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We both barreled through the door and slammed it behind us. We locked the puny knob and threw the dead bolt. June and I moved in sync, pushing her dresser in front of the door while the grunts and groans reverberated from the other side and underneath the door.
It was right outside—whatever it was.
A pulse of bravery made me lean into the door and press my ear against it. Heavy breathing and a moan came from the person or thing huffing on the other side, but it made no move to push the door or try to break it down. Somehow I knew that it had that capability. That it could’ve crushed us if it wanted to.
It was playing with us. Playing a game.
I stumbled back at the scratching of claws on the door.
“What the hell is it doing?” June whispered. She shivered, her chin wobbling. Her cheeks were reddened from the run and the wind, and her fists were balled at her sides.
“I don’t know. Maybe it will…” And then, earthquaking steps moved down the hallway and clomped down the stairs, leaving silence.
“It’s gone,” we both mumbled at the same time.
We stood there for a long time before deciding the coast was clear. We went to bed that night, clinging to our thin comforters.
We didn’t move the dresser.
Not an inch.
“How did nobody else hear this?” June muttered. “Not even the guys?”
“I don’t know.” But somehow that made it way creepier.
For now, no more going out and exploring.
Chapter Six
Blaze
“Hey, Brother.” I had to go quite a ways from the building so my call would not be picked up by security. I wasn’t sure how they managed it, but I’d seen a few of my classmates get caught with cellphones, and I didn’t need any more trouble than I found without trying. Texting seemed to work out, but calls within the building were risky. And this early, with the sun not quite ready to rise, was the best time.
For some reason I’d never been able to figure out, I was a target here. There were students convicted of crimes sitting opposite me in shifter history and some whose wolves were known to bite who could only shift under very confined circumstances. And then of course the bullies who had been picking on June and Karelis. Yet, for all the times I sat in the admin waiting area, anticipating what I might be accused of this time, I rarely saw those a person might reasonably expect to find there. The class troublemakers seemed to avoid any kind of penalty for what they did.
Or maybe it was just my timing and justice did prevail occasionally. It was possible.
“Blaze? Did I lose you?” Asher asked.
Oops! Got caught woolgathering. “No, I’m here. How are you and your mates?”
“Raven is doubling up on classes, trying to get finished at the academy as soon as possible. Onyx is assistant managering at the Midnight, and the two of them are keeping me on my toes.”
“I have no doubt. Meeting them at the holidays had me very jealous of you, I have to admit. I hope I made a good impression on them.”
“You look just like me. How could they think anything else but that you’re screaming hot?”
“I’d argue, but I can’t think of a way to do it without making myself look bad, too.”
“The pain of twinning.” He laughed. “But since I know what a pain it is to call me, what’s up? You’re not just phoning to tell me I’m lucky to have my mates.”
“Are you implying that I don’t keep in touch?” It was so easy to fall into the banter we always had, no matter how long we were apart. But it was also hard not to let the resentment for that separation bleed through. I cleared my throat. “Anyway, it’s good to hear your voice.”
“You, too, Blaze. I wish they’d hurry up and realize you belong here with the rest of us. I hate to think of you alone in that place.”
Such disparagement of the educational facility I currently occupied. Shame I felt the same—or worse. He only knew what he heard from me and a few others in our social circle who had spent time at Urban Rejects. But I had a reason for calling. “I’m not alone.”
“Oh right. I didn’t mean your roommates weren’t good friends.”
