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  Ten minutes later, we have our student ID’s, student parking passes, and our class schedules with a campus map. Before we walk out of the office, I turn and focus all my energy on the receptionist to convey what I want her to do.

  Get up and grab the school file of the girl that was just in here. Write down her name, copy her class schedule and housing arrangements, then hand it to the student in front of you.

  I watch as she gets up from her seat to do what I’ve told her to do, searching through the giant filing cabinet until she pulls out the one she’s looking for.

  Once she hands me the file, we turn around to leave, but as soon as we’re out the door, my eyes collide with Mr. Mystery Man, who happens to be standing just a few feet away. His stare is cold and intense, like he’s trying to get inside my mind. Is he? I stare boldly back at him, concentrating my energy on him, trying to breach into his thoughts, even though his eyes are still pinned to mine. Nothing. It’s like I’m pushing against a brick wall. Cy wraps his arm around my shoulder and leads me out of the building, pulling me out of my staring contest with the mystery guy.

  Snap out of it! We need to get out of here. Cyrus pushes through my mind. I spare one last look behind me to see that mystery guy is still staring at me.

  Once we’re outside, Cy yanks me towards our truck. “What the fuck was that?” he chides in a low voice.

  “I have no idea, but we should definitely look into him. I’ve got a feeling that he may not be human. Maybe he’s the reason Father Martin wanted us here.”

  “Yeah, I agree, but that’s not what I was talking about, Jo.” Cy’s frustration and worry are clear in his voice.

  Not understanding what he means, I just look at him in confusion. We shouldn’t be worrying about anything besides who that guy is, and the girl. There’s something there, I just know it. He’s something more than just a normal student. He’s way too intense, mysterious, and sexy as fuck. Wait, what? I did not just think that!

  I tilt my head to the side and look at him. “Okay, I’m confused. What the hell are you talking about?”

  “What was going on between you and that fucking weirdo, Jo?”

  Shit. I can’t tell Cy what that guy in there had made me feel. Schooling my features, I shrug. “I don’t know. After that guy came in, I was thinking that we needed to look into him. It’s a starting point. There’s something not right with him.”

  Cy is thoughtful, obviously buying my explanation. “I think you’re right, but I didn’t get a demon vibe from him. He could be human, but maybe he’s in the know, ya know? Father Martin made mention of human bounty hunters, so maybe that’s what he is?”

  I agree. I remember when Father Martin brought that up, but I also remember him saying that he wasn’t sure if they actually existed anymore or not. Either way, something is going on here, but I also think our mystery guy may have something to do with it.

  “Should we call Father Martin to tell him about what we think?” Cy suggests.

  “No. I think we should go to our classes today, then go straight home after so we can do some research. Let’s not bring him into it until we have more information.”

  Cy looks uncertain. “But he may be able to help us figure it out, or possibly tell us where to start in finding more information. He has contacts in this world, so we may need to use his resources.”

  He’s right, but I still think we should wait. “Look, I understand what you’re saying. This is the biggest mission we’ve been on, and I’ll admit that we may need the help, but this is our first day here. We should try to look into some things ourselves just to start. Father Martin’s resources will always be there when we need them. It won’t hurt anything for us to see what we can come up with on our own, and after a few days, we’ll bring him in on it.”

  I can tell he’s trying to find a way to argue with me, but he knows I’m right. We were sent here to do this on our own, and I’m not ready to start asking for help when we’ve only just started like an hour ago. I know we can do this. We have to watch and listen, gather all the information we can, then we can work on piecing it all together.

  “You’re right. We’ll meet back at home tonight. Find out whatever you can on that guy, and I’ll do the same. I want to know what he’s about before the end of the week. If not, we call Father Martin.”

  I nod. Cyrus gives me a smile and ruffles my hair before taking off to his first class. Turning on my heels, I decide to hit the library first. My class doesn’t start for another hour, so maybe I can do some research before then.

