Noah came back when there was enough light coming through the window that Eli could see shapes and figures through the bandages on his eyes.

“Where were you?” Eli asked, the second he identified that it was in fact Noah sneaking quietly through the doorway and not Matthew coming to try and break the other arm. His voice came out agitated and accusing.

“We were watching a movie, I fell asleep. I’m sorry Eli, I didn’t mean to leave you alone.” Noah’s voice dripped with regret. He sat on the bed next to Eli, rubbing his back in a reassuring way. “How are you feeling?”

Eli hadn’t been able to fall back asleep, his nerves and body too agitated to settle down. And worse than that, worse than being blind in an unfamiliar place, and worse than that ache in his wrist, was Cameron’s mark. It had been too subtle to notice when he’d first woken up, but with each passing hour it started to ache more and more. Heat seemed to be bleeding from the mark into his entire body, making his body flush hot, and his face burn.

“I want to go home,” Eli said, standing. He could gleam just enough that he could pace the bedroom without knocking into the furniture.

“We’ll go back soon, once dad is awake, he’ll sort out security for the house. We’ll be home in no time.”

Sure. But what if his dad needed to stay in hospital longer? A few more days? A few more weeks? Eli shuddered, pressing down on the mark. That was too long. Way, way too long. He didn’t know how he was going to get through the next few hours, nevermind any longer than that.

“Maybe you should sit down?” Noah suggested.

Eli stopped in the middle of the floor. “Wait. Are you telling me you and Matthew watched a movie together?”

Noah snorted. “Of course not. I met the other students and they invited me to join them. They asked if you wanted to come to, but when I came back to check on you, you’d already fallen asleep. After everything I didn’t want to go waking you up, Matthew said you’d been up all night with me at the hospital.”

“What are they like?”

“They’re real cool,” Noah answered immediately. “And they showed me their curriculum. I’m actually looking forward to getting to attend a few classes.”

“Attend? Attend what? We’re not going to this academy.” Eli said. Were they seriously going to make Eli attend werewolf hunting classes? That was total bull. Not to mention Noah couldn’t exactly sit in on a lesson detailing a shifter’s weakness and not question a thing.

“Eli, I really thing you should sit down,”

“Why?”

“Because you’re going to wear down the floor at this rate,” Noah said. “Come on, I know you’re stressed out, I am too, but everything’s being taken care of. All we have to do is sit tight and we’ll be back home before you know it.”

“I don’t like it here.”

“Why not?” Noah challenged him. “There’s a big rec room, a massive kitchen with anything we might like to eat inside, plenty of space outside if you want to wonder around, and the other students are friendly as well. Would you have preferred we were stuck in a motel somewhere, not allowed to go near the windows?”

“I’d rather be at the hospital.”

“You know why we can’t do that,” Noah said. “Like I said, I know that this is upsetting. I’m pretty upset too. But it’s not like finding things to hate about our situation is going to change it. So, rather than get yourself worked up, why don’t you come with me and we can find something to occupy ourselves?”

“Like what? Should I watch tv? Read a book. Must be nice being able to see.” Eli knew that taking it out on Noah was mean, but he couldn’t stop his mouth from running. It was like all the irritation that Matthew had forced him to keep in was now spilling out, and Noah was in the splash zone.

“We can go for a walk, get some fresh air. I think it would do you good.” Noah said, an edge of something that wasn’t overwhelming concern and understanding in his voice. He was getting annoyed with Eli. Eli went to the window, pressing his forehead to the cool glass and letting its chill shiver down his skin.

The mark throbbed to the point of pain, and Eli’s thoughts came in quick snaps. Should he run away? Could he even manage that? Forget the danger of the rogue, this needed a solution now, before Eli lost his sanity.

“Is your shoulder bothering you?” Noah asked, after Eli stayed silent to his suggestion of going outside. “I can ask Katie where the painkillers are?”

“That might help,” Eli agreed. Noah went out of the room, and Eli sat on the bed, debating his options. His heated mind was spinning around uselessly in circles. There was no way Cameron could come here, not with what this place was, Eli couldn’t ask him to put himself into danger like that. But no matter how many angles he tackled it from leaving wasn’t an option for him at all. Permission or no permission, without protection he wasn’t stupid enough to go wondering around when the rogue had pretty much declared that he could find Eli wherever he went.

A strong throb went through the mark, and Eli doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Maybe Eli wasn’t stupid enough to sneak out now, but give it an hour, and he might not even be coherent enough to remember the danger. His body ached to take flight.

Noah came back, and Eli swallowed down the painkillers, praying they’d actually do something for him.

“Okay, um, maybe rather than a walk, I can put on a mov—some music? Oh, I know! I can download a few audiobooks for you to listen to?” Noah suggested.

“A walk might be okay after all,” Eli said.

