Briar paused, thinking back. Her last memory was curling up on her comfortable bed before jolting awake. There was no in between. “No.”
“I’ll come up with you.” Sylvain held out his hand. “Someone made me walk around Boston today. I’m tired.”
Briar paused, worried. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”
“Nice,” Marcus said.
Briar shushed him with a look, but Sylvain just ignored him. “Are you finished?”
She was. For some reason, her stomach was in knots. She didn’t think she could swallow another spoonful. “Yes, please.” Sylvain hadn’t followed her train of thought so she clarified. “Yes. Come up with me. If you don’t mind.”
Sylvain jumped to his feet. The chair almost crashed to the ground but he caught it, and righted it. “Okay.”
“Goodnight.” She waved to Marcus and Valen, wondering if she should give them a hug, or kiss, but they decided for her. Valen kissed her cheek gently, and Marcus blew her a kiss.
Hudson stood, swept her hair back from her face and smiled at her. If someone had ever told her looking into another person’s face could be done in a non-weird way, she wouldn’t have believed them. But Hudson managed it. He kissed the tip of her nose and stood back. “Get some rest.”
Sylvain took her hand, and together, they left the kitchen.
“I need to wash my face,” she told Sylvain when they got to her room, and he nodded. He jumped onto the bed, landing with a gentle thump and crossed his ankles, one hand behind his head. “Smooth,” she said before she shut the door. “I’m jealous.”
“I can’t tell if you’re serious,” he called, and she giggled.
“I am,” she answered. “I absolutely am.”
She glanced up into the mirror as she shut the door, and watched the smile drop from her face. Death had more color than she did. If it wasn’t for the off-white tape, she’d be the same shade of white as the bandage on her neck.
Leaning forward, she touched beneath her eyes and pressed on her lips. Slowly, the pink filled in. All of the injuries she’d suffered recently, as well as the stress, had probably left her anemic, and she made a mental note to get an iron supplement.
A knock sounded on the bathroom door just as she stuck the toothbrush in her mouth. She opened the door a crack and peered out.
“Here.” Sylvain shoved some clothes at her. “I thought you’d want these.”
It was her pajamas, striped sleep pants and a t-shirt she’d stolen from Jamie that had a picture of Bill Murray on it. “Thanks.” She spoke around the toothbrush and reached for the clothes, hoping she didn’t drool.
Sylvain nodded once and shut the door.
It took her no time to wash her face and slap on some deodorant, but she lingered for a moment before opening the door. The idea of getting back in bed and closing her eyes caused her heart to pound, and she felt sweat trickle down her back.
The door suddenly opened, forcing her back.
“What’s wrong?” Sylvain asked. He looked past her, examining every inch of the bathroom for what it was that must have frightened her.
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I think about sleep and I…” She placed her hand over her heart, thumping to demonstrate. “Weird. I know.”
“Come on.” He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. It was warm, and his fingers rough. He led them to the bed, where he’d already turned down the covers, and waited for her to climb in.
Feeling awkward, she did. Instead of climbing in after her, he tucked her in and went around to the other side to lie on top of the covers. Immediately, he faced her, curling on his side. “I’m here, and I’ll stay here all night. You can go to sleep, and you’ll be safe, got it?”
In response, she curled to face him and shoved a pillow under her head. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to,” he said. “I’m not smart like Marcus and Hudson, so I can’t make a medicine to cure you, or take your pulse to figure out if you’re healthy, but I can fight. Give me something to fight, Briar, and I’ll do it.”
“Thank you.” She grasped the crook of his arm. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
It worked. Telling her she was safe with him made her feel safe, and her body relaxed enough to finally fall asleep.
✽✽✽
Just like he’d promised, Sylvain was there when she woke up. He must have moved during the night, but not far, because he held her favorite book in his hand. As if he could sense her eyes on him, he placed it, pages down, on his chest. “Sleep well?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you.” Toes pointed beneath the blankets, she stretched and lifted her arms over her head. “You stayed here all night?”
“Yes.” Such a simple answer, but he couldn’t know what it meant to her to have done it.
Next to her bed, her phone chimed, and she reached for it. “It’s my mom.”
Sylvain stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and slid the book in place. “I’ll let you talk,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said then took a deep breath before answering. “Hi, Mom.”
“Briar Rebecca Hale, it has been days since you have called me.” Uh oh. Briar's full name only came out when she’d done something wrong.
“I texted you yesterday. I had class all day.”
“Mmhm, and you couldn’t call your momma at lunchtime?”
Briar caught herself just as she was about to sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“Briar…” Mom was silent and then continued. “So you had a nice time in your classes?”
“Yes, ma’am. I had a chem lab and then art history.”
“Why are you taking art history?” her mother asked, and Briar smiled. This was the first normal conversation she’d had with her mother since she’d been gone, and she hadn’t once asked her about her health. Baby steps.
“Something different. I have the time, and I’m interested,” she said, pushing back her covers and padding to her bureau to get her clothes out for the day.
“I took art history at college, too,” her mother said dreamily. “I don’t suppose much has changed since I took it. Art is art.”
