Bewere the Night

THE COLDEST GAME by Maria V. Snyder

The screech of a small child being tortured woke Lexa. At least, that was what her alarm sounded like at four in morning. I feel your pain, girlfriend, she muttered under her breath as she swatted the clock before her roommate could growl.

Why? Why did I ever volunteer for the five a.m. shift? Lexa asked herself this every single Friday morning. The answer remained the same. Because I’m an idiot and fell for Ben’s bullshit claim that the morning shift is the most exciting. It wasn’t.

Grabbing her shower basket, she schlepped to the bathroom down the hall. Her choice of shower stalls remained the best thing about this time of day. Ah, dorm life.

After a scalding-hot shower, Lexa returned to her room. She dressed in the dark—jeans, sneakers, and a shapeless navy Penn State hoodie. Twisting her long brown hair into a knot, she tucked it under a navy baseball cap before leaving.

An early November fog blanketed the silent campus. Street lights reflected off the white mist. No one around—the only time Penn State’s main campus was this quiet. It matched her gloomy mood.

She’d been in a funk since Lauren, her younger sister had been killed by a drunk driver over Memorial day weekend. It deepened when Jason, her boyfriend of three years dumped her in September. Now failing thermodynamics, Lexa thought she’d never see daylight again.

Lexa headed toward the Walker Building on the western edge of campus. At least she had her own key now. Last week Ben had forgotten his, and they had botched the forecast in their haste. A couple radio stations had complained. What did they expect anyway? They were getting free weather forecasts from a bunch of student meteorologists after all.

When Lexa cut through West Halls, a strange icy feeling slipped down her spine. The campus was relatively safe, but her imagination conjured up all those horror movies that Jason had dragged her to see.

Perhaps she should have arranged for a security escort—some jock doing his good deed for the day, but she’d never felt unsafe on campus until now. She dismissed her anxiety as a product of her overdramatic imagination.

Just before she entered the short cut between Irvin Hall and Jordan Hall a low anguished growl emanated from the shadows. Logic urged her to run. But she savored the feeling of fear for a moment. Since Lauren’s death, she’d been going through the motions of living, trying to keep the painful storm of grief contained inside her. She felt nothing else.

Lexa lingered a moment too long. A black mass launched from the shadows. She fell back, banging her head on the cement as the heavy beast landed on her chest. In a flash, white pointy teeth dug into her neck. Burning pain squeezed her windpipe closed.

Black and white spots clouded her vision. Then the creature paused. It released her and bounded away as fast as it had appeared. She caught a glimpse of a four legged creature with gray fur stripped with black. A big fucking dog.

Blood gushed from her throat, soaking the collar of her hoodie. Dizziness and nausea swelled as she explored the ragged skin. A strange concern over the location of her cap floated through her mind before she passed out.

Unfamiliar voices woke Lexa. She squinted into a bright whiteness. The antiseptic smell matched the room’s décor—curtains hanging from a U-shaped track on the ceiling, florescent lights, and cabinets with glass doors.

Lexa touched her neck. Bandages covered her throat. A sharp ache pulsed from underneath the dressing.

The curtains parted and a tall young man entered. He skidded to a stop in surprise. Large splatters of blood covered his ripped white Penn State T-shirt and dotted his white sweat pants. Lexa’s first thought—college student was followed by—jock.

“You’re awake,” he said.

“Who … ” Her voice rasped painfully.

“Don’t talk … Wait.” He dashed away, calling to another.

A nurse bustled in and Lexa wondered if nurses ever just walked or sauntered. The student trailed after her. Concern creasing his forehead, he raked his fingers through his short spiky black hair.

“What—”

The nurse cut her off. She sent the student to the waiting room before asking Lexa questions. Lexa explained about the oversized dog. It didn’t take long.

“Was the dog foaming at the mouth?” she asked.

A vision of sharp teeth flashed in her mind. “No.”

“We’ll test for rabies just in case.” The nurse clicked her pen and wrote on her clipboard. “Miss Thomas, you’re in the Mount Nittany Medical Center’s emergency room. You have a mild concussion and four lacerations in your neck. We put in sixty sutures, administered a tetanus shot, and contacted your parents.”

She groaned. Mom probably freaked.

The nurse continued with a more scolding tone. “You’re extremely lucky. One of the lacerations exposed your jugular. If it had been torn, you’d be dead.”

Upset parents no longer seemed so bad. “How did I get here?” Lexa asked.

“A student found you and called an ambulance. He’s been here all morning.”

“Can you ask him to come back?”

“Sure. The doctor and the police will also be in to see you.” The nurse left.

The police? Lexa searched for her phone. It was in a plastic bag under her bed along with her clothes. No baseball cap. Ignoring the fifteen text messages and three voice mails from Ben, she called her mother, and endured the hysterics. Calming her mother, Lexa noted the irony of how she’d been injured, but her mother needed to be soothe.

