Cowl
“Remember, if you want to discuss your research paper topic with me, you need to do so before Friday. My office hours are posted online. See you again on Monday.”
Cowl rose instantly, looking around the class. There weren’t many people in it, and a number of them were looking in his direction, but he didn’t care. He was there to guard against threats to Andria. Any personal discomfort was so far below a secondary care it didn’t even show up on his radar. She was his priority.
They hadn’t said much to each other the day before. It had been a long, awkward day as he tiptoed around what had happened the night before. To his surprise Andria hadn’t objected to him accompanying her around, something he thought she’d change her mind about after their aborted kiss.
Cowl had lain awake for most of that night, beating himself up for moving too quickly and pushing Andria too hard. He’d known better than that, and yet still his dragon had overpowered him, pushing him into the arms of his mate too soon. Now her guard was back up, and he was walking on thin ice. She could fire him at any time she wished, and that would put him in an even more awkward position.
So he’d said little to her the next day in an attempt to stay as invisible as possible. Thankfully nothing had come up during the day, and their second night with him as her bodyguard and protector had ended on a better note. Nothing had happened of course, Cowl was completely hands off at this point.
But it had paid dividends. This morning she’d asked him if he wanted breakfast, and proceeded to make some eggs and toast for him, much to his surprise. They’d even conversed a bit, and the ice between them had thawed. They weren’t back to where they’d been, but Cowl could sigh with relief, because he saw them heading back that way.
All he had to do now was not make a stupid, boneheaded, and overly aggressive move like that again, and things would work out just fine between them. His track record indicated it was going to be hard for him to do that, but with Andria he was going to try extra hard. He had to. He’d gotten a second chance at life after the avalanche, but he only ever got one mate.
He’d have to do it right.
Andria headed toward the exit and he hurried to precede her through the door.
“You know,” he remarked after ensuring the hallway was devoid of threats, “it’s been a long time since I’ve felt dumb. But in two days of accompanying you to your classes, I now recall exactly how that feels.” He rubbed his head. “It’s not a pleasant sensation.”
To his delight Andria smiled. It was a ghost of the full thing, but it was there for a split second. “Don’t forget, I’ve dedicated six years of my life to studying this one subject, and I’m only just now learning it. You’re a little behind, that’s all.”
“Maybe. You’re obviously smarter than you let on, however, because that’s not an easy subject, and you’re doing well in it.”
“Thanks.”
Only his supernatural hearing let him hear her, she spoke that softly. They walked through the hall of the building toward the exit. Like on the way in, they were avoiding the main passages, sticking to the outside of the building. Staying away from the bulk of people. The more they walked, the more Andria seemed to hunch into herself.
Cowl had seen it before, but he’d just put it down to her being embarrassed about the looks he was receiving. It irritated him that his mate was upset others were staring in his direction, but there was little he could do about it unfortunately, without doing something drastic.
“Why are you doing that?”
Andria’s head turned in his direction, but she didn’t look up, the movement the only hint that she’d even heard him. “Doing what?”
“Hiding.”
“I don’t like the stares.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, Andria. I can’t control that. I’d love to stop them from looking at me, trust me, I really would. But they’re just looks. It’s harmless.”
She stopped, and this time her eyes met his. Cowl was stunned by the haunted expression on her face, the dullness of her eyes, and the limpness to her mouth. Where was the woman he’d come to know, the one he saw at the bar most nights? She was gone, banished to somewhere else by this empty reflection of the real Andria. His heart nearly broke in two it hurt so bad. Was it really that tough for her?
“Stop them from looking at you?”
“Yeah. I, uh, sort of stand out.” He detested acknowledging his own looks and what they usually entailed to his mate. He didn’t want her thinking that he was enjoying them, or that he might be returning any of the stares, because he most certainly was not. Not when he had her now. Before Andria had come along Cowl had returned each and every stare, gaze, and look. Every one of them. There was a good reason. The best reason really; it was quite simple.
He’d been looking for her.
Now he had her, and the outside world didn’t matter a lick to him. If there were a switch he’d turn off the stares, the suggestive glances, and the jealous glares. Everything. The only one he wanted to look at him now was Andria, but he couldn’t tell her that. Not without driving her even farther away.
“You do gather attention.” Andria looked away and started walking again. Faster this time. “But trust me, they’re not looking at you. They’re looking at me.”
