Feral: Book Two (4 page)

When I was finished, I quickly dressed in jeans and a black shirt, making sure to wrap a matching nearly-sheer black scarf securely around my neck, and traipsed downstairs—miraculously not falling in my haste—to find a plate of French toast and strawberries. Still feeling rather giddy, I all but skipped into his arms and giggled happily when he buried his face in my blow-dried hair and purred for me.

He chortled before pulling away and directed me to the table. "You really enjoy that sound, do you not?"

I only grinned before cutting my toast and placing the first piece on my tongue. It was marvelous, and my eyes grew lax as the sweet flavor exploded on my tongue. When I opened my eyelids again, Simon was looking at me with an inscrutable expression. “What is it?” I demanded with a smile, and licked my lips, thinking that I might have a bit of food sticking to the outside of my mouth.

“I enjoy watching you eat,” Simon admitted. “I will miss it, when—”

“When you change me,” I said softly. We had discussed it before in passing, but it was small moments such as those when it really became evident what all I was planning to give up. I reached out to place a hand on his forearm; he covered mine with his own. “When… when do you plan to change me, Simon?” I asked him.

He looked away, and I could see his eyes cataloging the mementos of my life through the pictures on the fridge door, the small bits and bobs and trappings of my humanity and family evident in the room and what he could see of the living area beyond. The worry and sadness in his voice when he spoke next nearly broke my heart; it was rather painful to hear him whisper, "If you wished to stay human for your family,
cara mia
, I would never beg you to change for my sake. I do not wish you to live eternity with me if you would be forever broken over their loss. It would be cruel for me to ask that of you."

"Simon," I said, "I won't lie and say that the idea of losing my father doesn’t hurt. It's sad knowing that I won't get to see him after I'm changed, but from what I have already experienced, there is absolutely no way that I could give you up, live a life without being yours for eternity. Just being separated from you for a few hours is horrible. I couldn't live my life with that kind of pain, and I certainly could not let you live forever feeling that separation." I frowned when he whispered ‘I wouldn't’, understanding that he would take his life. "I couldn't let you do that, Simon. I cannot imagine a world without you in it, and I can't imagine my life ever feeling complete without being part of yours for eternity."

"Then if you wish to be with me for eternity—"

"I do."

I could hear the smile in his voice when he finished, "I would give you several years to enjoy your family and your life. It does not have to be sudden. There will be time to say goodbye and to experience anything you might wish to experience with your friends. If you wish to wait a few years more, I would gladly give you the time,
mia cocca
."

“I’d like to graduate,” I said, “with Brie. Perhaps spend a little while making use of my degree. Would you be willing to wait until I was twenty-five?"

"Of course, Sofia," he purred, combing my hair with his fingers in the most soothing way.

We tarried only a little while longer. I ate the remainder of my breakfast as we chatted of inconsequential things—what he thought of his crop of new students, what I thought my workload might be like throughout the fall. It was quietly domestic, and the thought that I could have moments like those for years and years to come made the corners of my mouth turn up into a smile.

When I was done, Simon washed the dishes while I gathered my notebooks into my bag and retrieved my phone from the charger. Soon I was locking the door behind me and being walked to my car. There was shade enough for him to press me back against the door, his arms between me and the uncomfortable metal frame as he bent to press a firm, possessive kiss to my lips.

“I’ll see you at lunch,
cara mia,”
he promised me.

I touched the tip of my finger to my swollen lips as he walked away. “Yes,” I breathed. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

Traffic was surprisingly light, so I was able to keep his car more or less in sight as we both drove to the university. And thanks to some bit of good luck, I was able to park my car right beside the building I needed to enter, instead of further down the lot.

That was about the time that my luck started to run out.

Brie was waiting for me outside of Kauffman Hall; she should have been on the other side of the quad. “What’s up?” I inquired as I drew closer. She shook her head and firmly laced her arm through mine to escort me into the building. “My protector,” I teased her lightly.

"Well, you're going to need it today," she whispered. "Mads is pissed! I’m not sure what crawled up her ass and died, but she’s on a rampage, and you and I both know her target is going to be you. She’s mad as hell!”