“No need to come, Mom,” Lexa said for the seventh time. “I’m fine. It’s a couple of scratches, and I’ll be home in two weeks for Thanksgiving.” Their first holiday without Lauren—hell with turkey and stuffing.

Finally, her mother agreed. Lexa read through Ben’s texts. He’d teased her, assuming she slept in, but when she missed classes, his texts became more frantic. Avoiding another phone call, she texted Ben. Two seconds after she hit send, her phone vibrated with another message from Mr. Lightning Thumbs.

I’m coming.

She didn’t have the energy to argue. Besides, she’d need a ride home. Lexa tossed the phone on the table. There was no one else to call. Her roommate, Bubbles the aspiring freshman beauty queen, wouldn’t even notice her absence.

The curtain to her room parted, and the black-haired student entered. A wary concern lurked in his blue eyes as if he was afraid she would yell at him.

“Uh … the nurse said you … ”

“Thank you for helping me,” Lexa said. She gestured to the dried blood on his clothes. “Sorry about bleeding all over you. If the stains don’t come out, I can buy—”

“Don’t worry about it. I get blood on my clothes all the time.”

“Really?”

“Man, that sounded weird.” He crossed then uncrossed his arms as if he wasn’t sure what to do with them. “I play hockey.”

Her first impression of jock had been right. Plus only an athlete would have biceps that defined. “Are you one of Penn State’s Ice Men?”

“Yeah, I’m—”

A police officer stepped into her room. “Miss Thomas?”

She nodded.

“I’m Officer Reed of the State College Police. I’d like to ask you a few questions.” The officer addressed the hockey player. “You can wait at the nurses’ station. I’ve questions for you, too.”

“Yes, sir.” He retreated.

“Are you sure it was a dog that attacked you?” Officer Reed asked.

“Yes. It was gray with black stripes. It was wide and solid, not tall. Big teeth.”

He wrote a few notes in a small book. “Do you know Aiden Deller?”

The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it. “No. Who’s he?”

The officer gave her a tight smile. “He called the ambulance.”

“Oh.” She made the connection. Aiden Deller was a senior forward, and one of the top scorers for the Ice Men. The nickname Ice Men came from the precise, emotionless way they played.

Officer Reed’s next set of questions focused on Aiden and his timely arrival.

“It was an animal,” Lexa repeated. “Ask the doctor who stitched me up.”

“No need to get upset. I’m just eliminating all the possibilities. Dog attacks of this magnitude are extremely rare.” He handed her a card. “Call me, if you remember anything else.” Officer Reed left.

After twenty minutes, Aiden returned. “I overheard the nurses.” He pointed at her neck. “They mentioned a dog?”

“You didn’t see it?”

“No. As I told Officer Reed, I found you lying on the ground. Alone.”

She shivered at the memory. “I don’t think they believe me.”

“What were you doing out that early?” he asked.

Lexa explained about her forecasting shift.

“Meteorology, that’s cool.”

“Most people think it’s geeky.” Including Jason. “What’s your major?”

“Architectural engineering.”

“Wow. I thought—”

“Jocks aren’t smart?”

“No.” She rushed to assure him. “I thought you’d be doing something sports related.”

“Odds of me being drafted in the NHL are slim.”

“But you score a hat trick every game, and last year, you had the best record in the league.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Hockey fan?”

“Sort of.”

Aiden waited.

Lexa felt self-conscience, but she couldn’t let him think she’d lost her mind. “My ex-boyfriend is a big fan. He dragged me to all the home games the last three years, but I haven’t gone this semester. Besides,” she added to avoid sounding pathetic, “it’s impossible to score tickets this season, and I don’t want to be one of those fair weather fans.”

He laughed at the weather pun, but paused as if surprised by his own response. “If you’ve sat through those three horrible seasons, then you’re not at all like those filling the stands now.”

A smile tugged. “It was painful to watch.”

“It was painful to play.”

“The new coach made a big difference.”

Aiden sobered. “Yeah, Coach Hakim … who’d of thought a guy from Indonesia would know so much about hockey.”

Lexa detected bitterness in his voice.

“If I sent you a ticket to tomorrow night’s game, would you come?” Aiden asked.

“Of course, but—”

Ben arrived with two security guards in tow. “Can you please tell these goons that I’m allowed in here? I’m practically next of kin!”

Lexa grinned at Ben’s disheveled appearance—mussed brown hair in need of a cut, flannel shirt untucked and two days of stubble. They’d been best friends since freshman physics. He was the first person she’d called when Lauren had died. “It’s okay. He’s my ride home.”

He sputtered, but couldn’t complain since the guards left. “What happened? Your text—” Ben noticed Aiden standing on the other side of her bed.

The two men sized each other like warriors preparing to battle. Stocky but not fat, Ben was shorter than Aiden, who was all lean muscles.

Lexa introduced them. “Aiden, this is my friend, Ben Bernstein. Ben, this is Aiden Deller.” She explained Aiden’s rescue.

“What were you doing out that early?” Ben asked him.

“Running.”

“At four thirty a.m.?”

“Ben,” Lexa admonished.

