Resurrection (3 page)

Wendy watched the others scurry around after breakfast, getting ready for their day. She was dressed in her favorite black jeans and red knit sweater. Colin had bought her a pair of black boots that were comfortable, which she’d chosen since she could only assume would be appropriate for the amount of walking they’d have to do. But she worried she was underdressed for the meetings Grace had asked her to attend.

To her relief, she didn’t have to wait long. The royal couple descended the stairs, both in jeans.

“Good, you’re ready.” Grace gave her a quick hug.

“Z is already waiting at the car,” Roman said as he kissed her forehead.

“Z?”

Grace rolled her eyes. “There’s plenty of room. I drive a four door. Come on, we don’t want to run behind.”

She flung her bag over her shoulder. “After you.” The last thing she needed was more time with the Centaur. Knowing she should be thankful for the age-lift, she couldn’t help but feel he would be a detriment to any romantic future might be in store. He was a
Centaur
. She didn’t need seduction—not now, not when she was trying to make a life altering decision.

They found him leaning against the front passenger side of the car. “Are Lycans always this slow?” He smiled at Roman and gave Grace a playful wink.

“Lycan women, yes.”

Grace smacked Roman in the arm. “We are right on time! Get in the car.”

She was uncomfortable with the simple fact the royal couple would be in the front, leaving her with Zoltar in the back seat, sitting side by side. She wanted to keep her distance—a safe distance from his hormones and sexual prowess. He only added insult to injury when he held the door open for her.

“Thank you,” she forced out. Why was a simple act of chivalry so offensive? Ducking in the car, she grabbed the door and swung it shut, wishing he’d stay outside the car and not climb in, mere inches from her.

When he sat next to her and closed his door, his smell invaded her senses. After years of preparing meals and baking, she didn’t have a hard time picking spices out by smell. He smelled like a distinct mix of cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla and that manly musk. The scent that made women face-plant in their man’s used t-shirt.
Dammit. I don’t know if I want to dunk him in milk or strip him naked.

She stared out the window quietly, watching the earth move by at a quick pace.

“So Roman and I will show you around the university.” Grace said as she stared at her in the rearview. “Z will show you around the residence wing while Roman and I take care of some business.”

Wendy looked at Zoltar. “Great.”

He smiled back at her and raised one brow. “It’ll be better than our stroll in the woods.”

Grace and Roman shot glances at each other and Wendy did not miss Roman’s smirk.

“Nice to see you set the bar low. Keeps your success rate high, at least.” She tried to hide her smile as she resumed staring out the window of the car.

“Did you talk to her about teaching the Lycanthropy class yet?” he leaned up toward the front seat, looking at Roman.

“Nope. We don’t even know if she wants the job.”

“I’m right here, you know.” Wendy tossed her hands up and let them fall to her lap. “What’s this about teaching?” She cleared her throat. “I don’t have a college education.”

Grace looked at her in the rearview. “Well, Xander is going to resolve the little certificate issue, but honestly, it won’t be a sanctioned class as far as the state is concerned. But I can’t think of anyone better to teach a class on Lycans.”

“What on earth makes you say that?” She clutched her purse, looking for comfort. Why was everyone making deductions about her? She didn’t like being the topic of conversation. Her chest ached as she wished she’d have stayed with the pack instead of agreeing to the field trip.

“Well, you’ve been reading about our kind for three quarters of a century. I have one final book for you to read, courtesy of the vampires, and then you’ll know everything there is. All you have to do is pass that knowledge onto the kids. We’re already having books printed up on the matter. You can create your own syllabus. Really, guys. I wanted to talk to her about this when I had material to show her. Thanks for fucking it up.” She squeezed Roman’s thigh.

“I’m teaching the Mythological Creatures class as well as Combat Tactics.” Zoltar said with a smile, leaning slightly toward her. His bronze skin set off his pearly white teeth. “Perhaps we can swap techniques? Old war stories, perhaps?”

She sucked in a breath of air and held it. She’d cooked, cleaned, and organized events. What on earth made these crazy people think she could teach?

“Because,” Grace said into the mirror, “you have been teaching for years. You just don’t realize it.”

Roman turned in his seat to face her and wiggled his brows. “Neat ability our Queen has, isn’t it?”

“I’ve learned to turn it off and not invade the privacy of others, but she’s practically screaming back there.” Grace continued to monitor her through the rearview as if she were a child about to smack a sibling.

She sank down in her seat, with nowhere to retreat.
One step at a time. Fuck the Gods, she heard my thought about dipping Z in milk!

Grace led out a snicker. “Sorry, Wendy. I’m really sorry. Quiet your thoughts a bit and I shouldn’t hear them.” She giggled again. When Roman looked at her she only shook her head. “Not in a million years, pal. Stay out of my head.”

She recited poetry in her head, then lyrics to her favorite songs…anything, really, to keep from embarrassing herself again. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally made it to the university and out of the car.

The building was massive, built like an old castle. To the West, she could see the Centaurs, in their true form, hauling wagons of bricks and stone, raising walls and pouring concrete. The Dwarves were assisting with the masonry, from what she could see.

“If you would have told me two short years ago that Centaurs and Dwarves would be working side-by-side, I would have sworn you were drunk.” She shook her head.

Zoltar leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Would you like to be more astonished? Look over there.” He pointed off to the East wing where Fae and Pixies were on the Centaurs backs. “Not in my lifetime have we ever given anyone a lift. Never. This is real progress, Wendy, something for which we should all feel an immense amount of pride.”

“I could not have said it better myself, Z.” Roman slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s nice to have peace.”

