Page 30 of Feral
Ella was torn over whether she should go after him or not. The truth was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be around him right now. She only realized her hand was trembling when she felt the comparison to the lion’s sturdy presence.
The students who gathered at the top of the hill were still watching in disbelief. Sterling let out another warning growl and they quickly dissipated.
“So you’re the king of the hallwaysandthe jungle,” she muttered, her arms folded against the chill.
The beast gave a snort of amusement. Somehow, despite his intimidating form, he was the most human out of all of them.
Are you alright?he asked telepathically. He was probably much too sophisticated to change back in a state of undress.
“I’m okay, just a little shaken,” she admitted. “To think about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up…”
His gaze was sympathetic and so expressive she didn’t even need to hear him to be able to understand him. The trauma of the night had pushed any thoughts of awkwardness to the back burner, but now that they were alone, they were starting to creep back in. “Thank you,” Ella said softly.
That’s my job,he answered in a dismissive tone.I’m just sorry I didn’t get here sooner--and that you had to see any of that.
He sounded sincere. How could he be so cruel one moment and so thoughtful the next? It was all the more reason to steel her heart against him. Axel and Bishop were both reckless in their own right, but Sterling was the one she truly had to fear.
“I’m just glad it’s over.”
For now,he said, echoing her fear.
“Why do they hate each other so much?” Ella asked. She had known Axel most of her life, but he might as well have been a stranger living across the hall. Save for his conquests, she knew little about his other relationships. Hell, she wasn’t even sure how he really felt about his parents.
Sterling didn’t answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and troubled.It’s complicated, and it goes back further than either of them do.
“You mean the Hills and the Meyers?” Ella asked. She didn’t know everything about the rivalry between their families, but could it really be that bad?
Sterling nodded.I’ll walk you back to the dorm.
“That’s okay. I’ll be fine, and you’ve done enough,” Ella insisted. The truth was, she wanted the time to think. Not that the short walk back would be nearly enough time to sort out everything she was feeling. How could a single heart be pulled in so many directions at once?
Chapter 14
Ella
It had been three days since the disastrous ball and Ella felt only partially recovered. Physically, she was fine, save for a few scrapes on her knees after falling in the grass, but emotionally, she had never been more confused.
For once, it was Bishop who was texting and calling her nonstop, while Axel hadn’t even responded to her texts asking if he was all right.
Logically she knew he was, but she couldn’t help but worry, even though that would only push him further away. He was nothing if not prideful, and once that pride was wounded…
Ella knew that a wounded animal was more dangerous than any other.
At least one thing was going right. She’d gone to the school doctor for her promised checkup and based on her lack of troubling symptoms, she had been granted permission to go on a trip for her history course.
Normally, visiting an old house in the middle of nowhere wouldn’t have been her cup of tea, no matter how important its original occupant was to the colony. The idea of getting away from the Academy for a few days to clear her head without having to return to the Hill house, however, was too much to pass up.
If there was any benefit to the depressive funk she’d fallen into after the ball, it seemed to be that her formerly overactive libido was now in check. The doctor had seemed bewildered as to why it had taken her this long to “solve the problem,” but he’d agreed that as long as she continued taking the suppressants, the trip shouldn’t be an issue.
Ella couldn’t entirely blame him for the assumption. After all, she’d imagined her “problem” would be solved the night Bishop had taken her out, but nothing was ever that simple.
As the trip approached, Ella knew that all she had to do was keep from lingering in the hallways long enough to run into Bishop or Axel and she’d hopefully be able to get away without either of them noticing. It helped that she’d actually made a friend in history class, which was as much of a shock to her as anyone.
Avery was one of the few girls who hadn’t joined in on Marissa’s merciless bullying during Ella’s early days at the Academy, but Ella was still surprised she had bothered striking up a conversation in class. As it turned out, Avery was another common feline shifter and she’d had her share of trouble at the Academy for it, even though she wasn’t a stray.
That afternoon in class, Ella found her thoughts drifting until Avery leaned over.
“You okay?”
