“Professor Sexy Hair?” Mallory slicked a coat of gloss over her lips. “I’m getting a different vibe about him. If I didn’t have a study date right now, I’d totally ask him out for coffee.”
“Yeah, probably not the best idea.” Since ‘Professor Sexy Hair’ was giving me the stink eye, and in all likelihood, listening to our conversation, I didn’t bother to tell Mallory he was the creep-o who’d attacked me the other night. That conversation could wait until we were in the privacy of our living room. Instead, I jumped to my feet and nudged Mallory toward the door. “Have fun on your date. I’ll see you back at the dorm.”
With that, I pushed my way past the students who stood between me and fresh air. I might not have gotten a read on our teacher, but it didn’t take a clairvoyant to know that guy was not sending rainbows of kindness to my fourth center. The walls around my heart felt thicker than ever, as if they were fortifying themselves against an onslaught they couldn’t see coming. Awesome.
Did he really call me an energy manipulator? Why would he do that? Did he work for the government? Maybe there were more people like me. Oh my God! Maybe he was like me and he could somehow manipulate his own energy so that I couldn’t see it. Girl, you are so losing it. He was probably just a jerk who held a fierce grudge against those who pepper sprayed him. I ground my teeth and reminded myself he was only a visiting teacher. If you’re lucky, you’ll never see that grudge-holding weirdo again.
When I broke through the crowd, I elbowed my way toward the door. Keeping my eyes focused on the ground, I barreled down the hallway of the humanities building. I didn’t take a full breath until I was safely outside. Finally. I leaned against the brick wall and took a long inhale of the crisp Washington air. It smelled like winter. And freedom. And . . . gingerbread?
“Rough class?” A lightly accented voice jarred me from my relief. I turned my head to the right, where three big guys stood close together. Two had their hands in their pockets, while the third snapped the head off a gingerbread cookie in one fierce bite.
“Yes.” My tone was guarded. I pulled my backpack over my shoulder and shoved my hand into the front pocket. My chest relaxed when my fingers touched my pepper spray. Jeez. On edge much, Allie? “Do I know you?”
“Nope. I just recognize the I-just-sat-through-a-boring-lecture face and wanted to offer my condolences.” The deep voice belonged to a tall guy with an easy smile. Despite the chill, he wore a V-neck t-shirt that showed off the taut muscles of his cocoa-colored biceps. He obviously lifted weights more than I did. Also, yum.
“Well, thanks for your condolences.” I released my hold on the pink can. The guy didn’t look menacing, and I didn’t need any more embarrassing pepper-induced incidents.
“Any time.” Mr. Friendly took a step forward and held out his hand. “I’m Bodie. This is Mack.” He nodded at the guy currently demolishing the gingerbread cookie. Mack had a dark, unruly mane, and a thick beard that contrasted against his alabaster skin. If he’d been wearing a plaid shirt, I’d have sworn he was a lumberjack. Yum number two.
“Hi.” I shook Bodie’s hand and smiled at his friends. “I’m Allie.”
Mack put his palms together and bowed. “Namaste, Allie.”
“Uh, right. Namaste.” I had not taken the lumberjack for a yogi, but as I reached out with my energy I sensed that beneath the tough exterior lived a very gentle soul. Book, cover, Allie. Stop judging.
“Your necklace is lovely. And your eyes are a beautiful shade of blue—like the sea during a storm,” the Zen-master lumberjack offered serenely. He had the same light accent as his friend. From the slight lilt at the end of their sentences, I guessed they were from somewhere in the Midwest.
“Thank you.” I touched the crystal at the base of my throat. “I just got the necklace in town. The eyes, well, I got those from my grandmother.”
“Naturally,” Mack nodded.
The third guy stuck out his hand. “I’m Johann.” A grin lit up his exotic features. His black hair was spiked around a lightly tanned face, and his energy bubbled playfully from warm, brown eyes. He seemed thrilled to be exactly where he was. His good mood was infectious.
“Hey.” I smiled.
“So, what was the boring class? Can’t have been worse than the poetry lecture I just sat through because Mack swore it would be ‘soul lifting.’” Johann made air quotes with his fingers. “The class is filled with girls Mack wants to date, more like it.” Johann’s almond eyes shone with barely contained laughter. Mack just shrugged.
“I was in Mythology,” I offered. “It’s usually a really interesting class, but we had a visiting professor who was a major jerk.” A jerk without boundaries, and apparently, the ability to manipulate the energy of an entire classroom. I glanced at the door of the humanities building. The stream of exiting students had slowed to a trickle, and the crazy professor was not trickling among them. Thank the maker.
“What was jerky about him?” Johann hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans.
“He was just weird. I’m glad he was only visiting.” I shuddered. “So, where are you guys from?”
“We’re exchange students from Norway,” Johann offered.
Norway. That place had been coming up a lot lately. Maybe I was working through some Viking-induced karmic cycle. Yeah, right.
“Norway, huh?” I glanced at the door again, hoping I wouldn’t see the other Norwegian I’d recently met.
Bodie followed my sight line. “Hey, if that teacher made you uncomfortable, we can walk you to your next class. Make sure he doesn’t follow you.”
“I’m done for the day, and really, it’s fine. He wouldn’t do that. I think I just rubbed him the wrong way or something.” You know, when I pepper sprayed his eyeballs.
“Fair enough.” Johann nodded.
My stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. I chuckled. “Sorry. Guess it’s lunchtime for this girl.”
“For us, too. If you don’t have plans, you’re welcome to join us. We’re making burgers at our place, then heading up the mountain to catch a few runs before Mack has to get back to campus for his Women’s Studies study group.” Bodie’s cough sounded an awful lot like a laugh. I opened my senses and did a quick scan of his energy. He was definitely a jokester, but like his friends, he read as kind and honest. His energy was blue with hints of vibrant green. As I finished my scan on Bodie, my necklace sent a fresh wave of energy through me, almost as if it approved of my new social circle. It seemed I’d stumbled into a good group of guys to be around.
“You mocking Women’s Studies, Bodie?” Mack pressed his palms together again. The movement made his muscles pop menacingly beneath his thin sweater.
Johann put a hand on Mack’s shoulder. “It’s okay. Bodie’s just jealous he’s not as enlightened as you.”