Unexpected Love

Chapter Three

  I awoke to an alarm clock going off across the room. I groaned, stretching my arms out before opening my eyes and stifling a scream.
  "Well, good morning beautiful. I don't think we properly got to meet. I'm Bryxon, your bunk buddy." The muscled chest of a giant said as he gazed down at me with emerald green eyes.
  "Umm. Hey, I'm Skiler." I said in a husky voice as I sat up in my bed, letting the covers pool around my waist. I was sleeping in only a tank top and boy shorts as my silver hair cascaded in waves down my back.
  Bryxon ran his hands through his red hair, giving it that bed head look, which I guess in this case, it probably was. "Nice to meet you, Ski. However, I feel like I should be the one to tell you that classes are in half an hour, so you should probably get up."
  My eyes widened before I flew myself off of the bed and grabbed my toiletries before racing out of the room. No seriously. You know, vampire speed.
  I quickly took a shower, doing the full routine that I normally save for a night out with the girls. Which basically means a one-night stand. There was no way that I was going around this fancy-ass school looking like a troll. Wait, is that offensive? Are there trolls here?
  I wrapped a towel around me and raced back to the room, effectively bypassing any wandering eyes as I shut the door behind me. I didn't even bother looking around the room as I dropped my towel, pulling in the uniform.
  "Not that I'd turn down a strip show, but I feel like I should not be looking right now." Bryxon said, leaning against the window sill, holding a joint in his hand.
  I smirked, looking longingly at the joint like we were lovers in a past life. "Well, if I cared about you looking, you would be six feet under right now." I said, pulling on the white button-up shirt before tucking it into the red matching skirt. I lastly pulled up the thigh-high stockings and placed my feet in the taller pair of heels. What? If I'm going to wear heels, then I'm going to pick the most dramatic ones.
  I looked myself over in the floor-length mirror, admiring the red color on the outfit. I looked at the length of the skirt and frowned before rolling it a few times at the waist. I smiled, admiring the way it accentuated all the best parts of my body.
  I turned around, noticing Bryxon was looking at me from head to toe. He noticed where my gaze was before leveling his own at his joint. I watched mesmerized as he put the tip of his finger at the end of the joint and lit it. Like, a literal flame came out of his finger.
  "That's hot." I breathed, looking at the sight of him draped across the windowsill. His red uniform oddly complimented his hair, not to mention hugged his broad muscles.
  Thankfully he didn't hear my heated comment as he took a hit from the joint and beckoned me over with his eyebrows. "Trust me, you need it. Professor Matthews is a tough bastard."
  I shrugged because either way, I didn't need an excuse. I put the joint between my lips as I inhaled. My eyes lit up at the taste. "Holy fuck! What is that?"
  He grinned, showing off pearly white teeth and a smile that promised dirty things as he spoke, "It's weed-infused in a relaxation potion. Best of the best here at Bloodmoon." He looked over at the clock on the wall. "Shit, we better go, Ski."
  "Skiler." I said in a slow tone as if he didn't quite understand.
  "Nah, I like Ski better. It's cute."
  I blinked my eyes not knowing what to say to that. Never once has the word cute been associated with me. I was the kind of girl that electrocuted people for even looking at me the wrong way. But I guess that's why I was here.
  I quickly ran mascara through my lashes before popping on some cherry lip gloss and leaving my freckles to peep through my skin. "Manusto." I chanted, touching my hair to dry it quickly.
  "Neat trick." Bryxon grinned at me as we headed down the hallway. "So you're a witch. You should be able to find your people here easily enough."
  I looked around the hallways, seeing fairies, cyclops, werewolves, and many other supernatural creatures roaming around. I looked back at Bryxon, realizing that he said something.
  I tucked my hair behind my ear before replying. "I am a witch, but I've never fit in much with them. They usually call me a "mixed breed" and ignore me." Why in the hell did I tell him that? I don't even know the guy.
  He looked at me in understanding. "Yeah, I get it. There are no other phoenixes here so it gets kind of lonely. But hey, that's why all the little misfits life myself socialize with everyone."
  "Phoenix, huh? I don't think I've ever heard anything about them." I said curiously.
  He smirked before leaning down and whispering in my ear. "Well, they say that we're passionate lovers."
  I bit my smirk back before looking at him seriously. "Oh, do tell."
  He was about to open his mouth and say something before we were interrupted by a dilf standing up front in the classroom that we wandered in. "You're almost late. Names?" He asked impatiently. Well, he may be a hit middle-aged dad but he sure is prickly.
  "Bryxon Powell, Sir." I looked sideways at him. Suck up.
  "Skiler Maxwell." I said as I smiled sweetly at him. He didn't so much as look like he cared before speaking to the class.
  "In this class, we'll have assigned partner groups. Pairs of two in the past were a no-go so I decided to switch things up this time by randomly assigning groups."
  I zoned him out as I looked around the room noticing that Kendrick and Quinton were both in this class. While Quinton was subtly glancing at me, Kendrick was full-on smiling at me.
