Page 49 of Faerie Gift

Someone else. There was another shifter around and it didn’t feel like Julie.

Outside of the spell, my senses were back in full force, and with the flu starting to break, I smelled shifter as much as I could smell anything at this point.

My thoughts went back to Professor Reeds and his half-eaten body. I remembered the previous body I’d seen, the chaperone, with the same kind of wounds, parts of her scattered around the hallway.

Oh hell no. I couldn’t let shifters run wild through this school, no matter how I felt.

At length I sighed and pushed myself off of the cot until my feet landed on the cool floor.

A sliver of fear had my hairs standing on end. What happened if the shifter I sensed…was Kendrick Grimaldi? My heart did a somersault and it felt like I lost a few years of my life.

Maybe Kendrick had found me and he was killing people as a message, to let me know no matter where I went, I wasn’t safe.

No, I tried to console myself. It didn’t fit with what I knew of him. He wouldn’t be sneaky if he was here. He’d sayscrew the messageand cut through the crowd for me directly, shedding blood in his wake.

But he might have sent a goon instead.Thatwas a distinct possibility, but also a risk I had to take because it was either confront the shifter head on or let someone else die because I sensed something and didn’t do anything about it. I would never be able to forgive myself if I stayed in bed and let something happen.

I slowly drew up, still in my pajamas, but at least I wasn’t shivering. After braiding my greasy, sweaty hair and securing it over my shoulder, I wrapped my blanket around me and tried to walk out of the room in silence. Started up the flight of stairs across from the hospital quarter.

Ooh boy, walking wasn’t such a good idea. I wasn’t one hundred percent yet. Fifty percent, maybe, though even that was a stretch. The scent of shifter filled my nostrils and I knew, much as I was forcing the limits of my healing body by doing this, I had little choice. There was no one else around who knew what I knew.

Head pounding, sick as hell, I went out looking for the source of the smell even knowing I was being a total idiot.

Strange and stupid. Those would be the two words to describe me best.

As if I hadn’t learned better from the situation with Roman last semester.

Moving away from the hospital ward, I slinked down the hallways on silent feet, my socks rubbing against the stone floor and the sound muffled. The blanket kept me warm against the March chill as I followed the scent.

Sadly, I knew exactly where it led: It led exactly where I walked, slow and steady, to the exchange student dormitory.

The source of all the troubles.

I stopped at the entrance to the hall when I saw two shapes moving in the shadows, tall gangly shapes eventually morphing into bodies. Male bodies.

Keeping out of sight, I pressed against the wall, not recognizing the two. But I knew the smell.

It was late enough at night neither of the second-year boys exploring the space expected anyone to be awake to see them.

They hadn’t counted on me.

AndIhadn’t counted on a coughing fit wracking my body, one I tried to swallow and failed. Both of their heads turned in my direction at once.

Oh shit.

Along with the scent of their natures, I felt their anger. Their fury, directed at me. Our wolves sensed each other and my hackles rose; the ghost of a snarl echoed on my lips.

Though neither of them said anything, they didn’t need to, as they broke away from the door and came at me.

Two against one… I wouldn’t win if it came to a fight. I was still too sick, too weak.

I turned and bolted. As quickly as I was able to bolt. And hopefully I would be fast enough to outrun them.

17

One misstep and they’d have me.

I didn’t have time to waste on running from them, especially when every breath I took fought against the rock in my chest. Stumbling to a halt as another coughing spasm ripped through me, I bent and tried to ride it out. Stupid flu.

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