15

The first run with Grayson was still a little strange. We didn't speak another word to each other. Not that I would ever have been able to. While it was a warm-up lap for him, I was completely exhausted by the end. I felt like a person who needed training to keep up my strength.

Jade trained me every night and at the end of each session Grayson was waiting for me to go running with me. He never asked why I went running in my human form or why I was so keen on training with Jade.

He never asked me anything at all. The only thing he paid attention to the whole time was that no one approached me. Poor Matthews tried to hit on me again after our first encounter.

Grayson had scared him almost to death and even I had gotten so scared of Grayson when he threatened him that I stopped myself from letting Matthews get more than thirty feet from me.

He'd been so angry when Matthews just wanted to get to know me. It had been a harmless conversation. He was curious and maybe a bit worried about how I would survive the fox hunt.

He had given me some tips from his older brother who used to be one. Not that I knew all that about Jade, but it felt good to talk to him about it.

What was good for me was obviously not good for Grayson. He made sure I couldn't converse with anyone other than female classmates. When he wasn't around, his brothers were.

Over time I managed to ignore it. It was even easier for me to focus on my subjects again, and I pushed aside the thought of begging my brother Caleb to get me out of here.

"Interesting topic today, isn't it?" Trevor snapped me out of my thoughts.

We were on our way to the library. Trevor always accompanied me to the library after classes while Grayson waited for me after my session with Jade. On the other hand, I only saw Taylor outside of class in the canteen. He was always in a good mood and it almost seemed like he made it his mission to put a smile on my face once a day.

"Difficult subject," I murmured. It was all new to me. I knew in theory that it was possible to hide your scent, but until today I hadn't known anything about the different possibilities.

For me, however, it would play a crucial role in fox hunting. The freezing cold out there knew only one scent, water. Any other scent would immediately stand out. Every flake of skin, every hair we lost would mark a trail, albeit only for a short time due to the freezing temperatures.

"Which of the options will you choose?" Trevor strolled beside me and kept glancing in one direction or another. Would the three never stop looking for danger?

"I don't know yet. I was hoping to find more answers in a couple of books. It was all pretty vague today."

"Right," Trevor murmured.

I stopped just before we reached the library. My eyes went in a certain direction. I've seen Caspian for the first time in weeks. I still had a hard time grasping who Caspian was. Caspian was a common name, he was just too popular in every pack.

But he wasn't just any Caspian. He was the Caspian - King Caspian - and I had taken him for an Alaiser. I wish he was one. They weren't as bad as it turned out. The feeling of wanting to be close to him was still there, but it was diminishing every day. Maybe because it was the first time I'd seen him in weeks.

He argued vigorously with Grayson and Esme. Grayson had one arm wrapped around Esme like he did the first time he shooed Matthews away. I felt a strange tightening in my chest. There was something about this situation that I didn't like at all.

"Come on Tara," Trevor grabbed my wrist, but I refused to go any further. Even though I couldn't hear what they were saying, something kept me from going to the library.

I looked at Caspian, who was looming over the two of them. Although Grayson was abnormally tall, like his brothers, Caspian seemed to grow as he towered over them.

Grayson pushed Esme protectively behind him. This scene evoked two feelings in me. Knowing that he obviously genuinely cared about others when it wasn't his job, and knowing that I was only his job.

"Tara?" Trevor looked at me questioningly and gripped my wrist tightly. It was clear that he would not let me go to them. There was a desire within me to do something that surprised even me. I remembered Caspian's words about not doing it when I felt it and pulled myself together.

"I'm coming," I assured him. I willingly let him lead me to the library and once again refused to look at the three. I went into the area that contained all the books about our existence and specifically searched for books that hid what we were.

Turns out there were more books about it than I realized. I ran my fingers over the spines of the books, unsure of which one to take first. I ended up grabbing two and placing them on a table and looking at Trevor.

"I'll be here for the next three hours," I announced, like every day. We had agreed that he didn't have to sit next to me all the time, but could also pursue his interests while I was here.

During that time he got books that interested him and after the first few days I asked him to look for a different seat than the one next to me.

I flipped through the books at random. I didn't know whether to turn to the herbs and tinctures or any enchanted items. After realizing quickly that without a witch the latter is not possible, I turned to herbs.

I would still ask Esme. She would certainly know more than I can learn from the books today.

"What are you leaving?" I looked up from my book and, to my surprise, saw Grayson. I hadn't even noticed him, as I often do.

The book wasn't very interesting, so I wondered if it was my nervousness that made me focus solely on the book and not see anyone approaching me.

Grayson closed the book in front of me and read the title. He gave me a look I couldn't interpret. Then he opened it again and pushed it across the table back to me.

"Preparations. I'm preparing," I murmured. It sounded like a justification, when I was just deepening my knowledge and doing my homework after the course, objectively speaking.

Grayson looked at me silently for a moment, as he often did. His massive body hung over me like a shadow. Whether I was standing or sitting in front of him, it was like a protective hug he gave me, despite his blank face. These Alaisters were all so different and I had to admit that I was starting to like them.

He left without saying another word and came back a little later. He held two books in his hands. He put them on the table sat next to me and leafed through them. After a while he sighed and pushed the books towards me. He tapped on a certain spot.

"This is more helpful." Grayson folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. Dangerously, I picked up the book and scanned the passage he had opened. It wasn't something that was covered in class today and I wondered how he knew all this.

"You don't really think you're going to win with that?" he asked me before I could ask him anything.

"Why not?" It definitely improved my chances if I could hide my scent. Grayson rubbed his chin and let out a long sigh.

"Let's say you hide your smell, wouldn't the others do the same? You just wouldn't be able to know who's following you. You still know someone is following you. It's all window dressing and won't help you."

"Oh, is that so? And what would help me?" I asked defiantly.

"Friends," he replied tonelessly.

"You mean Jade?" He nodded. His eyes stared blankly at the bookshelf in front of him. Though his demeanor was, as always, dismissive, he drew my full attention as usual.

I closed the books and turned to him. If I stared straight ahead like that, all I would be looking at was his biceps, which were constantly twitching as if he were trying to cross his arms more tightly across his chest.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was hiding something from me. He was so different from his brothers. While he always claimed he was here to protect me, as were his brothers, he was the only one among them who wasn't comfortable in his own skin.

"Come on, it's time. Jade is waiting for you." A glance at my watch told me he was right, and I also wondered why I could only read a few pages.

I picked up my books, but Grayson shook his head. "These are better." He handed me the two books he'd gotten, took mine from my hand, and placed his two in my hand.

I stared at the books, but it was something else that irritated me. It was his fingertips brushing my hands as he did it. It was the tickling sensation they left behind and stole through my entire body.