Jack had not been kidding when he’d said the first week on a full schedule was going to be taxing.
In addition to Paranormal Introduction and Advanced Immortal History, Chloe opted to take Law Introduction, Advanced Business, Alchemy 101, and Latin. Blair had advised against taking more than two major subjects and even suggested that AIH, Alchemy, and Latin might end up being too much. Chloe hadn’t gotten what she meant, because AIH was only four hours per week, Alchemy, one, and Latin, two. But she soon realized that even the kindest, gentlest, and most encouraging teacher—Miss Penny—gave tons of homework. For every hour spent in class, she had to spend two or three researching stuff just to keep up. Suddenly, she understood the sheer size of the library—and why most students spent all their time there.
It was impossible to research any of the paranormal courses online, and even the generic subjects were rather different when taught by a sup.
She’d been warned about Mr. Silver, but the worst professor was, by far, Alexius, who taught Alchemy 101. The man was a flirt. He flirted with everything—male, female, even with his damn potions—and his students were too busy giggling and batting their eyelashes to really listen to what he said. Then, he gave tests, and when they failed, he sighed dramatically and professed his disappointment.
Chloe watched the whole thing, entirely bewildered. How was everyone falling for it?
But she remembered the first time they’d met, in the staircase behind the red door. She’d fallen for his charms too, then. Why weren’t they working on her anymore?
She didn’t quite understand it.
To Chloe’s relief, she did get along with most of the students in her classes. Outside, she often met the little ravens who rarely failed to greet her, one way or the other. Some screamed from the sky when they were busy with their affairs. Others came to fly around her at their leisure. One, in particular, often made a point to sit on her shoulder and peck at her blonde hair.
She took to carrying some peanuts with her so that she could reward them appropriately.
‘You know that’s not normal, right?’ said Viola, an eagle shifter and one of the students in her Latin class.
Chloe shrugged. ‘What’s normal here, really?’
Normal was overrated.
Chloe did well enough, overall. She started three steps behind most of the students here, but she had one advantage: her memory. It had always been above average, and for what it was worth, her annoying habit of replaying her life as soon as she returned to her own room gave her an edge. She could listen to each lesson twice, and memorize it even better.
She didn’t see Levi, and that was a great thing. Remembering the way she’d gone crazy the last time she’d seen him, she deliberately stayed away from the red door. She still cringed when replaying the scene in the middle of the night.
One thing disturbed her. She would have sworn she felt eyes on her, particularly when she walked alone outside of the school. But Chloe knew it probably had to do with the people who were looking for her back in the real world. She was projecting, that was all.
Then she remembered things, little things that made her think she maybe wasn’t all that paranoid. Like the ‘wake-up phone call’ on her first day. And sure, it had been useful, but who had it been? At the time, she didn’t think the voice had sounded like Levi, and she hadn’t met any other man yet. It was all very strange.
All that said, this place was entirely safe from humans. The bounty on her head was irrelevant. Here, she only had to worry about accidentally setting off a hex if she walked too close to the wrong hill. And the angry werewolves, of course.
By Saturday, she was definitely looking forward to a paintball race.
Jack told them to dress in warm, weatherproof gear and meet him at noon. Chloe woke up early and headed out of the dorm with her wallet. She’d been meaning to go shopping all week, but the one true emergency had been buying a coat. As she now had one, she allowed her classes to distract her.
Blair was heading out of Oldcrest for the weekend—she had some family in the Highlands she visited occasionally. Gwen wanted a lie-in, as they’d woken up early every weekday. When she’d mentioned shopping the previous evening while making hot chocolate before bed, Tris offered to tag along. Chloe wasn’t one to refuse company.
The woman looked slightly odd without her hunter gear. The huntsmen trained every day, so Chloe had always seen her in leather gear, but today, she was wearing denim shorts with thick wool tights, a wooly hat, and a red leather jacket. She belonged on the cover of a damn magazine. Chloe sighed as she glanced down at her leggings. At least her coat rocked. Never mind the fact that it didn’t go with her Converses.
‘You look awesome.’
‘Don’t I just?’ said Tris, winking. ‘I got us a ride to civilization.’
Chloe was about to ask what she meant when a dark green convertible emerged from the garage on the other side of the main—and only—street. A very fancy vintage car she couldn’t name. Jack was driving, a pair of dark glasses perched on his nose.
The cousins really could have been rock stars.
‘Our ride, I assume?’
There didn’t look to be room for more than one passenger, but the front seat turned out to be a bench with two seat belts. Chloe and Tris were just small enough to fit comfortably.
Jack was listening to blues, somewhat uncharacteristically.