Eli had been right. The cold morning air was an absolute blessing on his feverish skin. Noah led him between the large building they were staying in to a more modern shaped structure out the back. “The school?” Eli guessed.

“That’s right, you can see gym equipment up on the second floor, and I think the third floor is just one big library.” Noah described the finer details to him.

“Why do they need such a big place for a handful of students?”

“I guess they’re prepared for more, Matthew did say that a lot of the students had recently graduated.”

Recently graduated werewolf hunters, just what Eli’s world was missing. “Do you think there’s a landline in there?”

Noah hesitated.

Eli, overly aware of everything around him at that exact moment, noticed. He turned his head toward Noah. “Do you have a phone?”

“I know you want to call Cameron, but you already text him last night, and Matthew said—”

“It’s not like I’m going to ping him my location,” Eli said. And maybe talking to him, and hearing his voice, even if it was through a phone line, would help with the mark. The last time he’d felt anything close to this was when Cameron had marked him but they hadn’t completely the mating process yet. Being separated during that time had been near impossible with Eli’s body shutting down. Plus, when they were finally together then Eli had a hard time not just throwing himself at Cameron.

“You could send another text,” Noah said. “We can ask Matthew when he’s back—”

“Do you have a phone?” Eli repeated.

“We’re not allowed to call anyone, Eli.” Noah replied. There was something sterner in Noah’s voice, as his attitude changed from convincing Eli to telling him. “And I’m not going to stand out here arguing with you about it either, we were told already.”

Eli struggled as his irritation flared up. Don’t pick a fight, don’t pick a fight. He let out a shaky breath, releasing the anger and accepting Noah’s answer. His success in wrangling his emotions into control felt as big a feat as killing that siren. Maybe even more of one, Eli wasn’t exactly the king of reigning in his own urges.

“Are you cold?” Eli forced his voice to come out friendly. Noah’s arms were tightly crossed.

“It’s freezing,” Noah replied.

“Maybe if you had more muscle it wouldn’t hit you so hard,” Eli observed.

“Excuse me?” Noah asked, his entire being more offended and provoked now than he had been during their short arguments before. “I work out every day, and I do soccer and judo—”

“Cameron doesn’t work out that much and he’s like, buff.”

Noah stammered, seeming so flabbergasted by Eli’s attack it rendered him speechless. “First of all, if Cameron’s been telling you he doesn’t work out that’s a load of bull, because he does. And second, he’s not even close to buff. Matthew’s buff, Cameron’s just in shape.”

Of course Noah had to bring Matthew into the conversation.

“If Cameron’s in shape, that means you’re…?”

“Also in shape,” Noah grumbled. “Pretty good shape for your information.”

Eli felt a little better now. “How about you show me this amazing kitchen you’ve been going on about?”

Noah was still grumbling as he led them back down the path to the dorms and into the kitchen. He guided Eli to a stool, and Eli was able to lean on the counter as Noah moved around, searching cupboards for bits and pieces.

“What did you have in mind?” Noah asked.

Eli wasn’t really hungry. He’d eaten that turkey sandwich this morning, though his appetite had been spoilt by the time he got to the waffles.

“Something sweet.”

“Pancakes?” Noah suggested. “There’s a lot of fruit here, we can have them with cream and strawberries, raspberries, blackberries… sound good?”

“Yeah.”

Noah moved about, mixing ingredients and pulling out utensils, with the practice of someone who had done this a million times before.

Footsteps caught Eli’s attention. First, moving about on the floor above him, and then gradually coming closer, until they were descending the stairs. Eli tensed. He turned his head, watching as they came into the kitchen, but all he could tell with his limited vision was that it was a woman, and she was about as tall as Eli was. Everything else was a mystery.

“Morning,” she greeted them bright and friendly.

“Hey, morning.” Noah said back, just as friendly as she was.

“Ooh, pancakes? Think I could steal a few?” She asked.

“Of course.”

“All Harry ever makes for us is porridge or else boiled eggs. Imagine the struggle of getting out of bed when you know a bowl of porridge of is waiting for you in the kitchen.” The distain in her voice seemed genuine. Despite himself, Eli already didn’t hate her. His instincts must be total crap, because he definitely should be wary of anyone associated with this place.

“Eli, right? I’m Katie.” Katie hopped herself up onto the stool next to Eli. “Harry said you two are you going to be joining us for class?”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath.”

Katie seemed momentarily startled. “Oh?”

“Don’t mind him,” Noah chipped in. “He barely attends class at the best of times.”

Eli shot the back of Noah’s head an annoyed look. Couldn’t he back him up here? Of course, it’s not like Noah knew why Eli wasn’t keen on going to any classes.

“I promise, this place is way more fun than high school,” Katie said in earnest. “There’s the regular classes, you know, maths, English, science, but all the other modules? Where else in the world could you actually learn to use a sword?”