“Duh,” Hannah said, as if it was the most obvious answer. “We’re townies. We could walk if we wanted. Why would we stay in the dorms?”

  “For the full college experience?” A sudden twinge of regret hit me as I thought about everything I’d actually given up by trading Georgetown for the much smaller Port Michael campus.

  I’d barely had time to feel sorry for myself when Sam came around the car and shot a glare at Paige before turning to me. “Okay, hand over your schedule.”

  I fished in my purse for my iPhone.

  I’d barely gotten it out of my bag and open to the right screen when Sam snatched the device from my fingers. “Seriously? Intro to Molecular Biology? Intro to Neuroscience? History of European Civilization? Classical Literature? Why take so many tough classes first semester?”

  “Oh, hey, I enrolled in that European history class too!” Hannah beamed.

  “Monday, Wednesday, Friday at ten?” I asked.

  Hannah nodded.

  “I had to drop my philosophy class to get into that one.” On a campus as small as Port Michael, they didn’t schedule more than one of each class per semester.

  “So you were in Philosophy at ten, but now you’re not?” Paige asked.

  Despite the urge to ignore her, I pressed out a stiff grin and turned to Paige. “Yep, that’s what I said.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Paige flipped her hair for good measure. “That’s one less hour I’ll have to see your—”

  “What?” Sam shrieked as if someone had told her she had to surrender her favorite pink tracksuit, and I could have kissed her for cutting Paige off. “You have a class at one? We all agreed to take lunch at one. I mean, I guess we didn’t actually know you then, but you can’t have class at one!”

  Instinct took over, and I stepped back from her rabid expression. “That’s the only time they offer Classical Literature.”

  “So?” She waved my oh-so-breakable phone in the air. “Drop it. Take it next semester.”

  I fought to keep my mouth from falling open. “You want me to drop a class so I can have lunch with everyone else?”

  “Of course! You’d rather have lunch alone every day? And seriously, what happened to taking all your Gen Ed classes first, like a normal freshman?” Sam handed back my device with a scowl.

  I shrugged. “I’m a biology major. I wanted to get the hard stuff out of the way. And History of European Civilization is Gen Ed. So is French.”

  “French?” Sam grabbed my phone again and, after scanning my schedule, did a quick fist pump. “At least we have one class together. And lunch. You will drop that class.”

  I opened my mouth to argue with her but snapped it shut. I knew I’d probably do what she said. Sam was my only real friend in Port Michael, and I wasn’t about to screw that up over a stupid lit class.

  Hannah grinned at Sam. “So besides our mandatory lunch hour, what classes did you sign up for? Music Appreciation? Basket Weaving One-Oh-One? Intro to Hot Guys?”

  “No. But if you find Intro to Hot Guys on the registration page, let me know, I’ll drop pre-calc and take that instead.” Sam bumped Hannah with her shoulder, and they both laughed. “Seriously though, I’m taking normal freshman classes. Pre-calc, Intro to Creative Writing, Western Civilizations, Sociology…”

  “French,” I blurted before she had a chance.

  She gave me the side eye before shoving me lightly. “Yes, French.”

  “So you basically took all the easy shit first.” Hannah dodged another of Sam’s half-hearted attacks. Someone needed to work on her not-so-passive-aggressive tendencies. “I guess you’ll be partying while the rest of us pull all-nighters.”

  “Hey…” Sam pointed at Hannah. “At least you don’t have to get up and run first thing in the morning.”

  “Run?” I knew Sam liked to run in the evenings, but why anyone would choose to do that before lunch was beyond me.

  “I’m on the cross-country team, and apparently, they like to practice in the mornings. Rain or shine. Sleet or snow. How is that even fair? Do you have any idea what that’ll do to my hair?” She handed me my schedule, continuing her tirade about the inequity of being forced to sweat so early in the morning as we made our way toward the enormous two-story brick building housing freshman orientation.

