“Well, you better turn around because it’s about to happen again,” Trey warns as his hand slides down her body and his head ducks back down to meet hers.
Ewww. I rummage through my closet as quickly as possible and hastily make my escape into the bathroom. After not having a proper shower and having Rylan attempt to wash my hair, I’ve been dying to get into my bathroom. I couldn't wait to peel off these borrowed clothes and scrub myself silly with my own shampoo and body wash.
I strip off in front of the mirror, taking note of the ugly bruises and cuts that cover my body and remind myself just how lucky I am to be alive. To get to experience yet another day with Rylan and my friends by my side is the greatest gift I’ve ever received.
I step into the shower and give myself just what I need. I scrub and scrub until I’m squeaky clean and every tiny sliver of dirt is out from under my nails. The dried blood is completely washed from my hair and even my teeth get brushed with my own damn toothbrush.
I climb out of the shower and wrap my wet hair up in my towel before I rub cream into all my injuries. I get dressed into my workout gear as all classes have been canceled, which means, after not working out since Friday afternoon, I have just a little bit of energy to burn.
I throw my hair up in a bun and make my presence known to the occupants of my room before stepping out of the bathroom.
I grab my shoes and socks and sit down on the edge of my bed to tie them up.
“You’re not seriously going to workout, are you?” Jacinta asks in the most disapproving tone imaginable. I send her a smirk and a look that says ‘duh’ as I reach for my iPod. “No way,” she scolds as she pushes Trey off her and jumps to her feet in front of me. “You can’t, not after everything you’ve been through. Your body hasn’t healed enough.”
“She’s right,” Trey says. “As much as I would like to be alone with Jacinta right now, there’s no way I’m letting you go out for a workout.”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure them. “I’ll keep it light and be back in an hour.”
“Rylan is going to kill you,” she warns.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” I ask with a smirk.
“Are you serious right now?” Jacinta huffs.
“Yeah,” I laugh. “Rylan is at the meeting, he will never know that I was working out. I’ll be back and dressed way before that meeting lets out.”
“Rylan always knows,” Trey warns.
I roll my eyes at them. No amount of ganging up on me is going to work. Not today. I’ve been through hell and back and if this girl wants to go for a quick run in the gym, then that’s what this girl is going to do.
I put my earbuds in as I flick through my iPod, searching for something to get my blood pumping. I pull the door open to leave and walk straight into a petite body. “Woah, sorry,” I say on autopilot. I pull my earbuds out and glance at the person I just attempted to bowl over.
Nora. Great. “Can I help you?” I ask cautiously, wondering why in the hell she’s hovering outside my dorm room.
“Ah…yeah,” she responds equally as awkward as I. “I um…brought you these,” she says raising a handful of bags in front of me which I immediately recognize as mine and Jacinta shopping.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the bags from her.
A guilty look passes over her face. “Don’t thank me,” she says. “I was on the shopping trip on Saturday and noticed the bags on the bus and when nobody claimed them, I realized it must have been yours, so I took them out of spite.”
“Okay…” I say. “So, why are you giving them to me now?”
“I was just talking to Daniel, he told me everything that happened. I just assumed you were late getting on the bus or something. So…um, yeah, I figured after everything you’ve gone through, you should at least have your shopping.”
I study her for a short while. Was that a Nora form of an apology? Who could be sure? “Okay, well I guess, thanks for bringing it back,” I say, stepping back into the room to put the bags down. I turn back to the door expecting her to have left but am equally as shocked when I find her still hovering in my doorway. “Is there something else I can help you with?” I ask.
She looks past me to see who’s in the room, to find Jacinta and Trey gawking mindlessly at the events unfolding before them. She focuses her attention back on me with a slight scowl on her face. “I saw the little red lingerie you bought. Don’t be expecting to use that on Daniel,” she demands.
