Fighting Darius - Book cover

Fighting Darius

Nicole Riddley

All That Rhymes

PENNY

JUNIOR YEAR OF COLLEGE

PRESENT DAY

PENNY

I can’t stop thinking about Darius.

He’s in the back of my mind, no matter what I do. No matter where I go.

His icy blue eyes. His angular jaw. His perfect muscular body.

I want to be with him, to feel his touch on my skin.

But I know that’s a fantasy. I’ll never see him again.

I feel my stomach constrict. My eyes grow wet.

Stop it. Stupid Penny. Focus on the professor.

The lecture drones on. I stifle an urge to yawn. Why am I here again? Oh yeah, to have a full college experience.

I glance around me. I’m the only werewolf here in this lecture hall. The only werewolf among the sea of humans.

Oww… An elbow pokes me, and I turn to scowl at my human friend Lily. She just giggles and grabs my arm to pull me closer so she can whisper into my ear, “Look at that hottie over there.”

She draws an arrow on my notepad pointing toward a guy sitting two rows in front of us. I can only see the back of his head, but he seems okay.

Tall, broad shoulders, short dirty-blond hair. So this is the guy my three human friends were giggling and whispering about.

What were the chances that I’d find like-minded girls who are just as boy crazy as I am in a college like this? Huge. I made friends with Lily, Amanda, and Keisha the first week I got here.

“Promising,” I jot down on the pad next to the arrow.

“Promising? Penny, he’s hot!” exclaims Amanda in a loud whisper as soon as she sees what I wrote. A few students turn to look at us in irritation.

Lily turns to the others, and they start whispering and giggling again. I fight an urge to roll my eyes. They’re so like high school girls.

Well, maybe that’s because they came here right after high school. I had three years to grow up a bit, though I doubt I look a day over eighteen…or, if I were honest, behave much better myself.

I try to copy the notes and the names of authors and titles of suggested reading scribbled on the board.

“Okay, Miss Promising,” whispers Lily, turning to look at me again. “We dare you to go and talk to Mr. Hottie right after class.”

She looks at me smugly. Oh, I don’t chicken out from dares. Ever. She knows that.

“What do I get out of this?” I quiz her.

“Cappuccino from your favorite café for his name and phone number,” answers Amanda from beside her.

“Your whole lunch, and that includes fries, paid for if you get him to join us for lunch today,” adds Keisha.

“Plus that cappuccino?” I ask them. At their nodding heads, I say, “Done!”

I start to gather my things together. I have to be quick to catch this hottie before he leaves the lecture hall.

I’ve been here almost a month now. I’m living with the lycans, but I’ve been trying not to spend all my time with them. They just remind me of him. Darius.

The lecture ends, and our target is getting up. Time to move my ass before he gets away.

“Get your money out, bitches. Get ready to pay for my lunch,” I mutter to them with a grin and a wink as I get up and sashay my way toward the hottie.

The view from the front is actually quite nice. He isn’t that bad-looking at all for a human. He’s about six feet tall, nice body, dark-gray eyes, and dirty-blond hair.

Not anywhere near as good-looking as Darius, says a little nagging voice in my head that won’t shut up.

I shake my head a little. I’m here to forget all about that lycan. Forget all about the three years I wasted on a man who doesn’t want me.

There I go again, thinking about him. I can’t help it.

Even as I hurry up to the hottie and tap him on the shoulder, my mind is on Darius.

***

I found out that the hottie’s name from the lecture hall is Daniel. He joins us for lunch at the college center food court, so Lily, Amanda, and Keisha are thrilled.

I have my lunch paid for and a promise of a cappuccino from my favorite café on Monday, so I’m good.

“So, are you guys going to the Sig Ep party tonight?” asks Keisha. “Penny, you’re going, aren’t you?”

I can’t blame her for thinking that I would be going to the party. I’ve been partying like it’s going out of style since I got here.

It helps me forget for a while. It numbs the pain and fills the emptiness in my chest for a bit. I get wasted only for an hour or so at the most because of my werewolf high metabolism.

