Chapter Thirty-Seven

Claire

The heavy feeling of sleep weighed Claire down when she tried to pry open her eyes. She slid her bare legs against the soft sheets of the bed beneath her and stretched her arms above her head, feeling a rough tug in her lower belly, bringing back the memories from the night before.

Claire sat up quickly, seeing no imprint of where Axel slept next to her or any indication he'd been there recently. She reached up and touched the sore spot on her neck, kicked off the covers, and walked down the hallway to the bathroom.

She looked well-rested, considering the amount of sleep she got the night before. Her hair was wild, but—

The mark on her neck was bright blue, a full moon, with two twinkling stars above it. She gasped, her fingertips traced the outline as her heart hammered into her ribcage. "My mark," she mumbled to herself.

It was beautiful and perfect, but … Axel wasn't near so she could show him. She didn't hear anyone moving around in the rest of the house, or any sign of life, and it inflated the excitement coursing through her.

Axel had taken her virginity and marked her and wasn't there when she woke up. Biting her lip, she walked out of the bathroom and into the hallway, noticing Aunt Demetria's door was cracked open.

She walked over and realized her bed was empty.

Claire walked into the living room and past the kitchen onto the front porch. She followed the sound of talking, barefoot, across the lawn, around the side of the house, and to the back yard, where they all sat around a small burn pile.

Axel sat with his back to her but was the first one to look. He turned quickly, stood up, and stared. She felt chills all over again. The embarrassment of everyone knowing what they'd done rained on her and almost forced her back into the house, but Axel began to walk over.

Aunt Demetria smiled at her over the rim of her mug while Kerry sat back in his chair, looking pissed off, and Claire could only assume Aunt D had something to do with it.

Axel stopped in front of her, his fingers moving her hair from her neck, a smile spreading across his face. "Beautiful," he whispered.

She felt the heat crawl up her neck to rest on her cheeks. "You weren't there when I woke up. I thought you—"

A frown formed on his face. "Claire," he whispered. "You thought I left you after I marked you?" He cupped her face with his palms and pressed a lingering kiss against her lips. "You thought it would be that easy to get rid of me? I'm not going anywhere. We're out here talking about what happened last night. The lycan took two more kids during their hunt, and some of the wolves think he disappeared into thin air."

Claire's eyes rounded. "Like witchery?"

Axel gave her a quizzical look and stepped back so she could see Aunt D. She sat in a small chair, wrapped in a blanket, with her knees to her chest. Her coffee mug rested on the arm of the chair. "Sounds like witchcraft to me," she said. "Do you know of any witches at school?"

Claire thought about it but stopped. "Delia gives me those vibes, but I can't say anything for sure. And she seems to really hate Axel—"

Kerry sat forward, bracing his elbows against his knees. "The little girl from the coffee shop? Could be," Kerry said thoughtfully. His gaze shifted toward Aunt D, who avoided his glare like the plague.

That didn't look good.

"What's the plan?" Claire asked, rubbing her palms down her arms when the chilly breeze brushed past her. The September air was creeping in, and she was glad for a break from the southern summer.

Axel scrubbed his palm down his face. "We need to get ready for class. Maybe we could do some digging during your shift at the coffee shop. Do you work with her today?"

"I'm not sure. I'll look on my phone when I get back in."

Aunt D stood up quickly and wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "I'll get some coffee and scones made while you two get ready."

She scurried off, without another look at any of them, and into the back door.

Claire glanced at Kerry who held his head up with his fist. "Don't ask," he said, taking a deep breath. "She's going to be the end of me," he mumbled.

Axel slid his knuckles down her spine and gestured for her to follow him inside. The autumn air stirred around her, drawing nerves up her back. She felt like someone watched them.

"Do you feel that?" she asked.

Axel stopped and glanced around the yard. "Feel what?"

Claire stared out into the neighboring field and into the tree line. "Nothing. I'm just paranoid."

They both got ready, mostly keeping their hands to themselves, and grabbed breakfast with Aunt D before they left for class. Kerry trailed them, still taking up his position as bodyguard, while Axel had class and football.

Kerry was quiet most of the day, following Claire from class to class, until they finally made it to her on-campus job. Kerry sat in the corner of the room, scrolling through his phone, Claire assumed in an attempt not to talk about her Aunt.

However, Claire had many questions.

When Delia didn't show up, and a new guy named Jorge did, Claire tried to find any information about Delia on social media. There was none—at all. The new guy didn't know her, and even when she peeked into the drawers for her application or information, she came up with nothing.

Halfway into her shift, Sydney walked in, dressed in casual clothes, wearing a frown. She had her sleek black bob tied back halfway, and her friend Mark was behind her.

"Hey. We just heard word from the chancellor that there is a meeting in the courtyard. I'll put the sign up. It shouldn't take more than thirty minutes. You can leave your smocks."

Jorge gave Claire a look but followed her out the sliding doors with Kerry lagging behind. The crowd wasn’t as big as she'd expected, but judging by the time, she figured many kids were at afterschool jobs or home for the night.

The chancellor stood in the middle of the courtyard in front of the huge clock tower. He held a megaphone in one hand and his cane in the other hand. "Students. I'm here about the events that took place yesterday evening. It's come to my attention that a group of students took it upon themselves to go hunt the beast that's stalking the campus. Now, two of the kids had vanished."

Claire glanced over at Kerry who eyed the crowd slowly, as if he looked for someone.

"From here on out, I've made it mandatory to be inside by sunset. All on-campus jobs are closing early, and if you're caught outside after sunset, you'll be escorted off campus … for good. I'm not doing this to be mean. I understand students want freedom, but at what cost?"

Students began to groan and whisper to one another, while Kerry eyed each of them individually. Maybe he suspected the lycan was there. There were too many people to accurately depict who it was, but through the crowd, Claire noticed Delia standing off to the side, partially hidden behind a tree.

Claire's frustration boiled over. As the chancellor dismissed the meeting, she began to shove through the crowd. Kerry went to grab her but missed, and Claire knew that it wouldn't take him long to catch up.

Delia kept eye contact until Claire made it out of the crowd, and she turned and stalked away.

"Hey!" Claire shouted, but Delia only walked faster.

"Claire!" Kerry shouted, but Claire had begun to run. Delia took an alleyway between two buildings, moving quicker than Claire thought was possible for such a small girl.

Kerry wrapped his hand around Claire's wrist to stop her, but she jerked away. "I need to talk to her. Come on. I don't want to lose her."

Kerry looked annoyed for a second, but he gestured for her to go ahead with a sigh. Claire barreled down the alleyway, seeing a quick glimpse of Delia walking into the photography building.

Claire followed her inside, while Kerry pointed her in the right direction. What Claire would do for a sniffer like the wolves.

"Why are you following me?" Delia asked from behind them.

Claire turned around on her heel to face her. "I want to know what you know—"

Delia's gaze lowered to Claire's neck, and her eyes widened. "What did you do?" she asked, touching her own neck. "You let that dog bite you? What have you done?"