"Good," I said blithely. "She can go there for all I care!"             

Brie laughed. "Wow. She must have really pissed you off good then. What was it this time?"

"Nothing yet,” I muttered. “Just the thought of dealing with her is enough to take my morning down a notch," I grumbled under my breath.

We approached the door to my classroom, and I slowed down. “Just came by to warn you,” Brie said. “Gotta run!”

Brie was right. Despite the constant stream of texts between Simon and myself, including one that said he would be waiting for me in the parking lot at lunch, I was becoming more and more uncomfortable, not only with being physically separated from my mate, but from the horridly vengeful looks that Madison kept giving me. Even Jillian, one of her surprisingly small posse, was glaring at me with jealousy and aversion in her eyes, but there was the barest trace of worry in them, which made me extremely apprehensive about whatever Mads was planning.

I was surprised that I made it to lunch without being tripped, kicked or some other puerile gesture, but from the moment I made it to my second class with Madison only a few inches behind me every step of the way down the hallway, I knew that getting away to see Simon for our lunch would be difficult. The tension that had been rising throughout my first class was only ratcheting up through the second one, and I could almost feel my entire being vibrating with barely suppressed rage. I made a mental note to ask Simon what he felt like when extremely angry, because no matter how furious I’d ever become with Madison, or anyone for that matter, I never remembered it feeling so physically.

As we left the second lecture, I lifted my cell, without dialing, and mumbled under my breath, knowing the incubus would probably hear me no matter where on the campus he was. “It might take me a few minutes. Madison is being… Madison.”

I hit the third speed dial number—Brie’s number—without looking, and smiled when she picked up. “I need your help.”

Brianna was so good, I never had to explain what it was I wanted.

“Head to my building,” she responded. “It’s pretty crowded today, because we had a guest speaker and everyone wants to talk to her. I won’t even look for you. Just dodge and weave, and I’ll catch her while you slip in the front of Wellesley and out the side exit. It’s a long trek around, but it’s better than dealing with her, I guess.”

“Thanks.”

“What’re friends for?” Pride, a touch of smugness and amusement were thick in her voice. “Just know you owe me some yummy details about whatever dirty thing it was you did last.”

“Um, no,” I laughed. “I’ll make you a deal though, and you can join us for Italian next time we have lunch.”

“Real Italian or psuedo-Italian?”

“It’ll be real this time. God, you’re almost as bad as Dad.” By then, I’d made it to the front of the building and inside the heavy doors—another potential area to slow her down with—and could just make out the distinct red spikes among the crush of bodies. “I don’t know if you see us, but she should be about twenty feet behind me.” I paused, taking in all the people before I plunged in. “And good God, you weren’t kidding! Thank you again for this.”

“Not a problem, but I’m hanging up now.”

I bumped into a few people on purpose, knowing it tended to cause a stall on both ends. However, being prepared for them, I recovered more quickly, disappearing deeper into the throng while they took a few more seconds to regain their original bearings.

Just as I approached Brie, I dropped my head, dancing around her as she spun, effectively looking as if she were catching me to talk. However, instead of actually stopping me, she stayed put for a few seconds. Knowing her, she’d turn after a few moments and place herself right next to someone to form some unsuspecting human barricade while she waited to snag Madison in her grasp.

God bless my brilliant, if not sometimes underhanded, friend!

When I approached the car, I didn’t see any sign of my lover and assumed he was already in the driver’s seat, keeping his time in the sun to a minimum.

Before the Treviso clan, I’d always believed the stories that vampires slept during the day, but I’d quickly learned that like almost every other aspect of vampirism, the differences in sleep patterns varied between breeds and individual immortals.

Apparently, the gargoyle-esque vetalas, which required the most rest, preferred sleeping during the day and spent a good deal of their nights ‘haunting’ cemeteries. Eidolons, the epitome of psychic vampire, didn’t have to worry about the sun at all, as they simply took possession of the recently deceased for a few days before moving onto a new host. Breeds like those of the incubi and succubi needed only a couple of hours every day or two, so they tended to rest at night so they could be up and active with the rest of humanity during daylight hours.