“I don’t know,” Briar joked. “Maybe we can compare notes?”
Her mother giggled and sighed. “Don’t let too much time pass before you call again. I miss you.”
“I’m sorry,” Briar said. “I’ll be better. I miss you, too.”
“Well, have a good day and do your homework.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Briar answered. “I love you.”
“Love you, too, Briar. Be good. Bye, now.”
“Bye, Mom,” she said and waited until her mother hung up before she disconnected. Her mother wasn't asking a lot, merely for her to call more often. A call every other day was do-able, and she could text throughout the day. It must be hard for her mother not to know every detail of Briar’s life. For so many years, Briar had been her focus, and now she was gone, doing exactly what she wanted, when she wanted.
Briar hurried through her morning routine and rushed downstairs. “Morning,” she said, greeting the guys who’d gathered in the living room. It was only Sylvain and Hudson.
“Marcus and Valen gone?” she asked.
“They went to Marcus’s lab,” Hudson told her, packing his laptop into a messenger bag. “Want a ride to school?”
Briar nodded. “That’d be great.” Eyeing Sylvain, she cleared her throat. “Are you coming today?”
The set of his mouth tightened, and he eyeballed Hudson. “I thought you could go to one on your own, and then I’ll meet you later.”
“I’ll be nearby, and Sylvain can go hunting,” Hudson explained.
“Oh,” Briar breathed. “Good. That’s good. Do you have a place you like to go?”
Sylvain smiled, and maybe it was just her imagination, but his teeth looked sharp. “North of the city.”
“Do you drive there?” she asked. “Will you be gone all day?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll run, and I won’t be gone long. Back before lunch.”
Her head was spinning. Run? She had a million questions. How fast did he go? Did he follow the highway or was there a more direct route? Had he ever tried to flip a coin into a tollbooth on the Mass Turnpike?
“Where’d you go?” Hudson asked, waving a hand in front of her face.
“I had a vision of Sylvain flipping a quarter into the toll as he ran by,” she answered, and Hudson chuckled.
“I haven’t done that since they invented EZ Passes,” Sylvain said and winked at her. “I’ll find you later.” His boots hit the floor with a thud, and he stood. Mouth dry as she watched him walk toward her, she swallowed hard.
“I’ll see you,” she said as he came to a stop.
“See you, Briar.” But he entwined his fingertips with hers to keep her from leaving. He bent at the waist, eyes on hers. “You snore.”
She jerked back. “I don’t!”
Quick as a flash, he wrapped his arm behind her back and touched his lips to hers. Despite his size, Sylvain was gentle, and his kiss lasted only a few seconds. He held his lips against hers, waiting until she was the one to move. She pursed her lips, capturing his, but he drew her lower lip into his mouth, nipping it before releasing. “Stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll try,” she replied, and he set her away from him.
He faced Hudson and straightened, rolling his shoulders back. “Keep her safe.”
“I will,” he said. “The only time she’ll be out of my sight is for class.”
“You can’t go with her?” Sylvain asked.
“He can’t.” Briar shook her head. “Hudson is a rock star in the science world. If he comes to my undergraduate class, he’ll be attacked by a horde of nerdy fans like me. They’ll throw graphing calculators and beg for him to sign their laptops. Pandemonium.”
Hudson rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed, but Sylvain smiled. “Fine.” He took her hand once more, and then released it before leaving.
“Come on,” Hudson said, straightening her hat and handing her the sunglasses she must have left downstairs the day before. “I was thinking you could spend some time in the lab with me today.”
“Yes!” When her voice echoed down the street, she drew her shoulders to her ears. “Whoops. I mean—yay!”
Hudson smiled and opened the car door for her. She’d only seen his car at night, and she was struck by how flashy it was.
Flashier than Marcus’s SUV, at least.
The windows were tinted, like Marcus’s, but she expected the glove box to open and a robotic hand to offer her a martini—or a gun.
“How long have you been in Her Majesty’s employ?”
Hudson pulled into traffic, accelerating smoothly. “I don’t understand.”
“But you understood my wizarding references,” she complained.
“The Queen employs wizards? I’m lost.”
Briar huffed but grinned. “Never mind.”
Jerking his chin in the direction of the glove box, he asked her. “Will you hand me my sunglasses?”
Briar reached forward.
“But don’t hit the red button. Q installed a missile launcher.”
Whipping her head toward him, she smirked. “You knew. You knew who I meant.”
“Of course I did. I might be two thousand years old, but I know who James Bond is. I don’t live under a rock.” He gave her a small smile, eyes crinkled at the sides. “But seriously. My sunglasses?”
“Oh!” Moving fast, she handed him the sunglasses she was sure cost more than her rent.
“How do you manage not to teach any classes?” Briar asked, rubbernecking as they drove by Fenway Park.
“Money,” he answered simply.
She wrinkled her nose at his one-word answer. “Grants and endowments.”
“Yes, but my own as well. I’ve accumulated wealth,” he explained. “So I’m in the position to pay for my own equipment or supplies. It helped more in the beginning, when I started out. But then again, when I started out, the university system was quite different.”
