I swallowed thickly. “No. If you find them, tell me. I’ll deal with them.”
“I’ll find them alright.” Bill tossed my Atlas back to me, giving me a hard look. “Just deal with them better than you did Gareth Tempa. No loose ends this time. We find them, we neutralise them and we destroy the phone they’re using to make sure there’s no evidence left.”
I nodded, heading to the door but pausing before I left. “Thanks Bill. Sorry about the hooker.”
Bill barked a laugh. “The night is young.”
I blew out a breath of amusement, opening the door and heading onto the porch.
A sweeping sensation ran through my body like charged starlight and my head moved of its own accord as the heavens seemed to guide my actions. It had happened a couple of times before, like fate’s path was suddenly visible enough for me to see. But what I saw just left me confused.
A woman exited a room a few doors down, her hood drawn up over her head. She glanced my way, her shoulders hunched and her head bowed a little. The stars hummed in my ears and I knew what to do. I plucked my Atlas out of my pocket, kicking my foot back against the wall and pretending to study the screen.
The woman drew closer, hurrying past and I flipped my eyes up just as she went by, frowning as I caught sight of a scarred face buried deep within her hood. One of her eyes was glassy and white, but I didn’t see it for long as she dipped her head again and hurried up to a vending machine at the far end of the porch. She started pushing coins into it and I looked up at the stars in confusion, moving away from the wall and flexing my wings.
I took off into the sky, throwing a final glance down at the motel as I soared above it, confused by The Sight as always. It just never seemed to work right for me. If only I could figure out how to use it properly, maybe I wouldn’t be lost in a sea of fragmented memories. Maybe I’d know who I was. And maybe I’d know who I really had to fear in this world.
By the time my Atlas rang to get me up and out of bed, I’d managed a grand total of three hours sleep all night, most of which had involved being pinned beneath a Nemean Lion Shifter. The rest had been spent waiting to see if Gabriel would message me again and trying to plot my next move against him.
He knew something. I just didn’t know if he was entirely responsible yet or not and he was so powerful that I couldn’t risk making a more direct move against him until I was sure. If Gabriel was the piece of shit who’d killed my brother then it was going to be really difficult to kill him. He was strong and his magic was potent, plus he was paranoid which meant he was always expecting an attack anyway. The Sight might even warn him about me coming for him.
I gave a little bit of thought to how I’d do it, but my gut lurched sharply at the mere idea of it. He’d saved me after the party. Risked his life to help me. Could I really hurt him when I owed him my life? But if he’d taken Gareth’s then I had to.
I shifted uncomfortably in my bed as some part of me balked against the idea on an instinctive level. I frowned at myself then decided to put it out of my mind. I’d see how these messages played out, look for more evidence and deal with it then. I wasn’t going to let myself get worked up about anything until I was sure.
My daily horoscope flashed up on the screen and I read over it quickly, wondering if there was anything to say how this standoff with Gabriel over the burner phone might play out.
Good morning Libra.
The stars have spoken about your day!
Today, the planets are shifting through your chart and their influences may help or hinder you depending on your choices. Mars is keeping company with Venus for you so you should consider your heart before entering onto the path of war. If you choose to collide instead of coming to peace today, you may find it difficult to resolve the conflict created by your rage.
I imagined my rage would quite like an outlet though, so maybe conflict would be worth it if a collision came my way. I guessed I’d just have to see what way today played out before wondering if I needed to resolve anything.
I yawned widely as I slid from my bed.
Gabriel had gone quiet on me hours ago and I switched the burner phone back off before hiding it in my school bag alongside Gareth’s journal. I was always carrying a hell of a lot of damning evidence around school with me, but I wasn’t sure what my alternative was. I could find a hiding place somewhere on campus, but what if it was discovered? Or someone noticed me frequenting an unusual spot? I wasn’t sure which was the greater risk. My concealment spells were pretty good but if someone was hunting for them directly then I wasn’t convinced they’d hold. I just had to hope no one got any ideas about snooping on me.