  Chapter Two

  Cyrus

  -

  This campus is fucking huge. I look like a goddamn dork walking around with a map held out in front of me, but I haven’t got a clue as to where I’m going. Joey’s class is on the other side of campus, and I feel a little uneasy about being so far away from her. I know she’ll be fine. Fuck, she’s proven it time and time again, but there’s some freaky shit going on around here, and I’ve never been separated from my sister. I don’t like not being there to protect her.

  I didn’t like the way that dude was staring at her, nor did I like the way she was staring back. I couldn’t see his aura, and that’s got me on edge. I can see auras surrounding everybody, even demons. It shows me what they’re feeling in their heart. I don’t know if it was my mother or father that passed it down to me, but I don’t care. Seeing auras is going to be crucial in finding people out. Students on campus have been disappearing, some being raped, and bodies have been found with weird markings. So, because of those markings, people are spreading rumors of a cult being behind it all.

  I stop for a moment to take in the school’s atmosphere. Students are laughing, studying, walking in groups or on their own. It makes me feel a little out of place. I’ve never had a friend outside the convent. My sister is the only person I have ever even met that’s my own age, and she doesn’t count. I don’t like to complain about the life I’ve been given...hell, I’ve got fucking super powers, and that’s cool as shit. It wasn’t all bad growing up at the convent with Father Martin, having him teach us things that no one else would know, but sometimes I long for the carefree life of the average teenager—to have zero responsibilities, aside from getting good grades and being a good person.

  I watch a couple as they walk across the yard and into the nearest building. The girl’s pretty face is split into a wide grin, then she laughs when he wraps his arm around her shoulder, nuzzling his face into her neck. They keep walking, laughing, and clinging to each another. The passion they have for one another is clear to anyone who looks at them. They look happy and in love, and their hot pink auras show me that their love is strong and pure. It intrigues me. I’ve never even met someone to fall in love with, and have no idea what that feeling is all about. What is it like to be emotionally attached to someone like that?

  A group of guys, about my age, are throwing a football back and forth in the center of the yard. They’re all having fun, cracking jokes at one another. All of them have a soft pink aura of content and happiness surrounding them. Friends. I wonder what that’s like, to be a part of a group of guys with no other purpose than to let loose and have fun.

  As I lift my map back up to see where the fuck I am, I feel someone poke me in the back. My mind goes on alert, but my body stays relaxed. No one would know that I’m thinking of a hundred different scenarios of how best to kill them. Turning around, I see her aura before I see her face. She’s a beautiful blonde, with big round tits that are popping out of her poor excuse of a shirt. I’ve never seen tits like hers in real life before, and I’m having a hard time looking away. Giggles from the other girls cause me to finally look up. Yeah, they caught me.

  There are three of them—another blonde, and a brunette. Each are scantily dressed, leaving nothing to my already overactive imagination, and all are wearing heavy make-up. They’re all beautiful, but fake. They all have soft pink auras with flecks of yellow scattered throughout, telling me that they’
re are as shallow as they come. I have no interest in talking to them, but my dick sure does. I can feel it growing and hardening as the brunette on the right pulls a cherry flavored lollipop from her mouth and licks her lips as she stares directly at my dick.

  Blonde number one giggles again, drawing my attention back to her. She’s twirling her long hair right between her delicious looking cleavage. “So, you’re the new kid everyone’s talking about.” She smiles wide and shows me her perfect white teeth.

  “Uh, yeah,” I say, unsure of how to respond. I’m new to being in a social situation like this. I’ve been around humans, such as the nuns at the convent, all my life, but I’ve only talked to strangers when I’ve been gathering information that benefit a mission. I’m not sure how to act, but then I hear Father Martin’s words to me and Joey before we left.

  ‘This is going to be different from any other mission you’ve been on. It will be challenging, and it will require more thought than you’d think necessary, but I know you can do this. You have to do this. These people need you, whether they know it or not. You need to blend in, make friends, and find the ones responsible for what is happening. You’re both good people. You know it, and I know it. Use whatever you can to get the job done.’