They were getting closer to Boston College, and their conversation only led her to have more questions. “How long have you been researching?” She wondered if he published research under another name. “You weren’t also known as Gregor Mendel, were you?” she asked, referring to the early nineteenth-century geneticist.
Hudson barked a laugh. “No.” He continued to chuckle as they parked and he opened the door for her. Taking her hand, he pulled her to stand, but held onto it as they walked.
Suddenly, there was a spotlight shining on their hands, and Briar imagined every person they passed stared at it pointedly. If Hudson was uncomfortable, he hid it well.
Every so often he would chuckle, or shoot a grin her way, but he seemed completely at ease. “Have fun.” He paused in front of her classroom and smiled down at her. “You ready?”
“For Human Parasitology?” she asked. “So ready.”
“I want to kiss you,” he said without preamble, the smile disappearing. “But—”
“It’s bad enough we’re holding hands,” she answered for him and dropped his hand, stepping back. “I understand. It doesn’t look good.”
He studied her, eyes roaming her face. “I should have thought this out.”
His words hurt, but she understood. Things had moved really quickly. One day, she went to his lecture, and the next, she was kissing his brothers and taking up space in his house. Now, he’d offered her a position in his lab and held her hand across campus.
The last thing she wanted to do was mess up his life or damage his professional reputation.
“Briar,” he whispered and shook his head. In a flash, he took her hand and pulled her away from the door. Down the hall he dragged her into a bathroom. After a quick check of the stalls, he rushed to her and picked her up.
“I don’t care about anything except you. I know you’re smart, and if I hadn’t met you at my lecture, I’m sure I would have sought you out later. You’re one of the smartest students here, and eventually, I’d have put you in my lab.”
She stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head.
“Yes,” he answered, punctuating his point with a kiss. He turned his head from one side, to the other, placing kisses at the edge of her lips and along her cheekbones. “Yes, I would have.” He drew back. “But I don’t want anyone second guessing you or calling into question anything you do. Do you understand?”
It was hard to understand anything when his body was against hers, his hips and hands holding her against the cold tile wall. All she wanted was more of his kisses, but she closed her eyes and ran his words through her head one more time.
The third pass through, she got it. He wasn’t worried about his reputation, but hers.
“Hudson,” she said. “I…” She hesitated, but anything she would have said was cut off when the door started to open.
Hudson reacted, blocking it with his arm. “Custodial staff. Use the bathroom down the hall.”
He let her legs fall to the ground but didn’t release her until she was steady on her feet. Telegraphing his movement, he leaned closer, giving her time to stop him.
She didn’t want to stop him, but she also didn’t want to be the girl who ditched class to make out with her boyfriend.
Boyfriend?
Hudson touched his lips to hers, tracing her lips with the tip of his tongue, but then stepped away. “Later.”
Biting her lower lip, she nodded. He opened the door, peered out and then went through, dragging her behind him. Side by side, they walked back to her class. “I’ll see you in the lab,” he said. “You remember how to get there?”
When her kiss-addled brain cleared, she was sure she could find it, so she nodded.
He waved and left her. Halfway down the hall he spun and walked backward. He lifted his hand again, and then turned around, hurrying away.
Boyfriend? The
word hit her like a sledgehammer. No. She needed to get her mind wrapped around biology, not Hudson’s lips.
✽✽✽
No one noticed Briar at first when she came into the classroom and slid into a chair near the door. The professor was already there, setting up her PowerPoint, while the other students chatted with each other.
Briar took out her laptop and book, and waited for the lecture to begin. She drummed her fingers on her leg and happened to glance over, catching a student staring at her. Guilty of people watching herself, Briar smiled so the girl didn’t feel embarrassed. But it happened again a few seconds later, this time with a different student.
And then another.
She lifted her hand to her mouth, checking to see if anything was on her face, but the white fabric of her glove was clean when she peered down at it.
Oh. It was her clothes. Inside this classroom, made up of one wall of windows, Briar couldn’t take off her hat or gloves. She was fully protected against the sun.
That was why everyone kept glancing at her. In the days she’d been with the guys, and yesterday when most of her classes took place in cave-like auditoriums, she’d taken off her hat and gloves.
But she couldn’t do that here, and so she stood out. Grasping the corner of her hat facing most of the class, she tugged it lower. This way, her peripheral vision was blocked, shielding her from her classmates’ curious stares.
The professor lifted her gaze to the class and lingered for a moment on Briar. Would she demand Briar remove her hat?
Before she could create any more worst case scenarios, the professor moved on, diving right into the meat of the topic.
For the rest of the class, as long as Briar stared straight ahead, she was good. Anytime she looked to the left, though, she’d inevitably catch someone staring at her in confusion.
Well, let them stare. Hopefully, she’d actually meet some of the other graduate students soon, and once they knew why she dressed the way she did, the side-eyes would stop.
When the professor dismissed the class, Briar hesitated. She wondered if she should take the opportunity to introduce herself and risked making eye contact with a girl heading to the door.
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