Chapter Twenty-Seven— How Not to Get the Girl

I was awake in the shower before Nickolas got to my house, so when I walked back into my room in just a towel, I was more than shocked when I found him in my bed. He was just lounging, in my bed, mmm…

“Hello.” He grinned.

I jumped a little at seeing him. My instinct was to grip my towel to me to cover up. Then I remembered that he’s already seen me naked. I felt a little stupid at still covering up. “Hi.”

He lay on his back as he looked me up and down. “Are you going to stay over there?”

He didn’t wait for me to answer, before he got up, and yanked me over to him. I nearly lost my towel, and giggled when his hands explored my body.

His mouth went to my neck as his hands moved up my sides. “Do you wanna be late to school today?”

Yes. So late. In fact, I don’t even really wanna go. “I can’t. In bio I have a test that I can’t miss.”

His fingers pressed into my skin and his nose trailed up to my ear. “Are you sure about that?”

Kill me. Please just kill me. “I’m sorry.”

Nickolas sighed and kissed my cheek. “Don’t be. I intend on finding some time to take advantage of you. Soon. Because otherwise I may combust.”

“Tell me about it…”

He backed up just slightly. “Would you like me to step out while you get dressed?”

I bit my lip. “You can stay.”

After I forced myself off of Nickolas, I got dressed. He picked out a green and a purple sock of each color for me to wear. Now that I knew he had a thing for them, I would never not be wearing them. Since it was Friday, I didn’t have to wear my uniform, so Nickolas picked out some very short shorts and one of his shirts that he happened to bring... I wondered if that was on purpose. After I was dressed, Nickolas was sure to let me know how much he wished he could undress me.

“That would defeat the purpose of putting the clothes on,” I told him.

“And?”

I laughed and started walking out of the room, with my fiancé pawing at me all the time. I’ll admit, I loved it. It was attention and I only liked attention when it was from him. He caught me at the stairs and managed to carry me to the car while kissing me. He never came close to dropping me, and I appreciated it.

He placed me in the car and buckled me up, again, kissing me periodically. Once he was done, I held his face so he couldn’t leave me. When I remembered we were low on time, I let him go. He lingered before he went to get into his seat.

The drive felt too fast as he took me to school. We were in the lot before I knew it and my hand froze on the handle.

“Are you going to be okay today?” Nickolas asked.

“I am right now. The second you’re gone, I think that’ll change.”

He brushed my cheek with his thumb. “I’ll be back before you know it. If you want, I can send you dirty texts all day long.”

I smiled and nodded. “I would like that, actually.”

“Then so shall it be done.”

I left the car and walked with my head down all the way to gym. The chatter was upsetting but I blocked it out the best I could. Some of the chatter was louder than it needed to be. My design I imagine. That was fine. They could talk, make up rumors, call me names. I had Nickolas waiting for me at home. That was more than enough comfort.

As I walked to second hour, my phone buzzed with another text from Nickolas. I got one every ten minutes, Nickolas checking up on me as well as flirting. I texted him back with something nearly as graphic. I got ellipses back from him. Then one that made me promise to carry out the text. I didn’t respond but of course I would do what I said. I wasn’t a monster.

I heard a scream loud enough to shatter glass. Everybody in the hallway skidded to a halt, but no one said a word. The air stilled as eye darted around, trying to figure out where it came from.

More screams erupted, and all heads turned to the room at the end of the hall. Four girls came running out, sobbing and screaming and shaking. A woman that I didn’t recognize came out right after. I didn’t realize until I moved closer to the door that it was the government room, and I didn’t realize that the woman was a sub.

A crowd formed outside of the door, all trying to get a peek inside. The sub had her phone out, appearing to be making a call. She made no effort to shoo the students, and she really should have.

More students left the room in various states of fright. Some ran out of the hall and others lingered just outside the door. I just got there when most of them left. I peered inside and looked past the tables. I still couldn’t see, so I walked in with a few others. A cluster of frozen kids stood by the storage room door.

The smell of blood overwhelmed my nose as I made my way over. I couldn’t see it yet, but I thought I knew what I was going to see. It was so much worse. Blood, yes there was blood. It was a huge puddle that had started leaking out from under the door. Lying right on it was Mr. Mars.

He lay on his back, and his empty eyes were on the ceiling. His throat was… gone. I didn’t know how his head was still on his body but it was clear how the blood got where it did. He must have been bleeding on the ground for hours, going by what his body looked like. His skin looked sickly white, almost enough to distract from the awkward angles some of his limbs stuck at. I saw breaks, gashes, and bloodstains on the man. His lips parted just slightly in his fearful face. Stuck for eternity in terror.

I wasn’t breathing. No one was breaking. But we were rushed out of the room when the security team got there. They shoved us out without a word and we were all sent to the gym.