I dropped out of bed and grabbed a towel and clean uniform before turning to head for a shower. Dante stepped out of his bunk before I could leave.
“You’re back?” he asked, a smile pulling up the corner of his mouth.
“Was I ever really gone?” I asked dismissively, my gaze wandering over his muscular body as he stood before me in his boxers. Hell, his thighs looked stronger than my entire body, even with my Vampire strength taken into consideration. And I didn’t entirely hate that about him.
“Maybe Leon couldn’t hit the spot then?” he teased, taking a step closer to me. “And you realised it was time you stopped dancing around me.”
I shifted forward too, the air crackling in the inch of space dividing us as his electrical power spilled from his flesh. I took my time dragging my gaze up the length of his body and found him smirking as I made it to his mouth. Temptation didn’t fully cover the way I felt around him and I had to bite down on my lip for a moment to stop myself from thinking about the way it might feel pressed to his mouth.
“Leon hit the spot,” I purred, watching as his eyes flashed, though it wasn’t with anger as I’d expected, it seemed more like desire to me. “Do you want me to tell you about it?”
Dante growled and the static crackled between us again, but his anger still didn’t come. His eyes lit with a strange kind of hunger that made me wonder if he really did want to hear about it.
“Eww, no I don’t want to hear it!” Laini called from the confines of her bunk and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Dante chuckled too, reaching out to grab his own towel and following me as I left the room.
“Why don’t you come and tell me about it in the shower?” he asked in a low tone that sent a shiver down my spine.
“I didn’t know you were so interested in Leon’s performance, Dante,” I teased as we walked along the corridor. “Will I have to worry about you stealing his attention from me?”
Dante laughed. “Maybe,” he joked. “I’ve always had a thing for blondes.” His gaze travelled over my hair for a moment and he dropped his voice as he continued. “At least until I realised my new favourite colour was lilac.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Are you coming to the Oscura party in The Iron Wood on Friday?”
My gut tightened at the mention of heading out into those trees. After watching a boy kill himself there, I had no real desire to ever go back. And there had still been no reports of a body being discovered. It was like it hadn’t even happened. But it had. I knew it in my heart. If fucking Gabriel had just admitted it maybe the guy’s poor parents could have some solace by now. Part of me was tempted to go looking for a body. But from the level of organisation that twisted cult seemed to have, I didn’t expect I’d find one.
“I didn’t know you were having a party,” I hedged.
“Invite only. You made the cut, bella.”
“Ooh should I swoon?” I teased.
“I won’t complain if you do,” he said and I grinned, attempting to push all thoughts of dead bodies from my mind.
“Can I think about it?”
“No. Do you want me to beg?”
“I wouldn’t hate it,” I admitted with a smirk.
Dante laughed darkly. “For you I just might. But not over a party. Come, have fun with us. You don’t have to si
gn up to the Clan, I’ll even tell the recruiters to leave you alone. You never do anything fun on the weekends.”
“Maybe I like the peace and quiet while everyone else is out,” I said weakly because the real reasons for me having no social life were a lack of friends and funds.
“Bugiarda,” he muttered with a grin.
“What does that mean?” I swear the guy spoke in Faetalian just to turn me on sometimes.
“Liar. I think you can party with the best of us.”
Something stirred in my gut at the challenge in his gaze. The Kiplings had asked me to help cause another distraction tonight so that they could get more products on campus so I could probably get something new to wear with my earnings if I decided to go.
“Okay,” I said lightly.
“Okay? You’ll be there?” he confirmed, not bothering to hide his smile at the fact.
“Unless I’m washing my hair,” I agreed. Which reminded me that I should probably get some more dye too.
“You have to come now,” he said.
“Why?” I asked.
“Perché mi spezzerai il cuore se non lo fai,” he said seriously and my stomach fluttered as he spoke in his native tongue again. I had no idea what it meant but I had to admit it was really convincing.
