“We can’t always choose when life will suddenly change, all we can do is try to make the best choices when that time comes. I know it’s hard to hear right now when you’re hurting and frustrated, but things will work out,” she said. “The Kappas will be caught eventually. Dean Proctor made that clear when your father and I went to see him today. Abby will figure out what she wants, and I have no doubt that she’ll make the right decision. It’s only been three days since she found out about your gift, so don’t rush things. Besides, maybe she has the right idea about studying. If you’ve got a bunch of tests coming up, digging in and studying might be the best thing you can do right now. Give yourself a break, son, and tackle one problem at a time.”
He didn’t know how she did it, but his mother’s words instantly made him feel better. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “Worrying about this right now is just going to drive me crazy, but the Kappas wouldn’t dare pull anything this soon after the stadium, and Abby isn’t going anywhere. I just need to focus on school and put the rest to the back of my mind for a few days.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard,” his mom said, smiling at him. “Now, how about some milk to go with those cookies?”
“A gallon of coffee might be more in order, I’m going to be up all-night studying,” he said, getting to his feet. “Thanks, Mom, I’m glad that you’re here.”
“Me too,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee and bring it up when it’s finished.”
“Mom, you don’t have to wait on me, I’m a grown man now,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t need you to fuss over me.”
“Of course you don’t, I raised you to take care of yourself,” she said, patting him on the chest and then shoving him out of the way. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t spoil you a little bit. Now off you go, you’ve got a lot of studying to do.”
Across the street, hidden in the shrubs of the old empty house, Diego shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his attention completely focused on the front doors of the fraternity house. He was desperate to find a way to mend his tarnished reputation. Not only had he lost some respect, but his role as leader was also being eroded, and he knew it was the only way he’d be able to retain leadership of the fraternity. There had already been talk that the elders might be considering removing him. Losing the fight with Jackson had made everything worse.
Scowling when he saw a light go on in the attic of the house, he let himself imagine for a second what it would feel like to slowly choke the life out of the pretty little blonde, how much he would enjoy finally shutting her up. He’d make Jackson watch, he decided, force him to witness the moment when the spark faded from her pretty eyes, then take his revenge on the other shifter before killing him as well.
The more he thought about the scene he would set, the more the idea began to seem possible. An evil smile spread across his face, and the dragon inside him woke at the thought of his final triumph. By the time his second in command slipped up beside him, he’d already begun working out the details of the plan, the need for vengeance finally overriding his better judgment.
“Diego, you shouldn’t be here, you have to let this go. Yougot your ass kicked, it happens to the best of us,” Paul said. “No one thinks any less of you, not really…”
“I didn’t get my ass kicked,” he snarled, grabbing Paul by the collar of his shirt and lifting him up into the air. “I better not hear you say that ever again.”
“Okay, okay, put me down,” Paul whined. “I hate it when you do that crap, Diego.”
He dropped Paul, watching as he crumpled to the ground, then shook his head. “Get up, you idiot,” he sneered at him. “And don’t make me remind you again that I’m in charge around here. I decide when we drop something and when we show the world that we won’t be pushed around.”
“Diego, what are you planning?” Paul asked, scrambling to his feet, his face full of apprehension. “The elders are already mad at us. They weren’t happy that we bombed the stadium. You should have told us they didn’t like the idea.”
He didn’t say anything for a second, letting the silence drag out, then took a step toward Paul. “It’s not my job to discuss the decisions I make with the rest of you,” he growled. But it is your job to follow my orders, unless you’d like to challenge my authority. You know the process. Perhaps you’d like to start right now.”
Paul began shaking his head before he’d even finished speaking, “No, no, that’s not what I meant…I just…some of the others…they just thought we should back off…” he stammered. “It wasn’t my idea. You know I always support you, I always will.”
“Good, then we’re going after Jackson and that little bitch,” Diego said, grinning at Paul as if he hadn’t just threatened to kill him. “And I’m going to need your help.”
***Abby***
Abby’s stomach let out a long rumbling growl, the wordson the page began to blur just a bit, and she let out a sigh of resignation, unable to deny that it was time to take a break. She still had so much to do before she could call it a night that she hated to waste even one second eating, but her brain wasn’t functioning like it should, a sure sign her blood sugar had dropped to a dangerous level.
It wasn’t just the time it would take to get something to eat, it was the risk that she might run into Jackson in the kitchen. She already had to endure so many hours with him, a few more might be more than she could take. Her resolve to keep some distance between them until she had time to process everything he’d told her was crumbling by the day, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold out.
She didn’t want to give up all her hopes and dreams for him, couldn’t imagine abandoning everything she’d worked so hard for just to be with him, but he drew her to him like a magnet. The warmth she felt around him was addictive, she craved it all the time. Even worse, she couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to sleep with him, to feel his hard body pressed up against hers. Cursing the path of her thoughts, she closed the book in front of her and got to her feet, hoping she could scrounge a meal out of the small kitchen in the apartment, sure that she couldn’t trust herself if she ran into Jackson.
She was standing in front of the open cabinets, hoping something besides canned soup would magically appear, when there was a knock on the door. She froze, afraid it was Jackson. Reminding herself that she was fully capable of resisting the temptation he presented, she walked over to the door and threw it open, her mouth open to yell at him for interrupting her study time.
But it wasn’t Jackson. Instead, his mother was standing on the other side of the door. “Oh, Melissa, I thought…” she stammered, then saw the tray in the older woman’s hands. “That looks heavy. Let me take it.”
“Nonsense, I live on a farm, remember?” Melissa said. “I brought you some dinner. I figured that if you were anything like Jackson, I wouldn’t be able to drag you away from your books and notes.”
“I was just about to open a can of soup, but that smells much better,” she said, stepping back to let Melissa in. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take that?”
“No, dear, I’m fine. You just come over and sit down,” Melissa said, setting the tray on the table. “I’ll join you for a few minutes if that’s okay.”
“Oh, okay, honestly, I could use a little break,” she said, surprised to find herself at ease with the other woman. “I can’t believe all the professors scheduled tests on the same day; if I didn’t know better, I would think they did it on purpose.”
“Maybe they’re testing you,” Melissa said, taking the covers off the dishes on the tray. “I can’t take credit for the cooking. This was all Hattie.”
“It smells wonderful. I’m starving,” she said, picking up her fork. “Thank you for bringing it up to me, I didn’t want to…I mean…I wasn’t going to go down to the kitchen in case…”
