Bit by bit, his brow furrowed, and he stopped us, turning me to face him. “Let me know if you need me today.” His tone was low and grave, his wolf peaking as he bent to stare directly in my eyes. “I’m serious, Lily. Those predator classes you’re taking are brutal, and we only have one together.” Yeah, I may have been earning my degree in Creative Writing, but my schedule wasn’t all peaceful imaginings. The mere silver lining was that the hand-to-hand combat was grouped together for Shifters and Vamps — all grade levels — while the Mages and Elementals did their own thing. “Promise me.”
I winked, trying for joviality. “Only if you promise to ask me for help in staying awake during your boring political science classes.”
“Lily…” Dominic growled, not liking my humor.
I sighed. “Fine, but I’ll be okay.” Having gone through my Shifter Awakening, I had added strength, and could sniff out a truth or lie. But I still had to be careful not to show my Vampire speed.
With the constant fear ever-present between us, a trickling of death hovering, he stared a moment longer. He never pulled alpha crap on me, even though I knew he could. He just didn’t, respecting me. “I love you, babe. Be careful.” He pulled me in tight and kissed me in a way that really shouldn’t be done in front of others.
I went with it.
Sitting high on the bleachers next to Elly, I ignored those closest who were eyeing me and peered down at the masses. I took in the different Mys groups, which consisted of the Elementals with their pure green, blue, red, or yellow hair, the Vampires with their red and black streaked hair, the Mages with blond to golden hair, and the Shifters with their different variations of hair color, like their animal. I hardly knew any of them.
Besides Dominic, Elly was my one friend here at King Hall. Her white hair pegged her as a weak Shifter, and because of my own freakish, solid red hair we stuck together, since no others would have us in their inner circle. I hadn’t actually wanted to be in any inner circle, but I knew she had. Even after we had been attending this school for a full year, they still stared, so I didn’t hold it against her.
Being noticeably different only worked when blending in with Coms. Here, I only stood out with my whopping five foot, two inches, to their Amazon-tall. My blue eyes were normal enough, but my hair turned more than a few heads, especially when no other Mys — other than an Elemental — had red hair like mine. The only common ground I found with these people was the money my mom had left for me in her will. It still sent shudders down my spine that so many Mysticals named this the best school in the world.
They called it: Choep, New York.
I called it: My Own Personal Hell.
No one wants to glimpse Hell, much less be there in the first place, so it figured my bastard uncle would be the one to throw me in this pit when he had become my legal guardian. My only solace — and stupidity, I knew full well — was that being mated to Dominic now kept me under King Kincaid’s roof. It was a definite risk of exposure, but I was thrilled to be out of my uncle’s sadistic home.
Sighing softly, I tried to focus over the constant noise, pushing myself to relax on the uncomfortable bleacher. This wasn’t a normal assembly. All four Kings stood in dark Armani suits behind Mrs. Jonas, our Head Administrator at King Hall who was positioned at the podium trying to quiet everyone. For the first time since I had walked through the school doors, Dominic and I weren’t the main topic of gossip. Instead, everyone was aflutter about the soon-to-be-revealed Prodigies.
Mrs. Jonas sighed heavily. “If you want to see them, then you need to be quiet!”
The room went silent. Even the adults packed onto the gym floor. The place was filled to overflowing. It wasn’t just the students who wanted to know their next Rulers. All Mysticals were waiting for the news. There was even press standing in front of the elevated stage ready to air the announcement. This was definitely a big deal.
Plus, these were the new Rulers who could end my life with a simple command.
I squirmed and Elly grabbed my knee to stop me. The Mage to my left snapped an irritated glance in my direction, but quickly looked back to the stage when Mrs. Jonas started speaking again (pleasantly, now that everyone had shut up). With a smile, she stated clearly, “First, King Kincaid will introduce our next King Shifter.”
Dominic’s dad strode forward, appearing tough with a debonair flair, his features serious as he adjusted the microphone to better accommodate his height. “Good morning, world.” I glanced down to the press and saw Coms here, too, not just Mys. This was worldwide. “As some of you may or may not know, every twenty years four new Rulers are born. We’re here today to introduce them to you. Within the next four years, these Prodigies will take over,” he gestured to himself, and then to the other three Kings behind him, “in our stead.”