  The sound of tires squealing on pavement drew my attention to the parking lot behind me. A tall guy in distressed jeans and a gray hoodie jumped out of a black sports car, and I immediately recognized his dark floppy hair.

  Abercrombie.

  My fingers flew up to pull my own hair over my neck, and I quickly averted my eyes, whirling back to the building. Abercrombie was the last person I wanted to see on my first day of college—or any day, really.

  Keeping my head down as if trying to memorize my class schedule, I followed Sam across the quad.

  “Is that him?” Sam leaned down to whisper in my ear.

  My head snapped up, and I searched the area for a hot guy in a black leather jacket. When I didn’t see him anywhere, I turned back to Sam’s grin. “Who?”

  “The guy.” She jerked her head toward the parking lot, where Abercrombie had hauled a petite brunette over his shoulders and was running her around in circles like she was a football or something.

  “The guy?” I’d lost my ability to form coherent sentences, so instead I just repeated hers.

  “You know…” She motioned toward my neck, keeping her voice down so Paige and Hannah didn’t hear her. She’d promised to take my secret to the grave, and although I’d only known her for a few weeks, I had complete faith in her as she mouthed the words. “The hickey.”

  I turned around again, giving Abercrombie my attention one last time, and swallowed back the contents of my stomach. “Yeah. That’s him.”

  “Oh, my God.” She snorted out a laugh. “I can’t believe you made out with Aaron Finch. He’s such a douchebag.” Her voice dropped so low even I barely heard her.

  I winced and tried to hide my face behind a curtain of hair. “Ack, don’t remind me.”

  “Oh, trust me, I’m never going to let you forget.” She let out a loud giggle that time, and Paige spun toward us, giving me a death glare that made my whole body shrink into itself.

  It wasn’t easy, but I managed to pull my eyes from hers, ignoring the fact that she still stared daggers at me. I counted the windows on the front of the building… watched the other students filing in and out of the double doors… I even paused to read the “Welcome Freshmen” message on the sign.

  That’s when I saw him in all his glory—sun glinting off his shiny black leather—leaning against the sign. Watching me.

  Holy mother of…

  I froze in place, unable to do anything but stare. And stare I did—from the toes of his black Doc Martens to the top of his disheveled head—lingering on a few places in the middle. My mouth went dry at the sight of him, as if I’d inhaled an entire bucket of sand. And after stuttering a few times, my heart stopped for a full beat before racing out of control. Then the prickling was back. And with it came the feeling in my extremities.

  The sides of his mouth tipped up in a cocky grin.

  I took a steadying breath before whipping my head back around to Sam. “Go ahead without me. I’ll be right back.” I had to talk to him, had to know why he’d disappeared on me at the bonfire. Why I couldn’t get him out of my head… or my dreams.

  “Wait. Why? Where are you going?” Her face scrunched up as if she couldn’t believe I’d have anyplace else to be.

  And at any other place or time, she would have been right. But right then, at that exact moment, I only had one place to be, and it was wherever he was. I had to know if Saturday—if our kiss—had been real.

  Keeping my eyes on him the entire time so he couldn’t vanish into thin air again, I shoved my schedule back into my purse and took the first step toward him, saying my goodbyes to Sam. “I just need to see something. I won’t be gone long. I’ll catch up to you in a few.”

  “But,” she called after me, “you’re gonna be late for orientation!”

  “Save me a seat,” I yelled as I sprinted for the bushes framing the Port Michael campus sign.

  As I closed the distance between us, his amused expression morphed into all-out delight, and I could almost hear his dark chuckle as he stepped out of my eye line. But there was nowhere for him to go this time. He wasn’t going to avoid me again.

  “Hey, new girl. Wait up.”

  A wave of sickness rolled through my stomach at the sound of Abercrombie’s voice. “Go away. I thought I made myself clear at the party.”

  “What? Are you gonna spill another beer on me? I’m guessing you don’t have one on you. Or hey, maybe you do. I wouldn’t mind one myself. We can slip off to the bleachers and get to know each other better.”