I bit my lip as I looked up at him. “Fair enough. I’ll be there.”
Dante flashed me a smile which sent heat flooding through my limbs.
We’d reached the end of the corridor where the bathrooms stood on either side of us.
“Are you coming in to tell me about last night?” Dante asked again.
I offered him a teasing smile as I backed into the girl’s bathroom and he headed away into the men’s with a shrug.
“Next time, then bella.”
“Maybe,” I replied.
***
My breakfast had consisted of a slice of toast and a coffee which I drank on the go. I’d spent enough time in the shower to put me in the Brotherhood breakfast slot and I had zero interest in being around Ryder any more than necessary today. His eyes had followed me as I’d walked right out of the Cafaeteria after I’d collected my food and I’d ignored him.
But as I headed for potions class, I had to resign myself to an hour in his company.
To make the agony as brief as possible, I hung out in The Rigel Library working on an Astrology chart until the bell rang to mark the start of class. Leon was always late and Professor Titan never chewed him out for it so I hoped he’d extend that leniency to me too.
The sound of laughter reached me as I was packing up my school books and I looked up to see Harvey Bloom and his Pegasus herd joking around in the far corner of the vast room. I pursed my lips, wondering if there was any chance I might still be able to get information from him about my brother and the Killblaze they’d both been dealing but us he looked around and caught my eye, I got my answer.
Harvey openly scowled at me, letting me know he hadn’t forgotten the fact that I’d tried forcing information from him about the Killblaze and who supplied it. If I wanted anything more from him I was going to have to take it by force and I was pretty sure that would alert the manufacturer to my interest. It wasn’t worth the risk. Besides, I already had reason to suspect Ryder after that interaction, so I probably should have been turning that branch of my investigation towards him.
I moved my attention away from Harvey Bloom and headed out of the library before I ended up being so late that I really did get into trouble for it.
I walked to class, hurrying as it started to rain while I crossed the Acrux Courtyard then slowing my pace again as I made it into Altair Halls.
I soon pushed open the door to the potions lab and gave the room a sweeping look. Gabriel wasn’t in his usual seat at the back of the room which wasn’t like him. That guy didn’t do late and he certainly never missed class. I wondered if he’d show up at all or if I’d rattled him too effectively. The idea of that gave me a dark kind of satisfaction.
Cindy Lou spotted me as I walked in and quickly dropped her gaze to her desk, sinking into her chair as her cheeks lined with colour. I pursed my lips, wondering if our fight would be the end of the animosity between us. Because I really had no intention or interest in keeping up this ridiculous feud. I just hoped her humiliation and defeat at the party would be enough to finish it. But as I walked away from her, those hopes were dashed as my enhanced hearing caught the words she whispered to her friend Amira.
“That Vampire bitch is going to get what’s coming to her.”
I almost turned around and challenged her again but I just couldn’t be bothered with her bullshit drama. She could mouth off all she liked. If she chose to come at me again, I’d happily make her call herself Cindy Poo in front of the whole school for a second time.
“Hey, uh…Elise?”
I turned at the sound of my name and found Eugene Dipper gazing at me intently from his desk at the front of the class. His white blonde hair was standing up in all kinds of crazy directions and his eyes were wide like he’d shocked himself by speaking to me.
“Yeah?” I asked, drifting a little closer. I hadn’t really had much to do with him up until now so I wasn’t really sure what he might want from me.
“I just, er, wanted to say that…you were really impressive at the dance. The way you fought against Cindy Lou…just congratulations I guess.” His face was turning redder by the second and I raised an eyebrow waiting for the punchline.
“What, no comment on me having a drug habit?” I asked when he didn’t say anything else. “Or accusations that I’ve lost my mind?” The whispers around campus on both of those subjects had been plenty loud enough for me to pick on even without my enhanced hearing. And I’d seen more than a few FaeBook posts on the subject too. I was the psycho with the drug habit who had the Kings of the school fighting over her. I guessed it wasn’t the worst reputation in the world but I would at least like to drop the addict label.