‘Everyone’s buckled in?’
‘Yes, sir!’
They headed out of Oldcrest with the roof down, although it was the middle of January. In Scotland.
The huntsmen didn’t seem to mind. After putting up with the cold for a few minutes, Chloe couldn’t take it anymore.
‘Guys, it’s colder than a witch’s tit here!’
‘Do you have personal experience with a witch’s tit, Cheetah? Because we’re gonna need you to spill,’ Tris said, pressing a button.
‘Har, har.’
The roof slowly uncurled from the back of the car, and Jack turned on the heat.
‘I’d play with Blair’s tits,’ Tris said, shrugging. ‘And Gwen’s. And—’
‘Just about everyone in the dorm. We’re aware,’ said Jack with a grimace.
He apparently wasn’t into discussing his cousin’s sex life.
‘Like you don’t get any.’
‘Not in Oldcrest, I don’t.’
Chloe was fascinated with the conversation. She wasn’t blind—or deaf, for that matter. She knew most people in the dorm had no issue bed-hopping, and if she was honest, she would have thought that Jack was one of them.
From the very start, she’d decided to avoid complicating her stay with casual sex, or a relationship. She was here to make friends and get her degree. Banging someone she basically lived with sounded like a recipe for disaster.
She’d been surprised to realize that her point of view wasn’t shared by many in the dorms.
‘Wait, so the rumors of you and that hot vamp…’
Jack snorted at his cousin. ‘No offense, but you know what I think about most vampires.’
Tris shrugged. ‘Well, you like me well enough. And Chris told me you danced with her on Night Hill last Sunday.’
‘That was work.’
He said nothing else, and Tris found no reason to question him further, so Chloe had to be nosy again. ‘You work on Night Hill?’ she asked.
Jack glanced away from the road for half a second, watching her before setting his eyes forward again.
‘We’re about to cross the border. Hang on tight.’
She had an instant to tense before feeling that strange wave of water again, and then they were out of Oldcrest. Looking back, Chloe saw absolutely nothing. Her stomach churned. She didn’t like it at all.
Suddenly, she remembered why. She had people looking for her here in the real world. What would Charles think if he knew she was popping out of safety just to shop?
It felt like a terrible idea, and she considered asking Jack to turn around.
‘The huntsmen work without needing to report to an authority outside of our order,’ he told her. ‘We have an understanding with most governments. Basically, if they want us to protect them, they let us do our thing. The exceptions are vamps. The suckers make us ask.‘ His tone couldn’t have been more disgusted. ‘I spotted something funny, so I had to head over to De Villier’s place and ask if I could organize a patrol around Oldcrest. The territory technically belongs to him.’
Suitably distracted, Chloe let go of the worry. She’d be okay. She was with two badass huntsmen, and the bounty hunters probably still thought she was in NOLA.
‘How does that end with you dancing with a hot vamp?’ Chloe asked, with validity, she thought.
Jack sighed. ‘Because vampires have a complicated dynamic. We don’t make an appointment. We’re guests, and we request an audience with the master of the house. In the meantime, we’re expected to pleasantly drink, and dance, and eat canapes until his mighty pain in the arse decides he can be arsed to see us.’
That sounded like Levi.
‘I’d like to see you dance.’
He was too collected and in control, always in a suit, even now, even when he ran. She just couldn’t picture it.
‘Trust me, you wouldn’t. He steps on toes a lot.’
‘That would be because you’re entirely incapable of letting anyone lead, Patricia.’
Until now, Chloe hadn’t realized that Tris was a nickname.
‘Hang on. She gets Tris, I get Cheetah?’
Jack shrugged unapologetically. ‘She earned Tris. She was Blades for years. Then, she took down her own major demon and got to pick her name.’
‘So Chris, Reiss, Bash, and all the others did something noteworthy before getting the name they wanted?’
‘Not Bash. I picked Bash. He hasn’t been in the field yet. Bat, too.’
‘He goes alphabetically. You’re lucky he was done with the B’s,’ said Tris.
She ruminated on her fate to remain “Cheetah” until the end of time. Or at least the end of her time in the Institute.
‘Hey, why did Gwen escape the nickname thing?’
Jack snorted as he turned toward the entrance of a car park. They’d arrived in a nice city that seemed gigantic after ten days in Oldcrest.
‘Do you need to ask?’
She did. Chloe glared at Jack, ready to be offended on behalf of her friend.
‘What’s wrong with Gwen?’
‘Nothing. I’m just not stupid enough to mess with witches. The last fool who pissed one off woke up with a rash all over his ass. Pass.’