I asked Simon once about how long he could stay in direct sunlight, and he explained his species could remain outside about five minutes before the effects became ‘painfully obvious’ and about ten to fifteen before there was extensive damage. Within half an hour, there was no hope for them, having been ‘cooked’ to the state of ash.

He then went on to explain why even in the summer, he wore a suit jacket outside and typically remained an hour or two longer than his colleagues—it was to ensure any student who needed to speak with him could without him being trapped outside for a lengthy discussion. I was also aware of the fact that his office had no windows to the outside, nor did his classroom, and that he carefully managed to avoid the glass doors and windows throughout the college. It made me wonder why he bothered teaching day classes at all.

Even as I thought about how careful he had to be while passing from building to vehicle and back, he slipped out of the car and made his way around to the passenger side to open the door for me.

Normally, I responded to this action with a smile, but the tense look on his face kept me from doing so today. I suddenly felt nauseated, worry coiling itself deep in my gut. “What’s wrong?”

To my horror, he said the four worst words ever uttered in history. “We need to talk.”

FOUR

My heart sank to my feet.

We need to talk.

No matter what the situation, those four words were never good. Whether it was about love and relationships, a friend or loved one being in the hospital… It didn’t matter. ‘We need to talk’ was the sibling of ‘There’s something I need to tell you’ and the parent of ‘It’s not you, it’s me.’ It was the worst of the worst, an omen of doom, and in my personal experience, ‘we need to talk’ meant one of two things: death and breakups. I had heard the former and said the latter, so I considered myself well versed in that particular phrase.

He waited until we were both settled in the car before speaking. “Stop panicking.” Just as I opened my mouth to deny his words, he cut me off. “Your heart rate has increased, from the sound of it, from its normal seventy-two per minute to… ninety-two if I quadruple it from the last fifteen seconds. Your breathing has doubled, and if that were not enough, I can smell the fear pouring off of you.”

He shifted in his seat to look me directly in the eyes. “I am not ending our relationship, and even if I wanted to, which I most certainly do not, I could not sever our bond. I am in no way suggesting a parting of ways, so please put that out of your mind.”

My eyebrows went up. “I didn’t know you read minds.”

“I do not, but I know you, and I know how strong the bond has grown.” His voice lost its stiff tone and gained a soothing note. “Sofia,
cara mia,
I should have chosen my words more carefully as to not cause panic, because terminating our partnership is not my intention. There is, however, something of great importance we need to discuss.”

The lengthy pause did nothing to calm my nerves, but I’d learned to be patient when it came to information Simon was convinced would upset me.

Finally, he spoke. “We are going to have to go before the university’s administration and tell them of our relationship.”

“What? Why?”

“I know precisely why Miss Kinley is behaving the way she has been today,” he said heavily. “Even though she does not sit with you, I can hear her conversations as well. As I told you before, vampires are capable of hearing every sound for a couple of miles, all of it, at once, and I could hear her conversation before your second class with another young lady. It seems that Mister Malver has been in contact with her these past few days, and last night, he let the nature of our relationship slip. Well, a human’s perspective of a slip anyway.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course, he slipped.
Fottuto figlio di puttana
!” That fucking son of a bitch.

“Indeed. However, Miss Kinley is not as witless as I am sure many imagine her. While she indeed believes what she has been told, she is smart enough to not go to the administration with her suspicions until she has concrete proof, lest she be penalized for bringing false accusations against an instructor.”

My stomach twisted into knots while I waited for him to put the car into gear, and I knew he could feel my worry as he revved the engine to life and guided the coupe to our usual lunch destination. “It is unquestionably implied that under no circumstances should any instructor become involved with any student, but as I have said, due to its poor wording, it can be inferred in a different manner.”

“Are you sure things will be okay?”

“Well, I cannot lie to you and say everything will be rainbows and kittens as it were,” he said seriously, “but I can say that in all of my centuries on this Earth, I have learned there is very little money cannot buy, and sadly, it will almost always apply to establishments such as those of educational and medical institutions. Equipment, supplies, labs, technology… It all comes with a growing cost, and as such, therefore does the value of men.

