Hakim settled behind his desk, looking unhappy.
Fear bubbled up her throat. “Look, if this is about your pet tiger, I won’t say a word to anyone. I promise.”
He grunted. “Did Aiden tell you that?”
“No. I guessed. Isn’t that what attacked me? What you didn’t want the police to know about?”
“Sure. Let’s go with that.”
Confused, she said, “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Not really. I’m more concerned about Aiden. He hasn’t scored a goal since last Saturday night.”
“Oh. What—”
“You’re the reason, and we’re going to fix it tonight.” He stood. “Give me your phone.”
“Uh … I’d better go. I’ve a class—”
“Kyle, take her phone. Keep her here until the team returns.”
She jumped to her feet. “Hey!”
Even though she fought, Kyle confiscated her phone, shoving her back into the chair. When she stood again, he pushed her down and said, “Tape,” to Mike who moved to grab the black roll.
“No,” she said. “I’ll stay in the seat.” She met his gaze and true terror exploded in her chest.
Kyle stared at her with dead eyes. No compassion or emotion of any kind shone from his face. Mike’s was also as cold as the ice they skated on.
She spent an eternity in that chair. They wouldn’t answer her questions and she stopped asking when they held up the roll of tape. Every emotion, every horrible scenario ran through her mind until she was numb.
Hakim returned after dark. “Bring her.”
Kyle and Mike each grabbed an upper arm and dragged her to the ice rink. The dark arena didn’t bode well for her future. Four more players waited on the bleachers. Lexa recognized them all.
Coach Hakim sat on the bleachers. “Did you text him?” he asked Tim.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
The door banged open and in rushed Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor. Too bad he was outnumbered seven to one. Aiden glanced at Lexa, but focused on his coach.
“Finish it Aiden or I will,” Coach Hakim said.
“No. It can work.” Aiden’s voice held a note of pleading.
“You haven’t scored a goal in three games. It’s not working.”
“That’s only because we were apart. I scored four goals Saturday night when she was there.”
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” Her voice sounded as it should—petrified.
“Aiden attacked you,” Hakim said. “He should have killed you, but his mother raised him too well.”
“Kill me?”
“I lost control,” Aiden said. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stand being … dead inside anymore.” He gestured to his teammates. “Like them.”
“If you don’t kill her, I will have to kill you both. You know how it works,” Hakim said.
Aiden closed his eyes for a moment. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
“Good. Go change.”
Lexa watched Aiden walk away. He entered the locker room without looking back. Pure fear pumped through her veins. Panic jumbled all logic, but she managed to snag one coherent thought. Why would Aiden kill her? He wasn’t dead inside. Not anymore. Was the Javan legend true?
“Will I come back like you?” she asked. “A soulless were-tiger until I kill someone?”
Coach Hakim peered at her in surprise. “How do you know?”
“Internet. Plus it’s the only thing that fits … this.”
A big gray tiger with black stripes stepped from the locker room.
“Sorry, but only men can survive the change. And they come back stronger and faster.”
Mike and Kyle let her go, stepping away.
“Run,” Hakim said. “Cats can’t resist the chase.”
Instead she backed up as the tiger … Aiden … neared. Powerful muscles bunched and he crouched just like a house cat ready to pounce. Her muscles liquefied in terror.
In a heartbeat, he launched. Roaring, Aiden landed on Hakim’s chest. The others moved to their coach. Lexa didn’t linger. She slipped out the doors and ran. Then stopped. She couldn’t leave Aiden. He had the upper hand now, but the others could change into tigers as well. He’d be tiger food.
The screech of metal and crack of shattered glass echoed throughout the rink. Four of them sat on Aiden. Two hovered over their unconscious coach. She aimed the car at the four. They scattered. She pressed the window button. The back one went down. Aiden sailed through the opening.
Throwing the car in reverse, she backed out, turned around and headed north on University Drive. They didn’t get far. The front tires were flat, and the radiator was damaged. She pulled over near Jeffery Field.
Aiden hopped from the car and pawed at the trunk. She opened it.
“I’m right behind you,” she said.
They crossed the street, cut through the Intramural fields, and entered the Arboretum’s grounds, stopping behind the Schreyer House.
Lexa puffed as she plopped on the ground. “Now what?”
Aiden dropped the bag in her lap. She unzipped it. Men’s clothes had been packed inside.
Holding up stripped boxers, she said, “You don’t seem the boxer type.”
He growled with impatience.
“Okay, I get it. You’re going to change back.” She turned around. “And I think I get the other stuff too. You lost control, attacked me, but when you saw I was a girl, you stopped. Please thank your mother for me. Instead of getting my whole soul, you only got a portion—that’s why I stopped being Depressed Girl and why when you’re with me I feel so complete. And why, when you were away, I failed my thermo test. And, yes I’m babbling. Considering the circumstances I’m allowed.”
Lexa sucked in a breath. “So your teammates are soulless and your coach must be the one who killed you. That’s why he has emotions. Although he didn’t seem upset about my future demise. And now they’re going to hunt us down and kill us both. Unless we can figure a way to get the hockey team’s souls back without killing anyone. And we need to stop Coach Death, but I don’t think Officer Reed and the State College police can handle something like that. He seemed so happy to have found a wild dog. Imagine—”
“Lexa.” Aiden wrapped his arms around her.
She leaned back against him. “What are we going to do?”
“Just what you said.”
“How?”
“I’m going to do some recruiting.”
Aiden led her through the quiet campus. “Those six guys are Coach’s favorites. But if we can get the rest of the team on our side—”
“Won’t work.” Lexa would never forget Kyle and Mike’s dead stares. “They need souls.”
“We’re not going to kill anyone.”
“Of course not. But … ” An answer bubbled to the surface of her mind. “They can share.”
Aiden stopped. “No. That’s too much to ask. After this is all done, somehow you’re getting yours back.”
“No. I don’t want it. I’m happy for the first time in years.” Lexa realized she had assumed he felt the same. “Unless, you’d rather not be … I’m sure there are others … ”
He drew her close. “I’d be an idiot to want anyone else. Look at what you’ve done tonight. Rescued me. Took
