Текст книги "Pure"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

CHAPTER 10

I WAS A NERVOUS MESS OF FUNK.

It had to do with the little box in my gym bag. Nice of Deacon to gift wrap the guitar pick, but now I felt stupid for giving it to Aiden, especially after everything that had gone down between us at the zoo.

But I had it and I needed to give it to him. If I didn’t, there was a chance Deacon could make some passing comment to him about it and then I’d be even more mortified. And it was just a guitar pick. It wasn’t like it screamed I love youor anything. Not that it mattered since I’d already blabbed that.

I went through practice with Aiden sort of numb and hyperaware. I kept missing chances to say “happy birthday” or give him the damn box. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

What if he laughed at me? What if he hated it? What if he looked at me and said, “What the hell is this for?” and threw the box on the mat? Then stomped on it?

I couldn’t stop thinking about how many ways this could go wrong. Did his reaction really matter? Since our trip to the zoo and my embarrassing declaration of love, he’d kept things perfectly cool between us. There were only a few times I’d caught him watching me with this hawkish level of interest. I always wondered what went through his mind then.

Aiden sent me another weird look, and I felt my face turn red.

I’d never hated myself more.

Unsurprisingly, I ran out of time. While my heart pounded in my chest, I bent down and dug the little white box out of my bag. Deacon had even put a black bow on it. I hadn’t known he was such a crafty guy.

“Alex, what are you doing?”

Clenching the box in my hand, I stood. “So are you doing anything… um, special tonight?”

He dropped the mat he’d been rolling up. “Not really. Why?”

I shifted uncomfortably, keeping the box hidden between my hands. “It’s your birthday. Shouldn’t you be celebrating?”

Surprise flashed across his face. “How did you know it was today? Wait.” He gave a rueful smile. “Deacon told you.”

“Well, your birthday is the day before Halloween. Kind of hard to forget.”

Aiden brushed off his hands. “We’re going to have dinner with some people, but it’s nothing big.”

I smiled, inching closer. “Well, that’s doing something.”

“Yeah, it’s something.”

Just give him the stupid box, Alex.“Well… you don’t have to work tonight, right?” Give him the damn box, Alex, and stop talking. Like forever.

Aiden flashed a quick grin as his gaze drifted toward me. “No. I got the night off. Alex, I need to tell—”

I stepped forward, shoving my hands at his chest. Well, I shoved the box at his chest. “Happy birthday!” I looked and felt like the worst kind of dweeb.

His startled gaze dropped, and then flicked back to mine. He took the little box. “What’s this?”

“It’s just a small gift. Nothing big,” I said in a rush. “It’s for your birthday. Well, obviously.”

“Alex, you really didn’t have to do this.” He turned it over, running those graceful fingers over it. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know.” I pushed a few strands of hair off my face. “But I wanted to.”

“Can I shake it?”

“Yeah, it won’t break.”

Grinning, he shook the box. The pick rattled off the sides. He glanced at me once more and then untied the black bow. Holding my breath, I watched him carefully open up the lid and peer inside. Aiden’s eyes narrowed and his lips parted. I didn’t know what that expression meant. Slowly, he reached inside and plucked the pick out of the box.

Aiden held the gemstone pick between two long fingers, his expression incredulous. “It’s black.”

I glanced around the room. “Yeppers. It’s black. Um, I saw that you had every color except black.” He continued to stare at the pick with this dumbfounded look on his face. I folded my arms, suddenly wanting to cry. “If you don’t like it, I’m sure you can return it. I got it at this store online. They do—”

“No.” Aiden looked up and his eyes met mine. They were a dark gray, bordering on silver. “No. I don’t want to return it.” He flipped the pick over, smoothing his thumb over it. “It’s perfect.”

I flushed, still wanting to cry, but in a totally good way now. “You really think so?”

Aiden took a step forward, his eyes like liquid pools. They took up his face, my entire world. I didn’t know what was going to happen next. All I knew was that I was hooked on him, irrevocably so.