I choke on my own breath and give myself a second before responding. “Nora, there’s nothing for you to worry about with Daniel. Yes, I love him, but I love him like a brother. He’s one of my closest friends and there’s no way in hell I’d be getting together with him. That’s just kind of weird,” I say, exaggerating the truth, but I mean, she doesn’t need to know just how hot and steamy things between me and Daniel had once been.
“Look, I love him,” she declares. “I know he doesn’t feel that way about me, but I think he could and I see the way he looks at you. It’s the way I want him to look at me. Which is kind of why I hate you so much at the moment.”
“Yeah, I worked that out,” I admit with a smirk. “But quit stressing, he’s a friend and will always be just a friend.”
“Okay, whatever,” she says, bringing her snappy attitude back into play. “But if you didn’t buy that lace thong for Daniel, who did you buy it for?”
“Oh, you know,” I say. “You never know when a girl might need a teeny, tiny, red lacy thong.”
“Ha, ain’t that the truth,” she scoffs, then suddenly looks around, realizing where she is. “I better go before someone sees me here,” she says in a panic.
She leaves in a rush and I can’t help but feel that I have just made a friend in Nora. That couldn’t be right, though. I turn and head back into the room with confusion rattling me. “What the hell was that?” I ask, flopping down onto my bed, my workout completely forgotten.
Jacinta lets out a slow breath and shakes her head in confusion. “I have no idea.”
I lay down in bed going over the last two days and contemplate what the next few might hold when a thought rips through me and I realize that I’m an awful person.
I grab my phone and dash out of my dorm room, making my way out into the quad and hoping I don’t get caught. Though, I doubt anybody has the nerve right now to tell me what I can and cannot do. I sprint across the senior campus and make my way into the junior dorm rooms before coming to a screeching halt in front of my little sister’s door.
I bang hard on the door, demanding entry when a tear-streaked Millie answers the door. She gasps as she registers me before her and I realize nobody has come to tell her that I’m alright.
“Bianca,” she sobs throwing her arms around me. I hold her tight as she cries into my chest, vowing that I will stand right here for as long as she needs.
“I’m so sorry,” I soothe. “I’m okay. They came and got me,” I add, knowing I don’t need to expand on who ‘they’ are.
We stand in her doorway for another ten minutes while she pulls herself together.
“Come on,” I say reaching for her hand. “I need to give mom a call.”
Chapter 22
After an hour of convincing my distraught mother that I’m fine and that she doesn’t need to pack a bag to make her way down here. She finally lets me go.
Millie and I head back up to my dorm and I hope to God that Trey and Jacinta aren’t still fooling around on the bed as my little sister does not need to get any ideas, considering the fact she’s now dating.
Pleased to find my friends’ hands to themselves, we enter the room and plop down on the couch where Millie blasts us all with questions about our last 48 hours. Halfway through Trey’s descriptive recap of our fight for survival, Daniel pops his head through our open window. “Anybody hungry?” he asks with a panty-dropping smile, holding up a bag full of food.
My tummy rumbles at the smell of the food coming in through
the window and I suddenly realize it’s after 8 pm. Where did the day go? We quickly usher him into our room and dig straight into our dinner, going over all our thoughts and guesses as to what could be happening in the meeting.
“Just so you know, you’re never allowed to go back to the mall,” Jacinta says with a change of topic.
“What?” I gasp. “No way, I love going to the mall.”
She shakes her head as she explains. “Every time you’ve gone there in the last six months, you’ve nearly ended up dead. I can’t live knowing if you step onto the premises again, you’ll most likely be eaten alive by a rogue werewolf,” she deadpans.
“Yep,” Daniel smirks. “I agree with blondie.”
Somehow the conversation turns into a rundown of every mistake I have ever possibly made over the span of my life when a light knock comes to the door. “Come in,” Jacinta immediately hollers, forgetting about the ‘boys in the dorm room’ rule.
“Jacinta,” I hiss, indicating to the boys who are two seconds away from freaking out. But what can they do now? The handle is already turning.
