Tyra
"Get up."
I grunted, still half asleep. This was the second time Jett was trying to wake me up, the first had been around thirty minutes ago and seeing as I wasn't any less sleepier now than I'd been then, I snuggled closer to my pillow, squeezed my eyelids shut and went about my business.
He poked me on the shoulder with something cold and metallic-like. "You're not cooperating."
"I'm sleeping," I growled.
"Your dad is coming by tonight to check in with me, should I tell him you've been sleeping instead of getting better like you promised?"
I groaned. "I'm tired, just one more hour."
"He'll be disappointed in you."
Furious, I screamed into the pillow.
He kept tapping me with that object.
I raised my head, rubbing at my eyes. "Why are you doing this to me? Shouldn't you be handling me with care?"
His scar moved with his rising eyebrows. "Trust me, I'm handling you with the utmost care."
"If hitting me with an unidentified object is what you call utmost care-" My snarky remark was cut off when I looked over my shoulder and saw that the object in question was in fact a gun. A real life gun.
I raised a brow at him. "I don't think you should be playing with those kinds of toys."
He tilted his head from where he sat on the edge of the bed, studying me with that serious look of his. I studied him back, taking in the gray pullover he wore under a black coat and the muscled thighs covered by gray ripped jeans. Looking tall, dark and dangerous. And smelling as delicious as ever. (I was beginning to the man carried candy on him at all times.)
"The toy is for you," Jett said. "I know iron doesn't bother you but some fae halflings don't have super strength, I wasn't certain if you were one of them."
I sat up, finally noticing that although we weren't touching I wasn't screaming in unbelievable pain. I flexed my fingers, grinning. "I'm cured."
"The craving will be back," Jett said.
I scowled. "What are you, an expert on magical fruit?"
He held out the gun. "I've done my research. Take it."
I ran a hand over my face. "Why? Do I need protection from your pack?"
"Light knows your face, and it's possible you might be targeted by the Canadian alphas we've pissed off."
"How did you piss them off?"
"We took in a werewolf they were abusing."
"What are you running a shelter?"
"You'll need a weapon in case they try to attack you."
I reached out for the wooden bedpost, wrapping my fingers around it and applying a bit of pressure. Crunch. The wood gave out, bits of it falling onto the white sheets.
Jett put away the gun. "We'll focus on hand-to-hand combat then. You'll work out with me for two hours every night."
I dusted the splintered wood off my hands. "Is that part of your master plan to get me out of my...habit?"
"Partly. Mostly it's because I need you in good shape so you can be a better bodyguard."
I pointed at myself. "Me? A bodyguard?"
"Yes." He got off the bed, tucking the gun into some invisible pocket within his jacket. Then he pulled out a phone, showed me the screen. And the many zeroes lined up after a digit. "This will be your weekly salary."
Weekly?!
The money couldn't rival the amount I made performing, but it was easily enough to live comfortably...in the human world. I shook my head. "I don't want to be a bodyguard, find someone else."
He put his phone away, folded his arms over his chest. "Did you think you'd be sleeping around all day while you were here?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Not on my watch. Productivity suits you more, your dad agrees with me."
I frowned. "When did he agree to this?"
"He came by this morning. While you were asleep."
"He didn't ask to see me?" I asked, disappointed.
"He'll see you soon. You can tell him about your new job when you do."
"You'll fire me by then." I placed a hand on my chest. "I'm the last person you should hire as a bodyguard. I don't stop trouble, I create trouble."
He raised a brow. "You'll create trouble for Ember?"
"No!" I pulled at my hair. "That's not what I meant. And why am I guarding Ember?"
"Because I'm guarding her and I need to watch you too. Killing two birds with one stone. Get up, we're leaving."
"Going where?"
"Morning classes." He went to the dresser, pulled out a couple of clothes and threw them on the bed. "Ember is late, you should go wake her up."
***
Ember
Finding out you overslept when you promised to be a better student the day before isn't a pleasant way to start the day.
