Chapter Six

My yes tumbled out of my mouth on its own but, when I shut the door behind me, my stomach rolled, flipping on itself. I paused near the side of my desk and closed my eyes, willing myself to breath normally. I was sure I wouldn't be able to eat a single bite with those three around. They made my body heat up, fizzle, and pop. I'd had some trouble before, in the past few years, with my body flaring up in temperature, but my parents drummed it up to my wolf. Every time I became overwarm and told them, their eyes lit up. Unique smiles took over their faces. They thought I was about to shift.

I thought it was the flu.

None of us were right.

I hated to see the disappointment in their eyes so, eventually, I began to keep things to myself. The spikes in temperature. The times I snuck into the kitchen to ravage the leftover steak.

I knew the signs meant something, but every time they emerged, they faded out to a whisper and disappeared.

I'd accepted my status a long time ago. Acceptance took the pressure off.

Once my things were put away, I assessed the room with my hands on my hips. The door behind me opened. Maybe it was one of the guys. Not that they had a key card.

"Hi, I'm Stephanie but everyone calls me Stevie. You must be my roommate."

I turned to see a young woman, same height as me but with twice the fashion sense. Ripped jeans hugged her curves while a deep-purple shirt set off her vibrant green eyes and shiny brown hair. "Hi. I'm Minx."

"I love the name. You missed the start of the semester," she remarked, laying a book and a notebook on her desk.

I blew out a breath. This was where the rehearsed answers would've come in, if I had any. Instead, I opted for the truth. No point in lying to the person who would see your drool-covered mouth and eye boogers when you woke up. "I got kicked out of my last school. Or, my parents took me out before I could be suspended and probably expelled. One or the other. It all happened behind closed doors."

"Well." She stepped toward me with an outstretched hand and a giggle on her lips. "Welcome to the club. I'm half shifter. Half human. Humans are a bit scared of me, and shifters, especially the boys, act like I'm tainted."

The headmistress knew what she was doing when she placed me here, to live with Stevie. I shook her hand but, honestly, wanted to lean forward and hug her. I knew a kindred spirit when I met one. Not that I ever had. Until now.

Maybe my parents were right. This place might be exactly what I need.

"I'm a shifter but haven't shifted yet. I call myself all kinds of names, but my mom uses the more politically correct term—latent."

"At least your designation means late to the party. Mine means not even invited. Let's hope it's not a term you ever hear."

"I hope so, too. Is this your first year? First semester?" I asked. We both took seats on our beds, sitting cross-legged. A wave of comfort fell over me. Comfort I never had around humans.

"I was here for spring semester, so this is my second one."

I looked around the room. My side had been empty when I came in. "No roommate until now? Now I come in, cramping your style?"

She snickered. "There is no style. Like I said, no boy even looks at me here. Well, there is one, but he's shy and we've been exchanging glances and smiles for months. I wish he would make a move but he never does."

"Sounds like you need to," I answered, noting the hypocrisy in my words. I stammered and stuttered around Theron, Grim, and Bodhi, and here I was telling my friend, new friend, to be confident and take control of her love life.

"Maybe so. I like you already." She looked to her watch. "Hey, it's almost time for dinner. Wanna join me?"

I shrugged as fire once again claimed my neck and my cheeks, even my ears. "I…there were some guys who helped me find my way to my room. They said they would come and knock on the door to get me for dinner but you are welcome to join us. Please, join us," I said.

"What guys?" she asked, scooting to the edge of the bed.

"Theron, Bodhi, and Grim."

Her eyebrows raised and she squealed, kicking her feet. "You've got to be kidding me. They…talked to you? Asked you to dinner?"

I shrugged, trying to play it off. I didn't want to make this a bigger deal only for it to end up being a simple act of politeness or worse, pity for the new latent-shifter girl. "They said they would knock when it was dinnertime. It's not a date or anything."

Stevie opened her mouth to speak but then shut it once said knock came to the door. I'd never been so giddy and yet so terrified in my life. I wasn't capable of playing anything cool or aloof, so I walked over and threw it open to the trio of gods. "Hi," I said.

"We came to…" Grim looked over my shoulder and his shoulders slumped. "We didn't mean to interrupt. Hello, Stevie."

She looked down her nose at them and then me. Back to them and again at me. "Hello?"

At least I wasn't the only one in a sputtering mess in their presence. "Is it okay if Stevie comes with us? I kind of invited her."

Theron smiled, turning all my insides into goo. "Of course. A friend of Minx's is a friend of ours. Come on, ladies. We're growing boys."

"Damned right you are," I said.

Stevie got up and nudged my shoulder.

"What?" I asked.

She grabbed her key card to our room, and we walked out. The guys let us lead the way. "I was trying to knock some of your luck into me. That's all."