“I better go. Coach has a fit if we’re late for practice,” Aiden said. “Where should I send the ticket? Or should I send you two?” He glanced at Ben.

“One’s fine. Ben hates hockey. I’m in 233 Runkle Hall.”

Ben huffed. “I thought you hated hockey. too.”

Lexa wished Ben would shut up. “You’re thinking of horror movies.”

“Uh-uh.” Ben looked unconvinced.

Aiden said good-bye. Lexa felt suddenly fragile as if he had taken a part of her with him. Silly nonsense. She touched the bandages. What would have happened if Aiden hadn’t shown up? Would the dog have killed her? At least she wasn’t disappointed about surviving.

Ben kept her company until the doctor discharged her. With instructions and prescriptions in hand, she followed Ben to his Ford Ranger pick-up.

He slid behind the wheel and started the engine. “You shouldn’t be alone. You can stay at my apartment tonight.”

“And listen to the he-man women haters club while I try to get comfortable on your cushionless couch? Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Hey, you’re member, too, and haven’t missed a meeting at the G-man.” He pulled into traffic.

“I’m not passing up free beer and hot wings.”

He gasped. “I should have suspected. You swore off dating women too easily.”

Lexa laughed, but stopped as pain ringed her neck.

Ben glanced over. “Wow. That’s the first time you’ve laughed in … months.”

“Don’t start.”

“Fine. Humor me and stay tonight. You can have my bed.”

“Bubbles is going home, and I have the room to myself.”

“Are you sure it’s not because you’re hoping Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor delivers that ticket himself?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Just don’t go all Florence Nightingale over him.”

“You have that backwards. I’m the patient.”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, Ben, I don’t know.”

“He probably has a dozen girls drooling over him. I don’t want you becoming Depressed Girl again.”

“You’re worse than my mother. It’s just a ticket to a hockey game.”

Yet the next day, a thrill of excitement rolled through her when she found an envelope under her door. Inside was one ticket to the game.

Lexa gawked at the packed stands. The Ice Pavilion’s bleachers stretched along one side of the rink. It appeared as if every seat was filled.

She glanced at her ticket. Section C. Row 5. Just as she suspected, the seat was one of the best in the pavilion. Dead center and high enough to see over the Plexiglas.

Sitting next to a beautiful blonde, Lexa scanned the small roped-off area. Many of the seats remained unoccupied, but a few pretty girls and two older couples sat around her. Ah, the girlfriend and parent section.

The blonde gave her the once over. Lexa tucked a hair behind her ear, feeling inadequate in her navy turtleneck and jeans. Wearing Ugg boots, a pink Eddie Bauer sweater, and a sorority pin, the blonde was probably the homecoming queen.

“Who are you here for?” the blonde asked.

“Aiden Deller.”

The blonde’s thin eyebrows rose slightly. “That’s surprising.”

“Why?” Lexa demanded.

“Oh, no offense. He just never invites anyone. Even his parents stopped coming.”

“Really?”

She gestured to the empty seats. “Most don’t. Ever since the guys have been winning, they’ve ignored everyone. Hockey is all they care about.”

Lexa watched the team warm up. A dead serious expression covered all their faces as they passed the puck with precise motions. She had heard the rumors, and the nickname, but to see them in action sent a chill along her spine. Aiden matched the other’s mechanical movements, but when they circled to return to the bench, he met her gaze and winked.

Feeling a little better, Lexa asked the blonde who she was rooting for.

“Ryan Collins, but not for long.”

“Why?”

“He’s lost interest in life. Ryan’s turned as cold as the ice he skates on. If you’re smart, don’t get involved with Aiden.”

“Oh. No, I’m not … He just … ” The game started, saving her.

With the blonde’s comments fresh in her mind, Lexa paid attention to the Ice Men. Since she had seen them last, they had improved in every way—skating, passing, working as a team. Yet when they scored a goal, they didn’t celebrate. No one raised a stick or smiled or slapped each other despite the crowd’s roar.

Deep in the third period, Aiden scored his hat trick. He pumped a fist and smiled at Lexa.

The blonde leaned close to her ear. “Maybe you should stick around. Aiden’s showing signs of life.”

The buzzer signaled another win for the team. Spectators filed out as the players lined up to slap hands. Lexa debated. Should she go?

As the teams broke apart and headed off ice, Aiden caught her eye. He put his hand up in a stopping motion and pointed down as if he wanted her to wait for him. She nodded. He gave her a thumbs up.

A strange tingling on her skin caused her to look across the ice. Coach Hakim stared at her. His hard expression unreadable, but she sensed trouble in his gaze. She shivered, and pulled her jacket closer. When she risked another peek, the coach had disappeared.

The stands were almost empty when a familiar voice called her name. Jason and the girlfriend stood a few rows down from her. They held hands. How cute. She braced for the dagger of pain, but felt nothing.

“I thought you didn’t like hockey,” Jason said.

She shrugged. “It grew on me.”

