Chapter 13 Ashlyn

I'd been dying to tell Arya about my wild night with Jackson since it happened, but there hadn't been a good opportunity with all of her extra training. I had planned to tell her yesterday morning before classes, but then she got sick, and it had been killing me all day keeping it to myself. When I checked on her yesterday evening, she was fast asleep in her room, and I about died from the need to share this juicy gossip.

So, the next morning, I got up bright and early, even though it was Saturday, and made my way to her room. Of course, I hoped she was feeling better because she was my friend, but also because if I kept this bottled up any longer, I was going to explode!

I knocked on her door, and when I didn't hear a response after a couple of seconds, I just let myself in.

Her room was dark, and there was a faint snoring coming from the mass under the comforter of her bed. There was an odd musky odor, one that reminded me even more of my night with Jackson, and I hoped Tobias wasn't under those covers with her.

I crept closer, seeing the mess of black hair spread over her pillow, and I sighed a breath of relief that she was alone. Though why that pungent smell clung to the air, I couldn't imagine.

I gently sat on the side of her bed, brushing the stray lock of vibrant blue hair from her face. Her eyelids fluttered a few times, then narrowed to squint up at me through the darkness.

"Hey," she mumbled, rolling halfway onto her back and stretching an arm over her head.

"How are you feeling?" I asked in a soft voice.

"Like death warmed over," she groaned, covering her face with her hand.

Concern for her gripped me, shoving my excitement to the backburner. "Did they find out what's wrong?"

It was a well-known fact, even to someone as clueless as me, that harpies don't get sick. They die of old age after a long, healthy life. But Arya was also a mermaid. Did that leave her more vulnerable to disease or infection?

She slid her hand down her face, revealing a frown and eyes cast down and to the side.

Oh God, this must be something really serious!

"Come on, what is it?" I pleaded, my stomach twisting in worried knots. "If you don't tell me, I'm just going to imagine the worst. Is it cancer? Are you dying?"

"What? No! I'm not dying." Arya buried her face in her hands once more and mumbled something.

"I can't understand you. What are you saying?" I leaned forward and tried to pry Arya's hands away from her face.

After a moment of struggle, she scoffed, removed her hands, and pushed herself up to sit against her headboard.

"Okay, okay," she conceded, continuing to avoid making eye contact, which only made me worry more. "Ms. Heather ran some tests, and it turns out…mermaid and harpy aren't the only shifters in my DNA."

I stared at her for a moment, not understanding what that meant and why it was making her sick. "What do you mean?"

She sighed, fingering a loose string at the top hem of her comforter. "I'm also part ursa."

My eyes widened, a surprised smile beginning to stretch my features before I recognized embarrassment in hers. "Hey, why is that a bad thing?"

She pursed her lips, then finally looked up at me and shrugged. "I know all the other shifters kind of look down on weres. Especially…"

Oh, now I got it.

"Dragons?" I ventured.

She nodded, her frown deepening.

"You're worried about what Tobias will think," I surmised.

She nodded again. "It's just, things are finally really, really good with us. I'm afraid this news is going to screw everything up."

I chuckled lightly and shook my head. "Listen, Tobias is a lot of things, but he's not a fool. That boy is legit head-over-heels for you. And if he's pigheaded enough to think that adding an ursa to your arsenal of badassary is somehow taboo rather than incredible, then he doesn't deserve you."

She gave me a half-hearted smile, obviously not convinced. "Either way, can we just keep this between us for now? I'm already the first topic on everyone's lips in this damn place. I don't need to give them another thing to gossip about."

I nodded. "I understand. But you're not going to tell Tobias?"

"I will. When the time is right. I just want to get a handle on this new part of me before I share it with anyone else. Especially Tobias."

"Okay. These lips are sealed." I mimed locking my lips and tossing the key.

She snickered. "Thanks."

"Wait. If that's all this is, how is it making you sick?" I asked, still confused about that part.

