Home > Lost (Silver Falls University #1)(7)

Lost (Silver Falls University #1)(7)
Author: M. Sinclair

“Sorry, I’m walking too fast for you.” He frowned, coming to a full stop and looking down at my shoes before making his way up my frame. My body lit up under his gaze. “Goddess, you’re a small thing, aren’t you?”

Insecurity hit me hard. Did he think I was too small? He probably was used to dating women like the ones from my pack. I hated that. I hated the concept of him dating anyone.

Wait, why did I care about him dating?

My lips twisted slightly. “I didn’t exactly ask to be this small.”

His eyes warmed as he squeezed our intertwined fingers. “Don’t worry, precioso, I think it’s cute.”

Oh. Well… that was a bit better. Did I want him to think I was cute? The men in my pack had always used way more crass terms. I don’t think I’d ever heard a man use the word ‘cute’ or ‘beautiful’ to describe a woman outside of a book.

“My name is Effie, by the way,” I offered as we continued walking, sneaking a look at him as we made our way down the cement staircase. “If you wanted to know.”

It was completely possible he had no interest in knowing my real name, but I literally had no idea what else to say to him. Plus, we were holding hands, so I couldn’t exactly avoid him. I examined our hands briefly, knowing that this wasn’t normal. I mean… I didn’t think it was. Then again, my wolf seemed okay with it, so maybe this was more normal than I realized.

His smile grew, flashing dimples. “I did. I love the name Effie. It suits you.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you.”

Alright, this man was authentically very sweet. It was like the Goddess had heard my inner ramblings and decided to prove me wrong. My wolf offered a small worried noise, looking around for his wolf, who we had yet to meet. I could feel him pacing inside of this man, but he wasn’t fully out. Why was he hiding him? Could I ask that without being weird? Probably not.

“My name is Julian,” he explained before we walked back outside on street level, an assortment of taxis and cars pulling to the curb. A rush of excitement hit me as I got my first view of Kirkwall, the snowy streets glinting off the light reflected by Lake Michigan in the distance. A splatter of blue and gray on the horizon had me wishing I could somehow capture the moment. I may not love being cold, but winter landscapes were absolutely stunning. I just preferred to look at them from a window, wrapped in a blanket with a warm mug of coffee or tea.

“Do you have a ride to campus?” Julian’s voice was soft and near my ear, making me realize he was looking down at me with interest, watching my reactions.

“No.” I offered him a slightly shy look. “We can share a taxi. I mean, if you are going there. You don’t have a bag, so I shouldn’t assume.”

His eyes filled with heat that had me letting out a small, almost dreamy sigh as he cupped my jaw, the touch heating my skin. “I would be normally, but I have something to do… unfortunately.” I could see the disappointment in his gaze, which went a long way to make me feel as if he was being honest. “Let me grab you a cab. I am meeting someone in five minutes, but I need to know you got to campus in one piece.”

Why wouldn’t I arrive in one piece?

Wait, that was a figure of speech. Wow. Glad I didn’t ask that one out loud. I had never regretted my lack of social interactions as much as I did in this moment.

I should have been way more cautious about this guy, but instead I found myself nodding. My wolf had never been so calm and curious around another shifter before, so I was hoping that we could trust him. I liked the warm feeling that he seemed to surround me with, and while that was a bit selfish, I couldn’t lie that his natural warmth and strength had me wanting to curl up against him like a kitten.

Gently ushering me towards a cab, he opened the door and began talking to the man in what sounded like Spanish. I only knew that because some of the characters on my favorite shows spoke it occasionally, and while his sounded a bit different, some of the words were familiar.

Looking around, I noticed a lot of people staring at the two of us, our hands still connected, and I had to wonder why. Was it me? Probably. Or maybe it was because he was so gorgeous. Way more likely. I frowned, realizing that I couldn’t even tell from a distance if they were human or not.

How did humans feel about wolves? Why did no one talk about that in the pack? I felt like that was important for me to know. Did they even know we were different in the first place?

I had come across a ton of fiction about shifters, but none of them held the truth about our packs. Well, at least not what I knew of fenrir and bitten wolves. So maybe the humans didn’t know the truth. And if they did, was it one they accepted?

Were they mad that Silver Falls University only accepted wolves? At least, that was my understanding of their application process—I had never heard of a human, or even another type of shifter, attending. I needed someone to ask questions to, and I was hoping that Julian may be that person. I guess I could also turn on the news, something that had never been allowed back in our home. Apparently, Gerald believed that it was ‘bullshit’ or something to that effect.

“Alright, Effie.” Julian opened the back door, sliding my bag in and then curling his large hands around my shoulders, looking at my jacket with a frown. “He is going to take you to the registration office on campus. He’s a shifter, so you should be fine… do you have a warmer jacket, by chance?”

I let out a small laugh because the question seemed to come out of left field. I shook my head, finding this man sort of adorable and sweet. I didn’t think men liked to be viewed that way, but I had never had someone treat me like this. It may have been a bit naive to soak in the attention, but I couldn’t help myself. This was both an unexpected and amazing turn of my day.

I didn’t expect it to last, of course, but for this moment, I would enjoy it.

“Here.” He shrugged off his jacket, revealing a muscular body underneath a long-sleeve shirt as I basked in the body heat that radiated off the coat he had me slide on. It was massive on my frame, and I blinked as I looked back up at him, feeling a bit dizzy with his earthy scent wrapped around me.

“You’re going to be cold,” I pointed out, my voice sounding almost whisper-like.

“Better me than you,” he insisted and then reached into my coat pocket, taking out the phone I had placed in there before standing up on the train. I frowned, not understanding how he knew where it was, but just watched as he typed something in and then leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my forehead and ushering me into the cab. I gripped the phone as he gave it back, and tried to figure out what to say. My skin felt as though it was sparking with heat from where his lips had brushed.

“Thank you for your help and the coat.” I smiled fully, unable to help it as his gaze ran over my face and he offered a sharp nod that had me warming.

“I’m going to call you right after this meeting,” he promised, and then his eyes turned darker, looking at the driver. “Make sure she gets there, safe and right away.”

The man nodded, and Julian offered me a small wink before shutting the door and stepping away. I let out a small exhale, realizing I’d been holding my breath around him. As the cab pulled away from the curb, I looked back at him, his gaze never leaving our vehicle.

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