“Sure it did.” His sarcastic tone suggested otherwise. “Don’t you think this is a little pathetic?” He smirked.

“What is?”

“Coming here so you’d run into me, hoping I’d see you and regret dumping you.”

The girlfriend giggled.

When they’d been dating, they’d always done what he wanted, and never did anything she enjoyed. She studied Jason and wondered how she could have fallen in love with him.

“Get over yourself, Jason. I didn’t come here for you,” she said.

“Yeah? Then why did you come?”

“Because I invited her,” Aiden said. He held a hockey stick, and his hair was still wet from a shower.

Jason gaped and stammered.

“Ready to go?” Aiden asked her, holding out his free hand.

“Yep. I’m so done.” Without hesitating, she took his hand. They left the rink as if they were a couple. From the moment she touched him, she felt as if they’d been a couple for years. That kind of thinking would only lead her in one direction, back into the valley of pain where she’s been wallowing since May.

When they reach the parking lot in front of the pavilion, Aiden let go. “Sorry about that, but when I heard that son-of-a-bitch gloating … It was either that or I was going to punch him.”

“And ruin another shirt for me? I couldn’t handle the guilt.”

Aiden laughed. He stopped next to a black Honda Accord and unlocked the trunk. Tossing the hockey stick in, he closed it. “I’m starving. Do you want to go get something to eat?”

Her heart danced in her chest, but she replied with—she hoped—a casual tone. “Sure.”

“Great. Hop in.” He opened the door for her.

So polite. She slid into the passenger seat.

He settled behind the wheel. “Almost forgot.” Reaching into the back, he grabbed her baseball cap. “I picked this up after the paramedics left. Yours?”

“Yes. Thanks.”

“You don’t seem the baseball cap type,” he said.

“I’m not, but it helps disguise me when I’m outside alone.”

“You could arrange for an escort.”

“I could.”

He shook his head. “Do you mind if we go to Bellefonte for dinner? If I eat around campus, I get a bunch of drunk guys telling me how fabulous I am.” He gave her a wry grin. “I don’t mind being told I’m fabulous by drunk girls.”

“It must suck to be famous,” she said.

“Yep. Poor me.”

Lexa laughed. For the first time in months her stomach growled with hunger instead of swirling with nausea. For the first time the thought of her sister didn’t cause intense pain.

“Did you enjoy the game?” Aiden asked.

“Yes. But the players looked too serious.”

Aiden kept his focus on the road. “Coach doesn’t like us to celebrate goals. He thinks it’s poor sportsmanship. Actually, he tells us to leave all our emotions in the locker room. He says pre-game jitters, anger, or just stressing over a test can all get in the way of our performance.”

“That strategy is definitely working. No penalties, fights, plus the bonus of being undefeated.”

“Yeah. It’s nice.”

She sensed a but.

“How’s your neck?” he asked, changing the subject.

After dinner, Aiden drove her home. Before she opened the car door, he handed her a stack of hockey tickets.

“This isn’t going to help my thermodynamics grade,” she said.

“No problem, I got an A in thermo last semester.”

“Of course you did. Can you turn metal into gold, too?” she teased.

“All the time. Except for my hockey skates, they’re platinum—gold is too soft.”

She stood there grinning like an idiot as he drove away. She knew it couldn’t last, that he would leave her, too. At least when she hit bottom this time, it would be at full speed and cause major carnage.

Over the next five days, she saw Aiden every day. They either went to dinner after a game, or he helped her with thermodynamics. Officer Reed called her mid-week to report that they had caught a wild dog on campus. He wanted her to identify it. Aiden skipped practice to drive her to the pound on Thursday afternoon.

“Won’t your coach be upset?” she asked.

“Not for this.”

“Why not?”

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Lexa, I need a favor.”

“Sure.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

She shrugged. “Considering all you’ve done for me, it would have to be a crime for me to say no.” She kept her tone light.

Instead of smiling, Aiden grimaced. Uh oh.

He stopped at a red light. Meeting her gaze, he said, “I want you to tell Officer Reed that the dog they caught was the one that attacked you even if it isn’t.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later, although it’s hard to believe. Christ, I don’t believe it myself sometimes.”

“But if it’s the wrong dog, then the right one might attack—”

“Won’t happen. I promise no one will be harmed again.”

The light turned green. Aiden released Lexa from his intense scrutiny. Her emotions balanced on the edge, teetering toward the plunge. She touched her neck. Another turtleneck covered the bandages. The stitches would come out next week.

As the silence lengthened, she puzzled out the only logical explanation for his request. “Your dog attacked me.”

“I don’t have a dog.”

A painful knot tightened her throat. “Did you see what attacked me?”

“No. Yes. It’s complicated.”

Shit. The bottom rose to meet her.

Aiden pulled into the pound’s lot. “Please do this, and I swear, I’ll explain everything.”

Officer Reed met them in the lobby. “Ready?” he asked.

Lexa nodded. It was all she could manage. They entered the back room, and the dogs immediately started barking.

