Coffee

Every echo of my heels on the marble floor was painful. On a normal day, I’d walk with confidence.

I never stayed out and always looked my best, so I didn’t care about the glares. Today, however, I was wearing one of Jasper’s sweaters over my graduation dress.

It was long enough to cover up his boxers, which shone through the fabric. To make it all worse, I was hungover.

I heard my name being called and turned around.

“Damn, I didn’t realize it was you at first. What are you wearing?” Anna laughed, eyeing me up and down.

She gasped when she realized it was a man’s sweater, and I blushed.

“Seriously, don’t say anything, I don’t want to hear it,” I said and continued toward the locker rooms.

“But you’ve never turned up like this before,” she teased, clearly amused while stalking closely behind me.

I sighed at her as we entered our locker room. I went straight to my locker and pulled out my spare workout clothes.

“Soooo, where did you sleep last night?” Anna asked, nudging me with her elbow before she started to dress for class.

Anna was a little shorter than me. She was quite cute with blond hair and brown eyes.

People who saw her walking down the street would probably never be able to guess what a marvelous fighter she was.

“I told you I don’t want to talk about it,” I said while I pulled up my workout shorts with the dress still on to hide my underwear.

This only made Anna more suspicious. “You were with a man, weren’t you? Didn’t take you for the type,” she teased.

I let out a sigh and smiled. I pulled my dress off and put my sports bra on.

Anna was still looking at me, waiting for me to say something. When I had finished getting dressed, I looked around the locker room to make sure we were alone before I confessed.

“If you really must know, I was angry at my dad and slept over at Jasper’s.”

“Did you just sleep, or did you have sex?” she eagerly asked.

“Well, both I guess, but please stop pushing, Anna,” I pleaded and glared at her.

“How was it? He’s quite popular, you know,” Anna said mischievously, completely ignoring my pleading.

“He didn’t fuck my brains out, if that’s what you’re asking,” I answered, annoyance dripping from my words.

I didn’t want her to think I was in love with him when I wasn’t.

“Hmm, interesting, you’re using new language,” Anna pointed out, nodding to herself.

“Can we just go to class, and shut up about this?” I asked her, still glaring.

“Fine, your wish is my command, Princess,” she said, and made a slight curtsy.

“Can you not call me that?” I said, giving her a slight shove as we exited the dressing room.

Anna laughed at me while we headed toward class to warm up before our examination.

“Don’t tell anyone,” I hissed at her right as we entered the studio.

“Don’t tell anyone what?” a woman’s voice asked.

I turned and looked at the woman that I both feared and admired. Louisa was my old combat teacher.

She wasn’t an umbra like the rest of us. She was an amazon.

“It’s not important. It’s a personal matter,” I replied, feeling my heart race.

It was useless to lie to Louisa; she could always tell. It was one of her superpowers.

I wondered what she was doing here. She wasn’t a squad leader, was she?

“All right, I won’t pry,” she said, laughing at me.

She was a beautiful woman with bright red hair. I was a little taller than her, but she still scared me, and others.

She radiated strength, and not many dared to look into her amber eyes.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

Shock was still lingering. I didn’t mean to be rude.

“Guess I’m making you nervous?” she said, smiling and looking a little amused.

“I’m a squad leader.”

“Oh, I had no idea. I used to love your classes,” Anna said beside me with nostalgic glee.

“I’m glad to hear it! Anyways, girls, good luck!” Louisa said, and joined the other, older umbra in the far corner.

All of them were likely squad leaders.

“There are fourteen of them. Aren’t there only thirteen squads?” Anna whispered to me.

I shrugged. “Let’s just start?” I suggested, eager to get the exams over and done with.

We started with our regular morning class, just with the squad leaders present. Louisa was stalking around the room. She was watching me.

It felt very unsettling. I wondered if she had told anybody about what I’d done, how I’d caused another umbra’s death as a child.

Maybe none of them would want me in their squad after hearing how reckless I’d been. I pushed the thought aside and started focusing on our tasks at hand.

Our theoretical examinations flew by. I had been a very good student and gotten high grades at my high school.

This wasn’t much different. I knew my demons.

It was late in the afternoon when we had finished the day’s examinations. The combat exams were to proceed the following day.

I had asked Jasper if I could stay at his place for a couple of days, since I didn’t want to go home. I was still pissed at my father.

It was fine by him, but he had said he was going on a mission and would be home late, so he had given me the keys to his apartment.

I didn’t want to borrow his clothes again, nor dress in my workout clothes outside of headquarters. So I went by a store and got new clothes. I also picked up sushi for dinner.

It felt kind of strange to be in someone else’s apartment. Especially when they weren’t home.

The living area was also so much smaller than what I was used to. Anyway, I was tired after not getting much sleep the previous night.

I called it an early night.

***

I woke up from my alarm. Jasper was sleeping beside me.

He hadn’t woken me up when he got home. I snuck out quietly since he didn’t have to get up for another couple of hours.

I took a shower and got ready for the day. I couldn’t work out the coffeemaker. So I decided to get coffee and breakfast on my way to headquarters.

There was a line inside the shop. While I was waiting my turn, my skin suddenly prickled.

A strong energy was approaching. I recognized it, although I’d never felt one so strong before.

I turned to the sound of the bell and looked at the door when it opened. The man who entered was gorgeous.

He was tall and slender in a way that made you aware he hid lean muscles under that T-shirt. He really was handsome, but what drew me in the most was his hair.

His curls were black as midnight, and I had been dreaming lately about running my hand through hair like that. I wondered if his hair would be just as soft as the one in my dreams.

He met my gaze with his golden eyes and smiled.

I realized I was gawking and turned back toward the cashier, blushing up to my ears.

“What can I get you?” the cashier asked, smiling like she was having the best morning ever.

“A black coffee to go,” I blurted like an idiot.

It wasn’t what I wanted at all. I wanted the seasonal blueberry ice latté.

She was eyeing the man behind me like the snack he was, while pouring me my coffee.

When I tapped my card, though, it didn’t work. I tried it again and it still didn’t work.

I sighed; it was probably my dad’s work. I made a note to myself to set up my own account.

“I’ll pay for it, and I’ll have the same,” the man behind me said, chuckling as he leaned over me to pay.

His voice made me shiver, and standing this close, his scent did other unnatural things to me.

His cologne was very alluring and mixed with tobacco. I knew many hated the smell of cigarettes, but I didn’t.

I even quite liked it. It made him smell like incense.

“Thank you,” I mumbled. I addressed both the stranger and the cashier, who was handing me my coffee.

“You could thank me by telling me your name?” he asked before thanking the cashier while receiving his coffee.

“Bella,” I said, staring at him but reaching my hand out in a polite manner.

“Fitting name. I’m Erik,” he said and shook my hand firmly, lingering just a little.

I was at a complete loss for words; it wasn’t just that he was gorgeous, he had the most powerful aura I’d ever encountered.

“Well, anyway, I should probably get going,” Erik said when I didn’t reply.

“I’ll see you around. Don’t burn your tongue, Beautiful,” he chuckled and waved at me before he turned and left the coffee shop.

“Yeah, I know, he’s hot, right? He would probably have given you his number if you had asked,” the cashier laughed sympathetically.

“He gets coffee here every other morning,” she added, winking at me.

I cursed myself internally.

Even though there wasn’t any point in asking for his number, that energy could only mean one thing.

He was a warlock who had just used a powerful spell.

They were trouble, and my parents wouldn’t ever approve.

As powerful as he must be, he was definitely trouble…