Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

IZZY

I 'm walking out of my last class of the day, ready to head to my date with Luca, when I get bodychecked into a wall. I hit the wall hip and shoulder first, and I groan when the bony areas make contact with the hard wall. The rough brick scrapes me through my white lacy tank top, though my jeans keep my hip scratch-free.

I totally didn't dress up for my date with Luca. It's just a coincidence that I'm not wearing my usual baggy T-shirt tucked into ripped jeans. Even if I were dressing up for the wolf, I still refuse to don impractical footwear. If I can't sprint in it, I'm not wearing it. So, I'm rocking my trusty white Chucks, as usual.

"Stay away from Bishop St. James, vilis ," Danielle hisses at me. She's in my personal space and glaring up at me from a few inches away. Madison and Tina stand behind her with matching sneers twisting their faces. "Bishop is mine. He'd never want a disappointment like you, anyway."

I can't contain my snort. Of all of my ninety-nine problems, Bishop not wanting me isn't even remotely one of them. In fact, it would knock off at least three problems from my list if he didn't want me and didn't know I have magic.

"You think this is funny?" Danielle sneers. Her face turns red in anger as she moves even closer to me. "Bishop would never marry a slut like you." Mages aren't big on waiting for fated mates. Instead, most mages marry for power and status. We're the only supernatural race I know of that has zero respect for fated mates.

I choke on my laugh this time, making a weird wheezing sound. I'm many things, but a slut isn't one of them. It's kind of hard to be one when I've never slept with anyone. Bishop came back into my life when I was fourteen. We knew each other as kids, but he moved away when I was seven, right before my magic came in. Even though I won't mate with him, I refuse to fuck around on him.

Banging him or any of my other mates is out of the question because it can trigger a mate bond. Mages bond through a power exchange. Shifters bond through mating bites. Vampires bond through swapping blood. And all the other races have a unique way they bond. While fucking doesn't cause the bond, it can be hard to resist the urge to bond in the heat of the moment.

Not that Danielle should be calling anyone a slut. If a woman wants to sleep around, more fucking power to her. Get it, girl. Tap that shit. Boink that hottie.

I giggle to myself at my thoughts, which only makes Danielle more enraged. She shoves hard on both of my shoulders. My head smacks against the wall painfully. When I stop seeing stars, I straighten and level Danielle with a glare. "Put your hands on me again, and I'll fucking break them. This is your only warning."

Danielle visibly pales at my threat. While she isn't the sharpest bulb in the toolshed, she apparently has enough sense to realize when someone can and will follow through on promised violence.

With one last nasty look, she backs up. Danielle and her minions flounce away as I sag against the wall. I take a few calming breaths as I shove my magic down. It gets really angsty when other mages get physical with me.

After a moment, I straighten, readjust my backpack on my shoulder, and head toward the front of Gallagher Hall. I'm not dreading my date with Luca as much as I thought I would be. Sure, I don't particularly want to spend time with him, but it's because I could actually like him. The big wolf isn't as much of a jerk taco as he seemed at first.

When I step out of the building, I immediately spot Luca in his green tee and dark jeans. He's kind of hard to miss when he towers over everyone and out muscles all the mage guys by at least fifty pounds. Luca's blond hair is cut short and perfectly styled as usual. His aquamarine eyes lock on me as soon as he spots me.

I march over to the colossal man and stop in front of him. I have to crane my neck to make eye contact with him, he's so tall.

"How was your day?" Luca asks, peering down at me with a small smile. His blond stubble highlights his sharp jaw and angular features. He has no right to be that damn attractive. It's cheating.

"Fan-fucking-tastic, wolf boy," I reply as I slap my hands on my hips. "How was yours?" At least he didn't call me a problem this time. That's progress, I guess.

He snorts. "Why do I get the feeling that was sarcasm?" He grabs one of my hands with his massive one and tugs me toward the visitor lot. When I go with him willingly, he looks at me with surprise. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I don't turn everything into a fight. Just most things.

Luca lets go of my hand briefly, and I feel a flash of disappointment. I don't have time to chastise myself for it before Luca recaptures my hand. He intertwines our fingers, and butterflies riot in my stomach. I'm turning into a major sap if a little hand holding has me twitterpated. "Because that's my default setting, duh."

Luca laughs. I'm momentarily stunned by how young he looks with his head thrown back and face open and unguarded. With his imposing presence, it's easy to forget he isn't much older than me. "What happened?" Luca asks when he gets his laughter under control.

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary. I just got slammed into a wall and demeaned, while not being able to lay them on their asses." I'd love nothing more than to give Danielle, Madison, and Tina the beat down they deserve.

"Why can't you physically fight them?" Luca's forehead wrinkles in confusion at my restraint. Ah, to be a wolf. What a life. Wolves solve their problems with bloodshed. Mages turn everything into a complicated political chess game. It's exhausting trying to keep up with it.

"I'd probably get kicked out if I broke their stupid noses. My dad keeps the headmaster from expelling me for most things, but I don't know if he could fight it if I fucked them up." Getting expelled means getting sent to the mage council for reformation. With the required magic testing, I wouldn't last an hour. So, I suck up my pride and let them bully me.

"That's a really shitty situation to be in. I'm sorry, little one." As Luca talks, we pass between the final two buildings between campus and the visitor lot.

I scrunch up my nose at his nickname. I'm not small. I'm actually above average in height. It's not my fault his parents were apparently eight-foot-tall giants. "That's a horrible endearment."

Luca sighs. "Would you prefer baby ?"

I snort. "That's awfully basic of you, wolf boy. Can't come up with anything more creative?"

He growls at me and tugs us to a stop. With his hold on my hand, Luca pulls until I crash into his front. Luca places his warm palm on my back to keep me from moving away. "You drive me fucking crazy, wildcat. You know that?"

"Um," I say, unable to formulate an intelligent response with him this close. I'm drowning in his dark forest scent. Every inch of my body is pressed against his muscular one, and it's short-circuiting my brain.

"I'm trying to be on my best behavior with you. Yet you challenge me at every turn. My wolf is riding me hard. He wants me to make you submit," Luca rasps. He leans down until his lips are inches from mine, and I can't stop thinking about whether his lips are as soft as they look.

"How would you make me submit?" My voice comes out breathless, instead of the steady disinterest I was aiming for.

Luca chuckles, the sound holding a dark promise and threat all in one. "Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to, Isabel."

I like the way my full name sounds on his lips, but I don't show it. Instead, I scowl at him. "Who says I don't want the answer?" Luca has a bad habit of acting like he knows what's best for me. He doesn't. The wolf doesn't know me well enough for that.

Another deep growl rumbles in Luca's chest as he leans even closer, his lips almost touching mine. "I'd force you down on your hands and knees. Then I'd fuck you so hard, you'd be too exhausted to sass me, wildcat."

"Oh," I squeak. My brain is too full of images of Luca fucking me to formulate a full sentence. Most of me screams sign me up, wolf boy . The few brain cells that actually have any sense left shout that it's an awful idea. I doubt Luca would be able to stop himself from completing the mate bond if he fucked me. I know I sure wouldn't.

He flashes me a savage grin before pulling back. "Come on, Izzy. Let's go before we give the mages here a show they don't need to see." Luca removes his hand from my back and tugs me along by my hand.

I follow along pliantly until I shake myself out of my lust-induced stupor. Then I hurry up to walk even with Luca. "Wildcat is an aggressively better nickname than little one or baby . It's not as good as supreme world overlord , though."

Luca snorts and shakes his head at me. "I'm glad that's all you got from the conversation."

I just shrug. We walk in silence the rest of the way.