“There you are.” Marcus stood at the entrance to the training room. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”

There was sort of grace to how fast Aiden slid the gift into the pocket of his pants and twisted around. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was perfectly devoid of any emotion. Only his eyes would give anything away, and Marcus would never be able to tell anything from their colors like I could.

However, I was also sure my face would give everything away. I hurried over to my gym bag and became fascinated with its strap.

“What can I do for you?” Aiden asked casually.

“Practice is running a little late for you two, isn’t it?”

“We were just finishing up.”

“Alexandria, what are you doing over there?” asked Marcus.

Cursing under my breath, I shouldered the bag and faced my uncle. He wore a three-piece suit. No one on campus dressed as well as he did.

“Nothing, just getting my stuff.”

He raised a brow elegantly. “Were you running late from class and held up Aiden? You should have more respect for his time.”

I shot my uncle a dirty look, but managed to keep my mouth shut.

“It’s fine,” Aiden responded quickly. “She wasn’t that late.”

Marcus nodded. “Well, I’m glad I found you two together.”

My brows inched up my forehead, and the urge to laugh hit me hard. Aiden looked less amused.

“I’ve given what you asked some thought and I do agree with what you’ve suggested, Aiden.”

The lines around Aiden’s mouth tightened. “I haven’t had a chance to discuss this with Alex.”

Marcus frowned. “Don’t concern yourself with that. You’ve done wonderfully with her. I have to admit, I didn’t think she’d be able to get caught up, but you were right. We can end the additional practices.”

I stepped forward, but I didn’t feel the floor under my sneakers. “End my practices?”

“Aiden feels that you no longer require these additional practices, and I happen to agree with him. You’ll still be working with Seth, but this will afford you some time off and also allow Aiden to return to his Sentinel duties fully.”

I stared at Marcus, hearing him but not really understanding. Then I turned toward Aiden. His face was utterly blank. I knew I should feel good about this, because it was a huge step in the right direction and Marcus had sort of complimented me, but I couldn’t get past the hole opening up in my chest. Aiden and I would never see each other if we didn’t train together.

“Aiden, you’ve spoken about this with Seth?” Marcus asked. “Discussed areas for potential improvement?”

“Yes, Seth is aware of things she can use additional work on.” Aiden’s voice sounded surprisingly empty and flat.

He’d already talked this over with Seth? I inhaled, but the air fled my lungs. My chest seized in a weird way and my brain tried to tell me that I’d known this day was coming. I just hadn’t thought it was coming this soon.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you. Enjoy your dinner tonight.” Marcus paused, seeming to remember I still stood there. He turned back, smiling politely. “Good night, Alexandria.”

He didn’t wait for my response, which was good, because I had none. The moment I felt sure he was out of hearing range, I whirled on Aiden. “We aren’t going to train anymore?”

Aiden still wouldn’t look at me. “I was going to talk to you about it. I think—”

“You were going to talk to me about it? Why didn’t you talk to me before you went to Marcus?”

“I went to Marcus last week, Alex.”

“After… we got back from the zoo? That’s why you were in Marcus’s office when I got there?”

Aiden still hadn’t looked at me, not once since Marcus had dropped the bomb. “Yes.”

“I... I don’t understand.” I gripped the bag’s shoulder strap like it was some kind of lifeline. “Why don’t you want to train me anymore?”

“Alex, you don’t need me to train you anymore.” His body started to tense, to lock up. “You’re caught up with the other students.”

“If that’s true then why did you have to discuss areas of improvement with Seth? Why can’t you just work on them?”

Aiden turned away fully, running a hand through his hair. “You need time off. You’re exhausted all the time, and something has to give. You need to work with Seth a lot more than you need to work with me. He can work with you on the elements, prepare you for when you Awaken.”

There was a strange buzzing in my ears, adding a surreal element to all of this. “That’s not true. I don’t need Seth.”

Aiden’s head snapped in my direction. “You don’t need me, Alex.”

