Chapter 3

THREE

Samantha

I'm sharing a cabin with Dahlia and two more students, although they'll come from one of the other colleges sometime tonight. But no shared bedrooms, so that's a major plus! Unpacking the last of my stuff, I shut the drawer and hurry out of the bedroom into the shared living room, dining room, and kitchen, nearly running into Dahlia when I do.

She groans. "Tell me you're being smart and going to sleep." She's already in a matching set of pink pajamas, pink bunny slippers, and a sleep mask with the word Diva nestled in her hair.

I shrug. "I finished unpacking and…"

"You're going to go wait for them, since you always have energy to burn? Am I right?"

Them. Aydan and Granger. Who else could them be?

My cheeks heat. "I don't always have energy to burn."

Although the truth is that I'm one of those people who really never seems to tire. I mean, I'm out like a light when I sleep, but I rarely feel the urge to sleep. I didn't realize that was strange because growing up, Granger and Aydan have always been the same way.

"You're focusing on the wrong part…" She sighs dramatically, like she thinks I'm a lost cause. "I get the whole being excited for your best friends to arrive. It's been three years. I get it. Just as long as you're being logical ."

"I'm a science major, I'm always logical," I tease.

She laughs because we rarely are, even though we should be, and then her expression grows somber. "Harsh truth time, Sam. Aydan didn't love you as a kid or a teenager. He had your whole lives to make a move, and he didn't, because he doesn't want to. You have to come to terms with the reality of your situation, and you're not. I mean, it's bad enough you've been pining away for him–"

My brain finally catches up with her words. "I've been dating people! Sleeping with people!" I suddenly feel like a cornered animal.

"And comparing every single one of them to him ." Her words are spoken like they're a fact. Better yet, like a slap across the face.

"I haven't." Have I?

"You sure? Because I'd hate for him to show up, still not want you, and completely shatter what's left of your heart." Her dark eyes are gentle, but her words are cruel in that terrible way only honest words can be.

I slip around her, escaping like the caged animal I am. "Got it. Heart-armor is activated!"

She snorts, shouting after me. "Nerd!" But when my hand touches the handle, she adds on, "No matter what, I'll be here. Heaven knows you've helped me through enough broken hearts."

Opening the door, I look back, "I won't need you for that…" I almost promise, but I never make promises I can't keep. "But thanks."

I escape out into the night and just start walking the dimly lit path. There are almost no lights in the cabin area, just these little fairy ones, which I adore. They're green and tiny, lining the paths from our cabins to the central buildings on this small campus. The lights remind me of the stars overhead, or at least stars in an alien world.

As I walk, the hair on the back of my neck suddenly stands on end. I don't move, just let my senses stretch out until I see the wolf in the distance. He's lounging in the branches of a tree that hangs just over the far-off fence that surrounds the Institute. It's almost comforting that I sensed him, that my instincts haven't dulled since going off to college.

Our eyes lock and hold. If he really wants to kill me, he can. Even from this distance, I doubt I could outrun him. But he stretches lazily and turns, disappearing into the branches. Apparently, he was more curious than hungry today.

I smile. That has to be a good sign. Growing up, Aydan was the fearless one, Granger was the smart one, and I was the idiot who loved animals to a fault. One day we found a wolf caught in a bear trap. As stupid as it was, I was determined to help him, and Aydan and Granger cared enough about me to help.

We managed to save him. In thanks, he didn't rip our throats out. We'd occasionally catch glimpses of him over the years, and each time, he seemed to acknowledge us before disappearing, until the next time.

The wolf has always been a sign representing the three of us. We call ourselves the Wolf Pack. And for the first time since leaving for college, we're going to be back together. It can't be a coincidence that I saw a wolf today.

Aydan might never love me the way I want him to love me, but he's still my friend, and he loves me like family. This summer I'll try to keep my feelings hidden as well as I can and not ruin our possible last summer together by spewing them out. I'll flirt with other boys, maybe fuck a few of them, too. And I'll just be glad for this time with my best friends.

That's the plan anyway.

Up ahead, I see a bus pulling up to the main building, and I start jogging. I don't know if it's them, but I think it is. Or maybe I hope it is. I know I should be solely focused on making a good impression here. This isn't just a summer program for me, after all, this is where I'm hoping to work after I graduate. But right now, I don't care about anything other than reaching them.

Aydan and Granger.

My hair starts to tear loose from the bun at the back of my head, whipping my face as I run with all my might. I feel like I'm ten again, like the whole world makes sense again, because Granger and Aydan are in it.

The bus driver is speaking to Ms. Gerald. Students are unloading from the bus, but they are a blur as I look from face to face. And then I see him. Aydan. He's huge compared to them, huge in every way. He's at least a head taller than the tallest guy around him. It's the one way he's like his father.