"Oh," she said, sitting up even more and putting her hands in her lap. "Apparently, weres experience fever symptoms when they go through their first shift. Apparently, my ursa is going to burst out any day now."

Relief washed through me, cooling the fiery anxiety of my phoenix. She was going to be fine. My best friend wasn't dying; she was just even more of a powerhouse than I already knew.

"Speaking of which, could you hand me that bottle on the nightstand?" she asked, gesturing to a glass bottle filled with a foggy white liquid.

I reached for it, frowning at its curious contents as I handed it to her. "What is it?"

"It's a sort of medicine the weres take to reduce the symptoms of a shift," she explained as she twisted off the cap. "It's disgusting, but not worse than I feel without it."

I watched her take a swig of the liquid, unable to fight a grimace as I watched her face contort with revulsion as she swallowed. She coughed and put the lid back on.

"Can I get you anything?" I offered. "Are you hungry?"

Her eyes sparked with interest. "Now that you mention it, I'm starving. Ugh, I just want to eat and nap. It's horrible."

I bit back on an amused grin. "Now I can see the ursa in you."

She glowered at me, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, you hibernate, and I'll bring you a basket of food from the dining hall," I said, getting to my feet.

"Cute," she deadpanned, I assumed referring to my use of the word "hibernate." Then she rolled over and buried herself back under her covers. "And thanks."

"No problem." I left her room and gently closed her door.

As much as I wanted to spill everything about my wild night to her, Arya clearly wasn't up for that kind of confession. And after hearing her low opinion of weres, I worried she might think lower of me because of what I did. And what I kinda intended to do again.

But, gah! I needed to tell someone about this! Tobias and Bret were clearly off the table—I didn't particularly want it getting back to Niko. There was only one other person I could talk to.

As I made my way to the dining hall with an empty laundry basket—because I didn't have anything else—I dialed Shea.

"Fire Girl, what's up?" Shea said after a few rings.

"Hey, Shea. I know this is random and last minute, but are you busy today? Arya's under the weather, and I have some juicy news I need to share with someone before I explode!"

"Ooh, I like juicy," she said in a mischievous tone. "Let me just check with my Gram. Hold on."

I heard shuffling and then a pause on the other line as I piled various foods into the basket. What did ursas like? Was the honey stereotype a real thing? Did Arya still need fish? Fuck it; I'll just put a little bit of everything .

"Okay," Shea said, coming back to the phone. "So, I'm not exactly grounded, but I'm kinda supposed to stay home today."

My spirits immediately deflated, causing me to pause along the buffet line.

"Would you want to come to my house for a bit?" she suggested, and I was so happy I practically jumped.

"Yeah, sure!"

"Sweet! My Gram is stepping out for a bit to get some…supplies—anyway, I'll text you the address."

"Great! See you in a bit." I hung up the phone, smiling from ear to ear.

"Do you mind? Some of us actually have places to be after breakfast," said a snide voice to my left.

I shot a scowl at Cora, who was tapping her foot indignantly as she waited for me to move.

"And why on earth are you filling a laundry basket with food?" She grimaced with distaste at my choice of dining ware.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" I snapped at her.

"Why don't you—" She abruptly broke off what I was sure was going to be a nasty comment, her eyebrows twitching as her Barbie doll features took on a decidedly frightened expression. She looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Never mind," she mumbled, all the venom drained from her tone. Then she hung her head and just went around me, filling her tray quickly before scurrying to her table.

"What the hell was that about?" I mumbled to myself.

Oh well, who cares? I needed to get this food back to Arya and then dash off to Sheas. Cora could be someone else's problem.

* * *

The ride to Shea's house was longer than I expected. When I'd agreed to meet her there, I didn't realize she lived so far out of town. But the scenery was nice, and the bus ride was empty enough for a late Saturday morning, so I just put my headphones on and enjoyed the trip.