Eugene shook his head profusely and I snorted a laugh.
“Okay then. Thanks for the compliment I guess.” I turned away from him and my gaze fell on my usual desk where Ryder already sat in his chair.
There was a girl perched on the desk before him and she was twisting a finger through her long, dark hair as she leaned forward to whisper something to him.
I looked away from them, keeping my eyes on my own seat as I drew closer but I couldn’t help my inner nosey bitch from straining my ears to pick up what she was saying.
“-can have me any way you want me,” she purred. “I like it rough, Ryder.”
I bit my tongue so fucking hard that blood spilled into my mouth. Gah, why did I even give a shit about who he screwed? But the burning anger licking down my spine told me I absolutely did care and his next words pushed me right over into rage.
“Rough doesn’t even begin to explain it when it comes to me,” Ryder said. “But we’ll soon find out if you can take it.”
“I’ll take it any way you want to give it to me,” she replied suggestively.
I dropped my bag down onto my desk with a bang and the girl looked around at me in surprise, her gaze darkening.
“Do you wanna move your ass off of my desk or will I be shoving you off of it?” I asked sweetly, batting my eyelashes at her like I was super innocent even though I was pretty sure she could tell I was considering punching her perfectly made up face. The video of Cindy Lou being beat down by me had gone viral and there’d been a noticeable change in the corridors when I walked down them these days. If there was one good thing that had come out of that night, it had to be that. But apparently this girl hadn’t gotten the memo yet.
“One minute,” she said dismissively, her gaze shifting back to Ryder like I wasn’t a threat.
Wrong.
I flicked my fingers at her and hit her with enough air to knock her off the table though not enough to call it an all-out attack.
She snarled at me, revealing her Werewolf nature as her eyes flashed silve
r for a moment but she’d landed on her feet so it wasn’t like she could really claim I’d done anything that bad.
I dropped into my seat and leaned back like I didn’t have a care in the world as I turned my attention to the front of the room where Professor Titan was still taking his time leafing through a large textbook in front of him.
The girl growled at me but I gave no shits nor any more of my attention.
“I’ll find you when I want you,” Ryder said to her by way of a dismissal.
“I’ll be waiting,” she promised before sauntering off.
Silence sat between us, thick with all the things we wouldn’t say to each other and I pulled a piece of gum from my pocket, pushing it between my lips just so that I had something to focus on.
Ryder shifted in his chair, his knee brushing against my thigh. A little shock of energy ran through me, but I refused to move away.
I could feel him scowling at me, but my eyes were occupied with trailing over the rest of our classmates and I refused to let them stray towards him.
He shifted again, his leg pressing to mine more firmly and I blew a bubble with my gum, letting it pop loudly and smirking internally as I felt a wave a tension roll through him.
I tugged at the collar of my shirt just to give my fingers something to do, loosening off one of the buttons too close to my neck. Ryder’s heart thumped a little harder and he turned to glare straight ahead too. He stretched his arm out on the table, pushing it half way across the desk so that he was definitely on my side of it. He drummed his fingers in the wooden table top, pain dancing on his knuckles as he did so.
Dipshit.
“Bing bong!” Principal Greyshine’s voice came over the tannoy and I leaned back in my chair, re-crossing my legs so that I was no longer touching the pissy Basilisk beside me. “What’s up home boys and girls? I hope you’re all feeling jazzy despite the drizzly day! Just a little reminder this mornaroo that the teachers’ lounge is a no-no zone. We all appreciate a jolly shenanigan or two but we do take exception to the Griffin who took a dumpadoodle on our chaise longue and we did have to impose a rather hefty detention schedule following that hoo-ha. So hopefully the rest of you cool cats can learn from that example and stay on student turf. On a jollier note, we have managed to get a new chocolate pop-tart supplier and the Cafaeteria will have plenty available every morning for your munchie needs.”
Savage Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 2) Page 8