  I rack my brain, trying to come up with something to say, while the girls stare at me with small frowns creasing each of their foreheads. Then it hits me—Dean Winchester. I’ve watched every episode of Supernatural at least fifteen times. Dean is a badass and smooth with ladies. So, calling on my inner Dean, my face splits into a smile.

  “That’s me.” I wink at the brunette. “The name’s Cyrus DeAngelus, and I’m happy to meet you fine ladies. Do any of you know how to get to the sociology building?”

  The brunette steps forward, linking her arm through mine. “Actually, Cyrus, we were just heading that way ourselves.” She looks at me and seductively bats her eyelashes. I don’t miss the scowl from her two friends as we start to walk off in the opposite direction from where I was heading.

  Blonde number one comes along and threads her arm through my free one, and the four of us walk to my first class. They’re all trying to talk at once in these annoying little voices, and though I make sure to inject some witty comments here and there, I just want to get to class and away from these girls. The smell of their combined perfume is clogging my nostrils, and if their auras didn’t turn me off, the subject of their banter certainly does. They make jokes about other girls we pass and what they’re wearing. I don’t join in on their laughter. The brunette keeps pressing her tits into my arm, but I don’t even care anymore. My dick was hard before, but not anymore. Everything about these girls is now a complete turnoff.

  Entering the classroom, the girls usher me to an empty row of seats, placing me directly in the middle. I sit and pull out a pen and notebook from my backpack. At this point, I’m not even listening to them anymore. Their shrill laughter and cutting words are getting on my last nerve.

  Sitting back in my chair, I take a look around. Students are scattered throughout the classroom with every male eye on my entourage, and every female eye on me, all except for the girl in the second row. Her head hangs low as her hand moves furiously, scribbling something in the tattered notebook on her desk. I can’t take my eyes off of her. Her aura looks like a tie-dyed mixture of blue, black, and orange—sadness, depression, and fear. I’ve never seen anything like it.

  Standing from my desk, I gather my things before turning back to the ignorant trio of bimbos. “Thanks for showing me the way, ladies, but I see a friend of mine down there. If you’ll excuse me.”

  Their indignant comments fade as I get closer to the girl and the empty seat beside her. Trying my best to sound smooth, I stop in front of her and ask, “Is this seat taken?”

  Her hand stops moving across the paper and her head whips up. Surprise and recognition make my eyes widen, mirroring her own. It’s the girl from the office, the one I couldn’t stop staring at. I’d felt drawn to her, and now, looking into her green eyes, that draw is pulling at me once more.

  She continues to stare at me, mouth parted slightly in surprise. I don’t wait for an answer. I sit my ass down in the vacant chair before I end up tripping over myself from the pull she has on me. As if snapping out of a trance, she gasps and looks away. I feel the loss of those eyes like a physical punch to the gut. I want them back.

  “Cyrus.” Her eyes snap back to mine. I would feel their gaze right down to my very soul if I had one. “My name, it’s Cyrus.”

  Nibbling on her lower lip, she takes a deep breath. “Emersyn.”

  Emersyn. Just the sound of her name makes my heart race. Ducking my head, I recapture her eyes with my own. “Pretty name. Nice to meet you, Emersyn.” I smile my most seductive Dean Winchester smile, and give her a single wag of my eyebrows. When her face turns a bright shade of red, I almost lose it. I want to capture her lips and see if I can make her blush even more with a kiss.

  The professor enters the room and stops my mind from wandering by getting right down to today’s lecture. When he tells us to pull out our textbooks, I lie and say that I hadn’t bought the book yet, but I did. It’s in my backpack. The professor instructs Emersyn to share hers with me. Perfect.

  I spend the rest of the class with my chair pushed right up against hers, reading over her shoulder. Her hair is long, a soft gleaming shade of brown I’ve never seen before, and it smells like fucking chocolate. Who knew chocolate could make my cock throb and my pulse thump through my ears, all at the same time?