  "Bryxon Powell, Skiler Maxwell, Kendrick Ortega, Colt Reyez, and Quinton Steel. Back corner-" My gaze snapped towards the teachers as I realized he was assigning groups.
  I felt a pull at my arm as Bryxon smiled deviously at me. "Come on, Ski. You're with me." He leaned in a little closer. "We got stuck with the lame ones."
  I stifled a laugh as he brought us over to our round work table. I looked around at the group, figuring out who Colt was. Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me.
  "New girl." He said in a dark tone. One that should have made me run for cover, but instead sent heat straight to my core.
  "Asshole." I said bluntly with a blank face.
  He stared at me with endless dark eyes, sending me into a spiraling trance. He leaned across the table, running his hand up my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. I was stuck, staring at those mesmerizing eyes, unable to look away.
  "You're a snarky little thing, aren't you?" He asked with a snake-like voice, hissing in my ear. I felt him trace the side of my breast, making my nipples harden into peaks. "But you're still a frail little mouse." He whispered gently, pushing his hand around my throat. "Unfortunately for you, I eat mice." He said in a dark, cold voice before tightening his hand around my throat.
  I inhaled a lungful of air as I regained my wits. I looked across the table, noticing that Colt was still in his seat, glaring at me.
  "You can't do that shit Colt, not cool." Quinton said, frowning at the madman across the table.
  My brain just now realized what had happened. That bastard was a basilisk, aka, a giant hypnotizing snake. I've heard rumors that basilisk can entrap someone in their state and show them any dark pleasure they desire. The dark desire usually being sex or pain.
  "Kendrick, calm the fuck down man. Put the claws away." Bryxon said, glancing at me to make sure that I was okay.
  I looked up at Kendrick as he retracted one-pointed claw from his finger. Lion shifters. "If you fuck with her again, you'll have to deal with me." He said with a possessive growl, everyone whipped their gazed in his direction.
  He glanced between us four, seemingly embarrassed before his gaze settled in my chest. "Well whatever vision he sent to you must have not been too bad."
  I glanced down to my white too where my nipples were clear as day sending fuck you to the entire classroom. I fought the urge to cover my chest. I shrugged. "If you plan on scaring a girl with some light choking, might I suggest adding some rope and a gag to add to the effect. I'm very fond of bondage." I said, leaning back and crossing my legs, showing the extra inches of skin from where I rolled my skirt up.
  The guys looked at me with heated gazes, even the fucking reptile at the table. Luckily we were interrupted by Professor Matthews as he subtly glanced down my unbuttoned top. Huh, so the dilf isn't a total impatient prude.
  He glanced at the rest of the guys at the table and quickly sat down the potion supplies without a word. I snuck a curious glance at the guys to see that they were all currently glaring at the back of Professor Matthew's head.
  "You guys have something against dilfs?" I asked, biting my lip to not laugh at the expression that slid across their faces.
  "What the fuck is a dilf?" Colt asked in an angry but curious voice.
  "Dad I'd like to fuck." I said simply, sifting through the ingredients on the table.
  Laughter echoed around me as the guys cracked up. I might have cracked a smile too.
  "So you're into older men then, Skiler? Damn, I guess I just lost my chance." Kendrick said, roaring a laugh as he ran his hand through his golden hair.
  "What can I say? I like men with experience." I said with a teasing grin.
  "You don't have to old to have experience, angel." Cold said in an arrogant tone, making me want to internally bash his head against the table.
  "And what are you going to do if you find your mate?" Quinton asked me in an unreadable tone.
  I placed a blank look on my face. "Well, I won't be turning 21 for another month so I guess I'll see then. But between us five, I don't want a mate."
  All four of them looked at me with understanding and some confused faces.
  "What, why not?" Bryxon nudged me.
  I shrugged, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "I don't know. I don't want a man to tie me down. What if I don't like him?" What if he doesn't like me?
  "If you're mates then it doesn't matter. It's fate for a reason." Quinton said matter of factly.
  I rolled my eyes, reading the instructions for the potion. "Well, I don't believe in fate. It'll screw you over." I mumbled the last part to myself as I started to add an ingredient.
  A thick, cold hand engulfed mine as the ingredient was pried from my fingers. "You're going to knock everyone out for an hour if you add that in there." Colt said, shaking his head before grabbing the correct ingredient and placing it in the small cauldron.
  I wanted to stare back into those sinfully dark eyes but refrained myself so we wouldn't have a repeat from earlier.
 
  The rest of the class went on like this. Colt mainly did the potion work since he seemed to know a little too much about it. Kendrick kept cracking jokes with Bryxon and me. Meanwhile, Quinton sat in his own sulking silence, glancing out of the windows.
  Sitting here, I began to think that this is where I belonged. In a strange way, I felt like we five were meant to stay together, to protect each other. I just didn't know why yet.