The volunteer seemed surprised. “Must be the uniform,” he muttered.

The accused dog matched Lexa’s description. The huge Mastiff had a black muzzle, and it had black stripes on a fawn-colored coat, which could be mistaken for gray in the dark. It growled, baring its sharp teeth when it spotted them. Its tail tucked under its body.

Without warning, a clear image from the attack flashed in her mind. This dog didn’t match at all. The muzzle was too droopy, the ears weren’t cropped, no white on its face, and it didn’t have long whiskers. Whiskers?

Aiden stood behind her. His hands rested on her shoulders as if he lent her support. Officer Reed eyed him with interest. Conflicting emotions struggled for dominance, Lexa didn’t know what to do. However, she believed Aiden when he promised no one else would be hurt.

“That’s the one,” she said.

“Really?” The volunteer scratched his goatee. “Normally, he’s a real sweetheart.”

“It’s obvious he doesn’t like her,” Officer Reed said. “Case closed!”

Aiden kept quiet as he drove toward campus.

Unable to endure the silence, Lexa said, “You were going to explain.”

“I will in Coach Hakim’s office. You—”

“Take me home.” The blonde at the game had been right, it’s all about hockey. Aiden had probably been running with the Coach’s dog that morning.

“But don’t you—”

“No. I don’t care. I just killed a perfectly good dog for you. We’re done.”

“But you need to talk to Coach.”

Fear’s icy fingers squeezed. “Are you kidnapping me?”

“No.” He drove her back to Runkle Hall.

Returning to her dorm room, she plopped on her bed, feeling numb. Her phone rang. If that’s Aiden … It was Ben. Disappointment stabbed. How crazy is that?

“I’ll pick you up at four twenty-five tomorrow,” Ben said.

“Tomorrow?”

“Campus weather. Remember?”

Barely. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I have pepper spray, and I need to do it myself. Like that old adage about getting back on the wagon.”

“Getting back on the horse,” he corrected. “Are you sure?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Except she wasn’t fine. Not at all. She stood outside Runkle Hall the next morning, holding her phone in one hand and the pepper spray in another. Convinced a huge dog lurked in every shadow, she couldn’t move.

“Lexa?”

She spun ready to push buttons when she recognized Ben. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry.”

“What are you doing here?”

He gave her a don’t-be-stupid look.

She drew in a deep breath. “Sorry. Thanks for coming.”

“I’m surprised Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor isn’t here. You guys have been spending all your time together.”

They headed west on Curtain Road.

“You were right about him,” she said. “But you’re not allowed to gloat.”

“Not even a little?”

“Nope.” After a couple minutes, she asked, “Do you know if there are any she-woman men haters clubs around that I can join?”

“Nope, but I’m sure my fellow he-mans won’t have any trouble swearing off men.”

The morning weather shift flew by. Lexa had an hour before her first class. She wasted time surfing the net instead of working on her thermo homework. Curious, Lexa pulled up pages on various big cats found in Pennsylvania, searching for one that matched the image in her mind. None. Remembering a neighbor who owned an exotic pet shop, she expanded to panthers and tigers. On Wikipedia, she leaned forward, clicking on the pictures of tigers to enlarge them. A wave of nausea hit her. That’s close. Except the creature that attacked her wasn’t orange, but gray.

Following a few links, Lexa found an article about a subspecies of the South Chinese Tiger which was rumored to have a slate-gray coloration called a Maltese Tiger. She swallowed as she peered at the artist’s rendering. Bingo.

What was Aiden doing with a tiger? He had wanted her to talk to Coach Hakim. She read Coach Hakim’s bio online. He was born in the city of Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. He spent every free moment of his childhood playing hockey. In 1980, he started skating for the Hong Kong Tigers.

The team’s name triggered a connection. Hong Kong was near South China. She read on. Hakim became head coach of the Tigers in 2003. After the Tigers won every single tournament in Asia, Coach Hakim was hired by Penn State.

When asked why Hakim moved half way around the world, he replied that he loved a challenge, and wanted to show Penn State fans that hockey was, “the coldest [coolest] game on earth.” The brackets translated the Coach’s meaning since English wasn’t his first language. From what Lexa knew about Hakim’s players, perhaps he had meant coldest.

She mulled over all the information. Did the coach own a Maltese Tiger? A tiger breed that has never been seen before? The World Wildlife Foundation would freak.

She startled when Ben tapped her on the shoulder.

“You missed thermo again,” he said. “Do you want to copy my notes?”

“Uh. Sure.”

Ben studied her. “Is Depressed Girl back?”

Lexa examined her psyche as if probing a sore tooth with her tongue. An ache for her sister flared, but nothing like the all consuming grief. “No. Depressed Girl is gone.”

“That calls for a celebration.”

“No time. I have to work on thermo for Monday’s test or I will fail the class.”

“I can help you with thermo. After all, I nursed you through meteorological instrumentation.”

“Thanks. Where?” she asked.

He gestured to the weather center. “This place is a ghost town on Friday nights. We’ll start right after dinner.”

