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“Everything” like talking gargoyles, dog-sized spiders, and a house cat for a roommate?

“Fine,” I said instead, terrified to offend anyone if I talked about how out of place I felt. I could only imagine what it was like for them to exist amongst humans.

As I spread out my comforter, Carter took the other side and helped. “You’ll settle in fast. Trust me. Everyone here is great and if they aren’t, you tell them to come find me.”

“Do all roommates come with a security guarantee?”

Carter smiled. “Only the ones who are the oldest sibling.”

Ah, that tracked. “I’m the youngest,” I offered. “Well, the youngest of five boys. My sister is the baby⁠—”

“And gets all the attention.” Carter shrugged. “I get it, but you’ve got me now. If you never wanted the older brother that’s going to be all in your business, I regret to inform you that you’ll be very unhappy here.”

I could only smile at that. Even the threat of protection sent something warm spreading through my middle.

“I’ll leave you to finish up. Are you going to the bonfire tonight?”

Cue that anxiety kicking up again. The welcome bonfire was apparently a huge event. Attendance wasn’t mandatory, but it was implied that you were expected to go. There was a huge group chat with all the freshmen that I muted because I just couldn’t handle so many people.

Carter picked up on my apprehension in the way a typical big brother would. “You don’t have to go alone. I’ll be there, so will my kid brother—he’s human too.”

I tilted my head. “Really?”

“Yeah, he was born during the wave so he avoided the whole shifter thing. Lucky if you ask me.”

“You mean you don’t enjoy frightening the life out of people and knocking things off of surfaces?”

“I didn’t say that.” With a wink, Carter backed out of my room, leaving me to unpack on my own.

Chapter 2

LUC

Sunset cast a golden glow across the campus. The fading evening light gave way to a brisk breeze that cooled my arms as I walked across the quad, rolling up my shirt sleeves to feel the chill against my skin. I didn’t think I had the desire to go to college, yet here I was. I’d spent the morning scouring for reasons why fate twisted and drew me into the path of Creelin University, but couldn’t find anything—which meant that something was on the horizon.

And it wasn’t the stark-naked, fit as a fiddle Huldrekall headed my way. I came to a halt, crooking a brow at him as he passed, giving him a nod of approval. Flawless green skin stretched from head to toe, pointed ears poking through the mop of brown hair on his head. His muscles rippled under his skin, trailing a line down to the perky curves of his ass–on full display. Don’t judge me. Attractive, yes, but I clearly wasn’t here for him. I’d have known if I was.

Heads turned as I walked, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why. I was a few years older than the freshmen, and even walked with an air of confidence that the babies didn’t have.

Confidence, not the cocky swagger of someone who’d been an adult for all of five minutes.

But I was definitely new to this school thing and although it had grown in size since last year, it was still small enough that whispers of a transfer rippled the student body before I’d even stepped foot on campus.

At least I’d been drawn to a monster-friendly space this time. My wings practically sang with relief at being able to stretch free, my tail flicking happily behind me. I blinked, happy to not have to force my eyes to appear a natural color.

Ever since the wave, humans and monsters existed side by side, but not all humans were happy about it, especially in the smaller towns. Pearl-clutchers did not take lightly to seeing a devil walking around.

Here, though, monsters and humans alike mixed together. Vampires drifted alongside humans, deep in conversation. A pack of werewolves played football on the far side of the quad, one shifting mid-jump to catch the ball in his mouth. The rest of them protested, calling it cheating and within seconds, the human forms were nothing but a group of giant dogs chasing after a ball.

I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head.

Regardless of what brought me to Creelin U, it was going to be a fun year.

My roommate was friendly enough—a siren who seemed like he’d keep to himself. We briefly exchanged hellos before I headed out again, feeling the urge to attend the welcome bonfire.

The sun continued to set, taking the heat with it. Slipping on my jacket was easy enough—wings in, jacket on, wings through the back. My clothes just… adjusted. Being a devil worked that way.

Yes, a devil. Not the devil. It was a common misconception. Just like many other species, I was only one of many.