Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six #1)

“Thank you. I’m starving,” I said with a smile moving the book on my lap to the side.

He handed me the plate with fork and set the orange juice on the dresser.

I dug in right away, not realizing the extent of my hunger until the first bite touched my tongue. Eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast vanished in minutes.

Without a word, Clay handed me the glass of juice.

I drank it slowly starting to feel the pull of sleep. With a full belly, resisting sleep would prove difficult. I patted the bed next to me. “Want to read by me?” Maybe company would help keep me awake.

He flashed me a smile, collected the dishes, and left the room. I heard him move in the kitchen, running the water. I wrinkled my nose and risking the cool air once again, flipped back the covers for a quick visit to the bathroom.

When I dashed back into my room eager for the warm bed, I saw Clay already lounging on the covers reading a book.

We spent the rest of the day together quietly in my room. Clay read next to me while I paged through notes and completed the reading assignments. He left the room a few times, bringing me back a drink each time.

Near dinner, Clay closed his book with a snap and left the room. I heard Rachel’s car pull into the driveway a few moments later. Before I heard her car door close, he returned wearing his fur again. I grinned at him as he jumped up on the end of the bed and stretched out my feet to tuck under his warm body. Somewhere in the house, Rachel would see a pile of clothes.





Chapter 13


Monday morning I felt better and got ready for class under Clay’s scrutiny. He didn’t voice any complaint when I left, but I knew he worried that a full day so soon after recovering would overtax me. And he was right. By the last class of the day, I wanted to go to bed.

Dinner waited when I got home, two steaming bowls set on the table. I dropped my bag next to the back door and flopped into the closest kitchen chair. Clay picked up my bag and carried it into my room while I started eating. Soup. Perfect. Curiously eyeing the contents I couldn’t remember buying, I guessed he’d somehow managed to go grocery shopping.

He rejoined me, sitting across the table.

I remembered his costume and asked, “Are you going to tell me about the coveralls or where you got the money for groceries?”

He shrugged in response.

Sighing I pushed my bowl away. “I know I’m supposed to start asking you a bunch of questions, but I’m still too tired. Just don’t be doing anything illegal, ‘K? It would be hard to visit you in jail on top of school.”

Using a battered plastic container, I put the rest of my dinner in the refrigerator and quickly washed the dishes, despite his silent protests, while he dried. Skipping homework, I changed and went straight to bed.



After another night’s sleep, I felt more energetic and alert. This time, when I went to class, I noted a continuation of what I’d experienced at the party. The people I encountered during the day treated me indifferently. I’d grown so used to the pull I had on men that it felt odd when they didn’t turn to look.

I saw Scott crossing the campus again. He only waved when he noticed me and continued on to his destination. A friendly wave from one acquaintance to another. Confused, I made an effort to interact more. I smiled at the people I passed. Eventually, someone did stop me, another freshman, but he only wanted recommendations for a nice place to take a date. Why he stopped me out of all the other people drifting around on the campus grounds, I had no idea, but it was the most normal random conversation I’d had in my life and I loved it.

Nicole caught up with me after our basic massage class and gave me the details of her weekend. Randy hadn’t forgotten her and called her on Saturday asking her out on a date Sunday night. She’d excitedly accepted.

“He was nice and everything, just not the way he normally is in class. He seemed a little more intense on the date. I talked to him before class today and he seemed a little more like his old self. We’re going to go out again tonight.”

Then she told me about her walk across campus this morning. She’d turned down no less than eleven date requests and two blunt one-night stands. She giggled while she related the details, but the humor didn’t reach her eyes. I gave her a few pointers about keeping her physical distance if she didn’t want someone to bother her and to say no bluntly. She nodded her thanks.

I wished her luck and hurried home to tell Clay my suspicions. I felt sure that something had happened to make Nicole the magnet for unwanted male attention in my place. The shock we’d felt seemed to have been the turning point. I wondered how long the affect would last.