After Ben left, she searched a few more sites on Asian ice hockey and tigers. She uncovered an odd link to a write up about a folk legend popular in Java, Indonesia that claimed were-tigers existed. When killed by a were-tiger, a man would lose his soul. The victim couldn’t reclaim his soul until he, in turn, killed another. Villagers in Java would watch the men closely, seeking the signs of soullessness—cold, emotionless, and without joy.

That description could easily describe the Ice Men. Which was ridiculous—another example of Lexa’s overactive imagination. Besides Aiden hadn’t acted like that at all. Without thought her fingers stroked her neck.

Even with thermodynamics to occupy her mind, Lexa felt Aiden’s absence. It started with a sense of loss. She couldn’t focus at all on Saturday night especially not during game time. Exasperated with her lack of concentration, Ben called it a night. They headed to the G-man to have the first men hater’s club meeting.

During the week, the hockey team had a series of away games. Lexa ached and felt as though she had lost a limb. She wasn’t Depressed Girl, but she couldn’t sleep or eat or concentrate for more than two seconds. Her symptoms resembled withdraw.

Perhaps she had been too hasty in sending Aiden away. Athletes were loyal to their coaches. Maybe Coach Hakim’s tiger escaped and Aiden had been trying to find it. Just bad luck she happened to find it first. Of course all this was pure conjecture. She needed to confirm the tiger’s existence.

After her thermo class on Friday morning, Lexa hiked out to Coach Hakim’s house. The team had an afternoon game at West Chester University and wasn’t due back until late. Lexa circled his house, but found no evidence that a tiger lived there. He didn’t even have a fenced in backyard. She returned to campus.

Instead of heading home, she entered the Ice Pavilion. She found Coach Hakim’s office, but the door was locked. Peering through the translucent glass, Lexa couldn’t see anything.

“What are you doing?” a deep male voice asked her.

She turned. Coach Hakim stood with Kyle Gant and Mike Miller, both defensemen behind him. He scowled.

“Uh … Shouldn’t you be with your team?”

“I came back early. But I’m glad you’re here, I need to talk to you.” He unlocked the door and drew her inside, motioning her to the seat facing his desk.

The defensemen followed. They stood in front of the closed door as if guarding it. Lexa glanced around. Equipment, trophies, binders, stacks of papers, and posters of tigers decorated the office. There’s a clue.

Hakim settled behind his desk, looking unhappy.

Fear bubbled up her throat. “Look, if this is about your pet tiger, I won’t say a word to anyone. I promise.”

He grunted. “Did Aiden tell you that?”

“No. I guessed. Isn’t that what attacked me? What you didn’t want the police to know about?”

“Sure. Let’s go with that.”

Confused, she said, “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Not really. I’m more concerned about Aiden. He hasn’t scored a goal since last Saturday night.”

“Oh. What—”

“You’re the reason, and we’re going to fix it tonight.” He stood. “Give me your phone.”

“Uh … I’d better go. I’ve a class—”

“Kyle, take her phone. Keep her here until the team returns.”

She jumped to her feet. “Hey!”

Even though she fought, Kyle confiscated her phone, shoving her back into the chair. When she stood again, he pushed her down and said, “Tape,” to Mike who moved to grab the black roll.

“No,” she said. “I’ll stay in the seat.” She met his gaze and true terror exploded in her chest.

Kyle stared at her with dead eyes. No compassion or emotion of any kind shone from his face. Mike’s was also as cold as the ice they skated on.

Holy shit, they’re zombies. Except they were in the peak of health. Brainwashed. She couldn’t decide if that was better or worse.

She spent an eternity in that chair. They wouldn’t answer her questions and she stopped asking when they held up the roll of tape. Every emotion, every horrible scenario ran through her mind until she was numb.

Hakim returned after dark. “Bring her.”

Kyle and Mike each grabbed an upper arm and dragged her to the ice rink. The dark arena didn’t bode well for her future. Four more players waited on the bleachers. Lexa recognized them all.

Coach Hakim sat on the bleachers. “Did you text him?” he asked Tim.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

The door banged open and in rushed Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor. Too bad he was outnumbered seven to one. Aiden glanced at Lexa, but focused on his coach.

“Finish it Aiden or I will,” Coach Hakim said.

“No. It can work.” Aiden’s voice held a note of pleading.

“You haven’t scored a goal in three games. It’s not working.”

“That’s only because we were apart. I scored four goals Saturday night when she was there.”

“Can you tell me what’s going on?” Her voice sounded as it should—petrified.

“Aiden attacked you,” Hakim said. “He should have killed you, but his mother raised him too well.”

“Kill me?”

“I lost control,” Aiden said. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stand being … dead inside anymore.” He gestured to his teammates. “Like them.”

“If you don’t kill her, I will have to kill you both. You know how it works,” Hakim said.

Aiden closed his eyes for a moment. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Good. Go change.”

