Page 60 of Monster Girl Awakened

Corin

My mate is curled up in my arms right now. It’s un-fucking-real. If someone had told me that this is how today would go this morning, I would’ve laughed at them. Now though… I shake my head, a tiny smile curling my lips. She’s adorable, cheeks still flushed, hands tucked to her chest. It’s a reminder that I’m still in my Lycan form and how Nessa has accepted me fully. She barely blinked at the fact I was in my Lycan form when I appeared in her room. Then there is how she wanted me to chase her. Fucking hell, that little smirk she gave me before she ran is going to be burned into my brain forever.

I suck in a breath as Dylan and Oscar cross my mind. I wonder how they’d feel about what just happened between Nessa and me? Would they be upset that I treated her so rough? Will they be jealous when they find out that we’ve been together? I don’t think they will be, for one, we’ve discussed the three of us being in a relationship with Nessa together. And second is, I’ve gotten the vibe from Dylan that he’d absolutely love to chase Nessa like I just did. He’s got a more dominant side that she seems to bring out in him. I grin. Goddess, she’s going to have her hands full if she agrees to date us.

That sobers me a little, when a snapping twig catches my attention, making my head jerk up, ears straining. It’s quiet though, the only sound is the forest creatures. Still, a growl rumbles in my chest. The forest floor, while mostly naked, isn’t exactly the best place to take a nap. Thankfully my knot chooses that moment to release and I shift into a seated position, bringing a sleeping Nessa with me.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I wake up Nessa enough to convince her to put on my shirt because I tore hers. It’s more like a baggy dress on her and it has that purr starting up in my chest again.I love her wearing my clothes. Blinking, I shake myself out of those thoughts and scoop her into my arms. She’s asleep again almost immediately and I quickly use a spell to collect the rest of our tattered clothing then head through the forest.

I have portals setup throughout the Academy grounds in case of emergencies, which is where I aim for now. My instincts are going haywire right now, needing to get my mate somewhere safe.

It took everything in me to hold back when I came close to her neck, not to mention when I actually bit her. No broken skin means no mate mark. Yet. That has yet another thought swirling. She accepted my primal form. It sends a buzz through my veins. Most of my life I’ve had to hide that side. Supernaturals and even other monsters avoid me once they know, and they treat me differently. The stigma surrounding Lycans is still very much present in the monster community. Ever since I revealed as a Lycan and shifted for the first time when I was a young teenager, I’ve been an outcast. Being so powerful didn’t help.

There aren’t many Lycan’s left in the realm, be it hybrids or fullbloods. There are only a handful of full or pureblooded Lycans known in the realm and a few hundred hybrids. We’re super rare so that in itself means that lots of supernaturals don’t know much about us. So when they usually do hear about us, it’s usually not good things. No. It’s when one of us has lost control and killed a bunch of people and a supernatural news station is covering the story. I’m a full blooded Lycan, but very few people know about that.

With our kind being portrayed as rabid monsters due to newscasts like that, we end up shunned by the community. A Lycan, unlike a shifter, has added animal instincts built into them constantly, not just when they’re shifted. They’re even more heightened when in their Lycan form and if the supernatural hasn’t been taught proper impulse control, and how to govern those urges from a young age, then they tend to be completely wild whenever they shift. Lycan’s with less power tend to struggle with it more, but either way it’s still a very large, dangerous magical creature on the loose. My family are all Lycans so I was taught correctly and I usually have fucking amazing control. My eyes drop to Nessa curled up in my arms. Usually.

I like to think that I did pretty well though, considering Lycan’s with less control would’ve lost it the second they caught their mate’s scent and fell into a mating rut immediately. For a non-Lycan mate that can be a terrifying experience and a forced mating. I would never do that. Even with my loss of control today, I was with it enough that if Nessa had shown an ounce of fear or said no then I would’ve backed off. I shake my head, eyebrows drawing down slightly. I still feel shitty over how I let my control slip today though, and I’m going to make it up to her.

When we reach the portal, I imbue it with my magic and set it for Nessa’s room. Portalling is always smoother when Nessa is with me, it’s odd. After a few uncomfortable—but not painful—seconds I step into her room. I set her down on the couch and wrap her in a blanket, then move to the kitchen to make her a late lunch.

Humming under my breath, I get out the fixings for a sandwich then set about putting it together. Fingers crossed she’s not mad at me when she wakes up. I don’t know what I’d do if she wakes up and regrets what we did. I let out a breath, knowing I’ll just have to wait and see.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nessa

Ithasbeensohectic since the start of the term between classes, following the local Drákon groups movements, and working with Lexi to research my powers and try to locate Ethan. I’m long overdue for a fucking holiday at this point.

We’re pretty sure we have a lead on Ethan’s whereabouts, most likely on the Academy grounds, but we won’t know for sure until tomorrow afternoon when I go check it out. I have a good feeling about it though. Having his hideout on the Academy grounds makes the most sense for multiple reasons. One is that it’s safer for him in a sense, more supes will be looking for him off the grounds and with his little obsession with me it’s logical that he’d want to stay close. Somewhere where he can watch me, take pictures and leave me ‘gifts’ like he’s been doing. I scrunch up my nose and shake my head, letting my thoughts drift.

