"Your girlfriend!" Anya barked, her canines bared. "That's rotten luck."

I didn't have time to explain the whole situation to Anya. After what I had faced, bringing Kiri in would expose one of the best things in my life to some of the worst things.

"She can't see me here. Not until everything is smoothed out and safe." I spoke more to myself than Anya. "Is there a back way out of the club?"

I ducked as a rotating light flashed by. God, I was jumpy. I looked like a cheating girlfriend. If Kiri saw me. I shuddered at the thought.

Anya shook her head, pointing to the door. "You leave the way you came in. The emergency exits lead to the sewers. You don't want to go out that way."

I cursed and stuffed my phone in my back pocket as I plotted my way through the club. I needed to keep my cool. "I'll contact you sometime tomorrow."

"Good luck, Morill. I'll keep you on the down-low, so your girl won't see."

I thanked her and slipped off the seat, leaving a few crumpled bills on the counter. My heart pounded. I couldn't get the wild beats under control. I thought a few weeks apart would dull the guilt, but it hadn't. If anything, it made things worse, and I couldn't get my pounding heart under control.

When everything calmed down, I would find her and tell her what happened. Kiri would understand, she always did, but I needed to think. To prepare. To figure out what I was going to say without saying too much.

Keeping my head down, I scurried along the wall, brushing past couples and dancers as I was jolted around. A young shifter bumped into me, her hair flashing a dull blond before returning the previous vibrate orange.

Through it all, the sound of Kiri's song followed me, beating down like a waterfall. She sang of loss and the rage that followed betrayal as the club rippled around her, pulsing and throbbing like a belligerent fighter.

Kiri had always been a fighter. Strong-willed and solid, she was different from any other Siren I had met. An outsider from her species just as I was from my family. It only took a few weeks of friendship before it turned into something more, much to her family's disdain.

Sirens were not commonly tied down by human constructs. They lived to survive, dating was anything but instinctual. However, they were very possessive of what they saw as theirs.

I retrieved my jacket, watching Kiri out of the corner of my eye. Even at the distance, the familiar flutter in my heart returned. It wasn't the fleeting butterflies, rather the comfort like everything had become simpler.

As I slipped out, I felt the weight of eyes on me. I didn't look back to check who's they were. That would only be pushing my luck.

My hands shook as I pedaled back up the silent road to the dorms. It had stupid not to scan the town for more Coth. I spent too much time looking and not watching.

My front wheel ran over a yard sign with an image of claws and eyes that had been blown from some random home. Amidst the immaculate yards with flowers and shrubbery, they were only constant. Leave it to a shared hatred of others to bring people together.

Headlights turned onto the road ahead, and a busted red truck came into view. It took half a second for me to see it, suck in a breath, and tip my bike into a ditch.

I hugged the earth, pebbles cascading around my face and lodging in my hair. The smell was what you'd expect in a ditch: oil, gas, and mold. It was worth it to keep out of sight and off the radar of the people inside the truck.

I knew The Children of Man patrolled the streets in some haphazard attempt at unity. I just thought they were too stupid to come out this far.

They were ignorant, but ignorance did not translate to harmless. The Children of Man were more dangerous than anyone realized. Anya had been quick to dismiss them, and Nick joked about their 'club'.

I had seen firsthand the result of ignorance. Mangled and limp bodies, victims of a mob, both human and coth alike. A frenzy that could spark and roar out of control always had whispers beforehand. It was when no one listened that terror ensued.

Wheels passed in slow motion, the crunch of rubber on the few loose pebbles sounded like bones breaking. My bike lay painstakingly obvious in front of me. If they didn't see me, they were sure to see the red bike and its reflective accents shining in the light.

My heart jumped to my throat when the car stopped, the dim hum of a song bleeding through the windows and drilling into my ears. A moment later it rolled on and disappeared around the corner.

I gasped, my lungs stinging from the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. For just a moment, I had forgotten who I was and why I was here. A Morill didn't hide.

With a still racing heart, I collected my bike and wheeled it down the road. There was no reason I should have reacted like that. It was barely ten at night and I had every reason to be here.

By the time I got to campus, the front gate was locked which forced me to tunnel through the shrubs. Like a living wall, twigs slashed at my face, and leaves hid inside my hair.

Only a few lights were shining in the dorm wing, the rare student who didn't live in the suburbs. It did make the dorms feel like a prison more than a home, someplace to be sent so we were no longer someone else's problem.

The metal shifted under my weight as I climbed the ladder to my room, then I collapse on my bed, eyes closed, nerves shot. I had to stop making so many late trips. With the witching hours nearing, I felt the dawn fast approaching.

My head sunk into the pillow, and I didn't move again until the campus bell rang six, jolting me awake. I no longer flinched, sitting up like I used to, but the sudden spike of adrenaline never faded. It was Saturday for God's sake.

At home, time was a fluid concept. Vampires, wolves, and ocean species preferred the night to the day. Footsteps could be heard at any hour. I didn't have to be awake until noon.

Despite my still cloudy vision, I plugged in the coffee pot and grabbed my bathroom bag. By the time I got done showering, the pot was full and my empty mug was eager.

It was easier to avoid people in the library. Sweeping shelves with an expansive row of diverse literature coupled with the enclaves it the perfect hide-away.

I set my mug down in the back near a wall of questionable novels, all having to do with the supernatural and theories on our origin. Most students didn't come back here, and my disposition usually put off anyone who happened to stumble upon me.

The Complete History of the Supernatural, Genetics of Coth, and Werewolf Families: Who are they? The stiff-spined books walled me off from the world.

It must have been an hour later when the peace was disturbed by Nick.

"God, I thought I would never find you," Nick sat opposite me, pulling out his laptop.

"I see my hiding spot wasn't good enough. How are you doing?"

"I'm really tired. I fell asleep right after dinner too." He scratched the back of his neck. "Can't seem to get enough sleep."

That was a good sign. His body might be preparing for the shift. Hope burned in my chest. "Did you hear about the woods?"

I watched his brain buffer, the unusual tick in his left eyes that often meant his mind was rebooting. "No, did something happen?"

"Well, I heard that someone saw a wolf in the forest last night. They think it was a werewolf."

There was a long pause as Nick's eyes flew to the windows, the distant treetops shining like gold in his irises. "How many people know?"

"Not many," I grinned. "I heard two of the teachers talking about it. It's a big secret."

"We should go look for it," Nick's voice dropped as he leaned across the table. "Talk to it, tell it that we're friends. I've always wanted to meet a Coth and you can help introduce us. It'll see you and feel comfortable."

"That's a large bet." I pulled back slightly, waiting for him to take the bait. "Are you sure it would be safe?"

"Coths aren't dangerous." Nick rolled his eyes. "You probably know that better than anyone else. I want to meet one who isn't in hiding."

"Alright." I seized the opportunity, careful to keep my voice conserved. "And I'm not a Coth."

"Sure," Nick snorted.

He went back to his assignment and I returned to my book. Through a stollen glance, I watched him try to wipe a dopey smile off his face.

It was the first time I let a strand of caring creep through. I liked Nick. And, for his sake, I hoped he was a wolf.