His dirty-blonde hair is nearly as wild in the wind as I imagine my own is, only his is much shorter. His biceps and arms are massive, bigger even than when he left, and I start to slow. He has a scruff of a beard, unlike the clean-shaven look he had in high school. It makes his high cheekbones look softer in a way that whispers for me to trace my fingers over to see if it feels that way too.

I've nearly come to a stop as my heartbeat fills my ears. This was a mistake. All of this. The instant, overpowering need to make him mine threatens to bring me to my knees.

I need time. Time to lock away my heart.

And then his pale blue eyes meet mine. I can't run toward him, or away from him. I'm rooted in place. My heart is dying right in front of his eyes.

He starts running, pushing through the crowd. His bag hits the ground, and within seconds, I'm swept up in his arms. And it's like when we were younger. His arms form a cage around me that protects me from the world. From my father's death. From the broken look in my mother's eyes whenever she looked at me, the daughter who looked so much like the man she loved.

Tears leak from my eyes, and my arms wrap around his neck, holding him tighter as he swings me around. The air feels cool. The world feels far away, like nothing outside of this man and his arms matter.

"Sam," he says my name in that breathless way. That vulnerable way. It's the only time Aydan is vulnerable – when he's with me. When we're together.

He pulls back from me, and it takes everything in me to let him go. I'm tall for a woman at five ten, but Aydan is a giant at six eight. I forgot how small I feel next to him, almost dainty. It's the only time I feel that way.

We stare, assessing each other. He's wearing a button-up blue shirt with a collar and sleeves rolled up. He looks so damn sexy. I don't know when forearms started turning me on, but they do now. And I don't know when he started dressing so… professionally, rather than in his t-shirts and jeans.

"You look… different," he tells me, and the expression on his face is shocked.

"Do I?" I ask, frowning and looking down at myself. I'm wearing a white tank-top, jeans, and boots. It's pretty much what I wore in high school, so what does he mean? "Bad different?"

Aydan doesn't answer, and when I look up, I can't read the expression on his face, but it's intense. "Sam…"

What? My heartbeat picks up even faster. What's wrong with the way I look?

"Sam!"

I turn and see Granger racing toward us. Unlike with Aydan, Granger is pretty much mowing down people with his big body. While Aydan is built like a quarterback, Granger is built more like a linebacker. A linebacker-sized dog who doesn't realize how big he is. His dark hair is crazy, sticking out in every direction, and his clothes are wrinkled. But nothing beats the wild look in his eyes. The man really is like a giant dog who thinks he's a puppy.

His arms are around me in seconds, and he squeezes me so tight I'm pretty damn sure he's going to break a rib.

I gasp for breath.

"Granger, put her down, man. You're killing her with your love again!" Aydan says, his voice filled with laughter.

He drops me and steps back, his gaze running over me. "Damn, girl! You got hit so many times with the hot stick, that stick must be on fire!"

I feel my cheeks heat and smack his slight stomach. "Shut up! I wasn't!"

Granger turns to Aydan. "Come on, tell me you didn't notice," he points at my chest and then makes a ‘boob motion' against his own chest before saying, "those?"

I cross my arms in front of my chest. " Ewww !"

Granger laughs. "I don't just mean your boobs. The ass. The face. All of it. Our ugly duckling has grown into a swan people want to spend time fu–"

"Nope," Aydan cuts him off, the word almost a growl. "Granger is just being an asshole. You look fine, Sam."

" Fiiiine , he means," Granger says.

Aydan punches him in the shoulder, and Granger winces and rubs his arm. Granger only gets punched when he's being a real asshole, so I think the pain has cut into the haze of his stupidity. "What I meant to say is that it's good to see you, Sam. We've missed you."

I smile, still feeling weird. I look exactly the same as when I left home, don't I? "It's okay. How was the trip after the earthquake? I was really worried about you two, but I knew you didn't have a cell connection."

"We were fine," Granger says, "but we heard some girl on your bus turned into an action hero and saved the day."

"Was it you?" Aydan asks, not missing a beat, and absolutely no humor in his voice.

I don't know why, but I feel uncomfortable. "Well, yeah, but I'm sure the story was exaggerated."

Granger looks between me and Aydan, seeming to pick up on something I'm missing. I look at Aydan, and I'm surprised by how pissed off he looks. What exactly had I done that was that bad?

Aydan moves closer to me, and now his smoky scent washes over me. "Sam, we're not kids any more. We're adults. We're breakable. You need to be more careful with your life."

"What did you want me to do? Let us all die?" For some reason, I'm pissed too.