The noise was so loud once the whole school was in there. Chatter from the kids who didn’t see but wanted to know what happened, the ones who didn’t see but were pretending like they did. And none from the ones who really saw. We were all frozen with the same horror on Mr. Mars’ face.

Mona stood at the bottom of the bleachers, she waving her arms up at me. We were all being kept where we were, by the officers that finally showed up. They lined the floor and watched us like hawks. Some of the kids were yelling at them, telling them that they better let them go home or else they would have their parents ruin them etc…

My phone was vibrating like mad the whole time, but cell phones were confiscated as we walked in. Good thing the poor transfer girl didn’t have a phone, and that the teachers believed that. The only problem was that I couldn’t call Nickolas. He must know what was happening right now. The sirens, news, the lack of me getting back to him. I didn’t even know what he was saying. Or if Patton and Candy knew what was going on. What was the protocol on a murder?

Mona was forced to give up on me when she was told to sit back down. My foot was tapping uncontrollably as I tried to figure out a way to text Nickolas back. I couldn’t stand the thought of him being scared right now. There were so many students here, would they notice me with my hand in my backpack for a prolonged amount of time?

I set my backpack on my lap and got my phone from my shorts pocket into the thing without anyone seeing. I had about ten texts from Nickolas, three from Candy and as many from Patton. I felt guilty for ignoring them for Nickolas, but I had to do it.

Me: Stuck in gym. Mars was found dead in gov room. Can’t get out. Don’t know how long we’re stuck her.

Less than fifteen seconds later I got one back.

Nickolas: Are you All right? What happened to Mars? Watching news and all it said was that a teacher was discovered this morning.

Me: His throat was ripped out.

There was less of a pause.

Nickolas: I’m coming for you.

I took my hand from my backpack and made sure no one was watching me. Aaaand… they weren’t.

I was nudged and I turned my head to see Mona. Her normal lightness was gone, leaving only worry. “Are you doing okay? I heard you saw.”

“I did. I don’t know if I’m okay.”

“What happened?”

I told her all I knew but really, it wasn’t much at all. I just knew he was dead.

She blinked and gathered herself. “Well, what the fuck would rip his throat out and then shove the body in a closet?”

“I don’t know.” My eyes went to the doors on either side of the room. “Dammit.”

“What?”

I spoke quietly. “Nickolas is coming to get me. I don’t know how to get out.”

She shook her head. “He won’t even get onto campus. There are cops lining the place. The parents aren’t even being let in, he doesn’t stand a chance. And they might arrest him for trespassing if he breaks his expulsion guidelines.”

I cursed. “What do we do?” The question of the hour.

The principal moved to the middle of the floor with Glover’s megaphone. She put it to her mouth and spoke to us. “Your parents have all been contacted. You will be picked up as they arrive. I understand that many of you have parents that work. You will be staying here until a guardian can retrieve you. Those that were in Mr. Mars’ class at the time of the incident will be questioned by the police. Form a line here,” she pointed behind her and lowered the megaphone.

I listened as more of the students yelled out protests of not wanting to stay until their parents came. They were met with no kind of help.

“I’m screwed,” Mona said as she slapped her knee. “My parents aren’t even in town tonight. My brothers are all gone too.”

“You can come home with me. Maybe they’ll let you slip through the cracks if they just see you with an adult.” It wasn’t much of a plan, but we had very little choices.

I got a text from Nickolas saying he couldn’t get in. I told him to meet me at my house and I’d try to get out as soon as I could.

Mona and I were in line to leave. Each parent signed out their kids and took them out of the room. Since it was the police that were manning the clipboard, it wasn’t too hard to get Mona past them.

Patton stood by the cop as he signed me out. I texted him before he showed up, telling him that he needed to get Mona out too. He was kind enough to roll with it.

“Thanks, Mr. T,” Mona said as we walked out to the lot.

“No problem,” he said. “Wouldn’t want you stuck in a gym all damn day. Can one of you girls fill me in on what happened?”

Mona did it for me since I was busy texting Nickolas. He and Dahlia were at my house already. They were waiting for me with Candy and the kids. Nickolas said that he got Dahlia as soon as he found out about what happened at school, he wouldn’t tell me why.

We all got to my house and the first thing I did was blow past everyone and hug Nickolas. His hands went to my back and I felt Dahlia hug my leg.

“Posey,” she said. “I heard on the TV that someone at your school got hurt.”

I pulled away from Nickolas to look at everyone. I didn’t think I could get away with leaving Mona out, so I said, “Patton, I have to talk to Nickolas and Mona.” I looked at Dahlia and back to him. “Can you keep an eye on her while I fill them in?”

