“Please don’t tell me she ice skates,” I moaned when she was out of earshot. I don’t think I could take anymore competition, even though I really didn’t have a problem with Chastity… just her attachment to Ethan.
“No. Chastity skis and snowboards,” Odette informed me. “She goes to the gym to condition in the off-months.”
Snowboarding was totally cool. I bet Ethan found that really attractive.
What the hell? Why was I thinking of him? He’d yelled at me. He obviously didn’t feel that way toward me.
When we got back to school, Delmare, Odette and I helped ourselves to a dinner of beef tenderloin in the dining hall. By the time we were done, Delmare had suggested a horror movie marathon back in her dorm. Odette didn’t like scary movies, but I was a fan of gore, so we managed to talk her into watching at least one. She was practically shaking in her skirt as we walked back to the girls’ dorms.
“Can’t we watch a cartoon? I love cartoons,” Odette protested.
“Violence makes things interesting. Aren’t you an Arcanea?” Delmare asked.
“AnalicornArcanea,” Odette protested.
“The way Theo was talking made them sound like the bloodiest of all.” I laughed.
Odette peeped. “Theo doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Both the boys and girls dorms connected to a big, open space that people called the Rec Room. There were couches, TVs, and games inside, including air-hockey and foosball tables, along with a separate area set up for video game tournaments. It was the only area of the college that was decorated in a modern fashion, with posters of bands and celebrities on the wall and giant, body-sized bean bags on the floor. The far wall was completely made of glass, and gave a view of the entire gardens. Basically, it was a place where everyone could hang out without getting in trouble. For a college, this place had strict rules on boys and girls being alone together. They really did hold the Companion-Marked bond sacred.
When we got to the Rec Room, it was humming with excitement. Everyone was on their phones and showing them to each other while gossip buzzed. At Arcanea University, people were allowed to have cell phones, though I’d been informed this morning that any use of them to expose the Arcanea’s secret on social media or otherwise would result in immediate expulsion— something, so far, no one wanted to chance.
“What’s everyone talking about?” I asked. Delmare took out her phone and started scrolling.
“The Phantom!” a boy shouted near us. “He’s been spotted!”
“Who?” I asked. Delmare showed me her phone. She was on the website ofThe Annual Arcanea; Dolinska’s local newspaper. At the top of the site was a photo of a tall, hooded man, wearing a wolf mask over his face. He was cloaked in shadow. The photo had been taken from far away— the person snapping the shot had gotten it just before the figure ran off-screen.
I felt… attracted to the photo. Didn’t know why. Something about it just resonated with me. It was something about the eyes.
“The Phantom is a vigilante,” Delmare told me. “He solves crimes that the Arcanea Alliance can’t, and fights criminals that they can’t touch. He showed up a few months ago out of nowhere. They’ve been trying to catch him ever since.”
Holy crap, this place hadsuperheroes, too? It was like I was living in a comic book or something.
“If he’s doing good, why do they want to catch him?” I asked.
Delmare huffed. “The po-po don’t like people stepping on their turf. He’s a hero, but he’s still breaking the law. There’s no due process with this guy. He leaves messes behind. But it’d be so juicy to figure out who he is.”
I stared at the photograph and felt just as curious as everyone else did. Who was the Phantom, and why did I feel like I knew him?
Chapter Nine
Ethan
I’d been careless. Someone had taken a gods-cursed photograph of the Phantom, and now it was making the rounds around Dolinska like wildfire.
The picture wasn’t great, which was my only blessing. Any closer and the police would’ve been able to make out facial features. Not good. I couldn’t make such a mistake again.
I knew I should be lying low, but I was close to busting open a set of slayings that had been committed in nearby warehouses. I planned to go out tonight to resume my investigation after class was over.
Wolf Pack Theory was a class only open to wolven Companions, and was held in the late hours of midnight to 2 a.m on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I often reserved times after these night classes to do vigilante work. Tonight was no exception. As the new moon rose, I proceeded into the cover of the woods. I was glad I could see in the dark, for the light being cast above was a mere sliver.
I smelled the other wolvens before I saw them. A group of about ten or so was up ahead of me, all in their wolven forms. Some of them had wings, though most others didn’t.
Elijah was in this class. He lifted his lip and displayed his fangs to me as I passed. I snarled back. He was such a joy to have around.
Professor Lucien was at the center of the circle, and in his wolven form. He rustled his feathers as a brisk, chilly wind passed by.
