had no explanation for. "Thank you all for your help."

I dismissed them in my head, expecting them to walk away and out of my life for the most part.

"How about we bring your things inside?" Bodhi offered. He leaned his forearm against the wall next to the door.

My nostrils flared, catching his scent. His earthy musk shot through me, skating over every inch of me.

"We could look over your schedule," he went on. "See if we have any classes together."

I let out a long breath, trying and failing to steady myself while my temples throbbed at their nearness. I focused on sliding the key card, something I usually failed at, and opening the door. A disturbing thought filled my female brain. Women are all trained not to trust.

Maybe they were luring me into the room so they could assault me.

Sad but true.

"Don't worry," Grim said, his warm breath skittering along the rim of my ear. "We would never harm you. Never could."

I shuddered, shoving the door open. How precisely his comment had answered my concern.

"Oh yeah. Of course. Come in. Looks like I have a roommate."

The room was large enough for a small sofa near the window. Two desks. Two beds. A closet for each person and what looked like a large bathroom off to the left. I expected a hostel-like setup, but the furnishings were more like a home than a dormitory. Honestly, I expected cots, so all of this was a welcome surprise.

One bed already had a comforter and a well-decorated desk. Cute pillows and a stuffed bunny by the pillow.

"Can we help you unpack?" Theron asked, shutting the door behind us.

The hair on the back of my neck rose as tingles fluttered down my arms. Like hell they were going to help me unpack. With my luck, they would pull out one of the two thongs I owned. "You three have done enough. Really. Sit down. Please."

My nerves made my voice shake. I giggled a little while they all tried and failed to fit onto the small sofa. Grim winked at me and pulled out my desk chair and sat there instead. Gods, I was a mess around them. All three of them were alluring and sexy. They probably flirted and talked to females all the time.

Not this girl. Boys had never paid attention to me other than asking me for notes or if they could borrow a pencil. Not that I really cared. High school boys were creatures I didn't have any interest in dealing with. I'd seen them interact with each other and their girlfriends, and I had no desire to pursue that.

But these three? I would dive right into their pool, headfirst.

I pulled out my comforter and sheets along with my pillow. While I stretched out the fitted sheet, Bodhi cleared his throat. "Tell us about yourself, Minx. That's a great name, by the way."

"Thanks." I tried not to make a fool of myself with the sheet. I never put one on correctly the first time. "I don't know what to tell you."

"How old are you?"

"What's your favorite flower?"

"What do you do in your free time?"

Each had his own question. The flower one caught me off guard, but I answered them in order while my face flamed with a new wave of heat. "Eighteen. I don't really have a favorite flower, but I love coral-colored ones. In my free time?" After smoothing out the top sheet, I repeated the question, haphazardly throwing my comforter on the bed and taking a seat. "I read a lot." I shrugged. "Pretty boring, now that I hear it our loud."

"Not boring. All of us love to read. I'm a mystery guy," Grim started. I could tell he wasn't used to talking so much. He gripped the sides of the chair while he explained. "Bodhi reads science fiction, and Theron likes romantasy."

That took me by surprise but then again, any of them could easily grace a book cover and their image alone would make it a bestseller. "I'll read anything. I love it all." I kept shrugging as though I wasn't sure if I liked reading or not.

"Can we see your schedule?" Theron asked.

"Sure." I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out my stack of thick cardstock. One piece had my room information and the other my schedule. Neither one I could afford to lose. I handed the schedule to Theron, but Bodhi leaned over to look while Grim wheeled the desk chair over.

Theron smiled and handed it back. "Looks like luck was on our side. We each have different classes with you. But, the first one of the day, we all have together."

"I have a lot of catching up to do," I admitted. "I was a good student, but the classes here focus around shifter things, right?"

They all nodded. "We can help," Grim offered. "We could study together."

No matter how sincere they seemed, my hackles raised. People didn't study with me. I didn't study with people. And I certainly didn't spend time with three guys who looked at me like I was a Popsicle on a blistering summer day.

Their attention would completely fade once they realized my wolflessness wasn't me being humble. Not to mention, I apparently burned things down and didn't know how to start stop it.

In fact, I should probably stay away from them. Who knew when I might spontaneously combust. The truth was, these three made me want to ignite. What a magical way to burn.

"Maybe so," I answered Grim's offer to study together. They shared a look. My dip into my own thoughts had been noticed. "But right now I think I'd better unpack. "Without help. "Thank you for all your help."

The least I could do was be nice to them. Use my big-girl manners.

They stood to leave, and I had to fight against a strong desire to ask them to stay. To stick around and give me more of the tingles I'd never before experienced but now didn't think I could survive without. Even if it meant they saw I'd brought my favorite stuffie. Unlike the animal on the other bed, this one had been loved enthusiastically since I was a baby, and it showed in its threadbare state. My body swayed as I stood up. Gods, maybe my blood sugar had dropped. I probably needed to eat and was shuffling, my response to attraction, though that word didn't even slice into what I felt about them.

Some girls got hangry. Angry and hungry. Apparently, I got horngry. Hungry and horny.

"Dinner is in a few hours," Theron said, pushing his hair back again. It would be a shame if he ever cut those lovely waves. "Would it be okay if we came and escorted you to dinner?"

My gaze flitted to Bodhi and Grim, assessing their responses. Each of them appeared eager. Their eyes bright. Their eyebrows raised.

What mirror had I stepped through when I entered this place? The hot guys in my high school had looked through me unless their coach sent them to me for help in passing a subject to stay on the team. Even then, they never looked interested in more than that.

The back of my neck prickled as they stepped into the hallway and a girl passed them way too close. She lightly touched Grim's forearm. My fingers flexed. I stalked her every movement until she disappeared down the hall and out of sight.

Seeing her touch him made me feel feral and yet unarmed. I was fangless among wolves. Besides, he didn't belong to me. They didn't belong to me.

"Minx?" My name on Theron's lips culled my focus and brought it back to them.

"Yeah?" I asked, my chest heaving for every breath even though I hadn't exerted myself.

"Can we come get you for dinner?" Bodhi pressed.

The dark clouds in my mind dissipated. "Yes. Thank you."