  His invitation brought me to a screeching halt, and I whirled around, almost gagging at his hopeful expression. “Are you serious? ‘Slip off to the bleachers’? What is this, an eighties teen movie? Give it up, Abercrombie. I’m not interested.”

  He laughed as he took another step toward me. “Aw, come on. I thought you liked me.”

  Using my hands as a wall between us, I backed away. “No. Just. No.”

  The hope drained from his eyes. “Fine. Be that way. But it’s a long semester, and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Gross,” I muttered, turning to make a run for the sign.

  I was out of breath when I reached the bushes and took a second to catch my breath before stepping around to find him. The static in the air around me crackled, but he was gone.

  Again.

  After setting my tray on the table, I dropped into the hard plastic seat and stared at what the Port Michael campus cafeteria called food. I paid five bucks for this? I hadn’t even taken a bite, and already, I’d lost my appetite. The cafeteria at my high school had offered a better selection. I expected so much more from a college dining hall. In fact, I’d expected so much more from the campus itself. The whole place probably could’ve fit within the walls of my high school. So far, all my classes took place in ordinary, block-wall rooms—a far cry from the grand lecture halls of Georgetown. But as I repeatedly reminded myself, the tiny Port Michael campus wasn’t Georgetown.

  I felt guilty as a wave of regret washed over me. “Is the day over yet?”

  Sam threw back her head and laughed. “You wish.”

  “You’re damn right I wish. I think I might be cursed.” And very possibly losing my mind. “I can’t believe you don’t remember seeing a hot guy in a black leather jacket in the quad this morning. He was right out in the open.” He was right there, and I’d let him slip through my fingers. With my luck, by the time I actually caught up with him, he’d have taken out a restraining order against me.

  “Trust me, if I’d seen a hot guy in a leather jacket, I’d remember.” She smirked at me. “What I do remember seeing is you running across the quad like your hair was on fire to meet up with Aaron freaking Finch.”

  I groaned and pushed runny creamed spinach around my plate with my fork. “For the last time, I wasn’t meeting up with Aber-Aaron. I was trying to catch up to the guy in the leather jacket.”

  “What guy in a leather jacket?” Hannah’s tray landed with a clatter across from me. The hippy chick was slowly growing on me.

  “Never mind.” I let out a loud sigh. “I was obviously hallucinating.” Again.

  Paige dropped down next to Hannah with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face. “So I heard you and Aaron are secretly dating.”

  “Oh. My. God!” I shouted, and my face flamed as the dining hall went silent and everyone turned to look at me. I waited until the masses had gone back to what they’d been doing before leaning across the table to whisper. “I am not secretly dating—or openly dating, for that matter—Aaron Finch. He creeps me out.”

  “Well, that’s not what I heard.” Paige picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of lettuce on her plate. “Aaron told the entire hockey team to stay away from his girlfriend, or he’d kick their asses. He’s lucky none of them shoved a stick up his ass.”

  “You mean, he’s lucky he dominated the state championships the last three years running,” Hannah said with a bit of attitude. She blushed and added, “But he’s still a dick.”

  “Could this day possibly get any worse?” I muttered.

  “Ava!” Abercrombie shouted my name from across the room.

  I’d spoken too soon.

  “How did he find out my name?” I darted my eyes between the only people in Port Michael who knew who I was.

  “I told him.”

  My mouth fell open as I stared at Paige’s unapologetic face.

  “Oh, come on, Ava. We all saw you running across the quad to see him this morning. And Tory Phelps said she saw the two of you looking all cozy at the lighthouse party, so give it up. Your secret’s out.” She shoved another bite of salad between her viper lips.

  “Hey, gorgeous!” Abercrombie sat in the vacant chair beside me and reached out for my free hand.

  I clenched my jaw and spoke through my teeth. “Touch it and die. Do you hear me?”

  He must have seen the fire in my eyes because his hand dropped to his side, and he turned to say something to Hannah.

  “What the hell am I going to do now?” I whispered to Sam.