It took me several tries to get the next words out over the huge lump in my throat. “I do. I won’t see you anymore if we don’t train.”

“You’ll see me at Council, Alex, and you’ll see me around here. Don’t be ridiculous.”

I ignored the coldness in his voice. “But after that? I won’t see you.” My voice cracked. The sound was equally humiliating and sad.

“Well, I think that is… for the best.”

It felt like he’d reached inside me and crushed my lungs into lifeless lumps. I drew in a deep breath and tried to calm down, but there was this raw hurt in my chest. It ached, throbbed in a way that felt so real. I could only stare at him. “Is… this because of what I told you at the zoo? Why you don’t want to train me anymore?”

Aiden’s lean body tensed again, and a muscle in his jaw jumped. “Yes, that has something to do with it.”

A crack in my heart started. “Because… because I said I loved you?”

He made a deep sound in his throat. “And because I don’t…” He paused, looking away. “I don’t feel the same way about you. I can’t.Okay? I can’t let myself love you. If I did, I would take everything from you– everything. I can’t do that to you. I won’t do that to you.”

“What? That doesn’t—”

“It does matter, Alex.”

I reached for his arm, but Aiden moved away from me. Stung, I wrapped my arms around my waist. “You’re saying this—”

“Just stop.” He ran a hand through his hair again.

The rawness of his words sliced through. “Then why did you tell me that stuff at the zoo? Why did you say you cared for me? That you wanted to break the rules for me? Why would you tell me any of that?”

Aiden turned gunmetal gray eyes on me, and I took a step back. He looked nothing like the Aiden I knew. Aiden never looked at me so coolly, so detached. “I do care for you, Alex. I… don’t want to see anything bad happen to you or to see you hurt.”

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s more than that. You… you held my hand.” The last bit came out a pitiful whisper.

He flinched. “That was… a silly mistake.”

Now I flinched, and I couldn’t stop the words from coming out. “No. You want me—”

“Of course I wantyou,” he said harshly. “I’m a man, and you’re a beautiful girl. I can’t help that. Wanting you in the physical sense has nothing to do with how I feel about you.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I blinked back hot tears.

Aiden’s hands curled into fists. “You’re a half-blood, Alex. You can’t love me, and pure-bloods don’t love halfs.”

I staggered back, feeling as if he’d smacked me in the face. I was so embarrassed—humiliated. How had I mistaken how he felt about me so badly? I had everythingwrong. Letting out a ragged breath, I turned away just as Aiden closed his eyes and lowered his head. Sick to my stomach, I walked back to the dorm in a daze. The worst part was the shame. I couldn’t see past it, couldn’t think around it. There was a burning in my eyes I desperately fought. Crying wasn’t going to solve anything, but damn, that’s all I wanted to do. My chest felt like it’d been ripped open, my heart torn apart.

When I opened the door to my room, I wasn’t entirely surprised to find Seth sitting on the couch. Not surprised, but angry. I needed to consider barring the window in the bedroom.

He didn’t look up. “Hey.”

“Please leave.” I dropped my bag on the floor.

Seth’s lips pursed as he stared straight ahead. “I can’t do that.”

Fierce emotion swept through me, agonizing and raw. I couldn’t—wouldn’t lose it in front of Seth. “I’m not screwing with you. Get out.”

He looked up, eyes the color of a warm sunset. “I’m sorry… but I can’t leave.”

I stepped forward, clenching my hands. “I don’t care what I’m throwing off right now and how it’s affecting you. Please leave.”

Seth slowly came to his feet. “I’m not leaving. You could use the company.”

I might hate the connection that fed my emotions to Seth more than I hated anything in my life. “Don’t push me, Seth. Leave, or I’ll make you leave.”

He was in my face in a heartbeat. Grasping my arms, he lowered his head so that we were eye level. “Look, I can leave this room. Fine. You’re still going to feel like hell, which means I’m still going to feel like hell.”

I inhaled roughly, unable to escape him. Tears burned my eyes and clogged the back of my throat, threatening to choke me.

