“I don't care if I have to light each and every one of you on fire. I’m going to class!” My Phoenix hissed in agreement where I sat on my bed. I knew I was being hard on the guys, but I was getting frustrated by their overprotectiveness. They were taking it to the extreme. I had barely left this room, let alone the house, for the last four days as I tried to recuperate. I had missed almost two full weeks of classes. Thanks to some well-forged doctors notes from Theo, at least the teachers were sympathetic to my “pneumonia” and had kindly been sending me updates via e-mail and encouraging me to get lecture notes from the other students. It wasn’t the same, however. I needed to be in class.

Killian glared at me from the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re still weak. You had huge news dropped on you just two nights ago. You can do your work from here. Your teachers don't have an issue with it. We still haven't caught up to Michael, and I’d feel better if you stayed out of sight. Don’t be a fool about this, Nix. Michael is still a threat.”

“Trust me, I know, but I can’t just sit here and act like a victim for the rest of my life! I can’t give him that power. I can’t just sit here and stew over everything, either. It’s not healthy. Plus, it’s not like any of you are going to let me leave this house alone, so I’ll always have that extra layer of protection. Hell, you practically babysit me when I go to the bathroom!” I knew my voice was exasperated, but the arguments that had evolved over that little issue the past several days had been fairly epic. After my freak out with the shower curtain, they had been relentless in following me around. With Rini on my side, we had convinced them that they could escort me to the bathroom door and make sure I was okay, but they had to wait down the hall. Shifter hearing could be damned embarrassing!

Taking a deep breath to calm down a little, I continued. “I feel much better. You know this. I have most of my energy back. I need to start living my life again.” I pleaded with my eyes, looking at each of them in turn. Hiro and Damien exchanged a quick glance, and I had to resist giving a fist pump. As much as I knew they worried about my physical health they were just as worried about my mental health. They wouldn't want to keep me trapped in this room forever. Killian and Ryder, however, were solidly against me being more than a few feet from either of them at any time. I adored the fact that they cared about me, but I was starting to feel suffocated.

Theo was my wild card. He didn't wear his emotions on his face the way the others did. Understanding that he was ruled by logic, I could see his answer going either way: that it would make more sense for me to rest awhile longer and wait until I was physically stronger or that it was time to return to my regular activities and stop missing school.

Theo rubbed his hands over his face, his bright blonde locks falling into his eyes. “Kill. Ryder. She's right. She needs to begin returning to normal activities.”

Ryder's jaw dropped. “Traitor!”

Theo whipped around to glare at him. “Ryder, you say you’re concerned about her health. If you don’t let her out of this bedroom, her muscles are going to begin to atrophy. That doesn’t even begin to address the fact that she’s not getting accustomed to the cold weather nor is she getting the benefit of the Vitamin D while it’s available. And if she starts failing classes, she’ll certainly be upset.” His tone softened as he pressed a hand to his friend’s shoulder. “You’re scared. That’s fine. It’s one of the ways you show you care. You let us back out of the house after we were hurt. It’s time to do the same for her.”

Killian hissed between his teeth. “We’ve got to work out class schedules.”

Hiro spoke up, pushing his glasses up his nose. “No. It can’t just be us. We’ve all missed nearly as much class as Nix has. If we don’t spread this out, our grades are going to drop, and the Council is going to interfere. They’re already on edge with our refusal to return to the compound lately. Continuing this behavior is only going to put more strain on Nix.”

Damien cocked his head, considering. “One of us can drive her to and from campus, at least. One of us is over there every day she’d have class, anyway.” The others nodded in agreement, though Killian and Ryder were both still reluctant.

"What about Barrett, Cayden, and Donovan?” Killian’s voice was mulish. “I know they have their own jobs, but maybe they’d be willing to help out.”

Ryder snickered. My chest ached at his tom-foolery. I had missed this side of him. He had been so stressed lately, that he hadn’t been joking with me. It was hard to believe how much I had already gotten used to him being my sense of humor. “If it means more time around Rini, I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

I snorted my own agreement. Apparently, things had been a little tense between both sets of guys before I had first woken up. They were incredibly pissed that Rini had been endangered by Michael. According to Rini, they were nearly as over-protective of her as my guys were of me. A kind of truce had developed after a few days when Rini had finally thrown up her arms and chewed all of them out. One of the things that made Rini such an amazing friend was her ability to own up to her own shit. That’s exactly what she had done by acknowledging that she had been warned by my guys to stay in our dorm and, not only had Rini refused and gone against their orders, but she had specifically gone after Michael, distracting everyone, and given him the opportunity to pull a gun on her and Theo.

I couldn’t help but wince at the thought. I blamed myself even more than her guys blamed mine. I was the cause, after all. If it weren’t for me she never would have crossed paths with Michael, never would have been threatened by a silver bullet. Rini would never have had to live with images of her friend—hell, almost her brother—bleeding out on the cold ground, and never would have been stuck nursing bruises and scrapes from trying to haul him out of the woods and to safety.