  She almost choked from laughing so hard, and I couldn’t decide if I’d bother giving her the Heimlich if she did. “I guess you’ll have to wait for your leather jacket guy to show up and defend your honor.”

  She thought she was being funny, but that’s exactly what I hoped for. Unfortunately, I’d begun to think I really had hallucinated him.

  Chapter Five

  Angry waves shattered against the rocky coast as the god in black leather stormed toward me through the darkness. Sea spray soaked through my clothes, leaving me damp and cold, but the way he looked at me made my skin flame. His body vibrated with rage, his eyes flickering between my face and Abercrombie’s hand resting on my shoulder as he closed the distance between us.

  With my mystery guy just a handful of yards away, Abercrombie let loose with a baleful cry, his bones cracking and snapping as he shifted from a normal frat boy into a fire-breathing dragon. He towered over me, nearly as tall as the lighthouse in the distance. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. I tried to wrench myself away from his side, but he wouldn’t let go. His claws dug into my shoulder, and I felt the first hot trickle of blood as he broke the skin.

  “Please, let me go!” I cried.

  The dragon glared down, and his two glittering black eyes told me he wanted to consume me. Devour me. His giant mouth stretched wide, and I tasted the rot and decay on his breath. Before the monster had a chance to take the first bite, Lamppost surged in, his jacket melting away to expose a suit of shiny armor. He shoved me to the ground, and a huge sword sprouted from his outstretched hand. In one fluid motion, he lunged forward, sinking the blade between the dragon’s ribs. The earth beneath my feet trembled as the dragon crumpled and fell in a cloud of dust.

  After nearly a week of the same dream, my subconscious anticipated each scene before it happened. The dragon would fall, crumbling into dust, and my mystery guy would come to me. My body thrummed with anticipation as I waited for his rough hands to capture my face, for his lips to mold themselves to mine.

  But that didn’t happen.

  Instead, I found myself spiraling down a dark tunnel, an icy wind whipping my hair around me like a cape. I reached into the abyss, my hands grasping for anything to stop my fall but catching nothing but damp air. I couldn’t see. I could barely breathe. And it took so long to reach the bottom; I feared I would fall forever.

  I landed in a pile of hay with a bounce.

  A soft snorting to my left startled me, and I turned to see myself reflected in a single dark eye. But that couldn’t be me, could it? The heavy dress weighed me down, making it difficult to move. A dress? And my long honey hair fell loose around my shoulders in thick waves that I would have never had the patience to style.

  The dark horse pawed the stable floor, shaking its huge head as it grunted at me, and I scrambled to my feet, pressing my back into the wall to get away from it.

  I heard his dark chuckle before he stepped into a sliver of moonlight. This time, he wore skin-tight riding pants and a long, loose shirt as if he were auditioning for a Renaissance faire. “Afraid of a little horse?”

  I darted my eyes from his to the huge animal between us. “Th-that’s not a little horse.”

  He laughed again. This time, it was light and happy. “Always such a girl.” He stepped around the beast and reached a hand toward me, his eyes flashing with amusement. “Come on, you little coward. I’ll protect you.”

  My hand went to his of its own accord, and my entire body relaxed as his warm palm pressed against mine.

  “You’re shaking. You were really afraid, weren’t you?” He tugged me into his arms and stared down at me. His eyes were dark in the night, and as hard as I tried, I couldn’t make out the color. “Don’t you know? I will always protect you. Not even death can keep me from you.”

  I closed my eyes as he dipped his head down to smash his lips to mine. Unlike all the others, this kiss wasn’t gentle. My lungs burned as he continued to steal my breath, his mouth devouring mine as if he’d been starving for the taste of me. He didn’t just kiss me. He possessed me.

  His body shook as his hands ran over my clothes, heating my skin through the fabric like flames. He made it perfectly clear I was his, and I didn’t care to argue. Again, my head swam, the earth tipping on its axis, ready to take me with it. I was mere moments away from losing consciousness. I could feel it.