Shea's house was a ten-minute walk from the bus stop, and I couldn't help but envy its white-picket-fence look. I mean, it didn't actually have a fence, but it looked like an actual home. Nothing like the dingy trailer I grew up in.

Seconds after I rang the doorbell, the door flew open, and Shea pulled me inside.

"Whoa!" I stammered with surprise.

She wrapped me in a hug, and I returned it awkwardly. Was it just my imagination, or was she acting a little…squirrelly?

"Are you okay?" I asked after we pulled away.

"Yeah, sorry," she said with a wave of her hand. "Things have just been weird lately."

I eyed her for a moment. "Do these ‘things' have anything to do with why you're ‘not grounded?'" I asked, bending my fingers in air quotes.

She nodded as she took in a deep breath through her nose. "Yep. But we can talk about that later. First, I need your juicy story—wait, what's going on with Arya? You said she was sick?"

I hesitated for only a second. I had promised Arya I would keep her new shifter breed between us. Even though Shea was her best friend—tied with me, obviously—I didn't think she'd want me to tell her. It would be better if Arya told her herself.

"Yeah, just some cold or something," I replied casually. "She's pretty much just sleeping it off."

"Aww, I hope she'll be alright," Shea said with a frown, then gestured for me to follow her into the living room.

"Eh, you know Arya," I said as I found a spot on the couch. "Nothing can keep that girl down."

"Ain't that the truth," Shea agreed, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. "Okay, spill. What naughty things have you been to?" She waggled her eyebrows at me.

I felt my cheeks heat, embarrassment suddenly hitting me. "Well, do you remember that party we all went to?"

She frowned, her tone flat when she replied, "How could I ever forget?"

"Sorry to bring it up, but do you remember the host?"

She pursed her lips in thought, looking up for a moment. "Maybe? Was he the jock-looking guy who kept making fur grow on his arms and showing it off?"

I snickered because I could totally see Jackson doing that. "Yeah, that was Jackson. Well, you know how you and Arya were encouraging me to get a rebound?"

Shea's face lit with intrigue, and she tucked her knees under her as she turned her whole body toward me. "You and the werewolf?"

I sucked my lips between my teeth before answering. "Technically, not just the one."

"Omigod!" she gushed, making my cheeks burn even hotter. "Wait, like, at the same time."

"Yeah," I admitted, dragging out that one syllable.

"Oooh! Wow, how was it?"

My chest shook with impish giggles, encouraged by the fact that Shea didn't seem to judge me in the slightest for my escapade. "It was… I don't know…a lot…but also kinda awesome."

She howled with excitement. "Holy shit! Okay, exactly how many werewolves? Was it just guys or girls, too? How did it even happen? I need all the details!"

I laughed and prepared myself to recount that night, considering exactly how much I should divulge. "So, it was the night of the New Year's Eve Ball. I didn't expect to do anything with Jackson except for dance."

"We never do," Shea commented, making me giggle.

"But then I ran into Niko, and he was a dick, so I decided, fuck him."

"And, so you did."

We both laughed.

"I dragged Jackson out of the ball, and he was all too eager to take me back to his room," I continued. "I had meant for it to be just the two of us, you know. But, um, apparently, weres are polyamorous—"

"—Code for huge slots," she interjected.

"Pretty much," I agreed, getting more animated as I remembered the events of that night. "Well, I guess his friends could smell us getting into it, or whatever, and they just kinda…joined in."

Shea's eyes were burning with interest as she looked at me, and it made me wonder if she had dabbled in group action herself.

"That's nuts," she said. "But also…I mean, just, wow! How many was it?"

I bit my lip. "Um, it's kinda hard to remember. But I know there was at least one girl in there—besides me, obviously."

Shea pressed both hands to her cheeks. "Did you like it?"

"Well, yeah!" I blurted. "But it was crazy intense. I kinda want to do it again."

"So why don't you?"

I frowned, remembering Arya's comment about weres. "Weres are kinda seen as lower class citizens in the shifter world, and polyamory is considered super taboo to everyone but weres."