“I can assure you this will not be taken well by the administration, and it will inevitably leak its way down to the staff and the students. There will no doubt be looks and comments, but you need not fret over my status of employment or yours as a student.”

“You can only keep them from expelling me instantly,” I pointed out. “That doesn’t mean other instructors won’t try to fail me out. You can’t do anything to stop that.”

“No. No, I cannot.” His breath rushed out heavily, and his voice was thick with contrition when he continued to speak. “If you wish, I can submit my resignation and request this be kept private, on threat of a hefty lawsuit.”

“No.” My answer was immediate. “If I can deal with Mads for over a decade, I can deal with anything else anyone throws at me. Plus, if I let you do that, it would be like she and Cole won.” I shook my head resolutely. “No, I won’t allow that.”

“
Cara
—”

“Simon, one of my worries from the moment I met you was that you’re an instructor,” I admitted freely. “I made the choice to get involved with you anyway, and I’m not changing my mind.”

Less than two hours later, I ever-so-briefly wished I had, because as embarrassing as it was to be called out of class when you were in middle or high school, it did not compare to the stifling awkwardness of being pulled out of a college lecture.

I felt more than forty pairs of eyes boring into me from every angle, but there was one in particular I sensed more strongly than the others and, forgetting myself, I looked up. My eyes locked with hers, and I could tell in an instant she knew why I was being yanked out of the class and that she was both livid and mystified as to how this happened without her involvement. But all thoughts of Madison were shoved to the back of my mind when I silently began to follow the gopher who’d been sent to fetch me.

There was no alerting me to why I was being pulled out of class or who wanted to see me, not that it mattered, as I already knew. There was just deafening silence while I trudged through the painted cinderblock halls, the light and happy yellow mocking me the entire way.

But to my surprise, it seemed Simon was right. The meeting had gone nothing like I had expected it to, and when all was said and done, money took precedence over their badly constructed guidelines of student-teacher relationships. No one wanted to fire the man, or expel the lover of said man, who had funded what was practically an entire new lab, with state-of-the-art equipment, for the nursing students only seven months before. That, Simon told me as we walked out of the meeting room, did not mean they would renew his contract for the semester after next.

So that was it. Simon’s position was secure for the remainder of the year, and the next semester, at least, and I narrowly escaped expulsion. Simon himself, however, wasn’t okay.

I had felt the rising tension from him during our lunch, and after his reassurances that he had no intentions of leaving me, I had dismissed it as nerves about the coming meeting. During the meeting itself, I had found myself rather shocked at the implacable calm that he kept over his features when I could feel that he was just a stone’s throw from releasing a great turmoil of rage.

As soon as we left the President’s office, however, I could see his control visibly slip. “Come with me,” he growled.

I didn’t question him.

He was fierce as he stalked the corridors, his fingers laced through my own. I suspected that if he could have picked me up and run with me, he would have.  Instead, I hurried to keep pace with his long stride, but it was no time at all before we were at his car and he was hurrying me into the leather embrace of the seat.

His eyes flickered over to me as he turned the key in the ignition, but he didn’t say a word. His face was a mask of granite and steel, but I didn’t need the reassuring hand he lay briefly on my leg to convince me that his rage was not directed at me.

Indeed, once he pulled the car onto the road and began to leave the speed limit behind, I much preferred it when he returned his hand to its place on the wheel. I was puzzled. The meeting had gone well, but I could still feel his fury rolling off of him like tidal waves crashing onto a delicate beach. The raging emotions within him had us at his home in a matter of minutes. We were halfway up the stairs when I heard the door slam so hard that I was almost completely certain that it had been jarred off of its hinges, and when he dropped me unceremoniously on the bed, I swallowed thickly and shut my eyes.

Although we had been intimate, we had still not had penetrative sex. If Simon tried to mate with me now in his extreme rage, despite the lack of a barrier, our first time mating would be difficult, if not painful. And of course, my mate would feel guilty and shameful afterwards, which would inevitably put us back at square one.

