Shiloh and I are going to the beach to eat. Can you tell your dad not to zap me with the bracelet?
His reply came right away: Sure. But I’ll have to come too. To keep an eye on you :P
I rolled my eyes and didn’t respond before turning back to Shiloh.
“Hey, is it okay if Javi comes with us? Sorry, I forgot he wanted to do dinner together.”
She stiffened. “Oh. Okay. Sure, no problem. I don’t care if he comes.”
Her face was turned away from me, but her body language said it all—she definitely cared. Curiosity piqued, I debated asking her outright how she felt about my cousin, but decided I was too tired to get into it. If we were gonna be roommates, there would be plenty of time.
“Thanks. I’ll hop in the shower before Ashley’s turn.”
She turned to me and smiled. “Okay. Take your time.”
And I did. The hot water worked its miracle on me, making me feel refreshed. Or maybe it was the gorgeous, sleek-stoned shower. Was this how rich people felt all the time?
The stress of the day washed away along with the dirt and sweat, but I couldn’t get my encounter with Grayson out of my mind. Him and those blue, steel eyes.
So not what I needed to think about.
After I was done in the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and went to the closet to pull out some comfortable clothes. It was probably colder on the beach, so I opted for ripped black jeans and baggy black sweater. When I looked over at Shiloh, I noticed she changed too. A stark white long sleeve dress with high heeled tan boots.
So much for casual. Was my cousin’s presence influencing her clothing choice?
She pulled a giant brown poncho from her bed post and put it on over her dress. Noticing my stare, she glanced up at me and flushed.
“Too much?”
I bit back a smile. “No. You look great.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
I snorted. “Thanks.”
“So, am I going to be in trouble for showering off schedule?” I asked her as I hunted down my makeup.
“No. It’s your first day. And I don’t think they’re even here. A lot of students like to go to the city on the weekend.”
“The city?”
She looked up from putting in her contacts. “LA.”
My eyebrows shot up. “We’re allowed to go to LA on our own?”
That seemed surprising for a school that didn’t allow you to eat food in a garden.
“Yeah, one of the biggest offices is right in the city. There are a lot of GRIMMs stationed there. It’s a pretty big hub for extraordinaire.”
“You mean like… shifters and things?”
She blinked at me. “Yeah. Do you… I don’t mean to pry into your business, but most of us have grown up with the protocols and stories drilled into us. Did your parents teach you… the history?”
A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. “No. They didn’t.” I sighed and glanced away. “My mom died not long after I was born and my dad… he didn’t want me to become a GRIMM. But now that he’s dead… I guess I don’t really have a choice.”
Shiloh’s eyes widened. “I am so sorry, Rose. This must all be so confusing and horrible for you.”
I shrugged, unable to meet her gaze and see the pity I knew I’d find there.
“I’m giving it a year. A year at the academy to see if… I fit in, I guess?”
She nodded. “I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help. Ask me all your questions if you want.”
I smiled. “Thanks. Right now, I just want to eat and pretend the world is normal and not filled with monsters.”
“Oh…” Her face fell.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“It’s just… the owner of the beach shack… she’s a witch.”
“A witch?”
Shiloh’s eyebrows knitted together. “Yes. But they’re not monsters. Not all of them. Gloria is really nice.” She hesitated. “But if you’re not up for that, we can eat on campus instead.”
“No. That’s okay. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“What time did you tell Javi?” she asked.
For some reason, the nickname sounded funny coming from her.
“He says he will be ready in an hour so that probably means two.”
She smiled. “Time to finish some homework, then. Perfect.”
I snorted. It was obvious she, unlike me, was a good student. I glanced at my tablet and made a face. Instead of getting to work, I looked over the tablet, trying to figure out all the icons and schedules.
Before long, the sky was darkening, and a knock sounded on our door.
We turned in unison. “Come in.”
The door opened and my cousin stood on the other side, definitely dressed for a date and not beach casual. His dark jeans and dressy half opened shirt screamed for attention and his hair was slicked back.
He smiled at us. “You ready? I’m starving.”
I side eyed Shiloh to see her reaction. Her face was flushed, but she nodded.
“Are you gonna drive?” I asked him.
He was staring at Shiloh. “You look great, Shy.” He gave her an appreciative grin.
“Thanks. You too.” She glanced away.
My eyebrow arched at the exchange. Well, this wasn’t going to be awkward at all. Playing third wheel while my cousin made his moves and my roommate politely rebutted them.
“Aren’t you grounded from driving?” I broke their stare.
Javi’s ears reddened and he flashed me a dirty look. “No.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but quickly shut it. Whatever.
Grabbing my black studded messenger bag from the closet and slinging it over my shoulder, I followed Javi and Shiloh out of the room and toward the elevator. His cologne was so strong I had to turn my head to cough. Shiloh didn’t seem to mind it. We passed by other students who glanced curiously in our direction.
“So glad we got out of family dinner night,” Javi muttered to me inside the elevator.
“Me too,” I agreed.
I had no desire to eat with my