“Are there other friends of yours who could help?” I was reluctant to ask the question. I didn't want a babysitter to begin with. My Phoenix hissed at me, flapping her wings at my half-lie. Alright, I did want one of my guys with me, I just didn’t want a stranger with me. I also wanted them with me because they wanted to be with me, not because they felt they had to try and protect me from any potential danger. I wasn’t a ward, damn it. I was supposed to be their friend!

Hiro considered, his long, golden fingers tugging at his lips. I couldn’t look away, could barely breathe. Holy hell, did he know what that did to me? From the smirk that suddenly tugged at the corners of that gorgeous mouth, I would guess he did. His voice was deeper when he spoke. “Maybe Alex? Or James?” He asked the group, raising an eyebrow. I had absolutely no idea who they were talking about, but his words were met with nods and murmurs of agreement.

“Fine. It’s settled. I need to get ready if I’m going to make it to my first class on time.” I waved my fingers at them with a quick shooing motion as I struggled to get out from under the pile of covers that Killian and Ryder had dumped on me. I swear, they thought if they could just weigh me down with enough blankets I would never be able to get out of the bed. Ryder was the last to leave, and I could see the lines of strain around his eyes as he forced a smile for me.

“You sure you don’t need help showering? I’m extremely good when it comes to getting things wet.” I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of me. I had missed my playful, teasing boy. I threw a pillow at him in response and waited for him to close the door before I stretched my arms above my head.

A part of me did want to simply crawl back into that nice, comfortable bed and let my guys protect me. I wasn’t used to feeling safe or cared for. I was definitely still scared of Michael. In the past, I had always known, at least on some level, that no matter what he did to me, I would always come back. I would always win. My chance to escape would arrive, and I would take it. With a few drops of venom, he’d nearly changed all of that. I was still too new to this world. I didn’t—and couldn’t—know what other deadly secrets it held—like Vish Kaya venom. I cocked my head, wavering slightly. My bed was very comfortable…

I snorted at my own foolishness and hardened my resolve. Not a victim, Nix. I had lived through Michael for eighteen years, and the bastard wasn’t even my father. I was still processing everything, but I couldn’t deny the relief I felt at knowing I wasn’t related to that piece of crap. I had settled on being angry as hell at him, but I wouldn’t let that anger bleed into other areas of my life. No, that was reserved just for him. I wasn’t going to allow the fuck-tard to keep chasing me into corners. I had come to Alaska to live my life, and I was damn well going to do just that. I’d just make sure I had some extra backup with me, that was all.

I grabbed my clothing from the dresser drawer I’d claimed while I stayed with the guys. I made my way down the hall to the bathroom and tried not to slip on the wooden floors in my stockinged feet. One thing about me that definitely hadn’t changed was that my feet were always cold. The colder weather of Alaska had not helped that matter in the slightest. However, running around polished floors in thick socks did tend to mean I took more tumbles than I would have preferred. I avoided looking in the mirror as I stripped down and let the shower water heat. I had gained a little bit of my lost weight back, but I knew I was not back to my healthy self yet.

I stepped into the steaming water, tilting my head back with a sigh as I absorbed the stinging heat. This was what I needed. To feel normal. I sighed as I remembered the time and began to hurry through my routine. The last thing I wanted to do was to have argued my way around the guys only to be late to class due to my newly developed lazy streak.

Regretfully, I twisted the handle of the shower to stop the stream of water and dragged myself out to dress. What was even on the schedule today? I tried to organize my scattered thoughts as I went. I think it was my freshman orientation class and Biology. Freshman orientation was one of the most boring—and useless—classes I had ever taken. I had heard other students talk about it when I was in high school, so apparently, it was a relatively popular way for colleges to introduce their new students to a college lifestyle. The professor gave each student a random topic—I had been assigned to the History of Feudal China—and instructed us on the “proper” way to study, prepare reports, use the college’s resources, and other things that were—at least in my opinion—just a way for the college to make us pay for a useless class.

Finally dressed, I plaited my damp hair back into a quick braid. I didn’t have the time to bother drying it this morning. I slid out the door with a quick glance at the hall clock. Twenty minutes. That should be enough time to grab a bite to eat before I let one of the guys drive me to campus. I wondered who would get the straw today. I giggled as I thought about their crazy antics. Rock, paper, scissors was only one of the ways they decided on who got to do what. So far I’d seen them do everything from draw straws to thumb wrestling to Ryder attempting to have a dance off with me as a judge. Unfortunately, that one hadn’t flown with anyone but Ryder, though I was quite a willing volunteer.

Hiro stood at the stove, a pan of scrambled eggs on the flame. I smiled at the memory of my first day of classes. “Are those for me?” I teased. He glanced over at me, a smile lighting up his face.

“Of course. I wouldn’t let you head out for classes without a little breakfast. I like that this is our routine.” He shot me a wink and turned back to the eggs.

