School was an epic nightmare. People stared and whispered all day. It was nothing compared to the reaction we got in gym class when we went back to wearing short sleeve shirts. I couldn't say it was a bad idea though. I had a possessive happiness that made me glad that everyone knew all the guys were unavailable. We got a lot of looks during gym and Rowan stayed close by my side. Even in the locker room which was weird, but she was careful not to watch me change. We were doing laps around the gym the twins and Rowan were staying close and I was okay with that because of the stares.

Most just seemed curious but there were a few others that seemed more vicious. I caught another girl glaring at me, but she looked away as soon as I caught her staring. "Why are they looking at me like that?" I panted out as we started on the last lap.

I was surprised when it was Rowan to answer that question as I had expected one of the twins to. "A lot of people don't trust species like yours or mine. I can literally look like anyone in this room and you can control any of them, well besides your bonded mates. Plus you've bonded the four most powerful men in this school to you, so there's that too."

I stared over at her my mouth hanging open even through the heavy breaths from exertion. "You can look like anyone? I don't know why I thought you could only look like this and the other form I've seen."

We finally stopped and I took deep lung filled breaths. Rowan turned to face me barely even breathing hard. "No, I can look like anyone. This is my younger sister. It's easier if you keep some of your natural features for long period shifts we end up picking family members with closer resemblances." She explained.

Now that she had said it I could see the similarities to her natural form. I guess the jarring difference made me overlook the subtle similarities. "She's pretty. Or your perception of her is." I told him honestly.

She gave a soft smile. "She was beautiful." The sadness in her tone made me swallow hard.

The sorrow weighed like a brick in my chest. I had to take a few breaths to focus enough to block her emotions out. "I'm sorry. I'm sure she would have grown up to be quite the woman with a big brother like you to model after." The words may seem empty from the small amount of time I had known Rowan, but it was true.

I could tell she was a good person. Even when she was taller than Maddox and had more graffiti than a broken-down train. The glassy look in Rowan's eyes made me want to hold the smaller girl in comfort even though I knew she was really a big strong ASF agent. She looked away when the teacher called us to attention. I wanted to talk more about Rowan and his sister and everything else. There was something about her that made me want to understand more about her and what makes her tick.

After class the four of us headed toward the café. I had called off way to much lately and I needed to get back to it. I also needed to call my mom and tell her about everything but the guys had convinced me to do that after work so I could have enough time to answer all of her questions. In my Jitter Beans tee my marks were on full display without the long sleeve shirt I had been wearing under it recently. The moment we walked into the café I saw James taking them in and he smirked. Mandy didn't look up when the door opened, and I noticed that her usual cheer wasn't there. I hoped she wasn't getting sick. I knew arcane species had better immune systems than humans, but it was possible for us to get sick.

I waved to Rowan and the guys before making my way behind the counter. James smiled at me in greeting. Mandy finished up with the customer she was ringing up before she turned towards me and took off the apron. "Hey." She greeted glumly.

"You okay?" I asked placing my hand on her elbow.

She looked down at my marked wrist and her brows went up, "You've been holding out on the secrets. Aren't work best friends supposed to tell each other everything?" She said with false cheerfulness.

I shrugged, "I had to be careful. You know how the arcane community feels about my species." I whispered.

We were alone up at the counter, so I didn't have to worry about anyone over hearing. "I know. I'm not upset. I'm just not feeling well today. It's been a rough week." She gave me a small smile.

I returned it squeezing her arm gently. "Get some rest and eat a ton of ice cream. That always makes things better." I told her.

She gave me a real smile and nodded her head before heading out. Jame's steped up to me now that we were alone behind the counter and handed me a fresh apron. "So, four mates? How much do you want to bet that I can guess them all?" He said with a twinkle in his eye.

I laughed at that, "No way am I taking that bet."

He shruged, "I already knew there was something more going on between you and them?" He replied.

"How?" I asked with my brows furrowed.

"You always come in here smelling like them and it pisses all of them off when I stand to close to you or make you laugh. Though I admit I do those sometimes just to rile up the greedy one." He smiled.

I frowned at him, and he shrugged his shoulders before continuing, "I mean look at the face he's making. It's funny."

I glanced over at Caden to see the way he was frowning and staring intently at the small space between James and me. I tried not to smile at that but failed. I wanted to be mad at James, but I couldn't lie and say the face Caden was making wasn't funny. I hadn't really seen Caden make a face life that outside of that time I said I should leave them alone so they wouldn't be dragged into my problems. I rolled my eyes taking a step away from James to head towards the displays and putting more sandwiches and treats out. James took over the register and I went about making drinks and heating up sandwiches for everyone.

I hadn't really been looking forward to work but getting into the work drew my mind away from everything serious going on. It was nice to not focus on all of my problems for a little while. Once the other guys got here, they all sat at their usual table and drank their coffee and ate. They trickled out slowly until it was just Rowan and Dante. They were discussing something I had no doubt was about my safety. Dante looked upset and Rowan shook her head. He wrinkled his nose in anger before getting up and heading over to the counter where I was standing. He stood there for a moment before her frowned at me. "I need to run back to school. I left something I need for an assignment. Will you be okay here without me?" He looked torn.

I glanced over to where Rowan was rolling her eyes at him. "I'll be fine." I reassured him.

He ran his teeth over his bottom lip a few times, "It can just wait till tomorrow."

"Dante, I'll be fine. Go get what you need. I will see you tonight. It's your turn to make dinner." I reminded him knowing that it meant delicious Mexican food.

He nodded his head, "Okay. But call me if you need anything. I want to know if anyone so much as looks at you sideways." He told me.

My brows went up and I shook my head at him, "Yes sir." I grumbled.

His eyes flashed with heat and James coughed rubbing at his nose. Dante glanced at him before he looked back at me. "If you're a good girl you can have a treat tonight." He whispered.

It was my turn to flush and get heavy lidded. "Will you two stop it. I'm trying to work over here." James muttered.

I then remembered that he was a shifter too and could smell our arousal. This was embarrassing. Not more embarrassing than throwing myself into Rowan's arms the night before when he had given me the panic button but still embarrassing. "Get out of here before you get me fired." I told him with a smile.

After Dante left things went back to normal for the most part. More people stopped to stare at me while I handed over their orders, but nobody said anything. James and I continued our normal banter and he didn't make me feel like a freak for my species and the binding marks around my wrist. Though he did seem more reserved than usual being careful not to touch me. I hadn't noticed how he often casually touched me while we worked together until he no longer did it. It was a strange realization. It made me wonder if James had wanted there to be more between us than just friendly coworkers.

After work Rowan and I walked back to the cabin. Things were quiet on the way there and the twins and Maddox were in the living room when we got there. Dante was in the kitchen making my favorite chicken tacos with onions and cilantro. I walked up behind him and stole a piece of chicken before popping in in my mouth. When I went to steal another piece, he swatted my hand away from the food before I could reach it. I gave him a pout, but he ignored it. "Go sit down. I'll have dinner on the table in a moment."

"Yes sir." I said teasingly but gave his butt a good swat on my way by.

The night seemed normal, and I was happy with that. Though I knew after dinner I would need to have that talk with my mom. In a way I almost wished Dante would take longer to finish up dinner. My stomach wouldn't appreciate it, but my nerves would. I huffed out a breath accepting my fate. The only question was did she know or would this be as much of a shock to her as it was to me?