Her Hidden Half (War Songs of the Courts #1)

Chapter Thirteen

Man, shifters did not mess around.

When they partied, they partied.

Alec had lent me a choker that prevented me from looking like a walking advertisement for hickies and ordered me to shower and change my clothes before we left. Apparently I still smelled of testosterone and sex; his words, not mine. From there it was pure chaotic fun. Alec had warned me, but it wasn't the same as seeing it first hand. Walking into a room with bodies filling it from wall to wall, I could already tell that this was unlike the kind of parties I was use to. Completely unregulated and lacking the usual party favors that usually came hand in hand with these things, it gave the room a contagious wild feeling of life, unconvoluted by drugs or alcohol.

When I had asked Alec if there was going to be alcohol, he face contorted into in distaste and told me shifter's didn't drink. Apparently it had no effect on them so drinking it would be like drinking bitter flavored water. There was no reason to do it. When I asked about drugs, he almost looked sick and simply said they had a bad reaction to drugs.

Yeah, I definitely wasn't a shifter.

Now, they may not have done the whole drugs and alcohol bit of things but they more than made up for it in sheer craziness. I spent the better half of the night dancing in a mob of sober shifters, bodies constantly colliding with mine in the euphoria that consumed the crowd. No one in the room stood in a corner or sat out on the sidelines to watch. Everyone joined in with smiles, dancing to the music that vibrated the floor, singing loudly to the songs even if they didn't know the lyrics.

Someone had caught Alec's interest at some point during the night. I decided to do the godly thing and told him to go do his thing. My own fun had me out until two a.m. that morning.

Now I sat in bed with a ghost of a smile on my face as I went over the night when I should have been halfway to my class by now. I sighed and reluctantly started to get out bed just to end up tumbling out instead.

"I don't need this. I could read the same boring book and learn the same exact thing in the comfort of my bed, but no. No, I have to get up early to meet a teacher who does nothing but ignore his duties and enjoy my pain," I grumbled as I crawled to the dresser.

"Yo, Echo. Girl. You okay in there?" I heard Alec's muffled voice through the door.

I stopped and turned to crawl to the door, opening it to complain. "It is possible to get a party hangover?" I whined, massaging my head.

When Alec didn't respond,I looked up to see him watching me with an odd expression.

I snapped my fingers up at him. "Alec, pay attention. I'm suffering here."

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, sure. It's possible." He squeezed past me and made himself comfortable on my bed.

"Why are you on the floor?" He asked, changing the subject.

"The floor and I have become good friends. I like to stay as close to it as possible because anything else is harmful to my well-being," I explained as I crawled to my dresser.

I pulled the first things I found out and blindly put them on, only caring about my comfort at that moment.

"Oh, baby girl, you cannot be this bad at dressing yourself. Even I know that those pants are sex repellent. As a friend I can't let you do that to yourself."

Okay, the pants were horrendous and baggy but I had exercised more than any person should in the time I'd been here and I deserved a lazy day. Besides, "That's even more reason to wear them."

I nodded to myself.

No more sexy time with the grumpy giant.

Alec narrowed his eyes at me in confusion. "Okay, I know my people, and you are definitely my people. One thing my people don't do is actively go out of their way to avoid getting some. What's going on, Red?"

My heart clenched when I heard him claim me as one of his people. I shook off the feeling as best as I could and climbed onto the bed next to him.

"Nothing, but I'm touched you called me one of your people." I gave him a small smile and he pulled me to him for a hug.

"Of course you're my people. Who else could put up with me? Hell, who else could put up with you?" He laughed softly.

"Okay, that's enough heart to heart time. I need to get to class or Mr. Woodward will kill me for being late." I kissed his cheek and jumped up.

I waved and quickly walked out of my room.

"Don't forget to close my door," I called back.

* * *

My study session with Mr. Woodward was... unusual.

He hadn't said a word about the fact that I had been late, he stared at me anytime he thought I wouldn't have noticed, and didn't even smile when I became visibly frustrated. He kept setting his book down to look at me with an expression that said he wanted to say something, then went back to reading for about ten minutes, only to repeat. Kieran hadn't been any better but at least I understood why he was acting more aloof than usual.

By the time I got to dinner I was exhausted by their behavior. I just wanted to eat and relax, that's it.

I sat at my usual table with my food and sighed with relief. Alec came from behind me, settling across from me as I took a bite of my sandwich.

"Echo?" Alec's asked with a seriousness in his voice that startled me. I quickly looked up to see his equally serious face and my heart jumped in panic.

"Yes?" I answered hesitantly, my mouth still full of food.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" He asked with the same tone.

I relaxed when I realized it wasn't serious. I put my sandwich down and swallowed roughly.

"Oh, for fucks sake, Alec. I'm not going to fuck or date you. I'm sorry, but we're too alike. It'd be weird," I said and went back to eating.

"That's not what I meant," he grumbled as his brows furrowed into a cute scowl.

There was a pause and I waited for the inevitable.

"And why not? I'm totally fuck worthy. We'd be awful at dating, but fucking? We'd do good together in bed. I bet we're compatible," he argued.

I suppressed my amusement and pretended to consider it, then wrinkled my nose in distaste and shook my head.

"I'm amazing in bed, Echo. To say you wouldn't fuck me if the opportunity presented itself would be to deprive both of us of a potentially amazing sexual experience. It's selfish, really." He sat back and looked at me with disappointment.

Wow. That was impressive.

"Alright, I wouldn't say having sex with you is out of the realm of possibilities in our future. Good enough?" I offered.

"For now," he said, unsuccessfully hiding his satisfaction at my statement.

I was just about to tease him when I saw the girl I hung out with at the party the night before. I caught her eye and she shook her head with a wide smile. My lips tilted up of their own accord and I watched as she walked past me, giving me a secret glance as she did. I may have stared at her ass a little too long as she went because I heard Alec make a noise of disbelief. I turned my eyes to him and sighed.

"Holy fuck, Echo. Forget to tell me something?"