  I try to catch her eyes throughout class, but she purposely avoids me, turning the pages when necessary, and turning a brighter shade of red every time her arm rubs up against mine. When the professor ends the class, she bolts from her seat and gathers her books quickly. Just as she moves to dash out of the room, I grasp her arm, loosely, holding her in place.

  “Thanks for sharing your book, Emersyn.” I want to bang my chest like a fucking caveman when I see little spots of pink start to show up throughout her aura of black depression. She smiles at me then, and the whole world stops. I don’t hear the chairs scraping on the floor, or the other people talking as they exit the room. I don’t even see the trio of bimbos standing at the door waiting for me, or the dreary lecture hall around me. All I see is that fucking smile. I see her purity and her goodness. She takes my fucking breath away.

  I freeze, becoming speechless when she whispers, “You’re welcome, Cyrus.” Turning on her heel, she hurries from the room. I thought the way she smelled, and the beauty in her smile was something, but hearing her say my name is more than I can explain. The only thing I can think of is ways to get her to smile and say my name again. I need to hear it again.

  But I can only stand here, staring at the hallway beyond the door, wondering what the fuck this feeling is when I see the guy from the office watching her leave before casually walking out behind her. Is he following her?

  -

  Joey

  -

  Coming to the library was a huge bust. Why did I think they would have a good section on paranormal books? It’s a huge fucking library, don’t get me wrong, but they have shit for anything I could use for research. The closest thing to real in these books is the fucking boogie man.

  It’s a good thing I brought a lot of my own books with me from the convent. Not like that does me a whole lot of good right now, but since I’m already here, I figure I might as well grab a couple of books that I’ll need for class. Even though I have all of my textbooks, I know I’ll need more. For me, reading is knowledge, and I can’t have only half information. I’m always needing more. I like to cross-examine everything, and look at every possibility.

  Grabbing a few books about the human mind and body, I head up to the counter to check them out. As I’m taking my student ID out of my bag, I feel someone staring at me somewhere close by. Not wanting to draw attention to myself, I continue staring forward, but I try reaching out to those I feel around me.


  I know it’s not the librarian because she’s barely even paying attention to me as she scans my books into her computer. I feel a few other students around, and even though I can’t hear their thoughts completely, I can feel that they are focused on what they’re doing.

  Just as I’m about to give up and call it paranoia, I feel something snap inside my mind, and I pause when I hear someone’s thoughts, although they seem almost muffled. I can’t tell if it’s male or female because I’m barely hearing the tone, just mumbled words.

  Who...she? Why can’t...inside... feeling...her? Need to...back later.

  Not being able to stand it anymore, I turn around and scan the library for the mysterious thinker. There’s a group of girls sitting at one of the tables to the right, but they’re all slumped over large stacks of books. A few tables away from them are two guys and a girl, sitting quietly, talking, and even though they glance up at me every so often, I know it’s not any of them. They may be talking about me, but it’s probably more curiosity than anything else. I don’t get full sentences from what I hear, but I can tell that it’s more than just curiosity over who the new girl is.

  I see a few others scattered around the library, but no one stands out. It’s like I imagined it or something, but that can’t be.

  Walking towards the door, I do one more sweep to see if I missed anyone before walking out the door. I only make it two steps before I come face-to-face with the mystery man from the office.

  Neither of us say anything. We just stare at each other in shock, both of us with questions in our eyes. I even catch a hint of anger in the depths of his gaze, but I have no idea why it’s there. It’s not like I’ve done anything to him.

  Needing to know if he’s the one I heard inside the library, I focus and reach into his mind. After a few seconds, I finally start to pick up something. It’s not words, but I can hear the tone of his voice. I can’t be completely certain, but my gut tells me it’s a match. While he continues to stare at me and look me up and down, I concentrate harder, trying to push myself further into his thoughts, trying to hear or read something...anything.