After disclosing to the guys a few days ago that Ethan has been stalking me, we met up to discuss some of the other things Lexi and I have been working on. So when we go to the location we were given by one of Lexi’s contacts, the guys will be tagging along. Lexi has had her network of contacts listening out for any chatter of Ethan or anything that could possibly be him. It seems like it’s paid off, if this actually turns out to be a solid lead.

My thoughts circle back to the guys and I bite my cheek. It did feel good to get some of my secrets off my chest. I feel like I don’t have to hide as much from them as I would’ve last term. And of course another good thing came from telling them about Ethan.

I swallow as flashes of what Corin and I did later that day flash through my mind. Gods, that made up for all the recent sexual tension and build up, the only issue now is that he’s given me a taste and I want more. With him and with the others. A squirmy feeling starts up in my gut as I recall afterwards though.

I woke up on my couch and Corin had food and a fresh coffee ready for me. It was sweet as hell, but I could see in his eyes that he wanted to talk with me about what happened between us. Of course I did the most Nessa fucking thing I could have done, I ate my food in silence, tugged him in for a heated kiss, then bailed with excuses of meeting up with Lexi that afternoon. Damn it. Now I haven’t seen him since and I have no idea how to bring it up or what to say. This is one of these areas where I have hardly any experience. I haven’t had a single boyfriend before, and I shake my head just thinking about it. I didn’t exactly stick around after the few subpar hookups I had either. With a groan I shake my head at myself again.Focus Nessa, you have a job to do. You can think about all that later.

I grunt as I step through my portal into a dark field. I’m dressed in my spelled clothing, plus a small bag with the gear Lexi had me bring. I’d use my spelled pockets, but smaller things can have a tendency to get lost, sort of like things in big handbags.

Flexing my hand, I hold it out in front of me and close my eyes, pushing magic out to sense if there are any magical traps in the area. I doubt there will be, but you can never be too careful. When I don’t sense any, I let out a breath and continue on.

That’s one thing that Lexi and I have managed to accomplish, a way to get around Aurora’s magic and use my own. Through trial and error, I figured out that if I focus on both of the magics inside of me separately, then I can create a sort of wall with my magic to keep Ghost Girl—Aurora’s—down. It is incredibly hard to do when I’m in a highly emotional state so I need to make sure I have my emotions under control as well, to make the method work. We’ve been working on the technique every day and it seems like I’ve got a decent hold on it—providing I’m calm—so no more explosions. I’ve even managed to not destroy any classrooms in the last forty-eight hours, so there is that.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work when it comes to potions though, so I’m still going to need that balance stone my fathers are having sent to me.

Grimacing at the thought, I reach out and press my fingers to a wooden fence paling.Touch wood. Never can be too superstitious either.

Blowing out a breath, I brush a stray hair out of my face then glare down at the little red dot on my screen as I walk down the dark street. I’m in the middle of butt fuck nowhere because that asshole Kristen was just at the warehouseagain. I swear to the Goddess, she has to get off on either watching people fight or the sounds of it because she’s there almost every second day. Unlike other days though, Lexi has me here on an assignment this time. She gave me a handful of little devices to attach to each wall of the warehouse. When they’re all up around the building we’ll be able to access any and everyone's devices that are brought into it.

My head cocks to the side as I think about it. Hmm, I guess that’s one good thing about Kristen frequenting the place. There are enough depraved idiots that go to the place that it’ll take Lex a while to sift through all of them, but she said she should be able to handle it alright. I’m going to leave her to that; I prefer to avoid seeing the files they have stored on their phone if I can help it. I shudder.Yep, no thanks.

When I approach the bouncers manning the door, I draw my shoulders back, exuding as much confidence as I can. I’m not worried at all, but I’ve had more than one bouncer in this place either try to hit on me or tell me this isn’t the place for a sweet girl like me to last a lifetime. Thankfully these two let me pass without a fuss and I make sure to tip them both handsomely, along with my entrance fee. The moment I’m inside, I head to my corner, keeping my senses peeled for threats on the way, but otherwise ignoring people. When I reach it, I portal up to the rafters and dance between the beams, placing the little devices as I go until I’ve made a complete rectangle. Nodding to myself, I portal back to the ground and do the same thing on ground level, but act like I’m drunk off my ass or distracted so I don’t draw any attention to myself—well other than the occasional lewd offer.No thank you.

I’m placing the last one when a particularly angry bellow catches my attention. With it set, I then drift towards the fighting cage that’s closest to me, brushing through the tight crowd of people as I go. Usually I try to avoid the fight cages, but when I get close enough to this one and grab the bars it becomes obvious what drew me to it. Sucking in a quick breath, a strangled sound gets caught in my throat.Oscar.

He’s shirtless, sweating and covered in dozens of forming bruises and cuts. The pink-haired troll is ripped, but that’s not what’s got my attention right now. No. It’s his opponent who has got to be at least twice his width and two feet taller than him. Oscar dances around his opponent who appears to be a mixed blood Giant. Fucking hell, I’m about to watch Oscar die. I grit my teeth, anger flaring through me. And if he doesn’t die I’m going to kill him myself once this match is done.

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