He nodded. “Of course. Take your time.” The kids went off to the living room and I heard Candy questioning Patton as the three of us ascended the stairs to my room.

I closed my door and Mona stood beside Nickolas. No one wanted to sit down and I understood why. Everything was tense and pacing would do us much better.

Mona was the first to speak. “Why do I get the feeling that this means more to you guys than it does to everyone else?”

Nickolas and I exchanged a look. “Mona,” he said. “This isn’t something you should be here for.”

She stared daggers at him. “Nope, you’re not kicking me to the curb right now. If something is going on with Sweet Pea, I wanna know it. Do you guys know more about Mr. Mars’ death? You’re sure as shit acting like it.”

I didn’t. But Nickolas seemed to.

“Yeah, I do,” he said.

She made a face. “You weren’t even there. And everyone said that it had to have been an animal that got in. I don’t know what kind of animals we have around here that would do that.”

“A puma,” he said.

My eyes widened as understanding washed over me. Not for a second did I think that Nash had something to do with this. Not until Nickolas said so.

Mona scoffed. “A puma, Nick? Funny.”

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “If you’re staying, sit down. I have some things to fill you in on.”

***

Mona groaned for ten full seconds after she got caught up on everything. Her eyes were distant as she sat on the edge of my bed. “You’re a wolf…” She blinked. “Dahlia, that sweet, tiny girl, is a coyote… and sweet pea is a… fae…”

Nickolas nodded. “Yup.”

“And, that British guy is a puma. One that you think killed Mr. Mars?”

“Yup,” he said again.

She lay on her back. “I need a drink. I don’t even drink and I need a fucking drink!”

“Mona,” I said. “Try finding out that you’re one of these things. Trust me, you got the better deal out of this.”

Her knees banged together and her arms flailed around her. “Are you sure that Nash did this?”

I shuffled on my feet. “No. But it’s an educated guess. He’s heard me complain about Mars before. More than once. If he was trying to get me to want him, maybe he thought this would do it.”

She sat up and her face was one big frown. “Figures that a cat would bring you a dead thing as a present.” That was a terrifying thought that I decided not to read too much into. I knew full well that Nickolas was part wolf, but I liked to think when he was a person, he only had person thoughts. Because otherwise it might be a little weird that I was sleeping with someone who was also an animal.

“What do we do?” Mona asked once she gathered herself. “The police will probably just write this off as some freak animal attack. Is that okay?”

Nickolas looked at me. “I’m killing Nash. I’m sorry if that upsets you, Cupcake, but he’s a danger now.”

Mona’s eyes bugged out. “But you’re a wolf. He’s a fucking puma. You’ll get yourself killed.”

I raised my hand. “Yeah, my point too.”

Nickolas put his hands in his pockets. “The worry is appreciated, but unneeded. My wolf knows how to defend us.”

I huddled up next to him. “Nicky, please rethink this. There has to be something else we can do. He’s clearly crazy, but maybe I can get him to leave.”

He tensed reflexively. “That would require you seeing him again. That isn’t going to happen.”

“Then what do you suggest? We don’t have a lot of options.”

Mona stood to pace. “Hold up. Okay, so Nash is cuckoo bananas over Posey. He wants her. That means he’ll do as she says. In theory.”

“And?” Nickolas asked.

“And, that means that no matter what, he’s gonna come looking for what he thinks is his. There’s really not a way around the killing stuff if this mate thing is as intense as you said.”

“It is,” he sighed.

So Nickolas had to kill someone for me. That had to weigh on his soul for eternity and there wasn’t anything I could do about that other than be there for him. Would he resent me for making him into a killer?

But Nash needed to be stopped. How many other people have I complained about to him? If he was trying to impress me, or do me a favor, then who knows what else he would do. He already got Nickolas expelled with his attempt at ruining him. We were lucky that he didn’t involve Dahlia.

“What if he comes here?” I asked. “He knows I’m either here or at school. He already has a suspension that you can I are together, so your house is a target too.”

“Hotel?” Mona suggested.

“Patton and Candy won’t let me do that,” I said. “They already think I’m sleeping at your house every other night.”

She eyed me with a smirk. “Really?”

I cleared my throat. “Nickolas and I just like sleeping next to each other.”

“Sure. What about Dahlia? Is she safe from Nash?”

Nickolas rubbed his jaw and stared at the floor. “He wants both of them. And he might take both of them. I can keep Dahlia home from day care. She really doesn’t need it with me home.”

One problem taken care of. “What about me? What do you think I should do?”

“We stay together. I’ll bring Dahlia over here to sleep tonight and I’ll let Kim know what’s going on. For now, I think we should all stay here.”

Mona nodded. “Great. Now we just need to kill some psycho puma,” she clapped once and pressed her lips together. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”