He took a deep breath. “I knew you’d lied to me when you said you didn’t… love him. Why are you doing this to yourself? Aiden is like every other pure, Alex. Sure, he may have moments where it doesn’t seem that way, but he isa pure-blood.”

I turned my head away from Seth, biting down on my lip until I tasted blood. An hour ago I would never have agreed with that, but Aiden had just said the very same thing.

“And what if he did love you, Alex? What then? Would you be satisfied with being something he had to hide? Satisfied with lying to everyone and watching him pretend like he didn’t care for you? Then, when you did get caught, would you be satisfied giving your life up for him?”

All very good questions, ones that I’d asked myself time and time again.

“You’re too important, too special to throw everything away for a pure.” Seth sighed, dropping his hands to mine. “Now, I brought us a movie to watch, the one that has sparkly vampires in it. I thought you’d be down for that.”

I studied him silently. He looked like he always did—a living, breathing statue. Perfection without any humanity, and yet he was here. “I can’t figure you out.”

He didn’t answer as he deposited me on the couch. He put the movie in and then returned to the couch, remote in hand. “I’m moody,” he said finally, fiddling with the controls.

I stared at him and a strangled sort of laugh escaped me. Moody? More like borderline personality disorder or something. But who was I to judge? I had to be crazy, didn’t I? I’d fallen for a pure-blood. That topped the list of symptoms for possible mental illness.

Thinking about Aiden brought a sharp pang to my chest. And here I’d thought my heart was somewhere in the gym, bleeding on the floor. I tried focusing on the movie, but my brain wasn’t into it. Immediately, I rewound my conversation with Aiden—all my conversations with him, actually. How could he go from the guy I could spill my guts to—could trust and rely on, who could make my heart swell with the tiniest of smiles or compliment—to someone just as cold as I believed Seth to be?

Yet Seth sat next to me.

Maybe he wasn’t as cold as he appeared, and Aiden wasn’t as perfect as I’d believed him to be. Maybe my judgment was just as screwed up as my taste in guys.

Seth sighed again, this time much louder than before. Quietly and rather casually, he reached over and tugged me across the couch. I ended up with the side of my face smooshed against his thigh and his heavy arm draped over my side. “What are you—?”

“Shh,” he murmured. “I’m watching the movie.”

I tried to sit up, but didn’t make it very far. His arm weighed a ton. Several unsuccessful attempts later, I gave up. “So… uh, you’re a Team Edward kind of guy?”

He snorted. “No. I’m Team James or Team Tyler’s Van, but apparently neither of them won by the look of it. She’s still alive.”

“Yeah, seems that way.”

Seth didn’t say anything after that, and eventually, my body relaxed and some of the hurt eased off. It was still there, but muted by Seth’s nearly overwhelming presence—the Apollyon connection doing its thing. Perhaps that was why Seth had made himself available. Or maybe he’d just wanted to witness my stupidity.

CHAPTER 11

THE NEXT WEEK OF MY LIFE SUCKED.

It sucked in a way I wasn’t entirely accustomed to. I’d had crushes before, even a few cases of mad lusting. But I’d never loved someone other than my Mom and Caleb, and that was a different kind of love.

This kind of love hurt like hell.

Not seeing Aiden after class felt wrong, like something was missing or I’d forgotten something terribly important. On the days I should’ve practiced with him, I tried spending time with Caleb and Olivia, but I usually retreated to my room and sulked until Seth showed up.

I missed Aiden, missed him so badly. Hurt consumed every waking second, turning me into one of those girls whose world ended when a guy rejected them. I lived in this miserable state of existence—miserable and obnoxious.

“Are you going to get out of this bed at some point today?” Caleb sat with his back against the headboard of my bed. A classics textbook lay unopened in his lap. He’d gotten the humiliating story out of me a few days ago. Just like Seth, he hadn’t been surprised by the outcome. However, he’d been pretty pissed that I’d been entertaining the idea of a relationship with Aiden this entire time. And I just felt more stupid.