I can drink any frat boy under the table, which is great for beer pong and stuff. I made out with several random guys, which doesn’t do anything for me.

No kisses even come close to the one that I had with Darius. I end up getting more pissed off than ever with him because he spoiled it for me.

Honestly, I’m starting to get bored of the whole thing by now. Not that I’m ever going to admit it to anybody.

“Nah, I think I’ll pass this time.” I wave my hand dismissively.

“Really?” asks Lily, looking surprised.

“You’re not going?” says Daniel, looking oddly disappointed.

“What about you, Daniel? Do you have any plans for tonight or this weekend?” Amanda bats her eyelashes at him.

“That’s my house. I’ll be at the party,” he says.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come, Penny?” He directs his dark-gray eyes at me. “I’ll make sure you have a great time.”

“Well, I’m going. Will you make sure I have a great time?” asks Amanda flirtatiously, placing her hand on his arm.

This has been going on for a while. It’s obvious that Amanda likes Daniel. I lost interest right after I managed to get him to have lunch with us.

I’ve got my free meal and a promise of a free cappuccino. I’m done. Daniel seems to think that the invitation to lunch is a prelude to something more.

“Sure,” he says, glancing at Amanda. “Just find me when you get there.”

He turns back to me and says, “I’ll keep an eye out for you just in case you change your mind, Penny.”

I smile noncommittally and spot Amanda giving me a death glare from the other side of him. I almost let out a snicker.

She didn’t have enough courage to approach him in that lecture hall, but now that I’ve done the dirty work, she’s all over him. Well, Amanda, you can have him.

“OMG! I think I just died and saw an angel,” whispers Lily. She and Keisha have their eyes glued to the entrance of the food court.

I swivel around to look and almost roll my eyes.

Angel? More like a devil incarnate. Caspian is sauntering in as if he owns the place. Not a single blond hair is out of place. Everything about him screams beauty and power and wealth.

All the girls in the plaza are staring at him as if he’s god’s gift to the female and some male populations, but I know better.

He’s here to torture me, I just know it. I’ve been trying to keep my group of lycan friends and human friends separate.

Each group doesn’t know the other one exists. With the schedule they have, it has been successful so far. Until now. I knew it wouldn’t last long.

Caspian and I have morning classes, and we came together today, but I was planning to take a bus to town and walk home from there.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! He’s coming this way,” says Keisha, almost hyperventilating. I stare at her worriedly for a little while.

As he gets closer, Caspian smiles, flashing his straight white teeth at me.

“Do you know him?” whispers Lily.

“No,” I answer quickly.

Caspian’s smile grows bigger, and his eyes glint with mischief. I know he can hear us with his lycan superhearing. His striking green eyes observe the way Daniel’s body leans toward me.

“Hey, baby. Ready to go home now?” asks Caspian.

“I don’t know you.”

I am about to scream “stranger danger” when he drawls, “Awww…c’mon, honey. Are you still mad at me about last night?”

I look at him aghast. What?

“Nothing happened last night!” I huff.

“I know, I know…you don’t have to remind me about that. I’ll give it to you tonight. All night long if you want me to. I’ll make you scream my name from dusk till dawn, sweetie. I promise.”

WHAT?!

With that, he swoops down and grabs my bag and me from the chair.

“Now say goodbye to your friends,” he says indulgently, almost as if he’s talking to a five-year-old.

Daniel, Lily, Keisha, and Amanda are staring at us like we’re a five-headed alien from planet Zork.

I open my mouth to protest, but only a strange, strangled, screeching sound comes out of my mouth. It sounds like a cow dying. At least, that’s what I imagine a dying cow sounds like.

His arm is like a band of steel as he steers me out of the building and into his waiting, flashy red Porsche.

What had just happened?

When we get in the car, Caspian says hurriedly, “I have some news for you Penny.”

“Is it good news or bad news?”

He gulps. “Darius is coming. And he’s staying with us.”

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