Page 19 of Ethereal Shifters

“It’s fine, I feel this connection between us. I’m happy to help,” she sweetly whispers, blushing. I bite down on my inner cheek.

Hollis climbs to his feet, looking at me, and I can’t read his expression. He has some explaining to do. “Can we have a word?” I ask.

“No, thanks for getting me some help.” He goes to walk out.

Annie doesn’t move from the doorway, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised in expectation. “I’m going to have to clean up your blood from the floor and miss precious hours of sleep because of you. Don’t you dare ignore her. You’re staying, Tutor Hollis.”

My best friend is a badass, and I love her. Hollis glares at her and she holds his stare with an expression that screams she isn’t moving. “Fine, but we talk out there alone.”

Annie sighs and moves to the side, and I chase after him as Hollis storms out. He pauses when we are nearer the staircase than the door. He steps closer to me, and I nearly scream as my feet lift into the air. Like invisible hands are wrapped around my body, Hollis flies us straight up the staircases and to the top level, landing us in an alcove that is dipped in shadows. He sits on the edge, hanging his legs over the edge. I shake my head as I sit next to him. “You could have warned me you were going to do that.”

“Are you going to cry about it?” he deadpans. “Oh no, Nexus magic. How could I have ever seen that coming?”

“You’re a sarcastic prick. I just helped you.” I’m almost tempted to push him off, but I haven’t got a clue how I’d get down on my own. “I smelt Onyx on you. Is he okay?”

“We were attacked by Vian,” he quietly explains. “It’s best no one knows about it, and it’s why we are up here. There are runes on this alcove that make it silent to all ears. It’s where we—Onyx, Aleksander, Finnegan, and Rhodes—come to discuss private matters. He’ll tell his father about the Vian, but it’s your fault. Your Vian prince mate sent them to capture us.” Fury and betrayal blast through me. So much for playing chess and not being a bastard. He hasn’t come back to my room since that first time, and clearly, he has been busy. I’m stabbing him in the heart the next time he comes into my room.

“How many?” I demand. He looks over at me, really sees me, in a small black tank top and black shorts. His eyes drift down to my bare legs, and my breath hitches until he looks away.

“A few hundred, maybe?” He huffs as he stares straight ahead. “Maybe more?” He flicks the sleeve of his suit. “I really liked this suit. Fucking bastards. It’s custom.”

“Oh no, how will you survive the loss of your suit?” I mimic his sarcasm, and his lips twitch. I’m certain he might have even smiled if it hadn’t been me. “And how are you still walking and alive?”

Hollis laughs low. “You’re not the only one with a strong Nexus, you know. We all have secrets.” He crosses his arms, his muscles tight against his ruined shirt. “A few hundred Vian? Nothing to us.”

“It didn’t look like nothing. You were half-dead when you turned up here.” He ignores me, figures. “Why did you turn up at my door? You could have gone to Finnegan or a healer in the city. You could have paid one to be quiet. You could have goneto Rhodes—your brother. You could have gone to Rochelle. I’m sure she would have kept your secret. Why did you turn up at my door?”

He doesn’t say anything. He just stares at me, and I stare right back, like staring at each other could somehow give each other the answers we want. It doesn’t, and he still doesn’t say anything. “Have a good sleep. You’ll need it for our lesson tomorrow afternoon.”

“Hollis—” I squeal as his power throws me off the alcove and I drop down, my stomach twisting, right before he slows my fall so I drop into the corridor with a soft bang. I hear him laughing above and I think it’s the first time Hollis has laughed with me, and not at me.

Georgina is gone when I get back to our room, and Annie is cleaning the floor. She looks up. “Is he alright?”

“Stubborn, but alive. You were right to suggest Georgina,” I reluctantly offer as I kneel down and start cleaning with her. I’m going to need a new pillow.

“Well, yes, we should have used her, but I’m mad. She flirted with Hollis right there in front of you and said she was Rochelle’s friend at the same time. That’s messed up, and she didn’t seem to care. I’m all for helping people, but she freaked me out tonight. It’s not the first time I’ve thought she is odd.” Annie clears her throat. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to be her friend. You’re right. You don’t trust her, I don’t trust her, end of discussion, and I shouldn’t have made you doubt our friendship for even a second.”

“Annie…” I throw a blood-stained rag into the bucket Annie has. “Thank you, and I’m so happy you see through her bullshit. I don’t just dislike her because of the connection shit to my mates. It’s because my Nexus wants her dead, and my Nexus usually kills the bad guys, or girls in this case.” I lean back. “And something in my soul makes me want to scream every time sheis near. I don’t know what it is, but it’s wrong.” I look at her. “Maybe you should continue to be friends with her. Someone should be keeping an eye on her here.”

“A spy, I like it.” She nods.

“I’m not saying who you should be friends with. I don’t want you to think I’m being controlling and weird or anything,” I mutter.

“I know you’re not. But I get it. If someone had a connection to my mate, I don’t know how I would have felt about it.” She scrubs the floor harder and faster. I join her and soon it’s nearly all gone.

“How are you doing? You don’t really talk about Kos very often,” I enquire. I don’t want to bring him up and hurt her, but I want her to know I’m here for her. Always.

“Surviving. It’s all we can do, right?” She sits back on her bed.

“You’ll find someone who won’t betray you.” Her eyes flicker to the door, and I follow her gaze, but there is nothing there. “We can just keep going. We will keep the people we care about alive and what else matters for now.”

“You always have me.” Annie smiles.

“You always have me, too,” I offer back. I’m broken, messy, but I’m loyal as shit.

We continue to clean up in silence before getting back into bed without a pillow this time, and I fold Alek’s hoodie, one I stole from him after class last week, and use it as a nice-smelling pillow instead. Everything might be messy, but they are still my mates. She is still my best friend, and I’m not alone.

I feellike my alarm is going off the second my eyes shut, even if it’s not logical as early morning sunlight is streamingthrough the curtains. My body is aching, the room stinks of Hollis’s blood, and my neck hurts from sleeping on it funny. I quickly shower and get dressed for the day, losing myself in the normality of my life now. Annie and I walk to breakfast together, and none of my mates are at breakfast this time. I hope Finnegan is back today, and I have Hollis’s lesson this afternoon, so I’ll be able to see how he is. I’m sure he will be back to his insufferable self.

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