He nudged me with his knee when I didn’t respond. “Alex, it’s almost seven and you haven’t budged.”

“I don’t have anything to do.”

“Have you even showered?” Caleb asked.

I rolled over, shoving my face into my pillow. “No.”

“That’s kind of gross.”

“Uh-huh,” was my muffled response. A second later his cell made this annoyingly shrill sound from the table next to my bed, and the textbook smacked the floor. I didn’t move. Caleb climbed over me, shoving his elbow into my back.

“Gods!” I yelled into the pillow. “Ouch.”

“Shush,” Caleb said, still sprawled over me, his bony elbows digging into my back as he flipped his phone around and checked his messages.

I could turn my head to the side, but that was all. “Jeez, you weigh a ton. Who is it? Olivia?”

Caleb rolled onto his side, cracking my lower back in the process. Kind of felt good. “Yeah, she wants to know what the smell is radiating up to her room.”

“Shut up.”

“Seriously, she wants to know if you’ve showered.” He shifted onto his stomach. “You know, you’re kind of comfortable. You’re getting some extra cushion, Alex.”

“Am not, you douche.”

He laughed. “Olivia wants to know if we want to watch a movie.”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know? It’s a simple question.”

I managed to wiggle out a shrug.

Caleb snorted. “Look, I just sat here for the entire day while you stared up at the ceiling like an idiot. You’re getting out of this bed, taking a shower, and we’re going to have a movie night in yourdorm. Then Olivia and I are going to leave and engage in wild animal sex. End of discussion.”

“Ew, that’s an image I never wanted imbedded in my memory. Thanks.”

“Whatever. So what do you think? You game?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s almost curfew time.”

“What the hell?” He dropped the phone next to my head, and the next thing I knew, he was sitting on my back with both his hands planted on my shoulders. “We haven’t done anything fun in ages, Alex. And you need fun—STAT.”

“You’re killing me,” I squeaked. “Can’t… breathe.”

“It’s not like I’m suggesting we have a threesome. I’m suggesting we sneak over to the cafeteria, grab some drinks and food, and then watch a movie.”

I lifted my head off the pillow. “Darn, you’re not suggesting a threesome? My life is over.”

“Pay attention to the finer points of what I’m saying. With all the rules crap and you being grounded,” Caleb continued while his phone buzzed in my ear. “Besides, you’re leaving next week for the Council and you’re going to be gone for weeks. We need to do this. You need to do this. It’s our last hoorah.”

“Can you check your phone? It’s annoying.”

He leaned forward, pressing his head against the back of mine. “Where’s the old Alex I know and love, my wild and crazy friend?”

I grunted, unable to push him off. “Caleb, come on.”

“Come on, come out and play. What else are you going to do?”

What else? Lie around my room all night and feel sorry for myself, and… and that was just lame. Hanging out with Caleb and Olivia would do me some good. For a little while I could forget about Aiden, about how badly I loved him and how he’d rejected me.

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Do you think… was I being stupid for, you know, the stuff with Aiden?”

Caleb leaned over, pressing his cheek against mine. “Yes, it was and is stupid. But I still love you.”

I laughed. “Okay. Fine.”

He rolled off me, resting on his side. “You serious?”

“Yeah.” I sat up. “But I need to shower first.”

“Thank the gods. You stink.”

I punched his arm and swung off the bed. “Still smell better than you, but I love you nonetheless.”

Caleb fell back. “I know. You’d be lost without me.”

Olivia dropped three packs of microwave popcorn, overloaded with butter, a packet of Twizzlers, and a bunch of candy bars on my coffee table.

“Do you hoard food or something?” I grabbed one of the red ropes.

She giggled as she reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out bags of Sour Patch Kids. “I like to be well stocked. Now all we need are some drinks.”

“That’s where Alex and I come in.” Caleb wrapped his arms around Olivia’s waist.

