Page 24 of Plug and Claim

Kira weighed the clothes in her hands. Conformity was not as heavy as she’d expected. In fact, the uniform had an elegance she’d been unprepared for, and Susie swore that the sparkling gemstones decorating the blazer’s buttons and cufflinks were real rubies.

Here goes nothing.

Twenty minutes later, Kira stood before the mirror, staring at her reflection as she adjusted the red bow at her neck.

I look good, she thought in surprise.

None of her clothes had ever been this flattering, not even the lace dress she’d worn to the country dance last summer. She’d nearly lost her virginity that night but had decided at the last minute that the mayor’s arrogant son was not worth the trouble.

Kira smoothed the academy blazer, which was particularly impressive. It fit her perfectly, with sleek lines and structured shoulders that were not in the least bit tight, and she liked the sense of regality it lent her.

The short red skirt, however…

“Can we go longer?” Kira pleaded, tugging the hem down, which only reached halfway down her thighs.

“Like I said, that’s as long as they go,” Susie said with an apologetic shrug. “It’s way longer than mine.”

It was of small consolation; Susie’s was barely decent.

“It doesn’t even reach my knees,” Kira complained.

“It’s not meant to.”

“But—”

“Just give it a chance. You look good. Any longer and you’d look like a prude.”

Kira poked her tongue out at Susie’s reflection and couldn’t help but smile when the woman repeated the gesture. It was the sort of thing she and Mary would do when they argued—acknowledge the disagreement and move on.

Susie helped tuck the bright red bow beneath her blouse’s collar.

“There,” Susie proclaimed, “Now you’re one of us. Well, nearly…” She pulled out a drawer and threw Kira a pair of long white socks.

“White?” Kira asked, frowning at the socks. “But…everyone else was wearing black.”

Susie shook her head. “No, only the wolves wear black. The vampires wear red. But you’re special—you get to wear white.”

Kira froze. Was Susie implying that she was neither a wolf shifter, nor a vampire? Did she know?

The woman laughed. “You should see your face! You poor thing. Relax.” She rubbed Kira’s arm. “There’s nothing wrong with being a virgin.”

Kira nearly jumped out of her skin at the word. She was sure she’d misheard. “Excuse me. A what?”

“A virgin,” Susie said lightly.

“What…how…?”

“How do I know?” Susie asked, “Come on, even I can smell it.”

Kira licked her lips, trying to process the information. She hadn’t expected the wolves to be able to smell her V-status. No shifter she’d met had ever mentioned that she was a virgin… but then again, it wasn’t exactly a polite thing to comment on. Apparently, the academy was a lot more open about these things.

“Is it…a bad smell?”

Susie laughed. “It’s a strong smell. It’s no wonder Mark was so smitten with you, or that Chelsea was so threatened by you…”

Kira’s brain ground to a halt. “Mark was…smitten?”

“Oh yes! Couldn’t you tell?”