Page 17 of Stray
Ella
After managing to survive her first period class, Ella was dreading having to go all the way across the hall for economics, the first of several classes she shared with Axel. To her relief, he was nowhere to be seen when she entered the room, so she took a seat in the very back and tried to ignore the stares and whispers from the other students.
As the classroom filled, she busied herself with setting out a notebook and pens in front of her. She hadn’t even noticed Bishop was in the same class until he took the seat next to her and leaned in.
“Hey. This seat taken?”
She nearly jumped out of her skin at his familiar voice, and when she turned around to face him, she realized he was somehow even more devastatingly handsome in the Academy uniform. It looked sharp on all the toms, but while Axel had modified his by rolling up the sleeves of his button down and abandoning the blazer entirely, Bishop looked perfectly polished and made the regulation seem as if it had been tailored to him.
“No,” she said with a nervous laugh, looking around at the perimeter of empty seats that had formed around her, even though nearly every other seat was taken. “As you can see, this is the quarantine zone.”
Bishop rolled his eyes, pulling his book and tablet out of his bag. Ella realized she was the only student still toting around a pen and paper, but that was by far the least of her shortcomings. “They’re just jealous. You threw everyone for a loop at the Unveiling and they’re all afraid if they’re nice to you, they’ll piss off Marissa.”
He was speaking at a high enough volume for the students in their section to hear, but he carried himself like a man who had no reason to care what anyone else thought. Unlike Axel, he didn’t use the freedom to speak his mind for malicious purposes.
“You’re probably right,” she agreed. “Not about the jealousy part, but about Marissa.”
He gave her a knowing smile, but concern ebbed into his gaze. “How are you feeling?”
She instinctively touched her chest, recalling the dull ache that still surfaced now and then. He had seemed guilty enough at the hospital about saving her life, so she didn’t want to give him any more reason to worry. “I’m fine now. Thanks to you.”
He gave a dismissive snort. “Just glad I paid attention in health last semester.”
Ella absolutely despised her mind for drifting to the other biology-related subjects he might be able to instruct her on. At least she didn’t seem to be the only female similarly affected by the dashing tom.
“How’s your mother doing?” she asked, deciding to change the subject before she made a fool of herself. It was nice to talk to someone who was willing to look her in the eye without the all-out intimidation tactics she’d just been subjected to.
Even worse was the fact that they’d had more than just their intended effect.
“She’s fine,” he answered, giving her a look that made her wonder if he knew what she was up to. He was just too much of a gentleman to call her on it. “She told me to ask you the same thing.”
Ella couldn’t help but smile. Natalia had always seemed like a genteel, gracious person from a distance, but the Hills had taught her firsthand that appearances weren’t always what they seemed. It was as much of a relief as it was a surprise to know the Empress was as genuine as she hoped.
Before Ella could respond, she felt a familiar presence looming near. She turned around as Axel dropped into the seat next to her, but his gaze was fixed on Bishop, focused and territorial.
Her heart beat a little faster, even though she knew better than to think he was actually being possessive of other her. She was nothing more than a means to an end to him, and she knew well just what Axel did to anyone who stood between him and what he wanted.
“If it isn’t the prince,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ella blinked in confusion at the insult, before she realized it was technically what Bishop was, as Natalia’s son. Axel’s tone made it clear it was still a mark of condescension.
“Axel. Showing up for class on a Monday?” Bishop asked, clearly unfazed. “What’s the occasion?”
The smirk on his lips made it clear he knew exactly why Axel was there, and rage flashed in the other tom’s eyes at being called out. Before he could respond as violently as Ella was sure he wanted, the teacher came into the room.
“Alright, quiet down,” the imposing man ordered. He looked more like a bear shifter than a cat, and he certainly wasn’t what Ella was picturing of the economics professor. She was relieved he looked more than capable of breaking up a fight, even between two of the strongest males at the Academy, but Axel and Bishop seemed to have agreed to a ceasefire. For now.
Ella tried to focus on the teacher’s lesson, even though she constantly had to flip back and forth between the page he was reading from and the glossary in the back of the book just to keep up with all the new terms.
She’d done well enough in high school economics, but she’d never imagined the shifter world’s financial structures would be so much more complicated. It was bizarre to see such familiar names in the text, the Meyers and Hills among them.
So were the Watersons. As the teacher went over the fact that the Watersons and Hills had almost singlehandedly funded the construction of the Academy, Ella was reminded of just how deep Marissa’s connections went. She had already made an enemy of the most powerful student at school, with the exception of the toms on either side of her.
Maybe cozying up to one or both of them wasn’t such a bad idea. Of course, Bishop was the much safer option of the two.
“You can borrow my notes,” Bishop offered in a whisper as he leaned over, close enough to give Ella a start.
His scent had the same intoxicating effect on her that Axel’s did, as different as it was. The tiger shifter’s energy was all fire and chaos, while Bishop’s was icy cool and just as powerful. His presence itself was as soothing as it was distracting.