I gnawed on my Twizzler, eyeing the candy bars. Gods know I’d assaulted the vending machines this past week. I didn’t need more chocolate. “We need a bag.” I turned around and went back in to my bedroom. Digging around in my closet, I found a dark blue tote bag that would do. Holding the candy between my lips, I rolled up the bag and went back in the little living room.

It was like Caleb had fallen into Olivia’s mouth; they were kissing that deeply. Rolling my eyes, I plucked the Twizzler out of my mouth and threw it at the back of Caleb’s head. He turned around, running a hand through his hair. Looking down, he spotted the candy on the floor. “Gross,” he said. “That’s really gross, Alex.”

Laughing, Olivia ducked around Caleb. “You tasted kind of sour and sweet, baby.”

“Oh, gods,” I moaned, twisting my still-damp hair up in a bun. “That was lame.”

She flipped me off as she hopped on the couch. Her hair was one thick braid tonight, falling over her shoulder. I suspected the distressed jeans and gray sweatshirt had cost a pretty penny. “All right. The mission, if you choose to accept it, is to return with a bag of canned liquid goodness. It will be a risky, yet fruitful one. Do you accept this mission?”

I glanced over at Caleb, grinning. “I don’t know. It’s dangerous. There’ll be Guards and Sentinels lurking in the shadows, preventing us from reaching the ark of soda. Are we up for it, Caleb?”

He pulled a band off his wrist and secured the shoulder length blond strands in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. “We must be brave and strong, cunning and quick.” He paused dramatically. “We shall not fail this mission.”

“Oh, I like it when you’re all macho and serious. It’s sexy.” Olivia leaned over, pressing a kiss to Caleb’s cheek, which led to a full-blown make out session.

Standing there awkwardly, I tried to focus on anything but the two of them. It didn’t work. “Olivia, I pray to the gods you haven’t forgotten your booster shot. ‘Cuz you guys are soabout to make some babies.”

Caleb pulled back, his entire face flushing. “All right, any requests?”

“Anything with lots of caffeine,” Olivia responded, straightening her shirt. Her eyes gleamed in the light. “Don’t take too long and don’t get caught.”

I laughed. “Us get caught? Ye of little faith.”

Olivia waved her hand and sat down, messing with the remote. I motioned Caleb to follow me back into the bedroom. I opened the window Seth used quite frequently and gripped the bag. “You ready?”

Caleb nodded, his cheeks still a pretty shade of pink. “After you.”

I swung my legs over the windowsill and hung there for a moment, scanning the area. Finding it empty, I dropped the five feet to the ground, landing in a crouch. I popped up. “All clear, my dear.”

He stuck his head out. “That rhymes.”

“Well, yes it does. You’re so observant.” I stepped back as Caleb launched out the window.

Standing beside me, he shook out his shoulders. “Which way should we take?”

I turned around, facing the back of the dorm. “This way. Lots more shadow back there and no lights.”

Caleb nodded, and we set off for the cafeteria. Chilly air clung to my damp hair, sending shivers down my neck.

We stayed in the shadows, edging along the building. Both of us knew better than to talk too much as Guards and Sentinels had uncanny hearing abilities when it came to rooting out students sneaking around.

At the edge of the girls’ dorm, I peeked around the corner. It was hard to make out much of anything in the darkness. I wondered how the Guards could even see a daimon creeping up on them.

Caleb stopped beside me, giving me a hand motion I couldn’t decipher. He looked like a crossing guard. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I whispered, dumbfounded.

He grinned. “I don’t know. It just seemed like the right moment to do it.”

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. “Ready?”

“Yeppers.”

We took off, crossing the wide-open space between the girls’ dorm and the training facilities. Halfway across, Caleb pushed me into a prickly bush. Cursing under my breath, I flew after him. Caleb was fast, reaching safety a few feet before me. He leaned against the side of the training arena, laughing softly.

I punched him in the stomach. “Douche.” I started picking little needles out from my jeans.

