by April Marcom
Looking back and forth at the two monster-men in front of me, I decided Hanghard looked a hundred times scarier. Everything about him, from his oily, uneven hair to his mammoth-sized boots, screamed impending danger. But I was far more afraid of Ripper at the moment, since his heart seemed to be set on hurting me.
My instincts told me to run as far away from them as I could, but I was too terrified to move a muscle. Instead, I waited for who knows how long in paralyzing silence, each of the men glancing at me every once in a while.
When the door finally opened and I saw Luke standing there, I felt a great surge of relief, powerful enough that the hurt was swept away. He closed the space between us in the blink of an eye and put his arm around me before he began leading me away.
“Master?” Ripper’s voice asked.
“Let them go.”
Luke didn’t say anything as we walked. He took me into the dark gym and pulled me into one of the corners. “I’m an ambassador,” he whispered.
“Really?” It was easy to forget his earlier indecision when I was so excited about us traveling to and with each other every couple weeks.
“My headmaster wants me to learn everything about your school while I’m there, the stuff you and your headmaster don’t tell us.”
“You’re not going to, are you?”
“Why not? You have something to hide?” I could hear the amusement in his voice.
“No, I just wanna know if you’re doing this so you can spy on my school.”
“I’m doing this so I can be with you.” He leaned forward to kiss me. “Trust me, I wouldn’t even consider going to your school every month if you weren’t there. Like I said, I like it here.”
“Thanks, Luke.” I laid my crutches against the wall so I could hug him around his neck. Somehow it hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that he really might not want to come to North Haven, that every trip he would make to come see me would be to a place he really didn’t want to go. I felt guilty and selfish for being so mean before. “I’m sorry. I was being ridiculous.”
“I know, but it’s okay.”
I laughed as I reached up to run my fingers through his hair. It was all spiked up, so I ran them over his cheek instead.
He grabbed my wrist and slid my hand to his lips so he could kiss my scar. “Even if you leave me one day, you’ll still be mine.”
“Wh-uh—” Where did that come from? “I would never leave you, no matter how mad I get. We’ve had this thing between us since we were kids and I’ve never wanted out. It’s like when someone’s your sister or your parent; they’re your person forever. You’re my person forever, Luke, my soul mate.”
He let out one of his long, unsteady breaths, blowing it against me. I inhaled him and wished I could see the intoxicated look of absolute bliss I knew he had on his face.
“My soul mate...” His strong fingers spread apart as they dug into the bottom of my back and pressed me against him for a long time.
“I think we should go see if they found Armstrong,” he said when the moment had passed, taking my hand and walking toward the dining hall. “And tomorrow I’m teaching you how to shoot that gun.”
“I know.”
Chapter Forty-Four
~ Fateful ~
I went to look for North Haven through one of the jet’s crystal clear windows—still nothing but snow, snow, and more snow.
The day before, I’d given a big North Haven presentation to the Cinders, with a little help from Harmony, Nadine, and Sassy. I was so nervous. I wondered if the crowd could hear my knees knocking behind the podium the whole time. I really hoped I would get over it with practice.
Luke was flying back with us and staying for a whole week. My headmaster said it was so he could get a good feel for our school and take back a positive report to his. But I knew his headmaster was hoping he’d dig up something good on us.
Usually when Cinders came for Winter Competitions, they did what we did at Southland Cinder High—staying on their designated floor and keeping to themselves. Luke would be the first Cinder to break this ritual and venture out with an all-access pass from my headmaster.
I was determined to get Luke to fall in love with North Haven the way I had. Even if he still preferred Cinder High, and I knew he probably always would, I didn’t want him to have to always dread coming to my school.
Harmony sat down on the sofa in front of me. “I can’t wait to be back in my own room. Winter Competitions were fun, but I’m really looking forward to being home again.”
“Yeah,” Sassy said, sitting down beside her, “but this time next week you’ll be wishing it was Winter Competitions again.”
“Well, they’ll be here next year. Then I won’t have to get homesick. And no Southland Cinder High School for another year and a half!”
I took in a deep breath and looked outside for North Haven again. “I wish they’d found Roman so I could stop worrying and be as excited as you guys.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Sassy said. “He’s probably frozen to death somewhere.” It was true that a snowmobile and some basic survival supplies had gone missing the day he escaped, but that wasn’t enough to put my mind at ease.
“And even if he’s still alive out there, he’ll never find his way to North Haven,” Harmony added. “Headmaster’s got it so well hidden, it’s impossible for an outsider to find.”
“I know.” I didn’t remind them that that wasn’t what I was worried about. It was Luke. If Roman hadn’t gone too far, he could easily find his way back to Southland Cinder High.
Nadine stirred in her sleep at the edge of the sofa. Apparently the Cinder thing still scared or bothered her and every other girl on that flight enough that they refused to utilize the beds in the back while Luke was sleeping there.
“There it is,” I said, pointing at the distant spot I knew was North Haven. “I’m gonna get Luke.”
I left the main room for a smaller one full of cot-type beds bolted at the side to the wall. Luke was lying in one at the back of the room on his stomach, his arm hanging over the edge so that his knuckles rested against the floor.
“Luke,” I said, kneeling beside him and placing a hand on his back.
“Hmm?” He rolled over to look at me sleepily.
“You can see North Haven from here. You wanna come look at it?”
“I’m enjoying the view from right here, actually,” he said, smiling and scooting back against the wall so I could lie down beside him. His body left the hard mattress feeling nice and warm.
“I wish you were staying forever. I’m scared for you to go back.”
Luke began running his fingers through my hair. “Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
“I can’t help it. I love you, Luke.” And in a week, he’d be gone, and I knew I’d spend every minute worrying.
His fingers left my hair forgotten so they could hold the back of my head as he leaned forward to kiss me. Then he pulled me closer as he whispered against my cheek. “Titus and I will sleep with guns in hand. And when I get back, my headmaster’ll have someone guarding me the way Ripper and Hanghard guard him. Only no one will know about it except for me, you, and him.”
The secret bodyguard thing made me feel a whole lot better. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I would have, but Headmaster only told me yesterday.”
“Hello, North Haven students and Knight,” Mr. Westhyme said over the intercom. “We’re beginning our descent now and should be touching down shortly. Please get in your landing positions.”
Luke and I went to sit on one end of the long sofa. He took my hand just before the belts crossed over us. I’d been sure to warn him about those beforehand.
Then I laid my head on his shoulder, thinking how crazy the last four months had been—surviving a fire and getting recruited to the greatest school on earth, finding Luke and falling in love with him, and getting caught between two guys, one who would kill for me and the ot
her willing to die for the same cause.
I wished that this was the end of my star-crossed story. That Luke and I were sailing through the sky together with nothing to worry about besides the few days that would come between us each week. I wished that we could be certain Roman was gone for good or locked away somewhere where Luke and I would be safe from him.
At least I could be certain of one thing, though. I belonged to Luke. He loved me immortally. And he would love and protect me always, even if our fateful love story was not quite yet finished.
The End
About the Author
April Marcom works as a substitute teacher of all grades in her local schools, but her true passion is writing. When she's not teaching or creating stories, she's enjoying the country life with her car-obsessed husband and three fabulous children. She also enjoys rainy days, traveling, and her five very rowdy dogs. April grew up a southern bell in Mississippi, but is now a proud Oklahoman.
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/authoraprilmarcom
E-mail Address: [email protected]
Website: www.aprilmarcom.weebly.com
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