Having to be woken up by the girl you were trying to impress the day before and having her stare amusedly at the paint-covered sheet of paper stuck to your face and drool on your chin? That was a very unpleasant way to start the day. In fact, at that point I just wanted to hide under the bed and live there for a couple of days. At least until the incident was a blurry memory.
But being an adult meant we had to own up to our problems- no matter how embarrassing they were.
So I thanked Tyra for waking me up, dashed off to the bathroom to take a quick shower and changed into clean clothes afterwards. When I went out into the hall though Tyra was waiting for me. She wore a simple top, shorts and striped white and black leggings with high heeled boots. There was a purple coat on her arm that she pulled on when I came out.
"I'm sorry for being a colossal jerk last night," she said.
I held up my palms. "Is that why you've been waiting for me? It wasn't a big deal."
"They didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?" I asked.
She gave me a sheepish grin. "I'm actually your new bodyguard."
I blinked, unable to understand how the protectee had become the protector.
She shrugged. "Jett's idea. He wants to keep me preoccupied."
"Are you okay with it?" I asked.
"I guess." She bit her lip, puffed out her bouncy curls. "I don't want my dad stressed out. I've already done enough damage."
I opened my mouth, hesitated. But she wasn't giving off any hostile vibes, and the unapproachable air I'd sensed around her while she'd been dancing wasn't there either. She was beautiful, confident and open. Friendly even. I decided it couldn't hurt to say what I wanted. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."
She closed up right away. "I'm not a charity case," she said stiffly.
I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Her reaction was familiar, I used to absolutely hate it when pack members tried looking out for me. It made me feel inadequate, weak and dependent. Now that I was on the other side of the fence, I understood some of their feelings.
"Not to sound like a loser, but Jett is one of the few people who's ever really cared about me," I said, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly. "Me being nice to you is actually me selfishly trying to pay him back."
Tyra's offended look shifted into a suspicious one. "You're being nice to me because of Jett?"
I nodded. "Mmhm."
"You think he likes me?"
I smiled. "Ask him that and when he says yes come talk to me about it."
She pursed her lips. "Do you like Jett?"
The question caught me off guard but it wasn't confusing at all. "I like Jett as a friend, and I already have another grumpy werewolf I'm in love with-" I gasped, hands rising to cover my mouth.
Another grumpy werewolf I'm in love with?
The words had been automatic, but I realized they were the truth.
I was in love with Kane.
The scary bully I'd know all those years ago had peeled off the illusion and the man beneath it was still scary, but also kind, patient, and surprisingly pleasant to be around. I suddenly wanted to find him, to be near him even if I couldn't muster the courage to tell him about my feelings.
I fixed my shoulder bag. "Can you give me a minute? I'm going to find Kane."
Tyra caught me by the sleeve of my shirt before I could leave. "Kane left already."
I felt my face go pale. "He left?"
Tyra tilted her head towards the stairs. "Jett told me during what he called my 'debriefing'. There was a pack meeting about an hour ago, Kane left when it was over."
Without waiting for me.
Was he still mad?
My heart fell, the adrenaline rush fizzling out and dying.
"Are you two fighting?" Tyra asked.
I grimaced. "You noticed?"
"I noticed you weren't sleeping in the same room."
I rubbed at the sides of my head, blowing out a frustrated breath. "Us not sleeping in the same room is strange, right? It'd be normal for him to get mad at me for kicking him out."
Tyra chuckled, eyes glittering with amusement. "You kicked the dude out? That takes guts."
"I think he's mad. What should I do?"
She grinned. "The best remedy for fixing things with a guy? Give him a blow-"
"I think that's enough," Jett interrupted, face tense as he appeared out of nowhere and began steering us both towards the staircase. "Ember's already late for class."
Tyra chortled. "Don't blame me, I told you I'd make a bad bodyguard."
I would've laughed along with her, if I wasn't falling down a pit of despair. I was really bad at expressing myself and mending fences with people (my mom was a perfect example), how was I supposed to deal with a hurt alpha?
No matter how much I dreaded it, there was only one way to find out: confront him.