After that, we continued to the edge and dashed to the medical building. It was kind of like a weird version of hopscotch. Next, we had to skirt around the building where they stored all the weapons and uniforms and then we’d be at the back of the cafeteria and rec rooms. From there, Caleb knew how to get in the cafeteria even when the main entrance was gated shut. He’d raided the place many times.

A shadow moved up ahead, blending in with the night sky. As the form drew closer, we flattened ourselves against the building and waited until the Guard disappeared around the corner of the med building. Almost getting caught fueled the excitement of doing something we shouldn’t. I could tell it got Caleb going, too. His blue eyes seemed to glow and the devilish grin on his face spread.

A sudden sound—much like a muffled gasp—broke the silence. We looked at each other, puzzled. Caleb’s grin slipped a little as his eyes met mine. Shrugging at him, I strained to hear anything else, but there was only thick silence. Slowly, I crept to the side and tried to see into the darkness.

“Looks good,” I whispered.

We darted across the pathway, slowing down as we made it to the back of the dining hall, keeping an eye out for more Guards. I took a deep breath and immediately regretted doing so. The smell of rotting food filled my nostrils. Black garbage bags lay where several trash cans had toppled over. “Gods, it stinks back here.”

“I know.” Caleb pressed against my back, looking around. “Or it could just be you I smell.”

I shoved my elbow into his stomach. Caleb doubled over, groaning. I started around the corner of the dumpster and froze. The small light at the back door used by servants flickered, casting ghoulish yellow light over the trash cans. We weren’t alone in the cramped space. Another shadow moved up ahead, smaller than the Guard we’d spotted before. I held up my hand, silencing Caleb’s groans.

He straightened and looked over my shoulder. “Shit,” he muttered.

The shadow was moving straight toward us. I backed into Caleb, pushing him against the wall. In the seconds before the shadow reached us, I could easily picture Marcus’s face when I got hauled into his office tomorrow morning. Or worse yet, they might notify him now. Oh, gods, it would be epic.

Caleb’s breath sawed in and out as his fingers bit into my arm. I looked around desperately for a better hidey hole. Our only option was to climb into the dumpster, and that wasn’t happening. I’d rather face down a pissed off uncle than that.

The shadow came into view as it crested the edge of the dumpster. My mouth dropped open. “Lea?”

Lea jumped back, letting out a little shriek. She recovered quickly, whirling on us. Loose gravel crunched under her sneakers. “Seriously,” she hissed. “Why am I not surprised to find you two hanging out with the trash?”

Caleb stepped out from behind me. “That’s real original, Lea. Come up with that one all on your own?”

“What are you doing out here?” I pushed away from the dumpster and the godsawful smell.

Her lips curled at the corners. “What are youdoing?”

“She’s probably sneaking back from hooking up with one of the Guards.” Caleb craned his neck as he kept a wary eye on the darkness.

“I am not!” she screeched, startling both of us. “I hate when you guys say crap like that! I’m not a whore!”

I raised my brows. “Well, that’s totally up for—”

Lea’s hands slammed into my chest, knocking me back a few steps. Catching myself before I tumbled into bags of garbage, I dropped the tote bag on the dirty ground, and then threw myself at her. My fingers brushed her silky strands just as Caleb wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled me back.

“Oh, gods, come on.” Caleb gritted his teeth. “We don’t have time for this.”

“You freaking pushed me?” I reached for her again, hands coming up empty. “I’m going to rip out every strand of your hair!”

Lea squinted as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What are you going to do about it, you little freak? Break my nose again? Whatever. You get into another fight, you’re out of here.”

I laughed. “You want to test out that theory?”

She smirked, giving me the middle finger. “That’s probably what you want. Then you could go hang out with your daimon friends.”

“You’re such a bitch!” I considered knocking Caleb down just to get my hands around her skinny, tanned neck. He must have suspected as much, because his grip tightened. “I’m sorry about what happened to your parents, okay? I’m sorry that my mom had something to do with it, but you don’t have to be such a—”