Her excitement seemed to falter, her gaze darting down to her lap for a moment. Then she bent an arm over the back of the couch and leaned against it. "Fuck it. Don't bother with caring about what other people think. The only thing that matters is what you think."

I nodded, then cocked my head. "Well, that's just it. I don't really know what I think. I know that I had a really good time. But I don't think I like Jackson in any real way, and that makes me feel sort of…dirty."

The admission made the muddy feeling I'd been shoving down rise to the surface, saturating me like swamp water.

"I guess I understand that," she said. "But on the bright side, that makes it easier for you to walk away when you lose interest. No one's feelings get hurt." Something in her tone told me she was speaking from experience and that it wasn't a particularly happy one.

"Something happened with those guys," I guessed, her words and expressions making more sense after I said it out loud. "The two you were texting before Christmas."

She nodded without looking at me.

"What happened?" I asked, mimicking her posture to give her my full attention.

She let out a heavy sigh. "It's a long story."

I shrugged. "I've got time."

She looked at me for a moment, debating whether or not to tell me.

"Okay, fine, but only because keeping all this secret has been driving me insane!" she finally said in a burst. "But you really have to keep every single thing between us. Promise."

Great, another thing I had to keep to myself. First Arya's ursa, and now whatever this was.

But how could I possibly resist?

"Okay, I promise," I said.

She blew out a breath with puffed cheeks, seeming to psyche herself up for this confession. Damn, it had to be even juicier than mine.

"So, the first guy is a shifter, and he's started out as kind of an asshole," she began.

"They always do," I said, mimicking her commentary on my story while silently wondering who she might be talking about. Did I know this shifter? How had she met him?

"We just kept running into each other, and I figured I might be able to, you know, schmooze him into helping me get into the Dome. I never, in my wildest fantasies, actually expected him to be into me, or for anything to happen. But it just did. We connected on so many levels. But he wants to keep us a secret from everyone, and even though I get it, I hate the whole thing."

The sorrow and rejection in her expression and voice touched me. I could relate. I'd been rejected at the Dome for a long time until recently, just for being different from everyone else. And she had it worse because she was a witch, a total outsider. I hated that for her.

"And this other guy, well…" She looked up at me skittishly. "This is the part you absolutely have to keep secret. Like, take-it-to-your-grave secret."

I mimed crossing my heart with my finger.

"So, don't freak out," she said, holding up both hands in a calming gesture, "but he's a vampire."

My eyes widened, but I kept my gasp in my throat.

"Now I know what you're thinking, and that's what I thought, too, when I first met him, but he's not like the other vampires," she said in one rapid string. "He's good and kind and beautifully sad. He approached me for my magic, asking me to help him resurrect his dead lover. He offered me a grimoire, an actual chance to study spells, so I agreed. Again, I never thought it would turn into anything, especially considering he's still mourning someone else, but things just…happened, and—"

"Hold on," I interrupted, gesturing with a raised hand for her to pause. "Are you sure you can trust this vampire? That he's not putting some kind of trance on you? Or using you to hurt us?"

After the attack I'd fought and narrowly survived, how could I not be concerned about that? I'd always wanted to believe there was good in everyone, but all I'd seen vampires to be was monsters. They'd proved themselves the enemy.

She gave a bitter laugh, rolling her eyes. "No, there's definitely no way he's using me. Even after I offered."

I cocked my head at her curiously.

"Trust me, this guy is on our side." She leaned closer and whispered. "He's secretly working against Hadrian. He's a spy." She put a finger to her pursed lips, then sat back.

Why was she whispering that? Did she think we were being listened to? And by who?

I dismissed that thought. "Okay, so what happened? Are you still seeing both of them?"

She scoffed. "No. Turns out they both know each other, that they're actually friends. And when Caesar, huh—" She slapped her hands over her mouth, her face paling as she stared at me.