He frowned. “How do you know that?”
“Because they always do.”
She hurried off, trying to leave him behind.
With their difference in sizes that was impossible to do. Cowl lengthened his pace and in a few long strides caught up to her. He didn’t make an attempt to stop her, instead he simply walked just enough behind her that he was out of her peripheral vision.
His eyes roamed the people, hundreds of students walking through campus itself. The green manicured grounds were just beginning to show the barest hints of yellow and orange, the telltale signs of fall as it approached. Many of them were looking their way, and while he was receiving his fair share, a closer inspection proved Andria to be right. They were looking at her.
But why? She seemed unwilling to tell him what had happened to her, and at this point going and asking someone else would almost seem like a breach of trust. Cowl wanted to hear from her mouth, from her point of view, what had happened. He knew there was a different Andria in there, one that came out when only he was around. What he didn’t know was how to ensure that was the only Andria. Nobody deserved to feel the way she must be feeling right now.
“Where to now?” he rumbled, some of the anger at the situation seeping through into his question.
“The bar. Time to work.”
He nodded, glad for the distraction and topic change. “You work a lot.”
“Yes, I do.”
Cowl’s knuckles cracked with the frustration as she refused to elaborate or engage him in conversation.
“How come?” He forced the question out as calmly as he could, hoping his irritation didn’t show through. What had he done to deserve being treated like this?
About that time they ducked down a pathway between two buildings, heading for the back of the parking lot. Only two others were using it, a pair of males walking toward them. Cowl watched as they sized him up, then looked down at Andria. One’s eyes stared right through her, finding absolutely nothing of interest. The other though, Cowl saw his pupils widen.
He glanced over his shoulder as they passed by each other, watching him as he elbowed his friend and said something excitedly under his breath. Both of them looked back, but upon seeing Cowl glaring at them angrily they spun back around and hurried off.
What the hell was going on? He would give her a little more time to tell him herself, but not much. How was he supposed to help if he didn’t know what was going on?
“I work a lot because I don’t actually have the money for grad school.”
His head whipped around, bones popping in his neck from the effort. She was talking, opening up to him now that nobody else was around.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly that. I told you already how I had to save up—taking three years off before I even started university, then another two before my Master’s. Those weren’t for personal reasons, or to ‘explore the world and find myself.’ They were because I had no money. I’m not going to the banks. Those bloodsuckers aren’t getting a penny from me. But because of that, it means funding school through other means, including working nearly every hour I can that isn’t filled with studying.”
“You’re a very admirable woman, Andria. You’ve accomplished a great deal.”
She snorted. “I haven’t graduated yet, and if I don’t work enough, I won’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that the money isn’t there for second semester. It doesn’t exist. At the rate I’m going, I probably won’t have enough by January either.”
His growl set off several nearby car alarms, but he ignored them and the startled look from Andria. How was it that a world such as this could take someone as determined, strong-willed, and obviously intelligent as Andria, and prevent her from achieving an education she so obviously deserved?
If Cowl could have done so, he would have given her a chest full of gold or other valuables to pay for any further schooling she desired. Mate or no mate, she deserved to finish school.
Unfortunately he had no funds. Not yet at least. The army had agreed to pay them a hefty amount of money if they agreed to fight, and even to fund an expedition to try and retrieve their treasure.
But right now, seeing as he was the one with the job, all the funds that were available had gone to his brothers. Apparently they had not planned ahead for the possibility of a trio of dragons being awoken at once, and none of the systems in place were designed to handle the tripling of all the requests, including the slow-moving military bureaucracy. It would come in time. He wasn’t sure how much was necessary, but Cowl would get the money. Andria was not going to fail. Not after coming this far all on her own. He would ensure she got the rest of the way.
“You’re going to finish school.”
She shrugged. “We’ll see. I hope so. I need to get out of this town.”
He blinked. Cowl had totally forgotten about her unabashed desire to get out of town, to leave Barton City and everything in it far, far behind. Everything including one ice dragon named Cowl, who couldn’t go with her. He wanted to, so very, very badly. But he couldn’t leave the fight behind. That just wasn’t who he was, and he knew that Andria—whenever he finally felt it safe to tell her the truth—would never ask him to make that decision. She would make it for him. Which made it even worse. Cowl didn’t have an answer to that problem just yet, but he was going to need one.
And soon.