“Wait …” Axel said with a strained tone. “Your dad could be here?”
I didn’t blame him. “First off, it’s Tyler.” It had been easy to stop calling him Dad. “And secondly, I doubt it. I’m sure they didn’t expect us to come back, and I bet Brock left alongside him.” Brock had only come here because of me—well, technically Tyler. He’d wanted me as his mate to align himself with Tyler’s pack. It had been a power play, which meant the two of them were perfect for each other.
“If she’s fae, she should be drawn to the woods.” Egan scanned around us. “Let me go shift, and I’ll scout the woods.”
“Okay.” His flying came in handy. “How about the rest of us split up and scope out the campus? She has to be here somewhere.”
The main campus was made up of eight buildings. We’d driven past the stadium on the way in, and there had been no one around. We’d stopped and walked around it, but the scents had been old. The other seven buildings consisted of the women’s and men’s dorms, which abutted the parking lot, the library, and the lecture halls. The women’s dorm sat between the combination library and gym, and directly in front of the women’s dorm was the Student Center.
The remaining three buildings formed an oval sidewalk connected to the Student Center. Grey Hall was the English building across the terrain from the Student Center. Then Webster Hall, the science building, was to the left, between the Student Center and Grey Hall. Webster Hall was also adjacent to the woods, and Wilson Hall was directly across from Webster.
“Katherine and I will take the women’s dorm.” That was where I’d seen the fae, and my gut told me we should go there. I wanted to be the one to find her. “We’ll check each floor.”
“Hey.” Donovan frowned. “I thought we’d go together.”
“Having a guy patrolling the women’s dorm wouldn’t be very smart.” I needed him to see logic. “Katherine and I are the best bet.”
“What do I need to do?” Roxy pointed at herself.
“However we split up, one pack member should be with each group.” We had to be strategic. “That way, if one of us finds her, we can alert the others.”
“Dammit, you’re right,” Donovan agreed, even though he wasn’t happy. “Winter, why don’t you come with me? We can scope out the Student Center, and you can go into the women’s bathroom.”
Winter kissed Titan on the cheek. “That works.”
“Then, I guess, Titan, you’re with me.” Axel didn’t sound thrilled. “We’ll take the tree line and check the library and Webster Hall.”
“That means Lillith and I will check out Grey and Wilson Hall,” Roxy said and grabbed the vampire’s arm. “Let’s get this over with. I’m ready to get back to the mansion.”
Our group split up, and Katherine and I headed straight to the dorm.
“Do you have a plan?” she asked as we entered the main doors.
“Nope. I’m hoping my magic will tell me something.” Maybe I’d get dizzy if we got near her. “Let’s take the stairwell.”
We scanned one floor after another. All of them buzzed with the stress of exams, gossip of who’s screwing who, and any other shenanigans they found important. It reinforced that I would never be close to human. How I wished stuff like that was important instead of my impending death if we didn’t find the fae.
I’d thought we’d stumble upon the fae in minutes, but we’d been looking for over thirty minutes without a hint of anything.
Katherine opened the door to the top floor and waved me through. “This is the last stop.”
We walked down the hallway just like all the others. Most of the doors were open, and the scent of flowers was lacking.
Any luck? I linked to the others. Hopefully, someone had picked up a trail.
Nothing. Donovan connected. I wish I had something different to report, but the Student Center is clean.
Same here with us, Roxy complained. We’ve barely seen other students.
We’ve only smelled a wolf, Axel replied. And Egan informed us he’s checking the men’s dorm just in case, but he didn’t find anything in the woods.
Wolf? My heart rate increased. Is it Tyler?
I don’t know. Axel sounded paranoid. I’ve never smelled this one before.
Great. This was just great. Has Titan? What does he have to say?
No, it’s not him. Relief was evident in Axel’s voice. Thank God.
A flowery scent hit me, and my heart raced. I think I smell her. “Katherine, down here.” I hurried down the hall and came to the last door on the left. The sweet scent was strong. It had to be her.
I knocked on the door loudly. When it didn’t open after a few seconds, I pounded on it harder. Right before I finished, it opened, and I nearly tumbled into the room.
The fae’s teal eyes widened, and her face was set into a hard frown. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Chapter Nineteen
The fae didn’t strike me dead immediately, giving me a small glimmer of hope. “Look, I’m not here to cause trouble.”
“Really?” Her eyes flicked to the hallway. “It sure doesn’t look like it.”
All my hope vanished. The only reason I was still standing was because of the humans all around. “Can we come in for a second?” I gestured to Katherine. “So we can talk?”
“My roommate is here.” The sulfuric tell of a lie filled my nose. “Now’s not a good time.”
“You’re lying.” She should have known better. I hated to force her into something, but my hands were tied. “If you don’t invite me, I’ll let myself in.”
“Typical shifter alpha shit.” She blew her longish teal bangs out of her eyes, the gesture somehow emphasized the gold-pink hue of her skin. “Fine. Come in.” She opened the door wider and waved us in.
I rushed into the room, worried about the new shifter Axel and Titan had smelled. There was no telling who it was. The possibilities were endless—someone from Tyler’s pack, Brock, or even a student we’d never crossed paths with before. However, I’d come this far, and the damage was done. I wouldn’t leave without at least attempting to hide from the fae. After all, that was the whole point of coming here.
She shut the door and glared. “Do you realize how much trouble I could get in by you being here?” Her sweet, vulnerable fa?ade I’d seen in our prior meeting was gone.
“Look, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to get you into trouble.” I hadn’t even considered that possibility, but it made sense. “I’m just desperate and was hoping you’d be willing to help.”
“What exactly do you want me to do?” She tilted her head like I was a puzzle. “I’m already risking a lot by not making you leave.”
“Did you alert the fae to Sadie?” Katherine asked, her dark brown eyes shooting daggers. “She said something happened when she touched you.”
Katherine stepping in shocked me. She usually went with the flow, but for her to interject like that meant more to me than she’d ever know.
“What? No.” The fae shook her head. “I would never. But when she touched me …” She trailed off.
The human who had interrupted our conversation in the bathroom that night had said her name. I wracked my brain, trying to remember it. If I used it, maybe I would come off as more friendly. “Naida …” I prayed that was her name.
When she looked at me, I knew it had to be right, so I continued, “They’re after me. That’s why we’re here. What put me on their radar?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “When you touched me, you set your fae side free.”
“Why would you let her do that?” Katherine’s forehead lined with confusion. “Was that the point?”
“How many times do I have to tell you no?” Naida said a little too loudly for the dorms. She sucked in air. “I was upset, and I didn’t really know she was fae until she’d already touched me.”
I was missing something. “Why didn’t they attack me here?”
“Because my magic hid yours.” Naida walked past her desk and sat on her bed. “They only sensed you after you’d left campus. Why did you do that?”