Lexa watched Aiden walk away. He entered the locker room without looking back. Pure fear pumped through her veins. Panic jumbled all logic, but she managed to snag one coherent thought. Why would Aiden kill her? He wasn’t dead inside. Not anymore. Was the Javan legend true?

“Will I come back like you?” she asked. “A soulless were-tiger until I kill someone?”

Coach Hakim peered at her in surprise. “How do you know?”

“Internet. Plus it’s the only thing that fits … this.”

A big gray tiger with black stripes stepped from the locker room.

“Sorry, but only men can survive the change. And they come back stronger and faster.”

Mike and Kyle let her go, stepping away.

“Run,” Hakim said. “Cats can’t resist the chase.”

Instead she backed up as the tiger … Aiden … neared. Powerful muscles bunched and he crouched just like a house cat ready to pounce. Her muscles liquefied in terror.

In a heartbeat, he launched. Roaring, Aiden landed on Hakim’s chest. The others moved to their coach. Lexa didn’t linger. She slipped out the doors and ran. Then stopped. She couldn’t leave Aiden. He had the upper hand now, but the others could change into tigers as well. He’d be tiger food.

Think! She spotted Aiden’s Accord in the lot and raced to it. Please let the keys be inside. Yanking open the door, she almost fainted in relief. His key ring glinted from the cup holder. Lexa jammed the key in the ignition and drove the car straight into the front doors.

The screech of metal and crack of shattered glass echoed throughout the rink. Four of them sat on Aiden. Two hovered over their unconscious coach. She aimed the car at the four. They scattered. She pressed the window button. The back one went down. Aiden sailed through the opening.

Throwing the car in reverse, she backed out, turned around and headed north on University Drive. They didn’t get far. The front tires were flat, and the radiator was damaged. She pulled over near Jeffery Field.

Aiden hopped from the car and pawed at the trunk. She opened it. This is insane. Aiden reached inside and pulled out a duffle bag. He moved away, glancing back at her.

“I’m right behind you,” she said. Might as well embrace the insanity.

They crossed the street, cut through the Intramural fields, and entered the Arboretum’s grounds, stopping behind the Schreyer House.

Lexa puffed as she plopped on the ground. “Now what?”

Aiden dropped the bag in her lap. She unzipped it. Men’s clothes had been packed inside.

Holding up stripped boxers, she said, “You don’t seem the boxer type.”

He growled with impatience.

“Okay, I get it. You’re going to change back.” She turned around. “And I think I get the other stuff too. You lost control, attacked me, but when you saw I was a girl, you stopped. Please thank your mother for me. Instead of getting my whole soul, you only got a portion—that’s why I stopped being Depressed Girl and why when you’re with me I feel so complete. And why, when you were away, I failed my thermo test. And, yes I’m babbling. Considering the circumstances I’m allowed.”

Lexa sucked in a breath. “So your teammates are soulless and your coach must be the one who killed you. That’s why he has emotions. Although he didn’t seem upset about my future demise. And now they’re going to hunt us down and kill us both. Unless we can figure a way to get the hockey team’s souls back without killing anyone. And we need to stop Coach Death, but I don’t think Officer Reed and the State College police can handle something like that. He seemed so happy to have found a wild dog. Imagine—”

“Lexa.” Aiden wrapped his arms around her.

She leaned back against him. “What are we going to do?”

“Just what you said.”

“How?”

“I’m going to do some recruiting.”

Aiden led her through the quiet campus. “Those six guys are Coach’s favorites. But if we can get the rest of the team on our side—”

“Won’t work.” Lexa would never forget Kyle and Mike’s dead stares. “They need souls.”

“We’re not going to kill anyone.”

“Of course not. But … ” An answer bubbled to the surface of her mind. “They can share.”

Aiden stopped. “No. That’s too much to ask. After this is all done, somehow you’re getting yours back.”

“No. I don’t want it. I’m happy for the first time in years.” Lexa realized she had assumed he felt the same. “Unless, you’d rather not be … I’m sure there are others … ”

He drew her close. “I’d be an idiot to want anyone else. Look at what you’ve done tonight. Rescued me. Took the whole were-tiger thing in stride. You’re awesome. I love being with you.” He kissed her.

Her muscles melted again, but this time for a better reason.

Too soon, he pulled away. “We have to talk to the guys before Coach does.”

“Not going to work. Talk to Ryan Collins’ girlfriend. I’m positive she’d be willing to do anything to bring him back to life.”

“Chelsea Belham? Really?”

Despite the late hour, convincing Chelsea was easier than expected. All she needed was to see the change in Aiden.

“I’m in. What’s next?” Chelsea asked.

Lexa glanced at Aiden. “I haven’t figure that out yet.”

“I have. I thought of nothing else during that horrible week we were apart,” he said. “It’s an exchange of blood and saliva.”

Chelsea drove them to Ryan’s apartment in her silver BMW. He shared it with Doug Vett, a forward. When Ryan opened the door and saw Aiden, he grabbed him, pulled him into the apartment, and slammed him into a wall. Aiden crumpled to the floor.

