I shake my head. “I’m actually not taking that class. That’s the thing.” I take a breath, feeling self-conscious. Will these tentative new acquaintances think I’m some sort of unnatural adnomination? But by now they’re both staring at me pointedly, and I can sense the curious gazes of some of the others at the table who have been listening in. “They don’t know what kind of shifter I am,” I reply, chewing my lip as I look from Hazel to Landon.
Hazel frowns. “What do you mean, they don’t know? Usually that’s the first thing the recruiters tell you when they track you down.”
“I know,” I say with a sigh. “This is the part where you guys will think I’m a freak and you’ll never want to talk to me again.” My tone is joking, but there’s real worry beneath it.
“Listen, Millie,” Landon says, “we’re all freaks. That’s kind of why we’re here. I don’t think anything you could tell us would surprise us at this point.”
Hazel nods, eyes wide, and I can tell they mean it. Steeling myself, I reply, “The thing is, back when I first transformed, I sort of… shifted into all five clans at once.” Seeing the others’ confusion, I elaborate. “I mean, I had fur and claws, right? But also fangs, and red skin, scales like yours… and I breathed fire.”
I’m half-expecting them to move away, or burst out laughing. A lifetime of difficulty making friends has me prepared for the worst, so I’m surprised when Hazel just purses her lips. “Interesting,” she says. “The fur and claws would mean wolf shifter--werewolf, to the uninitiated.” She gives me a conspiratorial grin. “The red skin means witch, obviously, and the fangs…”
“Vampire,” Landon adds, nodding. I pull a face, and he laughs, adding, “Don’t worry. They only need to drink blood when they’re in vampire form.”
“Thank god for small favors, I guess,” I mutter, and he snorts.
“The scales are a siren thing,” Hazel continues, glancing at Landon, “so welcome to the club. And as for the fire breathing… Well, I’m sure you can figure that out.”
“That’s wild,” Landon remarked. “I can’t imagine having to learn to control any more powers than I already have.”
“But it’s cool, too,” Hazel rushes to add. “It means you’ll have access to every shifter form. That’s, like, unheard of. What were your parents? Were they humans or shifters?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea, actually. They left me at the hospital when I was a baby and never came back. They ended up placing me in the foster system, and that’s where I’ve been… until now. My whole life I’ve just been going from home to home. I’ve never really settled down.” Almost instinctively, I reach down and finger the necklace Mollie gave me, which is still tucked into my boot.
London seems to have perked up when I said that. “I’ll be damned,” he mutters, his food completely forgotten.
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
“Because the same thing happened to me,” Landon replies, and I see that his amused expression has dissolved.
My jaw might as well have hit the floor. “Are you serious?” This is the first time I’ve ever met another orphan. I never shared my foster homes with other kids, and in retrospect, I’m sure that contributed to my sense of isolation along the way. The idea of someone else having gone through the same thing--especially another shifter--is almost too impossible to believe. For the first time since arriving here--the first time since before that, actually--I’m starting to feel at ease with the people around me.
Landon nods. “Dead serious. Same story, down to the foster families. An anonymous kid in a hospital in Glasgow. The only difference is that I can’t shapeshift into anything other than a siren.”
“Wow,” I say in disbelief. “You know, you’re the first person I’ve ever met who’s been in the same situation.”
“Likewise,” Landon says, smiling a little, and our eyes meet for a moment. He clears his throat and leans back in his seat. “So does that mean you’ll be in every shifting class?”
I nod. “Every shifting class, as well as one about mingling with humans… or something.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure,” Hazel says, draining her glass of soda and pushing her plate away.
“What’s that?” I ask.
Hazel turns to me. “You’re in for a busy day tomorrow.”
Chapter 10
"I'm going back to my room. I'm super tired," Millie says, brushing a strand of her light blonde hair over her shoulder as she softly smiles at me. Her dark blue eyes remind me of an ocean when a storm is above it. Dangerous. Seductive and so damn beautiful. But I know better than to stare for too long...or at least part of my mind tells me to look away. I could stare at this girl forever and never stop finding beautiful things about her. I struggle to take my eyes off her as she stands up and walks off, her tight pants showcasing the amazing ass she has. Sure, I've seen lots of stunning girls but there is something different about Millie Brix.
Something that I’m certain I’m going to get addicted too and not care one bit.
"Nope. Don't even think about going there," Hazel interrupts my gaze and I turn back to her. I like Hazel in a weird sister kinda way. I saved her ass from drowning in Siren Studies a month ago and since then she has my back and I have hers. In fact, she is the only girl my age I don't get sexy vibes from at all. Not that she isn't pretty.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," I say, raising an eyebrow.
She snorts. "You've slept with every girl
