Stone Crest: Rise of a Raven

6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Locke

“ D o you have to be such a dick?” Declan plops down in my chair and kicks his feet up on my desk.

I swat them off. “Get out.”

He snickers and places his three thousand dollar loafers right back on the top of my syllabus, crossing one ankle over the other.

He’s my best friend, and just because he donates millions to this university, he thinks he can show up anytime he wants. My lecture class just let out, and it was…. interesting to say the least.

“You were a complete dick to the poor girl.”

I take a few strides one way, then turn and pace towards the other.

“Please, she’s an adult.”

She. Dark hair. Bluest fucking eyes I’ve ever seen.

I stretch my neck, ignoring the way I feel a tingle in my fingertips. The memory of them grazing across her smooth skin.

“I’m just saying. You might try something called pleasantry ,” Declan suggests.

Pleasantry. He talks like he’s in a different century. I guess he is considering he’s a three hundred year old vampire.

I’m pleasant. I just have a specific aversion to a lack of respect. Which is what being late is. Add in the fact that I’m oddly…. agitated. Why is she here. I knew it the minute she stepped into the room. Her scent. The way the air shifted.

“I’ll have to give it a try,” I deadpan.

Declan is the last thing on this earth I would describe as pleasant. He’s a pain in the ass most days, and our kind may have always been at war, but we’re bonded by something much deeper than friendship.

“Why are you pacing?” He asks then frowns. “I feel like I’ve seen that girl somewhere?”

My jaw clenches.

“Have I brought her home before?” He asks.

My eyes narrow on him. “No. And stay the fuck away from her.”

He holds up his palms. “Struck a nerve?”

I shake my head. “We’ve got an assignment tonight.” I try to steer the conversation away from my new student.

She’s a student.

I slept with a fucking student.

“Right.” He uncrosses his ankles and stands. “What time should I make the arrangements for?”

I reach for my suit jacket and slide it on. “Nine.”

He dips his chin. After a flick of my collar, I head for the door.

“Where are you off to?” He shouts.

“On a run,” I mutter as I push out the doors.

I got to get this feeling handled.

I’ve already stripped off my jacket and shirt when I make it to the forest just outside of my estate. My Range Rover comes to a screeching stop as I park just at the edge of the full tree line. My wolf is restless. Pawing and urging to break through the surface. I’ve perfected the control of the shift over the years. I’ve learned to manage my emotions and delegate the appropriate time to let him emerge or stay hidden. Staying hidden is not only necessary, but mandatory. Shifters have been around for generations, but in this area of the United States, it’s been nothing but a myth. Stories, and urban legends that plague the humans who walk the streets of Stone Crest.

I step out of my shoes, my fingers tugging at my button and zipper as I stride towards freedom. My slacks are dropped, my boxers follow, then I’m lunging. Before I’ve hit the ground, two large paws appear, catching the earth beneath me. I run. I weave and climb the thick and rocky terrain, letting my wolf work out his shit. My thick golden fur blends well in the forest. I’ve never been spotted. Neither have any of my team. Our secret is sacred. Our legends true, and our kind is alive and well among the human world though most will never know it.

Flashes of blue and black flicker in my eyes as I leap across the swift river that runs through the property. The eyes. Her long dark hair. Her scent. I push harder, running up to the top of the mountain and out onto the clearing. My lungs expand painfully, evidence of how hard I ran. But it’s what’s pushing me. What’s got my wolf in such a disheveled state.

Her.

I must have spent hours roaming the heavy woods, and when I finally follow the same path to the edge of the trees, I shift back to my human form before I break into the open, stark naked. Slipping back into my clothes, I feel my wolf settle. His energy was released and now he’s somewhat content. It’s still unusual. It’s like a faint whisper. Something toying with his attention.

My fingers fasten the buttons along my shirt just as I slip my foot into my dress shoes. I can’t let him lose control. Especially not with her. Not again. Because he’s lost his damn mind if he thinks I’m going to let him do what he’s insinuating.

There’s no way. As bad as I may want to, she’s one thing I can’t touch.