Maybe because I hate being told what to do.

"Sometimes someone else can be the one putting themselves in danger." His words are almost a hiss of anger.

My gaze locks with his, and my words drip with sarcasm. "Next time, I'll make sure to ask for volunteers to save our asses before I step up."

Granger clears his throat. "So, yeah, our drive was uneventful, other than the stick that got lodged in Aydan's ass without me noticing."

There's a second where tension continues to stretch between all of us. Then, Aydan's anger falls away, and he gives a small smile. "Maybe I am being a bit of an ass."

"A bit? A bit was the guy staring at my ass when I unloaded my baggage. You're being the kind of ass that deserves to slip in a public bathroom and hit the wet floor."

Aydan lifts a brow. "You're still doing that?"

"Still doing what?" I ask innocently.

"Still doing your weird scenarios. Still talking a good minute past the time you should shut up."

I flash a big grin that immediately makes him look at me with suspicion. "And you're still doing that ? Telling a woman to shut up because you have a death wish." I widen my grin to a murderous one to drive the point home.

He laughs and grabs me with one arm, pulling me against his chest and inhaling deeply, like he missed my scent as much as I missed his. "Fucking hell, Sam. This summer is going to be amazing."

"Ms. Callaway."

Turning, I see Ms. Gerald standing behind us. She's down to her last two envelopes. "And I'm guessing this is Aydan Sage and Granger Gable?" There isn't annoyance in her voice, more like curiosity.

"Yes, ma'am," Aydan says, giving a respectful nod that's almost a bow. "I'm Aydan Sage, and this is Granger Gable."

"And I'm certain these two gentlemen weren't around to collect their introductory material because they know you and wanted to make certain you were okay after your brave ordeal?" Oh, boy. I doubt this is the first impression my guys wanted to make.

"Exactly," Granger chimes in with a bright smile. "But we still apologize, ma'am. There's no excuse for missing important information. Being accepted into the Phoenix Institute was an honor to us both, and we had hoped to make a better first impression."

Her lips curl into a smile. "Well, as long as you don't make a habit of it." She hands them each an envelope. "You're in Cabin 5. The one right next door to Ms. Callaway."

They both grin, looking just like the mischievous boys I'd grown up with.

"I can show you to your cabins," I suggest helpfully. "Unless, of course, you'd prefer to keep making asses out of yourselves."

Ms. Gerald snorts, then turns and walks away. At least the woman has a sense of humor about the whole thing. That's a rare gift to have when dealing with prickly college students, the best of the best, who think they deserve the best of the best. I was tired of this group after an hour on the bus.

"Want to grab your stuff and follow me to your cabin?"

They head back to the bus and find their stuff with ease, which is when I realize that most of the students have already gone to their cabins.

When Granger stands, two bags in hand and his backpack on his back, he says, "Doesn't equal rights mean you have to help me with my bags or something now?"

I laugh. "No, it just means the lucky woman who marries you can divorce your ass without being penniless."

He smirks and bumps me as we head down the path. "So when do we find out about our classes?"

My stomach does a little flip. "Tomorrow. And I think I'm going to cry if I don't get a class in the Wildlife Sanctuary."

All of us got accepted for the summer under generic upper-level science classes. But they offer different branches of it, taught by different experts in our respective fields. I want to work in the wildlife sanctuary, Granger wants to work with the head of the seismology department, and Aydan wants to work with the Fire Science professors, who specialize in fighting wildfires.

"If I get in, I'll trade you," Granger says, wrinkling his nose. "If I spend my summer touching dirty animals, I'll lose my mind."

"Dirty animals?" My jaw drops. "They have phoenixes here. Literally the fifty last known phoenixes in existence. Yeah, they're not the fiery creatures of legend, but they might not exist after our generation."

Granger looks at Aydan. "You want to handle some rare sky rats?" They do a terrible job concealing their shared laughter.

"Like studying earthquakes is going to be so thrilling," I sneer at Granger, then look at Aydan. "And the only thing worth studying in Fire Sciences is the firm asses of the–"

"Nope, I'm out," Aydan says, shaking his head.

We reach their cabin, and I hesitate outside. The silence between us feels painful. I've waited three years to see them. Going to sleep seems cruel, but we have a long day tomorrow.

They drop their stuff, and I'm suddenly sandwiched between them, like when we were kids. I give a laugh that ends in a snort. "You guys are idiots."

But they hold me for a minute longer before letting me go.

"We have all summer," Aydan says, and I'm not sure if he's telling us or himself.

I point at my cabin. "And I'm right next door."

A pained look comes and goes on Aydan's face. "Right."

I want to ask him what it meant, but I turn and run for it, not sure I really want to know.