The door is pushed open as Jacinta makes a comment about ‘who would have the balls to get us in trouble after everything we’ve been through.’ All my concerns vanish the second a familiar dark-headed, brooding and broad-chested man steps through the door.
He stops and immediately takes in the crowded room before him and I see the boys instantly relax out the corner of my eye. “I shouldn’t be surprised to see you all here,” he smirks, though I don’t miss his eyes taking me in, taking note of all my injuries and how they’re healing.
“Eh,” I say with a shrug. “What did you expect?”
He rolls his eyes at my blasé attitude and I’m suddenly struck with worry. “What are you doing here? And coming right to the door? Someone could have seen you,” I say getting up and going to him. He reaches out and rubs his palms down my arms in a soothing manner.
“First of all, calm the hell down, nobody saw me. Secondly, no one is going to question why I’m here after going into the Fairy Kingdom to save your ass,” he explains, earning a grunt of agreeance from Jacinta. “And you told me to swing by, remember?” he says with a seductive wink, forcing my cheeks to turn an embarrassing shade of pink. “Now, shove the hell over,” he says glancing at the occupants on the couch. “I figured you’d all want to know how the meeting went.”
Everyone nods enthusiastically as Rylan grabs my hand and pulls me over to the couch before sitting next to Jacinta and pulling me down on his lap.
I take a few seconds to bask in the current moment, the absolute perfect feeling of sitting in Rylan’s lap among my friends and family in the most casual way and I don’t doubt that I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life.
“Are you okay?” Rylan’s asks me quietly as he nuzzles into my neck to plant the sweetest kiss.
I turn to look him in the eye, finding nothing but love and concern. “Yeah,” I smile. “Absolutely perfect.” He runs his hand up my spine and tangles it into my hair, bringing my face down so he can press his lips against mine. “You know, you looked pretty damn sexy standing up on the podium taking charge,” I mumble against his lips. “I love a man who can take charge.”
He lets out a groan as he opens his eyes which are now hooded and full of fire. “Just you wait, Bianca Moore. I’ll show you exactly how I take charge,” he whispers.
“Get on with the story already,” Trey whines from across the room. I feel Rylan smirk against my lips, and I know if Millie wasn’t here, he would have made a show of claiming me right here and now.
I reluctantly pull back so he can give us the details of the meeting. He laces his fingers through mine and gets started. “So, there were a lot of different viewpoints. It was basically a mess of people going back and forth. Some of the council were all for an attack while others thought it would be suicide. We even had a handful of people saying that Kaylee made it up as vampires are not known to band together, especially under the rule of the fey. So, she was brought in and interrogated.
“Ultimately, it was The Guard’s decision, in which they voted for an attack. Then came the part where the Front Lines had to figure out the best course of action and after three hours, they had gotten nowhere. So, Brett Norrington put his foot down and demanded that we follow through with my initial plan,” his eyes find mine with a hidden message. This is his father’s way of trying to get closer and he doesn’t like it. But I’m thankful for it as Rylan’s plan is utterly brilliant.
“Okay,” I say bringing my thoughts back to the here and now. “How is that going to work?”
“Well, as I said during the first meeting, we’ll use Kaylee, who will tell us once the decision has been made and we will go to them. We’ll have a massive show of force and surprise them halfway. It should be an easy takedown. Kaylee will remain in a secured location and the academy will stay on lockdown. Probably for a few days,” he explains.
“So, if it’s such an easy takedown, how come you look like you’re going to throw up?” I ask.
He brings his eyes back to mine and takes a deep breath. “As The Guard wants an overwhelming show of force, all combat students over the age of eighteen are permitted to accompany us into battle,” he says.
“No,” Jacinta whispers as Millie breaks into quiet sobs, prompting Daniel to reach out and scoop her up into his capable arms.
Dread fills their eyes as I’m filled with relief, relief that none of my friends have yet turned eighteen and will be sitting here, probably in this very room, far away from all sources of danger.