It took me longer than I was proud of to realize what she'd just said. And then even longer to connect the dots.

Caesar. Professor Douche. Holy shit!

"Oh. My. God! Caesar is Professor Douche! You've been sleeping around with Caesar? The Caesar?!"

She winced like she was in immense pain, shushing me loudly. "Yes, yes, alright! Yes."

"Whoa," I said slowly, staring at her.

The color that had drained from her face after her slip had now returned in vibrant red. One of my best friends was having an affair with my shifter history professor, my defense trainer, the director of my school!

"You really are a badass," I said with admiration.

She barked a laugh and shook her head. "Not in this case. Please don't tell anyone. It would destroy Caesar!"

"Of course," I reassured her quickly. "I swear on my phoenix that I won't say a word."

"Not even to Arya?" she prompted. "I'm not ready for her to know."

I swallowed. That was a tougher pill, but I'd already promised. "Okay. I won't tell her."

She closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. "Well, anyway, after he found out about me and Julian, he kind of freaked out, and they started arguing, so I told them both to basically fuck off until they figured their shit out."

"Wow," I said with a slow nod. "And you haven't heard from either of them since?" I guessed.

She shook her head. "Nope. Not a fucking word."

A silence settled between us for a few seconds, but then something she'd said occurred to me. "Wait, you said they were friends. Are you saying that Caesar and—"

She lunged forward and pressed a firm hand over my mouth, shocking me into a temporary paralysis.

"Yes," she whispered. "They're working together against Hadrian."

I nodded behind her palm so that she understood I knew the danger of this particular secret, and she slowly lowered it.

"Why are we whispering?" I asked in the same hushed decibel, almost afraid of the answer.

Her eyes darted from side to side as if she was afraid she was being watched as well as overheard. "The vampires have been spying on me. They can't know about Julian, or they'll kill him."

"But it's daylight," I hissed softly.

"They have humans working for them," she whispered. "No time of day is safe."

My eyebrows shot into my hairline. Fuck, this was a much bigger deal than I ever could have imagined walking into when I came here.

The silence returned. I didn't know what else to say. If we were being listened to, what could I say without incriminating anyone?

"What are you going to do?" I asked finally, having found a safe question.

She shrugged, pushing a hand into her long brown waves. "I don't know. My gram finally agreed to teach me magic, so I'm just going to focus on that for a while. Take a break from romance and drama."

"That's awesome, Shea," I said. I knew how much she hated not having access to learning magic. That had been the whole reason she wanted to get admitted to the Dome. "And for the record, I think you'd make a fine addition to the school. They're all idiots for not seeing the potential you could offer us."

She gave me a half smile. "Yeah, well, doesn't matter now." She looked to the wall where a ticking cuckoo clock hung. "My gram should be back soon. First magic lesson!"

I nodded and got up off the couch. "Thanks for letting me come over and vent. And thanks for trusting me with your troubles. They're safe with me."

She stood and pulled me into a grateful embrace. "Thank you. Arya's lucky to have you as a friend."

I smiled and pulled away. "Good luck with your lesson."

She held up both hands with her index and middle fingers crossed. "Here's hoping I don't burn the house down."

We laughed as she escorted me to the front door.

"Stay safe," I said sincerely as I stepped out onto the porch.

"You, too," she said, then quickly closed the door behind me.

I turned to face the street and the light of the afternoon sun, whose faint warmth did nothing to the chill that rose up my spine. Shea said the vampires had humans working for them during the day. They could be anywhere at any time. And though they weren't anywhere near as formidable as the vampires themselves, I couldn't help but feel just as squirrely as Shea had seemed when I arrived.

I scurried at a brisk pace back toward the bus stop, urging the bus to arrive soon so I could feel some sense of safety, of relief.

I couldn't help but appreciate the irony. I had come here with the intention of sharing a secret that now paled in comparison, and I was walking away with a handful more, each of them far more deadly.