She looked around, trying to let her brain register everything her eye could see. Zoltar looped his arm in hers. “You don’t want to miss this part.” She didn’t fight him. With someone to hold on to, maybe she wouldn’t run into a pillar or something while she was distracted, gazing at the sights.

The entry was grand, five stories tall, turret style with a winding staircase that looked like it was carved into the stone.

“The Fae assisted us in finding wood from trees that were already deceased, so we didn’t harm Mother Nature. The Pixies worked a little magic twisting and braiding the thick wooden vines to make the hand rails. The Gnomes have been fantastic about running wires for us. It’s as if they finally feel like their tiny size was of some use.” Zoltar pointed to different features as he spoke. “This is the biggest collaboration in all of our history. Isn’t it something?”

“What? Oh, yes. Yes, it’s marvelous. I really can’t take it all in fast enough.”

He squeezed her arm.

“Let’s show her some of the classes,” Grace waved toward a set of stairs. “First, when I was in college, it was absolutely frustrating how one class would be on one side of the campus, and then my next class was on the other side. So, if you choose to take the position, you’ll get a map so you can make workable schedules for the staff as well as the students.” She cleared her throat. “That’s where your fantastic organizational skills come in.”

She could only nod and follow, holding onto Zoltar in case she tripped. The tour of the class rooms went so fast she could hardly retain the image of their grandeur before Grace and Roman left her with Zoltar.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“I agree.”

She looked up at him. “I can’t believe how quickly this all came together.” Astonishment at the magnificence and grandeur of the school left her dumbfounded and amazed.

“Thank you. I worked tirelessly on the plans.”

She released his arm and stepped back. “
You
did this?”

He shrugged. “It’s my design. Most of the stone was reclaimed from the building that used to house your High Council. The wood was brought by the Fae, as I said. The labor has been accomplished through volunteers.”

“Amazing. You…your design is amazing.” Her jaw hung open.

He smiled. “I’m amazing. I’ll remember you said that.” He winked before spinning on his heel. “Follow me. It’s time for you to see what will make this a home for many.”

She jogged ahead to catch up with him. “When do we open?”

“We?” He looked down at her and raised a brow. “Does this mean you want to be part of this?”

Placing her palm on her forehead, she grimaced. “I admit, yesterday, I was shocked and confused but how could I look at all of this and walk away? This is amazing.”

Instead of saying anything, he looked ahead and smiled. He held out his arm for her to take.

She looped her arm in his, eager for more of the tour.

“The East wing houses the classes, as you just saw. The West wing is all about living. Down this hall will be the boys’ dorm.” He turned the corner and stepped through a door sized arch way which led to stairs and more halls. “The Dwarves will carve hall and room numbers to help our students find their way.” He opened the first door. A small kitchenette rested on the left side of the room. In the rear of the apartment was a dining table. Her eyes naturally scanned to the right, where there was a sitting area.

“Four students per room when we’re full. There’s one bathroom per dorm room, so there will be no communal showers. Grace was fairly insistent about this. She wants it to feel more like a home. This is the students’ sleeping quarters.” He opened up the final door to a bedroom with two bunk beds, four small closet doors and four small bureaus for clothes.

“This is wonderful. It’s like a small apartment rather than an actual college dorm. Tiffany sent me some pictures of her dorm and I have to tell you, it’s really not fit for a Lycan. I can only assume it wouldn’t be fit for any shifter. It’s so tiny and cramped.” She shook her head. “But this is nice. It feels…like a home.”

He smiled and nodded, his blond locks waving. “Your endorsement is music to my ears. I really worried about the setup. It pleased your Queen, but it coming from you is really something.”

Since when is her opinion more valuable than the Queen’s?

“Now to the Professor’s living space. How are your feet?” he asked, looking down at the thin soles on her boots.

With a glance at her sore feet, she shrugged. “A little tired. We’ve been walking for a few hours.”

The air around him shimmered. His head and shoulders began to rise in the air as he shifted into Centaur. “Hop on.”

She shook her head. “No, I couldn’t.”

Extending his hand to her, he tilted his head. “Please. With these hooves, the floor doesn’t make my feet so tired. Stone is hard on the ankle and foot.”

The sound of her heart thundered in her ears as her heart beat quickened. The boots weren’t offering her the comfort they normally did. Her feet ached, but mounting Zoltar wasn’t the ideal situation.

“Please, allow me to take you to the next location and give your feet a rest.”

Her hand shook as she put it in his. He pulled hard, heaving her onto his back. The instant relief to her feet was welcomed but Wendy had a new problem. Her legs were now wrapped around his horse body and the heat from him was seeping through her pants. It made her mind run wild.

After clearing her throat, she asked, “How far is it?”

He turned his head to the side. “I can’t really run on these floors, or I’d have you there in less than a minute. But at this pace, five minutes, maybe a few more.”

She cursed herself for not shifting into wolf form and just padding along, though cold stone on her paws wouldn’t feel much better than her humanoid feet in boots. She kept quiet. The only sound was that of Zoltar’s hooves clacking down the stone hall. She tried not to watch the muscles of his shoulders ripple as he walked. She tried not to smell his unique aroma which seemed to be everywhere. She really struggled not to grab hold of his blonde locks.

“Here we are.” He held out his hand to help her off, but Wendy had already dismounted before he could give her any assistance. Swiftly, he shifted back to human form before opening the first door. “Much like the dorms, each hall leads to separate living spaces and the stairs go up to the floors above.”

When he pushed the door open, she gasped. The floors were hardwood with large area rugs of plush carpeting throughout. The kitchen held cherry wood cabinets and granite countertops. A decent sized stainless steel fridge and stove nestled in as if they were made specifically for that kitchen. She ran her fingers along the granite countertop as she made her way to the small dining area.