I expected him to pounce on me on the bed, but to my confusion and surprise, I could only hear him snarling a few feet away. I opened my eyes to see him pacing back and forth like a caged lion, his eyes wild and his fingers curved into claws, and I speculated that he just might be considering storming back to the school and ripping apart everyone in his path with his bare hands.

"Simon," I called out softly, sighing when it seemed that he did not hear me. I had just climbed off the bed when he whirled around and growled loudly me. I jumped back in surprise at the sound and crawled back onto the covers as he advanced on me, but as soon as I was sitting back on the bed, he backed away and resumed his pacing.

I huffed mentally. There was no way in hell that I was going to stay on this bed all day and all night. Not unless he was planning on joining me, which, at the present, was obviously not going to happen. Whether he liked it or not right now, I still had basic needs; I would have to eat and go to the bathroom, and I did not care how pissed off he was or how badly he wanted to keep me perfectly safe and sound from everything.

"Simon?" He did not respond. "Simon, can you understand me?" He gave me an angry glare, and I felt myself smirking. Obviously, he could hear me and he did not like what I was insinuating. "Hey, you're the one that chose to ignore me," I said glibly, "so don't you dare get pissed with me for questioning you." When he looked chagrined for a moment and then continued his glaring and snarling over the situation, I sighed. "Simon, I cannot stay on this bed all night. I have to eat, take care of my human… needs. Actually, I am rather hungry. I really only picked at lunch." I ignored his roar of rage at reminding him of
why
I’d been upset at lunchtime. "Simon, I'm going to get off the bed now—" He spun and glared at me, snarling in protest, and I rolled my eyes. "I have to pee, and I sure as hell am not going to let you stop me from emptying my damn bladder!"

Despite his loud growl of displeasure, he did not make a move when I slowly slid off the bed, but he eyed me as though waiting to scoop me up and protect me—from what I was not quite sure, though.

I moved more cautiously than I normally would toward the bathroom door and was surprised, and rather horrified, when my mate attempted to follow. I turned in the doorway and placed a hand on his chest. "Simon," I said firmly, but gently, "I know that right now you are acting solely on your nature. You know that I've been disturbed and potentially hurt by what's happened and your only instinct is to keep me safe from everyone and everything." I wrapped my arms around him tightly and nuzzled my head under his chin, smiling when the snarling changed to purring. "I cannot imagine what you are going through right now. I know that these feelings are confusing and upsetting to you. Knowing you the way that I do, when all of this is over, you are probably going to feel ashamed, but you shouldn't—you've done nothing wrong." I tilted my head back and kissed his cheek. "You are protecting your mate. That is what you should be doing. You’re doing exactly the right thing, Simon." I smirked. "But you're not following me into the bathroom."

When I closed the door in his face, he growled, though it was far less intense than when I mentioned lunch. When I was finished and opened the door, he was standing right where I left him, watching me like a hawk. I offered him my hand, only to yelp in surprise when he scooped me up and blurred into the kitchen before setting me on a stool and moving through the room, never saying a word the entire time that he sped between the stove and refrigerator. And despite the seemingly domestic behavior, his eyes were still completely feral and there was a constant low and angry rumble in his throat. Watching him, I realized that it was only because of his deep love for me that I was allowed off the bed. He was still absolutely raging with fury, but because I was near him, he was wholly incapable of acting on his anger. I was still confused, but thought I’d pieced it together by then.

He’d had to rein in his natural instincts earlier—he wasn’t able to stop Madison from gossiping about me, or planning to wreck my future, and despite the grudging acceptance from the administration, he had had to be cool, calm, and collected. The threat was over, but he’d bottled up his natural responses, and now they needed to come out.

Suddenly, the rumble from Simon grew louder and louder, and I heard the front door slam open and Kendal's voice, questioning. “Simon? Sofia?” I blinked when my mate practically vanished from my vision, and when I heard a scream from Maymuna, I realized what happened and rushed into the living room in time to see my mate advancing on Kendal again.

Kendal lay in the remains of what was once a large, black leather sofa. To my surprise, his eyes were not black with rage, but filled with embarrassment and fear. "Shit," he mumbled under his breath as he attempted to crawl from the debris toward Maymuna, who was now kneeling by the door, her head bowed to her chest.