“Are you coming?” he asked.
“You know what? Go ahead. I think I’m just going to head to bed.”
“Aren’t you hungry?” I was ravenous. But I just couldn’t bring myself to walk in there with all those students. Hudson was injured, and I couldn’t even bring myself to go check on him. I felt distant and separated from all my classmates. I just wanted to be alone.
“No, I’m just tired, really.” Drew shrugged.
“Okay, do you need anything?”
“No. Thank you, though. And thank you for today.” He smiled and ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair.
“It was my pleasure.” Once he was headed toward the cafeteria again, I made a beeline for my dorm. After a shower and a change of clothes I felt like a new person. Even with wet hair hanging down my back, I threw open the patio doors to let the October evening in.
There was a knock at the door. I considered not opening it, but the person knocked again, more insistent this time. My solitude interrupted, I pulled the door open. My annoyance faded when it was Hudson standing in the hall. I threw my arms around his neck.
“Are you okay?” He winced, and I backed up. “Sorry.”
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little sore. I didn’t see you at dinner, so I brought you some food.” I could smell the burger and fries in the bag he held. It was heavenly. He handed it to me and followed me inside.
“You’re the injured one, and you’re still taking care of me,” I said when I was finished eating. “Thank you.” He waved off the compliment. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore. Nurse Sunny healed up Gary and Terra no problem. I just let her stop the bleeding on mine.”
“Why?”
“A werewolf needs to learn to live with pain. What if I’m somewhere I can’t find a healer?”
“Again, the talking like we’re at war or something. When are you ever going to get in a fight when there’s not a healer around?” Hudson shrugged.
“You never know. How’s your hand?” I hadn’t even thought about my hand. I closed my hand into a fist and opened it again. It wasn’t stiff at all. I unwrapped the bandage. The cut was completely gone. I studied my hand for a moment, trying to figure out how it had healed so fast. But did that mean? I’d connected with my dragon magic once today. Could I do it again? I looked over at Hudson.
“No,” he said flatly. “I know that gleam in your eye. You want to try new magic. Not on me. I just told you, a werewolf lives with the pain.”
“Oh, come on,” I prodded him. “You’d be helping me. I’ll even try to leave a scar for your manly pride. I promise.” He regarded me for a moment and then relented.
“Fine.” He sat forward on the couch and took his shirt off. I had to stop myself from smiling. I had never realized Hudson was so—fit, before. It made sense. We all trained every day. Werewolves were stronger and fitter than the rest of us naturally. I hadn’t been that strong when I started at the Academy, but just the other day I had noticed in the mirror I was getting definition in my legs and in my abs.
Get ahold of yourself, Sophie. I took off the bandage over his abs. Stomach, I told myself, just his stomach. His skin was darker than mine and it made my hand look like it was almost glowing as I placed it over the first cut. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Witch magic always involved spells or herbs or potions. My animage magic was much more instinctual than that. I reached inside to find my dragon. She was curled up inside of me. Was she purring? I blushed and pulled my hand away, afraid the noise was going to be audible soon.
“What?” Hudson asked.
“Nothing, just getting the nerve up.”
“That fills me with confidence.”
I placed my hand back over his cut and called on my dragon again. The power filled my body and rushed out through my limbs. Heal, I thought, trying to push the magic out through me and into Hudson. Heal. My fingertips filled with bright blue magic. It rushed into Hudson. The scratch flared blue for a moment and then healed up before our eyes, leaving nothing but a thin white scar.
“Wow, that was cool,” Hudson said. I smiled and did the same thing for the cut on his back. He put his shirt back on once I was finished, and we sat in silence, enjoying the evening.
“So, where did you run off today?”
“I just needed to get away, I took a walk in the woods.”
“All day?” I shrugged.
“I needed a long walk.” If I couldn’t tell my friends about being immortal, I certainly couldn’t tell them about the Immortal’s Club. Besides, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“I saw you coming back with Drew.” I blushed again.
“Yeah, we ran into each other and walked back together.” It wasn’t a complete lie.
“Is there something going on between you and him?” Hudson’s words sounded forced. I glanced over, but he looked as affable as always.
“No.”
“Do you want there to be?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Is there anyone you like?” He was quiet for a moment.
“Nah. I’m not interested in romance right now. I just wondered because you’ve been hanging out with Drew and his crew a lot lately. A couple of the girls were being pretty mean to Willa and Gracie the other day. Making fun of them.”
I bristled. “When? Do you know who?”
“No, I just know what they told me.”
“Why didn’t they tell me?”
“I'm not sure. Maybe they were worried you wouldn’t take their side.” I scoffed. “Of course, I would.”
“I know. They’re just a little intimidated by ‘Princess’ Sophie.” I really hated that nickname.
“Tell them not to worry, you guys are still my best friends.”
“Okay.” The silence fell again. The sound of students coming back
