A COURT OF SHIFTERS AND SECRETS

T W E N T Y - T H R E E

Nova

"You keeping tabs on me Little Star?"

My eyes widened at his words sudden nickname for me.

"What?"

"I said," he leaned into those blue eyes lighting up as he gazed down at my face "You keeping tabs on me little Star?"

Was he...was he flirting with me?"

"Who the hell are you?" I blurted, catching him off guard as he blinked at me "And what have you done to the asshole that normally inhabits that body?"

"What?" he asked on a laugh, taking a step away from me "What kind of question is that?"

"A sane one" I said seriously "Considering that the only human emotion you've ever shown me is hate."

"I don't hate you."

I snorted "Could have fooled me."

"I don't hate you Nova" he remarked sarcastically, with a roll of his blue eyes "I just hate what you stand for."

I reared my head back in shock "What in the ever-loving hell does that mean?"

"Nova..." he sighed.

"What does that even mean Phoenix?" I growled "You don't hate me but you hate the idea of me?"

"You stand for so much more than you think little Star" he said, his voice solemn and earnest "Haven't you noticed the uproar you've caused since you've arrived?"

"Yeah" I deadpanned "It's because I'm new here and people tend to get excited when a shiny new toy enters the picture, especially one that's from a land that y'll barely interact with."

His lips twitched.

"People around here are used to new things or things changing all the time" he said "They usually go back to normal within the hour, not gawk or avoid eye contact for a whole month and a half."

"Of course they gawk" I growled "After Atlas' little stunt the other day, I'd be scared and weary of the new girl too."

He shook his head, stepping into my personal space a tad bit more than what I would usually be comfortable with.

Except, this was the only time, where it wasn't completely unbearable to have someone crowding my personal space.

I squirmed at the sudden heat his skin was radiating, and I swear to god it felt like I was feeling his warmth though the thin material of my uniform.

And I was definitely not liking the way my body was responding to said heat.

"They gawk at you not because of the stunt that idiot pulled" he uttered as I gasped, his fingers somehow sneakily working their way on my right hip and gripping it tight "Nor do they ogle at you because you're one of the most gorgeous women they've ever seen. They gawp at you because of who you are and what you stand for, something not every wolf in the world is happy about."

"What do you mean?" I whispered, my breath catching at the sudden fire blazing in his eyes.

An emotion I've never seen on his except for that sparing glance at the old photo on Saoirse's phone.