Lexa and Chelsea jumped on Ryan, but he shrugged them off with ease. Doug Vett stood in the threshold of his bedroom. He didn’t seem inclined to help, but he texted on his phone.

“Coach called,” Ryan said in a monotone.

“Already figured that out big guy,” Aiden said from the floor. He lumbered to his feet. “Wait,” he said when Ryan moved. “Listen to me.” Aiden rushed to explain.

“Coach said to hold them here until he arrives,” Doug said.

Ryan blocked the door.

“I guess that’s a no,” Aiden said.

Chelsea hadn’t moved since Ryan tossed her onto the ground next to Lexa. Her expression hardened into what Lexa would describe as bitch-mode. Opening her Prada handbag, Chelsea yanked out a thick nail file.

Figures. Although, a cell phone would have been confiscated right away.

Instead of filing her nails, Chelsea flicked her thumb and a blade shot out. Everyone froze in surprise. It was enough time for her to cut her wrist, stand, and cross to Ryan. She offered her bloody arm to him.

A predatory glint transformed his eyes into tiger eyes. Ryan clamped onto her wrist as if she was fresh kill. He sucked greedily.

Aiden pried Ryan from her. “Not too much or you’ll kill her.”

Ryan sank to the ground and put his head in his hands. Aiden knelt next to him.

Lexa wrapped a paper towel around a paler Chelsea’s wrist.

“How long?” Chelsea asked.

Aiden said, “For me, it was pretty quick, but—”

“Chel?” Ryan glanced around.

The girl didn’t hesitate. She threw herself into his arms.

One down, twenty-four more to go. Lexa glanced at Doug.

“Uh, Aiden.” She pointed to Doug. He held his phone to his ear.

“Doesn’t matter. Coach is already on the way,” Aiden said. “We need to leave.” He helped Chelsea and Ryan to their feet.

“Mary? It’s Doug.”

Aiden and Lexa exchanged a grin.

“Where can we go that Coach doesn’t know about?” Aiden asked.

She felt her pockets. Despite all the running around, her keys remained. Holding up the key to the Walker building, she said, “This place’s a ghost town on Friday nights.”

The five of them crammed in Chelsea’s BMW. They picked up Mary on the way.

It was a long exhausting weekend. Not all the players had girlfriends, and a couple weren’t as understanding as Chelsea and Mary. Aiden and Lexa played matchmaker.

“I don’t know about this,” she said to Aiden as they waited for a potential girl. “What if they don’t like each other, or have opposite personalities?”

“They won’t afterward,” Aiden said. “They’ll be soul mates. It’s what every single couple in the world hopes for, and only a tiny percentage achieve.”

“But we’re manipulating it with the tiger magic.”

“We were manipulated. Do you have any complaints? Regrets?”

She stepped into his arms. “None.”

The Coach remained a problem. And there was a game on Sunday afternoon. By that time, they had converted fifteen players.

“We play,” Aiden said. “He’s not going to do anything in public and we outnumber them. Once he sees we can still win, he’ll back off. Winning is all he cares about.”

En masse, they arrived at the Ice Pavilion. They met with a token resistance, but the ten remaining players didn’t have the heart to fight. Lexa kept an eye on Coach Hakim during the game. He tried to prevent Aiden and the others from playing, but they ignored him. The team won seven to zero.

After that, the Coach cooperated. He even allowed the girls to travel with the team for away games. The rest of the players found soul mates. The Ice Men had thawed.

“Coach Hakim can’t walk away scott free,” Aiden said to Lexa after finals week. They were headed to the G-man to celebrate the end of the semester and an early Christmas with the he-man club. Ben hadn’t been supportive of Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor until he realized Depressed Girl was gone for good, and Aiden wasn’t leaving.

“Nothing’s stopping him from going to another school and creating another team filled with soulless were-tigers. We all swore not to attack anyone, but Coach didn’t.”

She considered the situation. They needed something that would ruin his reputation to a point where no one would hire him. Jail time would be a bonus. The answer clicked.

“I love it when you have that evil gleam. Do tell,” Aiden said.

“Child pornography.”

“You serious?”

“Unfortunately. We can hack into his computer and download pictures and videos to his hard drive. An anonymous tip to Officer Reed would set it in motion. No one will touch a suspected pedophile, his career would be over.”

“I’m not comfortable using kids.”

“Me either, but they’re already being exploited. The pictures and videos are there now.” She considered. “Once everything with the Coach settles, the team can advocate to stop child pornography, do fundraisers, and maybe even shut down a few operators while we’re at it.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“What else is a group of super-brawny guys who can change into tigers going to do during the off-season? Play baseball?”

“Gasp! Don’t mention the B-word ever again.”

When they parked at the G-man, Aiden pulled her close. “Forgot to ask. How did you do in thermo?”

Lexa grinned.

“You passed!”

“I failed. I’ll have to take it again, and the F sent my GPA into the toilet.”

“But you smiled?”

“It’s only a grade. Not worth stressing over.”