At least it wasn’t Ryder cooking. I shuddered, remembering his last attempt at scrambled eggs. How could such a brilliant man be incapable of something as ridiculously easy as scrambled eggs? It had to be willful. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, chugging it down as I reached for plates, glasses, and silverware with my free hand. I tossed the bottle towards the trash can, hooting at my three-pointer. Hiro snickered and rolled his eyes, effortlessly plating the eggs and joining me at the table.

“Hiro,” I began, toying with my eggs after I’d eaten a few bites. “Do you think things will settle down soon?”

He looked at me, his eyebrows raised as he studied me, his fork still against his plate.

“I mean, one of the reasons I didn’t want to talk about my past with you guys is because I didn’t want the fear and the pity. I don’t want to be treated with kid gloves. I wanted you all to just be my friends—to treat me the way that you treat Rini.”

He smirked and leaned forward to brush my hair behind my ear. “I hope you don’t want us to treat you the way we treat Rini. Our feelings for you are quite a bit different than that.”

I tried not to grin but couldn’t help it. I loved when he teased me. “I know, but I want us to be friends first.”

Hiro's eyes were gentle. “Nix, I understand. We all do. We are trying. We all feel very…” He paused, searching for the right word, “… very drawn to you. I think you feel the same way toward us.” Reaching toward me again, he ran his thumb over my cheek and gave me a small smile that went all the way to his eyes. “I think getting you into a normal routine will really help those of us who are struggling. You just have to realize that we care about you. We feel guilty for you getting hurt.” He held up his hands before more apologies could fall from my lips. I had been apologizing to them almost every day, despite their reassurance that no apologies were necessary. “Friends help each other. They worry about each other. It will calm down. Give it a few days being back in the swing of things. If things are still tense, I’ll handle it.” The smile he shot me was sweet as he waved at my food. “Keep eating. You’ll need your strength.”

I scarfed the rest of my food down as I mulled over Hiro’s words. With a sigh, I tried to refocus my brain back on classes and started thinking of everything that I would need to bring with me for the day. “Which of you is going with me?”

“Me.” Damien spoke from nearly right behind me, and I squeaked as I caught the table to avoid falling over. Riotous laughter echoed around me, and Hiro outright grinned, his eyes flashing behind his glasses.

“You said you wanted it to be normal.”

I rolled my eyes as I turned to face Damien and Ryder. Ryder looked as though he was still having trouble breathing, his hands gripping his knees as he continued to chuckle. “You sounded like a wounded mouse.” The words were dragged from him, his smile bright and sincere, the worry lines finally missing from around his gorgeous, russet eyes.

My Phoenix squawked in outrage, and I had to ball my hands into fists to prevent the heat that suddenly scattered around my fingertips from flying forward. Damien and Hiro chuckled this time, as Ryder watched me warily. “You know better than to rile a new shifter.” Killian's voice was scolding as he joined us in the doorway. “You’re lucky she’s got amazing control, or she could have scorched you where you stood.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Killian’s hair was nearly black from where he had wet it down and slicked it back onto his head. I hadn’t said anything, but I was thrilled he had kept the scruff that had grown in while I slept. It was incredibly sexy. I wondered if it would feel the same kissing him, or if the sensation would be more unique? He grinned and shot me a wink as Ryder began to snicker again. “Damien!” The word was nearly a howl as I whirled on him. Sometimes I hated when he projected my thoughts!

He snickered too as he studied me. “Sorry, Nix. This one’s all on you. Make sure that what you’re thinking doesn’t come out of your mouth. You can’t always blame me, you know.” He pretended to take on an offended air as he strutted to the stove. I wanted to stare at his hips as he moved, but instead, I threw my napkin at him.

“Come on; we need to leave in ten.” I tossed my dishes in the sink and looked around for my gear.

“Closet by the entrance. I made sure your bag was packed.” Theo’s voice was quiet from where he leaned against the door jam. I hadn’t even heard him come in. His accent was a little heavier, so I assumed he was tired. I had noticed that it had a habit of thickening if he was tired or stressed, just as Killian’s did.

“Thanks, Theo.” I knew he would have made sure I had the right books and notebooks for whatever class I had today. I headed for the hall to begin to don my warmer gear, and he followed quietly behind me.

“Are you okay, Theo?” I couldn’t get my damn boot on!

Suddenly, large, tanned hands grabbed my waist, steadying me while I tugged at the boot. I froze for a moment, looking into sapphire eyes as his lips ever so softly brushed mine—more of a whisper than a kiss.

“Be safe for me, Nix.” The request was a low plea, and he placed my bag on the small end table next to me.

I stood in shock as he retreated up the stairs, his hands digging into his hair as he walked. What the hell had that been? I reached up to touch my lips where they tingled. It had been the briefest of kisses, barely a kiss at all. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I’d spend more time analyzing everything later, but in the meantime, I couldn’t resist flicking my tongue out to see if I could taste him on my lips.