I keep my eyes locked on Rylan’s searching for any hint that he could be joking. But no, I won’t find it. Rylan would never joke about something so serious, especially something that could once again bring harm to me.
“Okay,” I say calmly. “So, I’m going into battle with an army of vampires and fairies.”
“Can she get out of it?” Jacinta asks. “I mean, after everything she’s been through, surely they could give her a pass.”
“No,” Rylan sighs. “I’ve already tried. The Guard will not stand for it. Especially after seeing her in action during the midterms, they believe her to be some kind of prize, an asset,” he scoffs.
I nod my head silently, accepting what will be. I’m suddenly bowled off Rylan’s lap as Millie barrels into me. My bruises scream in protest, though I do my best to cover it up. “No,” Millie cries. “You can’t go. I only just got you back,” I hold her tightly for the second time today and glance up at Daniel as I could have sworn he was holding her not five seconds ago.
Daniel rubs at his arms and catches my gaze. “She bit me,” he says as Trey and Jacinta break into snickers at Daniel’s expense.
I sigh and focus my attention back to the beautiful girl in my arms. “I’ll be okay. I’m the baddest bitch around. I’ll take them all out and be back before dinner,” I say as I try to soothe her fears.
Millie sniffles and nods her head. “Can’t The Guard just make up their minds? First, they are about to kick you out, then you show them you’re awesome and they want to keep you locked up in an ivory tower, and now they’re basically throwing you to the wolves,” she huffs as another tear slides down her cheek. “I think mom is literally going to have a heart attack,” she adds.
“Technically, they’re throwing me to the vampires and fey. I’m thinking the wolves wouldn’t want any part of this mess,” I grumble as I let out a broken sigh, hating that I have to ask this of my sister. “Look, I know this goes against all your goodness and inability to lie, but you can’t tell mom about this.”
“I can’t not tell her. What if something happens and she never gets a chance to…you know…say goodbye,” she sniffles.
“Nothing is going to happen to me. Please, Millie, it’s only going to worry her. I’ll tell her when I get back. I promise.”
“Okay, fine,” she finally agrees on a yawn.
“Come on,” Rylan says noticing her tir
ed state. “It’s been a big day. Can Bianca and I walk you back?” he asks her.
She gives a quick nod as Rylan helps us both to our feet. “I’ll be back in a bit,” I say to Jacinta as I grab my jacket.
“No, she won’t,” Rylan says. “We’ve got a lot to talk about,” he adds fixing me with a look that has me wondering what on earth could possibly be left to talk about.
Jacinta gives me a sad smile as I make my way to the door and I notice a small scowl gracing Daniel’s lips. Damn.
“Do you need your shopping bags?” Jacinta smirks with a raise of her eyebrows.
Rylan gives me a curious look, knowing exactly what it is that he would find in those shopping bags.
“I’ll make do without,” I grin, stepping through the door to hear her laughing from the other side.
Rylan and I make quick work of dropping Millie back to her dorm. I give her one last squeeze before shutting her door and making my exit out of the hall, praying that won’t be the last time I ever see my little sister.
The school grounds are practically deserted with all the students trapped in their dorms. It’s amazing how I’ve managed to run around all afternoon without getting caught. I walk beside Rylan, desperately wanting to take his hand, but know it would be too risky out in the open.
He leads me down a little path and after another five minutes, we come to a small table and I quickly realize this was his spot. His place of freedom where he came when he was a senior to get away from the crazy world he lived in. My eyes fly to the tabletop to see his name carved into the old wood. The carving brings a little smile to my lips.
Rylan watches my gaze and smiles back at me when he realizes what I’m looking at.
Bringing my attention back to him, he indicates for me to sit and he crouches down in front of me and takes both my hands in his, knowing out here in the privacy of our little spot, we'll never get caught. He looks deeply into my eyes and I see nothing but love and devotion staring up at me.
Heart and Revenge: Slayer Academy (Book 2) Page 20